The Perils of Paper Houses
Written by Miles Luna
Directed by Dustin Matthews
Directed by Dustin Matthews
"You must understand, the Tree does not kill, it resurrects and rebuilds. We do not wish to displease our hero, and I hope I have not displeased you, but... we so desperately wish to return to the Tree, to return home, so that we may carry on with our work."
— Purple Paper Pleaser
Team RWBY are introduced to the Paper Pleasers, leading to some harsh truths...
Tropes in this episode include:
- Animate Inanimate Object: The Paper Pleasers are living origami stars, and are as fragile and vulnerable as normal paper.
- Badass Minds Think Alike: Jaune and WBY rush into battle with the Jabberwalkers without any kind of a plan. However, Blake and Yang are perfectly in sync and don't need to communicate how they double-team their opponents. Upon finding themselves teaming up against their opponents, Jaune and Weiss wordlessly adapt to each other's moves as well.
- Bait-and-Switch: At first, the frequent disasters in the Paper Pleaser village are taken as the Papers being Too Dumb to Live, with Jaune having to constantly run around and save them from themselves. However, the purple Paper eventually reveals the truth: they've reached the end of their purpose and want to Ascend, but Jaune won't let them, so they've been contriving disasters to try and die.
- Battle Couple: Bumbleby has its debut battle as an Official Couple in this chapter; Blake and Yang fight a series of Jabberwalkers together, doing Combination Attacks in perfect, nonverbal coordination.
- Big Dam Plot: The Paper Pleasers try breaking down their dam every day so the water will ascend them. They finally succeed when Jaune is distracted by the attacking Jabberwalkers.
- Cliffhanger: At the end of this episode, WBY can only stand in shock as Ruby tearfully leaves them behind, while a despairing Jaune watches the town flood.
- Combination Attack: During the Jabberwalkers' attack, Blake and Yang execute combination attacks in perfect sync. In the same battle Weiss and Jaune improvise one when a Jabberwalker swipes Jaune's sword into the air and Weiss catches it: she flings the sword back to Jaune, who bounces it into the Jabberwalker's face with a gravity Dust-augmented Shield Bash.
- Condescending Compassion: Jaune's care for the Paper Pleasers is genuine, if based in his own desire to protect someone. However, because of his beliefs about the tree and ascension, as well as his negative experiences with other Afterans, he considers them too stupid to know what's best for themselves and protects them from the thing they want most. His "to-do list" of how to protect them each day even compares them to babies, stating that they should never be given anything a person wouldn't give a baby. The Paper Pleasers don't think badly of Jaune for it, although they do keep trying to ascend despite his efforts.
- Content Warning: The episode has one for distressing themes, likely due to the Paper Pleasers' attempts to die and Ruby and Jaune's trauma coming out.
- Determinator: Despite Jaune's resolute efforts to "protect" them, the Paper Pleasers never give up attempting to Ascend. One Paper Pleaser admits they don't expect anything to come of their efforts, but they continue trying multiple times a day. They eventually succeed while Jaune and Team RWBY are distracted fighting Neo's Jabberwalkers.
- Double-Meaning Title: "The Perils of Paper Houses" can refer to the literal paper settlements of the Paper Pleasers, which are extremely fragile and prone to being destroyed at almost any moment (though it's later revealed these incidents are their self-inflicted attempts at Ascension). On the other hand, the title also has a metaphorical interpretation: the dangers of keeping up a cheerful front for too long, as both Ruby and Jaune are finally pushed to their respective breaking points and unleash all their pent-up frustration and despair at their friends.
- Driven to Suicide: Jaune's ceaseless guarding of the Paper Pleasers means they've long since stopped their natural death processes and have devised ways to end their current lives and be reborn. Jaune has devised a long schedule to keep up with them but, when the Walkers attack, he fails to stop them from breaking the dam with a tower of pebbles and dying in the ensuing flood.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Jaune and Ruby were each other's very first friends at Beacon, becoming co-leaders, close confidantes, and each other's pillar of stability over the long trek from fallen Beacon to Haven and beyond. This time, instead of building each other up, they push each other to their breaking points; both react with hurt and betrayal to the other: Jaune through his voice and gestures, and Ruby through her trembling and tear-stained visage.
- Failure Knight: Jaune's obsession with protecting the Paper Pleasers is based on his past failures to protect those who mattered to him, as well as his unresolved guilt over Penny's death. Having lost or failed so many people, he just wants to protect someone.
- Fantastic Racism:
- Jaune does not think highly of Afterans, referring to them as too clever, too stupid or too crazy to trust.
- After Blake tries comforting Jaune about the loss of the Paper Pleasers, Ruby angrily snaps at her for mourning "Jaune's make-believe friends".
- Finger Wag: In the flashback accompanying a Paper Pleaser's recounting of Jaune's "heroism", he has a curt smile and wags his finger every time he "saves" them.
- Foreshadowing: Ruby's breakdown can be seen at least twice throughout the episode:
- In the diner, Ruby prepares to say something to WBY, but is cut off when a Paper Pleaser speaks up. Ruby is glaring daggers at the creature over it.
- Ruby is the only one awake, staring at the still binned Crescent Rose and still is when Jaune snaps awake at the scent of fire.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Pausing the episode to read Jaune's daily task list reveals many small jokes. The naming of the Paper Pleasers extends to "Neptune", and he helps "Pyrrha" with her homework. Other named Paper Pleasers engage in activities reminiscent of their namesakes, such as "Ruby" helping him, "Nora" climbing the pebble tower and getting electrocuted or "Oscar" being at risk of being captured by kite string and flown away. Stopping the pebble tower is only fifth on the list, despite being the most significant one in the end.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: After so long alone, Jaune's mental health has taken a serious toll. He has named all the Papers after his friends and has taken them hostage and not allowed them to die, controlling their lives to keep them "safe". Once they eventually succeed, Jaune becomes distraught and says he was supposed to keep them safe. He knows he's not okay, but it doesn't make it hurt any less.
- Green-Eyed Monster: A big part of Ruby's breakdown is motivated by the feeling that everyone else seems to be getting closure for their issues or being worried over while she gets ignored or expected to help make others feel better when no-one does the same for her. It finally comes to a head when everyone is distracted yet again from addressing Ruby's state of mind by the Paper Pleasers destroying the dam to kill themselves. Thus, WBY turn their attention from Ruby's prior panicking to Jaune's despair; Weiss expecting to have Ruby help comfort Jaune causes Ruby to snap at her friends.
- Heroic BSoD: Ruby freezes up when the Walkers attack, seeing Cinder, the possessed Penny and Salem instead of the beasts.
- Innocently Insensitive:
- Unaware of Ruby's PTSD, her friends encourage her to fight the Jabberwalkers, and after a flashback leaves her frozen during the fight, Jaune angrily calls her out for it, only catching on to her problems when she flinches away from Crescent Rose after he tosses it to her.
- Weiss, Blake, and Yang try focusing on escaping the Ever After and keeping their spirits up; they're frequently interrupted from questioning Ruby's mental health too closely, and don't realize how deeply her trauma runs. Upon being asked to help encourage the despairing Jaune, Ruby reaches her Rage Breaking Point and calls out her teammates for always focusing on other people's needs instead of hers.
- Ironic Hell: Jaune, traumatized by an assisted suicide piled upon by everything he went through as the Rusted Knight, just had to end up getting attached to and caring for an entire village of Afterans driven to ascend as his coping mechanism.
- It's All About Me:
- Jaune's protecting the Paper Pleasers seems to be less about them specifically and more about Jaune trying to succeed in being a hero for once after being a Failure Hero for so long. When he fails at even that, he all but admits it in his despair.
- Later, distraught from his failure to save the Paper Pleasers, Jaune accuses Ruby of caring about herself rather than others.
- Misdirected Outburst: Ruby calls out everyone for not caring about her needs, which causes a frustrated Jaune to blame her for Atlas' destruction, the Relic of Creation's loss, and everyone falling into the Ever After. The plan was actually a team effort by all the heroes, and Jaune immediately regrets his outburst; he's really bothered by the weight he's been carrying alone because of Penny's death, but his words are enough to break Ruby into leaving everyone behind.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Jaune quickly becomes remorseful, and apologizes, after he accuses Ruby of being responsible for the heroes' situation in the Ever After as well as Neo's hatred of her. But the damage has already been done, and this causes a tearful Ruby to leave.
- Nothing Left to Do but Die: Since the Paper Pleasers have completed their purpose of making their acre pleasing and beautiful, they see the inherent fragility of their work. They want to ascend so they might become something more resilient and create something more lasting. But Jaune, who distrusts the ascending process, refuses to let them go to the Tree, so they've been trying to destroy themselves for some time.
- Obsessed Are The List Makers: Jaune has an extensive list, made of several pieces of paper taped together, of his daily activities to maintain the Paper Pleasers' safety. Team RWBY look upon this with clear recognition that it's a sign of poor mental health.
- Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: After the Paper Pleasers flood their village, Ruby is pushed to her Rage Breaking Point and snaps at her friends for constantly leaning on her for help and not realizing she was hurting. Seconds later, a distraught Jaune blames Ruby for the heroes' situation in the Ever After and Neo's rampage. Blake tries calming things down, but a tearful Ruby flies off with Little.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: During their respective breakdowns, both Jaune and Ruby put particular emphasis on a few words to strengthen their impact; Jaune, in blaming Ruby for the paper village's destruction, points out the Jabberwalker's attack was because "Neo... hates... you", and Ruby brushes off Blake's reassurance seconds later with a "Shut... up.", subsequently leaving her friends behind.
- Rage Breaking Point: After panicking during the battle with the Jabberwalkers and being asked by Weiss to encourage Jaune in the aftermath, Ruby snaps at her friends for prioritizing other things over her own issues. She targets Weiss' concern about reliable guides, Blake and Yang finding happiness with each other, and Jaune for "mourning make-believe friends". The latter accusation causes Jaune to snap in turn, calling out Ruby for causing the heroes' situation and Neo's resentment. Jaune immediately apologizes for his words, but Ruby tearfully leaves with Little.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Ruby calls out WBY for prioritizing other things instead of the Ruby-shaped elephant in the room while Jaune blames Ruby for getting them stuck in the Ever After in the first place.
- Replacement Goldfish: Jaune treats the Paper Pleasers as his friends, naming them after everyone he met over the years. They are his protectorate, Jaune acting as The Caretaker due to the many disasters they can face. However, they do not want his protection and, longing to ascend, are engineering the disasters themselves to facilitate that. It's clear that Jaune is effectively holding them hostage to desperately assuage his loneliness and guilt over his failures. The Team is clearly concerned and uncomfortable to learn this, especially when one walks up and introduces themself as Ruby. During Ruby's breakdown, she calls them his "make-believe friends".
- Right Behind Me: No sooner has Weiss voiced her opinion about Jaune's mental state does she notice that he's just walked in and heard what she said.
- Rule of Symbolism: The Paper Pleasers succeeding in breaking the literal dam and flooding their village serves as the breaking point of the metaphorical dam both Jaune and Ruby have been steadily building to control their emotional trauma when dealing with the enormity of their situation and the pressures of leadership, leading to both of them giving a cathartic but painful "The Reason You Suck" Speech to each other.
- Sarcasm Mode: After being pushed to her Rage Breaking Point, Ruby bitterly and sarcastically congratulates Blake and Yang for finally sorting their feelings out and getting together. This tone coming from the normally upbeat and caring Ruby, who isn't prone to sarcasm (and, in fact, has had some trouble detecting it), further demonstrates just how badly the trauma of the last few volumes has gotten to her.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After finally reaching her Rage Breaking Point, and her mental state being made even worse by Jaune's angry rant at her and Blake trying to calm things down, Ruby tearfully leaves her teammates and Jaune behind, only accompanied by Little.
- Secretly Selfish: Jaune serving as the Paper Pleasers' protector initially seems noble, and he justifies his refusal to let them Ascend by continuing to insist that nothing good can possibly come from reaching the Tree. Even if he sincerely believes this, he's actually motivated less by the Pleasers' best interests and more by his own desire to protect someone after viewing himself as a Failure Hero for so long. He outright admits as much once Team RWBY calls him out.
- Skewed Priorities: Jaune is glad to be reunited with Team RWBY because with them around he has someone to look after the Paper Pleasers while he searches farther in the Ever After for a way back to Remnant that isn't the Tree. The team is clearly unenthused by how obsessive his dedication is, moreso when they're informed that it's unwanted and unnecessary and it's clear Jaune is only doing it as a very unhealthy coping mechanism.
- Stepford Smiler: In describing his plan to Team RWBY, Jaune seems much more like his old self, smiling and lively, but it doesn't take long before cracks in his façade start showing, and by the end of the episode, he brokenly admits he isn't okay.
- Trauma Button: Ruby hallucinates her enemies when the Jabberwalkers attack. Jaune furiously shoves her weapon at her seconds later, causing her to flinch and drop it.
- Unreliable Expositor: A discussed example; Weiss, Blake, and Yang all wonder aloud about how accurate Jaune's beliefs about the Tree and about Lewis' fate can be, knowing Jaune didn't see what happened to Lewis and his long isolation has negatively affected his mental health. Hearing the Paper Pleasers' genuine sense of fulfillment with their purpose and desire for a new one seems to convince at least Blake that Jaune is wrong about Ascension being as good as death.
- Unwanted Rescue: Jaune's "guarding" of the Paper Pleasers turn out to be this since they just want to die and Ascend to attain a new purpose after fulfilling their old one.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Sort of. After the fight, a Walker suddenly starts contorting itself and transforms into Neo, who then makes a gun gesture at Ruby before vanishing, signifying who her target is.
- We Named the Monkey "Jack": While living with the Paper Pleasers, Jaune named them after people he knew before arriving in the Ever After, singling out ones named after Ren, Ruby, and Neptune, much to his friends' discomfort.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: A variation. It's not clear how long the Paper Pleasers have been alive, but they have renovated the entire acre and they're ready to reincarnate, but Jaune isn't letting them. They finally succeed when the Walkers attack, distracting Jaune long enough for them to break the dam and crying "We're free!" as the water comes in.
- Your Normal Is Our Taboo: In the Ever After, ascension is treated by the Afterans as rebirth, and thus a natural component of their life cycle (postponing it is unnatural, to the point of them actively making efforts to bring it about). Jaune, traumatized by assisting in Penny's suicide and his failure to keep Lewis safe, refuses to allow the Paper Pleasers under his protection to ascend, seeing it as death. A talk with a Paper Pleaser wins Weiss, Blake and Yang over to the Afteran view; in the wake of the mass ascension they attempt to console a distraught Jaune that the Paper Pleasers will be back reborn, and that it's what they wanted.
"Shut. Up. Don't... do that. Just don't."
— Ruby Rose
