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Sister Head canons

(I'm sad and miss my sister but would never admit that to her so here are some head canons instead)

I feel like riri and kira would have developed multiple secret methods of communicating and I think over the years the methods changed like along with them

when either sister is incapacitated/incapable of doing so the other takes care of their hobby (i.e riri taking care of the fish, or kira taking care of the plants)

the hair brushing feels like a coping mechanism for both. like repetitive motion for riri, and kira able to speak her feelings freely (to an extent) (definitely don't think about the fact that was probably our only scene we would get of the sisters being somewhat emotional honest with each other.)

this is ending on a sad note, do y'all think during the last episode during the whole kira choking riri scene that kira saw like a younger riri (this is more on like characterization, and questioning of how a character like kira would well think... i guess?) also like what do y'all think riri was thinking at that time, cause like we know she surrenders but like what would be going through the brain at that moment ya'know?

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Mary *simping over Riri*: your sister is hot.

Kira *annoyed*: could you not?

Or

Mary *whispering at a council meeting to runa or chad idk*: Have you noticed Riri is hot?

Kira *overheard*: glares

Mary: Cause I have not

(also tangent why are people being weird to the cast in their livestreams? I don't watch the lives, so this is all heard on secondary and tertiary info. But like I don't understand the audacity or entitlement or whatever reason it was that people felt comfortable with the questions they were asking (harassing) cast members with on lives. Just let it be fun and chill with being able to interact with fans, don't make it creepy or weird/uncomfortable) (honestly this behavior probably stems from the rampant parasocial problem that became worse due to and since the pandemic, still doesn't make it okay tho)

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Season 2 Lets Go!!! Very excited. Personally I hope we get more character backstories/depth (I love characterization) and more of a look into the student council and how it runs the school. Also please let the sisters (the word is not redemption) reconciliate (that's the word). Please I need one healthy reconciled sister dynamic in the media, I am begging.

I'm curious if we're gonna get to see any new characters or explore more into the characters that we have seen already.

I really need to get my Season 1 analysis' done.

Last thing if the Gods allow it, Arkadi death season 2, please, please!?

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Kira and Riri Thoughts Pt. 1

I'm still rewatching and making notes on interactions and story beats, but I think it's worth talking more about just how tragic these sisters really become.

On one end we have Kira, who is desperate for her father's approval and acceptance, yet fully aware and resentful of his treatment towards her, her mother, and her sister. She wants to take over from him, not just for power, but to be better than him. When she finally seems close to gaining that, perceived footing through the door (Student Representative), it is ripped out from under her by her more compliant sister. Kira sees Riri as being under her father's control, and in that betrayal and grief (esp. since he used her sister), she lashes out in violence against her sister the one she swore she would change everything to.

Then there is Riri, who wants to protect her sister any way she can (could be argued they want to protect each other as sisters do, just what I saw this season that is in different ways, and to me at least I think I read Riri's ways and actions more clearly then Kira's). Riri is learning to connect (with Mary, and arguably with Kira if y'all viewed the hair brushing scene as a sister's connecting/bonding type of thing) while confined through obedience and survival by their father. She can't stand up to her father directly, only able to act in the aftermath. But when that action of help is rejected with violence, and when she sees Kira break under the weight of it all… there is this horrible sinking feeling of clarity. That no matter how hard she tries, their relationship, her ability to keep Kira safe, might never be the same again.

I don't have all the thoughts together clearly yet (and I do have thoughts), but the dynamic here is devastating. I think there's a lot more to unpack, especially given how they start off as a solid inseparable duo and end pitted against each other by their father.

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I wanted to share a quick note about some edits I made to my earlier posts; the “More Headcanons” post and “The Essay lol” post.

I realized it wasn’t clear enough that everything I’m sharing is part of a personal process of reflection. These aren’t meant to be definitive takes on the characters in Bet, just windows into how I’m processing things I’ve lived through or am still navigating.

If parts of it resonate with you, that’s awesome (and hey, maybe you could use a hug too). If you see the characters differently or disagree, I’d genuinely love to hear your take. For me, it’s less about being “right” and more about building connection through the ways we see and feel.

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More Headcanons

(Cause Riri deserves love) (all the characters do really!) (the show is actually good chat)

I made a post dedicated to this hc: I don't think Riri has received gifts that didn't mean anything besides what trigger to pull and whose dying. (In addition) The first real gift Mary gives her, she keeps on her person at all times

Riri feels like someone who is touch-starved in that way where a person doesn’t fully understand it themselves. When someone shows her affection without an agenda, I think it might feel foreign. Like if Mary leaned on her shoulder, Riri would freeze, then mirror it, carefully, unsure if she’s doing it ‘right.’

Gifts, affection, compliments, and praise are all things that feel like traps, because she was never shown a kindness that wasn't conditional (With possible exception from Kira and Mary).

Arkadi raised her to be the perfect/most useful tool, and it feels like she knows that. Which is why being chosen over Kira hurts; it feels like betrayal and confirmation that she’s just a more obedient weapon.

I think through interacting with Mary more is when she realizes kindness/compassion aren't transactional.

Riri has delayed processing of emotions. (This is just off of the vibes of emotional suppression the character gives off to me.) Which also leads into possibly why she doesn't react, because reactions end up coming with cost or consequence.

She feels like the kind of person who doesn't register their own needs until it's too late. (Like eating and sleeping needs.... others too like emotional, but I feel like that list would get long).

Anniversaries and holidays (especially Valentine’s Day) probably short-circuit her brain. As in she overthinks everything into oblivion, trying to find the perfect setup, the perfect gift, like there’s one right answer to love.

The people she cares about she'll notice everything about. (Vibes)

Arkadi raised Riri to never hurt her sister under any circumstances. OR he caused that mentality of never bringing harm to her sister by threatening to hurt Kira if Riri did not obey. Either way it caused Riri to now be unable to raise a hand against her sister in anyway.

Riri obeys her father out of fear (either out of fear of disappointing, fear that he's going to hurt her or Kira or her mother or Mary, fear that he will force Kira to do what she will not. Idk). But at least in season one, her loyalty through love, still belongs to her sister. (Though maybe that shifts to Mary in season 2…)

She seems like the kind of person who isn’t afraid of being hurt but is terrified of hurting someone else. Because it would prove she’s not capable of being soft.

Riri feels like a cat person (Favorite cat being the Scottish Fold)

She feels like someone who secretly loves plants.

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Sad Headcanon Time

I don’t think Riri’s ever received a gift that didn’t mean “go kill someone.” Like, genuinely. I bet you every “present” her father gave her was a different weapon, and a new kind of obedience. A reminder that love is earned through blood. That protection equals violence. That survival costs someone else.

So the first time Mary gives her something; just a little box, no instructions, no ceremony. Riri doesn’t even open it.

She just looks up at her, quiet and confused, and asks: “Who do you want me to kill?”

And Mary, horrified but trying to follow, just goes: “What?”

And Riri, still confused by her confusion, echoes: “What?” Because it doesn’t make sense. Gifts mean blood. Gifts are instructions. If it doesn’t come with a target, then what is it?

(Spoiler: it’s a dumb keychain. A little cat holding a plastic knife. Mary saw it at a gas station and said it reminded her of Riri. “Not because of the knife,” she added quickly, “but because you look all scary and dangerous but I think you just want someone to pet you.” Riri doesn’t know what to do with that information. She doesn’t open it until she’s alone.)

Anyway. I’m never recovering from this.

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The Essay lol (These are not to be definitive, they are just thoughts I had after the finale)

Riri’s characterization in Bet is, to me, a masterclass in subtlety and contradiction. Riri reads like someone shaped by trauma and systemic control; but also, like someone navigating power and vulnerability through a fractured, emotionally complex lens. (Or logic? I don’t know. Or maybe neither and it's just messy because that is what being human is, even when you feel or act like more machine then human. Can't escape humanity.)

If we were in an English class, her mask is the most obvious symbol of repression. It quite literally hides half her face, creating visual and emotional distance. But her eyes and body language often seem to speak in place of her silence, through micro-expressions: the tightening of her jaw, a flicker of hesitation in her gaze, a slight shift in posture. These moments might suggest she’s suppressing reactions she’s learned are dangerous to show. There’s this feeling of restraint to how she moves, like someone who had to learn long ago that visible emotion came with consequence. Sometimes, it even looks like she’s bracing for a blow no one’s thrown yet (though that just be me).

The student representative role: imposed on her by Arkadi and by extension the school board, feels less like a promotion and more like a mechanism of containment. On the surface, she complies. But other scenes that felt like it had in choices that felt more like hers (i.e: stopping Kira from killing Yumeko or stepping in to protect Mary) seems like a suggestion that she’s navigating the system from the inside. Not in open rebellion, but in an attempt to protect others without completely destroying herself. It reads less like loyalty to power and more like a carefully curated survival strategy.

Her dynamic with Kira is one of the most emotionally fraught threads of the season. They’re not just sisters; they’re (Like many siblings though it doesn't appear to really be discussed between siblings irl. or that might just be because mine don't know how to communicate....) entangled reflections of one another, shaped by the same violence but reacting in different ways. Their relationship doesn’t easily slot into simple binaries like dominance and submission or love and resentment. It seems co-dependent, yes, but layered with complicated love, rivalry, duty, and survival. In moments like the choking scene in the finale, Riri doesn’t fight back. That might be resignation, or it might be a kind of emotional logic in which keeping her sister’s trust (or love) is worth enduring pain. The brushing-hair scene earlier in the season quietly highlights this intimacy: small, loaded gestures that say more than dialogue ever could.

Her relationship with Mary introduces a different emotional tone. With Mary, Riri’s protectiveness feels more reactive, more visceral, more well human. In moments like the kitchen scene with Gabriel, Riri acts swiftly and without calculation. That scene, where she physically steps between Mary and potential harm, might be one of the only moments she fully drops the mask. There’s no duty in it. Just instinct. Concern. Possibly even love. And when she later asks Mary if she wants to leave the party, it reads like one of her first unguarded offers of agency; one not based in command, but in care.

The romantic undercurrent between them (especially Riri’s invitation to the dance) doesn’t feel like a bold or confident move, but a fragile and hopeful action of simply taking your crush to prom. It’s one of the few moments where Riri seems to want something just for herself. A tentative claim to personal connection in a world that rarely lets her choose anything.

To me, Riri’s posture and body language across the season quietly reinforce just how much she’s holding in; through slightly hunched shoulders, hands folded behind her back or clenched at her sides, breath control that borders on restraint. It gives the impression of someone always managing herself, always calculating whether showing emotion is safe—or dangerous.

In the end, I don't think it can (but hey I could be wrong) be claimed that Riri represents resistance in the loud, defiant sense. But perhaps she embodies a quieter kind of rebellion: the kind that tries to protect what matters without breaking the system that’s kept her (and others) barely intact. From what I could gather, she's a portrait of someone caught between obedience and care, between control and humanity, and the slow, maybe even reluctant realization that she might deserve more than just survival.

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okay so i can’t stop thinking about riri. like as a character. this is my roman empire now.

i don’t even mean just the mask or the way she follows orders, but the way she protects. the way it’s clear she didn’t expect her father to choose her over kira for student rep; like she looks not uncomfortable (tho that might be the word) but like disheartened. she never wanted to replace kira, and you can tell that wasn’t part of any plan she herself would have made. she loves her sister so much it’s hard to even watch.

and she’s so protective of the people she cares about it physically hurts. like when she thought mary might get targeted just for knowing the truth, like, that wasn’t shame or guilt about what she did, it was fear that mary would be next. riri’s always more afraid for others than she is for herself, and that’s what kills me.

she doesn’t fight back against the system for herself. she plays along to keep kira safe, to keep mary safe, and maybe to keep some part of herself from breaking. even if it means being the attack dog.

maybe i’m just reading too much into it because i always end up obsessing over the characters i relate to emotionally (not like environment or background or anything, but mentally). but riri hits that nerve in a way i wasn’t ready for.

anyway. this is post one. i'm gonna be going through all her scenes and interactions one by one because i have thoughts. starting with kira. then mary. then the father. then everyone else. and wendy. oh especially wendy.

this is not gonna be clean or in order or sane. it’s just me spiraling through this character until season two destroys me or saves me.

I have thoughts so if I have to suffer through them so does this hell site (affectionate)

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Help a Family in Need

I am reaching out on behalf of my dear friend, Mohamad S., who is facing one of the most challenging times of his life. Mohamad is 37 years old and left his homeland in 2015 in search of a safer and better future. He’s a kind, hardworking man, and his small family has always been his greatest priority.

Living abroad, Mohamad has recently endured unimaginable loss and financial strain. Amidst the ongoing conflict in his homeland, his mother passed away, leaving behind his sister and her five young children—the last remaining members of his immediate family.

As the situation worsened, Mohamad managed to help his sister and her children escape to safety in Egypt, covering their immediate needs and securing a temporary refuge for them. Since then, he has been fully responsible for providing everything they need to survive during this transition.

In his efforts to support his family and cope with this devastating loss, Mohamad has found himself deeply in debt. To make matters even more difficult, he recently underwent knee surgery, which limits his ability to return to work for the foreseeable future. This has made it even harder for him to manage his financial responsibilities and the pressing need to provide his family with a stable future.

Mohamad is now working to bring his sister and her five children to join him in Belgium, where he hopes they can find stability and opportunity after all they’ve endured. This transition, however, requires significant resources that he is currently unable to meet alone.

For privacy reasons, we are not sharing Mohamad’s full name, as he has chosen to keep his identity discreet. While he initially refused the idea of asking for help, I couldn’t stand by and watch him struggle alone. I insisted on doing this for him because he deserves a chance to overcome these challenges.

Your contribution will help Mohamad repay the debt incurred during this difficult time, cover ongoing living expenses for his family, and assist with the costs involved in bringing them safely to Belgium.

Mohamad has been a good friend of mine for years, and I’ve always admired his resilience and generosity. Any support, no matter the size, will make an incredible difference in helping Mohamad and his family rebuild their lives after these painful experiences.

Thank you for reading his story and considering helping a man who has always done everything he can for his loved ones.

Adam

Please donate & share: Donation Link

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Every once in a while, I'll come across an analysis of Agatha All Along (AAA) that reignites my will to rewatch the series. Then I remember the shift in the latter half of the show—from a rich, character-driven storytelling that initially captivated me. To a more plot-focused narrative that felt like it sidelined the depth I'd come to love. It's disheartening, especially knowing that external factors, like Disney executives' interventions, most likely (allegedly) influenced these changes.

Agatha's character is complex. A blend of mischief and depth. She revels in being a menace to society, yet her actions often reveal nuance. For instance, the scene where Lilia emerges from her poisoned hallucination during the Witches' Road trial; Agatha's gentle "ok" in response to Lilia's distress showcases an unexpected empathy. Even in WandaVision, while Agatha was undeniably power-hungry and manipulative, she never directly harmed Tommy or Billy, which doesn't make sense for someone who's accused of eating children. These contradictions add layers to her character, making her both intriguing and enigmatic. Like Agatha wasn't good or a hero (given she was the cause of Jen's power being bound), but she wasn't a monster (monsters don't feel remorse or guilt) either.

Despite this though, my love for the characters and the world they've created remains unchanged. The series' strengths are undeniable, even if certain things complicate the rewatching experience for me.

Hell I could be wrong about all this and just have a trash take. I just can't shake this stupid feeling that there could have been more, ya know?

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Ao3 does not need an algorithm, you're just lazy

Ao3 does not need a 1-5 star rating system, you just want to bring down authors writing for FREE

Ao3 does not need automatic censorship, it is an archive, therefore anything can be posted

Writing or reading about something illegal does not mean the author nor the reader condones it, if that were true, you could never read a story involving anything negative

Purity culture is ruining fan culture and you all are fucking annoying

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Please Reblog is Your Blog is Safe for Non-Binary People.

If my mutuals can’t rb this then we can’t be mutuals

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Anyone else check AO3 today and get a little concerned about how bad the state of the world is in based on the uptake of NSFW fics? Like any fics is worrying regardless but dam...!

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Another video of Kathryn singing don't stop believin' (x)