I’ve made it a point to stay out of this whole ‘Was Bismuth right or wrong’ argument, but I felt this was worth sharing. Bismuth’s actions through the perspective of someone in the military
BISMUTH IS A MORALLY COMPLEX CHARACTER AND I APPRECIATE THAT AND I REALLY HOPE WE CAN ACKNOWLEDGE HOW SHE ISN’T FULLY GOOD OR BAD WITHOUT GETTING ANGRY AT EACH OTHER
okay, but amen to this? rebecca and the crewniverse didn’t put their heart and soul into creating these complex characters only for the fandom to try and dumb them down into some binary categories of “good” or “bad.”
Steven Universe: Here's this episode about how compassion is better than murder! About how even though the world is ugly, we should always strive to be merciful!
The SU fandom: Yeah but Rose Quartz wasn't 100% right, Bismuth's side had merit and I don't like how the show is treating it as such a black and white issue--
Steven Universe: Anyway here's this episode about how maybe people shouldn't be so radical about violent ideas!
The SU fandom: Rose is #alllivesmatter! They're teaching us to 'turn the other cheek' and don't do anything to your oppressors! That's so problematic!
Steven Universe: ANYWAY HERE'S A SHOW MEANT FOR CHILDREN!!! WHERE WE'RE SPREADING A MESSAGE OF LOVE AND MERCY TO CHILDREN!!!! WHO ARE CHILDREN!!!!!! WHY WOULD WE SPREAD A MESSAGE OF MORAL GRAY AREAS AND 'NECESSARY EVIL' TO C H I L D R E N???????
She tried to SHATTER her own commander Rose / Steven, twice, just because they didn’t want to use a terrible weapon.
I’ve seen people try to defend her, but she was wrong. The Breaking Point wouldn’t have been used against “upper crust” gems (like Sapphire) let alone the Diamonds. It would have been used against grunt warrior gems in battle, gems who never in their lives ever got to make a single choice about anything but who just obeyed their orders, doing the thing they were created to do. Just like Rose or Bismuth or Peridot - before they were made to understand they have a choice.
Rose’s entire ideology was to give the gems that choice; a possibility and freedom to choose their own fate. Bismuth wanted to shatter them before ever offering them the same choice that had opened her own eyes and given her an identity and freedom from the HW.
She may be good at heart, and the core of her motive - freedom from oppression - is admirable, but she became an overly violent bloodthirsty extremist, and when her own dear liberator and commander Rose refused to use the brutal weapon she’d devised due to ethical reasons, she attacked her and apparently tried to shatter her - for disagreeing.
After Steven released her and she got a “second chance”, she, again, tried to shatter Steven’s gem / Rose Quartz, just for not seeing things her way.
I believe she’ll be unbubbled at some point and Steven will work his magic and bring her around - but Bismuth’s a great example of how fighting for a good cause can still twist into working against the very ideals you’re supposedly defending if you get too extreme about it, driving one into horrid deeds.
A great character illustrating an important point, but please let’s admit she deserves to be bubbled for now.
I love how important stuff has always been there in Steven Universe
for example, Connie’s bracelet was already there in the first episode
And Bismuth also was already there in Lion 3: Straight to Video
The amusing part is that there’s legit some people who think that crewniverse is just browsing tumblr and stealing our theories when in reality, they’ve just been leaving enough clues for us to figure shit out.
Bismuth: *talks about shattering every homeworld gem, not just the military gems. Creates a weapon that robs people of a second chance. Attacked a civilian. Went against everything rose stood for
people: BISMUTH DID NOTHING WRONG!
I don’t see why people are so surprised that bismuth was evil
Remember who poofed lapis, who was a civilian during the war?
Bismuth wasn’t really evil, that’s the worst thing about her. She meant well, she wanted to improve the situation but made some really bad decisions.
She was a zealot and an extremist. She attacked civilians and created a weapon that would shatter gems. Someone like that would be court martialed in this day and age.
Yes but this day and age is one of nice, civilized warfare with conventions, rules and other stuff like that (which many countries like US for example selectively ignore anyway). What Crystal Gems were facing was not a clean little war but a fight for survival against a genocidal opponent, a fight to gain freedom from oppressive tyrants. More akin to fighting Nazis really.
Yes Bismuth was an extremist but her opponents were even worse. Remember the episode about how Ruby and Sapphire met? Ruby was to be shattered for fusing with Sapphire.
The real problem with this is… there is a problems of chosing between trying to protect both enemies and friends (seeing how the enemies are for the most part just fellow victims of tyranny) chosen by Rose and trying to end the war as quickly and effectively as possible by Bismuth. Seeing what Homeworld did, killing many of Bismuth’s friends, creating that abomination, Cluster, out of shards of millions of gems, can you really blame Bismuth for really wanting to end this war? Yes her hatred took control of her but she is still understandable.
Roses key ideal was that everyone deserves a second chance. Most of the crystal gems started out as homeworld gems who decided to join roses cause for one reason or another. Bismuth denies them that chance with the breaking point. By shattering them, they are never given the chance to be free. Thats why rose specifically asked for a sword that destroys their corporeal form but leaves their gem in tact. because she believes in change. Also, look where she hit lapis
She was aiming for lapis’s gem. She tried to shatter lapis, a civilian.
If bismuths ideals were put in place, peridot would have been shattered and the cluster would have been allowed to grow and destroy the earth.
I know and understand that but I also understand Bismuth. I’m not saying she was a shiny hero, I’m just saying that she wasn’t evil. Misguided, extremist, lost yes but not evil. Though she seemed to have been on the road to that.
Also is there even such a thing as a civilian among Gems? Everyone is created by Diamonds to serve them and their needs. If the Diamonds ordered all those “civilians” would be armed and sent off to battle.
The gems who are not created for battle are civilians. Pearls would be civilians. Lapis, who was there to just help the colony, not fight, was a civilian. hell, even Sapphire was a civilian and technically so was blue diamond on that mission because she was there for diplomacy, not to fight.
quartz soldiers and rubies are not civilians because they are there to fight.
I don’t see why people are so surprised that bismuth was evil
Remember who poofed lapis, who was a civilian during the war?
Bismuth wasn’t really evil, that’s the worst thing about her. She meant well, she wanted to improve the situation but made some really bad decisions.
She was a zealot and an extremist. She attacked civilians and created a weapon that would shatter gems. Someone like that would be court martialed in this day and age.
Yes but this day and age is one of nice, civilized warfare with conventions, rules and other stuff like that (which many countries like US for example selectively ignore anyway). What Crystal Gems were facing was not a clean little war but a fight for survival against a genocidal opponent, a fight to gain freedom from oppressive tyrants. More akin to fighting Nazis really.
Yes Bismuth was an extremist but her opponents were even worse. Remember the episode about how Ruby and Sapphire met? Ruby was to be shattered for fusing with Sapphire.
The real problem with this is… there is a problems of chosing between trying to protect both enemies and friends (seeing how the enemies are for the most part just fellow victims of tyranny) chosen by Rose and trying to end the war as quickly and effectively as possible by Bismuth. Seeing what Homeworld did, killing many of Bismuth’s friends, creating that abomination, Cluster, out of shards of millions of gems, can you really blame Bismuth for really wanting to end this war? Yes her hatred took control of her but she is still understandable.
Roses key ideal was that everyone deserves a second chance. Most of the crystal gems started out as homeworld gems who decided to join roses cause for one reason or another. Bismuth denies them that chance with the breaking point. By shattering them, they are never given the chance to be free. Thats why rose specifically asked for a sword that destroys their corporeal form but leaves their gem in tact. because she believes in change. Also, look where she hit lapis
She was aiming for lapis’s gem. She tried to shatter lapis, a civilian.
If bismuths ideals were put in place, peridot would have been shattered and the cluster would have been allowed to grow and destroy the earth.
I am Silver Tongue, I am an artist. I have many characters and you can check out my art in the art tag. I occasionally practice witchcraft though I don't do anything too complicated. I am girl 2 and don't know what else to put here.
