Questions and Speculations About the Pink Diamond Twist (Steven Universe)

List of questions speculated about in the video:
Why the human zoo?
What's the reason for Steven?
When did Pink Diamond develop her powers and did she keep them secret?
Double life logistics?
Is the gemstone rotation thing acceptable or dumb? (The answer is both.)
What was the timing for planting the Cluster?
Why does Pink Diamond's gemstone not match her mural? Also why is she so small?
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[@arellajardin2323]

Amethyst once implied she held the form of a toilet for maybe a month or more. In Three Gems and a Baby, when she thinks Steven is just Rose shapeshifting, she says, “you’ve been a baby for months, that’s longer than I was a toilet.” A toilet is not bigger than her. The only time the show has ever defined a limitation on shapeshifting, is “stretching” oneself out. In Reformed, Amethyst did not lose control of her “ridiculous” forms until she reformed as a large hulk. At which point, Garnet says the form is “unsustainable.” Because it’s bigger than her usual form.

[@dragonempress8367]

ewwww

[@starduststriker8792]

also consider that toilets are completely stationary ((when not in use at least but im not going to imagine THAT)), whereas in Reformed she was considerably active

[@arellajardin2323]

One last thing. It’s refreshing to have an analyst who didn’t invest so personally in their own theories and speculation over the years, that they rejected the twist in rage and disgust. If a channel is based on analysis, they should be able to adapt to what the show actually gives them, not just hold onto what they wanted to see. This is one of my favorite channels. Thoughtful, compelling, and adaptive.

[@MontyBoosh]

I second this point. Far too often people start forming their ideas based on what they think the show is rather than what the show *actually* is. SU in particular is especially vulnerable to this, since the long hiatuses between episodes allow for fandom-wide head-canons and theories to develop in the absence of canon content.

[@FirefulXD]

FOR REAL. I'm glad this channel exists; others like the Roundtable do what you describe and make me want to barf.

[@ian2]

so true. some of the biggest analysts on youtube went as far as calling the writing poor. they have absolutely massive egos and it's so ridiculous to see them pushing their theories as absolute fact.

[@MontyBoosh]

I mean, I don't think it's unfair of them to describe the writing as bad if they have something to back up that assertion, but "I didn't like the twist personally" isn't evidence for bad writing.

[@julielineberry1852]

So, my thoughts on Pink being tiny... She was just left in the oven too long, like Amethyst. She's a deep cut/ defective gem. She acts and is treated younger because she's just that. As for the diamond shape, it's probably just more symbolic of being a diamond. Kind of like how Yellow's is more square and Blue's is more of a teardrop, but the symbol is a normal diamond. It unites them as one rank. Also, like, she shape-shifted a womb for 9 months and no one questioned it??? I think you're right, she just had thousands of years of practice + being a powerful diamond.

[@franceyuk3251]

Julie Lineberry OMG how terrifying of a thought is it that if she got tired in the middle of her pregnancy and shape-shiffed back to pink form what would have happened to Steven 😱

[@zacharyknutsen8094]

Being short makes Amethyst defective because she is suppose to be a massive, powerful soldier. All a diamond must do is command. You don't need to be massive to command. How does Pink being short make her a defective diamond?

[@MontyBoosh]

Well, more than 50% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage (80% in the first 3 months), often because a woman's body recognises the baby as a foreign entity and rejects it, so it wouldn't be too different from in real life.

[@arellajardin2323]

I like that idea. Maybe Blue, Yellow, and Pink were incubated at the same time, but Pink stayed in too long. And like Amethyst and her family, Blue and Yellow felt a kinship for their sister that didn’t come out. So they sheltered her, didnt treat her like an Off Color. Perhaps Pink really never understood how much Blue and Yellow did for her, only believing they didn’t care.

[@potatospud3118]

Adding to the Amethyst thing, when they had met Greg she was smaller, as she was younger, it's quite possible she would grow larger as she matured, possibly to the size of the other diamonds

[@sidsthesid]

I think the mural hair and diamond being different is just stylistic choice Her irl hair is super round and fluffy while the murals style is all about sharp edges so if you really think about it the hair is similar as it can get without looking like an ugly stop sign As far as the actual diamond I think it was done to match the four diamond symbol they have on all their stuff

[@arellajardin2323]

That’s my guess. The Diamonds like their symbolism and their symmetry. I think the mural is just a stylized choice to make things uniform. And match the old Diamond insignia.

[@MontyBoosh]

It's worth noting that Yellow has little time for brown-nosers and sycophants and so her mural is a lot more true to life, whereas Pink - someone who surely would have been extremely excited to finally be included and likely put a lot of thought into and emphasis on how her first colony looked - ended up with an embellished and slightly dishonest mural. Blue's is ornate and complicated but largely maintains the real-life shape of her flowing hood and cloak whilst keeping to the sharp angles of the art style and emphasising her gem (even though she appears in profile). The diamond shape on each figure in the murals likely refers more to their respective diamonds in the "Diamond Authority symbol" than their actual gemstones; if you look closely, Blue Diamond's gem is also not a perfect diamond shape (it's more bottom-heavy, a bit like a teardrop) but that also appears as a perfect diamond in the mural. Given that we had already seen her gem in The Answer by the time It Could Have Been Great came out, I think the animators would have been consistent in the shape of Blue Diamond's gem if the murals were really meant to be taken as faithful depictions.

[@Dillsfawn]

The point for me is less about how Pink's Mural's Gemstone being different is hiding Pink's actual Gemstone cut, so much as the revelation that it was means WHITE's mural could be hiding her actual Gemstone cut as well.

[@GTXDash]

Dillsfawn Some have speculated that White's Gem is like Pink's but right-side up.

[@slauderek3195]

Pink’s hair in the mural looks cool, but in the show it makes more sense to be how it is now since it goes better with roses and even Stevens hair. If her current hair was on the mural it would look bad

[@anubissiruss295]

This is just conjecture, but I think she did the rotation of the gem because wearing clothes would have been too suspicious and out of place for Pink Diamond and Rose. All of the gems that we know, even the offcolors who have a vested interest in hiding what they are, have their gems exposed. It's a part of Homeworld culture to keep it out in the open. The reason that we don't see Amythest do it us because she's not FROM Homeworld and no one was around to impose the culture on her. She dresses in a more human fashion (ie separate shirt, pants, shoes. where as Garnet and Pearl adopt Homeworld style. A single piece suit for former soldiers and a flowy dress like garment for servants and civil operators. I think Pink Diamond knew that if she started concealing her gem that the other diamonds would question her, and if Rose concealed her gem than her followers would question her. It was more convincing to rotate her gem because A) There would be physical evidence to conceal her identity and B) No other gem would think of it.

[@MontyBoosh]

Also Pink was smitted with the idea of re-invention. A gem's gemstone *is* who she is - it's the physical embodiment of their entire being; she probably felt there was something symbolic in changing something so central to who she is/was.

[@scp--297]

Anubis Siruss True.

[@leiram8833]

Yeah but in addition to concealing her real gem with clothing, she could just project a fake gem onto another part of her body which would be visible at all times. So she would still have a visible gem, it just wouldn't be her diamond.

[@GTXDash]

I think a big point is being missed here: Imaging if Rose's clothing gets ripped during battle revealing the diamond underneath. It would undo everything! No, Pink was wise to rotate her gem instead. I think this video is just making too much of a big deal as far as this subject is concerned. :\

[@JorgensZelda]

And while Pearl's pearl was hidden by hair and Amethyst's is partly obscured by her clothes, they're still not completely covered. Steven, in his pajamas, seems to show physical discomfort when his gem is covered completely. Maybe the gems need to be at least partially uncovered for similar reasons?

[@edoboleyn]

Re: Diamond Murals - Any image of an authoritarian state’s rulers created by and for those rulers will function in part as propaganda, and in that context, representing Pink’s size and gem shape the same way her fellow Diamonds’ size and gems are depicted makes sense to me. Even though her actual size could not have been a secret-after all, they put her in charge of a colony and the armies of gems that accompanied that project-depicting her alongside the other Diamonds who make up the Diamond Authority as a figure of the same stature demonstrates that in station and importance relative to other gems, she equals the larger Diamonds. It reminds me a little of ancient Egyptian political art, in which the size of the figures indicates their status, not their actual size. Captured enemy soldiers are tiny; the Pharoah towers over his subjects. The shape ascribed to Pink’s Gem in the same mural seems, to me, even easier to explain. It’s an “index.” It signifies that she is a Diamond among a series of depictions made in a highly stylized, simplified style. These aren’t portraits intended to closely resemble their actual subjects. Rather, they represent their subjects’ authority. This is true in the episode in which they first appear, “It Could Have Been Great,” in which they are used to introduce Steven and the viewer to Peridot’s Diamond, Yellow, and Peridot’s continued loyalty to her.

[@MontyBoosh]

It's worth noting that Yellow has little time for brown-nosers and sycophants and so *her* mural is a lot more true to life, whereas Pink - someone who surely would have been extremely excited to finally be included and likely put a lot of thought into and emphasis on how her first colony looked - ended up with an embellished and slightly dishonest mural. Blue's is ornate and complicated but largely maintains the real-life shape of her flowing hood and cloak whilst keeping to the sharp angles of the art style and emphasising her gem (even though she appears in profile). The diamond shape on each figure in the murals likely refers more to their respective diamonds in the "Diamond Authority symbol" than their actual gemstones; if you look closely, Blue Diamond's gem is also not a perfect diamond shape (it's more bottom-heavy, a bit like a teardrop) but that also appears as a perfect diamond in the mural. Given that we had already seen her gem in The Answer by the time It Could Have Been Great came out, I think the animators would have been consistent in the shape of Blue Diamond's gem if the murals were really meant to be taken as faithful depictions.

[@erlkoenigin8247]

I'm a bit late to the party, but I'll say I find the gem rotation completely acceptable. As you say, it may not make sense on a practical or logistical level (because they are other simpler ways to achieve the disguise), but it definitely makes sense on an *emotional* level. Because Rose is not only a disguise for Pink - Rose is the person she wants to be and that she will later fully become by "shattering" Pink Diamond. Rose is this ideal she wants to attain and that the other Diamonds deny her. So rotating the gem when she transforms into Rose is, to me, a way to say that Rose is a part of her, or even that, quite literally, Rose is an other side of her - in the same way that the circle-shaped gemstone is another side of the diamond-shaped gemstone. So, even if it's not the easiest solution for a disguise, it's the one she chose, because she cared about her persona and because it makes sense emotionally for her. That's the way I make sense of this anyway! I think the gem rotation is a beautiful metaphor for her changing personalities and evolving into something else by becoming Rose.

[@ObaREX]

I figured the zoo was one of Pink's attempts to spare humans from extinction. Probably an early idea. And to be honest, she might've used her kindness to ease some of the humans into their situation. That also said, she's shown to be considerably niave and inconsiderate. So it makes sense that it was a completely horrific idea. She just didn't know any better. However, the question of why she never came back for them... I guess your answer fits. Before her "shattering" (or even before her decision to shatter herself), she might just seen that they were happy now, and that she didn't NEED to rescue them anymore.

[@jakepulley8155]

Actually we will know why Rose chose to become Steven as Susan Egan said she has recorded an episode that will show Rose making the decision. And considering it was the same place she said there would be an episode about Rose and Pearl’s backstory, I assume it will be somewhere in the eight remaining season 5 episodes.

[@Carossmo]

Whoa... Making the decision to give up her physical form?

[@pondererofpointlessdreams5029]

This show has become so complex... remember when we thought Rose was Pink Diamond? Wait a second...

[@brianbrush5107]

Ponderer Of Pointless Dreams now it's even more complex

[@xaandiir]

I really like your SU videos, and my only comment I wanted to throw in was I think that the gem rotation wasn't about Steven on a meta level, but was more so because Pink always had the intention of becoming Rose permanently. If she had chosen to have Rose's fake gemstone on her chest and then cover her stomach, she'd have to keep that when she permanently took on Rose's form, since if she came back with her gemstone suddenly on her stomach instead, that'd be strange wouldn't it? I still think the rotation is convoluted, but I believe that having a fake gemstone elsewhere would have only given her more problems as Rose later on.

[@LeakyJAZZ]

yea because her real gem would glow when she used her powers and not the fake one

[@haniff3237]

Yeah but Pearl gave her the idea of shapeshifting, so I don’t think it was a thought before hand.

[@ButterflyScarlet]

Here's the thing though: any kind of diamond that isn't white (by which I mean colourless) is automatically impure. Yellow diamonds are caused by nitrogen, blues are caused by boron, but pink diamonds are the result of plastic deformation (a change in the electron structure) caused by underground pressure which might explain why her gem looks different from Blue and Yellow. There was a video by (I think) SliceofOtaku that Pink can't be deformed simply because she is the only Pink Diamond in existence, thus she sets the precedent. However because she's still a Diamond, for propaganda purposes it was better to carve her mural as entirely similar to the other gems because Diamonds Are Always Perfect even when they're not. Also I choose to believe that gems can flip their stones at will. It's not that crazy, someone predicted that on tumblr. Most probably don't for the same reason most humans don't randomly choose to hack off their hair or something equally simple.

[@WishPaintStudios]

There's been a theory that Pink Diamond is actually overcooked like Amythest is.

[@MontyBoosh]

According to the Wikipedia page on Pink Diamonds: "The source of their pink color is greatly debated in the gemological world but it is most commonly attributed to enormous additional pressure that these diamonds undergo during their formation." If Amethyst is an "overcooked runt" because she was subject to years of additional pressure from staying in the ground too long, and Pink is pink because of the same thing, then it adds credence to the idea that Pink may have also been an overcooked runt. It isnt necessarily hypocritical for the Diamonds to ignore this fact, since we know that Gem society only cares about how well you play your part. Don't forget that Peridot still considered Amethyst to be "the only Crystal Gem that's actually a gem" despite her appearance. Poorly made gems like most of the Jaspers, Skinny and Carnelian also aren't treated significantly differently from the Famethyst, beyond being labelled "off-colour". I imagine that Pink Diamond was under extra pressure to act the part of the Diamond perfectly (and we already know that the Diamonds have a bit more leeway than most, with Blue spending a decent chunk of time not doing her job and only really having to deal with Yellow's disapproval as a result). Certainly it would help explain why she was so keen to be taken seriously even though she quite clearly was not ready to deal with the responsibility.

[@MontyBoosh]

I should start by saying that I do think the Zoo is perfectly consistent with what we know about Pink. She was clearly fascinated by unusual and novel things (just look at how she interacted with Garnet and how it’s implied she interacted with humans), even though she didn’t understand them. Empathy is based in understanding and respect, but Pink clearly lacked the emotional maturity required for both things - she was never a “bad person” but she was definitely immature and motivated by selfish desires. Regardless, her motivations don’t change how good or bad the zoo actually was. (On a related note, do you know who does apparently have the emotional maturity to understand and empathise with humans? *Blue* *Diamond*) So, exactly how “bad” was the Zoo? When we talk about the issue of “human zoos” it’s worth acknowledging that they were, in the not-so-distant past, a real thing: Take for example Ota Benga, a Mbuti man who was put on display in St. Louis (1904) and at the Bronx Zoo Monkey House (1906). He committed suicide due to depression at the age of 32 when it became clear that he would never return to his native Congo. "Apparently, humans don’t take well to captivity, but once you understand their needs, they’re easy to control." - Holly Blue "During her reign on Earth, Pink Diamond stole humans from their families as trophies of her conquest." - Garnet "Oh no. It was very serious. When I still served… Homeworld, I saw it myself. A private menagerie deep in space. Humans in captivity. We were never able to rescue them. We had no way to get to them after the war." - Pearl It’s fairly heavily implied that, at the Zoo’s conception, the humans housed there were not having a good time, to say the least. Holly Blue’s words imply that there was a time when they didn’t understand the needs of the humans, and as a result the humans were difficult to control. This, however, clearly happened before she arrived, suggesting that it was under Pink’s guidance that conditions in the human zoo improved. That’s not too surprising either, given the fact that the “solution” that was decided on looks suspiciously like the way Pink/Rose herself would infantilise humans. This suggests, to me at least, that the purpose of the zoo evolved as Pink spent more time on Earth. What was a little vanity project very quickly became a serious undertaking, likely as Pink realised the true implications of colonisation and saw the effect captivity was having on the humans in her care. It would have only taken a few generations for humans to lose their emotional and sentimental ties to home, and humans are exceptionally good at adapting to new environments. Towards the end of her time as a Diamond, Pink probably justified the Zoo as a way of keeping some of humanity safe from the horrors of colonisation and war. I definitely get the feeling that she saw humans as somewhat interchangeable, especially given that Gems seem to view gem types in a similar way. Add to that Pink/Rose’s lack of respect towards humans in general, and it’s not too surprising that she never thought to return the humans to Earth (even after starting the rebellion for the sake of Earth - we know she was living a double life for quite some time at least) until it was far too late. That’s not to say she didn’t regret it. Garnet describes the humans as “trophies of conquest”, which is very similar to the plight of people like Ota Benga. I’d bet that these original humans suffered with similar bouts of depression and self-destructive (and from a gem perspective unexplainable) behaviour. The comparitive docility of their modern-day counterparts can be explained away as a result of nurture and a lack of selective pressures - the lack of competition (including sexual competition) and absence of risk would naturally remove any evolutionary advantage from things like predispositions towards aggression and violence. Selective breeding via the “choosening” is another explanation. It could be argued that Garnet wasn’t privy to all of the details of the Zoo, but Pearl certainly was and her own word choice paints a similar image. The word menagerie has some very specific connotations: "Aristocratic menageries are distinguished from the later zoological gardens since they were founded and owned by aristocrats whose intentions were not primarily of scientific and educational interest. These aristocrats wanted to illustrate their power and wealth, because exotic animals, alive and active, were less common, more difficult to acquire, and more expensive to maintain." The focus on the exotic can even be seen in the humans that were chosen to live in the Zoo; we see a whole range of skin, hair and eye colours, as well as variation in height and build. There is a clear suggestion here that humans weren’t just randomly grabbed from a single community, but were specifically selected to be as diverse and exotic as possible (I mean 6000 years ago the genes for blue eyes, pale skin and light hair were fairly new and rare - they would have really needed to go out of their way to find one of every colour, so to speak). Garnet calls the Zoo “insidious”, meaning “proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects". This implies that the humans were gathered over a fairly long period of time, perhaps even continuing after the beginning of the rebellion.

[@tamerafarly7666]

Wow.

[@scp--297]

True.

[@MontyBoosh]

I also wonder who it was that spread the rumours about the human zoo among the rebels? Garnet describes it as “Pink Diamond’s insidious human zoo“ but Garnet was definitely not on Earth during the early days of Pink’s rule, so either Pink continued to steal humans during the rebellion or someone told Garnet and the other rebels about the whole thing. And the person who told them framed the zoo in a very negative light. Like you, I think the most likely candidate is Rose herself. Even now, under the presumably less magnanimous management of Holly Blue Agate, the Zoo isn’t an objectively bad place to be - I can’t imagine that any Gem who visited, even a rebel, would come back and spread rumours about what an awful place it was. Rose, however, was likely wracked with guilt about the place; perhaps she was hoping that she could play up how bad it was in order to lay the groundwork for the CGs to eventually launch a rescue campaign.

[@arellajardin2323]

Yeah, remember, Garnet is an unreliable narrator. Her version of history is heavily coded by knowledge she didn’t have, second hand information, and her own personal biases. “She called them trophies” because that’s what she thought of Pink. She also said Pink “cowardly called for aid” of the other Diamonds, but we know she actually begged the other Diamonds to let her abandon the colony. Blue and Yellow forced their way into the war to “clean up Pink’s mess.” A lot of what you say makes sense, though. But I think I lean more towards Elk’s interpretation.

[@brianbrush5107]

MontyBoosh roses motives were not selfish the selfish thing to do would be to colonize earth

[@Angelcas2]

I have an explanation for the gem rotation and why Rose and pink look starkingly different. In an episode where peridot, amythest, and Steven go to the carnival, peridot talks about how resources in homeworld are dwindling which is why she wasn't made with shaping powers. With this in mind we can hypothesize that the more resources a gem is made with the more powerful a gem is. This could explain why pink as a diamond is able to shapeship much better than any other gem (the other diamonds are probably better at it).

[@WindsurferNr1]

9:56 i always thought that peridot's powers were less of a spontaneous new power but more of a power that peridots in general had but never realized due to them heavily depending on technology and not bothering to really try to live without it

[@therainbowdragontv3108]

I thought the Cluster was done AFTER Pink was shattered - when it became apparent that they weren't going to take the Earth.

[@superj1e2z6]

Finally something to calm myself down from E3. Then replaced by SU speculation.

[@cosmictraveler1146]

superj1e2z6 RIDLEY. THAT IS ALL.

[@JuJuTy-WintryWindow412]

superj1e2z6, did you see Sekiro: Shadows die twice? If so what are your thoughts on it?

[@PixelOverload]

I'd guess the reason PD bothered with the gem-flipping thing is possibly a bit of pride (constantly hiding your gem while displaying a cheap knockoff probably doesn't feel good for any gem, let alone a diamond), but most likely practicality and believable disguise. I highly doubt you can retrieve or store items with a fake gem, and it would look pretty suspicious for her to be reaching anywhere other than her gem when doing gem stuff. If anyone ever saw her real gem in it's PD orientation that would be a problem. As for the people who say "flipping is bullshit gems can't do that", we've seen gems with all sorts of gem/body alignments, but we've only ever seen a few alter their appearance at all, just because those few didn't feel like significantly altering the alignment of their gem that hardly means it's impossible. Their bodies are entirely holographic, why should it matter where it intersects with the gem? on the other hand, the only gems we've seen fake other gems have been because they're completely different shapes and you _definitely_ can't change the _shape_ of your gem, PD on the other hand "just happened" to already look like another gem from a different angle, so why not take advantage of that instead of bothering with the fake gem?

[@TheBigE9999]

I think they didnt know about her powers because there wasnt an opportunity to show them off. Gems dont sleep, theres no plants or animal on homeworld, and she wouldve been kept away from battle so no healing or sheilds

[@alicine-sims8988]

ETHAN Franco plus sense the healing comes from her tears she probably didn't know it was a thing until she cried. Which means she would have had to have a reason to cry before finding out about it.

[@scribble71891]

That’s probably how Lion was resurrected. Rose experiencing natural death for the first time. For all we know, Lion could be centuries-or even millennia-years old.

[@TheBigE9999]

scribble71891 she was probably so confused when he died, she probably thought he was sleeping and kept poking him for days

[@TwitchyTopHat1]

Maybe Pink's small form is just due to her maturity. We already know that a Gem's form can fluctuate based on how "old" they feel. Good example is Amethyst who took on a childish shape herself early on

[@cassandrabelyeu2419]

I've also noticed that every Pink Gem we've ever seen-Steven, Pink, Amethyst, Jasper, have thrown some kind of nose-running destructive tantrum and either grown out of it or corrupted themselves. Amethyst and Steven especially were very tantrum-prone and insecure at the beginning of the show, but got over it when they felt more sure of themselves. Jasper maybe would have, but she ended her development too soon. And Pink handled Yellow much more calmly than Steven or Amethyst would have at the beginning of the show, so she might be the first growable Gem. That's just what I think. For a puppet ruler she's done surprisingly well, and the only Gem who surprised me that much was Steven, by growing up.

[@TwitchyTopHat1]

Cassandra Belyeu that's a really interesting observation ma dood. I wonder what that means thematically for Pink's character. It's gotta mean something. The crewniverse is fantastic with keeping their themes, lore, and foreshadowing consistent and visually artistic in terms of storytelling

[@thedestroyer3471]

TwitchyTopHat hi love your videos man just asking are we getting a top 6 cartoons of 2018 ? Or 2017 scenes you haven't done that

[@TwitchyTopHat1]

The destroyer 3 Thanks man. I certainly will make those top 6 videos and a few other ones I have planned. Here's the catch tho; a full time job, no wifi, aaaand depression haha makes editing difficult. I've got my next video nearly finished; just 3 minutes left to edit on the timeline and it'll be a really professional looking video with sources cited and whatnot. Afterwards, a First Impression on Miraculous :) I feel like I'm rambling but thanks for watching my stuff... every 6 months or so when I upload lol

[@thedestroyer3471]

TwitchyTopHat I hope you get well soon

[@cherrycandygina]

Do you think that pearl "killing" pink diamond is why she never shapeshifts anymore?

[@lucasmartinez5703]

It's the only thing that makes sense. It would also explain why Pearl is disgusted with eating. Pink Diamond swallowing those shards she made.

[@JadeDolphin22]

I just want to know if Stevens gem is like stabbing him from the inside the way it is pointed. Did his organs form around it? How did that work as a baby! It definitely would have been poking out of his spine 😖

[@weefslider]

*Why the zoo?* That's an easy answer: _conservation._ Here on Earth, many zoos and aquariums were founded with conservation in mind. There are many species in captivity that are extinct in the wild, and quite a few species have come back from the brink of extinction from these zoos. From the beginning, it was known that Earth's life would be drained as a consequence of colonization, and when Pink realized her love for organic life, she would want to conserve humans (and plants, apparently). Maybe she had plans to eventually find a suitable planet to release them on.

[@sirjgn4868]

There is also the other option of when she first discovered Earth, she was like a kid in a candy shop and just picked humans because she took a fancy to them but then later she realized the gravity of what she was doing to Earth and just stopped. The Zoo must have been built before the shattering because of the other Rose Quartz gems bubbled there, cuz why would they bubble them BEFORE said event. That brings another question to mind: What exactly are Rose Quartz gems for then?

[@cassandrabelyeu2419]

Zircon said the Rose Quartz Gems were "removed from service" long before the shattering, so they were bubbled long ago. And we know the purpose of Rose Quartzes because we know the purpose of Quartzes: to conquer more planets. Since Pink didn't have the authority to halt her own colony, and was brushed off as "excuses" when she tried, the Rose Quartzes must have been made for the generic purpose, despite her not wanting them.

[@sirjgn4868]

Im interested to see how OTHER Rose Quartz's would look like.

[@arellajardin2323]

How they look is less interesting than what they’re like. We can assume they look similar to Rose, otherwise the disguise wouldn’t work. But, what are their personalities, their powers? Since The Rose Quartz was fake, that means we’ve never seen a true Rose Quartz. Maybe they’re like the Famithysts, happy go lucky. Maybe their powers are generic fighting powers. All the floating, the controlling plants, the healing tears.... all Pink Diamond.

[@comradedoggie5354]

Well there might be reason to cover up your gemstone, when Steven was a baby having clothes over his gemstone made him uncomfortable, you can see his discomfort in the episode, "Three Gems and a Baby." So I think there could be more behind gemstones and gems being able to cover their gemstone.

[@elijahlittle7912]

I think it's pretty obvious that the Diamond's seem to grow and gain more power/respect with the more colonies that they obtain. WD has the most, making her the tallest, biggest, and seemingly holding the most power. BD and YD are the same height, AND have the same amount of colonies/planets, meaning that they would have an equal amount of resources and power. Pink Diamond only just got this single colony before she reformed into Rose, however she did grow upon getting this colony. As we can see back when she was begging Yellow Diamond on the Jungle Moon, she was hardly taller than Stevonnie. Then, in the most recent time we see her with past pearl, she was more than double Pearl's standing height. The only logically reasoning for this growth spurt, along with the reason the Diamonds seem to differ in height generally, is because it has some direct correlation with obtaining a new planet. The only thing I'm sure about is that a Diamond is capable of growth, and it has something to do with gaining a new colony. I don't know however how exactly the growing happens. The most likely conclusion is that the Diamonds simply sap the resources from the colony into themselves, giving them more power, and prompting their growth. This would be similar to how gems absorb nutrients from the earth in order to be born. Another less likely possibility would be that their growth is associated with their status as some sort of automatic perk, though this idea would make for terrible writing, so it's probably not the case. I dunno guys, I'm only speculating here based on the facts. Why do you think Diamonds grow with the number of planets they have?

[@neeneko]

(1) For the zoo, one way of looking at that is, well, she was still a diamond in mentality even through the rebellion. She had her space harem, and she was playing soldier. She tossed one set of toys aside for another.... just because she was passionate about her toys doesn't mean that passion turned into loyalty towards them as entities. (2) For why she was able to keep up a double life for so long : one common suggestion is she did not maintain it alone, and that Pearl was not the only other gem who knew. It might have been covered up and continued to be covered up by homeworld gems (like yellow/blue pearl) since then. (3) The rotation thing, I think people's gripe with that isn't the rotation itself, but issues with the transparency and the idea that the gem itself had to change shape in order to produce the effect. But also keep in mind, we have seen cases where gem placement can be moved around. Rotation doesn't need to be difficult or even trained, we just haven't seen other gems bother. (4) Best idea I have heard about the mural is basically a propaganda piece. Pink Diamond isn't supposed to be small, so she is portrayed as being full diamond size.

[@hellofreeze3772]

So about the transformation thing I see it as PD using less light than her normal form. Rose Quartz is smaller than PD, so it takes less effort than transforming into something way larger. Amethyst only struggled in transforming into Jasper, because Jasper is more than two times bigger than her. I dunno though, just my mini-theory. Also, on the gem placement and clothes and stuff, Homeworld may have had the gem recognition droid things from the Wanted special (I can't be bothered to remember the specific episode) way back then. It's a bit unlikely, but yeah... sure

[@peytonsimpson4518]

The question you should be asking is how is a diamond made?

[@brianbrush5107]

Peyton Simpson I think there some sort of celestial-like lovecraftian species

[@brianbrush5107]

Nameless Fag ayes I am aware there very different and usually more like bill from gf I meant in the sense I thought they would be ancient powerful brings beyond our concept of morality

[@dillon1012]

What if PD told the humans she would destroy their world and she is giving them a chance to survive. That'd probably convince a lot of people to leave.

[@hirokokueh3541]

think about it : when Trump won the election, many people move to Canada instead of attack him

[@cassandrabelyeu2419]

Assuming Pink made the Zoo at all-Pearl describes it as something "We" could not stop before the war or rescue them from after. "We" would have been Pink Diamond and Pearl, and Pearl would never have described it as terrible if it was Pink's idea. I'm not sure where to find that quote, though, so it might be wrong.

[@dillon1012]

It was stated that they did somewhere, but i cannot remember.

[@RaspK]

I am fairly certain the gemstone shape for the mural was made to match the rhomboid symbol of the Diamond Authority: four smaller rhombi clustered together (which can be seen from time to time), coloured white, blue, pink and yellow. It is far more interesting why the other 3 Diamonds have a rhombic gem cut, rather than the brilliant cut evinced in Pink Diamond's case. Her size seems to be simply what you referred to: her being much young, thereby more inexperienced and immature. Do take note of the fact that this sense of adolescence fits neatly with her tantrums, her inability to cope with her responsibilities for having a colony to manage, and so on. In any case, a smaller size would also fit nicely with an easier time masquerading as a smaller gem (take note of the fact that Rose Quartz was massive for a singular gem, rather than a fusion).

[@SuperSylar]

The answer of why Pink was so small and her gem was different from Blue and Yellow, may be related to this one (or two) question: How a Diamond is created? (And how the first gem was created?) Not only they have the highest autority but may also be the most powerful in literal terms of strenght, so I believe they actually need a whole planet to be “harvested” in order to make a single gem/diamond. So Pink either was created on a smaller planet OR a Diamond need one planet to be created, but can still harvest a planet by herself, becoming bigger, stronger and with a different gem cut and only after achieving the “diamond cut” they become “complete”.

[@OurWoRLd319]

Maybe off-topic from Pink Diamond specifically, but the following idea isn't one I've seen anyone else bring up (which, admittedly, may be entirely due to the breadth of content I consume). But hold on, this one needs some groundwork before the question itself can be asked haha. Alright, in-universe (as far as we know) *all* gems are manufactured in Kindergartens, and are specifically created to fill service rolls as needed by the Diamonds. So, if *all* gems are manufactured, and all Diamonds are gems, wouldn't that insinuate that the Diamonds themselves would have had to have been manufactured at some point? Who or what would even have been capable of such a feat? A large amount of emphasis has been placed by the show on gems' inherently inorganic nature, so how did the Diamonds come to be in the first place? _Did_ something create them, or were they a natural result of the physical laws of that universe? On that note, are they all the same age? Given that Blue and Yellow Diamond are framed under an implicit "older sibling" context (at least that's how I've read into the show), that would heavily suggest that Pink Diamond was manufactured at some point after them... and more importantly suggests that Diamonds can and ARE manufactured in the first place. Maybe something about that holds a clue to the shape of her gem as well... Just something to think about, but ultimately they're questions that I feel could be really important in understanding the Diamonds' authority/power hierarchy and interpersonal relationships. Hey, someone needs to be asking this stuff!

[@leiram8833]

OurWoRLd319 I think Trey the Explainer once made a video speculating about how gem society came into being/where the diamonds came from, you should check it out

[@Greeneyes666666]

My theory is that White Diamond was the first ever gem and that she is the origin of the other diamonds. I think she is the huge silhouette we saw on homeworld, and that she is some kind of unconscious living being (like a tree ?), because that would explain why no one talked about her so far. I don't really have anything to support this theory, I just think it's a cool possibility

[@ChuuliXilla]

This is a little theory of mine, but I think it would be amazing if White Diamond was birthed from Homeworld's core. There's enough pressure in their, and it would make sense why homeworld is at *her* core in her mural.

[@tyriquesmith8850]

I think gems to an extent grow, or are able to create larger forms over time. Amethyst was tiny when she first emerged, but ahe's definitely larger now. So I think Pink was just recently formed in whatever special way Diamonds are and is just growing.

[@cassandrabelyeu2419]

That's a good theory! I've noticed that Amethyst also started out throwing a lot of tantrums-she even attacked Pearl. And Steven started out throwing tantrums, and both of them got over it. So you might be right about growing.

[@franceyuk3251]

I think she did the whole rotation thing so gems would fully believe that she is a rose quartz and basically avoid suspicion of her I mean if she went round for 24 hours as a rose quartz but never showed her gem i think your rebels would get suspicious of you

[@Lottiepop72]

I believe that the main reason she became Steven is because she was ashamed of her lack of empathy. This can be heard in the ending song, and in that conversation with Greg on the beach. By becoming Steven, she becomes a better person who can make better decisions.

[@oblivivian]

I honestly feel like when she reformed after being poofed by pearl she chose the form of rose quartz

[@JellicleCatz]

I really liked the Pink Diamond is Rose twist

[@dragonempress8367]

I hate it. It makes pink look much worse

[@crystalhamptonhines]

About Pink Diamond not being like her mural... I honestly think it's another example of her doing what she wants. And yes, they are totally saying that she is younger, so I think that means they are giving her the benefit of the doubt that she will "grow up" and not have "fits" and fall into line as all of the other gems have done. Pink Diamond seems to be the only gem, other than the "off colors" that desires her own identity, instead of being one of the hoard.

[@pokesonav]

Why do people always question the Zoo? Sure, it may have some moral problems, but come on! With the plans for the Earth to become a colony, the Human life was basically endangered. Pink didn't keep the humans in the Zoo just because she was fascinated with them, she was saving a species from extinction! I think that perfectly justifies it.

[@brianbrush5107]

pokesonav first like agreed

[@lucasmartinez5703]

Exactly it makes total sense. It was to preserve human life which was in danger at the time. Just like other zoos and wildlife preserves in real life.

[@patiencewallace8453]

I agree. I never thought of the human zoo as evil. I also thought it was an attempt to save some humans

[@frickinfrick8488]

Rose is such an interesting character. She’s not really “maniacal or calculating” manipulative, she’s “naive and irresponsible” manipulative. I truly believe she thought she was doing the right thing, and I believe she wanted to have Steven because she loved him and Greg, but her inability to deal with her own mistakes made her leave so many problems for everyone else to clean up. You don’t see many grey characters like this, she’s not evil, she’s not good, she’s extremely flawed, but has inspired so much good in people. I love this stuff.

[@victorbeidiljohnsen5257]

1. I think that Pink Diamond's gem on her mural is just suppose to represent her gem and it's location. Or maybe the other Diamonds were trying to make Pink seem as powerfull as them on her mural. 2. I think that she was just undercooked like Amethyst. 3. Maybe Pink didn't know how to rotate her gem the majority of the war, and didn't discover it till towards the end?

[@jakeb.6487]

7:34 I think I remember hearing somewhere in the cartoon that a shape-shifted form isn't sustainable as long as it's bigger than a Gem's dormant form. Rose Quartz was smaller than Pink Diamond, so I figured it was just easy for PD to chill in a smaller form

[@demo_nyaa]

none of the Diamonds gems cuts are accurate in the murals, Blue's gemstone has a teardrop facet with the botton larger than the top, and Yellow gem cut is square shaped, all their murals just had a general diamond shape on them, and when Yellow and Blue debuted in the show they were MUCH smaller compared to their pearls, comparing Pink's size with Yellows debut size we can see she wasn't that smaller, the crewniverse must have changed the Diamond sizes just for some laughs, and the gem thing if there was already a type of gem with the same cut as Pink diamond it makes much more sense to me she would just twist it and use it, like, if her gem already looked like the gem she wanted to impersonate creating another and covering her own would be redundant, regardless if she actually made Rose Quartzes for that of if it was just a lucky coincidence

[@jadersonie]

Gaartes I follow you on Instagram!!

[@AnnikaScully]

"Isn't *that* much taller" Hello, starlight

[@1HundoGames]

So... At this point, how dumb is it that Steven's gem needed to breath when he was a baby?

[@MontyBoosh]

I wonder if baby Steven lived in constant discomfort, with his gemstone embedded fairly deep into his tiny body and constantly rubbing against his internal organs. I wonder if one of the reasons he’s shown as fairly chunky, even when he clearly does work out with Garnet and doesn’t seem particularly out of shape (anymore - he certainly had shades of it in early season one), is that organs had to be displaced and shifted around his body to make room for his massive gem.

[@zacharyknutsen8094]

Has it been confirmed that his gem needed to breath?

[@scp--297]

MontyBoosh That could be true.

[@Decembirth]

Silver Gamer - well , we haven't seen a gem fully covered.

[@MontyBoosh]

Well there is a precendent to the idea that gems either can't or don't cover up their own gemstones, although it's unknown if this is an innate thing or a cultural thing; Amethyst comes the closest, with her season one outfit covering a fair portion of the gemstone, which seems to suggest the latter. We've yet to see any gem 100% removed from gem culture though - even Amethyst was raised among the CGs who continued to leave their gems uncovered. For what it's worth though, I think the reason they included that line about Steven's gem needing to breathe in the episode was so they could (A) foreshadow the RQ=PD reveal with the prominent diamond shape in his little baby onesie and (B) to make animating his gem easier when it later starts to glow.

[@Ninjaslikelamas]

Two small points on the whole pink diamond gem rotation thing. I agree that this twist still is not air tight, but I can think of reasons having her gem visible sort of works in cannon. First, going off the behavior of baby Steven, covering a gem up with cloths seems uncomfortable for the gem. Any time Greg tried to buttoned him up Steven would protest. Secondly for whatever reason there seems to be a belief among gems that colors and placement of gems is important and typically public information. Both to read into the ''quality' of the gems (think off colors and the like) as well as other gen cultural ideas. I recall hearing something ages ago along the lines if 'oh gems in the head mean smartness and the belly means kindness' or something. That might be a bit of half recalled fannon. Regardless of the reason (even if it is mostly meta) gems being exposed in some way is defiantly the norm among gem kind. If Rose therefore were to hide her gem it would cause people to question why, and in a movement that seems to mostly be about being true to and proud if yourself regardless of your gem would have been especially odd. Additionally if something happened to Rose's covering of her gem, whatever that may be, and it was not disguised it would put her in a tough spot fast. What I am surprised by is that never, in the entire war or beyond, did Rose poof in an inconvenient time and reveal herself. Even considering Pearls dedication, the fact that Rose was never actually put in enough danger to be poofed is interesting.

[@100billionsubscriberswithn4]

"Defiantly"

[@cassandrabelyeu2419]

Rose could have been poofed and grabbed immediately by Pearl a few times. Her form never changed, but this exact shape might be the most Rose Quartzish permanent form she can take when she poofs, so she just has to get it right every time.

[@eliasfitzgerald1786]

Pertaining to the clothes issue, in the episode Three Gems and a Baby, there is a scene that implies that gems (or at the very least, Steven's gem) need exposure to "breathe". While other gems obviously don't need to breathe in the same sense that humans do, but I don't think that it is entirely outside of the realm of possibility that some level of exposure is needed for gems. It would certainly explain why gems are nearly always visible, despite the tactical weakness that it would seem to cause.

[@crystalhamptonhines]

About the gemstones being visible. I think it's part of each gem's identity. Something that they would display proudly. They never had to hide their gemstone, because they all looked like their intended appearance, unless they were an "off color" gem. This means that anyone could tell who they were based on their appearance, even aside from their gemstone. Changing your shape for the intention to disguise themselves was unheard of, until gems started to find their own unique identity.

[@AylaMarionSU]

I actually really like the twist, and we’ll probably get some clarification on the Zoo and other things this summer.

[@doofs]

yeah, I just assumed diamonds grow by age. The time between jungle moon pink and pale rose had to be atleast a few centuries. Comparing pink's height to the pearls I assumed she just grew.

[@brianbrush5107]

Doofus Gems don't really work that way. It could have easily just been because stevonnie was having the dream so from her POV they were the same height

[@doofs]

I mean It easily could of been one of the animation inconsistencies the show's known for. Diamonds are unlike anything in the show. After sitting on my idea a bit though, I feel like this aligns really well with Steven aging by how he feels. Pink Diamond was shown to be immature and short when we first saw her, and the next time we see her there's been a massive growth mentally and physically. The whole random many birthdays plot point just makes a lot more sense from this point of view personally.

[@brianbrush5107]

Doofus That's another possibility

[@TheNicMMc]

Maybe Pink was a cut from a bigger diamond? Could explain why Blue and Yellow were so protective of Pink or I guess didn't give her a lot of responsibilities.

[@twinksama]

I think the gem re-orientation was probably actually necessary because she was trying to convince others she was a rose quartz and all rose quartz looked a certain way as we saw when we saw all of them bubbled. Not to mention, she was a rebellion leader and not having her gem easily exposed and identifiable could have lead to mistrust.

[@morrir6047]

I also want to add on if Pink did create quartz to resemble her gem she would have chose the persona to win the trust of her followers and persuade them them to make their own choices. The idea that an ordinary quartz can be a liberated leader can be inspiring yet deceiving, but if she tried to do so as Pink Diamond her status would distract them or it could just be taking orders from a diamond. Pink wanted to show them that they could be more than what the other diamonds lead on, which they made Pink think by be littling, yet she grew to be stronger and wiser... also wreckless and childish like Steven.

[@dannyyydiamond]

I love your videos dude! Have been watching for the adventure time ones but now you’ve got me hooked on Steven universe! And it’s pretty amazing lol 😊 thanks for all your hard work and dedication!

[@Intrafacial86]

Maybe diamond size is relative to the number of colonies they control? If gems are formed by draining "life force" out of the ground they are injected into, maybe colonies are like these massive life force transmitters that feed the diamonds power, making them larger, stronger, and imbuing them with special abilities. White Diamond is the largest due to having the most colonies, Blue and Yellow are slightly smaller, and then Pink is so tiny because she only just got her first one. In Jungle Moon, which happened before she had her first colony, Pink was apparently the same size as Stevonnie - the size of a regular gem.

[@TheDeadlockBuzz]

for your last question, i believe when pink was created, the other diamonds assumed she would come out the same as them. so even though she was a runt, in order to keep up their appearances as goddesses to the lower gems, they chose to use idealized images of pink instead. Think of the art of many great people in history such as Franklin D Roosevelt's badass picture or the many paintings of Napoleon Bonaparte depicting him with a tall and powerful stature even though he was nothing like that in reality.

[@matthewmasucci1425]

I'm pretty sure the murals were just made to display idealized versions of the Diamonds. The Diamonds probably hired Bismuths to construct these murals in the moon base. But since the Diamonds were disappointed by Pink's small stature, they wanted to make her look more intimidating and less kid-like in the mural for the sake of Diamond pride. It's sort of like how people make art of kings and Gods depicting them to be perfect even when they're not. As for the shape of the gemstone being different on the mural, I think the murals just simplify the shape of the gemstones.

[@ye3s146]

Rose: yeah sure, I trust Pearl to know that im really a diamond Also Rose: Pearl can NEVER know that I have a LION

[@justamon2281]

Definitely not airtight. However, I think covering the gem would be counterproductive. The fact that a Rose Quartz was leading the rebellion had to be theatrical and people needed to have no question about the gem that did it, or who it was leading the rebels. That’s why having the gem showing makes sense

[@TwitchyTopHat1]

Rotating the gem might seem unnecessary, but I'd argue it was to make the disguise more believable. The others needed to be able to clearly see that it was a Rose Quartz

[@NoirRaven]

Didn't Joe admit that Rebecca changed Pinks design at the last minute, hence the need for a gem rotation in the first place?

[@djmeagaaim17]

NoirRaven Really?

[@5zakuro]

I think PD's appearance differing from the other diamonds might point to her being somehow defective - it would also explain why she's treated like a child by yellow and blue and not given any responsibilities. if that was the case the diamonds may have wanted to cover up pink's weirdness in order to maintain an image of unity and authority - hence her mural being the same size as the others and her gem being the standard diamond cut in the murals as well as in the four diamonds symbol

[@cmjnwd]

I think it was a good idea for Pink to make the zoo. Assuming Steven never made it down to the cluster to bubble it, without the zoo, there would be no humans left in the universe. Kind of like how the idea of making a colony on Mars for humans is a safeguard incase of a threat like an asteroid impact or something

[@cassandrabelyeu2419]

If Pink was the one who made the zoo. Yellow or Blue could have done it when she tried to tell them about the organics she didn't want to kill. "too many organics".

[@noestaclaro]

I think gems need to have their gemstone uncover, as you can see at the episode where steven is a baby. ("Three Gems and a Baby")

[@crispingram4193]

With regard to the Cluster and Pink Diamond: All those shattered gems were from the war. All those lives were lost after Pink Diamond was shattered. There is no way Pink Diamond could have known about it due to the timeline, and without Pink, Rose wouldn’t have known about it. ...but, turns out a Diamond human hybrid could stop the cluster, so that worked out.

[@brianbrush5107]

Keep in mind that we only see the zoo under blues management we are unaware what pink did at it

[@pitfriend]

About the pink diamond shape in the murals, they are essentially carvings of the leaders of their race so wouldn't it be better to give them all the same thing to represent "diamond"? I'm pretty sure people would ask "who is she, why does she have different gem from diamonds and how did she become important enough to have murals made, to be on the same level as the diamonds" if she had a different image for her gem. To have a generalized icon for the leadership makes things simple.

[@777Rowen]

Fantastic review as always!

[@lionclan4575]

with pink's mural, her gemstone may have just a design choice by the artist who made it, as a way to connect the diamonds. the insignia of the four diamonds, each shown on them, conveys a sense of unity. and as far as pinks size... maybe she was defective? her gemstone is weirdly turned, shes smol and very immature compared to the other diamonds, she may have just been an 'off colored' diamond. yet she is a diamond, so its not as if the other three could just shatter her, especially when they are so rare.

[@crispingram4193]

About Pink Diamond’s size: Our Amethyst who was considered deformed was basically the parallel to Pink Diamond. I believe she took longer to come out and was tiny, but unlike a lower ranking gem such as Amethyst, Pink was still “perfect”, because she’s a Diamond. Taking longer to come out would explain the substantial lead the other diamonds had on her, and also would attribute to her size. Like Amethyst, Pink was relatively younger, with an inferiority complex. Both childish. Pink naturally more entitled as her perfect sisters had colonies and armies that she didn’t have yet. But, like Ruby and Sapphire, Pink was changed by Earth. She developed an alter ego because of her insecurities and passion for the planet. As a Diamond, she was insecure and felt that inferiority / lack of confidence. As Rose, she was able to become the leader she was born to be but in a skin she created. Pink / Rose was not a human or in tune with the consequences of her actions, but did show deep regret in hindsight. Like Ruby and Sapphire, Love brought on Pink’s transformation to Steven... She fell in love with Greg. She loved humans so much she - a Diamond - BECAME HUMAN. That’s huge. While most people are hating on Rose harder than ever, I would say this whole thing made me sincerely appreciate her full Dynamic and it has made me understand and like Pink Diamond more. Tbh - she’s in her best form yet, now that she’s finally got that humanity she fell in love with.

[@justinl95]

Pink Diamond is a defective diamond. The diamond symbol is based on the safety diamond where it has yellow, white, blue, and red. Pink diamond was originally supposed to be red but she was defective creating a pink color and making her smaller

[@vincentbuckley7296]

My theory is that dimonds grow in size the older they get because, where Pink Diamond punched in jungle moon was the same size as Steveonnie but she is obviously not as big as Pink Diamond in A Single Pale Rose compared to pearl.

[@HeadHunter-mv2ht]

I think i remember reading somewhere that back during the war the Gems ships didn't have FTL travel or at least weren't as fast as they are today, so by the time she became Rose Quartz and realized what she was doing was wrong it was already too late to save the human's at the Zoo, after all if she left to go get them then that could be a 60 year long trip to get them, its one thing for a diamond to go off for a meant 60 years, its another for Rose Quartz to just vanish for that long as well.

[@nathandorsey9145]

Metal Powers were probably a staple of the old-school Peridots that our Peridot re-discovered.

[@leGUIGUI]

Baby Steven was more confortable with his gem exposed, so maybe there is at least a reason of confort.

[@jerdynn]

about the gem projection thing/them being covered up, its kinda implied that having it covered is uncomfortable in Three Gems and a Baby, when baby steven fusses when his onsie is buttoned over his gem.

[@alanasmith1113]

literally watching this right after watching the new episode today. in my head im like "ohhhh just you wait you're gonna be singing a different tune"

[@octopussking6146]

Something that seems to be overlooked in the analysis of exposure of gems, is that when Steven was a baby he instinctively uncovered his gem. Greg said and I quote, " does your gem need to breathe?" My hypothesis is that a gem absorbs heat and light through their gem as a source of energy, amethyst gets away with having it half covered because her intake and digestion of physical matter. Same with Stevens shirts.

[@Foxyotaku]

I think pink diamond is small because her of how her diamond was cut. If you look from the front, it almost looks like it would be a diamond shape if the bottom portion wasn’t cut to be flat. Like this:♦️. Because her diamond was smaller, it made her form incomplete as well. Or it could be because that her diamond was formed more differently than the other diamonds, it changed her form like the rutile twins.

[@silasgrimbirse9651]

12:00 I don't know, "'Three Gems and a Baby" kinda implied that a Gem's Gem is more comfortable when it's exposed when Greg had to keep buttoning up Steven's onesie until finally he just left a couple buttons undone so the gem can be seen.

[@santiagogodoy974]

I've always thought that a diamond's size was related to the amount of colonies they had. The way I see it, it's a reflection of their influence and power, and they probably reach that by absorbing nutrients from their new colonies.

[@scaryberry13]

I don’t watch this show but I love the videos you make! Kinda makes me want to watch the series

[@garnetdunn2249]

This is such a good take..... one of the best on this subject

[@joeblow6568]

Rose knew how long it would take the gems to get back to earth via space flight. Just before that, she transformed into steven, to hide.

[@samiam2088]

I thought Pink being depicted as so much smaller was a reflection of her how she perceived herself in relation to the other diamonds. She felt smaller and powerless, so she’s depicted that way to us.

[@prayantis]

In later episodes it's seen that Pink is put into a dark tower, since a gems form is of light, this can explain why she's so small. There wouldn't be enough light to make a diamond form. The tower only has so much light going into it, so her gem took what she could.

[@InfinteAwesomeness]

I feel like the gem changing its orientation could be so that way Pink Diamond’s gem isn’t so big and recognizable. When it’s oriented to look like a diamond, its very recognizable and big, but when it’s oriented like a Rose Quartz gem it’s smaller and just looks like the rest of the Rose Quartzes

[@salamisofdragons4597]

I honestly think that Pink was an off color - her gem didn't come out right and that's why she's small. It's also why she was treated like a kid by the other diamonds. They saw her as being less powerful. Because of her gem coming out wrong, it might be why she like odd gems. Pearl's gem isn't perfectly round and Garnet's a fusion - something rarely seen between other gems. Pink would very easily be able to relate to gems like this. She sees them as like herself. Some people will probably say "BUT THEY'D KILL HER IF SHE WAS IMPERFECT!" Yeah, that's true, but in real life, there's been a lot of royalty with genetic defects. Most of the time, these individual's problems were down played or they were covered up and never revealed to other people. Usually, it was the former. This would make some sense in regard to the mural. It's different to cover up her physical deformity.

[@samuelplyler1511]

another thing worth mentioning is that many gems struggle to make themselves bigger, but it has never been shown that they have trouble remaining smaller for extended periods of time. That may have made it possible for Rose to remain Rose instead of returning to Pink Diamond, or it may have been easy as a smaller form would possibly take less energy to maintain than her larger form.

[@mikewilliams6025]

I like the idea that a Diamond's cut/size changes through ritual. And perhaps that ritual is in planet destruction. Just as gems are formed in the crust of a planet with time and pressure, perhaps Diamonds are "formed" through the destruction of planets. Based on the size of the other Diamonds bodies, one must decipher that their actual gems are much bigger than Rose's/Pink's. I hope we get a lot more homeworld lore.

[@ricardbossle]

Rose told Greg in one episode that she admires the ability of humans "to grow up". She even say she took a lot of time to realize that 'grow up' was even possible. Maybe she got tired to be treated like a kid and not been taken seriously by the other diamonds after thousands of years. She gave birth and her gem to Steven to eventually pass through the 'grow up experience'. This is, after all, a show aimed for kids in the exact same experience of 'growing up'.

[@AlquimistEd]

Oh wow, I'd never noticed this before, but the murals actually show the planets each of the diamonds have under their command.

[@ghostsurfer23]

1) I really like your explanation for why Rose didn't stop/correct the human zoo. It ties into her characterization of being very assured but still a child in her thinking and logic, at least at the time of the rebellion. 2) You and I had a similar thought on Rose becoming her permanent form when Pearl poofed her. I feel like based on what we saw Amethyst do in the episode 'Reformed', it stands to reason a Gem as powerful as a Diamond could make a drastic alteration to their form on the scale in question. 3) A lot of people have pointed out that the extent of Pink Diamond's objections to Blue and Yellow(outside of her alternate persona/rebellion-making :P) were just making excuses. I.e. she didn't actively try to get them to abandon the Earth. So all the drastic actions she took in light of her actually trying safer measures makes her seem pretty terrible. I think there's likely some more details about Pink's relationship with Blue and Yellow that will reveal she was in much more dire straights than we've seen. I think an interesting way to tie up several plot holes is to reveal that Blue and Yellow made a second Pink Diamond, one that embodied more of the traits they expected in a Diamond, and they expected Pink to stay permanently fused with her. That way she still got a colony, but would run it in a way that the Diamonds wouldn't be ashamed of. That would be a pretty horrible fate, one that would much more justify Pink's attitude that she couldn't just ask Homeworld to stop. It would explain the mural too. Think about it, two Pink Diamonds with identical gemstones fuse, the gems would make a full diamond shape that looks like Blue and Yellow's, and the fused form could be closer in design to the mural of Pink Diamond. It would also explain the very Pink Diamond-esque Gem we've seen in the temple a few times: pm1.narvii.com/6039/55805660af9a36570cedc4318cdd963debeaaa84_hq.jpg em.wattpad.com/4cbccd1b1365e313d916c4d9be87d11ada153b26/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f583530544f4458435747784e36413d3d2d3138322e313530623864613230343865613138353934313639313738353039352e6a7067?s=fit&w=720&h=720

[@Horde1Blades]

I kinda understood that Pink was smaller than the other diamonds because she was defective like Amethyst. it makes sense with the "I'm just as important as you are" line, seeking validation and what not

[@sprinkletwinklestar]

For Pink being so tiny I always thought back as to why Peridot or Amethyst were so small. Its stated that there is a shortage of resources on Homeworld (probably from the war) which is why newer gems are smaller and have less powers. I'm thinking that when creating pink there was either not enough materials or she was "cooked" for too long.

[@SirLokiMadmonk]

The zoo was given to pink by blue and yellow to make her shut up about saving humans. This was covered in the episode now we split apart. Yellow was in charge of the cluster during the war. Most likely ad a surprise attack.

[@slauderek3195]

Pink definitely grew in between jungle moon and her getting a colony. Either they grow by colonies, which is far fetched, or they grow in time

[@miltoncoburn4807]

About the murals, they were made off the first designs the crew universe had for the diamonds. Everyone included Pink Diamond went through many changes just like the rest of the characters.

[@treacle913]

At least we now know that she didn't create the human zoo, but her efforts to speak to her Diamond sisters about preserving human life, led to the human zoo being created.