#elios

First of all, my initial thoughts:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT'S PEAK! GO WATCH IT NOW, THE REST OF YOU! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?!

Okay, how about a bit more detail.

Let me get something out of the way here. The fact that this pilot is mostly an animatic as opposed to a fully-completed animation...is an absolute non-issue, and in fact a blessing. We need to take this mindset of "if it's not as crisp and borderline industry standard-looking as something like Hazbin or Lackadaisy then it doesn't deserve attention", put it in a casket, and BURY it so far below the ground it makes the remains of Precambrian lifeforms jealous.

Besides, the animatic release of the recent indie pilot, "Pretty Pretty Please I Don't Want to Be a Magical Girl" is absolute proof that you don't NEED to have a fully completed episode to wow others (Seriously, we all need to thank @kianamaiart for being such an inspiration). You just need a good concept, endearing characters, a ton of effort on full display, and a can-do attitude.

Lumi delivers on all of those fronts.

First of all, Evan Besser, AKA @starteas, needs a titanic pat on the back for releasing this during Autism Acceptance Month. Because simply put, speaking as someone on the spectrum, this is a cartoon made by autistic people, for autistic people.

Take main character Siona for instance. Aside from being canonically autistic, she really feels like the neurodivergent experience personified. She has really niche interests, tons of knowledge/enthusiasm regarding said interests, and struggles with expressing that in a society not quite built with people like her in mind. It's quite relatable when you think about it.

Other major autism-coded aspects include just the fantastical setting/characters in general and the themes of finding acceptance and belonging via friends. I'm not going to act like a total expert on the matter, but I do speak from experience.

Now what about the pilot itself? Well, what can I say except it's everything I wanted it to be?

Ah, I can do it in note form:

-I...did not expect to sympathize with Hala like I did by the pilot's end. I don't want to give anything away, but my opinion of her did a complete 180 upon seeing the big twist. From "you are terrible" to "you don't deserve this, but you're out of control". Impressive!

-Siona is such a treasure throughout. Just a cute kindhearted autistic slug girl doing her best. I vibe with her immensely. She'd be my favorite character if not for someone else having that title.

-Davin...what can I say, I've been in love with this character's design and personality since Day 1, and they did not disappoint. It was heart-melting seeing them being so supportive and close with their best friend. Their hugs are just so casual and warm and aughghghgh...I wish I could be more like them.

-Holden kind of felt like he was constantly skirting the line between "lovable rogue" and "unconcerned brat", but we don't watch these things for everyone to be squeaky-clean, now do we? Either way, I like the dynamic he provides with the others.

-I know I've spent the longest time bullying Felicity for being the typical rich brat, but I was honestly surprised by how emotionally vulnerable she turned out to be. Yeah, she still has the hallmarks of characters I detest, but I ADORE how it's shown right out the starting gate that she's capable of being a multi-dimensional person who clearly has a lot of baggage AND is capable of being a good person.

-Mika is NEVER going to beat the simp allegations. And he sounds like Hermes from "EPIC: The Musical". He's hilarious and I love him for that.

-Lumi...OH MY GOD THEY'RE SUCH A LITTLE BABY THEY'RE SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't take it, they were so adorable with the smallness and the "pyu" noises and the way Siona is so gentle and welcoming with them. The way they bond with Davin is a major bonus as well.

-...yeah, this whole pilot is basically "Exhausted parents give their gremlin son a little sibling while aggravating the royalty". I will accept no counter-arguments.

-Spoiler alert but, to a certain character I thought I was going to support every step of the way...

If you know, you know.

-I should also note that the expressions in this thing are just as funny as they would have been fully-animated, if not funnier. Below are the ones that had my sides hurting from laughter:

-Background aliens were really neat, some REALLY amusing Easter eggs if you know where to look. But I find it rather hilarious that one of the aliens is literally Just A Penguin. Reminds me of the bear gag from "Avatar: The Last Airbender".

Altogether...I'm so happy to have been a part of this journey. As some of you probably know, I've done a sizeable amount of fan-arts/fan-comics for this show since I really started getting into it last year. I've worked really hard on them, and I'd highly recommend you check them out (plus for those of you who want to dub the comics I've done, you are VERY welcome to do so provided you give proper credit and such).

But this isn't about me. This is about the artist who has inspired me and undoubtedly so many others. Evan, if you're reading this, I want you to know that you have come SUCH a long way, and I am more than glad to have discovered you and known you as a fellow artist. You may have your doubts and your resignations, but you need to look at where your hard work has gotten you. You've made something that not only radiates creativity and charm, but helps neurodivergent people like us feel more seen than ever. You and your crew(mi) deserve every bit of praise and support you've received and more, and I don't think the latter could have done this without you at the helm. And it's paying off in ways you probably couldn't even imagine. That writing gig you got at none other than Glitch Productions is a clear indicator that the next generation of animation is looking upon you with a bright smile and a guiding hand towards the future.

So rest for awhile. You've more than earned it. Maybe the wait will be short, maybe it'll be long. Either way, when you're ready to once again break out this amazing great big galaxy you've crafted, we'll all be there there. And until then, we'll support whatever decision you make.

You're gonna truly rattle the stars, one day.

1/2 DnD party lineups

The Boyband Of Elios

A webtoon redraw challenge I've done in June 2021 ✨

The characters are from the webtoon My Deepest Secret