User:Disgustedorite/drafts/Gem (Steven Universe)

This rewrite is a work in progressGems are a mineral-hologram-based race of humanoids which play a central role in Steven Universe. They are intergalactic spacefarers which have a strict biological caste system, and they formerly had outposts on Earth prior to the Crystal Gem rebellion which drove them away from the planet roughly 5,750 years ago.

Though commonly mistaken for an all-female race, Gems are sexless and genderless and it is not unheard of for them to have distinctively masculine appearances or voices; they only use feminine terms only for keeping the language used to refer to them simple. Hybrids between Gems and humans, and presumably between Gems and other races that do have gender, are the only known exception.

Although presented as magical early on, mentions of magic almost completely ceased after the first season of Steven Universe--even the most scientifically implausible abilities are not referred to as magic except on rare occasions by humans. It is possible that all Gem "magic" is technology or engineered biology sufficiently advanced enough to be indistinguishable from magic to the human eye.

Biology
Gems are mineral-based. Though sometimes called silicate- or silicon-based, this is factually incorrect, as many Gems do not contain any silicate material. The true body is a rock or faceted gem commonly referred to as the "gemstone", and this projects a holographic body which is used to interact with the world.

When a gem's body is destroyed or severely damaged, it disappears in a "poof" of dust or smoke, leaving behind the gemstone. Gems appear to be especially vulnerable to electricity, slicing, and impaling damage. Blunt force, including that caused by falling from the sky at terminal velocity, is rarely enough to injure a Gem badly enough to cause her to poof. After a variable amount of time, the gem will regenerate; the exact amount of time it takes varies by individual, but appears to be significantly faster in Gems made for combat.

Gems do not need to eat, drink, or breathe, seemingly indicating that they have access to limitless energy; however, it is possible for a Gem to become exhausted and need to rest, which would seem to indicate that Gems do not actually have infinite energy at all. Although he did not work on Steven Universe, Alex Hirsch once stated that Gems get their energy from light, and was accepted as canon by many fans after the episode Escapism even though that particular episode did not actually contain confirmation. It does, however, seem to be further supported by the fact that unborn Gems growing underground, where there is no light, absorb the only energy available to them--the life energy present in the surrounding rock and soil.

Gemstone
The gemstone functions as the brain of the gem. It can be made of any mineral, gemstone, or rock material, and it commonly has a ring or ridge around it which may serve to help hold it in place or protect it from damage. It contains the gem's DNA and memories, and can sometimes be used to access a pocket dimension that Gems use to store their personal belongings.

On a Gem who has taken form, the gemstone can appear to be placed anywhere on the body. The exact position varies by individual, and usually cannot be changed, even if it causes part of the body to become non-functional--such as if it is placed over the eye, which outside of a few specific cases can leave a Gem half blind.

The proportional size of the gemstone appears to scale inversely with the size of the Gem; larger gems tend to have proportionally smaller gemstones, while smaller gems tend to have proportionally larger gemstones.

In most gems, the gemstone is immobile and does not have special sensory capabilities. However, in one type, the Nephrites, the gemstone is apparently modified into a functional eye which can be rotated freely.

Body
The body of a Gem is a holographic projection from the gemstone. Because of its nature, a Gem may modify her body to some extent when regenerating, but only very powerful Gems such as Diamonds are capable of extreme changes for extended periods of time. Corruption does not count as an exception to this; see the corruption section for more information.

The body itself is, in most types, humanoid; generally speaking, the main features distinguishing gems from humans are that they lack of external ears and both primary and secondary sex characteristics. The overall shape is androgynous, though it can sometimes be interpreted as more feminine or masculine depending on the type. Some types of gem are known to have only one eye and some may lack visible noses. At least two types of Gem have non-humanoid bodies.

Many Gems are capable of changing their bodies outside of regeneration through shapeshifting, though for major changes, especially to size, doing this for too long can result in exhaustion. Some types of gem, such as Bismuths and Pebbles, are especially adept at modifying their limbs into a variety of tools and weapons.

The gem body does not have a completely arbitrary shape; when a Gem regenerates, the baseline of her form, commonly referred to by the fans as a mannequin due to its resemblance to poseable dolls, becomes visible. For humanoid gems, it appears to have 45 articulated parts, though the 28 parts associated with the fingers and thumbs are not visible except in close-up shots and the part connecting the chest and pelvic parts may be obscured in some gems.

Despite their holographic nature, Gems naturally produce sweat, tears, and saliva. Some types of Gem can weaponize these in various ways--for example, Nephrites have highly corrosive saliva which they can shoot or spray from their mouths. In Diamonds, the tears and saliva are known to have various healing and/or life-giving properties, and the sweat is speculated to be involved in producing new Gems.

Fusion
Two or more Gems who are in sync with each other, such as from being of similar type, sharing a common goal, or being very close, can temporarily combine into a single, much larger individual referred to as a fusion Fusions are quickly distinguished from singular Gems by their unusual size, duplicated body parts, and multiple gemstones. Fusions can generally last as long as the components remain in sync, and can also be split by an injury that could poof a singular gem of the same size. A sufficiently strong surge of electricity can also poof all gems involved in the fusion.

On the Gem homeworld, it is illegal for two different types of Gem to fuse. It is currently unknown if the law extends to fusions between different varieties of the same gem type, such as between a Jasper and an Agate.

Reproduction and Development
As of Escapism, most of the details of Gem reproduction are unknown. What is known is that Gems are planted in rock walls artificially using machines called Injectors, which strongly resemble bacteriophages of the order Caudovirales. As injectors appear to have organ-like internal workings, it is possible that the injection process was at one time done by actual living gems; however, without any more information, this is purely speculation.

Though not confirmed, it is commonly speculated that the Diamonds are somehow necessary for Gem reproduction. This is supported by the fact that Pink Diamond apparently has the ability to create life, including her half-human son Steven. In the episode Familiar, "extraction chambers" are introduced which appear to be designed to extract sweat from Diamonds. As Steven, who is half diamond, accidentally brings a small rock to life with a drop of sweat in the same episode, it is commonly speculated that diamond sweat could be the key to Gem reproduction.

After a Gem is planted in the rock by an injector, she will stay there and suck life energy out of her surroundings until she is ready to emerge. Gems emerge at full size and already able to speak and do their jobs, but newborn gems have occasionally been shown to still have fairly child-like mannerisms.

Though not confirmed, it is sometimes speculated that Diamonds may spend some amount of time growing above ground. This is supported by the fact that their sizes directly correlate with their ages and Pink Diamond appears to nearly double in size when all flashbacks featuring her are viewed in chronological order. However, it is also possible that Diamond sizes only correlate with the resources available at the time and that the age correlation is only coincidental; additionally, as many critics have pointed out, Steven Universe's lack of height charts can case wild size variation which could explain Pink Diamond's apparent growth spurt.

Aging
Gems do not die from old age, nor do they show typical physical signs of aging. However, at least some types of Gem such as Rubies do appear to fade in color as they get older; this is likely exclusive to Gems made of minerals that fade in real life and does not appear to have any effect on their abilities or strength.

As the gemstone is a physical object that cannot heal on its own, it may be possible for a Gem to wear out over time due to gradual chipping and scratching; however, there is very little evidence for or against this within canon.

Corruption
Corruption is a phenomenon currently exclusive to Gems who were on earth at the end of the war and gems who have fused with them since then. It is a state of being where a Gem takes on an animal-like form and loses her sapience, though corrupted gems are not known to completely lose their intelligence. It is contagious, but is also only known to be transmittable through fusion.

Although the reason why has not been revealed yet, corrupted gems of the same type look similar--for example, Nephrites always turn into massive centipedes with a row of false gemstones down their backs, and Quartzes always turn into boar-like creatures with bear-like forepaws and horned faces.

When a corrupted gem reforms, the gemstone stays on the ground instead of floating into the air and the Gem's initial pose is crouched or hunched over. The mannequin will otherwise appear to form as normal, but the body will begin to morph towards the corrupted state after a brief moment.

When a Gem corrupts, the left arm appears to be the first thing that begins to change. It is unknown whether this is actually universal, as only two gems have ever been seen corrupting on-screen.

Though often very aggressive, corrupted gems can be tamed and even trained. It is unknown whether they can actually understand words spoken to them or if they only respond to the tone of voice.

Types of Gem
Unlike many caste systems seen in fiction, the Gem caste system is to some extent rooted in their biology. There are a number of different types of Gem, which all have their own unique abilities that would require their own pages to accurately cover them all. This list gives a brief summary of those that are known.

These are Gems which have already had some amount of information on their abilities and role revealed within canon: These are gems with very limited information known apart from their appearances: These Gems have been seen on-screen, but their mineral name is currently unknown: These types of Gem have only been mentioned: These types of Gem are currently only known from their corrupted forms:
 * Diamonds - Usually colossal Gems who rule over the rest of Gemkind. Their abilities vary, but all of them have some powers related to healing and the creation of life.
 * Pearls - Lanky, elegant gems which serve as slave, pet, duffel bag, and status symbol all rolled into one for famous and high-ranking gems. They are physically incapable of disobeying an order from their master, and their abilities seem to include minute control over sand and fog and the ability to create detailed holograms projected from their gemstones.
 * Quartzes - Large, powerful, beefy Gems built for combat. They often have long shaggy hair and can roll into a ball like a hedgehog. Their abilities seem to be fire- or plasma-based.
 * Agates - An aristocratic sub-type of Quartz, whose job is to use fear to keep other Gems in line.
 * Citrines - An unseen, possibly aristocratic sub-type of Quartz. They have been mentioned in several episodes despite never appearing.
 * Corrupted quartzes take on a boar-like appearance, with bear-like forelegs, long lower canines, a horned face, and no visible eyes. They have a mane of fur around the neck and down the back covering the tail, and are otherwise hairless.
 * Rubies - Smaller but still beefy combat gems with a cube theme. One of the more common and low-ranking types of Gem, they are considered expendable. They commonly fuse to form giant rubies in combat, and have abilities related to heat and fire.
 * Sapphires - Aristocratic gems with the ability to see the future. Aside from their future vision, they also have ice-based abilities and are able to levitate. They only have one eye.
 * Lapis Lazulis - Water-winged Gems slightly smaller than Pearls which have control over water. Their primary job is to terraform.
 * Peridots - Somewhat small gems distinguished by their large geometric hair, which do various mechanical work especially within Kindergartens. Although peridots are told they do not have powers, they are apparently capable of ferrokinesis. Peridots born after the Gem War notably cannot shapeshift.
 * Nephrites - Lanky pilots or captains of dropships which bring gems to new planets to begin colonization. Their gemstone doubles as their only eye, and is unusually mobile. Their saliva is highly corrosive and can be sprayed out of their mouths in combat. They can apparently spawn miniature versions of themselves. Notably, they appear to have long hair in a rather unusual place--their shoulders.
 * Corrupted Nephrites take on a colossal centipede-like appearance.
 * Bismuths - Large, broad-shouldered Gems who are responsible for large-scale construction. They can transform their hands into a variety of different tools.
 * Pebbles - Small, superficially mouse-like Gems responsible for small-scale construction. Like Bismuths, they can transform their hands into a variety of different tools.
 * Hessonites - Tall, fluffy-haired gem commanders which are quick on their feet and apparently have prism- and light-themed powers.
 * Aquamarines - Small water-winged Gems which may serve as scouts. Much like Lapises, they appear to be able to control water, but not to anywhere close to the same extent.
 * Topazes - Large gems always seen in pairs or fusions which have barrel-shaped bodies and disproportionately short and scrawny legs. They are often seen serving as guards, but they may also be paired with aquamarines for bounty hunting.
 * Zircons - Tall, long-nosed Gems with short hair covering their necks, which always wear holographic screen monocles. They are lawyers, and as such have access to records and files that are normally classified to help them make a case.
 * Jades - Apart from Nephrites, there are at least 7 additional types of Jade gems that are all of similar size but have two eyes instead of one. 3 types of them have a strange cog-like foot in place of their legs.
 * Emeralds - Aristocratic Gems with large hair and sharp teeth. Might be very high-ranking.
 * Yellow wall gems - Strange, large, flat-bodied Gems which appear to be immobile except for their arms and faces.
 * Statue gems - Strange immobile gems with an appearance like stone.
 * Comb gems - Labeled "Comby" in the credits, these odd and unexpectedly large Gems have comb-like bodies and are used as combs by Diamonds.
 * Door gems - Strange, asymmetrical, flat-bodied gems that are also doors.
 * Demantoids - Possibly the same gem type as Hessonites
 * Pyropes - Possibly the same gem type as Hessonites
 * Obsidians
 * Pyrites
 * Larimars
 * Beryls - Mentioned once and could possibly referring to an Emerald or an Aquamarine
 * Morganites
 * Desert Glass - A small pillow that generates buildings and pyramids when placed on sand.
 * Watermelon Tourmaline - A large flying pufferfish-like monster with wind powers.
 * "Geode Beetles" - Small, passive beetle-like monsters.
 * "Crab Monster" - An orange monster that takes on the appearance of a giant one-eyed crab, which is able to spawn miniature versions of itself. Possibly a type of Jade.
 * "Water Bears" - Pudgy monsters resembling tardigrades.
 * "Flower Monster" - A large, turnip-shaped monster with prominent incisors.
 * "Tongue Monster" - A blue-green bird-like monster with several tongues and six eyes. Though it is speculated to be a Zircon, this is highly unlikely as it has too many colors and its gem is the wrong shape.
 * "The Slinker" - A blue flower-shaped monster with vine hands. Its gemstone and the inside of its mouth are bright, almost glowing.
 * "Lighthouse monster" - A monster which is only known from its gemstone and deformations it caused to a lighthouse it was buried beneath. Possibly a type of Topaz.
 * "Invisible Gem Monster" - A large monster similar in build to a Topaz, which is completely transparent.
 * "Ice Monster" - A translucent monster with a bulky body. Possibly an Ice or some other type of water-based mineral.
 * "Gem Cave Creature" - A large monster with an appearance similar to that of a brittle star. It has starfish-like creatures attached to its body which were referred to as parasites; however, these may have been its own mini-spawn.
 * "Big Bird" - A very large, cannibalistic bird-like monster. Likely a single-type fusion, rather than being just one Gem.
 * "Worm Monster" - A giant sea cucumber-like monster with a toothy radial mouth and a translucent outer body layer.