Vega Garnets (Disgustedorite)

Vega Garnets are an open Gem-type created by HohkiTEC. While production on them began roughly 8000 years ago, they were discontinued 1000 years after the first batch emerged due to high rates of severe mental illness leading to corruption-like symptoms.

Vega Garnets can share gemstone names with Gems of other types, but they are their own distinct class. They are not interchangeable.

Characteristics
Vega Garnets are medium-sized Gems with slim to medium builds. Their gemstones are about the size of a fist and can be located anywhere on their bodies, but are usually in a symmetrical location. They come in a wide range of colors, and their hair doesn't fall below their shoulders by default. Vega Garnets usually have plush mane-like hair, but shaggy, wavy, and curly hair have also been observed.

Vega Garnets have 16 mannequin pieces, like most known Gems. The front of their lower torso piece--that is, the stomach area--is soft, and may hang slightly on some individuals. Slight busts have been observed on some individuals, most commonly on the red subclass. Their teeth are much like human teeth, but their canines are much sharper and their front teeth are slightly serrated.

A Vega Garnet's gemstone can be any type of garnet.

There are three sub-classes of Vega Garnet, each with their own unique characteristics.

Red
Red Vega Garnets come in red, orange, pink, and purple colors. They generally have thicker builds overall than other Vega Garnets, and can run the fastest. Their hair is generally very thick and soft, and is usually darker than their skin color (with exceptions).

Green
Green Vega Garnets come in green, yellow, and blue. They're generally on the slimmer end of the spectrum, and have a tendency towards larger thighs. They generally have messy hair, which is almost always a distinctly different color from their skin.

Brown
Brown Vega Hessonites have the widest range of appearances. While they're limited mostly to brown, black, and grey colors, they can have any shape and build within the gem type's parameters. They're generally taller than the other two subclasses, and their gemstones are proportionally smaller. They usually have shorter hair, which can be any color within their own gemstone's range.

Brown Vega Hessonites can produce "semi-forms" when their gemstone is placed in a gemstone socket too large for them. The semi-form fills the space and allows them to power any machine. The exposed part of the semi-form is covered in short hair to protect it from damage.

Corrupted
Corrupted Vega Garnets have a specific range of appearances. When initially corrupted, all Vega Garnets stand on four legs, have long pointed ears, and are covered in fur. Unlike other corrupted gems, however, they usually adapt their appearances over time and can often end up looking very different after only a hundred years. Roughly half of all corrupted Vega Garnets have horns, spikes, or armor of some kind.

Each subclass looks different when corrupted. Red ones are slender and have hooves, green ones are thick and armored in some way (by either actual armor or by spikes), and brown ones can be best compared to a Pomeranian dog.

Behavior
Vega Garnets are generally very calm and patient, but wildness has been occasionally observed in the red subclass.

When presented with a threat, red and green Vega Garnets are likely to fight back, while brown ones are more likely to flee or negotiate.

All Vega Garnets, regardless of subclass, like to play by wrestling with each other or with Gems of other types. Injury caused by such play is rare, but might happen when another Gem involved is of a weaker Gem-type.

Green Vega Garnets are more solitary than the others and are often naturally averse to fusion, but will still interact with other Gems who initiate contact.

Vega Garnets of all varieties are sometimes known to walk on all fours, a habit which allows them to squeeze through smaller spaces with ease.

History
Roughly 8000 years ago, a Gem prophet reported that there would be a major resource crisis in the future. The Diamonds were disturbed by this, and ordered the creation of a new type of Gem that could adapt to anything and thrive with less energy and resources to use as a model for newer Gems. Production began on them on a Garnet-rich planetoid in the Vega star system.

500 years after the first seeds were planted, the first batch of Vega Garnets started to emerge from the ground. These included Gems of all three subclasses. As their seeds were being planted continuously, more followed soon after. These initial Gems were sent to their respective Diamonds to be assigned.

173 years after the first Vega Garnet emerged, one Vega Garnet of the red subclass suddenly lost her mind--she had adapted to a change in environment too quickly for her to process, and her attempts to catch up led to her adaptability going out of control and tearing holes in her mind, transforming her into a Corrupted Gem. This was dismissed as an isolated incident and she was shipped off to an aristocratic Gem who wanted to add her to her collection of oddities.

Less than one year after that incident, another Vega Garnet of the green subclass suddenly started showing similar symptoms. She was quickly taken to a gemetic researcher, who was able to record what was happening to her in detail and determined exactly what was happening. She passed this information on to the Diamonds, suggesting that since it happened twice within only one year and it only happened to Gems of a specific type, it could be a flaw in the type's programming. The Diamonds dismissed this, as it had only happened twice. The now-corrupted Gem was shipped off to the same collector, who thought the one she already had looked lonely. They got along great.

During the century that followed, 314 more Vega Garnets of red and green subclasses suddenly showed the same symptoms and corrupted. The Diamonds, no longer able to dismiss it, started carefully tracking all Vega Garnets of those subclasses, now concerned about the welfare of the entire Gem-type. No corruptions were observed in the brown subclass by that point.

500 years after the first Vega Garnet emerged, there were thousands of instances of Gems being mauled and shattered by Vega Garnets who suddenly corrupted in public places. The Diamonds struggled to control these Gems as they corrupted, and sent expert gemeticists to find out what was wrong and find a way to make this not happen with future Vega Garnets; they had little luck. By this point, 10% of all Vega Garnets under 500 years of age had corrupted. Brown Vega Garnets had started corrupting as well, though it was far less common.

1000 years after the first Vega Garnet emerged, one third of all Vega Garnets had corrupted and were causing chaos throughout the empire. The Diamonds sent an order to cease production of them, and the kindergartens growing them were all shut down. By that time, 24 million Vega Garnets had been produced, including ones who had yet to emerge.

All Vega Garnets under 1000 years of age were put in quarantine until they could be confirmed to not have the potential to suddenly corrupt. After 1000 years, all Vega Garnets who had the potential to corrupt would have already done so. All corrupted Vega Garnets had their gemstones put in storage for research and possible future use, while the remaining non-corrupted individuals were allowed to continue to live out their lives. More than one third of all Vega Garnets became corrupted.

By this time in the present day, the majority of Vega Garnets have been shattered by various causes; members of the red subclass fell in battle, those of the green subclass were shattered in accidents, and the brown subclass became spread so thin for their purpose that they became impossible to track.

Abilities
Vega Garnets have all standard Gem abilities, except for the red subclass which lacks the ability to summon their own natural weapon.

All subclasses

 * Electrokinesis: Vega Garnets can summon or control electricity to use either as a weapon or to jump-start machinery.
 * Hyperadaptability: Vega Garnets naturally adapt far more quickly than all other Gem-types. This means they can adapt to any weapon, react quickly to sudden major changes to the environment, and even shapeshift without expending much energy. This also allows them to adapt to unusual jobs, should the need arise.
 * Unfortunately, it is this power which leads to many Vega Garnets losing their minds. Two thirds of all Vega Garnets adapt faster than they can think, which causes them to lose control of themselves and literally rip holes in their minds trying to keep up. This leads to symptoms very similar to corruption.

Red

 * Universal Weapon Proficiency: Red Vega Garnets can correctly and effectively use any weapon they find with little or no instruction. If they pick up something that isn't a weapon, they will find a way to make it a weapon.

Green

 * Dimensional Control: Green Vega Garnets can create vast and complex dimensions within their gemspace, much larger and more elaborate than the pocket dimensions used by other Gems. These dimensions can contain entire worlds with complex life, and the Gem in possession of these worlds is like a god to them. However, anything created within this space relies on the gemstone it's contained within and can never leave.
 * This ability was an accidental side effect of green Vega Garnets being given extra gemspace to hold more items. Its discovery was also an accident, and is severely discouraged due to Gems using this ability becoming lazy and sluggish because it ends up being all they want to do.

Brown

 * Semi-Form: Brown Vega Garnets can create partial forms to fill any space. These partial forms are like lumps of skin covered in short hair, with the gemstone in the center.

Notable Individuals
This is a list of individual Vega Garnets. While anyone is allowed to make a Vega Garnet, only those who have been approved by HohkiTEC may be added to this list.

Red

 * Imperial Garnet

Green

 * Mali Garnet

Brown

 * Melanite

Corrupted

 * Gomedha
 * Tsavorite

Trivia

 * Vega Garnets were originally designed as a Gem-type related to corundums. HohkiTEC changed this when more was revealed about Gem castes in the show.