Some Thoughts on Bismuth (Part 1: As a character)
So this episode had me reeling. A lot of things I’d been saying for a long time now were confirmed, and we were introduced to a new character who left just as quickly as she came. I’m pretty glad that Bismuth turned out to be a blacksmith as I’d hoped, because we get to see another side of the war. I’m also glad that the episode brought up the old CG culture, which was more predisposed to violence, something I’d also talked about before.
This post is going to detail Bismuth as a character, her position and social role before she was first poofed, and the why of her being poofed and bubbled, in the past and again now. I’ll also be discussing cultures and ideologies during the time of the rebellion, because what we saw in the exchange between Bismuth and Steven is that there is an inherent difference in Crystal Gem ideologies. Both sides will be discussed, with emphasis on why the context of these ideas matters greatly. Also, I’m going to talk about Steven, what his direction for leading is, and where it’s going.
I doubt this will all fit in one post, so I’m going to split it up and link to the others, as always.
1. Bismuth was very close to Rose, Garnet, and Pearl
According to Bismuth, Bismuths are builders. I’d put their position as something similar to masons. They come in, build the structures of the colonies, and leave. It’s a very routine process, which emphasises why the first thing gems do when they arrive is to build their structures. It allows them to operate and begin to take over the planet without making use of too many gems. For instance, some of the first things they build are Spires and Arenas, as Bismuth mentioned.
Bismuth: Build another arena for Quartz fighters to fight in. Build another Spire for thinkers to think in.
And we know this isn’t all. Communications towers, Kindergartens, Warp pads. All of these structures are built almost immediately. In The Answer, even before a war escalated, even before gems started living on Earth, the Cloud Arena was already built.
Each colony would be independently run. Given Homeworld’s knack for depleting useable resources in their colonies, this method would make the most sense. Gems would use the resources to make useful structures first. There would be no need to transfer swaths of the population because the planet’s resources wouldn’t be able to support them anyway. They just have to secure their foothold in that particular star system.
So Bismuths and other builders would play an important role, because they would pioneer each new colony. In these colonies, it would be difficult to tell what kind of indigenous life was already present. I think this is why Bismuth is so hardy. And Bismuth is strong.
When she first reformed in Lion’s pocket dimension, she didn’t cycle through a series of forms before reaching her final form the way all the gems did.
The only other gem who, to our best knowledge, has never been poofed during the war, is Rose Quartz. In the Rebellion, people would have looked up to strong fighters like Bismuth. She would have inspired people the way Rose did. And we have every reason to believe Bismuth was as close to Rose as are Garnet and Pearl. Because Bismuth made weapons for everybody on the Crystal Gem’s side. She boasts that every material weapon was her workmanship. Yet, she made special weapons for Rose. It’s a game-changer knowing that summoned weapons can be modified through a skilled blacksmith like Bismuth.
Summoned weapons are personal. They represent the individual gem. I talked about this before in my Gem Weapons post, and it was recently confirmed by Rebecca Sugar in SDCC. She likens them to gem placement. They’re unique.
That Pearl and Garnet seamlessly integrate seemingly random pieces of gem metal into their summoned weapons shows that they’re no stranger to this process.
They’re close to her, and she knows them well enough to know specifically what they’re weapons can do. When they spar on the beach, Bismuth remarks at the lasers from Pearl’s spear, saying she’s never seen that before. I’d like to stress this again, she knows what their individual, one-of-a-kind weapons are capable of doing.
And she rips on them too.
Bismuth: The Pearl I know never jumps into my arms! Hey, did somebody lose a Pearl? Who do you belong to?
Garnet: Alright, alright, settle down.
Bismuth: Oh, you’re one to talk, oh, oh, excuse me, you’re two to talk.
In a different context, Pearl would be furious if someone were to insinuate she “belonged” to someone (Back to the Barn). And Garnet wouldn’t take kindly to someone insisting she were two gems (Jail Break). But Bismuth does this and they don’t skip a beat and play along. This is another indicator that Bismuth is really a lot louder and rougher in her words and actions. It’s who she is, and that’s fine.
Finally, notice their body language. Bismuth doesn’t hesitate to scoop up Garnet and Pearl in embraces, a lot of the time. They’re very nostalgic about it. Pearl has very open body language, opening up her arms and facing her body towards Bismuth, and Garnet, usually standing very stiffly, leans on Bismuth rather often.
To me, this is why they immediately take Bismuth back with open arms. I mean, Amethyst, usually very open to these changes, was rather wary. I think most of the audience was as well. We have a character like Bismuth, completely uncorrupted, just bubbled by Rose, without anyone else’s knowledge, and just left in Lion. Amethyst makes a good point in that regard.
But missing someone and thinking they’re never coming back, Garnet and Pearl might have been a little overwhelmed by her reappearance. They knew the Bismuth we saw when she first arrived: Bubbly, charismatic, funny, caring, helpful, tough. Had anything happened to Rose during the Rebellion, there’s a great chance Bismuth would have been at its helm.
2. Bismuth is a natural leader
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