#halo the mona lisa

[horror-goofy-goobers]

Does any Flood related media in Halo, including the og trilogy, count as horror?

[ab-rinart]

Henry Panel redraw

[bloodgulchblog]

Ooooooh you want to read and/or listen to the audiobook of The Mona Lisa by Jeff Vandermeer and Tessa Kum so bad oooooooohhhhhhh

(It's the best Flood horror story in Halo please believe me, fair warning the audiobook is 3.5 hours you WILL need to take a break but it's so worth it it's so good it's so well-performed, Holter Graham does some of the best audiobook work in Halo)

[halopedia]

Sangheili Saturday — Henry

Simply known as "Henry," this Sangheili was a prisoner of war held aboard the prison ship Mona Lisa to be studied by ONI. When they began to test Flood specimens on the prisoners, ONI personnel quickly lost control of the ship.

Henry saved a human prisoner from an infected guard and they hid until Marines from the UNSC Red Horse found them. With the prison ship's destruction imminent, Henry and Sgt. Lopez fought over the last remaining escape pod. It is unknown if he survived.

[humormehorny]

Please share this for a larger sample size

I’m really curious because I’d like to introduce my friend to the flood, but I want to do it in the best way.

[oni-official]

Did ONI as a whole know about the experiments involving the prison ship Mona Lisa?

And what happened to section 3 operative John Smith?

ONI had no knowledge of and absolutely did not endorse the activities being conducted upon the Mona Lisa.

Former operative Smith was NOT working under orders from ONI and was court-martialed, stripped of his rank and no longer serves under ONI. He went missing while awaiting a final sentencing.

[reneserranorodriguez03]

Punk Princess *DJ20240612

Graphite / paper

45 X 60 centimeters

(18 x 24 inches)

2024

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

yes, that French Olympic Opening Ceremony was so fantastic that  the International Olympic Committee has now deleted the YouTube video of its own opening ceremony and is issuing DMCA copyright claims against anyone who posts footage (even legally allowable small snippets), and getting people banned from X. Way to go Olympics!

For an international forum that is supposed to be about unity of nations around shared love of sports....., offending hundreds of millions of Christians worldwide, grown men exposing their genitals in front of children and general degeneracy seems to still matter. If inclusivity means that families with children worldwide have to tolerate a celebration of debauchery without comment...... then inclusivity needs a redefinition..............

Now the French are making the argument that it wasn't a depiction of "The Last Supper", but of "The Feast of the Gods" by Jan van Bijlirt..... but then I have to ask the question: why is the figure in the middle wearing a glittering "halo" headdress like Jesus in the DaVinci's "Last Supper" painting???? Also, as to your argument that the Mona Lisa is also a DaVinci painting and is in the Louvre..... I have to say, then the French maybe should have mocked the Mona Lisa instead of a painting they don't own!

Apparently, we have gotten to the point where it is not possible to celebrate our togetherness and unity without some group of people being insulted and offended by their inclusion or exclusion. So corporations, sponsors, TV channels, the IOC, social media etc. are going to have to decide who exactly they want to leave offend......

I wonder if you've done any reflecting or re-calibration on your take the French Olympic Opening Extravaganza?

Nope, I haven’t. Because

1. I have other things and issues that are more local, more consequential, and more personal for me to worry about than a 15-second blink-and-miss-it tableau performed halfway around the world 2 days ago. Issues like losing my rights to exist as a free independent single woman and sick elderly nonagenarian grandparents.

2. I don’t spend my free time doomscrolling the news, social media, and the internet and getting sucked into algorithms that exploit my dislikes.

3. I have better things to do on a weekend than sit at home and fixate on criticism of an event that had nothing to do with me and that I *chose* to watch. I watched it. I liked it. Then I went to Waffle House and moved on.

4. I believe in personal responsibility. If I’m offended by my *choice,* then I understand I can only be angry and upset with *myself* so accordingly, I blame myself. I don’t go around blaming everyone else and forcing everyone else to be accountable to my personal mistake and bad choice.

It’s France. The French have different attitudes, different beliefs, and different cultural expectations than anywhere else around the world. They are much more lax in their attitudes towards romance and relationships. They are much more liberal in their attitudes towards religion and personal rights. If you knew that - and if you were watching the ceremony then you knew that - and you *still* chose to keep watching the program to see the drag queens and this mockery of Christianity that you’re so upset over, than that’s *your* choice. If you kept watching after Lady Gaga’s performance where the dude in short-shorts accidentally exposed himself, that was *your* choice. If you kept watching after the love/threesome scene, that was *your* choice. If you kept watching after the US livestream showed a statue of the woman who got abortion rights encoded in French law, that was *your* choice.

You didn’t have to watch the program. You didn’t have to keep watching the program. Woke hedonistic leftists did not break into your house, hold you at gunpoint, and force you to watch it or consume media/content about it. That was *your* choice. You could’ve turned it off at any time. But you didn’t. And so you saw things you didn’t like and now you want an entire country and culture to grovel and beg in an apology for *your* own personal decision to watch in the first place?

The IOC is caving to your demands because they need the money and support from the US to exist. That’s the only reason why they’re pulling videos down and censoring the ceremony. Not because the French did something wrong, but because a special group of Americans with enough political and media power to cancel their support and donations perceived it as a direct, personal attack and are angry over it.

5. I think that people who use the Bible, religion, and faith as tools to control and judge people for actions and beliefs that have nothing to do with them or that personally affects their day-to-day lives have forgotten, or don’t understand, what it actually means to be a christian. Matthew 7: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Or Leviticus 19: “Love thy neighbor as thyself”…which you might know more colloquially as the golden rule, “treat others as you wish to be treated.”

In other words: You be you. I’ll do me. I’ll let you be you however you want to be you and you let me be me however I want me to be me. But if you can’t let that be and you force me to be more like you, then we have a problem. This is what I meant last week when I said “don’t start with me and I won’t start with you.”

I don’t care what the topic is, if we’re talking about Meghan and Harry or the BRF or religion or politics or the Olympics or French culture. The second anyone demands I need to reflect or recalibrate or change my opinion is the second our conversation is over.

Look, you have every right to be offended and angry by what you saw. But you have no right to force everyone else to see it the way you do. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but I’m not changing the fact that I enjoyed the opening ceremony and thought it was a good time. It’s an opinion. Everyone’s got them, and everyone’s opinion is different. If you don’t like mine, then I wish you farewell and bid you good luck as you look for more likeminded company.

This is everyone’s final warning. If you keep coming at me about my opinion that I liked the opening ceremony, I’m going to clap back at you and it won’t be polite or respectful.

[yanderepuck]

I just found this article

So let me talk about some things.

I saw the Mona Lisa two months ago. I knew what to expect. I know it's not a GIANT painting. The colors aren't bright. It is simply a portrait of an unknown woman. Even while standing there waiting to see it I hear people around me go "so what's so great about this?" "Why is this so popular" "it's so small and there's not much detail"

ITS NOT ABOUT THE PAINTING. ITS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU DIRECTLY SEE. ITS ABOUT THE HISTORY AND THE TECHNIQUES.

Do you know what was before the Early and High Renaissance?

THE UGLY ASS BYZANTINE ART. GOD I GET SO TIRED OF SEEING IT.

IT IS FLAT. IT IS UGLY. TOO MANY GODDAMN HALOS.

PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW ANATOMY YET. They were painting to show scenes of the Bible and biblical figures. Leonardo spent YEARS on the Mona Lisa because he was creating new techniques. He was doing the research himself. Hell so was Michelangelo. These two did so many illegal things to be able to portray the human body so accurately. This is why other artists like Raphael were able to paint so much. All they had to do was study these paintings to figure out the techniques.

Leonardo didnt get as much done because he was experimenting with things.

But because that was so long ago these things are common for us to see in paintings. They are expected. It is what makes a good piece of art.

BUT BACK THEN?? IMAGINE BEING AROUND BYZANTINE ART AND SUDDENLY THIS ITALIAN IS COMING OUT WITH ART THAT LOOKS LIKE A REAL PERSON

No I'm not saying Leonardo was the first to do this. But you think to think of it from the perspective of the time period.

People go and see the Mona Lisa as if the Mona Lisa is the only great painting in existence. No. It's not that great from a 21st century perspective. It's average. It's unfinished.

If you truly want to see the Mona Lisa it's honestly better to Google it. You can't get too close to it and so many people are there saying negative things about it

And then there's the Italians in the side saying France stole it

The Mona Lisa will still be viewable if they decide to move it. It will just make the flow of people easier. The Mona Lisa isn't the only painting in that room which makes it annoying for others trying to look at the other paintings

[bluewaltz]

“Have we met?” “In another life, perhaps.”

🍁 — [ C: Kaedehara Kazuha. ] 👤 — [ R: gender neutral reader. ] 🏷️ — [ T: fluff, reincarnation, soulmates. ] 📜 — [ T: fic. ]

You first meet Kazuha at a farmer's market, perhaps. It's not really clear. He has his very own shop, with jars and jars of bottled honey shimmering like gold in the sunshine. Maybe you didn't actually need or want honey, but he smiles at you, something ethereal lined in the faint crow's feet by his eyes, and you gravitate to his stall.

"There's a lot of bees here." You observe.

Large honeybees loop almost drunkenly through the air, crawl around on the jars, and a few of them nudge gently at Kazuha's shoulders.

"They know me." Kazuha said, a laugh woven into his voice. "Perhaps they want to know if their honey is selling well."

He opens a jar of honey labelled as samples and dips a spoon in, pouring the golden liquid over his fingers. The bees flock to them, and he smiles at you.

"Curious little things, honeybees." Kazuha says mildly, brushing his fingers across his faded red scarf. "They're harmless, really, but everyone thinks they're scary."

-

The second time you see Kazuha is in a park. He's feeding the ducks, sitting on a park bench with a beam of sunlight slanting almost perfectly onto him. The ducks swarm around him, and you take a seat beside him. He silently hands you a crust of bread, and you scatter it among the birds.

"It's supposed to be cloudy outside." You say. The sun glows above you. There is a cool wind blowing.

"It is." Kazuha agrees mildly. "The weather is particularly fickle."

You laugh. "You talk like you're not human."

"Do I look human?"

You look at Kazuha. Honestly, truly looked at him. He didn't seem to exude an otherworldly aura, but the way his hair glowed in the sun, turning into a fuzzy, white-gold halo around his head certainly made him look ethereal. His eyes were curved into crescent moons, and he had a gentle smile on his face.

"You look ethereal."

"And you look lovely as well, my dear."

-

The third time, Kazuha was working in a cat cafe. He practically materialises beside you, looking inside where he had been a second ago.

"Hello again." He smiles, soft and secretive. All of his smiles were as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa.

"Hi, Kazuha. Change of careers again?"

He shrugs. "They were going to close down. All of these cats with nowhere to go… I couldn't stand by and let that happen."

"I suppose I must contribute."

Kazuha nods, his smile widening into something more genuine. "I suppose you must. We make a delightful black tea here, if you'd like. Or one of the house specials?"

"I'll defer to your judgement, Kazuha."

-

The first time you met Kazuha—the real first time—was in a meadow in Inazuma. On the outskirts of Ritou, where the wood smoke dissipated into something sweeter and the crickets chirped duets with the wind.

Kazuha looked different than he looked now. He was more carefree. His hair was longer, brushing his waist, and he was dressed in autumn. Reds, browns, brilliant orange against a backdrop of white.

"Hello." You greeted him. He nods at you and offers you a sweet smile.

That was how all your meetings went. He would walk with you the moment you stepped out of Ritou, and follow you all the way to Inazuma City. There, he would wave you goodbye, and by night, he would be there again, forever dressed in autumn.

"Aren't you cold?" You asked him. Kazuha looked taken aback for a moment before he shook his head. He always seemed to be untouched by the elements, his robes always a pristine white.

Well, that wouldn't do.

You find him at his usual spot, five days later. He was seated on a rock, coaxing a melody out of a flute that he had definitely whittled. His eyes followed you around like a curious animal, and he blinked slowly when you stepped closer.

"Here. I made this for you." You unfold the scarf carefully and wrap it around his neck, knotting it neatly and standing back to admire it.

Kazuha touched the scarf gently and then smiled. "There's a loose thread here."

"Oh, really? I must have missed it when I was making it." You watched as Kazuha teased it out and tied it around his pinky. He beckoned you forward and looped the end of the thread around your pinky, tying it off with a flourish.

"A red string of fate, made by you and me." Kazuha laid his hand over yours and smiled. "So that we will find each other in every lifetime."

-

The fifth (thousandth) time you met Kazuha, it was on the beach. The sea rushed to shore, only to retreat from Kazuha's feet like he was an untouchable god.

"All these years… you've been waiting for me, haven't you?" You said.

Kazuha smiled. "I didn't want to rush you, my dear. I've lived hundreds of lives, and in each one, I made sure you savoured your life."

"I'm here now." You lifted his hand and pressed a kiss to his pinky, the same one that tied him to you so many years ago.

[brownald]

I have COVID and hate it so I decided to make a list of all the Covenant species to see if they have a dick + balls or not.

Sangheili: Sangheili are seen to have bulges in several pieces of concept art and renders. Furthermore, Henry is a sangheili seen in The Mona Lisa, who is naked. When we see him, his crotch is covered by a shadow. This implies the presence of dick. Furthermore, in Halo 5 some Sangheili have crotch armor, which would also imply that special protection of the groin is needed. Therefore, we can conclude that Sangheili have dick + balls.

Unggoy: No dick, no balls, we’ve seen them naked in every game. This calls into question Unggoy reproduction, as they are said to breed like rabbits despite their lack of external genitalia. 

Kig-Yar: Since this depends on the subspecies, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, however there is a difference in male and female sex organs and apparently males can get aggressive during sex, turning to biting and scratching, meaning that males do hold some power during the reproductive process. Therefore, as also evidenced by Halo Wars 1’s concept art, we can conclude that the Ruutian subspecies has a dick, while the Ibie’Shan subspecies appears to be much more bird-like and has a cloaca as seen in Halo 4 concept art. The T'vaoan subspecies is basically a giant bird, so we can conclude that it has a cloaca as well. Therefore, 1 ⁄ 3 of the Kig-Yar subspecies have a dick, and the other two have a cloaca, which will henceforth be referred to as the Kig-Yussy.

Huragok: Are basically giant flying nutsacks, however they do not fuck to make offspring, instead they ‘build’ their children with a combination of mechanical parts and biomass. Therefore, no dick + no balls and probably no butthole either.

San’Shyuum: Reproduction is similar to humans, with a male and female required. Given that they give birth to live offspring, as well as the fact that ancient humans and San’Shyuum could find each other attractive, one can conclude that their matters of reproduction are similar, implying the existence of a dick. This isn't a foregone conclusion, but one can assume that given the preexisting similarities between the two species, they would have similar genitalia.

Jiralhanae: NOTICEABLY LARGE bulges in concept art for Halo Wars 2 implies there’s something betwixt a Jiralhanae male’s legs. Crotch armor can also be seen in other renders implying balls in the same vein as the Sangheili. However, 3d renders of naked Jiralhanae do not show the dick + balls (thankfully), however a shadow as well as a bunch of fur covers the crotch. Therefore, we can only speculate as to the existence of Jiralhane genitalia. It is possible that it is obscured by the fur, or that it remains inside the body until mating, at which point it exits the body. In summary, likely dick + unconfirmed balls.

Lekgolo: After scarring my eyes reading about worm sex, it turns out that there are hermaphrodite worms that don’t have dicks and worms that fuck the hermaphrodite worms with these weird little things called spiculies that aren’t technically dicks so I can confidently say that Lekgolo do not have dicks.

Yanme’e: Yanme’e exhibit no sexual dimorphism, and they’re all naked so we can see they don’t have dicks.

[halos-top-alien-model]

Sangheili Bracket Round 2 Match 14

More info below:

Olabisi 'Varo'dai:

Debuted in Halo: Outcasts (previously mentioned in Halo: Divine Wind)

Born on the colony Saepon'kal / Joyous Exultation, she was the daughter of a matriarch who led a subordinate keep to the Moul clan. When the Moul clan's kaidon abdicated during the Human-Covenant war, his son Azl 'Lamoul was anticipated to take his place. During his tour of all the nearby keeps, he and Olabisi met and fell in love. Yet the elders of Azl's clan intended him to marry the then-Marshal of Varo's niece, with his decision to reject her causing his entire bloodline to be killed and a Varo heir elected to take over the clan. Olabisi was made this heir's figurehead matriarch, although she would secretly train her own Sangheili Rangers to protect her and kill all those who betrayed her now runaway lover. When the original Marshal died in the Battle of Actium, she took over as the first female Marshal of Varo. She would continue to do so until Oct 2552, when the entire planet was made uninhabitable due to being caught up in the utter destruction of Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree's fleet due to an accidental NOVA bomb detonation. She would get assistance for the survivors, one of those aiding being the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, who arranged a plan to have the survivors colonize an uninhabited planet elsewhere - this planet becoming Om'a'Varo, potentially in honor of Olabisi, who became the high kaidon of all three keeps on the new colony. Feeling eternally grateful towards the Arbiter, she would continue to aid him alongside her rangers during the Blooding Years.

Towards the end of the Created Conflict in late 2559, Olabisi would join the Arbiter on a mission to Netherop / N'ba to recover a weapon that could potentially end Cortana's tyranny over the galaxy. She began destroying the orbital mine around N'ba in anticipation of the Arbiter's arrival; once he did arrive, she met with him alongside Ghe 'Talot, who had also been assisting by mapping the planet's topography. She and Ghe would have some tension between them due to differing views, but the Arbiter helped them cooperate through his orders. Later, she would be amongst those joining the Arbiter on the planet's surface, where her superior eyesight and rangers came in handy on the mission. Once humans became involved in the chase for the weapon. Olabisi was amongst those suspicious of them, but continued to try and work with them out of respect for the Arbiter. Later, during the first confrontation with the stranded Nizat 'Kvarosee and his "Defenders of the Sanctum", she would speak up in angry defense for the Arbiter, which ultimately contributed in the conversation devolving into combat. Once the weapon was secured, she was the one who first came up with the idea for both species to own it together, by splitting the necessary components between them. Then, she lashed out against Tam 'Lakosee and Nizat, for the former's actions in destroying the entire Sangheili fleet above N'ba. She would ultimately spare their lives, but not without a final taunt towards their gods being fake. Following a confrontation with Atriox where the weapon was handed over, she would join the survivors in escaping N'ba before Cortana's forces could arrive to catch them.

Henry:

Debuted in Halo: Evolutions ("The Mona Lisa")

Real name unknown, he was one of the Sangheili captured and brought on board the Mona Lisa for study purposes. When attempts to study the Flood on the ship went wrong and caused an outbreak, he would break free from captivity and save fellow prisoner Patrick Rimmer, who would stay by his side and nickname him "Henry". For days the duo survived by holing up in a maintenance room, with Henry's main weapon being a cricket bat. When the Red Horse arrived to investigate, some marines would find and team up with the duo, which included Ngoc Benti. Henry would save Benti from the Flood on two occasions, causing her to trust the Sangheili enough to allow him access to an assault rifle. A bit later, she would be injured, causing Henry to carry her the rest of the way to the ship's escape pods. Once there, however, a secret ONI operative would kill Rimmer, enraging Henry. Some conflict would cut the remaining numbers of people wishing to escape Mona Lisa to Henry and Sergeant Lopez. With room for only one of them on the last escape pod and thirty seconds until the entire ship would be destroyed by Red Horse, Henry and Lopez would begin a duel with no known outcome. Despite the unknown, though, Henry is likely to have perished - either by the explosion or by the nearby UNSC refusing to aid him.

[princess-of-the-corner]

So due to it being spooky month I was re-watching my favorite cosmic horror short story turned movie "Halo: Mona Lisa" and thought of something, how well do you think the crossover would handle a Flood or Xenomorph outbreak?

I think the Crossoververse would handle a bunch of Xenomorphs better than the usual groups in the Alien movies, but those motherfuckers are still powerhouses so there will be casualties.

[bloodgulchblog]

my regular reminder that if you want to listen to a spooky audiobook, the audiobook version of halo: evolutions contains a novella-length story about a team of marines investigating a research lab ONI should absolutely not have established in the debris field of the first halo.

the audiobook version of The Mona Lisa is about 3 and a half hours long and it's extremely well-narrated, it's just contained within the audiobook that has the whole anthology.

i know there's an animated version that's like an hour long on youtube, but it's a really good tense story and i think the full narration is well-performed and i think it's really worth it.

you can probably get it through your local library if they do audiobooks.

[lemondoddle]

digital valentines year three babey!! my best batch yet B)

[I.D. ten digitally drawn valentines. valentine one is a boba drink over a pink background. the cup has a blushing happy face and the tapioca pearls are heart shaped. text next to it reads "i hope you have the bo-BEST valentines day!" valentine two is the tbh/autism creature standing over a mint green background and holding a heart in its mouth with the text "TBH... i want you to be my valentine..." there is rainbow confetti all over this one. valentine three is of mel, a yellow demon with long ears and long red horns that almost touch. he looks devilishly at the viewer over a maroon background with "you're one HELL of a valentine!" his tail curls into a heart. valentine four is the "why does serizawa call you babygirl" meme with reigen arataka and a pink figure with "Y/N" on their face sitting in car seats on a pinkish gray background. reigen looks to the side, flustered as Y/N blushes and smiles. reigen say in a speech bubble "valentine... you can call me babygirl..." valentine five is a wobble dog with a pink body and blue features walking on an orange background. the text reads "you've WOBBLED your way into my heart, valentine!" there are little hearts above the dog's head. valentine six is the professor from puppet history on a purple background joyfully throwing jellybeans in the air with "a jellybean for the cutest valentine!" valentine seven is bandit heeler making finger guns over a light orange background with "valentines are very romance". valentine eight is chilli heeler with her hands clasped together on a light blue background with "will you be my Romeo McFlourish?" valentine eight is a burning mona lisa on a desaturated yellow background with "my heart burns for you, valentine." she is blushing and some of the flames are shaped like hearts. the final valentine is a silhouette of goncharov smoking in black as a large clock haloes behind him. text reads "there's always TIME for you, valentine!" "time" is in large red text. the background of this is gray and goncharov's smoke rises and form a heart. end I.D.]

[yanderes-galore]

Well, time for my autistic hyperfixation skills to shine! Here's your cheat-sheet for what Halo EU media to skip to for the good parts (aka aliens):

Since you've already read The Cole Protocol, Envoy is a rlly good skipping point. Besides the greatness that is Rojka 'Kasaan, and it having a pretty notable Jiralhanae villain, it's also written by the same author and follows up on the Gray Team storyline introduced in the former book.

Hunters in the Dark also makes the top of my list for fleshing out the Halo 3 co-op characters N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham and giving us nice cross-species positive interactions. Also can't forget Broken Circle, as it's all Sangheili and San'Shyuum in the story, no humans for once. It's split between two timelines: the era of the Covenant's founding and the time of Halo 2.

The Ferrets series of books (Last Light, Retribution, and Divine Wind so far) features the reoccurring antagonistic faction the Keepers of the One Truth lead by the Jiralhanae named Castor. The Master Chief series also features Fleetmaster Nizat 'Kvarosee in the first two books (Silent Storm and Oblivion) and the Keepers in Shadows of Reach; haven't read them yet but I heard good things about Nizat so far and he seems to be one of the more unique in the lore, being kinda older than most Sangheili we've seen so far. Also can't forget the Halo CE novelization, The Flood, which featured the first portrayal of Covenant perspectives in canon I believe (and therefore some of the lore and characterization there is a bit off in comparison to the rest of the books, but it's fine). Zuka 'Zamamee and Yayap are a real treat in that one, even if the tone of their sections are a bit sillier than most (from my impression so far, haven't finished the book yet actually).

And I kind of have to include the Kilo-Five trilogy, although with the fair warning that they're a bit divisive amongst the fandom. You're either gonna like them or despise them. I think a majority people, regardless of how they feel about the trilogy as a whole, did find the alien sections fine though. If I had to re-read them again I'd probably skip to just those chapters. Jul 'Mdama is a prominent character in the first two books (Glasslands and The Thursday War), with his wife Raia 'Mdama having more of a spotlight in the second, but then the whole 'Mdama plotline wraps up and gets replaced by Kig-Yar Chol 'Von in Mortal Dictata (although she's a good character on her own and it's unfortunate her story never got picked up by other authors after the trilogy ended). Other notable aliens in the trilogy include Forze 'Mdama, Avu Med 'Telcam, Sav Fel, and probably the most concentration of named Huragoks in a Halo storyline ever. Thel also makes some appearances here too.

Speaking of the 'Mdamas tho; I haven't gotten to it yet but Legacy of Onyx does feature Jul and Raia's sons as major players post-Halo 5, plus I believe there is a Sangheili teacher character and maybe some rare alien kid characters. Ohhhh and I can't believe I almost forgot, but upcoming book Outcasts is gonna feature Thel as a main character again! Been waiting for it but it got delayed, we should finally be getting it in August tho. You may want to read the Master Chief books first tho since it looks like some lore introduced there will be featured here too, especially since it's the same author Troy Dennings.

Finally to round out the recs are the anthologies. I'd go for Fractures before Evolutions, as the former has Shadow of Intent with Rtas, Tul 'Juran, Vul 'Soran, Stolt, and Tem'Bhetek and Oasis with Jat (who existed for maybe a dozen pages but has captured my heart for years). Latter still has Henry (human nickname, we never learned his real name because of language barrier) in The Mona Lisa, some named Jiralhanae in Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss (which I forgot about so idk if it's because it's been years or if they did not have much of a role), and an unnamed Sangheili shipmaster who's the focus of The Return. The Return & The Mona Lisa also got "animated" adaptations in the form of voice-acted motion comics you can find on YouTube.

Those are all books but maybe I might as well throw in the comics. Obviously there's the Rise of Atriox miniseries. Also not as well known but there was a small prequel comic for the first Halo Wars which features Ripa 'Moramee's origin story; I got the physical copy as part of my game copy, idk if there's a way to access it digitally. The Halo Graphic Novel includes the famous Halo story The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor feat Rtas 'Vadum and Thel in his Fleetmaster era. Haven't read it but Blood Lines has two Sangheili brothers as major antagonists. Tales From Slipspace has Atriox in Hunting Party and Avu Med 'Telcam in Knight Takes Bishop. Finally one of the more well known comics, Escalation has a few points of interest (note I haven't read all of 'em yet and going off Halopedia for this): Thel in Issues 1-3 + Jiralhanae Lydus, Jul 'Mdama and Sali 'Nyon in the Janus Key arc (Issues 13-16) and Absolute Record arc (Issues 19-24), and Ayit 'Sevi in Absolute Record arc.

And what the heck. let's get obscure: The Halo Wars Official Strategy Guide published by Prima Publishing includes some flash fiction featuring Ripa 'Moramee and The Prophet of Regret, because sometimes crumbs is all ya get. Halo: Legends - aka the official Halo anime - also has The Duel which shows an ancient Arbiter and why the title is considered dishonorable in modern Halo times.

Oh and... I guess there's the Forerunner trilogy, for like, Forerunners... tbh tho they're basically bootleggish humans to me, I rank them the lowest out of all the Halo aliens and don't really consider them most of the time when hyper-focusing on Halo aliens.

Gonna read this later