Pigs: Not Very Good in Minecraft

Choose your fighter! (Corny joke, I know.)

Note that I do not hate pigs in either Minecraft or real life. I think they're really cute. And I know how significant Reuben is to some players of Minecraft: Story Mode...though I wish he had more heroic moments.

I was about to call pigs the "worst" animal in Minecraft, but there are way worse animals out there like bats which literally drop nothing.

Food is undoubtedly a high priority in Minecraft, and animals are common and viable sources of food. They'll often be the player's first food source because wheat takes time to grow and apples take a bit of luck to get. Steak and cooked porkchop, in particular, are very popular because they restore 8 hunger points compared to bread's 5 and the apple's 4.

Animals are not just useful for food, however. They also provide several other items or uses besides being killed for meat. Cows drop leather and can be milked, sheep can be sheared for wool, and chickens regularly lay eggs.
And the pig is no exception. Besides dropping porkchop, it can be ridden if the player has a saddle and a carrot on a stick.
But I'm gonna tell you why, despite these abilities, the pig is not as good as other animals in Minecraft.

First off, pigs drop nothing but porkchop on death. This wouldn't be so bad if they were more common or dropped more meat than cows, but both pigs and cows are equally rare and drop the exact same number of meat: 1-3 per kill.

Second, horses only need a saddle and a little bit of "befriending time" to be rideable. Pigs need a saddle and a carrot on a stick, which requires a steady supply of carrots and can take up inventory space.
Pigs travel at 5.20 m/s, while horses can travel from 4.8375 to a whopping 14.5125 m/s. In most circumstances, a horse will move faster than a pig.

Third, speaking of carrots, pigs breed when given carrots. Carrots rarely drop from zombies and villages aren't always easy to find, unlike wheat seeds which can be found anywhere on the surfaces of most biomes.
Breeding a cow or chicken is much easier and more rewarding.

Fourth and not so significant because I'm out of ideas, a pig struck by lightning turns into a zombie pigman, unlike the other farm animals.
If the player only has at most 2 pigs and is unlucky, this would ruin the opportunity to make a pig farm.
But even farms with a lot of pigs can be affected. If the player accidentally hits a zombie pigman while killing pigs in a farm, the player would be in huge trouble as zombie pigmen are fast and powerful.

So, in conclusion, prioritize getting cows, chickens, sheep, and horses because of their amazing usefulness. Don't focus on pigs unless there are no other animals.

And I think I'm notorious now for injecting Hytale into non-Hytale blog posts, so here we go.
Hopefully Hytale will have balanced-out food, especially in combat situations. Minecraft 1.8 is notorious for making the player go hungry way too quickly.

PART 1: It Ain't No "Come to My Country" Scam: A Lazy Narration of My Singapore Trip

Mom's and Dad's faces are used with permission.

I was a tween when I first visited Singapore (but I don't remember exactly how old I was or what year it was), and in short because I'm lazy, it was far beyond expectations. I got to visit the Singapore Flyer and Universal Studios. The MRT was fast and easily accessible.

On July 2019 (I think), my mom asked me, my dad, and my younger brother if we want to go out of the country again, this time with a choice of either Singapore or Hong Kong.
I chose not to go to Hong Kong because...well, I felt nostalgic towards Singapore and I might get confused if I go to Hong Kong. Good thing I stood by my decision because of the Hong Kong protests that happened later, and I don't wanna get caught in the crossfire or thought of by the police as a protester.

My main purpose for going to Singapore, however, is to meet with one of my friends from our old home Minecraft server, whose username is NachoPizza. Besides Minecraft, we share a strong interest in the Pokémon games, and he knows a bit about Fire Emblem as well. We co-wrote two guides for our Minecraft server, and lots of players liked them.
I admit, though, that I was nervous before meeting him because of my lack of social skills and I didn't know if he acts differently outside of the Internet.

I'm not the type to talk about my vacations to others because I find it pointless--talking about a vacation is not the same as actually going on vacation. So, since I'm lazy, let's get started.

Preparation

My university, UPOU, trolled me with a short vacation--from ~6 weeks to just 3 weeks. However, those 3 weeks were shortened because I finished my school work for the previous term a few days before their extended deadlines.

I was hopeful that I could have a Singapore vacation without thinking about school work, but nooo, the next term started one week before our trip.

So, because I refuse to study anywhere besides home, I finished all of my school work in just two days.

"But nooo, that didn't work out, did it?
So guess what? I get to break my promise too!"
Original video by GunVsGun

I brought...way too many clothes to the point that my backpack alone weighed more than 4 kg. Combined with my other bags which held a tablet, a DSLR camera, and a Nintendo 3DS, I had 5.75 kg worth of luggage. Since the weight is concentrated on my shoulders, it was a pain to carry all my bags at once, so I made a lot of martial arts noises while squatting, standing, or taking bags off to save my energy. This is why, in my Fire Emblem: Three Houses post, I said I'm poor at heavy armor.

(Imagine if Coach G-Force made me do the "jacket on, jacket off" drill with my heavy bags.)

Hey, look at me, I'm an Armored Knight
(Dad took this picture with my tablet, and yes, its camera sucks)
Taken in Changi Airport in the bus stop at Terminal 4

Side note: After my Singapore trip, I tried jogging on the treadmill for 5 minutes at 7 km/h with a 25 lb weight in my backpack. It hurt my back and shoulders a LOT...but funny enough, I didn't get sore the next morning.

I ordered 6 cheese breads at my mom's bakery franchise in case I go hungry on the way to Singapore. I got tired of eating after having 4 on the car ride to NAIA, but I ate them all anyway, and I got stuffed.
but i got hungry anyway upon landing at Singapore--i didn't want to bring extra food because my bags are already fully loaded and i didn't know food is acceptable in luggage inspection (intentional bad grammar)

I don't like filling up forms with a pen, but hey, they have a death penalty!

Day 1

Dad booked an Airbnb near Aljunied, but...well, he and my brother were furious about it. First off, we didn't know how to open a lockbox after entering the code, so, after wrecking our fingers and tools by fiddling on the darn thing to no effect for about 10 minutes (my pen even broke), I looked up a YouTube video (the room had Wi-Fi and we were given the password) and successfully opened it.

Then they got furious yet again because of the electrical sockets being different from the ones we have here in the Philippines, so we couldn't plug in our chargers.

My dad wrote an angry but vague review and led us out of the Airbnb to book a hotel stay. I don't know how Airbnb works, but we weren't given a refund despite barely touching the room.

I think Mom and Dad did not know where our hotel, Hotel Boss, was, so we looked for a taxi, but many of them were occupied.

I didn't want to get my bags dirty, so I kept them on my shoulders and felt like an Armored Knight for about 30 more minutes. Well...at least I was still able to run, but I couldn't jump properly.

When we got into the taxi, I was weirded out by how the driver is on the right side of the vehicle rather than the left and how the left lane is used when going forward instead of the right, akin to British vehicles and streets. (In the Philippines, we have American-style car and street layouts: the driver is on the left side, and we drive on the right side of the road.)

But hey, traffic isn't that bad, and we were fast! These drivers are really good at making turns quickly and properly. On the other hand, I slow down a LOT when turning.

Anyway, we settled in Hotel Boss a few minutes later, which is in Lavender this time (we skipped Kallang station, which made me surprised because I imagined the stations to be very far from each other).

How my brother set up the desk.

The bed I...er, hijacked.
I was so tired that I simply put down my stuff here lazily.
It's my way of...marking my territory.

Some people like views like this...so here you go. I'm lazy.

We ate dinner at this nearby restaurant called Founder Bak Kut Teh...which serves meats that I found weird like "organs" and "feet".

I went for fried beancurd (tofu) because it's the only familiar one. I like tofu. (yeah i'm probably a soy boy (intentional bad grammar))

No other significant events happened after that. We were all very tired upon going back to the hotel room. I just played Fire Emblem Heroes until I fell asleep.

Day 2: Universal Studios

I did very little planning before going to Singapore, other than the stuff I'm bringing, especially when about to meet with NachoPizza. I got surprised when I was told to wake up early to prepare for Universal Studios on this day.

When Dad rang the doorbell, though, I immediately awakened and picked up my sling bag (which contained my tablet) and camera bag. (I left my Nintendo 3DS behind.) I did this to prepare my body for moving quickly and to avoid falling asleep again.

Interestingly, my brother chose not to come. I'm not sure why, but I know he hates traveling.

I'll skip ahead to lunch time: We ate at this...er, "foodcourt" called Food Republic, which has a variety of stalls selling lots of native food.

For this and the rest of our family food trips, I let Mom and Dad choose where to eat. Even though they let me choose, I wanted to spare myself the frustration of having my ideas rejected because of reasons like "you eat that too much" and "let's try something new" (they're the higher authority, anyway, so they always make the final decision), and I wanted to stick close to the group to avoid getting lost in the crowd of people and winding pathways.

I forgot to change the exposure settings after taking the nighttime cityscape photo above.
I was in a hurry to take most of these photos so I don't fall behind the rest of the group.
This is a chicken cutlet (tonkatsu), by the way.

We went straight to Universal Studios afterwards, and...well, more photos because I have to. Mom and Dad (but mostly Dad) were walking very fast and maintained mobility while taking pictures with their smartphones, so I struggled to keep up while walking like a normal person and properly aiming my camera. I often ran to regroup.

It's almost mandatory to take a picture of the Universal Studios globe.

I used the continuous shot feature of my camera to take shots rapidly while holding the "take photo" button; kinda like a machine gun.
While doing so, I ran around the Universal Studios globe because I suck at choosing camera angles.

Me want cookie too (intentional bad grammar), but one is SG$2.50, and my dad said no.
A typical parent answer that still frustrates me.

Interestingly, those two girls dressed in red and yellow asked me to take their picture using their camera. Happy to help, ladies! How kind of you for not stopping me, Mom and Dad!

I remember the Steven Spielberg thing from the last time I went to Universal Studios, so we went there after a Sesame Street ride. Problem is, I knew there were fire effects and the possibility of getting wet (especially because my sling bag's zipper is broken), and we went very close to the action, so I was very nervous. It simulates a Category 5 hurricane, similar to Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) which hit the Philippines.
I assumed that most, if not all, effects in movies are computer-generated. So when I went there, I was surprised of how real everything felt--the room heated up when fire appeared, and there was even fire in the water. (HOW!? Is it actually gasoline?) A huge ship appeared at the end and bumped the fence separating the scene from the audience, making a splash of water.

We then took the Transformers ride which simulates a battle against Megatron on some kind of car. It drove around several 3D screens, as if on a high-speed car chase. Even if the car barely moved in reality, it felt like moving at high speed and bumping things. The scariest things are when building chunks are flung towards the viewers and when Megatron is "grabbing" the car.
Well, at least bumping things in that ride is not the same as bumping a real-life car...which would be far more painful.

We didn't do much of the Ancient Egypt part because I'm terrified of whatever roller coaster is in that pyramid. I HATE roller coasters and would rather be poked multiple times by syringes or be told to take an exam.
We just did that driving thing with the snakes and bugs.

A portion of the driving ride thing.
A lot of rides don't allow pictures -_-

Hytale dungeons better look as good as this.

We went around the Jurassic Park part quite a lot because I'm familiar with two of the rides there. First, we took the Canopy Flyer, which is kinda like an upside-down roller coaster--the seats are under the rails. The line was super long, so I "hijacked" the free Wi-Fi and played Fire Emblem Heroes...and it certainly made the wait feel shorter.
Right before riding, I was nervous of my stuff falling off, so I wrapped my arms around my bags tightly. Thankfully, they have shelves for temporarily storing bags.
I can't remember how I enjoyed the ride as a tween because, as a young adult, I made loud martial arts noises as the vehicle moved at high speed up and down while tilting--I felt like I was about to fall off. Dad, on the other hand, cheered like a little girl, saying things around the lines of "Whee!" and "Yippee!"
When Mom asked, "How's the ride?" I replied, "I died."
Actually, I wanted to ride again for some weird reason (like I have a death wish), but I don't want to wait out the long line.

We then took that boat ride which takes riders through some kind of dinosaur zoo. There were fast currents and a lab entrance that puts the riders near the open mouth of a T-rex, but the riders escape on a steep slope that felt like a roller coaster ride, which I was NOT prepared for, and the lady to my right got soaked while I, who was seated on the middle, barely got wet besides my right sock. Thanks to my mom for lending me her jacket! (She did not ride because she got super dizzy after the Canopy Flyer.)

We saw Waterworld, which was a live, action-themed performance. The special effects were more terrifying and realistic, but I got lazy to talk about it here.

We were running out of time since Universal Studios was about to close, so, after a quick snack break, we went to Far Far Away, and the first thing Mom and Dad did is...you know...

I didn't wanna invade people's space, so I took this shot with my arms fully extended upwards.
RIP arms.

No, this is not CGI. This is not the medieval era, either.
It's actually a 4D cinema, but I sure as heck wanna raid this thing if it had actual defenses.

We went for the ride on the side opposite the castle, and...it's a roller coaster. One of the riders explained that it's a "slow" roller coaster, but I braced myself anyway. I mean, I just went through the Canopy Flyer, so an actual roller coaster won't hurt much...will it?
Ah, fudge it, I died...a bit less. Interestingly, I didn't shout "HA!" as much. If only I can have a "meh" face like Mr. Bean on a roller coaster ride... He even fell asleep.

We stormed went into the castle next for the 4D theater, and I kept my feet up after the spider crawling effect. I don't know how they pull it off, but it felt terrifying like I was about to be stung. The snorting and spitting scenes combined with the water shooting made me grossed out, thinking it's actual mucus or saliva. At least I enjoyed the rocking seat during the horse chase. (I wanna watch a WWE match in 4D and feel the seat shake each time a superstar crashes on the ring.)

(Something about the Puss in Boots ride)

The last ride we took before leaving Universal Studios is...the Sesame Street space ride, for some weird reason. I still wonder how they pulled off the floating vehicle effect when I didn't see any rail on the bottom. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough--it could be on the top of the vehicle...

We bought some Hershey's Nuggets--chocolates with almonds inside. Needless to say, I gobbled them up quickly in the hotel room.

But before the hotel room thing, I was curious about this Head Rock VR thing I saw in brochures around Resorts World Singapore. There was a "VR Room" with a "zombie slasher" game.
But, in the end, I chose the "Robin Hood" part, which is actually not a VR game--it's real archery. I already know boxing, so I want to be able to attack from far away without using environmental objects. So here's my target after shooting 9 arrows: (One fell on the floor)

Crappy archer!
If only I could practice infinitely at home, I could get better at this...

Here are some dinner pics after we got back to the hotel:

I like many things with -katsu at the end. Don't judge me. jk

Lastly, since the parents and kids were in separate hotel rooms and Mom and Dad were asleep, I snuck out of the hotel room to scout Yishun, where I think NachoPizza lives, since I was preparing for when he wants to meet there. I had a Singapore Tourist Pass, so I was able to ride infinitely until it expired.
Problem is, the MRT closes at 12 midnight, so I was only able to explore the area surrounding the Yishun station. I like how it's close to both a park and a busy road.
The round trip took roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes in total.

End of Part 1.
I got lazy to do Part 2; I got hooked into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas since Rockstar Games gave it for free through their launcher. Also, curse you, school work.

My Opinion on Some Fire Emblem: Three Houses Characters

CAUTION: This post contains sexual content. Viewer discretion is advised.
This also contains spoilers from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, and Pokémon Sun and Moon.
No meme disclaimers about Hytale speculation this time. And no Avengers: Endgame spoilers.

Some of you know that I regularly sneak in Fire Emblem-related content into my blog posts, especially the Hytale-related ones, even though I haven't done a single post focused heavily on Fire Emblem.
Well, here you go.

These characters are critiqued based on personal preference, personality, and physical appearances. This is NOT a competitive guide.
Note that I do not fully know these characters as I don't have time to watch a lot of Three Houses videos. I need to practice for Hytale, and school work sucks.

Byleth-Male

Appearance-wise, he's alright. Better than Corrin, but worse than Robin. He looks kind of serious compared to both avatars.
I'm playing as Byleth-Male, by the way.

Byleth-Female

I find it weird that her navel is shown on her default outfit because it's not professional-looking for a professor (even though another professor has more revealing clothing), but I still think she's the best-looking of all the female avatars, and she's a third option in case the two waifus later in this post are unavailable. (Interestingly, female Robin is my least favorite avatar.)

Byleth in general

I find it weird watching his/her running animation (when wearing the default outfit) because the sleeves make him/her look like he/she has two extra arms flowing behind his/her back.

To continue the trend with avatar characters, Byleth is a versatile unit; he/she has balanced stats, growth rates, and no flaws except his/her somewhat low Res (like Robin).

He/she is flexible with all weapons, but I'm so happy that he/she is proficient at brawling. I am a fistfighter, after all.

But, to be honest, I like Robin and Corrin better in combat than Byleth, mainly because I can assign assets and flaws to the past two avatars allowing me to make specialized builds within the same class. For example, a Swordmaster Robin with a +Strength Asset can have an up to 75% growth rate in Strength, which goes extremely well with the Swordmaster's naturally high Speed.

I'll mainly build my Byleth to match my own skills. I'm proficient in lances, bows, and brawling, but I'm poor at reason, authority, and heavy armor. (If budding talents could be customized, I'd have one in swords, but faith is also fine--I like healing my team.)

(As for the tea I like? Chamomile.)

Sothis

A kinda bratty Tiki lookalike with a shipload of hair. Her "transformation" in Fire Emblem Heroes is silly.
Speaking of Fire Emblem Heroes, she's annoying me like crazy in the Arena and Aether Raids. Her Speed is insanely high and she has a powerful Special skill that restores HP and does a lot of damage with only a 2 cooldown. Combine that with something that improves her mobility like Guidance or Gray Waves and it's extremely tough to run from Sothis before the enemy phase.

Black Eagles

Edelgard

Kinda pretty, not gonna lie. Her outfit makes her look like a modern-day general, I think.

But I'm mostly indifferent. Besides, a lot of other men like Mangs are chasing after her.

As for battle prowess, I'm not sure about her Three Houses performance, but she's so good in Fire Emblem Heroes. She fits the "female Hector" role quite well; her skills turn her into a hard-hitting tank when not adjacent to any ally. I gave her Axebreaker to bypass Wary Fighter users like Surtr (who annoys me because of his tankiness, personal weapon, and awful personality).

Hytale Smash Bros. Stuff

Hytale allows players to change their character models and even gain the ability to fly, according to their "Custom Content" post. I think this has potential to be turned into a Super Smash Bros.-like minigame, and if I were to contribute to such a minigame, I would pay homage to Three Houses.

If Hytale adds an eagle as a playable character, make it optional to put long white hair on it. Make it wield an axe on its talons or beak. Modders can add Adrestian Emperor armor.

Limit its flight to something similar to Jigglypuff's or Kirby's jumping.

Maybe it can be slightly faster than infantry like Kweebecs or heavy fliers like dragons but slower than other lightweight fliers like the (deadeye) pigeon.

The eagle should probably be a versatile, strategic fighter to symbolize Edelgard receiving tactical advice from Hubert.

Hubert

I like his support conversations with Alfonse in Fire Emblem Heroes.

Other than that, he looks and acts like a massive douchebag. I think he's similar to Saizo in that regard; extremely loyal to their liege, but distrusting of others. His tactical ability reminds me of Soren from Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.

Dorothea

Very hot, not gonna lie. The hair, the smile, the fact that she's a songstress, the you-know-whats on her middle... No surprise that loads of men are chasing after her similar to Edelgard. If Dorothea saw her real-life lover boys, she would be in huge trouble inside her brain, I think.
She also roasts Sylvain hard in their C support conversation.

So, no. I'm not gonna jump into the Dorothea crowd.

I'm not a fan of Dorothea's timeskip appearance, though.

Ferdinand

He acts like a tryhard to Edelgard. Oh well, at least he makes a good cavalier; cavaliers are so dominant in the early game of most Fire Emblem games because of their movement, balanced stats, and early access to swords and lances.

Bernadetta

Her 2D art pre-timeskip is kinda ugly, not gonna lie. Her growth rates are a bit too average--50% speed doesn't matter much with a puny 35% strength.
She does look better in the timeskip, but I once mistook her for Lute.

But hey, she has a talent in writing! Sylvain accidentally read one of Bernadetta's novels, much to Bernadetta's shock.

Caspar

Bad anger issues are a huge no-no for me, especially since I regularly live with hot-heads.

But he does have a lot of redeeming qualities, like his well-balanced growth rates, specialization in brawling, and support conversation with Raphael.
I'd consider recruiting Caspar to be my speedy powerhouse similar to Chrom.

Linhardt

Too girly for my taste. I do sympathize with him because, like him, I enjoy researching (especially Hytale), but we're both lazy and sleepy. The Lyn x Reinhardt memes are funny, but I hate fighting Reinhardt in Aether Raids.

Petra

My favorite Black Eagles student. She's hot, versatile, and has great speed. (I respect people who are fast in real life.) I wish she had a more foreign accent, though.
(Too bad there are no daggers in Three Houses.)

Overall

Lots of hot waifus and hard hitters, but a lot of people choose Black Eagles for the waifus to begin with. So I give them a 7/10.
Interestingly, my Singaporean friend chose Black Eagles mainly for the waifus.

Blue Lions

Dimitri

I think he's handsome and I like how he specializes in lances, a weapon which I personally would like to specialize in.

But he gets FREAKING UGLY in the timeskip!

Interestingly, Joe Zieja pulled off many of Dimitri's attacks decently, even though Joe plays Claude. Maybe Claude should have a budding talent in lances instead of axes.

Hytale Smash Bros. Stuff

I think it's very likely that Hytale will have lions because of their Tweets related to The Lion King. Of course, let players put blonde hair (and maybe an eyepatch) on their lions. I'm not sure where to put a lance, though.

Maybe it should be focused on heavy offense because of that iconic "Kill every last one of them!" timeskip scene.

Dedue

He's eh.

Felix

I slightly like him mainly for being a speedy sword fighter, but I don't like how he acts like Navarre. He does like challenging strong foes like Fir does.

Mercedes

No, not the car brand.

I like her kindness and support conversations with Sharena, but I'll leave her alone with her BFF Annette.
I do understand why Mercedes is such a great waifu to some people: She gives that motherly vibe similar to Cherche. As Mark Manson said:

"In short, our unconscious is wired to seek out romantic interests who it believes will fulfill our unfulfilled emotional needs, to fill in the gaps of the love and nurturing we missed out on as kids. This is why the people we fall in love with almost always resemble our parents on an emotional level."

(I can't do that block quote thing; pls help)

Ashe

A bit better than Bernadetta, combat-wise. But I hardly know about his personality.

Annette

She's cute, but she belongs with Mercedes.

I still find it weird how she can use axes well, but at least it allows her to be a mixed attacker.

Sylvain

My favorite Blue Lions student.

Like me, he is loyal to his friends, but he's a womanizer like Sain and Inigo Laslow. (Laslow is a lot easier for me to say and memorize than Inigo.)

Come on, ladies, he's handsome. Get him while you can. I'm serious--this is tactical advice, not my lunacy at work.

I'll definitely try to recruit Sylvain into my class (if I have the money to buy a Nintendo Switch, which I don't).

Ingrid

Don't know her enough to make an opinion.

Overall

Sylvain is the only truly redeeming quality of this house. The other ones are meh. I give a 6/10.

Golden Deer

Thanks to Claude's Joe Zieja's video about Polygon saying Black Eagles is the most popular house, I got convinced into joining the Golden Deer, and boy, I have a lot of good things to say about this house.

Joe Claude

I like chill dudes. He's not as serious as Edelgard or Dimitri. He's a memelord. He's an archer. And best of all, he's a more mischievous version of Robin, but not to the point of Loki from Fire Emblem Heroes. (In Minecraft and Hytale, I fight dirty like Claude sometimes. Trorks, beware.)

Plus, Joe Zieja has a nice bulging chest. He's a US Air Force veteran, after all.

Hytale Smash Bros. Stuff

Of the three house mascots, the deer is the only one I know is confirmed in Hytale. And since I'm part of the Golden Deer, I'm playing as a deer. (And no, I'm not putting a "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" name tag on myself to pay homage to the upside down Claude memes.)

Naturally, to stay true to Claude, the deer should wield a bow and specialize in dirty tactics like hit-and-run attacks, poisons to chip away defensive players, and maybe a grab attack where the deer pierces foes with its horns.

Maybe the deer can summon a wyvern as part of its "Final Smash"?

Joe Zieja and Noxy, I hope you're seeing this.

Lorenz

Weird face and hair, but at least he makes for a good Dark Knight.

I think Sylvain is a better womanizer than Lorenz, though.

Hilda

My least favorite Golden Deer student. She's SO FREAKING LAZY and will make other people do things for her! I'm too lazy to keep up with her laziness, considering that my over-generosity is a pain in my butt to begin with! Plus, she looks like a thot in her timeskip appearance!

Screenshot from Miitopia

Raphael

Here we go: the big daddy of Garreg Mach Monastery.

He's basically male Effie minus Elise; he's super strong, loves working out, and eats a massive amount of food.

(admiration of Raphael's strength incoming)

How much can Raphael bench-press?

What would happen if Raphael and Effie fight each other?

What if Raphael was a WWE superstar? Can he beat the Undertaker?

What is Raphael's workout and diet plan?

Does Raphael like hugs? (Sorry, Mangs, but I plan to steal Raphael away from you)

I wish my dad, brothers, and niece looked more like Raphael.

(self-deprecation) I wish I had the money to eat like Raphael. Exercise won't do me a lot of good if I don't eat right.

(I'm not gay, btw)

Lysithea

Lute, THIS is a real prodigy. Before you assert your perceived superiority, check out this beast of a little girl.
Unlike Delthea, Lysithea trains a lot as well.

Her offensive stat growths are amazing, and that authority proficiency is no joke.

Too bad her defenses are absolute trash, but they don't matter when she can nuke foes from afar before they can get close.

If I'm motivated to work or study, I'm basically Lysithea but much stronger.
But if it's school work, I'm like Delthea.

Ignatz

I'm not a big fan of some characters who are artists; these include Ignatz. He looks like a nerd, though, and yes, I know some people think he's basically Harry Potter with those glasses.

Flying is his only flaw, but it hardly matters when Claude and Marianne can do that job just fine. Ignatz is still flexible; he specializes in a lot of weapons.

Marianne

Basically my younger brother minus the anger issues and strong personality? (My brother likes dogs.)

She's voiced by the same actress as Eir. Hopefully Marianne doesn't have a similarly crazy mother as Eir's.

Leonie

Don't judge me, but she's my Three Houses waifu.

She's the kind of girl who wants to be "the very best like no one ever was." She wants to be a mercenary, and so do I (more like a bounty hunter). She's good at lances and bows. She's frugal. And I can't go wrong with that chest area.

I don't like how she has a rivalry with Byleth and how she's not into romance, but fudge it, I'm going after her anyway! I think more boys go after Hilda, Marianne, or even...Claude.

Overall

Awesome characters, awesome personalities, awesome appearances, awesome battle prowess, awesome meme potential, a super strong character I can use to tease my family members, an awesome house leader (including his voice actor), and an awesome waifu. 9/10.

Church of Seiros (SPOILER AT THIS POINT)

Rhea

I don't like her. She acts like Lusamine from Pokémon Sun and Moon.

Hytale Smash Bros. Stuff

Gaia can take Rhea's role since...well, massive spoilers.

Light is the primary element of Gaia, while Rhea specializes in white magic, so I think this makes sense.

Manuela

One word:

Also, how do you not have a boyfriend yet despite your appearance? I bet a lot of real-life men have a crush on you. But not me.

Hanneman

Typical professor archetype. Not a fan. Many real professors are already a pain in my butt to begin with.
(If Linhardt was female, I bet many would ship Linhardt and Hanneman.)

Seth Seteth

No, not the OP paladin from Renais.

Seteth is a douchebag like Hubert, but also wary like Frederick.

Flayn

Kind of annoying, but also kind of cute. Too cute for a 17-year-old, though.

Cyril

Basically Donnel, but a lot more plain-looking and intimidating. I don't like him--give Donnel back to me.

Knights of Seiros

Jeralt

Basically Greil.

Catherine

She's eh.

Alois

Chill dude. Remember the scene where Byleth can tell Alois "I'm a bandit"?

Gilbert

He's eh.

Shamir

Attractive specialist in lances and bows, but slightly intimidating. An alternate waifu to Leonie.

Other

Peri-Alola Kronya

Basically Peri without Xander, but she's the biggest THOT!!!1!!11!!! in all of Three Houses.

Pheonixmaster1 described Kronya as "Alolan Peri". (What would Galarian Peri look like?)

Unlike Peri, though, Kronya is pure evil. Peri, on the other hand, can be friendly sometimes.
Also, Kronya disguised herself under a name that makes me hate FE8 Orson a lot more.
Regardless...

Death Knight

He's eh.

Ghost Mobs: WORSE than Fliers and Griefers

The meme disclaimer: This is speculative and based on pre-release information and Minecraft. This is not to be taken seriously; this is just for fun.
If you take this seriously, ghost mobs will hide under your bed tonight. Just kidding.

I suggest reading "My Paranoia of Griefing and Flying Hostile Mobs in Hytale" first before reading this.

The vast majority of hostile mobs (even griefers and one flier) in Minecraft can be avoided simply by hiding oneself inside blocks to avoid being seen and getting hit.
While doing my no damage playthrough in single player, I abused this tactic a lot at night, then worked on other activities like store duty or checking Facebook, Twitter, or Fire Emblem Heroes.

Move along—there's nothing to see here!
(There's a villager hidden inside the wood)

If I were a developer at Hypixel Studios, though, I would think, "Bah, this makes the game too easy! Players can just hide in their bases 24/7 with no challenge at all! Let's give them a reason to stay vigilant even at home!" Therefore, my solution would be to add a hostile mob that can see the player through walls and pass through walls, or what I would call a "ghost" mob.

This would change the way I play Hytale dramatically. This means I can't simply hide at home or underground due to the space limitations of indoor battlefields. On the other hand, being outdoors to have more space to move around and dodge puts me in danger of being attacked by other mobs.
Therefore, I'm a LOT more anxious about ghost mobs than with fliers and griefers.
(I'm glad my readers aren't around in person to watch me fight vexes because, thanks to the 1.9 combat system, my bad aim, and their mobility and small size, I can hardly hit them. Imagine if evokers spawned like regular hostile mobs instead of being restricted to village raids and woodland mansions.)

There's not much for me to rant about ghost mobs, so let's move on to tactics because I'm lazy.

Tactics

These tactics assume that ghost mobs spawn similar to regular hostile mobs like Minecraft zombies, skeletons, spiders, creepers, etc., except they can also spawn in midair like phantoms. They're fliers that take normal damage from all conventional attacks.

Base

A simple sky base that mostly uses transparent blocks.

First of all, I should make a sky base. This minimizes the risk of ghost mobs spawning underground and attacking me from below.

The underside of the sky base should be well-lit, not just the top. The surface and structures should be made of a transparent or translucent block like glass or leaves so I can see ghost mobs attacking from below.
I should build as far away as possible from the ground in case ghost mobs only spawn on the ground, but I'll still be ready for ghost mobs that spawn in midair like phantoms. This also helps stay away from their aggro ranges.
A waterfall is an obvious emergency escape route; gravity can help outspeed ghosts. (Hopefully these ghost mobs don't have super speed or teleportation.)

I specialize in combat in wide-open fields, so I should make a big base. This allows me to move around freely and dodge attacks easily.

Equipment and Mounts

A Thief in Fire Emblem Heroes.
Thieves attack with daggers.

At minimum, I'll use a dagger. Its fast attack speed allows me to quickly react and retaliate at the split-second I see a ghost mob trying to sneak-attack, then knock it back and buy me time to mentally prepare myself, move to advantageous terrain, and deliver quick follow-up attacks.

Plus, I think daggers are the cheapest weapon type to craft because they have short blades.
Note: I actually wrote this part before the publishing of "Custom Content in Hytale", which showed a pigeon (possibly a transformed player) throwing a dagger. If human/humanoid players can also throw daggers in vanilla Hytale, daggers would be much more viable because of the ranged weapons part later in this section.

Of course, I would still use a spear as my primary weapon to keep those pesky ghosts from reaching me with melee attacks while maintaining maximum performance because I specialize in spears. (Imagine if you could pole-vault with a spear to dodge or get to high ground.)

A shield would come in handy if my attacks miss and I get vulnerable otherwise. It also helps against projectiles, and is useful in restricted terrain like inside a house or cave.

Ranged weapons are the best against ghosts, in my opinion, because it prevents them from getting close in the first place. They also allow me to reach ghosts that attack from a distance without getting close.
(This tactic does not work against ghost mobs that fly like vexes or real-life mosquitoes unless I'm using a fully automatic weapon with a fast fire rate.)

Anything to increase my speed or allow me to fly would be helpful. These include horses and jetpacks.

Invisibility can prevent ghosts from seeing me as long as they don't have super senses.

Exploration

Light as much of the surroundings as necessary, especially before exploring a cave.

First of all, I need to always be on the move; I cannot stay still for too long. For example, if a ghost sneaks up behind me while I'm constantly moving forward, it will take long for the ghost to reach me (if it outspeeds me slightly), giving me time to regularly watch my back and retaliate.

I should stay away from restricted terrain unless I have to go into it. This includes forests, caves, and water.

If I do have to go into restricted terrain, I should alter the terrain to my advantage; this includes cutting down trees, building bridges to bypass water, pillar-jumping onto treetops, and using explosives in caves.

Kweebec skin by astridini
Optifine allows custom NPCs to emit light while holding a torch.

Ideally, I should bring an ally, preferably a player. I don't know if friendly NPCs like Kweebecs can alert the player in advance when an enemy approaches, but hearing them fight or take damage is enough to alert me to an incoming ghost.

Of course, I need to carry loads of light sources like torches and scatter them as I move, even during the day.

Conclusion

Vigilance and mobility: these are the two most important things to have when fighting ghost mobs. Regardless, though, fighting ghost mobs will give me a big headache at first, but I'll get used to ghosts eventually.

What do you think about ghost mobs in Hytale? What powers will they have, and how will you fight them?

And do you think this post is a hot mess? I think it is—just thinking about ghost mobs drives me crazy.

TL;DR summary: Ghost mobs are worse than fliers and griefers because they can hit the player even if they hide. To protect myself from ghost mobs, I need a large, well-lit sky base, some weapons to keep ghosts at a distance like spears and bows, and lots of speed and alertness.

Moral Lessons Taught by My Hytale Hype

DISCLAIMER: Some content in this post is speculative and based on pre-release information and Minecraft. It's not to be taken seriously; it's just for fun.

Despite not even having an open beta yet, Hytale has not only become part of my main interests (which, I think, is rare for a person with Asperger's syndrome who already has some main interests to begin with), but it has changed my life for the better, even outside of gaming.

But since I suck at introductions, I'll skip to the first lesson then go in order of importance (with the last being the most important lesson):

Patience

The Hytale announcement trailer was released on December 13, 2018; as of this writing, it's more than 8 months old, and I'm personally impressed with how long I've waited for the beta without throwing a temper tantrum. (Just kidding; I'm not that hot-tempered.)

It has also taught me to lower my expectations on uncertain but potentially beneficial future events besides game releases/updates; these include vacation proposals, co-op game invitations, and opportunities to meet with someone I have a crush on.

Actually, I think I still have a long way to go in learning patience, particularly in the short term like waiting for someone to stop talking in a conversation, especially when the other person talks for several minutes straight as if ranting or giving orders.

Survivalist Attitude

While I sort of learned this after watching survival documentaries and footage of The Last of Us, I mainly give credit to my Hytale practice regimen--a Minecraft no damage playthrough--for solidifying this attitude in my brain.

To summarize my no damage playthrough: If I take any kind of damage (even poison) or if all of my Pokémon die, I have to delete my world immediately. It has a lot of restrictions to remove game mechanics that I think make the game too easy; these include eating rotten flesh or apples, using shields, looting generated structures, and most villager trades.

As a result, I prepare to the max whenever I do a no damage playthrough; I ensure that, on the first night, I have a farm, a shelter, some torches, and basic equipment.
When exploring at night or in caves, I often move extra carefully while constantly watching my back; mobs, especially skeletons, could pop out of nowhere. (Skeletons are normally easy to fight, but because of my custom rules, they're extremely dangerous.)

In real life, I regularly carry a sling bag to store my gadgets, mosquito repellent, bandages, money, and pen. These are things that I frequently would forget to bring otherwise, especially because I'm lazy to individually carry things with my bare hands.

I look around my environment constantly, especially when outdoors. I never know when a criminal or a BAD DRIVER might pop out of nowhere--I nearly got bumped by a bus while I was on a pedestrian lane, but I dodged just in time. I saw a taxi driver quickly switching lanes through a small gap without using their turn signal.

In my family store, I often check for fake money--yes, including small-value bills like ₱20s (~US$0.38) and ₱50s (~US$0.96). I do so using ultraviolet light, scratching, and sniffing. (Yes, sniffing. Money has a unique smell.)

Maybe I can take this a step further by ensuring that my family members always have easy access around our otherwise narrow house, perhaps by keeping all their unused possessions in their usual storage places, charging their phones, and even...removing pebbles around the places they walk.

Being a survivalist has also taught me perseverance.

Skepticism

This mainly stems from my survivalist attitude--I never know if something good will actually happen unless I have solid proof. Blind belief can cost me my life in-game. As Hypixel Studios has repeatedly stated, Hytale is still a work in progress--heck, even the developer tools might change over time! (Who knows how much of the groundwork is actually done...)

I think my skepticism comes from my failed conversation attempts and obsession with political discussion? I'm not sure. I just don't like being deceived because I've been deceived and robbed before.

Hytale reinforced my skepticism to sky-high levels because it's a potentially huge game release, which will surely drive a lot of hype, speculation, and even fake news.

That's why I kept my hopes down when Codiak from The Game Gurus stated in his Discord server that an insider told him a blog post was coming in a week or two (referring to "Custom Content in Hytale", which was actually released two weeks later). Keeping my mind out of the thought of a potential blog post allowed me to focus on other things I like...like Fire Emblem.

Skepticism is one reason why I restrict so many features in my Hytale practice regimen. While there is a ton we know about Hytale, there is a megaton we don't know.

My post about my regimen should explain everything, but some unknown information causing my restrictions include the rarity of generated structures and what kinds of food are easily obtainable.

In real life, I often question the things I read, hear, or watch, even if they come from sources I trust. For instance, I don't think PragerU's "Be A Man. Get Married." is applicable for me because I hate married life and I can learn responsibility and other values through hanging out with close friends...and maybe being hyped for Hytale. (With that said, it's up to you whether or not marriage will make your life better. I still like the video.)

I advise my readers to be skeptical of my posts as well, especially my Hytale-related posts. That's why I often put that crazy disclaimer at the top.

I also give mad respect to Mark Manson, the author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck; he tells readers that it's their choice whether or not to listen to him. (Don't tell him that I give a firetruck about way too many things, plz.)

Positivity and Gratitude

So far, Hytale has stayed true to discussing content of significant value to the players, modders, and content creators while avoiding major spoilers for almost 9 months straight. You guys are really good at marketing, I'll give you that. (If Hytale becomes so popular upon release, do you readers think spoilers will be a huge problem similar to Avengers: Endgame?)

I know not all blog posts are important to all players, some were supposedly "disappointing" like the first fan art showcase.
But, if you ask me, even the fan art showcases were useful. For example, in their critique of Cidercet's Gaia fan art, Hypixel Studios stated that Cidercet "captured the essence of the character beautifully" and "there's a real sense of innocence, mystery, and power", which may hint at Gaia's official lore or personality in-game. Plus, isn't it nice to see Hytale in a wide variety of art styles? The Hytale logo carving by DeoDravent from the second fan art showcase is my personal favorite.
Plus, the second fan art showcase was released alongside the Outlander reveal post, so there's still stuff directly linked to gameplay!

Remember my reaction to "Custom Content in Hytale"? The original post is, I think, primarily aimed towards modders. I'm not a modder, so I didn't pay much attention to the modding stuff, but I appreciated the post for different reasons, like an opportunity to make tactics and an opportunity to speculate what a Hytale Smash Bros. would be like. lololol

Anyway, the point is, I always try to find something good in every official Hytale blog post (even if I dislike some of them overall), and each time I do it, I get more and more impressed at the technical quality and overall gameplay potential.
Plus, the blog posts are amazing as bases for my own blog posts and school work. lololol

In real life, I still have a long way to go in terms of positive attitude because I'm...uh, too cautious. However, I'm often thankful to people who do even small things for me--it's the least I can do to reward them for their efforts.

Heck, positivity and gratitude are the main reasons why I wrote this post; I am thankful for the good things brought about by my Hytale hype.

Some Moral Lessons I Want to Learn in the Future (mostly when Hytale is released)

Not really a moral lesson, but I hope Hytale can improve my skill in programming. Hytale servers are written in Java, and I have written tiny bits of Java before.

I plan to mainly play Hytale Adventure Mode in co-op with BoltOLightnin and YoSquid, where I have been chosen to be the leader and tactician. From this, I hope to learn leadership and camaraderie. (I currently have a very weak authority.)