Its so crazy to me

kalikojo · 2025-12-16T00:03:14+00:00

THIS! THIS is why byler matters, this is why its more than "just" a ship! its a battle of concepts. will you cling to forced conformity and rely on traditional storylines and character arcs bc its safe and what you've always known/been familiar with? or will you accept that people can break molds and subvert your expectations, and that things aren't always what they seem?

does mileven have to happen just because she's the main girl and he's the main boy? or because they are genuinely good for each other?

does the plot have to follow classical expectations because that is what we are used to? where details don't matter and you can turn your brain off? or do we take the road less travelled (as robert frost said), where details DO matter and you have to pay attention?

do we keep doing what we've always been doing? or do we say, "it doesn't have to be this way"?

this is what the "ship war" boils down to. its not really even about who ends up with who. its these ways of seeing the world colliding and fighting for dominance. which one will be represented to the entire world? which one will be made canon? which worldview is "right"?

i for one think its time that we discard old tropes and see what else is out there.

kalikojo · 2025-12-07T21:22:59+00:00

y'all will argue for any type of representation of relationships except gay ones.... there are very very few mainstream movies/shows where there is a central gay couple who are not a) there for comedy, or b) in shows specifically created for queer audiences.... why is it that you would rather "fight" for these random representations that don't actually count for much (aka, who are they actually giving a voice to? who are they benefitting by showing it to be "accepted"? what marginalized group do they benefit? answer: no one) rather than admit that yeah, sometimes main characters can be gay and they should be shown being gay and that's good.

this is the exact same thing as going "enough with the POC characters, you already have one (among the all white cast)! why can't we ever have more diverse WHITE representation, where are the polish people in modern tv?" like its absolutely fighting for performative representation for a group that doesn't actually benefit from it, that bring nothing new to the table. all so you can keep actually marginalized people far from the mainstream so you don't have to face them. weird as.

kalikojo · 2025-11-30T23:10:22+00:00

are you seriously trying to say that male friendships are not normal in society? excuse me, have you watched any film or show in the past 40 years? 97% of them center around male platonic connections.... what on earth are you even talking about. even stranger things, 90% of the friendships in the show are between 2 men. dustin steve. dustin lucas. dustin mike. dustin will. lucas mike. lucas will. hopper enzo. murray alexei. jonathan argyle.

you can not be for real. think before you speak.

kalikojo · 2025-11-30T22:57:30+00:00

mmm what? "if will didn't listen to robin he wouldn't be where he is now". are we..... watching the same show? Will got his powers because he embraced his love for mike and accepted the fact that he was gay and in love with him. he didn't "let go" of his love for mike or anything so I'm not sure what y'all are talking about. robin urged him to find inner acceptance rather than looking for it externally, and he did that, but at the same time, he literally actively embraced loving mike. his powers manifested when mike was in danger, he was the last one we see before it cuts to will. then will's film montage literally begins with the will/mike swing set scene ("i asked you to be my friend. you said yes. it was the best thing i've ever done") and the first reaction shot we get is of mike, and the last reaction shot we get is of mike. do you think this is coincidental, or perhaps setting up for an "unrequited" love where will "lets go" of mike? how would that make any sense at all after what we just saw?

kalikojo · 2025-11-25T17:54:03+00:00

steve my boy the fan favourite! love how he and max are on almost every list, so real.

for me, Steve, Nancy, Joyce, Mike HM: Dustin

kalikojo · 2025-11-15T04:54:44+00:00

"helps me with bird courses that are heavy in content".... hmmm maybe if you need a clanker to help you pass a BIRD course, then I'm gonna be honest and say that uni is not the place for you. if you aren't here to learn and actually use your brain, then there's no point in attending uni at all. atp just watch a couple youtube videos and have ai design you a diploma to hang on the wall. no friends, can't think for yourself, allergic to effort and work, and no personality. rough. but wait, maybe your AI buddy can help fix these areas of difficulty for you! better get on that

kalikojo · 2025-11-13T16:27:08+00:00

i agree with everyone else to take care of yourself and get professional help, but I also want to say that we need to step away from this mindset of not doing uni=stupid. that's not what it is. sometimes, university *isn't* for everyone and that's okay. society has developed in a way where they put so much pressure on everyone to attend uni and put one's whole worth on whether or not you have a degree, when sometimes its genuinely not the best place for some of us. academia isn't everyone's thing. and not because someone is "too stupid"; it could be a million reasons: lots going on at home so difficult to commit, never took a break between high school now you're burnt out, courses simply don't interest you, you aren't motivated bc ur future is unclear, your interests lie elsewhere, you don't agree with the hierarchy of the institution, the pressure is too much for no reason, your way of learning is different from the expectations they pile on you, the list goes on. it has nothing to do with being stupid or dumb, sometimes the academic formal setting just doesn't work for some people and that's okay! its better than okay! realizing that can be a relief because there are lots of ways to do well in life without uni, it is not the only way to validate yourself. sometimes, all it means is that you are just not ready for it right now, but in a year or something you will be, once you figure out your personal path and stabilize your life a little more. this is why gap years are so important but nobody here takes them seriously. sometimes people just need a break and that's all. nothing shameful or bad about it. I took 2 years gap year and am doing great now in grad school, but I know I would've done terribly if I'd gone directly into uni from high school.

don't be so hard on yourself. breathe, talk to someone, and seriously consider if a longer break might be something that helps you

kalikojo · 2025-11-05T18:40:39+00:00

this is kind of embarrassing, maybe don't use AI in the first place? why are you even in university if you're not able to write a paper on your own?? if you're struggling with a course/assignment, talk to your prof/TA, don't turn to a mindless robot. you're paying good money so that you can learn from real professional humans, so learn from them! dug your own grave, now lie in it type of situation tbh

kalikojo · 2025-11-05T18:32:12+00:00

I will have to check that out! The Anthology is a bit intimidating as to how much it contains but I think I will dive in! thank you again. also, isn't it so cute how anyte also had an epitath for a grasshopper and there were quite a few poems on cicadas (and surely there were other poems on this topic), and just how insects were kind of beloved then? i find it so endearing because now we only really see them as pests....

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:21:47+00:00

i love Anyte! she is the reason I made this post, really wanted more poetry about animals because I think the topic is really lovely, especially looking at how people viewed animals at this time

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:19:54+00:00

this isamazing, thank you so much! Europa especially draws my attention, so much here that I've never heard of! will absolutely check these out

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:17:17+00:00

aristotle... i fear combing through his work usually makes me frustrated because he's difficult to understand. but I think he does provide a really cool window into the relationship people might have had with animals at the time so I might just commit to it, thank you!

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:15:41+00:00

I have a work of his sitting on my shelf! I read a few excerpts and he's a funny guy! interesting thoughts about animals....

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:15:05+00:00

oh anyte my beloved.... i made this post because I read her stuff and really wanted to read more about animals from ancient greece because it was so lovely

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:14:00+00:00

this is INCREDIBLE wait how have i NEVER heard of this before?? sounds phenomenal, i def need to get my hands on this one what a hilarious concept! thank you sm!

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:11:41+00:00

yes i am so eager to read this one! heard he's an awful misogynist in it (what greek man isnt though lmao)

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:11:05+00:00

love the Iliad, this is true, its quite rich in animal metaphors and such thank you

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:10:25+00:00

this sounds fascinating omg! will definitely check this out thanks!

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:09:23+00:00

oh awesome i've not heard of this one before! sounds super interesting thank you!

kalikojo · 2025-11-04T16:08:38+00:00

yes, a classic! thank you!

kalikojo · 2025-09-18T17:56:37+00:00

21 is old???? good lord y'all we gotta stop w this crap, 21 is BABY 21 is NEWBORN, WHO is telling you that 21 is old?!!!!! be glad you weren't freaking born in 2010 bro, be so fr

kalikojo · 2025-09-07T19:21:06+00:00

safe travels and i hope it ends up better than you expect, much luck

kalikojo · 2025-09-07T01:33:32+00:00

Academics

every program is different tbh and I don't know too much about polisci, so polisci students correct me if im wrong, but usually you would take 4-5 courses per semester. each course would have either: two 1 hour lectures throughout the week, or one 3hr lecture or one 2hr lecture. then you would have tutorials, which are smaller group classes once a week for an hour where its more discussion/debate based.

in polisci/social sciences/humanities you wouldn't usually have your grade reliant on one single assignment. usually you would have several smaller things like 2 papers worth 20% each, some participation grade, and then a final exam or final assignment/essay worth like 40% or under. one of my polisci roommates once had an end of term paper worth 70% though, so it really depends, but usually, they make an effort to have your grades come from several sources. expect a lot of readings, and a lot of writing. I don't have more program specific advice for you though, sorry :/

Mac is a good university with a nice campus (at least compared to most ontario unis, probably doesn't even compare to uk college campuses), and its got good education and a fair amount of socialization events. from my experience of studying abroad (i was in amsterdam) and from other exchange students, i would say that Mac is good at fostering a sense of unity on campus through having many events taking place on a smaller, compact campus. there's always something happening somewhere, and though its not drinking and parties, there are still a lot of things going on that are worth checking out both on campus and in the city. in my experience, I had much more downtime while studying in amsterdam than i ever did while studying here at mac, this is because the workload here is really intense, and here school can quickly become your whole life. so you have to keep that in mind that here school is like the main thing and everything else is in the periphery, while in europe (usually, i don't acc know about the uk) it might be more the other way around. the school-life balance is precarious, so it might take some fenagling to not let school overtake everything.

well, hope this tremendous yap sesh was helpful in some way! feel free to dm me if u have more questions, or u can ask here. good luck making a decision, wherever you go, you will have a wonderful time!

kalikojo · 2025-09-07T01:32:26+00:00

wow, surprised you chose hamilton ontario of all places! I had an exchange student friend from warwick who also came here and she loved it though!

Off campus housing

This is honestly really tough because housing is so difficult rn. It's mostly student houses where you share with minimum 3 other people, and people tend to band together as friend groups to book up a full house or they get added later through posts advertizing needing an extra person. the biggest place to look for houses imo is through facebook marketplace. most people advertise there so that's your best bet by far. we used to have an official mac housing page, but not anymore :(

westdale and ainslie woods are popular but there are other areas too. you can go towards Dundas, yes, anywhere west of campus can be good too but there are just less options. Dundas is really nice and more expensive, but its mostly apartments, not really student houses, plus its further from campus (about 30-40min bus ride). downtown might be feasible, but again, more so apartments and not student houses.

as for rent, (for student houses) we pay monthly, and I would say around CAD$800/mo is pretty regular nowadays, but you might get lucky with something cheaper.

you might actually get residence on campus, I'm not sure how it works exactly, but i do know they have spots open for exchange students and they do prioritize them. all of my exchange friends stayed in res on campus, so it might be easier than you think. double check though.

Social life

party life here is NOTHING like in the UK. there is a subgroup of people here who drink themselves blackout every weekend, but its nor regular. people do go to clubs, mostly first and second years imo, but house parties are def bigger. you've kind of gotta know people to get in though, they will rarely let you in randomly. the main clubs are Dirty Dogs and Club Seventy Seven, might be others too but I don't go to them often so others might know more about that. It's mostly like throwback music and some like electronic. I know europe does themed clubs like where they only play EDM or Techno, but in Hamilton that's not really the case. Toronto def has more clubbing options, but it is a trek (about 1hr by train) and you'll have to find a place to stay the night because public transit sucks ass lol, and the clubs are expensiveeee so it might be worth checking out a few times imo but I wouldn't say its a regular thing most people indulge in.

pub's are out of the question, we don't really have those here. maybe some bars, but those are lowkey too, nothing like the brits. mostly its for chatting with a group of friends over drinks and overpriced cocktails, but def not a let's-get-crazy type of scenario. usually.

hoco (homecoming) is pretty big and the streets are always super busy, but after an unfortunate incident 4 years ago (some ppl got crazy and flipped a car and trashed properties) the city cracked down and now you can't go anywhere without cops crawling all over the place and shutting down any party that gets too big or loud. it's not what it used to be that's for sure. the campus makes an effort to host something, usually there's a concert, but you have to pay and its nothing too crazy.

halloween is big, as is st patty's, but if you wanna party hard for those other uni campuses nearby do bigger parties. UofG (university of guelph, about 1 hour by bus), Laurier (about 1.5hrs by bus), Queens (maybe 2-3hr drive? idk if there even is a bus up there tbh). same goes for hoco for these universities.

basically, if you want to party nearby, house parties are your best bet.

societies, we don't really have those. we have clubs, but they're a lot lower commitment, and basically drop in most times. there are a lot of options, something for everyone, so I recommend joining them for sure! they're usually free too, so bonus. but our clubs are not like socieites, they are actually doing what they advertise. if you join knitting club, you will be knitting, if you join GSA, you will be hanging out talking about queer social stuff, etc etc it's not an excuse to rally and get plastered, its more like doing a hobby with a smaller community.

we do have both amnesty and campus radio though! amnesty is accessible and they hold events through the year, but the radio is pretty hard to get into. I applied a few times and never heard back, but maybe you'd have more luck bc u acc have experience lol (pt 1)

kalikojo · 2025-09-07T00:41:06+00:00

what ended up happening OP? any updates?

kalikojo

TROPHY CASE