Miquella Miqscalculates

Some may be apprehensive that Severance won’t portray Mark’s interaction with Helena in the tent as the sexual assault it was. But not only will they — they already are.

Mark’s behavior toward Helly has completely changed. He doesn’t sit next to her at Irving’s funeral. He shuts down attempts at conversation with offhand, vague snarky comments and a defiantly blank facial expression. When Helly knocks on the door to the bathroom, his eyes dart around like an animal cornered. Where he once would have slowed down for her in the hallway so they could talk, he walks much faster ahead. He’s trying as hard as possible to avoid her. To ignore her. To run away.

Now contrast this with his treatment of “Helly” when she first walked out of the elevator in season two. He waited for her to arrive! He was so relieved she’d come back! And when they were walking down that hallway and he was explaining the situation with Ms. Casey, he stopped mid-stride, turned to her with a smile on his face, and said “Look, Helly—“

He never got to finish that sentence. But some say he was going to confess that though his outie had a wife, his affections lay with her. And I think they’re right.

So why is he acting so differently now? The answer is obvious: “Because they are smarter than us, okay? They know everything.”

After the assault, Mark likely feels like a complete idiot. He spent so much of season one deconstructing his beliefs and breaking free from Lumon’s propaganda. And the minute he believes he’s immune to their lies and no longer a corporate slave, he is taken advantage of and hoodwinked by the very figurehead of said company, masking as someone he loves.

A symbol of Lumon convinced him he was safe. Tricked him. Invaded him in the most intimate way possible, with him completely oblivious, “like an idiot.” Right when he thought everything might be okay.

So maybe Lumon’s right. Maybe there’s no point in fighting. Because if he was stupid enough to not realize his own friend was being possessed by her billionaire doppelgänger, then maybe Lumon is correct about innies being nothing more than pawns. Maybe they are people, and he really is… not. (That’s how Helena treated him, anyway.)

And if that’s the case, of course he wants to give up looking for Ms. Casey and lose himself in work! For a moment he thought he was a human being, deserving of autonomy over his own body and capable of something more than sitting behind a desk — but his assault sends that all crashing down. He is an extension of his outie, made for work and nothing more. Going beyond that gets dangerous. That’s what got Irving killed… and him in Helena’s tent. And Helly? He cannot trust Helly. As far as he knows, his only confirmed moment with Helly since the OTC was when he was holding her in his arms, his jacket wrapped around her shoulders. Why should it be Helly coming back to the severed floor? If Helena could trick him before, who says she can’t learn from her past mistakes and trick him again over and over? Mark refuses to be humiliated and hurt after last time, so he avoids her (and Dylan!) and puts up a barrier of cool, snarky indifference — just like how he deals with grief.

But we know that indifference is a mask. When Milchick walked out of the elevator after revealing he knew about him and Helena Eagan, Mark had no one to pretend for — and he went completely stiff, blankly wide-eyed in an expression extremely reminiscent of his usual innie self. Whatever the reasons for this, one thing’s for sure: Mark does deeply care about what happened in the tent. And at least for now, he will lose himself in Cold Harbor to cope with it.

Lumon certainly got their productive worker back. But good Lord… at what cost?

Quick AU idea: Omen twins in mimic veils. More on the AU below the cut:

Vary rarely, during royal celebrations, those invited may spot the strange appearances of two veiled men. One dressed in plain white robes and the other swathed in dark silk, trailing after his companion like a shade. The two would speak only to Godwyn, and avoided all else who approached.  Speculations on their identities were whispered amongst the highborns. Maybe they were distant relatives to the royal family, diluted scions generations removed, or perhaps they were bastards secreted away. Nonetheless, anyone to be amongst Godwyn's inner circle must be significant to some degree. If one could get close enough, they would be able to catch a glimpse of their visage under the translucent veil - breathtakingly beautiful faces with faintly golden eyes… Curious indeed. 

Taking a LOT of artistic liberty with how mimic veils work/look lol. Just thought it'd be angsty to juxtapose their disguises with their real selves. Morgott cherishes the opportunity to feel "normal". Mohg thinks the whole thing to be an incredibly cruel and ironic charade.

i am worse than tiso

"we need more fucked up female characters" you guys, and i cannot stress this enough, had a complete meltdown over clara oswald, and frankly, that hasn't stopped yet

as someone who was weirdly and staunchly set against pedro pascal for like, five years, (for no reason either) and declared firmly that i did not find him attractive, this whole new thing where i actually like him a lot and he makes me giggle like an idiot is throwing me off badly. i feel like i'm going insane. i like him so much now. i got furious over a youtube comment section saying he was a weak, overused actor, all fired up like someone kicked my DOG. i'm out here poring over movies and skits and clips like it's religious text. i would ask to be saved but i am resigned to my fate and also i like it here.

mark scout, im sorry. i was unfamiliar with your game until you rizzed me w/ it. i was such a champion of pathetic malewife boss mark s. i didn't realize how bad mark scout sucked (huge positive). i love your petty, prickly, angry everything, mr. scout. kiss me in the lumon elevator as you lose all your memories

Jana Brike (Latvian, b. 1980)

The Crying Woman, 2023

Oil on canvas

more rehabilitation curly ✨

Shadow of the Erdtree oodlies