#the idolm@ster reference?

[kiyamahirotoff]

Raimon Soccer Club Idol

(I think my edition skills are slightly improving. What do you think)

Personal Info

JP name: 芙美子 和泉 (Fumiko Izumi)

Dub name:

Nicknames:

Izzy (by Ayame & Fuuko)

Izumin (by Ryou)

Fumi (by Tezuka)

Raimon's Angel (by her fan club)

Kuzumi (by some jealous girls)

Gender: Female

Relationships:

Kisaragi Inui (adoptive parent)

Kisaragi Kasumi (adoptive mother)

Kisaragi Tsubaki (adoptive older sister)

Mitarashi Ryou (adoptive cousin)

Fumiko Itsuki (father)

Fumiko An (mother)

Fumiko Makoto (younger sister)

Fumiko Kotomi (youngest sister)

A s...load of other unimportant relatives

Player Info

Position: Manager

Teams:

Kojou Gakuen Elementary School

Raimon

Inazuma Japan

Seishou Gakuen

Orion Inazuma Japan

Zhao Jinyuns

School year:

1st Year (prologue)

2nd Year (Inazuma Eleven)

3rd Year (Ares)

Voice actors: Hirano Aya (Lucy Heartfila's Seiyū)

Headcanons

Her birthday is December 23rd, she's a Capricorn and her blood type is B+

In terms of height, she's in the small range between Haruna and Aki.

She has dirty blond hair and lavender colored eyes.

She has terrible sight so she wears contact lenses when she's at the school. When she's at her house she changes them for a green rimed glasses.

Due to her beauty she got the title of Raimon's Angel by her fan club, and is listed as one of the famed Raimon Goddesses. (The others being Fuuko, Natsumi, Hajime, Ayame, Anna & Kohaku)

She met Ryou and Tezuka when she was 8 years old when they protected her from a group of kids bullying her.

She's from Inazuma.

She lived with her parents untill she was 9 years old.

Due to the fact that her parents had her when they were 15 & 14 she had quite a difficult upbring, which ultimately led to her being adopted by Ryou's uncle, Inui.

She lacks the ability to play any kind of sport, and every time she tries it something happens.

So far she has broken 7 windows, 5 flower pots, 3 wall clocks, she fell once from the stairs, and has hit Inui in the face 6 times, Tezuka 19 times and Ryou a whooping 24 times.

While sports might not be her forte, she has a knack for academics, being the number 1 student in Raimon before Kidou transfers there.

She also has a natural talent for singing and dancing which Nanako, Ryou's older half sister, has exploited including her in her fashion events, making her a sucessful kinda semi-pro idol/model.

After the not so friendly clash between Ryou and Tezuka, she sides with Ryou and transfers with him to Raimon.

Originally she was going to be the manager for the Athletics Club due to her growing friendship with Kazemaru, but when she heard that a first year had created the Soccer Club she immediately joined.

In both of her years at Raimon she has shared classroom with Kazemaru.

She's basically another Endou but with less energy. She's well liked by all the members in the Soccer Club, even though sometimes she scares Kabeyama when she get's too serious.

She has an ongoing quarrel with the Cheerleading Club (it's canon in the games) due to the fact that she rejected them in order to join the soccer club.

People at the school tend to think that she and Kazemaru are a couple, but the truth is that they both are really close friends and nothing else.

She has a crush on Kidou due to his serious nature, which contrasts quite a bit with the two usual idiots around her (either Endou and Ryou or Ryou and Tezuka or Tezuka and Tsunami).

It is known that certain captain from a rival school has a crush on Izumi after the first time they met.

She's an animal lover. She adopted a male Shiba Inu which she named Kiba, a female German Shepherd named Kira, and couple of calico cat which Ryou named May & Torao.

She has severe case of aracnophobia.

She has the habit of hitting Ryou with a harisen everytime he starts being too stupid for his own good.

Bonus pic: Maid Izumin (during the match vs Shuuyo Meito/Otaku)

[chenginerd]

Vector Illustration I did for Azusa's Birthday in 2021

[renah]

just caught up with the last episode of the Million Live anime, I wonder if the scene with the girls singing in acapella after the sounds goes off could be a reference to that famous MomozakiP Azusa video?

[koka-mi]

I've wanted to post a video of me playing im@s shiny festa for a while!

Next Life was and still is my favorite song to play funky note so here's some gameplay of me playing it on master :3

[become-potatoes]

me when i have three chihayas

[puellamagiholyquintet]

So, there's the visual elements out of the way.

Furthermore, puellamagi wiki states "In modern film and literature, snow globes often symbolize childhood, innocence or so-called "happy days." (Adding onto the idea that that girl is Elly because shes younger)

She also is the only girl in the trailer (aside from Madoka and Homura) to actually be interacting with anyone else, being Nagisa, which matches up with her familiar's idea of being paired up: one winged angels.

I've had the idea that Elly / Kristen would have been a young girl for a long time, since puellamagi wiki says H.N stands for handle name, and Elly also has references to Idols (on her TV screen, and allegedly her name being a reference to Eri from Idolm@ster), I thought she might have run a fanblog/forum etc.

Thats everything for Cinnamon Buns.

Finally, we move onto our final girl, only left with Elsa Maria:

To be honest, this is where my theory fails because I don't really know enough to connect the two! We can't see her face or infer anything, and all we see is her shooting an arrow from homura's bow and then jumping off. So for now, she's just taking the final spot. (PART TWO OF TWO)

[nagekinofigure]

NYLON x IDOLM@STER Magazine

Kashiwagi Yuki Interview Highlights

Q: Kashiwagi has an image of being 'an idol among idols', but what do you think makes an ultimate idol? Yukirin: I think the best idols are always cheerful and give you energy just by looking at them. I've always loved Matsuda Seiko. At lives, she sprints from one side of the stage to the other, and no matter how old she is, she always wears cute sparkly costumes. I also love former Momusu idol Ichikawa Rika. Both of them are energetic, cheerful, and work hard.

Q: Kashiwagi is also trying to become that kind of idol? Yukirin: That's right. I want to be happy all the time and be someone people can support. I was in AKB for a long time because I find the job of an idol really appealing.

Q: What's fun about being an idol? Yukirin: When I'm on stage and see the smiles of fans, who are shining brighter than me! Or at events when fans tell me 'I studied hard becuase there's a live show coming up', or 'I dressed up for today'. I think, 'I've recieved so much love, I want to give it back,' and that gets me through tough times.

Q: AKB's costumes are made to suit each member; what's special about Kashiwagi's costumes? Yukirin: Most of my costumes are high-waisted, to make my figure look beautiful. Also, AKB has a lot of costumes that are school uniform style, but the costume department deliberately made my skirt shorter and exposed my stomach, to make it more adult-like. I'm grateful for that.

Q: How do you decide your hair and makeup? Yukirin: There are no strict rules. We usually know out hair accessories in advance, so for example if I know I'll be wearing a hat, I'll search for hairstyles that look good with a hat. Even in my down time, I'll search for 'ribbon hair arrangement' and save pics as reference. I also match my makeup to my costume, and if I want to stand out in a large group, I'll wear glitter extensions.

Q: It must be difficult with a lot of members not to overlap. Yukirin: It's really difficult. During lives, the juniors get ready first, so I look at them and try to choose a style no one else is wearing. If we're getting ready together, I'll say out loud, 'Maybe I'll try a ponytail today~' I don't mind matching with others, but some girls don't like it. I also prefer not to match with members who are close to me in the choreography, or if we share lines, so I'll make arrangements with them beforehand.

Q: Is it important to think of the fans perspective when your producing yourself? Yukirin: 90% of the time I though about the fans perspective, their wants and likes. But if I only did that, I would lose myself, so I put in about 10% of my own preferences. For example, fans who come to our lives want to shout and get excited, but I want them to listen to my songs carefully, so I put in a couple of ballads, or even lesser known songs, to the setlist, because I want to really hear them in that moment.

Q: Is there anything you cherish as a fan? Yukirin: When I was an idol fan, I never interacted with my idols, but if I were an idol fan now, I'd be a completely positive wota who spoils them. I'd never criticise them. I'm grateful when fans give me their thoughts with good intentions. But for example, if I cut my hair, and I hear 'But you looked better before!', I just think 'Well what do you want me to do about that?' So I've started saying 'Well come see me when my hair grows out.' That's part of my 10% of myself. Since becoming an idol, it makes me 100 times happier to hear things like 'Your song was good,' or 'You're cute today.'

Q: Please give us a message for those who love idols! Yukirin: Of all the different hobbies, I think there is something you can only get from idols. If you receive energy and motivation from idols, please return that feeling towards the idols and spread their good points to other people. That's what makes idols happiest, and gives them motivation to keep going, so please support them with all your heart! I'm sure the Idolm@ster idols also feel that way!

[msgameandcake]

I've seen many people joke about how Keiki Haniyasushin creates idols and is, in turn, the Idol Master in reference to the IdolM@ster series.

However, it is important to note that within the context of Touhou 17, idols are used as a metaphor for robots. As such, Keiki is not just an Idol Master...

She's a Robot Master!

Gotta call Mega Man in for this one.

[step-and-pen-bu]

I tried to translate "Mekurume" (Sublime) by Frog96!! (Idolm@ster Gakuen)

フロクロさんの「メクルメ」の拙訳でございます！

Translated Lyrics:

Leaf through it, Gaze into it, Softly chant it Touch it, It falls apart, It unfurls a bit It falls away, It ever wavers, Something flashes to mind Consciousness revolves, Wondrousness sleeps

That is The Sublime ¹

Ever deluging radio waves ² Preliminary match, Experimentation in a miniature garden (aah…) The repetitive sine wave ³ Is softly lowering the numerals With a worldview that towers over skylines The reverberating cries of a newborn

Lead me out of this puritanical cage!

After all My sweet sweet melted delusions are insoluble This old old ripened instinct won't splay from me But I want to expose my deep deep hidden urges

So it's Bright ⁴ Fervent Painful Faraway

I'm growing sick of waiting and waiting For seasons I'm left wanting something more All alone here Spring, Summer, Autumn I journeyed through them again With growing somnolence, ⁵ another world Waiting for its eclosion, β(beta)! ⁶

Still without seeing, somehow I'd like to commune again Standing up my nails against the window Intoning Even a shattered mirror is precious The world / My self Which one appears to be broken?

It's a lovely exile colony, isn't it? Here is the blank white planet (aah…) My right handed sketch is ⁷ A potential for a new interpretation Even commonplace worldviews The cross-section of their shapes are to be questioned Shed and emerge from within your narrow skin

More distant the body as it moves You blur and cascade and settle but If you became positively vacuous You could still link with your open palms

Y'know

I sang to defy the beat of my heart I danced to defy the beat of my heart I laughed to defy the beat of my heart I screamed to defy the beat of my heart ⁸

Indivisibly Because I want to melt alongside you Trace the lie with your finger Look over your shoulder Whenever you blink The scenery like the rise and fall of breath Is another world I was waiting for my eclosion…

The seasons said They grew tired of waiting Now a drawn out din The unfastening secret of Philosophia ⁹ Spring, Summer, Autumn I journeyed through them again Piercing my retinas, a whole new world Leaving the chrysalis/Unfurling in a flower is a galaxy Scents, forms, light, Everything that touches me echoes Fluttering Even the returning cascades are resplendent The world / My self Sounds like we can have stories left to share

Translation Notes:

A Philosophical or Literary term that implies a kind of overwhelming splendor or dazzling-ness that is beyond normal human means, has been in use since Ancient Greece (See Translators Comments)

Radio Waves, or Denpa, is a style of Japanese Literature but also a characterization term discussing someone who is out of touch with reality, as in, it has a similar affect to "Tinfoil Hat" or someone who believes they hear voices from electromagnetic radiation. The singer, Shinosawa Hiro may be described as "denpa"

Sine waves can be used to describe the frequency of Radio Waves

Literally translates to, Blue, though has a youthful connotation so bright seems to fit better

Somnolence is often a symptom of an underlying condition or a result of someone's physical health. Hiro responds to the question of "How do you spend your off days?" with "Just recovering. I'm doing my best not to die." Her general constitution & sleep nature suggests this sort of underlying need for sleep at all times

Beta, the Greek Letter, is borrowed from the Phonetian word *bayt; meaning, "dwelling, house", the Beta here might suggest an emergence from one's home & perhaps calls upon a sort of Shut-in or cut off from reality imagery

Hiro is left handed, this refers to how she is navigating the idol world, something which she finds herself not apt for which is akin to using one's non-dominant hand to draw. Yet, she sees the potential in practicing what one is not good at.

This stanza may represent each of the potential stats for training in Idolmaster Gakuen; respectively, Vocals, Dance, and Visuals. Shinosawa, the singer, believes she is not particularly talented in any of these fields, though she trains to "defy" that expectation that she is no good at being an idol

The Ancient Greek word that "Philosophy" is derived from; meaning, "The love of wisdom"

Translator's Comments:

This song depicts a sort of interplay between the speaker's dreamlike innerworld & perception in contrast to the strange reality they find themselves in. The song also discusses the great joys & wisdom of experiencing things in the world & the mysteriousness of knowledge. The singer leaves their body & enters, not the real world, but another fantastical world through their daydreaming fantasy. There's a distinct throughline of engaging with Hiro's weak physical condition, & her dissociation from that within this song. "Mekurume" is translated here as The Sublime which is an Ancient Greek philosophic term (Popularized in Modern Literary Criticism by Emanuel Kant) which describes when things are so vast & beyond human perception that they are overwhelmingly dazzling. The name "Mekurume" is a shortening of 目くるめく (mekurumeku) which is a verb which means "To dazzle, to blilnd", though, is a kind of confusion or overwhelming produced by vision or fatigue. Such is a common symptom of Hiro's physical condition. Yet, the Sublime fits this meaning as well, as it is the visual perception of things considered "Sublime"; for example, the vastness of the universe, or the beauty of a mountain range which surpasses the horizon, illicit the same sort of "Mekurumeku" sort of feeling. This in tandem with the Ancient Greek references throughout the text suggest a meaning like "The Sublime".

to speak uncritically, Hiro is such a silly denpa girl i love her this song fits her eerie vibe perfectly !! thank you Furokuro-san!!

in a personal comment! i drew a little fanart for Hiro's birthday on my other account @syaruru so if you're at all interested i'll be reblogging it & the whole nine yards but happy birthday hiro wahoo!!

[imasloid]

SHINY COLORS FASHION ANALYSIS - ILLUMINATION STARS (PART ONE)

This is a project analyzing and taking a look at the fashion design and application in the multimedia series, The IDOLM@STER: Shiny Colors. This section is about the classic idol star and sky-themed unit of the series, illumination STARS! If you want to jump to a specific section, go here!

(This is a reprint of my thread on Twitter. I put it on Tumblr for easier reading and for archiving purposes. Enjoy!)

UNIT PROFILE

Members from left to right: Mano Sakuragi (櫻木真乃), Hiori Kazano (風野灯織), Meguru Hachimiya (八宮めぐる)

Official Description: A new generation idol unit formed by three girls carrying a small light. Although their radiance is still faint at the moment, while sometimes clashing and supporting each other, they will continue to journey towards the first-class star!

-----

UNIT COSTUME ANALYSIS

Foreword: This is the first thread I wrote, so it’s going to be a bit all over the place, but the later sections are much more organized and consistent… Nevertheless, thanks for reading!

The poster unit of Shiny Colors, illumination STARS is comprised of the red, blue, and yellow representatives of the branch. Like the other iM@S “traffic light” units, their costumes have of simple but classic idol elements as well as symbology representing their branch.

Using their costume “Sparkle Illumination,” I’ve shown some examples of classic idol elements and Shiny Colors symbology that are present in illumination STARS’s unit ensembles. These themes will be expanded on in their other costumes’ analyses later!

The third theme, “Individuality in Unity,” describes how their costumes, though similar in design, have minute changes in detail to show off the members’ unique personalities. As the members are the red/blue/yellow reps of Shiny, this theme is central to their dynamic as a unit.

Here their costumes “Siriusly Crown” and “Planetes Series” are showcasing the theme “Individuality in Unity.” The variation in details can be seen in many idol costumes, but it’s very prevalent in iS’s costumes to symbolize their typical “red/blue/yellow” traits.

This isn’t to say that iS is a basic “red/blue/yellow” unit though. The members’ personalities deviate from the typical “red/blue/yellow” traits: Mano (introverted and shy), Hiori (self-conscious and emotionally charged), and Meguru (lonely and sensitive). But more on that later!

---

UNIT COSTUME #1 - Sparkle Illumination (スパークルイルミネーション)

“Sparkle Illumination” is iS’s main unit costume, and is the most representative of the unit, their core themes, and aestethic. The name references the branch name, Shiny Colors, as well as their unit name, illumination STARS.

Speaking of symbology, this costume shares a lot in common with the branch-wide main costume, “Beyond the Blue Sky.” Their shared elements (seen in picture) and them both being the first costumes you ever see in the game symbolize the first flight into the sky with the player.

Though the costume is mostly the same across all members, there are some minute differences in detail that show the individuality and personality of Mano, Hiori, and Meguru. As seen in the graphic, it is mainly in the sleeves and bottoms.

Bringing back this image from earlier, the classic idol elements, sky/space motifs, and color scheme of “Sparkle Illumination” represent their newness to the idol world as well as their (seemingly typical) desire to “illuminate” the idol world with their own unique color.

---

UNIT COSTUME #2 - Siriusly Crown (シリウスリークラウン)

“Siriusly Crown” is iS’s second unit costume, the first part of the name being a play on Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, & the word “seriously.” The costume represents Mano, Hiori, & Meguru earnestly chasing their dreams of becoming the brightest idols in the world.

As hinted by the name, this costume has a very heavy star motif. Their bottoms feature a pastel starry galaxy and gold stars adorn their bodies in their bows, armbands, and chains. The frills, bows, preppy tops, and soft pastels give the costume a softer edge.

Compared to “Sparkle Illumination” which focused more on classic idol elements & the “wing/sky” motif, Siriusly Crown leans in more into the “space” theming of their unit and shows more variation between their respective costumes. Both costumes have the same star armbands.

Though “Siriusly Crown” has the same color scheme throughout all the costumes, there are many detail variations that emphasize the individuality of each member. Mano’s is pure and fairytale-like, Hiori’s is classy and chic, and Meguru’s is sporty and bright.

This picture elaborates more on the variation in costume between Mano, Hiori, and Meguru and how it showcases their charm and unique personalities. For Siriusly Crown, the most difference is in their top and bottom styles which tells the viewer more about them visually.

Siriusly Crown’s design heavily references Mano as the center, leader, & the glue that holds the unit together. The majority of the costume is light pinks and lilacs (colors that Mano wears in later costumes), while dark blue and gold are accents, giving dimension to the costume.

Along with the color scheme, the symmetric detailing signals to the viewer that Mano is the center/leader of iS and is the unit’s core. Hiori/Meguru’s details having similar but opposite placements denotes their supporting of Mano, being an irreplaceable part of the team.

---

UNIT COSTUME #3: Twinkly Cheerful (トゥインクリーチアフル)

“Twinkly Cheerful” is illumination STARS’ third unit costume. “Twinkly” obviously refers to their unit name, & just like with Siriusly Crown, a very heavy star motif. This costume’s theme is joy in unity, holding hands to transform into idols magical-girl style, hence “cheerful.”

This costume shares many elements with past costumes “Sparkle Illumination” and “Siriusly Crown,” as seen in the graphic. It combines the classic idol costume feel of Sparkle Illumination with the heavy sky/space symbolism of Siriusly Crown with a “popstar” aesthetic.

Because the concept of this costume is “unity,” the costumes are mostly similar with small differences in the tops and the sleeves. Even their hairstyles are similar high ponytails. Mano is still identifiable as the center, but the costumes look much more unified.

Twinkly Cheerful leans heavy into the western “popstar” look with the starwing insignia, polkadot sheer fabric, furs, dual-color headbands, cropped top, & in-ear mic, reminiscent of a poppy girl group. In a way, they’ve transformed (see animation) into the idols of their dreams.

---

UNIT COSTUME #4: Planetes Series | Stella / Luna / Sol (プラテネスシリーズ | ステラ・ルーナ・ソール)

“Planetes Series” is illumination STARS’ fourth set of unit costumes and features the idols as angelic guardians of a city lost to time. These outfit mark a new direction these & later costumes take the “sky/space” theme, presenting the girls as higher powers or cosmic forces.

“Planetes Series” is the only illumination STARS unit costume that has separate names for each variation. Planetes Sol (Meguru) represents the sun/day, Planetes Luna (Hiori) represents the moon/night, & Planetes Stella (Mano) represents shooting stars/dawn.

Compared to all of the costumes we’ve seen so far, “Planetes Series” has the most variation in costume between the idols with different color schemes, fabrics, and textures. However, shared core elements and explicit theming assist in connecting them together.

In the Planetes Series, each idol represents a form of illumination in the sky, a “star” type, as well as a period in the diurnal cycle. True to their unit name, each idol illuminates a distinct time of day using their own “star” (sun/stars/shooting stars).

Mano’s position as leader/center is reinforced in these costumes as she represents dawn/dusk, the liminal states between day (Meguru) & night (Hiori). Unlike the sun or moon that are seen only at day/night, shooting stars are seen at the cusp between night and day.

---

GO HERE FOR PART TWO (i hit picture limit)

[foreigndistance]

Jubilee, Rank #72 (a post-event reflection)

“Why would you post this on Nocturne’s 7th anniversary of its addition to Starlight Stage?” Because one, I like the song—especially the original duet. And two, screw it, we roll.

It has been a few weeks since the event ended, but I’ve been trying to write this reflection for weeks without trying to lose my mind over actually writing out several thoughts (both good and bad) over a collaboration event in a mobile rhythm/gacha game. Forgive me for the raw honest thoughts I’m about to say in there.

The Prologue

Hoshimachi Suisei is a virtual YouTuber (VTuber) affiliated with Hololive Production, one of the biggest virtual agencies for such talents. She is one of the earliest talents recruited by the agency, alongside other soloist VTubers like Tokino Sora, Roboco, Sakura Miko, and AZKi—together referred to as “Generation 0”. She is also someone striving to become an idol herself. Prior to becoming affiliated with her current agency, she had tried entering IRL idol agencies, to no avail. She tried joining Hololive Production, but got rejected. She got into INoNaKa Music, but would eventually get transferred into Hololive’s main JP branch in December 2019.

To briefly describe her activities: Suisei is a forever 18, multi-talented idol who has done (and sung) a lot of accomplishments over the years. She has interest in 2D idols as well, with her having interest in Ensemble Stars!! and THE IDOLM@STER, the latter of which being an inspiration that led her into her own idol journey. She would do covers alongside other Hololive talents with songs from those two series. “Honeycomb Summer”, “Melty♡Kitchen”, “Alive Factor”, “Hanamuke no Tori”… to name a few. There were also times where she would often be pulling in the respective games’ gacha, often spending a lot of money on them. Her favorite idols from Enstars!! and IM@S include Ritsu Sakuma, Natsume Sakasaki, Hayate Hisakawa, and Kaede Takagaki.

Six years after her debut, she would perform with her own tantou.

At Suisei’s 6th Anniversary 3D live, appropriately titled “SheenderellaDay”, a certain someone would perform with one of her fans.

The song? It was “Koi Kaze”.

Suisei shared the same stage with no one other than Kaede Takagaki, who was in her 1st SSR outfit. This was followed up by a small MC corner. Kaede switched into her 4th SSR outfit, and then a new song written by Suisei’s recurring composer, lyricist, and fellow Midnight Grand Orchestra member TAKU INOUE started playing on stage. As the concert was happening, I was merely saying “congrats” in my mind.

And thus, the grand “Jubilee” started.

The Event (and My Mixed Feelings)

It’s easy for me to say that among the people who wanted a Hololive collab with THE IDOLM@STER in-game, Suisei probably won the hardest. She got her own in-game event, original song, a commu, and even an SSR in the series she loves—ignoring the behind-the-scenes shenanigans we will probably never fully know about. There were previous Hololive collab events in other gacha games, with Tokyo 7th Sisters and Granblue Fantasy getting their collabs in the past few years, but when it came to Starlight Stage’s collaborations, this was the game’s most intense collab yet.

I… didn’t initially plan on running this event much. While I was initially excited by the intensity of the collab event upon its official announcement, there were lingering feelings of “what if this were to be my tantou idol’s last event” and a slight hint of disappointment. The “end” of Starlight Stage had become a recurring topic among English-speaking Ps ever since the so-called “content reduction” announcement was released before the end of 2023. The collaboration itself was teased in that same announcement, but I presumed that the things around the collab were already in production as the whole “content reduction” stuff was being decided. The thought of losing IM@S’ most profitable mobile game because of whatever Bandai Namco is up to is kinda scary. It’s a silly sentiment towards a live service mobile game that will shut down eventually, but the thought is also real.

Then, there’s Kaede herself. Her last token event (and unit from the original mobile game) in Deresute, “Pretty Liar”, was held back in 2018. There’s… things I could say about her content released after that, both things I liked, things I felt odd towards, and things I didn’t really like all that much. In a nutshell: I want to see Kaede as “herself” and not just as the “final boss” Cinderella Girl that she is. It’s complicated.

And yet, this event’s timing couldn’t have been even more perfect. Lately I’ve been finding March and April to have moments involving my tantous. The event’s duration overlapped with March 30 (one year since Cinderella FES Mizuki’s release and eventually sparking FES Kaede in that same banner) and April 2 (10th Anniversary Tour Final, aka the live that changed the trajectory of my producing life forever). And the whole thing took place during Holy Week break, no less. The only real issues I would’ve had were potential connection issues that may arise in a then-upcoming 3-day road trip.

Why did this event have to be 11 days long?

The Actual Grind

Day 1 of the event started with me messing around with all my early intense grinding. I managed to get around the top 20 within the first 30 minutes of the event. Trying to maintain a top 100 spot was hard during the first few days, but eventually things stabilized as the days went on.

For a short break during the first day, I pulled on the collab gacha. My Suisei gacha tickets didn’t give me too much and got me an off-rate SSR (Miyo1), so I resorted to using jewels. Here came Kaede’s collab limited SSR, fully animated. My jewel count went from 55k at the start of the event to 36k—which would eventually be thrown into event ranking hell instead of being saved for the Kaede7 reruns (which was its own story).

During day 2, I kept playing (actually sending my auto Grand team through EVERLASTING FORTE hell and back) while I was at a local convention for the whole afternoon. Not pictured: me showing fellow artists there that I was playing the event! I may have fallen out from my goal for a while, dammit, but I kept farming for tokens anyway.

In addition, I drank some coffee especially during the last few days, although sometimes I find myself feeling a bit sleepy…

Throughout days 6-8, I was stuck on the annual provincial road trip during Holy Week. I brought two phones through the whole thing: my main phone whose mobile data has been mostly spent on event grinding, and a side phone where I would often chat on Discord or play videos and music during the trip. During the second night, I did get to stay in the hotel room by myself (we had two hotel rooms) and took that opportunity to try staying awake.

On day 9, I hit the 99,999,999 money cap for the first time. Nothing too significant about it other than me having to spend a lot on stuff from the limited money shop. (That’s why gold bars exist in-game!)

The final two nights had me trying my damn best to stay up for as much as possible past 1 or 2 AM. If you really value your sleep and sanity over a dumb number for a popular idol’s event, I do not recommend this.

The last day of the event was quite a stressful trip. Within the final 24 hours, I wanted to try reaching the maximum amount of tokens you could hold (99,999 tokens) but I feared that there would not be enough time for me to reach the target. I ended up stopping the EVERLASTING FORTE grind as soon as I got to 90k.

I wanted to park at certain numbers related to my tantous (Ray Distance’s Mobamas debut date, the day CG 4th LIVE’s performance of Nocturne happened, etc.) but I wouldn’t have enough time and/nor tokens to actually reach those numbers. Near the end I tried getting 1,591,715 (Mizuki and Kaede’s respective heights) but in the end, I only managed to reach the 1.59 million point mark with the last tokens I grinded and spent.

The hardest part of the event was actually trying to keep that high amount of uptime, and it was more apparent when I would get knocked out as I was trying to stay awake. I have a terrible sleep schedule (or lack thereof) but my sleepy butt wouldn’t keep me awake for too long. The loop of pressing buttons every 2 minutes felt monotonous for 11 days straight, minus the part where I actually played the event song for either jewels or to get a high score.

My complicated feelings towards Kaede’s latest event song being a collab with a popular VTuber was stuck in my mind, and I first thought I would try to settle for Top 500 early on; but previous sentiments and “final event” anxiety, combined with some encouragement from friends and other Producers (who ranked with me) kept telling me to keep going.

I ultimately finished the event at rank #72, which is… certainly a number associated with ChihayaPs. With a total of 1,590,435 points. I saw the numbers on Haruka’s birthday (April 3), send help.

I also made it to SSS rankings for the first time. It’s something I never really cared for, usually, but apparently ranking very high in a token event would let you in the top 1000. I never saw my actual SSS rank at the end of March (since I was too busy grinding), but I probably made it in the top 500 in the 91st SSS ranking that month.

The Tantou Unit Revenge

There’s one last thing I want to talk about, something I’ve been preparing for almost a year by that point. Long story short: I wanted to tier for the units I produce, and for the idols that are closest to me. I wanted to do that with S.E.M (my first tantou unit), but over the last few years my chances kept fading with each SideM game that got killed. By the time Growing Stars leaked announced its shutdown, I ended up starting to ask for a Kaede and Mizuki event (as Ray Distance) for me to tier in for me to have some form of “revenge” and (hopefully) closure on that front.

Of course that dream event didn’t happen (yet), knowing how much Bandai Namco and Cygames likes putting that After20 duo (who also have some of the busiest VAs in the series) together sometimes.

Over 2023, I did get some top 2000s here and there, in both token and groove events. The last event with my actual tantous in it happened over a year ago (Heartboiled Wars with Tomoe). Every event I’ve tiered in has had an idol I like: Aki, Sanae, Airi, Kanade, and Koharu.

And yet, I didn’t tier in this event because I like Suisei… I tiered in this event because I like Kaede. So much that I ended up producing her.

As weird as I feel about the collaboration as a whole, giving up on this chance would’ve left me with intense regret for several reasons. Future me would be really disappointed if this is to be Kaede’s final Starlight Stage event. (So I hope she gets one more event after this…)

The possibility of me failing a chance of tiering one of my closest tantou’s events again scared me. I lost my chances more than once, and it would probably hurt if I give up that chance. It wasn’t the ideal event I wanted to try in, but the timing was too perfect not to ignore either. There were many thoughts swirling in my head throughout the whole thing, but then again… it’s a tantou event in the end.

I’m awaiting Mizuki’s next event (especially since she hasn’t gotten a new song for nearly 3 years now), but I need to recover first.

Despite everything…

In the end, I do not regret being Kaede’s producer.

The Stats

PLv: 347 → 501. The 2x fan campaign combined with a bit of the EXP Produce perk boosts may have helped a lot.

Jewel count: 55k (pre-gacha) → 36k (post-gacha) → 7k. Thank goodness I didn’t have to spark Kaede in that limited banner.

Idols made past 15 million fans: Uzuki, Takumi, Nanami, and Tomoe. Three of my tantous & an excessive use of Nanami’s FES SSR.

Idols made past 10 million fans: Seira, Yui, and Koharu. Sanae, Miku, Nana, Ranko, and Karen also got a significant boost in fans due to all of this.

SSS songs cleared: Gaze and Gaze. Been wanting to save getting that clear for a special event.

Stamina drinks spent: everything.

Total no of EVERLASTING FORTE plays at the end: 2,947.

SSRs obtained from collab gacha: 5 (two Kaedes, one Rin4, a Makino1 dupe, and a Miyo1.) I’d eventually gain another 2 SSRs after the event (neither of them were Suisei though. I had to resist pulling further because a Kaede7 rerun was coming…)

The Special Thanks

The KaigaiPs that ranked with me in the top 100 (Zhu and Shiina especially—those two are on a different league of their own) for helping me survive this tiresome first Deresute T100 attempt.

My fellow online friends from the various Discord servers and on Twitter, for supporting me. I’ve been keeping that whole thing under wraps from my main account out of embarrassment, but yeah.

The Hololive Fan Wiki, Virtual YouTuber Wiki, and the JP Hololive Unofficial Wiki for Suisei research.

As a final note… when’s Passion Jewelries? Or the next Kaede/Mizuki event?

[10m5]

Chart from the old official iDOLM@STER website including information on how characters refer to themselves and other characters.

[primeval-texture]

here's a list of the games i've played (not know) for reference ripped straight out of my notes app

Arcaea, Phigros, Maimai DX, Pump It Up, Project Sekai, KALPA, Orzmic, Muse Dash, Rotaeno, TAKUMI³, Lanota, Project Pentjet, Overrapid, ユメステ (World Dai Star), DanceRail3, Pianista, Osu!, Dynamix, Rizline, Robeats, A Dance Of Fire And Ice, Rhythm Journey, Cytus/Cytus II, ChainBeeT, Deemo/Deemo II/Deemo -Reborn-, VOEZ, Paradigm: Reboot, Qono Cafe, NOISZ STARLIVHT, Malody, D4DJ, Bandori, Enstars, Dankaglike, The Idolm@ster Shiny Colors: Song for Prism, Tap Tap Reloaded, Rhythm Hive, RYCEAM, Berry Melody, ELLIA, Milthm, Beat Saber, Superstar SMTown, Taiko no Tatsujin RC

To play:

Lyrica, Tone Sphere, Liminality, Ravon, Hexa Hysteria, MUSYNC, Sparkline

And other arcade rgs :(

-cube

TONE SPHERE ‼️‼️‼️ i played a lil bit of it, pretty good. also afterdark banger

[fagcrush]

💞Miles' F/O List💞

Here's a list of my F/Os, including the pronouns and emoji tags I use for them!! I'm perfectly fine sharing!!

Main Romantic

💣 Pinstirpe Potoroo - Crash Bandicoot (any pronouns)

♠️ Jackson "Blackjack" Chamberlain - Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point (he/him)

🧇 Kevin - Saints Row (2022) (any pronouns)

🪩 Disco Kid - Punch Out!! (he/him)

🎹 Kaori Sakuramori - Idolm@ster Million Live (she/her)

🍺 Kaede Takagaki - Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls (she/her)

👻 Klaus Hargreeves - The Umbrella Academy (show) (he/they/she)

Secondary Romantic

🐈 Matt Engarde - Ace Attorney (he/him)

🐀 Jamison "Junkrat" Fawkes - Overwatch (he/him)

💪 Brigitte Lindholm - Overwatch - (she/he)

😈 Arataki Itto - Genshin Impact (he/him)

👁️👁️ Wally Darling - Welcome Home (he/they/it/neos)

😼 Rocky Rickaby - Lackadaisy (he/neos)

🧪 Jiro Yamashita - Idolm@ster SideM (he/him)

⭐ Rosalina - Super Mario (she/they/it)

📽 Zen/Hyun Ryu - Mystic Messenger (he/she)

🎶 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fate/Grand Order (he/him)

🥜 Peanut - Crush Crush (she/her)

It's Complicated

🍸 Wallace Wells - Scott Pilgrim (he/him)

Polyships

🐕 Goro Majima (he/she) and Kazuma Kiryu (he/they) 🐲 - Yakuza

🤠 Cole Cassidy - Overwatch (he/him) and 🐉 Genji Shimada - Overwatch (he/him)

👨‍👧 Ryotaro Dojima - Persona 4 (he/him) and 🥬 Tohru Adachi - Persona 4 (he/they)

🛹 Lucas Lee - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (he/him) and 👓 Gideon Graves - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (any)

🩸 Astarion Ancunin (any pronouns) and 🍃🐈‍⬛ Jaheria (she/it)+🧸🔥 Karlach Cliffgate (any pronouns) - Baldur's Gate 3 (Jaheria and Karlach are also dating each other!)

🔎 Neve Gallus (she/her) and 🌟 Bellara Lutare (she/her) - Dragon Age: the Veliguard

Familial

👻 Buffy Engarde - Ace Attorney OC (sister) (she/her)

🏠 Nanako Dojima - Persona 4 (daughter) (she/her)

🌱 Arabella - Baldur's Gate 3 (daughter) (she/her)

🍳 Yenna - Baldur's Gate 3 (kid) (they/them)

🐻🎀 Kaho Komiya - Idolm@ster Shiny Colors (daughter) (she/her)

🩷 Miria Akagi - Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls (daughter) (she/her)

📖 Arisu Tachibana - Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls (daughter) (she/they)

Platonic

👾 Hana "D.Va" Song - Overwatch (she/her) (also my metamour w Brigitte!!)

📱 Rio Momose - Idolm@ster Million Live (she/her)

🦝 Roary Racoon - Crash Bandicoot OC (they/them)

⚔️ Wyll Ravengard - Baldur's Gate 3 (he/him)

🌑 Shadowheart - Baldur's Gate 3 (she/they) (semi-romantic)

💫 Lae'zel - Baldur's Gate 3 (she/her)

🪶 Volo - Baldur's Gate 3 (he/they/she)

🐹 Minsc (and Boo!) - Baldur's Gate 3 (any)

🦌 Eve Santaclaus - Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls (she/they)

💀✨ Emmrich Volkarin - Dragon Age: the Veliguard (he/him)

🔥🪓 Taash - Dragon Age: the Veliguard (they/them)

Pretty much all of Team Cortex

QPP

🔮 Gale Dekarios - Baldur's Gate 3 (he/they)

Frenemy

🥃 Tawna Bandicoot - Crash Bandicoot (she/he/they)

♠️ (sorry)

🎭 Raphael - Baldur's Gate 3 (he/him - should note this is mostly for an au ver of my tav nejdj)

Kin F/Os

I'll add to these as shifts come up!!

Kin: Gerard Lacroix-Overwatch

😡 Jack Morrison/Soldier:76 (romantic)(he/him)

💀 Gabriel Reyes/Reaper (romantic)(he/they)

🦁 Reinhardt Wilhelm (romantic)(he/him)

🕷️ Widowmaker/Widow-Trans masc (romantic) (He/they) (NOTE: please do NOT refer to Widow as Amelie when referring to them in a romantic sense thank you!!!) / (However Amelie (she/they) IS a platonic f/o and so! her emoji is 🩰)

🪷 Niran "Bua" Pruksamanee/Lifeweaver (Crush/possible romantic)(he/they/she)

💤 Ana Amari (platonic)(she/they)

🔘 Siebren de Kuiper/Sigma (platonic)(he/it)

📵 Olivia Colomar/Sombra (platonic)(any)

(also. Basically every guy is a crush lol. I was a Gay Mess)

Kin: Agent Stone-Sonic the Hedgehog (Movie)

🥚 Dr. Robotnik (romantic)(he/they/it)

🖤 Shadow the Hedgehog (kid)(he/they)

❤️‍🩹 Sage (kid)(she/they/it)

Kin: Indrid Cold (The Adventure Zone: Amnesty)

♥️v♥️ Duck Newton (Romantic)(he/him)

🐇🔥 Aubrey Little (Platonic)(she/they/it)

Yoosung Kim (Mystic Messenger)

🚀 707/Saeyoung Choi (Romantic)(any pronouns)

🌸 Protagonist (Romantic) (she/her)

Kin: Galo Thymos (Promare)

🔥🐲 Lio Fotia (Romantic)(he/they)

Johnny Gat (Saints Row)

🎧 Aisha (Romantic)(she/her)

⚜️ Boss - Zuri Valdez (platonic)(she/her)

💎 Shaundi (Platonic)(she/her)

🤖 Matt Miller (Brother)(he/they)

[warumin]

Idolm@ster is a game in which you must put your faith in an aspiring idol, investing your time and resources in securing a successful future for them. Tell me, Will... are you the idol? Or will you be the producer?

I think that Hannibal would be the Producer and Will would be the idol. it makes sense to me. I've never seen the show so I cant reference plot points but like i guess Hannibal would have to raise his cannibal stat? For the big Cannibal live or the Cannibal auditions? I dont know. But I can see this happening. But also Will has much more of a Producer vibe than Hannibal does and Hannibal seems eccentric enough to be an idol anime girl

[become-potatoes]

did idolmaster just use the same sound effect as webkinz world