SU CRITICAL: In Defense of Pink Diamond, a character analysis (because I’m bored)
So I just thought of this.
One of the biggest blights on Pink Diamond is that she could’ve led the rebellion herself as a diamond. But….think about it, and this is something I didnt think about either.
Think about how Pink was portrayed in relation to the other diamonds.
She was portrayed as the earth-equivalent of a child or a rebellious teen at best.
“honey, please, I’m working” – is what Yellow says and moves her out the way. That’s how you talk to a kid who’s bothering you while you’re on the phone. As for Pink herself–
She wants to do everything Yellow is doing.
She wants to command a drop ship because Yellow is doing it.
She wants a colony because the other diamonds have one, and Yellow basically says “well when you get your OWN colony you can command whatever you’d like” – which is basically coded as “When you grow up/get older.”
Pink gets upset and throws a tantrum. What does she say?
“ITS NOT FAIR!”
If you have younger siblings or just spend time around children, then that’s one of the first things that pop out of their mouths. She is written like a child throwing a tantrum because her “parents” / “big sisters” have colonies and she doesn’t.
Fast-Forward to “Can’t Go Back” during Steven’s flashback.
She’s smaller than Blue and Yellow, so much so that its really jarring. Blue, in this conversation, is even talking to her like a child. Like a kid who BEGGED for a pet and then starts complaining because they have to feed it and clean up after it.
Pearl’s flashback with Pink, just before she goes down to Earth as Rose for the first time. Listen to how she talks to Pearl here.
“If I went down to the kindergarden I’d never hear the end of it from Blue and Yellow.”
“I won’t be so happy when Blue and Yellow find out.”
“Shhh, Pearl, you’re gonna get us in trouble!”
She’s acting like a kid that sneaked out of the house past curfew and Pearl’s the “cool babysitter” that’s letting her do it.
Even when she’s arguing with Blue and Yellow about the colony.
Look at the shot of her with Blue.
She’s literally begging on her hands and knees. Like a little kid.
Steven Universe is all about parallels, and this is 100% intentional. Pearl even says “I was given to Rose/Pink to make her happy.”
Pearl didn’t have the same dynamic as other Pearls with their diamonds. It almost makes it seem like it went down like “Look Pink, we got you a little friend to play with! Your VERY OWN PEARL! Like a big girl! Now Pearl, do everything you can to make sure she’s happy. Got it?”
White Diamond even calls what she did a “game.”
Obviously thats just my interpretation but–
Where am I going with this?
If you’re a kid living with strict parents. Parents you’re afraid of upsetting because of how cold they are to you to the point where you believe they dont love you and don’t care what happens to you–
Are you going to openly go against them?
Hell, think of how many people in real life with racist relatives who regularly say and do awful things, but keep their mouths shut instead of confronting them.
Pink, in this dynamic, is a child living with strict family that think so little of her they’re constantly condescending to her and treat her like she doesn’t matter at all. No. You’re not going to go against them if you’re a kid, unless you’re brave.
You’re going to run away.
And that’s what kids do. They get the “I wanna run away from home.” bug.
White Diamond even treats it like that. Like Pink was a kid who ran away from home for a few hours and comes home that night. “Oh you’re back now. Done “running away” are we? Did you get everything out of your system? Are you FINALLY ready to behave yourself?”
Listen to what Pink says.
“I wanna live here with human beings! I wanna live here with YOU! Soon we’ll both finally be free.”
She felt trapped as a child in this family-unit with people who she clearly cared very deeply about [Look at her interaction with Yellow, its obvious she looks up to her.]– but didn’t reciprocate. Who talked down to her. Who wouldn’t listen to anything she had to say. Who didn’t care about anything that was important to her. Who brushed her aside and blew her off. Who made her feel like they WOULD NOT CARE if she DIED.
She even says it herself.
“Blue and Yellow don’t care! They NEVER HAVE!” – I don’t think she’s just talking about the colony here.
Think about how Blue Yellow and White must’ve treated Pink for her to feel that way. Now. She reformed to look like Rose Quartz all the time. Why?
Pearl.
The other diamonds didn’t respect her- Pearl did.
The other diamonds didn’t listen to her- Pearl did.
The other diamonds didn’t care about her- Pearl did.
The other diamonds didn’t care about what was important to her- Pearl did.
And yes, the other gems under her command/on homeworld in general obviously respected her. But they weren’t close to her. She even says “none of that dumb saluting stuff.” She knows their admiration isn’t sincere and because she has no real status IN the diamond authority, it likely means even less to her.
But Pearl was likely with her every day, for however long. Someone who listened to her when Blue and Yellow were being mean. Someone who tried to solve her problems even if the solutions didn’t work out [her wanting to warp Pink down to earth, her trying to fuse with pink after she’s delighted by Garnet, her taking her on a tour of the planet itself].
This is why I honestly do support RosexPearl. Because there is no doubt in my mind her love for Pearl came from a sincere place.
Pink Diamond probably felt worthless. Why wouldn’t she? Imaging sincerely believing that the people you loved didn’t care if you died. And she was a diamond, she couldnt just run out and make friends; not without being reprimanded and getting herself into more trouble.
THAT is why she is a kindhearted diamond, or as kind as she could be in this situation. Because she was a lonely “kid” who hated her life and who she was so much so that she wanted to be someone else, forever, and run off with her Pearl. She even says “I never want to look back.”
She was so DESPERATE for a friend. For SOMEBODY to care about her, that she confided in her Pearl because she had NO ONE else. Look at how warmly she greets the Amethysts. Look at how happy she is to meet them and just to feel accepted and belong somewhere. All she wants to do is spend time with somebody and make a real connection because everyone else is either cold to her because they look down on her– or cold to her because they look UP to her and are scared of her authority.
Look at how disappointed she is when Pearl just says “I can imagine it if you’d like me to my diamond.”
She wanted a friend. Not a servant.
So many kids in her situation fantasize about turning 18, leaving home, and never having to speak to their family again. But Pink would NEVER “grow up.” She would NEVER leave home. She would ALWAYS be Pink Diamond, AKA the kid nobody loves; in her mind.
Forever.
That is why she is so naive. That is why if you look at her in flashbacks she always has this sense of wonder and even innocence as Rose, because children have that.
That is why she was so starstruck with Earth and even Greg and having Steven– because its exciting and new.
The war, seeing the aftermath of homeworld’s attack, undoubtedly made her mature in the 5,750 years since. Enough so that she is ashamed of the person she was when she says “that’s a good thing” when Greg says he barely knows her.
I’m not saying this in any way erases her fuck ups. But I 100% believe that Pink’s desire to protect Earth and give a home to the Crystal Gems came from a sincere place. But because she WAS a child that was never allowed to “grow up” and assume any real sense of responsibility and as a result– consequences, who WASNT fit to be a leader [Yellow even said as much “I knew she couldnt handle her own colony, but I gave in.”]– that things ended up so horribly.
She had no idea how deeply the other diamonds loved her. She had no idea they’d do such horrible things to the Crystal Gems who’d basically become a NEW family to her– but one that SHE and Pearl were more-or-less the founders of.
How could she? A child that idolozes their parents/older siblings and wants to be just like them, often looks past their faults and shortcomings. I dont think she believed the diamonds would shatter her friends and turn them into monsters. Even Pearl says
“She was going to SCARE every last gem off the planet.”
Bismuth- “Rose’s Sword. Strong enough to break a gem’s physical form, but never the gem.”
Rose/Pink didn’t want to hurt anyone and didn’t want anyone else to get hurt either. She tried to convince the diamonds that the earth was too much trouble so they’d just go away and she made sure her weapon wouldn’t hurt any gems from homeworld. But she’d put herself into a corner. She got DESPERATE, to where she didn’t know what else to do since nothing was working and they weren’t leaving and the conflict had likely escalated–
So she decided to shatter herself. If THAT didn’t scare them off, because “holy shit, Rose Quartz can shatter a DIAMOND in ONE HIT” then nothing would.
And the other diamonds wouldnt care anyways, because “this is Pink Diamond’s colony.”
For her? This is a win/win. THAT’S why she’s so excited about it. This was a dangerous thing she was doing and she’d found a way to make it all end and get her happily ever after with the person she’d come to care about. The diamonds would leave, the Crystal Gems would win the war, she’d reform to be Rose all the time and live peacefully on Earth with Pearl forever.
Doesn’t that sound like the kind of fantasy a kid would come up with?
Pink Diamond deserves all the criticism she gets, full stop. Horrible things happened because of her naivete, selfishness, and stupidity and this doesnt excuse those. But now that I’ve laid it all out…it really wasnt as simple as “just rebel as Pink.”
It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your own family as a child, especially when you admire them but they just treat you like a burden.
