GUITARIST FINCH CORTEZ‼️‼️‼️

random modern newsies head cannons (with absolutely no evidence or reason) pt. 2

more bc i can!!

Race:

The most aggressive, reckless driver, but is dangerously good at it. Will cut across multiple lanes but has never even scratched a car.

Lied to everyone in his first week of college about his entire life (different lie per person) just for fun. He finally started telling the truth but nobody believes him.

Started a school poker club and promptly got kicked out of it for betting too much, and then winning it every time. (He just wanted a way to make money. The school did not like that).

STEM major. His work is impossible but he never complains about it. Also a dancer (not my hc). He complains about that a lot.

Has worked almost every retail job under the sun. Also complains about that.

Carries around cigarettes for the vibe but rarely smokes them. Just in case anyone else wants one. Has made friends with many random people this way.

Spot:

Brooklyn baby. Cannot drive. Is terrified of it but, when Race tried to teach him, he yelled at everyone and blamed other people for what was definitely his fault. Refuses to admit that.

Played football but seriously injured his knee (explanation for the cane) but doesn't talk about it much. Always comes up with a new reason for the injury that is entirely ridiculous, but since he delivers it with a straight face everybody believes him.

Absolutely no rhythm. Never goes to parties, even though he is in a fraternity (a very chill one, thank you very much). If he's ever at a party, it's because he's a sober contact, and he is the most unsympathetic person when it comes to taking care of drunk people unless it's Race.

Insists on sitting alone in the back of the lecture hall, even if he has friends in his class.

Crutchie:

Also an incredibly reckless driver but HAS gotten into accidents before. (Only twice, both times because he was racing a friend on the highway. Never serious but always stupid).

Very fidgety and usually making noises under his breath/drumming on shit. Drives everybody around him crazy.

The kind of guy to argue with a professor in a lecture, but only when he's sure he's right (which is always).

So many illegal things in his dorm: candles, toaster, air fryer, multiple animals.

Double majoring in a STEM and humanities field, always references one when in classes for the other and confuses everybody, but he sees a connection between them.

I like the idea that he goes to the gym with Albert a lot. (U wld never catch me taking away his disability so in my head he loveeees to bench and is so buff).

Albert:

(a lot of driving hcs. i wrote this in a car). gets so violently carsick. everyone thought he was saying that so he could ride shotgun; they made him ride in the back once and he made them pull over after ten minutes cause he almost hurled. safe to say he is now always shotgun and always playing the worst music.

Played too many sports, got too many concussions, and now is a crazy gym bro.

Peanut allergy. Would rather die than admit this. Has almost died because he forgets to tell servers at restaurants.

Finch:

his shoes are never tied. he never trips over them and refuses to tie them.

has a million weird, artsy minors that sound and should be fake.

floor sitter. is never in a chair.

JoJo:

his shoes are also never tied. he ALWAYS trips over them.

drank coffee, had a panic attack, thought it was a heart attack, and spent an hour in the ER.

also had the same reaction when trying weed for the first time.

Mush:

RIPPING up the dance floor at a party, fully sober too

Everybody's favorite frat bro; super great energy and incredibly respectful

Volunteers at local elementary schools; talks to young children like they're frat bros too.

Blink:

Dorm recluse. His suite mates have called Mush many times just to check that he's still alive in there.

Has no license and hates public transit, so he walks literally everywhere.

right now it’s just me and the fic i write in my head to fall asleep against the world

little ralbert drawing i did. I need you all to understand how much I love these two (either platonically or romantically I am so not picky)

(featuring the reference image which i found on pinterest)

foaming at the mouth for newsies history, anyone who does this I cannot thank you enough for sharing your research

I found another map! Bird's-eye-view of Manhattan and adjacent districts, New York City, c 1903(?)

Red: The Brooklyn Bridge Yellow: The New York World Building Green: Duane Street and the Newsboys' Lodging House Blue: Baxter Street, the location of the Jacobs family's tenement apartment according to the original Hard Promises script

Here's a closer view of the lodging house (green) and "Newspaper Row."

Newspaper Row, or Park Row, ia adjacent to City Hall Park and was the location of the World (yellow), the Sun (obscured by the Tribune), the Tribune (blue), and the times (red) in the late 19th century. [source]

Newspaper Row, c 1900. Left to Right: the New York World, The Sun, The Tribune, and the New York Times.

The New York Tribune, founded by Horace Greely in 1841, was the original location of the Horace Greely statue featured in Newsies. It was dedicated in 1890 and was later moved from the Tribune to City Hall Park in 1915 where it still stands today.

Horace Greeley Statue Outside New York Tribune Building, c January 1, 1900. and Greeley statue in City Hall Park, c 1915 - 1920.

The New York Sun, at which Bryan Denton and Katherine Plumber work, was located beside the Tribune on the intersection of Nassau and Frankfort streets.

"The Sun," 1893 black and white halftone print.

The Newsboy's Lodging House, or the Brace Memorial Lodging House, was opened in 1874 by the Children's Aid Society. It stood at the intersection of three streets: William Street, Duane Street, and Chambers Street (all three of which I have highlighted in green in the above map). In 1899, the lodging house's address was 9 Duane Street. [source]

Newsboys' Lodging House, c 1899.

If you travel up north, you can also locate on this map the Irving Place Theatre, otherwise known as Irving Hall or Medda's Theatre.

Originally opened in 1860 as Irving Hall, Irving Place Theatre was rebuilt in 1888 as "Amberg's German Theatre." It became known as the Irving Place Theatre in 1893. [source]

The theatre's address was 118 E. 15th Street and was located between 14th and 15th streets, at the southwest corner of 15th street and Irving Place. Irving Place Theatre was demolished in 1894 to build the Zeckendorf Towers. [source]

Top: Irving Place Theatre, undated. Bottom: Irving Place Theatre, c 1912.

my villain origin story is that I saw ben cook as riff in West Side Story previews and don't remember any of it. literally forgot it was him until I watched newsies and was like... i know this man.

I went back and found my playbill as proof but i have ZERO memory.

“David was infatuated by Medda he isn’t ga-“

GOD FORBID a gay man knows when there’s good drag

listening to casmir pulaski day on repeat so many times that my tummy hurts

thinking about spot teaching race how to lead a borough in preparation for jack moving out.

spot offering for just a little more time with race, and because he never had that help himself, because he was afraid once, and finally spot has something of value to share.

race accepting because with jack on the way out nothing is certain but this boy he met during the strike who’s a little sharp and a little mean but committed to the strike so fully, and race wants someone who won’t back down from him.

anyway i’m writing a fic for this pls ask me about it so i stay motivated to finish it

a little ralbert for the soul

here’s the pinterest reference image (which i color dropped from bc i refuse to learn color theory sorry)

and below is the timelapse bc I love when ppl share them. it’s cropped weird pls ignore lol

working on a javey fic and yeah i’m gonna make them fight. physically. i wanna see these fuckers fight dirty and yell and spit and then get up and forgive. i love making them angry and in love.