#Medda adopts

[sparkedblaze]

modern morris and oscar rely on food banks to eat after leaving medda’s, especially after leaving care entirely. medda sees them one day, through the window as she’s walking past a local church and glances at the open food bank.

she sees oscar hunched with his hood up, looking exhausted and ragged, digging through the food bank’s bare shelves to try and find something, anything, that morris will actually eat. morris is with him, always with him, looking close to tears and growing visibly more upset as oscar turns to him and holds out something like he’s done so countless times now. medda can’t hear them, but can tell oscar is trying to bargain with morris to eat it. it doesn’t work. morris shakes his head and wraps his arms tighter around himself and backs away. oscar grits his jaw and tosses the can back onto the shelf, dragging his hand down his face. they leave largely empty-handed.

medda starts donating to the food banks, as many as she can get to nearby. all sorts of stuff, especially the things she knows are most appreciated by those who use them - there was a time she used them herself - but she’s sure to donate morris’ safe foods, nutritious stuff for both of them, oscar’s favourites, to that particular church. the next time she sees them, they’re leaving with a full bag. they both look at least marginally healthier.

Hello everyone!! I am not dead!! At least.... I don't think

ANYWHOOO

*

Oscar leads Morris into the church- the fourth or fifth time that month- looking for food for the rest of the month. He opens the door, expecting the same half-assed spread as usual.

When he's greeted with shelves more full than he'd ever seen before, he's taken aback. He grabs hold of Morris' sleeve, handing him a basket as they pass by the stack of them. He tosses everything that he knows Morris will eat, offers other things he's unsure of, most of which get denied.

Oscar doesn't miss he way Morris lights up when he sees his favorite brand of macaroni and cheese, the way his free hand flaps, and he puts the few boxes in their basket, and moves along the shelves. "Mo, you see anythin' else you want, you tell me, okay? Or, hell, jus' throw it in the basket."

Morris nods, eyes roaming the shelves now, seeing another one of his favorite brands. A few cans of soup in the brand Medda kept at her house. He reaches out, putting all the cans into the basket, bouncing on his toes as he grows more excited with each spotted favorite.

Oscar throws his own food into the basket, and they continue deeper into the food bank. "Mo, you might actually get to fight this season- you- you gonna get to fight!"

*

That's all the thoughts that I could muster

I'm so sorry the thoughts weren't bigger.

[loving-jack-kelly]

What are your jack and Spot headcanons? I’ve always felt like they were the type to really understand each other but would rather die then admit they’re friends.

(Side note: I might have sent this already but my internet was all screwy so I’m not sure it went through)

oh i think jack and spot are so so so similar and so so so unwilling to see it. i think they share a lot of similar trauma and responses to said trauma and I think when they look at each other they can't help but see the things they hate about themselves reflected in the other and it drives them crazy.

jack sees spot as somebody so angry and defensive and bitter and he can't help but judge him for it because jack has worked so hard to beat back those traits in himself and it was hard and it was worth it.

and spot sees jack as somebody dismissive and stupidly optimistic and reactive and he can't help but judge him for it because spot has worked so hard to be able to look back at what he went through and pull a fight for change out of it and he doesn't see the same desire for forward momentum in jack.

and the thing is they're both right and wrong at the same time. because jack's desire for forward momentum is the desire to better himself, to heal, to be able to provide a softer, kinder, better life for those around him. he is dismissive and stupidly optimistic and reactive because it's so hard for him to be happy and he knows if he lets himself dwell, if he's purposeful about his anger about his childhood and doesn't make himself move on and pretend to believe things will get better until he actually believes it he'll sit and stew and be miserable forever.

and spot is and always has been first and foremost a fighter, his desire for forward momentum is a desire to jump headfirst onto the front lines and claw his way to something better. he is angry and defensive and bitter and he's using those things not to dwell on the past but to fight so goddamn hard for something better.

i think it takes jack and spot a long time to find a balance. because they're so so so similar and so so unwilling to see it. there's a lot of fighting and a few good blow-ups, lots of snapping at each other and plenty of biting comments before they both let themselves see through the walls the other has up. but once that barrier is broken down I think they have such a strong, balanced relationship.

as much as they're different and as much as they're similar, I think they have very similar senses of humor. spot is dry and sarcastic and a little bit mean, and jack is loud and brash and teasing, but the jokes tend to be very similar. they agree on most of the important things and enjoy picking on each other about the less important things. i think they end up best friends without realizing it's happening and I think they're both mad about it when somebody else points it out.

they fully consider themselves frenemies but they aren't frenemies, they're friends who like being a little bit mean to each other because they get it.

i think their friendship looks a little weird from the outside because it's aggressive and loud and a little bit mean but it's also full of the kind of respect they only have for each other because they've learned enough about each other from years of actually fighting to have earned that mutual respect. spot is one of the only people who can see through jack's veneer of cheerful goofy charming friendly guy to the absolute rage and fight to be the one in control of himself that's hidden under all that. and jack is one of the only people who can see through spot's veneer of cold calculated stoic serious tough guy to see the guy who cares so much about fighting for something better that he's willing to sacrifice others' opinions of himself for the sake of what he's fighting for.

so in summary. they aren't friends until they are and they like to fight but also respect each other deeply but also pretend they hate each other but also love each other more than anything.

[the-woild-is-y-erster]

Junps from window whats up i need to know your racetrack thoughts

there's so many, anon

ok so first off, my boy. the boy ever. yes yes, I do know the fandom overhypes him, but I adored that scraggly lil adhd sucker way before I got on newsieblr, so those haters can succhiami le noci.

but the he! I've seen so many trans!race hcs and I honestly adore it we need more rep and he's just so ghgaaaaah/pos

he's also simply too silly and. hyper to not be adhd so you will rip that hc out of my cold dead hands

I ADORE sprace, yes, I do know they almost never interact in livesies, but their 92sies dynamic is so so fun and great, all the kudos to max casella and gabriel damon, excellent job, boys. especially since max was like, way older than all the others?? great job man, most fifteen year old twenty three year old I've ever seen

and don't even get me STARTEd on ben cook n tommy bracco. CARA DEI THEYRE SO FUN

the first time I saw livesies and race appeared on the scaffolding, I was like 'oh yeah, this gangly blond twink with the cigar is gonna be my favorite.' and then in Brooklyn's here??? when they all get lit up with the spotlights and spots just fukkin TINY???? LOVE IT

I think I'm also just biased towards race because I too, am a short sassy brunet trans guy, so like. mhm.

[muckety-mucks-i-s-goin-delux]

Just went through newsies fanfics I never posted and I cannot fucking believe I've been manifesting black Jack Kelly all this time and it worked!

[military-newsboys]

Medda: First impressions are very important. Jack: Yet you adopted me anyway.

[saveugoodmadam]

My hcs for all the newsies' careers when they grow up

Jack works as a steady cartoonist for Pulitzer and an artist for Medda's theatre, as well as a few other projects here and there. He's quite well-off and famous enough so he uses his money and status to give quite a lot of support and awareness to homeless and employed kids, eventually setting up a charity called the Santa Fe Organisation which helps to fund the dreams and futures of poor New York kids. When he retires he and Davey both go and live in Santa Fe.

Katherine lives in a small house with Davey and Jack, and continues to climb the journalistic ladder. She does a lot of publicity-raising for current issues but is also the first to report anything her old friends are currently doing. Eventually she becomes extremely prominent and famous in journalistic circles. She doesn't follow Jack and Davey to Santa Fe, instead choosing to stay in New York to pursue journalism until she can no longer do so.

Davey is a high-brow lawyer with very clear morals- he is almost always found arguing for wrongly accused innocents and against corrupt people. He helps Jack to set up the Santa Fe Organisation and retires with him in that same place, but never really gives up his lawyering even out there.

Les grows up to be a journalist and works closely often with Katherine to write articles. She works as a massive industry contact to launch him into the business in the first place and it grows from there. He often takes trips to visit Jack and his brother out west and retires to the same town.

Crutchie becomes a dancer for Medda's theatre and rises to huge prominence in Europe and the USA for pioneering wheelchair dance. He meets lots of prominent figures but is keen to shine a light on the rotten underbelly of their dealings if he sees fit to. He never loses his wit, charm and love of chaos, but this is what makes him a massive hit. He retires to Ireland, citing the reason as being it was his mother's country.

Race takes work at the docks helping to load ships for their voyages but has to retire early due to a back injury. He becomes the primary carer of the household and looks after his and Spot's twins, Brooklyn and Philip Conlon-Higgins. He often takes trips to see his friends around the city as he misses them a lot.

Spot works as Katherine's secretary, at first hiring a nanny for her and Race's daughter but eventually being able to let her go when Race becomes primary carer. She has most of high society wrapped around her little finger at every function she goes to and she absolutely revels in this information especially when getting Katherine new stories. She and Katherine retire on the same day, having made a pact to do so, and she and Race move to Rome for their retirement.

Specs and Romeo both run Specs' parents' bakery together after his parents retire, and both adopt a daughter, a newsie called Pins.

Henry finally achieves his dream of owning his own deli with help from his friends and runs it with JoJo and Mike. It sits just across the street from Specs and Romeo's bakery and the two work in a story of symbiotic way to sell both meat and bread to the people of New York.

Albert works in Jacobi's for a while but eventually goes out to sea as a sailor with Finch.

Buttons and Splint both get married and make their living as dressmakers.

Mack moves back to Scotland with Stray and Elmer and they work as shepherds.

Pips becomes the leader of the Brooklyn newsies, then leaves to work for a department store in Paris.

Tommy Boy joins up for the first world war and is sadly killed in action. Ike also joins up and survives, he ends up working in the deli with Henry, JoJo and his brother.

Mush works at the bakery for a while, then he and Ritz both join a touring circus group and end up being co-opted into a few of Crutchie's performances over the years.

Splasher becomes the leader of the Manhattan newsies (and is succeeded by Pins), then replaces Mush at the bakery.

[lovingmusicalmen]

Racetrack Higgins with "You look adorable when you smile" ?

Guys... I love Race - I also lowkey wanna turn this into a full one shot... lmk if you guys would wanna read that!

Still accepting blurb requests!

Fluff 15 - "You look adorable when you smile"

Mouse was... an enigma, to say the least.

When she had first arrived at the lodging house, bruises decorating her skin, she hadn't said a word to anyone for several weeks.

Hence the nickname.

Despite this, many of the newsies had taken a shine to her. Specs had immediately adopted her as a selling partner, Albert would drag her to the edge of the lodging house and she would listen to him ramble about who-knows-what when his brain was going to quick, Crutchie would ask her to help him on days where his leg acted up and Jack would invite her to join him at Meddas for company as he painted.

She was a newsie. There was no doubt about it.

But Race had never heard her laugh. Even in the more recent days where she had begun to talk to him, quiet, shy words, bashful jokes and whispered reassurances that made Race's heart ache, he had ever seen her so much as crack a smile.

There was a sadness in her eyes that Race recognised from the mirror. From the faces of the other newsies, his other friends. Only, for Mouse, it never left her.

Lately, though, Race had been making it his personal mission to change that. He would go out of his way to spend time with her - he forgone his pack of cigars to instead pay for some extra food to give to her, he lent her his newsboy cap and had been spending days trying to convince her to leave Specs to join him in Sheepshead selling for a day.

And at nights, when he would hear quiet sniffles from her bunk, which was situated beside his, he would join her. He'd wrap his arms as tightly around her as he could and rock her gently, whispering quiet stories of the antics he and his friends had gotten up to before she had joined the lodging house.

And Mouse would cling onto him, as though he was the only thing anchoring her in that moment. And Race's chest would burn with the need to tell her he loved her.

"You're staring," Mouse said in a low, quiet voice. Race just grinned at her, tugging off his hat and placing it onto her head, and readjusting his grip on his bag of newspapers.

Mouse rolled her eyes, but Race saw the gleam of amusement in them.

"Can hardly blame me for that, pretty girl," Race teased, and he placed a hand on her elbow to steer her carefully out of the way of the oncoming crowds. He was used to the rush of people on his walk over to Brooklyn, but the same could not be said for his selling partner for the day.

"Y/N," Mouse said after a moment. Her voice barely audible.

"What?" Race asked, frowning a little, dropping his hand down to link their fingers together. He told himself it was to stop them from getting separated in the swarms of businessmen, but the flutter in his chest when she squeezed his hand in response begged to differ.

"My name - it's Y/N," she clarified, her voice no louder than before. Race stopped, pulling her over to the edge of the street, raising his eyebrows at her. "You told me yours," she whispered, looking suddenly shy at the mention of the previous night, where they had been up late, and Race had whispered his own given name to her.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl," Race said. He paused before adding: "Y/N."

For the first time, Race saw the girl's lips turn up a little at the corners. Her eyes crinkled at the edges and she bit her lip, reaching up to readjust Race's cap so it no longer covered her eyes.

"You look adorable when you smile," Race told her, not really thinking through his words before he said them. But then Y/N was meeting his eyes again, and he knew it was worth the mild embarrassment of his slip of the tongue to see her smile break properly across her face.

"Thank you," she whispered. Race ducked down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Come on, Mouse - we've got papes to sell."

[racetrackhigg]

FAME AU- newsies

im gonna talk a bit ab their jobs and stuff but also just hcs that i have of them in this universe. i would love to make this into an actual au with each chapter focusing on a different character but i dont have the time rn. the ships are javid, blush and ralbert, although i don't talk about them much. i rlly want to, maybe on another post i will

Jack “Cowboy” Kelly - Artist

Age when the au takes place: 26

Song: You’re On Your Own Kid - Taylor Swift

Jack would have grown up in the foster system. His parents died in a car crash when he was young, leaving him an orphan.

Since he was a kid he would’ve used art as a way to escape the shitty situation that he was in. He would’ve been in numerous bad foster homes, and he would’ve been failing school, but art would be the one constant that would allow him to escape. 

Then at 15, he got adopted by Medda, and she took him to art classes and bought him proper supplies

Crutchie would be his foster brother

Jack went to art school. He started entering (and winning) contests, as well as publishing his art online. He got an agent and the attention of some important people who helped him in his journey, giving him positive critiques and advice. 

Then someone really famous would’ve purchased one of his works and that made him blow up

Jack would live in an apartment in the centre of Manhattan. His apartment would always be a mess, and he’d usually do most of his paintings there, so a lot of things are permanently stained with acrylic. 

He DIY’s a lot of his clothes, painting on his jeans and jackets and things like that. This was a habit that he kept since the foster system to try to make the shitty clothes he had a bit more him, and he never stopped doing it.

This also means that he DIY’s so many things in his apartment, and it always turns out amazing. Doesn’t like the colour of that couch? He dyes it. Feels like the wall is too bare? He’ll paint something over it. Feels like the windows are too boring? He’ll buy a kit and make them into fake-stained windows that he can peel off when he wants to, in case he wants to sell the apartment or he gets bored of it.

He’s also amazing at gift-giving because he always makes sure to write a card or add something handmade to the actual gift. He used to give his boyfriend handmade flowers so they’d last forever before, yknow, they broke up (he would’ve chated on Jack)

Other than art, he would be a big sports fan. He would love F1 and would eventually get a VIP pass to the paddock. He’d be a Red Bull fan.

David “Mouth” Jacobs - Director

Age when the au takes place: 26

Song: the lakes - Taylor Swift

David’s mother would have been an actress. She hadn’t been very famous, but it already gave him an in the industry. 

He used to participate in the school musicals as the “director’s assistant”. 

He preferred movies over the theatre though, and he often wrote his own movies that he would’ve loved to direct someday.

He made a lot of short films with his friends and participated in different contests, building his portfolio for when he went to college.

In college, he continued to participate in many different movie contests and got a lot of recognition for his short films. He would have a very distinct movie style, very much giving “dark academia”.

He’d be given various awards for his work and eventually, he’d get to direct a full movie. It would do pretty well for being his debut. 

He’d continue creating short films and co-directing some movies. He’d start working on more important movies and gaining a large following.

His most popular movie would be one that would’ve been inspired by a painting. One of Jack’s paintings. It would be about the obsessed artist trope (think Black Swan or Whiplash).

David would live in Boston, and most of his short films would be filmed there. 

Outside of directing, David reads a lot, it’s his way of escaping from the world for a moment.

He’d love vintage books and would have them scattered all around his house. He’s a big fan of the classics.

Has a black cat named Dawn.

He’s a very private person. He doesn’t really date much, and he doesn’t post stuff online. This all changed when he met Jack, of course.

Antonio “Racetrack” Higgins - Formula 1 

Age when the au takes place: 23

Song: Labyrinth - Taylor Swift

Racing number: 16 

He drives for Ferrari 

He’d come from a well-off family, but they wouldn’t be rich. His dad would’ve been an F2 driver, but he never made it to F1. He would’ve been a huge Ferrari fan, something that he passed on to his son.

Started karting when he was 5 years old

His parents would’ve gotten divorced when he was 7. He would’ve blamed himself because they used to fight a lot over him doing karting. His mom didn’t want him anywhere near racing, but his dad supported him fully. 

He’d have a 5-year difference with his little brother 

After his mom remarried, she moved to France with his little brother (Romeo), while Race stayed in Italy with his dad.

At some point, Race almost had to quit racing because his dad wouldn’t have been able to afford it. However, his stepdad offered to help, and they had no choice but to accept. Race would have a really bad relationship with his stepdad and his mother, he would’ve been much closer to his dad.

He joined the Ferrari Driving Academy, wanting to drive for them once he joined F1

He joined F1 when he was 19, and joined Ferrari a year later, full filling his lifelong dream.

The same year he joined Ferrari his mother died.

His goal is to win a championship someday, and is currently second in the driver’s standings. But Red Bull is dominating and unbeatable, so the chances of winning this year are slim.

He would live in Rome. He has 2 cats, a Ragdoll called Sofia (but he calls her Sof) and an orange cat called Stella  

He would meet Jack in the paddock and they’d hit it off immediately, become really good friends. Despite the fact that Jack was there to support Red Bull. He’d know who Jack was because his ex-girlfriend would’ve been an artist and a huge fan. 

Outside of racing, he would love music. He’d play the piano and the guitar. He started composing his own songs after his mom died and continued after he broke up with his girlfriend (they would’ve dated for 2 years, and broken up a year before the au started). But he’d keep them to himself.

Think folklore and evermore (particularly seven, the lakes and tolerate it)

However, he would mostly listen to rock music, completely different from what he composed. 

His favourite band is “Untitled”, and he’d go see them when they came to Italy on their world tour.

Albert DaSilva, Kid Blink, Jojo de la Guerra and Finch Cortez - Band

Band Name: Untitled (I'm bad at names, if I think of smth better I might change it)

Genre: Rock

Albert and Finch met in high school and became best friends. Finch played the guitar and Albert played the drums, and they usually did covers of songs together. 

Flash forward to college and they meet Blink. They went to college together studying music composition and became close with Blink, who plays the bass guitar. Suddenly they have a new addition to their band. At this point, their still just making covers of songs.

Then they meet Jojo, who also joins their band. He sings. After this, they start making their own songs and playing at bars. They got noticed by a record label and signed a contract. 

They gathered a large following when their first album was released, but they blew up with the lead single of their second album. After that, they quickly rose to fame. 

In each album, there is one song dedicated/about each of the members, but they never say which song is about who

Fans love to speculate, though, and a lot of the time they get it right

They all live in Manhattan.

Albert

Age when the AU takes place: 24

Song: I Can See You - Taylor Swift

Lives with Finch, their roommates. 

They have a dog named Cheese. Why? No one knows.

His mom would’ve died soon after he was born, and he’d grow up with his dad and older brothers. They’d struggle a bit financially, his dad would be working all the time and when he’d be home he would usually be drunk.

He’d never be abusive, just incredibly distant and Albert would have to take care of him after his brothers moved out. 

Once he moved out he kind of cut contact with most of his family

He has a Twitch account and streams all the time. He’s a big fan of video games, particularly horror games. 

He often calls with friends and plays with them, for example, he calls Elmer a lot (his best friend other than Finch)

He also skates

He tried to take Finch to a skate park to teach him once and it did not end up well 

Probably the most disorganized person you’re ever going to meet. His room is a mess and it drives Finch insane. 

He would have a bit of a reputation when it comes to dating. He usually wouldn’t get involved in anything serious that lasted more than a couple of months.

Then he’d do a world tour where he would meet Race, a Formula 1 driver who apparently loved their music, and all that would change

Finch

Age when the AU takes place: 24

Song: Welcome To New York - Taylor Swift

Lives with Albert, their roommates.

He’s a big movie fan, particularly sci-fi movies.

He’s not much of an animal person. But in middle school, he used to have an obsession with birds, so Albert started calling him “Finch” and it just stuck

He’s really close to his family. His parents would be so supportive of him, they’d be there at almost every concert. They’d be really proud.

His fashion sense is atrocious but he’s trying his best and that’s what matters

He loves cooking. He’s really good at it too, and he’s always trying new recipes.

He has a TikTok account that has literally nothing to do with the band, it’s just him sharing the recipes he made. He also has a series where he does a meal for each college major and things like that. 

He has a secret Tumblr account where he interacts with fans and no one knows it’s him. 

People are aware of the existence of this account, but no one knows it’s him

Kid Blink

Age when the AU takes place: 25

Song: It's Nice To Have A Friend - Taylor Swift

Lives with his boyfriend, Mush, who owns a cat cafe.

They met in freshman year of high school and became best friends before they started dating in Junior year

He gives their PR manager a heart attack each time he opens his mouth because this man has absolutely no filter. 

Not allowed to post his own things on Twitter because he would get cancelled in a second

He used to watch BuzzFeed Unsolved religiously, but now he watches Watcher all the time.

Always knows the most random and disturbing facts. He’ll say the most unhinged things at the most unexpected times and provide no context.

He only posts things about the band, he’s a very private person and doesn’t like people getting in his business.

His private account however is basically a fan account for his boyfriend, since that’s almost all he posts about. And his cat cafe. 

Only his family and friends follow him there, though.

Also has a secret Tumblr account, but it’s just to see the Watcher posts. 

Middle kid energy

Jojo

Age when the AU takes place: 23

Song: Foolish One - Taylor Swift

He does pottery!! 

He’s a plant dad and all of his flower pots are made by him

He writes his own music separate from the band, but he doesn’t release any of them. It’s just something he does for fun sometimes

He was practically raised by his older brother since his parents weren’t great

His brother was the one who helped pay for his singing lessons when he was a kid. His parents didn't want him to have anything to do with music, they didn't think he'd make anything of himself

But his brother supported him fully and it got him to where he is now 

Wears his heart on his sleeve and tends to get hurt because of it

[musicalpilftournament]

Miss Goldberg vs Medda Larkin

Propaganda (Click names for full propaganda and other actors)

Miss Goldberg: She’s a teacher and the closest thing Marvin has to a maternal figure and he may have completely made her up to cope with the lack of love he receives at home. He also fantasises about having sex with her to convince himself that he’s able to fulfil the role that a heterosexual society has placed on him as long as it’s with a woman who is always just out of reach. Plus the mummy issues.  Also she’s so fagdyke it’s unreal.

Medda Larkin: Just look at her I wasn't gay before newsies and now look at me. Omg. Also she slays at vocals. Get it queen. She's not really a parent but a lot of people in the fandom headcanon her as adopting some of the newsies or taking on some other type of parental role. Anyways, she's a girlboss and her songs are bops.

[sparkedblaze]

You know what?

I've seen these and decided I'd do one for the fic ideas I have in my notes. I'm very excited to see what y'all wanna see

Mwah

[the-realest-spot-conlon]

The Best Brothers Aren't Blood Related lllll

Sorry! I know yall have been waiting a while for this! Well here it finally is!

Spot looked out the window for the fifth time within the last three minutes.

"Relax, he's probably just a little late," Jack reassured, noticing Spot's fidgeting fingers and restless leg.

"I know, but it's been thirty minutes Jack," Spot said nervously, which was pretty out of character for him.

"Relax," Jack said. "Why don't you go grab a glass of water or something, and I'll call his phone.

Spot did as his adoptive brother said, and went into the kitchen, which was one room over from the living room. He grabbed a glass of water, and started sipping on it while leaning on the counter.

Spot snuck a look at the clock over the dining table. 35 minutes late now. Race wouldn't really do that to Spot, right?

"I'm gonna kick his ass," Spot mumbled. Just then, Spot saw Race walk into the kitchen.

"I'm so so so sorry! My sister stole my car, and I had to track her down to find it, and-" Race started, but was abruptly cut off by Spot.

"Hold the fuck up your sister stole it??" He questioned, stifling a laugh.

"Yea!!" Rsce shouted angrily. Spot's eyes roamed his body for a quick second. His hair was gelled, he wore a white shirt and a leather jacket, and nice jeans. It was a flattering contrast to Spot's black dress pants and white button up.

"Shall we be going?" Race asked in a fancy voice to attempt to humor Spot.

"We shall," Spot returned the fancy voice, while taking the hand Race held out.

Race led Spot out to the car, which was an old, beat up Nissan.

Race opened the door for Spot, who gratefully accepted and climbed in. Race then walked over to his side of the car, before quickly driving off.

When they made it to the restaurant, Al Di La Trattoria.

----------

Back at the Larkin/Conlon/Kelly home, Medda was on call at the hospital she worked for, leaving a lonely Jack at home.

He picked up the phone, and dialed none other than his boyfriend Davey.

"Hello?" Davey answered, sounding busy in the background.

"Hey my mom's not home, so you know what that means!" Jack said enthusiastically, and Davey couldn't see it, but he knew Jack's eyebrows were wiggling suggestively.

"Harry Potter marathon?" Davey asked, the sound of his keys jingling in the background.

"Hell yea!" Jack responded.

"Be there in five," Davey said, before hanging up.

Jack went to the kitchen to grab Takis, Doritos, Popcorn, and two fresh glasses of Iced Tea. He went back to the living room, set the snacks down on the coffe table, laid out a bunch of blankets and pillows on the couch, and turned on the TV.

He had the first movie ready to play when the doorbell rang. "Let me in!" Jack heard Davey whine.

"Why should I?" Jack teased before opening the door, letting a cold Davey inside.

"Why are you so cold?" Jack asked seriously.

"The heating in my car went out, I'm gonna get it fixed tommorow," Davey explained.

"Damn," Jack mumbled, before welcoming Davey over to the mountain of blankets and pillows on the couch. "Ready?" He asked, because consent is key, even for Harry Potter and snuggles.

"Of course!," Davey exclaimed before walking-or rather waddling-over to the couch where Jack sat.

Jack reached for the remote and pressed play, the nostalgic sound of 'Hedwig's Theme' playing.

After about thirty minutes into the movie, the snacks were diminished, and both boys were not mentally stable enough to be making rational decisions.

"Ok but here me out-Draco and Harry." Davey questioned, looking at said characters squabbling on the TV.

"No no no no. Ron and Harry," Jack retorted, reaching for the Takis.

"But enemies to loversss," Davey whined. "As an amateur author my professional opinion is that enemies to lovers is the best!" Davey added, eyeing the bag of chips in Jack's hand. "Can I try one?" He asked.

"You've never had one???" Jack interrogated, before handing a chip to Davey.

About thirty seconds later, "WHAT THE FUCK??? HOW DO YOU ENJOY THESE??"

"What can I say, I have a high spice tolerance," Jack teased.

After Davey caught his breath, the two's focus returned to the TV.

----------

They were now on to the fourth movie, Goblet of Fire, when they heard a knock at the door. "It's open!" Jack shouted. In entered Spot and Race, coming home from their date.

"Ooh Harry Potter marathon?" Spot asked as he plopped himself down on the couch, motioning for Race to take a seat. They entered at the scene in which Draco is turned into a ferret, a personal favorite of Jack's.

"Ok but here me out-Draco and Harry," Spot said, a virtual repeat of Davey and Jack several movies ago.

"No no no no no no no Cedric and Harry," Race said, as both Davey and Jack's heads whipped in the direction of Race.

"You're joking right?" Davey asked in a disgusted tone.

"No," Race said simply.

"Drarry," Spot said.

"Hedric," Race retorted.

"Yea Drarry," Davey added.

"Nooooo Harron," Jack whined.

They never came to an agreement.

[thefactsofthematter]

For the title thing: suddenly I was nostalgic for something I'd never known - @roideny

@roideny ok hear me out. maybe this is too on the nose, but i’m thinking a reincarnation/time travel au 👀 this is a little long but very fun!!

canon era jack picks the wrong fight one night, leaving him passed out in an alley somewhere— when he comes to, he’s in an utterly unfamiliar room (are those electric lights? why is it so white and sterile in here? what the fuck are all these machines beside him??) with a doctor staring down at him, saying something about sedation wearing off.

long story short, he’s in modern au jack’s body, waking up from a coma after a car accident. he starts having a panic attack when the doctor asks him things like “do you know where you are right now” and “can you tell me what year it is” because he doesn’t KNOW!! he’s terrified and overwhelmed, but then he looks beside him and sees davey.

now, something seems off about davey— he looks a little older, and he’s wearing glasses and some very strange clothes— but when jack breathlessly says his name from within his panic, this not-quite-davey almost starts crying with relief. he tells jack that he’s been so worried, and you’re in the hospital, and you were in an accident but you’re gonna be okay, and god jack i was afraid you wouldn’t remember me—

and davey is holding jack’s hand, and then he brings it to his lips and gently kisses jack’s knuckles, right there in front of the doctor. jack nearly has a heart attack… and then nearly has a goddamn aneurysm when he sees the matching wedding bands on his and davey’s fingers.

he eventually figures out that it’s 2023 and his name is still jack kelly, but now he’s twenty-seven years old and married to davey goddamn jacobs. in his own life, he’s been good friends with davey for a few months but never even considered anything more. his confusion in the face of all this is chalked up to a mild brain injury— davey is so gentle in assuring him that things will start to make more sense eventually, but he was just on life support for two weeks, so of course his head’s a little hazy.

anyways, he spends a while settling into other-jack’s life— medda is his adoptive mother here, and race and crutchie are his little brothers, which he finds truly adorable. he’s got family and friends who come to visit him in the hospital, he learns more and more about his new life… and then he’s finally discharged to go home with davey.

i know this has all been confusing, davey tells him, so if you want some space, i can sleep in the guest room. it’s up to you. but jack has found davey to be the most comforting part of this entire experience so of course he tells him he’d be happy to share their bedroom with him (after marvelling for a moment at the fact that other-jack is rich enough to live in a place with a private indoor toilet, electricity, and a fucking guest room). he kisses davey properly for the first time since waking up, and then goes to bed beside him…

and wakes up in a dark alley, somewhere in manhattan, with crutchie and race frantically shaking him awake.

we gotta get you back to the lodge, jack, they tell him. your head’s bleeding just horrible, we gotta get you fixed up. those delanceys really got you this time, ain’t they?

he’s back. he should be relieved— the future, while beautiful in a lot of ways, was unsettling and scary. he’s glad to be home… but when davey comes running to the lodge to check on him after hearing he was hurt, he gets this horrible sense of longing and nostalgia for something that he knows never truly belonged to him.

that was other-jack’s life, and other-jack’s davey, and this jack has the common sense to keep all this to himself… no matter how much it breaks his heart to know he’ll never really be davey’s husband.

[noxexistant]

How dare you post that and not elaborate

i wanted to be specifically invited to do so 😌

OKAY, so, newsies’ disabilities in modern au

crutchie, in the majority of versions in my head, will not use a wheelchair. he knows, logically, that he’d benefit from one, and it’d help his leg hurt less, and it’d give him more freedom, but he’s got a lot of issues with internalised ableism and getting a wheelchair feels like “giving in”. feels like letting his disability win. he’s stubborn as all hell and sticks with his crutch, and uses a cane instead when he’s going somewhere nicer.

his crutch is a reflection of what it is in canon - an old metal and plastic hospital elbow crutch held together with duct tape, decorated with a few old stickers that are mostly unrecognisable now. it can’t be adjusted anymore, stuck in its current position, and it’s at just slightly the wrong height.

very specifically in @sparkedblaze’s modern au, where he, jack, and race are adopted by medda, does he use a wheelchair. it’s not a particularly good one, medda can’t afford a lightweight active one like she wishes she could get him - something custom made just for him, something perfect - but it’s enough for him to get around in. a little too wide and too heavy for him to be able to particularly easily propel, but he can still propel himself and has the arm strength to power through. race hangs his bag from the push handles on the back which is the only reason crutchie hasn’t torn them off. jack’s always leaning against the top of the backrest.

kid blink’s got a prosthetic eye, but he hates it. it’s not a great quality one, and the way it looks off, an unseeing stiff pupil surrounded by blue that doesn’t match his own, feels so much worse than the obviousness of his empty eye socket. he feels stupid wearing his patch, and has heard more pirate jokes than he can take. but still, it’s better than the confused stares when he wears his prosthetic, or the shock and horror when he doesn’t. he and mush joke about how blink’s gonna get a new eye when he can afford it - a fun custom artistic one.

morris should’ve been put into a sen school, but wasn’t. he never stayed in one school particularly long either, so never received any of the help he needed to succeed or even reach the bare minimum. for a whole combination of reasons, he didn’t graduate, and hardly knows how to read or do maths. he can write, in clumsy handwriting, but his spelling is so off - a childish, phonetic understanding of the language, like how little kids write - that it’s really only oscar who can read it.

[raggedy-albert]

CONSIDER RACE BEING ADOPTED

SORRY ANON I SAW THIS BUT MY ANSWER DIDNT GO THROUGH

so we all know race is an orphan. and we all know he had so much love for his mama. we all know he’s basically (definitely) is brothers with jack and crutchie.

medda told jack she would be happy to take him in, and jack said he would be so happy but he needs crutchie to be with him, and then they couldn’t just leave race so she just adopted all three.

al was always welcome to stay with them when his home situation was getting bad or when he wanted to, and the invitation was extended to all the other newsies as well.

race specifically had mixed feelings about it. he was so grateful that she would do it in the first place, and that his friends would do that for him, but he didn’t want medda to replace his mama. he just wanted a place to live and someone to keep an eye on him, no one could ever replace his mama.

[newsie-collective]

Nick "Mush" Meyers

Quickfire Favorites

Food: “Anythin’ I can get me hands on.”

Color: “Green! ‘S tha cola’s of all the trees ‘n stuff when me ‘n Blink ‘n Tommy ‘n Specs have picnics!”

Season: “Spring! ‘S perty when we’s goin’ out!”

Weather: “Sunny! ‘S real nice when it’s sunny! There’s mo’ people to sell to!”

Hobby: “Visitin’ wit’ Clara at the snowglobe shop!”

Animal: “Frogs! Snails! Both ‘s good! I don’ like touchin’ ‘em but they’re real neat to look at.”

Memory: “Givin’ Kloppman the snowglobe after the strike!”

Comfort Item: “All me snowglobes. They make me feel real good ‘n they help me feel bett’a after a long day.”

He was missing most of his teeth when he made it to the lodge house (lucky for him they were all baby teeth), earning him the name Mush (both because of his lisp and the way his mouth looked after getting soaked for being in the wrong place at the wrong time)

Doesn’t talk all that much now because of this

He’s never known his family. He was on the streets as long as he could remember before moving into The Lodge™️

He’s the muscle of the Manhattan newsies. He’s originally from Harlem, but too many people knew him there (even if he didn’t know them) so he had to get a new selling spot, and he moved to Manhattan. 

Honestly, Manhattan is so diverse because they’re all adopted in from other boroughs. Like, they’re just a melting pot of New York.

He’s such a light sleeper

Also takes up the entire bed, and whoever he’s cuddling with either has to lay on top of him or beneath him

He's also an early riser, and his usual bunkmates (Tommy, Specs, and Blink) really aren't

He’s really protective of his friends. And even more of his partners. If someone gets sick, he will too. Because he will coddle them until they both get over it.

He would give extra papers to his partners (yes with an S. Mush loves so hard there’s no way he isn’t poly. More on that in a different post, once we start doing relationship analyses) if they were selling well, and would offer to help if they were struggling

Loves karaoke night at Medda’s

Terrified of bugs, especially moths and butterflies.

No one knows this

(Everyone knows but they all pretend not to bc Mush is super embarrassed by it)

Has scars all over from fights and such

HE LOVES SNOWGLOBES. IT’S THE ONLY THING HE COULD ALWAYS GET THE OTHERS TO LEAVE ALONE. AND HE WAS SO HAPPY THEY RESPECTED THAT

He made friends with Clara, the lady who sells the snowglobes. It's this nice little stained glass shop, and the snowglobes just caught Mush's eye one day.

He went inside, absolutely awestruck by them, and absolutely devastated that he could never even come close to affording one. But, they were too pretty to just leave. So, he slipped the smallest one in his pocket, but he isn't as sneaky as the others (he's got a really low dex score, lbr) and gets caught before he's even left the aisle.

Dude he is terrified when the owner rounds the corner with a glare, and he just knows he's getting sent to the Refuge for this.

He puts the snowglobe back on the shelf and is apologizing as much as he can as fast as he can and begging her not to say anything. Pleading with her not to call the bulls on him.

She knows he's a newsie, and they aren't normally allowed near her shop, much less inside, but Mush is just so adorable and she can tell he feels bad about it.

She offers him a deal. 

She will give him a snowglobe for each odd job he does (explaining very carefully that the bigger ones will need more than one job done)

And Mush is just head over heels in love with this idea. 

The newsies don't ask where his massive collection of snowglobes is coming from. Or where he disappears to every night.

She makes him a special snowglobe commemorating the strike once they've finished and won, and that's the only one he doesn't keep. 

He gives it to Kloppman.

Who promptly puts it on his desk because he wants everyone to know that those were his boys.

Has worked security at a number of places, especially after people realized that all it would take would be a snowglobe. But, the glass store owner taught him a lot about his worth, and won't do a job unless he's rewarded well enough for it.

That's why he was so hesitant on doing the strike. He was too uncertain of the reward for the massive risk they were taking.

He stopped in the glass shop in Harlem while he was out there recruiting newsies asked her opinion, and she told him that he should follow his heart. 

And when he told her he was going to go through with the strike, she gave him the big snowglobe he'd been eyeing since the first day he went in there (she'd kept from selling it just for him, but didn't tell him that until he went and visited her after the strike was settled) for good luck.

Is really good with the younger kids, and really enjoys hanging out with them, because they're easier to understand than adults with big emotions (and he also likes knowing more than someone for once, and likes teaching them new things)

Can absolutely make flower crowns and loves going to Central Park to make them

He really loves love. Like he used to get puppy crushes worse than Romeo. And he would fall so hard.

He eventually grew out of his puppy crush phase, but he stayed in love with love. He likes seeing all of his friends happy together.

The cuddliest cuddler to ever cuddle

He's a lot like Finch in the way that he doesn't care how he's laying with his cuddle partner. He just really really likes physical touch-like to the point where the others get annoyed with him. It's the way he shows his love.

It's been really toned down since he was younger, because the other boys used to get frustrated and tell him off for being too much. 

He's very insecure about it

He's very trusting. He trusts too easily, which is odd because he's one of the oldest newsies, and no one expects him to be this trusting but this boy does not know how to stop it

He's forgiven the Delancey brothers because they weren't much older than some of the older newsies, and they were being exploited and used, and Mush can't really hold that against them. 

He forgave Cowboy, didn't he?

He's so easily excited by the simplest things. Like he gets so excited so fast about things that are small.

Would totally be in those tiny things Facebook groups

Blush things:

He'd been at the Newsboy Home for ages and this mean dude with an eyepatch just showed up and started acting an ass and scaring the younger kids. 

He told Blink to either get his shit together or get out.

He found Blink outside after curfew that night with some shady guys.

And he just picks Blink up (after slapping a few guys around) and carries him to the lodge house. 

Because it's too fucking much to try and talk to him. He just lays him in a bed and tells him that if he's not in the house in the morning he'd have made his choice and to not come back because he doesn't have enough mental space to be worried about this new kid who doesn't even want to follow the few rules there are. 

And Blink's just like 'You're ;worried about me?  😏'

Mush decks that motherfucker. 

Just one good hit. 

And he went to bed.

The next morning, the bed was empty, and so was Elmer's. 

Mush went looking for Elmer, and found him and Blink cuddling on the couch.

He woke them up trying to figure out why they had to cuddle out in the living room, and the only response he got from Blink was "If i have to follow curfew, so does he"

He and Blink kind of became children wranglers after that. Not necessarily babysitting them, but making sure everyone was inside before  the door was locked, or Kloppman wouldn't get any sleep waiting up for them.

After he and Blink calmed down around each other, they actually became best friends, and eventually more than that.

Like slow burn turned up to 11. Like boil the frog kind of fucking slow.

It took them forever

Mush told Blink (while teaching him how to be less violent) to smack him when he felt like beating people up. 

It eventually turned to affectionate paps to the cheek like the one in the beginning of 92sies (which actually happened not long after Blink mellowed. He would still have some violent spells, like almost going after Crutchy in the beginning of the movie, when Mush stepped in)

Italian food 🤤

He really likes going into libraries for two reasons:

1) The endless shelves to wander through and get lost in leave him awestruck every time

2) There's usually a corner with just enough space for him to curl up and nap in

He's so good at hide and seek. At least the seeking part. He's practically hunting the hiders. It's honestly terrifying.

Really good with remembering the names and patterns of constellations, but cannot for the life of him remember where they are in relation to each other, and can only find really famous constellations like Orion and Ursa Major

Mush!! My sweet boy!!! I love him sm. He deserves everything 🥰

He's so freaking cute

👻

[we-are-inevitable]

have fun!

kath i usually adore you but this was so hard <3

not gonna do a blurb, just gonna do bullet points! jatherine fans, here we goooooo

okay when i think of royal, usually it’s fantasy, magic, medieval, fun- that’s not what i’m going for here though.

katherine pulitzer is the princess (of the usa? of new york? i don’t know) and the year is 2023. she’s rich, goes to a preppy university, her family has their own plane and her first car is a rolls royce. she’s never had to lift a finger, and rarely ever does she have to do actual work unless it’s for school, where she’s studying media communications- a rather fitting field of study for someone who controls the country, right? anyway, she’s like, WEALTHY wealthy.

and her father likes people seeing her out with him. he likes keeping up the family appeal, so whenever he goes golfing- because what else do rich white guys do?- he brings her with him. its how they try to “””relate””” to their people; if citizens see the Royals golfing like “regular people” then surely they’ll respect them, right?

theyd probably be better off going to an NFL game or something but that’s a bit of a safety risk so we move

anyway. princess katherine doesn’t like golf, and it’s very apparent from the way she just constantly looks bored on the course. they have their regular caddies who follow them around, chat with them and stuff, but they’re all old and rather boring, and she would love to find someone her own age to chat with to make these long days more bearable.

one day, they show up to the course- a country club for the elites- and there’s a new caddie. his name is Jack. he’s twenty, a year younger than katherine, with brown skin and curls kept neat under a cap. supposedly, he’s only filling in for one of their regular guys, but he keeps coming back and coming back until he’s a permanent fixture on the course, giving pretty good advice to katherine’s father.

and katherine has never really experienced anything like it. usually, the people theyre around respect them so much they act rigid and fake, but this Jack guy is so casual and at ease with them, cracking jokes that make her father belly-laugh, telling her stories and generally being almost… a friend, to her.

and he’s rather attractive, too, so that helps.

the more she learns about him, the more she likes him. he’s only working at the course because he needs something to put himself through college, otherwise he can’t afford it. when she asks if his family has always been involved with the country club, she finds out that jack has never really had a family until recently; he was adopted pretty late in life, around sixteen, by a wealthy woman named Medda Larkin. katherine knows of Medda; she’s a regular fixture at the country club, as a performer rather than a guest, so she must have pulled a few strings to get Jack the job, but he’s incredibly good at it.

they start talking outside of the country club, too. katherine does something a little risky; she gives him the username of her fake instagram, the private one under a different name rather than the public and professional one that she has to have as a member of the Royal Family. they talk and talk and talk until it’s obvious they have feelings for one another, and their relationship starts then; they sneak around, go on dates in places the princess should never be, share hidden hisses in alleyways, hook up in jack’s apartment in a bad neighborhood just so they aren’t caught.

it’s thrilling. it’s exciting. it nearly comes to an end when her father finds out. idk maybe theres something in jack’s past that kind of sticks out like a sore thumb in the world of royal suitors- i’m thinking he was on the run a lot, since his foster homes weren’t great. maybe he sold weed to afford food, maybe he was in and out of homeless shelters, maybe he has a record of shoplifting because he was so desperate.

i also think that jack would be pretty outspoken about his distaste for the royal agenda in general; he sees them do nothing and yet they’re more wealthy than he’ll ever be, and he sees how they treat people like him- the lower class, the marginalized communities, etc. i genuinely think that listening to jack is what makes katherine kind of change her mind and realize her privilege, and makes her want to do more to make up for it.

this can end one of two ways: a prince harry and meghan markle way, with kath denouncing the royal institution and living a happy life with jack away from her titles, or katherine becoming queen and marrying jack, and, thus, they’re both in positions of power where they can try to make positive change, despite the history of what her family may have done.

or they keep everything a secret and suddenly katherine is thirty, married to another royal, caught in an affair with jack kelly, a stoner who went from being a caddie at a country club to owning his own tattoo shop in the heart of manhattan. not a great headline for a queen, but man does she love the thrill.

can you believe i just wrote about golf.