Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-158.125.243.29-20150329080244/@comment-25555436-20150419141745

No, foreshadowing is not simply introducing irrelevant characters and only making them remotely relevant much later. That's bad writing.

Foreshadowing is different. Blake's ears/ribbon wiggling, Yang talking about her mother and then later a woman appearing out of nowhere to save her life + after-credits scene, even Adam's symbol appearing while Blake was speaking about him (though in this case it's a smaller one).

In this case, you could say it's foreshadowing at Weiss having family issues...except they have already done that. Winter is mentioned just so we know "oh, Weiss has a sister", but it's going to be a long while until she actually becomes relevant to the plot.

It's not a contrived coincidence either, if you bothered to read the trope you're mentioning. The trope states things happens because of a very convenient, injustified, ocurrence which is required by the plot, that's needed to get the plot moving. As Winter's mention has nothing to do with the plot so far, is not required by the plot, nor was needed to get it moving, it's not a Contrived Coincidence.