Creation Guide

Welcome to the Mars AU Creation Guide! This guide intends to provide Mars AU lore info for people that wish to contribute to the wiki. Due to changes in how the AU is managed (and the page being incomplete even prior), this page is currently undergoing an overhaul.

## Base Guidelines

These guidelines apply to all pages regardless of the subject. Note that these are tips, not hard rules; while encouraged to keep the guidelines in mind, it isn't necessarily rule breaking to not meet them.

1. **Proofread your work**: Always, always ***ALWAYS*** proofread your work before publishing! Perfect grammar is not expected, and mistakes are inevitable, but it's hard to excuse having several errors in one paragraph (or one sentence!). Most browsers have a spellchecker built in, so use that to your advantage!
2. **Keep it professional**: Use of "chatspeak" or "leetspeak" within articles is strongly discouraged as such text is unprofessional and hard to read.
3. **Format your articles**: Please try to properly format articles you create. Base pages are formatted properly and can be looked at for reference, and page templates will eventually be made for user convenience.
4. **Stick to the lore**: Simply put, subjects should ideally fit within both the canon Steven Universe lore and Mars AU lore.
	* Hypothetical subjects don't necessarily need to fit within Mars AU or even SU lore, for reasons that are probably obvious.

## Characters

We expect that most of the additions to the Mars AU will be characters (most likely Gems). This portion of the guide should help you create a character that fits within the Mars AU.

In order to figure out how to set up your character's **page**, check out the Character Page Creation Guide.

### Lore-breaking characters

*Here is a list of character attributes that would definitely break the established lore.*

* **New Diamonds:** Only five Diamonds exist in the Mars AU: the four members of the canon Diamond Authority, and the synthetic Chameleon Diamond. Any other Diamonds would be considered lore-breaking without exception.
* **New Greater Zirconias:** Same reason as with the Diamonds. Only four Greater Zirconias were ever made, and a fifth would be lore-breaking, period.
* **Major Faction Leaders:** This includes adding new members to Blue Goldstone's council. Each faction already has its leader/leaders; let's not overcomplicate things by adding more.
* **Defective/Modified/Open Cross-Fusion Watchers:** The Watchers are an extremely conservative group that do not allow anything out of the ordinary. Defective and modified Gems, as well as open cross-fusions, would not be allowed in Watcher territory, much less allowed to become members of the faction.
* **Modified/Open Cross-Fusion Martian Loyalists:** Just like the Watchers, the Martian Loyalists are a very conservative group. They have a few defective Gems, but modified Gems and open cross-fusions are simply not welcome in the faction.
* **Lesser Zirconias (on Earth or Mars):** Lesser Zirconias have a very specific purpose: to maintain order among Homeworld Gems. Consequently, there is only one Lesser Zirconia in the solar system, and she is there on a special assignment. You aren't going to see any others there on business, and the chances of one defecting and fleeing to Earth or Mars is near zero.
* **Humans on Mars:** Humans and human/Gem hybrids require food, water, and oxygen; these are three things that Mars just doesn't have enough of to support a human, not even in this AU!
* **Stranded "Homeworld Gems":** This is more a technicality than anything. This wiki's definition of a Homeworld Gem is "a Gem that currently serves Homeworld and the Diamond Authority." If a Gem cannot serve Homeworld, then, by definition, they are not a Homeworld Gem. On this wiki, Gems that would serve Homeworld given the choice are called "loyalists."

### Iffy characters

*These characters are allowed in the Mars AU, but they are difficult to explain without breaking lore; thus, it is probably better to avoid creating characters in the following groups if you want to remain within lore.*

* **Reverse Fusions:** Currently, the only reliable way in canon to create reverse fusions is by using the Gem Splitter, which is guarded and very dangerous in the wrong hands. You would need a good reason to explain a reverse fusion's existence.
* **Era 2 Gems on Mars:** Most of the Gems on Mars are Era 1 Gems that are left over from Earth's colonization and the Rebellion. An Era 2 Gem would need a good explanation as to why they are on Mars.
* **Flying Gems on Earth/Mars:** This includes Aquamarines and Lapis Lazulis. The reason most Gems are on Earth or Mars is because they're physically stuck there; they can't leave whether they want to or not. However, canon Gems with flight can fly off-planet and even back to Homeworld. You would need to explain why your character doesn't just do that. The reason does not need to be practical, but it should be in-character.
* **Active Crystal Gems:** In the Mars AU, Crystal Gems that survived past the end of the war did so by deserting the group, or by being captured but not harvested or shattered. Plus, very few modern Gems are going to go to Earth at all, much less be willing to join up while they're there.
* **Loyalists in Non-Loyalist Factions:** These are the Progressives, Pink Zirconia's court, and especially the Remade Gems. All three of these factions have spurned the old rules of Homeworld, so a Gem that is still loyal to the Authority would need a good reason to choose one of those groups over the Martian Loyalists or Watchers.
* **Corrupted/Formerly Corrupted Gems on Mars:** None of the Gems on Mars were corrupted like those on Earth, and Mars is virtually isolated from the rest of the universe for the entirety of Era 2 and at least the beginning of Era 3. Thus, any such Gems would need to be somehow "imported" from Earth (which, while possible, is unlikely).
* **Characters with Specific Tools/Weapons:** Be careful when giving your character any of the following Gem tools/weapons, as they can easily break lore.
	+ Gem Destabilizers. These are an invention of Era 2, and while there are a few on Mars, most Martian Gems have never even seen one.
	+ Limb Enhancers. Like Destabilizers, these are an invention of Era 2. While they exist on Mars, they are generally either prototypes (such as Dot's), or custom-made by a Martian Gem (such as Cerussite's).
	+ Rejuvenators. In the Mars AU, Rejuvenators are rare and relatively fragile, so you won't find just anyone carrying one around. The only Gems who would normally even receive a Rejuvenator would be elites that worked with captured Crystal Gems during the war.
	+ Spacecrafts of any kind. If your character is stranded on Earth or Mars, it doesn't make sense to give them an easy way to get off—why don't they just leave?

### A-OK characters

*Here is a list of things that are perfectly fine to include in the Mars AU; no need to ask.*

* **Unusual Outfits:** The Gems of Mars, regardless of which group they are a part of, do not have a strict dress code. A lot of Progressives use a particular uniform, but even then they wear it by choice. Feel free to get creative with what your character wears.
* **Unusual Body Types:** Gem body types are considered flexible, including among Gems of the same caste.
* **Faction Members:** Adding new Gems to any major faction is allowed; just please make sure they actually fit in the faction they belong in.
* **Non-Feminine Gems:** This includes masculine and non-binary Gems. While all Gems are feminine by default, in the Mars AU there are Gems that take on other genders by choice.

### Questions to Answer

*Here are a few questions to ask yourself while working on your character, for the sake of character development.*

* Who is your character? What is their Gem type, and what was/would be their purpose on Homeworld? Are they defective? If so, what limitations do they have that a "proper" Gem of their type would not?
* What group is your Gem a part of? Why are they a part of said group? Are they loyal to their group? To the Authority? Why or why not?
* Where is your Gem? How did they get there? If on Mars, were they there before the Rebellion? Are they a deserter? Or are they on Mars against their will?

## Groups

You may want to create a new group for your characters. If so, this section should help you create it.

### Sections

*Group pages are not as set in stone as character pages, but should still generally have the following sections and a "Group Infobox" infobox in order to be considered complete.*

* **Members:** A list of all the members of the group, with a brief description of each important member. This section is usually broken up into smaller sections, including a "current" and "former" section, wherever applicable.
* **Ideals:** This section should have a description of how the group operates and what its beliefs are. This section may be omitted if your group is an umbrella group, as those are not organized.
* **History:** This section should have a brief summary of the group's history, including how it was formed and descriptions of major events within the group.
* **Property:** This section should list the important possessions that the group has, typically shared amongst the members. This section may be omitted if your group is an umbrella group, as those are not organized.
* **Trivia:** This section is reserved for unimportant fun facts about the group, including "behind the scenes" information. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.
* **Gallery:** If you have multiple images of your group, they are put in this section. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.

### Lore-breaking groups

* **New Major Factions:** There are already five major factions on Mars. Adding even more would just overcomplicate Martian politics—and they are already a bit of a mess.

### A-OK groups

* **Splinter Groups:** Splinter groups form all the time in real life; it only makes sense that they would form among Gem groups as well, including major factions.

## Places

You might want to create a new location within the Mars AU. That is where this portion of the guide comes in to help you.

### Sections

*Location pages are a bit looser than character pages, but still should generally have the following sections (preferably in the following order) and a "Location" infobox in order to be considered complete.*

* **Description:** A brief summary of what the location is, what it looks like, and some of its functions. Places based off of real-world locations may not need this to be considered complete. If you're not sure your page needs a Description section, feel free to ask.
* **History:** This section provides a short version of the history of the location, focusing on important details. If this place makes an appearance in a story, this is where to mention it and describe what purpose the location had.
* **Trivia:** This section is reserved for unimportant fun facts about the place, including "behind the scenes" information. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.
* **Gallery:** If you have multiple images of your location, they are put in this section. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.

### Lore-breaking locations

* **Martian Outposts:** Only four of these exist, one for each Diamond. A fifth would break lore.
* **Functioning Warp Pads:** All of the warp pads on Mars are unusable for various reasons. The Gems on Mars wouldn't be stranded otherwise.
* **Martian** **Kindergartens:** Mars was never meant to be a colony, and only has one Kindergarten; a second just wouldn't have happened.
* **Unrealistic Martian Geographic Features:** Mars' geography is probably different in the Mars AU than it is in real life (just as Earth's is different in the show), but not that different. That means it would be lore-breaking to put forests, lakes, active volcanoes, or other locations on Mars that couldn't exist on the red planet as we know it in our universe.

### A-OK locations

* **Martian Geographic Features in General:** These are fine to put in even if they don't exist in real life, so long as they could hypothetically exist on Mars.

## Objects

You might want to make a new object, such as a tool or weapon. This portion of the guide is here to help you create that object and make sure it doesn't break lore.

### Sections

*Each object page should have the following sections (preferably in the following order), except for those marked otherwise, and an "Objects" infobox in order to be considered complete.*

* **Description:** For those familiar with the Steven Universe wiki's layout, the description takes the place of the "Appearance," "Functions," and "Abilities" sections for the sake of consistency. These sections can be turned into subsections if you decide it's necessary.
* **History:** This section is dedicated to outlining the history of the object. When was it made? How was it used? If it appears in a story, this is where to mention it and describe what purpose the object had.
* **Trivia:** This section is reserved for unimportant fun facts about the object, including "behind the scenes" information. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.
* **Gallery:** If you have multiple images of your object, they are put in this section. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.

## Events

Major events also can get their own pages. This portion of the guide is here to help you create that event and make sure it doesn't break lore.

### Sections

*Each event page should generally have the following sections (preferably in the following order), except for those marked otherwise, and an "Event" infobox in order to be considered complete. Exceptions can be made depending on the type of event.*

* **Description:** This section should have a brief summary of the event. If the event is a brief, single-time event (such as a concert), you can omit this section, as it can be merged with "History."
* **History** or **Timeline of Events:** This section describes the event in detail, as well as smaller events leading up to and within the main event. You need one of these sections, but whether you use a "History" section or a "Timeline of Events" section depends on the type of event.
	+ If it is a brief, single-time event or a recurring event (such as an annual festival), use a "History" section.
	+ If the event spans an extended period of time, use a "Timeline of Events" section.
* **Participants:** This section has a list of all the individuals directly involved with the event. This does not need to be an exhaustive list if including **every** participant would bloat it. This section may be omitted if there are fewer than five named participants.
* **Attendees:** If your event had attendees for one reason or another (for example, if it is a concert or other such event), you should include a list of these attendees. This section may be omitted if there are fewer than five named attendees.
* **Aftermath:** If you have an event that happened just once (and was particularly impactful), you might want to add an Aftermath section to describe how your event affected future events. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.
* **Trivia:** This section is reserved for unimportant fun facts about the event, including "behind the scenes" information. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.
* **Gallery:** If you have multiple images of your event, they are put in this section. This section is not necessary for a page to be considered complete and may be omitted.

### Lore-breaking events

* **Gem wars directly involving Homeworld:** A "Gem war," in this case, is defined as a war with Gems on both sides. In the Mars AU, there is only one Gem war that Homeworld got involved in: the Rebellion.