Ruby Granger #15 Dustcore

[snom4444]

It's terrible advice for freshmen at uni or anyone. You don't need anything on that list to succeed.

And it's a terrible foundation for a video, presenting the contents of this list as necessary to succeed at uni (especially as it's a mishmash of advice awkwardly trying to appeal to both school students and university students). So much of it is common sense taken to the extreme - pack your bag, declutter from last year, if you have any work/reading that needs to be done by week 1 then maybe get a start on it now. But there's absolutely no need for these constant lists and planners and obsessing over Notion documents - she doesn't realise the impact she has on her audience, especially those who see her as a knowledgeable and put-together authority figure.

 

[churros]

I genuinely don't understand HOW MANY DAY IN THE LIFE videos one could possibly do?

Like baffled.

Yet I'm watching it. Bizarre.

 

[gossip_guy]

Daddy’s money.

I definitely wouldn't be surprised if her parents bought the house and put it in Ruby's name as a property tax loophole of some kind.

 

[Ilaariaa]

I really don't think Ruby's take on the Harry Potter series is nuanced enough to appreciate the character of Severus Snape lol I mean he was one of Hermione's bullies so that's about it for her. I get the feeling she mostly pretends the last four books in the series don't exist

 

[gossip_guy]

did she ever mention how long it would be until she announced the winners?

Supposedly July 28th. She said winners would be contacted directly, which is always a dead giveaway that nobody will win anything and it's a marketing scam.

 

[yayadumpling]

She’s used “very favourite” in her latest ad caption… it’s one or the other! If something is a favourite, no ‘very’ is needed

damn that means she didn't read our grammar comments from the other day

 

[pletkininke]

Is she serious at this point? I sometimes decide what i am going to wear the night before and put the clothes out. But making a notion list? It's just stupid, unrealistic, and pretended. View attachment 712798

Tbh I think making lists is her hobby, I used to do that in middle school - write what and when I am going to do when I get home. I did it just for fun and did not actually follow it lol. But making a list just feels nice
However, this should not be an example of productivity or how people should live, if you enjoy making random lists, that's fine! But please don't say that we need to do this to be "productive", treat it like a quite weird/random hobby

 

[Ilaariaa]

Yuppp. And the best piece of narrative fiction ever only warrants 4/5 stars.

Has she even read it? It features such an interesting, innovative concept and she can't even make specific comments about it. That review could have been about literally any book.
Also describing it as "the best piece of narrative fiction ever" feels both reductive and inaccurate. It is essentially a meta-literature experiment written in the second person and it's definitely not for everyone. For something to be described as "the best piece of narrative fiction" imo it should be a little more conventionally narrative.

 

[LarmeKeiLover]

You’ve summed it up brilliantly. This struck me as odd too and I’m in my mid 20s and haven’t moved out of my parents home yet so for me to find this odd says something for clarity I went to a university I could commute to, and my parents couldn’t afford for me to move out at that point, I did uni for 4 years and was applying for London based jobs when the pandemic hit one year of job hunting and one year of working from home and now I’m here nearly 25 and have never moved out of my one and only childhood home. But, even though my London office is not requesting we be back any time soon in the slightest, I’m currently in the process of moving to a flat on london alone because, as emotional as I’ll be, I know that it’s going to happen eventually and when I’m not emotional to leave I’m excited and I have good transport so should anything happen to my family (god forbid) I can get back if needed. That’s my thought process, if I was going to extend staying at home it would have been to save more money so maybe I could have gone into buying rather than renting first but I know that’s a slippy slope and if this place works out then I’m going to take the leap - rip the band aid off so to speak

Thank you! I have to admit I have a bad habit of replying to this thread drunk so I worry what I say makes no sense (I often see my posts later and look at the mistakes, which annoy me greatly) , so I'm glad what I say people agree with. I totally agree that as much as I was emotional about moving out, it needs to happen, but after a very short while you get used to it anxiety or not if you just force yourself into it. If I had stayed home I honesty would had made my anxiety worse and I would of lessened my chances, same of how I feel for Ruby as she gets older.

 

[gossip_guy]

the paperlike is honestly really not worth the money it seems to be more of the “fashionable” one to get
i got two screen protectors that imitate paper for half the price of the paperlike, and the reviews were/are so much better!
i think it’s just sad that she doesn’t look into products before buying them, only really getting them if they fit an aesthetic or because other popular people are buying them too

(sorry for my English and unnecessary ramble about screen protectors lol)

Yeah, by all accounts the Paperlike instantly gets covered in scratches and wears down the nib of the Apple Pencil really quickly compared to standard screen protectors.

Classic Ruby. Nothing says sustainability like having to buy a new £120 piece of technology because you did no research before spending £35 on a gimmicky screen protector you don't need.

 

[Scapier88]

With regards to the famous five yes there are racial comments in them but you have to remember when they were written
Personally I love the books and have visited Corfe Castle many times.
And read Enid Blyton books to small human as we read a chapter of the big book (one that doesn't contain pictures of a stupid pig)
Then one small book normally fox's socks which I'm sure is the morning after a house party.
I'm not teaching small human that he should go off on a bike with just a tent and befriend a farmer and solve a adventure I'm just reading him a story

 

[neina]

Idk if it's just me, but she also always adds notes to her books and textbooks in pen, and highlights the hell out of them and watching this makes me so angry

One of the other things which Ruby does that irritate me a lot is how she brews her tea, she is a self-proclaimed tea lover, studies CEREMONIES of how to prepare it, yet she is always seen brewing tea with boiling water, and just pouring it in the kettle and letting the loose leaf tea sit in there?? That's not how you are supposed to do it Roobee you are just drinking bitter water girl

 

[gossip_guy]

View attachment 720457

Ruby gets lost in her massive garden, while trying to find a courgette (wasn't paying attention might have been something else) which she planned to mash in with her oats *as seen in first picture*

Pictured: Delusional former Hermione Granger cosplayer and current compulsive liar Ruby Granger searches for her lost sanity. The search remains ongoing to this day.

 

[pletkininke]

I'll try to spoiler my novel - sorry, I write a lot; it's just how I communicate (add to that COVID/summer isolation). Feel free to skip my thoughts on literature, academia, and identity if you wish! I left part unhidden by the spoiler, as that part might be less of a digression than the rest.

Spoiler: Developing an academic identity

I've posted a bit in previous threads about Ruby and her interest in literature, and my thoughts are somewhat scattered, so I won't quote individuals at this time. For reference, though, I'm an advanced PhD candidate in a related field. This isn't said as a boast (a couple of the smartest people I know either dropped out of college or barely made it through their programs), but as background/reference. My path to the end of my degree has been significantly delayed for a few reasons, but the biggest is that I had invaluable job opportunities in my field before finishing, and the payoff of those paid experiences (including research/published output) was too good to turn down. One could say I've been employed as a postdoc without the doctorate. It's not something that makes me proud; I really need to be done with my dissertation to get a more permanent position in my field, and I see the mental toll this has taken on me & those around me. I have also struggled a lot (mostly secretly, aside from what could not be hidden as a child) with some other issues. I don't really want to discuss me, so I'm being deliberately vague here.


All this preamble is to say that I do see a bit of my younger self in Ruby, and I hope that she can learn a few things quickly - these have to do with self and identity. The romanticization of studying literature is something that is fundamentally rooted in history. Some of the great scholars of the past were true superstars, and some - sadly - were partially charlatans, borne up by money, privilege, and their white maleness (no inherent offense to white men meant - it's just a fact that educated women and educated PoC were largely exceptions in European history). But the romanticization and appearance of being "learned" was partially performative for a certain group of people. The performative aspect of being "learned" as it relates to modern social media is interesting. Someone could probably write a nice dissertation or monograph exploring the ways in which elite philisophical "schools" (often not institutional but conceptual or "underground") and literature groups interacted throughout history (including ancient schools of thought through more modern groups like the Vienna Circle and Oulipo). These interactions could be compared to how "elites" and experts situate themselves in postmodern contemporary society. How is belonging established? How does one gain a reputation as "learned"?

I can say from my position as perhaps "waiter/janitor to the learned" (this is what students are, and often junior scholars too) that the standards seem impossibly high these days. There are times I read an article and marvel at how intelligent it is. The people I have met seem like celebrities at times. But everyone is, underneath it all, human. The gossip is the same. The petty grievances are the same. Universities have tolerated sexism and racism and harassment/assault/emotional abuse as "quirks" or "eccentricities" for far too long. No amount of intelligence or expertise can make up for damaging (emotionally or physically) another person, no matter the age, gender identity, or perceived intelligence of the victim.

But performance of intelligence is still done at all levels. The "secret genius" of films is a great lie. You must put yourself out there and establish a persona that others trust or like, or you will not succeed. In this, Ruby has probably done well for herself. She has created the persona and comes across as responsible even when there is not much content. That's nothing outstanding but also better than withdrawing entirely. Her contact with professors and tutors is creating a delicate web of connections; that web will be there for her if something bad happens, but it can never be completely neglected, nor can it remain delicate.

As a younger student, I wanted to have a lot of books around me and I read many if not all of them. I also wanted them to be a part of my identity, even though I didn't know very much yet (who can, at 18-22?). I see how the formation of identity took place while I was still working out what I was interested in, what questions were important to me, and how I envisioned myself relating to others, past and present. I guess this is to say that Ruby is on this kind of journey, and to expect her to have it all figured out is unrealistic. Literature and history often are "slow-burning" fields: perhaps one may show an early talent for writing or interpretation, but both fields require experience and LOTS of reading for perspective. Ruby's doing that reading now, I hope.

The issue is perhaps how she performs for us. It would be a nice turn to see her put out more content about the issues and topics that interest her - content that asks questions or discusses rather than presenting it as a finished thought (often without sources backing it up). Engaging with contemporary scholarship can only help, because older scholarship is often written in a dogmatic way. There are still dogmatic scholars, but you'll find many more who acknowledge the complexity of the issues and history they discuss, and act humble in light of them. This humility, again, can be expressed easily in the form of questions or musings. It doesn't mean saying, "Oh, I'm so ignorant." It means framing your work as an exploration vs. fact-finding mission or lecture.

If Ruby were a cisman, more of her posturing would be tolerated or it would be better masked by certain stereotypical "male genius" characteristics. Eccentric cismen are perceived as geniuses and their quirks forgiven. Eccentric women and those who do not conform to gender stereotypes are perceived as "weird" or mentally ill. Being a high-functioning autistic cisman in academia is no problem. Being a high-functioning autistic woman or NB/trans individual is often not tolerated or shameful. Even in universities, ciswomen are supposed to be organized, diligent, self-sacrificing, caring, nice, pretty, neatly dressed but not flamboyant, and not too authoritative or bossy. There are exceptions, but very few compared to the bizarre or mentally ill cismen that are celebrated without a second thought. And let's not even discuss how many abusers, racists, sexists, Nazis, and fascists are still lauded as great scholars and people.

For this reason, I personally would give Ruby a chance before writing her off as incompetent. But I understand her social media presence for what it is: a typical young adult struggling with building an outward-facing identity and conception of self. Academic MySpace or Deadjournal. It may be cringe or naive at times. Maybe a good analogy is to see this growth as learning to paint? (disclaimer: I'm not good at art, but I'll try this analogy nonetheless) When you put paint on a canvas for the first few times, it might be a disaster: globby, childish, unsophisticated. You might not know how to thin paints, how to mix colors, how to use white and black to create muted or lighter hues, how to blend things together or use perspective. How to create shadow and light. You may not even know the basic methods of brushwork, let alone your signature brushwork (that will come later). You have to play around and see how colors interact with each other. Then you start to understand the environment of the canvas and the tools you are using. And you can improve.

Ruby is learning how to read. How to actually read. She needs to challenge herself or someone else needs to. Scholars are not mushrooms grown in the dark. They need external input. It's better for her if she finds the right tutor/professor early in her career. This person will help her frame ideas better and focus less on "seeming" bookish. In the end, in academia, everyone is either bookish or good at faking it (unless they have amazing talent for teaching/administration). Liking to read and having a lot of books - these traits are not enough. But regardless, reading is the path to something else, maybe something she wants to be. I guess we'll find out eventually. I'd like personally to see her enjoy writing more, and to see her write more elegantly. There are methods for developing oneself as a writer, but you have to want to improve.

She could be good at encouraging young children to read and developing interactive history lessons for certain books. Maybe that's a volunteer thing for her to explore, and maybe she'd like to do a degree in education. That's not my passion but it strikes me that she could make her regression /obsession with childhood pay off if she marketed to homeschooling parents or literature clubs for young kids.

I love your posts SO much. I've read this one like an article, even made myself coffee lol. If you had a blog, I'd love to read it

 

[Saskia69]

How complicit are Blakeney and Molly? She needs better friends. Friends that are willing to tell her what they really think, that don't care about her following. That are honest.

iam more disappointed with Molly, because as someonein recovery for an ED (who has met up with other people in the recovery community and has a lot of people following her for the reason) - how can she publicly endorse Ruby’s behaviour/content like this?

At one point I had a theory that Molly initially did unfollow Ruby due to an ED (or denial of an Ed/triggering content to be specific, not the ED itself). I then wondered if she re-followed after Ruby committed to recovery.

For Ruby’s sake as much as anyone’s, I want this to be true.Yet it been several weeks since I began this theory and if anything she looks more haggard, more tired…note that I am not talking about weight! In recovery you can sometimes see a delay in progress here and success - especially if you develop hyper-metabolism / shouldn’t be all pinned on it.

Yet if she truly had committed to recovery, one thing would be noteiceable - he face and eyes. That is why I honestly can’t believe Ruby is in recovery and why - for both Molly AND her followers, it is a toxic relationship.

 

[Stormweald]

Am I the only one that thinks Ruby doesn't have an ED? From the pictures she posts with her family and the ones of her in a wetsuit in Devon, she looks like a perfectly healthy 21 year old. She's probably not quite right in the head though in the sense perhaps she wishes she had an ED and puts up a persona around "having" an ED - i.e. ED baiting.

I know someone who actually faked an ED, he's an absolute overall asshole. Ruby is not faking it, she might be dealing with binging outside of her tiny portions.

 

[yayadumpling]

the use of her sentence in her recent stories 'one of my very favourite films' is technically grammatical incorrect. like yes, we understand what it means but i wouldn't expect it from an english lit student. you obviously can use an adverb before an adjective but not in the context of the word favourite as 'very favourite' makes the sentence become redundant as favourite already means most preferred. it's the same way you can't say 'most favourite', again the sentence becomes redundant. not having a go at ruby here as loads of people use 'most favourite' as i 100% do sometimes when talking with friends about food and music etc (albeit i've never heard someone say very favourite until today lol and i wouldn't use most favourite in academic work - i'm also an esl teacher and wouldn't teach it to my kids), just doesn't an english lit student realise this sentence is off? for anyone here that english isn't their first language, in the context of ruby's story, you say "one of my favourite films'. there's loads of articles about this online - just google it if u need more clarification!!!!

 

[CalatheaLater]

Sorry but I'm a bit emotional at the moment, so you guys can correct me, but be aware I am speaking out via emotions.
Where I grew up It was a constantly made fun of suburb, where we were all called bogans, laughed at so forth.I remember being absolutely embarrassed to say where I lived for YEARS. The houses were cheap (hence why my parents could afford my house)

Now I cannot even afford a house there because landlords and people like Ruby and her parents thinking. I know she didn't personally do this to me (she doesn't even live in my country, Australia) but I feel like saying fuck you, fuck you fuck you. This isn't even emotion at Ruby, it's emotion at everyone who felt "investing in property you won't even live in for a few years" is a moral, ethical thing to do. Fuck you.

Sorry for being emotional, but that video honestly tipped me.

I live in a city in the UK which is overrun with Airbnbs and it is so infuriating knowing I'll have to move out of my area when I eventually save enough for a deposit becuase so many properties are bought up to be short term lets. The thing is renting doesn't have to be a terrible thing! (See how 60% of Vienna rent from social homes: https://www.newstatesman.com/spotli...basic-human-right-vienna-model-social-housing) but private renting and holiday lets can quickly turn things sour

 

[heroesfeast]

Just skipped through Ruby’s aesthetic bookshelf whatever tour and noticed that she once more pushed "The Overachievers" as one of her absolute favourite books, best she ever read, such an interesting look into the education system etc. Has anyone else here read that book? Because I did, when I was younger and more stupid and thought Ruby wouldn’t recommend it so highly if it wasn’t good.

And that book is so superficial, repetitive and shallow. Like, yes, some parts in between are interesting because they give an insight into other peoples lives. But there is so little depth to it. Which is fine! not everyone wants to read highly researched takes on what the education system does to people’s youth. But if you have the slightest interest in this area, "The Overachievers" is just the same old basic ideas about overscheduled kids and the evils of overly selective colleges rehashed over and over. The message is basically "Getting into Harvard isn’t all that great anyway, look at Frank here whose mental health totally suffered, and all the really smart people choose to schools that fit their personality regardless of the school names prestige". I truly did not understand how Ruby "I obsessively research everything I’m interested in" Granger could seriously perceive this book as one of the most insightful and best pieces of nonfiction ever.

Of course, it turned out that persona is fake and Ruby is exactly as deep as "The Overachievers", so it all makes sense after all. But seriously. "My favourite book ever is The Overachievers!" perfectly encapsulates Ruby.

 

[lizzie2707]

I don't think it's a genre but it is like a recognizable "vibe" that books have lol I don't really know how to explain it. Like you could describe a book as dark academia but I don't think it could be considered a genre. The setting, themes and general tone make it dark academia



"I've re-started this and finally understand the hype"

What? Wasn't she was reading this like a few weeks ago? What's changed that she finally understands the hype in this short amount of time?
What she means is that people began wondering why she just never mentioned SoA again and questioning why she didn't like it and didn't want to be seen as the odd one out that doesn't like a popular book. I thought she wasn't like other girls, what happened there?

Yup this is the sort of thing that makes me wonder if she’s been reading the thread lol after the bookcase tour went up we all pointed out that it’s obvious she just doesn’t like the book. Lo and behold suddenly she’s letting everyone know that she’s enjoying it!