Dream A Little Dream | Spencer Reid x OC

Author's Note

Hello!! I am your author and an avid Spencer Reid fan. I wanted to write out a little note about who I am and why I'm writing this story as a little preamble.

I am a nineteen year old college student, currently in the early works of earning my double major in social work and psychology (I hope to earn my master's as well) and am considering a minor in criminal justice (I'm in the honors program at my college and don't know where I'd get the time, but that's not the point). I aim to earn my doctorate and better the lives of people, children especially, who have been previously overlooked by the government.

Due to a busy school and personal life, my writing schedule may be inconsistent, but I intend to post every week, skipping months here and there when necessary. I do not ever intend to disappear completely, but things may be sporadic.

I've loved Criminal Minds since I began watching in eighth grade, and it piqued my interest in the justice system. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I rewatched the series several times, and wrote down in my notes app what I'd be doing in each season if I were in the show. As a result, I created the character of Anneliese. Yes, a lot of her actions and choices are based on decisions I would make, but by all means, use her character as a self-insert. A fondness for the self-insert style is why I use Criminal Minds dialogue when writing chapters about cases on the show.

Though I am most definitely not the genius that Anneliese is, and do not hold her titles, her passion for justice and advocacy for children stems from my own studies and convictions. Cory and Isaac are real children from the foster system with which I've had the privilege of working. Obviously, their names have been changed. While details about their stories have been altered (in some cases, watered down, others, intensified), there is real pain and trauma deriving from the current state of child welfare in America. Alongside using this story as a creative outlet, I want to draw attention to how we handle child trauma, and what we can do to ease the pain of those with traumatic pasts.

Each chapter title is the name of a song I connect with theme or mood of the episode/original dialogue. I've linked the songs through the title media as well, and encourage you to listen!

Please, remember to be kind, be a better person than you were yesterday, and enjoy the story :).