#(rossi/gideon will call hotch aaron but thats different)

[maschotch]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's insane about hotch telling jordan to call him hotch ahdjjfkgkvmlh

I can't remember, so I could be wrong, but it's like one of the first times we see him acknowledge that as his nickname. obviously people call him that, he responds to it, but now we see him telling someone to call him that

I don't have any like thoughts to add to it, just that it does make me wonder where the nickname came from. did he ask people to call him that? was it gideon? someone else? so many questions

I don't know, something about it is endearing? he's the "serious boss man" but there isn't that formal-ness you know? there's a lot of thoughts and feelings about it, I just can't articulate shit gzjfjvlvmhlhlnl

akjsdhfgl i dont know WHY its so cute

normally when we see him introduce himself its in a purely professional setting? with sheriffs or detectives or local fbi agents.. not necessarily someone you would call by a nickname. he usually answers the phone with "hotchner," but when he's calling one of the team members he'll say "___, it's hotch." to be fair, i dont think most people have cause to say their own name in any other kind of situations, and definitely not a nickname. with other new bau members they seem to figure it out and catch on pretty quick, so he doesn't need to say anything there, so i think jordan is the only one he asks directly her to call him hotch. and its in such an uncharacteristic vibe from him? he's smiling and dips his head almost shyly when he says it.

anyway the important fucking question here: who gave him the nickname???? gideon tbh doesnt seem like the type to give nicknames, and rossi mostly calls him 'aaron' so i dont think it was either of them. honestly it seems like the kind of nickname thats been around a while.. its not anything he would go by when he's changing positions and climbing up the fbi career ladder, and i doubt its something he'd be called in a courtroom--or even a firm. and mmmm i dont see him going by his last name while his father is still alive, so its unlikely it happened before/in high school. mmaybe at a boarding school? i can imagine its not uncommon to be identified by last name. so either boarding school, college, or the fbi academy.. we see him interact w old friends from his past, but not anyone he seemed close enough with to be gifted a permanent nickname

idk maybe its not even important at all akjsdhlkj but i just have so many quuuuestions!! the hotch we see in the show is an end product of his life experiences up till now.. he's been creating the version of himself we see him stay at without further evolution for ten years--he's figured out his life and who he is, he's not making any major changes. and there are just.. so many missing pieces that would tell us why he is who he is. and maybe its not a big deal, but there are so many options that i think would have a major impact on his self image..

[maschotch]

Who gave him the nickname - don't see Max Ryan as a candidate either out of the original BAU, but Katie Cole maybe.

I could see maybe Kate Joyner early on in his FBI career. While I'm not sure they had anything going on beyond friendship (no matter how many times the others said the word liased in a weird voice), they did seem fairly close and it would add a little extra meaning given that this is the first time we see a new team member introduced since her death and the first time we see him explicitly tell someone to call him Hotch.

kate would call him hotch, but when they interacted one on one she mostly called him aaron. i think considering the brief time they had together, it was unlikely she would be the one to start the nickname, but still prefer to use his first name. and tbh it seemed like he was alone when he worked w scotland yard?? maybe thats a leap, but theres so much history thats unclear for him. anyway he doesnt seem like the type to have a rapid friendship form, then come back and be like “call me hotch now :^)” akdjskhf like i like her and i think they’re cute, but i doubt she had that much of an impact

i like it being katie. id prefer it if he’s had the nickname longer than he’s been at the bau, but it does make sense: unless he really does introduce himself as “hotch,” idk how well a nickname would stick through different friendships/periods of his life (but ig there is something sweet about brighteyed greenhorn little fbi agent aaron eagerly joining the bau going “hi :^) im aaron hotchner :^) but everyone called me hotch <3”)

i agree that max ryan seems unlikely to give him a nickname.. rossi and ryan particularly seem like the kind of people who would enjoy lording their seniority by lowkey demeaning someone by calling someone below them by their first names?? idk if that makes sense, but its a particular energy when someone uses your first name in a setting where last names are considered appropriate/respectful—its almost derogatory. like saying “youre not someone i feel the need to treat as an equal”

i could see katie doing it for sure. especially since she’s adamant about being called by a certain name: she’d pick up on the mild insult of being referred to by his first name and maybe try to find an alternative that isnt so formal but still something that would indicate a friendly air. idk just her being kinda annoyed at the others insisting on calling him aaron and saying “you know what? im gonna call you hotch, how does that sound?” and eager-to-please aaron hotchner being excited to being gifted a nickname by his senior—its a sign of acceptance.

gideon also calls him hotch a lot.. actually idek how often he called him aaron….. gideon doesnt usually seem like the nickname-giving type, but he does seem like the kind of person who would distractedly shorten someone else’s name without really thinking about it. tbh he honestly seems like someone who would be bad at remembering names, so maybe he intentionally gave him that name bc it was easier to remember or maybe he just accidentally called him that so many times that it just stuck. idk when alex was a profiler—maybe she was on the bau but maybe she worked somewhere else.. i cant quite remember what they said about her for that.. but if she was a junior agent along with hotch, i think itd be cute if she was the one who gave him a nickname. itd be especially meaningful coming from her, who’s a linguist. she likely knows a great deal ab etymology and appreciates the significance of names. itd be a sign of intimacy/mutual trust for her to choose to call him that.