Sunday, January 25, 2026

Cosplay: Cosplay Expo Pre-Event

Me: And... this one's different beyond different. 

Goh: It's an "expo"! So... probably like a convention but more.

Me: Yeah, you can say that. I'm told this is the creation of an out-of-town organizer who wants to see big things happen for characters [OOC: cosplay/cosplayers]

Ash: Oh, so that's why the "pre-event" thing.

Me: Pretty much. Also, I have to say that this is (was) a two-day thing, but for convenience, I've decided to cover it all today. That said, you were there yesterday...

Ash: Yeah! I saw a few of your friends for some time, and then I went to raid for Shadow Raikou and then back to you for something you needed help on.

Goh: Oh, I guess that could explain why too.

Me: Yes, um... Anyway, today it's mostly full for this...

Ash: ...but I was hunting for Shadow Chespin around the area too! It took a long time.

Pikachu: Pika pika? ["Too long?"]

Me: [sigh] Lots of things happening this weekend. Anyway, what did you see?

Ash: There were lots of stands for goodies, and a few of your character friends opened booths.

Goh: Didn't our friend say that he wanted to do the same for you?

Me: I really wanted to, but I'm still busy with something very important and ongoing, so I just couldn't make the effort. But I promise at some point it can and should happen.

Ash: I heard you should, from one of your character friends.

Me: See what I mean? That's for when things can happen.

Goh: By the way, it's a character convention, so it's got to have competitions, right?

Me: Of course it does! There was a character parade... but that was yesterday, and the raids happened at the same time, so that's a struggle.

Ash: There was a performance one today.

Me: That's even more of a struggle that I really mean to take on but I haven't been able to for various reasons, technical or otherwise. I'm really, really sorry.

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["You can do it!"]

Goh: We'll be waiting for you. Oh, and how about entertainment?

Me: Based on the schedule, it was dance groups and DJs. 

Ash: I saw them today!

Me: There you go.

Goh: And... I guess the rest of today was about our friend's friends.

Ash: You bet!

Me: Hey, that's better than nothing. All the same, I still we (I) could have done more.

Ash: Maybe you'll get a chance when this is in the faraway place.

Goh: Oh! So you mean this convention is a series? As the "pre-event" for the big thing?

Ash: Seems like it, from what I was told.

Me: That's pretty nice. So, I'll see if I can plan out some things.

Pikachu: Pika pika chu. ["It should happen."]

Goh: After all that, I guess we could say this one has some good things going on.

Me: Especially for what they're promising next.

Ash: Let's see if we can make good things happen!

Goh: I'm rooting for you two all the way. 

Me: We'll see. At that point, it would really be time to "expose" ourselves.

Ash: And our big things.

Me: True, that.

Nine years ago: Keychains!
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Saturday, January 24, 2026

The Importance of Community Tournaments

A few of my TCG fellows are currently in a faraway place yet one that is somewhat familiar to me for two tournaments, a "community" tournament today and then an official tournament tomorrow. That reminds me of what I used to experience with Pokémon Go, albeit with more "community" tournaments and less (nary, even) official tournaments. For that, I thought I'd take a post on discussing the consideration of their importance for the Pokémon realms above as well as Pokémon in general.

By the above, it becomes evident that "community" tournaments provide a kind of practice for the official ones, even in the great absence of the latter. For those who are truly passionate about their gaming skills as in any of the current games being featured in the Pokémon World Championships, this is somewhat important, as the chance to make it to official tournaments could come any time and so does the opportunity to qualify for the World Championships, for which they are meant to provide.

If practicing for official ones isn't in order, then practicing to hone up one's own skills may be. That seems to be the very least that even the most competitive of players like the TCG fellows I mentioned can do - and in fact, a few of the ones who came today came for a competitive side event they can play in rather than the main event that they did not qualify for. For those players, then being competitive means having perfected the skills to compete, and that seems considerably just as important.

Even without all of that, the opportunity to socialize with other players is a given at the venues of the tournaments, and the "community" ones have a leg up on this aspect by their nature that tends to the informal side of things. It's not hard to expect that informal events lead to less structured happenings, and within those happenings, participants can squeeze in chances to mingle and talk with others. People are of course social beings, and that as far as things go is important, even in events.

Now, I'm sure at this point some of those TCG fellows are already gearing up for the official tournament scheduled for this day, which definitely has an importance of its own. But with regard to both TCG and Pokémon Go (by my experience) as well as any other competitive Pokémon realm past and present, the "community" tournaments can present their own points of importance, including those explained above. For me and others, those are as important as the games themselves.

Four years ago: The Sinnoh Cup of GBL
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Friday, January 23, 2026

The Unluckiest Wonder Picks

The Wonder Pick is a key part of TCGP since pretty much the beginning, allowing players to obtain a duplicate card off of someone in the world, although by luck (chance). However, many people know all too well that luck doesn't necessarily bode itself well, including for Wonder Picks as a luck-based situation. Based on several recent observations, including a few of my own, I thought I'd discuss how this can manifest in Wonder Picks, as in ones that are very unlucky for the players that make them.

Recall that I've discussed how the Deluxe Pack ex forces Wonder Picks from the "expansion" to have Pack Hourglasses in lieu of the fifth card, and this is definitely a source of unluckiness. I've had my share of picking the Hourglasses instead of a desired card in the past, and certainly others are experiencing it now - with a temporary return of the expansion for a few days more - making the "unlucky" aspect somewhat evident for the Wonder Picks of concern. It's a "specialized" case that is not all that "special". 

Meanwhile, there have been a few cases of Wonder Picks having multiple desirable cards, but a player ends up picking the undesirable one. This has happened to me with three of the former cards in a Wonder Pick, yet I end up picking one of the latter cards instead. It's a rather unlucky situation for all concerns, and I'm sure I'm not the only one in this regard. In comparison, Wonder Picks with just only one desirable card seem meek and understandable for what they are and the chances that are involved.

Finally, it is possible that a player is targeting a specific card from Wonder Picks - perhaps aided by their Wishlist - but can never seem to pick that one card. For a friend of mine, this has actually been the case, having lost count of the number of times trying to pick a targeted "full art" card but unsuccessfully. I've also had a partial experience with this situation with some cards from an event rather than an expansion. Either way, the unluckiness is apparent, and it may be frustrating for many players, even me.

Being that Wonder Picks have the chance, luck, or gacha element (whatever one likes to call them), some unfortunate results are surely to be had from time to time. Even so, some of these unfortunate results seem to just be able to manifest themselves in patterns that very much resemble the situations that I've described above, and possibly even more beyond what I've observed. With Wonder Picks, some results are certainly enthralling, but others may just put one into another sense of "wonder".

One year ago: The Ship Guiders
Seven years ago: Islands and Continents
Eight years ago: Passing the Guard
Nine years ago: Two Pokémon Pillows
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Thursday, January 22, 2026

I Miss My Unite Friends

What I like about Pokémon Unite, as its name suggests and just like other games of its genre (MOBA), is the way that it can bring together various players and have them connect as friends. In fact, that is now something I long for, with the seemingly recent forced "downturn" of the game and the fact that it seems many of my in-game friends seemingly have been inactive for a very long time (even if they're active when I'm not and vice versa). I've thought about that "longing" and have decided to make it into a discussion point here, certainly.

I have recently made some new friends in and for the game, yet I haven't had a chance to play with for a major timescale - and just when I do want to, they go and play other games instead, making them "seasonal" gamers - and that makes me miss them somewhat. The feeling of being so close and yet so far to these friends is a frustrating one as well, which adds to the feeling of longing, especially for those who I can trust to get things done in the game, and if they can be met in person, to do just that with additional communication.

Then there are friends who have publicly announced they'll stop playing the game due to the forced "downturn", and those for whom the downturn might have affected them by making them play the game rather erratically. Incidentally, I might be considered to fall into the latter camp due to my sometimes regular and sometimes erratic times of playing the game, so some friends on the other end might miss me for that. All the same, I do miss them for what they may or may not bring to the game with their current way of dealing with it.

As for other friends, I've made more than my fair share of "one-off" friends, those who I encounter just once in a match and then almost never after that, with either them befriending me or me accidentally befriending them. Depending on who they are and how they played with me, I might miss them just a little, or perhaps even more than a little. What is clear is that some longing is established for them, though the same might not be true on the other side, which could mean that I may just need to move on from them as they probably should also.

Now, friends are always important in any game, especially those that require a team of players to play as in the case of MOBA games in general and Pokémon Unite as a specific case. Such an importance then lends itself to any player longing to play with their friends, as I do for the friends on my Pokémon Unite friend list. It's a longing that may or may not be satiated by further play with other people, and it'll just have to be a feeling that remains there while I continue to deal with the game, at least before a real "downturn" occurs.

Two years ago: A Journey's Anthem
Seven years ago: Fan Art... for Me!
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Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Holding Out for a Howl

Much of my recent non-Pokémon dealings lately have been influenced by a "howling" (not humming - that's another matter) of a certain sort. In a way, it's kind of natural, since those dealings happen to occur late at night, the time at which those sounds are expected to occur. Evidently, the matter creeps back into my Pokémon dealings, one of which is this blog... and I figured I'd (and might as well) put in the discussion with my thoughts about it, and of course the relevant and necessary Pokémon elements.

"Howling" would surely evoke the creatures that make such a sound, which would be wild dogs, two of which I'd brought up a long, long time ago. They're also natural in the time of day that I mentioned above. If the conditions are right and a Trainer - or even just a regular person - finds oneself in those conditions, they and their other Pokémon might just be tempted to howl along with them. In fact, that might be considered the essence of that situation with the "howling", where some might just do it together.

Some Pokémon, meanwhile, are only doglike in resemblance or nature, but they might just put out a pretty good sound themselves that closely resemble a "howl". In that respect, they could join in the "howling" as well with that sound. As for Trainers or regular people who join in the "howling", they might do so for other reasons, including to relieve stress from certain daily life issues and to have a bit of fun with others, especially where Pokémon is concerned. That too seems to be quite linked with that situation.

Perhaps, as the title of this post suggests, that may be what I really need right now: a good "howl" for all my current happenings in and out of Pokémon, both good and not so good. That may or may not need the specific situation I've mentioned, but it seems a pretty good add-on (and for adding in Pokémon, if I can do so myself - or just through the composition of this post). After the "howling", the problems that be can let themselves be, and additional joys can then manifest. So, given all that have been said...

HOWLLLLLL.........!

Four years ago: Six Degrees of Separation
Six years ago: Getting Too Technical
Nine years ago: Dreams of Itasha
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Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Tips and Tricks for New Café Remix Events

Lately, two new event types have gained prominence in Café Remix, which would be Café Pop-Up and Full-Belly Adventure, using the Slow Cooking and One-Minute Cooking frameworks respectively. So prominent they are that they have almost completely displaced the original events where the frameworks first appeared (Outdoor Tea Party and Pokémon visits). Given their prominence, it seems important to try to provide helpful tips and tricks for playing through these events, in a way similarly to each other.

As explained, both of these events use the "food storage box" item, of which five are earned each day. The ones earned for each day of an event instance don't have to be used on that day, meaning that they can accumulate, but like certain efforts, it's best not to delay using them until the end, for it would mean a lot of effort when that comes. The ones earned (also exchanged) for an event instance are also lost when the event ends, so it means having the commitment for their usage as an event progresses.

For Café Pop-Up, the strategy is pretty much the same as an Outdoor Tea Party: fill the points of the other guest Pokémon until the feature guest appears, then fill the points of the feature guest to earn as many rewards as possible for it. After that, the other guest Pokémon can have the rest of their points filled up as well and their rewards obtained. Since Pelipper becomes an additional guest for those who purchase a Mighty Menu, those who do so should also try to prioritize filling its points up as well along with the guest.

Then, for Full-Belly Adventure, earning points continuously is an effort in the same vein as a regular Pokémon visit, as is purchasing a Mighty Menu and/or High Score Skips (the latter also applying to the above). It often takes a while to earn enough coins to exchange for the feature visit and its associated resources, including cookies, but ideally, it's the first thing one should exchange for. After that, it's all about exchanging for all other necessary and useful items, which definitely depends on one's status for those items.

Even if the new Café Remix events are not all that different from their previous (particularly, non-paid) iterations, a lot of their underpinnings remain the same, so some tips and tricks apply equally well. For their other aspects - especially the limited play and payment aspects - there are other applicable tips and tricks to make the best of time and any payment that has been made. Following that, it's still a matter of continuing to do one's best with the staff Pokémon and to maintain their prominence alongside the events.

Seven years ago: Cosplay: Toys Week Season 2
Nine years ago: All in the Cards
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Monday, January 19, 2026

Changing Club Campfire Rewards in Pokémon Go

From one overdue post on Pokémon Go comes another one, this time on a more social aspect pertaining to the game. As I had presented around a year ago, usage of the Campfire app alongside Pokémon Go can also beget in-game rewards under the Club Campfire banner by checking in to various community meetups within the Campfire app. Some months after I had made the discussion, however, the rewards were expanded and furthermore changed, which rendered a few of my points obsolete. Since the rewards have been pretty much stable since then, now it becomes rather imperative to make a discussion about them.

Now, the player can no longer manually choose rewards; instead, they're determined by the meetup (as the event it's associated with). Community Day, as a highlight, has a page of Party Play tasks and a second page of catching tasks, while others are composed of just a single page - although Community Day also had just one page for some time. The meetups can now be for Spotlight Hour, Research Day, Hatch Day, Raid events, Max Battle events, PvP events, and "other" events in addition to Community Day, all having their own tasks (certainly) along with the specific rewards that are furnished, which may be lucrative.

To obtain the tasks for the rewards, one needs to check in as usual and then claim the 500 XP bonus - technically a completed Timed Research page - within one hour (an important point, lest they are lost), which also serves as a "check" for participation in the meetup. After that, again as usual, the tasks need to be completed within eight hours, which should be sufficient, moreover if there are no Party Play tasks to deal with. The tasks are made complementary to one's objectives, and it should be possible to make good on completing the tasks.

Since the tasks and rewards can no longer be chosen manually, though, a player has to be rather proactive, especially for the Party Play tasks. They're supposed to be for meetups after all, so a friend or another player should be handy for that purpose. At any rate, the expanded tasks and rewards become further incentives to attend supported meetups (of which there can be even more of them now) and increment the Community Member medal. In doing so, the effort might just pave the way for other achievements.

Yet after all, Pokémon Go is still a game of people-linking as much as it is about Pokémon catching (and battling, caring, and so on), so the expansion of the Club Campfire meetups and the associated rewards is only natural and could be considered somewhat necessary. Beyond that, players (Trainers) can and should enjoy the increased flexibility that comes along with them for whatever Pokémon accomplishments they can muster when they gather in groups.

Seven years ago: Peace
Eight years ago: Suspending My Disbelief
Nine years ago: Ash, Satoshi, or... Ali?
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