rionaleonhart | Hey, Kids, What's For Dinner?

I'm so glad I watched Severance. It blends two of my absolute favourite themes in fiction, 'weird memory issues' and 'characters developing intense relationships while isolated together in strange circumstances'. It's perfect.

Plus it has multiple versions of the same character, which is always a bonus!

It's interesting to see the different ways characters think of their 'other selves'. Outie Mark says in the first episode that there's no 'other' him. He's the one who shows up and does the work; he just doesn't remember it.

The innies generally seem to think of their outies as more or less separate people, though, with varying levels of relevance to them. When you're aware of just how much you don't know, I imagine it's harder to think of the person outside as still being 'you'. Perhaps they have friends, perhaps they have a family, but you have no way of knowing, and all of those people would be strangers to you.

I suppose it's also harder to think of your outie as you when you're aware of how much power they have over you. From the outie's perspective, they go to work, they forget what they did at work, they go home. The actions of their innie don't really impact them, unless they experience physical harm at work or leave the office late. When you're an innie, though, someone else is choosing the clothes you wear; someone else has the power to refuse your resignation request, or could make the decision to resign themselves, effectively ending your existence; someone else drank too much last night, and now you have to drag yourself through the work day with their hangover.

All this helps to explain why the innies constantly throw around the words 'innie' and 'outie', whereas I don't think we ever hear outie Mark refer to his work self as his 'innie'. It's just him at work; why would he need a term for that? They're terms that the outside world seems to be aware of, but we only hear them in regular use inside Lumon.

Riona: The trouble with Severance is that it's really hard to make the different versions of the same character make out.
Rei: Yeah, that doesn't really seem possible.
Riona: I mean, I'll find a way. I'm just saying it's a challenge.

Despite my best efforts, though, I suspect I may have to admit defeat. I don't think I can get Mark to make out with himself. He hates himself too much, and not in a sexy way; Mark is self-loathing in a quiet, wet, pathetic way that doesn't have any sexual tension behind it.

Helly, however, absolutely hates herself in a sexy way. I'm not saying I'm going to write hideous noncon selfcest about the two versions of Helly, but I do think someone should.

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There could always be another, still in R&D very hush hush, branch of the company that's been developing cloning technology and needs a guinea pig to see if their memory transfer machine works...

Intriguing! Your suggestion is noted and appreciated.

Oh yes, I absolutely love the differences in identity we do and don't see! It's much more drastic for the innies, and obviously it would be.

I imagine Helly's outie got something of a shock when she realized what she was dealing with.

What if the Overtime Protocol malfunctioned, and Helly ended up stuck inside her head with the two versions being angry at each other and her outie trying to prove absolute control and an absolute right to do anything with her body and mind on "You don't even exist, I'm the only real person here" grounds?

I also think it's interesting that, when Devon meets innie Mark, she starts talking about 'her' Mark as a different person and then corrects herself: 'Mark has b— I mean, out here, you have been trying to figure out what Lumon does.' I don't know if she always thought of the two as different people or if she just can't think of Mark S as her brother when he's right in front of her.

I imagine Helly's outie got something of a shock when she realized what she was dealing with.

Absolutely! Turns out that, if you're determined and ruthless enough, stripping away your own memories means you'll end up sharing a body with someone who's determined, ruthless and terrifyingly pissed off.

I've been working on a fic where a chip malfunction allows the two versions of Mark to talk to each other, but Helly getting stuck inside her own head sounds awful and incredible.

The 'what impact is the innie having on the outie's life' is why I find Irv's bleedthrough in paintings really interesting, and with Mark's tree-sculpting it seems like creative stuff can sometimes be a conduit between innie and outie.

By which I mean, I kind of want to see Helena to take up a creative hobby and have it somehow always come out as I WILL END YOU strewn in bloody letters across whatever she's doing.

And yeah, Mark dislikes himself in a very soggy way, doesn't he? It's such a contrast to Helly's rage.

By which I mean, I kind of want to see Helena to take up a creative hobby and have it somehow always come out as I WILL END YOU strewn in bloody letters across whatever she's doing.

This would be incredible.

And yeah, Mark dislikes himself in a very soggy way, doesn't he? It's such a contrast to Helly's rage.

It's interesting! They could both be described as hating themselves, but that hatred takes such different tones, and it's directed differently. Helly specifically hates her outie, and presumably the feeling is mutual; Mark dislikes this version of himself and has no particular ill feeling towards any other.

Oh man, now I really want a scenario where an innie is speculating on their outie's life or getting glimpses through physical changes and it goes to a place of developing a crush instead of jealousy or resentment. Or where someone finds a way to exchange written communication and explanatory notes turn to love letters...

Also, regarding Helly hating herself in a sexy way: Yes, and hot.

I would absolutely love to see this! There's something so interestingly tragic in the idea of developing a crush on someone when you're always held at that sort of remove from them, it's physically impossible for you to interact directly, and yet their actions constantly impact on your life and it's them you see in the mirror.

LOLOLLLLLL at Mark's wet, pathetic self-loathing. Accurate. (I love him ... and I think it's interesting how sympathetic he is considering the type of character he is and how easily he could be unbearable.)

That's a fascinating point about the innies perceiving their outies as separate people but not really the reverse! And it's interesting to think about why that is, because yeah, the outies just see their innie selves as their work selves, but the innies don't really get the outies' full lived experience. Actually, I guess a big part of it, too, is that the outies have access to all their memories except work, while the innies don't actually know anything about themselves - their childhoods, their families, their personal history - so it makes sense that they'd develop a separate sense of self.

Helly's self-loathing is definitely in a sexy way. It's also interesting to me that she had that intensely aggressive reaction to her outie even before knowing anything about her, whereas the others mostly seem to assume that they had good reasons for severing themselves or don't wonder about it (overtly, anyway).

I adore Mark, and I'm delighted you like him as well! He's exactly my character type; I can never resist a self-loathing wreck who's basically well-meaning but lacks self-control and hasn't made a good decision in years. But I know that's not going to appeal to everyone (it's a description that also applies to my beloved Jack Shephard of Lost, who attracts a lot of dislike), so I wasn't sure how other people would feel about Mark. It's good to have company!

I wonder if the outies really understand the extent of the memory loss their innies experience. I suppose they must know it intellectually - part of the appeal for Mark was getting to forget about his wife, after all - but it's probably hard to grasp.

I don't know the canon, but I wish you the best of luck in beating that challenge to get what you want! :D

Ha, thank you very much!

No but I think *you* should ecause you'll do it WELL

Aww, thank you! I think it'd need to be someone more skilled in writing explicit scenes than I am, though. I tend to be oblique or fade to black, and I think this concept requires an author who's willing to stare unflinchingly at the awful scene.

Incorrect-o. You talk about their feelings and allude to what's happening to cause them!

i've never heard of this series before so i have to admit when reading through this i couldn't help but think of belly buttons for a good portion of it (and then wondering where umbilical cords would come in) but it sounds interesting! and oh mark, i hope you can discover some sexiness in your self-loathing, really, it will enrich your life by the millions.

i couldn't help but think of belly buttons for a good portion of it

It's hard not to! Felt very weird to write a fic in which I was forced to use the word 'outie' seventy times.

and oh mark, i hope you can discover some sexiness in your self-loathing, really, it will enrich your life by the millions.

What's the point of creating a different version of yourself if you're not going to have sexual tension with him? Honestly.

Hey, Kids, What's For Dinner?

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Spoilers for Severance s1e9

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innies, outies, and the mythical western howdys

Re: innies, outies, and the mythical western howdys