| abstract | - Gems are characterized by the gemstone, which every Gem has embedded somewhere on their body. Each Gem shown thus far is unique (not including Pearl's and Peridot's gem placement), and the gemstone seems to be analogous to the brain or CPU. Gems generally take on the form of feminine humanoids, but appearance varies from Gem to Gem with their colors palettes mirroring the color palettes of their gemstone. Gems have the ability to customize their physical forms (which appear to be some sort of hard-light construct) at will, with their only constant feature being their gemstone and colour palette. Because of this, all Gems are inherently sexless. While the species lacks sexual dimorphism, they choose to manifest with feminine physical forms, with the only exception thus far being Steven, due to his half human parentage. Gems physical forms mimic all attributes to the human body, including major vital organ systems. However, they do not need to eat or sleep to survive. Gems have numerous abilities, such as summoning weapons (although this may not be universal, as Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Ruby, and Sapphire have not yet been observed to have weapons), the ability to fuse, and the power to 'store' material in their gemstones (not counting weapons). All Gems seem to have the ability to harness/transfer energy through their weapons, such as Garnet using her gauntlets to charge Greg's van, Pearl firing an energy blast from the tip of her spear, and Amethyst sending a bursts of energy through her whip. In addition, many Gems have specialized abilities as well, such as Lapis Lazuli's ability to manipulate water, and Pearl's ability to manipulate sand. Gems are functionally immortal, and cannot die from aging or food poisoning. Although, Gems can still be "killed" if their gemstone is destroyed. When a Gems' physical body is badly injured, they will retreat into their gemstone to regenerate. The regeneration time depends on the individual Gem. Pearl's regeneration lasted two weeks, but Amethyst's have taken mere seconds, although she did suffer physical deformities as a result. It seems that when a gemstone is bubbled, it prevents regeneration from taking place. if their gemstone is damaged, their body may go through glitch-like deformities. It is also noteworthy that a Gems' gemstones can be used as a power source, even if damaged. Gem Shards function similarly, which appear to be the remnants of a shattered gemstone and, as described by Pearl, were used by other Gems to create "drones" and could grant rudimentary sentience to their containers.
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