[image ID: a man loosely resembling aaron hotchner holds a baby in his arms. they are in front of a window. both the man and the child are in near-full silhouette, touching foreheads. end ID]
it’s time to party!
here’s a link to my normal intro post
i’m killing two birds with one stone here - the next fic for ajf will be the ONE HUNDREDTH FIC!! (which is just a crazy thing to even fathom, let alone experience,) and i am close to a really neat follower milestone. i wouldn’t be here without you all, so i thought we could have a little fun together.
this event will start wednesday, march 3rd at 10am pst and end wednesday, march 10th at 8pm pst and the tag is “#ajf 100″ if you want to blacklist or track!
the ajf posting schedule will be paused during this time, and i will be releasing the long-awaited wedding fic sometime during the event (i’ll give you some fair warning, don’t worry). the normal posting schedule will resume on wednesday, march 9th at 9pm pst. (i’m updating the posting schedule as we speak!)
so let’s get after it! i encourage everyone (who so wishes) to embark on an adventure! you can...
create a graphic
make some fanart
make a playlist and share it with us
take a page out of @crazyshannonigans and @ssaic-jareau‘s book and write some ajf meta
... or anything else you can think of!
please credit me for ajf, use the tag “#ajf 100” so everyone can see your cool stuff, and tag me at @winterscaptain! i’ll be reblogging or responding to everything y’all create for the duration of the event.
and i’ll be having a little bit of fun in my inbox, so send me...
a 💌 for a post-it note left by ajf!aaron for you
a 📝 + two characters (or you) for a letter
a 💻 + two characters (or you) for an email
a 📱+ two characters (or you) for a text message thread
a 🎧 for a song that reminds me of ajf
a 🔎 + one character for one (1) fun fact
again, it’s time to party! feel free to track or block #ajf 100 for the next week!
music is something incredibly important to me, as a musician and as someone who hates existing in silence. I always need something in the background. so, what better way to celebrate 100 ajf fics than with a playlist? tali, I am so incredibly proud of you for 100 ajf fics and so honored to have been part of the journey. and to be your friend. seeing the hard work that goes into this universe and how much you love it is just incredible. I cannot wait for what comes next and to see you continue to create and grow this universe that I love so, so much. you are amazing and wonderful and I love you to bits and pieces darling.
so without further ado, here’s the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0RpXkdEbsdMqX6l5daBdaL?si=bae62e4556674c84
These songs make me think of ajf or just fit the universe - it’s not about one specific moment or one specific relationship, it’s ajf as whole. So I’ve included a little explanation for each song, considering there isn’t a cohesive sound.
paper rings - taylor swift
this one is pretty self explanatory. it’s a song about loving someone so much you don’t care how, when, or why you marry them. considering meraki, I think we can all agree this fits.
I will follow you into the dark - death cab for cutie
this is a song that screams going to the end of the line for someone. and we’ve seen time and time again (and I’ve referenced it in many a commentary) that aaron & mom lean on each other for everything. they are so reliant on each other for everything and I feel like this song captures it.
be my baby - the ronettes
another classic love song. and just the right amount of sweetness for aaron & mom I think. their love, to me, is a deep and everlasting love that endures and as we’ve seen in the fic, is filled with sweet moments between each other. and there’s a lot in this song about knowing you love someone from the start.
can’t keep on loving you from a distance - elliot yamin
this fits into berry hill/mean it ajf I think. it’s the yearning guys. it’s the not being able to love someone from afar anymore and wanting to do something about it. yeah I threw in a little angst, but this is one of my favorite songs. it’s good and it fits. it’s a crossroads.
die a happy man - thomas rhett
pretty self explanatory, listen to the lyrics. it's all about needing just the love of the person you love the most in this world. that is aaron and mom to a t.
unforgettable - thomas rhett
okay an upbeat song! this one is not forgetting any detail from when you met the person you love. again, aaron and mom. also it’s one of my favorite thomas rhett songs. it’s about inevitability, knowing that you’ve found your person, and not forgetting a single thing about them.
this will be (an everlasting love) - natalie cole
aaron always gives me classic song vibes, he likes the oldies and what he was raised on. this song is...it is happiness personified. it is happiness and joy in a song and you cannot convince me it wasn’t played at the wedding.
make a life, not a living - brett kissel
okay so first off: brett kissel is an amazing canadian country artist whom I love dearly. this is his newest song and it was released just in time for this. this ENCAPSULATES ajf for me - this aaron that allows himself to live and love again, to have this happiness and joy. it’s all about making a life, and making a good one. this is ajf for me.
between you and me - brett kissel
and this one is for all the 18+/nsfw moments. listen to the song and it's pretty self-explanatory.
at last - etta james
it took them like 6 years (? I think) to get together and another 2.5 to get married. someone played this at the wedding and you cannot convince me otherwise. again, it goes to inevitability and how everyone was waiting for this to happen. we knew it was gonna happen, it was just a matter of when. so when it does happen, everyone’s screaming “AT LAST!”
kiss me - ed sheeran
okay this album came out in 2011, mean it happened in 2011...it fits. and this song screams mean it to me. that’s really all I have to say
give me love - ed sheeran
same reasoning as kiss me. I just couldn’t decide which one fit more. but they both work.
growin’ up - bruce springsteen
this song is less mom & aaron and more ajf in general. it’s rebellion and doing what you want - hello bau - and it’s just a great song about learning and growing up and doing things your way. also it’s me, there had to be springsteen on here somewhere
mary’s place - bruce springsteen
run with me on this one: you’re driving in the car with your family, people you love, and this song comes on. you can’t help but smile and sing along and it is happiness personified. this one is all about the vibes, not the lyrics or meaning of the song. this to me is a bit of a party starter and something that could play at every bau party. familiar faces, laughter, gathering people together….this is all about having a good time with people you love.
we take care of our own - bruce springsteen
last springsteen song I promise. this one is similar to above, it’s all about a family and being there for one another. looking out for your own, looking out for each other.
some day one day - queen
this is a great soft, sweet song talking about hope for mom & aaron. much like this is early in queen’s discography, it fits into the early years of ajf.
you’re my best friend - queen
self explanatory. they are codependent, they rely on each other so much, they are best friends and lovers. it fits so well. and this song will always put a smile on my face.
another one bites the dust - queen
another unsub bites the dust because the bau is great at their jobs. and, this screams hotchner’s dancing around the kitchen or the living room. they seem like the kind of family to dance around and film each other for….no ulterior motive whatsoever (/sarcasm)
my wish - rascal flatts
so this fits for the wedding vows BUT ALSO - during enough when aaron is thinking about how he’ll fit into reader’s life. he just wants them to have a good life, to find happiness. that is his wish for them.
danger zone - kenny loggins
we all know the hotchner’s love top gun. they absolutely, unabashedly love this song and blast it for a dance party.
landslide - fleetwood mac
maybe it’s because we sang this at my camp as a last night campfire song, but I can see this being a song sung to the littles to get them to settle down. the lyrics might not make total sense but it’s a bit of a vibe.
this is it - scotty mccreery
it’s a great love song and I love it. it gives me ajf vibes for many reasons and many moments in the series
not alone - mcfly
OH ITS TIME FOR MY MCFLY SOAPBOX. mcfly is a band that yes, I mostly know because of the close geography of the internet and early 2010s british youtubers. they are a big band in the uk and they were in an early 2000s movie called just my luck with chris pine and lindsay lohan. I love the movie, I love mcfly. seriously, they are one of my favorite bands ever. not alone is a great song and one I think can be the background for many ajf scenes. and yes this is about to start a few mcfly songs on the playlist
I wanna hold you - mcfly
it’s just about being close and wanting to hold the person you love. how many times during ajf do we see mom & aaron with a hand on each other and reaching for one another?
it’s all about you - mcfly
I tend to find this is the most well known mcfly song. it was written for one of the band members’ wife and it’s so good. and yes, again, it encapsulates the love aaron and mom have.
being alive - company
I kinda had the realization that this song screams aaron to me. that for so long he fought against his feelings and was almost content with being alone, with not having anyone. he sort of holds himself at arms length, like bobby does throughout company. and then at some point, there’s a switch. and he realizes that being alone is not the same as being alive and he wants to have someone to hold and someone to be alive with. and that’s what this song is about.
louder than words - tick, tick, boom
there are so many times where aaron and mom just look at each other. they use their actions, their body language, and their eyes to communicate and forgo words. they don’t need words. and it’s not just with one another. it’s with jack and the littles and the whole team. actions truly do speak louder than words in this universe.
always will - bright star
it’s a mean it & mistletoe song. “we’re supposed to be/together it’s true/I’ve had my doubts/but not about you.” these lyrics SCREAM ajf and this is one of my favorite songs from bright star - WHICH IS AN UNDERRATED MUSICAL.
dirty little secret - all american rejects
okay so it’s never a dirty secret, but this fits in during the mean it arc. they’re so secretive and sneaking around. we needed one unhinged song here okay???
the power of love - huey lewis & the news
this is a song that fits the relationship, but is also something that could play in the hotchner house and get everyone singing and jamming. or could be played at dinner at uncle dave’s house to get everyone up and dancing on the flagstones.
sharp dressed man - zz top
it’s aaron hotchner. also, this is a song I can see aaron making his kids listen to (yes my dad made me listen to this a lot growing up)
I want to hold your hand - the beatles
yes we need a beatles song on here and yes this is one that always makes me think of ajf. there’s always some way people are touching - linking pinkies, holding hands, a finger through a belt loop, hands on the top of someone’s chair - touch and contact are important here so yes this is the requisite beatles song.
the heart never lies - mcfly
one more mcfly song. just listen to the lyrics and you’ll know why it’s one of my favorites. for as long as these two fought their feelings and denied them, the heart never lies. and their eyes can give it away.
First off, Tali (@winterscaptain) congratulations on 100 fics!! You deserve every bit of praise and love for AJF because it’s wonderful and amazing. To help celebrate I created a playlist! For some reason, I always had this image of Mom, Aaron, Jack, and the twins dancing in the living room during the holidays to the Beatles. These are some of my favorite upbeat Beatles songs, I think Aaron got Mom a bit hooked on them too.
Note: specifically for the song “I’m so Tired” he uses it to get the kids to bed. He would play it on his phone and stumble around and slur the words (almost overacting a drunk person) and the kiddos would think it’s HILARIOUS (side note: Jack does it at school and the teacher is slightly concerned so he does it only with his friends after that) (Jack also calls it his I-So-Tiyad “do I-So-Tiyad daddy pleeeease”).
Also “All You Need Is Love” is the song of the first dance with Aaron at Sophia’s wedding
Day one of the conference is over and I’ve got some time and some Dutch stamps. Thus, snail mail.
As much as I loved being a lawyer, there’s a reason I quit. Many reasons. But you know that. The ICC is fascinating and Caro’s, of course, having the time of her life. Graham is here, too, but working on a separate project in Belgium. He’s joining us for dinner tonight because he’s using public transit that works.
I digress.
I think I might be getting too old for this. I’ll make her bring you next time. Or Jack. The Pentagon doesn’t give him enough to do anyway.
Home is an inviting concept right now. I miss you.
We’ve been experimenting with communication in class lately and my professor recommended we write a letter to see how it "feels.” She also asked us to handwrite the letter, again to see if there's any emotional response. I suppose I asked for this when I took a seminar on "The Psychology of Communication.”
I know dad writes you little notes all the time, so I thought you might appreciate it a little more than, say, Sophia.
I know you can profile a lot from handwriting, but what does it say about me that I've meticulously curated my handwriting? Probably nothing good.
I'm running out of things to say (shocker, I know), so I'll wrap up. If you have the time, it would be helpful to my course if you could reply in writing - the reception of a written response can be part of our personal evaluation, but don't worry if its too much. I'll be working with Jack for the technology cal communication portion of the course.
Congratulations on 100 AJF fics! Your writing is beautiful, and you've created such an immersive and warm universe. It's truly an honour to be able to get lost in it :) on that note, 📱 between Aaron and Mom?
thank you so much my darling!! i promise there’s still much more to come!
i am posting meraki, the wedding fic at 11am pst on tuesday, march 9th. i’ll put this in the author’s note as well, but this was absolutely a joint effort, co-written by @ssaic-jareau. thank you babes and everyone else - get PUMPED!
