u/CookieCat989

i’m well into my degree but calc 2 has been the only subject where i couldn’t pass for a long while. every other engineering subject i could manage except calc 2. i’ve finally passed it this summer along with another engineering course and i can finally move on with my degree and focus on other classes that needed it as a pre-req.

to be very honest, i knew deep down that i didn’t understand the fundamental concept of calculus 2 during the regular semester, for me to even do basic integrations properly, so i always studied but i also knew i was studying half-assingly by always checking the steps every time i was working on a problem. the entire time i would just assume i could ‘manage by’ while doing these engineering classes which i heavily realized was completely wrong until i received an email saying if i don’t pass calc 2 this time id have to switch programs.

i sat down and genuinely studied calculus by receiving some tutoring for the fundamentals and now i finally passed omg. i am free and im so happy.

yes, im very late to really understand this but engineering is the major where you genuinely have to sit down and understand the concepts of what you’re doing so you can pass the class overall. like i said, i always studied, but i was a very passive studier which didn’t help me at all. i simply could not understand HOW to study. over the summer, ive learned on my own how to study and my own study method that works for me. i’ve tried every single trending study method but it just wouldn’t stick for me but now i understand how to study and im also not doing any aimless studying either, and not studying for 7 hours in 1 day ughhh.

im very ready for this new fall semester

This is just my personal take and how I feel about this specific narrative trope. I’m not looking to start any arguments or flame wars, just genuinely curious how others feel about this trend in games.

I’m so tired of this trend where directors act like the only way a story can be "artistic," "grounded," or "morally complex" is by completely gutting the audience. tlou is one of the most frustrating example of this but it’s a symptom of a way bigger issue in modern media.

Somewhere along the line, writers got it into their heads that confusing unnecessary tragedy with "good writing" makes them visionary. The mentality has basically become “Oh, you love this character? Great. The most mature, realistic thing we can do is brutally kill them off to teach you a lesson about consequences.”

It’s exhausting. There was zero reason Joel needed to die like that, and I hate how directors have completely written off the idea of just letting players have a good time with the characters they spent years growing attached to.

1. Shock value isn’t depth.
   Players didn’t fall in love with tlou just because the world was bleak but they LOVED the dynamic between Joel and Ellie. Building up that kind of goodwill only to blow a character’s head off early in a sequel for a "revenge is bad" message isn't profound narrative design. It feels like a cheap shortcut to trigger an immediate emotional reaction because writing a compelling, long term arc without relying on trauma dumping is actually hard.

2. "Realism" is becoming an excuse for misery porn.
   The most common defense for Joel’s death is always, "Well, in a world like that, actions have consequences! It's realistic!" Sure, but fiction isn't real life, it’s a constructed story where the director chooses what to show us. Choosing relentless, bleak cynicism over a satisfying payoff isn't "more real," it's really just a creative choice. Directors seem terrified that if a story has an ounce of actual joy or satisfying payoff, critics won't take it seriously as "art."

3. Video games are interactive. Stop punishing the player. In a movie, you just watch. In a game, you are the character. Forcing players through a 30-hour slog that actively punishes them for caring about the protagonist creates a massive disconnect. Nobody is asking for a Disney ending, but there’s a huge middle ground between "mindless happy ending" and "making the player feel like garbage for hours on end under the banner of high art."

4. It highlights an annoying shift in design philosophy.
   Look at how other long-running franchises treat their flagship characters, take CC with LSK, for instance. He usually makes terrible tactical decisions, is routinely late to save people around him, and survives situations that defy all logic. Yet CC understands a fundamental rule of player attachment, is that people like this character, so let them be awesome. They don't feel the need to brutally execute him just to prove how "serious" or "real" their world is. But in prestige narrative games, directors have adopted this self-righteous urge to tear down what players love just to earn a badge of solemnity(Not attacking LSK please do not start an argument in the comments, I’m just pointing something out)

Subverting expectations only works if what you replace them with is actually better than what you took away. Killing off your best character doesn't automatically make your story brave or morally superior

Curious if anyone else feels completely annoyed on this "suffering = good storytelling" trope, or if you actually prefer when games take this route?

i made a comment about this and many also
seemed to agree with me, but in my opinion, sophia has always given koreaboo vibes. not only that but she’s also so obsessed with yoonchae and is always on her hip. everywhere yoonchae is there will be sophia right there calling her name every second. the second yoonchae arrived sophia latched herself onto her and has never let go. they were living together but yoonchae said she wanted to move out and they no longer live together anymore. someone said sophia is definitely living her y/n fantasy in hybe because of this. the way she was trying to get the approval of the other idols in the elevator and during cortis practice like plz. she’s also such a company stan like its so strange

controversial opinion, this will make a few of you upset at me: a lot of you revolve your entire personality around university. when it comes to admissions, they don’t only look at your grades. just because you have a 98 average doesn’t mean anything, it’s not the only thing they care about. there are people who open non profits, travel to 3rd world countries and volunteer for 8 months just for the purpose of putting it on their applications, and they get rejected still. at least have some personality and do things you genuinely enjoy doing and talk about it on your application, you don’t need to fake everything for the sake of an application. you have ppl who spend months filling out their applications and get rejected, then you have ppl who fill in their applications in 1 hr with ai prompts and get accepted.

also, i believe this takes time for people to realize, usually once they’re a few years into university, but canada has good unis all around. just because you don’t get into waterloo doesn’t mean you won’t have a job in the future wtf. work on your skills and you’re fine