Water Mom

Lapiven is the friendship between Steven Universe and Lapis Lazuli from the Steven Universe fandom.

Canon
Steven is the first person to free Lapis from her 1000 year prison inside the mirror. Because of this and that he earned her trust after the fight, he is the only person Lapis truly trusts to repair the psychological damage she has endured over the course of the original five-season series and during Steven Universe Future. She has a minor part to play in the Spinel movie but is otherwise not important to the plot.

After her painful fusion with Malachite, where she was imprisoned for months holding Jasper under the sea, she has a love/hate relationship with water. This is further inflamed when she meets the two new Lapises in Steven Universe Future. She sings a song for them "Why So Blue" and they all end up fighting, with Steven usually taking a defensive position and Lapis taking the offensive. At the end of this fight, the two Lapises are so impressed by Lapis Prime's power they agree to join Little Homeworld.

Steven later has a meltdown and turns into a giant monster while going on a rampage. Lapis comes to Steven's aid in an attempt to support him and is forced to use her water powers to restrain him in the ocean. She joins him in a group hug which helps him return to normal. Lapis is there to support Steven when he wakes up and is finally able to let out his feelings and cry.

Months later, Steven plans to leave Beach City and announces this plan to Lapis. Lapis is upset over this and tells Steven that he will not be able to run away from himself no matter how hard he tries. Steven presents Lapis with a complex art kit as a farewell gift. She admires the complexity of the gift and is touched by it. Lapis cries and tells Steven that she is going to use her tears to paint a watercolor painting of him before joining in a group hug.

Fanon
Fanon of this ship is often considered toxic at large by Steven Universe fans, or even pedophilic—equating Lapis to something like a child groomer for any possible shiptease or real relationship between them. Care should be taken by fanfiction writers and fanartists to avoid this kind of contentious link, or such presumptuous arguments completely disregarded.

Such arguments have happened in the Steven Universe fandom before, such as Zuke's shipping of Amedot, the suicide attempt of a fanartist, PurpleKecleon's variant cover for Issue #8 of the Steven Universe comic and more.

Fanon usually holds Steven to be the superior over Lapis and he is commonly depicted emotionally manipulating her or forcing her be by his side or be abandoned. On the flip side, Lapis is usually seen with an enormous victim complex and unable to move on or let go of Steven.

People consider it an adult/minor ship and are uncomfortable with it on average, and even aged-up pairings still get some amount of flack. This ship is comparable to other disliked Gem ships with Steven such as Stevidot, Ameven and Stevnel.

Fandom
FAN FICTION


 * Lapis/Steven tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Lapis/Steven tag on FanFiction.Net