How Rickie and Rayanne got started

General discussion about the nineteen episodes of "My So-Called Life". Note: Our episode guide can be found here.
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Stick
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How Rickie and Rayanne got started

Post by Stick » Feb 22nd 2009, 12:14 am

We already discussed how Angela et Rayanne here: http://www.mscl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=842 But how do you think Rayanne and Rickie became friends?

Rickie and Rayanne both have that broken home thing, which would put them in the same league. (Like for Angela, Brain, and Sharon) But the two are so different. Rayanne seems so energetic that she might not notice understated Rickie. (No matter how dramatic he can be around familiar people) He seems to be the type of person to be up on all the gossip and Angela said that she heard bad rumors about Rayanne so, what did the relatively levelheaded Rickie see in her?
Who knows, maybe they were friends since they were kids like Angela, Rickie, and Sharon. (But then why did they make it this far before having the drifting situation?)

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Cami A.
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Re: How Rickie and Rayanne got started

Post by Cami A. » Feb 23rd 2009, 3:56 am

Stick, this is a very interesting topic.
To me their relationship seems completely natural and understandable.

I think that even though Rickie and Rayanne are different (mainly she's a bit manic, and he's more level-headed), they share a few key things that bond them together. 1) They are both dreamers. Although they express their dreams differently, they are both romantics deep down inside. I've always assumed that Rayanne has lots of romantic fantasies about the way she wants her life to be, but since she's had a fairly disappointing home life thus far, she projects this apathetic image to others. She doesn't want to feel weakened by her troubles so she acts out, pretends to be tough. Rickie on the other hand is a very obvious romantic. Just listen to him talk about love to Angela in the girl's restroom after she breaks up with Jordan! I think Rayanne probably saw that in him, and that's what attracted her to Rickie in the first place. 2) They both know the meaning of "life sucks", but are able to raise above it, and have fun.

Here's my theory of how they met. Rayanne saw a kid who was different from everybody else, and most likely had a hard life, but still managed to be kind and optimistic. Maybe she admired that in him, and reached out to him. At first Rickie was just happy to have a friend, then when he learned more about her personal issues, the savior complex kicked in, and he felt responsible for her well-being after having gotten close. You have to keep in mind, he's very compassionate. And every relationship needs a leader and a follower. They'd have had a falling out years ago if they were both leaders or both followers. Either they'd be arguing all the time, or never know what to do with themselves.

I think this unscathed dreamer image in Rickie is the same thing that attracted Rayanne to Angela at the beginning of the series. We see in "Guns and Gossip" that Rickie almost feels replaced by Angela's presence, because in a way, he is much more similar to Angela than to Rayanne. Actually, he's kind of a mix. He's got Angela's innocence and imagination, and Rayanne's life-experience and art of denial goin on.

Sorry If I'm not making much sense.
You should check out Chapter 4 of ikilledkennyandjr's fanfiction STARING DOWN THE SUN, which you can find links to in the fanfic forum under the topic "A different kind of fanfic". The story is from Rayanne's POV, and that particular chapter is all about Rayanne's friendship with both Angela and Rickie. ikilledkennyandjr does a great job of establishing a sort of backstory for Rickie and Rayanne's friendship...and exploring the core of Rayanne's friendships.
"So, the mouse makes pressure, just by breathing?...I can relate."

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Jody Barsch*
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Re: How Rickie and Rayanne got started

Post by Jody Barsch* » Mar 31st 2009, 10:04 pm

Cami A. wrote:I've always assumed that Rayanne has lots of romantic fantasies about the way she wants her life to be, but ... she projects this apathetic image to others.

We see in "Guns and Gossip" that Rickie almost feels replaced by Angela's presence, because in a way, he is much more similar to Angela than to Rayanne. Actually, he's kind of a mix. He's got Angela's innocence and imagination, and Rayanne's life-experience and art of denial goin on.
Well said Cami. I like the phrase "unscathed dreamer"!
Calling Rayanne a romantic is such a perfect classification. Like so many people, and adolescents in particular, she sees such potential for living. Her willingness to live the adventure she envisions for herself drives her to find the rommance in unlikely circumstances. A night that ended horribly becomes, in the morning light surrounded by attending ears and complicit co-fabricators, a "time"! Gossip about guns and sex becomes a "rush". It's simultaneously a gift and a liability, much Like Rayanne Graff herself.
Sometimes I write a little MSCL fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1039807/Jody-Barsch
Also, after multiple V. Mars reiterations, and finally a Deadwood movie, still wishing for some continuation of The Riches !

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Cami A.
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Re: How Rickie and Rayanne got started

Post by Cami A. » Apr 15th 2009, 2:53 am

Jody Barsch* wrote: Well said Cami. I like the phrase "unscathed dreamer"!
Calling Rayanne a romantic is such a perfect classification. Like so many people, and adolescents in particular, she sees such potential for living. Her willingness to live the adventure she envisions for herself drives her to find the rommance in unlikely circumstances. A night that ended horribly becomes, in the morning light surrounded by attending ears and complicit co-fabricators, a "time"! Gossip about guns and sex becomes a "rush". It's simultaneously a gift and a liability, much Like Rayanne Graff herself.
Hey Jody! I like your observation about how that horrible night outside Let's Bolt becomes "a time" by morning. That's exactly what I'm talking about. And that scene when she tells Angela how much she loves gossip is so telling! I love how her huge grin about all the excitement turns into worry as soon as the cops show up. Sometimes romantic fantasies lose their glamor once they become REAL, ya know? I like these moments when we see Rayanne stripped of her sunny disposition, because we see how much she really cares about her friends and family. One of the most touching moments is when she shows up at Angela's house after the betrayal, and half-reaches out to Patty. I always cry!
"So, the mouse makes pressure, just by breathing?...I can relate."

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