004; video; l.morningstar

[dealwiththe]

[ Hey look, it's Lucifer on ~video~ today. He's looking and sounding as earnest as anything - there's no way to misconstrue what he's doing here as anything other than completely in good faith. It's not a joke, not a troll, not snide or cynical. ]

I know from long experience that ignoring and bottling up the painful things that happen isn't good for anyone. I'm available to talk to, if anyone needs it. If not me, then I hope you'll talk to someone.

I'm not just talking about inmates, either.

[ He says all this, knowing the kinds of responses (or lack of responses) he's likely to get. He thinks it's important to make the offer, regardless. ]

Comments

l.odinson | audio

[shiftedshape]

That's a kind offer. Particularly given the venom you're likely to have spat back at you for it.

[dealwiththe]

I'm used to the venom. I'm here to help, there's no point if I'm not even trying.

Warden filter is go

[shiftedshape]

True. I just think we've got a set of inmates who would sooner suffer in silence than be seen taking you up on the offer. They might avoid you entirely for a while, just in case.

Maybe we ought to offer some other incentive for talking to us. Like sweets.

audio | travistouchdowncrownlessking

[rank1]

I've never imagined myself being some guy laying on a couch, but I thought about getting shock therapy once. Seemed faster than talking, you know? Just bzzzzt. Done.

[dealwiththe]

Yeah, that doesn't actually do anything to help. Unless you think the possibility of becoming a drooling vegetable is "helping".

There aren't any shortcuts.

[rank1]

Nah, bro, I’ve looked it up. They zap you, it gives your brain a seizure, and your brain resets like a computer. Boom, no more issues.

audio | c.fraser

[nineteenfortyfive]

And yourself?

[dealwiththe]

Hopefully we can do some mutual exchanges. What about you, Doctor?

[nineteenfortyfive]

I asked first.

[Directly. Sort of.]

audio | jimothy

[doppleman]

Huh. Y'know, I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way, though?

[ This is not sarcasm, not exactly. There's something earnest in there too that makes it weird. ]

Pretty sure what you do is you bury the pain, and if you work hard enough, you can bury it so deep that then it just goes away forever.

[ It's a note of almost innocent disbelief, is what it is. ]

Uh, but, interesting theory! Not dissing the radical approach.

[dealwiththe]

I used to think that, too, Jimothy.

[ He's answering the question as sincerely as he made his original statement. ]

And I'm immortal, so needless to say, I buried some things for a very long time. Longer than you've probably been alive.

None of them ever went away forever. I only started getting over them when I started talking about them, and processing them.

[doppleman]

'Kay, but... suppose I'm built different?

[ Such confidence!—or foolishness?—that is, regardless, immediately undercut by the rest of his response. Wanly: ]

Also, Tim's fine.

j.todd

[theartofmadness]

aww, satan.

[dealwiththe]

And how are you doing, Mister Todd?

[theartofmadness]

Oh, yanno. Got to learn a lot about the anatomy of a rose bush.

Rhy$.$trongfork

[smugreport]

Aww, I thought we were exclusive.

[ minus Travis. ]

[dealwiththe]

There's plenty of me to go around, Rhys. No need to be concerned.

audio; un: greyjoy

[reek]

Talking about something doesn't make it go away.

[ Signed, a man who has bottled up everything for his entire life until he completely exploded and did a Stupid Thing. ]

Perhaps in your world, but not in mine.

[dealwiththe]

No, it doesn't go away. Nothing can make the bad things go away.

[ He never claimed it would!!! ]

What it can do is help you understand and process what happened, so that it doesn't do as much harm - to yourself or others. So you can move on, and live your life without being weighed down by it.

[reek]

[ He laughs, because that's really funny, Satan. ]

If it's already happened, I think I've had no choice but to process it. If I've lived it, I think I understand it.

[ That isn't how it works, Theon!!! ]

How many situations in your life have been eased by talking about them, exactly?

audio, Amanda Y.

[oinks]

That's what they all say at first.

[dealwiththe]

That they do.

[ Lucifer has no rebuttal for her. He can't answer for whoever in her past was untrustworthy. ]

And yet, my door is always open.

[oinks]

Are we even allowed to speak with you if we're not a warden-inmate pair? It's not considered cheating on our current warden?

j.barnes > private

[counterstep]

talking about it never helped anything

[dealwiththe]

I'm sorry it didn't.

What helps you?