Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5413572-20150414042947

There are obviously all kinds of theories floating around about how Lion and Rose are connected. The most popular (and the one I'm most fond of) is that some part of Rose was transmuted into Lion. However, I thought up an alternative.

We know, or at least can be reasonably confident, that it's possible for Gems to share their abilities with others, as Garnet has briefly passed on "future vision" to Steven twice. If these cases are any indication, however, the abilities are significantly diluted in the recipient and the transfer is very temporary- but this has been the case between two living Gems. If a Gem knew that they weren't going to live much longer, might they perhaps be capable and inclined to pass on more power?

It's probably obvious where this is going- while she was pregnant, Rose knew she'd need to give up her physical form for Steven to exist. So, wouldn't it make sense to pass on her power to someone- say, perhaps, her (presumed) pet Lion- before she died? This would explain why Lion has several Gem-like abilities, several of Rose's old possessions, and seemingly some of her memories (as he knew right away to look for Pearl in the Strawberry Fields in "Rose's Scabbard"). It could also go some way toward explaining why Steven has such trouble summoning her shield (though the fact that he's half human does admittedly explain that well enough; still, it's something to consider).

Now, of course, this idea isn't devoid of problems, chief among them being the fact that she didn't tell any of the Gems about Lion; however, she was secretive even while alive, so it could just be that old habits die hard.

Like I said, I still favor the idea that Lion is some sort of literal physical remnant of Rose, but what does everyone think about this alternative? 