[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] ninjakenzen[/quote]I agree with just about everything you wrote, but I'd just like to point out that the Geas did exist way before the [i]Extended Universe[/i] (you might have known that, but I didn't get it out of reading your post). It was never mentioned directly in the original trilogy, but it is very much [i]there[/i], under the name of [i]luck[/i]. CE, Iris, Adjutant Reflex, and 3 all had clues that hinted towards it. What I don't like about it now is that it's too well defined, everything is too well defined; there are no more [i]mysteries[/i], just questions about certain details. About the eight paragraph: don't forget 343GS... The universe has become so messy and convoluted and conflicted that it no longer is able to execute anything with flair. It is no longer possible to predict what is to come either, since everything is prone to change once a new element is added. It exists only to exist and expands only to expand; all that once was forshadowed is now rendered second priority. All focus is on intrigue and character development; the [i]resolution[/i] of the narrative has increased, and they don't seem to keep up with it, ultimately turning it into a melodrama, just so that it wont fly over the heads of those not willing to invest. Subtlety is out of the window, because it might now pay off. [Edited on 11.18.2012 2:59 PM PST]