User blog:Ahalosniper/The B312 Incongruency

Ladies and gentlemen.

In light of yesterday's events, both on the site and on the Irk, I think we need to come to a definite conclusion and make sure we set in stone site policy regarding the case of SPARTAN-B312's death. There is no mention of it in either our Rules or Canon Policy, but considering there are users both for and against surviving Noble Sixes, it needs to be addressed.

My own opinion falls with the against, but for that to mean anything, evidence needs to be given. Implicit evidence comes from Halo: Reach itself, that the ending cutscene clearly suggested Six's death. Halsey's eulogy following the cut-away from B312's last stand also heavily imply it. But be that as it may, the death itself was not explicitly shown, which was a choice by Bungie developers. Though it was probably intended to be artistic, the consequence is a degree of ambiguity. The only direct, explicit evidence of Six's death we have come from statements by Bungie staff and the Bungie Weekly Update(regrettably, I can't find the particular update back, and I can't claim evidence I don't have). So that raises the question, are official statements by Bungie and 343i staff incorporated into the canon policy? If so, then a surviving Noble Six is definitely NCF and not allowed on the site.

On the other hand, we have used larger loopholes before. As Mythiiical very aptly pointed out, it's something of a double standard to demand users adhere to the implied death of B312 while completely ignoring all 343 Industries-made official content. The theory I've heard that I like most is that Jun came back, sniping the Zealot that was about to stab Six. As much as I think a surviving Noble Six defeats a lot of the meaning in the Reach's story, it's loopholes and possibilities like this that we've made a living off of since ONI abducting the SPARTAN-IIs that 'died' in augmentation.

A rule regarding this choice needs to be made. We could put it to community vote to allow/disallow surviving B312s, but that would still leave whether the matter is canon or not undecided. A better vote question would be: "Are official statements made by Bungie/343i staff relevant to the Canon Policy?" If yes, statements by Bungie personnel conclude Six canonically died. If no, the matter is left up to author choice and users can create a surviving B312 if they so wish. Another option noted by Maslab would be simply that survivor B312s are required to add an Alternate template to their pages, which is no great sacrifice.

So, getting right down to it, we need a rule about this, and we need a vote to change the rules. What should this vote be for? Should survivor B312s (and other canonically dead characters, for that matter) be allowed, or do they simply need an Alternate template?

Respectfully, That Damn Sniper, sniping.