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BlueBlaze64 The Watcher on the Tower from Empire City Since: Sep, 2012 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Watcher on the Tower
#43151: Sep 12th 2016 at 5:42:47 PM

[up] x4 I thought the same thing when I first saw it, and that kind of weakened the episode for me. If the Breaking Point was more practical in its execution of...executing, I'd say the episode would be the best of the series.

Maybe the showrunners are just afraid of showing kids anything that even resembles a gun. And that reminds me of something I don't see mentioned a lot: Why does a race of basically immortal aliens, thousands of years ahead of any civilization, that have mastered intergalactic travel and colonization, still use melee weapons to fight?

I'd really want to see an Indiana Jones moment, where a character with a blaster sees one of the Gems showing off their amazing weapon, and then poofs them with one shot.

edited 12th Sep '16 5:42:58 PM by BlueBlaze64

"The cruelest thing you can do to an artist is tell them their work is flawless when it isn't." -Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw
AdricDePsycho Rock on, Gold Dust Woman from Never Going Back Again Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Rock on, Gold Dust Woman
#43152: Sep 12th 2016 at 5:46:10 PM

She'd appeared in a couple other episodes too, I think. I know their dad works on props for their videos, their mom might've done some behind the scenes stuff as well.

Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
xanderiskander Since: Mar, 2012
#43153: Sep 12th 2016 at 5:58:37 PM

In a culture where the only ranged weapons are bows basically, the breaking point is probably useful enough.

Maybe Homeworld, just took a different path than we did, and just scrapped the idea of guns altogether when they were still unreliable (due to reloading time) instead of innovating them to the point they were the better weapon.

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#43154: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:00:34 PM

I honestly don't see how a handheld pile driver is impractical as a weapon. It has decent range (it went through the entire target), fires incredibly fast, and while it takes a bit of time to prepare, there's no reason you couldn't just prepare it before entering combat.

randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#43155: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:12:27 PM

It's impractical as an active battle weapon...due to it's wind-up.

It's situational, working more for surprise attacks, assassination, or some third very specific thing.

The one thing that possibly makes up for its wind-up is that it shoots multiple times. You could maybe score a hit if you're faster than your opponent.

edited 12th Sep '16 6:13:48 PM by randomness4

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
JBC31187 Since: Jan, 2015
#43156: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:14:13 PM

Plus, you can use it as a punch dagger even without extending it. And if the Breaking Point can shatter a Gem's gem in one blow, it can probably destabilize the form if you miss the gem. Maybe strap some shields on the side, to protect the Gem and the weapon. It would be cumbersome for a human, but an Era 1 Gem could wield it easily.

higurashimerlin Since: Aug, 2012
#43157: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:15:35 PM

trying using it on garnet. Unless she blocks it with hands by mistake you aren't going to kill her with it. Try using it on Pearl, have fun with that. Trying using it on Amethyst and while her gem is on her chest you still aren't going to hit it. And forgot about Jasper.

The only gem it might be usable against is Bismuth.

When life gives you lemons, burn life's house down with the lemons.
madprophet Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: Staying up all night to get lucky
#43158: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:25:19 PM

And the Diamonds. They're a huge target, even if they are fast.

xanderiskander Since: Mar, 2012
#43159: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:31:56 PM

It's impractical as an active battle weapon...due to it's wind-up.
The wind up doesn't really seem slow when you watch it. It really only took a second for Bismuth to do it. So you can do it preemptively like you would reloading a gun. It only took a moment to use, because Bismuth paused before actually using it, for dramatic effect. She claims it actually works pretty fast. "In the blink of an eye" she said.

For a first iteration of a weapon that's actually really fast. Even muskets in the revolutionary war took as long as 15 seconds to reload

The one thing that possibly makes up for its wind-up is that it shoots multiple times. You could maybe score a hit if you're faster than your opponent
It doesn't shoot multiple times though?

edited 12th Sep '16 6:32:08 PM by xanderiskander

randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#43160: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:34:00 PM

It hits that armor test dummy multiple times, that's what I meant.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
xanderiskander Since: Mar, 2012
#43161: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:35:45 PM

I think you're thinking of how they looped the same shot. They also did that for dramatic effect.

Yinyang107 from the True North (Decatroper) Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
#43162: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:37:40 PM

One second can be an eternity in a fight. Ask any fighting game player.

thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#43163: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:38:12 PM

And if the Breaking Point can shatter a Gem's gem in one blow, it can probably destabilize the form if you miss the gem.
It would have basically been like the destabilizers, but available thousands of years earlier.

Yeah, they really should have kept the one they took from Peridot.

randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#43164: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:40:31 PM

[up][up][up]The fact that they didn't loop 3 times threw me off...I'm use to shows doing that, even if it's a bit overdone.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#43165: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:50:44 PM

That fits Bismuth's character as well. Not giving the Homeworld soldiers the satisfaction of battle, ambushing an encampment and spring a score of these things. That, and we only saw the one, she very well would have improved the design. It's effectively a prototype proof of concept.

And since she made it, I'm sure we can trust her word that it's very fast. Plus, imagine setting up a minefield of these things near a battleground.

Everyone's welcome to their opinions and I'm certainly not going to claim otherwise, but downing an episode because the weapon's not a gun seems a bit arbitrary.

Vidalia readied a gun at a human kid and a Gem just fine. She wouldn't have done it, but the implication's there.

Heck the mere concept of depicting a war albeit without blood is still damn impressive. I never would've thought the show would've had the resolve or the budget to do that.

JBC31187 Since: Jan, 2015
#43166: Sep 12th 2016 at 6:53:37 PM

I could see Homeworld using handheld beam destabilizers. The Diamonds would probably reject bullets because they're not guaranteed to take out a Gem- Bismuth was able to hold on a bit after getting stabbed with Rose's sword, which an un-altered human used to easily take out some corrupted Gems. A similarly disciplined Gem could maybe spit out the bullet before they destabilized?

xanderiskander Since: Mar, 2012
#43167: Sep 12th 2016 at 7:22:56 PM

It would have basically been like the destabilizers, but available thousands of years earlier.

Yeah, they really should have kept the one they took from Peridot.

Well, from what Bismuth said, Rose's sword is basically as good as a gem destabilizer too. Cuts through their physical form "instantly". The breaking point just has the "it also kills things" bonus.

edited 12th Sep '16 7:23:28 PM by xanderiskander

xanderiskander Since: Mar, 2012
#43168: Sep 12th 2016 at 7:37:42 PM

I don't think this was ever posted in this thread, but I wanted to share this post from a US marine about Bismuth awhile back, because it's pretty relevant.

He makes some interesting points, about the similarities and differences between Bismuth's situation, and a real soldier's. Pointing out how Bismuth was basically going against Rose's version of a Standard Operating Procedure, and how if they had the choice to use non lethal weapons that worked 100% of the time in real life like gems could they would always do that.

edited 12th Sep '16 7:39:08 PM by xanderiskander

randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#43169: Sep 12th 2016 at 7:48:21 PM

None of them ever "want" to kill, but it's the only way for now.

Gems are lucky, mang. They have an absolute hope spot during battle.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
higurashimerlin Since: Aug, 2012
#43170: Sep 12th 2016 at 7:56:00 PM

The main thing is trying to kill an active gem is just not worth it. It is easier to poof them and then kill them.

When life gives you lemons, burn life's house down with the lemons.
xanderiskander Since: Mar, 2012
#43171: Sep 12th 2016 at 8:00:09 PM

Killing them isn't worth it in general. Since they can just be put in stasis, and rendered harmless.

BlueBlaze64 The Watcher on the Tower from Empire City Since: Sep, 2012 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Watcher on the Tower
#43172: Sep 12th 2016 at 11:09:31 PM

You know, I saw people saying in Bubbled that it was good to say that Rose had her reasons for shattering Pink Diamond, and how it shows that it's not just "good guys vs bad guys". But I don't think that that lesson's been fully established just yet.

While part of deconstructing that "good vs bad" narrative is to have the protagonists do morally questionable things, the other part is to have the antagonists have justifiable reasons for their actions. So far, the only reason behind colonizing Earth until it's unrecognizable seemed to be "because we can", and Yellow Diamond wants Earth to die for seemingly no reason other than "because it's personal". Maybe they could incorporate the "dwindling resources" plot point into their reasoning.

"The cruelest thing you can do to an artist is tell them their work is flawless when it isn't." -Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw
randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#43173: Sep 12th 2016 at 11:19:49 PM

It must be extremely personal if they're willing to forsake valuable limited resources...

Thas dumb, mang. You can't possibly justify this.

edited 12th Sep '16 11:20:34 PM by randomness4

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
Ruise Nyanpasu~ from your subconscious Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: It's not my fault I'm not popular!
Nyanpasu~
#43174: Sep 13th 2016 at 3:13:07 AM

What if Onion speaks English this episode, would you freak out? I would totally freak out.

Loves feel-good animation a whole lot.
darkabomination Since: Mar, 2012
#43175: Sep 13th 2016 at 8:15:50 AM

Clearly Yellowtail is from a sea-fairing culture with a monosyllabic language and a high emphasis on providing for a family.


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