I'm also curious to see if a Steven Universe RP would work out, though I'd also like for it to be Casual, hopefully with a group on the smaller side.

As for the plot, I like the second idea of once dormant Crystal Gems, but to expand on it, perhaps we could go with our characters trying to find Rose Quartz (not knowing of her fate or how much time has passed), bouncing around Earth, or even warping to other worlds, occasionally dealing with Gem creatures or homeworld Gems (though for the latter, I feel like that should happen very infrequently. Homeworld Gems are a pretty big deal, after all). The main characters would still exist, but we'd be able to avoid them for at least a little while, focusing on our own.