#burt's map

[zoortg]

This is my attempt at mapping Lumon's severed floor.

[rosevilles]

going insane about severance.

How does outie Irving know about the dark hallway / elevator? Who is he calling? If he had a map with Burt's name and address on it, why didn't Burt know who he was?

The Milchick and Natalie conversation. The Milchick and MARK S conversation. That elevator scene made me want to THROW UP. Are they going to turn Milchick???? What is Ms Huangs DEAL? GOD I -

[gothicseverance]

Gothic castles from Udolpho to Gormenghast exist in a world where there are no maps, where halls, corridors and stairways go on forever, where rooms that were there in the night have vanished by morning.

—Spectral Readings

[filmap]

The Rose Tattoo Daniel Mann. 1955

Church 401 Duval St, Key West, FL 33040, USA See in map

See in imdb

[consultingfujoshi]

on love transcending severance wrt irving and burt: I know we all want their outies to fall in love to prove that their innies love was real and valid but. I genuinely believe a possibility is that even if their outie versions DON'T fall in love, they become friends enough that burt returns to the severance floor even just one more time so that their innies get to see each other again.

like we've seen plenty of evidence that 1) irving is more directly connected to his innie than the average severed person (seems to have memories of the severance floor, his innie dreams of the paint he uses, his innie knows how to drive despite never seeing a car before) and 2) burt seems to have a deep level of respect and empathy for his innie and the other severed employees and acknowledges that those connections are very real and a part of him even if he doesn't remember who any of then are. if their outies find out they were in love in another universe, I can totally see them working together to allow their innies to see each other again. if there's any two characters out of all the ones we've been introduced that are going to act in their innies' interests, it's irving and burt.

I DON'T believe that 5 months have passed like milchick says, but irving is gonna have to explain why he showed up unannounced on burt's doorstep like that. outie irving is clearly working on something behind the scenes - perhaps he's even been waiting for his innie to break out like this - and he's insightful and curious enough (his innie immediately formulating a plan to find burt and executing it to perfection, clocking helly's lies straight away, painting a million copies of the same image because he's so determined to not forget it, compiling a list of every severed employee he can find) to put two and two together and realise this is clearly someone very important to his innie, someone whom his innie believes he can trust and chose to go to out of anyone he could have chosen on that map...

outie irv is definitely going to try to forge a connection with outie burt even if he doesn't understand the finer details of why his innie was drawn to him. if he really is planning some kind of severed revolution on the outside, and I'm inclined to believe he is given the little evidence we've been shown so far, this guy is a great place to start. I believe they're probably already friends by the time innie irv has woken back up on the severance floor. he doesn't know it, but his own outie believes in transcending severance. he doesn't know it, but burt is still looking out for him up there.

just hang on a little longer, irv..... I promise you'll get to see him again!!!

[ghostdrinkssoup]

Severance S2 spoilers, but I think innie!Mark running back to Helly is deeper than just him realising he doesn’t have feelings for Gemma. As we know, outie!Mark gets severed because he doesn’t know how to cope with Gemma’s passing, meaning he’s someone who struggles to accept death (and by extension change). We see this characterisation extend to innie!Mark when Petey’s disappearance forces him to re-experience grief. Notably, innie!Mark’s gut reaction is to hide the group photo of Petey so he won't be reminded of him, similar to how outie!Mark hides Gemma’s things in his basement because it’s “easier pretending she never existed”. Innie!Mark later shreds the map on the back of that same group photo when Helly presses him to question Petey’s death, again, very similar to how outie!Mark tears up the picture of Gemma. Despite differing contexts, both versions of Mark try to prove they don’t “give a shit” about someone they are very clearly mourning.

Innie!Mark isn’t just mourning his best friend, but also how things used to be. His attachment to Petey doubles as an attachment to the culture created by his coworkers, again, not so dissimilar to outie!Mark mourning his old life with Gemma. In both cases, he doesn’t want things to change. The idea that work culture is created “by the people” is established in the first episode, during a meeting between innie!Mark and Cobel:

Here, Cobel explicitly associates hell and heaven with the work environment, noting that hell is not reality but our perception of reality, influenced by our environment. Essentially, the people at work determine whether the workplace is worth being attached to. Although this philosophy isn’t universal (not everyone loves their coworkers), it aligns with innie!Mark’s values, as demonstrated in the shredding scene: 

Here, innie!Mark confirms that he isn’t loyal to Lumon, but to his colleagues. We also learn that in the face of uncertainty, he would rather lean on the support of his immediate community (his “family”) than become isolated, reframing the workplace as an intimate (and domestic) space. Considering that severance is meant to separate people’s work lives from their personal lives, this scene is particularly fascinating. Especially since Helly resists conflating the professional sphere with domesticity (“I could not, with a razor to my throat, be less interested in being your family”), viewing work as a prison that restricts her freedom (which, ironically, is likely the reality of Helena’s personal life). Interestingly, innie!Mark resents Helly’s constant disobedience until she tries to commit suicide. Again, when he’s confronted by death.

The show continuously reminds us that loss of intimate attachment, whether at work or home, is what both versions of Mark fear most. For example, innie!Mark is the only worker who hasn’t tried to quit. Helly repeatedly tries to quit in season one, even though she knows it’ll end her life; Irving is more than ready to quit after he learns Burt is married, and is ready to accept his death after outing Helena as a mole; Dylan also tries to quit when he’s separated from Gretchen and realises she won’t be coming back. Innie!Mark is the only severed worker (of the main cast) who can't accept death. Walking out that door terrifies him, and Lumon nurtures that fear. As Milchick says in season one, death isn’t something that happens at Lumon. The workers don’t even know what death looks like, as shown when MDR find the animal corpse in Woe’s Hollow:

Suddenly, the external world of the natural environment overwhelms the workplace, bringing death in its wake. Yet, the internal world of domesticity also brought loss in the form of Petey, Burt, and Irving’s “retirements”. Clearly, neither private nor public spaces are appropriate labels for the workplace, because the workplace is unnatural, monitored, and sealed off from reality. Lumon literally advertises this state of being, yet woe resulting from the loss or death of a loved one keeps threatening to invade this sequestered paradise. The personification of woe being a ghostly bride (AKA someone’s dead wife) also feels pretty pointed.

But let’s return to that point from earlier about work culture. As we have already established, innie!Mark is more than willing to work at Lumon if he becomes accustomed to the culture created by his colleagues. Helly contrasts him in this sense, as she is both independent and capable of rallying people to action without group support or approval (as we see during her speech to Choreography and Merriment). Innie!Mark, meanwhile, quelled his rebellious behaviour the moment he made friends with Petey. Under ordinary circumstances, innie!Mark is unlikely to be the kind of person to just up and leave his job because it’s exploitative. His decisions are not guided by morality, they’re guided by emotional attachment. We see this with outie!Mark in season one: his views on Lumon only begin to shift after he attends Petey’s funeral, and goes to his (Petey’s) daughter’s concert. Before this moment, outie!Mark is mostly apathetic about the inner workings of Lumon because severance is a convenient coping mechanism. It’s only when the peace is disturbed, and someone he’s grown to care for dies, that he changes gear. 

Innie!Mark behaves similarly when he demands to have his team back in the first episode of season two. It’s the most rebellious we’ve ever seen him. He doesn’t want his friends to disappear, and once they’re back, he doesn’t quit despite being given the option to leave. He wants to find Ms. Casey (who he knows is his outie’s wife), sure, but he’s also attached to Helly and his other colleagues. They’re his family, and he is very unlikely to abandon his family.

Outie!Mark is also very unlikely to abandon his family. The moment he learns Gemma is alive, he’s willing to risk everything (including his safety) to get her out. His stubbornness and loyalty are only rivalled by his innie’s, who is effectively himself. The problem isn’t that innie and outie Mark are different people; it’s that they’re the same person. If the roles were reversed, outie!Mark would never leave Lumon for Helly, not if it meant leaving Gemma behind. He would do the exact same thing innie!Mark does because neither version of him can accept loss, which is why he can’t leave. It’s not just Helly: it’s Dylan and all the other innies he would be abandoning. Not to mention that leaving would mean his certain death and Mark has never been able to deal with death, something Lumon promises to shield its workers from.

Why don’t people quit their jobs, even when they know it’s corrupt? Because people become complacent, conditioned, and attached to the status quo. Innie!Mark was always going to run back into the tender arms of hell. For a moment, it probably seemed a lot more like heaven to him.

This has been Mark’s consistent characterisation throughout the show. Do I view innie!Mark and outie!Mark as separate entities? Yes and no. I do think that innie!Mark is just as much a person as outie!Mark, and that they are different versions of the same person. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t the same person. If innie!Mark was different from his outie, he probably would’ve gone with Gemma. But outie!Mark has never learned how to accept grief, and innie!Mark is a version of himself that hasn’t evolved past this worldview either. What we see at the end of Cold Harbour, then, is a very literal representation of self-sabotage. Because the type of person who would’ve gone with Gemma wouldn’t have severed himself to avoid grief in the first place. For Orpheus not to turn around, he would've had to be someone else.

[shades-of-severance]

Purple

A Movement Color. Blue ⇾ Red.

Purple is often used in Severance to symbolize a movement from Lumon-controlled blue to passionate red — usually for love.

Music Dance Experience: Before the room turns distinctly red at the end of the MDE, when Dylan bites Milchick, we see purple lighting as Dylan's priorities actively change in front of us—from earning Lumon perks to wanting to know his family.

The Purple Room: Seen several times throughout Seasons 1 and 2. First, when Helly is being taken from the conference room to the stairwell. Then again in Season 1, when Mark asks Helly to join him in mapping the severed floor — a significant act of rebellion from Mark, done for Helly. In Season 2, we see the room twice: first when Mark runs by it as he searches for Ms. Casey, and once again when Mark and Helly return to the room to make love for the first time.

Irving Turns on Kier: During the egg bar scene in Season 1 (coveted as fuck), Irving stares at a painting of Kier before he smashes an egg inside one of the handbooks—once one of the most valued things in his life — until Burt.

Purple Breakroom Chairs: Unsure if they will return to their jobs at Lumon after the OTC, MDR sits on purple chairs, symbolizing their move from good Lumon employees to rebels.

Gretchen: Dylan’s outtie spouse is dressed in purple as he continues to find new passion outside of MDR with her.

“Hang in There”: Irving’s last message to MDR—helping his found family rebel, hidden behind a poster of their first act of defiance.

Gemma on the Severed Floor: As Mark undergoes reintegration so he can literally break Gemma out of Lumon because he loves her, she appears to him in purple.

[sevrd-belle]

Isn’t it interesting how Helena Eagan was supposed to get Irving Bailiff killed / assassinated in Season 2 but she called Burt who dropped him at the train station? :)

- She then lied to her dad about it.

- She never told anyone Mark S was looking for Gemma.

- She seems to intentionally say stuff to make Helly hate her. It fuels the rebellion.

- She got severed right after Petey accomplished his mission of mapping Lumon. Irving was also in the process of mapping Lumon.

- She only says nasty stuff about Innies when Drummond is staring at her.

- Jame Eagan hates her and even thought it was Helena on stage at the gala.

- The door was magically unlocked to get Gemma through, but it was locked in Season 1.

- She laughed at Kier Eagan propaganda.

Surely not because she’s the shadow leader of an anti-Lumon organization. No, no, no.

I guess her worst crime was falling in love with the severed version of a (kinda) married guy.

But he fell for her, too.

IMO, the “Hannah” thing was checking for reintegration because she has feelings for him but also because reintegrated Innies are the best people for taking down Lumon. Helena, Irving, Petey and Reghabi worked together.

She knows Reghabi is helping Mark.

[shiftingdisaster]

Whats in my bag?- 𝒮𝒫𝒩 𝒟𝓇

My bag is practically my lifeblood, I keep everything I could need in almost any situation in it. It goes with me everywhere, and I hate having to go without it.

bear pendant- wearing my pendant is one of the few solid ways to control my transformations, so I keep it close at all times.

dual 1911 custom pistols- I was gifted these two by Bobby when I was 17, they’re built perfectly to suit me.

leather journal(with pen)- Usually I keep one or two journals on me at all times, writing down any new information we might need or learn on hunts.

walkman, and cassettes- A handful of different cassettes all with entirely different vibes, I tend to switch them out for others in my collection every so often, but popping on my headphones and putting on a good mixtape right before a fight always makes them more fun.

burner phones- Got about 3 or 4 burners in my bag at all times, 1’s for any hunter contacts I have, the second is for any hunting related business(when we’re doing police or fbi shit) and the 3rd is one I keep on me at all times with only my family on it.

daggers- I have handful of daggers scattered around my bag, all a mix of silver and iron and a two of them with enchantments, to kill different creatures.

flask- An old flask I inherited from my dad, I don’t drink much but I do keep some (drinkable) holy water in it.

vintage cigarette case- While I don’t use it for cigarettes, and joints instead, I keep it stocked and in my bag. It’s an old habit I picked up from my dad, my older brother glares at me every time I pull one out but I sure as hell prefer it over drinking.

lighters- I keep a LOT of lighters in my bag, the amount we lose to salting and burning bones and just in general is INSANE.

cash- I usually keep a wad of cash in a bear skull themed money clip, instead of a wallet. while Sam and Dean prefer their credit card scams, I like physical cash much better.

digital camera- Even though I have as many phones as I do, I MUCH prefer camera pictures. Its good for cases and even better for my photography hobby.

swiss army knife- a silver and iron blade with all the different tools on it, i like keeping it in a small pocket close enough to grab quick incase I need to slip it up a sleeve to cut myself out of some binds.

map- small paper map all folded up to the side, makes it a hell of a lot easier to make my way around without gps

keys- I got my truck, Harley, house, and storage locker keys on it along with a devils trap and gun keychain, and a small vial of salt on it.

flashlight- much as the boys love keeping most their stuff in their duffle bags, I prefer keeping at least a few things for hunting in my bag. And having a flashlight in my bag is a hell of a lot more convenient than digging through my duffle for one.

chapstick- Burt’s bees peach chapstick. My favorite, and also the only chapstick I like using.

perfume- Peach and floral scented perfume, my signature scent. I keep it with me at all times to make sure it doesn’t wear off, gotta keep the signature scent signature.

ib: @jadeshifting !! Go check her out guys, I love her posts

[russian-spider]

helena knew about the map and how the innies were looking for gemma and said nothing. no one was expecting mark to break gemma out so she must have kept their secrets, which makes me think she told burt to get irving because she knew he would let him go

[blushingdread]

Lucy's telepathic connection with her spirits is so underused, especially because it would let her grow her bond with her spirits without having to summon them

My girlfriend is a DID system, so all my thoughts about this are DID adjacent lmao

Just living life:

Lucy wakes up and has a debate with Cancer about which outfit she wears. This is daily and nonnegotiable

Levy spots her best friend when she comes into the guild and excitedly walks up and greets her, only for Lucy to not respond at all. She tries a couple of times, seeing that Lucy is clearly spacing out, only for Lucy to jump when she sees Levy. Apologizing because she was talking to Aries and forgot the outside world existed for a few seconds there.

Lucy is walking with her team. Natsu and Gray are arguing, Erza is teaching Wendy how to read maps or something (and also contemplating murdering the two behind her), and Lucy, who was lagging in the back, randomly burts out laughing bc Gemini told her a joke

Lucy and Loke are sitting pretty far away from each other at the guild, and both of them stand up to start shouting at each other because they absolutely got into an argument (some massively stupid shit, probably like which outfit Mirajane modeled in this week's edition of sorcerer's magazine was the best stupid shit) and they accidently scare the shit out of everyone around them

Lucy dances around on the river bank edge, scaring the poor guys that always warn her not to fall because Lyra is playing music for her in her head

She is literally never late to anything. Never over sleeps. Never. This is 100% because of Horologium and Capricorn and 100% agaisnt her will, but it does give her an impeccable reputation so she's not too mad

If you think Aquarius, Loke, Virgo, and Gemini wouldn't pop in to randomly give commentary on her life, you'd he so wrong. Their all nosey ass bitches and the celestial spirit world is boring, they need their drama somehow

Aquarius will randomly pop up when Lucy talks to a cute boy to ask her why she isn't shooting shot, much to Lucy's loathing. It gets worse when Loke starts doing the same thing but for women. Why are you bi yourself Lucy??? She hates them both

Gemini will show up, say the most impulsive terrible idea ever, and then immediately leave, just letting Lucy sit with that. Have a nice rest of your day. That or they say some gruesome shit while she's in the middle of a fight. Kids, please lighten up

Lucy knows in her heart that when she asks a rhetorical question and Virgo answers that Virgo is actively trying to scare her. She fucking has Virgo's number. She can pretend to be emotionless outside of being a masochist, but Lucy knows she's a little fucking shit

While on jobs:

Lucy is fighting a mage with her whip, trying to figure out what kind of magic they're using so she can properly pick a spirit to counter them and Virgo just pops in like "It's wax magic, princess", scaring the living shit out of Lucy but also helping her in the battle

Lucy is wandering around during a job, sees some big footsteps, and Sagittarius is like, "Those are Tarasque tracks." Unprompted and Lucy starts bemoaning her stupid baka life where she has to fight shit like Tarasques

She could set up some truly bullshit turnarounds with Loke's ability to summon himself. No!! Bad guy!!! I'm running to this dead end all alone :( and my hands are nowhere near my keys :( I'm so scared. Pov: Loke appears right the fuck behind them

Not to mention Loke's ability to switch out with other spirits and have other spirits switch out with him??? If other people couldn't hear them talk, they could do all sorts of insane shit. It would be so much fun. That time Loke blinded Bixslow, and she got his ass except more and funnier bc they know it's coming even less

Also, the spirits' ability to shapeshift is underused. Lucy summons Taurus during a guild brawl. Everyone is expecting a bull man, and no one expects a literal giant bull. She wins that fight, thank you

She takes a job in the desert, and Scorpio is like??? Insanely knowledgeable about how to survive, which shouldn't be surprising now that Lucy is looking back on it, but man, is she happy to have someone who knows exactly what their doing

This isn't always helpful. A village describes a problem to her, and all her spirits end up in a round table discussion about what creature or magic is most likely to actually cause this problem, giving her a massive headache. Guys please shut the fuck up and have this conversation literally anywhere else, thank you

[hellishunicorn]

No, because I'm not done talking about Burt.

After last episode I've seen a few people saying how they genuinely thought outie Burt had retired in season 1, which confused me, because I thought it had been obvious from the start that he didn't retire. He was fired. In the video his outie made, he never specifies retiring, just that it's his last day, like I already covered in my post here.

The thing that bugs me, however, is that he was for sure fired because he was the one to form the connection between the two departments, MDR and O&D, that are not supposed to interact with each other, when, in episode 4 in season 1, he shows up at MDR with the tote bags, with a map to O&D and an invite for them to come over and visit. Then later, when all of MDR go to O&D in episode 6, Burt is the one to make a concrete plan for him and Mark to go check out the mammalians nurturable together. Now, granted I don't think he was intentionally working against Lumon at that point, but that's not the point. He is still offering members from a different department over to his, therefore creating a connection that can spread along the severed floor, ending, possibly, in an uprising against the company, when they eventually find out what exactly is going on there.

Now, I understand why they might not have wanted to tell him that reason, since that might lead him to start some investigation on the outside, similar to what maybe Irving was up to (if the list of severed employees and the news article are anything to go by). So, they go with the other thing he did, form a romantic connection with another severed employee (although they vastly embellished that description) as a reason for why he was fired, not knowing, of course, that innie Irving would find him, show up on his doorstep, shouting his name, leading outie Burt to get suspicious and follow him around, before offering him over to his house for ham and a talk.

[lord-paul20]

Outie!Irving definitely knows more about burt then he's letting on.

He already had Burts house marked down on a map. He has so much info about severed employees. I really think burt is more important to lumon then we think.

If he is, Irving would know that. I think Irving is agreeing to spend time with burt to get info. They're spying on eachother.

[dean-belongs-with-lisa]

I actually can’t stop thinking about this

Burt got severed so there’s a chance a version of him will be in heaven with his husband

His innie does not remember that he has a husband

His innie falls in love with another innie

Said innie finds Burt on the outside

Burt invites the outie of the innie his innie is in love with to dinner with Burt and his husband

Burt is starting to fall in love with the outie of the innie that his innie loves

Someone needs to make a relationship map of this whole thing

[kirby-obscure-sexyperson-tourny]

ROUND 1 MATCHUP 5

Pres. Haltmann's version of Sectonia’s pink crystal that only appears halfway through his story fight

The one knuckle joe everyone beats up/inhales of at the beginning of Great Cave Offensive

Moto Shotzo

Milky Way Wishes map theme

Fecto Elfilis' Spear Antares (submitter's wife btw)

Dark Rimuro

the moon door from KDL that reappears every game as an easter egg (NOT Mr. Shine or the moon from milky way wishes)

the flying squishy from kirby's dream land

Bronto Burt (but specifically the one from Kirby's Avalanche)

Whispy woods but specifically the one in Kirby Squeak Squad that exists in menu purgatory

[love-and-books320]

I'm finally caught up on Severance so here are some thoughts that no one asked for, spoilers below

Irving, Burt, and Fields should have a threesome I said what I said

(this is actual spoilers so seriously stop reading if your not caught up) now that Helly's back I'm realizing how much different Helena was and how much I missed Helly, I love her so much. Omg i rlly rlly hope it's her this time so I don't look stupid for saying that

Dylan deserves reintegration more than anyone FREE MY BOY

Mark is confused now but he's going to be soooo much more confused when (if??? help im scared) he's reintegrated. thats gonna be so funny

again I love Helly but I have always been and will always be team Gemma. Why? idk im just too committed now and it just feels like the cleanest resolution

Ugh I need more (outtie) Helena scenes. I want to pick her brain I'm so curious. Obvi she's got a big old crush on Mark but like...i need more than that. I need to be her therapist

This one is kind of silly but literally wtf is this town? Kier???? Like it's really snowy and rural and they have like 2 restaurants, both of which are in the middle of nowhere. They have a small downtown with a punk scene?? There's mountains and waterfalls ig? Idk it's just so funky to me i need a map of the place

Ugh the color schemes and cinematography in this show are top tier i wanna write an essay on it

Miss Huang is kinda a diva and a love her but someone pls come get your child.

Do we think Helena knows that Helly fucked Mark at work? Bc I went through the different situations in my head and it depends on so many variables that we don't know and I'm just so curious if she does and what she thinks

Damn these innies are getting hella play. Don't let your oppressive job stop you from finding your soulmate ig