-I'm at a friend's birthday sleepover in 8th grade. "Why are these controllers so big? Am I shooting at the blue guys? Is this whole game in vents?" I step out of Bumblebee. "Is this a dream?" I proceed to explore beautiful waterfalls and trees, ignoring the aliens, while it's my turn to have the controller.

-I get my own Xbox after Christmas. At Target, I have to get dad to come and buy Halo CE because the cashier says I'm too young for M-rated games. That night, after beating Truth and Reconciliation for the first time, I come out of my room and my parents ask if I'm having fun. "Yeah! It feels like I could just play it over and over..."

-I make my first Halo fanart that next year after the Halo 2 teaser and EGM cover story breaks:

-I proceed to play the series for more than a decade while I practice making art inspired by it!