Gemling

Fast Facts

Height: 4 inches - 1 foot

Weight: 1-5 lbs

Lifespan: 4-12 years

Notable Features: Exceptionally tiny. Asexually reproduce. Have bodies made from gemstones.

Player Restrictions: Gemlings and tiny and the world is very large. More often than not, this world isn't made for Gemlings or their players. Mounts and Big Friends are encouraged to make your way in the world as a Gemling. Gemlings also will struggle to protect themselves and what magics are accessible to them have a higher chance of 'shattering' them.

Racial Ability: A Sense of Home - Gemlings have a much easier time locating portals to the Land of Nod since they are intrinsically drawn back to their 'Home'.

Population: 2,000,000

History

Servants of the Dreamer

The Gemlings didn't start out as a mortal race. Instead, they started off as very, very weak Endir. While these Endir were never given a traditional classification, they could roughly be defined at a mix of Essenti and Coraegi, though never really quite powerful.

They were the Endir just strong enough to not be included in the first batch of mortals when Raella started making the weakest of Endir into the mortal races while also being just weak enough they still needed care. Because of that, they were swept under the wing of Thiovan and left in the Land of Nod, a place that was relatively safe for them. In exchange, these lesser Endir acted a bit like a custodial staff for the Land of Nod. They took care of the spirits of dreamers, making sure no one wandered where they shouldn't, and kept an eye on things to ensure that nothing went wrong.

This is a job that they held for a great many years. Some took pride in their position and were able to grow stronger. Some were simply happy to exist as they were.

Others watched the mortal races. They loved playing with dreamers and allowing the dreaming mortals to poke and prod at them. These lesser Endir peered at humanity with adoration and curiosity and so badly wanted to know more about the mortal races. They wanted to be friends, guides, and explore all of existence with these creatures. This is exactly why the Gemlings were able to be born.

Through the Veil

After the Sundering, everything changed. A lot of the lesser Endir were hurt and damaged by the mess, even more were rushing around constantly trying to help their Master fix the gaps in Nod. To these lesser Endir, it was an all hands on deck kind of situation. One of the most important jobs for the lesser Endir was corraling the sleeping minds of the mortals, making sure they didn't slip through the holes and cracks and out into the Aetherium Sea.

They worked hard, and eventually, things were fixed enough that it wasn't a constant struggle for survival and the mortals were given a chance to slowly start rebuilding. Things calmed down enough that some of the lesser Endir were able to start playing with the dreamers again. But something had changed, a piece of Atharen was intrinsically different. What used to be harmless playing clung to these lesser Endir. Their bodies, their forms, their very existence began to shift and shiver. Writhing and changing. They stopped being Endir, the sleeping mind of mortals all over the world poking and prodding and changing the very core of their existence.

The interesting thing about Gemlings is that they're the one mortal race that wasn't made by some kind of God or a direct result of the Sundering giving a soul to something that already existed, like the Awoken. The Gemlings were created by the mortal races themselves.

The Endir who didn't change saw these new creatures, creatures who looked themselves over with poorly hidden glee. They saw these creatures jubilantly and childishly speak to one another, dubbing themselves the Gemlings, and they decided that the Gemlings needed to leave. They couldn't stay in the Land of Nod anymore. They were mortal now, it wouldn't be safe for them. they needed to exist with other mortal races. To exist in a place where they could properly find sustenance for their bodies and exist in Atharen.

The Endir who did not change (carefully) cast the Gemlings from the Land of Nod and straight to Atharen. They were careful to ensure that the... rather odd was the Gemlings were sent to Atharen wouldn't damage them. Odd was perhaps putting it a bit lightly.

For the mortal races who didn't know what was going on, the appearance of the Gemlings came as a very potent shock. The Gemlings were cast down from the sky, due to a minor miscalculation on the part of the Endir sending the Gemlings. They plummeted to earth, the impact luckily being mitigated to something nonlethal by the Endir. The mortal races thought that the first couple Gemlings were shooting stars that had fallen down to the earth. They sought far and wide for these fallen stars, thinking them to be valuable treasures that could be used or sold. What they found were the Gemlings, curiously expecting their new environment with unparalleled joy.

With the Sundering still so fresh in the minds of some of the other races, the Gemlings were a little bit of a shock. But not an unwelcomed one. Gemlings were tiny compared to most other races, if not all of them. They were the treasures that the adventures who went looking for fallen stars ended up bringing home. The Gemlings couldn't have been happier.

Mystique and Legend

Thanks to the nature of their arrival on Atharen, a lot of the mortal races initially thought they to be a number of different things. The theories ranged from good luck or the messenger of the various gods the people of Atharen believed in. There were thought who captured the Gemlings with the intention of selling them or abusing them for a profit. They looked like Gemstones, perhaps they could be sold like them.

The Gemlings who were captured proved to be hard to keep in a single place for too long though. They showed an adept ability for sneaking out of the sight of their captors. While those who were vigilant could probably hang on to a Gemling, the child-like nature of the Gemlings came with the child-like ability to disappear at random intervals. That didn't stop the underground market from selling Gemlings or killing them to make jewelry out of their body parts, but it did put a hamper on things.

What also put a hamper on things were those who came to respect and adore the Gemlings. Those who treated the Gemlings with kindness quickly found themselves to be favored by the creatures. Gemlings were quick to bond to those who seemed like good people, following them around and even convincing their new Big Friends to take care of their future generations.

Overall, the Gemlings truly experienced what it was like to be mortals. Some were killed or captured with malicious intent, others found themselves being cared for lavishly. Ultimately, they found a place in society and while their stay has been relatively short compared to some of the other mortal race, they don't intend to give up that spot.

Physiology/Biology

Children of Gemstones

Every gemling resembles a specific gemstone, mineral, or kind of glass. The most common type, as their name might imply, is the gemstone. While they are in fact greatly varied, there are quite a few appearances that are more common than others. Well known gemstones like sapphires, rubies, amethyst, agates, and anything else of the like tend to be the most common. There's no real telling what a gemling is going to be until it finally grows up, but, some speculate the reason well-known gems are the most common type of gemling is because the gemlings are still shaped by the mortal psyche to a certain degree.

While considerably rarer, it's possible for a gemling to come into existence resembling something else like a different mineral or glass. There are exceptionally rare though, and most people won't ever meet a gemling like this in their entire life span. This is partly because gemlings of other types are seen to have a plethora of health problems. Glass gemlings are known to shatter faster and easier, leading to much shorter lives as well as destruction prior to even being born. Mineral base gemlings can sometimes struggle to shatter, and because of this have difficulty procreating at the end of their lifespan. Instead of shattering normally sometimes they just grow still at the end of their lifespan like dolls, the life fading away and the line of the gemling ending. Oftentimes, these non-gem gemlings are viewed with a level of pity.

Shattering

Gemlings at the end of their lives or anytime they've been injured are described as 'Shattering'. Prior to the end of their lifespan, the bodies of gemlings tend to be exceptionally sturdy. They're best compared to ants in that regard. They can be dropped from seemingly insane heights without taking substantial damage and they're fairly decent at scaling walls thanks to various details of their biology. That isn't to say they can't be purposefully Shattered. Intentional attacks against the gemling seem to have a much more powerful effect on them. Where they might be able to handle a rock landing on them by accident, someone hitting them with a rock might be enough to Shatter an arm or a leg. It seems to mostly come down to the Intention to hurt them or not, which some believe is due to the fact it changes the Aetheric Impact of the assault. Due to their origins, gemlings are still very vulnerable to changes in aether so magical attacks also do a number on them.

A gemling who partial Shatters do have the advantage of the fact they can regrow if they're able to obtain (or in some cases of given) compounds with which they can recreate their body. The fastest way to do this is just giving them the gem they themselves are made from. If they're provided the gems they themselves were created from them regrowing major body parts can take two to four weeks depending on how much they're provided, how much they rest, and the flower of aether in the current area. Gemlings can also rebuild as long as they're able to consume things with the necessary chemical and elemental compounds. Things like rocks and soil can act as a replacement as long as all the compounds to make a ruby are present, but this is a process the gemling must then complete in their own body so it takes a substantial amount of time. 2 weeks to 4 weeks can quickly become half a year to a full year depending on what the gemling must do.

Gemling Shards

The bodies of gemlings are made of the actual gems they resemble. Gemlings instead of producing waste will instead continue to produce small amounts of the gem they're comprised of. Sometimes shards can peel off of them, a bit like the body shedding dead skin cells. This usually happens very slowly and in small amounts due to the facts mentioned above regarding gemling growth. Because of this, these tiny shards tend to be worthless for the most part. On top of that, someone would need to be harvesting constantly since gemlings shed constantly.

For those looking to make money off of gemlings, the process is difficult if not impossible. Theoretically, someone could remove the limbs of gemlings to sell as jewelry, but the limbs would take forever to regrow until the person selling fed the gemlings gems, which kind of defeats the point. Waiting would just take too much time that it wouldn't be economically viable unless someone was keeping gemlings by the thousands. The third option, and the only viable one, is keeping a number of gemlings and cutting apart everything to sell except for the head. The head can then be shattered which will produce Gemling Shards. These shards can be planted in the ground to produce new gemlings, a process which is usually much quicker than waiting for a gemling to regrow limbs.

This, however, is frowned upon and illegal in most civilized countries. There is an existent Blackmarket for gemlimg jewelry, but it's dangerous to get into and hard to maintain.

How They Eat

Technically speaking, gemlings don't have mouths. Their bodies are perfectly crafted gem sculptures of what someone imagined a person to look like without any defining features. They have two little dots where their eyes and ears are supposed to be. While these areas function for collecting sensory details, the actual collection of sensory details happens on a level of sensing aetherium. Gemlings are typically born with a natural (but very weak) level of semblance so to speak. One that can't sense auras but they can use it to pick up on things like sounds, scents, and what the world around them looks like. It can roughly be equated to the senses of a normal human sent through a dreamy kind of filter that would make anyone else think something was vaguely off if they switched bodies with a gemling for a day, but they wouldn't be able to pinpoint why.

Because they don't have many of the biological functions of a normal creature (breathing, a circulatory system, a digestive system), many people assume gemlings don't eat. This is false. One of the things a gemling must do in order to survive is to be able to 'eat' as this is the process through which they can build their body to make new shards to shed. Gemlings don't eat traditionally though. Instead, they have a little hole in their abdomen. This hole is covered by something of a 'plate' which is a thick plate of gemstones that the gemling can intentionally move up or down to cover the hole. 'Food' is placed into the hole and the gemling slowly breaks it down on a level that science in Atharen currently can't explain. The nutrients are then used or stored to make more gemstone for the gemling's body.

A gemling that isn't being fed properly will become noticeably skinnier. They may also start to turn colors that aren't normal to their type of gemstone. This is usually the result of a gemling eating too much 'human food' they might not have the appropriate nutritional values the gemling needs to make new gems. In this case, supplementing their diet with their native gemstone or various elemental components of it can restore the gemling to a healthy state.

How They Speak

Much like ears or eyes, Gemlings technically don't have vocal cords. Instead, every Gemling has a small cluster of gems at the base of their throat which doesn't look like it's completely attached to the body. These little gem pieces vibrate, and these vibrations result in an involuntary form of telepathic communication which allows gemlings to speak to other races.

This telepathy is entirely unintentional on the part of the gemling, which often makes it seem as though the gemling is just talking like any creature would. They can raise or lower their voice, anyone in the proximity can hear them, and they speak whatever language they first learned based on their location and who decided to raise them. Gemlings can learn other languages, but they do need to actually learn them to be able to speak them.

Psychology

Kindly Curiosity

Technically not being from Atharen, gemlings often don't know how the world around them works. Because of this, they're often extremely curious about seemingly normal aspects of life. While their curiosity can often lead younger and less experienced gemlings towards danger, most don't seem to care. They embrace adventure and curiosity openly.

Some people have described the gemlings to bear a striking resemblance to crows. By all means, they're bright, but not that bright. For example, a gemling understand that there is an economy and roughly knows what it is. They understand the fact that most things in life require currency to be exchanged for goods. The fine details like how much things cost tend to get lost in translation though. A gemling might attempt to participate by trying to give you 10df, but the taco you're trying to sell is most definitely more than 10df. The gemling will not understand this. They will simply understand that the taco costs money and they have 10df, therefore they can exchange it for the taco. This applies to many other things too, like taking trinkets when they adventure and leaving something of 'equal value' behind.

Piggybacking off of that point, most gemlings enjoy collecting trinkets, baubles, and various objects that range from items people won't miss to extremely important keys and magical artifacts that have suddenly been replaced by buttons or shiny pebbles. Again, they try to make the exchange fair but the gemlings have no comprehension of what fair actually is.

Gemlings can very in personally from loud and demanding to mostly quiet, but a gemling's favorite word always seems to be "why?"

Child-Like

Gemlings have exceptionally short lifespans compared to a lot of the other races on Atharen. Some of the longer lives races might even have the opportunity to befriend 10s of generations of gemlings all stemming from the single gemling they met as a child. This short lifespan, unfortunately, leads the gemlings to be childish for most of their lives. Compare that with their relative newness to the world and the fact they don't mature quicker than other races, and you've got a recipe for a species that remains in a perpetually child-like state.

Make no mistake though, this is neither a good nor a bad thing. While gemlings do possess a good number of negative traits associated with children, it also means they possess a lot of the positive traits associated with them. One of the things people often tend to mention with gemlings, for better and for worse, is their overall lack of a filter. Just like with children though, it's possible to stumble upon a gemling that acts noticeably more mature than other gemlings might.

Personal Identity

Personal identity is left completely to the whims of the individual when it comes to gemlings. Most gemlings will respect how other gemlings decide to present themselves to the world, treating them how they wish to be treated and asking the same in return. This is typically a courtesy ascribe to other mortals as well.

Thanks to the fact gemlings produce asexually, gemlings don't actually have sexual genders. Every gemling shatters the same way and those shards grow into new gemlings in the exact same way. So technically gender is pointless. That being said, a lot of gemlings will ascribe a gender to themselves much like how they decide on names. This is done because gemlings adore imitating and replicating the other races. There are still those gemlings who treat themselves as genderless being simply because the area in which they were raised, but again, this depends on what mortals are in the area for them to replicate.

Culture

Big Friends

A special trait among the gemlings are what they describe as their 'Big Friends'. While most gemlings are pretty good climbers, it's still difficult to get around and operate in the world being how small they are. Because of this, gemlings often acquire what they've come to call Big Friends. A Big Friend is very obviously another mortal who is large than the gemling. Gemlings are very meticulous in who they decide to call their Big Friend. Usually, the person they pick needs to be trustworthy and what that gemling, in particular, would describe as a good person. The gemling then bonds to their new Big Friend and a gemling often follows around the person they decide to make their big friend for the rest of their life.

Due to lifespan differences, this Big Friend very often outlives the gemling if not multiple generations of gemlings. Because of this, it isn't uncommon for a dying gemling to more or less beseech their Big Friend to care for their offspring. In this case, the baby gemlings upon coming into the world will almost always immediately bond to and imprint on their new Big Friend who is then is charge of caring for the small gemlings and trying to help teach them about the world.

Finding the Unknown

Gemlings like to explore. A lot. A lot. Most gemlings will be curious creatures and do a lot of exploring, even if they never leave the city they were born in. A gemling seems to be able to find adventure anywhere without going too far from home. They might notice a lot of things that other people don't because of this. They're driven by the want to know secrets and learn about hidden things, discovering every little detail about the world and being able to observe it.

The notion that gemlings are 'good luck' is partially born from this. Gemlings because of their nature and ability to notice the small stuff, will often see things that other mortals don't. There are some discoveries in this world that it seems only a gemling's curiosity can make. These cool and neat discoveries are first and foremost taken to their Big Friend if they have one. If they don't they just keep the discover quiet, enjoying keeping the knowledge to themselves and possibly informing other gemlings. Gemlings might bring tiny trinkets to their Big Friend, but they also have the potential to bring something truly worthwhile and wonderful to the attention of their Big Friend, hence them being good luck. Gemlings can also make terrible discoveries, but they either don't share these or don't survive these to share with their Big Friends.

The discoveries of a gemling can be absolutely useless or valuable, but gemlings expect their Big Friend to get some kind of use out of if they bring it to their attention. Most gemlings will either share or hand over the products of their discoveries as long as it makes those around them happy. Rejecting or mistreating the gift of a gemling is a quick way to make that gemling disappear from your life forever though, as gemlings take great insult from their gifts being treated poorly.

Life and Death

Life and death meaning absolutely nothing to the Gemlings. They live every day with the disregard of a 10-year-old who's met the dragon gods and was less than impressed. Which is to say the only thing that exists for them is the present now. Generally, the gemlings see both life and death as neutral topics that simply don't affect them. It's uncertain if this is due to their childish mentality or the beliefs regarding what happens to gemlings after they die.

Clothing and Grooming

Clothes, Unnecessary But Fun

Technically gemlings have nothing they necessary need to cover. While extreme temperatures can shatter them, those temperatures need to be extreme. With that said, technically gemlings don't need clothes.

But oh, how they so very much love wearing it.

Gemlings like to mimic other mortals and one of the things that have a strong fascination in is clothing and fashion. Gifts of doll clothes are a quick way to make friends with a gemlings, and gemlings will often steal the clothes from dolls if left unattended. Again, gender has no real bearing on what a gemling decides to wear. A gemling regardless of what they identify with will wear whatever clothing they find to be the most pleasing to them.

Caring for a Gemling

Gemlings must be washed and/or polished frequently in order to remove lingering gem shards and prevent a build-up. Build up of dead shards can result in various difficulties such as decreased mobility, illness, and increased chances of shattering. Once shards have built up to an excessive level, they start to rebind to the body of the gemling and become both dangerous and painful to properly remove. Big Friends typically help a gemling wash and care for itself, however, gemlings can still achieve proper cleanliness on their own or with the aid of another gemling. It just tends to take a little more time.

Cleaning a gemling first involves rinsing them in warm water to remove any easy to get lingering shards. Then the gemling must be buffed and polished in a manner that bears striking resemblance to the process of buffing and polishing regular precious gemstones. This should remove the more difficult shards. This process must be done at least twice a weak to maintain the health and safety of the gemling n question.

Technology and Intellectual Pursuits

Children Doing Science

Gemlings, for the most part, do not even remotely understand science, let alone how it works. With that said, the gemlings tend to be extremely enthusiastic and supportive of those who can do science and understand how exactly it works. While they can't ever really understand what's going on, the especially love to watch and even more so love to participate in small ways. They become very enthused if they're allowed to hold beakers or help mix solutions while watching. Trying to explain what's happening is like explaining rocket science to a cat, but they'll nod along away and pretend they understand.

When gemlings don't understand how something in the world works they assume it's magic. Most science is assumed to be magic until they've been adequately corrected.

Dragonshard Gemlings

There are a special type of gemling in this world known as the Dragonshard gemlings. As their name implies, this exceptionally rare type of gemling both looks and acts like a traditional dragonshard. They can be extremely helpful in both the magics and sciences as a power source and because of this are widely sought after and often the victims of mistreatment.

Dragonshard gemlings cannot be played by a player, however, it is possible to create one as a companion NPC. This will always require help desk approval and players need to be adequately active and trusted in order to review a dragonshard gemling as an NPC.

Arts and Crafts

The Collection

Gemlings aren't really interested in the arts, but one thing all gemlings have is a Collection. A Collection can roughly be compared to a dragon's hoard. It's something that the gemling protects and slowly grows larger as they themselves aid, oftentimes multiple generations contributing to the overall Collection. Each Collection is unique and all the items in a Collection tell a story. While gemlings are protective of their Collection, they also absolutely love getting to show it off. Nothing seems to bring them greater joy.

Stationary gemlings tend to have an easier time keeping a larger Collection for obvious reasons. Gemlings that are more prone to travel will either usually do one of three things. They'll give their Collection to a Big Friend to keep safe, they'll keep a small Collection which usually has pieces of trinkets from their adventures, or they'll pick a spot they often visit and hid the Collection there. Gemlings are usually fairly respectful of one another's Collections and will help them defend it. If their Collection is in danger and they request help, a good way to insult a gemling to the point of actually becoming something bordering on a danger is refusing to help them without a valid reason not to. Attacking a gemling's Collection or being the threat to it is one of the few ways to elicit attacks from gemlings.

While most people usually laugh this off, there are reported cases of gemling homicides and when it comes to their Collections they are not to be trifled with.

Religion and Worship

There Is Only Thiovan

All gemlings, seemingly without question, are loyal to Thiovan. This is possibly due to the fact the original gemlings were endir who worked under Thiovan, instilling the loyalty into them. Another theory regarding this loyalty is due to the fact that Thiovan is representative of secrets and knowledge, something the gemlings seem to prize. Regardless of the root of their worship, just about every gemling without fail is loyal to and worships Thiovan.

Worship might be the wrong word in this case though. Gemlings don't seem to 'worship' any gods. They respect Thiovan, but more than anything they treat him a bit like a father figure. They leave him gifts and sing his praises, but no more so than they might someone else they've become noticeably fond of. That being said, for the most part, Thiovan is the only god the gemlings acknowledge as an actual god.

Okay, Not Always

While gemlings mostly acknowledge only Thiovan, culturally they can come to see other deific figures as gods depending on where they live. While they can be convinced of other gods, they'll treat these gods in much the same way as they treat Thiovan. Occasionally there's a sense of wonder and respect, but it's hard to convince a gemling to be truly reverent of anything.

Reproduction, Aging, and Death

Aesexual Reproduction

Gemlings reproduce asexually through two different methods.

The first method is the more common of the two. It begins when a gemling shatters. This can either be at the end of its natural life cycle or through artificial means, but the results are typically the same. The gemling shatters and becomes shards. These shards then manage to make their way into the ground over time, being planted by the elements or accidentally being buried by animals. After managing to make its way underground, the shards undergo a process the gemlings call sharding. Scientifically, this is a process similar to meiosis. The shard absorbs nutrients from the ground around it and breaks it down into its core components. It uses these building blocks to make the gemstone for its body and over the course of 1-8 months (depend on soil quality) a new gemlings will be able to sprout from the ground and begin its life. Gemlings born in this manner will always be the same gemstone as the parent.

The second method calls back to the original gemlings. It's possible for the souls of gemlings to still interact with curious endir in the land of nod while they themselves are sleeping. In a similar process to how they were crafted by the mortal psyche, they can do the same to an endir that's willing. This is a subconscious thing, usually brought on by the desires of the lesser endir they themselves are shaping. After the process is complete the endir becomes a gemling and leaves the Land of Nod in a manner similar to the original gemlings.

Fully Functioning Sprouts

Gemlings are considered to be fully functioning the moment they leave the ground or fall from Nod. This is because gemlings have a very weak version of generation memories. If they didn't, a race so short-lived and childlike probably wouldn't be able to survive regardless of the kindness of other mortal races. These memories usually aren't anything direct. They're a foggy sense of guidance that blends in with the conscious unless directly cultivated to be something more. A gemling who takes interest in these memories could theoretically dig all the way back to their first-ever gemling ancestor's memories, but this is exceptionally hard to do and would like to require a great chunk of the gemling's lifespan to accomplish. Most gemlings don't have the time or energy to put into such endeavors when they could be doing something fun and discovering new things.

The strongest memories are usually found during dreams since it's when the gemlings themselves get the closest to 'home'. Even then, these memories aren't all that strong. Their main purpose is to allow the gemling to immediately have a short set of survival skills upon birth since there won't be anyone around to raise them. Sharded gemlings obvious inherit the memories of the shattered gemling, but gemlings crafted in Nod also get memories. Specifically the memories of the one that crafted them. In exchange, they lose most of their memories of being an endir, and likely retain absolutely none of the powers.

Development and Life

Gemlings don't really 'develop' after that. Not physically anyway. They're fully grown when they reach other mortals for the first time. However, gemlings can slowly develop mentally and that's what the majority of their life is about.

What Happens When Gemlings Die?

Lots of people wonder what happens to a gemling after it dies. In truth, no one knows. It's uncertain if their souls are collected by Wraedan and taken to Thiovan's domain, or if they're taken back to the Land of Nod.

The idea that they return to being endir in the Land of Nod is one of the more popular theories. Though it has little actual proof to back it. Another popular theory is they're just reborn again as a gemling until they've satisfied their curiosity. Some gemlings who have taken the time to remember their generational memories have even claimed to remember the life that 'was once theirs' but there isn't actually any proof to this either and no actual records of a gemling ever having said this. It might just be they're taken to the realm of whatever god they followed and treated like any other mortal soul, but people continue to raise questions if this is actually the case.

Language

No True Language

Thanks to the nature of how gemlings talk, they don't actually have a language. They just adopt whatever language or languages are most commonly used by those around them. What their Big Friends or Ancestor spoke is generally a good indicator of what a gemling is going to speak.

Gemling names tend to be pretty simple, just being whatever gemstone the gemling itself is. Because of that, it isn't uncommon to walk into a room with two gemlings name ruby, three named topaz, and 8 name sapphire. Yet somehow the gemlings are able to differentiate which one is being spoken to.

While gemlings like to name themselves after their gemstones, they also like receiving secondary names from Big Friends. Occasionally they hold competitions among themselves to see who had the cutest name. The cutest most babyish sounding name like Snugglewhumps or Pookie is likely to win.