#THANK YOU MX DAVEYSEXUAL THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME RANT ABOUT THIS!!!

[pigeonwit]

hi i was last anon (i was nervous sorry) uhhh can u give us more thoughts on transfem jack…

i just think its one of those headcanons that just,,, makes SENSE yknow. its not my default for jack as a character but its one of those things that clicks into place and makes you go 'ohhhh yeah. yeah that'd make sense.' like a big thing for jack as a character is they're never allowed to express any vulnerability in the show. they HAVE to be the leader, they HAVE to be the protector, they HAVE to be this one-note hypermasculine force that everyone they care about can rely on and everyone who could threaten them will be intimidated by and its killing them. the only times jack is openly vulnerable is when they're by themself in 'santa fe', with katherine in 'something to believe in', and ONE line with davey ('its good to have you back again' 'shut up') and even then thats debatable. and jack being transfem really recontextualizes that because vulnerability of any kind is still to this day considered feminine and (especially for those who are viewed as masculine) weak. which just makes it more poignant when jack is allowed to be vulnerable imo.

i dont know if jack would be able to be open about their identity in canon era right away. jack the cowboy is a persona that keeps them protected, and they need to maintain that for as long as they're a newsie. but i think they'd trust some people with it. medda would be a big one; she creates this very safe place for jack in the theatre, its one of the only two places in the show we're able to see jack show their innermost feelings. i like to think that through this soft and reassuring place she makes for jack, she encourages them to be more Them. like if jacks a little too enamoured with the stage makeup the bowery beauties use, or if they stare at the feathers a little too long. i think medda's the one they feel safest and most assured expressing femininity around.

(btw fuck you *psychically airdrops jack in bowery beauty makeup into your mind*)

that being said, i think spot's a close second. spot's always been the one to say that being a girl doesnt make her weak, but being tough doesn't make her any less a girl, either - and i know a lot of fanon believes they had some kind of sibling-ish relationship as they grew up, so there's got to be a lot of trust there. i like to think they bring jack to some girls poker games and all the other girls figure it out pretty quick - there are definitely some trans girls at brooklyn - and even if some of the brooklyn girls dont totally get it, they'll still respect it.

they'd obviously talk to katherine about it, but not right away, even when they do start seeing each other. katherine holds a lot more societal power than jack does so even though they've had their breakthrough together and know they can rely on one another and express their vulnerabilities to each other, i still think jack would be wary. i think the more they get to know katherine's life and the company she keeps (i know she's covered for bill and darcy SO much) they start opening up bit by bit. katherine's nothing but supportive. i know her autistic girl swag ass is looking for any kind of resource on gender nonconformity she can find.

davey and jack i imagine have pretty frequent conversations about feeling different, feeling wrong. imo, davey listens more than he talks (and he talks a LOT) so i think this is something davey might've picked up on before jack ever had to tell him. neither of them would have the vocabulary to explain it, but i don't think they'd need it. i like to think they agree to move in together as they grow older and leave the lodging house, and that davey goes out of his way to make sure jack feels comfortable expressing themself there, as its probably one of the only places they could.

crutchie is interesting because while he and jack are the closest friendship in newsies, in a way they're both constantly performing to each other - jack with their big 'run away to santa fe' fantasy and crutchie with his constant blend of pessimism and cockiness that keeps him from dreaming too big, but also from thinking of himself as small. so in a way i think crutchie is the person of jack's close circle that they tell last. and i think crutchie might privately be a bit hurt about that but i think he'd still understand why it had to be that way. and even then i dont think he's anything other than protective and supportive. big brother crutchie forever.

thats kind of it, i think. obviously in canon era its something that'd have to be kept under wraps but i think with jacks whole 'sensitive artist' lifestyle they'd eventually find a community where they can Be without judgement. but as it stands they have their family to rely on.