Blue Diamond (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
letmegrieve) wrote2018-08-13 07:28 pm
letmegrieve) wrote2018-08-13 07:28 pm
Entry tags:
Personality
Understanding Blue Diamond as a person means first understanding Gem Society as a whole. Rigidly structured, gem society works on a strict social structure, where everyone is created for a purpose - and only that purpose - from the moment they are born. There’s no social movement, and no acceptance of being anything outside of the role you were made for. As a Diamond, Blue Diamond is at the very top of this social structure, and for thousands and thousands of years, gem propaganda has hailed the Diamonds as perfect and flawless. They are believed to be objectively better and more intelligent than all other gems, giving them the right to rule over them all. This, it turns out, is something of a double edged sword - Blue Diamond benefits from all of the privileges and benefits her rank gives her, but it also limits her social connections. With the other three Diamonds being the only ones who are her social equals, they’re the only ones she can form bonds with.
And even within the Diamonds, there’s still further restrictions of hierarchy, with strong suggestions of White Diamond being ‘first’ among diamonds, with Blue and Yellow Diamonds ranking equally below her, and Pink below them. Blue Diamond is, in effect, incredibly isolated - and has lived with that isolation for so long that she likely doesn't even realise that it’s there. She’s so far above other gems that the idea of forming social bonds with them wouldn’t even occur to them.
This isolation has had the effect of making Blue Diamond rather condescending, and dismissive. She had a kind of stern, maternal attitude towards Pink Diamond, treating her very much as an unruly child who didn’t really know how to fulfil her responsibilities properly. She regards other gems as expendable and will easily shatter those those transgress or fail in their task. And she can be extremely paternalistic towards humans and life forms she sees as inferior to gems. Humans are, from Blue Diamond’s perspective, something more in the vein of pets or endangered animals. She’s developed some respect for their ability to survive despite being so weak and fragile, but she’s still genuinely surprised when Greg is able to understand her problems and empathise with her. The idea that other creatures might also feel and understand grief seems utterly new to her. She does seem to have mellowed a little in this regard, having realised that she and Yellow were too harsh on Pink. And she’s capable of kindness. But empathy, respect, and understanding for anyone not a Diamond is something she very much lacks.
The next important thing to understand about Blue Diamond is how grief has shaped her. Pink Diamond was one of the few gems Blue Diamond could be close with. She was, in Blue Diamond’s eyes at least, something like a daughter or a much younger sibling. Blue Diamond could be stern towards her, but she cared deeply about her - and when Pink Diamond died, she was completely unable to cope. She’s effectively been stuck in the Depression stage of grief for thousands of years, and has been neglecting her job for a millennia to mourn. She’s utterly unable to let go of the past, and has become fixated on Pink’s death and legacy, hoarding anything and everything relating to Pink.
She often appears calm, speaking in a soothing, mild matter. Particularly when compared to Yellow Diamond, she’s a more graceful and demure presence, and she can in fact appear more meek in comparison. But inside, she’s emotionally unstable. Not just with grief and sadness, but with rage and anger. She’s quick to anger and, even before Pink’s death, was given to dealing out disproportionate retribution for minor infractions. She can grow hard, and cold, when she is suspicious that someone is failing at their talk or stepping outside of what she wishes. And she wants those who killed Pink not just to die, but to suffer, to pay dearly for what they did. She knows that this revenge won’t make her feel better - in fact, in only makes her feel worse - but grief and rage drives her to seek it anyway.
Within the Diamond Authority, Blue Diamond is in charge of Homeworld’s court system and oversees diplomatic gems. She likes to hear every opinion and follow a slow, lengthy due process. Even when the outcome is all but decided in advance - such as in Steven’s Trial, which Yellow Diamond regarded largely as all for show - Blue Diamond treats the process seriously. She wants to find out the truth - she knows that Pink’s death doesn’t make any sense, and she’s driven to find out why. Whether she has this same drive for less personal matters remains to be seen.
And even within the Diamonds, there’s still further restrictions of hierarchy, with strong suggestions of White Diamond being ‘first’ among diamonds, with Blue and Yellow Diamonds ranking equally below her, and Pink below them. Blue Diamond is, in effect, incredibly isolated - and has lived with that isolation for so long that she likely doesn't even realise that it’s there. She’s so far above other gems that the idea of forming social bonds with them wouldn’t even occur to them.
This isolation has had the effect of making Blue Diamond rather condescending, and dismissive. She had a kind of stern, maternal attitude towards Pink Diamond, treating her very much as an unruly child who didn’t really know how to fulfil her responsibilities properly. She regards other gems as expendable and will easily shatter those those transgress or fail in their task. And she can be extremely paternalistic towards humans and life forms she sees as inferior to gems. Humans are, from Blue Diamond’s perspective, something more in the vein of pets or endangered animals. She’s developed some respect for their ability to survive despite being so weak and fragile, but she’s still genuinely surprised when Greg is able to understand her problems and empathise with her. The idea that other creatures might also feel and understand grief seems utterly new to her. She does seem to have mellowed a little in this regard, having realised that she and Yellow were too harsh on Pink. And she’s capable of kindness. But empathy, respect, and understanding for anyone not a Diamond is something she very much lacks.
The next important thing to understand about Blue Diamond is how grief has shaped her. Pink Diamond was one of the few gems Blue Diamond could be close with. She was, in Blue Diamond’s eyes at least, something like a daughter or a much younger sibling. Blue Diamond could be stern towards her, but she cared deeply about her - and when Pink Diamond died, she was completely unable to cope. She’s effectively been stuck in the Depression stage of grief for thousands of years, and has been neglecting her job for a millennia to mourn. She’s utterly unable to let go of the past, and has become fixated on Pink’s death and legacy, hoarding anything and everything relating to Pink.
She often appears calm, speaking in a soothing, mild matter. Particularly when compared to Yellow Diamond, she’s a more graceful and demure presence, and she can in fact appear more meek in comparison. But inside, she’s emotionally unstable. Not just with grief and sadness, but with rage and anger. She’s quick to anger and, even before Pink’s death, was given to dealing out disproportionate retribution for minor infractions. She can grow hard, and cold, when she is suspicious that someone is failing at their talk or stepping outside of what she wishes. And she wants those who killed Pink not just to die, but to suffer, to pay dearly for what they did. She knows that this revenge won’t make her feel better - in fact, in only makes her feel worse - but grief and rage drives her to seek it anyway.
Within the Diamond Authority, Blue Diamond is in charge of Homeworld’s court system and oversees diplomatic gems. She likes to hear every opinion and follow a slow, lengthy due process. Even when the outcome is all but decided in advance - such as in Steven’s Trial, which Yellow Diamond regarded largely as all for show - Blue Diamond treats the process seriously. She wants to find out the truth - she knows that Pink’s death doesn’t make any sense, and she’s driven to find out why. Whether she has this same drive for less personal matters remains to be seen.