EliBirthdayGiveaway2018

Elichika. Eli Ayase. Oh how I love you. I knew of you before I even started Love Live! - I saw you in some fanart once and fell in love with your design from the get go. My girlfriend and her best friend, who are Love Live! players as well, used to send me pictures of your newest cards and let me squeal for hours over them.

However, I knew I had to start collecting your cards - and start playing! I started the game earlier this summer, and I... Well, to be frank, you were my starter girl. I scouted for cards, I saved up 100 stickers with my terrible willpower just to get the promo summer UR (Cool attribute) that was in the sticker shop - and I got it on the last possible day.

One of my very first URs was your Christmas UR, the pure one. I bought a few packs later and pulled out your other Christmas UR on an SR+ ticket!

I did a pull in Japanese, since I could only afford one - I couldn't load up money on either account for your birthday, Elichikia; but next year I totally will. I had 50 love gems in Japanese, and 134 in English. In English, I also had 6 green scouting tickets.

My pull in Japanese wasn't too spectacular, but you gifted me your Cyber card, my dream UR (Seven Lucky Gods) and your newest SSR (Fruits/Swimsuits)! While my Japanese account is mainly Aqours; I can't help but hold onto any Eli card I pull on it. Thank you, Seven Lucky Gods Eli, for gracing my presence with your beauty.

Now for English, I couldn't decide whether to do the full step up or try my luck at the 50 box at least once. So I did steps 1 & 2 of the step up and then did the 50 pull with my last 50.

No UR in sight on the first pull, but I got Fairy Tale, her Initial SSR (which I love the Initial set), and her Instrument SSR! With those two final SSRs on lock, across both Japanese and English; I now own all of Eli's SSRs. ♥ Thank you, Elichika.

The second step up pull granted me another Instrument - that was an idolization I was so happy to do. Ice Cream, Animal, and Cheerleader all in one pull along with Instrument. I actually nearly cried. Still no UR in sight!

And so, with Eli's limited UR in my sights; I tried my luck again at the limited box...

No UR. Not today on English. But, Mermaid and Magician graced me; so I cannot complain. An idolizable SSR? Who would've thought I would've had at least those odds?

But then I remembered the green tickets! The fight wasn't over. Six tickets later...

All I got was another Ice Cream. Idolizable! But it was just an Ice Cream.

I can't help but be blessed, even if my luck wasn't as good as the super lucky or the people who can load money at the moment. I pulled many a good card, and I'm proud of myself for saving all the tickets I could and scrounging for the love gems.

I decided to do a solo on the last day of the box, and... I pulled White Day Eli! Thank you, blessed Eli ♥♥♥ I idolized her with some stickers right away because I just couldn't wait to see my beautiful White Day Elichika!

I unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control (the same ones that prevented me from spending money on Elichika's birthday), I don't have very much merchandise of my beloved Elichika. But I'll be headed to a convention in a few days and I hope to find some more Elichika merch to add to my budding collection~! ♥

I love Eli Ayase to death. I have my other favorites, and of course my Aqours main girl, but Eli will always be the nearest and dearest to my heart out of all the girls solely because she's the very girl who got me into Love Live in the first place.

µ's wouldn't be the same without Elichika, just as it wouldn't be the same without Honoka. She's a staple of the group and of the franchise entirely.

Elichika, happy birthday. ♥

And as Eli says...

"Harasho!"

Edit: I posted this before I was sure I could add this in, so here we are! One beautiful fanart by nanumn~.

Art by nanumn, permission given by the artist to use. Original art found here. Link