he’s too PRETTY  &  too EASY to get  &  too easy to LOSE. 

                                               book!based finnick odair                                                                 written by jackie 

Jefferson: What is this feeling, so sudden and new?

Hamilton: I felt the moment I laid eyes on you.

Jefferson: My pulse is rushing…

Hamilton: My head is reeling…

Jefferson: My face is flushing?

Both: Oh, what is this feeling, fervid as a flame? Does it have a name? Yes…

Both: Loathing. Unadulterated loathing.

i think reading this quote is the first time i’ve really registered the fact that the characters in hamilton aren’t based on their historical counterpoints as people, they’re based on the words they left behind

jefferson is obviously the best example of this because his musical character so clearly doesn’t match up to contemporary descriptions of him as shy, awkward, etc, but equally as clearly DOES match up to the character you would create of him if you only had his words–smooth, cocky, showy.

this is also super important for understanding musical burr, i think: i’ve seen people talk about how hard it is to match historical burr (lights himself on fire, constantly broke, clearly a fucking mess) with musical burr, who’s smooth-talking and put-together and in every way a counterpoint to hamilton’s messy brashness. but lmm literally explains their characters in terms of their writing: “hamilton left behind 27 volumes of written work, burr left behind less that two. and i think that sort of tells you everything you need to know.” (x) that’s fundamentally what their characters are based on.

for this show that’s so fundamentally about the ways we tell stories and the way we all are remembered–and just as fundamentally about words and the power of language–i just think it’s a really fascinating choice to create characters out of words, not just on the craft level but on a greater meta level wrt what we leave behind

ok but late night talk show host John Laurens who is having a fucking ball poking fun at the washington administration and gets extremely fired up about black lives matter and essentially becomes the smiling, freckled Jon Stewart of late night tv

running jokes in the show include:

• john’s dad think’s he’s a lawyer. shh, nobody tell him

• John Adams Continually Fails To Look Normal In Any Photograph

• george dadington tries to control his administration of arguing five year olds

• alexander hamilton is Literally Still Talking Right Now

• the petition to replace thomas jefferson with a small puppy

• james madison using WebMD at work

• just a simple farmer boy from south carolina

• “more _____ than i have freckles”

• no, angelica schuyler is not yet running for president

• john laurens’ delicate southern sensibilities

and OF COURSE alexander hamilton seeks out any and all mention of himself in mainstream media and gleefully watches just about every episode of john’s show and includes a couple of sly references to it in one of his speeches, and from there it becomes a war of inside jokes and tweeting at each other until finally alex gets interviewed on john’s show and by this point other late night shows are catching on to this, and peggy’s show has an ongoing segment called “Holy Shit, Will You Two Just Kiss and Shut Up Already”  no but after that John and Alex becoming legitimate friends and partners and working together to spread awareness about serious issues (mental health, LGBT+, homeless kids) to the point that john ends up giving a speech at the white house (”In this week’s news: holy shit, i met the president”)  and the next running joke on john’s show is that any time alex is brought up, john says “and now to my very good friend, secretary hamilton” complete with suggestive eyebrows

honestly just give me late night tv comedian john laurens

He is not just a boy, and that scares me to death. He’s my today and tomorrow; he is not just a boy when he smiles or speaks. He will never be just a boy.

conversation with my parents about him. (via tobreathe-withyou)

                                 ❛ thanks to good ol’ cap’n jack ❜ 

The ship is in the harbor now, see if you can spot him.

Another immigrant coming up from the bottom…

It was really good to see you again… even though it only happened in my mind.

rezarusandi (via wnq-writers)

weLP. i have officially become a NEWSIES fan. holy shIT 

when all you want is a newsies bootleg with jeremy jordan but youtube is like NONE FOR U FELICIA 

Digital #Ham4Ham 3/23/16 –The West Wing Cabinet Battle

do u ever listen to “santa fe” && think of bby  ALEXANDER in the caribbean?? because i do 

ALEXANDRA. 

she watches him silently ( this era of her lifetime has to be the most quiet , she thinks ) as he rifles through out the clutter. alexandra jumps a bit at the curtains being forcefully shut, and she knows she can probably guess what has caused that reaction. she also knows that when she watches the news tomorrow , her guess would have been confirmed. she takes a moment to think before nodding , that’s right. she may have been immersed in her work, but she had noticed her daughter slip in and then a couple hours later leave once more. “ she did , actually , ” so she moves taking care to walk around the opposite side of the room he was ( she knows he prefers it that way, she sees him cringe away when she gets too close ) and she walks out the living room, towards her office. she hears james ( mom ! ) and resists the urge to walk faster , instead giving the younger children at the kitchen table a smile as she walks past before reaching her office.

            he casts a sharp, quick GLARE at alexandra because she has no right to add to their children’s PAIN. she doesn’t seem to notice their crestfallen faces when she skirts around them like she TIPTOES around ben, so he is the one who has to pick up the pieces  ( what else is new?? )  when she BREAKS their hearts over & over. he finds a SMILE for james, reassuring him that nothing is wrong, that daddy just needs to get something from mama’s office, when the little boy tugs at his hand & asks, all curls & freckles & alexandra’s eyes. he KISSES james’s forehead, feeling better when he sees the smile return to his son’s face. but it all fades when he’s inside alexandra’s office, the sounds of their chattering BROOD locked outside the heavy door. 

            it’s too DARK in the office  ( it’s always too dark because she always forgets to turn on enough lights when she’s working ),  but when he turns on the lights he doesn’t feel any better. the family room looks PRISTINE next to this place. his skin crawls a bit, && he feels out of place in this room  ( he’s always felt out of place in this room, in the part of her heart she’s never let him inside )  with its haphazard papers & buzzing television set.   ❛ ... where was angie WORKING last night?? ❜   because the search will take all night if they can’t narrow down a location to look for the book. 

so i’m all bout dis male!eliza goodness if ya’ll haven’t noticed so......LIKE for a male!eliza starter??  ya’ll KNOW ya want some cutie pants ebenezer schuyler 

ALEXANDRA. 

      “ i see. ” and now , it used to never happen, she grows uneasy under his stare. alexandra glances away first ( like she usually does now ) , but ben’s gaze is still on her and she laces her fingers together tightly. “ well i haven’t seen it but i’m sure it’s in here somewhere. ” they both know he’s always been better at finding things ( her own things that she used to hide from herself even ) but she does not get that anymore. she doesn’t blame him for it either. she was more surprised he stayed than anything else. she still is if she were being honest.

            he nods & starts to search through the CLUTTERED family room. he doesn’t frequent the place much anymore, so it’s mostly inhabited by alex & the children. therefore, it’s an absolute mess. he moves aside paper after paper, pillow after pillow, until he reaches the cluttered LOUNGE beneath the large family room WINDOW. it looks out onto the street, && he casts a glance outside & sees the all-too-familiar sight of CAMERAS. there’s a flash before he can shut the thick curtains over the window, && ben shuts them with more FORCE than is necessary. his hands shake, && he takes a couple seconds to COMPOSE himself before he turns back to face alexandra, back straight & face like stone  ( broken stone ).   ❛ was angie doing her homework with you last night?? because the book might be in your OFFICE if she was. ❜   it’s as though there are no REPORTERS outside their house -- far enough away to be off their property & acting legally -- as though no one is preparing to write yet another LURID piece about ben & his family  ( his children are their latest targets )  in a trashy tabloid. 

ALEX. 

@bestcfwcmen

    she watches the television, though not completely focused on what they’re saying once they say those damn words. the reynolds pamphlet. it takes everything in alexandra not to chuck the remote at the screen and instead she clicks it off. there is nothing about politics anymore ( that was why she had done it to protect what she’s built now all they’re going to remember her by is her mistakes – until this passes ). the hamilton pushes herself to stand and turns, only to see him. right there. ( was he speaking to her anymore ? ) “ .. ben. ”

            he’s just brought the KIDS home  ( philip goes straight to his room like he’s done all week, ever since the paternity ‘scandal’ broke last week )  from school when he hears the TELEVISION in the family room. he knows it’s alexandra inside, though he expected her to be barricaded in her OFFICE, so he steers clear of the room. he helps settle the younger kids in at the kitchen table for HOMEWORK time, bouncing the baby on his hip for a couple minutes to make her laugh. but  ( of course )  angie needs her geometry textbook, && she’s left it in the family room. ben offers to fetch it for her  ( mostly because alex is watching the news like always, && he doesn’t want angie seeing whatever the reporters are saying about their family now ),  hoping he can slip into the family room unnoticed & silent. but ALEX turns off the television right as he walks into the room, the door barely shut behind him.   ❛ angie needs her GEOMETRY book. she thinks she left it in here last night. ❜   he doesn’t move, his HANDS in his pockets  ( there’s no chance in hell he’s ever touching her or letting her touch him, && he’s always taking away the opportunities, whether intentionally or otherwise, now )  & his dark eyes fixed UNFLINCHINGLY on his wife’s face. 

Digital #Ham4Ham 3/23/16 –The West Wing Cabinet Battle