Luma Party!

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

Need a distraction from current events? How about the stars that seem to have come down to earth to play and frolic? Wait, those aren't stars... are they? They have eyes, make cute squeaking sounds, and float about. They also seem to love candy.

And among them, standing on a hill with a telescope, was a tall blonde woman in a long flowing blue dress. She seemed fairly nonplussed and calm. A table near her had a teapot and teacups, and a plate of strange crystalline candies.

What will you do?

Comments

[will_be_god]

"I have...long been fascinated by the universe. From my earliest memories, I have been captivated by the sheer bigness of it." Right now, that enthusiasm, that curiosity, were gone, wiped away by a minor god's mere touch. But the newcomer didn't need to know that. "You speak of yourself as an immortal; perhaps a god."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

Rosalina smiled a small smile and laughed quietly. "A god? No. Immortal? Perhaps... I've lived a very long life... Many hundreds of years at least."

[will_be_god]

"To see galaxies rise and fall...that would take billions of years. Perhaps you are more than you realize." While there was awe in his words, his voice was utterly devoid of anything.

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"Sometimes. Other times it can be quite quickly, should my children choose it," Rosalina explained. "Truthfully I am not sure how old I am anymore. Time tends to lose some of its meaning when you live as long as I have."

[will_be_god]

It was an issue he had pondered, his goals being as they were. "Your knowledge of the universe must be unparalleled. Greater even than the deities of any single planet..."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

She laughed softly at his assumption, covering her mouth. "Who knows?" she asked. "That's a statement that seems impossible to prove, now isn't it?"

[will_be_god]

What an odd reaction. "Yet not in practice. It would be simple enough to determine."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"And how do you propose to do that?" she asked curiously, humoring him.

[will_be_god]

It was simple, but then most people hadn't summoned gods multiple times in their lives. "Address the gods of this world."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"A curious answer," Rosalina replied, tapping her chin. "All to find out how much knowledge I possess? It seems like a great deal of effort for such a small return."

[will_be_god]

"Knowledge on that scale is not a small return...not to those without it." Perhaps it was to her.

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"It's an intriguing thought, but I've never sought out absolute knowledge," she admitted. "I find it enough to satisfy my own curiosity... The true joy of knowledge comes in earning it, rather than taking an easy way towards obtaining it..."

[will_be_god]

"And yet once it is known, to keep it hidden is merely selfish. What exists does so regardless, and keeping it from others for some arbitrary belief in earning it hinders the progression of society."

Cyrus may have been rid of emotion, but he was still in full command of his basic beliefs.

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"An excellent point," Rosalina said, probably the first time anyone at Smash has ever said that to Cyrus. "Then if that's your belief, feel free to ask me any question you like, and if I know the answer, I'll share it."

[will_be_god]

hey Jupiter was here once so he had plenty of approval

The first thing that came to mind was the origin of the universe, but she wouldn't be likely to know it. "Is the ability to process the idea of being part of a whole something lacking from most sentient, sapient species, or simply from humanity itself?"

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

Rosalina frowned slightly. "That's a very loaded question," she replied quietly. "Most sapient species have a concept of community and belonging. Even humans. Though the definition of the whole, as you put it, is different. Be it a pack, a herd, a team, or even a family... Most simply want to be a part of something bigger than themselves."

[will_be_god]

How limited. "That is not what I mean. The big picture, the entire universe. We are often lost in such smaller structures that our role in the greater creation is seen as intimidating or useless."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"Do YOU understand your role in the greater creation?" Rosalina asked with a cryptic smile.

[will_be_god]

"I did. And I still do, though the specifics have changed."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"And what is your role, then?" she asked, her expression unchanging.

[will_be_god]

Cyrus thought for a moment. He had the answer, but he had to put it into words that would make sense to others. "I am...a catalyst. I once possessed the power to move the universe itself, for a microsecond. I understand now that I can never possess that power again..."

He stared out into space, up at the stars. "All those worlds...all the life upon them...what do they suffer through just to survive? It must change..."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

Rosalina followed his gaze up to the heavens, and smiled warmly. "Your question is misguided. It's not that people are unable to comprehend their role in the universe, it's that they simply do not understand or believe they have such a role. Not everyone CAN have a role that will impact the cosmos. I have known a few... Mario, and Bowser, a hero and a villain, whose actions led to an entire universe being destroyed and reborn... It's unreasonable to assume everyone can or should take on such responsibility, in either way. And so people try to find purpose in the life they have, affecting the world around them, and trying to make their lives and the lives of those around them better. It may not be much... But if so many people try to do the same thing... Well then... Perhaps you will finally see the change you seek."

Looking back to Cyrus with shimmering blue eyes, she continued. "It would seem you have something in common with the other sapient beings in the universe," she suggested. "If your old purpose is one that can never be fulfilled, then perhaps you need to seek out a new role for yourself."

[will_be_god]

Cyrus had heard that before, that Bowser once had that power, but he continued to doubt the validity of the statement. Even hearing it from a newcomer didn't change that.

"I am aware of my new role. As I said, I am a catalyst. Though I am unable to fill the role of creator myself, I will ensure that it is done."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"In a way, we are not so different," she replied to his suggestion. She gestured to the laughing and playing star children around them with a smile. "My children, the Lumas... They will one day grow into new stars, new planets, new galaxies... I cannot create these things, however I nurture them until they come into being themselves. That is my purpose. I am the mother of the Lumas..."

[will_be_god]

"And where do they come from? Do you truly birth them, even metaphorically?" He was skeptical, of course, that these tiny things could ever become what were essentially giant fusion reactors.