#honestly he could be such an interesting character to discuss subtle ablilisum in fandoms with

[joeythefrog]

Ok one thing I don’t like all that much in the newsies fandom is the characterisation of Crutchie

He is not your sweet ‘smol’ boy, he is not pure and gentle, he isn’t wholesome.

What I think they forget is that he is a street kid, he is a newsie

Newsies, who pride themselves on being vulgar and having the filthiest mouths possible that they keep hidden when they spin a sob story. Newsies, who decided that since society didn’t want them they would hang with all that society didn’t want. Historically speaking they were chilling with pretty much any marginalised group because they weren’t in a place to look down on anyone. Having not lived lives where it was taught that some were better than others and knowing first hand how wrong that was. They genuinely didn’t care what you were or did.

Crutchie was a newsie. Newsies, who would whisper the most disgusting sexual thing they could think of in one another’s ears in public. Newsies, who cackled in the bunk rooms because of some sort of sexual or fetishised deviation from the norm, lengthy conversations about the morality of it, because they are teenage boys and he has his right to be gross. Newsies, who would steal whatever they needed because ‘hey what’s a penny out a corporate man’s pocket’, boys who tussled constantly, who would definitely have very little actual boundaries.

Newsies who defiantly don’t hide deviance when they can, priding themselves on their foul mouth able to spit out venom that makes proper society step back in disgust. Who tussle and bite, who are not wholesome because they aren’t allowed to be if they want to survive

Boys who have grown tough from sleeping in the streets, only unsold papes to cushion them (that’s historically accurate)

Crutchie is one of them

Characterise Crutchie as someone who pokes his tongue out and chucked with a murmur of ‘sucker’ every time he gets pity cash, let him smack people with his crutch, whisper vulgar details of what he heard Race and Spot got up to in Brooklyn, let him act like a damn teenage boy who is every bit as deviant and chaotic as every other newsie has the right to be.

And do not let his crutch and kind smile put on to comfort those who need it infantilise him

#crutchie morris #let him be a teenage boy #newsies #fansies #analysis #a plea to the fandom #honestly he could be such an interesting character to discuss subtle ablilisum in fandoms with #he is not a sunshine child he is an asshole #and he has a right to that #newsies fandom