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]

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.

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"I have a dimensional void up my skirt."

"No, I do not," she laughed. "Even I do not know where Lumas come from. However, I discovered my purpose in the cosmos at an early age. To watch over the Lumas, to care for them, and love them until they grow up and choose what they wish to become. It doesn't matter where they come from. I am their mother."

The Lumas surrounding them chirped happily, some calling out to their Mama.

[will_be_god]

A few weeks ago, Cyrus would have found the sight beautiful, as well as something to fervently study. But now he simply stared. "An early age. So you did not begin this way."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"No, I did not," she answered. "Everyone has to start somewhere, don't they? Even you."

[will_be_god]

His past had been troubled; he saw that now. But it was over.

"Yes, that is the logical progression of things. Even the universe began somewhere."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"Change is a constant in the universe," Rosalina explained. "Nothing remains as it is forever. Given enough time, species rise and fall, stars live and die... Human history is a tiny blip in the grand scheme of the cosmos."

[will_be_god]

"The same is true of everything. The universe itself..."

He turned his attention back to the telescope.

"All of what we know is limited to a single creation. And yet there may be countless creations, if not at once then stretched out before and after our own..."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"I believe this place itself is proof enough of that," Rosalina said. "So many realities, so many dimensions beyond the ones we know... Who knows how many there are, or how many there will be..."

[will_be_god]

The very idea had always terrified Cyrus, and yet simply creating one now didn't seem like enough. Everything had to be put right. Everything had to be saved. And suddenly, paradise was farther away than it had ever been.

"...Even a creator wouldn't know."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"You know," Rosalina suggested, "it's entirely possible there's a dimension out there where you've already succeeded at your goal... You may never see it or be aware of it, but the possibility exists..."

[will_be_god]

"Yes, I have considered that. There are those where I have succeeded, those where I have perished in the attempt...those, undoubtably, where I never understood the burden of the universe to begin with."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"If you did succeed in bringing change to this universe, there would be many others out there where you failed to do so..." She smiled softly. "As you would deride those who strive to better their communities, you would strive to do so on a macroscopic scale... Affecting your personal community, trying to make it better... As we all do. It's a matter of scale. I do not diminish your desires or efforts, I simply offer perspective."

[will_be_god]

"All of creation...that is a respectable community to have. To be blinded by sentiment and focus only on those around them is disgusting." Though he said so with no contempt in his voice. "I aim to purify it all. Not simply this universe, although I confess it may be all that is physically possible."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"Is it truly contemptible to not possess great power, or not be capable of wielding cosmic level power for the betterment of the universe at large?" Rosalina asked him. "You should not condemn others for failing to live up to an unattainable ideal."

[will_be_god]

"Not all are capable of that power. Yet all are capable of seeing the big picture." As he spoke, he turned his head towards the sky. "Instead they turn away, distracting themselves."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

Rosalina was silent for a moment. When she finally decided to speak again, she looked upon him with... sadness? Pity? It was almost impossible to read her expression. "You must be so lonely," she mused.

[will_be_god]

"When one knows the universe, such sensations are impossible." It came out in a whisper.