#ajf soph

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a joyful future costume plates.

jack brooks hotchner b. 2005

isaac spencer hotchner b. 2016

caroline emily hotchner b. 2018

sophia haley hotchner b. 2018

elliot david hotchner b. 2022

[ssaic-jareau]

rings.

movie posters for a joyful future series: 20/?

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(open for better quality, bc tumblr).

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okay just for fun

ajf kids as star wars original trilogy score pieces

aka watch tali geek out about music for however many words this is

jack | throne room and end titles (a new hope)

https://open.spotify.com/track/0KOYV2jgRZWLcLI94kiscs?si=0ef95a600bb84012

let’s be real. this piece makes your chest feel too small for your feelings, it makes you feel like a superhero, it makes you smile. 

the brass in the very beginning has big jack energy for me. we know how much punch ajf!jack has - he’s straightforward and observant, cheeky and kind. this march ticks all those boxes. this opener is unapologetic, percussion and strings underscoring the high brass carrying our melody, just like jack. he’s got that kind of gentleness to him that his father does, but it’s under this brave, quippy exterior that’s just perfect for this march. 

while being generally noble as hell, the strings we go into the softer melodic section that guides us into the main theme - which is just a banger, objectively. jack has huge main character energy. this piece gives us that and so much more with that melody we all know and love. 

the low brass is so consistent!! it’s so loyal!! ahh!! 

the march kind of gives way as the piece moves along, delivering something softer and less rigid, something lighter. as type-a as jack is (he’s his father’s son, after all), he’s really able have some fun. 

leia’s theme sneaks in around the 3:20 mark, which exemplifies (to me) the connection he has to the rest of his family. but it dives right back into the main theme again - all strong brass that would be harsh if it wasn’t so well-adjusted. it’s exciting!!

isaac | luke and leia (return of the jedi)

https://open.spotify.com/track/4MKEo7fV2xIBbeIrbYj7vV?si=502fe798be43461b

there are so many layers to this piece. it travels so far and brings us back to somewhere we recognize. 

the almost mournful, clear french horn that stands on its own after the woodwinds lull us into this place of understanding and peace. this melody always makes me weep, for some reason. not so much because it’s sad, but it’s so full of connection. isaac’s spirit is so wound into that beautiful clarity of a well-played french horn for me - there’s something so deeply special about it. 

and it’s different from the other brass instruments! it’s harder to play and it looks different. i don’t think we have to stretch too far to see how that applies to isaac. metaphorically, he’s still a brass instrument, but he operates in a way that is fundamentally different than people around him. 

and then we get the strings and the woodwinds taking over that same melody, building on it and making it rounder and fuller. it’s hopeful, it’s complex, it’s so gentle. 

because this is luke and leia’s suite, there’s a conversation in the music - one that turns into a conflict. we can hear that in the strings around the two minute mark. isaac struggles. he sometimes has a hard time, but just like that high brass, he pushes through in a way that just makes your heart swell. 

the final bit carries us out the way we came in - a little bit of magic with that motif, leaving us with something that almost feels like the answer to a question. yeah, i’m crying. why do you ask?

caroline | princess leia’s theme (a new hope)

https://open.spotify.com/track/0mFyq7zeU21fW5VE9028lN?si=61caca109a3847a1

alright alright i know. but stay with me. 

not only is caroline aaron’s little princess, there’s a connection to the piece i chose for isaac - their motifs complement each other, just like they do as siblings. we have some french horn in here too, delivering a melody that is delicate, feminine, but not weak. it’s so clear!! such a bright tone. 

there’s a little bit of uncertainty that sneaks in there in the beginning, but the flute comes in at about the 1:30 mark to remind us of that light, that something that is difficult to articulate or understand. it’s taking us somewhere - the melody line feels meandering and lilting, like a breeze. i always think of caroline as a breath of fresh air in many ways. 

and then you get those STRINGS oh yeah okay i’m crying. we have this melody again - this motif that is so recognizable - building in, layering with the entire orchestra until it just tips over the edge in a way that’s absolutely breathtaking. caroline is both predictable and unexpected in this way - we know it’s coming, we know that the music is going to hit that precipice and blossom, but when it does whooooooo boy is it powerful. 

sophia | rebels at bay (the empire strikes back)

https://open.spotify.com/track/2NWNkDoePT1QOKx8wUnf7d?si=4a4cc22379814337

this is an.....unorthodox choice. i’ll admit it. 

but i didn’t want to pick a theme or a suite for sophia - i needed a piece that makes you want to move. this one underscores a battle in the film, and i think it’s just perfect for our soph. it’s got these lilting strings and woodwind sections and then it dives into something intense, maybe even a little masculine. 

but it’s hurried!! you gotta go!! where??? i don’t know! and then there are these little breathers built in. just like sophia, it moves and watches and moves and watches. these little breaks always take us somewhere surprising. it could get darker, maybe even a little scary, but it’s always moving. this reminds me of sophia’s bravery. she pushes through - often with grit and raw energy. 

around the 3:40 mark we get the main theme motif back - this reminded me of her connection with jack. this rushed, intense piece becomes something that sounds hopeful and heroic with bars we’ve heard before. 

this piece also travels, like luke and leia, but there’s a sense of urgency. there are always stakes for sophia because she bets big or not at all. she throws herself into everything she does with zeal and enthusiasm. 

even when the imperial march makes an appearance, it’s faster than the original, still upbeat and exciting to experience. i love this piece because no matter how many times i hear it, it has me on the edge of my seat. 

elliot | parade of the ewoks (return of the jedi)

https://open.spotify.com/track/5T0aZmjk3KNrLayQu7VBgP?si=902a5770241c4728

i can’t get over the whimsy in this one. it’s unexpected and a little magical in all the right ways. 

we start with the woodwinds and a kind of plucking underscore - elements that remind me of elliot’s go with the flow kind of attitude. he just plots along, adding something curious and youthful to those around him. 

the range on this piece is super wide - we go very low and very high. we’ve got low brass creeping in with these trills just to keep it a little spicy, just like our favorite youngest sibling.

and then of course the french horn shows up. both john williams and i love a french horn and a repeating melodic motif. 

this song is so confident!! and so triumphant. like i get big self-satisfied vibes from this song and that just...is elliot to a T.

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okay i’m so sorry my brain can’t stop thinking of questions i have, but what do you think each of the kids decided to do after highschool, career wise?

i have these for ya! see below the cut :) i also went a little ham (and updated their business cards they get when all their degrees are finished!!)

as of 2042, this is where we’re at! this is in the author’s note for the 2042 fic - rings.

Jonathan “Jack” Brooks Hotchner, 37, Department of Defense Civilian Contractor, holds a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in Systems Engineering from George Washington University. Married to Isabella, and has a son, Grayson, aged 4. 

Isaac Spencer Hotchner, 26, PhD (3rd year) in Applied Behavioral Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, holds a BA in Cognitive Science and an MS in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Caroline Emily Hotchner, 24, DPhil in Law (2nd year) at Trinity College Oxford, holds a BA in English from Brown University and an MSc in Conflict Studies at the London School of Economics.

Sophia Haley Hotchner, 24, MS in Sports Management (1st year) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Southern California.

Elliot David Hotchner, 20, BA in Linguistics (Junior/3rd Year) and D1 Pitcher for the University of California, Los Angeles

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This is not really related to #AJF100 but it can be: I just had this very clear image the other day of 3 or 4 year old Sophia calling Aaron “Hotch” after spending the day with all her BAU aunts and uncles

Hotch is SO OFFENDED BY IT, because he’s not Hotch he’s DADDY or DADA and he’ll accept dad he guesses.

Everyone else thinks it’s hysterical of course

okay this is SO funny??? i love it

ajf 100 celebration!

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Caroline and Sophia’s Instagram Profiles

a joyful future au social media 1/??

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Random ajf ask but do you feel like any of the kids would’ve gotten into fight at school but for the right reasons?? For example, for one of my wips the main characters son gets into a fight at school because he noticed a guy harassing a girl and he wouldn’t leave her alone even when she asked and when he tried to step in, the other guy put his hands on their son. I feel like sweet baby boy Jack would do something like this and Aaron would be like “well I’d prefer it if you didn’t fight but good job”

jack and sophia for SURE. jack’s definitely gone down defending someone’s honor before. 

someone unclipped soph’s bra in class and she bopped the hell out of him and they called aaron and it was a whole thing.

because he’s A Lawyer, he got soph’s detention overturned and the other kid got suspended for sexual harassment.

aaron, closing the car door: so, you know you’re not allowed to fight. soph: ...yeah.” aaron: that said... good job, kid. who taught you to bust someone over the ear like that? soph, grinning: uncle derek.

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how do our favourite ajf couples handle The Talk? and also, how do they start talking about lgbtq+ things? we love communication and education in this house ✨ - 💙

alRIGHT we are going OFF under the cut about good parenting (and also aaron’s the best dad on the planet change my mind)

this is litcherally almost 1.5k words because not only are we inclusive and educational in this house, we are comprehensive and honest with our kids!

they start with consent and boundaries really early. its always “can you ask you sister if its okay to use her tablet” or “honey you're standing a little close to me and i need some space right now. can you step back?” or “i don't really want to do that right now, can we do something else?”

its easier to understand boundaries with the addition of isaac in their home environment. he needs and has very clear boundaries for his siblings and his parents, so its very clear cut from the get-go what is and isn’t okay without permission. mom and aaron are good about knocking on doors and waiting for their kids to invite them into their space, and they’re awesome about privacy and open conversations.

auntie emily has a girlfriend or two and spencer has a boyfriend, a non-binary partner, and a girlfriend over the course of the kids’ lives, which is a really neat segue into the lgbtq+ conversation. very simple - 

“when you’re older, you might start feeling things for people, or you might not. there are different words for people who are attracted to different people, and those are called sexualities. for example, your aunt emily is a lesbian because she likes girls, and your uncle spencer has dated people of different genders, so he’s called bisexual.  

“there are also different words for people who don’t really fit in to the ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ category. some people are a lot of one or the other, some people are a little bit of both, and others aren’t any at all. 

“it’s really important to use these words respectfully, and only use them for someone if you have heard someone use them for themselves. this is a really private thing for most people, so we have to be respectful of people’s boundaries when we talk about the feelings we have for other people.

“if you ever want to talk to mom or me about feelings you’re having, we will be here for you to love you and accept you no matter what.”

(these kids are either gen z or whatever the fuck comes after them, so they’ll probably all be a little queer in one way or another, or at least explored a bit, lets be real)

they are very age-appropriate, as well. so there’s a conversation about how our bodies change when the kids are about nine or ten, and they have a lot of books for the kids to read in private, so they’re not so put on the spot. 

mom and aaron do their best to tag team, but there are some things that are better to hear from your dad than your mom and vice versa. 

this is also around the time the kids get the conversation about what is and isn't appropriate touching, peer pressure, and social norms (”sometimes, people will say that they’ve done something that you hadn’t thought of before or aren’t ready to do, and it might feel like everyone else has done it, too. however, you are you and you are not them. you are the only person who gets to tell you what to do, and never feel like you have to do anything for any reason.”)

jack, of course, is first, and is having these first conversations with aaron right around the time isaac is born.

when he gets further into middle school, he and aaron go for a walk and talk more specifically about consent and new feelings that might come up. idk about yall, but i knew way more than i should have in middle school and the internet has only gotten worse since then, so i’m sure jack has a vague idea of the mechanics. jack and mom also talk about values, like respect and compassion and empathy, and how those values link together with those feelings. 

when they're older (late middle school, early high school), they get the conversation about stds and safety and risks and that stuff. (that’s another easy conversation with real-life examples because isaac, while very wanted, was somewhat unexpected, and so was their cousin henry.) everyone is really clear about all the ways to engage in these activities that won’t get anyone hurt, pregnant, infected, or all of the above. (all of course, with the understanding that “this is for your knowledge, not for you to just know how to go off and sow your wild oats. you’ll have plenty of time for that later, i promise.”)

the segue for isaac’s first on-topic talk comes due to a question about how jack has a different mom than the rest of them. there was a comment at school that made isaac feel a little weird (”well jack’s not your real brother. he doesn't count because he's your half-brother” - that kind of thing) so he asked mom and dad about it. he already knew that jack has a different mom, but he doesn't really know what that means. 

aaron’s like “well, jack is made of different stuff because he didn’t come out of mom.”

“what kind of different stuff?”

(and of course mom thinks its hilarious and later says “you walked right into that one, honey.”)

so because isaac is isaac and loves to learn, aaron goes and grabs one of the books he got for jack, and he and mom walk through all the “stuff” that makes up a person and how it gets there. they’re a little more detailed with him than the other kids, because he really likes to know the science and mechanics of it (”dad, people are kind of like machines!” “yeah, bud, a little bit!”)

hes fascinated, of course, and he’s the easiest of the five. he also does really well with more abstract ideas of consent and boundaries as well. 

when it’s the girls’ turn, they not only get the mechanics conversation (for both sex and owning a uterus) but the safety conversation. because consent was so drilled into all of them, the boys are like “aight got it, don’t be an asshole and always ask about everything all the time. cool.” but the girls are dealing with some different stuff on multiple fronts. 

mom tells them about periods before they get them, so they’re not thinking they’re dying when their first period arrives. they actually help their friends a lot when they freak out, which is super sweet. 

aaron reiterates this one to every kid, every time: 

“there will be times where people, usually men, do not listen to you and do not respect your boundaries. i am giving you my permission to do whatever you have to do to get out of that situation. you can lie to that person, you can trick that person, and you can hurt that person if that’s the only way to get out of that situation. you can always call us and it doesn’t matter what time it is. we will never ever be mad at you. we love you unconditionally and we just want you to be safe.” 

“sex, for some people, is about fun and getting some exercise in, or just another way to spend time with people. that’s okay, but just make sure you’re taking care of yourself and being safe. for other people, its a physical way to express your love to someone you really care about.” 

(“oh, so that’s why there’s so many of us.” “soph don’t be rude.” “it’s true isnt it?”)

so its less of like The Talk and more of Yeah, We Can Talk About This Anytime, because mom and aaron do their best to normalize talking about this stuff so the kids won’t be embarrassed to come to them with stuff in the future. 

jack usually goes to mom with more...specific questions. caro ends up going to dad more often than not, and soph and elliot split the parents pretty evenly. isaac usually goes to mom, too. 

aaron’s favorite Jack Asks About Sex moment (relayed to him that night, in bed with mom) is as follows:

mom and jack are out on a walk, and jack’s like, 15ish. he just looks at her and is like “mom. hey, uh. what’s a blowjob?”

she tries not to laugh and succeeds, for the most part. in the spirit of honesty, and with the understanding of “you aren’t to do this until you are comfortable and ready and nobody else can tell you when that is,” she kind of loosely outlines oral sex and how to conduct it safely and responsibly. 

“is it like...good? fun? like ugh, god, how do i put this...do you and dad...do people...nevermind.”

with a laugh - “jack. you really don’t want me to answer that. i will scar you for life if you push.” 

“ugh. yikes. alright.” 

aaron thought it was HYSTERICAL. 

at the end of the day, they just want their kids to feel safe and loved. all five of them know that they were built and made with love, and know (within reason) that their parents love and enjoy each other. 

whew. thanks for coming to my ted talk, and you can thank my parents for some of these gems lmao

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do soph and spencer have like a little bonding moment abt knee injuries? obv they’re very different (one having recovered from theirs) but still. knee injury recovery is absolutely awful at times and they can both bond over that. and like can fashion. because obv both of them rocked the cane look

yes!! sophia actually gets one of spencer’s canes as a present for her eighteenth birthday. 

he shows her the best hacks for getting up the stairs and not forgetting her cane places, among other things!

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i just need jack bringing a girlfriend home and tiny soph has a GLARE and does not let them get any homework done at all

she totally does that thing that kids do where they just suck all the attention and air out of the room by showing off and being obnoxious 

jack goes into the bedroom, where mom and dad are just hangin out and watching a movie together and is like “guys soph is being ridiculous” and they’re like 

“you gave us the night off, so good luck.” 

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are any of our kids neurodivergent, lgbtq+ etc? literally ANYTHING outside of society’s bullshit “norms” - 💙

hell yeah! first things first, these kids are all in therapy because it’s just a good thing to do. these kids are also gen z and post-gen z (we don’t know what they’re like, yet!) so they’ve kind of got the queer thing on lock.

we went one by one under the cut:

jack has ptsd that creeps up on him every once and a while. he’s been diagnosed with a panic disorder that’s really well-managed as he grows into adulthood. he explored his sexuality a bit in college, and decided that boys and non-binary pals are an option, but he really likes girls. (i mean have you seen girls??) (enneagram 6w5)

isaac has autism spectrum disorder, (of the formerly-recognized Asperger’s variety), with his symptoms predominantly presenting as visual/auditory sensory processing issues and a struggle with implicit social cues. his brain is built for patterns and information recall. he’s also been diagnosed with adhd-pi and is a sex-neutral asexual. he and his uncle spencer can keep up with each other more often than not. (enneagram 5w6)

soph is a raging bisexual with adhd-ph and a wretched temper due to her adhd-based emotional disregulation. she’s always presented fairly androgynously, and doesn’t mind they/them pronouns in addition to she/her. after a soccer injury in high school, she will occasionally have to walk with a cane or other mobility support when her bad knee and hip act up (she can tell you when it’s going to rain and it’s really fun to thwack your siblings when they’re least expecting it!) (enneagram 8w9)

caro also has adhd-pi and is very much into people who are male-presenting, but she’s had a couple of girlfriends and is on the ace spectrum. she has dyscalculia (and it’s really frustrating) as well as demonstrable empathic abilities. (enneagram 2w1)

elliot is generally pretty queer - he, for a while, really felt comfortable wearing his sisters’ clothes and kind of fluxed around through high school. he’s comfy with he/him pronouns but doesn’t really give a fuck. he’s pretty neurotypical, but will sometimes experience depressive episodes. essentially, he’s one big shrug and everyone’s just like “yeah, he’s baby. don’t worry about him.” (enneagram 9w1)

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i made the kids email signatures and before you ask, nobody asked for them but here they are! (there are fun easter eggs in here - take a close look!)

elliot doesnt have one because a) he can’t be bothered and b) it only says “i used my iphone for this”

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during paternity leave with elliot, hotch allows the beard grow out to just a little bit of stubble until sophia and caro collectively decide they don’t want any kisses from daddy until it’s gone

mom is THRILLED the girls are like “fuck this, nope, absolutely not” 

caro mostly goes along with soph for it, and is a touch disappointed - 

“wait, daddy? it’s gone?”  “yeah love, i thought you didn’t like it.”  “oh. okay.” 

she bounces back quick enough but its so adorable. aaron just looks at mom like 🥺  “i thought she didnt like it”

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not me thinking about Spencer spending a christmas with the hotchner’s & also being woken up by a Sophia and Caroline.

okay nothing makes me softer than spencer during the holidays, spending time with the people he loves!! 

the girls love uncle spence and always find an excuse to go hang out with him. mom once found them all curled up on the couch, spencer with a book on his chest and the girls under his arms, fast asleep. 

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Oh my god i don’t know why, but toddler Sophia having a grumpy & sleepy day will not leave my head! She also 100% does not leave aaron or mom’s arms the entire day

grumpy sophia is nothing to trifle with!! she is not shy about any complaints she has. everyone knows exactly what’s going on at any given point, for better or worse

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the way that i NEED spencer & bby isaac snuggles as well as Spencer “accidentally” helping toddler/kid Sophia be incredibly chaotic

okay YES. grownups enabling childhood chaos is something i LOVE 

(for me, it was my big brother [24 years older than me] who enabled my chaos)