Pure Inspiration

The curtain drops to the floor. A gleaming pedestal is revealed, polished marble, brightly lit. Atop the pedestal there sits a single, solitary bean. The bean is slightly squashed, as if gripped a little too tightly between thumb and forefinger. A small piece of lint adheres to its softly glistening skin.

Silence descends on the room. The assembled Muses maintain carefully neutral, thoughtful expressions, while casting tentative glances towards Patricia. Avant's lazily confident smile wavers, just slightly, as his eyes dart from Muse to Muse and the seconds tick on. Patricia's own expression is nearly impossible to read until, eventually, she nods, and gives a most delicate “Mmm” of approval.

“Magnificent!”

“Yes, truly inspired!”

“Oh very good, very good!”

As the murmurs of admiration fill the air, Avant relaxes and quickly adopts a humble attitude. His membership of Pure Inspiration is assured for another few weeks, at least.

Pure Inspiration is an exclusive social club for Muses of the highest creative calibre. The members, often referred to as the Inspired (at least by themselves) are the social elite of Spindle. As well as being accomplished Muses themselves, they are also critics and curators to the collective output of all Muses. They guide the trends of Muse creation, sifting the wheat from the chaff and ensuring that the greatest ideas find their way out of Dream and into Jo's consciousness. And, when necessary, they work with the Academy of Thought to stamp out ideas which may be harmful to Jo's creative output.

It is said that Pure Inspiration has existed in one form or another since the earliest days of Dream, but it first established itself in a form recognisable to how it is today about the time that Jo was an undergraduate at university. The founding members were the most active Muses at the time, seeking to curate the chaotic output of all of Jo's Muses and to bring the most interesting and unique uses of Tropes to Jo's attention.

To this end, they oversaw the construction of the Exhibition Hall and set about filling it with the best original ideas in Dream. Things quickly got out of hand, however, as these first Inspired weren't critical enough of what they let in and the Hall quickly became overflowing with every even vaguely unique usage of Tropes from across Dream. The next few years were somewhat chaotic as, though everyone agreed they had to be more selective, no one quite agreed on what should be included and what shouldn't. The Hall was entirely emptied and remodelled several times as various Muses rose and fell from prominence within the group in quick succession.

Eventually things settled down, and today a kind of consensus is maintained through discourse within the group - though some say that Pure Inspiration has become too focused inwards and has lost touch with the average Muse…

Towards the centre of Spindle stands one of the most impressive buildings: the Exhibition Hall. Resembling a museum or art gallery, the inside consists of many large, well-lit spaces for Muses to display their personal creations. From sculptures and paintings to specific Trope instantiations and miniature Vignettes containing single scenes, this is where the most accomplished Muse creations are showcased. While every event and object in Dream has a chance to influence the Works of Jo, it is the Exhibition Hall which plays host to those original Muse-driven ideas most likely to find their way into the Writer's words. If a Muse wants to push their ideas towards the forefront of Jo's mind, this is where they seek to display them.

And of course, who better to curate this collection of works than the most accomplished creators themselves, the Inspired of Pure Inspiration. Not everyone has the time or inclination to dedicate to the selection process though, so the work is left to a handful of Curators who are trusted to critique anything brought to them and ensure that only the very best is displayed. They also decide when ideas grow old or stale, and either move them to a less prominent position or remove them entirely.

Curators are also encouraged to capture moments of particularly inspired Muse workings - within active Vignettes, for example - whenever they see them, and bring them back for display in the Exhibition Hall. This practice has seen a decline in recent times, however, and the vast majority of works currently in the Hall are creations submitted by the Inspired themselves.

• Patricia d'Arte: The de facto leader of Pure Inspiration. The group does not have any official hierarchy, but Patricia consistently holds the most social and political sway. The Censorship of a number of Muses with opposing opinions just goes to show how rightfully Patricia commands the attentions of Pure Inspiration.
• Avant Garde: A Muse who barely manages to maintain his membership, his work repeatedly falling out of favour with the rest of Pure Inspiration. He alternately blames this on either the others' inability to see his true genius, or his own lack of talent.
• Beauregard Veilmonte: This bespectacled Muse with a wizened appearance is the Head Curator at the Exhibition Hall. A Curator needs a keen knack for diplomacy if they want to keep their job for long, and Beauregard has held their position for a very long time.

The fashion trends of the Inspired change on an almost daily basis - always trying to outdo one another while also staying up to date with the latest looks as worn by the most influential of the Inspired. In broad terms, however, they tend to dress like models straight off a high-fashion runway: sequins, chiffon and over-the-top ruffles abound.

The exceptions to this are the Curators, who will generally dress in more modest - but none the less sharply tailored - suits while working in the Exhibition Hall, so as not to overshadow the exhibits (and also to not get sequins on everything).

• Enjoy high-society social manoeuvring and/or cloak-and-dagger politics.
• Are interested in attempting to influence Jo's Magnum Opus directly.
• Want to play with the use of Tropes in a particularly creative fashion.