: Nylund tried to depict the Spartans as emotionally broken, not smiling or
: laughing. They'd hold their index and middle fingers to their faceplate as
: a way to simulate it, because if I remember correctly the act of smiling
: would 'open the floodgates to all sorts of emotions', if I remember
: correctly.

I don't remember that last bit at all. I figured that the Spartan Smile was a quick way to communicate emotion that couldn't be seen through a MJOLNIR (Or possibly ODST) helmet.

As for their apparent humorlessness? I think Loftus nailed it, but I'd like to add that Spartans are well-trained supersoldiers. They don't wisecrack or grandstand in the middle of combat, because it's wasted effort. And they're not misanthropic loners or deranged killers or any of that comicbook nonsense, they're taciturn and focused because they are professionals who can communicate pages of information with a look and a few words.

The less Spartans talk, the better they are as characters. When you have them vocally communicating more than the absolute minimum, this happens:

: I remember the section with Linda in First Strike and her actually smiling
: and laughing taking John by surprise and looking back at it I think that
: is something that has never really matched up with how Bungie wrote the
: character in subsequent appearances.

Well, yeah, it would take John by surprise. It would take me by surprise if the Chief ever cracked more than a quick grin, and I assume that Linda is built from the same stuff.

: Personally, I think that at least the events of The Fall of Reach should be
: retold with 'modern' events in mind. Hell, the book at first said Elites
: were rarely seen on the ground and that most of the forces seen were
: Grunts and Jackals, and thats just crazy.

Already retconned in the Definitive Edition.