Hello everyone, welcome to the biweekly-except-for-last-week-when-we-were-busy-and-had-announcements Halo Community Spotlight! I feel like it's been forever but it's only been one extra week. It's like we had a really really busy couple of days last week. I wonder if anything exciting happened? Speaking of exciting things, I hear Halo: Reach for MCC PC and Xbox comes out on December 3rd and something tells me that we'll be quite busy that week so expect that there will not be a Community Spotlight that week either. Please note this in your calendar so you aren't coming to me on the 5th going, "Hey Sam, where's the Spotlight?"

There's a cool thing or two on deck for this week so let's jump straight in, shall we?

CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

When I looked at my folder of images I had selected for this Spotlight, there was one image that basically called out to be my featured image. Not to mention, I haven't used a ship as my top post yet, and I can't imagine a better one coming along. (Now watch me have to eat my words in a few weeks.) This piece, by @cole_protocol (also the name of my favorite Halo novel, did you know that?) was made for the Halo-fied version of the game Sins of a Solar Empire, Sins of the Prophet. If you'd like to learn more about the game, I bet they'd be happy to help you out – check them out on twitter @SinsOfProphets! Tell them I sent you.

Snack Break

It has been a rather eventful month in the world of Halo. Not only did we finally tell everyone when you'll be able to play Halo: Reach in some beautiful 4K 60FPS goodness, but Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 both made another successful circumnavigation of the sun. In honor of that, it feels only fitting to use @leclicmagic's cover of the Halo theme for this week's soundtrack. He put his own twist on the song while it's still unmistakably Halo. Enjoy! (You can check out his YouTube channel here if you like.)

Snicker's Doodles

Now that you're properly in the mood for all things Halo, how about some Halo art? Yes? Excellent choice. Oh, before we start, there's a lot of Master Chief in this one so don't be surprised at that.

Speaking of our favorite man in green Mjolnir, here's @VivaLaJam26's Chief. If you recognize the style a bit, it's definitely beacuse we saw his angry Cortana a few weeks ago. There's even a bonus image of Kelly-087 to boot! I really dig the bright colors that make the armor pop.

This next piece by @Sir_Scar_III has it all – action, fire, Master Chief. Oh and Elites and a Grunt, can't forget those. This absolutely makes me feel like I'm playing through Pillar of Autumn all over again.

November 11th is known to Americans as Veteran's Day. If you saw our tweet about it, you saw our Publishing Team's Art Director's lovely homage to the day. In other parts of the world, it's better known as Remembrance Day. I think @greywolfxn's poppy-adorned Spartan is a lovely reminder piece.

Not to be outdone, @jloughlen316 also has a poignant Remembrance Day piece. I can just imagine the Spartan gazing upon the planes and thinking back to all those missing in action.

I couldn't really choose between @Waterpaw_107's late Haloween piece or his 343 Guilty Spark (mission, not Monitor!) inspired Master Chief. One is more action-packed than the other but both are lovely and so you get to see them both! Which do you like better?

Every Soldier needs to take 5 every now and then. Having flown with a couple SEAL Teams on a C-130 Hercules, I can tell you from experience that Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and yes, even Spartans, will consider cargo very comfortable when it comes to kicking up their boots for a few minutes, just like @Zzeref117's squad here. (By the way, the C-130/SEAL Team thing? Totally true.)

I can't put my finger on why I adore @a_scientoonist's style so much but I do. I came across two more of his Halo pieces and they're both super precious so I hope you like the buy-one-get-one free thing I'm giving you here. The Halo 2 birthday post is extra fun because who doesn't like Yoshi playing Halo?

While we're talking about nostalgiac cartoons, who remembers Invader Zim? Or when he put a sandwich in his head? Just me? I hope not because @DeltaHaloCRore's Invader Zim-inspired Elite art is great. I really love the vibrant colors too.

If you want more Elite goodness, how about @SpartanxLily's Halo 3 Arbiter? The colors and lines are super clean! Don't forget to check out the twitter because there's lots more Halo on there!

Apparently /u/sbowman88's Master Chief is not finished but if he hadn't told us that, I'd have thought this was done. I like how it looks like Chief is stepping out from behind the veil and about to step closer to us.

When commissioned to create a super sweet original character, @biduke knocked it out of the park. Look how ready to go that Spartan is! Also I've heard of a Gravity Hammer but I wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of that Gravity Scythe.

While it's not Minecraft this time, we still have a blocky ship this week! This time /u/hadesthief is showing off his pixel Paris Class Frigate! I hope we get more pixel art because it's always super cute!

You can't imagine how happy I was to come across some Red Team when I was poking around on Artstation. It's so so good, y'all! Seriously. Look at the reflection in the visor and the amount of detail. If you want some more close-ups, be sure to check @rmaZm's Artstation page, it's worth it.

Since the AR is pretty prominent, both in the above picture and in Halo in general, it's only natural that @GermainCouet wanted to pay honor to the weapon. He took a stab at his personal redesign of it, you can check out more pictures here!

Speaking of both classic Halo iconography and Artstation, how about @JKMcKelvie's Unreal Engine 4 version of Blood Gulch? If you aren't satisfied with a picture, you can hop over to his Artstation and watch the tutorial!

While @ENERGYDIE020 calls his Master Chief "simple," I think it's perfect. I can imagine him cruising around Blood Gulch on a Warthog, can't you?

I'm not one to watch anime, that hasn't changed since last time an anime crossover came up, but I do like @DreadisTweeting's Chief and Hunter! They're kind of cute in their own way. PS – Yes, you should tag things like this #HaloSpotlight next time!

If you're more in the mood for some moody saxophones, you can ask @sierra_ii7's ODST to scooch over and share the atmosphere. Maybe bring an umbrella? Or don't. Entirely up to you. Either way, I love this canvas painting!

I'm noticing that Halo: Combat Evolved touched a lot of people – people like @Cassius_117. I don't know what Chief is firing away at here but I hope it's better than the Halo 2 slotgun. (No, that's not a typo.)

If you've played Halo Wars 2, you're familiar with the Cyclops. Thanks to /u/Dagger0621, you can now have an exclusive sneak peek into the Cyclops launch bay! Just don't tell ONI about this, okay?

@Rookie_425's Master Chief blasting his way through might be an older piece (from last year!) but it's still great so I can't not include it. To make up for it, have a SFM Huraglock because it's incredible. (No, I did not spell that incorrectly either.)

I really, really hope that @LastnameSilver's Spartan Harrison isn't waiting on Chief for evac because with how much running and gunning he's been doing lately, he might be a wee bit late. Hopefully there's water left in that can to tide him over.

Alright y'all... @one_lluck says he's gonna be making more Halo art after this sleepy ODST so you better hold him to it. Okay so the ODST might not be sleeping, but who knows? I can't see through the visor so maybe he's catching a catnap or two, I don't judge. PS: pls go RT the tweet so he'll make us more cool Halo art!

You all really liked @LuminousCactuz's (and by "you all" I mean me. It's me, I like these. If you do too, that's even better!) Halo helmet evolutions so here's an evolution of the Mark V. Starting with Halo: CE and going all the way to Fireteam Raven, which is your favorite and why?

To celebrate Halo: Combat Evolved turning 18, @Rythayze whipped up a bunch of absolutely incredible drawings. I picked out one of my favorites – what can I say, I'm a sucker for sun reflecting off water. That said, there's plenty of other amazing works so please do take a gander at his twitter for the rest of the collection.

Half Baked

No more skin and bones, back to the usual this week. Also, as of this point, I'm already over 1,500 words for this blog and I'm not really near done yet so please get comfortable because there's lots more waiting to be served. Sorry not sorry. (And this is all without blessed #inktober!)

"First time drawing Halo," says @zrmbe. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that while this is the first Spartan he's sketched, it's definitely not the first time Zrmbe has put pencil to paper because this is quite good. I hope you make more!

I can't exactly condone @ty_borne taking up valuable class time to draw an ODST but I can't say I dislike the end result. Next time save it for study hall at least or something? Pay attention in school kids, it's important.

Being able to share your hobby/passion with your significant other is always an excellent feeling. For /u/Sunflowersx420, he introducted his girlfriend to Halo and she proceeded to casually draw out this super duper plain, not very exciting Warthog. Okay I can't say that with a straight face, this is amazing. I want her to do more! Also can someone remind him that he promised to show us the Spartan canvas please? Thanks in advance.

It looks like the kind of off-road vehicle that /u/Sabretooth1100's Chief used to get to where he's at. Although, between the pose and "On Your Left" thread title, I suspect this is some reference that I'm missing and therefore not appreciating fully. Don't worry, I'm sure Unyshek will gladly clue me in while sighing in exasperation.

I was left with a really difficult decision from @dagger0621 (Yes, probably the same one from Reddit earlier) for which sketch to include. Ultimately, I went with this Cortana one because I like it a wee bit better but mostly because I don't really want to hear about how terrible Del Rio is because I think we all know this already.

/u/captanacho wants to know what I think (well, not me in particular since he asked everyone!) about his Halo sketch. It's much better than anything I have the patience to attempt and I think that over time, I can see the skill improving so I hope you keep it up!

Most of you choose to draw Spartans but every so often, along comes someone like @bs_Rogue who apparently thinks drawing Flood-Infected Spartans is cooler. I think that while it's creepy looking, it is well done... But no one asked me here. (Look at his fingernails! So gross but I don't know what I expected from Flood anything. Also the left kneecap looks like a face. Now I know you can't unsee that so you're welcome.)

If you've been jonesing to see the duo of Master Chief and Arbiter, here's /u/theroomwhereisleep returning with some Halo 3 inspired sketching. I like this a lot. Arbiter even has his sword so what's not to enjoy?

I looked over @PickledGear's collection of #inktober Haloween sketches and had a lot picked out. Ultimately, I decided on my favorite sharpshooter from Blue Team, the one and only Linda-058, sniping Banshees one-handed while hanging in the air. Yeah. She's an absolute badass and if you haven't read First Strike, you're missing out. Not to mention, Lone Wolf – the comic book all about the one and only Best Girl. You should absolutely grab yourself a copy! Speaking of copy though, be sure to peruse Pickled's 2019 Imgur album because there are so many inkcredible works here.

Homemade

I'm really excited for this section this week because either you are all making more and more minifig and toy dioramas or I'm just seeing them everywhere lately. Either way, we all win because they're super fun and creative! Plus a couple of other homemade goodies made it in here so keep your eyeballs peeled.

I closed out the last section with some Blue Team so I'm going to kick this section off with a MegaConstrux that reminds me a lot of Blue Team's Fred-104. It's not *exactly* his armor but @TheHaloDepot's Centurion minifig looks great! Until I started writing these, it seriously never occurred to me that you could paint the minifigs to make them be how you want and I don't really know why. I'm glad my horizons have been significantly broadened!

Not every minifig augmentation has to be elaborate or over the top. This kitty Kat by @kitenji045 is a good example. I love the cat ears on the twee little figure and now I kind of want an in-game helmet like this because reasons.

From Halo: Combat Evolved to Noble Team (featuring Microsoft's Building 92!), @Mooreshots1 is back with more artistic photographs. I really love seeing the Play Arts Kai figures looking so awesome.

You might remember @InaDayorTwooooo from her super sweet chalk art renditions of famous Halo moments/themes but it turns out she also dabbles in modeling clay! Look at this tiny AR and the miniscule Monitor . I hear she's making a suite of Halo minis so keep an eye on her twitter for more!

Surprisingly, clay seems to be in vogue this week. Why do I say that? It's because @rttzyui made a clay Mister Chief face that I can't stop looking at. I sort of want to drill a hole in the top and put some fancy ribbon in it and hang it on my Christmas tree as an ornament. I'm sure @franklez would approve, right?

If you like Spartans on board the Infinity, then /u/dovahkiin0117's latest minifig scene should please you. Commander Palmer is keeping a close eye on Chief while he chats with Cortana about what pizza to have for dinner. Okay so that's probably not what they're talking about but I wonder how Cortana feels about pineapple on pizza?

Or maybe Master Chief is getting scolded by Cortana here in @Sparky9870's version. I really appreciate that Dr. Halsey is the one holding Cortana's chip in this and my brain wants it to be one hell of a lecture Chief is getting.In any case, the dramatic lighting and highlights really maake this a unique piece!

Alright. Remember when I said there are some crazies amongst you all? It looks like @JLuiizHombreMaN is one of them. Don't believe me? He took a perfectly good MegaConstrux figure and gave it a bad case of the Flood. He's probably contagious – do not want! But it's *so* well done.

I love how easy and accessible some creative hobbies have become with the advent of 3D printing. Specifically, being able to whip things up as you like at home. @Ceruleon117 printed himself a Mark VI helmet and put his painting skills to the test with a pretty solid color combo. Not bad for a first go!

Now, I don't know about you but I absolutely love being the passenger on a Mongoose, especially if I have a Rocket Launcher or a Brute Shot in my pocket. There's some solid fun to be had there so hopefully @tagg_wes's Spartans channel that inner mischief and launch themselves at some point. Or maybe Chief will have a blast with that Hunter's claw canon.

I really like the creativiy /u/dkzr used to photograph his MegaConstrux Banshee. I can imagine standing somewhere in Valhalla, looking out over the sky and seeing this Banshee flying around.

I really hope that Arbiter enjoyed his beach joyride, courtesy of @_alpha117. Although, that makes me think... I wonder how uncomfortable it is when sand gets in your armor, human or Elite. Is it like when you get a pebble in your shoe and you can't get rid of it? Does it cause irritation? Now I'm curious.

Not *quite* in the same vein as the other selections here but @Kodiak_Captures visited one of our Halo: Outpost Discovery locations this past summer (I swear it was just yesterday, how is it already almost-the-end-of November?!) and he's finally gotten around to sharing some of the snaps he took while he was there. You can check his twitter thread for more but here's a couple of my favorites!

Did you know that cookies are delicious? While Natpars didn't make snickerdoodles, he still made some really delicious looking chocolate chip Halo culinary creations! I'd share this with my squad any day.

I saved my favorite for last here. I know, I know. "But Sam, isn't it all your favorite?" You're not wrong, I do love it all. But come on. How do you top /u/epic_gamer_time_bro's grandma making him a Master Chief teddy bear?! Not just that but a Master Chief teddy bear with a removeable helmet! Answer: You can't. It's impossible.

I hope you still have this bear and that you cherish it forever, epic. It's truly one of a kind and an incredible labor of love.

Eye Candy

You still with me? I hope so because believe you me, you don't want to miss the cosplay and tattoos coming up next!

I'm going to start out with my favorite of the month here because if you only look at one cosplay, I want it to be this one. They're all incredible but I don't often see parents bragging on their 14 year old sons making their own Mjolnir cosplay costumes from scratch, essentially freehand, all by himself! I can tell how proud /u/mlwiles is of his son from this thread and I absolutely love seeing parents encourage this kind of expression and creativity. I hope he continues to cosplay because I can't wait to see the improvements he makes as he learns and grows. Look how good this turned out!

If you want to see a timelapse of the build, you can watch it here:

Not content with Star Wars tattoos, /u/xQasadiOx decided to add a couple Halo symbols to his arms. I actually really like this design for both pairs! I wonder if he ever tells people what the ONI symbol is or if he reminds people that glassed planets have bad records?

I'm always slightly amused when a mini-theme unwittingly pops up during my collection process. This time, "Railgun" seemed to be mildly popular. This Halo 4 Railgun by @Tyrant2100 looks massive and rather solid. Which, now that I say it out loud, makes me realize that that was likely the point. Oops.

Meanwhile, @AlphatoZetaInd opted for the 3D printer route for their Railgun. Definitely don't want to be on the receiving end of that muzzle, that's for sure. Oh and as for the whole "You're wandering around Warzone and find this Railgun, what's next?" question you posed? That's easy. I die. I'm very good at that part!

This ODST, aka /u/zigwagprops, is taking a few minutes of personal time from his sniper perch to look out over the sea. We already know that Spartans can't swim... Can ODSTs? Is that what you're thinking about, zig? Going for a swim?

How about a Cortana cosplay? We haven't seen one in a while so I'm glad that @SytheticGodde1 shared her get-up. I also really like the editing to give the shots some atmosphere and feeling.

You gotta check out /u/DannysFinalCosplay, specifically his helmet. Now, I don't know if this is his final cosplay or if that's his brand or what but without too many spoilers, let's just say I hope he doesn't channel his inner Emile too closely.

What's more fun than cosplaying? Seeing as I'm not a cosplayer I'm just guessing here but I feel like cosplaying in groups is even better than going at it solo. We've seen Mr @gachi691, aka Bumblebee Spartan, before. I'm glad to see him return along with an entire contingent of friends. It looks like they had a blast – I even spy a Titanfall Pilot in the midst!

In the Haloween 2019 Community Spotlight, /u/JGPenland had his Halo 3 inspired Master Chief cosplay done. If you thought that looked cool, you gotta check out this super sweet 3D printed Energy Sword. *It lights up!*

I want an RGB one. Because reasons.

I think @SGTMasterCody won the "Best Uncle" award, uncontested, for making his nephew a Halo: CE Marine costume. This is the absolute cutest thing! Also, I just now read some of the replies to the tweet and now I can't stop giggling.

"Make him trade candy bags with you," might be my favorite one.

For a first go at Halo cosplay, I feel like Helioskrill is an ambitious one. Of course, I have no real idea so I could be very wrong and if I am, I have no doubt someone will tell me. ANYWAY. All that said, look at @TheTrueHaloFan's Helioskrill cosplay! What do you think of it? How'd he do?

If you've been waiting for /u/toospooky2 to finish their ODST costume, the wait is over! Even if you haven't been waiting, you should definitely check this out. However long it took, it was worth the wait as this looks great, Julian!

Originally, xnova_wolfx linked to his tattoo in the Halo #share-your-content channel but then it somehow disappeared. After pestering him asking nicely, he kindly provided a link to his work in progress tattoo. Normally I like to wait until they're all completed before showing them off but I couldn't resist this time. I cannot wait to see the final project (you can see the plan/sketch here!) and I'm impatiently waiting for it.

Made to Order

How about some super sweet screenshots? Because I have some of those this week and let me tell you, some of your fellow community members are MAGICAL and super skilled. So much so that I think they got my share of talent but that is a-okay with me because I benefit from the fruits of their labor.

I don't know if @Nuvelous and @MrHaloArt drew inspiration from Horia's Veteran's Day artwork or not but this in-game (IN. GAME.) screenshot is breathtaking and incredible.

I like the color contrast that @halofeed_ managed to snag and the visor glow. Also the starburst effect! I tend to be a sucker for pretty lights so this hits a lot of right notes for me.

Seeing a Spartan get stabbed in the chest with an Energy Sword never gets easier so I'd like to thank @MrSkits94 for putting that delightful action front and center for us.

While not exactly new, @BeneficBen's screenshot with Master Chief and a whisper of blue is lovely. I really like how simple yet classy it feels.

Halo 2 Anniversary screenshots are criminally rare and few and far between, more please. Thanks to @Vuzz__ for grabbing this absolutely electrifying shot of a Spartan in honor of Halo 2's birthday!

I don't know how she does it but @spartanca is back at it again. This one rolled in and blew my mind. I love the change up in perspective and framing!

Sweet Rolls

Guess what time it is now? If you guessed nap time (looking at you Ka Five), no sorry you're wrong. It's video time! Let's have fun with your YouTube suggestion algorithm by watching an eclectic collection of Halo related videos.

Kicking off this week's highlight reel is @Predator_Rises. He made a montage of his Halo 3 Team Hardcore clips and set it to pretty chill music. If you keep your eyeballs peeled, I bet you'll recognize a name or two in the killfeed. (No, it's not me don't worry!)

One of the most important things you can have in Halo (other than shooting straight) is awareness. Knowing what's going on around you is incredibly important. Which is why I'm absolutely befuddled at what I watched in /u/JOEJOE_77's clip here. Watch for yourself and you'll see what I mean.

Castle Wars is a wildly popular Halo 5 playlist and really, I get it. You just rush down a hallway with an Energy Sword at everyone else rushing down the hallway towards you and it's just chaos and downright fun. If you aren't sure what it's like, you can watch @VinnieMarra's Castle Wars montage. It's got slicing, dicing, sticks, assassinations, ground pounds – you name it!

Now, @ElzieEdits' video might not be very long (it's a quick 16 seconds!) but it's pretty sweet. If you want to see some Elite animation, this is for you. Featuring: Unyshek's favorite Spartan armor – FOTUS!

We recently wrapped up our latest Halo: Reach on MCC PC flight and we had many, many participants. To those that played, thank you! To @Dankheili's team, he was the hero of this Heroic Firefight Limited match on Holdout after he clutched up some rounds solo. I don't know what his teammates were doing but they clearly met their match and had to watch nervously. Watching this I was reminded again that hiding behind a box is not a good strategy, even for Elites.

Petit Fours

If you've stuck around this long, thank you! Don't leave just yet, there's a few more treats lined up for you all so please enjoy.

Doodle's Snickers

You didn't think I'd forget this, right? Of course I wouldn't. Here's @FerroFibz dressing up the girls from TouHou Hell in Haloween costumes!

Fin

We have reached the end of this, the latest installment of the Halo Community Spotlight. I know there was a lot to digest here but hopefully you enjoyed some, if not all of it!

Now, for the general housekeeping part of the blog. If your content was featured, please don't forget to fill out this form so that I can give you your just desserts. On that note, please be aware that those will be sent out at some point next week. This allows for everyone to get me their info and I can send all the Fire Unicorn goodies all at once!

I think that's going to do it for me this week so in the meantime, keep making the Halo community proud with creations (be sure to use #HaloSpotlight when you post/share your content!) and we look forward to showing it all off here in future Spotlights.

Ciao! xx

--Sam