Vitreum - The Fusion World
So, like three years ago I was inspired by this art piece on deviantart, called “Fusions world”, and it got me thinking.
Imagine if there was some long lost distant gem colony, inhabited only by colossal Fusions who walk the surface like Titans.
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There are legends abound of the ancient Lost Colony, the Fusion World, Vitreum. A planet overrun with titanic monstrous fusions.
It is a long lost colony from Gemkind's initial expansion phase when Homeworld was first expanding outwards. It was once a major colony, as seen by the many ruins that dot its surface, but why it was abandoned has been lost to time. Perhaps it was a colony that became irrelevant or depleted and was simply forgotten over the ages. Its colonists eventually became stranded and isolated. Those Gems still on the planet were trapped and slowly descended into anarchy.
Some usurpers began using fusions to take control, to which the others responded by forming fusions of their own. As powerful and flexible tools, mixed-Gem Fusions began to norm as a way of countering their rival’s unique powers by developing their own. This escalated into a full blown Fusion arms race as all sides sought to create the most effective combinations and more powerful forms to combat their rivals. Fusions of ten, twenty, or even more Gems were developed, perfected over ages to gain an edge over their enemies. Homeworld never believed such Fusions were possible, but they never devoted considerable time to trying, and the Vitreum Gems had ages to practice.
The conflict would spiral out of control and the Fusion Wars that would rage were so destructive that it would destabilize the entire planet. All across the world, truly titanic Fusions fought in such numbers that solitaire Gem civilization was lost to cataclysm. Mountains were hurled like stones, continents were broken underfoot, and pillars of fire scorched the sky.
Almost all of the remaining Gems on the colony at this point had to fuse together just to survive. The chaotic conditions on the planet were making it impossible to survive otherwise, as either the elements would crush them, or more powerful fusions would. To be alone was to die on Vitreum, and so, hundreds of colossus warred across the surface on a scale that Gemkind had never witnessed.
For centuries the wars raged with great bellicose fusions striding across the surface, but they reached no climatic conclusion. Instead like a burning flame, they would simply peter out over time as the Fusions lost direction as well as their very identities. Over time, many of the largest Titans, the most powerful of them all, would either become dormant or simply choose to wander, patrolling their territories and only occasionally clashing with other Titan Fusions. Eons passed as the colonist’s individual identities were forgotten or discarded, even the existence of Homeworld became only a distant memory.
Today the surface of Vitreum is the image of primordial chaos, wracked by tremendous earthquakes, violent exotic storms, volcanic eruptions, and still occasionally shaken by the rumble of wandering Fusions and their bellicose clashes. It remains all but forgotten by Homeworld, a colony that was abandoned eons ago, and little more, unaware of the world of giants that it has become.
By most reckoning, Fusions of the size found on Vitreum should not be possible, as the number of conflicting personalities within them would make the Fusion too unstable to even exist. However, the Vitreum Gems fused together because the chaotic conditions on the planet were becoming impossible to survive as anything less than one. Either the elements would crush them, or more powerful fusions would. To be alone was to die on Vitreum. So even the largest numbers of personalities remained together, reforming immediately if they fell apart, or downscaling to more manageable, albeit less powerful, size if needed.
The majority of these Fusions have been fused for so long that they have blended together and developed their own unique personalities and identities. So with eons of need and practice, the Fusions reached size and stability never thought possible by Homeworld, or anyone for that matter, all isolated on Vitreum. Were they to become separated, the component Gems would become incredibly lost and confused and would immediately seek out their other components to reform.
Most fusions on Vitreum are composed of at least four or five Gems at minimum, equivalent to Alexandrite, as the whole planet is in such a constant state of geological upheaval and titanomachy that anything smaller would be at risk of being shattered.
These “smaller” fusions cannot hope to withstand the destruction as anything smaller and so either live either solitary existences or band together in small communities of no more than a few dozen, either residing within caves or deep underground where the big ones can't spot them. These Fusions have been fused for so long that they possessed fully developed and unique personalities and identities.
The “big ones” are Fusions composed of a dozen or more component Gems.
Then there are the Fusion Titans. The Titans are the most powerful and ancient Fusions of them all, beings of incredible power and titanic in the literal sense, they are composed of many dozens of Gems, perhaps even more. With so many personalities merged together over eons, they are more akin to forces of nature than Gems, not talkative and more prone to feeling than thinking. Often territorial and bellicose, when two Titans cross paths they get territorial, resulting in cataclysmic battles that reshape the landscape around them. Mountains are flattened, canyons, seas rise or are boiled away. Fortunately, there are only around a dozen on the planet and most of them remain dormant for long stretches of time.
I have a lot of ideas for Vitreum Fusions, here are some ideas I have in mind.
A colossal fusion whose head and hair forms the center of a cyclone.
Kosmochlor, another fusion up in the stratospheric mountains, with a dozen hands and can throw rocks like meteors or small mountains like boulders.
Neptunite, a leviathan sea fusion, with a mermaid tail who lurks beneath the waves. Her back could be mistaken for an island.
Vesuvianite, a colossal fusion who sleeps in the heart of a volcano, or essentially is the volcano. Is fiery and angry when woken.
Antarcticite, an ice fusion who freezes the whole region wherever they walk.
Botallackite, spider-like fusion hiding between canyon walls.
Fusions whose designs are inspire by the Naga, Spider, Hippocampus, Desert Colossus, and Kraken.
I hope to be able to make a small story out of this, to explore it. Its Era 3 and Steven is touring the cosmos with the Gems to dismantle the Authority, but they get lost and crash land on Vitreum. Cue adventures!
I think there is fun to be had besides gawking at Giant Woman. I'm sure Garnet would have something to say about this place. On this world of Fusions, the brief Fusion civilization that once thrived here. There are the cyclopean ruins of cities built entirely by Fusions, Amalgam. However factionalism and warfare tore these places apart and the civilization was lost to ruin.
The Diamonds would have zero authority on this planet. Most of the inhabitants barely remember Homeworld and other Gems emerged after Vitreum was cut off. They would also have to deal with the novel sensation of being considered SMALL. Even the smaller non-hostile Fusions wouldn’t be impressed by them.
Actually, someone who would be forced to take center stage would be Alexandrite, since you need to be her caliber minimum to survive the sheer destructive chaos of the planet.
They might meet a friendly Vitreum Fusion who helps them understand this place. Maybe a native Alexandrite. Or something else entirely.
As a for a conflict, maybe a particularly nasty Fusion is about to awaken and they need another to stop them. Its important to point out that most of these fusions, especially the titanic ones, aren’t evil. They are more like forces of nature. Their battles are massively destructive but they also create the landscape.
By the end of it, our favorite Gems escape, maybe some of the Vitreum Fusions go with them. Now that its Era 3 and fusions are not persecuted. But the bigger ones definitely stay and none of them unfuse.
That’s about what I have for now, if anyone has questions about it or ideas just shoot me a message!
Edit: First two chapters are up! See them here on AO3.
