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| “ | I've got a few words to say about this one. The Schnee Dust Company: bunch of self-entitled, monopolizing S-N-O-Bs who only care about making a profit, no matter how many little people they gotta step on to make it happen. | „ |
| ~ Qrow Branwen |
| “ | Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company: one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world... The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners. | „ |
| ~ Blake Belladonna explaining who Weiss Schnee is and expressing her thoughts on the company. |
| “ | The finest of them all. | „ |
| ~ The Schnee Dust Company's tagline. |
The Schnee Dust Company, sometimes abbreviated as SDC, was an organization from the American animated webseries RWBY, and its Japanese manga adaptation/prequel of the same name. They were the largest supplier of Dust (a substance used for power and weaponry) in the world of Remnant. However, under the leadership of company president Jacques Schnee and his son and heir Whitley Schnee, the company became corrupt and criminal, employing criminal labor practices and suppressing all other Dust production in Atlas so it could have a monopoly on the industry.
Following Jacques arrest, all of the workers for the company quit and abandoned the Schnee family when Salem arrived in Atlas. Following the evacuation of Atlas, the company was likely destroyed with it's HQ destroyed and it's CEO Jacques murdered by James Ironwood.
History[]
Foundation[]
After the Great War, the kingdom of Mantle (which would be later known as Atlas) was on the verge of a full-scale industrial revolution. However, during this revolution and during the preceding war, the kingdom had exhausted its natural resources. A young man named Nicholas Schnee grew up with his warrior father, where he learned combat and also worked with his father in mines. When his father died, he inherited enough money to stage an exhibition to find enough Dust to reinvigorate his falling kingdom. The exhibition was a success, and Schnee began producing Dust for not only his kingdom, but several places throughout the world. His time in combat schools allowed him to participate in each exhibition and battle the creatures of Grimm. The company's influence grew until they were the lead suppler of Dust in Remnant.
As Nicholas grew old and his health began to waver, he left his company to his son-in-law Jacques Gelé, who took the surname of Schnee over his own. He took over the company and expanded it to earn more profits, but scarified several of the noble traits associated with the Schnee name. He began Faunus-based labor forces, so unfair that they verged on slavery, as well as participated in shady business practices.
In the past when Weiss turned 10 years old, her father failed to attend, when her mother Willow Schnee decided to confront him about it, Jacques snapped and admitted to her that the only reason he married her in the first place was so he could obtain the Schnee family name, company and fortune for himself. After hearing it for herself, Willow became an alcoholic and started to remove herself from her children's lives.
At some point they came into conflict with the Faunus Adam Taurus. Adam was defeated and, as punishment was branded with a SDC brand across his right eye.
RWBY Volume 6: Adam Character Short[]
In the character short, Adam Taurus, Sienna Khan, and Ilia Amitola attack a Schnee Dust Company building in an act of terrorism and retaliation against the Faunus labor forces. They attack the guards and Atlas soldiers, overpowering all in their way.
Manga[]
In the third and fourth chapters of the manga, it is shown that heroine Weiss Schnee was raised by her family as well as members of the company to excel in everything, though she lacked recognition from her father Jacques. When Weiss says that she wants to go to Beacon Academy instead of Atlas' combat school, the Schnee company secretary sends out the Arma Gigas to fight her, saying it is a test created by her father in order to prove herself.
Weiss struggles in her battle with the Armor due to its power and constant guilt-tripping by the secretary to go to the Atlas school, on behalf of her father. Weiss manages to overpower the Armor and finally decides to leave for Beacon.
"White" Trailer[]
The "White" Trailer details and shows the fight between Weiss and the Giant Armor.
"Black" Trailer[]
Blake Belladonna and Adam Taurus hijack a black train belonging to the Schnee Dust Company, battling their way through Atlesian Knight-130s and a Spider Droid to steal a large amount of Dust. Adam plans on killing the crew members, but Blake, newly reformed, leaves him.
Volume 1[]
In "Ruby Rose", there is an advertisement for the company on the back of a magazine that Ruby is reading.
In "The Shining Beacon", Blake states how the SDC is now infamous for its "controversial labor forces and questionable business partners", much to Weiss' anger.
In "The First Step", Nora Valkyrie holds a tube of Shi-nee Toothpaste, another Schnee Dust Company product besides Dust.
In "The Stray", Weiss reveals that the SDC has been involved in a war with the White Fang, who has been attacking the company for domination of Dust and retaliation for the Faunus labor forces, causing a bad temperament from Jacques and resulting in a her having a tough childhood due to the constant exposure to violence as well as her father's rage.
In "Black and White", Blake reveals that the Faunus labor forces are still in operation. Weiss states that she understands that her father is not keeping up with the times for labor rights and Faunus treatment, and she hopes to amend that after she inherits the company.
Volume 2[]
In "Best Day Ever", a can of a soda called Ol' King Cold, a Schnee product, is used in the food fight.
In "Welcome to Beacon", there is an advertisement for the SDC on the back of a comic Jaune Arc is reading.
In "A Minor Hiccup", Weiss and the others plan to track down the evil organization that have been robbing Dust stores and wrecking havoc in the area. Weiss goes to the Cross Continental Transmit System and contacts a SDC Communications Operator, asking for information regarding recent robberies or inconsistencies that she can use to potentially use as clues. Though much of the information is sensitive, Weiss has a security clearance that allows her to access it. However, she refuses when the Operator offers to connect her with her sister Winter or her father.
Volume 4[]
In "Remembrance", General James Ironwood places an embargo on all Dust trade, including the SDC's, until he was sure that the kingdoms were not about to wage war. Jacques was very combative to this, concerned more about the company's profits than the safety of the kingdoms.
In "Punished", Jacques punishes Weiss for acting out after being angered by a snooty guest at a party. Weiss argues with him, and her father retaliates by revoking her position as heiress and passing it to her younger brother Whitley, who was planning to usurp her inheritance the whole time.
After training her Semblance, Weiss managed to escape the manor with the help of Klein Sieben. After Jacques learned about this however, he fired.Klein for helping his daughter escape.
Volume 5[]
In "Dread in the Air", Weiss' escape from Atlas is halted due to a Lancer attack, causing her airship to crash. She is found and kidnapped by Raven Branwen and her tribe, who bring her back to their camp and cage her. Vernal explains to her that they plan to ransom her back to the SDC. However, she manages to escape in a later episode.
Volume 7[]
In "Ace Operatives", Teams RWBY and JNR, along with Qrow Branwen and the Ace-Ops, are sent to an abandoned SDC mine to clear out a Geist that has been causing problems. The mine was destroyed in an accident that claimed many slave Faunus lives. Weiss looks over the destruction, and laments on how her family, particularly her father, have treated Faunus, and recalls how her father's only reaction to the tragedy was anger that the mine had been destroyed.
After the mine was taken over by the Atlas Military, Jacques arrived to question and threaten Ironwood over taking control of his property with him planning to report him to the council. However, Ironwood revealed to Jacques that he was already allowed to take it and that he didn't require the council to make a vote which angered Jacques be for she noticed Weiss had returned to Atlas. After trying to emotionally abuse Weiss using her mother's state after her departure, Jacques fails and meets Weiss' friends before leaving and telling Ironwood he would regret this when he would become a member of the council.
Later that evening, Jacques is visited by Arthur Watts who he believed was dead after managing to access the Schnee Manor himself. While telling his dilemma to Watts about how he was thinking of laying off his workers to make up for the loss of profit caused by the Dust embargo passed by Ironwood but couldn't because he needed their votes to become a member of the council. After hearing this, Watts tells Jacques his plan to help him win by rigging the election in his favor after he is forced to shut down his non-essential SDC facilities in Mantle to cause a riot in exchange for Jacques' credentials after he becomes a councilman. After hearing it, Jacques gladly accepted his offer while unaware that the whole conversation was being recorded by Willow.
After becoming a member of the council, Jacques invited Irownood and his supporters to a dinner party at his manor along with the council and Robyn Hill with his real intentions being to get Ironwood removed from power. At this point, Watts uses Jacques credentials to access Mantle's heating grid and shuts it off while starting another riot which attracts the Grimm and using his access to lock the other council members out so they can't turn it on themselves. Before Jacques can remove Ironwood from power however, Weiss gets video evidence from her mother about Jacques and Watts making a deal while presenting it to the council. After Jacques was exposed, he attempted to run away until he was caught by his daughter's Arma Gigas and she arrested him. Following this, Jacques was taken away by the Atlas Military as Mantle was being invaded.
Volume 8[]
Jacques was later placed in a cell next to Qrow Branwen, Robyn Hill and Arthur Watts after Ironwood declared martial law. While gloating how his PR team would help get him out, Jacques was unaware that all of his workers quit after he was arrested and left Whitley and Willow to fend for themselves. After hearing him, Robyn yelled at him to shut up and later witnessed Atlas soldiers using lethal force to take Watts out of his cell.
While Whitley was originally annoyed at seeing Weiss and her friends try to seek shelter at the manor, he started realizing that he treated his big sister terriblyand started to help her and her friends out by calling Klein for help. After helping Penny Polendina into the manor, the power goes out and Willow tells the group to try to get the generator on. After also realizing that they had access to the company and it's resources, Weiss and Whitley planned on using them to evacuate Mantle. After power is restored, The Hound and lesser Grimm attack the manor in search of Penny. After successfully getting access to the resources of the SDC, Whitley is safe from The Hound by his mother and later they are both saved by Weiss. After The Hound tried to kill Weiss and her friends, Whitley and Willow kill The Hound by dropping a statue of Nicholas' armor on it.
Despite their efforts, the SDC drones sent to help evacuations were destroyed by the Atlas Military as Ironwood states his threat to destroy Mantle himself if he didn't get Penny within an hour. After this, Klein, Willow and Whitley help the group out by piloting them to the vault and later evacuate to Vacuo with Weiss also considering saving her father from the kingdom's destruction. Later, Jacques talked to Ironwood about how they both lost when he was locked up as well. After Watts freed Ironwood and Jaques asked if he would help own his cell too, Ironwood agrees and killed Jacques by vaporizing his cell before leaving for the vault. Following this, Atlas was destroyed with the Schnee Dust Company's Headquarters being destroyed and it's CEO killed by Ironwood.
Membership[]
The Schnee Dust Company consists of countless miners, transporters, salesmen, security guards, secretaries, and many more. Notable members include Nicholas Schnee, the company's founder, Jacques Schnee, the former president, and Whitley Schnee, the heir.
Winter Schnee was a former member and possible heiress, but left to join up with the Atlesian Military, leaving Weiss Schnee the heiress until her the position was revoked and given to Whitley Schnee.
Klein Sieben used to be the Schnee family butler before helping Weiss escape Atlas and Jacques letting him go from his job as a result.
Despite there having been alot of members in the company, many of them were treated terribly. Examples of this include Faunus miners being forced to work in unsafe mining conditions with Ilia Amitola losing her parents in a mining accident, Adam Taurus being branded with the company logo on his face, and the Schnee family being abused by Jacques throughout their lives.
Weaponry and Abilities[]
Because of their money and ties to the Atlesian Military, the Schnee Dust Company could employ weaponized robots to serve as security and defense. Examples include the massive Spider Driod and the Atlesian Knight-130s, which were presumably upgraded to the Atlesian Knight-200s. They also bio-engineered the Giant Armor from possession-type Grimm to battle Weiss.
The SDC also had a monopoly on all Dust production, transport, and sales. All other Dust production were either underground, illegal, or both. Besides Dust, the SDC also produced several other products, such as toothpaste, soda, and Dust-based weapons.
Trivia[]
- The company slogan may be "The finest of them all", reflecting the fact that Weiss is based on the fairy tale character Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
