124 years ago today, the newsies of New York started their strike against The World and The Journal!! To celebrate I made my own version of the front page picture<33
Give me Newsies who developed or were born with disabilities over their time in the refuge and growing up in the streets of New York.
We obviously have Crutchie, who crushed his leg in a trolley accident during the trolley strikes, but how about the others?
Kid Blink, who's eye was cut badly during a fight and totally lost all vision in that eye, leaving a nasty scar where he was sliced. He jokes that he's secretly a pirate to the younger kids because he wears an eyepatch, but the real reason he has it is to hide the scar because he is embarrassed and ashamed of his scaring and how scary it can look.
JoJo, who was born with a vision impairment that makes everything extremely blurry through his perspective. Somebody always needs to read the headline to him in the morning, and he sometimes needs a selling partner to lead him in the correct direction without getting run over by a carriage.
Splint, who's broken her arm so many times and in so many different ways that it's practically unusable. It's covered in nasty scars and bruises and is swollen and bumpy from where the bone never fully set back properly.
Elmer, who deals with chronic fatigue and sometimes having to be dragged away from selling for at least a little bit because Spot can see that if he doesn't sit down soon, he will pass out from ache and exhaustion.
Albert, who lost most of his hearing in a fight at the refuge and has Katherine teach him and a few of the others some sign language so he can finally communicate as well as he can with the other newsies.
after the strike, the older manhattan newsies are *ruined*. like, comatose, barely awake, exhausted to the CORE. and the younger newsies are SO full of energy like 'YAYY WE DID IT' and the older newsies can only respond with 'ough' before they collapse onto a table at jacobi's. some of the older newsies have taken to sleeping in the same beds at the lodge because it helps them sleep easier. after jack moves to be with davey working in pulitzer's office, race and albert take over the manhattan newsies, trying to keep the morale up while barely keeping it together themselves. when albert suddenly breaks down in tears trying to get the younger newsies to just please listen to him, the only thing race really knows to do is hug him as tight as he can and try to kiss his cheek as inconspicuously as possible.
of course, it doesn't go unnoticed. it creates tradition and openness within the younger newsies; they feel comfortable crying in front of each other for the first time, and often kiss each other on the cheek or forehead to cheer each other up. when jack comes to visit and he finds such a supportive environment, led by race and albert holding hands and wearing steel promise rings, he's spellbound.
he can't believe that race and albert brought this about.
he's so proud of them because now they can finally be themselves.
/RP withhhh Race and/or? Maybe a little bit of a return from the refuge type of plot!! I've got a character named Jasper who got caught by Snyder and sees Race and/or Albert as his older brothers!! (saw the ooc message!!)
[ albert paces nervously outside of the refuge, constatntly checking the massive clock on its front wall. ]
"he should be out by now. why ain't he out?"
"i dunno, al!"
[ race says, leaning against a wall and chewing on his cigar; trying to keep himself calm. ]