You’re not standing for this. How dare this Muse threaten Spindle like this? The Dream Vanguard, the Muses that you love, everything that you hold dear? Absolutely not. You will not let this happen.

Looming over you, the ‘Twilight’ yawns – the pitted, rocky surface covered in strange mechanical growths, like some technological fungus. The moon visually creaks under the strain of the vast array of equipment that Cyrus has somehow built into it – including the largest laser you have ever seen. He claims it’s for Dream’s protection, and maybe he even believes that. But this is far too much power for one Muse to wield, and despite the protestations of the Dream Vanguard, he refuses to back down.

Standing before Cyrus, Brink beside you, you decide at last to play The Chosen One.

As the card dissipates into the ether, the air around you starts to glow. You feel the swirling energies of Narrative significance work themselves around you. Then, with a flash, a shockwave bursts out, the sudden wind whipping up a small cloud of dust.

As the dust settles, you see that…nothing has changed. You look the same; you feel the same. You wait a moment, but nothing more happens; no magical weapon manifests itself, no divine light infuses you with righteous power. Didn’t it work? Your ultimate backup plan has failed, but you have to do something, or else Cyrus will consolidate his hold on Dream and tyranny will take root again -

And then you recognise this feeling for what it is: that familiar moment of doubt before you take a step. And you also realise the truth – Beauregard chose you to be their successor. The Curators chose you to lead them. Victoria chose you, to be her closest friend. The Muses of Dream chose you as Overseer, to make sure no new tyrant could abuse their power ever again. And most importantly, you chose yourself - in realising you had the strength and wisdom to allow others to have confidence in you, and in turn to have confidence in yourself.

With the weight of years of experience, you crush your lingering doubt.

Now you look at the faces of the muses around you – uncertain, confused. Scared. Cyrus, a leader they trusted with their care and protection, has betrayed that trust. They look to you, waiting, hoping that you can assuage their fears, that you can show them what needs to be done. That you can restore their faith in those they chose to follow. That you have a plan, and that you will tell them the words they need to hear.

You do have a plan. And you know exactly what to say.

Dearest Victoria,

I am here. I will always be here. In your moments of doubt and uncertainty, know that I am here to remind you that, no matter what, you already are the answer you’ve been searching for: your answer, all along.

My love and friendship for you will never change.

When I showed you my secret, Beauregard’s secret, of all those radical pieces of art and beauty, I thought perhaps you’d see that I’m not perfect. That all along I’ve been hiding away, that I also worry. That I doubt myself. A dear, dear Impression once told me that doubt is the mark of the truly good, Victoria. And that is how I know that we will become even better leaders’ tomorrow.

I was once full of doubt. Even now, I doubt, sometimes. But I, too, have found answers. For some of us, we are the Impressions we’ve made, the stories we’ve written, the journeys we’ve taken. And for others, we explore a different world, immerse ourselves freely in the beauty of other experiences, and revel in the way it feels to be another. Neither of these are the only viewpoint - the beauty is that all of it is expression, something we should all be free to have. And that is the pattern, the real renaissance, the rebirth and revolution, that I’ve been searching for: the beauty of being free to express creation in any way true to ourselves. That is my truth.

I am here, Victoria. And whenever you wish, I will say these words to you again. To reassure you that in doubt there is wisdom, in doubt there is humility, and through doubt – the path we’ve chosen.

Yours,
Lorem

The new permanent installation at the Exhibition Hall is, in a word, challenging. Not just a collection of some of the most accomplished art to have been produced to date, it is a timeline of some of the biggest social and political events of Spindle, as seen from the eyes of the oppressed. From memeifications, to political movements like the Free Idea Forum, to Muses who simply upset the wrong people, this collection contains the most beautiful examples of art which were ordered to not be included in the Exhibition Hall before now.

It is a memorial to all the wonderful things that we – and perhaps even Jo’s world – did not get to see or experience due to political conflicts and differences of opinion, both big and small.

The plaque at the entrance declares it to be “Beauregard’s Personal Collection”. Goodness knows where the old Muse was keeping these things, but I, for one, am glad that they did, and that they are finally on display for all to see. Even though this is a permanent exhibit, I encourage all of you to go and see it as soon as you can – and as often as you can. Always be open to the ideas of others, and never let beauty be hidden by another dark age.

- Review, Creative Commons Newsletter

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Head Curator Lorem Ipsum stands at a podium at one end of a large marquee set up in the green behind the Exhibition Hall. With the Hall so full, it has been a struggle to fit in even the winners of the last few competitions, and so this space has been set up to house temporary exhibitions showcasing not just the winners, but every entry to the recent theme competitions.

“Congratulations once again to this round’s winner, Julia Sunbright!” Lorem waits patiently for the applause to die down. “And now, to announce the next round’s theme…the new theme is…rebirth! As always, the deadline for entries is three weeks from now, at which point all entries will be put on display here, and voting will be open for one week…”