#the perilous journey

[mvshortcut]

Perilous Journey AU where Curtain does end up with the duskwort and successfully puts everyone to sleep except it fails because it simply makes Number Two take a twenty-minute nap and then she's up and chasing Curtain with a baseball bat

[dragoncookies]

(spoilers)

can we just talk about how hardcore the second book is?

I mean, ALL the books are crazy, but it’s been four years since I last reread tmbs and I remember glazing over the second book, because usually in a series the second book is just like build up and filler for the third one (with the first book having all the magic a first book usually had)

but this series? I aged 58 years reading the second book, and I was disgustingly addicted to it the whole time I read it. I truly thought it was the end for our protagonists. Usually you can see how they might turn a bad situation around, but it just looked straight hopeless when everyone ran out to the beach in hopes that help had come and there was just nothing there. And then, when the Shortcut appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, I cried real tears of joy. I know it’s a kids series and sometimes kids series can be deep, but these kids have to be straight traumatized by their experience in that book. They were pushed to their absolute extremes physically, psychologically and emotionally. From being stuck on the ship in one small confined room while traveling across oceans to a place they had never been before, solving all the riddles, keeping watch during that dark night trying to stay awake with the fear of death and being captured hanging over them, being tied up in that giant room with the ten men ready to torture them, then being captured by Curtain and BEING tortured (shocked), then having to run and carry Mr. Benedict until their hands were bleeding and they were beyond their physical limits, and THEN after seeing their LAST CHANCE for making it off that hellish island not be there having their hopes let down….if I were them, I’d probably just go insane. Its shocking because the whole series is so breezy light, but the actual content, once you think about, isn’t so light at all.

Every character was developed so deliciously. Reynie went from being smart and good at riddles, to being a conniving plotter, who could be a supervillain in his own right. Kate almost bombed a ship full of her worst enemies (willingly), but then found some insane inner strength and decided NOT to. Sticky went through an ego-struggle arc and then, after being the group scaredy cat, suddenly became THE MAN in their darkest hour when they all had to carry that stretcher down the mountain and had nothing left to give (and it almost broke my heart when Reynie narrated it saying smt like “maybe we’re all gonna die but at least I get to witness Sticky in his prime 😌). And Constance? Well. She’s Constance, but her mind reading is sick, and I like the relationship dynamic that grew between her and Reynie in this book.

there was so much inner turmoil from Reynie, and the whole “there’s no good-hearted people in this world” belief he struggled with, resulting him question which Benedict twin he himself was more like, was just so scrumptious. He’s the perfect person to narrate the series, and that becomes clear during this book. Finger lickingly good stuff. And we can’t forget Sticky knocking Constance off the watch tower when a ten-man appeared from the darkness. That made me chortle. Or Kate regurgitating McCracken’s key so they could all escape. She’s just so different.

There are just so many good moments in that book. It’s really truly quite the adventure.

[sophieswundergarten]

Thinking about the silencing technology in TPJ, and how in that one scene Mr. Benedict screamed himself into a narcoleptic attack and no one could hear him

[xtruss]

The Last Flower At The Top of The World—and The Perilous Journey To Reach It

Scientists Journeyed to a Stretch of Gravel Off The Coast of Greenland—The Farthest North You Can Go and Still Walk on Land. These Photos Show What They Found There.

— By Sarah Gibbens | Photographs byJeff Kerby | May 08, 2024

An Arctic Poppy thrives on the Northern Coast of Greenland. Among the plant life in this region, these hardy Flowers are like Giants. Some, like this one, grow in clumps that protect themselves from harsh weather. Like a satellite dish, they will slowly turn to follow the sun. On an expedition to understand what lives at this latitude, an Arctic Poppy like this was found about 20 inches south of the World's Northernmost Plant.

At the top of the Earth, the northernmost stretch of land a person can stand on is Inuit Qeqertaat, also named Kaffeklubben Island by early 20th Century Danish Explorers. The region is a dark gray stretch of gravel on the northern coast of Greenland where land slowly gives way to frozen sea ice.

To find what lives amid these rocky soils, climate change researchers and National Geographic Explorers Brian Buma and Jeff Kerby and their team embarked on a journey to survey the region. There, they found a common species of moss (Tortula Mucronifolia), the world's northernmost plant, and a yellow and lime-green Arctic poppy (Papaver Radicatum), growing just a few inches south of the moss.

On the nearby mainland, Greenlandic archaeologist Aka Simonsen discovered a ring of roughly 700-Year-Old Inuit Stones, which may be the northernmost archaeological remains.

Growing in Extremes: The Northernmost Stretch of land in the World, Inuit Qeqertaat, sits off the coast of Johannes V. Jensen Land, a Peninsula in Far Northern Greenland. National Geographic Explorer Brian Buma traveled there to find the northernmost plant-a common moss—and the northernmost flower a few inches south-an Arctic poppy.

Rosemary Wardley, NGM Staff; Martin Gamache, National Geographic Society Sources: Jeff Kerby, Scott Polar Research Institute; Brian Buma, Environmental Defense Fund; SkySat imagery from July 13, 2023, Planet Labs PBC; ArcticDEM, Version 4.1

The research team left their own mark on the mainland coast, staking plots and recording the vegetation they contained to create a highly detailed digital map of the area they surveyed. Information collected from this trip will be the first data logs in what Buma and Kerby hope will be a long timeline of research in the far northern region.

Here, above the Arctic Circle, the planet is warming four times faster than anywhere else on Earth. Changes here will have ripple effects across the globe, which is why the team braved harsh conditions to find what lives on the edge.

The expedition team was led by climate scientist and National Geographic Explorer Brian Buma. The north coast of Greenland was used as a staging point while shuttling gear across sea ice to Inuit Qeqertaat (Kaffeklubben Island).

Brian Buma collected samples from different layers of this snow glacier to understand the unique properties of water in this rarely visited region. This part of the world is a polar desert, and precipitation is scant, so the samples in this glacier represent many years of snow.

From above, the northern coast of Inuit Qeqertaat—and thus the northernmost stretch of land on Earth—is visible. It was near this shoreline that the team found the edge of terrestrial life, including a common species of moss, officially the farthest north, and the northernmost flower on earth—found about 20 inches south of the moss. The small, gravelly island is about a mile north of mainland Greenland.

This is the northernmost flower on earth, a lone and somewhat ragged Arctic Poppy, sitting near the shoreline of Inuit Qeqertaat. Poppies dotted the northern edge, with a few purple mountain saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) only slightly farther up the slope. In the background, Brian Buma surveys various contenders for northernmost plant before a final survey determines this flower to be the official runner-up. Seen just behind the flower, a tuft of ‘Mucronate screw moss’ (Tortula mucronifolia) claims that title.

Identifying mosses and other tiny Arctic flora requires a hand lens and careful attention to detail. Up close, Brian Buma examines their adaptations to cold weather, such as small hairs coating a plant's exterior.

Aka Simonsen, a Greenlandic archeologist, prepares to leave camp with Brian Buma, just as the weather begins to turn. After just a few hours the northernmost island, the team left, intending to return the next day. The window to return quickly closed after a few days when bad weather turned into a storm that brought strong winds and heavy precipitation. The July storm dumped nearly a foot of snow and drifts reached several feet. Harsh conditions trapped the team at their base camp for a week.

Aka Simonsen measures a ring of large stones that may have been used to anchor a tent. The stones are roughly 700 years old and likely left by the Thule people. These artifacts were found on the mainland, near the team's base camp and could be the northernmost documented archeological site on Earth.

When the plane returning to retrieve the team landed, it got stuck in snow, and a makeshift runway had to be constructed by scooping snow with snow shoes. Gravel was placed by hand so the plane's tires wouldn't slip on ice or stick in snow during takeoff. Scientists who return to this northernmost region will be able to use the team's detailed digital map to chart how the ecosystem is changing as the planet warms.

[phtalogreenpoison]

Ok because I don't have my copy of The Perilous Journey on me, does anyone remember the conversation near the beginning where Mr. Benedict is talking to Reynie to remind him not to see everyone as plotting against him and the illustration for the chapter is a bunch of snakes???? If anyone could screenshot that conversation, that would be greatly appreciated.

[basil-hallwardx]

So I just read the second MBS Book and Noland telling the kids about Nicholas as a Codebreaker and how they went on a mission once and Nicholas literally talked them out of captivity.

And I am just thinking about that, and how it can't have been the only time he went on a mission. And what if it happened before but it all went super wrong and since then Phil was like 'he goes nowhere without me' and my emotions are all over the place and-

[eternally-hypothermic]

I just realised I never posted that here aaaah. For the Prompt Worked Themselves To Exhaustion: I present to you, a TMBS fic.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47527228

Summary: After they get out of the cave, off of the island, they go home. Nicholas doesn't remember a lot of that.

Something whirrs and he is upright, trying not to scream, the sound too close to the wheelchair but it stopped making sounds, there were no sounds, he woke in it, a nightmare paralyzing him and he couldn’t scream, couldn’t move, couldn’t even try, and the nightmare was still worse than the cave but dreaming he is home - dreaming he is in his bed and sick and cared for, no, this is so much worse if he has to wake up again.

What is real?

[striveonward]

oooh for the fluff prompts - 32 and/or 62? :)

Constance kicked her feet and huffed loudly, beating her fists against her head. It was near midnight, a few days after Curtain’s defeat and the childrens’ return from the institute. She could hear Mr. Benedict’s worried anxious thoughts beating through her skull with ferocity. They were all about her. Was she happy here? He hoped she would be happy here. Was she adjusting properly? What sort of relationship did she expect- did she even want a relationship with him? How would he cope with it if she didn’t? She refused the adoption-so perhaps she would be happier if…..but no she was safe here she must stay here….What had she witnessed at the institute? Did any harm befall her? Did she need to talk about it? Was he smothering her if he asked her?To what extent were her abilities developing? Could she hear thoughts? It’s a distinct possibility, but one that must be investigated further- when she’s ready. Could she put thoughts into the heads of others? Influence them into believing things they hadn’t previously? How can I protect her from my brother? How can I help her if I don’t know the answers to these questions? How can I help her? It was the mental equivalent of him playing heavy metal music throughout the house. Constance was unsure as to why she could hear Mr. Benedict’s thoughts and emotions much more strongly than those of others. At first she figured it must be physical proximity, but Number Two’s racing, hurried, practical thoughts were a rapid, comforting whirring in the background. If she really concentrated she could make them out, but they didn’t come clearly and naturally into her mind as if they were her own thoughts. Only of course she knew they weren’t. Rhonda was dead asleep, but her thoughts were like a calming, serene river anyway. They didn’t keep her awake at night.

Constance growled angrily, and decided, in a fit of spite, to answer him. This will shake him enough into stopping this stupid merri-go-round in my brain, she thought.

Some of Mr. Benedict’s thoughts were very repetitive; and so it was easy for Constance, amidst the chorus of I just want to help her. I wish she would let me help her? How can I help her?, to insert herself.

You can help me by stopping this inane rambling. It’s gibberish and nonsense and it’s keeping me awake!!! Constance thought to him angrily. All of a sudden everything in her head was quiet.

Constance? Mr. Benedict questioned in his mind, astonished, but reaching for her. Part of Constance realized she had just played her only card, and was cursing her out for revealing this part of her abilities. She felt slightly vulnerable, as no one else knew she could hear thoughts, at least- not to this degree and certainly not telepathically communicate. Part of her was tired, and just wanted to go to bed and not respond. But another part of her felt guilty that he was so terribly tearing himself apart worrying about her, and wanted to reach back to him.

Yes it’s me. Yes I heard everything. Yes it was embarrassing to witness. Your thoughts are like dirty laundry, all piled up and thrown everywhere. Your mind is mess. Constance thought back, succinctly, she felt, answering his unspoken questions. Now that he was aware she could hear his thoughts, she felt somewhat of a withdrawal, as if certain thoughts and feelings were being hidden from her- as if he was censoring his mind somewhat.

Would you like a cocoa? Mr. Benedict thought back, finally, after a long silence. Constance sat up in bed.

What? An exasperated Constance thought back.

Well, in my view it’s the least I can do. To help you sleep, I mean. Since I so inconsiderately kept you awake with my anxious thought spiral. I do apologize. I had no idea that you- I think this conversation might be better had verbally and in person. I am not sure if this kind of mental effort causes you distress or pain… it does, more than likely….and I would never want to cause any more of that than I already have.

Constance felt a warm feeling spreading through her, and it almost superseded the raging ache in her head.

I’m fine. I’ll be right down.

She slid her feet quickly into her pink slippers (a gift from Number two), and wrapped her pink plaid robe tightly around her body. Her footsteps creaked as she trotted down the stairs to the kitchen, where Mr. Benedict was waiting. He was looking at her with a curious look on his face, equal parts amazed and in awe of her, but also with a deep sadness and an aching worry that wrapped itself around her like a blanket of emotions. He smiled widely, and gestured for her to sit. She did so, looking suspiciously at him, scrunching up her eyes and folding her arms. She shifted a bit in her seat. She had heard his deepest fears and insecurities- well, at least those related to her and the weight of that knowledge felt awkward.

“I cannot apologize to you enough, Constance” Mr. Benedict said earnestly, still looking at her kindly as he poured the cocoa from a pitcher into her mug. “That was not meant for you to hear, and I profusely apologize for keeping you awake or if what you heard- made you uncomfortable in any way. I assure you I never intended-”

“STOP” Constance said loudly, interrupting his rambling, which surely would have gone on, she knew with certainty, for a good twenty minutes. He seemed startled, at first, yet unperturbed by the outburst, simply waiting patiently as she assessed him silently, sipping her cocoa.

“This is weird now” she stated simply after a beat, wiping her mouth. “We are on uneven ground”

“Ah, you mean that you heard thoughts and fears and worries that were very personal to me, relating to yourself?” Constance nodded. “And that that knowledge puts yourself above me in some way? Gives you a power over me perhaps?” Constance blanched.

“I do not wish for power over you. It was an accident” she spat. “You were practically yelling it in my head.”

“I know. I know” Mr. Benedict hastily murmured placatingly. “But I wonder if we can find a way for you to feel less uncomfortable about what you heard. Perhaps if I elaborate on why I thought those things, telling you the same things of my own free will might help eradicate the guilt you feel from accidentally overhearing my thoughts?” Constance screwed up her face.

“Maybe” she said slowly, curious, despite herself at what he was going to say.

“I worry about you Constance because you are a child in my care, first and foremost. I have never been a parent or a guardian of any kind and my worry comes mostly from my fears at my own inability to be an adequate caretaker of you, as I lack experience in this area” he started softly.

Constance tilted her head, saying nothing.

“I worry that you are scarred by your experience at the institute, I worry about the things you might have seen, what you might have endured while there- and I feel a deep guilt about putting you into harm’s way, not just you, of course I worry for Kate, Reynie and Sticky as well. An experience like that can cause serious mental health issues, PTSD if you will”

“I also worry about your psychic abilities- mostly because we do not know much about them. I want to ensure that you use your abilities for good, and that you understand your mental and physical limitations so that you don’t cause yourself harm or injury. I worry that accidents like these will cause you pain or discomfort- ruin friendships or other relationships in the future. I worry that you are in danger because of these abilities and that my brother or others like him will stop at nothing to possess you, to use you and your abilities for nefarious purposes, and that they would harm you in the process.” Here, his eyes filled with tears, and he had to blink furiously and look away from her, his breathing falling into the pattern it did when he was trying to keep his narcolepsy at bay.

“My biggest concern however, is always your happiness, comfort, and safety. After the life you have had you deserve to be all of those things, as much of the time as possible. I just hope that I can give you a life with those things. And I promise, Constance that if I can’t…if you’re not, if this isn’t working for you then, we….we….” he paused, and Constance could tell he was trying to keep the pain from his voice. “We can always find alternative living arrangements…an adoption perhaps…” Mr. Benedict sipped his cocoa shakily and waited in agonized silence. silence.

“You really worked yourself up about this didn’t you?” Constance replied. Mr. Benedict let out a nervous chuckle and ran his hands through his salt-and-peppery hair until his curls stuck up every which way. “I’m fine. I’ve got nutritious food, superspies for company, and an adequate chess partner” she said matter-of-factly. Mr. Benedict was putting on a good show of pretending to be reassured, but his bleeding emotions filled Constance with a deep sadness and vulnerability. “This is my home. I will not be leaving you” Constance said firmly, reaching her hand across the table and grasping his tightly. His hand squeezed back before going slack in hers, as his head fell back with a light snore, the tears that had gathered in his eyes dribbling smoothly down his cheeks.

Constance was grateful he had fallen asleep so he would not see her own tears as she furiously blinked them away or wiped them on the sleeve of her robe. His emotions were making her into some softie she thought angrily. Constance Contraire never cried. Not even as a baby.

Her hand stayed firmly in his, as she waited for him to wake up.

When he awoke, they talked of many things. Constance told him about the institute, and he listened, and they discussed how perilous it had been, how strange the institute culture was, how Constance had worked with Kate, Reynie and Sticky to unravel Dr. Curtain’s plan. They talked about how she was liking it here, things she would like for the future, suggestions for his parenting that would make her happy, such as consuming more ice cream, to which Mr. Benedict countered that parenting is not always about making children happy, but also doing what is best for them in the long-term, regardless of whatever makes them happy in the short-term and Constance was perturbed but had to agree that this was a sensible point.

Unfortunately, although the talk had been well worth it, Constance found herself more awake than she had been when she first entered the kitchen.

“Now look what you did! You just made it worse by engaging me in interesting conversations!” Constance huffed. Mr. Benedict’s eyes sparkled.

“I’m terribly sorry, the intent was to lull you to sleep with dull conversation, but with someone as engaging as yourself for company I’m afraid I couldn’t bring myself to steer the conversation back to the weather” Mr. Benedict said smiling with delight.

“Well now what?” Constance muttered. “It’s your fault I’m still awake. So you must put me to sleep” It was an unconscious use of the phrase, but Mr. Benedict felt a pang in his heart when she used it.

“Might I suggest an oral recitation of a wonderful story? As you can see, the house is positively overflowing with magical and mysterious tales” Mr. Benedict exclaimed, hopping up with excitement, and leading her gently to a pile of books on the end table in the living room. She still gripped his hand, somehow feeling like she couldn’t quite bear to let it go just yet. She was beginning to feel a bit sleepy now, since it was into the morning now and far, far past her bedtime.

“Oh all right” Constance muttered. “Anything that will put me to sleep, at this point” she sleepily put her head against his arm, and she head a quiet little “oh!” that was whispered softly. Blearily, through drooping lids, that were quickly snapped open, she watched him settle himself in a cozy, green patterned armchair, and, hesitating, held his arms out.

“If you’d…if you’d like we can sit on the couch, but…I thought maybe you might be more comfortable here, in case you fall asleep?” Mr. Benedict stuttered nervously. “I’m fine either way…but…if you aren’t comfortable…of course we can”

“You overthink everything” Constance grumbled, and, looking like a very grumpy cat, she hopped onto his lap, and settled herself, shifting against him. Mr. Benedict positively glowed with joy, looking down affectionately over the top of her head. She leaned back against his chest and felt so very warm, with his gentle heartbeat a steady, calming presence. Her small hand still clutched his.

“The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis” Mr. Benedict murmured. “One of my very favorites”

“You say that about every book” Constance grumbled. Mr. Benedict snorted a delighted laugh and fell quickly to sleep. While he snoozed, Constance smoothed her fingers over the cover.

“A goat man. How ridiculous. And why has he got a scarf but no shirt on in the snow. Does he die of frostbite because of stupidity? Is this a lesson in properly dressing for winter weather?” Constance muttered. Mr. Benedict awoke to Constance staring curiously at the cover.

“You must explain your literature choice. This goat-man has no ability to dress for inclement weather” Mr. Benedict smiled.

“This is a book about family, and how a team of four children work together to save a magical land”

“Four children? Ha! As if they could save the world better than we did!” Constance huffed. “Or I should say I? I was the one who broke a machine with my mind. The rest tagged along” she exclaimed.

“And what an absolutely outstanding mental achievement that was, Constance. But you could not have done it without Reynie’s intuition and leadership skills, Sticky’s prodigious memory, intelligence and loyalty, and Kate’s physical prowess and daring engineering skills” Constance huffed.

“Like I said, they tagged along” Mr. Benedict shot her a probing look. “Okay, maybe they helped a little” Satisfied, Mr. Benedict re-focused back on the book.

“Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy” Mr. Benedict began. Constance started immediately.

“Two boys and two girls. Exactly like us” Constance wrinkled her nose. “What are you playing at?” Mr. Benedict merely gave a little grin and continued.

“This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London because of the air-raids” Mr. Benedict read. And so he read on about how the four children came to live with the Professor in the country due to the war with Germany.

“He himself was a very old man with shaggy white hair which grew over most of his face as well as on his head, and they liked him almost at once; but on the first evening when he came out to meet them at the front door, Lucy (who was the youngest) was a little afraid of him, and Edmund (the next youngest) wanted to laugh and had to keep on pretending he was blowing his nose to hide it” Mr. Benedict read, his tone perfectly warm and even, and Constance’s eyes were beginning to droop, and she yawned just a little.

“Just like you. You are a professor. Of something. I think” Constance sleepily muttered. “And while your hair is not white it is definitely shaggy, and you are odd-looking. But there’s a few differences”

“Oh?” Mr. Benedict said softly, smiling down at her, fighting his chuckle at the insults.

“Yes. For one, I was not afraid of you. Please. Lucy should get out more if she is afraid of some old man”

“What about the part where it says that she liked him almost immediately” Mr. Benedict teased. “Is that part accurate?”

“NO!” Constance said too loudly, blushing. “You flatter yourself sir” And he knew she was lying, but he didn’t push it. Constance knew he knew, but it oddly didn’t bother her.

As Mr. Benedict read on about the children exploring the house, and Lucy just discovering that there was in fact snow in the wardrobe, Constance’s eyelids grew heavy, and eventually her breathing evened out. Mr. Benedict had been reading to himself for quite some time before he realized, as he too, had become absorbed in his favorite story.

“Ah” Mr. Benedict murmured at seeing her body curled into his, her small fingers wrapped around his. His eyes began to fill with tears and he fell asleep and awoke, so many times at the tender scene that he decided that it would be simpler- not to mention safer, if he stayed in the chair with her, as he did not trust himself to master his emotions enough to be able to carry her up the stairs safely. And to tell the truth, he had no reason to wish to move, he was gloriously happy that Constance had finally allowed her barriers down and allowed him to show how much he cared about her. He was even happier that she was allowing physical affection. It was more than he had ever hoped for. He had been beginning to wonder if the botched adoption attempt had pushed her away for good- that now he had come on too strong and ruined any chance of bonding with her. But he was wrong, and now all he wanted to do was keep holding her, to keep her hand in his. He brushed her braids gently with his fingertips, and placed his arms gently around her, keeping her anchored to his chest. With one last glance at Constance, Mr. Benedict slipped into slumber. The book had fallen to the floor, its spine cracked, pages splayed.

And for the first time in a long, long, time, the only beating in Constance’s mind was the beating of Mr. Benedict’s heart.

[murderbeast]

im a lil guy :3

[mvshortcut]

You know the part in TPJ where Moocho frantically drives all the way to Mr. Benedict's house after receiving the telegram warning and then proceeds to fight the police officers and Mr. Bane? Actually, it was less of "fight" and more of "spinning the police officers around him like a helicopter" - but you know that part?

I love that instead of smashing down the front door (which would have been understandable! He thought Kate was in immediate danger!) - while STILL spinning the police officers around like spokes of a wheel, he stops and rings Mr. Benedict's doorbell.

[dragoncookies]

attention ‼️‼️

Them. They’re just cartoon characters.

These are the only two moments I remembered to snap a picture of, but the whole dang series is just littered with this absolute tomfoolery. At least once, in every chapter, they are tripping over each other, or glueing themselves together at the slightest mention of danger.

So unserious about saving the world, these two.

[mvshortcut]

I absolutely love this too! My brain is also very happy about puzzling out specific dates, which is great because we have enough info to figure out the exact dates of the events of the second book!

The puzzle book has a poster for the MV Shortcut (hehe, that's me!) and it says it departs Stonetown on September 19th:

So, that's the day the kids leave for their adventure!

That would place the rest of the events of TPJ like this:

Sept 18 - Reynie and Sticky meet Kate at the farmhouse

Sept 19 - The three of them travel to Mr. Benedict’s house, meet up with Constance, learn of the kidnapping, and board the Shortcut

Sept 20 - everyone except Kate sleeps the entire day due to seasickness; the kids talk with Captain Noland

Sept 21 - the children depart the Shortcut, go to St. George’s castle, go to the train station, and catch a train to Holland (plus the iconic defenestration scene!!)

Sept 22 - after spending the night on the train, the kids arrive in Thernbaakagen. They visit the library and hotel before meeting Milligan and taking the seaplane to the island. They then arrive on the island and enter the village.

Sept 23 - sometime around/just after midnight, the kids are captured by the Ten Men. Then there’s Milligan’s battle, Thee Cave Scene (augh), and at some point it gradually changes to morning. Then, they escape the cave, travel to the bay and escape on the Shortcut.

We can't exactly place the dinner at the end a few weeks later, but it's probably around mid October maybe? Who knows, I just think it's fun to puzzle out dates/times/places!

(Also please let me know if I've made a mistake, I don't have TPJ with me at the moment so I can't check my work lol)

One thing that I REALLY REALLY LIKE about the Mysterious Benedict Society as a series is how the second book takes place exactly a year after the first. They are literally getting together to commemorate the anniversary of their first adventure together!!!! That is so cool of them!!!! It makes my very-specific-about-dates-and-anniversaries brain incredibly happy

[sophieswundergarten]

TPJ thoughts again. But. Martina.

Over the course of TPJ, Jackson and Jillson get captured by Milligan, and Martina's probably, what? 16/17? She's running around Europe, maybe as an orphan maybe as someone who just got swept up in Curtain's plans and didn't have the option to go home to her family, and these two people she views as "adults" get taken out.

She doesn't know where, she doesn't know how. But these "big kids" she's looked up to and modeled her behaviour after and idolized for years are suddenly out of the picture. And Curtain just cuts his losses and abandons them.

The period of time between that happening and Martina getting left on the island must have been filled with so much grief and terror. We don't even hear Curtain say anything about where J&J might be, or if his plans have been thrown off or really anything. Martina was mourning the loss of these people she respected and trusted (And probably looked to for protection and at least some kind of older-sibling assistance) when no one else said a word about it, and she didn't even really know Milligan.

She knew he was the guy they all taunted when he got captured at the Institute, and that he was a really good fighter, but that's about it. The Ten Men probably really enjoyed telling her and SQ horribly frightening (And probably 65% made up) stories about what a competent agent Milligan was whenever they got bored.

If she got told anything about the situation, in all likelihood she was petrified that he was out for revenge, and would hurt her and the other Executives just to be cruel the way McCracken and his men would. So, she's bouncing between sheer terror and coming to terms with what Curtain's plans really mean, and then they just leave her.

She gets abandoned to the mercy these people she's been indoctrinated are awful and fully expects to hurt her as the only (Admittedly abhorrent) security and direct parental influence in her life disappears in a very aggressive betrayal.

I just checked, and they leave her caught in a rope hanging upside down off the side of the Shortcut, ten feet above the water

And then she goes on to give up a bunch of Curtain's secrets, but how happy do you think she was to see Jackson and Jillson again? She probably thought they were dead in a ditch or else in some maximum security prison where they'd all be kept in solitary confinement for the rest of their lives. But, lo and behold, they're safe and sound and the Benedicts are actually fighting to keep it that way.

(And then of course there's a spin off idea here of Milligan being the one to have captured and then interrogate them and the three of them learning that he's not a horrible person who's going to hurt them but I don't have time to go into all that right now)

[art-is-kayos]

Chibis of my fake Sinner E.G.Os

[bucketsandraincoats]

sticky's not on any of the book spines :(

[the-algebra-thing]

thinking about it again cause he did something else silly and I think a huge part of it is how in the perilous journey he proved to be kind of terrible at exerting his fatherly will over the kids, especially to keep them safe. not that everybody isn't bad at that because they're insane but he's so chill about it he just throws up his hands and goes damn I tried. the lines so clearly drawn between him and kate make me so happy like when kate is in her mid thirties and milligan is almost sixty they'll still be silly just exactly like this because they are just Like That no matter how old they'll get

my GOD I love milligan. I don't even have anything intelligent to say about it it's just every time he shows up and says anything silly or winks or whistles and it's specified that he's a very talented whistler it makes me giggle