an introduction

for those who are not aware, rapsittie street kids is a 2002 animated christmas special that was broadcast on the cw. it looks like this:

and it is the love of my life.
i have been a rapsittie street kid (what i call a fan of the special) since 2023 and haven't been able to rid myself of the thing, despite complaints from friends and family. i find myself deeply enamoured with every aspect of it, from the poor animation to the nonsensical plot. i have to implore you to watch it before continuing down this page, as there is no way to truly express the experience in words. you can find it on youtube, including on my youtube channel dedicated to the film, in which i have added subtitles for those who do not wish to decipher the auto-generated ones.

my creations

here is the first demo of a song from a potential rapsittie street kids musical (which will likely not come to fruition, although i am going to try to at least write the songs). i want to add a breakbeat eventually to show ricky's growing insanity, but i'm not quite sure how to a. make a breakbeat in the first place and b. execute it properly. it will go on the to-do list, i suppose. right now the priority is to write more songs. honestly i came up with this one a few months ago, so i guess i'm going to have to work on coming up with catchy-enough tunes. and figure out which parts of the movie to get these songs from.

lyrics

Everybody tells me that I should not even try
Nothing that I think or say or do is ever right
Now I trip and fall into the tree and hit my head
Not even the pain from that distracts from what they said
Get away from me!
Tough breaks

Everybody tells me I've gone funny in the head
Zeke with his dull mocking voice and Smithy with his bread
Even worse, my mother's hearse reminds me once a year
I will never be the same since she has disappeared
Get away from me!
Tough breaks

thinking about it, i should sketch out a general plot of the musical before i actually like. write the whole thing. so i know where i'm going with it at least.
so in the film:
1. ricky has no money with which to buy a present for nicole.
2. we are introduced to the fact that ricky's mother is dead.
3. ricky goes to school. smithy taunts nicole, ricky smashes into the tree.
4. they go to recess, and a chase ensues.
5. lenee gives nicole a reindeer that nicole insults.
6. the principal visits.
7. ricky tries to give nicole the bear, but nicole throws it away.
8. nicole and lenee walk home and see ricky writing a letter to santa, in which he asks for nicole to be happy (and for a videobox).
9. ricky tries to mail the letter, but it flies away.
10. Look at Me: a song sung by nicole
11. lenee exhibits doubt about santa
12. ricky asks great grandma for advice
13. nicole, lenee, smithy meet the bullies while digging through the trash
14. search in the basement
15. search in the junkyard. get chased by guard dogs, sandwich is sacrificed, but bear is found
16. nicole apologized, and ricky says he values their friendship.
17. lenee's mother's story about santa
18. believe in santa: lenee's song where she believes
19. christmas morning at nicole's
20. gives videobox to ricky and invites him over to lenee's house
21. resolution, they are happy and believe in santa all of them

ricky's growth: uhh honestly i don't know. which is why i want to add more about his dead mother. it feels like he kind of gets cast aside after a certain point in the film in favor of learning about nicole
nicole's growth: she learns how to not be a bitch
lenee's growth: she. believes in santa? i feel like there could be something more here but i don't know... maybe more about sticking to her principles than literally just about believing in santa specifically.
smithy's growth: ahh the tragic comic relief. nothing really gets done about him, although he does have to sacrifice his sandwich. thinking about it, that's sort of where his role ended, along with that of the bullies.
ok so in my musical i want to make it much more ricky-centered. he is much more upset about his mother's death than in the film (tbh in there he seems kind of chill about it) and tough breaks is his breaking point, so to say. he hasn't given nicole his bear yet, but he can tell that he's going to be rejected, just because of how nicole is, but he is denying it enough to go through with it. after nicole turns him away AND takes his bear, he falls into despair and breaks down in tears after rereading his mother's last letter to him. great grandma comes in and sings a heartfelt song made of gibberish, but ricky seems to understand. he is still angry at nicole and at himself for giving away his bear, but he feels as though he better understands something. when nicole comes back to his house, he can tell that she is upset and feels bad, so he at least acts as if he forgives her, but in reality, he is plotting his suicide to join his mother again. (anything goes, this is rapsittie street kids and is mostly just some sort of creative writing exercise for me.) he lets nicole keep the bear. after the end scene, he wearily says, believe in santa, and then jumps into the pond where they were ice skating. at this point, there will be some sort of experimental ambient track and weird colors flashing onstage. after the musical act, great grandma and co call out ricky's name, walking by the pond without seeing him. oh boy what the fuck am i writing?
anyway. going with that. obviously this will set it up for a sequel for nicole to be consumed with grief herself but that's at a later point. nicole can still have her song look at me, and i think the melody should definitely be a motif throughout the film.
lenee won't matter too much in this one i think. she will stick by her principles better maybe? i don't know how or how much to develop her
smithy is good old smithy. oblivious.

song fragment i guess? i wrote it late at night so i don't have a great direction with this one
we got nothing under the tree
nothing waiting for me
sad as an empty square

SCENE: The toy store.
will start off with ricky's rap, a crowd-pleaser.
Smithy: Hey, Ricky, can't believe I'm seeing you here! Did you finally manage to get some money?
Ricky: Yeah, I did. *pulls coins out of his pocket* How much will this get me?
Smithy: *laughing* Oh, Ricky, what is that? That's... one, two, three, is all I see!
Ricky: One, two, three,... and no more.
Smithy: Hey, Ricky, cheer up! Just think about it: if you can't get a present for Nicole, then you'll be able to just fly under the radar. You know how she can only stand to buy $500 shirts -- at least!
Ricky: She's not that bad, Smithy. You haven't seen her when she's in a good mood... *music starts*
Here I could put a song about how cool Ricky thinks Nicole is. I'll come back to this, I guess. It could be alright, something like
I see her hair, her beautiful blonde curls
I see her smile, the way that it unfurls
And above all, her beautiful blue eyes
Nothing like it, nothing nothing like it
I see her face, the way she smiles and waves
I see her clothing, her lack of aftershave (what am i even saying with this one)
And above all, the way she makes me smile
Nothing like it, nothing nothing like it
Nothing like it, nothing nothing like it
Smithy (spoken): yeah, that's great and all Ricky, but what about all the times she's put you down? Don't you remember in 2nd grade when--
Ricky (spoken): That was just a misunderstanding. We barely even knew her back then!
Smithy: Ricky, don't you remember? She-- (AN: if I am competent, then what she did will later be revealed. if i am not, then i pulled a colin slater. either way)
Nothing like it, nothing nothing like it
Nothing like it, nothing nothing AHHHH
I see her, I see her, I see her, I see her
I see her, I see her, I see her, I see her
*song ends*
Enter NICOLE
Nicole: I didn't know you guys had enough money to be at the mall. Are you here to window shop?
Ricky: Nicole, I didn't know you would be here! Do you, uh --
Nicole: Ricky, what are those coins you have in your hand? Do you know what you can buy with 75 cents?
Ricky: Not a whole lot, but I was sure there was something here.
Nicole: Ohoho, Ricky, your naïveté would be charming if it wasn't so embarrassing. Did your great grandma tell you about the riches she could buy as a little girl for 75 cents? Back then, that was practically the GDP of the country.
Smithy: Cmon, Ricky, let's get outta here. And Nicole, don't even think about treating Ricky like that again.
Nicole: Why not? It's not like he can do anything about it. Great Grandma can barely form a complete sentence. There's no way that she would be able to respond to my comebacks.
Smithy: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SCENE: Ricky walks home from the toy store. He walks to his room, decorated sparcely.
*pause*
Ricky: Mama, why can't I see you anymore?
Mama: Ricky, I'm right here... *she is very obviously ghostly, a product of Ricky's crazed imagination. she wears all white and speaks flatly, but still lovingly*
Ricky: Oh, Mama, what should I do? Everybody at school is mean to me...
Mama: Ricky, remember... the bear...
*Cause of Love starts*
Someday soon
You will see
All that's waiting
In your dream
Hold this bear close
Give it a name
When I am gone, remember its name
Then in a blink
I will be there
Now, don't you cry
My precious dear bear...
*Ricky's mother fades away off stage*
Ricky: Oh, Mama, what am I going to do without you?
Ricky: Mama, you gave me this bear, cause of love. So I'll give this bear, cause of love.
SCENE: School, the next day. (I might shuffle around the scenes a little bit here. a. I need to introduce Lenee earlier. b. Ricky's break in Tough Breaks shouldn't come out of nowhere. so I think I'll make Ricky trip after recess, where he gives Nicole the bear that she throws in the dumpster.)
Nicole: I've got to look extra cute. Then Mommy schedules me for my own hair lady!
*bonk*
Nicole: Smithy!
Smithy: Hey, Nicole, duck. I mean, dinosaur! I guess the pressure to bug you is just too much for me to resist.
Zeke: Whoa, the pressure's really getting to Smithy. Hey, Todd, come on! Ricky's gonna decorate the tree!
Todd: Let's just see what Ricky Rhymemaster can do. Bhahaha.
Ricky: I'm a decorating master, no one is faster
Don't you know, I'm a Christmas tree blaster
Tugg: Hey, Ricky, that's not bad. For you.
Todd: Don't get a swell head. You're still not one of us, shrimp.
Smithy: It's alright, Ricky. I bet those guys haven't even touched a Christmas ball in their lives!
Ricky: Thanks, Smithy.
*pause*
Smithy: Hey, what did you end up getting for Nicole? I think it's gross you like her, but I know she's important to you.
Ricky: I brought her this bear. *holds it out*
Smithy: But Ricky, that's your mother's bear! The one she gave you??
Ricky: Well, I really need a gift for Nicole. I thought she would understand how important it was to me...
Smithy: Nicole doesn't understand that hair salons aren't open 24-hours because they aren't an emergency service. Why would you ever waste that on her?
Ricky: It's not a waste. I know she'll take care of it.
Smithy: Do you even think that she'll use its name?
Ricky: Well, it'll be hers...
Smithy: If she can't even call it (name), then I don't think she should have it in the first place.
Ricky: Well, we'll see how it goes. Recess is in ten minutes. I'll give it to her then.
Lenee: Hey, guys...
Ricky: Hey, Lenee. What's up?
Smithy: Yeah, don't you have Nicole to talk to?
Lenee: Just seeing how you're doing. Nicole's in one of her moods again. She's going on about how I'm too old to believe in Santa...
Smithy: See, I told you that you shouldn't give it to her.
Lenee: Give her what?
Ricky: This. (said calmly, clearly, confidently)
Lenee: Oh, Ricky, I don't think you should give something like that away. Won't you miss it?
Ricky: Not as much as I'll miss Nicole. I'm missing my chance to get to know her better.
Lenee: Why Nicole? I don't want to be rude, but lately... she's been downright mean.
Ricky: All of you will see. Nicole will accept my gift!
*bell rings*
Lenee: Before you guys go... don't you believe in Santa?
Smithy: Yeah, why wouldn't we? What sort of a question is that? He's a very important man.
Lenee, alone: I'm sure that Santa exists. Why doesn't Nicole believe me?
SCENE: In the recess
Nicole: What do you want, Ricky? What could we possibly have to talk about?
Ricky: MERRY CHRISTMAS, NICOLE.
Nicole: Have you lost your mind?! Are you purposefully trying to embarass me? I can't even exchange this nasty old thing.
Ricky: You may be smart with books, but you sure are stupid. I give you a real gift, and you don't get it.
Nicole: I got it just find, Ricky. I'm sure the Dumpster will be having a grand old time with this thing.
*tosses it*
Ricky: Don't you--
Nicole: Ohoho, you think I care it's from your dead mom? I knew she would die all the way back in 2nd grade. What was it, a drug overdose?
Ricky: It was CANCER, Nicole!
Nicole: Same, difference. (note: my god is my Nicole mean. might tone it down in later versions, but also I want Ricky to break)
Smithy: Hey, Nicole, leave him alone! Right, Lenee?
Lenee: Well, Nicole makes some good points... (mumbled, doesn't want to agree with Nicole because she knows it's wrong, but also doesn't want to disagree out of fear)
Smithy: What points? They're about as sharp as a dull pencil.
Nicole: Cmon, Lenee, let's pretend we're famous skaters. I bet they don't have to deal with people like Ricky.
Todd: Wow, you're getting beat up by a girl? I thought you were better than that, Ricky.
(here is where the getting dragged around scene starts. I don't feel like writing it, but there will be a song.)
SCENE: Back in the classroom
*Ricky trips*
Todd: That's a lot of tough breaks. All over the place!
Ricky: Oh, yeah, Todd?? I'll show YOU some tough breaks!
*Tough Breaks starts*
Everybody tells me that I should not even try
Nothing that I think or say or do is ever right
Now I trip and fall into the tree and hit my head
Not even the pain from that distracts from what they said
Get away from me!
Tough breaks
Everybody tells me I've gone funny in the head
Zeke with his dull mocking voice and Smithy with his bread
Even worse, my mother's hearse reminds me once a year
I will never be the same since she has disappeared
Get away from me!
Tough breaks