non-lucid

Coin Search:
I wakeup in a hotel in California, where I just was a few weeks ago.
Out of habit I do a hands reality check. I only have four fingers per hand (no thumbs).
I follow-up with a nose reality check to verify. I can breathe. I become lucid.
I try to remember what I want to do, but the first thing to occur to me is to look for DV coins in my pocket like I planned.
I start rummaging in my pockets and feel a bunch of textures of what feel like large pieces of plastic, but no coin.
I realize the acronym EV I've been rehearsing, means Engage-Verbalize, so I start rubbing the walls and saying "this is a dream, I'm dreaming, this is a dream..."
But my lucidity fades fast.
...
I'm at the same hotel, but this time I'm with my girlfriend, her sister KH, and KH's husband SH.
We're playing a game, where I was supposed to have hidden a number of beers for them to find.
I'm trying to stealthily hide the beers as they look for them, and simply pretend that they are well hidden.
Later I notice that my friend PG is there as well.

Pop-Ups:
I'm at an art contest with my friend JM.
I notice that he has created an epic work of art over time and feel very jealous.
I decide to tough it out and try my best, so I pull out my phone to get a reference picture.
But when I try to open the browser, pop-ups keep appearing where I am trying to tap.
It is very frustrating, and I wake up feeling annoyed.

Taxes:
I'm at my childhood home doing my taxes. I'm in my bedroom, working on a desk where the drawer/TV should be.
My sister spills a foamy coffee onto the desk and freaks out in apology, but I try to calm her down and let it go.

Fragment:
My friend SP is having a birthday party outside somewhere. I'm concerned that we weren't invited, or are somehow lower on the friendship totem pole.

Lost Card:
It's my birthday at my childhood home. I have a Yu-Gi-Oh deck that is Egypt themed.
There is a card that I've lost and I keep checking my back-pocket for it.
I'm very concerned with finding it. It's the card I would typically put on the bottom of the deck, so that the stack looks nice when I hold it upside down. Something shiny.
I'm also focused on explaining the rules so that somebody new can play.

Almost Lucid:
I'm at my childhood house again, sitting by the backyard doorwall.
I see my old cat, Oreo, outside.
I feel a strong sense of surprise, anxiety, relief, responsibility.
She's still alive. I can save her. What should I do?
I start thinking through the logistics of how I might bring her in, take her to the vet.
...
I'm outside now, realizing that seeing Oreo was only a dream. I'm by the left side of the house, where the
raspberry bushes used to be.
I walk through where a fence should have been.
It occurs to me that it is somewhat odd that I'm back here.
I find a dog that looks blonde and fuzzy, kind of like Jolteon from Pokemon. I hear that the neighbor on my left is looking for it.
I also note that the neighbors on the right had build a reinforced fence, and I knew they were B and J (who were on the wrong side).
I find my brother working on the deck, and know that he has bought this house.
I feel a sense of conquest over our childhood, sensing that he must feel that.
A sense that he'll right some of the wrongs of our childhood.
I notice there is a lot of broken glass on the ground, making me think about all the work ahead of him.
Some of the oddness of the situation occurs to me, and I nose-pinch to reality test.
I can breathe through, but I don't become lucid. I check a few more times, and I can breathe each time.
I must not be plugging my nose entirely.
I still don't become lucid. I ask my brother if I am dreaming.
He says no. I do not question further.
...
Some people I identify as Gen Z come over to help with the deck build.
They ask that, since we are Millennials, are we going to pay them in Pokemon cards?
I tell them no, we only pay in Cheez-Its.

Fragment:
I'm at a local nature trail with Daniel Love. We are sneaking around trees and bushes, following somebody I know to be Keith Hearne.

Night of Sunday 4/6/25

Tariffs:
I'm in a banquet-type place. Some coworkers and friends from highschool are there.
I have a Samsung folding phone and take a picture of a chandelier.
The chandelier has the word "TARIFFS" written on it.
It will be knocked down soon, and the group is celebrating.
I'm jealous of somebody there who I think is going after my girlfriend.

Bad Host:
I'm hosting a party and I'm unprepared.
My house looks like my friend J's from my childhood.
My friends from the Tot group are coming soon.
I have a huge house and yard.

The Maze:
There is a girl I met at the banquet, and we are in a maze.
The maze is similar to the game "Doom".
I get Rick-Rolled at one point.
There is a helicopter piloting overhead as I have an allergic reaction to something.

Night of Monday 4/7/25

Roadtrip
I'm on a roadtrip through the desert with my Dad.
We've pulled over so I can pee on the side of the road.
There are many tiny scorpions around my feet...and I'm barefoot.
...
I'm at the hotel later and I find a big black scorpion in my pants.
It jumps out, and flips weirdly onto a dresser nearby.
A second scorpion leaps from my underwear next to the other one.

Fragment
I'm driving with my friend BM from childhood through our childhood neighborhood.

Taking Her Place
I'm at a hospital in a bed there. I'm talking about my various joint overuse injuries.
The doctor has to pee, so I'm chatting with somebody while I wait.
Somehow, I'm taking my Mom's place at the hospital.

Night of Tuesday 4/8/25

Fragment
I'm at home in my bed. I get the sense that there is somebody in the house.

Fragment
I find out that my girlfriend is cheating on me. Strong emotion, upset.

Night of Wednesday 4/9/25

Fragment
My friend CM from work is hosting a party.

Night of Thursday 4/10/25

No recall.

Night of Friday 4/11/25

No recall.

Sleep: 12:28AM-11AM (10hr32m)
Detail: 107 words.

I had a lot of success last night using the morning nap method with 7 hours initial sleep time and about 20 minutes wake time. I'll be testing the same parameters today. Since I didn't really have a plan before here is what I will attempt:

1 - The Pre-Flight Check: I will use the acronym EVM (Engage-Verbalize-Memory) to help recall what I need to do at the start of lucidity.
2 - Change Text: I want to see if I can change text into something specific, the same way I practice RCs all the time.
3 - Teleport using a screen or door.


Pre-WBTB

I-Beams:
I'm at my brother's house with some others. We're watching him play a computer game in the office.
My Dad arrives and it is a bit of a surprise. We hadn't expected him to show up this soon.
They discuss that the weak point in the roof is up in the top-left corner from where we are.
My Dad talks about how he had to make an extra I-beam to reinforce the area.
My brother talks about how that area is the most likely to cave in and drop stones.
I reflect about how terrifying it would be to have stones fall in from a broken roof.

Post-WBTB

No recall... boo!

Sleep: 11:25PM-6:15AM (6hr50m).
Detail: 300 words.

Putin's Human Transmutation:
I'm in a city that reminds me of Melbourne, looking for my brother's friend D from when we were little.
I have to go to the bathroom, so I enter one of the buildings. My brother is there, on the phone with D.
He is standing in the bathroom, talking and blocking both the urinals and the stalls. He won't talk to me as I try to get him to move so I can pee.
Then, I'm sitting at a table, and the bathroom is represented on a flat grid DnD style.
There's a monster diagonally from me, and I'm represented by my character's mini from waking life.
I use thunderstep to one-shot the monster, and also move 30 feet across the grid. I looked it up, and this is accurate (maximum range is 90ft).
...
I'm in a parking lot outside a store. It vaguely resembles a Target, but less crowded.
I'm talking with others about going to a soccer game where D is at.
We go into the store, and now I'm a kid working on a bike.
I'm trying to access a small port on the wheel. A plastic compartment. Something I want is there.
Nearby, somebody is having a heart-attack.
Vladmir Putin is there, and claps his hands Fullmetal Alchemist style. He is going to perform human transmutation to help this person.
He sort of melds with the person, there's some blood involved.
I get the feeling that I knew how to do it too, but it was risky and costly so I didn't want to.
...
We're leaving the store together, and Putin is now somebody else.
I realized nobody had thanked him for saving this person's life, and asked whether the person was stable.
"Yes, he is stable, and they did thank me for it."

Sleep: Data not recorded.
Detail: 141 words.

Down the Stairs:
I'm in a hallway that reminds me of my elementary school, approaching a door on my left.
When I go in, it looks more similar to a classroom from highschool or college.
Whiteboard at the front, desks in rows across from it.
I'm meeting a group for Dungeons and Dragons club.
...
I'm in an apartment, similar to where I used to play Dungeons and Dragons in waking life.
X was there playing, most likely the others from my current DnD group were too.
...
I'm going down some stairs in a dungeon. I'm looking at a map that shows the layout.
There are stairs going down with landings at each level. There is a half-circle shaped divot in the wall at each stop, maybe 6 feet wide in diameter, with a cut into the stone below forming a basin.

Sleep: 10:45PM-6:30AM (7h45m)
Detail: 151 words.

Moonwalking:
I'm at an office that resembles my actual workplace, though it seems more like an inspiration than a carbon copy.
There is a bin with some black socks in it, and I'm pulling a pair out and putting them on.
Now I am moonwalking for a small crowd of coworkers. JW from high school marching band and my friend PG are among the crowd.
They seem to enjoy the show.
...
I'm looking around for a place to put my laptop down and work.
I find a cube just over by where the bin was, and setup.
My boss, SS, comes by and I realize I'm wearing my orange Game Grumps pajama pants.
I tell him good morning and hope he doesn't notice the pants.
For some reason, I decide that I should investigate whether there is a better place to setup, so I start to wander.
I find a cafeteria-like area.

Lost:
I'm at a party with some family. It's a surprise visit, and I'm annoyed that I didn't get a heads up.
We're in a small-ish apartment, with a big crowd filling it up.
There are some puppies, one of them is an Aussie.
There is some texting mix up with K, so they think my girlfriend is pregnant.
...
I'm outside now in a questionable looking street.
There is a cartoon character doing voices walking down the street.
One of them is Peppino from Pizza Tower.
I'm with my coworker J, and we have taken on a life of crime.
We're going to sell some stolen things at a pawn shop.
It's a small place on a corner, similar to a gas station but even tinier.
I'm feeling nervous that we'll get caught, and also jealous that J has better stuff to sell.
He has electronics while I have toiletries.
...
I'm looking for my girlfriend's Dad at a library. It has at least three levels to it.
There is a science show happening in a main hall. I'm annoyed that I can't find him.
He is super social, and I wonder about natural versus unnatural extraversion.

Jealous:
I'm at a bowling alley or arcade type building. I came with my girlfriend, but she keeps leaving me to meet up with some of her friends from college.
This time, she has been gone a long time. I get a video feed on my phone showing some guys getting too close to her. I feel very jealous and angry.
I have my spartan blanket and I'm on a rollerblade floor.
I see a guy who seems scared, and I tell him whatever he is going through, it can't be as bad as me, and that he will be OK.
...
I'm racing in a Halloween-themed racetrack. It has many branching paths, and eventually transitions into a Christmas course.
There is a fairy that is helping me find secrets in the track, and allowing me to fall down slowly to reach areas I shouldn't be able to.
It feels like Mario Kart.
One of the secrets is a hidden bar. I land on a snowy street and find my girlfriend with someone at the bar.

Dorm Room:
I'm with G from work and I'm helping him with AI. We are in my dorm from college.
I try to tell him what to do, but he won't listen.
He has grocery store donuts at his desk.
He's trying to make superhero AI porn.
Me and my girlfriend are looking at the dorm as a place to live. Generally looks dingy.

Before WBTB

Ghost Data:
I'm playing N64 with brother. It's Mario Kart.
We're playing against ghost data, trying to win against difficult race times. They had been set by Youtube streamers.
He hands a controller to me and it is sweaty and coated in Cheeto dust.
My brother couldn't beat them, but when I try I start doing well. This excites me.

After WBTB

Time Travel:
I'm floating in the air above a living room setup in what may have been JH's basement from my childhood, it's a tense situation.
There's a limited time to make a time travel portal work, or else we will the stuck.
There is a thin grocery bag tied around my leg, that needed to go into the portal.
But I'm all jumbled up and can't get my body to move the way it needs to.
I pull off the trick, and then I see a potential future.
It involves an alternate version of my Dad, but then it stabilizes into the current version.
I'm through the portal, fall face first onto the floor. A girl says "Oh we don't mind this guy!"
The world has been saved.

Road Trip:
I'm in a neighborhood waiting in the backseat of a big car. It's a family road trip.
My Dad's friend has offered to drive us with his car on the trip.
Something is wrong with the car though, so we are waiting around.
My Dad, Mom, My brother, his wife, her Grandpa, my sister, nephew, niece, Grandma and some others are there.
Eventually, the car gets running, but somebody had stepped out of the car.
We start driving to go to where he is. I roll down the window and say "GET TO DA CHOPPA!"
He looks like J from high school marching band.
He fits into the car, but now it is pretty cramped. I'm curled into a ball shape to fit between the seats near the back.
My brother and sister are fighting about something, and eventually my brother comes to hang out in the back with me.
My parents give him some shit about getting along and my brother says "nah it's fine, I'm just the grumpy grandpa!"
"Yeah, me too." I say sarcastically. Peace ensues in the back seat.
...
We're driving through a mall-area, and my Grandma points out a Chuck-E-Cheese to me.
I wonder how old she thinks I am.
Eventually we end up at a ninja-themed Barcade, and apparently it has been decided that this is a suitable place for family dinner.
There is a girl there that I think is cute, so I'm focused on her.
I'm handed some drinks in a plastic bag, some monsters.
For some reason I decide to dump water in the bag with the monsters.
Later I regret that and find a way to dump the water and just keep one monster.
I go behind the bar and do that, and then weasel my way around, apologizing for bumping staff as I go.
I found a bathroom, and the girl tells me there is a small one and then a big one for me.
I don't know what that means, but I go and find out.
The "big one" is a urinal game where you shoot your pee into targets for a score.
Apparently somebody can see me and says "Ah, I didn't think somebody would try it...go for it!"
I hit some targets, but I don't have that much ammo in me. I resolve to start chugging some monster so that I can be better prepared next time.

Horsing Around:
I'm controlling a horse, watching it run across a stereotypically dreamy plain.
The sky is an indigo-blue color, and the grass is a highly saturated green.
I feel some sort of emotional connection with the horse.
I'm playing a game of hide and seek with other horses.
The controls are similar to controlling Epona in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
I'm navigating through a section with fences, and then later up a hill.


Alllllwayyyyyyys I want to beeee with you....and make belieeeeve with you...

Running:
I'm at a bar with a big group. Z from the game night group is there.
We're sitting at an outdoor both. Z seems to be the star of the night.
There are a couple of dark-skinned guys talking with my brother.
They are talking about me.
...
Later, I'm running away using super speed along some train tracks.
There is a bus that the group is trying to get me to go on.

Flash:
There is a documentary about my nephew, W.
My childhood cat Oreo is also part of it. The various parts of the video show my Grandma's previous homes.
Something about World of Warcraft makes it into the story.
Flash forward, and W is watching the video in present day.

Before WBTB

Science Blaster:
I'm in a house that resembles my Grandma's current one. It's an upper floor but it is modeled after the basement.
There is some competition going on, related to the Youtube Channel, Game Theory.
I realize that I need to take a shower.
I notice that there is a queue of people lined up waiting to use the men's bathroom to shower.
I thought I noticed my brother in the distance, but when I got closer it is somebody else.
I realize now that we are here for auditions of some kind, related to Game Theory.
I start to stress out, but I remember that there is another bathroom further away. Maybe there isn't so long a wait there.
I leave the hallway through some double doors and end up in a grocery store. I start moving to the right, toward the other end of the store.
As I'm walking I stop myself.
"Wait a minute...high stress, video games...those are two of my prospective memory targets!"
Rather than remember to reality check or question reality, I pull up my phone and look up ways to de-stress.
According to dream Youtube, stress is often held in the shoulders, so I try to relax my shoulders.
Moving on, I reach the opposite hallway, and see a private area. There is a frame video device that plays the classic Game Theory intro, Science Blaster.
I think to myself about how cringe my old intro is. Strangely, I seem to take credit for it.
I find a bedroom and a place where I can shower connected to it.
...
I'm back in the basement-like area with my sister. I think about how our relationship is strained and maybe I should try to fix it.
We are laying together on a beanbag, and she has a laptop open. We are watching a show together.
From on top of an entertainment center that isn't there in reality, she opens a secret compartment and reveals a hookah pipe. I tell her:
"You know, I just want to say that I know you aren't a drug addict...I think of you as more of somebody who experimented a bit and then unfairly earned a bad rap."
This seems to make her happy, and it happened to be the truth, so a strong warm feeling hits the dream.

After WBTB

Fragment:
My parents are fighting about money.