#MBS my beloved

[serial-serializednovelreader]

A Beginning at the End...

I made a post the other day about MBS getting cancelled and honestly that was just a quick vent post and didn't have much of my actual thoughts and feelings about what why I was so upset. So I want to tell a story about my history with the book and later adaptation, just so I can give it a bit of a sendoff and celebrate my love for the series as a whole.

To begin, I believe I'm neurodivergent in some way (undiagnosed for reasons I won't get into), so you can imagine that I wasn't very welcomed by many of my classmates. While it was a small class and I was close with them, I didn't feel that they really understood me. I often felt alone and found my home in books, as cliche as that sounds.

On a Friday in elementary school, a book on my teacher's shelf called The Mysterious Benedict Society caught my eye. I pulled it out and asked her if I could borrow it. She hesitated a bit before saying yes, as long as I promised to take care of it as it was a very special book to her. I, of course, agreed, not knowing how special it would become to me too.

I immediately began reading and fell in love with the world of the novel, finishing it within a weekend. I loved how clever Reynie was at solving the puzzles he was given, how Sticky rattled off facts like a machine, Kate's positivity and agility (I wanted to be her sooooo badly), and Constance's stubborn nature. And of course, the world-building, themes, and overall plot were superb.

But most of all, it was the kid characters I loved, because I felt they were like me in some way (the neurodivergent coding makes a lot of sense now!!), that if I knew them in real life they would be friends with me. And this only increased when I read the rest of the series. The only unfortunate part is that almost everyone I knew had never heard of these books, let alone read them. The few who actually did I didn't get to stay in touch with due to outside circumstances.

Over the years, I've reread the series several times and I still can't get over just how GOOD this book series is. First off, they're funny. There are so many good moments where I STILL laugh, no matter how many times I've read them. The characters are well-thought out and the main four kids are dynamic characters; they each have a realistic and clear arc over the course of each book (which I hope to make a post about someday!). Book Curtain is a bit of a cartoon villain I'll admit, but his funny moments add to the charm and is still a credible threat as a villain. The themes are interesting, and understandable for kids while being even more hard-hitting for adults. The plot structures are fun and while a bit predictable definitely keep you on your toes.

So in 2019, when I found out that the fourth book, The Riddle of Ages, was releasing I was SO excited and of course bought a copy as soon as I could. It was really emotional for me, as it showed the characters aged up and coming to terms with growing up and what that could mean for their friendship. I needed it, especially with the transitional period I was going through at the time.

Around that time, another bombshell dropped: it was actually getting a TV show adaptation (on Hulu at the time)!!! This was a dream come true for me, who had imagined it so many times (and had actually wanted to play Kate lol). I was a bit wary of what they would do with the characters, but honestly I was just happy it was getting an adaptation at all. That at least some people knew about it and wanted to see it come to life.

When it finally came out on Disney Plus, I watched it every week like clockwork. I loved both seasons and how much detail they put into it. While the show changed a lot of things from the book series, I actually loved what they did with it. Kate's arc of not wanting to be a team player is even more prominent from the beginning, Show Curtain, SQ being Curtain's adopted son, I could go on, but those are just *chef's kiss* 👌👌. More than that I could just feel the LOVE that went into the show from the actors, writers...just everyone!! Even the choices I didn't like still worked for me just because I could tell how much care was put into the series. The community on here shared the love even more through posts, fanfiction, art, etc. Finally I felt like I had validation for the series I loved so much and that people were seeing how great it was!

Then I found out it wasn't being renewed for a third season... and it hurt a lot. I felt (and still feel) that it's just another example of a streaming site looking over the quality of the show for pure numbers. What has helped is the MBS blogs I follow/lurk around (shoutout to y'all <3 I know I need to engage more) and the actors of the kid characters, who have all spoken out about how they're sad it's ended but also enjoyed the journey and love the time they had with getting to play the characters, which cheered me up a lot.

So in the end, I'm still upset the show was cancelled. And I'm still holding out hope that maybe it'll get renewed somehow, or picked up by another studio. But no matter what, it'll never take away the love I have for the book and TV series and the community surrounding it, so I'm glad I'll always be able to celebrate that.

TL:DR: I have a lot of history with the original book series and while I'm still sad about the show ending, the love I have for the MBS series as a whole and the community surrounding it won't go away. I'm happy there was an adaptation that got so much love from everyone involved and that people got to enjoy it.

[so11aris]

a law doodle page I might steal smth from here and color it later

[batryz]

Self-indulgent Will headcanons

Or

(how i imagine him while reading and sketching) (im bored and miss him) (totally not biased–)

Poofy hair that curls at the tips. Not unlike a cloud.

Thick, bright golden hair that reaches his shoulders that is damn near untameable.

Is a claw clip preacher. Wears it when it gets busy in the infirmary. Otherwise, let's his hair loose. Ties it on special occasions.

Has the sun in his eyes. Literally. Central heterochromia. If it wasn't obvious that he was the son of Apollo already–

Dry and torn lips. Carries lip balm everywhere. (Frequently loses them though so has like 5+ of the same lip balm)

Tan skin, much freckles. Everywhere.

Genetics gave him flawless silky smooth skin.

Unintentional glowing. Doesn't always happen but when it does, it's much more obvious at night. An uncanny glow that brightens or dims depending on his mood.

Does have pierced ears but doesn't wear them often because it's a hazard being in the infirmary so often.

Does have his camp necklace, and Nico's ring chain around his neck. Keeps them under his shirt as much as possible though. Safer and less in the way while working.

Tattoo on the left of his chest. But we all knew that.

A star tattoo somewhere i know it. (Haven't thought of where please help)

Immaculate hand care routine. Not a nail unpolished or chipped. Still has tiny scars though.

His hands are not a hard and rough as most others at camp. His are mostly dry and cracked from over-sanitising.

Canon says he's built like a surfer. But i like to think he's built like a dancer. No, he can't dance to save his life.

Lean, toned and tall. Broad shoulders, slim waist. Amazing legs. (Totally not based on experience)

Has scars here and there. Particularly, a burn scar on one of his foot and a gash further up his other leg. They don't hurt anymore. (Sometimes the memories do, but he's getting better)

Navel piercing.

The most stunning man dressed in the most average outfits. Please don't let him dress himself for an important event. (Unless supervised)

Owns crocs let's be real.

...ok, that's all my brain has for now. In terms of appearances at least. (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

I'll come back to rambling about him next time. Okioki, byebyee!

[coquelicoq]

The door was broken so I shoved it open. I slipped past the stationary HostileSecUnit2. I could feel it watching me through its opaque visor. I wondered if it had found the files yet. Whatever, I didn’t come here to make friends. (System Collapse, ch 9, p 205)

this is the funniest possible way for mb to interpret the secunit standing there watching it. babe it’s standing there watching you because 1) it was told to stand down and 2) you were the one who told it to stand down. also you gave it the code to free itself. it probably does want to be friends with you.

[abs0luteanarchy]

…good food

lyrics are from butcher vanity by vane lily

[ultimafranfan]

sigh i miss her

[icywolfos]

Tumblr has Crunched my boys so click for higher quality (hopefully)

@foooxobsessedperson our little guys are Too Powerful for tumblr smh

[crow-in-springtime]

Happy birthday (month) to Constance Contraire 🎉

[smoshidiot]

SHUT UP !!!

[nobodysdaydreams]

I love when a bunch of fanfic authors in my fandom reblog an ask game at the same time and I get to see all your wonderful snippets and WIPs and get all excited for them, you all are amazing!

[kiwd]

garotas precisam de amor. 💗🗝🧸⁺˳⊹⋆ﾟ.

[tzugore]

*⋆꒰ঌ(⁎ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈⁎)໒꒱⋆*

rainy tapestry

[undyne1]

[sophieswundergarten]

"No one in the world suffered so much as Kate Wetherall from not moving as fast as humanly possible whenever the occasion allowed. Driving at this moderate speed was requiring a heroic effort on her part."

Riddle of Ages, p. 225

[phtalogreenpoison]

Favorite Mysterious Benedict Society character (sorry if you’ve already said this and I didn’t see it yet)?

Reynie! or Sticky.

or Constance.

or Number Two.

uhhhhh. that is not one person, but you know,,

Anyways, why?

Reynie I probably relate the most to in some ways, bc he was forced to grow up a little too fast and felt like he had to fix everything. He's the peacekeeper and the leader, but it shouldn't always fall on him, nor should he always fix everything. Also the fact that he has this manipulative side to him that could easily turn dark, but he is surrounded by love and care once he's with the Perumals and the Benedicts. He's allowed to be the softer part of himself.

Sticky Washington. My beloved. I love that in the books he has a difficult relationship with his parents, even though they do care for him. He's a smart kid, but he deals with burnout and anxiety (and I hc OCD!! read @sophieswundergarten 's lovely fic for reference) canonically. and he's an all around great guy.

Constance I related to most as a younger child, but she holds a special place in my heart. (I first read the first book at like 8 I think.) She's angry, she's wonderful, and she's her. That's a part of her, and she becomes more fully herself as she grows up in Riddle of Ages.

Number Two. I have related to her more as an adult, and that's partially because I headcanon her as having bipolar. (never able to sleep, irritated easily, tries not to lash out, worries easily, I think she spirals sometimes and needs a hand, but she is still so so essential just because she's HER) (I also headcanon her as a trans woman based on vibes. I could find better reasons why but brain is tired.)

[bi-demon-ium]

RHONDA KAZEMBE in THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY