Monday, November 05, 2007

Depression Has No Need

"It is hopeless," TssVar said as he trudged out of the hall. His saucer-sized yellow eyes shifted to scan the faces of the others waiting for him. "She will not respond to reason, threats of war and enslavement, or loss of blog popularity. I fear she is forever lost to us."

"Did you try reading the Keats poem?" Duncan Reever asked. "The one she wants to tattoo on her hip?"

The Hsktskt nodded. "No change. She did not even tell me what I could do with it."

Juliana flopped down on the couch besides Shamaras. "Say bye-bye to story two and three."

Shamaras sighed. "Goodbye, trilogy, hello, idea file."

"Hey." Cherijo looked up from the datapad she was studying. "You're not even a novel. Wait until you appear in eight pubbed books before you bitch about her."

"Well, we can't let her stay locked in there forever." Marcia turned to John and thumped him on the arm. "Do something."

"Darling, we're simply bad examples," John reminded her. "All I can do is demonstrate for the others what not to do. Like this." John took out a grenade, pulled the pin and threw it at the locked door. Being a fictional grenade, it fell to the floor and rolled around a bit. One of the cats wandered over and sniffed it before casually batting it with a paw.

"Get out of my way," Lucan, Darkyn lord paramount and suzerain of the jardin she had still not named (much to his annoyance), said as he stripped off his black velvet gloves. "I will deal with this."

"If you harm her, vampire," TssVar said, gesturing to a dozen large, unhappy-looking blue-skinned humanoids, "I will throw you to the Jorenians."

"Wrong genre, lizard." Lucan strode down the hall and lifted his hand to hammer on the door. At the last moment, he gently rested his palm against it. "Sweetheart, it's me. It's time to come out of there now."

There was no response, except for the sound of slow tapping on a keyboard.

"I can listen no longer in silence," he continued. "I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach." He paused. "You pierce my soul."

The door opened, and belligerent eyes glared through a mop of silver hair at him. "You're plagiarizing Jane Austen."

Lucan smiled. "I could have amazing sex with Samantha instead. We are making that delightful cameo in Juliana's second story--" he caught the edge of the door as she tried to slam it in his face. "Darling, please. You know that I adore you almost as much as Samantha, but this eternal sulking has to stop."

"I'm not sulking." She pushed away his hand and eyed him. "I'm depressed."

"There's a difference?" He winced as the door slammed shut. "You missed Halloween, you know. It's NaNoWriMo, and all those poor first-time novelists are desperately in need of your wisdom. Selah is worried. So are Kate and Joely and all your friends." He punched the door, wishing he could shatter wood as easily as he did glass. "Damn it, woman, there are thirty-eight comments waiting to be moderated."

The only sound that came from the room inside was the slow tapping of the keyboard.

Lucan pressed his forehead against the door. "Come on, love. I know better than any of them what you're going through. My last dive into the abyss lasted two hundred years, not that I'm suggesting you do the same. Let us help." He looked over as Quadrant Intelligence officer Shon Valtas joined him. "We'll write the first blog post for you, won't we, wolf-boy?"

"We will, Lynn," Shon said, before baring his teeth at Lucan. "Don't call me wolf-boy, fang-face."

"And we'll make TssVar moderate the comments," Lucan added.

The door opened a crack. "They're going to want to know why I was gone for so long."

A blade dancer in full dimsilk appeared and tugged down her face mask before she leaned against the door frame. "So let them ask me," Jory said.

"All right." The door opened. "I'm back."

74 comments:

  1. Oh, yay!

    And even your blog posts are fantastically written.

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  2. YAY!

    Good to have you.

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  3. Err ... I'd ask, but I read Blade Dancer. I'm not sure knowing is worth losing a few body parts.

    Good to see you back.

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  4. Woot!

    You're back, and here I thought you were just like the hairdressers I go through: once I find someone I like, she quits the profession, or moves to Guam, or only works from midnight to 2:00 AM on alternate Wednesdays.

    Be well.

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  5. Aww. *HUGS* It's just awesome to have you back! Happy November. :)

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  6. Yay! Welcome back!

    I knew (im)patiently checking the blog every day would pay off. ;-)

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  7. Anonymous2:39 PM

    I won't ask... even if I wasn't terrified of Jory. Sometimes we need to disappear for a while.

    I'm just glad you're back and I hope you're okay.

    Depression sucks big time. :(

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  8. Anonymous2:42 PM

    OOOOOh! Welcome back! I have missed you so much!

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  9. Anonymous2:46 PM

    *Bursts into applause*

    Great story, Lynn, even if it is a little sad. *hug* I'm glad you're back. I was worried.

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  10. Good to see the door opened again. I love reading your blog and have peeked multiple times daily to see if you were back. I even read some of the poetry dedicated to you. Know that you were missed and we all understand that sometimes life takes over.

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  11. You have been missed.

    best regards,
    lj

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  12. Anonymous4:21 PM

    *huggles*

    Glad to see you again.

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  13. Anonymous4:25 PM

    Welcome back! You have been missed.

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  14. Anonymous4:28 PM

    My days aren't the same without your blog. Glad to have you back again!

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  15. Welcome back, S. It's been kind of lonely without you.

    There is no way I'm asking. Jory would hurt me... alot; but should you need to talk, we're here for you.

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  16. Anonymous4:42 PM

    No questions. Welcome back

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  17. Glad to see you're back! :)

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  18. Anonymous5:04 PM

    Welcome back!

    When TssVar is done cleaning up the comment backlog, there's a thread over at Making Light that could use his attention. Nothing like an angry Hsktskt to teach people manners.

    We've missed you!

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  19. Oh, thank God! Screw moderating comments, I'm just glad you're okay. Count me as one of the 87 million people who were worried about you (and not just because some of my favorite characters are still in the prime of their lives ;).

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  20. I need me some characters that are that darn persistant...

    Glad to see you're back. (((hugs)))

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  21. Anonymous5:29 PM

    *HUGS* It's good to see you. I'm with Shiloh. Sometimes you need to be away. But we did miss you. C'mon - Joely and Ann and Nicole and I wrote [mine was bad] poetry for you. That's gotta say something. :)

    I hope you feel better.

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  22. Anonymous6:03 PM

    You were missed; so glad to have you back.

    ...And I'll avoid the mean ones by not asking any questions!

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  23. Golly, I missed you. And, like others, kept checking daily to see if you were back. No pressure! Really, no pressure. Just want to let you know I appreciate you.

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  24. Welcome back. i missed you.

    Nico

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  25. Good to see you back - my RSS feed was incomplete without you.

    Now there's a heart-felt comment from a geek if ever you heard one ;-)

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  26. Anonymous7:29 PM

    I was beginning to feel like a stalker checking each day for any words of wisdom, humor, or often both.

    I feel like we are all on the receiving end of these beautiful gifts each day from you. I wish I could give you something back even if it's only to say thank you for everything you give. I wish I could give more.

    I've visited that black hole of depression, I'm sorry you've been. I hope you find the warmth soon.

    Oh and welcome back!

    Ann

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  27. Yay! Welcome back. I wrote a limmerick for you.

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  28. Welcome back. Excellent re-entry into the blogosphere!

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  29. Hip hip hurrah! You're back! Deep down inside, I know Jory's a big softie. But I also know how sometimes we all just need to disappear. Remember, take care of yourself first! A nice long bubble bath is my main recommendation.

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  30. You were very much missed.

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  31. Yay!

    Thank heavens you're back!

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  32. CHEERS! No questions asked. I missed you so much!! Ann, Nicole and I even resorted to writing poems for you! I feel bad for commenting since TssVar has to moderate them....

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  33. Welcome back, Lynn. =o)

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  34. Oh, good.

    You know, I gave it a solid four weeks, because you're a big girl and one of the strongest people I've ever encountered, and I trust you to do what you need to do to take care of yourself. But when I found myself checking three and four times I day, I decided I needed to say something for my own peace of mind.

    Everybody needs some away time, but I do miss you when you go to ground. :)

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  35. welcome back, PBW...i've missed you!!! well, i think we've all missed you. no question there. no question here. glad to see you. always.

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  36. PS-- i love Lucan best too.

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  37. All Right!!!

    Now my days can be normal again!

    Glad to see you back!

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  38. we're happy to have you back.

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  39. Anonymous8:42 PM

    glad you're back

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  40. Phew. Glad you're back. While you were gone there was an empty hollow-sounding spot in cyberspace that would make a strange echo through my RSS reader. I could never quite make out what it was, but it sounded like peee beeee double you . . . pee beee double you . . . shhhhh . . . .

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  41. Anonymous8:59 PM

    Welcome back :)

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  42. Anonymous9:16 PM

    Yay! We're all glad you're back. We'll be here, on your side.

    JulieB

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  43. Anonymous10:02 PM

    *makes menacing gesture with roll of duct tape*

    Welcome back!

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  44. Glad to see you are back and in such a delicious way.

    I was becoming obsessive with checking the blog several times a day.

    Missed your comments and insights.

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  45. Anonymous10:07 PM

    Welcome back! It's good to be sharing my mornings with you again :)

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  46. Welcome back!!

    Siana

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  47. Good to have you back! Was beginning to worry that something awful had happened. I'm sorry to hear about the depression, hope things get better soon.

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  48. Good to see you're back! I hope everything's okay.

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  49. Anonymous11:48 PM

    Welcome back!

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  50. Big, loopy grin, hugs, and more understanding than you know.

    You were sincerely missed! :-)

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  51. Here are some hugs for whatever kept you in that room with the keyboard tapping...nope, not asking either :).

    Glad you're back. You've got a ton of real people rooting for you right along with your characters...of whom I hope to see a ton more :).

    Margaret

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  52. I just knew you'd been abducted by aliens - and there was nothing we could DO...
    Missed you. So MUCH.

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  53. Oh, good. You're back! That's a huge relief, because the sonnet was NOT going well.

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  54. Anonymous6:21 AM

    Welcome Back good to hear from you

    Chiara

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  55. You know, I kept debating if I should leave a message here for you, but I feared you'd think I was a stalker. I am sorry to hear things kept you away but I'm glad you came back.

    Missed you. Take care.

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  56. Anonymous8:46 AM

    I don't care what/who/why you were gone. Just point me in the direction of trouble and I'll help you out! So, very glad you are back with your usual grace and humor. Take care, be well!
    Tami

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  57. PHEW. Thank you.

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  58. Anonymous9:17 AM

    *hugs* I've missed you! Welcome back and I'm happy to see you stepping back out. I'm not going to ask why, but I just want you to know you're loved.

    Take care of yourself...and welcome back.

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  59. Anonymous9:17 AM

    *hugs* I've missed you! Welcome back and I'm happy to see you stepping back out. I'm not going to ask why, but I just want you to know you're loved.

    Take care of yourself...and welcome back.

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  60. I knew I loved Lucan for a reason!

    I'm so glad you're back. Much worry greatly appeased now.

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  61. Anonymous3:10 PM

    I'm so very glad to see you again. No questions, just happiness and understanding. Stay well and take care of yourself. =) ((((((hug))))))

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  62. Welcome back. Glad your characters dragged you out of that room. :)

    Katherine said...
    When TssVar is done cleaning up the comment backlog, there's a thread over at Making Light that could use his attention. Nothing like an angry Hsktskt to teach people manners.


    Boy, isn't that true? I'll lend him a cohort of my Romans, they're in a very bad mood since I'm behind on Nano. Together, they'll make mincemeat of the trolls in no time. :)

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  63. It's so good to have you back. :)

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  64. What a treat - to do my (nearly-hopeless-by-now) check in at PBW, and find a story with all my favorite characters. Thank you, well done! Bravo! If whatever worries you doesn't go away, just sic your fans on it/them, and there will be nothing left but a greasy spot on the pavement - we wouldn't want to let TssVar, Jory, or the Darkyn have all the fun without us.

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  65. Anonymous9:01 PM

    It's so good to see you back!

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  66. *grins from ear to ear*

    See, this is how cool you are, PBW. No questions asked. We love you. Welcome back.

    And...can I borrow John's defunct grenade? I need a...prop. Yeah, a prop. Heh.

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  67. So glad you're back. So sorry you needed to be away. Only you can make depression sound funny. Sometimes privacy is necessary. Thank you for letting us rejoin you.

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  68. Absolute Wahoo! Here, leezard, leezard, leezard.

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  69. Anonymous1:29 AM

    Thank God you're here!

    I was starting to worry a little...

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  70. Welcome back. You were missed.

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  71. Hey you!

    After having read one of your recent posts, I now regret not shooting you an email and imploring you to come back and end my misery of suspense. Because I was definitely one of those readers who checked your blog sometimes 3 times a day to see if you'd come back yet. ^_~ If you ever disappear again, I am sending you COOKIES!! ;D Or at least email cookies...

    So, in general, I am so glad you're back because I missed your wit and your advice and your amazing, incredible imagination that has the ability to create these believable worlds and characters that on the surface, should be implausible, but never are. You and Lucan are so adorable. ^_~

    My favourite aunt and my brother went through depression (it runs in my family a bit), and they are two such completely different people. I was surprised when I found out they both had it because you deal with it in different ways. I think one of the commonalities, though, is that it cuts you off from your normal life in a way that is extremely scary, and I am so, so glad that you are feeling better. You (and my aunt and brother) give me inspiration that if I ever go through it, that there are ways to get through. :)

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  72. Meghan4:34 PM

    Reading this entry feels like coming home, and I don't even know all the characters!

    I have so much to catch up on.

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