#that can tide me over. i have to believe trust in the process don't lose hope!!!!!

[itsclydebitches]

Just to hopefully add two cents, the story wants me to view Ruby as an entire force (one whole side trying to do what's right) in this battle. But the logic of scale means I just don't. So instead it seems like Ruby's delusional that she can evacuate/fight Salem with a tiny team, and then she just blatantly gives up. The show had to explain why Ruby thought her tiny force could help. It never bothered to try so she just comes off as borderline insane. And incredibly egotistical and selfish.

This is precisely why I stand by my claim that the show needed to establish Ruby's eyes as a formidable weapon for the war, not for daily skirmishes. By making silver eyes over-powered for average grimm fights, it both destroyed the tension of those battles (Ruby says "enough" and nearly finishes the Hound, no strategy needed like we used to see back when they faced the Nevermore or Roman's mech) and created a plot hole every time she didn't whip them out to instantly win (Ruby has seen twice now that Cinder crumbles when faced with silver eyes, but she doesn't try to use them during Volume 8's finale. Nor do they go off when Yang falls, also contradicting the "Silver eyes respond to emotions" setup that has existed since Volume 3). Yet at the same time, the show has failed to established her eyes as the heroes' victory ticket, despite the characters knowing that Salem actively hunts SEWs. Why haven't we had conversations about why that is and how they can turn that to their advantage? Instead we get Ruby telling the world that Salem is beatable because... she would have destroyed the world by now if she wasn't? That's just another plot hole, the writers failing to explain why the action only started when our heroes came on the scene. And we get the introduction of Summer as a potential grimm experiment, rather than tackling Ruby's status as a grimm-defeating weapon, coupled with ignoring the Hound's own silver eyes. The reading randomly became, "Omg. Silver eyes let Salem turn people into grimm, including Summer. That's horrible!" rather than "Omg. Salem hunted Maria, is hunting Ruby, and turned this silver eyed faunus into a weapon of her own... it's almost like she's terrified of this power being used against her. Could that be a weakness? We did see her fall into that grimm pool and become part grimm herself..."

Firmly establish Ruby's eyes as a war gamechanger and you suddenly have a solid argument for a one girl army. SO MUCH gets better in Volume 7 and 8 if that's on the table. Ruby now has a reason for believing she can stand up to Salem and her forces, at least for long enough to evacuate Mantle. Ironwood would have really come across as sacrificing them needlessly because Ruby would have proposed this plan — a decent plan too, depending on how much control she has over her eyes/how often she can use them. Something else we haven't established — and Ironwood still chose to run, despite being presented that option. Her declaration to Salem about beating her isn't a bout of random confidence right before she collapses sobbing, it's a backed-up belief based on all the history she's learned since Volume 4. Ruby's message to the world could have had actual hope attached to it and a personal promise to use this power for the good of everyone, establishing her as their hero. Because what we currently have is a teenager asserting that a world leader can't be trusted, but providing no reason why the world should trust her instead. Now imagine if Ruby and her group actually joined the fight when Salem attacked, both because they're skilled huntresses and because Ruby has a grimm-only bomb planted in her head. Just forget the cane bomb entirely. That came out of nowhere and contradicts the previous authorial comments/hopes of the fandom that it would be time manipulation, not a "kinetic energy" that acts exactly like Ruby's eyes do. Why introduce a new mechanic that functions precisely like one we already have, wielded by the main character no less? Just forget all that and let YJR actually assist in Oscar's escape, rather than arriving when he's already on his way out. Let Ruby destroy the whale, taking out the majority of Salem's forces in the process and saving her friends. Silver eyes should have been the K.O. skill to pull out when their backs are up against the wall — like when an endless army of grimm is at a Kingdom's front door and they only have a handful of people to hold it off — not a party trick used to briefly freeze the mini bosses, eliminating the need for our characters to fight in creative, strategic ways. It all feels backwards to me.

When I wrote my hypothetical Volume 8 scenario, based on if Ironwood had stepped down/died early, a couple of people pointed out that RWB likely would have made different choices too. If Ironwood didn't or couldn't send out his army, they might have felt like they had to step up, rather than waiting in the mansion. Problem is... what could they have done? It's important for the group to help to showcase their heroism and so they could save specific individuals from specific grimm, but if it was only them vs. the grimm army (what Ruby originally proposed once she started the Ace Ops fight. She has declared that her team will tackle this challenge without Ironwood's help), they automatically lose. As you say, anon, the scale is too extreme. Three huntresses — four if we imagine May is persuaded to join them — cannot hold off a force that needed this many soldiers.

Volume 8 presents Ironwood's army as 100% necessary to keep everyone in Atlas from dying and that's because the story failed to establish Ruby as a one girl army of her own. As it stands, the situation is really just presented a handful of relatively normal huntresses against endless grimm and an immortal witch; a fight that they are bound to lose. It does make Ruby come across as selfish and naïve, choosing a "We'll figure things out later because I can't make hard calls" stance and then hiding away in a mansion when she couldn't figure things out. But capitalize on her silver eyes? Problem solved! With those as a consistent, reliable skill Ruby has proven could turn the tide of even a threat this large, the characters and audience both can buy into the belief that this tiny group can take on this overwhelming force and win.

Ruby insisting they face down Salem simply because she believes doing anything else is wrong does not inspire confidence.

Ruby insisting they face down Salem because she wields the one weapon that can destroy her entire army in an instant and, potentially, take her out for a time too... that inspires a lot of confidence.