#how to unlock the power of your subconscious mind

[fluentmoviequoter]

Words to Die By

The Rookie x Criminal Minds Crossover

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!BAU!reader

Summary: Seven years after failing to become an LAPD officer, you return to Los Angeles as a literary analyst with the FBI's behavioral analysis unit to catch a serial killer.

Warnings: angst, violence, discussions of autopsies and forensic science, literary references, fluff and banter, improper use of a meat locker

Word Count: 13k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Rules

As the slick black SUV with US government plates parks outside the LAPD Mid-Wilshire station, you try not to reminisce. It would be too easy to remember how excited you were to walk in on your first day after the police academy, too easy to remember the devastation and heartbreak you felt walking through the same doors after surrendering your badge. You open the car door and focus on the current job, keeping your head down as you follow your team into the station that once felt like home. After finding an empty space out of the officers’ way to wait while your boss speaks to the watch commander and captain, you unlock your phone and scroll through the case details you reviewed on the flight, looking for anything you might have missed.

“Can I help you?”

You look up from your phone, the case detail email disappearing as you press the power button and smile at the LAPD officer standing before you.

“Sorry, I’m waiting for the rest of my team,” you explain before brandishing your badge.

“Oh, no worries. This is my first time working in a task force,” she replies. “It’s exciting.”

You nod and subconsciously tug on your sleeves. Officer Chen is obviously a rookie, and her enthusiasm is refreshing.

“Is this your first time in LA?” she asks.

“No, it isn’t.”

“Chen, Bradford wants to see you before roll call,” another officer calls.

“Is Bradford your training officer?” you ask.

“He is. Do you know him?”

You look around, then say, “Tim is on, what? His tenth plain clothes day washout?”

“Eleventh,” she answers, surprised.

“Nice to meet you, Officer Chen.” You offer your hand and say, “I’m number five.”

Chen’s jaw drops before she asks, “And now you’re FBI? How did that happen?”

“Long story… But I’m a literary analyst for the behavioral analysis unit, not exactly a field agent.”

A passing officer stops, then steps backward to look at you. “Are you on Hotchner’s team?”

“I am. I assume you remember him?”

“You know an FBI agent, Officer Lopez?” Chen asks.

“He was responsible for over 100 convictions of corrupt cops six or seven years ago. Five of them were LAPD, and one was our watch commander,” Lopez explains. “Chen, we need to get to roll call.”

You nod to Lucy, then return your attention to an email from Penelope.

“Your phone should be at least twelve inches from your face to limit blue light exposure,” Spencer says as he enters the station. “Sixteen to eighteen inches is preferable.”

“Spencer,” you reply, smiling as you turn toward him. “Penelope used what appears to be 6-point font and then zoomed out. I appreciate the concern for my eye health but take it up with her.”

Spencer frowns and murmurs, “Sounds like a job for Morgan.”

“What’s that, pretty boy?” Derek inquires as if he was summoned by the utterance of his name. “Gettin’ girlie here a date?”

“In Los Angeles?” you ask incredulously. “Hard pass.”

“Right, because the location is the issue with the plan. Not the fact that we’re working a case, and new evidence was discovered this morning,” Hotch deadpans from your side.

“I can multitask, boss man,” Derek defends, tossing his arm over your shoulders.

“Psychologists have determined the human brain isn’t designed for successful multitasking,” Reid begins. “It can cause switch cost, which results when attention and information retainment are suddenly redirected from one task to another, and cognitive efficiency and performance diminish-“

“Says the walking brain with at least fourteen tabs open,” Derek jokes.

“They’re waiting for us,” Hotch reminds. “I mean, only if you’re ready.”

“Your station,” Derek tells you, shaking your shoulders gently as he follows you toward the roll call room.

“… and there is no excuse for failure to communicate,” Sergeant Wade Grey continues as you follow Hotch into the roll call room.

You stand between Hotch and Derek as he speaks and look around the room. Fourteen officers are seated at the tables, listening intently even as their eyes stray to the case board. JJ joins you a moment later, mouthing an apology to Hotch before passing him a folder.

“More evidence?” you whisper.

She nods, then whispers something to Spencer, who furrows his brows and squints at the case board. You know the look, and it increases your concern about the case. Though there have been two notes and a book tied to the previous crime scenes, you’re unsure why  Hotch decided you needed to join them in LA. You could have stayed in Virginia with Penelope, you think, but you trust him and the rest of your team. Turning away from JJ, you fight the urge to peek into Hotch’s open folder as you run your eyes up and down the rows of officers. You recognize Chen and Lopez from this morning, but stop when you see Tim Bradford.

Hotch notices your shoulders stiffen in the split second before you relax, and he taps his elbow against you. You look up at him, and he nods once to reassure you. You’re not alone, and unlike the last time you were in this station, someone else knows the truth of what happened.

“Any questions about the case?” Grey asks. He sighs when someone raises their hand and says, “Yes, Nolan?”

Nolan doesn’t seem concerned with Grey’s lethargy. “What’s the connection between the zoo and the first victim?”

Spencer shifts beside you, and Derek shakes his head in amusement. You can imagine the rambling fighting to get out of Reid, and you smile at Derek rather than laugh.

“I should’ve been clearer. Any questions about our side of the investigation?” Grey amends, and this time the officers stay quiet. “In that case, I’d like to introduce Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner of the FBI, the BAU unit chief, who has brought his team across the country to assist in this case.”

Hotch walks to the front of the room and sets his files on the podium. He fixes an evaluating glare on the officers before him, then nods.

JJ leans toward you and asks, “Remember how intimidating that look used to be?”

“Still makes me stand up a little straighter,” you admit.

“We’re here to help,” Hotch begins. “But that means that we need you to be as committed to solving this case as we are. If you’re not ready for that, you’re free to go.” No one moves, so Hotch says, “Good. Sergeant Grey has briefed me on each of you. You’re good officers, but street smarts and police procedure won’t get this monster off the street.”

“But talking about the suspect’s feelings will?” one of the officers jokes.

Hotch’s eyebrows raise, and his serious look fades into a knowing glare. “You must be Bradford.”

JJ takes your hand, and Derek exhales. They know more about your history in LA than the people in LA do, and you appreciate their friendship and presence.

“Sorry, sir,” Tim replies. “I only meant that there is tangible evidence at these scenes, and it seems to me that concrete proof will help us find this guy faster than dissecting his mind through his habits and words.”

Hotch returns behind the podium and admits, “I understand how our process could seem like a waste of time, and criminal profiling is not an exact science, we’re wrong sometimes, but you know as well as I do that there’s no one right way to solve a crime. The important thing in this situation is to get a killer off the streets before he claims more lives. If our behavioral analysis can assist in that, we’d appreciate your cooperation.”

“I can assure you that you have the LAPD’s complete cooperation,” Sergeant Grey interjects, looking pointedly at Tim. “And anyone unwilling to do so will be removed from this task force.”

Tim crosses his arms across his chest and nods, a position you remember well from your limited days as a rookie. You expected this type of attitude from him and possibly more cops. You truly believe that the BAU can offer insights Tim can’t glean from analyzing a crime scene or going through the processed evidence.

“Do any of you have questions for me or my communications liaison?” Hotch asks.

Several officers ask questions about task force protocol, what your team does, and other run-of-the-mill inquiries about the federal agency and its duties.

“I believe it is time for introductions?” Hotch says, stepping to the side as he welcomes Sergeant Grey back to the front of the room.

“The LAPD has selected fourteen of its best officers-“ He turns away from the room and lowers his voice to tell Hotch, “If you’re against rookies on the team, I’ve got some other officers on standby.”

“If you trust them, they’re welcome to stay.”

Grey nods and turns, then continues, “Officer Lopez, Officer Bishop and her rookie, John Nolan, Officer Janssen…”

You tune out most of the officers’ names, trusting Spencer to fill in any blanks for you, until you hear, “Officer Bradford and his rookie, Lucy Chen.”

You were in Lucy’s position just over seven years ago, and now you’re looking in from the outside. You love your job and appreciate the FBI and the BAU for giving you a home and a rewarding career. Yet, sometimes you’re still plagued by the inevitable wondering, what if?

“Pleasure to meet you all,” Hotch responds. “I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner, behind you is my team: Special Agents Reid, Morgan, Jareau…” Hotch meets your eyes before introducing you, and you watch him rather than Tim, who turns quickly in his chair and stares wide-eyed at you before controlling his expression and returning to his usual composed demeanor.

“How is a literary analyst helpful?” someone questions softly.

“This unit has taken down more serial criminals than you can name,” Wade snaps. “Show a little respect.”

“We’d like to brief you before the media,” Hotch explains. “If it’s possible to reconvene before tomorrow’s patrol begins, of course.”

“Not a problem. I want all of you back in here fifteen minutes before beginning of shift tomorrow,” Wade tells his officers. “Keep the conversation in this room, understood?”

“Yes, sir,” the officers respond as they stand and file out of the door, some whispering together, others leaving quietly and alone.

“I think that went well,” Derek says as Hotch gathers his things.

“Socially speaking, there was a divide and a complete lack of faith in us,” Spencer argues. “Though there is the question of authority and a misunderstanding regarding our purpose and purview.”

“Pretty boy and I are going to go find some coffee.”

As Derek and Spencer leave, and JJ excuses herself to answer a phone call, you’re left alone with your current supervisor and former watch commander.

“It’s good to see you,” Wade says, smiling as he pulls you into a hug.

“You, too,” you respond. “Sorry I haven’t been back as much as I’d like.”

“I understand,” Wade assures. “And it seems that you’ve found your perfect place in the BAU.”

“We like to think so,” Hotch agrees. “Although…”

“Bradford won’t be a problem,” you interrupt.

Hotch tilts his head questioningly, and you add, “He fights back on new things, but he’s a good cop, so he’ll do what’s right in the end.”

Hotch hesitates, then asks, “Do you trust him?”

“With my life.”

“He’s the best I’ve got,” Wade comments. “But if there’s a question about him…”

“He’s Morgan, but more serious,” you tell Hotch. He doesn’t change his stare, so you sigh and promise, “I want him here. There’s no bad blood between us and he’s going to be invaluable in this.”

Hotch nods and looks away from you finally and begins asking Wade about one of the files turned in the night before, which you understand as your cue to leave. After you step out into the bullpen, Derek returns to your side.

“Where’s Spencer?” you ask, looking over his shoulder.

“Telling Officer Chen about the health benefits of doing something boring. How are you?”

“I’m okay. Hotch doesn’t seem to think so.”

Derek gasps and holds your shoulder to exclaim, “You have two overprotective father figures to work for now!”

You consider arguing for less than a second before you realize he’s right. Wade stayed in touch after you left LA. Hotch has never left room for you to wonder how he sees you and his need to protect you. So, you’re working on a case that feels like two different versions of your personality, and parts of your life have combined into one perfect yet terrifying case. And you haven’t even talked to Tim yet.

“I hope our hotel has a hot tub,” you lament.

“Plain clothes day washout number five, huh?” Lucy asks Tim as they patrol Los Angeles.

Tim shakes his head and doesn’t answer. He’s gone seven years without talking about you, only having to relive the heartbreak on your face and the disappointment he felt during his loneliest nights. Tim saw great potential in you, considered you more than a rookie, and taking your badge had affected him in a way he never expected. Now, you’re in the FBI, which is news to him, and you’re working on a case that he hasn’t been able to solve even with ten crime scenes to work with.

“What happened?” Lucy tries.

“None of your business, Chen,” he snaps. “That case, Hotchner’s team, all of it stays in the roll call room for now. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

A bell chimes above your head as you enter your favorite Los Angeles diner. It’s your first night in the city, and since you don’t know how long you’ll be here, you wanted to revisit it while you had a chance. When you mentioned the diner, your team gave you their orders to bring to the hotel, where they’re currently reviewing the autopsy reports. It feels wrong to leave them, but you sigh in the comfort of a place that once provided you a refuge after long days.

“Old habits?” you ask as you approach the counter.

Tim looks up from the laminate and watches you. You don’t meet his gaze but look at the menu while you wait for the waitress to return. This was your favorite diner when you started at the LAPD, and Tim has never given himself time to wonder why he kept coming back even after you left.

“Something like that,” he says. “So, uh, the FBI. That’s incredible.”

You shrug. “Not what I wanted, but I love it.”

Tim nods, unsure what else to say. You’re not the girl you were on day one in the academy, not even the girl who left the station in tears after washing out. Tim still sees you, the woman who fought for what was right never gave up, and was smarter than she ever realized. That’s not the person he saw your last week on patrol, but he knew you were still in there somewhere.

“How long have you been with the BAU?” he inquires.

The waitress returns, and you take the excuse to not answer Tim. You retrieve your phone from your pocket and read a large order from the screen, then pass a shiny, FBI-issued credit card over the counter.

“It’ll be a few minutes, hun,” the waitress informs as she returns the card. “Feel free to have a seat.”

You thank her and slide onto a stool, ensuring you leave an empty seat between you and Tim.

“Failing to become a police officer was one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced,” you confess. “A few months later, Aaron Hotchner knocked on my door. There was a case nearby, a serial rapist who was leaving personalized love letters with every single victim. He found my résumé on a local job board and came to ask for help because of my background. The rest just fell into place, I guess.”

“You get to carry,” Tim points out, gesturing toward the holster on your hip, concealed from everyone else by your shirt. “They don’t let people who just ‘fall into place’ do that.”

“I did everything by the book, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I’m wondering what changed on plain clothes day,” he responds. “You were on track to be an amazing officer, and then that last week, you just… something changed.”

“I did.”

“There’s more to it.”

“There’s really not,” you insist. “If you don’t want to be on this task force-“

“I do. I wish you could see that you have the potential to lead it.”

“Hotch saved my life. I trust him.” Tim understands the part you don’t say: that you trust him more than yourself.

The waitress returns with two full bags, and you stand as you take them from the counter.

“Goodnight, Tim. I’ll see you at the station tomorrow.”

As you leave, the bell chimes over the door again, and Tim hears your voice in his head, the promise of another chance, but he doesn't miss the fact that you leave every time you see each other.

“What if - and hear me out on this - you just told him the truth,” Derek suggests.

You take a drink from a cheap Styrofoam cup and nod. “You’re right, Derek, why didn’t I think of that?”

“You know, most hotel chains serving breakfast fail to maintain proper culinary heat-“

Hotch raises one finger before Spencer can ruin breakfast for everyone. “Don’t.”

“I agree with Morgan,” JJ says. “There’s clearly questions there, and if you explain what happened, he’ll trust you more.”

“And he can deal with some of the guilt,” Hotch grumbles.

“What guilt?” you inquire, pausing with a cheap metal fork in your hand.

“He clearly blames himself for letting you lose your position,” Hotch explains.

“He knows how good you are, so that final week probably doesn’t make any sense to him,” Derek adds.

“He doesn’t,” you mutter. “He told me last night-“

“You saw him last night?” JJ exclaims.

“I ran into him at the diner.”

“He still goes to your diner?” Derek questions.

“It’s just a diner! But I saw him there and he insisted that there was more to what happened than me changing.”

“And you lied to him?” Hotch responds. “It’s over, you can tell him, you can shout it from the top of the Chinese theater.”

“That would be illegal,” Spencer mumbles.

“And wouldn’t change anything,” you add. “We’re here to work a case, not mend a bridge that has been-“ you scramble for the right word before finishing, “disintegrating for nearly a decade.”

Derek groans as he leans back in his seat, and Hotch finally looks up to say, “If this gets in the way of the case, I’ll have Garcia email him everything he needs to know.”

“I’m cutting holes in all of your quarter-zips tonight,” you threaten in return.

Hotch frowns and mouths, You’ll never find them all.

“Good morning,” Sergeant Grey calls as the door closes behind the twentieth and final member of the task force. “SSA Hotchner is going to fill you all in.”

“Thanks for coming in early,” Hotch begins. “There have been no new developments in the case since yesterday, but my team has created a preliminary profile based on the preexisting evidence and details from the first ten victims.”

Your phone buzzes with an incoming call from Garcia, and you exit the room to answer. “Whatcha got for us, gorgeous?”

“Ooh, does Derek know you’re talking to me like this?” she replies, her keyboard clicking in the background.

“Not like he’s competition,” you say with a playful scoff. “Find anything on the deep dive?”

“Nothing inherently helpful. The prelim suspects are all pretty similar, though one of them did alibi out. Carson Gillery was working remotely from Chicago during the second and third murders. Hotel and airline checks corroborate that.”

“I’ll tell Hotch. Anything else?”

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Fine. Why?”

She stops typing suddenly and then inhales sharply.

“Garcia?” You ask.

The line beeps as she disconnects, and a phone on the desk closest to you begins ringing. A Virginia area code appears on the caller ID, and you stretch across the desk to pick up the receiver.

“Penelope?” you ask hurriedly.

“He’s in the data!” she explains, typing again. “He’s not doing much, but someone is overriding minor coding and there was another line tied into our call. I could hear him breathing; thought you were crying at first, but now I’m running a backward search to find this psycho.”

“None of the prelim suspects would know how to do that,” you point out.

“Uh oh,” Penelope breathes. “I think…  I think he left you a message.”

“What is it?”

“It’s in the seventh victim’s ME report, overwriting the details of the posthumous wounding to the back. It says 2/18/17… It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

“Henley,” you murmur, trying to connect the dots as you forget the first half of the message.

“There’s more,” Penelope says. “A copy of your one-way ticket to Virginia with an alternate ID that says, ‘thanks for the perfect opening night.’”

“It’s about me?” you whisper.

“I’m going to trace these messages,” Penelope declares. “You tell Hotch about this, and please, please do not try to investigate this on your own.”

“You got it. But can you send me a scan of page 39, no- 38, from the William Ernest Henley book in my office? I need the annotated copy of Invictus.”

“You got it. Tell Morgan and I said hi and I’m wearing-“

You hang up and take a deep breath as you return the receiver to the cradle.

“Agent Hotchner,” you call as you return. “I need a word.”

“Let me finish-“

“There’s been a development,” you interrupt. “An urgent one.”

Hotch sees the look in your eyes and calls Spencer to the front of the room to continue reviewing the patterns in the killings and to discuss the psychological traits and drivers they suspect the killer will have. Derek watches as Hotch and Grey follow you out of the roll call room. Meanwhile, JJ watches Officer Tim Bradford as he manages to conceal his concern but not his interest as he watches you through the glass walls.

“Garcia called with information on the prelim suspects,” you explain. “Someone tapped into the call, and then… whoever it was started manipulating her date on the FBI server. She did say that Carson Gillery alibied out, he was out of state for several of the murders, but whoever this guy is, he is incredibly close to this case.”

“Manipulated the data how?” Hotch asks.

You wring your fingers together as you answer, “He left a message. Garcia thinks it was for me.”

“Left it where?” Grey inquires.

“The seventh victim Mel Houghton’s autopsy report. It was a date and a line from a William Ernest Henley poem.”

“The date?” Hotch presses.

You inhale deeply before saying, “February 18, 2017.”

“The day you lost your position in the LAPD,” Grey remembers. “What does it mean?”

You look toward Hotch, and he shakes his head twice. There isn’t an obvious answer to Grey’s question, but the implication that this case has something to do with you isn’t good.

“He… he also had a picture of my plane ticket to Virginia and added a note, something about ‘thanks for the opening night,’” you add. “Hotch, if you have to take me off this case-“

“We need you,” he interjects. “The literary aspect of this case is progressing.”

“Does that mean we could limit our suspect search?” Wade asks, looking between you and Hotch.

“Not likely,” you reply with a sigh. “Plenty of literature enjoyers can’t be located purely based on that. There’s no evidence he’s educated or active in book clubs, debates, anything.”

“Garcia’s tracing the data changes?” Hotch assumes.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then we work what we can until she gets back to us.”

“I need to see the novellas left with the victims,” you request. Hotch begins to speak, and you add, “Not the scans, the actual, physical stories left with their bodies.”

“I’ll get someone to go through the evidence with you,” Wade assures. “Any preference?”

You look into the roll call room through the glass sheeting, your eyes drifting past Tim as you decide, “Officer Chen, please.”

Wade nods once, then returns to the podium inside as Spencer concludes his comments on the psychology of the killer’s modus operandi.

“What are you expecting to find?” Hotch asks you.

“I really wish I knew,” you answer softly. “Hotch, what if this is all my fault?”

“The delusions of a killer have nothing to do with you. If something you did as an officer triggered him to start, there is no reason to assume he wouldn’t have started later. He’s clearly reality-challenged, living in a space between this world and the events of his imagination, and that is not on you.”

You nod, rubbing your forehead as you think. “Literature is clearly important to him. If it comes to it, will you let me go with JJ to a press conference?”

Hotch hesitates, and you know he doesn’t like the idea of putting his team in public view, unless absolutely necessary, but he says, “Fine. Only if it gets that far.”

“Hotch? February 2017 had massive storms. Urban flooding, mudslides, wind, snowfall, there was mayhem that week. I mean, a police chase with a DUI driver, a car fell into a sinkhole. I used some of those cases to…” You trail off, remembering all of the things you did wrong.

“Talk to me,” Hotch encourages.

“Any one of the people who had contact with the LAPD that weekend could have been pushed over the edge. He could have been killing for seven years, since whatever happened, but just got bold and brazen enough to make it public.”

Hotch leaves your side for a moment to wave Spencer out. When he joins you and Hotch in the bullpen, Hotch gestures for you to explain your theory.

“I suppose,” Spencer muses. “The killings have progressed minimally since the first victim three months ago. It does point toward a more practiced unsub, someone who has, in their mind, perfected their method. Yes, it’s completely possible.”

“The books,” Hotch points out. “Those are new. Unsolved cases with novellas or poems shoved down victims’ throats would have caught someone’s attention by now.”

“Serial killers gain experience with each new offense,” Spencer explains. “The learning curve is steep because of the logistics it takes to commit a murder. If he’s been killing without being caught, the thrill of killing would empower him to take more chances. In this case, the trophy aspect of his MO could easily have changed, but his idiosyncratic psychological needs remain the same.”

“We don’t have enough people to comb through seven years of cold cases to find similar killings,” you lament.

“We do have the media,” JJ interjects, sliding her phone into her pocket as she approaches. “It’s a long shot, but if we could find one or two, would it be enough to complete a profile?”

“An estimate of how long he’s been at this, with Garcia’s trace and the analysis of the literature at the scene… Yes, we could establish a firm MO and improve the unsub’s psychological profile.”

“Hold on,” Derek urges into his phone as he joins the rest of your team. He looks at you and says, “Give me your phone.”

You pass it to him, and he flips it in his free hand as he listens. He gives you an apologetic look and then drops it.

“Morgan!” Hotch exclaims as Derek brings the heel of his boot down on your phone screen.

“Unless Penelope told you to do that, I’m going to be very mad,” you say.

“Alright, baby girl, tell us all,” Derek requests as he puts his phone on speaker.

“I found our guy, or his IP address at least,” Penelope says.

“And?” Hotch asks. “Where is he?”

“That’s the thing. He’s in an apartment a few miles from the station.”

You recite your previous address and Penelope murmurs, “That’s the one.”

Penelope explains how she traced his data trail before you interrupt to ask, “Is there anything about another cop in it?”

“Uh, there were some numbers,” she answers.

“34381?” you guess. “And 6147?”

“Amongst others, yeah. Do they mean something to you?”

“One is Officer Bradford’s badge number. The other is Sergeant Kenneth Adamson.”

“I’ll run the rest of the numbers against the LAPD database and get back to you.”

“Are all of our phones in need of stomping?” Spencer asks before Penelope hangs up.

“Not yet,” she replies, and then the line clicks.

“Running everything is going to take too long,” you complain. “He’s probably already targeted his next victim. He could be writing the novella for all we know!”

“His system is organized,” Spencer explains. “We can use that. The past victims have been a week or more apart. Even if he does change his timeline because we’re here, he needs time to plan, write, correct?”

“Yes,” you answer. “He could do it overnight if the circumstances called for it.”

“Assuming he’ll take a break between kills, however…”

“We have two days,” Derek concludes. “Let’s hope he’s not too organized, doc.”

“He’s a criminal,” JJ says. “They all get stupid and forgetful.”

“We don’t change anything. He’s changing the rules, pushing himself, but we’re not playing his game,” Hotch says. “And, for the moment, we keep the LAPD connection to ourselves.”

“What if they could help?” JJ argues.

“No.”

“Act like we have a week, and he won’t expect us to be ready to go,” you say. “In that case, I’ll start analyzing the literature.”

“Speaking of which.” JJ pulls a paper from her bag and says, “The homicide detective said CSI found this on a secondary scene analysis.”

You read the scan of the evidence, and your eyes widen as you look up at Derek. “Good thing you came with. He’s building a bomb.”

“Whoa,” Derek says with little intonation in his voice, but his hands raise as he moves his head in surprise. “Explain the progression from writing stories to bombs.”

“Postmodern literature is the most recent literary movement that contains vulgarity in diction and violence. It’s often used as an authentic portrayal of humanity, depicting violence against gender, race, and the human body,” Spencer answers. “Epic poetry was one of the first storytelling forms to depict interpersonal violence.”

Derek rolls his eyes at Spencer’s reply to the rhetorical question, and you add, “The Victorian literary period was marked by violence through the use of suffering and physical dangers as literary themes. The gothic genre aestheticized the darker elements of human life, explored sexual violence, dramatic monologues, and realistic violence like robbery, beheadings, even serial murders.”

“Which affects us how?” Hotch inquires.

“William Ernest Henley was a prominent figure in the later years of the Victorian movement. He sent lines from Invictus to Garcia, and that piece has been the poem of choice for extremists and terrorists to justify their violence in the last few years. There is some hardship beyond our killer’s control, and this is how he’s dealing with it.”

“Still doubting your hypothesis?” Hotch deadpans.

“Wouldn’t he have to stop all of the suffering somehow?” JJ asks.

“Yes. But he hasn’t decided on an endgame yet, we’ll see the signs of that when it comes. The beginning of a plan for a bomb isn’t concerning yet. For now, we continue as planned, but he will likely strike again in 24 to 48 hours.”

“They’re getting concerned,” Derek whispers, waving toward the roll call room.

“I’ll handle them. You have your assignments,” Hotch states. “We reconvene tonight after end of shift.”

“Yes, sir,” you agree with the rest of your team.

As you return to the roll call room between JJ and Derek, you keep your eyes on the front of the room, ignoring how Tim turns to look at you. Hotch gives an acceptable excuse for your team’s private meeting and then provides tasks with Sergeant Wade.

“What about me?” Lucy asks as the other officers exit into the bullpen.

“You’re with me,” you reply, stepping toward her as you smile. “If that’s okay.”

“Yes!” Lucy cheers. She clears her throat and amends, “Yes, of course, I’d love to help.”

“Keep me updated,” Hotch tells you.

“Yes, sir. Oh, and…” You move your fingers in a scissor motion to remind him of your previous threat before concluding, “Spencer has the information you asked for.”

Hotch nods once, and Wade smiles. Suddenly, you’re hit with the feeling of being torn apart, stuck between the life you wanted and the one you have. When the case is solved and the killer is behind bars, you’ll have to leave these people again. At least you’ve finally remembered that planes travel both ways.

“Ten victims,” you say as you pin the last picture to the bulletin board in the office you and Lucy have set up. “Six novellas, a book, two pamphlets, and a bloody poem.”

Lucy’s eyes follow the red thread connecting the victims to their evidence and the order of the killings as you stare at the T.S. Eliot poem from the fifth scene with your hands on your hips.

Plus, a William Ernest Henley poem meant to bring me into the killer’s world, you think.

“Ready?” you ask Lucy.

“Yes, ma’am.”

You laugh and invite her to use your first name, then spread the evidence pictures from the first murder on the metal desk. It isn’t the same as reviewing the physical books and poems, the thick paper holding the twisted ideas of a serial killer left warm from the printer beside the lives he claimed for the sake of his own story. It’s the best you can do for now.

“Janice Davis, our first victim. The killer stapled a San Diego Zoo pamphlet to her chest.” You flip through the case file and add, “Antemortem. Ouch.”

“That looks like a building staple,” Lucy muses, leaning over the picture.

“It is. Your forensics lab determined it’s a Powernail galvanized seven-eighths inch crown staple. Intended purpose is woodworking and flooring, and one side of the staple extends out at an angle, so even if she was conscious long enough to try removing it… well, it would’ve hurt more to take it out.”

“What was the cause of death?”

“Unknown,” you read, furrowing your brows. “Manner of death: homicide. But it looks like they couldn’t determine the cause. Any chance ME Daniella Smith is still around?”

“I don’t know,” Lucy confesses. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Sorry, you’re good at this, I keep forgetting you’re a rookie.”

“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever told me.”

You smile, then return to the evidence before you. “The next victim, Gregory Hunter, was found with a copy of Orwell’s Animal Farm open beneath his head. The page, as far as I can tell, is irrelevant.”

“Then what’s the point of leaving it there?”

“Hunter was Davis’s boss, and apparently they had been involved a few years prior to working together. Animal Farm presents Orwell’s ideas on power, equality, socialism and corruption.”

“All things the San Diego Zoo has been accused of abusing throughout history,” Lucy adds. “Along with the animals.”

“Precisely. Then it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that our killer was wronged by a failing class structure, abuse of power and control, inequality, or socialism.”

“That’s a lot of options.”

“Which is why we keep looking. Victim number three had a personalized novella…”

“The method of killing has been consistent with every victim. They’re injured, kept alive for three to twelve hours, and then killed. Janice Davis, victim one, was ruled as undetermined cause of death, but there was no evidence of blunt force trauma, gunshot wounds or poisoning, which we’d expect based on the sudden killings of the others,” Spencer explains.

“You can tune him out,” Derek whispers. “When his voice drops an octave, he’s about to ask a question.”

Tim nods, but he wasn’t listening to begin with. His mind keeps drifting to thoughts of you. He watched you talk to your team, has worked with you, and knows the depth of your talent and potential. Yet he continues to wonder how you truly came to work at such an elite division in the FBI and what you’re hiding.

“Do any of you have experience with crime scene investigation?” Spencer asks.

Several officers raise their hands, including Angela. Tim has guarded scenes and looked around on his own time, but he isn’t sure when his unique skills will be required for this case.

“Morgan,” Hotch calls from the doorway. “Take an officer to gather the literary evidence. Someone with a station ID has to sign it out for us.” He looks towards the front of the room and sighs. “And tell Spencer to wrap it up.”

“Doctor Morgan,” Derek calls as he stands. “Perhaps we should move on to the evidence snapshots and physical profile?”

Spencer nods and shifts his attention to the tools and proposed appearance of the killer.

“I’ve got a station ID,” Tim tells Derek. “If you need that evidence now.”

Derek sighs but waves for Tim to join him. He remains quiet while they walk to the evidence lockers, largely because he’s evaluating Tim. Derek knows about your time in Los Angeles, and even if he did encourage you to talk to Tim, he isn’t sure if Tim deserves your time.

“You were military?” Derek asks as they wait for the evidence to be thoroughly signed out and accounted for.

“Army,” Tim responds. “FBI always the goal for you?”

“Oh, nah, I started as a cop up in Chicago. Things just happened.”

“Seems to be a lot of that,” Tim murmurs, remembering your ‘fell into place’ excuse.

“Why be a TO?”

Tim shrugs. He’s never had a good answer for that question, and if he starts thinking, he might get caught up on his fifth washout.

“Special Agent Morgan,” the evidence officer says as he places a large box on the ledge. “Your supervisor has to sign this form upon evidence return.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

Derek picks up the box and steps back, but the officer places another box behind it. Tim takes it without a word and follows Derek to an office with a closed door.

He taps his foot against the door and calls, “Open up, pretty girl, these muscles are just for show!”

You smile as you open the door, and Tim clenches his jaw at the realization that Derek Morgan just called you ‘pretty girl.’

“I fear you’ve mistaken me for Penelope,” you tell him as you hold the door. “Thank you so much.”

Tim nods as he places the box down, and then looks at the case board.

“Oh, Tim,” Lucy says. “Do you know if ME Daniella Smith is still working?”

“She retired,” Tim replies.

You drop your shoulders and nod. “Thanks.”

“I can get her address and phone number, though,” he offers, partially to help and partially because he hates how disappointed you look.

“That would be amazing!” you reply happily. “Lucy, feel free to go with him, move around for a few minutes.”

Lucy follows Tim, and you close the door to talk to Derek. You explain that the literature points toward class structure, abuse of power, or socialism.

“Maybe he should move to Canada instead of killing then,” Derek muses. “Have you told Hotch?”

“Not yet. There’s also the string of violence in the literature. At first, it was metaphorical violence, a symbolic representation of the dangers of power in society, but it’s gotten more blatant, more Victorian in its realism.”

“The novellas?” he guesses.

“I haven’t gotten to read them in their entirety yet, I’ll start that now, but I’d guess he’s outlining his preferred method of violence as well as the reason.”

“Think it will shed some light on the explosives schematics? Which, by the way, are pretty weak. A bomb like that would be hard pressed to flip a Prius, it wouldn’t do major damage unless it was an incredibly confined space.”

“Ask Spencer what he thinks about the space,” you suggest. “The killings have been in relatively open spaces, but he’d know better than me if it means anything.”

“I’ll run it by him if I can get a word in.”

You laugh at Derek’s joke, but he turns serious again to ask, “Are you okay? I know this can’t be easy for you, working a case here after seven years.”

“I’m okay,” you promise. “I’ll let you know if that changes and I need a Morgan hug.”

Derek smiles as he opens the door, and Tim and Lucy return soon after.

“She lives three miles from here and said she’d talk to you,” Lucy relays.

“Let me tell my team.”

Tim raises a hand to stop you as you gather your things and repeats, “She said she’d talk to you. She recognized your name.”

“Oh.” Hotch walks by the door, and you step out quickly to explain, “I found the ME who couldn’t determine Janice Davis’s cause of death. She’s retired, but lives nearby and agreed to talk to me, but only me.”

Hotch weighs his options, but when he sees Tim behind you, he suggests, “Then you should probably take your TO.”

Your eyes widen in shock, but you trust Hotch, so you nod and step back into the office.

“You don’t have to,” you begin as Tim asks, “Ready?”

You fail to find the right words for several moments, then say, “Lucy, do you want to help Agent Morgan review crime scenes for construction and security?”

“Sure! Let me know if you need more help with this stuff when you get back,” she responds. “Good luck!”

“Thanks,” you say, though you think I’ll need it.

“Do you want to drive or should I?” Tim asks once you’re alone.

You lift keys from your pocket and say, “I will. Do you think Smith will be any help?”

“We can hope.”

“Can I address the elephant in the room?” Sergeant Grey asks.

“Be my guest,” Hotch answers, not looking up from his improved profile.

“Bradford isn’t operating at his usual level.”

“She is.”

“Which is why I think there may be more to his side of the story.”

Hotch looks up to propose, “You think he had something to do with Adamson’s misconduct?”

“No,” Wade assures, “nothing like that. But two days of fire-able offenses and not a single correction from her TO? Bradford either didn’t care that she gave up or, for some reason, he wasn’t in a position to.”

“The corruption we found ran deep. There’s a chance he was hoping to get a piece of the takeaway… or he was in a similar position to her.” Hotch reaches for his phone quickly after he speaks and raises it to his ear. “Garcia, I need you to run the badge numbers again. Tell me how many of them had a direct connection to Keith Adamson.”

“One second,” Penelope requests. “Software’s running it now. Oh, the medical examiner, Smith, she resigned less than an hour after the charges against Adamson came in. Thought that was interesting.”

“That’s one connection.”

“Okay, yep, all ten of the badge numbers embedded in the coding have connections to Adamson. Seven subordinates, his captain, and two IA investigators.”

“Thanks, Garcia.” Hotch ends the call and tells Wade, “Whatever Adamson did, it wasn’t just skimming the evidence pile, it pushed our killer over the edge.”

“I remember Janice Davis,” Daniella Smith says as she passes you a mug of hot tea. “She was young, twenty-six, I believe, and had a construction staple in her sternum.”

“Your official report listed the cause of death as indiscernible,” you reply, wrapping your hands around the mug as your thigh presses against Tim’s on the small settee. “Do you remember if you may have had any hypotheses?”

Daniella sighs as she lowers into a chair across from you. “It was asphyxiation. Her mouth was sealed with superglue, and she couldn't get enough air after a few hours of lying horizontally.”

Tim looks at you before demanding, “Why didn���t you put that in the report?”

“I was scared.”

“And you think the people living here weren’t?”

“Tim,” you whisper harshly. You shake your head as Daniella shrinks in her seat. “Why were you scared, Ms. Harris?” She shakes slightly, and you give her a moment to breathe before you ask, “Did someone at the police station ask you to lie?”

She laughs once, a sad sound before she wipes her nose and corrects, “He threatened me if I didn’t.”

“Who?” Tim asks.

“Sergeant Keith Adamson. He was the watch commander at the time. My career, my life, my marriage, he threatened to ruin it all if I didn’t cover up how she was killed.”

“Was there residue?” you inquire. “From the superglue?”

“There were trace amounts, and the lab was able to identify it easily.”

“It was the only death to be covered up, why do you think that is?”

Daniella looks up quickly, her eyes wide as she states, “Because it was an experiment. The others were killed more conventional, faster: a slit throat, hammer to the temple. Her death would have taken time.”

“Was the time of death in your report accurate?” you ask. “Because it was around the same time as the others even with the changed MO.”

“It was,” she explains, “he must have taken her earlier to get a head start.”

“You said it was an experiment,” Tim repeats. “She was victim number one. If it didn’t go well, wouldn’t the others have just been an improved, or changed, MO?”

Daniella frowns, and you lean forward to ask, “How many more were there?”

Tim slams the passenger door as you return to the car. Daniella disappears from the front window, crying as you start the engine.

“The FBI will charge me if this car gets damaged,” you mumble as you shift into reverse.

“Thirty deaths that she knows of!” Tim exclaims. “How could she cover all of those up?”

“Pretty easily. Self-preservation is a powerful motivator.”

“This monster has been at it for years. You were probably on the job for some of his murders, how can you say that?”

“It’s not my place to judge everyone involved in this case, Tim. Not yours either.”

Tim scoffs, but he’s interrupted by your phone ringing. You answer by saying your last name and Hotch’s voice fills the car as he speaks.

“There’s been another murder,” he says. You slap the steering wheel before he continues, “A double murder. I’m sending you the address. Drop Bradford at the station and meet us there.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the call ends, you grit your teeth to keep yourself from yelling. You spent too much time with the retired ME, and two more people are dead now.

“I’m going with you,” Tim states.

“No, you’re not. You heard him, you’re going back to the station.”

“You need me-“

“Actually, we don’t. We have jurisdiction now, Tim,” you snap.

“Do they know about everything you did your last week on the job?” Tim challenges. “How you ignored calls, put yourself, and me, in danger just to let the clearly guilty criminals go? I mean, you let a guy get away with assault and your handcuffs!”

You don’t reply because your mind begins racing. You had forgotten about that specific incident. Your last two days on the job were a blur, just forty-eight hours you have done everything you could to forget.

“Alexander Riley,” you murmur.

“What?” Tim snaps.

“Nothing, Tim. I’m sorry you’re not happy, but you don’t have authorization to join me, and I’m done breaking the rules.”

“Convenient.”

You hit the brakes too hard as you stop outside the back entrance of the station. Tim slams the door again before he walks inside, and you shift into park to call Derek.

“Are you still at the station?” you ask when he answers.

“We’re about to leave,” he replies. “Did you beat us to the scene? You know speed limits still apply to federal agents, right?”

“No, I’m at the station too. I need you to - without raising suspicion - get Hotch and Sergeant Grey out here.”

“Okay,” he agrees slowly. “Why?”

“Because I think I know who the killer is. Bring the novella from the ninth scene, it’s Heralded Angels.”

“You got it.”

You can hear the strain in Derek’s voice, but there’s too much on your mind to dwell on his reaction right now. After Hotch, JJ, Derek, and Spencer join you in the FBI-issued SUV, you follow Sergeant Grey, driving an unmarked car, to the double murder scene.

“You had something for me?” Grey asks as you approach the townhouse.

“I do. Trust me for a few more minutes and I’ll tell you everything?”

Wade nods, and you enter the bloody living room with your team. JJ waits outside, and as you squat beside a bookcase covered in blood splatter, you know you’re right.

“Alexander Riley,” you announce, pushing against your knees to stand. “I think he’s our killer.”

“Why?” Spencer asks. “Wait, who?”

“Alexander Riley is one of the men I should have arrested my last week as a rookie.” You look toward Wade as you continue, “He assaulted a store owner while looting during a flood, and I let him get away. He ran away with my handcuffs, but I didn’t try to stop him because I was sure Sergeant Adamson would have used it against me.”

“Abuse of power,” Hotch deduces.

“Right, and class system. You know, cop doesn’t do what cop is supposed to do. So, he may have taken his escape as a sign that something needed to change.”

“Based on his killings, I’d agree that he saw a wrong that needed to be fixed, but why murder?” Wade asks. “How does that fit his idea of making things right, evening everything?”

“He chose victims he viewed as outliers,” Spencer explains. “The first two victims were romantically involved, and then she got a job in his company.”

“The fifth victim was a single man with adopted children, and he left a copy of T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Hollow Men,’” you add. “He went after people who didn’t fit into our traditional class system or who benefitted from misused power. And, if that isn’t enough… there’s an extra novella in here.”

“What?” Hotch and Wade say, stepping toward you simultaneously.

“It’s a little bloody, but the words cop, dirty, and corrected system are showing up pretty well. My name’s on the first page, and I’d guess it’s on the last, too.”

“He’s going to target you?” Derek translates. “That’s not okay.”

“We need to find him first,” you reply. “He’s not going to press pause until he can get to me, he thinks he has to fix the entire world.”

“I’ll get a BOLO out,” Wade offers.

“Wait, Sergeant Grey,” Hotch calls. “I think this should come from us.” He turns toward you and adds, “It would mean more from you.”

“I’ll do it. Although, some of those cops aren’t going to like hearing that I had something to do with it.”

“Just send ‘em my way,” Derek jokes.

“Our profile is complete,” you begin, looking at the entire task force. “And we’ve used that profile, along with scene evidence, literary analysis, and previous arrest records to identify Alexander Riley as our killer. Sergeant Grey has posted a BOLO, and we’d like to send you out in patrol teams to assist in the search for Riley.”

Tim has his folder open, and you’re sure he’s reading the incident report filed after you let Riley get away.

“Maybe you should get out there and find him instead of sitting in our station and reading,” he snarks, closing his folder.

“Bradford,” Wade begins.

“No, it’s okay,” you assure. “I will be assisting in the search, and I will admit that my incompetence likely played a role in Mr. Riley’s progression from petty thief to serial killer. However, we have reason to believe he was killing in private long before he felt the need to leave his victims in plain view for Los Angeles and all of America to see.”

“Officer Bradford, he listed you by name in the novella left at Liza Renner’s murder,” Hotch interjects. “Do you know why he may have done that?”

“No idea. Sir.”

“I’d appreciate if you would stay and help review the story to find an idea, then.”

You look between Hotch and Tim quickly, but their icy stares make you look away before you continue explaining what the manhunt entails and how the FBI will assist.

“Be safe out there,” you conclude.

As officers stand and leave, Hotch and Wade walk to Tim’s side, and then all three of them exit through a different exit.

“That was fun,” you mumble to Derek.

“On the bright side, no one has been publicly executed in the US since 1936, so it’s unlikely you’ll be burned at the stake,” Spencer says.

“That is bright,” you respond. “Thanks, Reid.”

An officer asks for your assistance and leads you to an observation room. Your eyes widen when you realize Tim and Hotch are on the other side of the glass in an interview room. Rushing into the room, you’re surprised when Hotch invites you to take a seat. As the door closes, Tim clenches his fists and begins to stand.

“Sit down,” Hotch demands, unmoving as Tim rises from his chair. Tim turns, face-to-face with Hotch. “Sit down,” Hotch repeats, quieter yet firmer.

Tim falls back into his seat and crosses his arms to stare at you.

“You can blame me if you want,” you offer. “But it won’t change anything. Twelve people are dead because of me.”

“Then why is my rookie still patrolling the streets of LA looking for the man your team decided did this? Hotch here covering for you again?” Tim challenges.

“Shut up,” Hotch says as he sits beside you, across the Table from Tim.

“Kenneth Adamson,” you say. “Do you have any idea of what he did?”

“Fired you for taking the easy way out when you decided you didn’t want to be a cop anymore?”

“Intimidated me,” you reply. “Got indicted for it, but it was never made public knowledge because ‘he was facing enough personal and professional issues for the widespread results of his corruption.’ Good excuse, right? Tim, I happened to be the person who put cuffs on Alexander Riley and allowed his delusion to take over. I didn’t mean to turn him into a serial killer, but I still feel like I have blood on my hands.”

“Wait,” Tim requests, raising his hand. “Adamson intimidated you?”

“Yes.”

“You could have told me.”

You scoff, and Hotch raises his brows. “Like you would have believed me,” you reply.

Tim leans across the table, ignoring how Hotch moves closer to you, protective and ready to finish this case.

“He intimidated me too,” Tim confesses. “We should have told each other, but we messed up, and I’m sorry for that. Adamson was going to tell IA about something I did in the Army and twist it to get me fired if I didn’t find a way to get you off the force. Then you suddenly stopped trying and I thought… I guess I didn’t think about it, or I would’ve seen it.”

You look at Hotch, who shrugs. There likely isn’t proof that Adamson did to Tim what he did to you, but you have to make a choice. You can believe Tim Bradford or walk away.

“I caught him stealing evidence,” you say. “Skimming money from scenes before CSI got there, pulling jewelry from robbed houses, little things he didn’t think anyone would miss. When I saw him outright lie to a victim who only wanted her late mother’s locket back, I said something. And he was going to make my life a waking hell for it. So, I did what he asked and threw away my career.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want your apologies, Tim. I want you to help me find Alexander Riley and put cuffs on him before he goes after another innocent person, because there is nothing to stop him from progressing to killing cops he sees as corrupt. We kept it from the other officers because of that, so please don’t make me regret trusting you.”

Tim nods and murmurs another apology. You read his lips as he says it, and when Hotch stands, you’re prepared to accept it.

“One more out of line comment and you’re off this task force, Officer Bradford,” Hotch says as he buttons his blazer.

“Yes, sir. I’ll do everything I can to assist you.”

“Do you know why Riley would have used your name as a cursed wanderer in Liza Renner’s novella?” you ask, standing beside Hotch.

“Cursed wanderer?” Tim repeats.

“Remorseful, unabsolved character tormented by their fate and their actions.”

“He must not remember you well,” Hotch tells Tim.

“He’s not a very good writer,” Spencer mutters as he flips the page of one of Alexander Riley’s novellas.

“Maybe we should find a way to charge him for that too,” Derek grumbles. “I mean, ‘Tim Bradford carried the weight of his sins, heavier than the Kevlar on his chest. Each day he was forced to face the memories of how he’d failed his partner, the only woman he may ever love, but would never deserve.’ That’s awful.”

You and Tim turn to face each other quickly, each wondering if you heard what Derek read correctly.

“Derek, does that- when you read it, does it seem like he’s saying his partner is the only woman he’d ever love? Same person?” you ask.

“Yeah. You.”

“That’s what I got too,” JJ agrees. “There’s characters in the third novella that look exactly like the two of you, but they’re married. Doomed by the narrative to watch each other die, but…”

“Are there characters like that in all of them?” Hotch asks.

The sound of papers flipping precedes several firm answers of “Yes.”

“They always die?” you add. “But he doesn’t know. He sees a relationship that isn’t there.”

Tim doesn’t say anything, but you ignore him as you ask JJ to use her laptop. After signing in to your email, you pull up the scans Penelope sent you from the books in your office.

“In the clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed,” you read. “Black as the pit from pole to pole.”

“Are you gonna explain it or is this like Jeopardy?” Derek questions.

“He doesn’t portray our characters as corrupt,” you cheer. “We’re unfortunate, ‘doomed by the narrative’ players in a bigger game. I need the newest novella, the extra one from the double homicide scene.”

Wade knocks on the open door as you look through the evidence boxes on the table. He glances between you and Bradford before he asks, “Have any of you heard from Lopez and West?”

“They’re revisiting the last scene,” Hotch says. “They haven’t checked in?”

“Not recently.”

Tim looks at you, and when you meet his eyes, he offers, “We’ll find them.”

“Be careful,” Wade implores. “And keep me updated.”

“Can you do me a favor?” you ask.

“Anything,” JJ and Derek answer together.

“Look for any sign of restoration or avenging. It’ll probably be in the first novella, but I need to know if my character in his story is avenged somehow.”

“Revenge is a psychological response to wounds from others,” Spencer says. “Why would he be motivated to retaliate and justify this level of violence for you, if you’re the one who did wrong?”

“I think he may have changed his motives after Keith Adamson was indicted. If you find something, let me know, if not, Hotch probably has a better idea.”

You follow Tim to an unmarked car and ride in the passenger seat like you’ve pressed play after seven long years of having this part of your life on pause. Somehow, it feels better than before.

Tim's radio crackles as he makes the last turn to reach the crime scene.

“07-Adam-07,” Angela radios. “Sergeant Bradford, contact on channel 3.”

Tim changes the dial to channel 5 as he slows on the curb. You point to the dial, and he raises a thumb to tell you it wasn’t an accident.

“07-Adam-19,” he replies. “Go ahead, Lopez.”

“I think we found something that might be helpful to the detectives. Meet me at the scene and see if you agree?”

“I was already on the way. To tell you the truth, I don’t trust the feds. ETA two minutes.”

Tim returns his radio to the dash and then sits back to wait.

“Don’t trust the feds, huh?” you ask, smiling as he rolls his eyes.

“You really think he realized we were just as aggrieved as him?” Tim asks.

“Big word,” you murmur before dodging Tim’s weak backhand. “Why else would he keep us in the grand story he’s trying to write?”

“You said your character died in the new one.”

“All I saw was my name. I made an assumption without enough evidence. It was stupid.”

“Welcome to the club.”

Your phone buzzes, and you shake your head as you read the message from Penelope. “FBI tech guru Garcia hacked into the house’s security system. She’s got cameras inside. Riley has Lopez and West holed up in the master bathroom. My team and your watch commander are watching, ready to breach if this doesn’t go well.”

“You think it will?”

“I think Derek is going to be very mad after I do something reckless. That’s how it usually goes.”

Tim clears his throat awkwardly, then asks, “Are you and Morgan…?”

“No,” you answer with a laugh. “He’s just one of the many protective men I work with.”

“It’s been a minute and a half,” Tim says, changing the subject and breathing a little easier. “Are you ready?”

“I hope so.”

You exit the passenger seat as Tim pops the trunk. He passes you an LAPD bulletproof vest and a standard-issue belt to help you look more like a cop and less like a fed. After pulling the vest over your head, you struggle to get the belt in place beneath it. Tim gently takes it from you, his hands moving carefully around your waist as he clips the tactical buckle and slides the gun holster to its correct position.

“Thanks,” you whisper as he straightens, mere inches from you.

Tim drops his hands away from your sides but doesn’t move away. “Channel 3 is Lopez’s code,” he explains. “She only uses it when something’s wrong.”

Your phone buzzes again, and you turn away from Tim to answer it. “Hello?”

“Riley is armed,” Hotch says. “He’s got Lopez and West in the master bedroom on the ground floor. They’re uninjured, but he’s fidgety.”

“Did Derek ask Spencer about the bomb?”

“He did,” Spencer replies. Hotch’s phone is likely on speaker, and you turn your phone to allow Tim to hear too. “The bomb schematics were for a very closed-in space… like the townhouse you’re about to go into. It’s not incredibly enclosed, but given that Riley has issues with control, it could be a manifestation of claustrophobia. If his anxiety has caused a fear of enclosed spaces, based on the fear of losing control in those spaces, then he may be attempting to overcome that by giving himself power in the situation.”

“Could he be a cleithrophobe?” Tim wonders.

“What is that?” Derek asks, and you can imagine him looking around Wade’s office.

“I haven’t seen evidence of it,” Spencer answers. “He doesn’t seem to mind being closed in; the murders in the townhouse didn’t seem to affect him, but he is clearly concerned with power, control, and the hierarchy of those. It relates more to claustrophobia. Though I wouldn’t advise locking any doors to test it.”

You hang up suddenly and gesture to the townhouse. Tim looks up in time to see the curtain in an upstairs room fall back into place. He takes the lead, walking to the door with purpose and his hand on his gun. You follow him and look around the front porch for any sign that Riley is planning to kill anyone today.

Tim pushes the door open carefully, nodding to tell you it is unlocked before Angela calls his name. The novella with your name in it is still by the bookcase, and you remove it from the evidence bag and slide it under your vest. You trade places with Tim, going up the stairs first as he covers you. At the top of the landing, Alexander Riley steps out into the hallway with a gun strapped around his shoulders.

“You made it,” he says.

“We’re here to help, Riley,” you explain softly, holding your hands where he can see them. “You know that.”

He nods before jerking his head toward the doorway. You walk past him and stop in the center of the bedroom, scanning Angela and Jackson for any wounds. Luckily, they appear to be fine other than the handcuffs secured around their wrists.

“What’s the plan here?” Tim asks. “Not much room for error, Mr. Riley.”

“Give me your gun,” Alexander replies, holding his rifle with one hand as he extends the other toward Tim.

Tim complies, but his glance at you is a clear communication to not surrender your FBI-issued piece.

“Against the wall,” Alexander tells Tim. “You’re right, there isn’t room for error. But I’m prepared. I’ve been preparing since I lost everything.”

Tim sits against the wall, less than a foot from Angela. Alexander turns toward you, and his gaze softens. You were right, it seems. Alexander Riley has a soft spot for you; he thinks you’re like him, wronged by corruption and abused power, and you’re going to work that soft spot until he’s in cuffs.

“Take your vest off,” he requests. “Please.”

You don’t move but look pointedly at his gun before raising your eyes to his face.

“I won’t hurt you.”

Despite your instinct to refuse, to call in the cavalry and help Tim incapacitate the killer before you, there is too much at stake, and the longer you’re compliant, the longer Riley will keep everyone alive. So, you pull the vest over your head, not bothering to catch the novella as it falls to the floor, the blood on the cover contrasting the neutral carpet below your feet.

Back at the station, Hotch clenches his jaw as you open yourself to Riley, and Derek says, “Don’t do it… I might kill her for that.”

“You wrote it, right?” you ask, gesturing toward the stapled manuscript. “You wrote all of them.”

Riley fidgets, then nods.

You step toward him, keeping your expression soft and conveying understanding as you add, “I read some of them. They’re good, Alex. Can I call you Alex, or do you go by something else?”

“Alex is fine,” he replies, whispering your name under his breath like a prayer.

Tim shifts as Alexander’s attention changes slightly, morphing from a fierce protector into someone who wants to be by your side after you’ve been saved. You don’t spare a glance toward Tim, and for a brief moment, he wonders where you learned to do this. Then reality crashes back in like a wave that knocks Tim off his feet, the reminder that he could have taught you if he hadn’t let Keith Adamson get to him.

“In Brightest Day, you wrote a character who was a young cop, naïve and desperate to do the best thing,” you continue. “Who was she?”

“You know who,” Alex mutters.

You smile and ask, “Was I in all of them?”

“Of course.”

“That’s why you went to my old apartment before you sent the message to my friend in the FBI? Because I’m part of this? No, because you’re improving the character, right?”

“You were so far away,” he whispers.

“Alex, did you learn how to code just to talk to me?” you inquire softly.

He nods, then looks to the novella at your feet. The toes of your boots are inches from the paper, and his mouth twitches like he wants you away from it.

“Kick it,” he demands.

“Why? It’s art, it’s part of your soul,” you argue.

“Kick it.”

Tim nods in your peripheral, and you swallow before kicking it toward the door. Alex doesn’t hesitate to shoot the paper. You turn away from the noise, covering your ears even though it’s too late to keep your head from pounding. As the noise fades and your hearing returns, you see the shredded paper surrounding the hole in the floor.

“How does the story end, Alex?” you ask, stepping toward him again. “Are you like the truck drivers in Animal Farm? The cursed wanderer in Render Down you wrote for Liza? Or are you some new character that only cares about usurping the power for yourself?”

“It was never about me!” he replies, louder than you’ve heard him before. He softens his voice to repeat, “Never.”

“She was mine first,” Tim interjects suddenly.

Alex spins on his heel, the barrel of his rifle rising as he faces Tim. You shake your head wildly, desperate to stop him from saying something that will make Alex pull the trigger again. Angela looks down quickly, and you see her gun beneath the bed. As Alex’s chest heaves, his eyes locked unblinking on Tim’s, you move closer to the weapon, to Alex, and to freedom where you all walk out of here alive.

“I was saving her!” Alex roars. “From corruption, from Adamson, from you!”

“Adamson is the only one who hurt her,” Tim argues.

“February 17, 2017. You took your rookie to a noise disturbance call, and when you got there, four stupid young men were looting a flooded store during a break in the storms. She handcuffed one of them, but the rest ran. Then… then you started yelling at her, blaming her for all of it. While you were busy berating her, the other man ran with the handcuffs. I got away, but the power, the corruption, the greed was all getting to be too much. We hurt the owner because she was too worried about not getting insurance money for the water damage to empty out the register.”

“Something changed,” you say from beside Riley.

He doesn’t move away from Tim but stops talking to listen.

“In the first novella, it was you and me, wasn’t it? You wanted to make a new world together, save me from the love you thought would corrupt me.”

“Adamson used you too,” Alex tells Tim. “I made room for you to come with us and this is how you repay me? Chasing me for making things better. You’re back where you started.”

“Maybe now isn’t the time to act,” Jackson West says. “What if the world could’ve healed on its own and the people you killed might have helped?”

“Fool! They’ve gotten to you, too.”

As Alex’s finger slides onto the trigger, he turns toward Jackson. You don’t hesitate to lunge forward, closing the distance between yourself and Alexander. While you tackle him to the floor, he squeezes the trigger, and the shot rings through the now-silent townhouse and seems to echo for hours as your team watches in horror.

Tim pulls the handcuff key from his belt and passes it to Angela before he crawls on his hands and knees to reach you.

“I hope somebody got scans of that novella before he shot it,” you groan as you sit up.

Tim sighs, taking your face in his hands as he wipes blood from your temple.

“Is his writing really that good?” Jackson asks as he stands.

“It’s a little preachy,” you reply with a smile.

Your phone rings, and you swipe the screen to answer, then immediately hang up.

“That was your boss,” Tim points out.

“He can yell at me when he gets here.”

“Alexander Riley has been charged in the deaths of twelve Los Angeles residents,” JJ says at the press conference the morning after your encounter with Alex. “His victims include Janice Davis, Gregory Hunter, Bryce Keller, Hank Sheller, Peter Bristol, Liza Renner, Mel Houghton, Destiny Crest, Angelica Thomson, Alissa Alvarez, and Jack and Cassidy Wilson. Nearly three dozen cold cases are now being reopened, and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit supports the LAPD’s claim that Riley could have committed these crimes as well. I’ll welcome any questions at this time.”

You scrunch your nose from the side, resisting the urge to remove the bandage on your forehead. Tim stands beside you, watching you.

Tim notices that the bandage is loose but doesn’t move before Hotch warns, “Don’t do anything in the public view that you don’t want to get out and give Riley a chance at walking.”

When the conference ends, Derek sighs and walks past Hotch to return to the hotel and pack. As he approaches you, he smiles and says, “And you didn’t want to come because I can’t help, and LA is too sunny.”

You try to punch Derek for his poor impression of you but miss as he breaks into a jog. Shaking your head, you turn to Tim and prepare a joke about how you don’t sound like that. Tim’s serious expression stops you, though.

“You didn’t think you could help?” he asks. “You were going to be an amazing cop, and I regret playing a part in taking that opportunity from you.”

You shrug and respond, “I like the FBI, and I got to tackle a murderer, so it all worked out.”

“Yeah,” Lucy interrupts, walking to your side. “But now you have to go back to Virginia.”

“Thank you,” Wade says, stopping at your side. “Come back soon, okay?”

You smile as he hands you a paper. As you read it, you sigh, then shove it into your pocket. The email came in this morning telling all active FBI agents about the new tactical unit, one which will work closely with the BAU. They’re actively recruiting, but if you tell Tim, you’re asking him to choose between you and the job again, and you can’t do that to him. Asking Tim to leave LA would be cruel, you think, so you force a smile onto your face.

“Thank you for everything,” you tell him. “Especially the part where you saved my life and the apology. I’ll try not to stay gone so long this time.”

Tim nods, and you smile at Lucy before following your team. He watches you walk away, ignores Lucy’s encouragement for him to chase you, and waits until you leave to whisper what he wants to say. But Tim lost his chance again. Worse, he lost you again.

Two Weeks Later

“Which one of you wants to die first?” the armed suspect asks, swinging his curved meat hook between you and Spencer.

“Probably you, right?” you whisper. “You know, my blood’ll be on it if he kills me first.”

“The mean value of Staphylococcus aureus in raw meat is 3.84 in a butcher shop,” Spencer replies. “I don’t know where that thing has been. At least your blood has been relatively well contained. And any amount of water on that thing increases the number of bacterial specimens transferred from the meat surface.”

The metal door of the meat locker blows open suddenly, and when the butcher before you turns to see what caused the noise, two men in tactical uniforms subdue him and confiscate the meat hook. Spencer rushes out of the facility, and you watch as the new FBI team takes your suspect into custody.

“I could have done that,” you complain.

“Sure you could, boot,” one of the men says, his voice muffled by the helmet.

You look toward him with your eyebrows raised. He takes his helmet off, and your jaw drops. Tim Bradford.

Smiling, you step toward him with questions racing in your mind, but he extends a gloved hand, holding it against your waist to stop you as he whispers, “Morgan has cameras everywhere.”

As you walk into the BAU bullpen together, Hotch looks up from a paper. He looks at you, then Tim, then back to you, and smiles. With wide eyes, you hide behind Tim’s shoulder, unsure what a Hotch smile could mean in this particular circumstance.

“We’re wheels up to Los Angeles in forty-five,” Hotch says.

“Why?” you ask, stepping out from behind Tim.

“There’s a domestic terrorist leaving Shakespeare at foreign-owned businesses hours before they’re bombed or become mass murder scenes.”

You nod, but before you can speak, Derek calls, “Bring Bradford! We could use the Army experience.”

Hotch narrows his eyes at Tim, then shrugs and agrees.

“Good, good,” you mumble, wrapping your hands around Tim’s arms. “I’ll show him the ropes then and we’ll be back in thirty.”

“Please do.”

You quickly forget the ropes as you drag Tim into Penelope’s empty office. He smiles and prepares to ask what this has to do with terrorism, but you slide your hands onto his jaw and kiss Tim. Finally. Tim's hands meet your waist, and he pulls you closer as he kisses you, both of you melting into one another and getting lost in the moment you’ve waited so long for. When you pull back, Tim keeps you close, smiling like he’s seeing you clearly for the first time, though he’s known your heart and potential for nearly a decade.

A quiet gasp draws your attention, and you both look to the door as Penelope says, “I’m telling Chocolate Thunder!”

[illicit-astrology]

The Underrated Synastry Overlay: Jupiter in the Houses

Let's get this straight: Jupiter is KING in natal or synastry overlay. Where someone's Jupiter falls in your chart can dictate the trajectory of your connection and how you feel about them in the large scale of things; before, when, and after you meet them.

Jupiter in 1st house: Jupiter feeds the 1st house with so much vigor, enthusiasm and confidence. With Jupiter, the 1st house person wants to be everything and do everything. The sky is limit to the 1st house when they are with Jupiter. Even if 1st house was normally an introverted person, with Jupiter they're energetic, chatty, flirty, joyful and have 'bigger than life' attitude.

Jupiter in 2nd house: the 2nd house person feels like a million bucks with Jupiter. Their self-esteem and confidence are at an all-time high with Jupiter. Jupiter makes them feel like they shouldn't compromise or lower their standards. Jupiter knows how to spoil the 2nd house and the 2nd house person receives with pleasure all what Jupiter can offer.

Jupiter in 3rd house: Jupiter inspires the 3rd house to think, laugh, and socialize. With Jupiter, the 3rd house is filled with positive thoughts and optimism. The 3rd house day to day life, and general outlook on life are much more positive and joyful with Jupiter. The 3rd house person can feel more poetic, and that their way of communicating as well as their voice is more enriched in their connection with Jupiter.

Jupiter in 4th house: the 4th house person can finally feel at home with Jupiter. If the 4th house has struggled to find their home or is a resident at a foreign land, Jupiter will instantly make them feel at home and provide them with an expansive and joyful sense of belonging. If 4th house has struggled with commitment and settling down, Jupiter makes them feel like it's finally time to let their guard down and settled down. Jupiter is the 4th house person's safe haven.

Jupiter in 5th house: the 5th house just can't stop giggling, smiling, and being their child self around the Jupiter person. Jupiter not only inspires the 5th house to be creative but also brings out their inner child. The 5th house person feelings and emotions are hightened with Jupiter, things look, sound and feel better. The 5th house person feels like they're in cloud 9 with Jupiter.

Jupiter in 6th house: Jupiter motivates the 6th house person to achieve and unlock their true potential. The 6th house will find themselves more energetic and able to accomplish a lot in the presence of Jupiter. Jupiter will be fully supportive of the 6th house in terms of concrete mundane things; like paper work, filing taxes and even sticking to a routine. With Jupiter, the 6th house feels more responsible, accomplished, clear-minded and more grounded.

Jupiter in the 7th house: the 7th house person feels like they can trust the connection with Jupiter right away. Jupiter feels like their ideal match. The 7th house person in this connection feel more diplomatic, socially graceful and that they are more inclined to please people and keep their relationships peaceful. The 7th house feels safe and that they have someone by their side who can share their life with.

Jupiter in 8th house: Jupiter opens infinite possibilities for the 8th house to expand, upgrade, and transform. The 8th house feels a cathartic experience with Jupiter, that makes them feel renewed and refreshed with newer perspectives on life. Jupiter can help the 8th house rewire their subconscious mind, and heal their past traumas and wounds. The energy exchange here is powerful and further amplified. The 8th house person is changed for the better forever here.

Jupiter in 9th house: Jupiter reminds the 9th house the importance of independence and freedom on individual and relationship level. The 9th house person feels like anything is possible with the presence of Jupiter. If the 9th house person feels lost or at a low point in their life, Jupiter can help them get back their optimism, happiness, and faith. Jupiter teaches the 9th house person not to settle and that life is meant to be experienced to the fullest rather than sitting still.

Jupiter in 10th house: The 10th house person feels like they can accomplish anything and reach new highs in their life with the presence of Jupiter. Jupiter is like a magic tutor who inspires the 10th house to be the best version of themselves just by their infectious and optimistic energy. Jupiter has the set of values and morals that align with the 10th house's sense of commitment. This is an underrated marriage placement. In business context, these two can be a powerhouse when teaming up.

Jupiter in 11th house: The 11th house person feels that their dreams and aspirations are coming true with the Jupiter person. Manifestations are easier to materialize. Jupiter is the 11th house person's lucky charm. The life of the 11th house person is suddenly upgrading and their sense of happiness and fulfillment is expanding as well. Jupiter here feels like a magic stick that helps the 11th house person manifest exactly what they want and even better.

Jupiter in the 12th house: The 12th house person had felt Jupiter before they met them, whether through a dream, a desire, or a mere manifestation coming true. Jupiter is a gift to the 12th house, or a token for their past good karma. Jupiter feels like an exhilarating dream to the 12th house person, a too-good-to-be-true experience that provides them with a sweet escape from reality. Jupiter is the 12th house' person heaven on earth. The 12th house person feels like walking through a portal into the world of magic, and living in a constant state of trance with Jupiter. Jupiter is mate, and 12th house is the soul house, so Jupiter is literally the 12th house soulmate.

Like this one? I wrote about Mars house overlays but in-depth here!

I'm open again for readings; You can book a session here!

[astra-ravana]

The Advantage Of Dream Work

Dream work, offers a unique opportunity for magical exploration and personal growth. After all, we do spend up to 25% of our lives dreaming. This alternate reality is a haven for shadow work and magickal practice. By combining ancient techniques and modern understanding of consciousness, you can unlock the potential of your dreamscape.

Understanding the Dream Realm

In witchcraft, dreams are seen as a bridge between the waking and spiritual worlds. They offer glimpses into the subconscious mind, where powerful energies reside.

There are a couple things you can do daily to increase your dream lucidity. Write down your dreams upon waking, no matter how fragmented. Keeping a dream journal enhances dream recall and help you identify recurring symbols and themes. Reality checks are also a practice you should adopt. Pinch your skin, try to read text, check the time, or look at your hands. This trains your mind to question reality, making it easier to recognize dream states.

Techniques for Lucid Dreaming

• Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD): Before sleep, visualize yourself performing a reality check in a dream. Repeat this intention until you fall asleep.

• Wake Back to Bed (WBTB): Wake up after a few hours of sleep, stay awake for 20-30 minutes, then return to bed. This increases the likelihood of entering a lucid dream state.

• Dream Incubation: Set an intention before sleep, focusing on what you wish to experience or learn in your dream. This can be as simple as "I will have a lucid dream tonight" or a more specific goal.

Prophetic Dreaming

Prophetic dreaming is a potent tool for divination and foresight. These dreams, often vivid and symbolic, offer glimpses into future events or hidden truths. By interpreting the dream's imagery and symbolism, you can gain valuable insights and prepare for what lies ahead. These dreams can range from personal revelations to broader societal trends. To enhance prophetic dreaming, practitioners often employ various techniques, such as dream journaling, meditation, and the use of specific herbs and crystals. By attuning to the subtle energies of the dream realm, witches can unlock the secrets of the future and navigate life with greater wisdom and purpose.

Dream-Walking

Dream-walking is another form of dream work where the dreamer, in a state of lucidity, travels outside their own dreamscape. These journeys can lead them to astral projection, dream-hopping (visiting the dreams of others), travel to the spiritual realms, or even the land of the dead. Dream-walking carries many risks and proper precautions should be taken before even attempting it.

While dream-walking can be learned, it often comes naturally to those who practice it. Techniques are different for each person but it is something akin to hedge-riding, except the other world is accessed in a sleep state. While dangerous, it is an easier (for some) way to access other realms and even the minds of others.

Magical Enhancements

• Herbs: Blue lotus, mugwort, lavender, valerian, dream herb, passion flower, anise, rosemary, devil's claw, lemon balm, wormwood, chamomile, catnip, yarrow, skullcap, damiana, sage, angelica, calamus, tulsi, bay, ashwagandha, jasmine, mullien, cat's claw, jasmine, eye bright, calendula

• Crystals: Labradorite, moonstone, moldavite, amethyst, apatite, hematite, herkimer diamond, lapis lazuli, smokey/black quartz, covellite, charoite, scolecite, epidote, blue goldstone, celestite, fluorite, rainbow obsidian, blue tiger's eye, danburite, iolite, azurite, sodalite, blue kyanite, blue calcite, selenite

• Dream magick: Dream pillows, spell bags/jars, enchanted jewelry, sigils, bath rituals, lunar work, candle spells, incantations, teas

Exploring the Dreamscape

Once you've achieved lucidity, the possibilities are endless. Shadow work, spellcasting, healing, manifestation, spirit communication, baneful magick, necromancy, astral projection, astral creation, and hedge-riding are all easier to do here. Through practice you can learn to access your own astral realm as well as your astral and spiritual bodies. This can give you amazing control and insight in your waking life.

Safety and Ethics

Grounding is essential. Before falling asleep and after waking from a lucid dream or dream journey, ground yourself by connecting with your physical body and surroundings. Consider the whole impact before violating someone's mind or dreamscape/subconscious. Your dreams affect your daily experiences more than most know. Approach dream work with a sense of curiosity and reverence. Remember, lucid dreaming is a skill that takes practice. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the journey of exploring your subconscious mind and beyond.

Common Dream Symbols

Remember, dream interpretation is highly personal. These are general interpretations and may vary based on individual experiences and cultural context. It's often helpful to consider the specific emotions and sensations associated with the dream.

Animals

• Snake: Transformation, healing, sexuality, or hidden fears

• Spider: Creativity, patience, and problem-solving

• Dog: Loyalty, friendship, and protection

• Cat: Independence, intuition, and mystery

• Owl: Wisdom, knowledge, and intuition

• Horse: Power, freedom, and sexuality

• Deer: Sensitivity, gentleness, and intuition

• Bear: Strength, protection, and grounding

• Lion: Power, courage, and leadership

• Wolf: Leadership, family, and persistence

Natural Elements

• Water: Emotions, subconscious, and the flow of life

• Fire: Passion, anger, transformation, and purification

• Earth: Grounding, stability, and physical body

• Air: Intellect, communication, and spiritual connection

Objects and Places

• Teeth: Anxiety, insecurity, or feeling powerless.

• House: Self, family, or emotional state.

• School: Learning, growth, or feeling inadequate.

• Hospital: Illness, fear, or need for healing.

• Flying: Freedom, ambition, or spiritual awakening.

• Falling: Loss of control, fear, or insecurity.

• Keys: Access, opportunity, or unlocking potential.

• Doors: New beginnings, opportunities, or obstacles.

• Bridges: Transition, change, or connecting different aspects of oneself.

Other Symbols

• Death: Change, transformation, or the end of a cycle.

• Pregnancy: Creativity, new beginnings, or potential.

• Nakedness: Vulnerability, shame, or a desire for authenticity.

• Being chased: Fear, anxiety, or avoidance of something.

• Being lost: Confusion, uncertainty, or feeling overwhelmed.

• Being late: Fear of missing out, procrastination, or time management issues.

• Being stuck: Feeling trapped, helpless, or unable to move forward.

To delve deeper into dream interpretation, consider keeping a dream journal, exploring your personal associations with symbology, and  always consider the emotional tone of the dream.

[seleniangnosis]

How are you transforming? 🌌

Pile 1 Pile 2 Pile 3

It's been a while since I made a pac reading. Personal life is keeping me busy and I had no energy for readings.

This PAC is going to focus on a transformation process that is going on at the moment, and providing some clarity about where things are headed, as well as an advice.

Deck used: Magic The Gathering Oracle deck.

Pile I

Hi there pile I and welcome to your reading ✨️🤍

The cards I got for you are: Inspiration, The Warrior, and Toxic Thoughts.

Bottom deck energy: Distraction.

You seem to be caught in a specific situation(it can be different for everyone) and try to find something to get you out of it, but in your search, you are met with obstacles, obstacles created by you. What you are trying to accomplish lacks initiative and focus. Your mind is distracted and caught in multiple scenarios.

Your negative thoughts are distracting you from what needs to be done, but now you have a hold of them. Do not let fears and stories your mind tells you keep you back from reaching your full potential.

Thank you for reading🤍✨️

Pile II

Hi there pile II and welcome to your reading ✨️

The cards I got for you are: Desire rx, Magic of The Mind and Transformation. Extra card: The unconscious.

Bottom deck energy: Resourcefulness

You seem to be stuck on not wanting to accept a change that seemed to have happened or accept that there are other ways.

At a subconscious level, your mind has already accepted this change, but consciously you are still avoiding anything related to it and trying to find excuses to remain in the same old place. This could represent a big and meaningful change that might be scary, or you aren't able to understand it properly. You possess all the knowledge to navigate through this change. Let go of limitations and embrace the new little by little.

Thank you for reading🤍✨️

Pile III

Hi there pile 3 and welcome to your reading ✨️

The cards I got for you are: Reincarnation rx, Inspiration, and Focus. Extra card: Breaking free.

Bottom deck energy: Unlocking Power.

You might have been living in a way where you found yourself repeating the past scenario over and over again. Past behaviours can keep us stuck in a rut if not addressed consciously. They might have served us well in the past but we all have to grow and overcome certain things.

You might be feeling like it's to complicated to break free. You don't know how to adapt to something new, since this past cycle is all you've known.

You need to find your focus. The challenge will not seem this scary if you break it down first. You can try to write in a journal, listen to music or watch a movie. By calming your mind, you can take this step by step, so the passing to a different life is made easier. You are more powerful than you think you are!

Thank you for reading🤍✨️

[chuubian]

Kinktober week four:

Taste

Tags Yae miko x fem reader, mdni, witch au, aphrodisiacs, breaking and entering, face sitting, Yae is just a tiny bit mean

Summary While looking for shelter during a blizzard, you find a small cottage- missing its owner. When you finally meet the witch who occupies the house, you inexplicably feel drawn to her.

A/N Can you guys tell i hate landlords

From the frosty scenery surrounding you, only a measly little cottage could be seen in the distance. The fact that it's holding up at all during a blizzard as powerful as this one, is a miracle in itself. A sense of relief washes over you. Finally, some refuge. Getting kicked out in the middle of winter was brutal. No amount of begging convinced your landlord to show any kind of mercy. Apparently, they already had a new tenant waiting. One who had actually paid the ridiculous prices set, and earned the property owners consideration. It had been hours out in the storm.  Snow caked the bottom of your boots- melting it just enough so the freezing water soaks through the fabric, and numbing your toes. There were many times during your journey where you contemplated laying down and letting the snowdrift smother you.

Hugging the coat tighter around yourself, the muscles of your legs struggled to traverse through the thick blanket of ice layering the ground. As you got closer, lungs burning, you took note of the symbols carved into the snow surrounding the cottage. Did an artist live here? Clearly it was some kind of creative soul- golden ornaments and bells hung from the walls, jingling softly as they’re jostled by the air.

The door is unlocked. You easily push it open, engulfed in a rush of hot air that thaws your frozen muscles. It's surprisingly quiet, save for the crackling fire. No one seems to be home, but why would they leave the fireplace on? That's so dangerous. Either way, you walk in deeper, cautious of any inhabitants that may come at you with a sword. The cottage is relatively small, consisting of only one bedroom, a small kitchen, and a bathroom that didn't even have a sink. The living room was cramped with some furniture and a coffee table. Everywhere you looked, every table had at least one cauldron. Did the owner really need to cook in every room?

Grabbing a small blanket from a nearby closet, you curl up in front of the chimney. The heat radiating from the fire soothes your tired body, lulling you into a tranquil slumber. Waves of comfort ebb and flow through your figure- allowing your mind to go blank.

Your dreams are filled with scenes of a pink haired lady taunting you, finding every one of your weaknesses and using them against you. She smiles cruelly while you writhe in pain- throat searing as you scream, clawing at your throbbing stomach. Your spine feels like it's being ripped out of your body and she doesn't even take a second look. Diabolical laughter echoed through your head. The wicked expression on her face is singed into your brain, permanently lingering in your subconscious.

Panting, chest aching, you're woken from your sleep forcibly. Your eyes dart around frantically. The fireplace has been turned off but somehow you don't feel cold- if anything, there's a thin sheen of sweat covering your skin. You rip the blanket off, heart racing, and stand up. There, hiding in the darkness, is the silhouette of a person. Staring at you. A shiver runs down your spine. Your gut is begging you to run, but your feet remain planted firmly in the ground.

“W-who are you?”

“I should ask you the same thing.”

The figure steps forward and pink hair pops into view- just like that lady. No way. How? She was supposed to stay in your nightmares, not become real. Once again, your body is reminded of the torture she put you through. Your stomach feels like it's eating its own lining, like the acid is burning through the meat of your digestive system. All the saliva in your mouth dries up, leaving your throat parched. The look on your features must have been visibly panicked because the pink haired woman quickly steps forward- laying a delicate hand over your shoulder as her fluffy tail wraps around your waist. Although you're terrified, her scent fully engulfs you- it smells like cherry blossoms. It’s almost hypnotizing.

“Awww don't be scared…i wont hurt you, I'm assuming you got the nightmares huh?”

“How..?”

Breathless, your voice comes out in muted whispers.

“You didn't notice… You can break into my house but not use your brain to put the context clues together?”

Looking around in a frenzied state, your eyes gloss over all the details. There's nothing. What does she mean?

“You still don't get it…”

Her saccharine voice looms over you, tricking you into a false sense of security.

“Let me spell it out for you.”

Slender hands take hold of your chin, forcing you to look over at the coffee table.

“Do you see that?”

“T-the pot?”

She hums softly, breath brushing over the back of your neck.

“Yes, the cauldron.”

Sharp nails bite into the flesh of your cheek- mildly stinging. This time, she drags your eyeline up to the ceiling.

“Herbs?”

“Yes, darling. I’m drying them.”

Is there actually something you're supposed to be noticing?

“You like to cook?”

Your muscles are stiff, unwilling to unwind. A certain fear gnawed at the back of your mind- would she kill you if you got it wrong? How is this even possible? Maybe you're just in another wicked dream. Your landlord could have put a curse on you for not paying the rent on time. If there was any way to develop magical abilities overnight, he certainly would have figured it out. That's just how determined he is to get more money.

“No.”

Pushing  her chest against your back, she slowly walks you towards the door. Her legs and yours knock together on the way- almost making you face plant onto the shiny wooden floors beneath you. The whole house shakes as the entrance is yanked open. Bitter cold air rushes towards you, attaching itself to any semblance of warmth- chilling you to the bone. At least the storm stopped, only small snowflakes flutter down gently.

“What do you see here?”

Only ice is visible. Even the sun has hidden itself away behind gray clouds.

“Snow.”

Her hand smoothly flattens over your lower stomach as her tail wraps itself around your leg. It helps keep you toasty.

“That's not all, you don't notice anything off?”

“No… it just looks like snow.”

Sighing, she pulls you back inside and slams the door shut.

“You're a little dim aren't you?”

“I don't understand….”

The pink haired woman tuts condescendingly, tapping your cheek with her polished nail.

“I'm a witch, darling.”

Your brain  swirls, eyes widening. A witch..?! You broke into a witch's house?? Blood freezing, icicles stream through your veins forcibly- the tips of your fingers throb and prickle painfully. It all made sense now. The weird drawings in the snow, the ornaments outside, cauldrons and herbs strewn throughout the house. It was all for her spells. Giggling, her silky tail tickles the sides of your waist.

“Oh come on… How could you not have known?”

Heated fingers creep up your spine to the base of your neck, tapping lightly. Tingles emerge from the spots she touches, sending chills through your body. She's so.. touchy. And you don't even mind, despite the fact that she was the creation of your nightmares.

“But, when I was asleep-”

“I know, I know.”

She interrupts. A delicate finger taps your lips, shushing you.

“It's just a simple spell to punish intruders… but you don't seem like you mean harm.”

Releasing her pleasant, lukewarm hold on you, she rests her hand on her hips- tail thumping against the floor impatiently.

“Sit down. If you don't want me to kick you out with the snow, you'll have to come up with a reason for breaking into my house.”

Without giving you time to respond she heads off in the direction of the kitchen. The jewelry and ornaments hanging off her body and clothing clink loudly as she walks. For a few minutes, you’re granted a break from the constant anxiety brewing and expanding over you. Thankfully, she didn't seem angry. If you just explained, you're sure she'd understand. Holding a teacup and pot set, the woman walks back into the living room- bringing with her an air of coziness. She made tea. In adorable pink cups. It's unnecessarily sweet. You trespassed and she's still treating you like a welcomed guest.

Heart pounding in your chest, your wobbly hand reaches for a cup- desperate for the warmth she once enveloped you in.

“So why are you here?”

She watches as you take a sip, not moving to grab her own teacup.

Steaming hot liquid oozes down your esophagus and settles in your belly- acting like a furnace to spread its blazing flare through your extremities. Blood rushes up to your cheeks, casting a healthy glow over your face. You set the cup back down and take a deep breath. She'll understand… right?

“Well, my landlord kicked me out of my place. I didn't have anywhere to stay so I started walking around, and then I saw the cottage… I really am sorry, but I thought I was going to die.”

Her eyes narrow, tail flicking delicately. It’s like she can peer right into your core, reading you with ease and determining if you're lying with just one glance. Laying one hand on the plush couch, she leans into it- getting comfortable. She seems satisfied with your answer as she hums quietly.

“Okay, I believe you. You can stay here for the time being.”

“T-that's it? It's that easy?”

She nods.

“It's that easy.”

Heat surges under your skin. It feels like you're floating, like your body is lighter- not weighed down by all the stressful problems that had plagued you for the past month. Maybe you didn't have a lot of money, but the pink haired woman let you stay. And although she's a witch, she promised she wasn't going to hurt you.

“Thank you so much!”

She's so kind. You have to find a way to  pay her back somehow.

“I-I'll clean up around the house and stuff! I won't be a bother, I promise.”

She chuckles, and suddenly it seems like the sun is right in front of you. Her smile is so bright, vivid.

“That would be appreciated. If you want, you can also try out my potions, I have been needing a cute little test subject.”

“Uhm… Would it be dangerous…?”

Crossing her pale legs, she taps her chin for a few seconds- thinking.

“You don't need to worry about it, darling. You'll be fine.”

That's all the confirmation you need.

“Okay then! I'll do it.”

She smirks mischievously, it almost makes you suspicious. Almost.

“Great, we'll start tomorrow.”

Standing up, she turns to walk away. Before she can go off to do whatever it is she does all day, you stop her.

“Wait!”

Her head whips back around, velvety tail swaying smoothly. It's as if it's trying to get you to touch it- hypnotizing you.

“You never told me your name.”

“It's Yae. Yae Miko. Don't forget it, darling.”

Her slim fingers drum against your cheek, almost like she's scolding you. Before you know it, she's gone again, hiding herself away in some corner of the house that you can't access.

The rest of the day is spent alone. Cleaning, although tedious when you lived alone, is now a welcome activity. At least you had a place to clean. You assumed Yae didn't mind you taking her food, but she didn't come out to scold you for using one of her cauldrons and cooking. It was kind of worrying, actually. Did she not need to eat? You even made a large enough amount for her to have some too.

Thoughtless, menial labor was tranquilizing. As the muddy, contaminated water was poured away, so was your unease. Once you feel satisfied with the work you've done, you grab your blanket again, setting up on the couch in front of the fireplace. This would be much more comfortable than the hard wooden floor you'd slept on the night before. Your body sinks into the cushiony sofa, engulfing you in a cocoon of warmth and satisfaction. The crackling of the flames acts as white noise- luring you into a restful sleep.

Fortunately, no more nightmares occur. As morning time approaches, you're woken by a bright golden light in your face. Eyes blinking open, you're temporarily blinded by the dazzling sun rays. When you sit up and face the other direction, you can barely see Yae in the corner through the passing blind spot in your vision. Why does she stare so much? It's seriously unsettling. She doesn't wait for you to fully wake up before she does.

“Get up, darling. I need your help.”

You groan.

“Already? I just woke up.”

“Oh, do you have something else to do?”

Grumbling, you rip the snuggly sheets off your body.

“Fine.”

Yae grins smugly, leading you through maze-like hallways. She must have done something to the house because you don't remember seeing these places the night you broke in. The wooden boards are cold against your feet, freezing the balls of your feet- threatening to cramp them all the way from your toes, up to your ankles. She finally stops in front of a small pink door, ears twitching before she walks in, not saying a word.

As you pass through the entrance, the breath is stolen from your lungs…. Wow. It's huge on the inside. Like a giant public library, but instead of books, the shelves are filled with various dried herbs and multi-colored potions. Your nose is immediately attacked with the scent of iris and cherry blossoms. Large windows let the sun to light up the room beautifully. Can Yae’s magic really be so strong that the glass didn't break during that horrible blizzard?

“Come on, don't be shy.”

Fuzzy fur drapes itself around your hips- pushing you towards the small table in the middle, covered in various glass bottles, herbs, and spilled liquids. You don't dare to touch them. Yae’s delicate hands pluck out a dainty thin vial filled with a bright pink elixir. The cork at the top, kept everything from spilling out as she handed it to you.

“Try this.”

You pop open the bottle, sniffing it. It's sickeningly sweet. Your throat and tongue are violently assaulted by the steam wafting up- your gums ache to bite down on something, mouth watering.

“What is this? Pure sugar?”

Tapping the bottom of the vial, she tries to force it up to your lips.

“Nope, it's a potion to help with your… loneliness.”

“I never said I was lonely.”

Holding a finger up to her lips, she giggles playfully.

“I can read between the lines. Now go on, this is your one job, it's very safe I promise.”

Slightly embarrassed, you bring the cool glass vial up to your lips and tip it back. As soon as the potion touches your lips and tongue you're hit with the intense honeyed spiciness. Your eyes water as the viscous liquid slides down your throat- the chance to lick the remainder off your lips never comes as it absorbs itself into your skin. A tickle in your throat forces you to double over coughing. It's like your stomach is hopelessly attempting to push the elixir back up out of your esophagus.

Peering out the window, you run your tongue over your teeth- becoming conscious of the gritty sensation left behind in your mouth.

“How do you feel?”

Your attention is drawn back to Yae, core tightening when you study the exquisite features on her face and the elegant outline of her figure. Her eyes meet yours and your entire world collapses. Sediment cascades down on you- crushing and burying you under heavy rock. Answering her question is the last thing on your mind. Your tongue feels swollen in your mouth, and your brain is spinning.

Static buzzes through the roots of your hair, down to the bottom of your feet when Yae snakes a slender arm around your waist, pushing her body up against yours. She's so warm.. it makes you want to melt under her, let her manipulate and contort you any way she pleases like melted chocolate. Moisture covers your skin, leaving the surface of it sticky.

“Is it hot? hm?”

Her voice is deeper than before, alluring. She was tempting you. Like a black widow- seducing you, only to destroy you after she's gotten all she needs from you. Unconsciously, you nod.

“I bet… lay down.”

All it takes from her is a little push towards the long couch near the window, before your body obeys by itself. Your body descends into the plush cushions and Yaes legs tangle with yours. In this position, where she straddles your thigh with her thin arms propped next to your face, you’re enveloped by her scent. It's intoxicating. You'll never be able to smell cherry blossoms without thinking of her ever again.

“W-what was that potion?”

Sharp nails gently scratch down your cheek, creating sensitive tingles over it.

“Nothing much, just a simple aphrodisiac.”

Fire ignites your nerves alight, it's like you're being burned alive. The wind gets knocked out of your lungs as she drags her smooth hand down your neck and rests it over your sternum.

“You're e-evil,”

She tsks disapprovingly, pinching the small exposed flesh of your chest. Small, needy  whines free themselves from your lungs as you arch into her touch. How could this have happened? You're so stupid to trust a stranger and yet… you want her. More than you need air to breathe.

“Don't talk to me like that. Unless you want me to leave you here by yourself.”

Keening, your hands travel up to the edges of her uniform, curling around the fabric hysterically.

“Noo.. stay.”

“That's more like it.”

She purrs into your ear, already tugging the hem of your shirt up- working quickly to undress you. Fervid palms smooth over your exposed stomach. Her pupils are dilated and she keeps dragging her tongue over her teeth and lips. Like she wants to ingest you. The tail behind her is flicking impatiently, whipping your legs painfully.

Plump lips crash against your own, dragging her tongue against your bottom lip- she doesn't wait for permission before forcing herself inside. Deepening the kiss, her body leans down more, pressing her plush tits against yours. She's greedy. Taking all she can from you- the air from your lungs, the ability to think clearly. Her teeth clash against yours, like she's trying to eat you.

Pointed, needle-like nails dig into the flesh of your cheeks as Yae pulls away harshly. Your lips make a wet smacking sound, clinging to each other.

“Can I sit on your face?”

You nod dumbly, lips swollen and parted. It was nice that she bothered to ask, but at this point she could ask to kill your entire family and your brain would be stupid  enough to go ahead and say yes. Yae quickly pulls the stupid uniform over her head. Your eyes rove over her graceful figure, taking in the softness of her hips, the alluring curve of her waist. Mouth watering, your eyesight moves down to where she’s still covered by her panties. Heat washes over you, twisting uncomfortably. You need her to hurry. She was being so slow on purpose.

“Please… Yae…”

Chucking, she gently slaps your hip. Your body craves more.

“I know, I know.”

Thumbs hook under the waistband of her underwear, pulling down until they’re fully off- thrown somewhere in the distance but you dont care at this point. All your mind can think about is how she would taste, how she would feel. The pink haired witch straddles your face and you're met with the sight of her glistening pussy. Tears spring into your eyes as she puts her full weight on you. Finally. This is all you wanted.

The pressure against you is a welcome kind. Not like the pressures of life from before- paying you rent on time, finding food. This is better. How could you ever go back after this?

A low buzz of excitement covers you. Tongue laving over her clit, taking in her syrupy taste- her hips twitch against your face.

“F-fuck, yeah… just like that.”

Grinding down on your tongue, Yae has absolutely no shame. Her beautiful hands thread themselves through the strands of your hair, tugging and directing you how she likes.

Your fingers dig into the fat of her hips, trying to keep her still but your efforts are proving useless. She didn't care that your face was shining with her slick- in fact, she encourages it.

Wrapping your lips around her clit, you suck harshly- tongue flicking over it eagerly. Her hands tighten in your strands as a small gasp bubbles up her throat. It encourages you more, It felt like you were drunk. Your head was spinning like crazy, eyes developing a glassy sheen. The need to please is overwhelming. The need for all of her. Her taste, her touch, her scent.

You desperately pull her down more. Lapping in a fast rhythm, you push your tongue against her entrance, eating her out like it's your last meal. Yae’s thighs tremble with the effort of holding herself up. Gushy walls squishing around you. The pitch in her voice gets higher as she quivers over you. You slurp at her mercilessly, determined to draw out more sweet noises from her lips.

When she finally comes apart, her entire body weight drops onto you, legs squishing against the sides of your head. Your eyes roll back in ecstasy, strung out and drunk off of her.

Shaking, she gradually lifts herself from you, giggling at the wetness she's left all over the bottom half of your face. Your tongue darts out, trying to get all of it, but before you can finish, Yae is undoing the buttons of your pants. It's distracting. She's so beautiful, it almost feels wrong to make her please you. As your bottoms are tugged off, cool air hits your warm skin. Goosebumps rise throughout, sending shivers up your spine. Her gentle hands pry your legs apart, crawling closer to where you needed her most.

Her warm breath brushes over your inner thighs. She doesn't move past that.

“Y-Yae please…”

You can hear the cruel chuckle she lets out. And see the way her tail sways wickedly from side to side, running over your legs.

“Hurry..”

Large wet kisses are pressed against your inner thighs, leaving a small trail of her lipstick on your skin. Then finally, after centuries of torture, her tongue darts out to lap at your clit. Sharpened nails dig into your flesh, trying to keep you from bucking against her wildly. A choked whine is caught in your throat, pain and anguish written all across your face.

“Nghh fuck…”

She's like a woman starved- hot tongue flicking against your entrance, slipping inside. An embarrassing sob traps itself in your chest, body spasming with exertion. Trembling, your hand clenches in the strands of her hair, desperate for any way to tether yourself to reality. Loud slurping and sucking sound fill the room- echoing back at you. With every movement from her, an explosion of electricity sets your nerves alight.

“O-oh god.. Yae..”

Mind clouded with lust, you roll your hips back against her. She doesn't stutter even more a second, finding her way over to your puffy clit, drawing tight little circles. Sparks flash behind your eyes and thick whimpers of ecstasy spring past your lips.

Your body is reduced to its purest instincts as Yae works her magic between your legs. Brain empty, your visceral response is to pull her closer. The knot in your lower belly tightens. The heat simmering under your skin is elevating and on the verge of  boiling over. Unintelligible babbles breach the edges of your mouth. What once were comprehensible words are reduced to merely the slurrings of a person filled with euphoria.

“I'm c-close…mmng..”

Blistering pleasure shoots through your body, ridding your lungs of any air. A pervasive ringing ringing resounds through your head, leaving your brain dizzy. Surges of pure bliss roll over you. Your hands tighten in her hair, as you're struggling to stay sane. It feels like months- years- pass before you can finally think clearly again. When you do, you're met with Yae, still naked (not complaining), peacefully sleeping next to you. She snores softly, tail twitching happily in its, presumably, good dream. She subconsciously drifts towards you, searching for warmth.

She looks so cute, but this won't stop you from getting your revenge soon.

[shifting-empress]

𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭

Lucid dreaming is the fascinating art of becoming aware that you’re dreaming while still within the dream. This heightened state of consciousness allows you to take control of your dreams, explore limitless possibilities, and even use them as a powerful tool for reality shifting.

For shifters, lucid dreaming is a bridge—a space where the subconscious and your desired reality align, making the transition smoother and more accessible. In this post, we’ll dive into the connection between lucid dreaming and shifting, explore proven methods to induce lucid dreams, and share tips to make your dreams a portal to your desired reality.

Whether you’re new to lucid dreaming or looking to refine your skills, this guide will help you unlock the dream world and beyond.

𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧

When one goes to sleep, your mind goes on auto-pilot. You are not in control over what you dream about. Many think of it as the time when your subconsciousness comes out to play. For the entirety of the day you are awake, and in the moment, present and feeling. You are conscious. Your dreams, however, are your subconsciousness' territory. That's why many people have experienced dreams that are connected to their real life. Many consider this as their subconscious trying to send them a message vicariously through a dream. The difference between both parts, (conscious and subconscious), of your mind is that in your subconscious mind there is no past or future, merely just the present. In your subconscious there is no irrational, impossible or false. Everything is legitimate there. Which is why some dreams can become very bizarre and seem unrealistic.

Your conscious is greatly limited in comparison to your subconscious. Your subconscious is all knowing. It’s your data bank. Everything your conscious knows and much more. It holds your beliefs, memories, all information you’ve ever collected, skills and experiences. All the things you have seen, done, thought and learned are there. However, the conscious mind only contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. This is key aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about logically and rationally. They’re two sides of the same coin.

Many people fail to realize that their subconscious mind is a million times more powerful than their conscious one (although all forms of consciousness are powerful if you know how to utilize them). Because of how powerful it is, lucid dreaming is an amazing method to try for shifting/respawning. When you are dreaming, you are out of touch with your physical vessel and you aren’t connected to it the same way you would be if you were awake. You are pure mind & soul only. This is also why people are able to astral project. Because when you are sleeping you aren’t attached to your physical body. A lot of people think of their body as them, themselves. In reality though, your body is more of a home. A home that you reside in. You aren’t the body, you are IN the body. You are an energetic being in the multiverse. Your body is just a place your soul and mind can reside in order to allow yourself to physically interact with the reality and world around you. Think of your dream world separate from your physical world. So to sum up dreaming is when you go to sleep and when your subconscious can project itself outward and you involuntarily see it as images, emotions, ideas, sensations, thoughts etc. Even in present day neither the function or content of dreams can be truly explained and neither can scientists explain why the subconscious mind exists. In a psychological perspective, the subconscious is viewed as the shadow of your conscious mind.

So as we have brushed upon the concept of dreams and the subconscious and conscious mind, let’s venture even further into the topic. As briefly mentioned before when you dream you are INVOLUNTARILY experiencing your subconscious project different imagery in your mind. The key difference between regular dreaming and lucid dreaming is that in a lucid dream there is no “involuntarily”. Lucid dreaming is when you are aware that you are dreaming. The term lucid means expressed clearly; easy to understand. This can allude to the fact that you are no longer just witnessing your dreams unfold helplessly. You are understanding them and comprehending that you are in a dream. As previously stated dreams are the subconscious' territory.

So what happens when you’re conscious and subconscious are both present in a dream? Anything and everything. In a lucid dream you are able to do anything you want. There is no illogical part to it. You are in complete control. If you want to fly you’ll be able to fly. The events that can occur in a lucid dream unfold based on your knowledge. In other words, if you per chance get “hurt” in a dream, your mind will try to emulate what you think an injury might feel like or based on pain you’ve already experience in the physical world. This is what makes lucid dreaming so vivid. Because you are fully and completely aware that you’re dreaming. In a lucid dream when you go to touch things or even walk, it feels real. It feels as if you’re physically lifting your legs to walk. This is because your mind knows what the sensation feels like. In a lucid dream you can use all your knowledge to your benefit. This is one of the reasons why many are able to manifest through lucid dreaming. Because they’re conscious enough to remember to affirm that they have their desires. Your subconscious mind is permeable if you allow it to be. Same reason why lucid dreaming is a efficient way to shift and respawn. To sum up a lucid dream is a type of dream where the dreamer eventually becomes aware that they are dreaming. During a lucid dream, the dreamer is able to gain some amount of control over the dream characters, narrative, environment etc. Lucid dreaming can be very effective because not only can you shift/respawn through it but you are able to understand your subconscious on a deeper level.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐬

Reality Checks you can try:

Counting your fingers, (usually in dreams you’re either missing a finger or have an additional one or few more, so once you realize this in a dream, you’ll enter a lucid state).

Ask yourself frequently, "Am I dreaming?" throughout the day.

Look at your reflection frequently, in dreams your reflection is very distorted and can look funky, this is how you'll be able to tell whether you're dreaming or not.

Press your index finger through the palm of your other hand; if you're dreaming the finger should be able to go straight through your palm.

Check the time; in a dream, time is constantly changing in a disorderly fashion, in the real world the time goes in order and doesn't go by as fast.

Use a breathing technique, such as pinching your nose and testing if you can breathe. If you can then, you are in a dream.

𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬

𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐃 (𝐌𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠)

MILD also known as Mnemonic Induced Lucid Dreaming is a lucid dreaming technique. It’s by far one of the more easier methods to get a lucid dream. I say this because for this technique you only require a phrase or mantra that you should repeat and rehearse to yourself as you are going to sleep. The idea is to have lucid dreaming be the last absolute thing on your mind. If you go to sleep while thinking about lucid dreaming your chances of lucid dreaming will increase by a lot. It can also help if you not only repeat your mantra or phrase in your head but also visualize a dreamscape or background setting for your oncoming dream. It’s in a sense like setting the intention to lucid dream as you are about to sleep.

𝐖𝐁𝐓𝐁 (𝐖𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐝)

WBTB also known as Wake Back To Bed is also a very easy lucid dreaming technique if you get it right. Wake Back To Bed only really requires you to get up after a specific amount of time. There are two approaches I have seen and used myself with this technique.

☆ Approach 1: First approach is to wake up right before your REM cycle hits. To explain further, just before you go into a dream you go through this process called the REM cycle, or Rapid Eye Movement. The REM cycle phase only happens to mammals and birds. It’s distinguished by very fast movement of your eyes alongside with low muscle tone throughout the body. It leads to the sleeper having a high tendency to have vivid dreams. Every cycle happens every 90 minutes or 1 hour 30 minutes. The first dream that comes after the first cycle is the shortest and they progressively get longer as the night goes on. The goal is to wake up right around when your REM cycle hits so you can go straight into lucid dreaming. You can do this by setting an alarm an hour and a half after you sleep or up to 5 hours later, waking up, laying in bed or doing something that doesn’t take you out of your sleepy state entirely, like reading, and then going back to sleep. Usually you can stay up to 30 minutes awake, it varies with people. This approach is more relative than the other because everyone falls asleep at different rates so if you want to try the WBTB method this specific way you should try to figure out your sleeping pattern.

☆ Approach 2: The other approach would be setting an alarm 5 hours after you sleep and ideally before you usually get up in the morning. You’re aiming to wake up in a drowsy state, somewhere between awake and asleep. You can stay up to 30 minutes distracting yourself, and then go back to sleep. This also kind of links with the REM cycle because as mentioned before the longer night progresses the longer your dreams become so if you wake up 5 hours later and then go back to sleep you’ll be able to go straight into a lucid dream. A tip I would suggest is to read or do something that reminds you of lucid dreaming right before you go back to sleep. Highly recommend to people who have visualization problems.

𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐃 (𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠)

SSILD otherwise known as Senses Initiated Lucid Dreaming is a lucid dreaming technique that uses a combination of aspects from other lucid dreaming methods. It’s fairly new in comparison to other lucid dreaming methods. This method is great for people who cannot visualize well. It’s a simple process. The point is to keep yourself preoccupied as you are falling asleep so your conscious mind stays awake afterwards.

The Process:

Focus on your sight. You do this by closing your eyes and concentrating on the darkness behind your eyelids. Don’t squeeze your eyes shut or strain them, they should be relaxed. It’s also normal to not see anything but don’t try to seek for something by moving your eyes a lot. You should stay relaxed.

Focus on your hearing. After you have relaxed your eyes more, gear your focus towards your ears. Pay attention to what you hear. If you’re room is very quiet then try to listen to your heartbeat or your breathing.

Focus on your touch. Concentrate on what you feel around you. Whether it’s the fuzziness of your blanket, the cool air of your room, or even the bed beneath you. As you are doing this, try to spot if you feel any weird sensations such as, tingling, weight or heaviness on your limbs, or feeling like you’re spinning or floating. Try to feel if you can sense the weight of your blanket on your body.

Repeat the process until you fall asleep.

𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐃 (𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠)

FILD also known as Finger Induced Lucid Dreaming is considered a fairly easy method for beginners. For FILD place one of your hands flat on your bed and imagine you're playing the piano. Move your index and middle finger up and down as if you’re playing two keys on a piano for 30 seconds (it’s best to not count just make an estimate of how long 30 seconds feels like to you because you should be in a relaxed state). After 30 seconds pass visualize your fingers moving instead of actually physically moving them. The first thing you should try to do is get back to sleep. You move your fingers gently, relax your body, and then you can actually try to visualize where you want to be.

𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐃 (𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠)

VILD or Visually Induced Lucid Dreaming can be hard depending on the person. For my personal list it would be higher because I consider it easy but some people have problems with visualization. Hence why I put this one lower on the list. VILD basically requires you to rehearse your desired lucid dream. What you need to do is make up a dream scene in advance and rehearse it in your head as you fall asleep. Visualize what you will do once in a lucid dream. You should write down how the dream will occur on paper or even draw a picture of the setting/dreamscape. As you fall asleep the last thing on your mind will be your desired dream scene which will help you lucid dream.

𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃 (𝐖𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠)

WILD or Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming is arguably the hardest of lucid dreaming methods because it requires a lot of endurance and dedication. WILD is when you go straight from being awake into a lucid dream. The steps are actually very simple but because of the entire process, this can be considered much more difficult for beginners. All you need to do is lay very still for as long as you can. If there’s an itch try your best to ignore it. You’re aiming to stay awake throughout the entire process as your body goes to sleep. With WILD it’s a given that you will experience sleep paralysis. That isn’t anything bad however. Sleep paralysis has a lot of stigma but it’s all in your head. If you allow negative things you’ve heard about sleep paralysis affect you as you’re attempting this method then that’s obviously what you’ll perceive it to be and it’ll end up being that way. As long as you remain calm and remind yourself that none of the imagery is real it’s actually not as bad as many would think. Remember sleep paralysis is what you make it out to be. If you think it’s horrifying then that’s what your experience will be like, and if you’re confident in yourself then it’ll actually be pretty tame. For WILD all you essentially do is lay still and try to stay awake as long as you can. You will enter a hypnagogic state where you start to see hallucinations, colors and imagery behind your eyelids. As you’re attempting this, your body will go to sleep because of your lack of physical movement. From there you will directly enter a lucid dream.

[liviawildrose]

𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞

hello, loves. i’m livia wildrose this is the master list your ultimate blueprint for leveling up and becoming the most magnetic, powerful version of yourself.

this space is all about growth, glow-ups, and stepping into the dream life we know we’re destined for. we’re here to rewrite the rules, show the world our worth, and manifest every single thing we’ve ever dreamed of. because let’s be real, it’s all within reach.

together, we’re unlocking the tools, tips, and mindset shifts to turn our wildest fantasies into reality. it’s not just about leveling up it’s about creating a life so good it feels like magic. you’re not just existing you’re thriving, glowing, and unapologetically owning your power.

this is your go-to guide for self-discovery, confidence, manifestation, and living like the absolute star you are. because you deserve it, we deserve it and the world is about to know it.

to understand the reason and why i’m starting this journey read my story (get to know me)

foundations of glow up

first steps

this is the “how to begin” for anyone starting their glow-up. mental shifts, alter ego creation, and the mindset needed to elevate.

mindmovie

another foundational piece that ties into mental reprogramming. how to visualize and use mind movies to unlock your subconscious potential.

self improvement

glow up enhancing

tools, tips, and tech to enhance the glow-up process. using subliminals, ChatGPT, and other strategies to get even better.

game of life

your mindset hack. the game of life mentality that can practically shift someone’s whole existence and approach to their goals.

become your own mother

this feels like a huge empowerment piece. self-love, nurturing yourself, and stepping into your own power.

take yourself seriously

it’s like owning yourself truly and completely, crafting and taking control of your body, mind, soul and your ultimate destiny and life.

witchcarft & spirituality

egg cleanse

cleanse to remove any negative energy or blockages. how to perform the egg cleanse ritual and clear out any stagnant energy in your life.

kundalini

deep dive into spiritual practices and energy work. how activating your Kundalini can push you toward your next level.

your energy is sacred

keep your energy exclusive to make sure that you are thriving and also use you energy for better purposes

letters and updates

a love letter

a life update and an appreciation letter to you guys for supporting me so much, i can’t express enough how much i love you guys

my results and recommendations

routine

[theitgirlboutique]

────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────────

From Glow-Ups to Dream Lives

Your ultimate inspiration to manifesting the life you’ve always imagined.

Welcome, sweetheart to the first drop of the It girl boutique’s collection ‘dolly tutorials’! Are you ready to turn your dream life into reality?

We’re not here for the ordinary. We’re here for the extraordinary.

────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────────

So grab your favourite latte, settle in, and let’s get to it.

This isn’t just another manifestation post. This is the moment you claim the life you deserve. And trust me, it’s going to be fabulous.

────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────────

1. Dream Face

We’ve all seen those before-and-after photos, but let’s get real—this transformation is all you. A year ago, I looked entirely different. Subliminals worked like a charm, and in no time, my face went from good to absolutely flawless. I manifested everything—from reshaping my nose, lips, and eyes, to clearing my skin (hyperpigmentation is a bitch). Now, i’m focusing on growing my hair. Get ready for an exclusive post on how to manifest your dream appearance, because yes, it's that easy.

2. Dream Body

I never had a specific body type in mind. What I did know was this: I wanted to lose some weight. The usual tricks—starving myself, restrictive diets— resulted in the yo-yo effect (ewwW). But then I had an epiphany: the law of assumption. Instead of restricting, I decided to affirm my dream body. No diets, no extreme workouts—just pure belief. I manifested losing 10 kg, effortlessly. 1kg a week - not too quick, but darling, it was worth it. Now, I’m living in my dream body and enjoying a healthier relationship with food. One of my most important manifesting journeys so far.

3. Academic Success – Part One

The dreaded GCSE results were close and I was convinced I had failed. Honestly, I wasn’t even interested in manifesting better grades—I had already given up. But one night, I listened to a single subliminal only three times and let go. No expectations. When the results came in, I was stunned. Straight As. An A*, and second-highest in English. Law of assumption saved my life fr.

4. Academic Success – Part Two

Music exam—knew I had guessed half of it. But you know what? this time i chose a different path. I acted like I had aced it. Pure confidence. And guess what? 98. That’s the power of subconscious manifesting. Act like you’ve already got it, and the universe will follow suit.

5. Aura

Manifesting your dream features is one thing. But the real glow-up is on the inside. Enter Jennifer Check—my favourite character, my icon. I didn’t tell anyone about my obsession for her, but somehow, at least 30 people have told me I resemble her. Not just in looks, but in that bold, unapologetic energy. this is also suchhh a confidence tip

6. My babygirl

Before I even knew about manifestation, I dreamed of having a dog. My parents are were heavily Anti-pet. But I didn’t let that stop me. I acted as though I already had one—talking to my invisible dog, even walking it in my head (this was when i was like 13). Eventually, they caved. subconscious manifesting.

7. Talents

Art— I was terrible at it. Terrible. But I made a decision: I would manifest artistic talent. Fast forward to now, and I’m one of the best artists in my class. Same with singing, dancing, and, of course, crocheting.

────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────────

So what is the takeaway here?

Manifestation isn’t just a trend. It’s the key to unlocking your most authentic, fabulous life. It’s not about wishing or hoping—it’s about *knowing* you deserve everything that comes your way. Believe it. Affirm it. And let the universe deliver.

Now, go ahead and start manifesting your dream life

────────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────────────

[bl0wupdo11]

Unlocking Your Potential: The Power of Manifestation and the Law of Assumption

What is Manifestation?

At its core, manifestation is the process of bringing your intentions into reality. It’s about aligning your thoughts, feelings, and actions with what you truly desire. This means shifting your mindset and focusing on the positive aspects of your life, rather than the negatives. By doing so, you set the stage for abundance and prosperity to flow into your life.

The Law of Assumption Explained

The Law of Assumption, popularized by the great Neville Goddard, posits that whatever you assume to be true becomes your reality. In other words, if you believe you are worthy of love, success, and happiness, you will attract those very experiences into your life. Your assumptions shape your perceptions, and your perceptions shape your reality.

This law emphasizes a fundamental truth: you are the creator of your own experiences. Everything starts with a thought. If you assume that your dreams are already a reality, you will naturally align your actions and emotions with that assumption, making it easier for those dreams to manifest.

How to Harness These Principles?

🍒 Get Clear on Your Desires: What do you truly want? Write down your goals and dreams with clarity and conviction. Be specific! The universe responds to clear intentions.

🍒 Visualize Your Success: Spend a few minutes each day visualizing yourself living your desired reality. Feel the emotions associated with achieving those goals—joy, gratitude, empowerment. Visualization is a powerful tool that reinforces your assumptions.

🍒 Affirm Your Beliefs: Use positive affirmations to reinforce your assumptions. Statements like “I am worthy of success” or “I attract abundance effortlessly” can rewire your subconscious mind and shift your internal dialogue.

🍒 Take Action: Manifestation isn’t just about thinking; it���s about doing. Pay attention to intuitive nudges and take actionable steps towards your goals. The universe rewards action!

🍒 Trust the Process: Cultivating trust in the universe is crucial. Understand that everything unfolds in divine timing. Let go of the need to control every outcome and watch as opportunities begin to present themselves.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Conquering the Writing Slump: Reignite Your Creativity and Motivation

Every writer experiences it at some point: the dreaded writing slump. It's that sinking feeling when your creativity seems to have gone into hibernation, leaving you staring at a blank page. But fear not! In this blog post, I'll help you explore unique and effective strategies to help you break free from the writing slump and reignite your motivation to write. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, these carefully crafted steps will guide you back to your creative flow.

Step 1: Reconnect with Your Writing Purpose

Take a moment to reconnect with your writing purpose. What drove you to start writing in the first place? Was it the desire to tell captivating stories, impart knowledge, or share your unique perspective? Reflect on your initial motivations and remind yourself of the passion that ignited your writing journey. This reconnection will serve as a powerful source of inspiration to propel you forward.

Step 2: Embrace the Power of Mindset

Your mindset plays a crucial role in overcoming a writing slump. Instead of viewing it as an insurmountable obstacle, shift your perspective and see it as an opportunity for growth. Embrace the belief that challenges are stepping stones to success. Cultivate a positive mindset, affirming your ability to overcome the slump and rediscover your writing mojo.

Step 3: Rediscover Your Writing Identity

Sometimes, a writing slump occurs when you feel disconnected from your writing identity. Take the time to rediscover who you are as a writer. Reflect on your unique writing style, voice, and the themes that resonate with you. Reconnecting with your writing identity will reignite the spark of creativity and motivate you to put pen to paper once again.

Step 4: Set Realistic Writing Goals

Setting realistic goals is essential in reclaiming your motivation. Break down your larger writing projects into smaller, achievable milestones. By doing so, you'll experience a sense of accomplishment as you complete each task, fueling your motivation to tackle the next one. Remember, progress, no matter how small, is still progress.

Step 5: Cultivate a Writing Ritual

Establishing a writing ritual can work wonders in overcoming a slump. Designate a specific time and place for your writing practice. Create a personalized ritual that helps you transition into a focused and creative mindset. It could be lighting a scented candle, playing calming music, or even performing a short meditation. The familiarity of your ritual will signal to your brain that it's time to unleash your creativity.

Step 6: Experiment with Writing Prompts

Writing prompts serve as catalysts for fresh ideas and inspiration. Seek out unique writing prompts that resonate with your interests and writing style. They can be found in books, online websites, or even through random word generators. Embrace the challenge of writing within given constraints, and witness how it sparks your creativity and motivates you to write again.

Step 7: Engage in Stream-of-Consciousness Writing

Stream-of-consciousness writing is a powerful technique to bypass your inner critic and tap into your subconscious mind. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and write whatever comes to mind without censorship or judgment. Allow your thoughts to flow freely, even if they seem disjointed or nonsensical. This exercise can unlock hidden ideas and awaken your creative energy.

Step 8: Seek Inspiration from Other Creative Outlets

Sometimes, finding inspiration outside of writing can reignite your creative fire. Engage in other artistic outlets such as painting, photography, or music. Immerse yourself in nature, visit art galleries, or attend live performances. These experiences will stimulate your senses, refresh your perspective, and infuse your writing with newfound inspiration.

Step 9: Collaborate with Fellow Writers

Collaboration can be a powerful motivator. Seek out fellow writers and engage in collaborative projects, writing circles, or workshops. Sharing ideas, receiving constructive feedback, and discussing challenges with like-minded individuals will invigorate your creative spirit. Embrace the sense of camaraderie and support that comes from being part of a writing community.

Step 10: Embrace Self-Care and Recharge

Self-care is vital for overcoming a writing slump. Take care of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Engage in activities that recharge your creativity, such as practicing mindfulness, exercising, or immersing yourself in a favorite hobby. Prioritize self-care to create a balanced and nurturing environment for your writing to flourish.

Defeating the writing slump requires a combination of self-reflection, mindset shifts, and proactive steps. By reconnecting with your writing purpose, embracing a positive mindset, exploring new writing techniques, seeking inspiration from various sources, and nurturing your well-being, you will reignite your motivation to write and unleash your full creative potential. Remember, every writer encounters temporary setbacks, but it's your resilience and determination that will guide you back to the page. So, embrace these unique steps, trust in your abilities, and let your words flow once again. Happy writing!

[sissytrainingbackuppost]

Sissy Training: Beginner’s Guide

Unlock confidence and self-expression with our comprehensive beginner’s guide to sissy training.

Introduction

What’s sissy training, you ask? Well, if you’re here, you might have some ideas about it. But let’s clear up any confusion anyhow.

Sissy training is a transformative process that involves highlighting an ultra-feminine, drastically submissive persona.

For sissies, it’s a channel to locate, accept, and show off their authentic selves.

It’s not easy to find mediums for sissy training though.

Not when society is still, shall we say, narrow-minded. But just imagine it— just how liberating will it be to express your sissified self?

Many folks out there mistakenly think that sissy training is just about humiliation.

Absolutely not! It’s about finding power in being able to act without any inhibitions. Read on to learn more!

Understanding The Term “Sissy”

Some people might flinch at the term “sissy,” — a reaction we get thanks to society’s tendency to paint it in the wrong light.

But here’s the thing: we’re not society. We’re the redefiners, and so we must call out this misconception.

Today, “sissy” isn’t a smear or an insult. It’s a badge of honor, a sign of courage and self-acceptance.

“Sissy,” in its purest form, refers to a man who drowns himself immense femininity. Why would a man want this?

Think of it like a man’s breather in a world that expects him to do manly things. Such include being strong in every situation possible.

And pretending to be strong is very draining and exhausting.

It’s a man’s way to just let go. To be more intuned with his feminine persona and to heal.

To discover aspects of himself without shame and fear. A sissy can even adopt alter egos to explore more.

Does it involve submission? Sure, it can. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all label. It’s varied and rare for every practitioner.

The Basics of Sissy Training

Right off the bat, let’s address the elephant in the room: starting isn’t easy.

Heck, even I, with all my years of experience, look back on those initial, nerve-wracking steps. But guess what?

Nothing worth achieving comes easy.

Sissy training involves every feminine thing you can imagine. Femme behaviors?

Check. Femme clothes? Check. Femme thinking? Check!

The essence of sissy training lies in understanding that femininity isn’t a monolith— it’s a spectrum.

When you choose to be a sissy, you welcome the vulnerability and softness that comes with it.

But do not ever get this wrong— this “mellowness” also develops distinct strengths.

Such involves resilience and courage. They always go hand in hand, a part of the package.

Here’s a rundown of the absolute basics you must master first before progressing your sissy training:

Immerse yourself completely in your new sissy identity to commemorate your progress!

I’m talking head-to-toe transformation. And so, here are some practical advice I’ve picked up from my very own sissy education:

Dress the Part

What’s the best and easiest way to welcome your femme side?

A closet filled with your favorite women’s clothes, of course! But don’t just get everything!

Get those that fit you perfectly. Only give space in your wardrobe for those that complement your body type.

Your garb should also reflect your femme personality.

To help you get started, I suggest starting with the basics: a nice pair of stockings, a classy little black dress, and, of course, a pair of shoes that make you feel like a queen.

If you don’t have money to splurge, invest time rummaging through thrift stores, online sales, and hand-me-downs! Adopt Feminine Mannerisms

Do you want to look like a sailor dared by his unfunny friends to wear a dress for laughs?

Of course not! Your clothes make up about 50% of your presentation, but your gestures and poise, oh— they will take that up to 100%!

How can you “adopt” these mannerisms? Simple! By observing and engaging with the women around you!

Research indicates that you subconsciously mimic those you interact with, so take full advantage of this science!

Take note of how your graceful lady friend speaks, moves, and expresses their thoughts and feelings.

Who is involved in sissy training? It includes you— a male-to-female crossdresser (aka sissy).

You’ll go through various practices to make you an ultra-fem, subservient to another party in sissy training, your dom.

Other participants are your support system. It can include your fellow sissies, mentors, and allies.

How do I start my journey with sissy training?

Acceptance is first. Then, identify your motivations and objectives. Doing so will make your journey smoother since you have a map you follow. FOR QUESTIONS AND MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE TRAINING PROGRAM Telegram: @prettysissyacademy

[ninatheelf]

embracing the unknown :

“jump head on, into the abyss. let the universe catch you and take you where you’re meant to go.” -esther t.

possible blockage identification + motivation!

— — — — — — — — ✿ — — — — — — — —

shifting is a concept that you shouldn’t blame yourself for not understanding at first. i mean, it goes against everything that most people have been taught when it comes to how we perceive things and generally how our minds work. it literally unlocks a whole other part of yourself that seems too good to be true. it’s like this element of magic that has been added into your life.

obviously, now you know that shifting is very much a real thing, that you have participated in it during every second of every day before you even became aware of it. your inner thoughts and feelings form the physical plane that your body experiences. you are constantly shifting, constantly assuming things about your reality (on a conscious and subconscious level) that make it manifest into exactly what you physically perceive. you are fully aware that you have the power to change how you experience things, just by changing your assumptions and persisting in them without doubting yourself. it really is that simple!

i’ve seen a few posts on here about how some may have a fear of shifting- it totally makes sense for one to be afraid that they won’t make it, or afraid that they will make it. but there’s also another fear that one might come across, one that might have slipped into their subconscious without realizing it.

humans often fear what they do not understand. 

it’s a trait that ultimately has to do with our survival instincts. things that are not familiar to us can be viewed by our animal brains as dangerous and something we need to avoid. that behavior can present itself in a range of different ways, from screaming and running away from a person dressed as a zombie in a haunted house, to avoiding a person who says things you disagree with, to fearing a concept subconsciously because it lacks “important” information. 

and that’s not to say that we always immediately reject something that is unusual to us. in fact, we can also often be allured by the novel, becoming curious about it and wanting to learn more because of the fact that it is different. 

i think that many of us can / have experienced a combination of these feelings with shifting. i know i have. we are so drawn in by this concept, willing to put time and effort into it to study the laws and practices and philosophy of it all. and yet, there will always be parts of shifting that we cannot fully grasp.

you have to learn that it is okay to not know everything. you have to learn to place trust into the unknown.

and that can be hard! because why would you trust in something you don’t fully understand? but what i’ve realized is that those who are willing to dive into it headfirst, placing trust in the shift without any knowledge about it, are often the ones who succeed fastest. that’s why all of those people back in 2020 shifted within two weeks of learning about it- they didn’t give themselves time to question how it all works, they just did it. they didn't have to know about loa or inducing pure consciousness or the 3d or 4d or any of that. they weren’t afraid to literally just go for it, with likely some vague (if any) visualization and no other expectation than, “i’ll wake up at hogwarts tomorrow, why not?” they spent time doing instead of thinking about doing. that is how real progress is made.

and once again, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t keep yourself from learning if you want to learn. you can and probably should take some time to find out what works for you as an individual because shifting is so incredibly personal. i took the time to learn about loa, to gain some basic knowledge about it (+ a little more because i find it interesting haha) and it completely changed my mindset. but you also have to remember that you’ll never learn how to ride a bike if you only read books about riding a bike. some pre-existing knowledge about bike riding doesn't hurt to have, but in order to actually ride the bike, you have to grasp the handlebars, place your feet on the pedals, and go for it- even if you’re a little scared, even if you might have some unanswered questions. 

i promise you that even though there are parts of shifting that we can’t explain, it doesn’t matter. you are able to shift without understanding it all. you are able to shift because of the fact that you trust both in the strategy that you do know (loa) and the “how” of it all that we aren’t able to fully grasp.

anyways, all of this is to say- channel your inner elsa. let yourself use a combination of your own ice power (loa, 4d) and that mysterious voice (the “how”) to guide you to your desired reality. 

some affirmations you can use to strengthen your relationship with the unknown :

i shift despite not knowing exactly how it works

i shift without knowing all of the answers 

i am happy to place trust in the unknown

i understand that the unknown is here to help me 

the unknown and i work together

i am grateful to the unknown

i shift even if i don’t fully understand the “how”

i shift as a result of fully believing in my assumptions and trusting the process

if you think this might be a blockage for you, you know the drill. repeat these (or just keep a mindset related to the affs.) and you’ll reprogram your subconscious to understand that there is nothing to be afraid of or confused by. you have everything you need to do this, and it’s all working in your favor, even the parts that you don’t understand!

— — — — — — — — ✿ — — — — — — — —

i’ve typed the word “unknown” so much that i can’t help but think of the original character from that cursed willy wonka experience-

“what is that…it's the unknown! :,0” (pls tell me you get the reference lmao)

except in this instance, we are not going to be the kid that cries right after. we’re gonna be the child that runs up to the unknown and gives it a hug and sees that it’s not a bad guy after all! 

if you have any questions, feel free to submit them in the “ask me anything” section. i’m always happy to answer and give advice! :))

𝜗𝜚

[fairyminnie444]

Please help me. I have been a good believer of the law of assumption and I have been able to bring unbelievable things to my life. However, for some reason, it seems that I can never manifest anything related to MONEY purely. At this point in my life, I really need it. And I mean like I find it so hard to believe money could just appear in my account. But that is literally what I need right now. Please help me, what could I do to help me get over this?

I understand your frustration, it can feel especially challenging to manifest something like money when you’re in a position of needing it urgently. Let’s break this down to help you shift your mindset and unlock the abundance you seek.

Why It Feels Harder to Manifest Money

1. Deep Conditioning Around Money

Society has ingrained beliefs that money must be “earned” through hard work or that it’s “hard to come by.” These beliefs might still linger in your subconscious, creating resistance.

2. Pressure and Urgency

When you need something urgently, it can create a feeling of lack or desperation. This emotional state can block the manifestation because you’re focused on the absence of money rather than its presence.

3. Believability

If you find it hard to believe that money can “just appear,” your mind may reject affirmations or visualizations, making it harder to align with the reality where money flows effortlessly.

How to Shift Your Beliefs and Manifest Money

Here’s what you can do to dissolve resistance and make money manifestations easier:

1. Reframe Your Beliefs About Money

Start reshaping your perspective on money. Remind yourself:

• Money is energy, not a limited resource.

• It flows to you as easily as air or water.

• Money doesn’t have to come from hard work—it can come through unexpected channels.

Affirmations to Use:

• “Money loves me and flows to me effortlessly.”

• “I am magnetic to financial abundance.”

• “I always have more than enough money for everything I desire.”

2. Focus on Abundance, Not Lack

When you’re stressed about needing money, you’re focusing on its absence. Shift your focus to feeling abundant. Imagine the relief and joy of already having the money.

Exercise:

• Close your eyes and imagine checking your bank account. See the exact number you desire. Feel the excitement, relief, and gratitude. Repeat this visualization daily until it feels natural.

3. Start “Small” (If Necessary)

If manifesting a large sum feels too unbelievable, start with smaller amounts. Once you see success, it’ll boost your confidence for bigger manifestations.

Example:

• Imagine someone gifting you $50. Feel the gratitude for this small win. Gradually increase the amount in your visualizations.

4. Detach From the “How”

One of the biggest blocks in manifesting money is trying to figure out how it will come. Release this need and trust that it will show up in ways you might not expect.

Example Thought Process:

• “I don’t need to know how the money will come. It’s already on its way to me, and I trust the process.”

5. Celebrate Every Sign of Abundance

Gratitude is a powerful magnet for money. Celebrate even small financial wins or gifts—it shows the universe you’re open to receiving.

Exercise:

• Keep a journal and write down every instance of abundance: found coins, discounts, free items, or unexpected income.

6. Release Resistance and Let Go

After affirming and visualizing, let go of the need to control or obsess over the outcome. Trust that the money is already yours.

Mantra to Use:

• “It’s already done. I trust the process.”

7. Use Anchors for Believability

If you find it hard to believe in “money appearing out of nowhere,” anchor it to a realistic scenario that makes it feel more natural.

• For example: “I might receive an unexpected refund, a gift, or someone may offer me a financial opportunity.”

This doesn’t limit possibilities but helps your subconscious accept the idea of money arriving.

Suggested Action Plan

1. Spend 5–10 minutes daily visualizing your bank account with the desired balance. Feel the relief and joy as if it’s already there.

2. Use affirmations throughout the day to reinforce abundance.

3. Write down all your abundance wins to shift your focus to gratitude.

4. Relax, let go of the “how,” and trust the process.

You’ve already proven to yourself that the Law of Assumption works—this is no different. Shift your energy from desperation to trust and abundance. The more you relax and feel that it’s already done, the faster money will flow to you.

[chaisshitposts]

𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 & 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝

hello there! welcome to another blog for the nerdy manifesters who want to feed their logical minds. full disclaimer, these answers are solely based on the research I've done, and if you'd like to do your own research, you should! you are the creator of your assumptions and reality, after all. I will never stop encouraging others to find their own answers. while I was writing this, I had no idea someone had already talked about muscle testing on Tumblr, so, please do check out their post too!

what is muscle testing?

according to my holistic therapy, muscle testing is, "[...] a method of gathering accurate biofeedback on the body’s Physiological and Psychological state by stimulating the muscular system. The body’s cells know their entire history and what they require to regain full health. Muscle Testing is an elegant way to retrieve the knowledge imbedded into the cellular memory of the muscular system." ^1 when muscle tests are performed correctly, it allows the one being tested to have a direct conversation with the subconscious mind, aka the machine that controls the entirety of our body.

how does muscle testing work?

"Our bodies interact and move through the world by contracting and releasing muscles. A Tester will illicit either a contraction or release of certain muscles by applying gentle pressure to the muscular system. This testing unlocks the vast knowledge muscle cells by utilizing the binary contraction-release language of the body.

This simple, yet powerful process, is the first step of energy therapy, and it provides an accurate assessment tool of the client’s condition. This is a major part of Integrated Physical Emotional Clearing (IPEC) Therapy."^2

To better simplify what this means, everything that 'works' has energy flowing through it. You, me, your pets, the plants, and beyond. When doing a simple muscle test, you consciously may have a thought, or ask a question perhaps, and when the muscle test is performed, the subconscious will control your muscles in a way that gives an indication of 'yes', 'no', 'like', 'dislike' through a strong/firm or a weak/struggling muscle response that involves the muscles locking in place or stress causing weakness in the muscles. Energy therapy involves changing beliefs at the subconscious level with the use of energy, there are various energy therapy treatments, however, the one that I know about in a deeper sense is PSYCH-K. Again, I recommend you go and do some research of your own!

why would I muscle test myself or others?

muscle testing is just another application of holistic health, and there have been studies on how it can aid in decision-making, figuring out allergies, as well as what foods your body does and doesn't like. along with that, you are also able to test your subconscious' view on certain things that you are conscious of. bruce h. lipton details in his book 'the biology of belief' that DNA expression is not, "predetermined or unchangeable. Instead, the book details how DNA is influenced by signals emanating from outside the cell. The strongest energetic signals that cells receive are our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes."^3 which is how we're able to manifest drastic appearance changes with our thoughts, feelings, etc, as well as completely eradicate health issues, pain, and other things of that nature with the use of our thoughts, beliefs, feelings, experiences, etc. the medicine you take for your colds is literally just energy, consider that.

how can I muscle test myself accurately?

there are various tests you can do. there are dozens YouTube instructional videos that can lead you in the right direction! however, my personal favorite is the sway test, which i will discuss a little further down. it takes trust in yourself, however, other people can muscle test you if you'd like a solid proof answer. even so, here are a few videos you can watch to better familiarize yourself with. please be advised, there are various ways to muscle test, I highly recommend that you do all of them and figure out which one feels right for you, your body will know.

The Finger Pad Test

Pendulums for Muscle Testing

7 Different Self Muscle Testing Techniques

how can I muscle test other people accurately?

How To Do Applied Kinesiology Muscle Testing

also, whoever you're testing or if you're being tested, your chin must be parallel to the floor while your eyes are looking downwards for the most accurate testing while your arm is being pushed down. the position of your eyes allows you to fully engage your subconscious without worrying about your conscious getting in the way of accurately testing others or yourself, it's been believed to assist in dissociation.

what are some benefits to muscle testing?

since muscle testing is apart of energy therapy, energy therapy has the ability to benefit all areas of life, including, but not limited to— relationships, family, individual growth, and overall well-being whether that be physical, mentally, or emotionally. if you find yourself struggling with certain thoughts or beliefs, muscle testing allows you to have a conversation with your 'higher self' aka your subconscious.

how does muscle testing correlate to manifestation?

when you perform muscle testing on yourself or others, you're able to connect with your 'higher self' aka your subconscious which uses about 95% of your brain on a daily basis, it knows when a lie is being said as well as the truth. after you've established what 'yes' and 'no' is according to your subconscious by making statements you already know the answer to (Examples: [My name is [insert your name]. I have [color] hair. My name is [fake name that's not yours] I have [insert wrong color hair]), you can then ask anything you want. You can also make statements and see if your subconscious agrees with you or not, that will then allow you to take the necessary steps you need/want in order to become your best self.

how can I do the sway test?

stand up with no distractions (no TV, no music, no outside conversation), feet should be shoulder width apart and planted flat on the floor. or if you are unable to stand, just sit up as straight as you can manage. then, lift your chin up so that it's parallel to the floor, facing forward, and focus your eyes down on the floor. once you're done with that, state "my name is [insert name]", notice which way you lean naturally, make sure you're relaxed, this'll be your 'yes/like/true'. you can do this a couple times to make sure. and then you state "my name is [fake name]," notice which way you lean naturally, this'll be your 'no/dislike/false.' once you've established that, you can ask questions, make statements, and anything else you want, you can even test supplements by holding them in your hand as well as holding certain foods. your body may lean forward, backwards, sideways, etc, it's all based on the individual. please be advised that at any point in time you can retest from your yes/no answers by making the statements above, as many times as you want, just to make sure your yes/no answers are the same. I would recommend that you do this after every question you ask, just to give yourself the satisfaction. but again!! do what feels right and what makes you feel that you're getting the most accurate answers.

what are some ways I can muscle test myself without fear of my tests being inaccurate?

practice whatever test you feel most comfortable with, or have someone else test you if you're unable to fully trust yourself. personally, I find that the sway test is easiest. you can also use a pendulum as a muscle test if you'd like, whatever suits you as the individual is what you should go with.

how can I use muscle testing to heal my limiting beliefs, trauma, and other detrimental things that have been holding me back?

muscle testing gives you a deeper insight on the beliefs currently settling in your unconscious/subconscious mind. truthfully, you'll find out things you probably would have never expected to be there in the first place, hidden away somewhere. who better knows you better than you?

is it an absolute necessity to muscle test myself when trying to create new assumptions/testing whether or not my beliefs have changed on a subconscious level?

nope, not at all! this is essentially the same thing as getting your palm read, your aura read, having a tarot reading, and other things of that nature. It's up to you on whether or not you want to try this out or if you think it'll work in your favor.

how can I use muscle testing and psych-k simultaneously to benefit myself to the max?

in my previous post I provided the instructions on how to do psych-k, and if you fully watch the video you will notice that the demonstration involves muscle testing before and after the psych-k treatment. you can do the muscle testing on yourself with various methods, and then you can figure out how your subconscious stands on your conscious belief/affirmation. if the subconscious likes the affirmation or views it as true, then you're golden. however, if it sees it as false, then the next step would be to ask your subconscious 'Is it safe and appropriate for [name] to balance for this goal?' If the answer is yes, then proceed, if the answer is no, you may have some underlying issues that need to be addressed before that. It's very rare for the subconscious to say 'no,' however.

after receiving a 'yes', you will then ask 'are all systems ready and willing for a balance of this goal?' once you've gotten your answer, you will go on to do PSYCH-K.

after performing the necessary steps to implement this affirmation/goal/ etc into your mind, you may do another muscle test and see where you stand.

what are some questions or affirmations/afformations, and belief statements I could use to muscle test?

I am a master at manifesting.

I can manifest anything I want right in this moment.

I am ready and willing for change.

My desires are already mine.

I am intelligent and capable.

and if you struggle to come up with your own affirmations or questions, check out this video and see if it'll help you!

notes

personally, I've only learned about muscle testing and psych-k within the last three days, and I've already had results. before I started doing this to myself, I did it to my brother and ma (they're my guinea pigs 🧍) and they both experienced some weird tingling sensations in their brains after looping a single affirmation. I decided to do the same for myself, but with self muscle testing. my manifestations are coming in faster than ever just because my subconscious now believes I'm a master manifester. plus, I used it to change another belief I had and I actually started crying like a lil' bitch. 🧍and I'll be honest, yesterday I muscle tested myself and asked 'can I enter the void right now?' and my subconscious said yes. so, there was an attempt on my end where I used the lullaby method, lulling myself to sleep with just the words 'I Am', and when I went to sleep, I didn't enter the void, but I had a dream. I can't entail what the exact details were specifically bc it's personal but it was about my family members who've hurt me in the past, with lots of rage and anger. and when I woke up, an affirmation immediately popped up in my head 'I forgive those who have hurt me and I'm ready to move on.' bruh. this isn't what I consciously wanted, but obviously my subconscious thinks I need to work on this matter before I can ascend and so, I'm gonna trust myself.

gotta be honest, I've read other people's posts where they have had their 'eureka!' 'aha!' moments and their little epiphanies... thought they were all completely bullshit and I was a hater, but gods-- that shit's real, and now I gotta make a change within myself, and it's time for you to do the same.

references + extra resources

Quoted Information

PSYCH-K

The recorded lecture about PSYCH-K (it's an hour long but I think the knowledge is worth it)

Rewrite Your Mind

[justajsworkshop]

so, i was thinking about instant manifestation and how there's only one moment, one being, one source, one cause, one divine mind. everything is already happening all at once, and it's our awareness shifting frame by frame to create this experience of linear horizontal time, but it's all happening here and right now.

and when you think about manifestation/shifting from this perspective, it's almost like... idk? ludicrous to think that manifestation will take time or that there's a process/reprogramming that needs to take place.

seeing manifestation as a process implies that there is some greater power other than you, and once that power is pleased/the process is complete, this greater power will fulfill your desire. waiting implies that something else must happen/transpire/take place for your word to be valid/true/real.

like, what are you waiting for? the physical world to conform? well, you're just positioning the physical world as more valid/true/real than you and your own word. (and you're gonna be waiting forever in a constant feedback loop of nonfulfillment because the physical changes when you do.)

manifestation is instant because the only "real" time is now. our past and futures are just imaginal until we give them validity by crediting them as "real." i prefer not to see repetition—affirming, saturating, imagining, subliminals, etc.—as a method to "reprogram your mind" like you're at the mercy of your subconscious accepting your word as truth. this all implies that there is some external process/power that's greater than you. for me, affirming is about being present with the truth/reality that i already am that which i desire to be (including a version of self who has/is experiencing what i want).

we manifest who and what we are conscious of being, so if you think you need to affirm 10k+ times to "unlock" your desire from some secret vault within your subconscious mind, you will create that experience of reality for yourself. i'm not saying this to negate the 10k affirmation challenge or robotic affirming. i love to robotically affirm and saturate myself! but i'm not doing it to get anything; i'm doing it because i am it, and it brings me joy to be present with that fact. i say all this as an alternative to the subconscious reprogramming school of thought because, in my individual experiencing of reality, this has been so, so much easier.

manifestation is and always is instant when you understand unity. one moment. one source. one being. and you're all of it. so, your word is law because you are the law. there's no process that needs to place or external god (like the subconscious mind) to satisfy to have your desire. you have it because you say you do, and i can't imagine (for now) being any more powerful than that.

now say it with me: my word is law because i am the law.

p.s. the two subliminals of mine that help with this are god state and kairos.

[shifting-empress]

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭

Reprogramming your subconscious mind is a powerful practice that can reshape your beliefs, align your thoughts with your desires, and open the door to shifting realities. Your subconscious is the driving force behind your habits, emotions, and perceptions—making it a key player in creating the life you want to live, including your desired reality.

In this post, we’ll explore how subconscious programming impacts shifting, effective methods to rewire limiting beliefs, and exercises to reinforce new, empowering thought patterns. Whether you’re just starting your shifting journey or looking to deepen your practice, this guide will help you unlock the limitless potential of your subconscious mind.

The subconscious mind is a powerful tool, often likened to the operating system of our brain. It works quietly beneath the surface, shaping our perceptions, beliefs, and even behaviors based on the programming it received in early childhood. From birth until about the age of 7, our brains predominantly operate in the theta state—a state akin to hypnosis. During this time, we absorb and internalize everything in our environment, particularly from parental figures, forming the core beliefs that guide our adult lives.

After age 7, the way we learn shifts. Instead of directly absorbing information, we rely on repetition and habituation—doing something over and over again until it becomes second nature. This process is critical when it comes to reprogramming the subconscious mind later in life.

For those pursuing reality shifting, this understanding of the subconscious is essential. Shifting realities involves bridging the gap between your conscious desires and your subconscious programming. If your subconscious beliefs contradict your conscious intention to shift, the process becomes much harder. For instance, if you believe deep down that shifting isn’t real or isn’t possible for you, your subconscious will reject any attempts you make, treating them as incongruent with your “reality.”

Reprogramming your subconscious isn’t an overnight process, but it’s entirely possible with consistency and patience. By aligning your subconscious beliefs with your conscious desire to shift, you break free from limiting perceptions and open the door to experiencing the reality you’ve always envisioned.

Reprogramming your subconscious is the foundation of transforming your mindset and aligning with your goals, especially when it comes to shifting realities. By replacing limiting beliefs with empowering ones, you can remove mental blocks and allow your subconscious to fully support your intentions. Now that we’ve explored the importance of subconscious reprogramming and how it impacts your reality, let’s dive into some practical methods and exercises you can use to start rewiring your mind for success and alignment with your desired reality.

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬

✦ 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ✦

Affirmations are one of the simplest yet most powerful tools for reprogramming your subconscious mind. They work by replacing old, limiting beliefs with new, empowering ones through repetition and emotional connection. The subconscious mind thrives on consistency and emotional intensity, so by repeating positive statements, you effectively teach it to adopt a new narrative about yourself and your reality.

Your subconscious is like a sponge—it absorbs information and beliefs based on what you repeatedly expose it to. When you consistently repeat affirmations, you override negative thought patterns and implant new, constructive beliefs. Over time, these new beliefs shape your actions, perceptions, and reality.

Repetition is key to reprogramming. Practice your affirmations daily—ideally multiple times a day. Repeat them aloud in the mirror, write them down, or listen to them as subliminals.

For example, if you consistently tell yourself, “I am aligned with my desired reality,” your subconscious will begin to accept this as truth, ultimately guiding you toward that alignment in your waking and subconscious states.

✦ Keep them present and positive. Always phrase affirmations in the present tense as if the desired outcome is already true. Avoid words like “will” or “want” that place your desire in the future. Instead of saying, “I will shift realities,” say, “I am successfully shifting realities with ease.”

✦ Make them personal and specific. Tailor your affirmations to your specific goals and desires. The more personal and meaningful they are, the more effective they’ll be. If your goal is to shift, you might use affirmations like: “I am in full control of my shifting process.” Or, “My subconscious mind knows how to guide me to my DR.”

✦ Engage emotion. Feel the emotions tied to your affirmations as if they are already true. Emotion is what gives affirmations their power, as the subconscious is far more receptive when feelings are involved. For example, while saying “I am already living my dream life,” imagine how it feels to wake up in that reality, the joy, comfort, and peace you would experience.

✦ Combine with visualizing. Pair your affirmations with a visualization practice to make them even more impactful. Imagine yourself actively living out the truth of the affirmation while repeating it.

✦ Mirror Work. Stand in front of a mirror, look into your eyes, and speak affirmations about your desired beliefs or reality. Example: “I trust my ability to shift,” or “I am deserving of my dream life.” This builds self-trust and embeds affirmations more deeply.

✦ Listen to subliminals—audio tracks layered with affirmations—to influence your subconscious. Ensure the affirmations in the subliminals align with your goals and are created by trusted sources. Play them while relaxing, working, or even while sleeping.

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬

𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Meditation is one of the most effective ways to access and influence your subconscious mind. During meditation, your brain enters slower states of activity, such as alpha and theta waves, which are ideal for reprogramming. These states create a direct pathway to your subconscious, bypassing the critical and analytical filters of your conscious mind. Below are specific meditation techniques to aid in subconscious reprogramming:

✦ Guided Visualization Method : Guided meditations combine relaxation techniques with visualization prompts to help you immerse yourself in your desired reality. The subconscious processes imagery and emotions more powerfully than words. By visualizing your goals as if they’re already achieved, you create new neural pathways that align your subconscious with this reality.

✦ Affirmation-Based Method : This meditation involves focusing on affirmations during a relaxed state, allowing them to sink deeply into your subconscious. During meditation, the mind is less resistant, making it easier for affirmations to become ingrained in the subconscious.

✦ Theta-Wave or Brain Wave Meditations : Theta brainwaves are the frequency your brain naturally enters during deep relaxation, sleep, or hypnosis. Listening to binaural beats or music set to the theta frequency can help you access this state more easily. Theta waves put your subconscious in a hyper-receptive state, making it easier to rewire old beliefs and integrate new ones. Use headphones to listen to theta-wave audio tracks or binaural beats designed for subconscious programming. As you relax, visualize or repeat affirmations to reinforce your desired reality.

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬

𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬

Hypnosis is a powerful tool to directly access the subconscious and bypass resistance from the conscious mind. In a hypnotic state, your mind becomes more suggestible, making it easier to reprogram limiting beliefs and align your subconscious with your goals

Hypnosis is a state of focused relaxation, where your brainwaves slow down, and your subconscious mind becomes open to suggestion. Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis doesn’t involve losing control—it’s simply a deep state of relaxation where your mind is primed for change.

✦ Self-Hypnosis : Self-hypnosis involves putting yourself into a relaxed, meditative state and delivering suggestions or affirmations directly to your subconscious. Self-hypnosis combines the benefits of meditation and affirmation in one practice, directly targeting your subconscious beliefs.

✦ Sit or lie down in a quiet, comfortable space. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing, allowing your body to relax deeply. Repeat affirmations or suggestions aligned with your desired reality. For example: “I shift realities easily and effortlessly.” Visualize the affirmations as true, imagining how they feel in your desired reality.

✦ Guided Hypnosis : Guided hypnosis involves listening to a hypnosis track or working with a hypnotherapist to reprogram your subconscious mind. Guided hypnosis takes the pressure off you to manage the process, helping you relax more deeply and focus on the suggestions being offered.

✦ Sleep Hypnosis : Sleep hypnosis involves playing affirmations or guided hypnosis tracks while you’re falling asleep. During the transition to sleep, your brain naturally enters a suggestible theta-wave state, making it an ideal time to access your subconscious. Sleep is when your subconscious is most active and receptive. Listening to suggestions during this time helps integrate them more deeply.

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬

𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Visualization is one of the most effective methods to reprogram your subconscious because it engages your imagination and emotions, two key elements that influence your beliefs and mindset. By creating vivid mental images of your desired reality, you train your subconscious to accept those images as truth, bringing you closer to your goals—whether it’s shifting realities, manifesting a dream life, or simply overcoming limiting beliefs.

Your subconscious doesn’t distinguish between real and imagined experiences. When you visualize something with enough clarity and emotion, your mind begins to treat it as if it’s already happening. This process helps:

✦ Strengthen neural pathways associated with your goals.

✦ Align your thoughts, emotions, and actions with your desired outcome.

✦ Overwrite old, limiting beliefs by focusing on new possibilities.

✦ Create a clear picture. Be specific about what you want to experience in your desired reality. Imagine the environment, people, interactions, and even small details like sounds or smells. The clearer the image, the more effective the visualization.

✦ Engage all of your senses. Visualization becomes more powerful when you involve all five senses. For example, if you’re visualizing yourself in your desired reality:

✦ Sight: What does the environment look like?

✦ Sound: Can you hear voices, music, or nature?

✦ Touch: How does the air feel on your skin? Your clothes?

✦ Smell: Are there distinct scents in your surroundings?

✦ Incorporating your emotions. Emotions are a key factor in reprogramming the subconscious. While visualizing, focus on how you feel in your desired reality. Are you happy, fulfilled, at peace, or excited? Let those emotions fill you as if you’re already living that life.

Visualization isn’t about seeing immediate results but about consistently programming your subconscious to believe in your desired reality. The more you visualize, the more natural and real your new beliefs will feel. Over time, this practice will help you align your thoughts, emotions, and actions with the reality you’re working to manifest.

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞

The Revision Technique, originally popularized by Neville Goddard, is a powerful tool for reprogramming your subconscious mind and shifting your reality. This practice involves rewriting or “revising” events from your day—or even your past—as if they unfolded in the way you desire. By doing so, you train your subconscious to accept a new narrative, effectively rewriting the energetic patterns tied to those events.

Your subconscious doesn’t distinguish between real experiences and vividly imagined ones. When you revise a memory or an event, you’re replacing the emotional charge and belief attached to it with one that better serves your intentions. Over time, this rewiring creates new mental pathways, helping to align your subconscious with the reality you want to experience.

✦ Daily evening practice. At the end of your day, reflect on any experiences that didn’t align with how you want your life to be. Choose one specific event or moment to focus on. Close your eyes, relax, and vividly reimagine the event, but this time, rewrite it in a way that aligns with your desires. Repeat this revised scenario several times in your mind until it feels natural.

✦ Revising past events. Identify past experiences that still carry emotional weight or limiting beliefs. Revisit the memory and consciously reframe it as a positive, empowering experience. Focus on the emotions of joy, relief, or pride in your revision—it’s the feelings that your subconscious absorbs most powerfully.

𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬

𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

Developing consistent daily habits is key to successfully reprogramming your subconscious mind and aligning with your desired reality. Repetition and commitment create lasting changes in your beliefs and thought patterns, making it easier for your subconscious to accept new ideas and work toward your goals. Below are some daily habits you can integrate into your routine to accelerate your subconscious reprogramming:

✦ Journaling is a direct way to communicate with your subconscious mind, clarify your intentions, and reinforce your goals. I use my journal to write down my dreams, what Subliminals I listened to, angel numbers I saw that day, and what meditation method I tried.

✦ Gratitude is a powerful tool for shifting your focus to abundance and positivity. By cultivating gratitude, you train your subconscious to see opportunities and blessings rather than limitations.