User:Lenhi/Sandbox/Kindergartens

Kindergartens are facilities that serve to create Gems by using machines called Injectors.

Purpose
In order to expand the Gem Empire, the Diamonds select planets to colonize. These planets will have Kindergartens set up on them by Homeworld Gems to complete this goal.

The locations of Kindergartens are mainly selected based on the material making up an area; areas with richer resources will create standard Gems while areas made up of lesser resources will create Gems with defects. Once a location is chosen, the area is altered by Gems so that Injectors are able to be placed upon the walls of the location. As the name implies, these Injectors will inject goo into an empty space on the wall. The goo will then drain its surroundings of its life force in order to grow and develop. Once a Gem is fully grown, its Gemstone will harden and the Gem pops out of the wall, leaving behind an exit hole.

Code Identifiers
Because there are so many types of the same Gem, Homeworld created a system where Gems are given a code to idenfity themselves. This code is based on the Kindergarten where the Gem was made. For example, if Amethyst was apart of Homeworld society, she would be known as Amethyst Facet-5 Cut-8XM. Facet 5 is there because that is where the Prime Kindergarten is located (Amethyst was made there), and 8XM is the name of the spot where her exit hole is located. According to Peridot, the code given to exit holes go from top to bottom, so if 8XJ was at the top of the wall, 8XK would be beneath her, and so on.

Variables Which Alter Gems
There are many variables which alter a Gem's appearance when they emerge from a Kindergarten:
 * Prolonged incubation: If a Gem remains incubating in the ground longer than they are supposed to be, they will emerge shorter than they are supposed to be. Amethyst is a notable example of this.
 * Material in surrounding area: Certain spots where goo is inserted into the planet may be made of different material than other areas of the Kindergarten. This can cause a Gem's physical form to have certain characteristics. For example, Peridot was able to tell that Amethyst Facet-5 Cut-8XJ had curly hair based on the iron deposits in her exit hole.
 * Geography: The Beta Kindergarten was set up in a location where there were lumpy hills made of sandstone. Because Homeworld did not take the time to properly alter the geography to their needs, Gems emerging from the deformed land came out defective. Only Jasper came out properly because of the frictional rock melt and glass located at her exit hole.

History
The establishment of Kindergartens appears to be the main reason why Gems invaded and colonized the Earth; to exploit its resources and produce more warriors via the creation hubs. According to Peridot, Earth's Kindergartens mainly produced Gems of the Quartz variety (such as Amethyst, Rose Quartz, and Jasper). It was once a flourishing center where Gems were grown and manufactured. If allowed to continue, it would destroy all life on Earth as the developing gemstone would incubate in the planet Earth's crust and sap the life force from its surroundings to form itself. Rose Quartz saw the error in this, founding a faction of rebel Gems and leading an uprising that caused the Homeworld to cease the production in the Kindergarten, driving them off the planet at the cost of being forever stranded on Earth.

It is revealed in "When It Rains", the Kindergartens were later used to create the Cluster and its prototypes once Homeworld deemed the planet unsuitable as a colony due to the Rebellion.

Known Kindergarten Facilities

 * Prime Kindergarten, located on Earth in Facet Five
 * Beta Kindergarten, located on Earth in Facet Nine
 * Homeworld Kindergarten, located in an abandoned area of the Gem Homeworld

Trivia

 * "Kindergarten" means "children's garden" in German and it usually refers to a place of preschool education. In this case, it literally means a garden where children are grown.
 * In "Know Your Fusion", Sardonyx makes a reference to the former, joking that "[Jasper] should've gone back to preschool!"
 * In "How Are Gems Made?", it is seen that Gems suck the life out of their surroundings, and so mass-production of Gems in the Kindergarten left the location in a lifeless state.
 * The person-shaped holes on the sides of the Kindergartens, as well as the manner in which Amethyst slid into hers, appear to be inspired by the Junji Ito horror manga, The Enigma of Amigara Fault.
 * The Injectors resemble bacteriophages. This alludes to the fact that when a bacteriophage or just any virus invades another cell, the cell will just create more viruses until it is destroyed, much like how when a gem is inserted into the ground by the injector, the ground will become barren and lifeless.
 * The body of the rig encases a structure that resembles an organic heart, which is attached to the head and feet via red and blue tubes resembling arteries and veins respectively.
 * As revealed by Peridot in "Too Far", Gems that stay in the ground for too long have stunted height when fully grown. An example of this would be Amethyst.
 * In "Beta", Peridot revealed some details that make a quality kindergarten/gem hole.
 * The surfaces must be flat (curved surfaces result in gems emerging sideways).
 * The holes must have even spacing and consistent depth.
 * The gem must not come out of the hole at an angle, and leave a strong clean silhouette.
 * Good quality holes have frictional rock melt, and glass all the way to the back.
 * In Save the Light, Peridot refers to Squaridot as a "Zeta Kindergarten Clod." This means that there could also be a Zeta Kindergarten, although, as this is Level 2 Canon, it could be contradicted.