@QuasiTemporal Nope, that character death was always planned, and went off pretty much exactly when and how I wanted it to.

As for "urban scifi": I'd say a lot of cyberpunk qualifies! But the first thing I thought of, oddly, was Jack Finney's _Time and Again_, which is very much connected with New York City's history. The sci‑fi is pretty handwavy, but I feel it qualifies in ways that cyberpunk rarely does: the City is *important*, not just a moody setting.

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#ScribesAndMakers 10: #TTMD @kagan

Very cool how I see you posting occasional updates; one of your latest mentioned a character death. Curious if that was always in the cards, or if the timing or method surprised you. (Stay as vague as needed.)

Also curious if you think "urban scifi" is (or could be) a thing. (I shy away from magic, so always feel I do more "urban scifi" than "urban fantasy".)

Finally, anything you weren't asked and had hoped to discuss? Here's your chance.

@TinJar The hard SF is a draw, but the characters even more so. But I think really what gets me is the balance of optimism (some people have listed it as a hopepunk work!) with the acknowledgement that people are messy, difficult, and venal, and human nature is not about to change.

Also, I got into the TV show largely because of the conlang. I'm a sucker for a good conlang. And then I discovered I love Belter culture, too.

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@Nisaa ...to a con in far too long. I believe Iro does still teach the class we used to do together. And I would be happy to do so again, given the opportunity.

I would *love* to build a conlang! Maybe more than one. I have the first few ideas for one bubbling on my mental back burner, and when get the current WIP out the door, I intend to start trying to build that language, and a world for it to exist in, and a story to tell in that world. 3/3

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@Nisaa
On a different level, there are also some drinks that I love the story behind how we came up with it. The Doris is one of those, too; we went from start to finish on that recipe in just 45 minutes, one of our most inspired and smoothest acts of creation. I also love the memory of Iro going, "I volunteer myself as tribute" when we were both dubiously eyeing the first Staz.

I don't teach Lang Belta anymore, partly because I haven't gone... 2/3

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@Nisaa Oye, unte mi xush fo da ScribesAndMakers gut fo to! (Hi, and I'm glad you like ScribesAndMakers!)

Ya, milowda fosho ta tili du wang béveting nuva kowl senyidiye! (Yes, we definitely used to make one new drink every week!)

I don't think I could pick a single favorite, but I do like the Du Ferí da Belte, the Antony Dresden, and the Praxidike Meng a bunch, and the Doris Bourne is just wonderfully tasty. 1/3

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@sifaseven It was my first glimpse of the idea that other languages could have grammars that were *very* different from what I was familiar with. I was entranced.

And I still love case declensions. 2/2

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@sifaseven I have trouble saying *why* I love language so much. Sometimes we just have a pull toward something. But I can definitely recall a formative experience that opened my eyes to the wonder of different languages: When I first saw an interlineal translation of Tolkien's "Namarië". The way "in the wind" became "súrinen" or "wind-in" intrigued me. 1/2

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@zadammac Oye, Belta! Mi na fosho mi na sasa, fo sheng. (I'm not sure I know, to be honest.) Maybe sometimes we just can't; I'm thinking of Sir Terry Pratchett's quote about the influence of Tolkien in fantasy being like Mt. Fuji in Japanese artwork.

It's something I know I'm going to have to deal with, because I suspect my work is going to draw comparisons to N.K. Jemisin's _The City We Became_. But I don't have a good answer yet. Mi du sensa. (I'm sorry.)

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