Kat's Writing Blog

Fiction, story discussion, and the occasional meme. Asks welcome. AO3 | Halo: Iron & Gold | Halo: An Unkindness

[kat-w-writes]

Halo: An Unkindness - Ch. 20

In today’s update:

Klik calls some old frenemies. Venka makes a quick buck.

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[kat-w-writes]

Chapter 20 of "Unkindness" is going to be fun.

It's got worms in it.

[kat-w-writes]

Halo: An Unkindness - Ch. 19

In today’s update:

Klik gets a helping hand.

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Or start at the beginning

[kat-w-writes]

Halo: An Unkindness - Ch. 18

In today’s update:

Klik contemplates hot dogs. Nor Fel misplaces some employees.

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Or start at the beginning

[kat-w-writes]

Does anyone know the name of Infinity's third XO?

I could have sworn it was on Halopedia, once--but now I don't see that info. (This is what I get for not writing it down.)

[kat-w-writes]

The storylines for "Iron & Gold" and "An Unkindness" are unlikely to ever cross over into one another.

Which makes me a little sad, because Palmer and Klik would absolutely HATE each other.

[kat-w-writes]

Update!

Iron & Gold - Ch 21: Bad Sector

Palmer crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at the star map in the holotable. “So… we’re all thinking this is a trap, yeah?” Bradley nodded. “Frankly, it’s the only explanation that makes sense.” “I was hoping I’d hear one of you say it,” Roland sighed in relief.

Read the new chapter here!

or read from the beginning!

[kat-w-writes]

#how are you writing so fast?

I've been on a work holiday.

These last three chapters have been largely adaptations of the comic, so that speeds things up a great deal.

I'm sure I'll be back to my typical pace after this, but it's been nice to get a lot of writing done while I have the time. :)

[kat-w-writes]

Update!

Iron & Gold - Ch 21: Bad Sector

Palmer crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at the star map in the holotable. “So… we’re all thinking this is a trap, yeah?” Bradley nodded. “Frankly, it’s the only explanation that makes sense.” “I was hoping I’d hear one of you say it,” Roland sighed in relief.

Read the new chapter here!

or read from the beginning!

[kat-w-writes]

“Well, that was exciting.”

“Exciting?” Spartan Miller repeated, jaw slack. “Three fireteams almost died! What is wrong with you?”

“Hey, this was a win. Sure, it came pretty close to total disaster—but everyone made it out in one piece,” Roland said, avatar shrugging.

[kat-w-writes]

#pointing at every miller mention like a sighthound

He is a fun little guy who is so, so stressed. Get that man a vacation.

[kat-w-writes]

“Well, that was exciting.”

“Exciting?” Spartan Miller repeated, jaw slack. “Three fireteams almost died! What is wrong with you?”

“Hey, this was a win. Sure, it came pretty close to total disaster—but everyone made it out in one piece,” Roland said, avatar shrugging.

[kat-w-writes]

In a way, Spartans had two bodies: one of meat and one of metal. After all was said and done, the metal kept the score.

[kat-w-writes]

If y'all enjoy this weirdness, you should go read my fic, "Iron & Gold."

[kat-w-writes]

>Get a new story comment. Yay!

>It's non-rendering unicode characters. Hm, a mystery!

>The unicode is primarily Ogham. Wow! Someone took the time to write to me in an ancient language!

>Finally find a translator site. Awww yeah!

>Mfw the first paragraph is "The quick brown fox" and other random book quotes.

[kat-w-writes]

I desperately need you to know that I love Iron & Gold so much. I've been reading it for years and it was the first ever fanfiction I bookmarked. Every once in awhile, when I need to scratch my Halo itch, I come back to it and reread it. I love the way you describe things, esp the way Roland interacts with the Infinity and the crew. I'm biting and chewing and shaking the fanfiction like a beloved chewtoy. I hope you are well :)

Aw, thank you for taking the time to message! That's so kind of you to say. I'm really glad to hear you're enjoying the story. :)

[kat-w-writes]

Update!

Iron & Gold - Ch 20: Remanence

The storm boiled through the planet’s atmosphere beneath them like the wrath of an angry god, vast and unyielding. Almost ninety minutes into the blackout, comms were still down and Roland hadn’t managed to get eyes on the delegation through the dense clouds.

Read the new chapter here!

or read from the beginning!

[kat-w-writes]

I've revised my opinion. I think Escalation #4 is my least favorite, because it doesn't make a lot of sense.

In Issue #3, Hood and Lasky are talking "one week" after March 5th. Flash forward to #4, and it's only March 8th.

Lasky leaves Infinity on the 8th, but then he's giving orders on the 11th?

The enemy is retreating, but also their ship is self-destructing in the hold? How enemy many craft are there? Was the cargo ship deploying smaller vessels, (I see a Broadsword), or what?

Edit: Figured this one out after the fifth read through in an hour.

I mean, ultimately, I can "novelize" this however I want. But it would be great if the order of events were slightly clearer. :Va

[kat-w-writes]

In a way, Spartans had two bodies: one of meat and one of metal. After all was said and done, the metal kept the score.

[kat-w-writes]

Tbh, I don't really love the first arc of "Escalation." Mostly because there is not enough Roland.

But I am making there be more Roland.

[kat-w-writes]

My other quibble is that [spoilers]

they introduce Bradley--a character who has no defining traits, personality, connections, or even a particularly noteworthy appearance--just to kill him off in Issue 6.

There's no textual reason for us to care to care about him at all.

On the plus side, that means that the character is basically free real estate. ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

[kat-w-writes]

On the other, other hand, Escalation shows that Palmer was a theatre kid.