Hello everyone! This is the Sluglady! I'm baaaack! And just in time for some quick steven universe theories before I go back into my cave of work! And before the start of tonights next Steven Bomb "The Heart of the Crystal Gems"
Now I could have waited and turned this into a video, but seriously, the episode is literally tonight and if my theories are right, I totally get bragging rights.
...
What? I never get bragging rights!
SPOILERS FOR STEVEN UNIVERSE AND THE EPISODE "SINGLE PALE ROSE"!
If you somehow haven't been magically spoiled on the episode "a single pale rose", a) please tell me your secret and b) Heres the short version:
In a single paled rose, Steven has to go inside of Pearls gem, where he finds another Pearl and enters her gem, and then again and again, ala Pearl-ception, seeing various parts of Pearl's life, until he comes to the final Pearl, and it is revealed that Rose Quartz is and always has been Pink Diamond in disguised. She faked her own death with Pearl's help. She fell in love with humanity, created the crystal gems, started the rebellion, fell in love with Greg and eventually gave birth to Steven. Which means Steven is actually a Diamond. Steven returns with this information and both Garnet and Amythest show up just in time to overhear, and the episode ends right before everything goes to hell.
And right now, the fandom is bouncing off the walls over the episode, impatiently waiting for this weeks series of episodes, myself included. And with that all said, let's start the theories!
1. There are only 6 clips we can trust:
There are A LOT of theories coming out right now. We, and even the Crystal Gems, no longer know what we can trust regarding Rose/Pink. So, I wondered, just how many stories about Rose and Pink diamond can we trust?
Six. In the entire 5 seasons, I have ONLY found SIX scenes that we can trust. Well... more like Five and a half.
For Rose Quartz:
The video Rose left for Steven.
Roses first video for Steven |
The video left for Nora (the name Steven would have been given if he was born female)
The second video. Rose rambles and it's cute |
and the holographic memory Pearl shows Steven in the episode "Rose's Scabbard".
The dialogue in this scene is VERY important. Remember this for later. |
And for Pink Diamond:
The flashback we see on the Jungle moon,
Pink, seen through the eyes of Stevonnie |
The flashback we see on the moon base,
and the flashback we see in a Single Pale Rose.
Her hair! It's so fluffy! |
THESE six scenes are the ONLY scenes we can trust. Because they are the ONLY scenes Steven actually WITNESSES. Everything else is just rumors, or stories told TO steven. So, yeah, throw out all those flashback episodes told by Greg.
Just something to keep in mind.
2 The cut of Pink's gem vs Rose's:
So one of the biggest criticisms of the episode (and that's saying something) is that a Rose Quartz gem has a pentagonal cut, but Pink Diamond's gem has a hexagonal cut. So Pink's whole plan about rotating her gem shouldn't work.
And yet EVERYBODY seems to completely forget THIS scene:
See that? That's Pearl (shapeshifted into Rose Quartz) holding Pink Diamond's gem. See how it's HEXAGONAL sides jutting out of a CIRCULAR bottom? Which makes sense, because a rose quartz gem has a circular band around it!
So it makes sense how Pink Diamond can have two completely cuts on the top and bottom of her gem. The close up is very detailed as well, meaning this isn't some kind of animation mistake. This is what Pink's gem really looks like on the bottom.
If that's NOT how it looks in later episodes, then I'll get mad. But for now, this is NOT something to yell about. Yet.
Now, WHY is her gem is like this? There is one theory bouncing around that could explain. That Pink Diamond is an Off-color gem and not a "perfect" Diamond. Or y'know. Writing convenience. Which brings us into the next theory
3. Why does the bottom of Pink Diamond's gem look like a Rose Quartz gem?
Rose Quartz' are gems that Pink Diamond herself created. Seeing as how they are her creation, from her very first colony, it would make sense that she would want to make them in her own image, using the bottom of her gem as a template for the appearance of a Rose Quartz's gem. And even made them look... look...
Come to think of it, we have NEVER seen a REAL Rose Quartz! They're all bubbled in the Pink's former human zoo! Huh...
4. Who did Pearl originally belong to?
Most fans would roll their eyes at me and say "We'll she's Pink's pearl, duh. She works with Pink and calls Pink "my diamond." To which people on this side of the argument usually end with "So all of this talk of her being a free Pearl has been all for nothing because she's always been loyal to her Diamond, and was even in love with her!"
Okay, back up, people. First off, the term "my diamond" is used by everyone on homeworld to address ALL of the diamonds. Not just the ones they serve. And secondly, remember what we HAVE figured out about Pearls that belong to diamonds. Both Blue and Yellow's Pearl match their diamonds almost perfectly in appearance, personality, coloring, and especially, gem placement. NONE of which Pearl matches for Pink Diamond.
Instead, Pearl has, and always had, the coloring of ALL 4 DIAMONDS. True, she has had pink diamonds on her space outfit, but keep in mind that the Amythest's at the human zoo wear blue diamonds. Just because our pearl has one or two outfits that have a pink diamond insignia, doesn't mean that Pink Diamond is the gem Pearl was MADE FOR.
Instead, with her color design and gem placement, It's much more likely that Pearl originally belonged to White Diamond. The only diamond we haven't seen on the show, but with a gem placed on her forehead. White diamond seems to be an overhanging shadow on the show, with us only getting glimpse of her or portrayals of her that seems to imply she's the most powerful Diamond. Maybe even the main ruler of homeworld!
So instead, I believe that our Pearl, belonging to White diamond, and colored coded to represent the Diamond Authority as a whole, was LOANED to Pink Diamond until Pink proved she was worthy of a Pearl of her own.
That and keep in mind this scene I mentioned above:
In this very telling holographic memory, Rose/Pink calls our Pearl, "My Pearl", the opposite of the "My Diamond" phrase. Which doesn't sound like something you would call your servant. Rebecca Sugar has already said something similar, implying that there is a much more complicated story between Rose and Pearl other than... the obvious.
Though, that whole "forcing Pearl into silence", thing? I'm assuming that's a power all diamonds have over their servants. Also, BAD PINK DIAMOND! BAD!
5. Does Smokey Quartz have to change her name?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: No. Because even though Steven is really a Diamond, Amythest is still a quartz. This is literally one of the silliest things people should be arguing about, the end.
6. Did becoming Rose Quartz affect Steven's ability to Shapeshift?!
Through multiple episodes, we learn that staying shapeshifted for too long can hurt a gem's physical form. And when it comes to shapeshifting, Steven has, well...
Steven has problems shapeshifting.
For a long time, fans have chocked this up to Steven being part human. BUT now we have new information. Because Pink Diamond has been SHAPESHIFTING INTO ROSE QUARTZ FOR SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS.
Taking all we've learned about gem bodies, that could NOT have been easy! Even if Pink is more powerful, being a Diamond, it's been SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS. THOUSAND. And then she goes and decides to be Rose Quartz forever!
Now, there are moments where Rose/Pink could go back to her original form in secret, with her special cloud room being one of them. But Rose is seen for long periods of time with Greg and the gems in flashbacks. HECK, she stays as Rose Quartz for nine months while pregnant with Steven! In a womb that she had to shapeshift into creation! even if she pops into her room and transforms back into Pink diamond while pregnant, that's still NINE months with a shapeshifted womb in her belly! She would not be able to take a break from that! Which either means Pink diamond is a master shapeshifter or...
...She can't.
Except for the womb created for Steven... we have never seen Rose shapeshift. And other then an odd painting in Amythest's room (Where it could just be Rose playing dress-up with real clothing), Rose has never looked any different than when she did in the war. We never see her in a different outfit like the other gems. So maybe... she just can't.
I wonder... could Pink Diamond, after being Rose Quartz for so long, get... stuck? Did she get stuck in the Rose Quartz form? Afterward, only able to change in small ways, like, say, making a womb to birth steven?
Or in Steven's case, only able to transform specific areas of his body at one time (fingers, legs, etc). Any time he's done more than a limb or two, the transformation becomes unstable (his whole body).
And considering that Steven is a Diamond, and Rebecca Sugar has confirmed that Steven'sempathyy powers came from Greg, not Rose, we things are not always as they seem.
Sheesh. That should be the tagline for the whole show.
Also, gold star for the crewniverse for this line:
Steven: "If I can just keep this up for the rest of my life, no one will expect a thing."
Nice.
No. N,o she isn't. Out of all the theories out there, THIS is the one that bothers me the most. Because of that ONE scene of Pink Diamond on the jungle moon, everyone assumes that the Pink Diamond in this a "Single pale Rose" is also a child.
Naive maybe. But THIS is not the face of a petulant child.
Also keep in mind, even if the stories we've heard from Garnet, Bismuth, Jasper and so many others may not be a hundred percent true, they all carry similarities. That Pink Diamond, as Rose Quartz, was a tactical, kind, and competent leader.
There is no way she could have created such a large rebellion unless she was much more mature than the Pink Diamond we saw on Jungle moon. Maybe Earth is what changed her. But... that still doesn't excuse Pink from what ultimately comes out of her plan.
8. Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond is EVIL!
Um... yeah?
We know this already. We KNOW that Rose isn't a good person. Rebecca sugar even told us she wasn't a good person. We had several episodes all about how two-faced (pun not intended) she can be!
But evil? I don't think so. Even if Rose Quartz wasn't Pink Diamond. Even if a "Single Pale Rose" didn't exist, if Rose or Pearl or someone else killed Pink Diamond, the Diamonds would still have retaliated! The earth gems would still be corrupted, the fusion experiments made, and the cluster implanted into the earth.
Knowing that Rose Quartz has been Pink Diamond does add a few more ticks onto Rose's growing list of mistakes. But that doesn't mean she's evil. But why the subterfuge? Why not lead as Pink Diamond?
The true answer will most likely be revealed this week. But the most likely theory is simply that Pink Diamond wouldn't have been able to create a rebellion. That disguising her self as one of the "common" gems would inact a true rebellion.
As for everything else? All her other lies? Maybe she was scared the Diamonds would just take the Earth away from her and continue the colony. Maybe she thought that the existence of a gem that could shatter a Diamond would scare them away. Maybe Pink really didn't think the other Diamonds cared about her enough to fight back the way they did. And that if she was gone, Earth would be safe.
In fact, Blue Diamond says it herself "As long as you are there to rule, this colony will be completed."
Bad choice of words there, Blue.
But as we know... Pink was wrong. And she had to deal with the consequences. I fully believe that both Pink Diamond and Pearl were devastated by the ending of the war, and were overcome with guilt. If you remember, Pink, as Rose quartz, did care for her soldiers. The crystal gems never shattered homeworld gems. And Rose Quartz would cry healing tears. She even tried to heal shattered gems, bubbling them for safe keeping.
No. Pink wasn't evil. Just... made mistakes. Mistakes she couldn't take back or fix. Even her understanding of humans was arguably naive as well until she met Greg.
And on that note, feel free to check out this video by Vrya the Victini, where they remake a clip from "Storm in the Room", with Pink Diamond instead of Rose Quartz. The dubbing is amaaaazing!
Welp. That's it. Now off to watch tonights episo---
Hang on.
Sorry, there is ONE thing that's still bugging me. It's been bugging me since day one of the series and since the big twist about Pink Diamond, it's only made me more confused. So, gems can't really change their weapons or abilities without fusing, right? So that means that Pink Diamond is actually the one with the healing tears, the floating and the super powerful shield, right? How did the Diamonds not connect this? Did Pink Diamond just not know about her powers until she came to Earth? And with weapons being so personal, wouldn't there be some kinda clue---
Wait.
Uuuuh?
Aaaaaaaaah?!
AAAAAAAAAAAAH!
HOLY SHIT!
HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!
THE CRYSTAL GEMS HAVE HAD PINK DIAMOND ON THEIR FLAGS THIS WHOLE TIME! ROSES SYMBOL HAS BEEN IN THE SHAPE PINK DIAMOND GEM THIS WHOLE TIME!
And don't tell me it's to make a flower shape cause you can do that using a star or a rose quartz gem shape and get the same result! I KNEW that symbol looked weird! I KNEW IT!
SERIOUSLY, WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH CARTOONS AND SECRET TRIANGLES, MAN?! HOLY CRAP!
Y'know what? I'm... going to go watch the new episodes.
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This is the Sluglady, signing off!
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