@@Dare_to_Nerd did he ever explain that to the 15 year old? No, he told her to think about how to lead her team by following his advice. And she immediately placed the entire burden on herself. And she gave that advice to Jaune.
Go all the way back to V1. Ruby tells Weise that she's trying to prove she belongs at Beacon. Ruby has always pressured herself to be better. She was bound to break at some point.
RIP, Billy Kametz.....voicing Roman for RWBY9 was his last professional recording before he passed. Chris Wehkampf (Clover's VA) filled in the lines Billy couldn't finish.
When I saw Ruby drop into the pit my heart fell with her. I had never felt that feeling before ever. It took a day for me to remember that the hero has to overcome Death, then I was ok.
When it comes to Ruby feeling like she has to be the person everyone relies on, this is a fault she has all the way back since volume one. In Jaundice when Jaune is doing Cardins dirty work and Ruby gives him a talk outside their dorm rooms, she says "you're a leader now, you're not allowed to be a failure". A scene that was originally a sweet pep talk has a whole new undertone after volume 9. Highly recommend rewatching it with current context because it really hurts
I do like how Neo read Ruby pretty well, but there are some things she still glosses over. She's obviously doesn't know the details regarding Lionheart, so the illusion of him isn't part of the direct inquisition. And with Penny she's speculating about what happened since she wasn't there to see it, so what Penny says to her is intentionally vague. Unfortunately Neo was a little too...catatonic...to resist the Cat...
Yeah, I thought it was interesting that Lionheart was there. I didn't think he was someone that Ruby had a particular attachment too, but I guess his betrayal left an impact. He was also someone Ruby interacted with when Neo wasn't around. I guess Cinder told Neo a little about Lionheart and what happened with him. I picked up on the speculation with Penny when she said, "I died in Atlas, didn't I?" Still, for just guessing, she knew exactly what to say to Ruby to break her.
I guess you were right about Cinder and The Cat pointing Neo in the right direction on how to psychologically torture Ruby to wear her down. Having to watch her fallen into darkness gives me kingdom hearts 1 vibes.
