rionaleonhart | Entries tagged with hamilton

November is just around the corner, and I'm not ready for it!

Since 2009, I've tried to write a little every day during the month of November. I'm not attempting National Novel Writing Month; I just have to write at least a hundred words of fiction every day, on any project. It's a small amount, but I don't have any active fic projects at the moment, so I don't know what to write!

Therefore, I'm turning to you guys.

Tell me a fic concept you'd like to see me write, and I'll attempt to write a few lines of it.

If you're not sure which fandoms I'm familiar with, the fandom list on my AO3 account is probably a good place to start. If you have multiple ideas, feel free to make multiple requests and I'll pick which one(s) to write.

There are a handful of things I'd personally prefer not to write - e.g. suicide, sexual content involving characters under fifteen, Teddie from Persona 4 - and I'm hopeless at smut, so you won't have much luck requesting specific sex acts; it'll just end up fading to black. If you're not sure where my boundaries lie, though, you're welcome to suggest your idea anyway; I can always just opt not to write it.

We don't have to know each other well for you to request a ficsnippet; I'm sorely in need of fic concepts for the coming month, so you'd be doing me a favour! So long as you accept that a) there's a chance I won't write your idea and b) my writing may be a bit rusty if you request something I haven't written before or haven't revisited in a while, go ahead and request whatever your heart desires.

Someone has done an incredible animatic to 'You and Me (But Mostly Me)' from The Book of Mormon. I love the expressions. I love Elder Price so much. What a magnificent, perfectly earnest little shit. He's so self-obsessed, exhausting himself chasing after God's attention, while simultaneously being absolutely well-meaning; he doesn't wish any harm to anyone.

This musical was so much less cynical than I was expecting it to be.

My favourite bit of character detail in the entire musical, and the moment I fell in love with Elder Price: when God fails to answer his prayer in 'Two by Two', he stands there shellshocked for a few seconds, and then he pastes on a smile and joins in the cheerful dancing that everyone else is doing. He's really trying!

why did I get so invested, this wasn't supposed to happen at all

Also incredible: this animatic for a snippet of 'Spooky Mormon Hell Dream', and this one for 'Turn It Off', which perfectly captures the experience of watching the number. ('Turn It Off' gets pretty dark; warning for grief, domestic abuse and internalised homophobia.)

Musically, Hamilton is still my favourite musical. I listened to the cast recording of Hamilton long before seeing it in the theatre, and that was fantastic on its own; if I'd listened to the cast recording of The Book of Mormon without seeing it, I don't think it would have clicked for me. But, in terms of staging and sheer enjoyment (and unexpectedly catering specifically to my tastes), The Book of Mormon is probably the best musical experience I've had.

There's still a part of me vaguely pondering the possibility of fanfiction, but I don't have any concrete ideas. Religious guilt does seem like a rich vein of suffering I haven't exploited much in my fanfiction, although I did touch on it when writing about Jacob of Life Is Strange 2. But I don't know how well I'd be able to write a character for whom religion is a large part of their life.

It's entirely possible I'm giving this more thought than the writers of the musical did.

There's also a part of me that's slightly concerned parts of fandom will judge me for writing Book of Mormon fanfiction, but, let's be honest, I've written more than enough to be judged for already.

After I posted my entry on the Psych episode 'Extradition: British Columbia', it occurred to me that it's entirely possible this is what happened:

Gus: Hey, this is really romantic! You actually booked this trip for you and your girlfriend, didn't you?
Shawn: ...
Shawn: ...
Shawn: ...
Shawn: Yes.

'High Noon-Ish': I love Shawn and Gus persuading themselves that Lassiter is going to kill them.

To be honest, America's such a strange and mysterious country to me that for a moment I was entirely prepared to believe the Old West place was an actual town, rather than a tourist attraction.

'Bollywood Homicide': Shawn wrote a Valentine's Day card to his teacher when he was a kid! His interest in older women evidently started young.

'Let's Get Hairy': I love that Shawn tells Gus his romantic dreams about men.

Gus is intrigued by femdom. I'm just making characterisation notes.

Crossposts: https://rionaleonhart.livejournal.com/512710.html

I said in my previous entry that an inability to grasp voices and a lack of historical context were the only things standing between me and writing terrible Alexander Hamilton/Aaron Burr fanfiction. Just after posting the entry, I found myself thinking that my inability to write smut is also an issue. This pairing (whether Hamilton-based or RPF) cries out for weird, fierce sex in which Hamilton is constantly goading Burr, and Burr intends to prevent him from speaking in whatever way he can.

It seemed like a pretty hot scenario. But then I remembered The Amorous Intrigues and Adventures of Aaron Burr, a pornographic novel written in the 1860s. Specifically, I remembered this line:

"Hush, my dear!" cried Burr. "You now perceive that your reputation is safe. Yon fainting girl, who discovered us by sheer accident, would have made the whole country ring with the news, if I had not stopped her mouth by stopping her – other end."

Thanks, anonymous Victorian real-person smut writer; 'I'm weirdly attracted to you but mostly I just really want to make you stop talking' sex scenes are ruined forever. Particularly when they involve Aaron Burr. Did you somehow see into the future and write this to spite me specifically? I'm half-convinced you did, because I can't imagine any other reason a pornographic Victorian novel about a former vice-president exists.

I realise I'm not exactly in a position to judge anyone for writing Aaron Burr RPF, given the opening of this entry. Maybe I should talk about other fic ideas and see whether Victorian versions of them spring into existence. I look forward to reading the Victorian Pokémon AU. Hamilton has a Swanna that's plucked almost bare because he keeps making its feathers into quills. Burr has a Growlithe that he ill-advisedly uses to light candles. This also means that Burr's Pokémon is weak against Hamilton's and Burr is very, very angry about it.

(I challenged

reipan to reproduce 'I stopped her mouth by stopping her other end' in the restricted language of fridge poetry. She ended up with 'I stop her tongue stream by using south rumpus'. It's a masterpiece, but a regrettable one.)

Crossposts: http://rionaleonhart.livejournal.com/403387.html

(This entry contains historical details that could also be considered Hamilton spoilers. Although the main one is in fact given away in the first song.)

It's probably for the best that I don't feel confident enough either on the characters' voices or on the surrounding history to write Hamilton fanfiction, because I'd end up writing Hamilton/Burr and it would be terrible. Burr is too reserved and cautious to enter into a relationship with Hamilton! Hamilton gets increasingly frustrated! What do you stall for, Burr? If you don't want this, you don't want this; that's fine. But make a decision, one way or the other!

(It's odd to describe Burr as 'cautious' now that I know the real-life Burr tried to light a candle with a gun.)

Reading the letters between the historical Hamilton and Burr that led up to their duel is so frustrating. (The letters in question, if you're curious: 1, 2, 3, 4, and a 'screw you, we're duelling' letter that wasn't actually delivered but, given that the duel occurred, probably still accurately represents Burr's feelings.) Swallow your pride, guys! Hamilton, don't respond to 'SOMEONE TOLD ME YOU EXPRESSED A DESPICABLE OPINION ABOUT ME; IS THIS TRUE' with 'lol, you're going to have to specify whether you mean one of the slightly despicable opinions or one of the really despicable opinions'. Burr, don't respond to obnoxious evasion with 'WELL, LOOKS LIKE WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO SHOOT EACH OTHER IN THE FACE'. In many ways, I'm not great at being an adult, but at least I know there are better ways of resolving a disagreement than shooting at it. (And indeed better ways of lighting a candle.)

(Another discovery in investigating the history around the Hamilton musical: Burr took to referring to Hamilton as 'my friend Hamilton, whom I shot'.)

The problem with falling into canons based on actual historical figures: I end up sobbing over events that happened centuries ago. 'Dear Theodosia' is absolutely unbearable now that I know both Hamilton and Burr outlived their children. The story of Theodosia in particular makes me cry, because she didn't just die; she disappeared. Her father never knew what had happened to her; he never had any real closure. For all of Burr's faults, nobody deserves that.

(And she was his only child! And he so clearly adored her! He wrote his ridiculous diaries of shooting candles and shagging his way across Europe specifically so he could give them to her!

I can't believe I'm crying about something that happened in 1813.)

Crossposts: http://rionaleonhart.livejournal.com/402949.html

It's time for another Hamilton-themed history lesson!

Through a comment from

magistrate, I came across this post that quotes an actual entry from the actual historical Aaron Burr's actual diary. It's magnificent. Here it is:

I did go to bed at 10, promising myself a rich sleep. Lay two hours vigil; that cursed one single dish of tea! ... Got up and attempted to light candle, but in vain; had flint and matches but only some shreds of punk which would not catch. Recollected a gun which I had had on my late journey; filled the pan with powder and was just going to flash it when it occurred that though I had not loaded it someone else might; tried and found in it a very heavy charge! What a fine alarm it would have made if I had fired! Then poured out some powder on a piece of paper, put the shreds of punk with it and after fifty essays succeeded in firing the powder; but it being dark, had put more powder than intended; my shirt caught fire, the papers on my table caught fire, burnt my fingers to a blister (the left hand, fortunately); it seemed like a general conflagration. Succeeded, however, in lighting my candle and passed the night till 5 this morning in smoking, reading, and writing this.

Why have I never been particularly interested in history? History is hilarious. (Another ridiculous thing about Aaron Burr: he apparently learnt the words 'brod' and 'mjolk', the Swedish for 'bread' and 'milk', and was so delighted by this that he used those words instead of the English ones in his diary for three years. If he were around in the present day, he'd pepper all his fanfiction with out-of-place Japanese.)

Also hilarious (and I'm reproducing information I posted in a comment recently, so I'm sorry if you've seen this paragraph already): I've been reading bits of the Reynolds Pamphlet, Alexander Hamilton's ninety-five-page 'look, I've been accused of corruption because of weird payments I've made to this guy, but actually I've just been sleeping with his wife and paying him for it' confession. My favourite part, when Hamilton recounts explaining in private to three members of Congress that, no, he hasn't been up to any dodgy financial business, he's just been adultering: 'One or more of the gentlemen was struck with so much conviction, before I had gotten through the communication, that they delicately urged me to discontinue it as unnecessary. I insisted upon going through the whole and did so.' I love the idea that these guys were going 'no, no, we believe you, you can stop talking' and Hamilton went 'NO, YOU ASKED AND NOW YOU'RE ABOUT TO HEAR ABOUT MY AFFAIR IN EXCRUCIATING DETAIL.'

I want a sitcom where Hamilton and Burr live together. Hamilton won't ever shut up! Burr thinks that guns are the solution to everything! Wait, no, that would end horribly.

Also in the Reynolds Pamphlet: a month after discovering Hamilton's affair with his wife, James Reynolds wrote a letter to Hamilton saying 'look, my wife wants to see you, can you come over and bang her, I MEAN DEFINITELY NOT BANG HER, OBVIOUSLY I WOULDN'T DREAM THAT YOU MIGHT BE COMING OVER TO BANG HER, incidentally hey why not give me some money?'

Hamilton writes of this, 'On the 17th of January, I received the letter No. V. by which Reynolds invites me to renew my visits to his wife. He had before requested that I would see her no more. The motive to this step appears in the conclusion of the letter ... If I recollect rightly, I did not immediately accept the invitation, nor 'till after I had received several very importunate letters from Mrs. Reynolds.'

Well done, Hamilton; we're all very impressed by your self-control.

Crossposts: http://rionaleonhart.livejournal.com/402868.html

My preceding entry is now a bit outdated because all the Hamilton songs I linked to have been taken down. They're up on Spotify, though, under Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)! (I downloaded Spotify the second I discovered this. I have a medical need to hear 'Wait For It' ten times a day.)

As I knew very little about the Founding Fathers and the American Revolution apart from what Assassin's Creed III taught me (mysteriously, the British education system tends not to focus much on wars we lost), I've been investigating some of the history surrounding this musical. In the process, I discovered these extracts from an actual historical letter exchange between Alexander Hamilton and his sister-in-law Angelica Schuyler Church (which apparently inspired 'Take a Break' in the musical):

Indeed my dear, Sir if my path was strewed with as many roses, as you have filled your letter with compliments, I should not now lament my absence from America - Church to Hamilton, 2nd October 1787

You ladies despise the pedantry of punctuation. There was a most critical comma in your last letter. It is my interest that it should have been designed; but I presume it was accidental. Unriddle this if you can. The proof that you do it rightly may be given by the omission or repetition of the same mistake in your next ... Adieu ma chere, soeur - Hamilton to Church, 6th December 1787

HAMILTON, OH MY GOD, BEHAVE YOURSELF.

It's also absolutely true that Hamilton couldn't shut up about anything. The Reynolds Pamphlet was ninety-five pages long.

House update:

th_esaurus has moved out, alas, but the similarly excellent

reipan is now in residence!

My housemates and I have been challenging each other to reproduce song lyrics as well as we can with the limited vocabulary afforded by a fridge poetry set.

reipan turned 'How do you write like you're running out of time?' (Hamilton, 'Non-Stop') into 'how do you write runny future to engulf'. I've turned 'He took the midnight train going anywhere' (Journey, 'Don't Stop Believin'') into 'he goes fast in the dark to the world'. But I think the winner of this game is Housemate C, who was given 'Shot through the heart and you're to blame' (Bon Jovi, 'You Give Love a Bad Name') and ended up with 'slay punctured in the heart and I doubt your innocence'.

A fair few people get slay punctured in Hamilton, incidentally.

Crossposts: http://rionaleonhart.livejournal.com/402564.html

(EDIT: The music linked in this entry has now been taken down, alas. (What am I going to listen to endlessly now???))

My housemates were listening to the Hamilton cast recording recently. I happened to be in the room during a song from the second half, and I was very aware that I probably looked absolutely furious. I was not furious. I was just trying so hard to hold back my tears that I looked really angry.

(I was slightly angry because HOW COULD A SINGLE OUT-OF-CONTEXT SONG FROM A MUSICAL MAKE ME CRY, I DIDN'T KNOW ANY OF THE PLOT SURROUNDING IT, THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.)

I've now actually listened to Hamilton in full, and it's extremely good! Good music, good lyrics, some very striking moments. Early on there's a cute song, and then the song that follows suddenly makes it heartbreaking in retrospect. I was very upset.

It also depicts important historical political discussions as rap battles, which is pretty great.

I can't stop laughing at how EXTREMELY DRAMATIC this musical makes essay-writing, though. To experience for yourself the most dramatic writing has ever been (short of Death Note), listen to 'Non-Stop' for about a minute from the 4.10 mark (the link should take you to the right point).

I'm also going to drop the link to 'Wait For It' here. There are some songs I can't listen to without making dramatic gestures and mouthing along. This is one of them. I'll never be able to listen to it in public.

Alternatively, if you're curious about the song that emotionally wrecked me even though I heard it completely out of context: 'Burn'. (Just listened to it again, and, yes, it still makes me sob.) Spoilers for the musical, although they might be things you know already if you know much about Alexander Hamilton as a historical figure.

(I've just had the terrible revelation that this is not, in fact, the only time an out-of-context song from a musical has made me cry. I cried the first time I heard 'Breaking Free', before I actually watched High School Musical. I'm so unhappy with myself.)

Fanfiction update: the Visitorverse is still going. I stopped posting it here because there was just too much of it, but it's still going. It is 600,000 words long. This ridiculous, incomprehensible, self-indulgent Assassin's Creed AU is longer than The Lord of the Rings. It's longer than War and Peace. There are three of us writing it, admittedly (and one of my co-writers has written more than half of the total (?????????)), but it's still only been in existence for nine months. I'm scared.

Seriously, I don't understand. We've produced hundreds of thousands of words. Half of this thing is just setting up increasingly elaborate excuses to make everyone cuddle. This - this was supposed to be a one-shot.

Crossposts: http://rionaleonhart.livejournal.com/402325.html

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Entries tagged with hamilton

Are You Gonna Do It Or What?

I Can't Believe Jesus Called Me A Dick.

Who's The Best? C'est Moi.

We'll Pass It On To You.

I Am Not Throwing Away My Shot; What If I Need To Light A Candle?

That's As Many As Three Seventeens.

I'm Not Standing Still; I Am Lying In Wait.

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