I knew you&#39;d understand

Hi, I'm lwhit and this is my first post here. I sincerely hope everyone enjoys this idea we've come up with. Like piepeloe said if you have any suggestions please feel free to tell us.
As piepeloe has already said we hope everyone will be nice and bear in mind we have different opinions about Hotch/Reid. A lot of us are shippers while some of us may only see them as friends, brothers or as a mentoring relationship.
-H/R: The best gift I believe Reid may have gotten is the satchel. I have a feeling his mother got it for him and he's kept hold of it all these years for sentimental value. I believe Hotch's all-time favourite Christmas gift is perhaps a Christmas tree decoration Jack made when he was at playschool. I think his least favourite might be a pair of socks his aunt got him once. I think Reid likes to give sentimental gifts and might even track down the earliest edition of a certain book or something if one of his loved one's wants that book. I believe the gifts he likes to get also might be nerdy or some kind of gift that also holds sentimental value for him; a present that someone has given great thought to. With Hotch I believe he likes to give practical gifts but secretly likes to get sentimental gifts but would probably put up the front he prefers practical ones. I believe Hotch would possibly get Reid something sentimental like a book in one of the languages Reid likes to read in while Reid would probably return the gift with possibly something also sentimental like a first edition of a book Hotch used to read as a child or an LP of the Beatles etc. I believe Reid would freak out about what to get Hotch after they've become a couple but Hotch would assure him whatever he gets Jack would love it. With those that are hard to buy or impossible to wrap my mind might be a little too dirty to post.
Something that makes me smile is my family especially my nephews.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1203536536393372&set=pb.100002111124438.-2207520000.1481736960.&type=3&theater

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See, people always immediately go to books when it comes to Reid, but I'm not so sure. I mean, he remembers everything he reads, so why would he really want to own shelves upon shelves. Maybe certain books for sentimental reasons as you said. He'd probably still have a lot, but then that would make it difficult to know what to buy.

I really like the idea of Hotch claiming he wants practical gifts, but secretly wanting something personal. Could be sentimental, but it could just be something silly that was mentioned in a random conversation. I think that could actually be a sweet H/R moment as Reid is definitely more overtly sentimental and whimsical. If he knew everyone else was getting Hotch socks and ties and whatnot, he'd make sure to get something fun.

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True he would have a whole library full of books covering wall to wall. It would be so hard to think of a book to get him.
Aw thanks xx I thought maybe that would be Hotch's take on things as there is the front he puts on yet a sweet, sentimental side inside. I think it would be such a sweet moment between the two of them. True Reid would be the one to break away from everyone else.
What are your answers to the questions you posted? Just curious. You know I love you, my friend

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Reid's favorite presents are about the people who gave them to him, I think. So maybe his Mom once gave him a beautiful pen and he still writer with that. Gideon probably got him a chess set at one point, though it has tough competition with those football tickets. The date was rubbish, but it did start his friendship with JJ. I'm betting he still has the first picture Henry drew him framed somewhere.

Hotch loves anything and everything Jack ever gives him. Aside from that his favorite is probably something Jack-related Haley gave him not long after he was born. Like his first baby shoe preserved or a cast of a footprint. Haley gave him loads of presents over the years, but so many of them are bittersweet after what happened. This remained pure.

I think they'd be pretty good about getting each other gifts when they're still just friends. Better than the rest of the team who aren't always able to wrap their heads around Reid's weirder interests or see Hotch's more fun-loving side. But then they'd get together and suddenly the gifts need to have 'meaning' and I think at least one of them would freak a little. They'd probably be fine once they realized they could just do what they always do except with a bigger budget than an office party would allow.

I really like the idea of them getting together because a gift reveals a little too much of how one of them feels. Or maybe one of them didn't have time to get one but it's ok because 'there's something I've always wanted to give you' and then they kiss. <3

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Ooh I like those presents for Reid. Yer I think the presents that would mean the most to him would have sentimental value to him. Also his friendship with JJ and the fact he's godfather to Henry is so precious to him.
I too believe that Hotch would love anything and everything that Jack gives him. He's such a good and loving father. I have a feeling too that his favourite would probably be something Jack-related Haley gave him as would the memories it brings up for him. Also I agree with what happened between him and Haley, the affair and then how she died her presents would remain bittersweet for him but that thing she gave him when Jack was just a baby would remain pure for him.
I think as friends they would get them the best gifts for each other as they have a deep understanding of each other also. I think they would probably get harder once they are together. Which one do you think would freak out? Just curious. I think they would both need some reassuring but once they do make that realisation I agree they'd just get what they used to but on a bigger budget.
I really like that idea too. Like one of them gets a gift that has a lot more meaning and shows how much the other one has been listened too and perhaps it does cause them to kiss. I'd very much like it to.

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This is a drive-by comment to say "HI!"

I'll be back later with more, I swear... ♥

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HI! back to you as well :)

This might be a good time to mention my co-conspirator lwhit and I both live in Europe. But just because we're asleep doesn't mean the party can't go on. We truly hope to wake up tomorrow to find tons of comments and maybe even keep talking.

(Also, I love your icon)

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Hi back

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Hello Hotch/Reid People! I'm Blythe. I get lonely over here on LJ since fandom moved to Tumblr but I can't take on the social-media-flavor-of-the-year each time it changes. That's exhausting. Seriously. I've also found this fandom to be quieter than others, unless the fans are irate about something (and Hotch's exit definitely qualifies). At any rate, this is where I lurk. I also write fanfic and make fanart, all of which can be found on Ao3. (http://archiveofourown.org/users/blythechild) I'm delighted at the possibility of meeting new fans here ;)

Let's get this out of the way: I 'ship Hotch/Reid, but also 'ship Hotch/Prentiss, and Prentiss/Reid (and recently, in a fit of writerly madness, Hotch/Prentiss/Reid). As a fan for many years I think Hotch is an integral part of the group, and I'm worried about the feel of the show now he's gone (and don't get me started on how they wrote him out - I'll get a bit ranty). But that's where fandom comes to the rescue, right? Right! ♥

To answer the posed questions above (and these answers exist ONLY in my personal head canon): Reid's favorite Xmas received as an adult is the Baby Groot that sits in a plant pot on his desk. He doesn't know who gave it to him - it just showed up one day and saved him from having to watch various ACTUAL plants die slow deaths on the corner of his desk - but he loves it because he learned long ago that it's fine to be a nerd when the people around you buy into the concept. Also, being a 6'1" kid is awesome - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Hotch's favorite Xmas gift is a statue of him that Jack made out of Play-Doh when he was four. It is him as a pirate but he also has wings and one side of his body is suspiciously longer than the other, but he loves it. He had it coated in resin to make it permanent and it sits on a shelf behind his desk in his office.

If/when Hotch and Reid become a couple, the gifting naturally gets more complicated. Hotch's gifts to Reid are taking him places he's never been to before, because he understands that Reid considers memories to be precious. Sometimes it's just the two of them, sometimes it's with Jack, and sometimes, they just stay home *waggles eyebrows*.

The first year they were together, Reid bought Hotch a tiny antique compass on a chain. He told him that a compass is always useful and no matter where you are or what happens, it will always help you find your way home again. Since they've all had trouble finding their way at times, Hotch was deeply touched by this gift. He carries it with him everywhere in the interior pocket of his suit jacket so it will be there if he ever needs it.

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Hey Blythe, I'm Tess. I'm so sorry it's been so lonely over here. Though I use other social media sites I'll try and be on here as often as I can. Been on lj for years just never knew about communities until piepeloe informed me about them. I can understand how exhausting it is trying to keep up with the trends. I don't use snapchat. Can't wrap my head around it. Ooh I'll definitely have a look at your work. I also write fanfic but post it on fanfiction.net or my own journal. I'm delighted to meet you and get to know you.
I ship Hotch/Reid as well and used to also ship Hotch/Prentiss and even once Hotch/Rossi. Prentiss/Reid is an interesting one and threesome's is fascinating. Hey, it's alright to be a bit ranty. I believe we all are over the way they wrote him out but we are always here for each other. As a fan of Hotch and Thomas Gibson for years I believe he is integral to the show and I can't watch without him.
Ooh I love the idea of a Baby Groot sitting in his plant pot on his desk. I think it would show that the people around him accept and encourage who he is while saving all those plants from dying slow deaths and his guilt building up over watching them die.
I totally love that idea of Jack's statue of Hotch made out of Play-Doh that he gave his dad. It sounds so creative and sweet and shows Hotch just what his son thinks of him. Plus I can imagine him putting things that Jack made for him on his shelves to help him escape from what passes across his desk.
Ooh I love those ideas of Hotch taking Reid to places he's never been before and showing him more of what's out there. I love the idea of them maybe going to museums, parks, the cinema either alone or with Jack. I also have an image of Hotch secretly being a great chef and showing Reid his culinary skills.
Aw I love the idea of the tiny antique compass. It's so sweet and romantic.

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Hi Tess! *waves*

You should check out the CM fics over on Ao3. There are plenty of authors who crosspost to ff.net as well, but also ones (like me) who don't. You might find some new favorites ;)

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I will definitely try it out :D

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Yeah, I'm not delighted by the constant moving around either. Sometimes it works out; I prefer AO3 to ff.net for example. But I do miss the ability to have decent discussions and be a part of a community. LJ is excellent for that, tumblr not so much apparently.

I shipped H/R from the very early eps, and I'm very much an OTP (per show) kind of person. Still, I do try to see what others see in pairings. Rewatching it helps because I know when stuff gets good for H/R, so I don't have to wonder. That said, I don't think I quite get H/P. I've only just reached s4 in my re-watch and I do think they have more time together later on, but I just never saw it. There's a lot of respect and understanding there, but I think they're too alike, maybe? I have read a R/P fic and mostly enjoyed it, though it was an odd format as it was all texts the team sent each other. And I've read an H/R/P fic, but mostly by accident and/or for the smut. Fun times.

I think I could have dealt with Hotch being off the show, especially since Prentiss was taking over. People have come and gone before and it's worked. But the way fandom and (people behind) the show responded to the whole mess soured me on the show itself. It feels like we weren't/aren't allowed to be upset Hotch is gone. That if you're not completely cool with it you're a delusional TG stan or condoning abuse or the other day I saw someone use the word meninist. That's not the point at all? I just wanted acknowledgement that this sucked for the character and the fans. And a decent exit.

I like the idea behind the Baby Groot gift. I don't know if Reid is actually into comic books and comic book movies. I think Hotch might be more likely to know about it even if just because of Jack. But a gift acknowledging/accepting/encouraging Reid's geeky side is pretty sweet.

I love the image of a bright Play-Doh figurine among all the serious certificates and trophies and law texts Hotch has in his office. I can just imagine people's reactions when they first noticed it and the glare he'd give them in return.

I can see them going on trips instead of doing presents. Reid because there are so many 'normal' family things he hasn't done. And I think Reid would return the favor by trying to bring out Hotch's fun & dorky side. He definitely has one, he mentioned coin-collecting, there was the thing with the pirate hat. He does actually joke around with Reid sometimes. Hotch would give Reid a home, a family while Reid could add some more joy to Hotch's life.

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I hated ff.net, and when the adult content cull happened a few years ago, I was out. Ao3 is a better interface to use, but it has some significant drawbacks, not the least of which is that it actively discourages community events. To me that's backwards thinking for a fan archive and I hope they change their policies eventually. And that site has been in 'beta' for years now...

As a writer, I do not hold on too strongly to show canon. I find it limits what I can do with the characters. That's why my head canon is so specific. In my head, Reid is a broad spectrum nerd, whereas on the show his nerdiness seems limited to books, math and learning. The same thing goes for Hotch and Prentiss. Some insights have been given to us when it served a greater narrative purpose to an episode, but not enough to flesh out much about their non-work lives. Hotch was in a musical once and may collect coins, Prentiss has a cat, once lived in Italy, and was a goth as a teenager... it's not really a trove of information.

I've stayed away from almost all of the fan rage over TG's firing. I don't know the man and I can't comment on his life or choices. Also, it's the character he played that I'm interested in - not him. I think a lot of fans have a hard time separating the two. And as a fan, I try to respect other fans' preferences even if I don't understand them - and I expect that respect to be returned. People who come at you and hurl insults because you don't agree with their opinion are the very definition of small-minded, and I don't have time to waste on that.

We'll see how the show does ratings-wise this season. I'm getting a little 'Spidey Sense' feeling that the show isn't long for this world, even if TG had remained. I think its best stories have already been told :(

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I mostly hate ff.net because it's hard to search and since there's so much (bad) fic on there, that is kind of a necessity. AO3 has it's problems, but they're easily dealt with. Community events? I thought AO3 had some stuff for that, to organize gift exchanges etc. and now the new 'collections' thing. But I honestly wouldn't know about that on either sites, I only have the one fic (not CM).

Yeah, it's something I dislike about the show, how little time they spend on the characters. The earlier seasons gave us some tidbits on occasion, but recently it's nothing. You do have to sort of make stuff up or get completely stuck otherwise. We actually got lucky with Reid. He's got quite a few details of his life filled in, including interests and hobbies etc. Compare that to some of the others...A lot of it is open to interpretation. Which does make for more interesting fic. Because often it's perfectly possible for people to have been dating or whatever, since we know nothing about what they do outside their jobs.

I feel the same way. I have to stay neutral on TG, because it's very possible he could have done what he did and deserved to get fired. I don't care how nice he seemed on social media, we don't know him. But a lot of people got him and Hotch mixed up. Both TG fans I think who projected Hotch's position as the team's moral guide onto the actor, but also other CM fans who projected their dislike of TG on Hotch. When the s11 finale aired people were so worried about what was going to happen to Hotch, then the whole mess happened and suddenly no one had ever liked the character. And I could have understood if it was just fans doing this, but it was the show too. It has just soured the whole thing for me.

I definitely get those vibes too. Stories have been getting stale and repetitive. Also, would Paget Brewster sign on for a really long time when what she really wants to do is comedy? Apparently Joe Mantegna has said this is his final season, but this is hearsay for me. And there's an ep coming up called 'Spencer'. They say MGG isn't going anywhere, but they pretty much said the same thing about Shemar Moore last year. He keeps wanting to take time off, he already has a foot half out the door IMO. Even if he stays, the cast's contracts are up this season. CM always takes until the last minute to renew because it's difficult and expensive, etc. But add in contract negotiations and they could just decide it's not worth the effort.

I think CM could still redeem itself with me. As crappy as Hotch's exit was, it did leave an opening for him to come back so we could get an actual goodbye. Even if it was just a cameo in the last episode of the series. I kind of wonder if they're ever going to deal with that though, at this point I'd be surprised if they remembered it when they finally catch Mr. Scratch. So nr 1, a better exit for Hotch. Nr 2 is a decent exit for Reid, if they are writing him out. But if Hotch is coming back at some point I kind of want him there for that. I also can't imagine him walking away from the BAU, especially if one of the team is still sort of in danger. I want good endings for both of them, and preferably also one last scene together. Don't have much hope for any of those things though.

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I agree there is a lot of bad fic on ff.net but I try to sift it through. Saying that though I will definitely have a look at Ao3. What sort of problems does it have?
I must admit I don't like how little we know about the characters. As well as how many storylines have been dropped concerning the characters over the years. I agree though that it does leave a lot of scope open for fanfic.
I agree that people are mixing up the two and there is a difference between TG and Hotch. I also don't like that what happened has also sullied what they did with Hotch. I mean if the writers don't like him fine but don't take that dislike out on Hotch. Hotch was their own creation yet they decided to ruin his character.
I personally find what happened very painful. I've loved him for years ever since I was a child but also I've suffered similar personal experiences which have been stirred up over the last few months.
I've noticed too how many storylines have either been flat or repeated just in a different form. I mean Foyet was even repeated in a way with Morgan's exit. I also have a feeling that MGG is leaving and that this is their last season. I mean also look at the ratings.
I also want good endings for both of them and one last scene between the two of them but don't hold much hope for either. I hope though that when they catch Mr Scratch they do at least mention something along the lines that Hotch and Jack can come home now or at least that now they're truly safe.

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I got a bad feeling about Reid's story arc after the last episode. This dementia thing with his mom would be the perfect way to write him out of the show. I searched (admittedly, not very hard) for casting rumors but there's nothing obvious about MGG leaving before the season's end. I'd hate to say it - no matter how much I love Garcia and Prentiss - if Reid got written off (and with Hotch already gone) I'd lose all interest in watching any further seasons. It'd be too much loss for me to handle. I was never a big fan of Morgan, but I miss his presence on the show, and I'm not yet okay with Hotch being gone even if it did bring Prentiss back into the fold.

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The adult content cull? I've been able to write controversial plotlines, sexual scenes and torture. What's Ao3 like?
I find canon really limiting too. There's so much more you can do with head canon. True the show doesn't give us too much information about their characters and I look forward to reading about your head canon.
I admit I don't know him but I have read so much about him as I've been a fan of his since Dharma and Greg. I too find fans have a hard time seperating the two. I think everyone should respect other's preferences as it just makes everyone get on better. I can't understand those who hurt abuse or insults at you if you don't agree with them too and I think you got the definition right.
Same here. I think the writing has run out of steam.

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The adult content thing happened years ago (like maybe 4 or 5 years at this point) - that's how old I am ;) FF.net was being threatened with lawsuits for hosting pornographic material while not age-restricting user access. There was talk that the servers would be shut down if the situation wasn't fixed and at the time it was the biggest fan fiction site out there. Instead of revamping the user interface to limit access to adult content, they opted to forbid NC-17 material from the site. But because so much of that already existed on the site, they still had to deal with it. It seems as though some self-appointed users began flagging certain works to site admin to be removed. This then morphed into these groups flagging material THEY didn't approve of (for reasons other than graphic content). It got a little witchhunt-y for a while and that's when I left. In the end it seems it was all for nothing because, as you pointed out, lots of graphic content exists there and I don't believe they ever officially enacted their 'no NC-17' policy.

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