A few days before this, I was having a hard time killing bugs because they often stuck to surfaces that are either hard to reach or will cause damage to either myself or the surroundings. You can't flatten your hand on a round object or a corner, for example, and you definitely can't swat a mosquito clinging onto a book on a shelf or you risk damaging the book.
I lost literally every Nerf thing I had back in 2015. Some darts were destroyed, some got lost in nooks and crannies around my house, some were confiscated by my paternal grandma, some flew into neighbors' houses...and some were lost in public places.
As for the blasters, they're supposedly in a big box, but I can't find that box anymore. How utterly pathetic that I can't find a freakin' box the size of a small chair.
So, in addition to working out (and yes, I took it seriously 'cause I wanted to recover my lost physical superiority), I took the opportunity to buy a Triad EX-3 for a heavily discounted price of P200 (vs. the normal P530). I guess the Toys 'R' Us branch I went to was trying to get rid of old stock.
There were a lot of other Nerf products that I haven't seen over the years of me not window-shopping in toy stores, so I was poking around for reviews. Maybe one of the new darts is more accurate. Maybe there's a new budget-friendly blaster that's easier to use.
But the Triad was still the best blaster out of the bunch. The N-Strike Elite 2.0 Trio, a "successor" to the Triad, had a tactical rail but was much bigger and more expensive at P600+. The Triad is superior thanks to its clean iron sights and smaller size--also, I don't need attachments when I'm sneaking up on bugs from what would be considered melee range when fighting human-sized foes.
Coop772 was the first channel I ran into while comparing the differences between Elite and Elite XD blasters. After watching some reviews (while grinding Genshin Impact, of course), I randomly bumped into his Nerf Stereotypes comedy series.
It has pretty much every common first-person shooter stereotype translated into a Nerf war situation, plus a few Nerf war-specific ones like the dad.
And one stereotype struck me so hard: the tryhard.
Note that this next part is not about Nerf wars. I simply don't have the resources or friends to have Nerf wars with. (They don't even sell extra mags here in the Philippines, which is stupid because we see those ALL THE TIME in first-person shooters. You'd have to buy another blaster to get an extra mag.)
Instead, I'll mainly compare Coop772's video to how I want to play Hytale. (Did you expect that? I think not.) I'll go in sequence based on his video.
First off, I would rarely call someone a "casual" or a "loser" in front of their face. In Facebook Dating, I have called many girls "dumb weaklings" in my head, though, because they're emotionally fragile and overly dependent slackers whose English is very difficult for me to understand despite my vast amount of English knowledge.
If a stranger were to approach me, I'd be semi-polite with a little bit of suspicion so I can easily adapt accordingly if they later turn out to be a good or bad person.
When it comes to the "I'm in it to win it" philosophy, I take a middle ground. I never cheat when playing with others, but I enjoy using tactics that others may consider "dirty" but are still legal. If I want to, I would camp, for example. I once waited for a fight to end before stealth-killing the winner in Minecraft.
The only person who has ever called me a "tryhard" is myself. lololol
I mean, I plan to make Hytale my primary source of income, so of course, I gotta take it seriously. People who watch gaming videos respect skilled gamers.
Asking questions is a normal part of learning; in fact, I often enjoy being asked questions.
The hard part about being asked questions is when the person still makes mistakes or doesn't understand even after multiple answers with increasing clarity.
This is why I choose girls who have some proven intelligence, to begin with. (Maybe on par with what's expected of a high school graduate.) The last thing I want to happen is basically becoming a girl's free private tutor when it should be a balanced relationship where I get something in return.
I have lower standards when it comes to Hytale skill, though; I simply expect all members to know the most basic controls and mechanics, whatever those will be.
Okay, Coop772's tryhard is really hardcore. He wears bright green gear so that everyone can see him. He literally said, "Come at me, bro!"
Actually, now that I think about it, stealth is OP in Skyrim, so I feel like Hypixel Studios might do a complete 180 of that (assuming stealth exists in the first place)...
Outside of Minecraft and Hytale, though, I often dislike Self-Imposed Challenges, hence why I never do speedruns outside of Genshin Impact. In a Nerf war, expect me to wear tactical equipment like a vest, assuming I don't simply show up in a T-shirt and shorts that seem randomly chosen 'cause I'm lazy.
The bright side of wearing conspicuous clothing, again assuming there's a stealth mechanic, is being able to Draw Aggro and let other sneaky teammates do their thing. NachoPizza, in particular, is a Skyrim stealth archer through and through.
Putting stealth aside, in a video game, I would copy my Author Avatar's outfit as best as I can, regardless of whether or not it's viable. This isn't a competitive multiplayer game after all where functionality is king over aesthetics.
The tryhard's squad only brings minimal equipment because their extensive planning means they can win without weighing themselves down too much. There's a lot to break down here.
I am the complete opposite of "minimal equipment" when I'm enthusiastic or playing a video game. In real life, I carry a lot of things in my sling bag so I'm always ready when I need to clean my hands, write something with a pen, text my mom, or even patch up a wound. I always carry lots of tools in Minecraft and I expect to do the same in Hytale.
As for winning with minimal equipment, I have trained myself to do that as well. My critical hits are innately more powerful than others' IRL. I often kill Minecraft mobs with stone swords even if I have iron or diamond swords. I only wear leather armor. However, that's only training; in practice, I would use my strongest equipment to defend my allies.
Lastly, when it comes to weight, I use lifting heavy weights as an opportunity to grow stronger, so, despite my thin body, I am willing to do it.
Speaking of carrying stuff, this one is just flat-out abuse: The tryhard has...an ammo slave who just stands in one place, carries ammo for the squad, and basically makes it easy for the squad to reload.
One thing I realized early on as a tactician is this: Many gamers dislike manual labor. Why do the slow and painful work when you can get an instant dopamine shot by killing someone within a few seconds?
I understand that, in life, you must be willing to do things that sometimes make you uncomfortable but will be beneficial in the long run, but in terms of non-championship gaming, I prefer to help my team play to their strengths than train them to cover their weaknesses. For example, I'd train a mage to use their magic to the fullest potential rather than teach them to avoid getting hit by physical attackers--boring support roles are where I shine and, ironically, I genuinely enjoy them.
That said, if a teammate of mine is enthusiastic to play the role of an ammo slave or similar, I'd feel guilty but I'd allow him/her to do it.
All the tryhard's team members hit the gym.
That's actually amazing, given how I'm also a gym rat.
I should ask other competitive multiplayer gamers if they also work out or play a physical sport or something.
But, in my old Hytale team, none of my team members work out regularly. I don't mind that because, again, I look for good values in a team member, not gameplay skills.
As for dating, while I expect myself to do maybe 95% of all the physical work, I also expect my date to at least be able to handle a little uncomfortable weight in case things don't go according to plan. After all, physical activity also improves mental health...which, unfortunately, many teens and young adults today lack.
"Quite a few" people quit the tryhard's squad...though I interpret that as "many". It's no surprise given how utterly excessive and sometimes impractical some of his rules are.
As far as I can remember, I've never seen anyone quit any of the groups I have made, though most young people prefer to avoid speaking their minds outside of competitive gaming, somewhat similarly to Japanese people. I have done some...pretty awkward or horrible things to group members before, but outright declaring a resignation, I feel, requires a LOT of emotional energy for these people. Or maybe they were just plain lazy and forgot they were in the group, to begin with.
What I do remember is I disbanded my old Hytale team for being late or absent to multiple D&D games that they scheduled, not me. I admit I have greater expectations for people to commit to a schedule they impose on themselves rather than one that I set for them because let's face it, we do things better when we do them on our own free will than when someone tells us what to do (unless it's God or something). While I did introduce D&D to them, I never scheduled any serious games myself.
Speaking of training regimens, I only give them to hypothetical Hytale team recruits upon request--otherwise, I basically just let them play their way while I adapt to how they play to maximize our enjoyment.
What I WOULD do is give interview-like screening to hypothetical dates. I would ask them, for example, to describe their family members' personalities, their fandoms and why they like them, their talents and some showcases of their works, and their values in life. In other words, I don't like a lazy girl who has poor drunkard parents and can only say one vague adjective at a time like "cute" or "good".
Of course, I'm willing to give actual physical training regimens to friends and dates, though they're usually extremely light ones like walking and maybe 2 sets of 5 push-ups. Disclaimer: I am not a qualified personal trainer--I'm just a chuunibyou.
Let's face it: losing sucks. That's why, in almost everything I do, I aim to win. When I DO lose, I try as much as I can to turn that loss into a win until I accept that there's nothing I can do...unless it's schoolwork.
Conclusion
On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being a huge tryhard, I would give myself a 6.
I have sky-high expectations for myself and potential dates because I can't stand losing.
I get even more furious at people who break their promises to me--people who have done that to me in the past have suffered the Wrath of the Rock. (My "Wrath of the Rock" varies in intensity from me simply ghosting them to bombarding them with swear word-filled insults.)
