That IM@S Flower Thing

So this is a story all about how
my life got flipped, turned upside-down
And I’d like to take a moment
Just type it out
I’ll tell you how I became a P as an American.

It all started with them, friends and fans.
I watched an anime. The melody:
“I-DOL-M@-STER” it said. Ready?
Makoto is nekopuchi’s waifu.

Never really ready. It came with force;
A Spring fever, an obsession it was.
Ends just as fast; the Earth spins, seasons
never last forever. Then I recalled–
Summers ago, imported Xbox 360
Had Chihaya, her downer gaze
is like a seed: just like “Zutto… Deshou.”

With PS3, import Spring came again.
“TOWN” is my blood, “SENTAKU2” my bone.
It’s history. A P I’ve been. The end.

Sure, I’m trying to appeal to you. Money, while nice to have, isn’t the problem; your tender loving care for fictional entities and the real bodies behind it counts much, much more than what I can offer you and what money can buy you. I hope you will consider writing a kind message to the team behind THE IDOLM@STER. You can do it by sending it in an email to ssa2014@omonomono.com, by just leaving it in a comment below, or through a donation via the instructions here.

I just want you to know we exist, we’re here to take your kind message and compile it in a doujinshi-like book, and drop it off at the concert so the management will get a copy of it. I also want you to know that we will be setting up a Teespring (crowdfunded t-shirt) so you can wear what we wear, in the rare case that you do. Also because it’s kind of cool. The proceeds and donations will go to help pay for the cost of a flower wreath we’re setting up at the concert. If you give enough we will also send you a copy of the final book and other goodies.

If you have been looking at my IM@S blog posts you will note that I’ve been kicking up some news posts over at (now) blog.059pro.us. The point behind the flowers or t-shirts isn’t for just those things, but it’s kind of a team spirit exercise. Danketsu. There are plenty of empowered individuals in western IM@S fandom who can do all these things. We are producers, after all; but there are many who also can’t, or find it too troublesome. I hope we are providing a way to make this easy and accessible, because I think both those of us working on it and the people receiving it will appreciate your passionate thoughts.