#Katherine and Davey are both song writers

[frogmanfae]

Oh, I've thought about it

okay think about it -- newsies punk rock band au. THINK ABOUT ITTT

[myfairkatiecat]

Hi!! For the Character Bingo: Davey Jacobs, Katherine Plumber/Pulitzer, Kate Wetherall, and/or Reynie Muldoon.

Any one or combination you'd like to do I'd be happy to see! Hope you're doing well :)

Hiii Sophie! I answered for Kate on the last one, so here’s the other ones (I have so many feelings adfkhfjgdurs)

Davey:

I love him so much Sophie 😭 I wish he wasn’t fictional we’d be platonic soulmates

Katherine:

I could project onto my fellow Katherine all day. Same name (distant spelling) both writers experiencing writers block and having a strong urge to bust out into song about that… twins we are twins!! I also just love her character, flaws and all, and it’s disappointing to me that there’s a lot of 92sies fans that don’t like her. She and Sarah are both good characters!

Reynie:

So much projection in this bunch 😂😂

Thanks for the ask, I love these guys!!!

[violetwolfraven]

Blink and Mush and Sarah and Katherine in Wonderland

Hi @addie-your-queen ! I’m filling a request for a blush/newsbians double date, with no swear words. I think I remembered not to use any but I apologize if I missed any. @newsiesgiftexchange

I sincerely hope you enjoy my portrayal of feral teen friendship with a side of relationship softness.

Tw: Blink has social anxiety but I don’t think there are any others.

…

Blink was, objectively, bad at making friends.

It was just a fact. If Jack ‘friendly extrovert’ Kelly hadn’t looked at Blink in 8th grade and for some reason decided “I’m going to befriend this kid,” he probably wouldn’t have any friends. He definitely wouldn’t have accidentally become part of Jack’s family of queer problem children, which he was a lot more grateful for now than he was in 8th grade.

The group had an odd dynamic where, yes, everyone mostly hung out with their usual few friends, but they also each maintained a constant familiarity with all the others. They knew each other’s backstories. Any given pair or group of them could have a comfortable conversation. Blink would help any of them get rid of a dead body, no questions asked. It was just how they rolled. They loved each other unconditionally. It was only weird if you were looking at it from the outside.

For a long time, Blink had been part of that weird family, but only actually had a real conversation with… like… Mush, Davey, and Race. He’d gotten closer with Albert lately, but that was pretty predictable because they were the two most defensive and they understood each other. Most of the friend group still saw Blink as the angry one, for good reason.

The kind of close friendship with Sarah Jacobs where she would ask if he wanted to go on a double date was… unexpected.

See, Sarah was plenty angry—she and Blink were alike in that way—but she carried it differently. She favored using her words first. Goading an enemy into throwing the first punch so if anyone asked, the fight wasn’t her fault. Blink was more direct. He didn’t get into fights at all. One or two precise hits was enough to ruin someone’s day if they had said or done something to deserve it, and that was enough.

The two of them had vastly different mentalities, so it was probably a miracle their friendship worked as well as it did.

Sarah did well in math and science, and Blink favored English and art. Blink liked coffee and Sarah preferred tea. Sarah liked girls and Blink liked boys. The only thing they had in common was that they were both angry gay introverts.

Their double date was at a new cafe Sarah’s girlfriend Katherine had found, which was themed ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ A clever twist on a mad tea party, Blink guessed. The aesthetic was carried by the mirrors suspended on wires to the ceiling and the Lewis Carroll quotes on the walls. The foam in Blink’s coffee was blue.

Blink was firmly of the belief that wherever you could find a Starbucks, you could find some small local place with better coffee. This place definitely lived up to that.

Sadly though, the three employees on duty couldn’t seem to agree on a playlist. The songs playing over a cheap sound system kept switching abruptly, which made sitting in silence with Sarah while they waited for their respective partners kind of awkward.

Blink tried to be subtle about shooting a text to Mush, hoping he was close. Mush was good at being comfortable with people no matter the circumstances. It was one of the things Blink loved most about him.

Sarah cleared her throat, startling him into looking up.

“Kitty says there’s a traffic accident on 4th,” she said, gesturing to her phone, “She and Mush are carpooling and they’re stuck behind it.”

“Right.”

Mush and Katherine lived pretty close together. It made sense they wouldn’t waste the gas to come separately.

Sarah rested her chin on her hand, smiling kind of dreamily, “Kitty’s such an amazing writer.”

Blink didn’t know where that came from, “Okay?”

“It’s on my mind because she’s writing a modern interpretation of Alice in Wonderland that’s also a commentary on the treatment of neurodivergent people in our society.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“Yeah, I’ve only read the few polished scenes she’s ready to share, but it’s pretty amazing. It’s gonna be a bestseller when she’s done with it.”

“What’s it called?”

Sarah grinned, “Life Through A Looking Glass. The storyline is that Alice and her friends all have different disorders, and then they somehow spend a week alone together in ‘Wonderland,’ tackling various issues and trauma. It’s trippy because the reader is never quite sure what’s real and what’s not.”

“Jack doin’ her cover art?”

“Naturally. And a few illustrations in the book too, cause those really need to be in more books.”

“That’s rad, dude,” Blink said, fully meaning it.

“You know what’s even radder?”

“What?”

“She based a few of the characters on our friends. I’m not gonna spoil who’s who, but our friend group’s got a fun mixed bag of neurotypes. Kathy’s been doing a bunch of interviews to accurately portray things.”

Blink nodded, “Well, Mush is more of a reader than me, but I’ll still read that book when it comes out.”

“Well, while we’re on the topic of partners,” Sarah took a sip of her coffee (with pale purple foam in it), “How are things with Mush?”

Well, wasn’t that something that Blink didn’t know how to put into words? He wasn’t sure he wanted to put it into words. Sure, he loved Sarah as his friend and trusted her, but it wasn’t like he really talked about his relationship with Mush with anyone.

Blink didn’t want to seem too cliche, even in his own head, but his life had been pretty dark. Mush was a soft, warm light in that dark. He was one good thing after years of bad. He complemented the best parts of Blink and made the worst parts not hurt so much.

Like hell was he saying something that emo out loud, though.

“Things’re good,” he ended up saying, “I don’t know what else to say about it. Y’know. How much can ya really say when you love somebody that much?”

Sarah smiled softly, “Yeah. Yeah, I get that. I could talk about Kitty for hours and still not put it into words the right way.”

Blink shrugged, “I already know I can’t, so why even try?”

He didn’t really mean for it to be funny, but he could understand why Sarah laughed anyway.

They both looked up as the door to the cafe opened and the two they’d been talking about walked in.

“Traffic can suck it!” Katherine Plumber announced in her bold way as she entered, “We made it only 15 minutes late!”

Mush was laughing, trying to shush her, “Katherine, there’s other people here!”

Sarah smirked and reached over the table to nudge Blink.

“You may not have the words for it, Kid, but the look on your face says everything.”

Blink didn’t get a chance to respond before she was out of her seat to go greet her girlfriend. He stayed where he was, because arguably making sure they didn’t lose their table was the more important gesture.

It only took a couple minutes for Mush and Katherine to order their coffee and come over to sit down.

“So,” Katherine said with a warm smile as she set down a majenta drink, “Trying to steal my girl, Blink?”

“I don’t want your girl, Katherine,” Blink deadpanned at the same time as Sarah mock gasped and exclaimed, “He couldn’t if he tried!”

Mush smiled with all the warmth in the world, “Tell Sarah how ya really feel, why don’t ya?”

He bumped his shoulder against Blink’s, and laughed when he was bumped back harder.

“I refuse to be perceived as straight.”

“I was about to be offended,” Sarah said with a grin, “But honestly, fair.”

The song playing over the crappy sound system switched to Straight No Chaser’s Christmas Can Can, and Blink looked over to see that Mush was already looking at him with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He put down his coffee, which had green foam in it.

Blink really loved being 100% in sync with his partner.

They started singing along quietly on the exact same line.

“Thoughts of joy and hope and cheer but mostly shopping, shopping, shopping—“

Sarah and Katherine laughed and joined in right on, “Heard this same song twenty times, and it’s only Halloween…”

Was it really their fault if they started singing louder as the song progressed? Wasn’t that just the spirit of the holidays? Especially since they’d sang this song in their high school choir last year and still remembered most of the harmonies and the dance they’d choreographed as a group, which fit pretty easily in the space around their table?

Blink’s favorite part was coming up.

“Hey, what’s troubling you, my friends?” Mush sang.

Sarah did an exaggeratedly sad frown, “It’s not fair if you’re Jewish, Jewish.”

Katherine joined in, “Not fair if you’re Jewish, Jewish!”

They were all outright belting, “Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay! You realize that Christmas ain’t the only holiday!”

The few other customers in the cafe were staring, but somehow Blink was too high on the feral energy of this friendship to care. People tended to stare at him anyway. Let ‘em. The singing along to the song wasn’t as good as it would be if they had the whole group with them, but two tenors, a soprano 2, and a soprano 1 still made for a few good harmonies.

By the time they finished out, what was left of Blink’s coffee was cold, but he didn’t mind. He and Mush and the girls were laughing, and they were having an amazing time, and he could taste peppermint when Mush kissed him out of pure joy.

Katherine giggled, her head leaned against Sarah’s shoulder, “Best double date ever!”

“Davey’s gonna be so jealous when I tell him about this,” her girlfriend agreed, barely seeming to notice as Kath took out her phone to take a selfie of them before turning her camera on the couple across the table.

“Smile, boys!”

They both did automatically. Smiling genuinely around Mush was always easy.

Katherine lowered her phone when she was done, “Permission to Instagram this cuteness?”

Mush nodded automatically and Blink just shrugged.

Sarah swatted her in the arm, “Get one where I’m actually looking at the camera and then sure.”

Blink reached across the table, “Let me take it. It’s only fair.”

He tried to maintain a completely deadpan tone while holding the phone camera.

“Okay, boss woman who don’t need no man faces…”

The girls actually did do boss faces for a second before bursting out laughing. Blink managed to get both expressions on camera.

“Don’t worry,” he said as he handed the phone back, “Those photos should be decent; I still have one good eye. My depth perception ain’t nearly as bad as it was in middle school.”

Mush put a hand on his shoulder, “That ain’t funny, love.”

“It’s my childhood trauma and I’ll joke about it as much as I want, thanks.”

“It was like 2 years ago.”

“Well, as ya told me back then when I was cryin’ on your couch and all that, I’m safe now and that what matters.”

Mush leaned leaned in to kiss him on the forehead with a soft smile, “I’m still happy Crutchie convinced you to go to therapy.”

“You two are revoltingly cute,” Katherine said, reminding them there were other people in the room.

Mush did finger guns at her, “Back at ya, Kathy.”

“Um, excuse me?”

One of the cafe employees was standing next to their table, already looking apologetic.

“Look,” he said, “You guys’ singalong to the Christmas Can Can was awesome, and I think most of the people here would agree.”

“Thank you,” Sarah said politely.

“Yeah, however, one of them did complain about it, so I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”

The guy looked like he was expecting them to fight him, but instead they all just exchanged glances and started gathering their stuff.

“I mean, would it really be a date if we didn’t get kicked out of somewhere?” Katherine asked, sweetly directing it at Sarah.

Blink snorted, “Remind me never to agree to a double date with you two again.”

They all laughed as they chugged the rest of their coffee, disposed of their dishes, and headed for the door.

Then the four of them just kind of stood there on the sidewalk outside for a second, not knowing what to do.

“So…” Mush shrugged, snaking an arm around Blink’s waist, “What now?”

“We could go to my place and watch bootlegs on YouTube,” Sarah suggested, “Davey and Les are out with the Larkin boys and my mom won’t care as long as you guys leave before dinner.”

Katherine shrugged, “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m expected home at 6:00.”

“The Jacobs house it is,” Blink agreed.

A bootleg date sounded even more fun than being loud in a coffee shop anyway.

[dontrunintofire]

Things that make me roll over and sob or scream at the top of my lungs in Newsies: the Broadway Musical, a novel by me...

Katherine nervously touching her face at least five times during any interation with jack. Does anyone else feel and relate to the awkwardness this girl has?

After Katherine says “you’re gonna make the front page” I swear Davey and Crutchie grab hands or have I lost my mind? That is the most precious thing ever.

Honestly if you think about it Davey and Crutchie have very minimal interactions but when they do it’s the purest and softest thing ever like my heart is in pieces

Les looking at Katherine worridly after Jack talks about Crutchie being beaten and Katherine comforting him.

Davey and Katherine being besties:

Davey going over to Katherine and Les to watch the newsies tap dance

Davey encouraging Katherine to try to tap dance herself

“That’s it?” Said by Davey when Katherine awkwardly tap dances

Then “Come on, Katherine!” When my girl starts to get into it he’s so proud (EDIT: did Davey say that? I sounds like him SO MUCH but I went back and watched it and his mouth wasn’t moving. Then who said it?? For some reason it’s really bugging me and I need to know)

Also lest we forget that while everyone hyped up themselves during KONY, Davey proceeds to hype of Katherine instead of saying what he wanted. David Jacobs is a national treasure

The older-brother-older-sister look they give each other when Les talks about his date. They may have cut out Sarah, but Katherine is still their sister

During “watch what happens (reprise)” it zooms in on Jack but when it zooms out you can briefly see Davey having one hand on Katherine’s arm and the other on her back and it’s so adorable

“And stay on track” yep they both be on the same page

In conclusion, they’re besties fight me

On another note, all the newsies plus Katherine looking for Jack during act 2 is something I didn’t notice until the 3rd watch but omg I love that they care

The guy going after Davey with a bat and Jack bolting in that direction even in the middle of his own fight

Okay but the fact that Davey was trying to get to his LITTLE BROTHER when the cop grabbed him and slapped him across the face is not okay and never will be

Omg the look on Jack’s face when pulitzer threatens to lock up Davey in the refuge like the intense PAIN and CONFLICT that is displayed on his face in 0.2 seconds excuse me now I’m gonna go cry goodbye

Now listen to this and get ready to sob when you picture the look of betrayal on davey’s face when he sees jack accept the money at the rally and then slowly back away as jack hesitantly calls out to him and have a very pleasant evening

Anytime Jack says something factually incorrect, but he’s completely serious. Like it makes me question whether the writers found it funny, or if they just thought it sounded good in the songs but there’s surprising a lot of things that Jack says that just don’t make any sense at all

Okay is it just me or is anyone else just in LOVE with Race’s voice? Like not just his singing voice but his talking too. It’s so cute and oddly satisfying don’t ask me to explain I will not be able to

The entirety of Santa Fe, but especially the bridge. Oh my God the bridge I just can’t with Jeremy Jordan. “Why should you spend your whole life living...” and he reaches out with his hand and I can feel the frustration he has or really any hand gesture he makes in that song is so painfully relatable just UGHHHH

(That’s probably not everything but it’s just what was off the top of my head. Like and reblog for a part 2)

Your favorite moments???⬇️⬇️

[royallygray]

as JSjkJJMJHsjqiquajahBNHwyuqjqba

I'm normal those are sounds of a normal person

SJWUWUQLQHEOQJUFJS BC KWIOWOWOQPQ IF JSJQJWBSKANQUIEK

GEODE.YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA HOW FUCKING HAPPY I AM THAT YOU LOVE IT SO KUCH AKRJWKHSEKKQOQODND

Okay firstly. The history bit.

Also I'm putting this under a cut too bc it's probably gonna get long

I really don't know when shit was happening, like year wise, but I think it's supposed to be happening in the early 1900s. I'm not big on history.

But what I do know, because throughout my life and journey as Newsies (that sentence is Not Sentencing I'm sorry):

The kids are actually much younger than the cast appears to be. Jack Kelly is seventeen. If we do it more historically accurately, then he'd be twelve or thirteen.

The kids that staged the revolution were really fucking young, is my point. The director for Newsies Jr (the one I was in years ago) told us that our ages were approximately how old the historical newsies actually were. And that like. was hugely impactful to me because I was just trying to make it through summer to get to seventh grade or smth and I could've been SLAVING ON THE STREETS WITH SEXISM TO TRY TO BE ALIVE like bro hell nah

Also I love how you are NERDING OUT on this silly little musical I recommended it makes me so happy because I did not get this info I just. anyways. I just really like it.

Okay Character time!!

I love Katherine. I need to sing Watch What Happens for you. I am leaving for a week with no tech tho starting tomorrow so if I don't do that now the next time I'll be available is next Saturday anyways

Shes. Yeah. A Girlboss.

Also she's Pulitzer's daughter!! And dude her writers block AEFJAJAHEKA it's so relatable 😭 first time I saw Newsies I wasnt a writer yet but by the time I was in Newsies Jr I was like girl I wanna be Katherine just so I can say "six months from!! NEVER FUCK WHY CANT I WRITE DUDE BRAIN PLS WORK OH MY GOD"

Also fuck Pulitzer.

she's so. Wkwjwkehwlajkahwnw. JKwhwkshqloaaskvrw. y'know??????? she's so cool. an icon. I aspire to be her.

Also the woman who played Katherine in the first time I saw Newsies is so fucking cool I love her dude she's such a cool actor. haven't seen her in years but like. hell yeah

CRUTCHIE!!!!!! I LOVE HIM. SO MUCH. btw his song is called Letter From the Refuge

oof

Anyways!!

Dude I love him sm

I really got nothing but yeah his disability is a part of him and they just accept that. also More money = good

Like yes Jack like low-key wants his crutch gone but for crutchies benefit also they are brothers <333

Dude it broke me too. I wonder if I can see what they replaced brother to in letter to the refuge in the jr version bc IT WASNT BROTHER IDK??

this popped up and I think you'd love it

OH EWWWWWWW DUDE I FORGOT WHAT IT WAS FOR GOOD REASON

DUDE IT WAS "GO GET EM"

THEY FUCKING REPLACED "YOUR BROTHER" WITH "GO GET EM" FOR THE JR VERSION EWWW

WHAT DO THEY HAVE AGAINST MY BOYS WTF

OKAY FOR THE LES BIT I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE DATE THING CAME FROM OR WHY HE AND KATHERINE ARE ON A DATE (or maybe it's one of the Bowery?? idk but it always seemed like it was Katherine)

Anyways he's a ball of sass and honestly. like he is a business man. 60/40 is a pretty good deal. especially when you are Nine and dealing with mr Seventeen over here who is also Jack Kelly

DAVEYYYY MY BOYYYYY

I love him so much dude. Like. He's my nerd character. And I love how he's like "what the ruck you're criminals" to "I am the leader fuck off" and just becomes a Newsie within like a day just. aaaaa

Also the Newsies are 100% a family dude anyone who says different is Wrong and Incorrect

I love Davey. If I were ranting and not typing in my phone with my thumbs I think I could talk better but idk

Race :D yeah he's just an icon. background icon but he is the MAN in king of new York

Also Jack my beloved

Jack and Katherine <3

okay I might come back to rant about Jack and Jack&Katherine but I have shit to do

Also. Annie and Newsies both take place in New York so :) maybe that's similar style of music? idk

anyways yeah

THANK YOU SO MUCH GEODE I LOVE YOU ALSO THANKS FOR WATCHING IM SO HAPPY YIU LVOED IT I WAS THE ONLY OHE BOPPING MY HEAD IN THE THEATER LAST NIGHT SO I AM THANKFUL THAT YOU GOT TO STIM WHILE WATCHING OKAY BYEEEEEEE

ALRIGHTY i am no longer busy so heres my full thoughts on Newsies :DDD

tagging @royallygray and @mysteriouswolf if yall wanna read :D

ok this shit got LONG so the rest is under the cut

GOD where do I even start its beautiful its wonderful its emotional i love it so much

Ill try not to copy my intermission thoughts too much (if you havent seen those here they are)

Ok lets talk about the history of it. A quick google search says its based on a strike in 1899, and Roosevelt ran for presidency in 1901, so we'll just say the musical takes place in 1899 too (correct me if theres a different confirmed time).

During this time, work conditions are absolute shit, monopolies and trusts are on the rise, and the concept of a union has recently emerged. I really didnt need to say much of this bc its apparent in the musical, but i love historically accurate stuff so deal with it /lh

And in the musical we see the beginnings of Roosevelt's trust-busting and ideas of social equality that he acts on during his presidency (it also kinda ties into his environmentalism stuff a bit too!)

And after reading up a bit on the strike the musical was based on, a lot of the effects of the strike in the musical were historically accurate too! the newsboys could sell back papers they werent able to sell on the streets, but the price was unfortunately not yet lowered. (also, the names of the publishers in the show are historically accurate as well!!! makes my little history brain happy :DDD )

SO whats the point of all of my rambling here?

people make historical art all of the time. we see it in musicals like Annie, Hamilton, and so so many more. obviously this goes beyond musicals here, but since newsies is a musical ill try to stay with that topic.

anyway, we learn about history to learn from it. we see these past issues that our previous generations struggled with, in these art forms as to be easily digestible, and we discover their solutions. we get to see the humanity behind the issues and the conflicts they faced to overcome them. and ofc its not the only reason, but one reason these stories are told with art is to bring attention to them. people are way more likely to listen to music than study a historical textbook. so, they make it entertaining. they make relatable and lovable characters. they make people care about the show and subsequently the issue itself. all of this is to explain how and why things that happened in history are bad as to never repeat them again.

We see these topics of worker mistreatment, corrupt businesses, child labor, gender/sex inequality, and the class separation all brought to the spotlight in this show, and it does a damn good job of showing the pain and suffering they cause. the story of this show is incredible and so very important to learn about.

OK now onto the actual musical itself im done nerding out

ive done a lot of charater analysis already in that intermission post bUT WHO SAYS I CANT DO MORE HAHA

im saving jack for last bc theres so much to unpack there

KATHERINE MY LOVE <3333

Everything about her being a girlboss absolutely remains the same shes INCREDIBLE

and holy shit PULITZER'S HER DAD???? i love her even more. she directly ran away from an easy life to follow her own dreams and pursue her own passion from scratch. incredible. inspiring. mwah

i also just love her personality. shes so bubbly and happy and passionate and bright and optomistic shes the best <3

oh god crutchie. hes absolutely my favorite btw im sorry everyone else i adore him <33333

GOD his prison song actually killed me. im fully dead. deceased.

THE NEWSIES ARE SUCH A FAMILY GAHHH THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH RAHHHH

the sheer ecstasy i felt when he came back and hit Snyder with his cane i could not stop stimming MY BOYYYY

the absolute definition of sunshine character. he sees everything as glass half full and wants just the brightest future he deserves the absolute world

and ik i talked about it earlier but i adore how they take such a neutral opinion about his leg. people give him shit for it, and his brother beat them to a pulp. its just a part of him and they love his whole being, so why would they not love that about him too?

Les only got better as the show went on. i thought he was a smartass before LMAOO

AND THE DATE BIT??? WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM???? AND IT JUST NEVER GETS BROUGHT UP AGAIN LMAO WHAT

i think the biggest change i felt towards a character was Davey

he grew on me soooooo much his character growth is everything to me

he went from trying to stay out of their business to teaching them what a union was to helping them start it to running it himself when jack ran off to convincing jack to come back when times got tough he is sooo important to the story

and to me. hes important to me <3

OH AND RACE

i saw people mention the name before but i didnt know which he was until they addressed him directly I LOVE THAT GUYYY

especially in king of new york hes got such a big personality what a silly guy

OK now for the guy the silly the mc jack

At the beginning he is entirely driven by both his love for his family and ofc his dream of living in Santa Fe, but atm hes just trying to get by so hes more focused on the newsies. but a boy can dream

then he gets all caught up in the strike business and only focuses on that for a while bc he wants to protect his boys

then shit goes south. they get essentially jumped, and crutchie gets hurt and arrested.

and he thinks, what was it all for? if he couldnt protect his brother (never living that down btw), whats the point of even trying to strike anymore

so he changes his focus back to santa fe. the one thing hes still got going for him.

and he gets confronted by katherine, les, and davey, and they knock some sense into him. stopping the strike isnt going to take away any of the harm done. the danger is expected, theres no way any of this could go down without some form of a casualty. so why not try to do something about it. the only way to make this situation better is to get back in the game and keep pushing for change.

and ofc the thing with katherine which ill talk abt a bit more later

in all of this, something in him changes. he dreamed of santa fe, a simpler life, one where he didnt have to worry about having to afford food and clothing for the next day.

but what he never considered was the loneliness. sure, he offered to bring crutchie and katherine with him, but hed be leaving behind so many more. and thats when he realized he never needed to get out, he just needed things to change a bit. and they did! because of the strike, living became so much more affordable. no it wasnt perfect, but it was enough to be safe and secure, just like he wanted. and he had his family beside him the whole time.

ill admit that before i sat and thought about it for a while, this ending was really unsatisfactory to me. i mean we got how many santa fe reprises? all for naught?

but in reality, santa fe would never be enough for him. hes just so used to this life surrounded by the people he cares most about and doing everything in his power to protect him, hed just be so bored, so understimulated, and hed just continue to yearn for more. that path of wanting would never come to a conclusion and hed live his life never truly being happy. so i really do thing he made the right choice in staying, because new york became his santa fe. he didnt need to seek it out, it came to him.

Ok now with him and katherine

ill start by saying i do really adore them. i feel like a lot of what im about to say might seem like i think otherwise, but i truly do think theyre very sweet

ok so every interaction of theirs in act one was. very uncomfortable to say the least. he honestly seemed really predatory at times and it just really felt like an old-timey romance where the girl doesnt know her worth so she flocks to any guy that shows interest in hr bc she thinks its her only purpose

now obviously that is NOT the truth, those were just my first impressions. Katherine is extremely capable of taking care of herself and deciding what is and isnt right for her, she likes jack purely because she can and does. she knows her worth and just likes him bc she likes him, no strings attached

i will say the first kiss kinda caught me off guard lmao. like i knew they were gonna be a thing but that is NOT how i expected that to go down. its likely just bc of my aroace-ness but i saw no sign of them actually getting together prior to that, aside from them being the main man and leading lady in the show so ofc they have to be together. i mean ig her reaction to him drawing her was a bit of a hint but still. ok maybe its just bc im demi. hadnt thought abt that until now. damn. is this a normal thing? maybe it is. maybe im being too harsh. idk lmao

anyway ill admit the kiss was successful in getting his attention and getting him to listen to her so ill give it that lmaoo but tbh i did tune a bit of their song out bc it started to make me a bit uncomfy but i did liste back to it later on. they really seem to have a healthy relationship where they both care about the other and know the other is strong enough on their own, they just both want to be a part of the other's life. its really sweet! theyre so supportive of each other!!! green flags all around!!!

the bit with him learning shes pulitzers daughter was really interesting to me. at first she tries to talk to him but he kinda brushes her off, but from then on he just kinda has full faith in her? i mean yeah he gets upset about it bc he thinks she lied to him, but i dont think he thought she had any ill intentions. that was a complicated sentence lmaoo damn. i think he really understood that she wanted to help, he was just caught up in a lot of Feelings and was afraid that she wasnt trustworthy despite him still trusting her. and then he let her explain and from then on they fully support the other and trust each other immensely

so yeah first impressions were a bit iffy but i think theyre very sweet <333

OK GOD CAN I GUSH ABOUT THE STAGE DESIGN FOR A BIT???? GAHHH

i mean the moving stairs and scaffolding arent new. i know this. but just the way they frame scenes with the scaffolding is stunning. the chase scenes??? dude. enthralling. the bits where theyre in the city and they have people just up their acting like civilians? SO cool. makes it incredibly more realistic and believable. and the way they projected images onto the curtain-like things they pulled down was extremely creative!!! like in theory its such a simple design. it was literally nothing more than the scaffolding and stairs, and a few tables and wagons and such in certain areas. but they did SO much with it it was hard to believe it took place on a stage. ofc the filming helps with that but still. the start felt like it was on the roof of the building bc of a combination of the lighting and the use of just one of the scaffolding pieces. and when theyre in buildings, the wall of scaffolding works really well as a backdrop!!! and i already talked about the city street scenes, it fits perfectly. god its so inspiring id love to be behind something like that one day

OK AND THE CHOREO??? the sheer ENDURANCE of these people HOLY I COULD NEVER. THE FLEXIBILITY? THEYRE ALL LITERAL GYMNASTS WTF ARE THESE FLIPS AND HANDSTANDS IM SORRY???? holy shit its all SOSOSO impressive

oh my god i havent even talked about the MUSIC yet

if i had to choose a favorite song, a, i would punch whoever told me that in the face, and b, i would simply combust bc i cant choose just one

my top three tho would have to be between king of new york, carrying the banner, and crutchies prison song (idk the name its not on spotify :'((((( ) in no particular order

i havent had them on repeat enough to have any memorized, but i did remember santa fe, carrying the banner, and the world will know from the last time i watched it and i belted along to all the parts i knew this music is so good at hyping me up I WANNA START A UNION

and oh my god katherines voice???? stunning. her song is sooooo good. her part in king of new york is incredible. i love her <3

jesus christ this post got out of control. im still not done lmaooo

ok one thing that really has nothing to do with the musical itself is just the fact that it reminded me of so many other musicals ive seen at specific parts, even some of the songs sound like others i know.

Santa Fe really reminds me of Maybe from Annie, both music-wise and lyric wise. i mean theyre both "i want" songs so it makes sense but i feel like they sound kinda similar too. honestly a lot of the music sounds like Annie, but maybe its just the types of instruments used and thats just how musicals sounded when they were made. i think they were made about the same time. *checks spotify* ok well the newsies i listen to was produced like 40 years after Annie so maybe that just a stylistic choice-

idk why but the beginning of watch what happens sounds like the intro to reginas speaking part in meet the plastics lmao-

oh and brooklyn's here has the same beat as the military from Seussical but thats just bc its a marching song lmao. its also the same beat as the spanish alphabet song my spanish teacher used to use!

ok and this one really doesnt make sense but something to believe in reminds me of the power in me from Twisted lmao- kinda similar message ig? and sound vaguely similar? but idk it really doesnt make too much sense

i should. i should sum it up. this is getting out of hand.

okay i love this musical sm. clearly. do you see how long this post is. i was missing out when i refused to listen to it previously. oh my god.

and for some reason it really makes me wanna go watch my favorite musical so im ending this here TO YOUTUBE I GOOOOO TY FOR READING IF YOU DID AND TY TO ROYAL FOR UNINTENTIONALLY PUSHING ME TO WATCH THIS HAVE A GREAT DAYYYY

[newsiepedia]

Character Profile: Pulitzer

Real Name: Joseph Pulitzer

Nickname and Meaning: Joe, Rattlesnake, Old man Pulitzer (derogatory nicknames given to him by the newsies)

Age: Pulitzer was historically 52 during the newsboy strike.

Gender: Pulitzer is always played by a man.

Family: The only part of Pulitzer’s family we see is his daughter, Katherine, but he doubtless has other family members.

Pulitzer…:

Is selfish. In his introduction, he says “whoever said “War is hell” wasn’t trying to sell newspapers”- (Newsies Live script, page 13) something that becomes even more shameful when you realize that he witnessed the horrors of war firsthand. (Newsies Film script, page 99) He even says to Jack “Anyone who does not act in his own self-interest is a fool”. (Newsies Live script, page 74)

Is a hypocrite. Though Pulitzer hates the idea of cutting his pay even a little, (Newsies Film script, page 37) he’s sure the newsies won’t mind a cost increase that could mean the difference between dinner and starving. He also objects to the newsies striking (just like the trolley workers he thought were so “epic”) because “the trolley workers are striking for a fair contract. The newsies are striking against me!” (Newsies Live script, page 58) 

Treasures his daughter (in a really messed up way). Pulitzer thinks his daughter is a talented and beautiful young woman. (Newsies Live script, page 59) He certainly wants what he thinks is best for Katherine- he offers her riches beyond compare and doubtless helped her journalism career get off the ground. (Newsies Live script, page 59) But when she rebels against him for joining the newsies, Pulitzer has her “blacklisted from every news desk in town” (Newsies Live script, page 54) and humiliates her in front of her crush, shattering any trust Jack had for her. (Newsies Live script, page 59) 

Solves his problems by throwing money at them. When the newsies go on strike, Pulitzer tries to stop them by bribing Jack with enough money to start a life in Santa Fe. (Newsies Live script, page 60) Earlier, when he’s having trouble selling, he tells his advisors to buy of Hearst’s headline writer. (Newsies Film script, page 20)

Is manipulative. When Jack refuses to call of the strike, Pulitzer hits him where it hurts- threatening to have “Davey and his baby brother ripped from their loving family and tossed to the rats. Tch, tch, tch, tch, tch. Will they ever be able to thank you enough?” (Newsies Live script, page 60) Pulitzer’s choice to say “baby brother” instead of Les’s name targets Jack’s need to protect children, and the final remark of “Will they ever be able to thank you enough?” preys both on Jack’s fear of abandonment and the feeling that he was to blame for Crutchie going to the Refuge. He also bribes the Mayor into publicly arresting Jack by offering him good publicity in his and his colleagues’ papers. (Newsies Film script, page 77)

Is cruel. When Pulitzer raises the price of papers, he takes obvious delight in the fact that “the real pros (will) suffer” and “they’ll lose and I’ll win”, breaking out into a huge smile (the real pros and being, of course, the newsies). Later, when Hannah says “its going to be awfully rough on those children” he responds “but oh, so good for me!” with a laugh. (NEWSIES Cut Songs) When Jack comes in to discuss the terms of the strike, Pulitzer doesn’t even let him speak. He makes sure Snyder is there, immediately putting Jack on edge. He then proceeds to gleefully rub in the fact that Crutchie was hurt by Snyder, elevating the threat he poses to Jack. He even says  “I know that you are Mr. Tough Guy, but it’s not right to condemn that little crippled boy to conditions like that”, implying that it’s Jack’s fault Crutchie was hurt. (Newsies Live script, page 60) During The Bottom Line Reprise, he gloats about all the things he has that Jack doesn’t, and even indirectly threatens his life with the line “Be glad you're alive, boy, I'd say that's the bottom line”. (Newsies Live script, pages 60, 61) 

Is prideful. In the film, the reason the World is going under isn’t poor circulation- it’s because Pulitzer is spending most of his money trying to out compete his rival, Hearst. (Newsies Film script, page 20) When he makes his decision to raise the price of papers, he says “Boys, I’ve got it/ It’s cruel, but it’s fair/ And the best part? The public won’t care”, showing that while he wants to keep up the image of a fair, reputable journalist, he isn’t quite willing to actually be those things. He also clearly doesn’t care what his “advisors” think, as he shushes them after asking “Can anyone remember/ the last time I was wrong?” (NEWSIES Cut Songs) During the end of the strike, Davey tricks Pulitzer into keeping the police away from the newsies in exchange for telling him which newspaper company printed the Newsies’ Banner. (Newsies Film script, page 130) Even when he realizes he’s lost, Pulitzer hesitates to agree to the newsies’ terms because it would look bad. (Newsies Live script, page 75) 

Is willfully ignorant. He makes several obviously false statements about the newsies, such as “I couldn’t give them a better education if they were my own”, “Proud of themselves and so grateful to me/ They’ll be begging to pay even more,” (Newsies Live script, pages 14, 15) and “The newsies aim for less/ they get the life they choose”. (NEWSIES Cut Songs) There’s no way he doesn’t know that this is incorrect, but he chooses to believe it anyway- because if he’s wrong, that means he’s a bad person.

Admits when he’s wrong. Pulizter may have done some very bad things, but once the newsies have cornered him he graciously accepts Jack’s demands, saying “That’s not a bad head you’ve got on your shoulders”, spit shaking with him, and even offering him a job drawing for The World. (Newsies Live script, pages 75, 76, 77) 

(Headcanon Fuel section removed as Pulitzer was a historical figure)

Actors and Physical Appearance:

John Dossett

Steve Blanchard

Robert Duvall

Pulitzer has grey hair and a full beard, and dresses in well made but rather boring suits. He has an intimidating aura about him.

[king-of-newyork]

fireworks (d.j. x reader)

This was requested by @pastel-songs !

-

Fourth of July.

As much as you were patriotic, there was one thing you hated about this holiday: fireworks. The sight was beautiful, but the noise? Not so much. Usually, you spent your fourth of July night at home with noise cancelling headphones in your ears, but this year was different.

You got invited to a fireworks show.

You would've said no, but your friends begged you to, so you couldn't. How bad could it be?

Your phone buzzed and you picked it up to see a text from Katherine.

Hey, we're outside and I'm not waiting more than three minutes.

You smiled to yourself and headed out the door. Katherine rolled down her window as you walked to the car.

"Ooh, that's my best friend! Go best friend!" She yelled, making you giggle.

You slid into the passenger seat and took a deep breath. "Okay, I think I'm ready for this."

"Good, because we invited Davey, too." Katherine grinned as she drove away.

"Wait, what?!" You exclaimed.

"You heard me." Katherine said.

"You planned this didn't you?" You bit your bottom lip, trying not to smile.

"Yeah, maybe I did. You know I like playing matchmaker, you should've seen it coming. But don't worry, most of the boys are gonna be there too, so if it gets awkward you won't have to keep hanging out." Katherine laughed.

"Okay, fine." You mumbled, hiding that you were internally screaming.

You arrived at Jack's house and got out of the car.

"Wait, why are we here?" You asked, walking up the driveway next to Katherine.

"You know how he is with that whole 'Santa Fe cowboy' thing. So now he has a lot of land. And a lot of land is perfect for a lot of fireworks." Katherine smirked.

Katherine rang the doorbell and Race opened the door. "Well, hello hello, ladies."

"Hi, Race!" Katherine chirped.

"By the way, Davey is on the couch talking to Specs." Race whispered to you, wiggling his eyebrows. You scoffed and rolled your eyes, following Katherine inside.

You saw Davey sitting on the couch with Specs. He looked up at you and smiled. You responded with a little wave and a smile as you walked by.

You talked with Katherine for a while when suddenly Jack stood up on the coffee table.

"Alright, people! The moment you've been waiting for! Fireworks show starting in ten minutes!" Jack yelled.

You looked back at Katherine, who was now wiggling her eyebrows again.

You rolled your eyes and followed the rest of the boys out into the yard. Everyone was setting up blankets and chairs, and in the midst of the chaos, you found yourself bumping into Davey as he was setting down his blanket.

"Oh, shoot, sorry." You apologized, stumbling backwards.

"It's fine. You're fine. I mean, what? Sorry." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

You looked around for Katherine so you could sit next to her. You saw her a few feet away on a blanket with Jack and Les. She walked up to you, grinning.

"Oh no... There's no more space with us... Guess you'll have to sit here with Davey." She winked and walked away.

You turned back to Davey. "So... They all ditched us..."

"I've got some extra room. I mean, if you don't wanna sit here then that's okay, but..." He sighed. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

You giggled. "It's okay, it's kinda cute."

You both sat down on the blanket, making sure to leave room for the Holy Spirit. You looked at Katherine for some support, only to see Les and Race behind her, mouthing "scoot closer."

You gave them a wary glance and shifted closer, trying to stifle a laugh as Les made a heart shape with his hands. You took a deep breath, bracing yourself for the worst.

And then it started.

The first firework shot up into the sky. The boys sitting around you cheered and laughed, playing with their sparklers. You, on the other hand, just flinched slightly.

"Okay, that wasn't so bad..." You thought to yourself.

The next few fireworks were smaller, only making a crackling noise as they lit up the sky. You finally relaxed a little bit and started to enjoy the sights.

But of course, all good things must come to an end.

The next firework was the worst one. It was a literal explosion in the sky, a thunderous boom shaking the ground.

"Holy shit, that was loud." You muttered. Davey looked over at you, concern clearly on his face.

"You don't like fireworks, I'm guessing?" He asked, scooting closer to you.

"No, not exactly. I just hate the-" You were cut off by another firework going off. You sighed. "The noise."

"Yeah I get that... I usually just try not to think about the noise as much, because if I think about it then usually it's worse."

"Oh... Okay." You nodded slowly. You looked back up at the sky.

"Just think of something else, like Davey said. Oh right, Davey. I've been sitting next to him this whole time and I haven't done anything! I have to try to shoot my shot!"

You inched your hand closer to Davey's. Cliche move, but you had to start somehow. The next firework went off, and suprisingly, nothing happened.

"Oh. It worked!" You giggled. Davey smiled at you. Oh, that smile.

You kept inching your hand towards his slowly, and saw that he was doing the same. You shot a glance at Katherine and mouthed "what do I do?"

She put her hands up and slowly moved one to the other and interlaced them. You raised an eyebrow, but she mouthed "do it." So you decided to trust her and just do it.

You moved your hand so it was just barely touching Davey's.

"Go for it." You thought to yourself.

You put your hand on top of Davey's. He looked at you and smiled timidly. Now, he decided it was time to make a move.

"Come on, Davey, don't be lame." He thought. He shifted himself over so there was barely any space between you, and put his hand around your waist. You looked at Katherine, Race, and Les, who were all silently cheering. You scoffed and turned back to look at the fireworks, putting your head on Davey's shoulder.

"This might sound cheesy, but you remind me of the constitution, because you look like a national treasure." Davey smiled.

You chuckled. "Smooth, Davey."

"Les wanted me to use that one."

"Oh, so he was in on this, too? Looks like some people were trying to set us up." You said motioning to Katherine and Les.

"Maybe they made a good decision trying to set us up." Davey said, waving at Les.

"I think I'm kinda okay with fireworks now. Probably because they got me a cute guy." You winked.

"I could say the same thing." Davey laughed.

-

Hi uh I spent my 4th of July in Poland watching Mean Girls and eating watermelon.

Twas a good day.

Tag list: @jordmac @forever1show @harrynerd @and-a-snip @newsies-writer @bencookisagod @the-muckety-mucks @blytheandherbrain @races-erster @thebroadwayaesthetic @rebecko @thecaptainsgingersnap

[viennaleia]

all of them answer ALL

Your wish is my command.

1. Fav newsies song - Carrying the Banner

2. Fav song lyric - “So the world says no, well the kids do too” or “What’s the hold up waitin’ makes me antsy I likes livin’ chancy”

3. Fav quote from Newsies - “Wake up to the new century, the game’s changing”

4. Fav character - Finch, Katherine or Albert

5. Fav costume - tbh I really love Henry’s costume from Newsies Live but I also adore Katherine’s dress

6. Fav newsies related memory - Watching Newsies Live with my mom

7. Fav newsies fanwork created by someone else - Any art from @wetcoffeejpg

8. Fav newsies fanwork created by me - That Dance Moms post

9. Fav newsies blog - Angelinaaaaaa 

10. Fav think about the Newsies fandom - we’re super friendly for the most part

11. Fav ship? - Ralbert

12. Fav non romantic ship - Jack, Finch and Specs being bros

13. Fav newsies actor/actress - Iain Young, Hogan Fulton, Lavon Fisher-Wilson, Molly Jobe, Michael Fatica

14. Movie or musical? - Musical

15. Sarah or Katherine? - Katherine (but Sarah is also the best)

16. David or Jack? - Davey

17. Katherine or Denton? - Kath

18. The World Will Know or Seize the Day? - oof that’s really tough, probably Seize the Day

19. Historical or Modern AU? - Modern AU but I like both

20. Brooklyn or Manhattan? - Manhattan

21. Spot Conlon or Spot Conlon? - Tough, I can’t choose.

22. Headcanon about Crutchie - Attracts animals, they flock around him. He’s a real life disney princess

23. Headcanon about Jack - Bi bi bi baby

24. Headcanon about Sarah - Loves horror movies

25. Headcanon about Davey - Has really clean fingernails

26. Headcanon about Katherine - Incredibly short but refuses to wear high heels

27. Headcanon about Pulitzer - a sucker for musicals

28. Headcanon about Les - Albert and Elmer are his role models

29. Headcanon about Racetrack - Owns a penny board

30. Headcanon about Spot - Spends hours on Instagram watching puppy videos, slime videos, vines, etc.

31. Headcanon about 3 characters of your choice - Finch sings like a bird, Henry is aromantic, Specs has a photogenic memory

32. Headcanon about something that happened before the strike - Katherine, Darcy and Bill used to meet for afternoon tea every day

33. Headcanon about something that happened after the strike - The newsies go over to Davey’s house for dinner every Friday night

34.  Headcanon about what kind of pet the character of your choice would have - Katherine owns a parrot

35.  Headcanon about what kind of food the character of your choice would like - Race is vegetarian and loves carrots

36.  Headcanon about something very depressing relating to the character of your choice - I refuse to 

37.  Headcanon about something very happy relating to the character of your choice - Albert and Henry taught the newsies how to waltz

38.  Which newsies character do you think you are most similar to and why? - Katherine because I want to be a writer

39.  Which newsies character do you think you could be friends with and why? - Specs because he seems awesome and chill

40.  Why do you like newsies? - because it’s a show about kids making a difference in the world

41.  How did you first discover newsies? - I remembered the song Seize the Day so I looked up Newsies and learned it was a Broadway musical and then I found Newsies Live.

42.    Have you ever seen the stage show?  If not, would you like to?  If so, how many times? - ID LOVE TO SEE THE STAGE SHOW HOLY SHIT

43.    How often do you watch the movie? - I watched the 1992 movie several times and then I watched Newsies Live almost every day after I found it for a couple weeks

44.    Has newsies impacted your life in any way?  How? - it rekindled my love of musicals and desire to dance

45.    Do you do create any kind of fanwork?  Where can it be found? - umm I make shitposts sometimes?

46.    Do you have a crush on any of the newsies characters?  Which one(s)? - Katherine, Finch, Henry, Albert, Sarah, probably more

47.    Which song do you like to sing?  If you’re feeling really brave, record a clip of yourself singing it and post.  - I like singing Watch What Happens and all the parts in Carrying the Banner 

48.   What other things (books, musicals, etc) would you recommend newsies fans check out? - Les Miserables because it’s also about a revolution, Mean Girls the musical because there’s quite a few newsies in it

[astraea-writes]

To Kiss A Girl- Davey Jacobs x Reader

alright so i guess im just gonna post davey fics until ben fankhauser falls in love with me??

requested by anon, so sorry for the delay! these go alongside my college headcanons from the other day, and i most definitely am going to rewrite this in the future with better structuring, but i wanted to get this out asap!

please listen to "to Kiss a Girl" when you read bc itll make so much more sense i promise

as always my inbox is always open

warnings: drinking

Hey! Y/N! Get a pape from your favorite newsie?" Jack yelled from across the quad. You laughed and made your way towards him. winter break was over, and today was the first day of the last quarter of the school year. Your last class of the day had just gotten out, and you were already exhausted from the amount of work you knew you'd have before this year was out. "Katherine's still got you passing out the school newspaper for her?" you asked, taking the paper and sliding it into your bag. "My girl just made rising editor in chief for next year" he beamed, and you smiled at how in love with her he was. You were quickly pulled out of your thoughts, however, when you felt an arm wrap around your waist and turned to see Davey. "Hey, study night at the library?" He asked and when you nodded he dropped his arm and blushed at the instinctive contact. It was a common occurrence for the two of you to spend countless days studying and talking while the rest of your gang was out getting into trouble somehow. Jack chuckled at the awkward exchange. "Well well, if it ain't the other half of the loveboids" he greeted Davey, winking and slugging him on the shoulder. You rolled your eyes. "Shouldn't you be off fawning over Katherine like a lost puppy somewhere?" you teased and Jack playfully shoved you. " ah come on, you two knows there's something goin on here! You twos have even kissed!" He accused, waving his hands around wildly, gesturing to the small space between you and your best friend. You couldn't help but look down and smile at the memory, but you quickly recovered as Davey went still. "It was New Years, Jack. And I seem to recall you getting us tipsy on champagne, and then pushing me into him as the ball dropped" "I elped a little, but you twos were the one who did it!" He protested. You smiled and shook your head. "I know there's no point to arguing with ya, even if I'm right, so I'm just gonna leave now" you laughed. Jack smirked at the glare Davey gave him and you pulled him away before he could get too annoyed. "Sorry i wasn't much help back there" he muttered once you were out of Jacks hearing range. "Don't worry about it. I can take care of myself" you laughed. The rest of the walk was full of conversation about how Davey finally got to see Les during winter break and your crazy family stories. The two of you instinctively made your way to your table, in the back of the library by the law books no one ever needed so no one would bother you. You hadn't even bothered to stop at your dorm and grab any textbooks, you knew that you and Davey would probably wind up talking so much that nothing would get done-it was rare for the two of you to have been apart for this long. "Why'd you want to study?" you asked as Davey pulled out his laptop. "Have you even been assigned anything yet?" "No" he admitted, "Im just stressed. You know how I took that music composition class last semester?" You nodded and he continued "well our final project was to write a full length song but our class was struggling so much that the professor gave us winter break to finish it. But now, I have to perform it in a week and it's no where near good enough" You laughed as he ranted. "Davey, you're an amazing writer. I'm sure it's amazing, even though you refuse to let me hear it." He shook his head. "There's no way you're hearing it" "at least play it for me then?" You countered, and knowing that you wouldn't stop until he did, Davey slowly got up and made his way towards the piano in the lounge of the library, where students were free to relax and play anything they wanted. He sat down and began to play the most beautiful melody you had ever heard. You stared at him as his hands moved all over the keys and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. You thought back to what Jack had said, about New Years Eve.

You and the gang of boys Davey and Jack had gathered had decided to go home for Hanukkah and Christmas, but come back to school for a New Years Party to end all New Years Parties (according to Spot Conlon). You had showed up to a pretty little club to find the boys drinking like no tomorrow, save for Davey who was in the corner waiting for you. As the two of you spent the night in conversation, Jack got more antsy as the night went on, telling the both of you that tonight was the time to finally get together about every twenty minutes, and the two of you had rolled your eyes and laughed his drunken shpeals off each time. Two minutes to midnight he had pressed glasses of champagne and probably something else into your and Daveys hands, and pushed the two of you together. You fell into Davey and his hand went to the small of your back as your hand grabbed his shoulder for support. Taking a sip of champagne and setting the glasses down, the two of you maintained eye contact, still pressed against each other. You couldn't speak, mesmerized by his eyes, by the way he was looking at you like you were the only person in the room. As Jack screamed the countdown, you decided to screw it and quickly pressed your lips to his. It was only for a moment, a single kiss, but he kissed you back and you felt every firework and sparkle that had been promised to you by corny love songs and cliche movies. The Newsies yelled and cheered once the two of you pulled away, staring at each other like you were meeting for the first time. Once the boys finally dispersed to go and taunt Jack and Katherine, who were very publicly making out in the middle of the dance floor, you turned to go with them, but Davey grabbed your hand and pulled you back to his chest. Before you could ask what was wrong, he cupped his hands around your face and kissed you. The two of you stayed like that, kissing painfully slowly, lips moving together in perfect sync, knowing that once you pulled away this would all end. After several minutes you had to break the kiss, and when your eyes met there was absolutely no denying that you were in love with this boy and always had been.

But you hadn't done anything about it. Davey walked you to your dorm, made sure you got to your bed safely, and left. When you woke up the next morning, there was a glass of water and an aspirin on your desk and a text message on your phone from Davey, apologizing for leaving so soon but he had to catch his train back home, and apologizing for last night. You had stayed in bed, silent tears moving down your face, because the boy you loved was sorry he kissed you and there was nothing you could do about it. "Y/N?" Daveys voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and quickly wiped away a tear you hadn't realized was forming. "Sorry," you laughed softly. "Just, God, Davey, that was beautiful. So so beautiful" He blushed and thanked you, quickly walking back to your table. "So when do I get to hear the actual lyrics??" you asked slyly. "Never." He responded flatly. "Come onnnn Davey, Im your best friend" you pouted, making him laugh. "Its just, personal, okay?" he said defensively. "Mm hmm, okay. But there's nothing that you can't write amazingly, and nothing you can't sing because I have 100% heard you singing in the shower so there's no denying that Davey Jacobs. And if you don't want me to listen to it, then fine, but nothing is going to change the fact that it's probably already my most favorite song ever" you told him sincerely, and he blushed, still not used to your compliments after years of friendship.

But it really wasn't fine. Because you couldn't let it go.

"Okay just tell me what it's about" you begged, lying upside down on Jacks bed as Davey cleaned up his side of the room. "Nope" he smirked and you groaned in agony. "Davey come on there's nothing I don't know about you" "You don't know what I'm gonna sing" he laughed and you threw one of Jacks pillows at his head. "Davey come on I'm literally dying. Is it about me? About Jack? About your hidden love for girly Starbucks drinks?" you jokingly guessed, standing in line at your local Starbucks. Davey recited both of your orders and then turned back to glare at you. "Y/N I'm seriously not telling you. It's personal and stupid and once I get my grade I'm never speaking of it again, okay?" he sighed as the two of you walked to class. "That makes me incredibly sad because I know everything you do is ridiculously amazing" you smiled, and he only rolled his eyes.

After a week of begging and unsuccessfully bribing, Davey's performance day was here and you still weren't even told where it would be. That was, until Jack came pounding on your door. "Y/N! So a friend of Katherine's is in Daveys music class and a friend of hers is the stage manager for the theatre they're using and if we go right now then we can get there in time to sneak in!" he yelled, and you had barely grabbed your coat before you were out the door. Jack was the only person as impatient as you, and Daveys secrecy had been driving him crazy as well. The two of you made it to the school theater in record time, sneaking in to the back entrance that had been left open for you. You two made your way to the back of the house, and ducked into the last row of seats as Daveys name was called. He shyly walked up to the piano, and began to play the melody you had heard just the week before. His face slowly relaxed as he calmed his nerves, and hesitantly he began to sing. You were immediately stunned. His voice was pure and perfect, echoing off the walls. And then he got to the chorus. You felt Jacks eyes land on you, but you couldn't look away from Davey. Was he really singing about you? Could he really have felt the same way? You barely blinked, smiling wider than you thought possible, tears pooling in your eyes. And right before the final chorus, Davey turned to look out into the crowd and your eyes met. With a mix of both fear and confidence that only he could have, he belted out the final notes, and as he finished the song, you ran up to the bottom of the stage as the professors and the rest of the class burst into applause, Jack cheering the loudest. Davey made his way down to you from the stage, and all of his embarrassment melted away as he saw the look in your eyes. He ran up to you and you didn't hesitate to grab his collar and pull him into you, kissing him like you had been waiting to for so long. His hands wrapped around your waist and he deepened the kiss, the applause growing even stronger. There was no countdown or champagne, but you knew this was a new beginning for the both of you.

[letsprayitwritesitself]

the party goes with you

damn it all, darling

2017

He was handling this whole thing (that is, his sister's wedding, though to close friends he did just call it "the thing") better than he thought he would, but he largely thought that that was due to his overestimating the amount of attention that was bestowed on the brother of the bride (some, not none, and definitely not enough for anyone to clock that he was kind of falling apart inside). He felt that if anyone, his mom, a well-meaning cousin, god, even the DJ, looked him in the eye and said "How are you holding up?" his stomach would fold in half, his heart would drop out of his ass, and a lump in his throat the size of Sarah and Kath's wedding cake would be the only thing stopping him screaming.

Even Les had a date.

When Sarah had announced it, subtly flinging out her hand as soon as she walked into the living room where she'd gathered them, he'd experienced both happiness and sadness in their most roundabout ways. Katherine was completely perfect for her, and kind, and successful, and funny, and she'd be a real star of an addition to their family. And Sarah deserved this happiness so much, so it wasn't that. The important thing at that point was that Davey was smart enough to unconsciously know what actions were expected of him, the grinning, hugging Sarah, putting an arm round his mom's shoulders as she cried, but there was a horrible, stubborn pocket of irritation that he resisted unpicking until he'd returned to his own apartment, carefully closing the door behind him, slipping his shoes off by the entrance, walking over and taking a seat on the couch before letting out a huge, shuddering sob. 

But none of any of this was personal, that's what he had to remember. No-one had planned this wedding with the intention of making him feel like a socially inept sad sack, but unfortunately that was just something inherent, he guessed, in all weddings. Like the first dance, where Sarah and Kath had twirled, staring into each other’s eyes, to David Bowie, and then his parents had joined, and Kath's parents, then Les and Sacha, and all of the cousins and workmates and everyone, but even if Davey had resigned himself to dancing at some point that night, dancing on his own to a love song was really really something else. To the bar for his next drink, while there were no crowds, and he was feeling like his need for wine had already peaked. He leaned on the bar, staring down at a stack of beermats, waiting a few seconds for the bartender to come over. 

'Can I have a...' He looked up. Eyes met. Froze. 'You...' The name. God, he had a name... 'Jack?'

2011 

Nineteen year old Davey did not like parties but found himself at them often because of his unwavering trust of his older sister's opinions. She'd always told him that parties were the only way to actually get to know people rather than just meeting them, and as much as he hadn't wanted this to be true, he didn't have very much evidence (any evidence at all) that there was any other way. He was glad at least that her advice was remote, that they hadn't ended up at the same college, because he knew she wouldn't love the way he was conducting himself here (although if she was here he'd at least have someone to hang out with.) He leaned against a wall, drink in hand, and when he cast his eye around the room he could easily spot half a dozen people he knew, including the roommate he'd come with, but none that he felt at all okay with actually talking to on purpose of a Friday night. 

His mind, over the first four weeks of college, kept flitting back to the David Nicholls quote that had punched him in the gut as he'd ridden the train to Providence to start at Brown. The one in Starter for Ten, about loneliness. 

Make no mistake, he had memorised the quote after so many times reading it through blurry eyes, lonely is the absolute worst thing to be... tell someone you're lonely and of course they'll seem sympathetic, but look very carefully and you'll see one hand snaking behind their back, groping for the door handle, ready to make a run for it, as if loneliness were contagious. 

It was one thing that the quote was apt and heartbreaking, but another that it was so god damn inconveniently fucking true. He'd almost hyperventilated reading it the first time because he was so shocked and ashamed, that David Nicholls had stared out at him from the pages of a novel and accused him directly: You're lonely, Davey. You're lonely. 

And the pathetic self-fulfilling loneliness had followed him around, even lingering under the irresistible hope that of course he would find friends in college, because that's what you did in college. There were ten thousand students there, one of them had to be the right kind of person, but where the fuck were they? They certainly weren't in any of his classes, across from him in the library, or even serving him coffee in Starbucks. 

His roommate Spot was nice. Nice was the wrong word - friendly enough, in a kind of begrudging way. But he was cute, too, which was an issue, because Davey tended to be hugely intimidated as soon as he realised he held the slightest attraction for someone. He fought against it, because hello, if there was one person he had to try and be convivial with, it was this guy, but he didn't know if they'd made it to friends yet. As soon as they'd arrived at that party, one someone in Spot's Chem class was throwing, he'd been abandoned, and he was trying not to let himself feel annoyed about that. (And failing.)

Out of nowhere someone approached him. Sirens. Abort. Danger.

'I'm Crutchie, are you new?' 

He had nodded and shaken the hand of the most non-threatening person he had ever, ever seen. 

'Yeah. David.'

'David. Nice to meet you. I hate these things too, don't know why I come.'

'You look like you're doing better than me.'

'Between you and me, David, I think everyone here is bluffing. Apart from you! Unless you're actually really stoked to be here?'

'No...' First laugh of the night, albeit a quiet huff of one. 'No, I'm really not. Don't know why I'm still here.'

'I'm only here because my friend from home is visiting, and I'm trying to pretend I'm cool. I think it's working!'

'I'm sure it is.'

'I'm actually only over here on business - he, don't tell him I told you... thinks you're cute. And asked me to find out who you are.' Crutchie grinned sheepishly and Davey blushed, not even aware of who this friend was, but sure he was about to be the subject of a cruel practical joke. 

'That's not... I'm not...' He cleared his throat and took a sip from his empty cup. 

'He's called Jack. Over there.' Crutchie nodded across the room to the most beautiful thing Davey had ever seen. But he wasn't even looking at them, he was deep in conversation with some girl. 'He's only pretending not to see us, promise!'

'Look, if you're making fun of me - that's fine, I just, I don't really feel like it tonight.'

'I'm not! Ok, he asked me to find out three things, uh - okay one, if you're cool, which I think you are, I can't really tell. Two, if you're into guys and three, if you're single?'

'I'm...' He shifted, unsure of whether or not he should play along. 'I'm, yeah I'm into - and, um. I'm not cool. I'm sorry, I need some air.'

This is for the best, he thought, as he headed out into the back yard. It was easier and less embarrassing in the long run to not even try - and he was aware that this was obviously not helping the loneliness thing, but at that moment in time, he felt like it was way easier and less stressful to just let this opportunity pass him by. He'd get the next one.

He sank down on a stone bench, heart beating in his ears, feeling like a total idiot for thinking that tonight would be any different. Obviously the cure for social anxiety wasn't just ignoring it and hoping it would go away, because he'd probably be cured. So was this just his life? No. No no no no no not tonight. He didn't want to think about that now. He stood up, turned to go, and walked directly into Jack. 

2017

'Hi.' Jack froze, stammering out the word. 'Davey.'

'Jack...' Davey gripped the side of the bar as the whole marquee tipped to the side, unsure if seeing Jack at this thing was the best or worst thing that could have happened. 

'Davey.' A grin spread slowly across Jack's face. 'White wine, right?'

'Right.' He watched as Jack poured him a drink and slid it across the bar where he gripped it like it was about to be taken away from him.

'It's only just clicked,' Jack said, leaning on the bar. 'Sarah's your sister.'

'Yup.' He took a long swig of wine. 

'How's the day been?' 

'It's been great. Perfect, really. You know, family, wedding cake, all that stuff.'

'And how are you?'

'I'm fine.' Another sip. 

'Yeah?'

'I'm great. This is all great.' And another. 'How are you?'

'I'm great, too.'

'How long have you... been back?'

'About a year. Give or take.'

'Was Santa Fe everything you dreamed?'

'Yeah. It was. Yes and no.'

'Really?'

'Well, yeah. It was what I expected, what I hoped it would be, y'know. Problem with wanting something your whole life, is you change but the thing you want stays the same, 'n that's not always... well. Here I am.'

'Here you are.' 

'And are you back in the city?'

'I will be. I've been in Rhode Island since graduation, but. I'm over it, I think. I can write anywhere.'

'You're a writer? Like, a real one?'

Davey nodded and Jack grinned again, eyes crinkling as he reached out and rubbed Davey's arm. 'Look at you! God, that's the first thing I ever learned about you, that you wanted to write. Congrats, Dave.'

'Thanks.' All he could think about was covering Jack's hand with his own and making sure he didn't leave his side. But that would be impractical. He glanced down and realised Jack was already refilling his glass. He laughed nervously. 'I was thinking of just taking the bottle and running.'

'Nah, don't do that. Then you wouldn't have to come back and see me when you needed a refill.'

2011 

'Hi. I'm Jack. I'm extremely sorry about... all of that.' He glanced over his shoulder, back into the house. 'You'll be pleased to know Crutchie is getting fired as my wingman as soon as this party's over.'

'No, he was fine. Really. I just... It was too crowded in there. Hard to think.' Wingman? What did that mean? Like, Davey knew what it meant, but hearing it used where he was concerned just made him more sure this was a joke.

'I know what you mean. Lot of hot air. Do you mind if I join you out here? I brought stolen goods?' Jack held up two bottles of wine, one red, one white. 'Which one?'

Davey looked between them, and Jack. He nodded towards the pinot. 'White.' And they sat back down on the bench, looking out over the lawn to the stars. 

'Who are you here with?' Jack unscrewed the top and passed the wine to Davey.

'My roommate. He disappeared like... five seconds after we got here. I am not having fun.' He said this last part with a bit of a smile - it was still mostly true, and saying it was kind of like a defence, telling this beautiful guy that he didn't necessarily have Davey eating out of the palm of his hand just because he was speaking to him.

'You looked like you were on your way out of here just now, that right?'

'Yeah.'

'Don't have to let me stop you, I just. Really wanted to meet you.' Jack pulled a face. 'That sounded less weird in my head.' Davey studied him for a second. He didn't seem like he was making fun of him. But that's what someone who was making fun of him would want him to think. He sighed, deciding he couldn't know for sure, and that the best thing to do might be to chill the fuck out - just in case.

'It sounded fine.' He glanced over at Jack as he passed the wine, and while part of him felt like he couldn't look directly at him 'cause it would be like staring into the sun, the rest of him just wanted to take everything in. 'I'm David. By the way. Don't know if Crutchie said.'

'He did, but. Nice to get confirmation.' Jack offered his hand and they awkwardly shook over Davey’s lap.

'He said you were just visiting?'

'Yeah, couple of days. Miss that guy.'

'Where are you at school?'

'I'm not.'

'Oh, I'm sorry.'

'No, come on, it's fine. Actually, tonight I've been pretending. Been telling people I'm studying to be a doctor, ballet dancer, told one guy I'm doing a masters in fortune telling and he bought it.'

'Did you predict him anything?'

'Oh yeah, dude, full Trelawney! How about you, what are you studying?'

'I don't know, yet. Maybe pre-law. Maybe writing.'

'Torn between two passions?'

'I wish. Torn between my parents and myself, you know how it is.'

'Guessing the writing is what you want?'

'Mmhmm. But not practical.'

'"Practical" is a disgusting word. Look at the moon.' 

Davey glanced up unthinkingly. It was vast and bright, and the night itself was cloudless and mild. It occurred to him that he couldn't think of anywhere he'd rather be than sitting on this bench in this garden. 

'What, um,' He spoke up before the moment got too loaded. 'What do you do?'

'I just quit my job. I mean, it was a bartending gig. Not a career or anything. I'm moving next week. 'Swhy I'm visiting Crutchie.'

'Where you going?'

'Santa Fe.' 

Davey had only distantly heard of it. It sounded far, and different. It was jarring even to hear it said. 

'Wow. That's great.'

'I've wanted it for... for like ever, I guess.' Jack couldn't keep the grin off his face.

'What are you doing out there?'

'When I picture it in my head, I'm just painting and swimming, but I guess I'll have to do something else. Tend bar. I don't know. Wait tables. We'll see.'

'That's incredible. That's so exciting, Jack.' Even the move from New York to Rhode Island had been a lot for Davey. It had felt huge. 'Why Santa Fe?'

'Just always been in my head. Open skies, more room to breathe. Grew up in Manhattan, and like, the idea of fresh air and wide open spaces just seemed like a fantasy.'

'I grew up in Manhattan too.'

2017

They sat on beer kegs outside the marquee, Jack smoking a cigarette, Davey taking steady sips from a pint glass of water. It was a couple of hours since that first drink.

He had done what he'd always known he had to do, even before the surprise introduction of Jack, and that was plastering on a smile and getting through the night. Dancing with aunts and baby cousins he'd never met before, jovially defending his career choice to his grandparents, forcing away any persistent nudges of despair because you knew this was going to be tough, Davey, but this isn't about you and soon enough it'll be over. The Jack thing was a bonus but he was obviously busier than Davey, and there were only so many glasses of wine he could have refilled before he was in serious trouble. 

He could be forgiven, he told himself, for getting - not excited, not hopeful, just... pleased and intrigued by this development. It was a perfect storm of love in the air, alcohol in Davey's bloodstream, and horrible acute fucking loneliness that drew him back to the bar again and again, and maybe he was drunk, but maybe this was the universe repaying him for the last.... eight or nine years. 

So he'd waited for a lull, when Mambo No. 5 had all the guests screaming towards the dancefloor, and had gone back, no sooner opening his mouth than the bar supervisor saying 'Jack, I think it's time for your break, why don't you head out for a little while?' and nodding her head towards a bewildered Davey. Jack had shot her a dazzling grin and turned to Davey, nodding his head towards the exit where they left, not before he'd grabbed Davey some water. 

'So what happened? In Santa Fe?'

'It's more what didn't happen.' 

'Oh shit.'

'I mean, like, it was fine. Good. Great, even, just - it wasn't, y'know, amazing, incredible - and because it wasn't, that made it seem worse. I thought for so long that the problem was where I was, and that I'd leave it behind when I left the city behind.'

'I take it you didn't...'

'No. Not so much. I told you, didn't I, before, however many fuckin years ago that was, about the depression thing. Like you'd remember, but -'

'I do remember.' Davey didn't want to let on that he could recall every second of their one previous encounter, but at the same time, he really did. Without telling Jack as much, he wanted Jack to know that he'd thought of him more than once in the six years that stretched between these two nights. 

'Me too.' Jack smiled, tight-lipped, turning his face up to the sky, wrapping his arms round his middle. 'I thought fresh air and I don't know, horse-riding would cure it, but, y'know, if they did then more people would do it.'

'And you've been back a year?'

'Yeah. Back to familiarity. Friends. Whatever. You know.'

'Better for it?'

'I think so. Finally getting... actual help, instead of trying to help myself.' They were quiet for a few moments, introspective, until Jack changed the subject. 'I should be getting back in soon.'

'I'm sorry I keep distracting you from work.'

'Shut up. Sorry, Dave, but. You know, it's... really, really good to see you.'

Praying the pale moonlight masked his blush, Davey ducked his head to take another sip of water. 

'I never asked, god,' Jack mercifully continued. 'How you holding up?'

Davey spluttered, coughing. Jack reached over and rubbed his back. 

'Sorry,' he laughed nervously, setting the water down. 'I just. Ha. No, I'm. Shit. It doesn't matter how I'm holding up, does it? Sarah's day. I'm trying not to be a huge rain cloud. But.'

'You're doing better than you realise.'

'You think?'

'I've glanced over once or twice. You're doing great. Picture perfect.'

'You're making it up.'

'Nah, c'mon, I saw you dancing with Sarah. It was adorable.' 

'I did like that part. But like, I knew it was nice, just... god, I'm such a dick, I just don't feel anything apart from...'

'What?'

'I don't know. This is horrible.' Davey leaned forward, groaning. 'Fuck. I'm such a cliche.'

'You're not! Come on, weddings just are cliches. Drunk uncles, the macarena, fricken... big hats.' 

Davey snorted. 'Big hats?'

'The - you know...' Jack gestured wildly around his head. Davey leaned into the laugh, tilting his head up, shoulders shaking. 

'Jack?' Another bartender appeared round the doorway of the tent. 'We need you back in a sec, bud.'

'Alright.' He nodded as she disappeared back inside. Davey sighed, finally feeling a little buoyed. 

'Thanks, for... Look, I'm sorry for - taking up all your time tonight.'

'Hey. Dave.'

'I'm just. Happy to see you. That might be a weird thing to say. But.'

'I'm happy to see you too. I, ah - I always remembered how easy to talk to you were.' Jack stood up, clearing his throat. 'You coming back in?'

'In a sec. Go ahead.' 

Jack turned and walked back towards the entrance, but paused, glancing back over his shoulder. 'Dave?'

'Mm?'

'Are you - seeing anyone?' 

'No... Can't you tell?' 

Jack smiled, nodded, and went back inside.

 2011

It was getting later, and colder. They had started to huddle just a little, shuffling incrementally closer on the bench until their shoulders were touching. They couldn't tell what time it was but they were both a little aware that the house behind them had grown quiet.

'I know that... you're meant to say you wouldn't change anything about where you came from. But I think maybe I would.'

They'd been talking for hours. The merest suggestion of sunrise peered at them through the surrounding houses.

'What would you change?'

'I feel like... I almost got it right, right at the end. With my foster mom. And I wish there was some way I could go back and orchestrate her being in my life the whole time, rather than just from sixteen. I can pretend the system doesn't define me, but like, I don't know what else does. And maybe I'd be nicer if I'd been brought up right.'

'You don't think you're nice?'

'No, I do try to be. I just. I think something's damaged. Inside. Maybe.'

Neither could pinpoint the second where they began to offload everything that had ever troubled them, from student debt to existential crises, but both were glad it had happened.

'I think the fact that you think you might be damaged... means you're going to be okay.'

'And how's that?'

'You say that the system defines you, but you seem to be making the best of it just in case. I know I - god, just met you, wow, but I think you've pre-empted that damage and tried to make up for it. So you're just... really cool.'

Jack glanced at him, all modest smile and tired eyes. 'I know I just met you, but you know what? I'm inclined to believe you. Thanks.'

'And, um...' As Davey spoke, Jack reached over and picked up his hand. 'Santa Fe. Is that part of it?'

'Yeah. I mean I never set out to make it like, this big fresh start, or anything.' He traced a line across Davey's palm and slowly linked his fingers through Davey's. 'But it would be obtuse to pretend that had nothing to do with it.'

'You must be so excited.' He could barely hear himself over his heartbeat in his ears. 

'I am. It's what I've always -' 

A vibration in Jack's pocket jolted both of them. A persistent beep shortly followed and Jack had to drop Davey's hand to grab his phone. 

It was 5am. The message WAKE UP YOU LAZY ASSHOLE flashed on the screen. 

'Oh holy shit.' Jack spoke softly after shutting it off. 'It's morning.'

'Yeah. Surprise.' 

Jack turned to him, brow furrowed. 'My, um. My bus home is in like an hour. I have to find -'

'Jack?' 

They both turned. Crutchie stood on the porch, smiling apologetically, holding his own phone up. 

'Sorry, buddy.'

'Not your fault, Crutch. Be in in a sec.'

'Sure. Good to meet you Davey.'

Davey nodded and watched him go back inside, breathless at the thought of Jack being whisked away from him.

They stood up.

'Dave. I'll, um... I'll see ya?' 

'Yeah. Sure. Probably.' 

'Get my number off Crutchie?'

'I will.'

'And - god. Thank you, I think is what I want to say. Tonight - last night, whenever the fuck it was. It was...'

'I know.' He couldn't choke out more than a couple of words at a time. The tiredness hit him all at once and he wasn't really sure at this point if he'd dreamt Jack or not. 'It was a... a good talk.'

'Exactly. Good talk.' Jack took a step backwards. Then another one. And then he turned slowly towards the house.

'Jack -' In a split second Davey decided he couldn't quite let him go, without -

He closed the distance between them and gently took hold of Jack's cheek, just enough to hold him still so he could plant a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. Just one.

Fine, two. But the third was all Jack.

Jack turned his head just slightly to catch Davey's lips fully with his own, sweet and searching, like a long, satisfying punctuation mark to their night, and he cupped the back of Davey's neck in a tiny show of how bad he wanted to pull him in tight. 

His alarm rang again after five minutes of snooze mode. He pulled it back out, shut it off, and for one last time smiled tight-lipped at Davey.

'Bye.'

Davey stayed standing in the yard, watching him disappear in the house, knowing both that he would probably never see Jack again, and that he would possibly never quite forget him.

2017

The night was winding down. Grandparents were getting into cabs. Kids fell asleep draped across chairs and tables. The music kept on for those faithful few clinging on to the magic of the night, and Davey sat in the corner with his tired parents, wondering if the bar was still serving, casting his mind back over the night. Six weeks later, when the photos arrived, and he relived the night he'd been dreading, he would feel vaguely pleased that his downward spiral didn't come across in a captured image. He looked happy, he had done the thing, and he hadn't let on to anyone that the wedding had caused him about eight simultaneous inner crises. 

(He even felt that, if you looked carefully and you knew, you'd be able to tell in which photos he'd just come back from his fix of a certain bartender.)

His mom reached over and stroked his arm. 'We're so exhausted, dear. What a day! We wouldn't dream of planning another wedding for at least, oh, five years. Maybe even ten!' 

He let out a quiet laugh at the misguided reassurance, casting a glance around the marquee that had been packed out with loved ones. Predictably, his upset surrounding the night had in part come from the realisation that his sister, just two years older than him, had found her someone, her missing piece, other half, whatever. And he had... Well, he tended to oscillate between feeling like his two or three close friends were enough, and feeling like he was the only person in the world who wasn't someone's number one. Echoes of all the people he'd loved or lost or let sleep with him over the last few years had flashed in his mind from the point Sarah asked if he was bringing a guest to the moment he put on his suit that morning, and while at times he was almost proud of being, theoretically, secure enough in himself to not bring a date, he couldn't put that across to all the guests who smiled at him pityingly. All that, mixed with his ol' reliable social anxiety and sensory overload, had led to a night he wasn't so excited about. 

'Well, mom, for you, I'll keep saying no to the dozens of guys who keep proposing. You're welco -' He froze as a hand landed on his shoulder, and he followed his mother's gaze up and behind him to see Jack standing sheepish, jacket gathered in one hand. 

'Sorry, to interrupt. I'm just - we're done. All the bar staff.'

'You did an excellent job, dear.' Esther smiled warmly, nodding at Jack because he'd obviously come over to see her.

'Thanks, Mrs. Jacobs. Congrats on today.' He looked down at Davey. 'I - I wanted to say bye.' 

Davey stood up, acutely aware that his parents were watching him, and yet utterly indifferent. 'Jack.’ His heart thumped in his chest. ‘Could you - could you not say bye?'

'What should I say instead?'

'Say that - that you won't leave it six years, this time.' 

Jack laughed quietly, nodding. 'I won't.'

'And say you'll...' Do it. Come on, Davey. 'Dance with me?' As Jack opened his mouth and began to stammer, the song changed. Bright piano, mellow voice. Songbird. 

Jack dropped his jacket on an empty seat and took the hand that Davey offered. On the sparsely populated dancefloor they took their place, hands clasped, Davey holding Jack's waist, Jack sliding a hand up Davey's back, warm through his shirt. They swayed, compelled by the others breathing, both quite unsure that they were actually holding one another. 

'You... Always popped into my head,' Davey murmured, lips next to Jack’s ear. 'Every party. Even the good ones. They didn't measure up.' Jack pulled him a little tighter. 

'I kept hoping you'd call, Dave. I thought I'd made you up.' 

'I thought the exact same thing. Jack...' Davey pulled back just a tiny bit, just so he could rest his forehead on Jack's. 'If you're... moving across the country again, to the fucking... desert, or deep Alaska, now is the time to say, okay?' He melted as Jack chuckled. 'I'm not having you pull that stunt on me again.'

'Don't worry about it. I've found you, haven't I? I'm staying here.' 

'Here.' Davey nodded, the motion of his head bringing their lips just millimetres apart. 'Here is perfect.'

[all-hail-the-witcher]

yeah that's cool! i havent watched the movie since like 7th or 8th grade and i just finished my freshman year of college so its definitely been a minute. i think both the movie and the musical do things well, but both of them also do things not so well. like obviously since its a movie you see more of a setting which is cool and the musical leaves that up to your imagination. 

you're right davy doesnt really get a good arc in the musical, and in order to really get it you have to watch it a few dozen times. and yes, jacks character does seem kinda more convenient as does katherines. the mains could all use some fixing in the musical for sure, which is why i was never really drawn to them cause they seem so set in stone. 

also spot. in the musical he has 2 lines. in the movie he's built up as more of a character with a reputation and brooklyn plays a bigger role which adds to the idea of a strike and i think the musical should have done that better than just plop him in 3 songs from the end. 

i think i like the musical so much because of the ambiguity of the background characters. im a dancer so when i watch shows i normally ignore the leads anyway to watch the ensemble and the newsies ensemble gives so much. they're all very committed to their characters and every actor brings something different to them. a lot of them only have one or two lines but they're enough to build something off of which from a writing standpoint is really cool cause they're all essentially blank slates. i know that as a fandom we get a bad rap for focusing so much on the background characters but at least from a fit writers standpoint its hard not to because the mains are overdeveloped to the point where you almost cant really give them your own flair. 

like jack? always an artist. cares about his brothers/friends/siblings. medda is almost always his foster mom/adopted mom. either with davey, katherine, crutchie or some combination of all three. usually “dad friend” in nature. practically canon that he's bi

but a character like albert? theres a whole subplot about his dad and brothers that people build off of in every which way. is he friends with race? or are they together? what does he do to make money? I've seen him as a dancer, a construction worker, a chef, pretty much everything. sexuality and gender? i think I've seen it all. and I've seen him shipped with just about everyone.

of course im not saying that people dont take liberties with the main characters, but its more common with background ones. its just easier cause they're less developed. and i think that in the musical they seem more real (exception being blink and mush) which is why i like the musical more

honest question for you guys: disregarding the actual performances (singing/dancing/acting) and speaking strictly from a writing/characterization perspective, do you like the movie or the musical more?

[dream-in-charming]

Just saw Newsies live and I have some feelings <3 <3

It just closed it’s last show here in Gilbert, AZ and I am dying to talk about it. I’ll add a page cut though since there will be many thoughts and I don’t want to annoy anyone with just a chunk of text who doesn’t want to see it. if it doesn't work on mobile, I'm sorry. I dont know how to fix it...

OMIGOD the show was incredible! 

I’ll be posting pictures from the show, and of the theatre in another post, so you can see what I’m talking about (sort of, I only got a few, I wasn’t going to disturb the show).

Warning. This is going to be VERY VERY long. :)

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For those of you not from AZ and whom have never been to this particular theatre, this theatre does shows in the round. Meaning the audience is on all sides of the performance. It’s a challenge but they pulled it off brilliantly! 

So lets begin with the quick things. 

The program is corny and I love it. It’s designed to look like a newspaper (the New York Sun) and the captions on it are funny. “Weather forecast: Cloudy, Clear By Evening”; “Miss Medda Larkin Dazzles.” and so on.  The set was super basic, considering that it either had to be on the sides of the theatre, or easily moved on and off since there wasn’t really any place to keep it on. Honestly, the whole stage floor is maybe… 20ish sq ft? Maybe a bit more, I can’t find the actual dimensions. Heck the whole place only seats 350. But that aside, it worked WELL. Nothing blocked sight-lines, and anyone could see what was going on from any angle, they didn’t just play to one direction.

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The who cast was INCREDIBLE! Every last one of them.

So let me talk about them now :)

The guy who played Jack was great. Insanely tall which worked well and made it easier to find him when he was the important speaker in the crowded scenes. Plus his facial expressions were the best. I loved them in “Something to Believe In”. Lily just adored him and any time he wasn’t on stage she was asking where he went, pretended to talk to him (in a super quiet whisper) when he was on stage, pointed him out in scenes, and just loved him. She wanted a picture with him after the show and he was sweet enough to oblige. 

The guy who played Davey played him meek and it WORKED. Plus it helped to show his progress from the new news boy who just wanted to help his family, to the strong supporter of the Strike and voice of reason. And his voice was so melodic. 

Medda. OH MEDDA. A STUNNING WOC and an amazing singer. Her song just made me smile the whole time. Please keep being amazing because damn. AH. Plus, she let me poke and prod at her costume after the show because I was curious about the material and the way it was made. Made to look like brocade, but wasn’t so as to save the actress from dying of heatstroke. 

Wisel, Snyder, and the Delancey Brothers. I hate you. It’s a good thing

Les had the most adorable fluffy fringe sticking out of his bowler hat. I wanted to ruffle it. He was very talented and a great fit with Davey. 

Katherine was beautiful. Though her timing for certain lines were off, and thus some of her funniest and strongest bits were lost, she still made up for it with a powerful presence and lordy what a smile. Also, the hair. Teach me!

Crutchie was tiny and adorable and everything I ever wanted for that role. Perfect. Plus, participated in quite a few dances. Done in a way where it doesn’t ignore his bum leg either like I’ve seen some shows do. They figured out a way to include him and make a point to continue to show, “he ain’t been walkin too good”. Also, Santa Fe - Prologue, “watch me run” broke me. 

Pulitzer. A great demanding presence. And when he belted his final note in “Bottom Line” I got good bumps and turned to jelly. I love a voice like that. Ugh. Though his hat in the final scene…. bro, you is a rich man, you can do so much better. hahaha. 

The guy who played Specs was a very good looking person, and when he took off his hat and exposed the mass of exceedingly curly locks, my heart stopped. Also very talented dancer!

All of them were SO talented (there were others I didn’t name here, the case was 23 people, I’d be here all day) The dancing was fantastic and the acting was amazing, the singing just floored me. I am so happy to have gone to see the show. 

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Now to talk about the scenes (skipping the filler scenes because again, time)

Santa Fe 1.0 - Crutchie. You broke me. 3 I loved it and it was a great start of the show. Just pulled me in right away. Lily too. From that moment on, she was smitten with Jack. 

Carrying the Banner - So good! They had to work things around to make them fit into the smaller space, but it still was amazing. Seeing people practically above me performing was great. 

Bottom Line - That final note. AMAZING. I got goosies! And Nunzio’s hair made me giggle. 

That’s Rich - Medda you are one great performer. Performing for not just the audience, but the fake one for your ‘show within the show’. And teasing the one guy for “it may be rough but soon enough I’ll learn to make do” was the best. You go girl. You don’t need him!

I never planned on you - Whoever did the art for this show to display on the screens was terrific. However, the slow progression shots to show it was being ‘drawn’ weren’t completely timed right and I could see the jumps. Granted that’s both the software person and artist in me that picked up on it. 

World Will Know - I WAS WITH YOU. Like, if someone really started a strike or rally or anything with those lines and the power built into that song, I would follow them 100%. Les’s lines were lost in the overlapping dialogue during the part where they were thrown out, but that didn’t take away from the whole scene. 

Watch What Happens - Her voice was great, she his the notes brilliantly, but this is where the timing bit that I mentioned above was the biggest. She seemed to have just rushed through the song. Still, a good song, she’s a wonderful singer. I would love to hear her do more. Also, the type writer broke. Made me grin. 

Seize the Day - Here arrive the Girlsies too! Also, the dancing was at it’s PEAK here. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Plus this is the scene where Specs spent the most time in front of my seat. Totally okay with that. Got hit in the face with a paper by Mush. Kept it. Lily folded it up and put it in her purse. It is themed for that time period. Perfect touch. 

Santa Fe - Felt a tad rushed, but not in a way that distracted or pulled anyone out of the show. Plus hearing Jack belt and Lily light up at him then whisper “It’s okay Jack, You’ll go to Santa Fe” was the sweetest thing ever. If she could have, she would have taken him there herself. 

King of New York - When they danced on the tabletops I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. the tables were on WHEELS. And one of the tables I could tell only had one of the two locks, locked. YOU GONNA DIE! Also, spoons.

Crutchie’s Letter - a clever way to do it without a ton of boys. Crutchie is so smol. I love him. 

WWH Reprise - “POOR GUYS HEAD IS SPINNING” Davey, you did not disappoint. Also, the way they did the painting was excellent. On the floor instead of a stand, so everyone could see it. Monopoly money? Ish?

Brooklyn’s Here - someone please turn their mics on. Please? They sounded so muffled and far away. Still good though. Watching Davey stick his tongue out at Bronx was a great growth. Also, them Brooklyn boys IS big. I’m sure Spot could take both the Delancey brothers on his own. Wow. 

Something to Believe in - their expressions just MADE this song. Their smiles glowed. Also, after the kiss, Jack leaped forward to have another kiss but Katherine turned away making him nearly fall flat on his face… that the best version of that I have ever seen. 

Once and For All - again, mics? What the heck? This is such a strong song that just builds to a HUGE ending. But seemed so quiet? The gal who played Mush whispered the words too, which I thought was odd. She danced past a number of times and I noticed she was whispering the words instead of actually singing. Not sure why this was done. Still, a good song, and the fact that they timed the printing press to turn on and start spinning right as the beat kick at the start  of the song hit, was a brilliant visual. Made my heart speed up. If it weren’t for the odd quietness of the song, I would have been SO hyped!

Finale - was a good ending. Roosevelt was great, though his hat didn’t match his suit which made my artist side hiss. He did fit that role well though. If he gave speeches like Teddy did in real life, I’d totally listen to them all. Cruchie’s return was sweet. Jack’s HUGE hug when he came down to him was the epitome of friendship. And Race practically tackled him. They’s a great group of buddies. The taunting with the Money from Jack on whether he should get more papes was funny and showed off something that people tend to forget. They are just KIDS. Loved that choice. 

Also, instead of “Newsies of New York!” they shouted “News of the Hale!” and I am living for that. My smile was huge. Thanks for adding that part, because it felt so much more personal and not just another show. Also, Roosevelt dancing with everyone at the end and his “AHHHHH GO!” face was hilarious! I was dying. 

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All in all, a fantastic show and I am so happy I got the chance to see it. I don’t think I’ve ever sat up, sat forward, and at so much attention for such a long time, in forever. I told them as I walked out to the cast (who stands out to say good bye after every show, they do that no matter what show they have) that they all did incredible because they did. I could tell it was rough on some of them, with red rimmed misty eyes, closing nights are always rough and so final. But they gave it their all and it was brilliant. I hope to see many of them in future shows. 

Lily was begging to take a pic with Jack before we left, so we did, and it was adorable. She got embarrassed and shy soon as we got near him. I told him and the gal who played Kath that stood next to him what she said and did the whole show and how she just adored him and they thought she was so sweet. They were happy I brought her and I am introducing her to theatre. Well, I’m her mother, of course! Still, thanks for taking time to talk to her. I know she’ll love you forever. 

Did I talk to Specs? No. I got way too flustered, just did a quick “incredible job” to the group of them as I passed. I am such a whimp. But then again, he’s likely taken, and/or doesn’t swing my way. Plus, how rude would it have been to just go up and (try) to flirt? Though I am bad at it, it would have been funny. Anyway, he is a person, one whom I don’t know, and I wasn’t going to be rude or creepy.  

Anyway! That’s what I thought of the show. 

Long text. Done. 

[violetwolfraven]

Crossover Headcanons

((I know I have requests in my inbox but I just had to get this out of my head. Also I probably won’t be posting those requests for a while because my writer’s block is only barely starting to lift, so...))

Anyway this is gonna start off from one perspective and go to more later. Enjoy. 💜

Tw: past death, nightmares

...

So this is a... spin-off? Of the reincarnation au? An alternate timeline? A variant? Whatever it is the newsies are reincarnated and remember their past.

Also somehow most of them are going to the same college here, (I’m not going to say which one because I don’t want to research colleges right now) even if they’ve got a wide range of majors.

There’s only one dorm building even if people are only allowed to share a room with someone of the same gender.

This works out well for Elmer, because he’s pretty happy to be rooming with his boyfriend, Buttons.

But then he gets up to the floor their dorm is on and almost drops the box he’s holding.

Because it’s fuckin her. His national-level math nemesis since 11th grade. They’ve only faced off twice, the first time with her team winning and the second with his winning, but they’re each the only one who can beat the other in a math competition.

Elmer can see the shock in her eyes as she recognizes him and shouts YOU and then she’s stomping over to him aggressively enough that he’s pretty sure she wants to throw down physically.

Jack (who’s also on that floor with Davey) figures that too, and steps in front of him before she gets too close, but that girl acts like she doesn’t even notice him and shouts I WAS HALF A SECOND BEHIND YOU SOLVING THAT PROBLEM!

Elmer is kinda terrified but he defensively shoots back well I still solved it first and moves around Jack because this is his math nemesis and his fight.

The girl scowls at him for a couple more seconds then just sticks out her hand to shake, and Elmer realizes that he doesn’t actually know her name beyond the surname he’s seen on the back of her mathletes jacket. She introduces herself as Cady Heron.

Elmer Kazprzak, he responds, and Cady looks like she’s trying not to laugh, but he figures that’s probably fair, with how ‘Elmer’ was a common name in 1885 but not so much in 2003.

Jack clears his throat so Elmer introduces him but forgets that this isn’t their high school so things like oh this is Jack. He’s basically my dad. are weird.

Cady definitely thinks it’s weird but she doesn’t question it. Instead she just asks where Elmer is living, and it turns out, of course, he and Buttons are right next door to her and her roommate, Karen.

(I say Cady is living with Karen because Gretchen wanted to live with Regina and rules be damned Janis is with Damien.)

Elmer isn’t completely sure he’s not going to get murdered in his sleep but he guesses if he could handle the 1899 Newsboy Strike and World War I he can handle Cady Heron.

Meanwhile Katherine is going to Harvard so Sarah is rooming with someone she’s never met and she’s a little nervous.

And in stomps a girl who declares I’m a lesbian and if you have a problem with that tell me now so I can switch dorms.

And Sarah responds with my girlfriend out at Harvard would be pretty pissed at me if I did have a problem with that.

The girl lets her guard down, explains that she comes from a small town, and says her name is Alyssa Greene.

After that little bump, they get along good. Alyssa explains that her girlfriend, Emma, registered late and couldn’t get a dorm with who she wanted.

And Sarah’s just kinda like wait Emma as in Unruly Hearts Emma? Alyssa’s just like yeah!! I’m so proud of her!!

Sarah brags a bit about how Katherine is studying to be a journalist with a specialty in queer stories and long story short they become besties and eventually Alyssa introduces Emma for real and Sarah introduces Smalls and Sniper.

Emma and Alyssa are a bit thrown by the whole nickname thing but hey whatever now they have a Lesbian Club!

They do meet up with the boys occasionally but the Lesbian Club meets on a video call with Katherine every Saturday.

Anyway Jack meets Janis in art class and initially they kinda think each other is weird because their styles are very different but then they get in an actual conversation and get along amazingly.

Jack is definitely a fan of Janis’s philosophy of when someone hurts your friends you attack and grind your foe into the ground.

Janis tells her new bestie about Cady and Damien (and Regina, Gretchen, and Karen, though she still keeps Cady and Damien closer than the former Plastics) and she’s honestly shocked by the amount of friends Jack tells her about.

She does recognize some names, though. Romeo and Damien are both theatre majors and they’ve become friends.

But anyway Jack and Janis are like. Super good friends. Art buddies. Mlm/wlw solidarity. Protective friend pals.

Janis is pretty surprised when she introduces him to Cady and they’ve already met, and apparently oh fuck your math nemesis is Jack’s Elmer???

Jack’s just going oh fuck Elmer’s math nemesis Cady is Janis’s Cady???

Also Regina met Spot and Sarah at the gym and now they meet up with a few other people every other week to throw down like their own personal fight club.

At first Regina was just angrily trying to fight with no technique, but don’t worry, Spot and Sarah teach her.

There weren’t a ton of out gays at Northshore High, so yeah the Mean Girls crew definitely gets along with the Newsies crew out of solidarity.

Janis and at least one of the Plastics but I can’t choose which one(s) join the Lesbian Club.

Meanwhile Race is super hyped to meet Emma cause like I choreographed a dance to your song wanna see???

Emma is flattered but kinda weirded out and she mentions her friend Angie who’s a dancer too and Race is just *error 404*

Cause of course he saw the news story and knows Emma knows these 4 big Broadway stars but it just. Hasn’t connected until this moment that she like has their numbers.

He tries not to freak out too much cause he knows that’s weird but Emma eventually goes do you wanna meet her? And Race goes do I wanna meet her? She’s only my IDOL!! she’s been dancing like 20 years and she’s still got it!!

Emma calls Angie partially because she likes her new dancer friend and wants to make him happy and partially because she wants to prove to Angie that people do appreciate her zazz and despite how she was just a chorus girl until a few months ago this random boy from New York has been a fan since he was 12.

Angie can’t exactly fly over at the drop of a hat but she watches some videos on YouTube of Race dancing and like holy hell this kid is good. And his friends are too but this kid right here has zazz off the charts.

When she finds out he’s an orphan she’s lowkey can I adopt him??? but then she finds out he already has an adoptive mother and it’s Medda Larkin.

Medda Larkin who did more than a few shows with Angie when they were young but left Broadway to open her own theatre.

They fell out of touch years ago but still follow each other on Instagram and stuff.

But Angie shows Barry and Dee Dee and she’s super excited like remember Medda Larkin??? THIS IS HER ADOPTIVE KID AND HE’S AMAZING

And they watch YouTube clips of Emma’s new friends in high school shows and like wtf these kids are fuckin talented why aren’t they on Broadway???

They almost tell Emma to tell her friends to drop out of college and come straight (haha not that straight) to Broadway but Trent is like wtf no education is important.

Whatever the actors aren’t that relevant.

Sarah has a nightmare about her death one night. And with the others it’s not as big of a deal because they’re all rooming with each other, but Sarah’s roommate isn’t one of them.

She thinks Alyssa is asleep so she calls Katherine crying about how scared she was, how guilty she felt to be leaving her brothers and friends and Kath without a goodbye.

And Alyssa isn’t quite awake, but she’s awake enough that she hears Sarah whisper about how everything is just so stupid complicated. I shouldn’t be afraid of dying when I’ve done it before—when we’ve all died horribly—but I still am, Kitty. I can’t stop being afraid.

Alyssa is out of it enough that she falls back asleep, but when she wakes up she knows what she heard. That her roommate thinks she had a past life and died and implied that all her friends did.

Emma notices she’s acting weird and when she asks what’s wrong she tells her.

They both know it sounds crazy, but...

Emma tentatively points out some weird things about their friends from New York.

She’s study buddies with Race and occasionally he points something out she got wrong on her history homework. Something so small and inconsequential that it would’ve been almost impossible for him to know unless he was there and remembered from experience.

Smalls and Sniper have a habit of jumping apart if they were so much as holding hands and someone walks in on them, even though they come from a mostly accepting city with an accepting friend group.

That whole group straight up skipped history class the whole week they were learning about World War I and refused to make up the work.

They bring the half-baked theory to Janis who immediately remembers all the times she’s seen Jack draw small war-torn towns in France and dirty city streets and an outdated skyline as if seen from a rooftop, all of them too detailed to be anything but directly copied from something Jack has seen before.

But the question is if they’re drawn from a reference photo or a memory.

Cady realizes, upon hearing the theory, that Elmer and Buttons never take her up on offers to come to football games because they don’t like the noise.

More specifically, she remembers the look on her nemesis/frenemy’s face when he said he didn’t like fireworks.

Aaron notices that Davey always solves math problems by hand. He never uses a calculator unless someone reminds him it’s an option. And half the time, he defaults to using his right hand with terrible handwriting even though he’s left handed. Almost like he was raised with the whole ‘left hand devil’ thing, which doesn’t make sense because he went to a public school; not a religious one.

Damien realizes that Romeo has a habit of correcting the costume department, like he knows the period clothing for Hello, Dolly! better than they do. It annoys the hell out of them because upon some research, he is always right.

Regina notes how Spot and Sarah fight like they’re fighting for their lives in a street brawl. She knows that because she started taking karate in an attempt to win fights. She noticed months ago that her friends use technique that’s barely sustainable, like they’re just trying to stay alive until they can run or backup comes.

However all this is just fun and games, a crack theory they’re all mildly creeped out by but don’t really believe, until Gretchen finds it.

An article on the Newsboy Strike of 1899.

There’s a copy of the Newsies Banner, written by Katherine Plumber, which references strike leaders Jack Kelly and David Jacobs.

But they could write that off as just a creepy coincidence if not for the photo.

It’s the one Katherine and Darcy took that first day, which is in black and white and not the greatest quality, but clearly shows a lot of familiar faces.

A later story by this Katherine Plumber documents lives of street kids with interviews from kids with the same odd nicknames as the group they know.

Regina was the most cynical about this theory and even she can’t deny it now. There’s just too much evidence.

Especially when Karen finds Crutchie’s obituary, but Regina stops her from showing it to anyone else because that’s just too creepy.

The Mean Girls crew and Alyssa and Emma are... unsure if they should confront their friends about this, because a) this is freaky and b) the newsie gang is clearly still harboring trauma due to their deaths.

Plus, as Damien points out, being gay was illegal in 1899. Do you think they want a reminder of how they had to hide their feelings for each other back then?

Emma and Alyssa share a knowing look because they know what that’s like.

In the end Karen lets it slip when she asks Davey a question about her history homework involving World War II, mistakenly believing he was there.

Davey naturally questions her about it and she spills the entire story about how Alyssa heard Sarah’s phone call and they figured everything else out from there. She even shows him the article with the 1899 photo and the Newsies Banner.

And... shit, there’s a lot of memories behind that picture. And that’s them, over a hundred years ago, when they were kids and they weren’t all the same age like this time around.

The old Davey looks so big compared to Romeo and Elmer and god was Specs tall for a 15-year-old.

Davey didn’t even meet Smalls and Sniper in this lifetime until they were 16, but in that picture they’re only 13 and they’re so small.

A sidenote on Katherine has a picture of her in a hairstyle he hasn’t seen her in since 1917.

It’s a mixture between ptsd and nostalgia and Davey can’t decide whether to freak out or be happy.

He takes the article to Jack and tells him about how Gretchen found it and their non-reincarnated friends know.

Jack’s silently cursing the fact that he really should have been more careful with what he drew around Janis, but it’s kinda a relief that they know, honestly.

He shoots a quick text to the group chat and then turns his phone on do not disturb mode while he sits Janis down for a little chat.

He doesn’t go into graphic detail, but he does tell her an abridged version of everything. How they were basically a family and all lgbt+ in the early 20th century and how they died before their time and got a second chance.

It’s more than a little freaky for Janis, but it does explain a lot.

Such as how Jack demonstrates on a dare that he can still do some parkour because once upon a time, he used it to run from the cops.

Elmer tells Cady he’s so quick at math because he used to have to calculate change quickly and later had to help Jack and Davey come up with battle plans based on numbers vs tactics and terrain.

Regina definitely trusts Spot’s combat advice a lot more now because he was essentially a gang leader as a teenager and it has literally saved his life.

Race admits to Emma that her song made him cry because... in this lifetime he might not have had to be closeted, but in his last he was constantly worried about getting arrested or worse if people found out not just about him and his boyfriend, but his friends. His family.

Emma may or may not collaborate with him after that to write a song about how much it hurts to be closeted for your own safety and how much better it feels to be free to be who you are. Race dances in the music video and many of the other newsies make appearances but it’s mainly him and Emma. Spot and Alyssa cry when they see it. Damien does, too.

Who am I kidding everyone cries.

They get like 4 million hits on YouTube and it’s amazing.

The title is probably In the Light or something.

Also Cady, Aaron, Kevin, and Elmer form their own college level mathletes team and no one can beat them.

(Kevin’s not as close with the main group literally only because I don’t know that much about him as a character.)

(Also Stacy, Kailey, and whatever their boyfriends’ names are might be there somewhere but I don’t know them either.)

Katherine does get to meet the new kids in person eventually. And also I didn’t mention this earlier but Specs goes to Harvard too and he comes to visit too.

The power when the Lesbian Club finally gets to meet all in person? Unparalleled.

:)