Cortana played a small but pivotal role last week in the triangular love story told through a short series of pictures, but this week she regains her rightful place as queen of all artificial intelligence. Before we get to a new piece of fan art though, I’d like to provide you with some closure to the previous story of one Hunter’s heartbreak. Jedigeek93 posted a follow-up to that series yesterday, the ending of which will not surprise you. The final chapter is appropriately titled Revenge.
While I feel very little pity for the Big Daddy, the loss of Cortana is a sad development. If that particular Cortana looked anything like the Cortana that is featured today, at least we can understand why the Big Daddy ultimately succumbed to temptation. Today’s piece, titled I am Your Soul and created by deviantART user =Halcylon, started as a stock image and then was digitally manipulated to transform the subject into a subtle version of Cortana. In general I am extremely drawn to the more realistic versions of her, perhaps because of the contrast to her non-physical state in the game, but this one in particular pulled me in the second I laid eyes on it. Expect your Cortana obsession to get just a bit more intense after viewing this image. As always, I’d love to hear your overall opinion but I’m also curious to know your thoughts regarding if her expression accurately portrays Cortana’s distinctive personality. Check out two things you won’t be able to stop staring at (her eyes, you bewby obsessed perverts), along with the quote that was originally posted with it, after the jump.
Did I ever tell you that?
Choose whichever Spartan I wanted…
You know me. I did my research…watched as you became the soldiers we needed you to be.
Like the others, you were strong, and swift, and brave. A natural leader.
But you had something they didn’t. Something no one saw but me.
Can you guess?
…Luck.
…
…Was I wrong?
*Images posted with permission.
Posted by mendicantbias00 on August 27, 2008 at 4:58 am
Her eyes do have that “playful” quality to them that they had in Halo 3, especially when she reveals that she still has the Index. Overall I think that it was a good picture to use to accurately portray Cortana, and all of the effects were used to great ends.
The real Cortana is still hotter though. =p
Posted by the Light Show on August 27, 2008 at 5:17 am
NNOOOO! not cortana!!!! why? hunter, WHY?!!11!!!1!1 she didn’t mean any harm! she was blinded by passion and big daddy’s huge drill!
oh hey look, fleshy cortana. but i agree with mendicantbias00, the holographic woman is defiantly hotter!
Posted by Druke on August 27, 2008 at 5:39 am
I agree with Mendicant. It’s definately in the eyes that makes this Cortana seem just about correct. And frankly, I’m glad that it’s only a bust of Cortana. There are way too many pictures that show off the other *ahem* aspects of her. This would be an almost perfect Cortana for the live-action movie, though, if they ever get around to making it. I like it.
Posted by Deadguy on August 27, 2008 at 5:49 am
Medicant.. yer just biased ;)
While fleshy Cortana is hot, I think the game Cortana is a bit more serious.
When she smiles, it’s much more condescending rather than openly inviting. When she looks at you, you’re being evaluated, and even her smile is slightly calculating. Half of her laugh is for herself, and her sarcasm bleeds through.
She’s highly intelligent and attractive and takes pride in both. The only deviation from that is when she’s “shaken” like she was in H3. There was never an invitational, yet smug look like the one in this picture.
Lots of self confidence in the pic though.. perhaps slightly too much?
ohh.. and Cortana doesn’t have to take pictures of herself at arms length. ;)
That right eyeball is a different size than the left one. looks odd to me, like they photoshopped the eye and got the wrong size in there.. The eyeball itself should be slightly larger, and yet more eclipsed by the eyelid.
Posted by aussie_spartan on August 27, 2008 at 5:59 am
But is revenge really the answer?
Posted by mendicantbias00 on August 27, 2008 at 6:11 am
@ Deadguy – Only a little ;)
@ aussie_spartan – always! :D
Posted by StealthSpeed3 on August 27, 2008 at 6:13 am
hm. If Cortana was played by Angelina Jolie…
Posted by Alex on August 27, 2008 at 6:20 am
Then she would have the emotional response range of a 2×4.
Cortana’s more about the intelligence and annoying “Did you figure this out yet? Did you? Huh?” than about the physical aspects – especially since most of the time she’s just a voice in the Chief’s head.
And the Halo movie should definitely use LightStage on Jen Taylor for Cortana’s model. Tweaking the generated model to be more Cortana-y would be easy enough, and the facial correlation is second to none.
Posted by Ken Raves on August 27, 2008 at 6:51 am
The Halo 3 Cortana scares me in the first Halo cutscene and addresses Johnson (R.I.P), Her face is just weird. This pic, however is nice and looks natural rather a freaky bulgy thing.
Posted by Sario on August 27, 2008 at 7:48 am
I like it. I like it a lot.
Posted by AusQB on August 27, 2008 at 7:59 am
Way ahead of you angel, I already have Hal’s Cortana portrait on my iPod.
Posted by Gatchaman on August 27, 2008 at 8:31 am
Her hair is too tangled and messy for my liking, it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the image (Which is awesome BTW). Maybe it’s the first sign of rampancy? 0_o
Posted by Halcylon on August 27, 2008 at 9:59 am
Thanks BS for the great article! Glad you found some love for my work! I’m really quite shocked and totally humbled.
Thanks for all the nice comments too! Yes, some of her is a bit off, but that’s the overall idea. A human woman is imperfect when scrutinized at a fine level. Some times eyes are different sizes, lips are bigger on one side. The idea behind this was to show Cortana as a woman who wasn’t perfect, but smiling at you like she knows something you don’t. There’s a lot, always, you can take from pieces, but when I was done with this I looked at it again and was able to see some things that I really liked.
Posted by Xor1an on August 27, 2008 at 10:05 am
See, I told you this love triangle would end with not one but two betrayals.
(P.S. I just checked into a hotel. My room number? 117.)
Posted by mendicantbias00 on August 27, 2008 at 10:06 am
@ Halcylon
I stand by my comments, you did an excellent job (and with with a stock photo no less). You deserve every bit of praise that you have and will receive.
Cheers!
Posted by Halcylon on August 27, 2008 at 10:19 am
@ mednicantbias00
Thank you so much.
Posted by BBJynne on August 27, 2008 at 10:45 am
it’s a good piece of artwork.
but it’s still about cortana *spits*
Posted by AT-AT on August 27, 2008 at 11:00 am
Meh. I have never understood why blue, red, green, or other oddly shaded women (or men for you ladies) are attractive.
Alex, the specific words you used make Cortana sound like Navi from Ocarina of Time. Nothing is that annoying; and if it is, it deserves to be shot.
Posted by Alex on August 27, 2008 at 12:40 pm
That’s because I did find some of her sayings to be that annoying. “These caves are not a natural formation.” NO REALLY.
Posted by halcylon on August 27, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Caves, for the most part are natural. Not flaming, just pointing that out :)
Posted by AT-AT on August 27, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Actually, I can’t hear what Cortana’s even saying more than half the time. Bungie seriously goofed by not putting audio volume adjusters in any of the games.
Posted by Jedigeek93 on August 27, 2008 at 4:26 pm
ummmm……just so you know this isn’t the end, I just haven’t updated this in a while, but there’s way more to the story, I mean, there’s the Big Daddy, and I plan on introducing everyone to the “other” Hunter (sense Hunters come in pairs), and having a back story for him/her/shklim.
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[...] Fan Art: I am Your Soul Cortana played a small but pivotal role last week in the triangular love story told through a short series of pictures, [...] [...]
Posted by RIFT on August 28, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I too think it’s good, but her hair is too messy… I like the face, but the rest isn’t really Cortana… her expression is just a tad to happy-faced.
Posted by ShadowRaven on August 29, 2008 at 6:12 pm
If you had showed me this pic and told me she was the actor of Cortana in the Halo movie, I would totally agree…until I released that their is no Halo movie, at which point I’d go “Ahahahaha….you got me.”
From:
ShadowRaven
P.S: Technically the Halo movie is still alive, so…..yeah….
Posted by Psycho78 on September 11, 2008 at 8:25 am
I actually quite like it. It portrays her personality accurately, with that playful, quirky side of hers. But it also seems like she could easily be serious if the situation calls for it (Like, oh say, aliens attempting to wipe out her and her makers?). The eyes are VERY captivating.