What's My Love Live! Story?
My Love Live! Story began in the summer of 2015. I was introduced to Snow Halation's PV simply because I was told I'd like the winter theme. I ended up falling in absolute love, needing to know more about the song/dance I had just finished watching. It was so serene and the song was emotional- the choreography reflected that perfectly so it carried the emotion til the end of the song. I needed to know more!
That's when I watched the anime of it's entirety. μ's seemed like a bunch of girls I wish I knew in real life. They have a chemistry that I adore to this day. Eventually I found myself singing the OP/EDs of the anime and realized "wow, I'm so into this"! I decided not to pick a favourite until I finished watching the anime, because each girl is so unique I wanted them to have decent chances of standing out.
At the end, and mostly because of her episode in season two, Nozomi became my best girl.
I reflected on how similar we both are in terms of being a supporting role rather than a leader- and this being okay because we love our friends so much we want to see them grow and lead. Nozomi contributing behind the scenes for μ's stuck out to me because she named the group, and because of one contribution she made- that changed the franchise forever. She really is an example of how one person can make a huge difference. Of course, her past of not being able to maintain friendships (due to her parents moving) and coping with the loneliness, learning to keep to herself, struck a cord hard. This is just some things I saw about Nozomi in the anime alone that made me really like her. She is written in such a way that makes her very realistic, and that sense of realism makes me feel as if I can look up to her. Nozomi became my best girl, my number one girl ever, and I was determined to keep it that way~ I truly love Nozomi so much that I try my best to adore her at least in one way from all of Love Live!'s different medias (whether it be merchandise, music, the anime, manga, etc).
My goodness, I had thought it ended there. I thought that I should read the manga, and continue on as I would since I finished the anime and listened to what I thought were all the songs. I was wrong. I had Googled Nozomi to browse some fanart of her and was amazed by how some of the "fanart" looked so closely to official images. That's when I clicked on the link and discovered Schoolidolu (Sukutomo / School Idol Tomodachi). I was extremely confused. Attributes? Cards? Where did all of this come from? That's how I learned there was a game! I've been hooked ever since~
School Idol Tomodachi was a new chapter for me, and definitely is a big part of my story. In fact, I wouldn't be in this fandom without it. After discovering it, I found the community. There were ACTUAL people talking about the franchise! I didn't feel like I was the only person into Love Live! anymore! I was absolutely thrilled. I thought the first thing I should do is make some friends (which eventually took time as I felt very shy to contribute). I was content, because at the very least I had a place to track my game progress exactly how I wished.
Eventually, I asked about Discord and other social media outlets for Love Live!, and was directed into one. I made friends, and it was my first Discord server that I ever joined. It has site users in it so I was able to chat about Sukutomo, follow friends, talk about the game here and there, and so on~ I was creating friends that I had no idea would impact how I felt about Love Live! in the long run. The friendships, relationships, and love I've seen Love Live! brew within the community made me want to contribute to that positive effect. I loved it so much, I wanted to give back.
And here I am today! I joined many Love Live! centric groups, volunteered my time to some, and eventually began to make it a habit. Helping out in various communities within the franchise has helped me be able to tone my social skills, learn to handle new situations, work in a team setting and contribute valuable thoughts and ideas back to everyone who gave me so much (whether they knew it or not). Today I offer most of my spare time giving back to the Love Live! fanbase that it's become a reason I can enjoy my day sometimes. Seeing everyone so happy for whatever reason, feeling as if they have a voice that can be heard, the overall sense that loving this franchise to bits is acceptable- speaks out so much. Everyone truly matters and this franchise wouldn't be as impressive as it is without the fans carrying it so far with their passion.
Idol Story is a new chapter for my Love Live! Story, and I'm happy to embark on it with you all. 💜
Let's write this new phase of our story together and make it count~!
