Famously, one of Steven Universe’s biggest early misdirections was one of genre: Early on, the show played up the idea of the Gems being *Magic* and framed everything through a Fantasy-lense. However, as Steven learned more about Gem Lore, the show started getting a much stronger Science-Fantasy\Science-Fiction vibe to it instead. Gems are an alien race of silicon-based gem-computers using hard light holograms and a lot of their magic is some sort of Sufficiently Advanced Technology.
However, ever since ‘Too Short To Ride’ I’ve begun to theorize that the ‘scientific’ explanation for Gemkind was not the full picture either. That Gems do have an element of ‘Magic’ in them that their very sciencey and structured society doesn’t fully understand. Which is what can lead to the development of Powers that Gems aren’t ‘supposed’ to have, out of a combination of this misunderstood Magic in the Gems and some strong emotional reaction. Most obviously, this applies to Peridot developing Metal Powers, when Era-2 Peridots are hardly supposed to have any special powers at all.
But it also applies to Pearl and Rose both having summoned weapons when it seems like only ‘Soldier’-type Gems are supposed to be created with the power to summon a weapon on Homeworld - and definitely not Diamonds or Pearls. That would explain why neither of them are seen using their weapons in flashbacks to early days of the Rebellion, as they haven’t ‘developed’ the power to have a weapon yet.
(And correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think Pearl is EVER seen using her summoned spear during the Rebellion-Era? Seems like Rose figured out the summoned-weapon thing before Pearl did)
Now, here’s the new thing I’ve been thinking about: is it possible that Rose’s Healing Powers are ALSO a power she developed beyond what she was supposed to?
Again, my speculation is that developing new powers is something that might happen as a result of extreme emotions; Summoning Weapons out of a desire to fight (or possibly Rose summoning weapons out of the desire to reinvent herself as a Quartz and Pearl out of the guilt over how the Rebellion turned out??) and Peridot’s Metal Powers as a result of her newfound independence while also missing the freedom her Limb Enhancers used to grant her.
So under that Logic, Pink Diamond might have been created purely with ‘destructive powers’ (as White Diamond saw Pink as a representation of her Sanguine aspects and those aspects as entirely negative). But after traumatizing Volleyball, Pink has become so overcome with guilt and the desire to ‘FIX IT!’ that it made her spontaneously manifest Healing Powers (which of course, don’t actually heal Volleyball. From a metaphorical standpoint, if Pink’s Healing Powers are a manifestation of her guilt - than Pink’s guilt on it’s own can’t make Volleyball’s trauma go away). With said powers only growing stronger as Pink\Rose’s character developed and she had many, many other things she wished to heal.
This can also be an explanation as to why Pink Diamond’s powers are the only ones that can effect organic beings, and not just Gems (with Yellow’s Destabilizer, Blue’s Emotional Aura and White’s Possession explicitly working only on other Gems). Pink had an interest in Organic Life for a long time (the flashback with the worm-monsters in Change Your Mind, and the Garden was filled with organic plants), so it makes sense that a power she developed based on her emotional state will include it as well.
(And even if Pink was always created with both Healing and Destructive Powers, it’s possible that her powers expanded to include the ability to effect Organic Life as she grew more intersted in organic lifeforms and in protecting them. Including that uber-powerful Pink Zombie Tears Ability)
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