The Shining Beacon, Parts 1 & 2
An unforgettable team is born, even if they don't know it yet.
Written by Miles Luna (Parts 1 & 2), Monty Oum (Part 2) & Kerry Shawcross (Parts 1 & 2)
Directed by Monty Oum & Kerry Shawcross
Directed by Monty Oum & Kerry Shawcross
Yang: Ruby, come on, why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?
Ruby: But... why would I need friends if I have you?
Ruby: But... why would I need friends if I have you?
In Part 1, the airship carrying the new students arrives at Beacon Academy and Ruby faces the daunting prospect of having to meet new people and make new friends.
In Part 2, Professor Ozpin welcomes the new students to his school and Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Blake find themselves all in the same room together for the very first time.
Tropes in these episodes include:
- Art Shift: In the first part of the episode upon seeing the exotic weaponry of her fellow students Ruby suddenly turned into a hand-drawn chibi, bouncing about in enthusiasm while her CG sister Yang looked on bemusedly. And then in the second half Ruby and Yang get into a playful Catfight (complete with cat noises) which is shown as a Big Ball of Violence.
- Back Blocking: After Ruby leaves him Jaune wonders where he'll find a nice, quirky girl to talk to. Then he walks off-camera, revealing someone who turns out to be Pyrrha in front of the group of silhouette characters.
- Big Ball of Violence: When Yang starts teasing Ruby about how proud she is in her baby sister's motive for becoming a Huntress, it sparks off a play-fight that disappears in a cloud of cartoon smoke and is accompanied by animal noises. It's stopped by Weiss, who's disturbed by all the noise.
- Boring, but Practical: In a world where magic, guns, and blades intersect, Jaune uses... a plain old sword and a collapsible shield/scabbard. Ruby lampshades this, saying that it's good to have a healthy respect for the classics. Although, on the subject, the shield's special feature isn't that practical or impressive.
- Brutal Honesty: Ozpin welcomes the new students to his school with a Dare to Be Badass speech which basically begins as a "Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The Schnee Dust Company doesn't have a very good reputation, Blake describes it as being known for both its production of Dust as well as its exploited laborers and shady business practices.
- Dramatic Gun Cock: When Ruby decides to introduce Jaune to her weapon, she unfolds it without warning, stabbing the point into the ground and cocking the gun as if preparing for battle.
- Description Porn: When Ruby is proudly showing off her weapon to Jaune, his incredulous reaction to it being a scythe prompts her to boast "it's also a customisable high-impact sniper rifle". Subverted in that this doesn't produce the desired reaction; Jaune's confusion ruins the awe of the moment, so she's forced to clarify "it's also a gun".
- Early-Installment Weirdness: When Weiss confronts Ruby and Yang, they respond using "Oh, God!" and "Oh, my God" respectively. Later worldbuilding fleshes out Remnant's theology, leading to changes in how characters curse.
- Leitmotif: The second part of Weiss's rant is accompanied by part of "Mirror, Mirror". When Blake joins in seconds later, though, the music switches to the melody in "Red Like Roses" that plays at 'Black the beast descends from shadows', meaning "Red Like Roses" might be the Leitmotif of the entire team.
- Made of Explodium: Dust is extremely volatile and needs to be handled with care. When a vial of red Dust is agitated by shaking it, a simple sneeze makes it explode.
- Meaningful Echo: Both Jaune and Yang tell Ruby at different points that "strangers are friends you haven't met".
- Pepper Sneeze: From the Dust particles scattered by Weiss while lecturing her, Ruby has a massive explosive elemental Dust-empowered one which results in covering Weiss in ash.
- Shy Finger-Twiddling: Ruby awkwardly fidgets this way as Weiss is chewing her out.
- Squee: Upon seeing the assorted weaponry at Beacon, Ruby transforms into a starry-eyed chibi as she gushes excitedly over everything she can see.
- Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Ruby can only take Weiss's jerkass attitude for so long before she starts to snap back, beginning with "Well, excuse me, princess". Blake uses that as her cue to enter the conversation by commenting that Weiss is an heiress rather than a princess.
Blake: Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale.
Ruby: Well, that's why we're here! To make it better.
Ruby: Well, that's why we're here! To make it better.
