Rose Quartz (Canon)

"Isn't it remarkable, Steven? This world is full of so many possibilities. Each living thing has an entirely unique experience; the sights they see, the sounds they hear, the lives they live, are so complicated, and so simple. I can't wait for you to join them."

"Rose Quartz" was the founder and former leader of the Crystal Gems. Enthralled by the beauty of Earth, Rose led her friends and allies in a rebellion against the Gem Homeworld around 5,500 years prior to the events of the series, successfully driving the invading Homeworld Gems off the planet and saving the life inhabiting it. Rose eventually got into a romantic relationship with a human, Greg Universe, before giving up her physical form in order to give birth to their son, Steven, who inherited her gemstone.

Appearance
Rose Quartz had very long, curly pink hair styled in thick, tube-like ringlets. She also had defined lips with a pale-pink color, bright-peach skin, and a taller and heavier build than the other Crystal Gems, due to being a quartz. In "Story for Steven", she was shown to be similar in height to Garnet, and stood at eight feet. In "Lion 3: Straight to Video", she was shown to have had black eyes. Rose wore a strapless, floor-length, lilac-trimmed, tiered white and in some appearances a white and pink dress that had multiple layers which resembled the petals of a rose, and had a star-shaped cutout in the stomach area, specifically where her gem was located.

Personality
A natural leader, Rose Quartz is indicated to have had a caring and loving personality. In "An Indirect Kiss", she was described as feeling great sorrow when her loved ones were hurt, with her empathy leading to her Rebellion and the founding of the Crystal Gems. She was also said to have seen beauty in everything "no matter how gross", showing that she treated everyone as equals. In "The Return", it is revealed by Jasper that Rose Quartz was a masterful tactician, a crucial skill that earned her renown. Despite her role, in "Story for Steven", she was shown to have (at least to the knowledge of the Crystal Gems and Greg) a personality greatly resembling her son's personality. Rose showed some ambivalence toward her role in the war; when Greg said he knew little about her, she described this as "a good thing."

Rose didn't fully comprehend the depths of human love in the early stages of her relationship with Greg, seeing that she was very confused when Greg tried to explain the concept of genuine affection. This led Pearl to initially believe that there wasn't much between Greg and Rose, confronting him with the idea that their "love" was only a phase, and that Greg's novelty would soon wear off. Seeing Rainbow Quartz gave Greg the idea to fuse with Rose, which he'd hoped would help them understand each other. When Greg's fusion attempt failed, Rose started laughing at the thought in a way that he considered to be emotionally distant. When asked to talk like a real person, Rose was quick to admit that her sense of love was a façade, and she had no idea how human love worked. Greg and Rose began to talk, deepening their relationship. After their talk, it can be assumed that she'd learned from Greg how to be more 'human', in a sense.

There is another unexplored side of Rose's personality - the legends surrounding her paint her as a ruthlessly efficient warrior and leader of the Crystal Gem who not only commanded her fellow Gems in the rebellion, but also participated in the fighting. This side of her personality seems at odds with the all-loving, motherly side of her; reflecting perhaps how the beauty of Earth and it's lifeforms greatly affected the stern Gem warrior. It is worth noting that it was her compassion is what led to her rebel to protect others, so this behavior is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. In The Answer, Rose is shown fighting alongside Pearl. She cracks a cocky smile before destroying a Ruby fusion. This would suggest an aggressive side to Rose's personality, which makes sense in light of her gem type, Quartz.

Abilities
Rose possessed standard Gem abilities, including shape-shifting, weapon-summoning, fusion, bubbling, regeneration, and superhuman strength/durability. As a quartz Gem she was created to be a warrior. Noticeably, she was able to effortlessly defeat a fusion of three Rubies in a flash. She was proficient in both combat as well as military command, being able to lead the Crystal Gems from the front-lines in a successful rebellion against their Homeworld.

Fusions

 * When fused with Pearl, they form Rainbow Quartz.

Unique Abilities
The original bearer of the rose quartz gemstone, which is currently in possession of her son/successor, Rose Quartz would have been able to use all the abilities Steven has - and perhaps even more.


 * Healing: Rose manifests her ability to heal through her tears. Her tears could heal broken Gems/gemstones, and heal other creatures of general injuries.
 * Phytokinesis: Rose had the ability to grow sentient flora that acted as her guardians.
 * Shield Proficiency: Rose had the ability to summon her shield to protect loved ones.
 * Electrical Interference: In "We Need to Talk", Rose appeared to be able to control Greg's radio based upon her emotion. For instance, when she was shocked, the music stopped. However, like her son, it is unknown if she actually possesses it or if this was for dramatic effect. Also, in "Maximum Capacity", the television that Greg and Amethyst were watching Lil' Butler on went to static when Steven saw Amethyst shape shifted to look like Rose.

Weaponry

 * Rose's Sword: Rose possessed a sword that she had used during battle, and is currently wielded by Connie Maheswaran as of "Nightmare Hospital".
 * Laser Light Cannon: Rose once owned a cannon that shot a very powerful beam that could destroy an object such as the Red Eye that the Crystal Gems couldn't destroy on their own. The weapon activates by reciting Greg Universe's favorite catchphrase, "If every porkchop was perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs." It is currently in the possession of the Gems after retreiving it from Greg's storage unit in the episode "Laser Light Cannon".
 * Rose's Secret Armory: Rose had an armory full of weapons and armor that she kept secret from the rest of the Crystal Gems, except Pearl. For unknown reasons, Lion knows about the armory and brought Steven and Connie there in "Lion 2: The Movie".

Legacy
Statues and wall paintings of Rose can occasionally be found in Gem ruins, indicating she was looked upon favorably by Gems at one point. This may indicate that she had a high status among her race.

The Crystal Gems often reminisce about Rose, and express their gratitude for her actions; Greg often laments over her departure with seemingly similar reasons.

While pregnant with Steven, knowing that she could never meet him personally, Rose made a video with the intent of posthumously expressing her love for him. At one point about 5,000 years prior to the events of the series, Rose led the Crystal Gems in a rebellious war against the Homeworld Gems on the Gem Battlefield and won. It is stated by Jasper that although they fought on different sides, she respected the military tactics that Rose used during the war.

As seen in "Story for Steven", the Crystal Gems (excluding Rose) did not wear stars on their outfits at the time that Rose met Greg. This implies that the symbol may have been adopted as a sign of respect and grief for Rose after she gave up her physical form.

Season 1

 * "Laser Light Cannon" (pictured, mentioned)
 * "Together Breakfast" (pictured)
 * "Frybo" (pictured)
 * "Bubble Buddies" (mentioned)
 * "Serious Steven" (pictured)
 * "Giant Woman" (pictured)
 * "So Many Birthdays" (pictured)
 * "Lars and the Cool Kids" (mentioned)
 * "Steven the Sword Fighter" (pictured)
 * "Rose's Room" (mentioned)
 * "Coach Steven" (pictured)
 * "Steven and the Stevens " (pictured)
 * "Monster Buddies" (mentioned)
 * "An Indirect Kiss" (mentioned)
 * "Secret Team" (mentioned)
 * "Fusion Cuisine" (mentioned)
 * "Garnet's Universe" (pictured)
 * "Watermelon Steven" (mentioned)
 * "Lion 3: Straight to Video" (video message, minor appearance)
 * "The Test" (mentioned)
 * "On the Run" (mentioned)
 * "Maximum Capacity" (indirectly mentioned, mimicked through shape-shifting)
 * "Rose's Scabbard" (mentioned, pictured)
 * "Story for Steven" (flashback, major appearance)
 * "The Return" (mentioned)
 * "Jail Break" (mentioned)

Season 2

 * "Open Book" (mentioned)
 * "Say Uncle" (cosplayed, mentioned)
 * "Joy Ride" (mentioned)
 * "Sworn to the Sword" (mentioned, pictured)
 * "We Need to Talk" (flashback, video tape, major appearance)
 * "Chille Tid" (dream)
 * "Historical Friction" (mentioned)
 * "Friend Ship" (mentioned)
 * "Nightmare Hospital" (mentioned)
 * "When It Rains" (mentioned)
 * "The Answer" (flashback)
 * "It Could've Been Great" (mentioned)

Shorts

 * "We are the Crystal Gems" (cameo)

Steven
"And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you."

Steven is Rose's son, whom she gave up her physical form for. While she never got to meet her son, Rose cherished Steven even before his birth, showing nothing but pride and happiness for the kind of person he would become, and trusted him to carry on her mission of protecting the Earth after her passing. Even when she knew it would mean the end of her existence to create Steven, she showed no fear and could not wait for him to join them. She also assured Steven in a video she left behind that when he loves being himself, it is really Rose loving Steven and loving being a part of him. According to Garnet, Steven is a "fusion of love."

Crystal Gems
"Huh? Oh, them? Those are three long stories."

Rose Quartz was previously the leader of the Crystal Gems before she brought Steven into existence. The group seems to hold her in high esteem. In the episode "Laser Light Cannon" for instance, Amethyst is quoted as saying, "If Rose were here, this would be so easy!" The members of the group seem to mourn her disappearance from the world after she gave up her physical form to create Steven, though they do not hold Steven accountable for the loss.

In an in-character interview with Newsarama, Pearl seems to confirm that Rose Quartz was a leader of the Crystal Gems, noting, "Brilliant leaders do brilliant things, that’s why you look to them for answers, answers no one else could have, that’s why you trust them, even when you can’t understand why they chose… Greg".

Pearl
"My Pearl. You're wonderful..."

Pearl was also Rose's second-in-command and confidant in the battle against the Homeworld Gems on the ancient battlefield. Matt Burnett has described their relationship as "complicated". After the episode "We Need To Talk" it was confirmed that Pearl's feelings for Rose were of the romantic kind but Rose seemingly did not return those feelings. Nevertheless, Rose did care deeply for Pearl and Pearl claims that she was closer to Rose than the other Gems were, and as such, Rose trusted her with information she did not tell Garnet and Amethyst. Pearl seems to value this connection highly, as she became very angry upon realizing that there was information that Rose kept even from her in "Rose's Scabbard". In "Sworn to the Sword", it is stated by Pearl that Rose made her "feel like [she] was everything." and it is explained by Garnet that, during the war, Pearl was extremely protective of Rose to the point of ignoring all logic and reason, and was willing to repeatedly risk her own life to ensure Rose's safety. It is implied that this recklessness sparked heated arguments between the two of them.

Greg
"Oh, you're hilarious, Mr. Universe."

Greg Universe was the romantic partner of Rose Quartz until she brought Steven into the world. Greg and Rose seemed to have had a very good relationship, but most of what we know is from Greg's point of view. The two of them met at one of his one-man band concerts in Beach City, where she was the lone attendee. He said that they became inseparable, yet he had no idea "what a magical lady like her ever saw in a plain old dope like [him]." Rose used Greg's catchphrase as the activation words for her Light Cannon, reflecting her feelings towards him. Rose's relationship with Greg started out rocky because Rose didn't really understand how human relationships worked, but things got better over time, and they ended up "fusing" into an entirely new being, Steven.

Lion
It was shown in the episode "Lion 3: Straight to Video" that Lion had some sort of a deep connection to Rose. Lion has belongings of Rose stored inside his dimension such as a VHS tape from Rose, a Mr. Universe T-shirt, Rose's Battle Flag, Rose's Sword, and an unknown object in a bubble. This connection was further explored in "Rose's Scabbard". Though his connection to Rose is obvious, why he is connected remains shrouded in mystery.

Trivia

 * It was confirmed by Ian Jones-Quartey that Rose is indeed a Quartz gem.ROSE.IS.A.QUATZ..jpg
 * As seen in "Story for Steven", as well as in "We Need to Talk", Rose was barefoot.
 * Rose's symbol appears repeatedly throughout the series, such as when the door appears to her room, in the middle of Steven's shield, in the handle of her sword, and the Crystal Gem's war flag back when they fought for the Earth.
 * In "Laser Light Cannon", the light that came out of the cannon morphed to vaguely resemble her.
 * This is seen again when the Laser Light Cannon, along with the Quartizine Trio, fired at the Gem Warship in "The Return" but failed.
 * Rose's gemstone was located where a human navel is - as such, Steven's gemstone is located on his stomach where his navel should be.
 * It can be surmised that Gem pregnancy is not at all similar to human pregnancy; nevertheless, the placement of Rose's and Steven's gemstones is symbolic of the way in which a mother and an unborn baby are connected by the umbilical cord, part of the navel.
 * In "Rose's Room", when Steven was falling through space in Rose's room, a Tiny Floating Whale spoke to him in Rose's voice saying, "What do you want, Steven?"
 * Greg and Rose's backstory was first seriously looked upon in "Story for Steven".
 * The Gem depicted on the Crystal Temple strongly resembles Rose.
 * This Gem may be a fusion that includes Rose instead.Rose's handwriting.png"]]