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Marathon's Story Page
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Marathon's Story Page
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1009. I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want So tell me what you want, what you really, really want I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna really, really, really wanna... Slam, slam, slam, slam (make it last forever) Slam Fest tomorrow.  Then and Now...  If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you. If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run. Yours is Tau Ceti and everything that's in it, And—which is more—you'll be a God, my son!    Feeling sleepy?  Wake up... time to die! |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1008. Avery (@DredgenAves) tells it like it is.  A haunting image of the pain that Tau Ceti will inflict. In the final days before Slam Fest you should be asking yourself... "How LOW can I get?" In online PvP gaming... PING is king. Low PING wins! High PING...  PING versus PING.
Low PING will make you...  High PING... the end of all things.   Lower your PING not your LIFE |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1007. It's MIDA Monday.  Whose side are you on? Assessment complete. Classification result: [  ]
Bungie (UESC) are using radar charts as a means to control YOU ! This statistical technique displays multivariate data in the form of a two-dimensional blahblahblah There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Free your mind from the shackles of oppression.   MIDA is on top. MIDA does not need midasplainers.  MIDA needs fuel.  For we are fire!  Burn it all down.  |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1006. Eric Connor Richter (@Aeryyk), Visual Designer at Bungie, tells it like it is.  New players will die again and again in the Baptism Fires and only 1% will make it to the end. I AM %HERO You have a better chance of becoming a Navy SEAL. If you don't get the right gear you won't survive. But how do you get the right gear if you don't survive? That's the catch. Catch-22. Read it.  This is what a trillion bucks looks like in 2893.  This is not a cosplay this is a Blender render by Deltaroo (@Deltaroo3d). How much is a trillion bucks at the end of 29th century worth today? Not a lot. You do the maths. Deltaroo tells it like it is.  Some players aren't looking for anything logical, like gear or loot. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some players just want to watch Tau Ceti burn. Help a fellow out.  You never know when you might need a Rook's help. Jack Strider (@striderau.bsky.social) channels his inner Craig Mullins to give us a Nu Marathon version of Envy. Yes, it's a chapter screen from Marathon Infinity. You can also see it on the cover of the highly prized Marathon Scrapbook, a
Thirty years ago on this day in Tokyo, Japan - Bungie announced Marathon Infinity and Greg Kirkpatrick was going to do it. How do you explain the labyrinthine Marathon Infinity in four words? Impossible? It's there in the Marathon Demo 0.0. Labyrinth of Dreams Armageddon Foreshadowing at its best. Happy Marathon Infinity Announcement Day.  |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1005. Back in the 90's Bungie released a NRA approved Marathon T-Shirt.
It was a Hanes Beefy-T. Made in the US of A. Oorah.  A 90's USA Hanes Beefy-T be like... I have been washed a hundred times and will be washed a thousand more before the words go dim and fade.Now thanks to Owt Gnop (aka Beans) you can recreate it for yourself.  Beans writes: Finally after 31 years I can reprint this lost bungie t-shirtBefore he I'm going to make this one too hint hint*  The "Guns Don't Kill People" T-Shirt first appeared in the Spring 1995 Bungie catalogue which was included in the Marathon box (original floppy disk version).  In typical 90's Bungie humor it was entitled "More Things From Bungie To Waste Your Money On". This credit card size (hint hint) catalogue folded open to reveal a wealth of Bungie goodness (front and back).
The Bungie T-Shirts on offer were as follows:  Phfor !!! YAM by Bungie.  Fortunately the "Guns Don't Kill People" T-Shirt did not say Phfor it said Pfhor But Bungie have been misspelling Pfhor ever since.   Now before you write in telling me to stop ribbing on Bungie, they are doing their best. Indeed...  |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1004. It's sketchy Friday. We've got sketches. Soft or Hard? Softpencils won't survive. Get Hard for Slam Fest (February 26 - March 2).  obfuscatedmanifest writes: Haven't cut and scanned this one yet but trying to channel Craig Mullins x NuMarathon styleThatMemeArtist is getting Hard for Slam Fest. Get some! Get some! Get some!  ThatMemeArtist writes: me n hb on day 1 HB? Need to get harder. H3 for the win. And with a dash of color. Get some! Get some! Get some!  Go Hard or Go Home. Jane Sekiguchi gives us Mr. Hard (aka Our Boy Locus).  John Arachne (formerly known as Zack) gives us... "WE COME IN PEACE".  John writes: he says hello Yeah right! What next? It was all Durandal's fault? Are you a Traxus enjoyer?  XenoGranger writes: My marathon brain keeps working during the class time. As long it is working for Traxus... that's all that matters. We commend your compliance.  |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1003. If you weren't reading it here, would you believe that the mid-'90s saw the release of a series of hardcore action games that also deftly told a tale of galaxy-spanning intrigue, explored the ultimate consequences of self-aware-ness in artificial intelligence, and experimented with a variety of storytelling techniques never seen before in video games?No you are not reading it here. You are reading it in 2007. It's from the self-proclaimed "World's #1 Computer & Video Game Magazine". Yes, Game Informer. It came on something called 'paper'. Remember that?  The August 2007 edition of Game Informer (above) had an article entitled "The Land before Halo". The intro reads: Marathon experimented with advanced storytelling techniques and interesting plot themes. Throughout most of the '90s, this franchise was ahead of its time and ahead of the game.You can read the full article below.
Also added to the Blasts from the Past section. Because... all those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. On the subject of Blasts from the Past here's a chapter screen from an early Marathon fan scenario called Seige of Nor'Korh by Randall Shaw (aka Frigidman).  It has gained some notoriety because of its similarity with another game.
Bungie be like... Seige of North Korea? |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1002. In Marathon everything has a purpose.  There's no escaping reason, no denying purpose.  For without purpose it just a Box in a Closet. Repurpose it. Create Marathon Box Art.  Got Marathon Merch? With Slam Fest fast approaching remember to hydrate, hydrate, hybrate.  Whose side are you on? If you can't decide then get them all.  Never miss a keystroke with Marathon Keycaps.  You know the score. You're in a firefight. Death or victory is a keystroke away and you miss a key. Fodder! Don't be fodder. Never miss a keystroke with strategically placed Marathon Keycaps. Marathon Merch in the Bungie Store?  When? |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1001. Paz (@TheRealQuenny) gives us...  Paz writes: LOST STARSHIP: MARATHONLost Starship: Marathon? Jon Goff (Narrative Lead on Marathon) takes up the story: Forgot we named it Lost Starship: Marathon in China. LOVE that name! So pulpy. So fun.Pulpy indeed.  The Lost Starship is the first in a series of 24 books which includes The Lost Colony (2015).  On the subject of the lost colony Jack Strider (@striderau.bsky.social) gives us...  Jack entitled this piece "A Brand New Thermoylae". Thermoylae or Thermopylae? When questioned under Enforcer fourth class interrogation he admitted: the P fell silently from the word after I typed it out, and I haven't the faintest clue as to where it wentSo begins the mystery of the missing P. Want to win at Marathon? Then get an edge with the right keyboard... Marathon 07.
This AI assisted keyboard will put manners on those potty mouths at Slam Fest. Described as the DeLorean of keyboards, this digital asset requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity. No one said playing Marathon would be cheap. Fate (aka Doc) writes: Just the prototype.One Keyboard to rule them all, one Keyboard to find them and in the darkness kill them. Get your order in quick before Bungie finds out. Marathon Is Digital Assist. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #1000. 1000 days since the Marathon announcement on May 24, 2023.  Least we forget. It's also MIDA Monday. Read on! Read on! This is the truth of it. The year is 2408.  The conversion of Deimos into the Marathon began when the Mars colony was at the height of its power.  By the time it was completed sixty four years later, the decline of Mars was well advanced.  During that time, the Martian population had seen its standard of living drop by eighty percent.  On top of oppressive poverty, Martians saw one of their moons being converted into a colony ship in an expensive and risky colony venture which was predominantly funded by a ruling foreign power.  The farther that Mars sank into the depths of poverty, the more that the Marathon became a symbol for the oppression of the Martian people.  After the Marathon left Mars, the UESC's attentions focused primarily on technological development, and the upkeep of the CRISTs. Mars was left to decay.  Population continued to increase as attempts at mandating abortion or sterilization always started revolt.  Read on! Read on! This is the truth of it. Want to know more? Then click the puzzle boxes icon. Open the MIDA box. And follow the White Rabbit below.
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #999. They're back. No, not the Pfhor. Furries in Marathon.    cptjingo writes: The girlies save a Colony Ship . The girlies in question are three furries that get up to all sorts of mischief and mayhem. In this case three classic scenes from OG Marathon. "Mjolnir, what big feet you have!" "All the better to kick with, my child."  Furries in Nu Marathon? "K.A.A.L.1.CB , what pink skin you have!" "All the better to survive what's coming, my child."  "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe." But I am getting ahead of myself. Interesting to see that Marathon's rating has been updated from this.  To this.  Who are the potty mouths? Marathon Is Distasteful Articulation |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #998. Happ~~~~Val%^&*()_+{}:"?ines~~~~~~~💔 It's a lovely day outside. It's... quiet... very quiet. In twelve days it will get very loud with the screams of the dying.  The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure.  Only... you are all going to die down here.  Foreshadowing.... There is no way out. There is no way back. We're monsters. We're all monsters. Check out the Marathon Launch Gameplay Trailer below for more details. Mayday. Mayday. MAYDAY. MAYD ~~~~%^&*()_+{}:"?~~~~~~~ Added the thirty-fourth MIDA Acronym to the MIDA Acronym List.  Marathon Is Dripping Arconyms |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #997. It's Friday 13th. It's also sketchy Friday. We've got sketches. First up... t-titanic (aka Trevor S.) gives us a collage of Blackbird sketches.  And a final version.  Trevor writes: Trying out some new texture brushes to do a retro design fanart for Blackbird in MARATHON. Really like the retro look on this one. Then Arachne got hold of it and gave it a skin job.  Staying on the suject of Arachne, Noni The Baboni (@olasoynoni.bsky.social) gives us...  Noni writes: a "what if" concept: one of Arachne's members managed to steal a Sekiguchi specifically designed shell. Since it's a Sekiguchi shell I tried going for a "moth" motiff (don't really know if it worked)Noni went on to give us a re-draw.  Remember the original Marathon concept art from May 2023?  Well Noni does and gives us these sketches.
Next up... Wondering what happened to your IKEA delivery?
Xavier writes: Work doodle. I just cant help myself ig Now you know. Last up... NSClark (@NSClark98) gives us Our Boy Locus in that iconic pose by Craig Mullins.  Hopefully we will get to see the final artwork. Then again we might be waiting awhile. When asked if Locus was a homage to the Security Officer from the original game, Julia Nardin (Marathon's Creative Director) replied: Honestly, don't read too much into it. There's a lot of visual language shared between the Security Officer and Locus because they both have UESC origins. It's important to us that we're honoring the original games, and the Runner technology is absolutely an evolution of the original cyborg tech. Instead of resurrecting a soldier from the dead once, you're being resurrected again and again and again and again.In truth the Security Officer is resurrected again and again and again and again through the magic of Marathon's pattern buffers. Every Marathon manual explains how pattern buffers work but we still don't get it. Walk up to it and press the action key and your completeSo when you die, a Nu You appears at the pattern buffer you last used with all your memories of how you just died? To paraphrase a certain Marathon AI. Don't sweat the details, little monkey, no human mind can comprehend it. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #996. 1.4 billion people can't be wrong, right? If one tenth of one tenth of 1.4 billion buy Marathon how many copies will tbe sold? Bungie's sales department have been working on this one for some time now. Gamers in Shangai, China got to play Bungie's latest "Search and Withdrawal" game Lost Starship: Marathon (aka Marathon). How do Chinese players rate dying on Tiancang Wu IV ?  This open playtest, the first outside North America, released a wealth of information including the Last Will and Testament of Bernhard H Strauss. Found in the game this document reveals Bernhard's aspirations and failures. Also found was the Book of Strauss ("Considered the authoritative text on artificial intelligence in the 2700s.") Somewhat out of date now. Check out this Chinese interview with Joe Ziegler (Game Director) and Julia Nardin (Creative Director). Apparently you have 12 weeks to breach the 7th Vault and survive before the season is wiped. Phhht! Just like that. No pressure. In other news. Say hello to NONA, Sekiguchi's Bioscience AI. She wants to That seductive voice is none other than Tracy Wiles (aka The Paintress in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33). Images of Ken Russell's "The Lair of the White Worm" and Amanda Donohoe in thigh high boots ("My, you are a fine, growing boy.") haunt me. But I am DEFINITELY digressing now. Moving swiftly on... Note that all these Faction clips are edited versions of the ones you will see in-game. Want to know more about Sekiguchi Genetics? Then click the puzzle boxes icon. Open the Sekiguchi box. And follow the White Rabbit below.
Today's news was sponsored by the Marathon's Story page (Shangai, China).   |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #995. Bungie followed up MIDA Monday with an edit of Alberto Mielgo's cinematic short from last year. It's called 'Dice and Splice' in Marketing. Others call it... Nuke and Pave. Of course this new edit just opened up the whole lore debate between the Pfhorites and the Meteorites.  As they say in Marathon... Also interesting to see that the tagline ESCAPE WILL MAKE ME GOD is back... front and centre. Those focus groups with content creators must be working. DEATH IS THE FIRST STEP just doesn't cut it with those who want to be... But I digress. Death isn't fair. Neither is this game. Chunch (@Chunch7275) writes: Feeling unwell.......  A timely reminder to get those game hours in or be fodder. In Nu Marathon there is no Kindergarten difficulty level. There is no Easy level. There is no Normal. There is only...  When the time comes, whose life will flash before yours?  MOM I DIED AGAIN |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #994. Durandan, Durandal, Durandana. Charlemagne used to always call me Durandana, the fruitcake. All the many implements of war to him were in some way feminine. Not that you know the story. Tycho never got it right either, especially the part about Roland breaking me. He couldn't. No one can.  Nu Durandal by evil witch val (@artificial0wl) on x.com. February 4, 2026. Excellent rendition of Nu Durandal by evil witch val (@artificial0wl). val writes: this one was tough. wanted to include a bunch of small details while still fitting the new art style and all while adapting the old sprite we have of him. i like how it ended up thoughval also created a timelapse of her Nu Durandal piece. As Durandal would say... What fun to watch you work. Want a poster size version of this piece? Well val has you covered with this Nu Durandal print. val writes: tried turning this one into a print!! first time doing anything like this and i have heard good things about this service, show me if you get one!!  "Count Roland smites upon the marble stone; I cannot tell you how he hewed it and smote; Yet the blade breaks not nor splinters, though it groans; Upward to heaven it rebounds from the blow. When the count sees it never will be broke, Then to himself right softly he makes moan; 'Ah, Durandal, fair, hallowed, and devote, What store of relics lies in thy hilt of gold!'" -From The Song of Roland (Translated by Dorothy Sayers, Viking Penguin, NY, NY, 1957)  The Song of Roland by Dorothy L. Sayers. The roundel on the jacket forms part of a stained-glass window (probably thirteenth-century) in Chartres Cathedral, devoted to the Legend of Charlemagne. It shows Roland (right) blowing the Olifant, and (left) trying to break his sword Durandal on the "marble stone" beneath the "fair tree tall". Dismembered Saracens strew the foreground. The hand of God is reaching down from heaven to accept Roland's "token". Manus Celer Dei DURANDAL WAS LAUGHING |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #993. It's MIDA Monday.  MIDA activist Ponderosa (@ponderosaart.bsky.social) gives us another MIDA piece entitled: MASS INDIFFERENCE DESTROYS ALL .  Misriah Three by Ponderosa (@ponderosaart.bsky.social) on Bluesky. February 3, 2026. Ponderosa writes: Art of the Misriah Three for the MIDA faction . Who are the Misriah Three?  You might well ask. The UESC have carefully written the Misriah Three out of the history vids. Since no one reads good anymore all you have are vids for what you know which is fortunate for the UESC.  Want to know more about the history of MIDA? Can you read good? Then click the puzzle boxes icon. Open the MIDA box. And follow the White Rabbit below.
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #992. It's a twofer day. Two for the price of one. Bungie posted another two Faction shorts this time of Traxus OffWorld Industries. Are you a Traxus enjoyer? Well you are in good company. Paul Tassi (now Marathon's #1 fan) is a Traxus enjoyer. He writes: this is my faction entirely because of the color palette and lion. mainly the lion Paul knows where the money is. Follow the money. However, Julia Nardin (Marathon's Creative Director) reminds us to: Always read the fine print. The fine print... Be advised that you are not a Traxus employee. As a temporary asset, you are not entitled to any worker protections or representation.Always read the fine print.  Yes, you are just a peon. Welcome to the Big T. Traxus played a key role in the Marathon ship's development, construction, and subsequent mission to Tau Ceti IV. As such, Traxus have publicly proclaimed their rights of reacquisition to all proprietary technology and associated developments tied to the Marathon and the colony on Tau Ceti IV. They have not, however, made public their use of Runner operatives to scavenge the colony in direct opposition of UESC forces. Want to know more about the history of Traxus? Then click the puzzle boxes icon. Open the Traxus box. And follow the White Rabbit below.
We commend your compliance. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #991. So Bungie posted two CyberAcme shorts on the same day. The second one was entitled: Think of me as a friend... one you don't yet remember. Eric Connor Richter (Visual Designer at Bungie) summed it up in this image.  ONI / JOI crossover by Eric Connor Richter (@Aeryyk) on x.com. February 5, 2026. ONI / JOI is here for you. Back on May 25, 2023 I wrote... How do you take a world-building sci-fi classic and reimagine it? Now you know. At the end of the clip a series of numbers flash before your eyes. The last series is <9. 42. 857. 10> and refers to the last terminal on the Marathon level Blaspheme Quarantine which is from Leela. Blaspheme Quarantine is where Durandal kidnaps you to play a little game. Sorry to give you the bad news, but you've been kidnapped. You aren't where Leela wanted you to go, and you surely won't get there any time soon.Leela was a good AI and she was there for you. In ONI a good AI? Yes, provided you are using CyberAcme because as we all know... Everything runs on CyberAcme. Or nothing runs at all. Bill Gates tried that back in the 90s. But the Jobsists fought back against the tyranny and today we have choices.  In ONI a good AI? Yes, provided you keep up on your shell repayments because as ONI keeps reminding us... Yes, it's called 'indentured servitude' folks You are a slave. In ONI a good AI? Bungie also posted a clip reminding us to get those game hours in or be fodder. The clip is entitled: Death isn't fair. Neither is this video. Get those game hours in folks. Current estimates suggest 49 hours a week, minimum. I keep telling you this but you are not listening. Whose life will flash before yours when the boogeyman comes?  Mom I Died Again. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #990. It's sketchy Friday. We've got sketches. First up.... Have pencil will sketch.  Glitch sketch by B3nYyPL on r/marathon. February 4, 2026. Stunning capture. Staying with everyone's favorite Runner.  Glitch sketch by Aphelion (@AphelionArtist) on x.com. February 3, 2026. Aphelion writes: quick lil glitch (i'm never calling her vandal) sketch . That's the spirit. And here's two for the price of one.
Aphelion writes: rough marathon sketches . We featured Aphelion's artwork back on April 30, 2025. Up next. The evil one gives us...  Glitch sketch by evil witch val (@artificial0wl) on x.com. February 3, 2026. Concerning the brush work on this piece evil witch val writes: it's 'Sketch Chrome' in Krita's 3.0 default resource bundle. Using the same technique Val went on to give us a Void sketch with a splash of color.  Void sketch by evil witch val (@artificial0wl) on x.com. February 3, 2026. Not wishing to leave OG Marathon fans out val gives us the compiler (aka S'pht).  Compiler sketch by evil witch val (@artificial0wl) on x.com. February 3, 2026. And one with color.  Compiler colored by evil witch val (@artificial0wl) on x.com. February 1, 2026. val writes: marathon art will continue indefinitely . Good to hear. But my favorite val sketch is this one of Robert Blake.  Robert Blake sketch by evil witch val (@artificial0wl) on x.com. February 3, 2026. If you don't get it... go here. And yes, Jason Jones played Robert Blake in Marathon 2: Durandal. What happened to Robert Blake? Robert Blake and his men escaped the destruction of Lh'owon in the captured Pfhor refueling ship Hfarl, and returned to Earth.Watch out Pete Parsons. On the subject of everyone's favorite Mjolnir.  Mjolnir Mark IV cyborg by giantOnions on r/marathon. January 30, 2026. giantOnions writes: Mjolnir Mark IV cyborg carrying phfor head. He's also carrying a ton of weapons and gear. No duffel bag here folks. We have featured giantOnions (aka Onions) numerous times on the Story page, even his controversial nude Runner art. There... that got your attention. To paraphrase Durandal... Find it on your own, or die trying...  Happy sketchy Friday. Stay sketchy. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #989. He escaped into the waves. At last, someone has drawn Gheritt White.  gherrit white by evil witch val (@artificial0wl) on x.com. February 3, 2026. Now some of you may be thinking... "Who is Gheritt White?" No one can be told who Gheritt White is, you have to meet him for youself. But getting there is a doozy and definitely not for the faint-hearted. Find a secret door on Never Burn Money, survive the Deprivation Chamber, grenade climb a wall to an exit teleporter, navigate a teleporter maze where taking the wrong teleporter will kick your butt back to the start to try again. Finally you will meet Gheritt White who has been floating six feet off the floor for three weeks. Oddly the Official Startegy Guide for Marathon makes no reference to the Deprivation Chamber or Gheritt White.  Marathon: The Official Strategy Guide by Tuncer Deniz. 1995. Obviously Tuncer Deniz never found it and nobody at Bungie told him about it. Some things are better left buried... apparently. If you don't want to read the Gheritt White terminal (we know who you are) you can listen to it on The Terror Tale Vault. The video is entitled: "Gheritt White" - Greg Kirkpatrick - Abstract Horror - Insanity/Psychosis - In The Mind of a KillerYou can listen to it below. The Terror Tale Vault introduction reads: The worlds inside the minds of the truly insane will be forever out of reach, as we can never truly see inside the mind of another. But in this short story, writer Greg Kirkpatrick attempts to translate the confusing and often dream-like mental state of a man that is truly over the edge. Is any of this real? Is Gheritt truly in a prison? Or is he only trapped in the prison of his own mind? Whose voice does he keep hearing in his cell? And what will happen when Gheritt floats up to the ceiling of his cell....?Greg Kirkpatrick had this to say about his level Never Burn Money and the Gheritt White story in the 1997. This map was the first attempt to make a really big map. The idea was to create an area that felt like a real space on the ship. To give the feeling of some control rooms, something that would actually get used by someone. It also had an extremely difficult secret area that hid a story that I wrote while working on Marathon. I'd have to say that looking back on the whole thing, I'm much more happy with the level than with the Gherrit White story, although I think the story added quite a bit of mystery to those who found it.Yes indeed. Thirty-one years on and we are still talking about it. Still creating artwork of our experiences. And still asking... what were the Jjaro doing at Tau Ceti?  But wait there's more. Not content with visualizing the elusive Gheritt White, evil witch val (@artificial0wl) visualizes the impossible. The R'acken... the W'orken... the K'acen... goddamnit... That unknowable space entity "whose name no human throat will ever learn to pronounce..."  W'rkncacnter by evil witch val (@artificial0wl) on x.com. February 4, 2026. Two color alts. Reflecting its mood.
Mysterious alien precursors and unknowable space entities in NuMarathon? You bet. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #988. This is what happens when three rookies meet a seasoned player. Moral of the story? Get those game hours in or be fodder. Estimates suggest 49 hours a week, minimum. Otherwise you are going to lose your life+gear+loot.  Marathon by k (@KyeZzzz) on x.com. April 20, 2025. And there is nothing your Mom will be able to do about it this time. Harsh I know but...  Assassin is the second Shell cinematic. But don't expect one for everyone in the audience. Bungie writes: Hey cinematic fans -- we see y'all theorycrafting our release schedule, and while we do have cinematics in the works for all our shells, not all of them will be coming before launch (team's got their hands full with Other Stuff 👀) Thanks for being patient, can't wait to share more ♟Who will draw the short straw(s) and fail to meet the launch deadline?
 Wagering has already begun. Who will win and who will lose? And who will go home with a wad of cash? The Runner Shell cinematics are being created by Jeremy Hanna who is based in Wellington, New Zealand.  Jeremy Hanna. May 28, 2012. Bungie's Brian Austin (Marathon Brand Marketing) writes: For all our Key Art and these Runner Shell cinematics we are collaborating with an insanely talented artist and animator Jeremy Hanna.Jeremy's résumé is impressive having created concept art for movies such as Dune, the Avatar sequels, Blade Runner 2049, Ghost in the Shell, just to name a few.   Back on May 25, 2023 I wrote... How do you take a world-building sci-fi classic and reimagine it? Now you know. Check out Jeremy's Instagram page for his Marathon Key Art. And yes he did this piece from way... way... back.  Marathon Developer Update Press Pack. October 2024.  marathonthegame.com. October 2024. Note the difference. But I digress. His work can also be seen on the Marathon Collector's Edition Box (Runner anatomy/manufacture process).  Runner anatomy/manufacture process by Jeremy Hanna on Instagram. April 13, 2025. So Destroyer and Assassin Shell Cinematics are done.
Who will be next? And who will lose out? Place your bets. |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #987. Yet another Marathon Collector's Edition Box Art poster. This one floats on the wall and has a clean Marathon aesthetic to it.  Marathon Collectors Edition Box Art poster by Crazy_Dreamer_93 on r/marathon. February 1, 2026. Crazy_Dreamer_93 gave a link to where you can get these floating acrylic wall frames. But wait... ...this is not alright.  Just stuck on the wall by Jake (@JakeTheAlright) on x.com. February 2, 2026. You just can't stick them to the wall. But it gets worse. Far worse.  Worm acquired by AlexB207 (@AlexB207Swag) on x.com. January 24, 2026. AlexB207 (Alex Blashill) shows us his worm but makes the mistake of framing his photograph with the original Marathon Poster stuck to his wall with tape! To quote Kurtz in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness... The horror. The horror. Frame your Marathon art!  Marathon concept living by Nathan Gillner (2023).   How to carry your worm.  Worm carry by tMParagon (@tMParagon) on x.com. January 27, 2026. Yes, it's Worm EDC. May not be TSA compliant. If they take your worm will they take your girl? remakku gives us the acrylic Vandal keychain based on his own artwork. So no copyright problems here, no sir. As they say in the movies... " She's a criminal. Criminals are HOT! ".
Get your orders in quick before she breaks your heart. OG Marathon fans had the UESC Marathon keychain.  Battle damaged Marathon Keychain posted by drop-database-reddit on r/marathon. February 2, 2020. This 3 oz chunk of unobtanium was banned by the TSA which is why you don't see many of them these days. This one has been kept in stasis and resides in the Museum of Marathon Antiquities.  To be opened on July 25, 2794. Will you be there? |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #986. Nomine magnus, virtute major. Cookedbread writes concerning the Destroyer Deluxe Skin. You know the one...  He points out that the crest on the Deluxe Edition of our boy Locus is a Rampant Lion and is the family crest of Roland. Yes, Roland as in Count Roland. Rampant as in out of control. The Roland family crest (coat of arms) does appear to vary in design but the Rampant Lion (Lion Rampart) remains prominent.   Lion Rampart is also the coat of arms of Scotland. Because the Scots are totally out of control. Just ask the Romans. But I digress. OG Marathon fans will be well acquainted with Count Roland having read The Song of Roland a hundred times and will read it a thousand more before the world goes dim and cold. I am...  The Song of Roland is immortalised in Marathon on the first terminal of Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! This is the opening level of the Durandal chapter in the game.  Durandal is the name of Count Roland's sword. This is also the level that gives you a clue to who you really are... The 10th military Mjolnir Mark IV cyborg. At this stage you should be connecting the dots. But where it will take you is a story for another day.  If you bought the Marathon Deluxe Edition you will also get the Misriah 2442 Pump Shotgun with Lion Rampant crest.  Misriah 2442 refers to the Misriah Massacre on Mars in the year 2442. If you go by the date in the original game then the Misriah Massacre occurred on January 6, 2345. But dates in Marathon are a little fuzzy. One might even say unstable. Bungie would later correct the inconsistent ones in The Lost Network Packets. Good to know that NuBungie are now using the corrected dates. The Misriah 2442 Pump Shotgun would be superseded by the WSTE-M5 Combat Shotgun. This later version with its complex loading mechanism was used with deadly force against the inserectionists during the Ares Raid on July 14, 2444. As it is MIDA Monday we remember the Misriah Three. Their actions lead to the Third Martian War. Marathon Is Deadly Activism. Postscript. So you bought the Marathon Collector's Edition with the girlie thing and now wished you had bought the He-Man Marathon Deluxe Edition. Don't fret. The Marathon Collector's Edition comes with everything in the Marathon Deluxe Edition. Two for the Price of One... or something.  |
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This Day in Marathon.
Day #985. It's a new month. But what happened last month? Well here's a snapshot of what we featured. What did you miss?
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Last updated Feb 1, 2026