"the constitutional convention iii" contains examples of:
all lowercase letters: Like every other chapter title of this fic, this chapter's title is in all lowercase letters.
Almost Kiss: Between Alexander and Aaron, before Aaron cuts them off because of Eliza, just like in chapter 3.
False Reassurance: Washington suspects Aaron of leaking Conventional proceedings to the public by some means including a letter he wrote to Alexander Hamilton. That’s true. Aaron reassures him of his innocence by telling the truth that he didn't know how his letter was leaked, and didn't know until the morning of the accusation that anything had been published let alone what had been published. He came up with the idea to leak it and wrote the letter, but wasn’t involved with the publication process at all.
Meaningful Echo: Not completely the same, but two chunks of text in chapter 3 are very similar to chunks in this chapter that is quoted below. And in both chapters, the section the first similar chunk is in is immediately followed by the section the second similar chunk is in! Text different from the chapter 3 section is bolded, and the nature of the changes are elaborated upon with notes. The meaningful-ness comes from giving it the same emotional charge and emphasizing that even in a new lifetime, some things stay the same.
First similar chunk, where Alexander touches Aaron's face and they Almost Kiss:
Alexander raises one hand, begins tracing the edges of Aaron’s face. “You’re so…” Aaron can’t move. “So what?” Then Alexander laughs. “I guess I really did get it right. You’re like poetry.”note He initially said "You're like poetry" in chapter 3. Aaron told Alexander he said that, so now he gets to reference having already said that to Aaron. Aaron’s breath catches in his chest because how is this happening, how is this happening all over again, just like before, he can barely tell if it’s real or if it’s a memory or a vision or even a dream, maybe he’ll wake up on the couch sometime tomorrow because he was too tired to even climb the stairs, that seems more likely than all of this happening again.note Extremely similar phrasing, but in chapter 3 this paragraph was slightly shorter, with Aaron wondering "how did they flip from being at each other’s throats to…being at each other’s throats so quickly?" instead of reflecting on how this is similar to before, since that was his first lifetime with no previous memories and this is his second I am the one thing in life I can control. “Beautiful. Indecipherable. Frustrating and impossible to understand sometimes, but the world wouldn’t be the same without you. My world wouldn’t be the same without you.”note Adds "Frustrating and impossible to understand sometimes, but," the rest is a perfect dupe of chapter 3. Probably because Alexander has had many more frustrating interactions with Aaron in this lifetime when he says this than he did in chapter 3 I am the one thing in life I can control. Alexander leans forward and Aaron closes his eyes.note "Aaron closes his eyes" is "Aaron's eyes flutter closed" in chapter 3. It seems this one is just a matter of different phrasing with no meaningful difference I am the one thing in life I can control. “Alexander, we can’t,” Aaron says, his voice thick. “Eliza.”note This line keeps the same formatting and purpose as it did in chapter 3, but the exact words are different because Aaron is not kicking Alexander out of his house at a late hour and now Aaron is the one married to Eliza. Alexander steps back, but his hand still cradles Aaron’s face. “What if I told you that—“note "Alexander steps back." is exactly the same, but the rest of the line diverges. Alexander accepted Aaron's ending the encounter in chapter 3, because of his wife and children. In this lifetime, Alexander does not have a wife and children he needs to be devoted to, and he's in love with Aaron. The author offers the possible interpretation in the author's notes of chapter 23 that Alexander is trying to confess to Aaron he's been sleeping with Eliza and wants them all to be together, which could be why he persists instead of backing down after Aaron mentions his wife.
Second similar chunk, talking about the Federalist papers, Constitution ratification, and Alexander's writing:
In the span of six months, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay write eighty-five essays. Jay gets sick after writing five. Madison writes twenty-nine. And Alexander, stubborn, insatiable Alexander, writes the other fifty-one. Aaron’s Constitution is ratified.note "Aaron's" is "His precious" in chapter 3, since Alexander is the one who had a hand in writing the Constitution, and Aaron happens to disapprove of some contents of that Constitution, specifically the Three-Fifths Clause. And Alexander keeps writing like he’s running out of time.note "And Alexander" is "He" in chapter 3, since they didn't have to switch from "Aaron" to "Alexander," they were already talking about Alexander and could just use "He"
Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Following the convention of naming every chapter title after a Hamilton lyric, this chapter takes its title from the lyrics “Hamilton at the Constitutional Convention" and/or "I was chosen for the Constitutional Convention!" from "Non-Stop."
Seduction-Proof Marriage: Downplayed. Aaron is married to Eliza and doesn't give in to Alexander's advances because of his marriage. However, he is tempted. This time, he declines not out of absolute love for his wife and recognition that Alexander is married, but because he feels guilty for killing Eliza's husband in the first lifetime and leaving her to raise kids alone, remembers how Alexander hurt her by cheating, and wants to give her a good life this time. Alexander has no wife to speak of here to give him pause.
