Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-4830106-20140905003518/@comment-25641997-20140905034041

This episode was a lot different from the usual flow of RWBY and I loved it! I loved the Yang/Blake moments. It really gives more insight into not just Yang's past but her personality. Despite her headstrongedness, she is a very wise young woman. I had an idea of her more intelligent side from volume 1, but this episode really showed a new side of Yang and that was probably my favorite part of the whole episode, actually seeing her character unfold. Even more than her backstory (which had beautiful animation, by the way), I loved seeing her character develop. I especially liked the scene where she started pushing Blake and asked what she'd do if Torchwick walked in the room right now. Yang is so cool! And now she has a tragedy level comprable to Blake and Weiss.

And Weiss asked out Neptune, as expected (although Neptune's not there; maybe he stood her up). I feel like this really is her first romantic experience, as she was uncharacteristically shy in asking him out. It was weird, seeing her so timid and reserved. That's not the Weiss we know! But we got to see more of her Ice Queen-ness in her dealings with Ruby, Yang and Sun in the beginning of the episode. Judging from her expressions when Sun is around, she still doesn't like him. And although I heavily dislike the idea of Jaune and Weiss being an item, as Jaune isn't ready for a relationship with someone like her and needs someone more supporting in his life (like Pyrrha! Dammit, Jaune, Pyrrha is amazing and kind and badass and you should consider yourself lucky that she cares so much for you and GAH! Stupid stupid Jaune!), it was still really touching to hear how much he likes her. Now he'd better start saying stuff like that about Pyrrha! And he and Ren had a bro moment, which was really cool (now we need a sis moment between Nora and Pyrrha), and Pyrrha dished out some of her wisdom to Jaune. The thing I really liked about that scene was that she seemed so wise and mature in talking to Jaune, and she is, but she instantly became sad and conflicted when he left. She really is too kind for her own good, putting the happiness of others above that of her own. Selflessness can be annoying in that way, as it sucks to see a character I love so much cause herself so much pain. It's like how I felt about Blake wearing herself so thin. Also, Nora showed a lot of sympathy for Pyrrha. It seems that she is capable of calming down and paying attention to people, and isn't as oblivious as I thought.

And can I just say that Ruby was delightful in this episode? I love her hatred of dresses and heels, and she even pointed out how silly it is that Weiss can fight in them (Weiss is just that cool). "Stupid lady stilts" is probably one of my favorite lines in the entire show! And it gave us a nice Ruby/Ozpin bonding moment. It also brought back into play the thing I love most about Ruby: her love of battle. It really separates her from other protagonists similar to her, as she enjoys fighting to an almost unnerving extent. And while I'm at it, I loved Sun, too, and I'm actually glad that he and Blake are going to the dance. She needs someone like him right now; someone fun and lighthearted and able to provide a counter to her obsessive nature (although she has that in Yang, but still). I'm still very sad at all the self-inflicted damage the Arkos ship is taking (and it's actually more Pyrrha's fault the Jaune's), but so much was done so well in this episode that I think I'll be able to bear with the pain. It still sucks, though. Arkos isn't happening as quickly as I want it to!