But let me tell you about something that did work.
Preface: 8 years ago I had gone through a MESSY “it’s complicated” with a girl I’d known for a couple of years. She remains one of the most intoxicating girls I’ve ever met, and to to this day I still don’t refer to her by name, even when just in my own head. She’s my Irene Adler, and she nearly destroyed me.
Part of what got me through that whole situation was watching the show How I Met Your Mother. By framing Irene as just like one of the crazy girls Ted had dated, it helped immensely… and as a result, I (predictably) developed a bit of a celeb crush on Tracy, aka Cristin Milioti.
Now… does it make any sense for me to try to manifest a fictional character? No. Does it make sense for me to try to manifest a famous actress, who was already married by that point? No.
But… I intended to manifest someone who felt the same, someone who had the same attributes (physical and personality) as what attracted me to Tracy/Cristin.
Shortly after that, I met a girl. She doesn’t look exactly like Tracy (Cristin is white, this girl is Chinese) but there is a resemblance, mostly in the cute mischievous half smile, some of the mannerisms, and… as odd as it sounds… even the same snaggletooth. What really drove it home for me is one night after one of our early dates, she was leaving my apartment and it was raining. I looked down from my balcony as she walked across the parking lot, and reached into her bag to pull out… a bright yellow umbrella.
As anyone who knows me will have long-ago guessed, that girl is now my wife. The first time we watched HIMYM together and she saw Tracy, she said “Hey, she kind of reminds me of me…” I just smiled, and kissed her.