Rise Up, Oh Heart, For There is Another Battle to Win

corinnetags replied to your post “what is your thesis about that youre blogging about baron von steuben…”

Okay, I am going to need the link to your historically researched Hamilton fic. (Unless it’s The War series, I totally binged that last week)

Right, so, here’s the two halves of that Schuylkill fic I wrote once.

Here’s a Valley Forge fic I wrote another time.

Here’s the Monmouth smut fic I wrote once, and also on AO3 if you prefer that format.

In all of these, diversions from actual history or places where I don’t know specific details are usually noted, so don’t take them as gospel, but they’re as well researched as I could make them.

Aaaaand I think that’s pretty much what I’ve written that’s period Hamilton fic, and I think every bit of it’s been requested by @lathori because she puts up with A Lot of AmRev digressions.  Obviously there’s also the Star Wars AU (FYI that tag also contains the Borgias Star Wars AU I wrote because I screwed up the tags) and the AIOS AU but those aren’t historical.

Oh and of course here is my rant about the Baron von Steuben and the first underwear kegger in American history, for those of you who are interested in that situation.

Anonymous asked: so i'm assuming that all the reincarnated ham crew look like their musical actors, which, awesome. but i was thinking about jefferson, who was a racist fucker being reincarnated as a black man. like. how would that even go down?

*emerges from cave, shamefaced* Right, so, does anyone remember that this AU exists?  Because I swear to God I didn’t forget, I just only now have had the time.  I actually have a bunch of prompts for it, not all of them are going to get written based on…like…my inspiration level, but also this series is alive again, so like.  Yep.  Here is some Jefferson.  Full disclosure, I dislike Jefferson and think his economic plan was some racist bullshit, so…that is evident.

To all you newcomers, I do recommend reading the other stuff, even if you could probably figure it out.  

All In One Spot AU

So, the academic affairs office holds out longer than their predecessor.  Not by much, but by a little.  It takes two full weeks for Alex to hammer through his petition to be allowed to take more than max credits—and it’s quite a petition.  Angelica takes one look at the twenty-page, double-sided, single-spaced letter to the dean of academics and disavows any involvement, and John grins fondly, remarking that the dean has no idea what he’s gotten into.

The dean, incidentally, has lived his life with pleasantly dim memories of Philedelphia with cobblestone streets and a vague impression that he knows the unfortunate teacher annually strong-armed into teaching History of the American Revolution.  He recalls very little else of his time in the Continental Congress—indeed, at gunpoint he couldn’t have identified what exactly he was doing, back then.

He has a blindingly vivid flashback upon looking at the first page of the letter—the pamphlet, really—and immediately feeds the entire thing through his shredder.

“Jake,” he says, sticking his head out of his office to look at his secretary.

“Yes, sir?”

“Approve whatever Hamilton’s request was before he sends anymore letters.  I’ve seen enough for several lifetimes.”

“You got it, boss,” says Jake, whose past life was a blissfully unremarkable farmer in the Italian countryside and who therefore has no idea that his boss is sparing them all a lot of trouble.

Now, the reason this matters is because Alex walks into his Econ 101 class for the first time two weeks into the semester, takes one look at the lesson outline the grad student wrote on the board, and makes a sound of absolute incoherent horror.

“Oh my god,” Alex says faintly, frozen in place two steps inside the door.  He was never an especially religious person, but he’s wondering if maybe the universe is punishing him for past crimes.  He’s not saying one way or the other if he deserves it, but this seems excessive.  “Jefferson is haunting me from beyond the grave.”

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Anonymous asked: Your all in one spot au, will we be seeing Washington?

You’re goddamn motherfucking right we’ll be seeing Washington.  TBH I’ve basically been waiting to get an ask about Washington before I move on because I’ve been plotting the next scene FROM THE GET GO and really wanted to write it, so you get to jump the line ahead of everyone else. Without further ado: HERE COMES THE GENERAL.

Edit: I started writing this like…maybe over a month ago?  But then finals happened and other shit happened and I’ve been, A, too busy to write, and, B, desperately lacking in inspiration for this. So now we’re back with the AIOS thing.

It’s only the first day of proper classes and John’s already giving Alex that look of exasperated concern.  The how late were you up last night and have you considered a meal today look.  The General Washington doesn’t need that letter for a week and you look like a dead man walking look.  The coffee is not food and your hands are shaking look.

Alex is fine.  John is paranoid.  And they have class.

“A class we already know everything for!” John shouts as he sprints after Alex, two protein bars and a bottle of water in hand.  John is still unfairly tall, and he catches up with Alex in a heartbeat, snatching Alex’s two books away and shoving all three items into his hands instead.  “I didn’t even buy the books, and I know Laf didn’t either.  And you remember better than I do!”

Alex scowls, but eats the protein bars. They’re chocolate-flavored and it’s possible he got too absorbed in writing up his latest blog post to remember to eat dinner, so he generously decides to forgive John’s hovering.

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lathori asked: I have no impulse control so I'm requesting more smut. Hamilton/Laurens, post-Monmouth smut, go forth and make me suffer.

*cackling* Yeah, okay.  In actual history Laurens’ wound was much more serious (not that he didn’t earn it), so we’re going to fudge things a little in favor of…well.  Also!  In case you’re curious!  Being dressed in just shirtsleeves and breeches was considered UNBELIEVEABLY improper, which I find hilarious because it covers pretty much the whole body.  Also-also, I pictured historical appearances but tried to make it musical-appearance-friendly, with the difference that Ham is SMOL at 5′7″ in comparison to TOL Laurens at like 6′fucking2″.

When John crashes through the door, Alexander is already surging up from where he’s been sitting in nothing but his dirtied, in-places-torn shirtsleeves on the edge of the bed.  There’s a heartbeat where the conversation could go either way, but they are who they are, so the tension snaps into white-hot rage on all parts.

“You absolute fuck,” John seethes as he kicks the door shut behind him with a click of the bar-lock.  “What were you thinking?”

Alexander throws his hands into the air, feeling aching muscles snap taut over bone, and snarls, feral.  “I was following my goddamn orders, John, don’t act like I was simply out on the field looking for a glorious death!”  His voice is half a shout and he has a moment of gratitude that their room is at the far end of the second story hall housing the majority of the aides-de-camp.  The others are used to Alexander and John getting into shouting matches—not often with each other, but they fight with whomever else they please, save the General himself.  Even if their comrades had all elected to go to bed at once after departing the field, any hue and cry of argument from the last room would be dismissed.

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cadeteyes asked: I absolutely love your fics. If you're looking for another idea, how about, to go along in your hamilton reincarnation stuff, Ham and Burr meeting for the first time in their new lives (and maybe somehow John didn't pay attention in history class so he doesn't know the details about how ham died until they see burr? I'll leave that up to you)

OKAY let’s do the THING, I’m assuming that this is set, like, the same day they meet Lafayette.  Also, bonus Schuyler sisters and Hercules Mulligan.  EVERYONE, BASICALLY EVERYONE IS HERE, because Burr’s luck is bad like that.  …it’s possible that this got away from me a little bit.  

All In One Spot AU

Has Alex made some bad decisions in his life?  Well, no, actually, this particular go-round has overall gone pretty well for him (those couple of times he’s gotten into fights with people much bigger than him notwithstanding) but then again he’s still young and busy, it’s usually free time that gets him into trouble.  He digresses. Alex has made some bad decisions in his time, is the point here, possibly many bad decisions in his time.

However, he’s pretty sure this is not one of them.  He’s pretty sure that the exact correct response to finding an old friend from another life, who, incidentally, is still rich enough to play poker with God, is to call all your other old friends from other lives and go out drinking.  Literally not a single one of them is legal, but Lafayette solves that problem on the spot by whipping out his phone to text Hercules.  

“Stand together,” Lafayette orders, gesturing at John and Alex.  He snaps a picture, sends it to Hercules with I found you a couple of loud-mouthed presents, we’re coming to you, and Alex grins, pulling out his own phone to text the Schuyler sisters—Laramie sisters, now, but it just doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well.  Lafayette conducts them imperiously through the city to a bar—nondescript, plainly titled Cato’s—and when the man at the bar sees them walk inside, he grins like it’s Christmas.

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Anonymous asked: Ok so that lams reincarnation ficlet is everything I ever wanted and Hamilton's not even a fandom I read fanfics for. Please consider writing whatever happens next (or honestly anything in the AU where almost everyone is reincarnated because that is just such a good AU)

Oh my god, babe, I’m so flattered, I’m so glad you’re liking it.  And here!  I’ve basically used this as an excuse to bring in my Historical Fave, America’s favorite fighting Frenchman—LAFAYETTE.

All In One Spot AU

As far as Alex is concerned, highlights of Columbia include: orientation week, which lets him get a handle on the new arrangement of the campus, John Laurens, the several gorgeous libraries, the rediscovery of the Schuyler sisters (the blue-green bruise rising from Peggy’s fist notwithstanding), John Laurens, the potential to find more of his old dear friends, the fact that the dorms have both air conditioning and heating, and John Laurens.

Downsides include: his ongoing struggle with Academic Affairs. Honestly, this is his second time through their system and one would think that over two and a half centuries they would have sorted themselves out.  But no.  He’s not even trying to arrange a two-year program this time, all he wants is permission to take more than the maximum number of credits, he’s not asking for the moon here.

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skymurdock asked: pssssst talk to me about Schuyler sisters in reincarnation AU. or more Alex/John whatever. rolls away.

The Schuyler sisters!  My queens!  The rest of the AU is here!

Alicia Laramie is seven years old when she remembers.  Her parents bring home a little girl, and she looks different from the olive-wood skin and tumbling black curls of Alicia and her parents and her little sister Maggie—this girl all gold-tinged ivory skin and silky dark hair framing solemn black eyes. She’s a year younger than Alicia and her parents haven’t even gotten out “This is Lisa Tian” before she’s rushing forward to enfold the girl in her arms.

“Eliza,” Angelica whispers into the girl’s long dark hair.  Bemused, the girl hugs her back, and Angelica says, “I’ll take care of you, Eliza.  You’re the best thing in my life, I’ll choose your happiness every time.”  The girl is confused when Angelica stands back, but she gives a smile, the same sweet smile Angelica remembers, and it’s good.

***

When the fifth grade class goes to the Grange for a field trip, Lisa spends three hours in semi-hysterical sobs, refusing to go through the front door, and the terrified tour guide calls the first emergency number on her phone.  Twenty minutes later, a sixth-grader spills out of a cab and swoops down on her like a hurricane in rose and gold, and Eliza clings to Angelica like the last lifeboat on a sinking ship.  

“It’s okay, Lizzie,” Angelica soothes.

“Angelica, I—I–”

“I know,” Angelica sighs, stroking her hair.  “Take a couple deep breaths, ‘Liza, it’ll pass.”

“I miss him,” Eliza whispers into Angelica’s hip, and the stroking doesn’t pause.

“I know,” Angelica says.  She gives a small, rueful smile.  “That part won’t pass.”

Eliza laughs a little at that, muffled by Angelica’s jacket, and her grip tightens.

***

So…when Maggie Laramie is fourteen their house gets robbed.  She gets caught and held at gunpoint, and she barely manages to not say “My father has gone to raise the Minutemen.” Instead she steadily states that he’s called the police, and when the three guys in black scramble like their lives depend on it, she smiles at her sisters.

“Maggie, that was amazing,” Mrs. Laramie says breathlessly.

“Peggy,” she corrects, and Angelica and Eliza glow.

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Anonymous asked: Psst John and Alexander meeting in your Hamilton Reincarnation fic series?

WOO, I am literal Laurens/Hamilton garbage, tell your friends.  
All In One Spot AU

John has been at Columbia for a year and, honestly, he’s starting to think that he was wrong, that no one else is here.  He walks past the law center every chance he gets, and he doubles the time of the walk from his dorm to the natural sciences building every single day to pass Hamilton Hall.  The statue is…reassuring, somehow, Alexander’s fine-drawn face cast in bronze and a quill in his clever fingers.  When John’s tired, or he’s had a bad night, full of nightmares with bayonets jumbled in with cars, the cinch of a noose tangled with the static of a television, he’ll stop and look at the statue until he can breathe again.

It’s not all bad.  John is in New York City, and he finally gets where Alexander was coming from all those years ago, this might legitimately be the greatest city in the world.  It sure beats South Carolina, hell and gone.  He’s introduced himself to everyone as John, here, and even admitted to a handful of people that he was a soldier in the Revolution.  He doesn’t have any close friends, but he doesn’t have any enemies, either, and the handful of familiar faces who see him when he quietly attends a Pride parade don’t say a word.  He’s taken a handful of prerequisites for a biochem degree, in the pre-med track—he always wanted to be a physician last time, and his father is too distant to fight him this time.  

He spends a little money on a sketchbook or two, on a set of pencils, and draws old faces, tries to imagine them in the modern world.  Lafayette, eyes bright and smiling, dressed in a suit.  General Washington, hands folded behind his back—no matter how many times John tries to give him a modern military uniform, his long heavy coat takes shape.  Aides and friends and soldiers whose faces he half-recalls, in t-shirts and jeans and flannels.  And Alexander, a thousand times Alexander, Alexander in modern clothes, in his Continental Army uniform, in shirtsleeves, in the coat he wears in the statue.  A few times, in the safety of his locked single room, John carefully sketches Alexander stretched out in their cabin at Valley Forge, lit in candle-flame and all smooth planes of muscle and skin, smiling at John, soft and sated.  An entire sketchbook fills itself with Alexander, over John’s first year at Columbia.

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Anonymous asked: A little birdie told me you were taking prompts again AND learning a lot about the Rev War. Hamilton/Laurens reincarnation fic?

All right, I’m HOPING that the birdie in question was the tags on this post: so if you wanted hamilton fic now would be EXACTLY the time to request it i was considering doing one of those ongoing tumblr au things where people could ask for specific scenes because i want to write a reincarnation au for hamilton (probably one of those universes where reincarnation is a little peculiar but not out of the ordinary) and i also wanted to write a college au and i figured i could do both at once but also i don’t know if anyone would be interested in that. Regardless, that is WHAT YOU ARE GETTING.  The way this is basically going to work is that if there’s a scene you particularly want to see or a character you particularly want to have me include, just send me an ask and I’ll write more, I guess.  Because this is something I very much want to write, and it’s also something I very much don’t have the time/motivation to do on my own.  So y’all can do me a solid by sending requests.

Circumstances tend to be the same, in each lifetime—relationships between parents, number of siblings, sometimes even place of birth.  No one’s sure why.  A pretty woman fallen from lofty social status, a wandered-off man, an older brother. If that’s the lot you drew at your first birth, it’s likely to be the one you land the second-third-fourth time around.

The illness hits Christiansted earlier, this time.  Andre Westen is seven, his brother and father already gone.  Last time, his mother got the worst of it—this time, it’s Andre who’s shaking and sick for two weeks, his gaunt and recovering mother clinging to his hand.  He lives, though, and when he opens his eyes after the fever breaks, the first thing out of his mouth is, “I’m going to need to change my name.”  There are conditions in place, laws and qualifiers that allow people to claim their past selves if they prefer and can prove it.  And Andre does prefer, and can prove it.  He’s young for such a powerful revelation—he can recite the names of teachers and colleagues, list details down to the minute, and with so little under his belt of this life, that one seems just as immediate—and it unnerves people to hear him wander from speaking like a child to speaking like a grown man when he’s distracted, but they give him his name.  

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Anonymous asked: So about this Jedi AU I see that you have all the things about John and Ham but what about Burr? Ham and John have perfect moral compass that doesnt stray but what about Burr and maybe straying between Jedi and Sith and getting corrupted by TJeff idk

All right, my bespectacled buddy, how fortunate, because I have Thoughts about Jedi Aaron Burr.  Also, there is now a tag for this AU.

I suppose I should mention that I actually have no idea where the Sith fit in this universe.  For a story of sweeping good and evil, the Sith and the Jedi are the logical ends of the spectrum, but a revolution…isn’t that simple.  For every General Benedict Arnold ready to turn on his country for wounded pride, there’s a plain soldier ready to go too far in defense of what he believes is freedom, ready to tar and feather someone for the crime of an accent or a birth–the line blurs.  The opponent of a revolution is, in fact, lack of emotion.  Passion drives a revolution.  The Jedi…are not at ease with this.  Honestly, the Sith are probably sitting in some corner of the galaxy sulking over the fact that they are suddenly quite superfluous.  Between the Empire and the Continentals, there’s more than enough chaos to go around.

• First, Aaron Burr is actually the best Jedi–he’s not like Washington, putting up a good facade while he gets secret-married and bides his time for a revolution, nor like Lee, who basks in the glory and honor of being a Jedi Master.  Burr really believes it, there is no emotion, there is no ignorance, there is no passion, there is no chaos, there is no death.  He’s uncannily good at it, taking whatever the universe throws at him with the same serene smile.  He’s so good at it, in fact, that his Master, upon recommending him for Knighthood, added that they would do well to find him something to fight for.  That he could be great, if he had something to fight for.
  
• Even a Jedi needs ideals, is the thing.
• The first time Burr meets Alexander Hamilton, the feral Force user challenges him with if you stand for nothing, what’ll you fall for?
• He…doesn’t have an answer, he doesn’t even think he understands the question, and that…that’s new.
• Aaron Burr goes to Washington, with his glowing Jedi record and an offer of help, and it goes about how it did in reality/the musical.
• Washington: I am in dire need of assistance!
• Burr: Hey, I am 100% down to be a secretary.
• Washington: It’s not that dire, take it easy.  Hey, angry fighty barely-not-a-teenager Hamilton, you want a job?  No?  Sure you do.
• Aaron is left standing there, overwhelmed with emotion for the first time in his life, and the envy is almost baffling.  But it’s all right, it’s fine, he can take a couple of deep breaths and let it go, there is no emotion, there is no passion, and he smiles and smiles and nods and takes the command he’s offered as…the word consolation rises in his mind and he dismisses it with a vengeance.  Aaron Burr is a Jedi, like his Master and her Master before her, and his Master crafted a new lightsaber form, she was a genius, her Master did a lengthy stint on the Council, he commanded respect–no lineage of theirs is unstable enough to need consoling.  He has a legacy to protect.  The hot twist in his gut is only discomfort at how wrong-footed Hamilton makes him, the rushing in his ears only the Force spinning wild in the war.
• Aaron Burr fights in the war.  Makes quite a name for himself, actually, as crisp and efficient in every way.  It’s not a bad reputation to have, especially once he brings that reputation to bear and puts down a mutiny about a year before Monmouth.  Admittedly he’s not close with his men, but that’s fine.  He’s a Jedi, their commander, and that’s all he needs.  Even once he suffers a mild Force burnout and a much more serious heat stroke over Monmouth, he is still of use to the army, even if he can’t fight anymore, and that’s fine, that’s enough, he’s all right with that, because there is peace, serenity, harmony, Force.
• He crosses paths with Hamilton often, the man apparently permanently installed in Washington’s orbit, opposite Lafayette and beside Washington’s own padawan.  Burr refuses to admit to that flare of bitter heat through his chest every time Hamilton comes bounding up to him, grinning, and greets him like an old friend, spilling joy-irritation-grief-anger-laughter through the Force.  Hamilton is a never-ending torrent of emotion, always preferring to fight a battle rather than let it stand, and just being around him feels like it’s contagious.
• It doesn’t help that Aaron still feels (or rather, refuses to feel) that twist of envy every time he watches Hamilton spin words out of thin air, feels him move through the Force like he’s a part of it–abrasive and emotional as he is, Hamilton is better than Aaron, and he doesn’t understand why.  Peace over emotion, serenity over passion, and yet…and yet Hamilton is wild as anything and still better.
• It’s made worse by the fact that Hamilton doesn’t seem to notice.  He considers Burr a friend, and he thinks Burr is brilliant–that’s just how he works.  Hamilton doesn’t grant friendship to fools, and therefore all his friends must be as wickedly knife-edge sharp as he is, Laurens and Burr and Lafayette and Washington and, and, and….
• Hamilton is a hurricane, and all that can be done is to let him sweep you up and trust that you’ll understand eventually.
• He is not, cannot be, will not be jealous.  He is a Jedi and he will let go his emotions and if letting go feels more like swallowing down, these days, then surely it is only the stress.  He just needs to meditate.  It will go away.
• And now here is a question.  Suppose a man spends all his time, for years on end, forcing himself into the trap of the Jedi code and withstanding Hamilton Feeling in his direction constantly, whether it’s the man’s oddly pure and childlike delight with having friends or his eternal aggravation with Burr’s indeterminate politics and philosophy and everything else.  Now suppose that man finally, finally, loses his temper.
• How do you suppose that such a thing will erupt?