History Main / GemTissue

* ''Franchise/{{Warhammer}}'': ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The book ''Xenology'', while largely moved away from, details the biology of several Xenos races. It implies that anything that would clot or solidify in a human physiology crystallizes in an Eldar.

%%* ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'': Any creature with the Mackne, Derma Bark, Baublewarts, Jemite and/or Stealing Crystals parts probably apply.%%Examples aren't ambiguous. They fit or they don't.

* ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesForThreeHundredYearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'': "Monsters" are distinguished from other creatures by the small gems within their bodies, which the AdventureGuild trades for coin. One dragon refuses to attack some [[FullBoarAction giant boars]] until she learns that they're not monsters, as she doesn't want to eat the gems by mistake.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': The core found on angels and some Evas resembles a sort of pearl and behaves like various other crystalline materials.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Several examples exist such as [[Characters/PokemonGenerationVIFamilies Carbink and Diancie]], though the [[Characters/PokemonGenerationIVFamilies Lake Trio]] are probably the most famous since their gems are integrated into their [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl games' story]]. Others such as [[Characters/PokemonGenerationIVFamilies Dialga and Palkia]] have gem-like orbs embedded into their limbs and torsos.

CarbuncleCreature is a subtrope, for creatures based on, or are, carbuncles. See also GemHeart.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': The core found on angels and some Evas may apply, looking like some sort of pearl and behaving like various other crystalline materials.
* ''Manga/LandOfTheLustrous'': The Gems are made entirely of gems with organisms called "inclusions" giving them sentience.
* ''Anime/FairyTailDragonCry'' has [[spoiler:the dragon Animus, whose horns and claws look like great masses of crystal growing out of his body.]]

* ''ComicBook/TomorrowStories'': Greyshirt's sometimes enemy [[DatingCatwoman sometimes love interest]] Lapis Lazuli's body is composed of living sapphire following a mishap with a transformation beam.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': Contact with a PowerCrystal changes Commander Rourke's flesh to the same glowing blue crystal. This doesn't seem to have interfered with his bodily functions, as he showed no signs of ill health [[spoiler:until Milo hoists him up to the blimp propellers, shattering Rourke to a million pieces.]]
[[/folder]]

* ''Literature/TheAldabreshinCompass'': True dragons have an elemental gem for their heart. Illusory dragons, summoned by powerful wizards, can become real and self aware if they rip out a true dragon's heart and eat it.
* ''Literature/TheAndromedaStrain'': The story centers on an alien crystal that can survive in vacuum and even a nuclear blast. It also tends to restructure the proteins in people and animals, most notably converting fluid blood into a reddish powder in its victims' veins.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The Diamond King of the Trolls isn't just a flowery regal title. He really is made of diamond. Trolls are made of what is called ''metamorphorical rock'', where the silicon-based substance of their bodies is predominantly one form of inorganic silicon tissue: the stuff of their being is partly down to genetic factors, but can also be mimetic of the dominant rock of their surroundings. Many male trolls are simply "Granite" or "Marble" or similar: but female trolls tend to incorporate a lot more wholly and semi-precious gemstones, ie Ruby, Beryl, et c. And, of course, ''all'' trolls have diamond teeth -- the only material strong enough to grind and break down rock.

* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': Eldunari are gem-like organs located within dragons. If regurgitated before death, the dragon's consciousness will become preserved there should they die.

%%* ''Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan'': Dragons have one inside their brain. [[spoiler:The Stone of Blood is one.]]%%One what?

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': The Unity are a race of peaceful crystalline life forms and normally look like blue crystals. [[spoiler:They can assume the form of other life forms.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' features the Crystalline Entity, a massive snowflake-like creature that absorbs organic matter, converting it into energy in order to grow. Although the entity is shattered during its second appearance, another later appears in the ''Literature/StarTrekTitan'' novels and ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline''.
* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': The crystals of planet [=M3X=]-387 may very possibly be this.

** A number of monsters that are made up entirely of crystals and/or gems.
*** The crysmal is a creature from the Elemental Plane of Earth that is made up of large crystals. It eats gems such as quartz, beryl (emeralds and aquamarine), corundum (rubies and sapphires) and carbon (jet and diamonds).
*** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'': The Red Wizards of Thay created gemstone golems made of diamonds, emeralds and rubies.

** 1st Edition ''AD&D'' supplement ''Fiend Folio'': The carbuncle is an armadillo-like monster with a large ruby in its forehead. If the ruby is removed it will grow back over a period of several months.
** Some Earth Genasi -- {{Uneven Hybrid}}s of humanoids and earth {{Elemental Embodiment}}s -- have crystals growing out of an otherwise humanoid body, or geode-like fissures in their flesh.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': The Alchemical Exalted of the Adamant Caste are described as being made of quartz crystals (in addition to their namesake metal), and have "hair" made of branching crystal/gem growth, along with ''scales" at their joints.
* ''Franchise/{{Warhammer}}'':
** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Several exist.
*** After being exiled into the Webway, Aurelia Malys ran into a crystalline entity and defeated it, ripping out its heart and her own and exchanging the two. Now that the crystal heart beats instead of her own, she has minor precognitive abilities and complete immunity to psyker powers, which she uses to plot the downfall of Asdrubael Vect, who caused her exile in the first place.
*** Eldar Farseers slowly turn to crystal as they age due to their connection with their Craftworld's wraithbone (the psychically-active material used by Eldar for their armor, weapons and buildings). Eventually they retire to a special area of the Craftworld where their spirit joins the Craftworld as their body continues to fuse into the wraithbone.
*** The book ''Xenology'', while largely moved away from, details the biology of several Xenos races. It implies that anything that would clot or solidify in a human physiology crystallizes in an Eldar.
** ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': One possible Chaos {{Muta|nts}}tion transforms the victim's body into living crystal, which boosts their [[TheSixStats Toughness]] but halves their HitPoints. The crystal [[NoOntologicalInertia rots into dung]] if separated from the main body.

* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'': The Devouring Earth have crystal monsters, ranging in size from the [[AsteroidsMonster shards of once-defeated crystal monsters]] to the giant Crystal Titan.

*** The full-blooded Garleans have a small pearl like growth in the middle of their forehead, called a Third-eye.
*** ** The Crystal Exarch in the ''Shadowbringers'' expansion is slowly turning to crystal due to his affinity with the Crystal Tower of the Allagans. One arm, most of his neck, and part of his cheek are already converted -- any other parts are hidden under his robe. His mobility is unaffected.

* ''VideoGame/{{RuneScape}}'':
** The elf goddess Seren is literally a living crystal.
** Several golems, such as the [[http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Player-owned_port/Captains_and_Crew Jade Golem]], are made out of gemstone.

* ''VideoGame/{{Temtem}}'': This is a common motif among Crystal types, if they're not outright {{Rock Monster}}s. Many have crystals on their claws and/or forehead, but the Lapinite line takes this one step further and have a ridge of crystals down their backs.

* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': The "heart" of a [[ElementalEmbodiment waterwoman]] is a pearl-like stone inside her rib cage. So long as the pearl is intact and in water, they can [[FromASingleCell regenerate]] any physical damage, although they experience DeathOfPersonality if their brain is destroyed.

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': Ashton Greymoore is an Earth Genasi, an UnevenHybrid of a humanoid and an Earth ElementalEmbodiment. This ancestry gives Ashton green stone skin, purple crystals in place of hair, and an opalescent brain.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' has the Crystal People, who live in the Crystal Dimension. They are [[ShapedLikeItself made of crystals]].
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': Petrosapiens like Diamondhead and Crystalsapiens like Chromastone are aliens made from crystal. Ben notes that both are SiliconBasedLife, yet they have DNA that can be spliced with organic beings.

** The Gems and Gem Monsters may also apply depending on one's point of view. Technically, their bodies are less "made of gems" and more HardLight constructs ''around'' a central core that ''is'' a gem. As a result, the gemstone embedded in some part of each Gem's anatomy is in a sense their "actual" body.
* ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'': "[[Recap/SWATKatsS1E8ChaosInCrystal Chaos in Crystal]]" sees the convict Rex Shard misuse a gem extractor in the prison mine, which transmutes exactly half his body into greenish crystal. Shard can thereafter crystalize anyone or anything he touches, and when he breaches the prison's wall his whole body converts to living crystal that's impervious to most weapons.

* The Gems from ''Manga/LandOfTheLustrous'' are made entirely of gems with organisms called "inclusions" giving them sentience.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** The All-American Boy was part of a black-ops project by the US to create a team capable of stopping Superman. He started as a normal human soldier, but was modified with Doomsday's DNA and Kryptonite, creating [[http://www.comicbookreligion.com/img/a/l/All_American_Boy.jpg a monster with spikes of the radioactive mineral growing in place of Doomsday's bone plates.]]
** ''ComicBook/TheKillersOfKrypton'' has Empress Gandelo, who has multi-faceted crystals protruding all over her skin.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: It is entirely unclear just what "Andro's" true body is actually made of, but it looks like clear faceted crystal and explodes when struck by lightning.
* ''ComicBook/TomorrowStories'': Greyshirt's sometimes enemy, [[DatingCatwoman sometimes love interest]] Lapis Lazuli's body is composed of living sapphire following a mishap with a transformation beam.

* ''Fanfic/JudgeLuna'': [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/109174/10 Case #9: Puppet]]:
--> "The carbuncle, the gem in a unicorn's skull at the base of her horn, was the source of her power."

* ''Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan'': Dragons have one inside their brain. [[spoiler:The Stone of Blood is one.]]
* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': A dragon's Eldunar is stated to be a gem-like body organ.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The Diamond King of the Trolls isn't just a flowery regal title. He really is made of diamond. Trolls are made of what is called ''metamorphorical rock'', where the silicon-based substance of their bodies is predominantly one form of inorganic silicon tissue: the stuff of their being is partly down to genetic factors, but can also be mimetic of the dominant rock of their surroundings. Many male trolls are simply "Granite" or "Marble" or similar: but female trolls tend to incorporate a lot more wholly and semi-precious gemstones, ie Ruby, Beryl, et c. And, of course, ''all'' trolls have diamond teeth - the only material strong enough to grind and break down rock.
* ''Literature/TheAndromedaStrain'': The story centers on an alien crystal that can survive in vacuum and even a nuclear blast. Tragically, it also tends to restructure the proteins in people and animals, most notably converting fluid blood into a reddish powder in its victims' veins.
* In Creator/MichaelMoorcock's ''Literature/TheElricSaga'' stories, the Chaos Lord Pyaray is a giant red octopus who stores his soul in a blue crystal embedded in his forehead.
* In Margaret St. Clair's short story "The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles," the hideous and misshapen titular creatures have brilliant green multi-faceted eyes which look like emeralds. Mortensen, the cordage salesman, dooms himself when he tries to take the Head Gnole's spare set of eyes from a display cabinet as payment for the Gnoles' rather abundant order.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' featured the Crystalline Entity, a massive snowflake-like creature that absorbed organic matter, converting it into energy in order to grow. Although the entity was shattered during it's second appearance, another would later appear in the ''Literature/StarTrekTitan'' novels and ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline''.

* The ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' has a few members whose bodies are adorned with crystals, which serves as sources of their energy, notably [[Series/UltramanGinga Ultraman Ginga and his partner, Ultraman Victory]]. The body crystals are later carried over whenever Ginga and / or Victory lend their powers to another Ultra, such as when Series/UltramanOrb borrows Ginga's powers to create his Lightning Attacker mode, or when Franchise/UltramanZero uses both Ginga's and Victory's powers for his Zero Beyond form.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Several exist.
*** After being exiled into the Webway, Aurelia Malys ran into a crystalline entity and defeated it, ripping out its heart and her own and exchanging the two. Now that the crystal heart beats instead of her own, she has minor precognitive abilities and complete immunity to psyker powers, which she uses to plot the downfall of Asdrubael Vect, who caused her exile in the first place.
*** Eldar Farseers slowly turn to crystal as they age due to their connection with their Craftworld's wraithbone (the psychically-active material used by Eldar for their armor, weapons and buildings). Eventually they retire to a special area of the Craftworld where their spirit joins the Craftworld as their body continues to fuses into the wraithbone.
*** The book ''Xenology'', while largely moved away from, details the biology of several Xenos races. It implies that anything that would clot or solidify in a human physiology crystallizes in an Eldar.
** ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': One possible Chaos {{Muta|nts}}tion transforms the victim's body into living crystal, which boosts their [[TheSixStats Toughness]] but halves their HitPoints. The crystal [[NoOntologicalInertia rots into dung]] if separated from the main body.

*** In the TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms setting, the Red Wizards of Thay created gemstone golems made of diamonds, emeralds and rubies.
** ''TabletopGame/DarkSun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II: Terrors beyond Tyr''. The dagorran is a giant frog-like creature with green crystals growing out of the top of its back, under the neck. These crystals are the source of the creature's tracking and psionic abilities. The leader of a pack of dagorran has a larger growth of crystals than the other pack members.
** 1st Edition AD&D supplement ''Fiend Folio''. The carbuncle is an armadillo-like monster with a large ruby in its forehead. If the ruby is removed it will grow back over a period of several months.

** Part of the process for a [[OurLichesAreDifferent lich]] to transform itself into a demilich is to create eight Soul Gems and incorporate them into its body, empowering it to [[SoulEating consume people's souls]]. The most famous demilich, Acererak, appears as a skull with gemstones for its teeth and "eyes".
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': [[PowerCrystal Ioun Stones]] usually [[AntiGravityClothing orbit their user's head]], but characters can permanently incorporate them into their bodies through a combination of psychic attunement and surgery. Afterwards, the stone counts as a part of the user and can't be targeted separately by attacks or effects.

* ''VideoGame/GodzillaUnleashed'': Along with [=SpaceGodzilla=] (see above) there is also Krystalak, who has his entire back covered in crystals and even has a beard made of them.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Several examples exist such as [[Characters/PokemonGenerationVIFamilies Carbink and Diancie]], though the [[Characters/PokemonGenerationIVFamilies Lake Trio]] are probably the most famous since their gems were integrated into their [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl games story]]. Others such as [[Characters/PokemonGenerationIVFamilies Dialga and Palkia]] likely also apply based off of appearance.
* ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'': Any creature with the Mackne, Derma Bark, Baublewarts, Jemite and/or Stealing Crystals parts probably apply.
* ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'': Pyrrhon has a green jewel on his forehead.
* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' has the semi-crystallized undead populating the (mainly) Duke's Archive, who have magical crystals sticking out of their bodies that give them various sorcerous abilities. Across the franchise's three games, Crystal Lizards have also been a source of rare Titanite crystals, being tiny {{Fragile Speedster}}s... until the third game had some consume souls and grow enormously into crystalline monsters with an appetite for souls.
* ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'' is set in a world where a wide-spread demonic affliction causes the victims' flesh to randomly crystallize, often forming unsettling stained glass-like shapes. The heroine of the game is also afflicted and has multiple patches of crystal on her body, most prominently a rose-like one over her heart.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'': While the physiology of this process is never exactly explored in detail, when the l'Cie in the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' mythos make their FaustianBargain, a small crystal forms somewhere inside their bodies, that allows them to manifest their superpowers and grows larger as they become stronger (this serves as the in-universe justification of the [[SkillScoresAndPerks Crystarium]] [[CharacterLevel subsystem]]). Eventually, when the l'Cie fulfill their end of the deal they made, the crystal grows so large, it completely encases them, freezing them in an eternal stasis.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': The full-blooded Garleans have a small pearl like growth in the middle of their forehead, called a Third-eye.
** The Crystal Exarch in the ''Shadowbringers'' expansion is slowly turning to crystal due to his affinity with the Crystal Tower of the Allagans. One arm, most of his neck, and part of his cheek are already converted - any other parts are hidden under his robe. His mobility is unaffected.
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer''
** Initiates in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'' have a few tiberium crystals growing out of their shoulders
** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'':
*** The Forsaken are {{Mutants}} who have been altered by exposure to Tiberium to the point they have Tiberium crystals growing out of their skin.
*** The Tiberian Fiend [[NeutralsCrittersAndCreeps neutral unit]] is a huge dog with tiberium crystals growing out of its back. It can shoot them at your troops as well.
** In the ''Kane's Wrath'' expansion to ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars,'' Scrin Ravagers have a cluster of tiberium crystals growing out of their backs.
* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', the Devouring Earth have crystal monsters, ranging in size from the [[AsteroidsMonster shards of once-defeated crystal monsters]] to the giant Crystal Titan.
* ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'': Several Yokai have chunks of Amrita growing from their bodies.
* In ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar 4'', [[spoiler:the Scions, a.k.a. evolved Locust, have crystals of some sort growing out of their bodies. As does the "Swarmak" (an evolved Brumak)]].
* This is a common motif among Crystal types in ''VideoGame/{{Temtem}}'', if they're not outright {{Rock Monster}}s. Many have crystals on their claws and/or forehead, but the Lapinite line takes this one step further and have a ridge of crystals down their backs.

* The Orrotta in ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'' have soul gems implanted on their bodies.

* ''Webcomic/{{Huckleberry}}'''s Diamondback is a desert snake with [[VisualPun literal diamonds on its back]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' has the Crystal People, who live in the Crystal Dimension. They are [[ShapedLikeItself made of crystals]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'': Episode "Chaos In Crystal" sees convict Rex Shard misuse a gem extractor in the prison mine, which transmutes exactly half his body into greenish crystal. Shard is able to crystalize anyone or anything he touches, and when Shard breaches the prison's wall, his whole body converts to living crystal that's impervious to most weapons.

CarbuncleCreature is a subtrope, for creatures based on, or are, carbuncles.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': [[PowerCrystal Ioun Stones]] usually [[AntiGravityClothing orbit their user's head]], but characters can permanently incorporate them into their bodies through a combination of psychic attunement and surgery. Afterwards, the stone counts as a part of the spellcaster and can't be targeted separately by attacks or effects.

* Subverted with the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histioteuthis_reversa Jeweled Squid]]. At first glance, you'd think it has small jewels encrusted all over its skin, hence the name, but upon closer inspection, you'll see that those "jewels" are actually tiny eye-like lensed apparatuses which, when activated, emit focused beams of [[BioluminescenceIsCool bioluminescent light]].

* ''VideoGame/FlightRising'': Skydancer dragons have crystals on their foreheads.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Several exist.
** After being exiled into the Webway, Aurelia Malys ran into a crystalline entity and defeated it, ripping out its heart and her own and exchanging the two. Now that the crystal heart beats instead of her own, she has minor precognitive abilities and complete immunity to psyker powers, which she uses to plot the downfall of Asdrubael Vect, who caused her exile in the first place.
** Eldar Farseers slowly turn to crystal as they age due to their connection with their Craftworld's wraithbone (the psychically-active material used by Eldar for their armor, weapons and buildings). Eventually they retire to a special area of the Craftworld where their spirit joins the Craftworld as their body continues to fuses into the wraithbone.
** The book ''Xenology'', while largely moved away from, details the biology of several Xenos races. It implies that anything that would clot or solidify in a human physiology crystallizes in an Eldar.

*** The Tiberian Fiend [[{{Creeps}} neutral unit]] us a huge dog with tiberium growing out of its back. It can shoot them at your troops as well.

* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': Fane the [[{{Precursors}} Eternal]] looks almost entirely like a human [[DemBones skeleton]] after untold millennia in stasis, except for some unusual details and a large gem in his forehead. If asked, he crossly denies that those were later additions.