Chapter Text
“Attention, ladies and gentlemen! Your 5 minutes are up, get back to your seats.” Noir announced through some weird cone-shaped device Bianca created.
“We’ll be reacting to the third track of the musical, ‘My Shot’. Warning: it gets repetitive at times, just bear with it.” He added.
Hamilton:
I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot…
The ensemble, as well as the four main actors, stared at Hamilton weirdly. ‘Who on earth is this guy?’ they seem to simultaneously think.
“I apologize but who breaks into song shouting ‘I am not throwing away my shot’?” Peggy asked, perplexed.
“Crazy people, I believe,” Jefferson comments loud enough for Hamilton to hear.
“I heard that, Jefferson!” Hamilton shouted from the first row.
Hamilton:
Hey yo, I'm just like my country,
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot!
I'mma get a scholarship to King's College
I probably shouldn't brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish.
The problem is I got a lot of brains, but no polish
I gotta holler just to be heard
With every word, I drop knowledge!
“This style of poetry is very appealing, though I do not know its name…” Hamilton murmured to himself. Somehow Bianca managed to hear it from above.
“It’s called rap! You don’t know it because it was invented around 170 years after your death,”
Hamilton:
I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal
Tryin' to reach my goal, my power of speech: unimpeachable!
Only 19, but my mind is older,
“Bro is NOT 19 years old…” Noir narrows his eyes quizzically.
Hamilton:
These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder
Ev’ry word and ev’ry disadvantage,
I have learned to manage, I don’t have a gun to brandish
I walk these streets famished!
While the camera angle switches closer to Hamilton, Laurens is seen eyeing him curiously while he raps with amazing flow. Lafayette and Mulligan let out a whoop at Hamilton’s lines and how almost every word in each line rhymes with another word in another line. Burr can be seen in the background reading his book.
Bianca leaned in closer to Noir to whisper in his ear, “Bro is checking him out…” This surprisingly caused Noir to snort in amusement.
“Laurens, your actor must like staring at my actor’s ass because he has been eyeing it for approximately 7 seconds—” Hamilton was interrupted by a smack to the back of his head by Laurens himself.
“Mrs. Hamilton, you should keep this tomcat in check…” Laurens chuckled nervously.
Hamilton:
The plan is to fan this spark into a flame
But damn, it's getting dark, so let me spell out my name!
I am the—
Hamilton, Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan:
A L, E X, A N, D—
E R, we are, meant to be!
Hamilton:
A colony that runs independently
Meanwhile, Britain keeps shitting on us endlessly
Essentially, they tax us relentlessly!
Then King George turns around, runs a spending spree
He ain't never gonna set his descendants free
So there will be a revolution in this century—
(Enter me!)
All of a sudden, Hamilton stands up on one of the benches. The other three are astonished at his boldness.
Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan:
He says in parentheses…
Hamilton:
Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me,
I will lay down my life if it sets us free,
Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy!
“His arrogance is unparalleled,” Madison comments, hushed. “That is both a compliment and an insult…”
“Did Lin just pull a Debbie Ryan?” Bianca asked incredulously. To this question, Noir narrowed his eyes to see for himself. “He…he did. Damn,”
Hamilton, Laurens:
And I am not throwing away my shot (my shot),
I am not throwing away my shot (my shot),
Hey yo, I'm just like my country
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot!
Hamilton, Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan:
I am not throwing away my shot,
I am not throwing away my shot!
Hey yo, I'm just like my country
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot!
It’s time to take a shot!
The ensemble and main four are seen dancing to a new choreography while the latter approaches the benches once again. Lafayette climbs up the bench and began to rap his part.
Philp frowned, crossing his arms. “No offense, but this song is slowly starting to become irritating due to how repetitive it is,”
“Even though the same phrases are repeated over and over again, its impact is still seen…truly remarkable,” Theo counterclaimed.
Lafayette:
I dream of life without the monarchy
The unrest in France will lead to "onarchy"
"Onarchy?" How you say, how you s—Oh, anarchy!
Real-life Lafayette loudly groans, abashed. Laurens, Mulligan, and Hamilton all turn to him and tease him endlessly.
“Haha, ‘onarchy’.” They say.
“ Je vous emmerde tous… ” Lafayette responds, flipping the bird at the three of them.
Lafayette:
When I fight I make the other side panicky
With my-
Hamilton, Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan:
SHOT!
They slam their pints full of beers down, and Mulligan stands up proudly. It was his turn to introduce himself through rap.
Mulligan:
Yo, I'm a tailor's apprentice
And I got y'all knuckleheads ‘in loco parentis’
I'm joining the rebellion cuz I know it's my chance
To socially advance, instead of sewin' some pants
I'm gonna take a–
Hamilton, Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan:
SHOT!
“Hey. What does ‘in loco parentis’ mean…?” Bianca asked Noir inquisitively. Her brother hummed, resting his hand on his chin, pondering.
“From what I remember, loco parentis is Latin for ‘in place of a parent’ . What Mulligan is trying to convey is he has those three as a replacement for his parents.”
“Ohh..”
Laurens stood up from where he sat and approached Hamilton, ready to spit some bars.
Laurens:
But we'll never be truly free
Until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me
You and I, do or die…
Stage-Laurens places his hand on Hamilton’s shoulder.
“YIEEE!” Bianca squealed, recreating Laurens’ moves with her half-disgusted, half-unamused brother. “Don’t touch me,” He said with a glare.
Laurens:
Wait till I sally in on a stallion
With the first black battalion!
Have another—
Hamilton, Laurens, Lafayette, Mulligan:
SHOT!
“A shame my vision never became a reality,” Laurens sighed wistfully.
“It did in the spring of 1778. However, I will see to it that it is you who does it first when we are given a second chance,” Washington assured Laurens.
Burr emerges from the bar, holding a few shots.
“I believe it is possible to assume that Burr’s not adamant about rebelling against the British in such a…” Angelica hesitates, finding the most suitable word to describe Alexander and friend’s strategy to bring their enemies down.
“Chaotic way?” Peggy chimed in.
“Violent way?” Eliza guessed.
“Risky way,” Burr clarified.
The eldest Schuyler sister nodded, snapping her fingers. “Indeed,”
Burr:
Geniuses, lower your voices
You keep out of trouble, and you double your choices
“However, if you stay out of it, your opportunity— your shot might just go away!” Hamilton argued. Burr sighed, crossing his arms.
“Yes, Alexander. I acquiesce to your philosophy, though I am pretty sure I already said so during our little…arguement in the comfort room,”
To this, King George arches an eyebrow at Burr’s pause. “Just what did you two talk about in there?”
Bianca smirked. “They didn’t just talk,” She started. Noir snorted at that.
Burr walks over to the group of four and offers them some shot glasses
Burr:
I’m with you, but the situation is fraught.
You’ve got to be carefully taught; if you talk, you’re gonna get—
SHOT!
The four young men down their shot in sync with the word itself. It seemed like booze was their way of coping during their time, when war and colonization was common. Even now, these methods do not change.
Hamilton:
Burr, check what we got:
Mr. Lafayette, hard rock like Lancelot
Burr sits down while the prideful Lafayette flexes his muscular arm right in front of Burr’s face, to which he looks less than pleased to see.
I think your pants look hot!
Mulligan laughs and dramatically reveals his sculpted calf— the audience oohs and ahhs. Burr looks at him incredulously.
Laurens, I like you a lot!
Laurens responds to this by laughing bashfully.
“AYO?” Bianca nearly screams it out loud for the whole theater to hear. The Laurens watching the musical felt heat rise to his cheeks. “Wow, Alex.” Lafayette says in a grave tone. Alex groans. “What the hell did I do this time?!”
“You like Laurens more then Laf and I? I met you before Laf and Laurens, yet you like him more– a lot, even!” Herc sobs dramatically, swooning like a maiden and resting his head on Lafayette’s shoulder.
“Bias, I tell you, BIAS!” Lafayette played along, pointing an accusing finger at Hamilton and Laurens.
“What will they do next, elope to the farthest corners of the world?” Jefferson asked Madison, looking absolutely unimpressed.
Madison stares at Jefferson like he grew a second head.
Hamilton:
Let's hatch a plot blacker than the kettle callin' the pot
What are the odds the gods would put us all in one spot?
Poppin' a squat on conventional wisdom, like it or not
A bunch of revolutionary manumission abolitionists,
Give me a position, show me where the ammunition is!
“Lin looks winded after rapping those bars,” Bianca murmurs. “He’s just old,” Noir answers back bluntly.
The stage lights dim, leaving the spotlight on Hamilton. All the previous excitement gone with the wind— it is only him who speaks.
Hamilton:
Oh, am I talkin' too loud?
Sometimes I get over excited, shoot off at the mouth
I never had a group of friends before
I promise that I'll make y'all proud…
“You make us plenty proud, son.” Washington placed a comforting hand on Hamilton’s back. Hamilton sends him a crooked smile.
Laurens steps up on the bench they sat on, pointing at his new friend with a twinkle in his eye.
Laurens:
…Let’s get this guy infront of a crowd!
The stage lights brighten once more, and the ensemble sings along with the main characters. The former hope returns, painting over Hamilton’s anxiety.
Ensemble:
I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Hey yo, I'm just like my country
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot!
“...And the repetition continues,” Philip announces in dismay.
Ensemble:
I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Hey yo, I'm just like my country
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot!
The ensemble starts throwing chairs around while dancing the song’s choreo, leaving a few of the audience members exasperated and perplexed.
“Are we just going to blatantly ignore Laurens throwing a chair in the air?” Mulligan asks the crowd, his tone a mixture of shock and amazement.
“It appears as if the other performers are doing so as well!” Eliza pointed out, astonished.
Mrs. Theo Burr chimed in with a smile, “They are incorporating the chair-throwing into the choreography…what shocks me more is how it fits in so perfectly,”
Laurens, (Hamilton, Lafayette, Mulligan):
Everybody sing!
Woah-woah, wo-oh-oh (Woah-woah, wo-oh-oh)
Hey!
Wo-oh-oh (Wo-oh-oh)
Woah!!
Wo-oh-oh (Wo-oh-oh)
Sing let 'em hear ya! (Yeah)
Laurens, (Ensemble):
Let's go! (Woah-woah, wo-oh-oh)
I said, shout it to the rooftops!
(Wo-oh-oh)
Said to the rooftops!
(Wo-oh-oh)
Now come on!
(Yeah)
Now come on, let's go!
The gang (consisting of actor versions of Laurens, Hamilton, Lafayette, and Mulligan) call out to people up in the stage balconies, to which they respond by shutting the doors in disinterest. Here we see the Schuyler sisters doing the same.
Laurens:
Rise up!
When you're living on your knees, you rise up,
Tell your brother that he's got to rise up,
Tell your sister that she's got to rise up!
When are these colonies gonna rise up? (Whoa, woah)
When are these colonies gonna rise up? (Woah)
When are these colonies gonna rise up? (Woah)
When are these colonies gonna rise up? (Woah)
Rise up!
The lights dim once more, and the dynamic performers halt under a blue spotlight while the stage spins. Hamilton is seen on the side, under another blue spotlight. He starts his monologue. The historical figures watching couldn’t do anything but gawk at the song’s climax.
Hamilton:
I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory
When's it's gonna get me?
In my sleep? Seven feet ahead of me?
If I see it coming, do I run or do I let it be?
Is it like a beat without a melody?
See, I never thought I'd live past twenty
Where I come from some get half as many
Ask anybody why we livin' fast and we laugh, reach for a flask
We have to make this moment last, that's plenty
Mulligan moves, dancing. The people around him break free and begin to move alongside him.
Hamilton makes a face due to how this verse resonates with him and his childhood. “It’s a miracle that I got to live a life outside of my home island,” He murmurs, eyes downcast.
To his left, Washington sets his strong hand over Hamilton’s squeezing it once for comfort. To his right, Philip rests his head on his father’s shoulder.
Hamilton:
Scratch that,
This is not a moment, it's the movement
Where all the hungriest brothers with something to prove went
Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand
We roll like Moses, claimin' our Promised Land!
Stage-Hamilton steps up at the wooden block in the middle of the stage and begins to express his concerns and sentiments for their country’s future after the war.
Hamilton:
And? If we win our independence?
Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants?
Or will the blood we shed begin an endless
Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?
“That…is an absolutely valid concern,” Madison admits. He turns to where Bianca and Noir sits. The twins notice Madison’s gaze and answer curtly.
“For a country that labels itself as the ‘Land of the Free’, many people are still oppressed and are shunned from the government’s eyes,” Noir explains while frowning.
“So much for freedom, eh?” Bianca laughs bitterly.
Hamilton:
I know the action in the street is excitin'
But Jesus, between all the bleedin' 'n fightin'
I've been readin' 'n writin'!
We need to handle our financial situation,
Are we a nation of states? What's the state of our nation?!
I'm past patiently waitin'! I'm passionately smashin' every expectation
Every action's an act of creation!
I'm laughin' in the face of casualties and sorrow
For the first time, I'm thinkin' past tomorrow!
It was Jefferson’s turn to be bewildered at Hamilton’s thoughts for their nation’s very future. “Hamilton already planning ahead…it is very… Hamilton of him. I must say, quite impressive,”
“He really was meant for the treasury,” Theo murmurs, praising Hamilton.
Hamilton and Ensemble:
And I am not throwin' away my shot
I am not throwin' away my shot
Hey, yo, I'm just like my country
I'm young, scrappy, and hungry
And I'm not throwin' away my shot
Hamilton, Mulligan, Lafayette, Laurens, (Ensemble):
We gonna rise up; time to take a shot
(Not thrown’ away my shot)
We gonna rise up; time to take a shot
(Not throwin’ away my shot)
We gonna (rise up, rise up)
Hamilton:
It’s time to take a shot!
Hamilton, Mulligan, Lafayette, Laurens, (Ensemble):
(Rise up, rise up)
It’s time to take a shot (rise up, rise up)
(Wo-oah) Time to take a shot (rise up)
Take a shot, a shot, a shot, (Oh-Oh, oh)
A-yo, it's time to take a shot (Woah, oh-oh oh)
Time to take a shot (Woah-oh)
And I am (And I am)
Not throwing away my…
Not throwing away my shot!
The historical figures are silent for a moment, then they erupt into applause. Above, in a theatre box, Bianca claps along.
“Lin ate that song UP,” She declared while snapping her fingers in a sassy manner. Noir rolls his eyes to this but nods. “It is said it took Lin 1 whole year to write ‘My Shot’.”
“That was truly…” Burr trailed off, starstruck.
“Something,” Hamilton finished Burr’s comment with a grin, to which Burr chuckled at and agreed. “Indeed,”
“We are going to talk about the song and our thoughts once more, correct?” Angelica asked.
Bianca sounded her agreement. “Yeah! So does anyone have any thoughts, comments, theories?!” George Washington raises his hand.
“Yes, General?”
Washington hums, “I believe the song ‘My Shot’ talks about how Alexander believes he needs to take that one chance to make a name for himself in the world and in history.”
Laurens continues, “And that one ‘shot’ probably means assisting in the revolution and perhaps being part of the government?”
Noir nodded once. “Being an important part of the American Revolution is a one-way ticket to American History books.”
Eliza elegantly raised her hand, “Alexander’s perspective of his past is featured in this song as well. How he’s so used to…death,” She murmured uneasily.
Peggy shivered, sending her beloved brother-in-law a worried glance. “No person should ask when death will come for them, especially not at such a young age…”
The man she mentioned was stiff and tense in his seat. Alexander wasn’t really…eager to have his private and rather dark thoughts displayed to people he respects and to people who respect him.
“In the bright side,” Hercules starts meaningfully, “Before Alex…died, he had already achieved so much in the previous timeline.”
“Now that we have knowledge of his thoughts and motives, we could work them out and implement them quicker than before,” Lafayette finished for his dear friend, to which Hercules grunted in agreement and clapped his back.
“Do not worry, Mr. Hamilton,” Mrs. Burr called from her seat. “I am sure nobody will orchestrate your early demise any longer. Am I right, Aaron darling?” She asked with a tiny smile. Theo’s wide eyes focused on Aaron, silently pleading for him to agree. It didn’t take long for the entire theater’s focus to be on him. He’d be lying if he didn’t feel heat creep up his face.
“...Of course not. I don’t see any point in killing Alex anymore; our differing mindsets and achievements aren’t a logical reason for me to duel him like my naive self…almost did.” Burr answered truthfully, and it shows.
“Good to know our effort in rewriting history is worth it,” Noir commented bluntly, munching on a large brown rectangle with…smaller tiles.
Philip, curious, pointed at what the demihuman was holding and asked loudly: “What are you snacking on, Noir?” To this, Noir raised a judgemental brow. “One of the best confections to ever be invented…chocolate,” He nudged Bianca to give them some from the pantry to which she responded with an eyeroll and compliance.
“It was invented in 1847, I honestly wouldn’t be able to live without such a wonderful sweet.” Noir continued, wiping some stains off of his face.
Bianca handed out chocolate bars to each of the audience members, holding in a chortle because of how fascinated they look with such a tiny little thing. George Washington, scrutinizing a chocolate bar…that’s peak comedy right there. “Anyway, we’re off topic—Might as well finish our discussion. 5 minutes like always, people!Feel free to do anything that isn’t against the rules!”