Rutile Twins

The Rutile Twins are two major characters in the cartoon space opera Lars of the Stars. They are the pilots of the primary Off-Color ship, the Sun Incinerator.

Biography
Not much is known about the Rutile Twins' past before becoming apart of the Off-Color crew.

In The Rutile Style, the Homeworld Rutiles questioned the Rutile Twins about their conjoined state. According to the Rutile Twins, they conjoined into one defective gem during their formation, resulting in their shared body and gemstone. When they emerged the other Rutiles ran away in fear, which allowed the Rutile Twins to live but also emotionally scarred them.

Appearance
The Rutile Twins form a tall and slender Gem, with short red hair that goes upward in a point. They wear a sleeveless, open-toed jumpsuit that is half red and half black. The red right half of the jumpsuit has black stripes in the chest area, while the black left half has symmetrical red stripes. They have two arms and legs, but also two torsos and heads. The Rutile Twins seem to lack noses and even ears, although this probably does not affect their senses due to being a gem.

The Rutile Twins have a navel, "Y" shaped gemstone that is akin in appearance to a real-life "gem deformity" in which a gem splits in two and makes a V shape. They are not a forced fusion.

Personality
The Rutile Twins like to enact justice and be helpful, making them wonderful crewmembers for the Sun Incinerator. The Rutile Twins are very enthusiastic about living freely and not having to hide, which is one of the core messages of the Off-Colors.

They are not ashamed of their conjoined-twin, off-colored state. The Rutile Twins are quick to explain that it's not physical characteristics that define someone. Instead, it is the choices someone makes and how they treat others who can do nothing for them.

Sometimes, however, Homeworld Gems will torment the Rutile Twins about their conjoined state. Or, even worse, the Homeworld Gems will become fearful and think that the Rutile Twins are a monster that deserves to be shattered. This upsets the Rutile Twins and causes them to recoil in fear. The Rutile Twins want to help others, but they know that how they look can get in the way of that.

Usually, the Rutile Twins act as realists and voices of reason. When things get stressful, they will calm the other Off-Colors, in particular Rhodonite. They may seem optimistic due to their selfless attitudes, but they usually try to assist others in logical rather than emotional ways.

The Rutile Twins are adventurous and natural explorers. As the pilots of the Sun Incinerator, they are usually the first of the Off-Colors to discover new planets such as the 4-D planet in the episode Adventures in Dimension 4 and the water planet in Depths Unseen.

The Rutile Twins were mostly indifferent to the idea of fusion before and after the events of Fusion Party, when they were apart of the unstable fusion Poudretteite. During Red Lightning, however, Rhodonite and Fluorite talked to the Rutile Twins about the different meanings and implications of fusion, causing the Rutile Twins to be able to understand and appreciate fusion better.

During the episodes Jolly Holiday and Space Santa, the Rutile Twins try to be like Saint Nick, liking that he gives presents to those who deserve them.

The Rutile Twins can be very determined. They, along with Fluorite and Padparadscha, tried to rescue Lars and Rhodonite from an interstellar trading post in The Trade. The Rutile Twins grew increasingly frustrated as their first headstrong attempts at rescue failed. In addition, in Escape Pod when a Nephrite captain was trying to tell the Off-Colors something about the Sun Incinerator to no avail, the Off-Colors wondered what she was trying to say. The Rutile Twins and Padparadscha were the most determined to find out the truth, resulting in them sneaking off the ship in Searchin' For Answers.

Abilities
Presumably, the Rutile Twins possess standard Gem abilities and traits. In addition, the Rutile Twins have been shown to have the following abilities:
 * Photokinesis: The Rutile Twins can project a red light from their gemstone, much like a flashlight. They share this ability with Rhodonite and Fluorite.


 * Piloting Spaceships: The Rutile Twins are the official pilots of the Sun Incinerator. They are very skilled at piloting the Sun Incinerator and other Homeworld spaceships.
 * Proficiency in Sword-fighting: The Off-Colors have run into many different situations during their travels, with some resulting in violence. When fights break out, the Rutile Twins have to be able to defend themselves and their fellow crewmembers using their fairly proficient sword-fighting skills. They can each summon a sword, which they can combine together to form scissors.
 * Whistling: Both of the Twins are skilled at whistling, whether it be to catch the attention of others or to just whistle for enjoyment.

Each Other
The Twins are like extremely close siblings (both literally and figuratively). They love each other and have inside jokes that only they would get. Usually, the two Twins agree on the same things and finish each other's sentences. They are so similar that they can be mistakenly referred to as Rutile and not the Rutile Twins, which they don't seem to be mind so much.

Emerald
In Emerald's earlier appearances, she seemed angry at Lars and the Off-Colors constantly meddling and ruining her things. However, during the episode A Green Idea, she revealed that she had hated her job as of late due to her Diamond having punished her greatly for failing to capture the Off-Colors and for one of her Peridots (Squaridot) becoming a traitor. Since then, Emerald has been an official Off-Color.

Although Emerald was initially disgusted by the Rutile Twins' conjoined state, she eventually grows to accept it and respect the Rutile Twins. Even before becoming an official Off-Color, Emerald cannot help but acknowledge their advanced piloting skills.

Lars Barriga
Lars and the Rutile Twins seem to get along very well. The Twins are vocal about wanting to live freely and not hide, which Lars heartily agrees with.

In The Rutile Style, Lars supports the Twins' idea of wanting to throw a party for the five Rutiles first shown in Quintuple Dupe. He helps set up the party and tries to have all the Rutiles get along, which the Twins appreciate.

The Rutile Twins are usually very quick to respond to Lars' orders while working as the ship's pilots. They find Lars' snarky comebacks hilarious, especially when directed at temperamental Emerald.

Lars likes that the Rutile Twins try to be like gift-giving Saint Nick in Jolly Holiday. He appreciates when they try to give him a gift. However, as result of the Rutile Twins' Santa antics, Lars starts to wonder if a Space Santa actually exists.

When the Rutile Twins' try to be like Santa for the second time in Space Santa, Lars decides to search for a real "Space Santa". Unfortunately, once it begins to seem possible that Space Santa is fake, his search starts to become obsessive. The Rutile Twins have to tell him to calm down and put off the search, noting that space is vast and that the elusive Space Santa could be many light years away if he exists at all.

White Diamond
White Diamond's first appearance in The Pursuit shows that she thinks the Off-Colors are terrible pests. She hates when the Off-Colors liberate planets like Ophidian 3 and mess with her things, leading to her furiously chasing them in her debut episode.

In Trial by Diamond, the Off-Colors are captured and put on trial in front of White Diamond, resulting in growing tensions between her and the group. White Diamond absolutely hates when the Rutile Twins and the other Off-Colors manage to escape thanks to Lars' brief kidnapping of Zircon.

Homeworld Rutiles
In the their debut episode Quintuple Dupe, the five Homeworld Rutiles were hostile towards all the Off-Colors, but especially the Rutile Twins due to being the same Gem type. They were vocal about finding the Rutile Twins malformed and freakish, greatly disturbing the Twins. The Homeworld Rutiles feel that they are superior to the Off-Colored Rutile Twins due to their lack of deformities.

The Homeworld Rutiles tried to carry out Emerald's commands to hijack the Sun Incinerator and take the Off-Color crew hostage. They ultimately failed their mission and retreated, leaving the Rutile Twins distraught about their rocky relationship with the other Rutiles.

In The Rutile Style, the Rutile Twins throw a small party on the Sun Incinerator and invite the Homeworld Rutiles with the intention to get on better terms with them. All of the Homeworld Rutiles seem to enjoy themselves, and they chat with the Rutile Twins and the other Off-Colors, making no attempts at sabotage. When the Rutile Twins explain their emergence story to the other Rutiles during the party, they seem to grow more sympathetic and understanding.

After having a good time at the Rutile Twins' party, the Homeworld Rutiles warn the Off-Colors that it's possible that they'll have to sabotage the Sun Incinerator again in the future on behalf of Emerald or another Homeworld Gem. The Off-Colors tell them that they understand this and the Homeworld Rutiles leave on good terms. The Rutile Twins were very happy about improving their relationship with the other Rutiles.

Concrete
Concrete's alliance with the Off-Colors has led to amicability. The Off-Colors try to visit Concrete in The Belt, which may be something they do often.

The Rutile Twins are especially fond of Concrete's wicked shoe collection obtained from Earth over time. Sometime's Concrete allows the Rutile Twins to borrow and wear her shoes.

Other Crystal Gems (Garnet, Pearl & Amethyst)
The Rutile Twins' relationship with the Crystal Gems seems to be friendly even though there is little interaction between them. This amicability may stem from the Rutile Twins' friendship with Steven.

Connie Maheswaran
Although the Rutile Twins don't know Connie as well as they know Steven, they seem to be on good terms.

When Connie asks the Off-Colors for help in her debut episode Split Up, the Off-Colors are happy to be of assistance. The Rutile Twins enjoy hearing about Connie's family traditions in Traditions (an episode also known as परंपराओं), perhaps because the Rutile Twins believe that they are wonderful Saint Nicks and would therefore be great at celebrating Connie's holidays too.

Connie is interested in the piloting of the Sun Incinerator, and the Rutile Twins are always happy to tell her how it's done. Connie likes to compare her sword with the Rutile Twins' swords and admires their sword fighting skills. The Rutile Twins are shown to be impressed by Connie's own sword fighting skills in Stronger with Sword Power.

Connie is fascinated by the Rutile Twins' conjoined state, and wonders whether it would be possible to separate them. Even though them being separated would render them "normal" and eliminate the fearful responses to them from Homeworld Gems, the Rutile Twins are horrified by such a thought. This causes Connie to feel apologetic and refrain from discussing the topic.

Memorable Quotes
For clarification, LRT means "Left Rutile Twin" while RRT means "Right Rutile Twin".
 * (LRT) "We want to make sure everyone can live freely." / (RRT) "Without having to hide."
 * Twins: (RRT) "This is one of the weirdest planets we've seen." / (LRT) "The third weirdest." Lars: "Out of all the third-weirdest planets we've been to, this is definitely one of those."
 * (LRT) "Our 'deformities' don't define who we are." / (RRT) "Only our choices define us."
 * (RRT) "To you, we're evil and need to be shattered." / (LRT) "You don't look so great to us, either."
 * (LRT) "This 'Saint Nick' inspires us." / (RRT) "He gives gifts to those who deserve them." / (LRT) "We will be like him!" (from the episode Jolly Holiday, S1B E03.)

Trivia

 * Like Aquamarine, Padparadscha, and the Homeworld Rutiles, the Rutile Twins both lack a nose.
 * So far in the series, the Rutile Twins are the only Gem characters to be both unfused and conjoined.
 * Although both of the twins have the same voice actress, the left Rutile Twin speaks in a lower tone while the right Rutile Twin speaks in a higher tone.
 * This is common among many Gems of the same type. For example, each Ruby in the Ruby Squadron has a slightly different tone of voice despite being voiced by the same person.