I’m still slowly going through the recast au songs, but I wanna do a quick pop in about Richie in the au because YESSS MICHAEL IN THE BATHROOM IS SO RICHIE, but also is there actually a situation where Richie ends up alone/ditched by Pete and/or Ruth in the au or is it just vibes?
Also like Richie is very much so not cis in this au (really is he ever?), and I was wondering how that changes his character/motives or if it doesn’t? I guess what I’m saying is how do you think gender impacts Richie’s character, and also in general how is this Richie different? (Also if you don’t have an in depth answer that’s fine lol)
That is absolutely okay, take all the time you need and pop in whenever.
Now to actually answer the question; as usual, this will be a long post, open at your own risk.
First of all... YES, I AM SO GLAD YOU AGREE.
Most people attribute the song to Pete or even Paul, but it has always screamed more Richie to me. It works just as well with canon/Jon!Richie, but there is just something that really fits the vibe of Jae!Richie.
Second, partially it is vibes, partially it is intentionally relating to the plot.
In canon, the majority of headcanons paint Ruth and Richie as the more friendly of the nerd trio. Frequently pairing off and leaving Pete as kind of a third wheel at best, outsider and interloper at worst. Long story short: Pete is the newcomer to the dynamic.
In this AU, it is definitely the case of Pete and Ruth befriending each other first, due to being in the same tap class and a love for Star Wars (happy late May 4th to anyone who celebrates), with Richie later joining the group some time after. However, I believe all of them have moments and situations of feeling alone and like the one that doesn’t quite fit in, but due to being the new one in a previous group of two and not sharing as many interests/hobbies, it is more often Richie.
It takes some time for the nerds to become a more equal trio - though as said earlier, there are still definitely times where two people end up being really buddy-buddy and leaving someone out, but they all know it doesn’t come from a place of malicious intent and are now much better at communicating with each other. Although the introduction of Steph and Pete being all encompassed by her does somewhat threaten to ruin that peace.
But you could also make a case that gender adds another layer to it.
A very much unintentional layer from Ruth and Pete, but definitely still one that Richie feels as someone who isn’t cis.
Richie here is non-binary and a demiboy, using he/they.
Given how small a character Richie it is, it is hard to define how gender impacts the character.
Within the context of NPMD and Richie not being around for more than a couple scenes, it doesn’t really change too much. They would be bullied by Max regardless and the rest of the jocks would still attempt to make amends/be supportive before the game, but Richie just isn’t around long enough. It is kind of the same case for Ruth. They aren’t given enough to really establish themselves as they are minor characters, just being pulled through the motions of everything Max, Steph, Pete and Grace do.
Same goes for Richie in WB - however, I do believe they would grab the gun way before Grace. But this is more personality than gender.
In general, this Richie is more proactive. They are not here to be a bystander or a victim, if and where they can help it. I believe they have attempted fighting Max back at least once. It would have gone horrible for them for so many reasons, but they would have tried. And then bragged a lot about being the one to scratch Max. Similarly, they would fight for Ruth (and Pete) as seen above.
Partially due to some of the harassment they face for gender and sexuality, and the fact the school does fuck all to help, they are less inclined to stand by stand by and let something happen. Their involvement/fighting back has both its pros and cons - on one hand, the more fighting, the more it forces the teachers to get involved because two people fighting is a lot more destructive than one and nobody wants to risk losing the star quarterback for the Nighthawks; on the other, it probably just eggs Max on and obviously results in his bullying getting worse for revenge sake.
And partially just a confidence thing in how this Richie differs from canon.
They are also somewhat better at social situations, as Richie manages to make some connection to the other nerds in school. As again, in a trio, one person always gets left to go find someone else for paired assignments.
Richie and Grace have a very strong sibling dynamic as they essentially adopt her into the friend group post Alice leaving for Clivesdale. They feel bad for her but will never admit it. Typical scenario of an older brother seeing his little sister sat alone and begrudgingly bringing her to his table. While this gives Grace a friend, they get someone they can yap endlessly at, about anything, who will listen even if she does not understand a word being said.
She has such a weird bundle of information now. She knows the name of five different Pokémon but does not know what any of them look like, so she just guesses all of them any time she sees a card or plush. (Watch the plush be from a completely different, not remotely similar franchise). She also knows the entire plot of Attack on Titans without seeing any of it, subsequently thinks this is a story Richie just made up for a creative writing piece in school. Richie has yet to correct her on that.
Do not let the kindness fool you, this Richie is also the more judgemental one and will roast you. Brutally. If you’re a Smosh fan, it is very much in a similar vein to Tommy and his dry humour. Especially the funeral roasts. The only one who might be spare from so thorough a roast is Ruth. They know she is sensitive and she will always be his first and favourite sister; sorry Grace. It could be worse, you could be the least favourite.
They do pride themselves on being funny and making the others laugh without really trying too hard. More clever quips than comedy bits.
They are still just as weird, horny and as much of a dork as canon, don’t worry.
I’ll go more in depth when I get around to doing the bios, but hopefully this answers most of your questions!
