{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Rainbow Dash Network","provider_url":"http:\/\/rainbowdash.net\/","type":"link","title":"Cerulean Lulamoon-Spark (ceruleansparkold)'s status on Wednesday, 29-Aug-12 00:16:42 UTC","author_name":"Cerulean Lulamoon-Spark (ceruleansparkold)","author_url":"http:\/\/rainbowdash.net\/ceruleansparkold","url":"http:\/\/rainbowdash.net\/notice\/1862753","html":"@<span class=\"vcard\"><a href=\"http:\/\/rainbowdash.net\/user\/4200\" class=\"url\" title=\"Joe\"><span class=\"fn nickname\">purplephish20<\/span><\/a><\/span> Opposing Force and Blue Shift are optional extra chapters that provide background information on some of the side characters you meet in HL2. They take place contemporaneously with HL1. You can just go straight on to HL2 from here with no issues."}