One day, in mid 2016, I was playing osu! - I was quite the addict at the time. I'd watched a few anime, but was never hardcore, never kept up with the recent trends - heck, even now I still don't.

I kept seeing players with these avatars of these same beautiful girls. They always looked so happy and cheery, but I thought nothing of it.

Until eventually, I came across a map of Start:Dash. I didn't know what it was, or what anime it was from, but seeing μ's in the map's background was mesmerizing. They were so pretty, and so happy. At that moment, I knew I had to watch Love Live.

I was instantly hooked. Watching μ's come together, seeing them have fun and be happy. I lacked it in my own life, but somehow, seeing their story unfold was fulfilling to me. These ordinary high school girls all following their dreams, achieving what they thought was impossible; I loved it.

At the time, I absolutely despised Nico. I thought she was so incredibly rude and deceitful. After finishing the show, I took a step back and realized that I had spent so much of my time watching SIP thinking about her, and after some self-reflection, I realized that Nico is everything I want to be. Pained, surrounded by tragedy, having been given up on, yet still fighting for the people around her to smile. Everything in Nico's life is so sad and tragic, and despite that, she still dedicates herself to bringing joy to other people. She's my biggest inspiration, and I strive to be half as amazing as she is.

When I finished watching SIP (and crying a ton), I did my research and discovered that μ's had just ended months before. I felt so bad, having only just discovered these amazing girls after their final live.

But luckily for me, there was a new generation of Love Live just starting. I was hesitant, of course. Was I supposed to be cheering on a new generation when I was so late to μ's?

I was so in love with the franchise that I did it anyway, of course. I was just in time to watch Sunshine as it aired. I remember coming home from school every week, so excited to see the new episode, and trying desperately not to cry at each one.

I also started playing SIP right before the Aqours update. I wasn't new to rhythm games, but playing on mobile was new territory for me. Needless to say, I was bad. I played for about 2 years before I decided I was done - I loved the game dearly, but I just wanted to move on.

Sunshine was, to me, absolutely beautiful. The animation quality was amazing - the sparkling sea in every episode always mesmerized me. Aqours' story was just as gripping, and they were all so beautiful. Aqours really managed to grip my heart.

Mari always stuck out to me - the love she has for her friends, her beauty, and her humor. But I knew she was amazing after episode 11 of season 1, when You starts feeling jealous of Chika and Riko's relationship and Mari is the only one to comfort her. She's such a caring, loving person, and I want to be like her. One other thing I relate to about Mari is that throughout Sunshine, her parents have ended up being the antagonists. It always turns into a battle of Aqours against Mari's parents, and by extension, Mari against the values of her family. It's quite tragic, but the way she always manages to believe in herself and find the strength to fight for her morals is extremely admirable.

Another thing I love about the franchise is the music. No matter what mood I'm in, there's always a Love Live song to match. The lyrics are so beautifully written, and I love the stories they tell. My favorite song has to be Loveless World. It's so raw and gripping, and of course, it's an absolute banger - what's not to love?

When Aqours' first live happened, I was disappointed there was no local DV. I remember reading the LL wikia's twitter as they'd post the songs and playing them to myself. Luckily for me, there's been local DVs ever since. I've made the hour and a half trip every time I could, and it's always such an amazing experience - of course, I always end up sitting there trying not to cry, but to me, that's just part of it.

So, what exactly is my Love Live story? I suppose that's many things. The times I've sat there crying about high school girls. The late nights spent watching Niconama funny moments compilations. The rants in my friends' DMs about why people need to treat Nico better. All the times I've sat there in the dark with my penlight on, jamming to concert footage. The constantly refreshing LL meme pages. The slowly filling my bedroom with merchandise. The countless amazing friends I've made through Love Live communities.

To me, Love Live! isn't just an anime, it's about normal people doing incredible things. And I'm grateful to be here experiencing it.

Thank you for reading through this whole thing! Also I spent a whole hour writing this and it's currently 5 in the morning so sorry if it's dumb