#Salem (RWBY)

[eviltomb]

[maxiemumdamage]

I feel like the Grimm that were clearly Salem’s creations, rather than the Brother’s, are the most horrific and the most human in their horror.

Like, Beowolves, Ursai, Nevermores, those are just. Animals with some armor and a palette swap. Scary if they get in your face and try to maul you, but I don’t think they really linger in your mind unless they did something. At least as a viewer, I didn’t have much of a reaction to them.

On the other hand…The Chill? The Apathy? The Hound? The idea of being trapped in your own body, made helpless and maybe even being puppeted about to harm others is horrifying. Even the Seer Grimm is kind of haunting to me, just because of its proportions and tentacles and the idea it could watch you and listen to you for as long as it likes before attacking.

In some ways, the Grimm invented by Salem show how twisted she’s become…but they also show how she’s still in touch with her humanity. Still remembers being stripped of freedom and bodily autonomy and your very self as being one of the worst possible pains.

It’s almost poetic, how much humanity shows up in her most monstrous creations.

[screaming-sparrow]

can you tell who my favorite rwby character is yet?

[coinjarred]

[howi99]

A knight second chance 17

Salem: *gritting her teeth* Damn it! Cinder has been compromised and everything we have planned is going down the drain!

Watts: *biting his thumb* We should have eliminated him while we had a chance. *Pensive* (This isn't the first time he has been able to thwart our plans, and he doesn't even work with Ozpin, from what i gathered-)

Salem: *throwing her throne to the other side of the room* HOW DID HE KNOW ABOUT THE PARASYTE!? IT DOESN'T EVEN SHOW ON ANY TEST!!!

Watts: ... *Frown* Wait, how did he know that? The only explanation would be that we have a maule who told him, but Cinder never interacted with him and neither of her little "friends" knew about it.

Salem: *enraged, staring at the scientist* DID YOU TELL HIM!?

Watts: *Rolling his eyes* Please, as if i'd be dumb enough to betray you while still residing in Evernight. *Shake his head* Beside, if i really wanted to screw up the plan, i would have leaked her information to Atlas. *Shrug* They are still looking for her after all.

Salem: *taking another chair, sitting on it in a less dignified manner* GREAT! That's just GREAT! *Rub her eyes* Lionheart has been arrested, Cinder has turned on us and there's a kid in Beacon who can see the future, apparently. *Sigh* This decade isn't starting well at all. *Pensive* I need another plan, but what?

Tyrian: *Chuckle* My queen, might i suggest an idea?

Salem: *sigh* What is it, Callow?

Tyrian: *smiling* That young man, Jaune Arc... Why not capture him? He seems overly informed of both our activities and Ozpin's.

Salem: ... Go on?

Tyrian: We might have lost the elements of surprise for the terrorist attack, but we could still use the White Fang to our advantage. *Giggle* They are beasts, but so am I; I shall ask them to capture this young man and bring him back to us.

Salem: And then what?

Tyrian: *smirk* Isn't it obvious? A little bit of torture should make him talk, no? I've been DYING to play and he seems like the perfect candidate!

Salem: Hm... This is an interesting idea. And in the off-chance he doesn't have anything to say, the satisfaction of making him suffer shall suffice me... For now.

Watts: *thinking to himself* (Maybe i should jump ship while i still can. These two are complete psychopaths... I mean, worse than i.)

_ meanwhile _

Jaune: *shiver* Brrrrh

Cinder: *frowning* Could have warmed you up if i still had my powers.

Jaune: *sigh* You were a lot more amiable when you were about to die.

Cinder: *sarcastically* Oh, so sorry! Maybe the man from another dimension needs a hug?

Jaune: I wouldn't say no to one.

Cinder: *slight blush* Uh!?

Jaune: ... I didn't mean from you, Cinder.

Cinder: Oh, r-right...

Jaune: ... *Questioning look* Do YOU want a hug?

Cinder: *flustered* N-NO!!

[onceuponalegendbg-rwby]

Cinder V3x07: I already told you. And I hate repeating myself.

Salem V8x04: I like to think I’ve shown a great deal of patience over my many years walking Remnant, but I do hate repeating myself.

…

No point, I just thought this was interesting.

[sarelcon]

Frothing at the mouth because I just got back my Salem pics that I got with the incredible Adoyible (Molly Doyle) while at Cosplay America. These are gorgeous and vaguely unsettling, which is perfect.

Also got detail pics too which highlight the beading and of course my beloved Orb Son 🥰.

Edit: since this has blown up a bit, I would like to add the hilarious context that we shot in a hotel lobby right next to the breakfast bar at 8 in the morning. People were just eating eggs and meanwhile there was an eldritch horror in the corner. I also immediately went for coffee directly after the shoot, still in full cosplay. The folks there for a church retreat were VERY bamboozled.

Also, that first photo is barely edited at all. The background was a digital screen off to one side of the dining area. The moment it changed to abstract smoke, we were booking it across the lobby to be able to get a photo with that as our background before the screen changed again. Adoyible shoots with prisms and friends that hold lights so very little of the visual effects are edited in post. She is incredible as a photographer

[one-real-wrimonkey]

Ozpin: Qrow, my boy…

Qrow: I’m a grown adult?

.

Salem: you think you can stop me, child?

Qrow: I’m 44!

.

Yang: sup old man

Qrow: that’s not better

[ruins-of-tragedy]

The ZZZZs and I are not meant to be tonight.

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Salem: *Implants happy memories of her singing softly and making cookies for him and his sisters into Jaune's mind*

Jaune: *watching Ruby bake cookies for his children*

Jaune: *listening to Weiss sing softly*

Jaune: *softly* what the fuck????

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

Ruby: Hey Dad, i just found this fiddle out in the shed. Do you now who's it is?

Tai: I certainly should, considering it's mine!

Ruby: Wait, You play the fiddle?

Tai: I played a lot of instruments, but the fiddle was always one of my favorites. Hell, it even got us the money to build the house!

Ruby: Really?

Tai: Yeah! You see, there was a Witch that came down to vale, looking for a soul to steal; She was way behind, caught in a bind, and hopin' to make a deal ...

~~~~~

Cinder: That's why you can't go to Vale? You lost a competition you were Judging?

Salem: ... You weren't there and it happened REALLY FAST-

[shana340artblog]

Place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away

[maxiemumdamage]

So, I've been thinking about Salem, or more specifically how she uses each of her followers/what tasks they're meant to fulfill.

Cinder is the Maiden and key to the relics, as well as a field tactician organizing the destruction of the Academies and Kingdoms. Watts is the Tech Guy, responsible for understanding/coopting their enemies' resources and bolstering their own — he built Tyrian's tail, and depending on the timeline is probably the one that made Mercury's legs too. Hazel is an interesting in-between of enforcer and diplomat, both the carrot and the stick for keeping pawns in line and (relatively) loyal. Tyrian...

...is just another enforcer on the surface, but I feel like his purpose is probably a bit more complex than just "bounty hunter." Because if it were, what was he doing while Cinder was chasing down Amber? We see in the little bits of dialogue that she and Emerald (and Mercury) tracked down the Fall Maiden themselves, pretending to be her friend to gather information from towns she was in. Maybe Tyrian first narrowed down the location, but doesn't feel likely, if only because a famous serial killer's presence would make a Maiden flee and go to ground.

Tyrian was hunting Spring, but only while Cinder was incapacitated. And had he found her, what was the plan? He can't claim the powers himself. Given he was sent after Ruby without any concerns raised that kidnapping someone/bringing them in alive was outside of his skillset, maybe that was his job? Not just an enforcer, but someone who dragged people Salem needed into Evernight. Maybe Tyrian was even the one who dragged Leonardo Lionheart to Salem.

In some ways, it makes sense — Tyrian Callows was publicly known as a serial killer even before meeting Salem, so he can be seen and commit semi-public atrocities and no one will suspect a wider conspiracy. In that sense, he probably had a lot more to do before Salem started moving so openly.

However, to circle back to that point, about Amber and the Spring Maiden? That suggests Salem has every confidence Tyrian either won't be seen if he doesn't want to be, or that he could throw down with a Maiden and win. Either in the sense that he'd get away scot-free, or — and this almost scares me more — Salem has confidence that Tyrian could take a Maiden and bring her in alive.

Which makes sense. He only needs two good hits — one to take out a person's aura with his semblance, and one to then poison them. It'd actually be both of the situations I outlined: he'd attack the Maiden, poison her, then escape and watch from a distance until the poison kicks in and he can easily kidnap her.

...Tyrian was already pretty terrifying, but like, fuck. We should be glad Salem ended up short-handed and had to make Tyrian and Watts sub in for Cinder come the Atlas invasion, because Tyrian doing the job he's actually equipped for is almost scarier.

[purrgiri]

How people think ozma is going to react Jaune x salem:

Ozma:*crying watching jaune and salem make out while cinder and mercury strap oscar body in the cuck chair*

How he would actually react:

Ozma:.... Mr arc you are aware of what happened to the last man who slept with that right?

Jaune:i don't care i just have to do better then you can't be that hard

Salem:oh don't be such a sore loser now oz I'll finally stop attacking your precious humanity to spend time with my new husband i figured you'd be pleased

Ozma:.... I see *starts to tear up* give me a moment

Walks into a nearby closet where it's quite for a few seconds before triumphant music starts blasting and oz yells

Ozma:WOOOOOOO FINALLY IM FREEEEE SHE MOVED ON AT LAST THIS CRAZY BITCH WILL FINALLY STOP RUINING MY LIFE YESSSSS!!!

Oz walks back out the closet now recomposed

Ozma:very well then congratulations mr arc i pray you have better fortune then i have expect a wedding present but let salem open it I'll probably lace it with a deadly chemical weapon now if you excuse me i will now "speedrun" as you kids say human and faunus unity and beat my previous record i think I'll aim for five years instead of 10 this time now where is miss belladonna? We need to talk

He leaves to go find blake

Salem:well he took it better then i thought

Jaune:he threatened to attack our wedding with a chemical weapon!?

Salem:yes he knows im immune to poisons that's why he normally uses bombs must be in a good mood or he likes you more then i thought

[coinjarred]

Errrmmm some colored sketches I made a while back based of another one of iheartmothz’s posts abt dgahb!!

I realize that I’ve never drawn Jaune before that point, I need to draw the silly goober more :33

[howi99]

Salem meet the Rusted Knight

Salem: *looking down at the pathetic man who dared enter her domain* Look at you, so pitiful, so... Weak. *Slowly walk to him, her eyes full of murderous intent* Why did you choose to die here, instead of with your friends?

RK: *trying to get up, but only managing to kneel before her* Salem...*His breath made a metallic sound, his helmet making him hard to understand*

Salem: *annoyed* Tsk, at least show me your face, if you are to die at my feet! *She uses her magic to remove the helmet* Now, what do... You...

RK: *looking at her defiantly, his eyes showing no fear* I might have failed to defeat you, but i gave my friends enough time to get away.

Salem: ... *turning her back with a bright blush* O-oh god, he's totally my type! His rugged beard, his silky soft hair... *Panicking* I-i can't kill him! *Look behind her, (Salem vision) seeing the perfect description of a noble knight and quickly turning her face back* AAAAH!

RK: ... *Coughing* Salem?

Salem: ... *Turning back to him, clearing her throat* C-congratulations, sir knight, you have won.

RK: ... *Blinking* W-what?

Salem: *shuffle* I-i won't destroy Remnant... B-but only if you stay with me!

RK: ... Excuse me, WHAT!?

___________________________________________

RK: *looking at the ceiling of the room* ... I can't believe the queen of grimm was my first time.

Salem: *snuggling with him* And how good for a first timer you were~. 47 hours, *chuckle* Ozma could never have done that in any of his incarnations~.

RK: So... You can use magic for contraception or?

Salem: What's... Contraception?

RK: ... Oh boy.