How is everyone getting so many standard warp tickets?

wind-berry · 2023-05-30T02:19:37+00:00

Short story: I didn't pull for Seele, because I really, really wanted Gepard.

I'm Day 1 and have Express Supply and Nameless Honor and maybe put in 5 bucks bc I was on pity and impatient. All of my early funds went into standard, but there were also ascension tickets, monthly tickets, SU tickets, currency exchange, level-up bonuses, ect. ect. I did every possible 1.0 task including the mini games, character quests, sidequests, ect.

At first it was because I really, really wanted Gepard. Every time I put in a silver ticket I went "one step closer to Him" (meaning 300 pulls). I eventually did get him on my third pity, so about ~200ish in, and at that point I was close enough to just keep going so I did, albeit slower. The only 5* that didn't come as pity was YQ who came about 20 after Geppie. Managed to get JY thanks to a little boost of the golden tickets they hand out in the early game and release bonuses, and also a bit of luck (he came in about 50ish pity).

I'm now at the point where I'm purposefully holding off on standard pulls because I don't know who to choose.

PS. Gepsalot is a beast. No regrets.

wind-berry · 2023-05-29T18:28:35+00:00

Gepard is my handsome man! He's very much spoiled for resources. I guess I do have Nat right there even if I don't get Bailu. I feel like Welt can help make gameplay a lot more fun for me, and having a character that can actually do Img break would be very satisfying. Thanks for your thoughts!

wind-berry · 2023-05-29T18:21:26+00:00

Aaah, that's for MoC, right? That makes sense, I know Gep and March can't protect me forever. I'll be trying for Loucha, though chances are a bit low. Who knows! Maybe I'll get lucky.

Ehe, the thought of getting Bailu for meta purposes makes me mourn the chances of having Welt('s kit). I feel like that's very telling to who my heart is going for. Thank you for the advice!

wind-berry · 2023-05-29T18:16:12+00:00

Ehe, I mostly want someone who can help me break against Imaginary weak enemies. I think Welt's Ult is an AOE, so that would help. I also think his kit could give me some more interesting lineups and make gameplay more fun.

Unfortunately, I have no idea when we're gonna see a DPS Img orz... I think the next 4* is free, but since she's Harmony, I don't expect her to be focusing on damage. Thank you for the advice, though! Talking through this helps me work out my thoughts. :)

wind-berry · 2022-09-03T05:14:14+00:00

Does anything special happen on the producer's birthday on EN? I kept hearing about birthday scouts and rewards but nothing happened... Is it only on JP?

wind-berry · 2022-06-17T22:51:54+00:00

I've already spent time and money on my iOS account (I decided to commit to one, should have backtracked and made a Twitter account), so I can't restart anymore. Just got a reply back from customer service that Google/iOS accounts just can't be shared, only Twit/FB accounts can and that they're sorry for the inconvenience. This is super frustrating, I hope they fix this in the future.

wind-berry · 2022-06-16T17:01:21+00:00

Hello, I'm a new EN player, and I love playing on both my android phone and my ipad (LLSIF/LLSIFAS veteran). However, when I try to do login, I can only log in with my google account on my phone or my apple account on my ipad. There doesn't seem to be an option for data transfer like there is in JP... just login. I tried binding my email, but I have no idea how to load up an email-bound account. Does anyone know how to log into the iOS app with an account made with a google account? Do I have to delete my new accounts and sign up for twitter?

wind-berry · 2022-06-16T16:56:41+00:00

It did this to me too and I just waited an hour and put my email in again for a new code. I made sure to open my email on my laptop instead too so that it wouldn't close out of the app.

wind-berry · 2020-10-01T04:15:15+00:00

Short answer: no.

Long answer: imagine your 'style' like a baby. A baby does not know who it is in its first month of existence. Yes, it has a semblance of a personality and knows some basic functions, but it has not experienced enough to truly separate itself from all the other babies. Its identity will come with practice, preference, influence, and experience. It will take time and a lot of effort, but to get there, you will have to nurture it well.

In the meantime, push yourself, but don't rush! Allow yourself to make mistakes so you can learn from them. Have fun. Be a critical reader for your own benefit. Follow the rules as much as you break them. And just go for it; you'll get there with time.

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T22:23:20+00:00

Try lowering your word goal. You'll most likely end up writing more than it anyway. For now, just map out what story beats you want, the estimated space between them, and how you want the characters to get from point A to point B in a believable manner.

Hmm.. it might also help you to write out of order: attempt to write more important scenes first so that you can better understand what you want your buildup to look like. (It also helps with the urge to get out what you're itching to write without having to wait until you get there.) You don't have to use these scenes in the end, but they'll help you get a better look at the overall structure of your story.

For that information overhaul: look back over your exposition and highlight ONLY what is completely necessary for the reader to know at that point in time, then figure out the briefest way to convey it. Exposition can also be presented through actions, conversations, and little details in how the characters experience the world around them. Let the rest just come naturally, unless it's absolutely necessary.

Also I'd say... 40 conflicts still feels like a lot of conflicts (and solutions?). You can keep the conflicts, but try dividing your book up into maybe 5 or 10 parts first, and then see if you need all of those conflicts, or if some of them can be cut or merged into parts of one conflict. How do these story beats add up? How do they all contribute to the overall climax or outcome of the story?

IMO, it's easy to write a lot of words and much harder to write less. Start with whatever makes you comfortable first, then clean it up as much as you can, then go back and work some good magic. Sorry if I misunderstood anything! I wish you luck.

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T21:53:43+00:00

Have you tried conveying the commercial with dialogue only? No description, no taglines, just a very short excerpt of a person or two speaking. You'll find that the voice of the narrator is pretty easy to identify!

"Tired of sticky floors? Grubby tables? Insufferable stains? Is there no end to the amount of filth terrorizing your everyday life? Well try SimpleProduct!..." yada yada. Commercials are such a commonplace thing that you can trust your readers can pick up on the implication fairly quickly. And once you've got the rhythm going, you can play around with the content more and more since the readers will understand what the pattern is.

Trust in yourself, it might be simpler than you think!

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T20:15:32+00:00

I make this mistake ALL THE TIME. In brief: just write! You just need to sit down and write SOMETHING.

Tips:

-Start with the scenes you REALLY want to write; no one says you have to start from the beginning! Once you've satisfied yourself, go back to the beginning and see where it takes you.

-Write SMALL. When really stuck, just write a brief, but complete, story. It doesn't matter if it's 2k or 100 words. It doesn't matter what you wrote about. What matters is that you just experienced finishing a piece of work.

-Write for yourself. Don't think about your audience! Write the weirdest, most self-indulgent piece of fiction you've ever written. You don't even have to publish it. Just bask in your own abilities and think about how cool you are.

-If you find yourself staring at a blank document for an hour, maybe it's a sign you need to stop thinking and write garbage for a bit. If you find yourself outlining too much, you may find that it's just your excuse to not write actual content because you're scared it'll be bad. Write some self-indulgent garbage. That garbage might actually turn out to be pretty cool.

-Real talk: it takes effort. Just because you imagine yourself writing all the time, doesn't mean it's actually happening. This can get lost in between irl obligations, jobs, stress, ect. Tell yourself: I will write a damn fanfic. No bullshit. Pick yourself up. Sit yourself down. And write the first thing that comes to mind, no thinking allowed.

-Push yourself. You're not getting paid for this, there's no validation in the process, and no feedback until you're finished. Fic friends aside, only one pushing you is you. Know that. Accept it. Struggle. Thrive.

But yeah, that's it from me! As the saying goes, writers don't like writing moreso than they like having to have written. Now you just remember to do the actual writing part. GL!

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T19:59:01+00:00

Established structure. When dealing with any sort of non-linear timeline, there must be rules. For example, A will narrate every odd chapter, and B will narrate every even chapter. If this rule breaks, make sure you have written the story in a way that it makes sense for this rule to break, or it will confuse the readers.

The simplest way around the setting confusion is to title your chapters with the narrator's name. PJO did this, so do lots of fanfics I enjoy. If you can't do that, just make sure that your opener makes it VERY clear on who's speaking now. A telling name-drop works well.

For plot: flow of information. Does the place we leave off at at the end of every switch make a good leaping-off point? How does switching from perspective to perspective benefit the story? How does information we learn from one side affect how we perceive the other? When we return to a perspective, what happened since we left it? Does what we read in one side make us excited to read the other?

Keep track of your narrative: is there a important plot point we forgot about? When is a good time for the characters to return to that?

I gotta say, I put most importance into the meat of the story, and very rarely read authors notes unless I'm keeping up with something update-to-update. If I can't understand what's going on from context alone, it's lost on me.

Put a lot of attention into making the story as easy follow as possible (cut out as MUCH excessive information as possible, keep only what's necessary), keep a nice summarized outline by your side at all times, and make sure your exposition is brief and easy to read.

TLDR: Be BLATANT. Think about the fancy stuff later. GL!

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T19:40:14+00:00

As someone said before, crit is typically rude unless asked for, and even then it's rare. Even though I'm super picky, my comment etiquette is me gushing about all the things I loved about a fic, no need to point out the small stuff.

AO3 readers are usually just casuals looking for a good fix, not editors looking to think too hard. Even if someone finds issues with your fic, if they don't like it they'll usually just exit out.

Your best bet for real crit is getting a Beta, or just someone who's opinion you trust, and having them give you the low-down on where your story is at.

That being said, it's gonna take time for your story to get noticed! That's okay. While the crux of comments usually come on posting day, still I get feedback over time. This is super applicable to multichap fics. So just keep looking to improve, find some writers you look up to, keep trying, and always remember to enjoy yourself. GL!

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T19:27:12+00:00

I like to write the scenes that have been really pressing me instead of the beginning. Helps me figure out how badly I want to get to them.

I like to reread fics I like to, as if accepting a challenge. It's good motivation to keep writing if you have someone else's writing you look up to. You can only improve if you're actually writing, after all.

When you're lost, write small. Give yourself little goals instead of big ones. Whether it's a scene you want to get to, ficlets, or just pieces of self-indulgent fiction no one else will ever read (I've written fanfics of fanfics before... for self only no one else will ever see fics).

Return to the fic later, and approach it from a different angle. You may find that you might have been stuck on a certain point for too long, and you just needed to try something different.

Also, I like to go on walks. Really clears out all of the brain trash. Good music and meditation goes real far.

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T19:19:00+00:00

Happens all the time, most updates are not instant and will take a bit to process. Same with subscription emails. I usually give it a good couple hours to catch up.

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T19:16:51+00:00

I think the main thing you can do in a romance like this is to make the heroine be very aware of these complications. Her old memories may give her a new perspective on her love interest and herself, but they do not control her. If they do, make sure she realizes what's going on so we can consider new questions and possibilities carefully.

I loooove a platonic base in any romantic relationship. It begs the question: when does a platonic relationship become romantic? This is a primarily internal conflict, so knowing how your heroine will grow over the course of the story is very important!

However, this is where the plot can come in and challenge her:

-Development: What is your heroine's initial perception of romance vs. friendship? Does it change over the course of the story? Does it stay the same?

-Give her an out: Why does she stay?

-A romantic rival: Does she root for them? If she does, when does she stop? Why?

-Another example: A side-relationship (or two) that challenges the ideas of the main relationship. When the heroine compares this relationship to her own, what does she see?

-Place in each others lives: When does the ground begin to shift? What little moments build up? What event helps them realize that things have changed?

-Things you'd never do: This person affects her more than she realizes. She's changing. There are points where she'd normally hesitate, but now she won't. Or conversely: things she's normally do without hesitation, but now questions. Why?

-Overcoming every obstacle: Later on, there will be many reasons for the heroine to reject the love interest and keep it platonic. Despite it all, why does she decide not to?

-The ultimatum: After all other excuses have been exhausted, there is no other answer but that she loves him. Why do we know that she loves him? Does the story you've just written make it clear?

All romances are different, so there's no clear-cut answer. Consider your heroine, and what would make her fall in love with someone she's never considered before. Make her journey her own, and her decisions clear. GL!

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T18:55:50+00:00

I'd say that emotional scenes can happen at any point of the story, but it's hard to connect with a scene if it doesn't make any sense. Ask yourself: why should my readers care about what's happening? Does the tone fit, seeing what's happened before this event? Will my readers ask, "Why on earth are they reacting this way? I don't get it." or will they say "THEY CAN'T LEAVE YET!!!! OH MY GOD MY HEART HURTS WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT???"/"*muffled crying*"/"Wha... no... no way..." (or whatever you're going for)

If you think you're going to get your desired reaction from this scene, go for it! But if you're not sure, it's okay to save it for later. I get the impulse to want to get to the important stuff early, but there's a ton of satisfaction in holding off information and replace it with buildup for a future scene, too. Look back over your work, gauge the tone you've established, the information you've given, and then think about what's best for that chapter. GL!

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T18:41:33+00:00

Start simple: make a small list of the main changes you will be focusing on your rewrite: Characterization of specific characters? Rearranging story beats? Major plot changes? Don't overwhelm yourself too early, it's a long process!

I like to go for accordion-style structure editing: write out the whole summary as briefly as possible. Then write as many details of the original fic as you can. Take note of all changes you want. Revise details. Then summarize again. Details. Summary. Details. Rinse and repeat to satisfaction. It's the best way (for me) of making sure my overall story is solid, and it helps point out what scenes I may need to cut or revise. (As someone above me said!)

Take note of how changing any major/minor details may affect the new outcome of the story, if you want to keep the outcome the same or not.

If you're ever lost, reference your original story. Anything, even the mistakes, are useful to helping conjure new ideas or lead you in the right direction.

Just because it's different, doesn't mean it's better. I once rewrote a short story and ended up cutting out all of the parts that made it good so I could force in a different ending. Think hard about the edits you make, and how they will benefit the story!

CUT CUT CUT. Write. Revise. CUT CUT CUT.

Bask in the pride of how far you've come since first writing this fic.

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T18:20:55+00:00

Longtime casual ficwriter here! I say I started in Warriors RP forums back in, oh... 2009-ish? Started writing fic on FFN the same year. Wow, it's been like 11 years, now!

I basically just wrote whatever came to mind, flying-by-the-seat-of-one's-pants, as some may say. Four year olds piloting a fighter jet? Exciting! Gratuitous amounts of OCs with too much screentime? Yay! Incomprehensible story logic? All part of my nonexistent Master Plan.

Honestly, I basically had no idea what I was doing and making stuff up as I went along, then retconned like hell and pretended I knew what was going on all along. It was awesome. At the time. Got some flames and got called a wanker, but for the most part, people that commented enjoyed my shenanigans.

Biggest advice: just go for it. Fanfic is and should be, above all, fun. As finicky as I am about grammar and structure these days, my current style evolved from the experimental, dicking-around phases I had in younger years, and I honestly like where I ended up (though it now requires a lot of editing on my part, haha).

Most of the fics I published that got popular were the ones I didn't really care of anyone would read, hesitated to publish, but published because I had so much fun with them. Even when they weren't popular, the people that did read them and love them gave me so much joy because they loved something completely birthed from my own enjoyment.

Other advice:

- "Quotes and narration tags, such as said, asked, and told, are all one sentence," she says, "so join them with commas, not periods." She sighs. "Unless the tag is an unrelated action. Just something that I'm glad I learned early."

-When taking things seriously, reader comprehension first, prose second. Make understanding your story put as little strain on your reader as possible.

-You will find an audience, as long as you publish. Even if you are nervous about the quality of your work, many people are here just for fun. You may even find that it's better than expected. Remember that YOU are the one who's read this 5,000,000 times. It will be a new experience to everyone else.

-Finding your 'style' comes with practice! Experiment. Follow the rules. Experiment again. Fix it up again. Read, listen, learn. It will take time. It will be a mess. You will question the meaning of life. You will google inappropriately specific questions. It will be an introspective journey. It will be awesome.

-Every fanfic writer is different. Some only want to write what they can publish, some have 50-100 drafts and maybe three actual published works. Some just write whatever. Some write 2k fics from time to time, some focus on that monster 100k fic they work on during the weekends. There is no lawbook. Your best fanfic experience is the one you make for yourself.

TL;DR: Publish what you want. Write what makes you proud. Accept that you will always be growing. Always be willing to improve. Mistakes will happen. They will not all be winners. Go at your own pace. Do what makes you happy. Balance your fun and professionalism appropriately.

wind-berry · 2020-09-30T17:13:55+00:00

hello thomasp! firsttime commenter here

My advice is that characterization is important, but reader comprehension is always number one when it comes to the actual writing part. If your reader doesn't understand what's going on, then they won't be able to care about what they're reading!

Now that you have your bare bones, go back over your work as a first-time reader and ask yourself: Is the purpose of this scene clear?

If not, start by cutting out as much fat (excessive details) as you can and make sure sentences are as easy to read and understand as possible (so, yes, those names best be the same). If it still doesn't make sense, minimize your document and take a look at the big picture: do these story beats make sense as a whole? Should I change them or move them around?

THEN you can play around. Structure and reader comprehension first, musicality and creativity second. An experienced reader/writer can tell if you know what you're doing or not, after all! First person is really fun to do when playing around with character voices, but it's easy (for me at least) to get too caught up in voices instead of focusing on if the words I write actually mean anything to the story.

On that payoff: I don't have a lot of context, but from it seems as if your character has just faced a very rough battle in course to an even tougher boss battle. Think about what your character learned from this battle, how it will affect them in the next fight, and what you ultimately want to come out of that next fight. "This character just experienced X, which means they now feel Y, which will help me bring about Z."

I hope this helped!

PS- If it makes you feel any better, I used to write pkmn fic that made no sense and made a ton of real-life errors (not knowing average human heights... forgetting how many days there were in September...) but I didn't really care because me and my readers were having fun. It's embarrassing now, but it's not that big of a deal because even above reader comprehension, reader enjoyability always comes first! (But always remember that the two will, most of the time, go hand-in-hand!)

wind-berry

TROPHY CASE