Origin
Earth
Paparadscha is one of the Gems who was mainly on patrol duty, but is currently inactive. They were born with an incomplete torso, which leaves them unconscious most of the time. They are the partner of Rutile, who works continuously to devise replacements for their missing parts in order to cure them of their unstable condition. Rutile has not yet achieved this and has only managed to keep them awake and active for short amounts of time. They are very easygoing, friendly, and calm. They have a strong sense of humor. There are some hints that they know more than they let on. They wish for Rutile to give up on trying to save them. They seem to show sympathy towards Phos, as the two share similarities in their body composition.
Land of the Lustrous
In the mysterious future, crystalline organisms called Gems inhabit a world that has been destroyed by six meteors. Each Gem is assigned a role in order to fight against the Lunarians, a species who attacks them in order to shatter their bodies and use them as decorations. Phosphophyllite, also known as Phos, is a young and fragile Gem who dreams of helping their friends in the war effort. Instead, they are told to compile an encyclopedia because of their delicate condition. After begrudgingly embarking on this task, Phos meets Cinnabar, an intelligent gem who has been relegated to patrolling the isolated island at night because of the corrosive poison their body creates. After seeing how unhappy Cinnabar is, Phos decides to find a role that both of the rejected Gems can enjoy. Houseki no Kuni follows Phos' efforts to be useful and protect their fellow Gems.
