(Author's Note: Hello there my readers, and welcome to a new one-shot of mine.
Much like my "Conversation with the Reaper" story, it'll be best for you guys to understand my opinions on the subject before reading: truth be told, I didn't like Whitley when he first appeared. I didn't like him for the same two reasons that most people (if not everyone) didn't like him.
1. He was mean to Weiss, and I liked Weiss
And 2. He reminded me of Jacques, and I didn't like Jacques
Like I said, I'm pretty certain that those who don't/didn't like Whitley did so for at least one of the above reasons. And I was the same…for a time.
I think the first part of my "changing opinion" of Whitley was a video by a YouTuber named "EruptionFang". Six years ago, he made a video titled "Is Whitley A VICTIM?! (RWBY Theory)" which discussed the idea that Whitley was just as much of a victim as his sisters and that the hatred he'd been given was perhaps unwarranted. That video was the start. A handful of fanfics, some Reddit posts, a small amount of other YouTube videos, and time for my own introspection later, and I went from a "Whitley Hater" into one of his most steadfast supporters. And, if you REALLY think about Whitley's life, that's not really a difficult task.
Everyone is so quick to justify a lot of Winter and Weiss' actions due to their upbringing but conveniently forgets that Whitley was raised in the EXACT same house by the EXACT same parents (an apathetic alcoholic and a dickish businessman). SO much sympathy is given to them, especially Weiss, but almost none to Whitley. Like I said above, my reasoning for disliking Whitley before was him being mean to a character I liked and being similar to a character I disliked (FYI, I now HATE Weiss in modern-day "RWBY", while I've become more…indifferent to Jacques at worst)…and those are really the only, somewhat, valid reasons for people not liking Whitley. The WORST he's actually done? Being kind of a dick to some people. That's NOTHING compared to Weiss.
Consider Weiss in "Volume 1": after Ruby knocked over her suitcases and sneezed that Dust, Weiss almost seems to make it her personal mission to make her an enemy. Being upset about someone making a mess of your stuff and causing an explosion near you IS understandable…but not Weiss going after Ruby as a person (implying she doesn't deserve to attend Beacon, belittling her skills, etc.). She then threw a temper tantrum when she wasn't made leader, taking her anger out on Ruby, and was even shown to be racist (referring to Sun as a "Filthy Faunus").
So…Volume 1 Weiss? Entitled, selfish, petty, cruel, and even racist. And THAT'S not even getting into what Weiss did in later volumes (nearly killing a civilian, physically attacking another civilian because he was "saying something mean", threatening her own brother, etc.). Whitley? At worst…he's a dick. That's pretty much it. Still better than Weiss at her "best", even at his worst.
This is a one-shot (a one-shot) that will detail an alternate method for how I thought Weiss and Whitley's "interaction" in Volume 8 could have gone (which. Was. Atrocious).
Hope you guys enjoy:)
"But wait…how did you know-?"
"Ah, young Whitley! I'm so glad that you rang!" Klein called out in joy, getting everyone's eyes to focus on the white-haired boy walking down the stairs (with Weiss' face taking on an expression of complete and utter confusion), "May I please see the patient? I understand it's urgent."
"Yes," Whitley responded as he pointed upstairs, "She's in Weiss' room. Just go up the-."
"I haven't been gone that long, Master Whitley," Klein interrupted, one eyebrow raised, "I believe I can find it." When Klein walked past Whitley, he gave the young teen a comforting pat on the shoulder. Despite…everything, Whitley couldn't help but let a small smile grace his face at the gesture.
Whitley was pulled out of his thoughts by his sister's voice, "You…called Klein?"
"That girl needs a doctor. I didn't do it for you," Whitley quickly (and bluntly) replied, looking away from sister.
"I know," Weiss' confused/suspicious expression slowly bled into a smile, "That's why it means so much to me." Whitley looked up in confusion at both his sister's words and smile. Before he could question, however…Weiss suddenly sped forward (causing Whitley to flinch) and threw her arms around her brother.
Ruby smiled at her teammate bonding with her brother, hearing about it (in small bits) from Weiss in the past and happy to see their relationship. Even Blake and May, both of whom didn't much care for the Schnee son, would be lying if they were to say that they felt NOTHING positive at the hug they were witnessing.
"GET OFF OF ME!" Whitley howled like a banshee (causing Blake to cover her ears at the sudden loud noise), pulling away and slapping at Weiss ferociously. The sudden shout and movement caused Weiss to release her brother in shock at his reaction.
The two siblings stared at one another; one in shock (Weiss) and the other in rage (Whitley).
"W-Whitley-?"
"I TOLD you, Weiss," the young heir all but snarled as he straightened out his clothes, "I didn't. Do this. For you. And I didn't do it because she's YOUR friend. That girl needed a doctor, or I doubt she would have survived the night. I called Klein to prevent that. As horrible as I'm sure you think I am, I'm not going to just sit back and do nothing while someone else dies." He set his hands behind his back and glared at Weiss with such intensity that she actually took a step back, "And my doing this doesn't change OUR relationship in the slightest. If you believe otherwise…then you're even more foolish than I thought." With that, Whitley promptly spun around and marched up the stairs (his footsteps echoing through the manor's newfound silence).
"Geez, what crawled up his ass and died?" May scoffed, crossing her arms, but no one paid attention to her. Ruby and Blake looked toward their friend in concern, who simply…stared ahead. Weiss didn't react as Blake put a hand on her shoulder or even as Ruby hugged her.
Weiss was just…silent. Unmoving. Like a statue.
(Later)
For some reason, Weiss felt hesitant as she stood in front of the door to her father's study (after already failing to find Whitley in his bedroom, she knew that this was the only place he could be). She'd felt that emotion standing in front of this door before, but never did she imagine that the source would be her little brother.
"Come on, Weiss," the young girl ran a hand through her hair as she whispered to herself. After another moment to "steady" herself, Weiss opened the door…and saw her brother sitting in their father's chair, currently facing away from the door (and her), "Whitley…can we talk?"
She heard a bitter chuckle from the chair, "Your early threat made it clear that I can't stop you from doing whatever you want to." Weiss' eyes widened at the sudden comeback, looking as if her brother had just struck her.
"What?! I've never threatened you!"
"Really?" Whitley turned around in the chair, looking toward his sister with a raised eyebrow, "So pointing Myrtenaster in my face was…what? An opportunity for me to examine the craftsmanship?" Weiss opened her mouth to respond…but no sound would come out.
That was how it looked, wasn't it?
"Look Whitley, I'm…that's not what I meant to do. We were in a rush and we needed to get Nora somewhere safe, a-and I just…wasn't really thinking at the time."
Whitley chuckled, "Bet that's not a sentence you've said often."
Weiss' eyes narrowed, "I'm trying to apologize here."
"Then say you're sorry," Whitley immediately shot back as he stood from their father's chair (an action which caused Weiss to flinch).
"W-What?"
"You come in here talking about what you meant to do and what you didn't mean to do…but you haven't," he moved from behind the desk, "Said," he stepped in front of his sister, leaning his face close to hers, "Sorry." Before Weiss could reply, Whitley pulled back, "But you can't. Not really, anyway…because you wouldn't even know what you're apologizing for. After all, how could you when you're just. So. Perfect?" Whitley all but snarled as he turned his back to his sister.
Now, it was Weiss' turn to glare, "Excuse me?!"
"Oh come on, dear sister, we both know that I could NEVER hold a candle to someone like you. Your God's gift to Remnant while I'm just some insignificant gnat…right? Seems to be the only reason that I can think of to explain how you can behave the way you do to me without even a batted eye."
"Oh, do NOT stand there and act like some "poor victim". I don't know what your problem is with me is, but-," she was interrupted by Whitley's sudden laugh.
"Oh, you don't know? What am I saying? Of COURSE you don't! You knowing what my "problem" is would require you to actually care about me! And we both know that's not true." This time, Whitley's words all but slapped the anger out of Weiss…leaving only shock in its place.
"W-What?! What are you talking about?! Of COURSE I care about you! You're my BROTHER!"
Whitley chuckled (though there was no humor in his tone), "Really? I AM? Forgive me for being confused…what with you making it clear that you don't have the SLIGHTEST care for me or anything I do."
"T-That's not true."
"Isn't it, though? Let's face facts: the last time that you MAY have been interested in me would have been when I was younger (since I'm sure that even you would like infants and toddlers). I was about…what? Six or seven when you lost interest in me? Six or seven when you pushed me away, always having excuses for why we couldn't spend time together and lashing out whenever I tried to get close?"
"T-That's not-," Weiss started to argue…but stopped. That IS what happened, wasn't it?
Weiss' tenth birthday was one of the worst days of her life. Before that day, Weiss had always believed that her family was a…(relatively) happy one. Yes, her father could be a cold and demanding man…and yes her parents fought a bit more than what may have been "normal" for other households. But Weiss TRULY believed that her family was happy…and that they all loved each other.
Until that birthday. Where her parents got into a fight FAR worse than any before (one whose reasoning Weiss still didn't know). Where her father said that the only reason he married her mother was for the wealth and power he could acquire by being the husband of the heiress of the SDC.
Weiss's ENTIRE life was never the same from that day forward. Her father went from a difficult man with a hidden soft side to a man who felt like he was always either emotionless to everything or demonstrating a wave of truly terrifying anger (as if he could actually hurt you). Her mother went from a smothering but compassionate woman to a drunken shell of a person who could no longer be bothered to involve herself in her children's lives. Even her sister wasn't immune to change, becoming less lively and more serious from that point forward (no doubt feeling like she had to mature quickly in the place of their distancing parents). Weiss herself soon realized how she needed to…"adapt" to these new circumstances. She properly learned how to navigate the waters of her house, accomplishing what she wanted to while avoiding confrontation as best she could. It was FAR from a perfect life, but it was at least once that she understood.
But then…what about Whitley? She never gave much thought to her brother. He was always just kind of …there. In the background. And many of their interactions from that day forward were less than "ideal". He'd insult and snark at her and she'd do the same back, or it'd be the other way around. That was the extent of their relationship for years and, all that time, Weiss only ever thought that her brother was nothing more than a brat. Another basic member of Atlas' upper class. A miniature version of their cruel father.
No matter what happens, Weiss, the young woman heard her mother's voice in her head, Please don't forget about your brother.
She heard herself respond, Whitley wants nothing to do with me.
Of course not. You left him alone…with us.
At the time, Weiss didn't understand what her mother was talking about. Don't forget about her brother? What did she mean? She certainly wouldn't stay at the manor when all was said and done, and it wasn't like Whitley wanted to be around her anyway. Truth be told, Weiss put her mother's words to the back of her mind almost immediately (focusing on the camera footage of her father and Arthur Watts).
Now…it was like that event was flashing through every corner of her mind at light speeds.
"W-Whitley, I-," Weiss bit down on her bottom lip, "I didn't-."
"Didn't what?" Whitley interrupted, hands now behind his back, "Is this the part where you say that you didn't mean to leave me behind? Didn't mean to keep me out of your life? Or, maybe this is the part where you turn it around on me and make the WHOLE thing out to be my fault? Because the great Weiss Schnee is always correct in her actions…right?"
"That's NOT what I'm trying to say!" Weiss cried out, pulling at her hair.
"But it's what you think, isn't it?" Now…now Weiss was angry.
"Will you STOP acting as if you know me better than I do?! Maybe the reason that I always kept my distance is because of how arrogant you acted?! Because you were no better than that cruel man we call a father?! Maybe I would have been a better sister to you had you been a BETTER PERSON!" Whitley's smug annoyance was stripped from his face instantly by Weiss' words; the young boy actually taking a step back. It took Weiss only a moment to comprehend what she had said, covering her mouth in horror at her own words.
Jacques' study was silent as the two siblings stared at one another… until a chuckle slipped from Whitley's lips. Weiss looked on in confusion as her brother began laughing outright, holding a hand over his mouth as he placed his other hand on a nearby chair.
"That's always what it comes back to, isn't it? Our father. You hate him SO much that of COURSE you'd hate me for being like him. I bet that it was SO easy for you to tell yourself: that if I could be as horrible as Father, then SURELY I'd deserve however you treat me." Whitley then took a step forward and Weiss, gripped by a sudden irrational sense of fear, took a step back, "But…would you like to know the truth, dear sister? WHY I'm so similar to our father, and why I admire him so much?" Weiss's back hit the door, with Whitley's face being only a few inches away from her own, "Beyond his intellect, his adaptability, or the simple fact that he's my FATHER…it's because he's the only person in this sad excuse of a family who actually cares about me."
"T-That's not true!"
"Oh please!" Whitley stepped back into the middle of the study, "Mother?!" He chuckled, "We both know that all of Remnant could be set ablaze…and she wouldn't care, as long as she has enough alcohol. You and Winter? You two joined together when you noticed that the dynamics of this house were shifting. You looked out for one another, protecting each other and bringing joy whenever and however you could…but you forgot about me. Or perhaps you just never cared from the beginning," the rage in Whitley's voice seemed to fade in an instant, leaving only exhaustion in its place.
"Whitley-," tears were beginning to form in Weiss's eyes, "-that's not true," she moved to place a hand on his shoulder…
"ISN'T IT?!" Whitley promptly slapped her hand away, "Don't you DARE lie to me, Weiss! Before this day, you never even PRETENDED to give the slightest concern about me! You sped out of here as soon as you could and never looked back!"
"I HAD to!" Weiss yelled back, "I couldn't stay here! Between mother's apathy and father's behavior, how could I stay here? This household isn't just difficult; it's…hostile! It's toxic!"
"And you think I don't KNOW THAT?!" Whitley practically snarled back, silencing his sister, "Do you ACTUALLY think that I'm so BLIND?! That I don't KNOW what's wrong with this family?!" Whitley then took a step back, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, "Ever since we were children, you've always thought that you're the only one who's had it hard. That you're the only one who can recognize these problems…or the only one who wanted to leave." Although the end of his sentence was muttered, Weiss still heard it.
"I-."
"Do you want to hear something really sad?" Whitley interrupted, looking so…defeated (and like he had aged decades in a single moment), "When Father brought you back from Beacon those months ago, I actually thought that…that maybe you and I could become close again. With Winter off in the military, I thought that maybe…maybe it wasn't impossible for us to be like the two of you were." Whitley then gave a humorless chuckle, "But that was just a pathetic dream of a stupid boy. You locked yourself in your room for that first week, only allowing Klein to even come close to you. And when you did leave your room, you always acted so…annoyed when I tried to speak to you. As if you were offended that I was even in your presence (1)!" Just then, Whitley spun around on his heel, "Why am I even bothering? I can already tell where this is going to go. You're going to come up with no less than a dozen different reasons as to why I'M the one at fault and how YOU'RE completely innocent." Whitley all but collapsed into Jacques' chair, turning away from his sister. Weiss opened her mouth to speak…only to close it, uncertain of her next words.
"Whitley, I…I'm sorry. I didn't…I didn't know this was how you felt. I guess…you've always seemed like you've had everything so well put together. So…certain. You hid your feelings so well that I guess I didn't really see a scenario where you felt like this. If I had known, OF COURSE would have done something! You're my brother, Whitley…I care about you. No matter what happens, or how much we fight, I DO care about you." The room was left in silence after Weiss' words. For a moment, the Huntress was uncertain if Whitley would respond. But then-
"There was one critical error in your words, Weiss," was Whitley's short, simple response.
Despite her building dread, Weiss asked, "W-What do you mean?"
Whitley slowly turned in the chair, glaring with his piercing blue eyes (which were reminding her all too much of Jacques), "You and I share blood…but that is where our connection ends." Whitley slammed his palms against the desk as he stood, "You…are NOT my sister." Whitley's glare didn't waver even as Weiss's eyes widened to the point where it looked like they were about to pop out of her skull. "Get. Out." When Weiss didn't move, he slammed his palms on the desk again, "NOW!"
Truth be told, Weiss didn't remember walking out of that room (or, more accurately, stumbling out as she barely kept herself on her feet). All she remembered…was collapsing against the study's door, crying against her knees as she felt a pain deep within her that she never had before.
(So consumed was she by her own pain and sadness…that she was left ignorant to the crying that came from inside of the room)
(Author's Note: Annnnnnnnnnd scene!
(1): This always bugged me about their first interaction. Weiss' tone and that eye-roll?! Let's just say that Weiss would have had a major problem if she spoke to ME like that. Do you have any idea how disrespectful that is?!
-Anyway…that's it.
You may be wondering…why did I write this story? What was the point? Well…I will tell you!
How Whitley was treated in Volume 8 was horrible. Plain and simple. For starters, let's start with how Weiss greets her brother by threatening his life! And before ANY of you try to claim that Weiss somehow "didn't threaten her brother", yes. Yes, she did. She POINTED a SWORD at his throat! That's a threat where I come from. And the TRULY concerning element of this? Allow me to answer that question with another one: what about that scene would have been different had Weiss simply rolled her eyes and walked right past Whitley?
The correct answer? NOTHING! He has no weapon, no powers, nor even anyone to fight for him. And there's no WAY that Whitley is stupid enough to try to physically remove Weiss and the others (all of whom are actual Huntresses). And Weiss KNEW all of this! She had to! That means that she didn't threaten Whitley because "she had to because of Nora" (who wasn't exactly dying anytime soon)…she threatened Whitley because she CHOSE to. Because she WANTED to. As someone who was raised with the statement that there is NOTHING in this world that's more important than family, that's truly infuriating.
And it's (somehow) even worse from an out-of-universe perspective. From what I've seen, CRWBY apparently finds it funny how Weiss threatens Whitley (some shit about "the last Schnee who cares about image"). Last me restate that: CRWBY. Thinks that it's funny. For one of their protagonists (someone we're supposed to like). To threaten the life of their fourteen-year-old (DEFENSELESS) little brother! I don't know about the rest of you, but to me? I'm not exaggerating at all when I say that is truly haunting.
My issue with Whitley in Volume 8 is connected to a larger problem with him. The narrative treats Whitley as if he's in the wrong. As if he's the problem and he needs to "redeem" himself. There are many characters in RWBY who I think get too much hatred from both the narrative and even the fans (Ozpin, Ironwood, Raven, etc.). But in most instances, these characters have normally done something (anything) to warrant a negative feeling. Whitley? Like I said above, the WORST you can accuse him of is being a dick. That's it. Even at Weiss' best, she's still worse than him.
"But Tiger" I can hear you say, "What about Volume 4? Whitley caused Weiss to lose her status as heiress. How could you ignore that?". I ignore that because it's not true. Weiss didn't lose her status as heiress because of anything Whitley, or anyone, did…she lost it because of HER actions.
Let me explain: during Jacques' party in Volume 4, one of the Atlesian elites states that the Fall of Beacon was Vale's own fault for choosing not to have an army of their own. Weiss, of course, gets angry and then loses control of her powers and summons a Boarbatusk avatar. The avatar charges at the woman and leaps for the kill…only for Ironwood to take it out with one shot. Here's another question: what would have happened had Ironwood left the party earlier? Or simply hadn't been present at all?
…
…
The correct answer? That avatar would have killed that woman, her husband, and MULTIPLE others before there'd be ANY chance of stopping it (especially because Weiss was the only other fighter present, but she didn't have her weapon, couldn't fight hand-to-hand, and there's no WAY she had enough control over her Semblance to simply "will" the avatar out of existence). Weiss didn't have self-control and would have literally had buckets of civilian blood on her hands were it not for Ironwood. And before ANY of you say ANYTHING, I'm not defending that woman. What she said was INCREDIBLY fucked up. The Fall of Beacon was one of the worst events in modern Remnant, and likely had a death toll in the triplet digits. Saying that the kingdom "deserved it" because of their own "arrogance" is DISGUSTING. Borderline evil…but it still doesn't give Weiss the right to MURDER HER!
Weiss' "lashing out", combined with telling her father that she didn't even want to be in Atlas at all, is what caused her to lose her heiress title. She lost her title because of no one's actions but HERS.
And…honestly? I think that Jacques made the right choice in taking the "Heir Status" from Weiss and giving it to Whitley. Let's think about this logically for a few minutes: what does Weiss even know about running the SDC? I know nothing about running a company (hell, I'm working as a Dominoes' delivery driver as of the time of writing this:/), but it feels like common sense that it would take weeks if not months for somebody to be properly trained to (successfully) be the head of a company. And the SDC is the largest and most powerful company on Remnant, as well as dealing in the planet's most valuable natural resource. It would no doubt take Weiss YEARS to learn everything she would need to know to even be a decent CEO (though, personally, I feel like Jacques would want his heir to bring the company to even greater heights than he did).
Time that I don't think she's used.
Winter is obviously a big reason for Weiss wanting to be a Huntress. I haven't been able to find anything on how old Winter is exactly. She's obviously at least four years older than Weiss (since she had already graduated from Atlas even before Weiss began at Beacon), but all I know is that she's SOMEWHERE in her twenties. I also don't know how long she's been part of the military, since she's clearly high-ranking but could have been "scouted" by Ironwood during her Academy days for her capabilities and given an automatic rank (which I THINK can happen in real life, but I'm not connected to any armed forces in any way so don't quote me on that). I'm almost 100% positive that Winter is AT LEAST four years older than Weiss, but I also think that she's no more than six years older than her sister (since I feel like she was present during Weiss' 10th birthday before Atlas). Winter starting her Huntress training is no doubt when Weiss would become "interested" in becoming a Huntress herself. I would wager that the OLDEST that Weiss could have been when she started training was thirteen. Four years of Huntress training, and zero of learning how to be a CEO.
What's the point of all of this? To point out that it's incredibly unlikely (if not all but impossible) that Weiss spent any time actually learning how to run the SDC. Despite what the show tries to tell us about Weiss being what's "best" for the SDC, she literally CAN'T be both its CEO and a Huntress. Both are jobs that require 100% of Weiss' time, attention, and effort. She has to either choose to be good at one or subpar at both. Being a subpar Huntress could result in Weiss getting herself or innocents hurt or even killed while being a subpar CEO would have drastic consequences throughout the entirety of Remnant (as, like I said, the SDC is likely the most influential company on the planet).
Frankly, Weiss would be a horrible CEO anyway. For starters, we've seen multiple instances in which she either can't or refuses to control her anger (threatening civilian lives, straight-up attacking them, and even putting them in scenarios where they'd definitely die). And then, Weiss shares this "My Way Or The High Way" attitude like the rest of her team. She believes that she's always right and refuses to back down or compromise. That attitude is horrible to have in regular life, let alone in the running of an international company.
(The reason for me saying ALLLLLLLLLL of this? To try and address all of the possible arguments people might make regarding this story)
So…yeah. That was my story. Whitley is one of my favorite characters in the show and I HATED how he got treated in the show…and this was my attempt at rectifying that. Whitley is in a weird position where the narrative clearly WANTS us to be against him (or, at the very least, support Weiss over him)…but doesn't really give us a reason to. Both Weiss and the narrative itself treat him as if he's no better than Jacques (who is ALSO treated like a scumbag), but he really hasn't done anything to warrant that.
(They did the same thing with Ironwood: throughout Volume 7, the man is treated as if he can't be trusted…and yet nearly EVERY "morally questionable" action that he takes had a perfectly understandable/justifiable reason behind it/)
Yep. No "happy ending" here. It's just not possible right now. Weiss and Whitley's relationship is so messy and complicated that there's NO WAY that it could be fixed in a single conversation. Also, you may have noticed the inherent flaws of each of the siblings in the conversation. In Weiss' case, I feel she's unable to give (what I call) a "complete and unattached apology". As in, an apology without any explanations or excuses/justifications. Just acknowledging that you're wrong and saying "I'm Sorry" (think Maui's apology to Te-Fiti at the end of "Moana"). Because of how prideful and arrogant Weiss can be, I'm positive that it would be difficult for her to give an apology like that to even her closest friends (let alone someone like Whitley, who she clearly doesn't like).
And Whitley's "issue"? Mistrust. At this point in time, he would believe that Weiss would only apologize if she wanted something from him or because she knew what she did was bad and was only apologizing because she felt like she had to (as opposed to actually being sorry). Even if Weiss were to give a "complete and unattached apology", Whitley currently isn't in the mindset to believe that.
One thing I want to make clear is that this story is a ONE-SHOT! I want to clarify that because the last time I wrote a story like this (aka "Rage of a Farmboy"), the reviews leaving all kinds of suggestions gave me ideas to try and continue it beyond what I WANTED it to be. But this is only a one-shot; no continuation whatsoever. Beyond getting something out while I work on larger stories, I also wanted some practice with writing Whitley's character (which I literally haven't done in more than three and a half years by this point) for a future project rolling around in my head…which I will NOT reveal here.
Feel free to tell me about your own opinions on Whitley, Weiss, and the Schnee family mess. Just be respectful. There's no reason we all can't be civil with one another.
Constructive criticism ONLY…no flames, please.
Review, Favorite, Follow, and I'll see you guys in the next story:)
