#wew look at me shilling team onibe :3c

[yujachachacha]

hi yujacha!! this is probably a weird question to ask lol but im going to see the happy party train tour live viewing on the 14th and my friend was supposed to come with but they dropped out last second so looks like i'll be going alone TT but do you have any advice for someone whos never gone to a concert or live screening alone?? aaa during the first live i went w my sister but im a total socially anxious mess and i get really nervous if a stranger sits next to me so its my first time alone TT

Hi there! I have no idea why everyone’s been telling me that their questions are weird lol - your question is great, in fact! Technically, I went to the delayed viewing of 1st Live in San Diego alone as well, since I was meeting ONIBE members for the first time ever back then and wasn’t sure if I would be able to get along with them. Fortunately, I discovered that the LL community is pretty friendly and ended up having a blast!

This is gonna get really long, so let me put a summary at the top.

tl;dr: There are lots of online resources to help you learn about viewings, from Team ONIBE’s guides to the meetup channels for the Love Live subreddit. It’s also no problem to go alone to a DV, as you have the potential to make plenty of new friends and get pumped up about the performance alongside LLers who share the same passion for Aqours.

For first-timer viewing advice, check out Team ONIBE’s concert guide! It contains a general checklist of what to bring (water, batteries, towel, etc.), instructions on how to use a kingblade, and some general etiquette about concerts.

I would also highly recommend looking over Team ONIBE’s 2nd Live callbook - the callbook’s been recently updated with details from the Saitama Day 2 setlist, as that’s the performance that’ll be screened at the delayed viewings on the 14th! It’s not mandatory to learn the calls, but in my opinion, it’s a lot more fun when you can join in on the hype along with the multitudes of fans who will be chanting and waving their lightsticks along with the performance. Don’t worry about having to memorize the calls exactly - once you’re at the viewing, it’s pretty simple to follow along with the crowd.

I believe there are some kind fans out there who are sort of taking charge as the community leaders for each DV, and have printed out large batches of these callbooks to pass out to LLers. If you want to make sure you have your own copy (IIRC they were in very high demand during the San Diego DV for 1st Live and the AWM live at AX2017), feel free to print one out on your own!

If you’re interested in making some new friends so that you won’t be completely surrounded by strangers, you can always check out the /r/LoveLive subreddit and Discord server! The server has created specific channels for each viewing so that people can plan meetups, while the subreddit has some threads scattered around it with various people asking for tips about LVs and such.

If you’re not interested in that (which would be understandable, as the /r/LL Discord server tends be be a bit…chaotic), let me offer you some personal advice. I unfortunately can’t say anything on the social anxiety side because I’m pretty good with talking to strangers (I kind of have to be after overcoming stage fright for debate club + needing to cold call people for work), but I can tell you that my experience with live events tends to be that most of the LLers I’ve met (including myself) are in fact socially awkward, haha. Just remember that a lot of people are just like you and meeting other LLers for the first time, so don’t worry too much.

Here’s my general tip on making friends: gather up your courage, approach someone, and find some kind of connection. Once you do that, you’re set.

For example, in my very first class on my very first day of high school, I approached a girl who was by herself (so that I wouldn’t awkwardly be third-wheeling an established friend group). I said, “Hey, I heard that this computer class we’re in requires a lab partner. You look like an okay person. Wanna team up?” She ended up becoming my first friend in high school, and we had tons of fun for the next four years.

I did the same thing in college - as an icebreaker, I asked someone if I could see their driver’s license (since a lot of people you meet in college hail from different locations) and compare it to my own. I then found out that she and I had the same exact birthday, and I told her, “Hey, we’re twins! Wanna eat lunch together later?” And to this day, she’s a dear friend who still refers to me as “Twin”.

I know that I’m making it sound really simple and easy, but it honestly can be if you put yourself in this mindset. Luckily for you, you already have a connection to people at the DV - you’re all LL fans!

Find someone who’s wearing merch of your favorite girl (and on that note, it’s a good idea to bring any nesos or other LL merch with you to DVs; they’re a great conversation starter) and gush about her with them. Or, approach a cosplayer and compliment them! They’re generally pretty happy folks. You can also try to approach a fellow newbie on their own, and see if you two can team up. I promise you, DVs are 10x more fun when you have someone to be excited with during the screening.

The point of a DV and all these community meetup channels is for people to have fun with others who share their love for Aqours. Instead of seeing everyone as strangers, just think of them as potential friends you have yet to get to know better! Other tips:

Ask people where they’re from - some people at DVs are locals, while others fly in from far-off locations!

Talk about the upcoming screening. What are you looking forward to the most? Do you have a favorite song? Is there a costume you’re excited to see? Who’s your favorite seiyuu?

Approach someone who looks experienced. They’ll likely be more than happy to help you out and introduce you to the finer points of attending a DV! :D

Another conversation starter - SIF. I saw a few people playing the game while waiting for the viewing to start, and had a friendly chat with one of them about how difficult it was to play with cut-ins.

Don’t fret that you absolutely have to make a new friend for the DV. The atmosphere of the live is infectious, and everyone just ends up being a huge incoherent mess of screaming and cheering anyway, haha.

Feel free to send me another ask or PM me if you have more questions! ( ・∀・ )ゞ

And as a final note - I’ll actually be going to not one, but two DVs this time around (RIP my bank account)! I’ll be at San Diego early on before driving up to Los Angeles. I’ll make a separate blog post with details sometime close to the 14th so that anyone who’s interested can say hi to me.

If you happen to be attending either of those screenings, I’ll be more than happy to make you feel welcome! Just be warned that I’ll be next to some ONIBE members, and we’ll all be screaming our heads off because we’re huge seiyuu fans, haha.