Pando’s eyes dart furiously across the dot matrix printout, watching the red line dip lower and lower with each yellowed sheet. Their hand shaking, they hold up their perpetually refilled coffee cup to their lips, taking a long, contemplative-yet-anything-but-calm sip. Another shivering hand reaches into their pocket, pulling out an archaic key, eyes glued to the decelerating rates of Juice production. The red line crosses 0, plunging into the negatives and Pando’s heart begins to race.

In one fluid motion the coffee mug crashes to the ground, soaking the reports from hours ago piled on the ground; tails of a stained lab coat fly as Pando rushes to the control panel and inserts the key into a dusty keyhole. 45 degrees clockwise, 15 degrees the other way, 90 degrees clockwise once more and a large red button emerges on a stand next to them. They look at the various flashing screens. Exclamation points and warnings dot the various displays.

Pando slams their hand down.

Alarms. Ones in a pitch and pattern no one has ever heard, resonate across Spindle.

A frightening report from NFWS reads that Creative Juices are at an all-time low, combined with a production rate at the lowest it’s ever been in Jo’s lifetime. As a result, Dream itself is beginning to Fade - at such low levels, key operations are beginning to shut down. From Juice outages to frequent Vignette collapses, many had seen the effects yet almost all had managed to convince themselves that it was nothing to be worried about; until increasing Muses had reported unannounced Fading symptoms. Tropes not working as they should in their hands, skin chipping off to reveal pure Juice beneath. Symptoms that solidified a single horrifying fact: Muses were losing their powers.

Jo’s inspiration levels control the influx of Creative Juices, and even when they were cramming for exams in university they had been more creative and free than they seem now. If nothing is done, Muses run the risk of Fading entirely. With the little Juice they have left, Muses must find a way to inspire Jo and jumpstart Creative Juice production once more.

But how?

“Today, dear viewers we celebrate a very important milestone - yes a very important milestone indeed! Today,” Vance Vorn pauses for effect, “we start on the 100 day countdown to the publication of the MO. Now, “what is the MO?” you ask. Well, for our newer fans, MO stands for nothing other than the Magnum Opus, of course! Jo's best work yet! What’ll put them on the map now, and forever!” Vance flips the notes in front of his podium. “Now let’s get onto the wordcount of that magnificent masterpiece, shall we…”

He looks behind him to a large, flatscreen TV, with numbers changing rapidly like a slot machine until it lands with fanfare on the… the… measly… the measly number 500.

“F-five… five hundred…” Even Vance struggles to find a way to put a positive spin on this. “Jo’s not even, they haven’t even started… um…” He flips through his notes frantically, trying to find a conceivable reason as to why the count is so low. Is it an error? Maybe a misprint, perhaps?

Pulling at his collar, he put his microphone up once more, ready to stall for the viewers at home when…

The broadcast cuts to breaking news.

“Saved by the bell,” thinks Vance as the studio lights dim.

Jommunity has realised that Jo has a mere 100 days to complete their Magnum Opus. Or at least, what they had hoped would be their Magnum Opus: their last chance to make their mark lest they be forever relegated to anonymity. But there’s no way Jo will be able to produce anything even remotely as impactful as they had hoped with Dream in the state it’s in now. Not to mention the fact that, if nothing is done, every Muse here may soon find themselves Fading.

But the Magnum Opus in its unfinished state could be just the canvas Muses need to re-inspire Jo. They all knew how dear this play was - and now is a better time than ever to push Magnum Opus to the forefront of Jo’s mind, together with new ideas taken from old stories on how to finish their greatest work.

(These are the sessions that your character will be attending. The When and Where page will give you OOC information about them.)

The Academy of Thought has called together a series of emergency summits called Brainstorms, inviting Muses to contribute in determining the future of Dream by increasing Creative Juice production enough to power their world. Though Muses form the major creative force within Jo's mind, there is a sense of panic emerging from the Vignettes with an underlying knowledge that they, too, are in danger. Impressions have summoned themselves to these Brainstorms in order to seek help from Muses, though some see this as an opportunity to shape Dream to their own ends, while others only wish to help the Muses as conduits to inspire Jo. Brainstorms invite the best and brightest within Muse Society from all factions and Ideals, joined by the most influential Impressions in order to engage in the most difficult, tremulous and entropically creative endeavour in existence: Collaboration.

Hopefully in one of the largest, if not grandest, meetings of Dream society in Jo’s lifetime thus far, these creative entities can help breathe new life their world through the power of stories.