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catncup · 2 years ago

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Little Ruby Riding Hood

Thoughts on this week's episode! A little warning that I may use pictures (I'll try to avoid the most disturbing/brutal ones). Suicide and self harm warnings also obviously apply. Take care!

This episode is a very short version of LRRH. I will probably write a longer meta on Ruby's allusion so far when the season is over. Still, here comes some preliminary thoughts.

(LITTLE) RED RIDING HOOD

The episode starts with Ruby lost in the Woods:

Her dialogue with Little here is symbolically a discussion with herself. Little is Ruby. They are the Little to her Red Riding Hood. They are her child-self. They are the part, who can lead her back to the others:

Ruby: Where am I? Little: It's okay, I can guide us back!

Little is a guide. Inexperienced sure, but they are still meant to guide Ruby, so that she can find herself. They point out a possible way for her to go home:

Little: You shouldn't run off, though. You all gotta stick together, if you wanna go home.

And yet, Ruby, who is always in favor of "sticking together" refuses this. She lashes out at Little and insists they should go back home. This is Ruby's last attempt to protect that very frail part of herself she feels she is slowly losing.

Little ventured in an amazing journey to help Ruby, just like Ruby ventured in an amazing journey to save Remnant. Little has promised to help Ruby, just like Ruby has promised to help everyone else. Ruby really doesn't want Little to turn out like her, so she pushes them away. In a last desperate attempt to protect them. To protect somebody. To protect herself.

And yet, what Ruby does is simply to repress and push away a vital part of who she is. She symbolically loses another piece of her heart:

The butterfly symbolism is still a little mysterious, but I am starting to think butterflies symbolize the heart. This is why they have little hearts on their wings. Ruby wants to protect her child-self, but she goes at it wrong. She can't take care of Little by leaving them in the woods alone. She should cradle them and hug them. Remember the Auction: "Hugs are very valuable!". A hug is the price for a little mouse. A hug is what you need to take care of the child-self. It means Ruby should nurture this part of her, but she chooses to leave it behind instead. She is scared she can't protect it, so she tries to cut it off entirely. Except this is something a person really can't do.

So, our (Little) Red Riding Hood keeps wandering in the Woods and enters its darkest part:

Ruby steps into the Darkness acre, where Neo has built her base. This means that Ruby is metaphorically entering her own shadow and facing everything she has been repressing. Everything she has been refusing to address. This everything takes on a very peculiar form.

THE GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE (NEO'S TEA PARTY)

Here, the small wooden cottage has the shape of Neo's fancy pink palace.

Pink is the color of the "id", when it comes to Neo's color scheme. Fittingly, this huge mansion is just a manifestation of it. A box filled with repressed feelings and unconfessed fears.

Both Neo's:

And Ruby's:

Differently from her literary counter-part, Ruby steps into the palace fully expecting to find a bad wolf. What she isn't expecting is to fight her inner wolf.

RUBY'S ID, EGO AND SUPER-EGO

We are ruled by thirds. In fashion we compare no more than three colors. Our personalities are defined by the id, the ego and the super-ego- always warring vying for control. But our goal is harmony. Balance. (Roman Holiday)

According to Freud, id, ego and super-ego are the three parts of the self. The id is where the person’s fear and wishes lie. It is a primitive and instinctive force. The super-ego is instead society’s expectations. It is where morality and ideals are. These two parts are balanced by the ego, that mediates between wishes and duties.

Id, ego and super-ego are central to Ruby's story, as much as they are to Neo's. Specifically, Ruby's 3 parts are conveyed through 3 different characters of her fairy tale:

The Hunter is the super-ego: Ruby is a Huntress. It is her role and purpose in society. It is what everyone expects her to be - someone who is moral and idealistic and selfless.

Little Red Riding Hood is the ego: Ruby is Ruby Rose. But what does it even mean to be Ruby Rose? How does one Ruby Rose? Ruby has been so focused on being the best huntress she can be, that she has forgotten to be her own self.

The Wolf is the id: The id is described as the inner beast, which embodies all a person fears and represses. Well, what does Ruby repress? Easy, all the negativity she has been accumulating since Beacon, even before... since Summer "died".

Ruby has so far been living as a walking super-ego. She has been prioritizing her mission, her role as a leader, as a Huntress. By doing so she has developed a dangerous overlapping between her idealized self-image (super-ego) and who she really is (ego). Basically, Ruby is unbalanced because she has been ignoring all her darkest parts (the id), which are now fighting to come out.

Ruby's big bad wolf is symbolically her inner shadows, which are manifesting themselves this volume. They are stronger than ever and eventually Ruby loses to them. This is why, tragically Ruby's "death" is framed as a suicide. It is because she is losing to her own inner beast. A beast she refused to see and that is now conquering her. She sips the tea and is eaten by the earth. Symbolically, she swallows herself.

Well, this is speaking metaphorically... Because the truth is that Ruby has met 2 big bad wolves this volume. Two evil beasts that have been praying at her already weakened sense of self, driving her to a point of no-return.

TWO WOLVES

Neo and the CC are Ruby's big bad wolves. They have both been grooming and psychologically manipulating her, so that she would wear herself out and give up on who she is. Moreover, they both share similarities with the fairy tale's villain.

For example, both hide behind disguises.

Neo uses her illusions to mask herself to the point that when Ruby enters her palace she can't find her. Just like the Wolf attacks LRRH dressed up as the Grandmother, Neo uses Ruby's loved ones against her. Let's highlight that at one point the eyes are the only thing giving her away:

"What mismatched eyes that you have"

The Curious Cat's disguise is even more effective because they present themselves as a friend, a helper:

Blake: Guys, the Curious Cat was described as an ally, with an appetite for information.

(Hint: the reference to appetite > The Big Bad Wolf is a villain, who consumes their victims by eating them)

I don't know if others were more clever than me, but I did register this line as suspicious and yet chose to ignore it. We are in a volume about challenging simplistic narratives, but the CC is so charming, so likable. They go out of their way to help and their words do sound so smart and wise. They seem to embody the theme of change and transformation this season is about, right? So, why should they be evil? Why should we worry about them? And yet, this is the Big Bad Wolf of the fairy tale in a nutshell. A charming trickster able to enchant others through their words.

Moreover, the hints were all there:

The CC trying to eat Little in the op, for example. I mean, isn't it suspicious that Ruby's inner child is represented by a mouse and that the so-called helper this season is a cat? Of all things? And yet, here we are! We didn't notice that the Big Bad Wolf is not a dog, but a cat (we learnt nothing from Madoka).

On this note, let me add that the series sets up both Neo and the CC as Ruby's wolves pretty early on. At least, since the market scene. Let me elaborate:

Isn't this basket pretty adorable and LRRH-like? Yes, it is because by that point... we are already in LRRH. This whole volume is LRRH masked as Alice in Wonderland. Little Red is wandering in unknown woods with her little basket full of flowers. To be specific a white lily (Weiss), a belladonna (Blake) and a sunflower (Yang). While she is minding her own business, 2 big bad wolves approach her:

Neo's Jabberwalkers come and destroy the market while they are looking for Ruby

The Cat is the one guiding her throughout the market, just like the Wolf points LRRH towards the woods and convinces her to pick up flowers

In short, Neo and the CC have been playing the part of the wolves since the beginning. It is just that they have gone at it in opposite ways. As a matter of fact Neo is meant to hide the Cat.

Neo is the illusory wolf- we are led to believe she is going to be the Big Bad Villain of the volume. She is associated with the scary Jabberwalker, which are themselves a perfect stand-in for the black dangerous beast. Not only that, but in the Ever After Neo's semblance is so strong to the point of becoming a virus for the world itself:

And yet, in the end (in the bigger scheme of things mind you... I am not downplaying her role in Ruby's attempt to kill herself) she is simply the owner of the cottage (the big pink mansion) Ruby goes to meet. There she is surprised by her own inner wolves and by the true Big Bad Wolf, who has been manipulating everyone the whole time.

The CC is the true Big Bad Wolf. The one who tricks LRRH while she is in an unknown place. They lead the child on a dangerous path (symbolically towards self-annihilation). They bring Ruby to Herb knowing his hallucinations would weaken Ruby's sense of self. They act irresponsible, so that the others would stick with them and leave Ruby alone. They keep asking questions, which are disturbing for Ruby. Like, how are they going to stop Salem, for example? They are the one, who literally try to eat Ruby up:

CC: It's okay Little Huntress... I can be you instead...

And once they fail, they choose to eat the owner of the cottage. The Wolf who ate LRRH:

At the same time, these 2 wolves bring a lot to the table. Let's see...

RUBY'S 2 BEREAVEMENTS

Neo and the CC are 2 important foils to Ruby, when it comes to the theme of grief.

Neo's grief over Torchwick parallels Ruby's own towards Penny. Torchwick and Penny are two people, who represented a safe place for Neo and Ruby. In a sense, they are both symbols of almost a childhood paradise:

Illusion Roman: Always loved the idea of a place to run away from it all. To do whatever you want! I offered that to her back on Remnant.

Penny: It'll be just like Beacon again!

Their deaths bring back old wounds and traumas related to Neo and Ruby's parents and set both characters on self-destructive spirals. It is just Neo projects her frustrations over Ruby (externilizes), while Ruby lashes out at her own self (internalizes). Their foiling reaches its climax this episode, where they both are shown suicidal.

The CC's foiling with Ruby subtly addresses instead a deeper and older loss:

CC: I need to know everything. But, more than anything, I need to know why my makers left me here!

I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong How could you leave me when you swore that you would stay? Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single f'ing day

The CC is angry at their makers (the Gods probably) because they left them behind. Isn't it exactly what happened between Ruby and Summer? Summer disappeared with no explanation and left Ruby to fulfill a role. A mission she can't hope to accomplish. Just like the CC can't hope to fulfill their purpose to "know everything".

PERSONAL VILLAIN VS GREATER SCOPE VILLAIN

Neo is a Personal Villain to Ruby, while the CC is the Greater Scope Villain of the volume.

Neo specifically hates Ruby. She is the one who manages to break her, much more than the CC can because she knows her best. She knows the people she lost and what would hurt her the most. She literally kills Ruby's child self (Little), sending her over the edge. She is metaphorically the wolf, who swallows Ruby whole:

Hint: Ruby transitions into the sugar cube

However, she is not really a danger for the Ever After, despite it all:

Illusion Roman: With your semblance stronger than ever now, we could take over this whole absurd place! Eh? Why not? Offing Little Red can't be all you wanted?! Right?

When Illusory Roman proposes to conquer the Ever After, Neo simply breaks because what was keeping her together was her anger towards Ruby.

The Curious Cat is the opposite. They don't seem to have any malice towards Ruby specifically. Still, they target her because they can sense her self breaking. They can see her depression and realize they can take advantage of that. However, they clearly represent a danger for the world. The moment they possess Neo, they immediately run toward the Tree. The implication here is that they are gonna use Neo's power to try and corrupt/destroy the Tree and run away.

CINDER AND SALEM

This last point brings us to this final juxtaposition. What is happening this volume clearly foreshadows Ruby's final conflict in the series, aka the one she is gonna live when it comes to Cinder and Salem.

Neo is a stand-in for Cinder

Neo is a malicious villain who personally hurts Ruby. She targets her out of frustration for something Ruby did at Beacon (killing Roman) and projects on the child her own unsolved issues. She keeps going at Ruby until she kills Little and succeeds at breaking her.

Cinder is exactly the same. She blames Ruby for her defeat at Beacon, she keeps scheming against her until she kills Penny and makes Ruby fall. In a sense, the situation Ruby finds herself in this volume is all Cinder's fault. Cinder is the one who destroys Beacon and kills Pyrrha. Cinder is the one who takes the relics and kills Penny. Cinder is the one who makes Ruby and Neo fall together in the Ever After.

This is why the volume opens up with Cinder's words:

Cinder: And you… should have never been born.

Cinder might not be in the Ever After, but she and not Neo is the one who kickstarts Ruby's suicidal spiral.

In short, Neo and Cinder are two people, who have done unspeakable harm to Ruby. They are two enemies Ruby has no reason to pity. At the same time, they both meet (will meet in Cinder's case) a fate worse than death:

The CC possesses Neo and symbolically forces their own voice through her. This is the worst that can happen to Ice-Cream Girl, who has spent her whole life fighting to affirm her will through her own personal silent voice. Right now, she is instead nothing more than a puppet. She is at the Cat's mercy, an empty host, who speaks the CC's words.

Cinder is clearly going to be turned into a Wolf-Like creature by Salem. Her Grimm Arm is slowly taking hold of her body and it is possible that by the end of the series, Salem will gain full control over her. The child who fought so hard for freedom will end up a slave once again. All her magical power used by an evil Stepmother.

The CC is a stand-in for Salem

(You are welcome for this joke)

Curious Cat: You do not go to the tree, the tree goes to you. Unless, of course, you're me, you see. Yang: Not even a little bit. Curious Cat: Well, that’s your problem. It’s a matter of perspective, I’m afraid.

This exchange is brilliant because the CC is revealing the truth about themselves, but in such a way that RWBY and the viewers are gonna misinterpret it.

The CC is described as Alyx's guide, so RWBY think they are the only one, who can go to the tree, as they please. They even state as much, right? The tree goes to people, unless you are the CC. Except, these words can be interpreted in two different ways. It is a matter of perspective, you see?

It is not that the CC goes to the tree, but rather that the tree never goes to the CC:

CC: I'm not like the other afterings here. I was cursed with curiosity! I need to know everything!

The CC's purpose is to know everything, but that can't never be accomplished. The Cat's curiosity can never be satisfied, so they can never fulfill their role and ascend. Curiosity doesn't kill the Cat, but rather keeps it alive. Trapped forever. They can never move on. They can never change. Just like Salem.

Both the CC and Salem are creatures excluded from the cycle of Life and Death. This is why they resent others. This is why they go out of their way to hurt and manipulate.

The Cat isn't change, but rather wants to change. This is why symbolically they eat butterflies:

They eat the symbol of metamorphosis and absorb their hearts, so that then they can manipulate others.

They can't change, but so desperately want to change, that they possess others' bodies in an attempt to evolve, to be different, to grow. They are not the embodyment of the theme, but rather the negation of the negation, so the worst possible declination of it. What is worse than someone who refuses to change? Easy, someone who wants to, but never can.

Similarly, they present themselves like the embodyment of empathy. They help people reach the Tree safely right? They show mercy for others and feel for them, right? Except they are the negation of the negation. They are empathy used to control. They are manipulation to the point their power brought to the extreme is a very disturbing way to put yourself into others' shoes.

In short, the CC presents themselves as an ally to the Tree:

Jaune: The Cat’s role in the Ever After. I figured it out later, but the Cat came back for me once Alyx left. When people lose their way here, the Cat, convinces them, somehow. Either to keep performing their role, or, to go to the tree, get a new one. The Cat calls it “healing”, but… it’s manipulation. The Cat was never helping Alyx or you. Their purpose here is to feed the tree, to keep the cycle going.

But they may very well be its greatest enemy:

CC: No, no, no, no! I needed her!

They don't want Ruby or the others to reach the Tree. Rather they want to control them before they can.

The last scene seems to suggest the Cat is headed toward the Tree and this episode also implies Neo's semblance might be able to completely conquer the Ever After. It is probable the CC will try to discover how the Tree works and even to corrupt the whole system in order to reach their freedom.

This is probably what Salem's final objective is. The Tree is alchemy, after all. It is the cycle of life and death. It is nature. It is a metaphor for what the Gods themselves represent. It is the circle Salem has been excluded from because she doesn't truly understand it. It is probable that she wants to destroy it completely. Maybe the twist behind Salem's objective is really just a matter of degree.

She might not really want simply to kill herself, or to destroy Remnant. At least, not just that. She might be willing to destroy everything, which means to annihilate the Gods. This might seem sympathetic, but symbolically it will lead to the destruction of the cycle. To a world where nothing is born nor destroyed anymore. To an empty world. It would lead to nihilism.

Whatever the case, the CC's fate might give us some hints on what Salem's ending will be. The same goes for Neo and Cinder. Plot-wise, thus, the parallelism between Neo/Cinder and CC/Salem is rather clear. This is true even when it comes to Ruby herself. Neo/Cinder wants to kill Ruby, while CC/Salem wants her alive for their own plan. CC/Salem fails to obtain Ruby for their plan, but ironically ends up using Neo/Cinder, instead. The CC wants to possess Ruby, but eventually controls Neo and it is implied Salem wants to turn Ruby into a Hound, which will be Cinder's destiny.

Neo and Cinder are 2 Big Bad Wolves, but they are also 2 people swallowed whole by Bigger and Badder Wolves (Salem and the CC). What should our LRRH do with them? And what would a Huntress do?

LITTLE RUBY RIDING HOOD'S DEATH AND REBIRTH

Little dies and so does Red Riding Hood. It is not by chance Ruby's suicidal attempt happens after her little mouse friend's death. Ruby fails to protect her innocent self, so she follows through. She is both the child, who is conquered by the darkness of the world and the hunter who fails to protect an innocent.

Still, we shouldn't really be worried! After all, isn't LRRH a story of death and rebirth?

Little Red Riding Hood is swallowed whole by the Wolf, but then she is saved by the Hunter. Both the Grandmother and Hood are, actually. Both the adult and the child. Both Ruby and Little.

So, how is Ruby going to be saved?

On the one hand she is going to be doing some personal growth herself. On the other hand she clearly needs to be helped by others.

The Tree is clearly going to help Ruby reflect on herself. That said, this is clearly not sufficient. The Tree isn't a free theraphy session, but a neutral process. Through it you can be reborn and evolve, yes, just like the Paper Pleasers are planning on doing:

Purple Paper Pleaser: I do not wish to be rude, but our work has been completed for quite some time. Because of us, the land is beautiful, but we have realized that like ourselves, it is also very delicate. We would like to make something that is pleasing, but also resilient. Because of this, we are ready to leave ourselves and merge with the Tree, so that it might return us as something new.

Still, the Tree can also lead to regression:

Herbalist: This is how a king winds up a prince…

In order to go through a positive change, you need to know who you are now and what you want to become:

Herbalist: We all have our titles, our roles to play, but in order to help you become whatever it is you need to become, you should really have a better understanding of what you are now.

Which is something Ruby clearly doesn't know, right now. This is where she will need the help of a Hunter, well of a group of Huntresses:

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In the same volume our LRRH gets swallowed WBY all affirm they are Huntresses. Similarly, when the Jabberwalker is about to "eat" Ruby, it is her team that comes to the rescue. Ruby has helped them all go through their hardest times, so it is only obvious they are gonna return the favor now.

The question is "How"?

It is entirely possible they are going to save Ruby as a team, which is what is happening for sure to a certain degree. That said, I would like if they still ended up fulfilling different roles (take this as a headcanon of mine).

MOTHER, BEAST AND HUNTER

RWBY are all parts of each other's allusions, to a degree.

RWB are the too hot (Ruby), too cold (Weiss) and just right (Blake) to Yang's Golidlocks.

Ruby is the Rose to Blake's Beast and Weiss and Yang her 2 complementary Beauties/Beasts.

Blake is the Forest Animals to Weiss's Snowhite, while Yang is the Little Robber Maiden to Weiss's Gerda. Finally, Ruby is both the Hunter to Weiss's Snowhite and the Rose Weiss's Gerda.

Well, the same may be true for Ruby's LRRH allusion.

Yang is the Mother

Ruby: If you thought we wouldn’t come for you, then you must’ve forgotten who raised me.

Yang is the person, who stepped in to fulfill Summer's role, even if she herself is just a kid. This volume even confirms this through the above line and we saw how Yang keeps comforting and checking in on Ruby. It is not by chance Yang is the most upset by Ruby running off and is definately the most worried. This is also why this is so heartbreaking:

Yang sees her little sister attempting suicide in front of her eyes and there is nothing she can do. I doubt this is something, which is gonna be without consequences or that it is gonna be solved in just 2 episodes.

Rather, I believe this is set-up for a future conflict. The way I see it, Yang has a final conflict to go through before she can finish her arc, but it won't be in this volume, but rather in Vacuo, where she will meet Raven and Summer again. Basically, I see this volume as set-up for Yang's final push.

When it comes to Ruby, I think it is obvious Yang needs to let go. She has been fulfilling her role as Ruby's big sister and parental substitude the best she can. Still, the point is that she isn't Ruby's mother and that Ruby herself is going to grow up.

Yang is the Mother who sends LRRH in the woods and can only trust her to be safe and to come back. Surely, this episode is not exactly a hopeful beginning of this process. Especially, if one considers Yang has just started a relationship with Blake. A relationship, which is hers and hers alone. A relationship Ruby lashes out against in frustration before she leaves and tries to end herself.

Now, obviously the problem isn't BB, but I wouldn't be surprised if what happens here leads Yang to a little bit of regression. In the end, she needs to accept what happens here is not her fault, that she can't always be there for Ruby and save her at the expense of herself. That bad things happen, but also to trust that Ruby is strong enough to take care of herself. And most importantly that her little sister has also other people, who look out for her.

Blake is the Wolf

Black the Beast descends from shadows

Blake is the beast who lives in shadows and meets LRRH. Differently from the Big Bad Wolf, though, Blake is the one charmed by Ruby's innocence and optimism. Blake is the Wolf who genuinelly befriends LRRH and is inspired to be better by her.

She doesn't lead LRRH into the Shadows, but rather is led into the light by the young Huntress.

This volume makes it clear. Blake is at her brightest and basically a spitting image of Ruby's younger self. Will she manage to inspire Ruby back?

Weiss is the Hunter

Weiss is the Hunter who kills the Young Boar in Snowhite. This is why her Boarbatusk's summon is symbolic of her Huntress self:

Port on Weiss killing the Boarbatusk: Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!

But who is the one who helps her kill the Grimm?

Ruby: Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-

Sure, Weiss is annoyed, but it is exactly by doing what Ruby says that she kills the Boarbatusk. In general, the minor conflict Ruby and Weiss have around this time is also what leads them both to grow. Ruby starts working to become a better leader and Weiss realizes what she must do to become a better Huntress.

Ruby is the one who shows Weiss the path forward. LRRH's Hunter is after all the epitome of fairy tale's Hunters, so he shows Snowhite's unsure Hunter how it's done.

Weiss grows as a Huntress because Ruby is there to inspire her. So, it is now her turn to inspire her partner back. To show her what it means being a Huntress. This is probably why Weiss is the one, who is able to relate to Ruby the most this episode:

Weiss: Maybe she didn't feel like she could... Ruby has always been the one to get us through the hard times. We say things like "We believe in you!" "We can count on you!" I know we mean well, but...

She is indeed a Wise Huntress :P

But how is Ruby's team gonna reach her? How can they go to the tree?

CC: You still don't get it, do you? It's not a place you go. It's a place you know.

They might need a Knight in Rusted Armor.

A GUIDE TO THE TREE

CC: Oh, the Rusted Knight... Goodness, am I tired of your little sob story? You can't even accept your own futility!

This episode clarifies a lot of what is going on between Jaune and the Cat.

Specifically, the Cat hates Jaune because they could never take advantage of him. As a matter of fact Jaune's coping mechanism prevents him to change, so the Cat could never really make use of our Knight. We know they tried after Alyx and Lewis left, but Jaune refuses ascension. He refuses to let go, which makes him unable to change, but also makes him useless as a potential host for the Cat.

At the same time, this episode solves the ambiguity around the conflict between Jaune and the Cat. Jaune is right about the CC, but wrong about the tree. The Cat doesn't want to feed the tree, but rather to feed themselves.

This brings us to Jaune's current situation. He has spent years preparing himself for when team RWBY would make the Ever After. He has been protecting the paper pleasers and studying a way out for his friends. All to be a hero. And yet, he utterly fails. He loses the paper pleasers, Ruby and is bested by the Cat all in one day.

He has been holding on to the idealistic image of his friends and of Ruby especially. Ruby is the hero and once she comes everything will be fine. This is why he dives after Crescent Rose when he falls. He keeps believing in Ruby, even if eveything seems lost. This is also why he is so frustrated at Ruby when he meets her again. This Ruby isn't the ideal hero he has been trying to emulate. She isn't the hero he has been waiting for. This is why he is in focus during Weiss's speech:

It is because this speech calls him out especially.

So, what now?

Let's summarize:

Jaune needs to move on and to change. Symbolically, he needs to let go of his heroic persona

WBYJ all need to reach the tree, but to do so they need to "know it"

Now, it makes no sense for WBY to ascend. They made clear they do not need it in the Herbalist's episode. For the whole team to spiral and lose their purpose after Ruby leaves would be counterproductive. Still, Jaune does need to ascend. He needs to move on and to be remade into his younger self. He is the only one for whom ascension can be a positive development.

If he accepts to ascend, he might be able to guide his friends toward Ruby. In this way he can be the guide he has been planning to be for them all this time.

He can lead them not as a Knight in shining armor, but as a person who accepts his own pain and vulnerability. As a person, who in order to grow accepts his own "futility" and still moves forward.

By the way, they may all find a way to reach the tree, but Jaune accepting ascension in order to help Ruby is still gonna be a thing.

RUBY, THE LITTLE HUNTRESS

What will happen when they all reach Ruby? I guess Ruby is gonna choose who she wants to become. I doubt the point is that this choice will solve all of Ruby's problems. Rather, I think that symbolically it should convey that Ruby accepts who she is. She is gonna affirm her willingness to keep on living as herself. Even if she is flawed.

This could happen in a number of different ways, but what's sure is that she should come to terms with Penny's death. It is interesting the revelation of Jaune killing Penny has been postponed so much tbh. If this piece of information isn't going to make things spiral (Neo succeeded all by herself), then it might be as @hamliet suggests. It might offer a catharsis.

Right now, Ruby believes Penny died as a child left alone by everybody:

Illusion Penny: Can you imagine what that's like? To be completely and utterly failed time and again by someone who meant the world to you?

She believes that Penny negated herself one final time with her sacrifice. Still, this isn't what happened. Penny doesn't die as a child, but as an adult. Not as a creation, but as a creator. Her final choice is not a negation of who she is, but rather an affirmation of herself. Penny Polendina is the best friend ever and her final act is one of friendship, love and faith. She chooses not her duty (to protect the relics, to give the powers to Weiss), but her personal wants (to fight for her friends, to say goodbye to Winter).

She is killed, but she still negates Cinder what she wants and proves she is no puppet.

Ruby needs to realize this and to accept she herself needs to do the same. She needs to affirm herself in all her contradictions and to move forward. Not because things will necessary get better or because it is her duty. But because that is who she is and it is only by pushing through that she can really evolve and change.

In short, she needs to accept that she is Little and that she is a Huntress. She is Little Red Riding Hood and the Hunter. She is not perfect, but she can grow. She is in pain, but she has others. She will choose who she wants to become in due time.

Little: I'm sure it will all make sense eventually.

She is the Little Huntress.

And what do Huntresses do?

Blake: Huntresses are heroes. We protect those who can’t protect themselves.

A Huntress saves others, so we go back to the situation at hand. It is probable they all will have to fight the Cat to save the Ever After and escape. At the same time, this brings us to the question.

What about Neo?

Ruby and the others have absolutely no obligation to save her. Neo has been selfish, petty and cruel. Her and Torchwick have hurt others and their own plan to bring Grimms at Beacon is what ultimately kills Roman. So, why should Ruby go out of her way to save Neo?

And yet, a Huntress saves others. Neo is monstruous, but she is also a person, who is broken and empty. She is Ruby's jungian shadow and usually you need to save your shadow, not to kill it. So, I think Ruby is gonna show mercy to Neo.

Unless the point is Ruy regresses a little bit here or is not ready for the, which may be.

Who knows? Maybe even in their case, addressing what happened openly is what can lead to a truce. Ruby did not kill Torchwick. One of the Nevermore Roman and Neo helped smuggling in did. Roman gives in to his own inner negativity, which makes him especially tasty for the Grimm. Roman is a victim of his own mentality and Neo needs to accept it if she wants to move forward.

As for where Neo will go, it is up to debate. Personally, I think her joining the group by this point could end up cheapening her. My favourite headcanon is that she works out her issues in the Ever After for a while. It would be a powerful metaphor for the healing power of fiction and stories. Moreover, if her semblance ends up damaging the Ever After, she may choose to help restore it by using that same power. It would surely be an interesting turn of events.

What's sure is that Ruby and Little are gonna be fine and that this volume's finale is gonna foreshadow several things when it comes to Ruby, Cinder, Salem and the story as a whole. Let's dive into the climax next week!

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