Steven Universe is one of those rare gems of animated TV that seems to be directed at kids on the surface, but actually deals with pretty serious subjects in a very grown-up way (another such show it Gravity Falls, which I also wholeheartedly recommend). It touches on matters from gender, family and self-esteem to war and peace, and does so with a lot of heart, humour and tenderness, not to mention very elaborate and patient world-building. The character design and animation are streamlined and beautiful in my opinion, fitting the general vibe of the show very well, and I find the background art truly inspiring. At its beginning it feels like a silly, fluffy, somewhat surreal kiddie show, but with episodes only 10 minutes long, I think it’s worth sticking with it for a while until the magic starts shining through.

In our brainstorm meetings, when we run out of ideas, we toss random things we like into the air, and see if something happens. In a meeting a few weeks ago, Steven Universe was tossed, because it had just finished a marathon of daily broadcasts on a very high note, and was fresh and tingling in our heads; and D&D not long after, because it’s, well, it’s D&D. It’s always in our heads. Then, with a roll and a twirl, they merged into a colourful fusion whose design potential got me very excited: The Crystal Dice – a D&D take on SU’s crystal gems, magical beings formed around D&D multi-faceted dice, instead of the original gemstones.

Which one’s your favourite?

P.S.

As an extra geeky move, we planned for this to be the 120th strip, because 120 is divisible by 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 20. *mic drop*

Podcasting: Much time travel; Qiktionary; Mansions of Madness and Elder Sign; Gamerbake and Failbetter Games!

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