#ruby redfort

[agentredfort]

just remembered the really solid conclusion I drew the last time I reread this series, which is pretty simple: Ruby is all explicitly autistic in these books. quite aside from the obvious child genius bullshit that's got going on: she's touch-averse (see: PYP, where she straight-up says that she rarely hugs people), has a tendency to gravitate towards Very Familiar And Very Specific foods and drinks (banana milk, strawberry bubblegum, the Good Donuts, has a tendency to get really short and upset when those familiar foods are not available), hyperfixates on problems to the point of not sleeping/eating until someone tells her to (basically every book), she's Fucking Bad at picking up on social cues (that one kid trying unsuccessfully to flirt with her for an entire book) and then... man, the list of rules. the rules that she works out and sticks to so hard that when Sam Colt is like 'hey, sometimes you've got to.. not use your pre-planned rules' she has absolutely no idea what to do with that. sometimes she just locks herself in her room because she doesn't want to People today. it's so real of her.

in conclusion i guess you could say she's on the Spectr - [gets shot]

[gumjester]

It was late afternoon, but the sun was still warm and Clancy was sporting a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses; they were his sister Lulu's. No one could accuse Clancy Crew of vanity - he always wore exactly what he felt like wearing. Didn't matter how ridiculous he looked - it was one of the things that Ruby liked most about him.

messy light/shade noodling and a favourite quote !!!!!!!!! this scene has always been so distinctive in my mind.. oh to sit on the roof of my californian super-home in 1973 with bestie ..

[itsrainingrn]

I truly didn't appreciate froghorn enough when reading the books as a kid now i wanna put him under a microscope

[nonbinaryfroghorn]

also while i'm up on my soapbox i wanna say i don't have any super clear ruby redfort gender headcanons i tend to make up my mind in the moment based off of Vibes, but i do think that clancy crew is the type of guy (debatable) to say well every guy dreams about what it would be like a different gender right that's normal (said with an undertone of intense longing for another life)

[fellwjavachips]

actually got the fic in a word doc today !!! currently at 6000 words and counting and all i can think is how hard it was to get myself to write a 5000 word essay 💔

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Goddess Girls by Joan Holub

Athena has always been above average. She has never quite fit in at Triton Junior High, but who would've guessed that Athena is actually a goddess? Principal Zeus's daughter, to be exact.

When she's summoned to Mount Olympus Academy, Athena thinks she might actually fit in for the first time in her life. But in some ways, school on Mount Olympus is not that different from down on Earth, and Athena is going to have to deal with the baddest mean girl in history: Medusa!

Ruby Redfort by Lauren Child

Here's the low-down on Ruby she's a genius code-cracker, a daring detective, and a gadget-laden special agent who just happens to be a thirteen-year-old girl. She and her slick side-kick butler, Hitch, foil crimes and get into loads of scrapes with evil villains, but they're always ice-cool in a crisis. In LOOK INTO MY EYES, we go right back to Ruby's beginnings as an agent. When an anonymous caller sets Ruby a challenge, it's not long before she finds her way into the HQ of the most secret of secret agencies -- SPECTRUM. They need her help to crack a code but her desk job soon spirals into an all-out action adventure, as Ruby uncovers the dastardly plans of the formidable Fool's Gold Gang!

The Arkwell Academy by Mindee Arnett

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field

Hitty is a doll of great charm and character. It is indeed a privilege to publish her memoirs, which, besides being full of the most thrilling adventures on land and sea, also reveal her delightful personality. One glance at her portrait will show that she is no ordinary doll. Hitty, or Mehitable as she was really named, was made in the early 1800s for Phoebe Preble, a little girl from Maine. Young Phoebe was very proud of her beautiful doll and took her everywhere, even on a long sailing trip in a whaler. This is the story of Hitty's years with Phoebe, and the many that follow in the life of a well-loved doll.

George's Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy and Steven Hawking

George's parents, who have always been wary of technology, warn him about their new neighbors: Eric is a scientist and his daughter, Annie, seems to be following in his footsteps. But when George befriends them and Cosmos, their super-computer, he finds himself on a wildly fun adventure, while learning about physics, time, and the universe. With Cosmos's help, he can travel to other planets and a black hole. But what would happen if the wrong people got their hands on Cosmos?

May Bird by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Most people aren't very comfortable in the woods, but the woods of Briery Swamp fit May Bird like a fuzzy mitten. There, she is safe from school and the taunts and teases of kids who don't understand her. Hidden in the trees, May is a warrior princess, and her cat, Somber Kitty, is her brave guardian.

Then May falls into the lake.

When she crawls out, May finds herself in a world that most certainly does not feel like a fuzzy mitten. In fact it is a place few living people have ever seen. Here, towns glow blue beneath zipping stars and the people -- people? -- walk through walls. Here the Book of the Dead holds the answers to everything in the universe. And here, if May is discovered, the horrifyingly evil Bo Cleevil will turn her into nothing.

May Bird must get out.

Fast.

Half Upon a Time by James Riley

Life’s no fairy tale for Jack. After all, his father's been missing ever since that incident with the beanstalk and the giant, and his grandfather keeps pushing him to get out and find a princess to rescue. Who'd want to rescue a snobby, entitled princess anyway? Especially one that falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says "Punk Princess," and still denies she's royalty. In fact, May doesn't even believe in magic. Yeah, what's that about? May does need help though--a huntsman is chasing her, her grandmother has been kidnapped, and Jack thinks it’s all because of the Wicked Queen . . . mostly because May’s grandmother might just be the long-lost Snow White.

The Moorchild by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Half moorfolk and half human, and unable to shape-shift or disappear at will, Moql threatens the safety of the Band. So the Folk banish her and send her to live among humans as a changeling. Named Saaski by the couple for whose real baby she was swapped, she grows up taunted and feared by the villagers for being different, and is comfortable only on the moor, playing strange music on her bagpipes.  

As Saaski grows up, memories from her forgotten past with the Folks slowly emerge. But so do emotions from her human side, and she begins to realize the terrible wrong the Folk have done to the humans she calls Da and Mumma. She is determined to restore their child to them, even if it means a dangerous return to the world that has already rejected her once.

The Genius Files by Dan Gutman

Coke McDonald and his twin sister, Pepsi, think their family’s cross-country RV vacation is nothing to get excited about...until they’re chased off a cliff, locked in a burning school, and receive mysterious messages in codes and ciphers. From California to Wisconsin, it’s a race against time to find out who’s after Coke and Pep, who’s leaving the notes...and just what being a part of The Genius Files entails!

Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander

Gareth's definitely no ordinary cat. For one thing, he can talk. For another, he's got the power to travel through time. And the instant he tells this to Jason, the two of them are in ancient Egypt, on the first of nine amazing adventures that Jason will never forget.

[bubblegumgirl16]

MY interpretation of the ruby redfort aesthetics

[shdjbelz]

i love when books add like the most random niche information into them as part of the plot like i need more a series of unfortunate events and ruby redfort type of nerdiness where i’ll be casually reading it and i’ll learn about some endangered animal or a word i’ve never heard before like it actually fulfills my inner nerd sm

[lostintheflood24]

I’m so incredibly tempted to make a ruby redfort spiderman au. Imagine ruby in her red suit!!! Her having to change between classes because there’s been some attack downtown!!

The only issue is I know fuck all about marvel.

[xrubi-hillx]

I am so unbelievably happy right now I can’t even speak-

I have been reading and rereading the Ruby Redfort series since I was like 10/11 and I’ve only ever know one person (one of my closest friends, shout out Tia love you babe xx) who actually knows about them and enjoys them.

And then suddenly on a Saturday night reading Catch Your Death I remember that TUMBLR EXISTS PURELY FOR NICHE FANDOMS and I found loads of headcanons and fan art of my favourite books series of all time (tied with MMU).

I have finally found my people, I’m not okay, I need these books to become a film series so bad 😭😭😭

[chrysalismandtea]

you know who i’d love to see more of in discussions about ruby redfort? claude fontaine. that guy has been one of my favourite minor characters since the moment he appeared. what can i say, i love a morally ambiguous character

[agentredfort]

I constantly think about the Ruby-Count dynamic. She’s consistently terrified of him. Whenever they’re in a scene together her inner monologue is just FEAR FEAR PANIC HELP but she’s a teenage spy who cannot afford to Not Be Cool In The Face Of Danger so she forces herself to engage in witty banter about it. And the thing is the Count seems to genuinely enjoy the verbal sparring. He’s just having such a good time. He considers her to be a very smart kid who’s a worthy opponent. Sure he’s tried to kill her several times but she’s worked her way out of it, so, like, they’re almost chill now? He once spent an extravagant amount of time crafting an elaborate lemonade-based code that he knew she’d get obsessed over just so they could sit down and chat for a little bit. She may be one of the few people he actually respects but I don’t think she KNOWS that because he scares the shit out of her. But also it can’t be understated that one of Ruby’s hobbies is watching pulpy horror movies, it’s one of her favorite things. And the one time she sits down and watches some of the movies he’d directed back in the day, she can’t help but admit that they’re right up her alley

[gumjester]

SCRIBBLING UP DESIGNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS nothing's in stone yet but these r pretty accurate to the Internal Vishion

[Image description: 4 digital drawings of characters from the Ruby Redfort books. In the first, Hitch speaks with one eyebrow raised, gesturing with his left hand. He is a dark-haired man in his 30s, wearing a black suit. The next three drawings are full-body shots of the characters and their outfits. Ruby stands confidently with her hands in her pockets, wearing her glasses, a white and red t-shirt that reads "zip it", blue jeans and a belt. Clancy has his arms and legs crossed as he leans slightly against a wall. He has short sandy hair and wears a blue jacket over a white button-up, green trousers and bright red socks. LB has a severe expression and grey hair pulled back into a bun, and has her hands clasped in front of her. She wears a turtleneck, blazer and skirt, all white. Her feet are bare and her toenails painted red. The background is the same blood red. /End description]

[aylinhadtimeforthis]

RUBY REDFORT MENTIONED...i never read all the books, just the first one because my elementary school crush gave it to me for a secret santa. anyways that's all, have a nice day <3

NOOOOOO PLEASE PLEASE READ THEM ALL I PROMISE IT'S SO WORTH IT

I literally never endorse any book series bc frankly I know so little about book based stories but oh my LORD are these literally the best books I have ever read

dw I don't rlly care if ppl do or don't but. please do. I mean this from the most nicest sincerest place please they are SO good. 🙏

[nonbinaryfroghorn]

while i'm on the subject of bradley baker's deeply repressed issues i do think he's the kind of guy who isn't even aware something is wrong because if he admits that then everything crumbles. like there are some characters, like hitch, who i believe are reasonably self-aware (about certain things, at least, i maintain that if he thought about his gender for longer than a passing "sure i'm a man" he'd discover Something). hitch is vaguely aware he has Certain Problems he just isn't doing anything about it, but i truly believe bradley had convinced himself so thoroughly that Nothing Was Wrong that admitting to anything would mean the destruction of his entire worldview and he is not prepared for that. guy who experienced The Horrors every single day of his life from the ages of 7-40 and has convinced himself its cool and normal