I had so much to say that I had to use a second carrd site OOPS
oh um if you randomly found this site, go here for context
Journey into AtoZ
4/14/20: saved an image of someone pulling √AtoZ Chiaki (the calm before the storm)
7/13/20: get into enstars properly (after having the original game for 3 years yet not being so invested and also trying out music but dropping it once Featured Mika was released)
7/15/20: UNDEAD/Akatsuki tour event starts. I start playing through this event.
7/16/20: I reach Day 5 of the tour event and listen (and play) Date Plan A to Z for the first time. I think to myself huh this is a cute song i'll give it a listen later. I give the full version a listen later that night. It changed my life.
7/18/20: After searching the depths of twitter for date plan content, I found a translation of the entire song. Again, my life was changed once more.
The rest of July: I spend nights just listening to Date Plan A to Z on loop, staring at my ceiling in complete darkness. It's the only thing that made me feel during that time.
At this time, I also decide to save dia to pull √AtoZ Chiaki (since I didn't have that card). I knew his birthday was coming up in September, so I had a decent chance of pulling him then.
August: I continue to listen to Date Plan A to Z whenever I can. I start manifesting A to Z Chiaki to come home to my main account when I scout. I reread the event story and its new translations.
9/7/20: The monthly tsukisuta drops a ton of announcements. I found out right when I woke up and was struggling to process it all. Besides the new Crazy:B song handling my balls, I also found out that the √AtoZ gacha was getting a revival. Right around Chiaki's birthday too. My manifestation sessions became stronger.
9/17/20: It's Chiaki's birthday in Japan. I do his birthday course right when the day resets. I get through his birthday course. Then I begin my scouts. 1st scout got me initial Hinata 5 star, which scared me because oh no... a 5 star that isn't √AtoZ Chiaki. 2nd scout only nets me a new 4 star. But the 3rd scout... the lights were yellow, so I wasn't expecting anything at all. First, I get Niki's initial 4 star and went, "Aww an √AtoZ boy came to visit," then the voiceline cut-in came on. And I heard him. And I saw him. I saw him with his big smile and Kaoru behind him. He came home.
The Rest of September: I am still marinating to Date Plan A to Z. Even though Honeycomb Summer momentarily distracts (I got the Niki 5 star) me, I still go back to Date Plan.
9/28/20: Bored out of my mind and alone, I decided to machine translate the rest of the chapters of Date Plan that were untranslated at the time. I spent the entire day going through it. It was worth it. I love the event story so much oughhh.
10/9/20: I reach 100 plays on Date Plan A to Z's beatmap. On my main account only; my side account has about 50+ plays.
10/12/20: The MV video on Youtube breaks 1 million views hurray!
somewhere btwn 11/15-11/17: During my attempts to scout for the new Tetora 5* (i did 7 pulls and he didn't come home on music), √AtoZ Mitsuru came home!
11/28/20: The translation of the event story is completed! Thank you Niamh and faer proofers for working hard to get this finished! I really REALLY appreciate the effort and it makes me happy to know everyone can now enjoy Date Plan in its entirety <3 Also thank you to Mandy for translating the first 6 chapters!
12/14/20: It's revealed that the first three shuffle units (which includes √AtoZ) will get a physical CD release on January 27, 2021. I immediately place my preorder via proxy because there was no way I was passing up having actual √AtoZ merch in my hands.
12/31/20: During the ES Countdown Live MV, there's a small cameo for √AtoZ around the 52 second mark of the video. I lose my mind at my crumbs.
1/5/21: Right as the Comet Show event on JP is about to end (where I went for the event Chiaki 5 star), KRstars announces the √AtoZ event, which I had slowly prepared myself for at the release of KRstars. I had 6 pulls prepared for the gacha + enough dia to get to the event 5 star.
1/6/21: The √AtoZ gacha is released on KRstars, which means I needed to scout for both Chiaki and Mitsuru. My pulls go relatively well! Chiaki actually comes home on the 2nd pull, while Mitsuru ended up coming home on the 6th pull twice. Which meant that I was ready for the event.
1/7/21: The √AtoZ event starts at 7pm and I immediately start playing it upon it's release. In under 3 hours (tweet here), I manage to reach the first copies of Niki and Natsume, due to event bonus and also how nice KRstars was with resources. (tweet here)
1/10/21: While I had originally planned on getting √AtoZ Kaoru on free BP refills, something awakened in me that night which led me to getting him at 10:35pm. (funny sped up video here) At last, I had √AtoZ realness somewhere. My heart was beating so fast when I was playing Date Plan before I got him because it didn't feel real to me that I would actually have Kaoru.
1/11/21: People are allowed to post pictures taken at the Walk With Your Smile exhibit, which reveals that each event poster has a real life variant printed out, including √AtoZ. I go out of my way to save every photo someone took of the poster because I want it badly.
1/15/21: After keeping us in the dark for about a month, Happy Elements finally releases the digest video (and preview of the album art) for the shuffle unit CD release and I start crying because they actually made some effort to make the shuffle unit album jackets look good and the fact that I will have that album in my hands in a few weeks my heart was swelling help.
1/16/21: The √AtoZ event comes to an end on KRstars. I end up ranking 379 in points. I feel exhausted but accomplished. Please help me I genuinely would do anything for this shuffle unit I love them so much asdhoigafg
2/1/21: Out of boredom and also trying to distract myself from schoolwork, I start putting together a twitter bot that would tweet out anything and everything related to √AtoZ. And so, @dateplan_bot was born.
2/8/21: The first Shuffle Unit Collection album arrives in my mail and when I open it up, it had √AtoZ on the front... almost like we were meant to be. I also managed to snag the bonus Illustration Card, which I didn't think I'd get bc there was only a limited amount of bonuses. But finally... √AtoZ merch in my hands
2/21/21: 200 plays on Date Plan A to Z on my main account... it'd be more but my glitter team sucked (and still sucks).
somewhere during the 1st anniversary announcements in March: NOT ONLY DO THEY USE ATOZ'S INSTRUMENTALS FOR THE 1ST ANNI PV, they also used it for the ensemble with senpai campaign menu #atozrealness forever
ALSO IN MARCH BUT IDK THE DATE: ESMG happens and ppl are reporting that √AtoZ (and the other shuffle units) make an appearance. ON TOP OF THAT, all units, including √AtoZ have an MC break, where the members talk amongst each other and the audience. Current reports have stated that yes. Finally. Kaoru has a voiced line of him calling Chiaki Moricchi. NOT ONLY THAT BUT ATOZ IS CONFIRMED TO STILL GO TO LUNCH TOGETHER UWAHHHH Please when can I see this I will cry
4/21/21: Previews for the new official artbook (Vol. 3 for ! Era and Vol. 1 for !! Era) are dropped AND ONE OF THE PREVIEWS SHOWS THE SCOUT CONCEPT ART FOR ATOZ!!! (It's Chiaki and Mitsuru) I was only focusing on those images bc I love them sm and was getting super excited for the artbook.
5/10/21: HOLY NUTS AND BALLS during the May 2021 Tsukisuta, they announce that !! events will be getting merch badges and alongside that, they showed that √AtoZ (and XXVeil i guess ur there too...) will be getting the first volume of Shuffle unit badges AND I FLIPPED OUT it was the only thing I cared for in that tsukisuta and ofc I had to preorder there was no way in HELL I would not own all the AtoZ badges...
6/17/21: While grinding for Bridal Midori in the Ring.a.bell event, I FINALLY FINALLY perfect combo'd Date Plan A to Z on expert. I have zero clue why it took me over 200 tries, considering the fact that I've pfc'd harder songs BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER I can confidently call myself the master of that song...
6/28/21: The new artbook comes in the mail and with it means that the √AtoZ concepts are hidden inside. I spend maybe about an hour just staring at the set of pages dedicated to √AtoZ and just ya know... absorbing it and memorizing every pixel possible :]
7/6/21: TODAY IS A CRAZY DAY FOR NERA'S ATOZ MADNESS!! First of all, Date Plan A to Z manages to place 2nd overall in the official JP poll involving which songs (that were in music at the time) were the best. I'm so glad that a lot of people also agree with me that it's a great song 🥰💞
AND THE SECOND THING!!! is that after so many months of saving up my mv stones and grinding through events to get memorial coins... AND 10 days from my 1st anniversary with √AtoZ... I FINALLY GOT ATOZ KAORU ON MY JP ACC I AM LITERALLY SO HAPPY and in tears i've been waiting for this day so long hes finally reunited with chiaki oughh 😭
Present Day: still constantly thinkin abt √AtoZ they're always on my brain no matter what i love them to bits oughh. Just need to grab Niki and Natsume, alongside the office outfits and the background and I will be a happy little √AtoZ producer <333 also waiting for the badges to come in the mail and I can stare at them forever hehehe
Countdown below is how long it's been since Date Plan came for my pickle and changed my brain's constitution.
P.S. go check out my AO3 for A to Z centric stories
links for use to help make the carrd (Delete later once it looks complete):
https://ensemble-stars.fandom.com/wiki/DatePlan
https://ensemble-stars.fandom.com/wiki/%E2%88%9AAtoZ:DatePlanAtoZ/Lyrics
https://compressimage.toolur.com/
for the misc image, transfer from google drive from your ipad or phone
mini talk abandoned
Kaoru Mini Talks
✿ Kaoru caring about Mitsuru and worrying about him makes me tear up,,, like seriously, in the event story, he's really worried about Mitsuru's progress on the date plan. Just seeing him worry more in the 2nd part of his special mini talk makes my heart melt ahhhhwh
✿ Kaoru is also very adorable when it comes to interacting with Anzu/ the player! In his first mini talk, he wants to help out with chores