status: active
requests are open!
last updated: february 25th, 2025
current projects:
hotch/fem!reader (criminal minds, ajf)
hi! i’m tali! i am a 27-year-old writer from southern california. i would throw down for aaron hotchner and obi-wan kenobi. my pronouns are she/her.
you’ll find a smattering of things here, but usually you’ll find criminal minds, top gun, star wars, twilight (sorry), marvel, baseball (go dodgers!), the west wing, and pride and prejudice. i’ve included common tags in the tags for easy navigation!
my bachelors degree is in theatre production and i worked in the entertainment industry in los angeles for a few years. i am also hold a masters in international security with an emphasis in political strategy and narrative analysis. feel free to ask me about that! i’m happy to answer questions about hollywood happenings, the production process, switching careers, or current global events!
i do not give permission for my works to be reposted. if you see something, say something!
if you have a question about ajf, please read the ajf key and ajf faq thoroughly!
links and resources:
ask // join my tag list
fanfiction masterlist // a joyful future masterlist
ajf idea form // ajf faq
art & graphics
things to know:
anyone can follow this blog. in general, i usually try to keep conversational interactions with folks under 18 to a minimum. this isn’t anything personal, it’s just about keeping this a safe place for me and for you.
i tag all nsfw content with ‘nsfw.’
minors - do not interact with explicit content. i will block anyone underage who engages with explicit content after one warning.
i have a full-time job, a part-time job, and i am in a long-distance relationship! writing and blogging happens when i have free time!
i’m a dodgers fan but i’m not an asshole about it. i pinky promise. i also like baseball in the least sporty way possible. we keep our friends close and our statistics even closer.
i don’t entertain or give voice to hate or toxicity of any kind. this is a safe place for people to come and rest. hate will never be published. unless i have a funny comeback. then all bets are off.
i tag religiously and consistently. feel free to blacklist as necessary!
i do tag triggers. please let me know if you need something tagged! please frame the request in a straightforward way so i can understand specifically what you need, and never hesitate to let me know if i missed something!
i’ve got anons! taken emojis: 🦖🥥📚👻🦄🦇🦭🦦🌻🍒🧃🖤💙☁️🍁🥂🐀🪐🛸🧋
This might be a stupid question, but I just started with AJF, and was wondering. Will you keep the Fics gender neutral? Will you have the Reader give birth to the children? and will they be called mom?
Again sorry for the stupid question!!
not a stupid question!
the reader is gn as often as possible, to a point. once the kid part happens, it is predominantly fem!reader
i am also working on expanding the early part of the series so folks who prefer gn fics can have more to enjoy!
I think uploading everything as one fic and chapter by chapter would the best because then we could also see the total word count which I'm really curious about! it'd be great to have it all in one place on ao3!
i think i'm going by era! that way, the overwhelmingness of the out-of-order thing can be both minimized and optimized.
first up, the cicatrize era - from advocate to a kindness.
i'll be posting it to the A Joyful Future series page, so it should still have a total wordcount on there (which is about 437k at this point)
I almost lost this tumblr blog, as it was my favorite but I finished A Joyful Future and I was always wondering, what inspired you to create the series? More importantly, what helped you with creating Mom?
hey love! welcome back!!
i'm so glad you enjoyed the series! it was definitely a surprise. in all truth, it was never meant to be a series at all. the engagement and love from people who read it continue to inspire me as a build this world!
as for Mom, i don't view them as an oc (and i use neutral pronouns here purposefully - until there are genitalia-driven elements of the story, i keep the reader-character as neutral as possible!). i view them as something of a wishlist - human in a way i wish to be, but mostly as a foil for aaron and the person that he needs. i've done my best to channel the canon material and the response to hotch specifically as i build the reader for ajf. there are all of these moments where we all wish we could do something for aaron - be something for him, even - but alas the fourth wall exists. in creating the reader for ajf, i wanted to remove as much of the wall as possible and place all of us in the world so it could be as immersive as possible.
writing in a pandemic also influenced this series more than i've realized in the past. the uncertainty and tension in the world right now pushed me to create something that feels like a comfy blanket or soft place to lay your head. we all know, no matter how sad or scary the story can get, that everything will be alright.
thank you for asking, and thank you for being you <3 i love love love answering meta questions like these!!
Sorry if you’ve already answered this but what do the italicized words mean in ajf? I’ve noticed they’re usually bits of communication between reader and Aaron but no one else can hear them
they’re silent conversations! the non-verbal communication usually conveyed through significant eye contact or minute changes in expression.
if they’re not directed at anyone, it’s an internal thought from the character we’re sitting with (sometimes it’s aaron, mostly it’s reader. we’ll get some derek thoughts during his hallucinations in season 11, but that’s a bit different)
hi tali ! this might have already been answered but im super interested in your writing process. have you always written ajf out of order? or was it originally written chronologically? your world building and story telling skills are so just so good and everything feels really intentional -🛸
hello my lil ufo!!
yes! I’ve always written ajf out of order, mostly because it wasn’t planned at ALL even a little. ever since it became A Thing, I’ve done my best to have the big picture in mind when I bring the pieces together. I have huge spreadsheets and many many people who help me out with the timeline, continuity, and details (namely @ssaic-jareau, @duchesschameleon, my best friend kate, and my now-mostly-inactive-on-here friend Kira @good-heavens-chris-evans)
i always look to build the details and foundations of this world in an intentional and thoughtful way. sometimes, I do have to go back and change shit because I changed my mind or it doesn’t work quite right. I try to think about it chronologically, if that makes sense, and write what strikes my fancy at any given moment. not sure if that made sense, but that’s what it is!
a joyful cheat sheet vol 2. - frequently asked questions
date updated: january 23rd, 2021
Where do I start?
The best place to start is the top of the masterlist! All the fics are arranged in chronological order. Most of the works don’t need a lot of context, but the arc of the story is designed to function chronologically.
How do you write this thing?
Out of order, mostly. Unless I’m working on a large arc, I will jump around to keep my muse fresh. It keeps me from burning out and it makes me happy that I can continuously add depth and detail without finding myself beholden to a chronology. The masterlist is arranged in chronological order, though!
When are you going to update?
I don’t answer this question or address it when anyone asks. I don’t know and I don’t plan! Everything is as much a surprise to me as it is to you and I will post all upcoming fics/posting schedules in the ajf updates tag. If nothing’s in there - I dunno what’s next! I’m working on a lot at once, a lot of the time.
If you want to see something, please submit a response to this form!
How do I join the Tag List?
Fill out this form!
Whats with the unlinked episode titles in the masterlist?
Those are episodes I’m planning to adapt for the AJF universe. Bascially, the episode titles are a beacon that says “Yes! I will do that eventually!”
What do I need to watch before I can enjoy AJF?
There are major spoilers for seasons 5, 6, 7, and 9 included in AJF. However, if you don’t mind the spoilers, you can enjoy the story with any degree of exposure to Criminal Minds. AJF starts right before season 3, if that helps.
Are you planning on writing X episode/covering X part of the Hotchner’s lives for the AJF Universe?
Probably!
You’re more than welcome to throw it in this Google Form that I put together! I don’t guarantee anything, but as long as it’s in there it’s on my radar and I am invested in including as much as possible in the ajf world!
Can you write x, y, z about mom’s life or have the kids visit mom’s hometown?
Nope! Mom/Reader is you! I have not made Reader’s character an OC on purpose, and I can’t write anything about their/your life without excluding others, so I can’t do it the way the story is structured.
Please feel free to share stories of your own traditions that you could see for yourself in the AJF world! I love hearing about them!
Do you have fancasts for the kids?
Nope! Again, I don’t make a habit of presuming anything about Reader/You. To fancast the kids, I would have to decide what Mom looks, like which I’m not goign to do. One of my goals in making this series is to make it as inclusive as possible.
Step one in that endeavor is separating my own experience from Reader’s as much as I can, so I can include as many people as I can! The more people who can see themselves in that role, the better!
Are you going to write Spencer’s Prison Arc?
Probably not. I’m not too keen on it as a narrative concept and I’m not into glorifying/romanticizing/not addressing character trauma for the hell of it.
Do you include warnings? What are possible triggers in AJF that I should be aware of?
I do include warnings on every fic. In general, expect language, canon-typical violence and mentions of assault/death/etc. Anything else specific will be outlined in the warnings section of each fic. Please feel free to ask if you would like anything specific tagged in the warnings.
All the 18+ content is warned in detail, so you know exactly what to expect before you start reading.
Is there smut or adult content in AJF?
There is, HOWEVER, none of it is plot relevant. If there is a huge, plot-heavy fic that has 18+ content, I will be sure to adapt a sfw version so everyone can enjoy. I’ve done this with Mean It, and plan on doing the same for a few others.
Is there an AJF inspo blog or pinterest board?
Yes! The inspo blog is @ajfinspo and you can dm me for the nsfw inspo blog as well.
What’s up with Aaron not being in the field after Season 9?
In the AJF universe, Aaron takes the promotion to Northeast Investigations and Operations Support Section Chief after 200, when Cruz is injured. Thus, he is only in the field on very special occasions and has more of a traditional working schedule.
But Tali! There’s a big time jump between The Sandman and Beautiful Disaster! Hank Morgan is actually born in September, but you have his birthday in March? What’s with that?
The timeline would have been 90 shades of fucked if I included the time jump, as I already had Isaac born that March and wanted Mom and Savannah to be pregnant at the same time (you know, for bonding purposes) and also wanted to have the added elements of dealing with A Beautiful Disaster with a new Hotchner baby. It’s an AU 🤷🏻♀️
Who’s Dean?
He’s a friend of Reader’s from college - he’s excellent, and makes a fair few appearances after Berry Hill. Dean will return!
What about Sean?
Uncle Sean steps his game up! We will see lots of Sean in the later installments of AJF.
Does the family still go into WITSEC because of Mr. Scratch?
Because Hotch essentially has a 9-5 working schedule, WITSEC is not necessary, as protective surveillance is much more effective with only one parent traveling for work. Also, I’m lazy and go with the Dungeons and Dragons rule of “don’t split up the party.”
