I’ve been looking at the theories as to the new powers and purpose of pink Lars, and I’m going to toss in my two cents. I am very very late.
I saw this best described on Tumblr, in which they described the slower heart rate and how it expanded Lars’ lifespan from 80 years to 1200 years (approximately).
He’s not immortal, but he will live far longer than anyone else in his life.
It’s not just that Lion has far fewer years left to live than Lars, this goes way back for me. But for the sake of brevity…
Look at how close Lars and Steven become in “Stuck Together”. Steven learns to admit he’s afraid and confess to his guilt in being happy he’s not alone, and Lars is inspired to be brave despite his fear.
L: “I’ve always just been stupid and afraid! Not like you… You’re always helping people, you’re never afraid.”It’s this display of raw vulnerability, of genuine trust and admiration, that moved Steven to trust him in turn.
Lars didn’t know Rose Quartz, and Steven didn’t need to be anyone he wasn’t for him. He could just be Steven. If he was going to do this with anyone, Lars might not have been the first on his list… But Lars was someone he could trust with his “ugly” emotions.
And as that conversation continues, it’s actually Lars who said they’ll figure it out – granted, he more asked it than said it, but positivity isn’t a Lars thing. He was doing it for Steven. Steven, who showed doubt and vulnerability, very un-Rose and un-Steven traits, and he was rewarded with support. He doesn’t expect that from many people, and it made a big difference in both of them.
These are unusual roles for Steven and Lars alike, but that’s what made it possible. Each one could trust the other with a side they wouldn’t normally show.
In the end, they get to be the side they don’t show and themselves as people know them. Steven says he’s glad Lars is there because he doesn’t want to be alone, even if he says, “Isn’t that awful?”
And Lars gets to reply warmly but in such a Lars way: “Dude, at this point, everything is awful.” And they laugh together over it, even moving Topaz to be emotional.
The only human-gem combo in the universe, he’s well and truly alone. All this love in his life, but he’s not like anyone. At the end of Season 2, Episode 9, “We Need to Talk”, Greg and Connie share a high five over being human beings.
This is the beginning of Steven’s doubt and feeling of isolation. He’s not a human. He’s not a gem. No matter what he does or who he cares about, he’s not one of them.
I’ve heard other theories and reactions revolving around curing Lars so he doesn’t have to watch everyone he loves die, one even going so far as to say that he’d have to isolate himself from humanity to escape the pain.
And I have to wonder, are we watching the same show? Steven Universe is about a lot of things, but one of those themes is finding a place to be despite your differences.
Connie fights beside Steven and the gems despite being human, Peridot and Lapis live on Earth despite being so very new to the culture, Pearl is a tactician despite being made to be a servant, and so on.
Lars isolating himself is not the answer, but instead living alongside Steven as friends for a thousand years. They can finally find solace and understanding in each other in more ways than one.
This is so important! Steven has someone like him that he can talk to, who can talk to him in turn (unlike Lion). They have an understanding and a bond that’s like no other connection they have. Not even Connie gets Steven this way, as well as she handles his doubtful moments.
And Sadie doesn’t get Lars this way. I ship them and I hope he gets the courage to fess up and that they enjoy the whole of her life together – but I wouldn’t do that at the expense of what Steven and Lars have in each other now.
Steven inspires Lars, and Lars will be a friend to him in a way no one else can be. When Sadie, Greg, and Connie have died naturally and happy in the memories they’ve shared, Steven and Lars will have each other.
