History Characters / StevenUniverseRoseQuartz

* AntiHero: [[spoiler:For all her compassion, she isn't perfect. As Pink Diamond, she created the Rose Quartz alter-ego, instigated a rebellion, and faked her own assassination with the goal of ending the Gem colonization of Earth, having come to cherish Earth's organic life. However, she deceived her followers for millennia and placed a {{Geas}} on Pearl that prevented Pearl from ever revealing the truth, which caused Pearl no end of anxiety. While her intentions were noble, she caused her friends to live a lie and unwittingly brought down doom on countless Gems after her "assassination". It goes to show that not even the Diamonds' TokenGoodTeammate is flawless.]]

* BenevolentBoss: Was this to the Crystal Gems, ''especially'' compared to [[WeHaveReserves the]] [[BadBoss Homeworld Gems]]. This is most clear concerning Pearl, who on Homeworld would've been treated as a pretty thing to own rather than a person, and Garnet whom Blue Diamond tried to kill half of simply for fusing into her ''doing her job''. Even Amethyst, who would have been seen as an 'overcooked runt' and defective on Homeworld, was never treated any differently.
** [[spoiler:It becomes even more heartwarming when it turns out that she's actually ''Pink Diamond'', who [[HeelFaceTurn previously]] ''wanted'' to be a BadBoss like her fellow Diamonds.]]
** [[spoiler:Also partially {{Deconstructed}}. While Rose did genuinely care about the Earth and the Crystal Gems, her HeelFaceTurn could not overwrite thousands of years of conditioning to believe she was superior to other gems. While Rose paid lip service to freedom and free will, she still tended to assume she knew best and made many decisions without consulting the others. In fact, seconds after she promised to "free" Pearl, Rose still chose to put Pearl under an involuntary {{Geas}} to keep her identity hidden. In addition to her identity as Pink Diamond she kept many secrets from the other Crystal Gems, particularly the existence of Lion and the fact that she bubbled Bismuth for advocating use of lethal force.]]

* BigGood: Her actions before and after Steven was born indicate this. Several episodes indicate that she dedicated her life towards benevolence, such as healing broken Gems, defending her newly adopted Homeworld and even bonding with a human which resulted in her giving up her own existence just so that Steven may live. But since this story is about Steven, her legacy and subtle guidance is what drives him forward.
** Subverted somewhat as the series continues. She was a major force in saving Earth from Homeworld, but [[spoiler:she was far from a perfect person. She did many morally questionable things and was also varying stages of immature throughout her backstory. Though she paved the way to the peaceful co-existence between Earth and Homeworld, her actions also left EVERYONE close to her with major baggage that continues to plague them in ''Future''.]]

* BrokenPedestal: Despite being regarded as a great hero of the Gem rebellion, many revelations of her past over the series takes her legacy down a peg or three, and leave her followers to question everything they thought they knew about her. Steven, who was born from his mother's death, can only piece together her history.
** A downplayed one in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E45RosesScabbard "Rose's Scabbard"]], Pearl had always thought of herself to be Rose's closest confidant, so when she finds out there are some secrets Rose never told Pearl such as Lion's existence, she goes into a heartbroken denial over it and takes it out at her friends, especially Steven. This is elaborated on much later: [[spoiler:Pearl was the only person to know she was actually Pink Diamond, and naturally imagined this meant she was Rose's one true confidant for everything.]]
** Her failure to reveal Bismuth's imprisonment caused what left of Bismuth's faith in her to shatter to the point she accused Rose of being manipulative.
** The reveal that she shattered Pink Diamond '''crushed''' Steven. His opinion of her reaches an all-time low in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E16StormInTheRoom "Storm in the Room"]], where he confronts an image of Rose and outright calls her a liar, {{hypocrite}}, and coward, thinking she only turned into him so she could [[KarmaHoudini escape facing the consequences of her actions]]. [[spoiler:Steven is relieved that Rose didn't actually shatter Pink, but still deeply uncomfortable after learning that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond, which means ''he'' is a Diamond.]]
** Became this to Sapphire in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E19NowWereOnlyFallingApart "Now We're Only Falling Apart"]], once it is revealed that [[spoiler:she used to be Pink Diamond, with Garnet breaking apart from the revelation; Ruby was used to not knowing everything about someone, but Sapphire, having the powers of precognition, trusted Rose enough to not look into her, and took the secrecy especially hard]].
--->'''Sapphire:''' SHE LIED TO US! SHE LIED ABOUT EVERYTHING!!!
** When Spinel confronts Steven for [[spoiler: how Rose (as Pink Diamond) abandoned her]], he starts saying that he can't believe Rose would do that... before realizing what he's saying and admitting that yes, he absolutely can believe it.

* ColorMotif: Pink.

* CultureClash: Had trouble understanding the human version of relationships at first.

* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:[[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E19NowWereOnlyFallingApart "Now We're Only Falling Apart"]] shows that not only does Ruby, unlike [[BrokenPedestal Sapphire]], take the news of her being Pink Diamond well, but feels okay after talking it over for a couple of hours with Greg. In [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E21TheQuestion "The Question"]], Greg [[TheyreCalledPersonalIssuesForAReason relates to her]] because, as he says, "I never told her I used to be Gregory [=DeMayo=]." Amethyst ''hasn't'' really gotten over Rose lying to everyone, but refuses to dump "another thousand-year-old complex" on Steven, a fourteen-year-old child. Even Bismuth, though she was shocked that the rebellion was a "sham", at least understood now why Rose bubbled her over the Breaking Point.]]

** For example, this quote to Greg:
--->'''Rose:''' You're really cute, and I'd love to play with you.
** Another example is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dtGvucmFBc her fusion dance with Pearl]].
** However, the implications of the trope are explored. While she does care a lot about her loved ones, her relationship with Greg stood out from the rest because Greg realized they both rushed into the relationship. Both had the spark but didn't know each other that well and Rose didn't really see Greg as his own individual person until he brought it up and revealed her own insecurities and lack of knowledge in it. However, this talk helped move forward their relationship (symbolized how she called him by the first name for the first time) and both made the steps to have a relationship as equals. It's this CharacterDevelopment prompted by Greg that explains why he became the one for her, which contrasts him to Pearl. Pearl did not mind much of Rose's escapades because she would outlive them. However, her putting Rose on a pedestal because of her own problems and her own lack of understanding of intimacy is why she couldn't become Rose's one as opposed to Greg.

* GoodParents: While Rose never actually got a chance to interact with Steven, she made it a point to leave a video that emphasized how much she loved him, and how she'll continue to love him after she is a part of him and no longer her own entity. By all accounts, she wanted him to live his life and enjoy it with no greater plan beyond that.
** As "Storm in the Room" shows, despite his doubts about her, he imagines that she would have been a good, loving parent who supported him and didn't want him to deal with her problems like he has.

* CatSmile: Is drawn with one in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E18ASinglePaleRose "A Single Pale Rose"]]. While this is a common trait of Quartzes, [[spoiler:she had one as a Diamond as well]].

* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: If she can be considered truly "dead" is a somewhat philosophical question, but she's not able to directly be there for Steven regardless. It turns out to be deconstructed harshly while still played straight as the show goes on; Rose was TheAce and an AllLovingHero and a UniversallyBelovedLeader... but she wasn't as perfect as the Crystal Gems made her out to be. She had flaws, her own CharacterArc and her loss is far more than the window-dressing for Steven's story. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Bereavement doesn't magically disappear immediately, and no inherited legacy (however awesome) can replace a dead parent.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Even if Rose had the best of intentions, she still [[spoiler:lied to the Crystal Gems, excluding Pearl, about who she was. Of course Sapphire is furious upon learning that Rose lied thousands of years later]].

* BoobsOfSteel: She was the largest and most physically powerful of the Crystal Gems, and is the only Gem drawn with distinct breasts; this also emphasizes her maturity relative to the other Crystal Gems and, from a meta standpoint, might be to make her look more motherly. Considering how much she loves humans, it could also be a trait she added to look more human-like.

* DrivenToSuicide: Between her immense self-loathing, the intentionality of her decision to have Steven, and the fact that WordOfGod states that Rose ''could've'' had a fully human child and survived, it's ''really'' not hard to read Rose's death this way.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: She wears a floor-length gown, so it's not immediately apparent, but [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E5StoryForSteven "Story for Steven"]] shows that she goes barefoot.

** [[spoiler:It becomes even more heartwarming when it turns out that she's actually ''Pink Diamond'', who [[HeelFaceTurn previously]] ''wanted'' to be a BadBoss like her sisters.]]

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Bismuth and Rose's argument over the Breaking Point. Bismuth argued that, since Homeworld doesn't fight fair or hold back, they shouldn't either. Rose argued that this would make them no different from the Gems they were fighting, and was against everything they stood for. Granted, it has become more complicated than that [[spoiler:since the Diamonds are hiding plenty of secrets about the war, including from each other. It's eventually revealed that Rose didn't want to shatter the Homeworld Gems because she was ''one of them'' — Pink Diamond — and didn't want to hurt her sisters, or any of the Homeworld armies.]]

* StepfordSmiler: It's revealed that Rose was genuinely cheerful and kind, but [[spoiler:she was hiding from everyone, including ''Greg'', that she actually used to be Pink Diamond and gave up her true form so as to free the Earth and end the war early. Then she found out that in revenge the Diamonds sent the Corruption Beam, which ended up hurting most of the Gems remaining on both sides, and she could only save Pearl and Garnet. She had to poof Bismuth after the latter attacked her with the Breaking Point because Rose didn't want to murder her sisters or their soldiers, even if ''she'' had spun the story to make others view her as a killer. We also learn that as Pink Diamond she believed that her sisters didn't love her and that they wouldn't miss her if she was gone, hence the faked shattering. Rose coped with her self-loathing and guilt for five thousand years by finding and bubbling the corrupted gems, taking on human lovers, and supporting plant life. During one of the few times, she's vulnerable with Greg, she admits that she finds it amazing that humans can grow and change because Gems are expected to be static.]]

* SympatheticSlaveOwner: She may have been a kindly liberator of Crystal Gems [[spoiler:and a defected Diamond who wanted to stop her sisters' plans for Earth]], but even though she was trying to encourage her Pearl's independence, Pearl was still Rose's property.

* UnreliableExpositor: Rose told Garnet that she was born from the Earth, came to love humans, and pleaded with Pink Diamond to spare the Earth, and Pink Diamond cruelly refused her. [[spoiler:Rose lied; she was from Homeworld due to being ''Pink Diamond'', came to love Earth's organic life in general, and pleaded with Yellow and Blue Diamond to spare the Earth. When they refused, and ignored her because Pink Diamond was their little sister and not worth listening to, she became Rose Quartz to make sure they couldn't ignore her.]]

* BigBeautifulWoman: She's stated to be at least eight feet tall, is considerably heavier and rounder than the rest of the Gems (her shirt size is XXL, and it's pretty snug on her), has a HundredPercentAdorationRating, and is gorgeous. Her animation and voice acting also allude to this; she speaks very gently and eloquently, and her animation is very subtle and fluid, with her hair shifting and bouncing with the smallest movement. [[spoiler:Played with on TheReveal she's actually Pink Diamond, whose flashbacks show that, while certainly large and beautiful, is also quite a bit thinner and taller than her Rose Quartz disguise.]]

* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: If she can be considered truly "dead" is a somewhat philosophical question, but she's not able to directly be there for Steven regardless. It turns out to be deconstructed harshly while still played straight as the show goes on; Rose was TheAce and an AllLovingHero with a HundredPercentAdorationRating... but she wasn't as perfect as the Crystal Gems made her out to be. She had flaws, her own CharacterArc and her loss is far more than the window-dressing for Steven's story. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Bereavement doesn't magically disappear immediately, and no inherited legacy (however awesome) can replace a dead parent.]]

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* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Ironically for a RebelLeader [[spoiler:who chose to reject her own throne]], Rose actually becomes this in all but title. Initially Rose's purpose was [[spoiler:for Pink Diamond to be able to [[LonelyAtTheTop socialize with others and experience freedom from the restraints of her class]]]], but since her decision to spearhead the Rebellion, she had to become whatever necessary for her fellow rebels to believe in her competency in leadership and maintain unity in the cause. She had a lot of personal baggage that probably would have torn the Rebellion apart if her secrets had been known and led to the doom of the Earth and the rebels, so she hid her flaws under a graceful, perfect, wise, infallible veneer in order to keep the Rebellion together. Which ironically [[spoiler:though not uncoincidentally]], reflects many traits in the façade propagated by the Diamond Authority about their own leadership.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Was the leader of the Crystal Gems, and extremely strong. For reference, she effortlessly takes out a triple Ruby fusion in one pace ''bare-handed''. [[spoiler:Makes sense once you learn that she's Pink Diamond.]]
* BadassInCharge: She curbstomped three fused Rubies in the past with her bare hands, and she was TheAce of the Gems back when in the war for Earth.

** She kept a lot of secrets from the other Crystal Gems, the biggest probably being that ''she'' was the one who poofed and bubbled Bismuth after learning about the Breaking Point (and Bismuth's words implying that Rose was attacked by the Gem in response for disagreeing with her). As some have noted, the other Gems learning about the weapon could've not only caused a schism in the ranks of the Crystal Gems but could have also caused Homeworld to retaliate even ''harder'' than they already did — which is saying something when they make their exit with a FantasticNuke.
*** Turns out that isn't the biggest secret, with that being [[spoiler:she was Pink Diamond herself, having defected from the Diamond Authority to save Earth's organic life]].

* QuirkyCurls: Her hair is all styled in curls except for her bangs, and while the hair resembles the trope, her personality also lines up with RegalRinglets — her calming dignity being tempered by some of the free-spirited ''joie de vivre'' that she would later pass on to Steven.
** Although her interactions with humans from Greg's accounts do bring light to her more quirky aspects by way of her learning curve.

* BareYourMidriff: Her original Quartz Soldier outfit includes a crop top which shows off her gem. Her default long dress outfit goes for a NavelWindow instead.

* LoveYouAndEverybody: She was a very sympathetic Gem, full of love for every living creature she encountered. This is slightly deconstructed: though she had a deep, ''agape'' love for everyone, she also had the tendency to love both Gems and humans collectively, making it difficult for her to love Greg as an ''individual'' instead of as ''a'' human, despite considering him "her favorite human". She also didn't appear to properly address the [[StupidSacrifice less healthy]] parts of Pearl's love for her. [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E12WeNeedToTalk "We Need to Talk"]] implies that she ''loved'' everyone, but didn't understand the human concept of being in love until forming an actual relationship with Greg (note that this is exclusive of Rose since Garnet, Ruby, Sapphire, and Pearl all understand the concept of being in love and exclusivity).