Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-24187738-20151214152123/@comment-27407052-20151224140950

Sometimes, all it takes is one seemingly unimportant action to cause a ripple in the very foundation of one's self.

Looking back, it's a surprise I even came across Love Live. It's amazing how things could have gone differently, how my whole life could have remain stagnant had I never decided to click a single link. I can't even imagine how living in a world without μ's would be like! How different I'd be, how different everything would be.

I admit, I've only been following Love Live for three years. Not nearly as much as some of the other people here, but truthfully, I wouldn't trade this time for anything else in existence. μ's has had a incredible influence on the person I am now, so deeply intertwined that I can attribute even my username, "UndyingCuriosity", partially to μ's.

So, how did I get into Love Live, anyway? Well, actually it's a pretty amusing story. I had finished A Certain Magical Index and read the light novels, so I was just wandering around looking for something that caught my attention. I managed to get myself in Demolition D+'s, or Douchebag Chocolat's, Youtube channel. Specifically, the video Honoka asserts her dominance. If you're a person that can handle any kind of humor, especially the vulgar kind, I definitely recommend it.

While the content in the video was amusing, two things about Love Live captivated me. First was definitely the art style. It was simplistic but stylish in its own way. Easy on the eyes and not too dramatic like, say, Code Geass (which I do enjoy!). The art style is still, to this day, one of my favorite things about the anime. The second thing was, funnily enough, Nico. Hulk Hulgan Nico. She had a great design (specifically those twin tails, multiple friends of mine have pointed out that I seem to have a habit of liking characters with twin tails almost always) and "Nico Nico Ni!" was a phrase I instantly loved.

So I decided to watch it. I had never really watched anything like an idol anime, but it was a new experience and it felt worth trying. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I had always been a fan of slice of life, so it already had my favor from the start. It went only uphill from there. Love Live: School Idol Project is an anime that focuses on it's characters, which is something I love and is probably a major factor in it's success.

Ah, that brings me to how it's changed my life, doesn't it? I've always been a wanderer, never staying on a single thing for too long, always moving on to the next thing that catches my interest. Therefore it's mind-blowing to me that I've followed Love Live for 3 years now. I've always had trouble keeping consistent in pretty much everything, eventually getting bored or disillusioned. Not with μ's. I may always be a wanderer by heart, but Love Live has helped me become a bit more consistent and involved with everything I experience, something I appreciate even now. It's reignited my interest in both singing and writing, and it's undeniably influenced my works.

Oh! I mentioned previously that my username, "UndyingCuriosity", is partially attributed to Love Live. It'd be rude of me to not explain! See, it's based off a few things:

- A quote I heard long ago; something to the effect of "One only truly dies when they stop learning."

- As someone who didn't live their youth with a father, I grew up collecting various "father-figures"; one of them valued curiosity highly, so I try to live up to that.

Ultimately, I credit μ's with the name because had I never decided to watch Love Live, regardless of any doubts I had, I would not be the person I currently am. In a way, it was the first time my curiosity payed off in an impactful manner, so I pay tribute to that with this name.

Still, I don't think I could talk about μ's without talking about the one I adore the most: Nozomi. Ah, she's influenced me much more than I like to admit. Well, we weren't all that different to begin with. I've had to move a lot over the years, especially so in my childhood. I've never gotten too attached to people because of it, so hearing Nozomi's backstory hit right home. Beyond that, she's absolutely brilliant. Every member of the group is unique; Honoka is the engine that drives μ's forward, Umi is the source of discipline that maintains the group, Nico holds the ideals and standards idols should follow, so on and so forth. However, Nozomi is the one that brings the group together. Who subtly guided the rest of the members to join μ's? Nozomi. Who gave μ's their name? Nozomi. Truly, the mother of μ's.

Something that I always admired about Nozomi is her motherly nature, her compassion and supportive attitude. She never minded not being in the spotlight. She's always been willing to help everyone, especially emotionally. It's something I've tried to emulate, and it's led to great things, so I do owe her in that respect. Heh, I guess she's also peaked my interest in Tarot as well.

It's incredible that so many things have changed, just because I decided to try something I normally wouldn't. The experiences and enjoyment I've gotten from Love Live and μ's have been invaluable to me. With the announcement of the final live, with the introduction of Aquors, it seems this is goodbye. Yet, I don't want to be sad, and neither would they. μ's will go out like a light at the peak of its brightness, the height of their popularity. I don't think I'd have it any other way.

So during the last encore, even when the final curtain falls, I'll be cheering both μ's and the seiyuus on.

''I'll cherish these memories forever. ''