On behalf of all residents in the Valpo Region, we'd like to wish Salem West a very Happy Birthday ! A heart as beautiful as the voice who owns it, the Valpo region is better with you as a resident. Your talented and whimsical mind has brought joy and comfort to multiple residents with us. We're all waiting on the edge of our seats to see what you're going to drop next, and we know the Valpo region will be your number one streamers. The unwavering support you show to your friends, to the point of willing to rewrite history for them is admirable. We hope you feel as loved here as you make those you cherish feel, and we can't wait to ring in your 30s with you next year. While you're in LA we wanted to send a care package of all our favorite Chilean snacks to remind you where your heart lives (with us) ( @cybermuses )
"i'm sure we can find you something! if it's a total bust i'll buy you lunch." salem said reassuringly with a smile. as the two strolled along the market salem nodded at the mention of the group. "i'm not sure if im ready to partake in an actual group thing it seems intimidating you know? i kind of just get really bored and i start doing stuff." dungeons and dragons was probably the most mundane thing she'd been into lately but it was better than any of the chaotic alternatives. "originally? new orleans but i pretty much grew up between there and new york. my parents could never stay still and with the tv show we traveled a lot." it was refreshing to talk to someone who didn't already know much about her. "but i know drew from new york actually. we'd randomly run into each other when our parents would drag us to industry things. seems like the nepo baby pool in valpo is a big one."
she kind of feels a twinge of guilt at the pit of her stomach at the idea of going somewhere else. if salem was enjoying it, they can stay. it's not like it's a big deal — she'll find something of interest eventually. she always does. "no, it's fine. there is some cool stuff here — and we haven't even explored the whole thing." she continues to walk, aviva's head shaking at the mention of her cousin. somehow, that's very on par the birdie, and she didn't know what else she expected. "there's a group around here – i've heard about it, but i've never been. maybe you should ask drew?" is drew the one who does it? no idea, but it seems like something he'd like. or maybe because it doesn't have a ghostface mask .. maybe not. "where are you from, again?"
PROMPTS I’D LIKE TO RECEIVE, PART 1.
⤿ headcanon memes; comfort character edition! tw: death, family, religion.
send in a symbol and i’ll answer the corresponding question about my muse!
[ 🧱 ] how would you describe your muses’ morality? what are their core values?
[ 🌎 ] are there any aus you have for your muse? what are they like, and how is your muse different in them?
[ 😱 ] does your muse have any specific fears? where did those fears come from?
[ 🤝 ] how does your muse approach intimacy? are they hesitant, or do they like it? what types of intimacy do they like and dislike? (ex. physical intimacy, sexual intimacy, emotional intimacy, etc.)
[ 👪 ] what is your muse’s relationship with their parents like? was it always this way?
[ 💍 ] does your muse have a “type” of people that they prefer to enter relationships with? is their type generally compatible with them, or does the dynamic tend to be toxic?
[ 🏆 ] is your muse multitalented? what are their hobbies, and why did they pick up these hobbies? if they don’t have hobbies, why don’t they?
[ 🐱 ] does your muse have pets? did they have pets as a child? how do they feel about animals?
[ ❌ ] is there something your muse struggles with that they might never overcome? what is it? why do they have so much trouble with it?
[ ✨ ] what aesthetics or symbols do you reference when writing your muse? are these backed up by canon, if your muse comes from a canon? is there any specific relevance to these choices?
[ 🌱 ] what themes are relevant to your muse?
[ 💀 ] has your muse gone through anything traumatic? if so, how has this trauma affected them?
[ 💛 ] how empathetic is your muse? how compassionate are they? is this something people expect from them, or are people surprised when they find out how compassionate or empathetic they actually are?
[ 👗 ] what is your muse’s fashion sense like? are they able to dress the way they want to? what would they wear in an ideal world?
[ 🔮 ] what is your muse’s relationship with religion and spirituality? were they raised in a certain religion? have they stuck with the same set of spiritual beliefs all their life, or have they changed over time? are they settled in their spirituality now?
[ 🤷♀️ ] how does your muse approach strangers? how does this compare to how they interact with close friends or lovers?
[ 🎵 ] is there a specific song or songs you associate with your muse? why is that?
[ 💸 ] if your muse had no shortage of money, what would they buy?
[ 🐺 ] does your muse like solitude? do they prefer it to being around others? how easily does your muse get lonely?
[ ⚰️ ] what are your muse’s greatest regrets? what would flash before their eyes when they’re on their deathbed?
[ 🧸 ] does your muse keep anything sentimental? if so, what do they keep and why?
[ 🙏 ] what does your muse need? this can be something material or something abstract.
[ 📚 ] what books does your muse have on their bookshelf? what books would they like to have? if your muse isn’t an avid reader, is there anything they collect or might like to collect?
[ 😍 ] does your muse believe in true love? why or why not?
[ 😇 ] what would your muse do if they became a god?
salem could understand why he was so angry but she wasn't used to him being this way towards her. it felt weird and uncomfortable and as she sipped on her water she thought about how coming over was a huge mistake. she was probably better off just hanging out at the bar. "it's not that i don't want to be with you it's just-" she paused for a moment and thought about all the things her and her therapist had talked about after ending things with leon. it was apparent she struggled with stability and romantic relationships weren't her strong suit, unfortunately leon was on the receiving end of her issues. "i'm just really fucked up. i don't know how to say it right now. my head is a mess but i don't enjoy hurting you and you've never been the problem." salem shrugged. she hated that she was drunk right now and that things weren't coming out the way she wanted them to. as he got up and grabbed a blanket from the closet she rolled her eyes. sleeping was the last thing on her mind right now. "i don't want to sleep. i just want to talk to you. stop being so mad at me and just fucking talk to me." she replied in frustration while grabbing the blanket from him and placing it next to her on the couch.
"and you know?" leon looks at her as he sits on the armrest of the couch, alluding to if she at least knows what she says to herself. what's going on. he scoffs with a sad smile as he turns his attention to his hands. black chipped nails that he'd painted for the gig that happened several days before. it's crazy. to really think about how he hoped she'd show up. "a week, huh?" leon bites at his lower lip, "what is it? do you not want to be with me? please tell me straight because i can't keep up with the headfucking, salem. i can't." the blond is head over heels in love with the woman that sits a few inches away from him. but she's been hurting him too much and if it's just because she can't break up with him for whatever reason, at least now he's giving her an opportunity to get out. before she absolutely destroys him. he sighs and runs a hand through his curls. "you should sleep." leon stands up from the couch and goes to the closet on the wall. he takes out a blanket and hands it to salem. it won't be much use with the heat of the summer upon them, but he can be nice and care for her still.
IN CHARACTER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS .
send an emoji/series of emojis for my muse to answer any of the following questions in character! for some questions, there are fields italicized and bolded for you to fill in with the name of a person/place/event/etc in the muse's life. please remember to fill in these spaces in order for the question to make sense! each emoji is described in case you can't see them, and they are listed alphabetically. ♡
✈️ AIRPLANE — have you traveled anywhere that helped you discover something about yourself and/or about the world?
😠 ANGRY FACE — how easy or difficult is it for you to express your emotions? if you find it difficult, what do you think is holding you back?
🎨 ARTIST PALETTE — what are some hobbies that you like to partake in? do you think they're just to pass time or to distract yourself, or do you believe some of them potentially have therapeutic outcomes for you?
🎈 BALLOON — what is something you've created and/or accomplished recently that you're proud of?
🖤 BLACK HEART — what would you say is the darkest thought you've ever experienced? what do you think caused you to have that thought? have you ever planned on or fantasized about acting on it?
🏹 BOW AND ARROW — if there's something from your past that you'd give anything to go back in time and redo, what is it?
💔 BROKEN HEART — is there anyone in your life you wish you had a better relationship with? if so, how come? what makes this person important to you?
🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your favorite holiday and why?
🌙 CRESCENT MOON — what would you say is your current biggest dream and/or career aspiration and why?
❌ CROSS MARK — how would your life be different if [name of person] had never been in it? would it be better or worse?
⚔️ CROSSED SWORDS — do you have any skills that you are absolutely grateful you have and that mean a lot to you? how do you usually use these skills? would they come in handy if someone you cared about was in trouble?
🔮 CRYSTAL BALL — what is a core memory from your childhood that you think defines you today?
🗡️ DAGGER — what is something or someone you know you can't afford to lose? how far are you willing to go to make sure you don't lose it/them?
💧 DROPLET — are you grieving something or someone? do you feel like you lost something or a part of yourself with it/them?
😶🌫️ FACE IN CLOUDS — is there something you're hiding from the people you love? if so, how urgent is it for them to hear it? what's holding you back from sharing it?
🍂 FALLEN LEAVES — how would you metaphorically describe your life and the journey(s) you've been on?
👻 GHOST — is there someone or something that you feel is missing from your life? do you know if there's any way to find it/them?
🩶 GRAY HEART — what kind of friend do your friends consider you to be (mom friend, uncle friend, funny friend, etc) and why? what do you think this says about your personality?
🤝 HANDSHAKE — do family or platonic relationships mean more to you? or do they mean different things to you?
❤️🔥 HEART ON FIRE — what angers you the most? what triggers this anger, and how do you cope with it? what does this anger feel like, if you had to describe it?
💋 KISS MARK — if you had to share a romantic kiss with a loved one, where would you share that kiss and why? are you thinking about giving this romantic kiss somewhere other than the other person's lips?
✝️ LATIN CROSS — are you a religious person? did you grow up religious? does your faith mean anything to you today?
🩵 LIGHT BLUE HEART — what do you fantasize about the most often (generally/sexually/etc)? are there any people that are significant to or that you can see in this fantasy and why?
⚡️ LIGHTNING BOLT — how has [significant event in muse's life] impacted you? what has it made you realize about yourself? about others? about the world?
💄 LIPSTICK — have you had any romantic or sexual experiences that made you realize something about yourself?
🪄 MAGIC WAND — would you describe yourself as a superstitious person (someone who believes in superstitions)? do you believe in luck?
❤️🩹 MENDING HEART — how strongly do you experience your emotions? does it depend on who you're interacting with and/or the context of the situation?
🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what song lyrics do you think most accurately describe you? your journey through life? who you are as a person?
🫂 PEOPLE HUGGING — generally speaking, do you feel very supported by the people in your life? how strong and cohesive is your support system, if you have one? do you often feel like you're at the front of the line or pushed to the side by the people in your life?
❤️ RED HEART — what is/are your love language(s)? how do you use it/them to communicate your feelings about others?
💞 REVOLVING HEARTS — who and/or what are you most grateful for in your life?
🎀 RIBBON BOW — how confident are you with your physical appearance? is there anything about it that you are insecure about? is there anything about it that you are happy about or gives you confidence? how do you think people perceive you based on your physical appearance?
🧪 TEST TUBE — if you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what is one thing you absolutely have to resolve and/or do before then?
🤔 THINKING FACE — what three emotions tend to dominate your mindset? do you know why they do?
💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — is there something or someone you find yourself thinking about more often than other things? if so, why do you think you do this?
💀 SKULL — how has [name of person] 's death influenced your outlook on life, if anything?
☀️ SUN — would you describe yourself as more of an introvert or extrovert, or are you somewhere in between? how come?
🪽 WING — if you could choose to have one superpower for a day, what would it be and why? what would you do with it?
✍️ WRITING HAND — what is one thing you wish you were better at? this can be a tactical skill, social skill, hobby, etc.
"it would be my proudest achievement to date actually." salem laughed before taking another sip of her coffee. she dramatically dropped her jaw as mallory spilled all the tea to her. clearly she had missed out on a lot. she loved how casual mallory was about everything. "you went on a public outing with a man? hell has to be frozen over right now." shaking her head in disbelief as she leaned back in her chair. "wait the guy was enzo? i'm sure that was interesting...but lets go back to the part where you said you actually kissed someone?" at this point her head was spinning at all the info being thrown at her. "anyone important? or at least worth writing about?" she asked curiously, mallory's love life was typically a mystery. salem playfully rolled her eyes at the others comment about being down bad, which she was. it may have been a little embarrassing but at least she could get some muse out of it right? "it's more wholesome if anything. maybe i'll start to like making music again if i'm not writing about men treating me like shit all the time anyways." she chuckled. "we should collab and make something fun. i honestly can't remember the last time we sang together which is kinda sad."
˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡. ❝ AN INSTANT HEADLINER. You'd be forever known as the only woman who got the great Mallory Jade down on her knees. You'd wear that like a badge of honor wouldn't you. ❞ She mused, a teasing smile appearing on her lips. ❝ Yeah well…there's this bowling thing Drew set up. It was a double date thing and since I don't have a partner I invited a friend. A male one. Could you believe it? He then turns out to be Luna's ex-something. Had to pry that information out from him. But God, I cannot wait for mess. Oh and someone kissed me at the festival. ❞ Mal said it all so casually as she waved a dismissive hand. ❝ Honey? ❞ Her brow quirked upon hearing the title. ❝ Interesting title. 'Taste sweet like honey', is that it? ❞ She smirked, the innuendo not lost in her words. ❝ And writing a song about this girl right away? Baby, you are down bad. ❞ Mallory felt genuinely happy for Salem, noticing a glow about her and something different in her smile. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Salem. ❝ Ooohhh, say less babe! We could totally work something out and you know it's been a while since we sang together. ❞
to say salem was surprised when rohan offered to give her a ride from the airport would be an understatement. the two weren’t exactly best friends ( and the thought that they were becoming friends made her shudder a bit ) but salem had a theory that he was trying to worm his way into getting one of those vintage guitars they spoke of. with her bags in hand she made her way to the pick up area and eyed rohan with his book in hand. “pretending to read at the airport to pick up girls is wild.” she said while approaching the other. the two didn’t really know how to have a normal conversation that didn’t invole insulting one another. salem rolled her eyes at his comment as she placed her bags down next to her. maybe taking an uber would have been a better idea. “i don’t always look judgemental, you just do a really great job at irritating me. you think your face was the first one i wanted to see after a ten hour flight?” she replied matter of factly as she made her way to the backseat window to quickly peak in at stevie who she missed terribly. “be gentle with my luggage, it costs more than your little boat by the way.” her hand gensturing towards the bags while turning back to face rohan.
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closed starter for SALEM ( @cybermuses ) location : airport ? ✈️
-ˋˏ ꒰ 🐚 ꒱ ── the sound of luggage wheels on the pavement causes rohan to look up from where he's leaning against his truck, and almost immediately he snaps the worn paperback in his hands shut, tucking it under his arm. he's not a bad person, see. rohan's world runs on favours ; he might have sworn off the idea of personal friendships, but favours ? he could argue to himself that favours were simply an investment in good will because he might need to cash them in one day── even if he had to be delusional to think that it wasn't obvious he had developed something bordering on friendship with the woman who had, if you asked him, kidnapped his cat into forced marriage. " sorry, i'm not doing charity work ; the taxis are over there, " he informs her playfully ( or, as playful as rohan can get ) gesturing her away. it's the closest to a real greeting salem is going to get, even if he was the one to offer to pick her up in the first place. " i'm waiting for someone. you might have seen her ? about this tall── " he holds his palm flat in the air in front of him, " ── curly hair, always has this look on her face like she's judging you. . . ? her cat is in my car and, much like her, has an attitude problem. "
status: open @valpostart location: el café de los gatos
“so like….hypothetically speaking if someone wanted one of these cats could they have one?” she asked the person beside her while her gaze was fixed on a larger grey tabby cat. salem being at the cat cafe wouldn’t surprise anyone ( neither would wanting to take in a random stray ) and she knew it would have to be one of the first stops she made as soon as she came back to town. as she crouched down to pet it she wondered how much her own cat would object to a sibling. she seemed to do well with “boat cat” after all. “i mean obviously i would pay for it and ask if i could have it but like can the cats leave with human if they want to?”
as salem stepped out on the balcony she was taken back by the view. the breeze from the ocean and smell of the beach had her in awe. "i can't believe you get to have this view everyday." she said in disbelief as she sat down and placed her plate on the table. the sound of leon humming to the jazz music was comforting in a way, she'd missed so many little things about him. "i've missed you so much, truly." salem blushed a bit while looking over at him. "i'm just really happy we could do this. i really miss being able to do everything with you." there was a lot she wanted to say but her nerves were starting to get the best of her again. she decided to turn her attention back to the dish and proceeded to eat a forkful. "okay, this is actually pretty good.." nodding a bit before continuing to eat, "but i think i could do without the raisins. the texture is just weird and i've never really liked them anyways."
leon chuckles at her words. he's always liked that she can drink as much as him, and party as much as him. "i'm not gonna quiz you right now, but beware because i might later," he teases back. after she's plated the food, the blond nods and they make their way to the balcony. "if you hate it, there's more for me, so it's a win-win situation," he chuckles and sits down on one of the chairs. the night is beautiful and the ocean waves crash no far from them. there's a jazz song playing in the beach restaurant across the street and leon immediately recognizes it as a duke ellington one. he softly hums as he sets his plate on the table. "i've missed you, sal," the man finally says, looking over at her. she's the person he wants to see every day. the one person he trusts with all his joy and all his darkness. it makes him sad that she could just decide one day to end things and leave him a mess. he hopes this time she won't leave. not again. not a third time.