non-lucid

Went to bed around 12:00AM.

Another Reunion
I'm with my friend R from highschool marching band.
We are in an big gym, reminiscent of the one we used to sleep in during travel for competitions.
I recall looking around and thinking about how real everything looks.
R's jeans and the glossy wood floor are high in detail.
But I don't reality check, despite being somewhat aware that this is an illusion.
I ask R is he is going to the reunion. He says yes.
We make our way down a hall, and end up in the S building auditorium.
There is a screen on the stage, showing us going onto the stage as Freshmen.
When I go to sit down there is a handicap section.
I think about how as of recently I don't need that anymore (not exactly true, still in recovery).

Obstacles
I'm with my brother running away from something.
It's night-time and we are on the sidewalk behind our childhood home.
I'm ahead and I reach the entrance first.
There is a brick section over the window where we need to get to.
I start to pull at the bricks and I'm making an opening.
I try to make it through but I can't fit. I get back at it and try to open it more.
But not fast enough. My brother catches up and starts berating me for not getting the path open.
I'm getting upset and scared.
More bricks reappear.

Woke up around 9:30AM.

Went to bed around 1AM.

Fragment
I'm at the airport.
My Grandma P, Uncle J, and brother are there to pick me up.
I'm angry with them about something and I storm away with my bag, outside, and across the street.

Zones
I'm at a football game at my highschool field.
It's nighttime, under the lights.
A cheerleader girl bumps a microphone boom on the sideline and apologizes.
Initially I'm on some bleachers on the endzone side of the field.
DTP.
There's a football game on a screen, and I see the cheerleader bump the boom and apologize exactly the same way.
I'm in a bar that looks like a Pizza Hut with my girlfriend and my friend J.
J is having a rough time from too much weed.
The bartender looks like Ryan Reynolds and he is making us a series of strong looking drinks.
The bartender also lays out some joints and calls them 'enchiladas'.
I realize that I need to be able to drive home so I take it easy.
There's another guy here (seems to know the bartender), and I'm concerned that if I get sick, he will try to get with my girlfriend.
All recorded on waking around 8:30AM.

Went to bed around 1AM.

Fragment
I'm in a movie theater. Reminds me of IMAX. There is a group of people with me.

Quest for Buried Treasure
I'm on a quest. It feels like a video-game.
There is a 2d sidescroller-styled 3d environment. Similar to Sonic Colors (which I've been watching gameplay of recently).
It is a beach-like place, with beaches on the left and right sides, and ocean beyond. Sunny, of course.
The land proceeds forward and I'm searching for buried treasure.
I'm leading a group, and I've found the treasure before so they trust me to find it again.
We find other treasures along the way, including equipable pink gear.
Recorded on waking around 12PM.

Went to bed around 12AM.

AI Dream Augmenter
I'm in bed telling S about a dream I just had.
I have recorded it on my phone through voice, and an AI program augments it with video and sound.
It's playing an anime-esque intro about me as a ninja.
I think it is hilarious and cant wait to record more dream with it.

Game Night
I'm at my current home, though it is mixed with my parent's house from northern Michigan.
We are sitting by the doorwall on the ground ready to play a board game. It might have been snowing outside.
D, my brother, and my sister were among the group. Some of my sister's friends may have been there too.
D is standing nearby with a big bowl of goldfish crackers.
The game pieces are mixed with another game. There are red, white, and off-white. The game was Risk.
My sister says they were playing something last night, to explain why they are mixed up.
We start to unsort the pieces.

Grandma's Mafia
I'm at a mixture of my Grandma P's past houses. This one feels more like a compound.
Currently upstairs in the guest room getting ready for a shower.
My Uncle J calls for me before I can get in.
...
I'm out on the patio. It's sunny.
There is a wooden file organizer, and there are dollars sorted into smaller sections of it. I think I see a $1000 bill.
A black lanky man approaches and I'm worried he'll attack me.
Turns out he's just here for payment.
I now 'know' the backstory that my Grandma P runs some mafia operation.
I direct the man to my Grandma, because I don't know how to pay him.
My Grandma P shows up, gives him some money and walks him out.
My brother and sister are here now.
My Grandma P gives me a see-thru golden ball, and there is a sudden urgency to deliver it to a safety shed nearby.
I run to the shed, make it past a closing metal door, then a sharp turn inside, and another timed door.
Shed is barren and musty, but more brown and orange hues from the sun bleeding through.
There is a conveyer belt running through the shed, but it goes through a wall.
There is a tiny opening to the room where the ball needs to go, but I can't fit.
...
I'm out in the yard below the patio with my brother and my sister.
We're talking about the big reveal that Grandma has been a mafia boss this whole time, and Uncle J too.
It has been generational too. We talk about that and look at the muddy yard in front of us where some kids are throwing footballs around.
I reach a troubling conclusion that this mafia info explains my Mom's death, and that she had been innocent.
I see here briefly as a ghost, and she seems relieved that I understand.
I'm hit with an intense sadness and I fall to the ground for a minute.
My sister notices and asks if I'm OK. I lie, saying everything is fine, and move along.
We reach the underside of the patio and enter a garden area.
I'm carrying some garden wireframes of dogs.
Grandma P is there, and she shrugs off our concerns about the situation, as if we disapproved of her new bingo meetup or something of similar caliber.
We move up the stairs leading to the patio deck, and I hear an incessant bee or bug buzzing at my ear.
I start slapping my arm at it, not wanting to be stung.

All recalled/recorded on waking around 9AM.

Went to bed around 11:30.

The Hallway Theater
I'm at my highschool between the P building and S building. It's snowing outside.
I'm running late to English class. I'm concerned that I will be reprimanded for reading Harry Potter for my assignment because I have already read it.
I reason that the choice is valid because my perspective will be different. I've gone through a lot of growth since the last time I've read it, political stance and puberty among those changes.
...
I'm in an upstairs hallway that resembles S building, but it is much more narrow.
Still running late to class.
Hilary Clinton, wearing a blue suit, is power-walking behind me.
I slow down and let her pass by, wanting to avoid an interaction.
This tactic succeeds and I reach a dark section of the hallway.
There are three rows of seats, split into two sections.
It's some kind of Hallway Theater.
My classmates are there so I sit down at the left section near the back.
My friend D and a girl run by and I hear them say something indicating they are running late.
"Ya'll need to get it together!" I say as they speed by.
I get some laughs from the class for this.
"Those are my best friends," I tell them, wanting to show I wasn't bullying random people.
A couple people I was friends with in highschool (underclassmen from my senior year combination rackets class) S and possibly J, look back at me.
I'm concerned that they are upset because I specified others as my 'best' friends, but they appear content.
...
We're still in the Hallway Theater, but now there are VR headsets hanging from the ceiling.
Classmates are putting them on so I do the same.
There is a floating UI option for lives, and I set it to zero. It applies to the entire class.
A pong game begins within a shared AR space, and somebody gets scored on.
That person dies.
Fear spreads and everyone starts taking the headsets off.
Not wanting to allow anyone else to be killed by game, one person is ordered to keep playing so that nobody else gets scored on.
...
Kris, Suzie, and Ralsei from Deltarune are in a VR-generated forest environment.
The trees are massive and reach to the heavens.
I'm playing this game as Kris. I think D and the girl may have been the other two.
We are exploring as a team, and trying to eliminate other players.
I set up an ambush and direct my team to sneak nearby.
I creep my neck past a branch we are standing on and see two tanks.
The tanks are the opposing players' avatars.
I spring into action, and appropriate battle music plays.
I transform into a woman in a military uniform wearing a beret and open fire on the tanks.
Recorded around 8:30AM on waking.

Went to bed around 11PM.

Memory Storage
I'm with my girlfriend S. We're in a long hallway.
Seems like a hospital. Sterile. Clean.
There are bodies in metal drawers all the way up and down the hall.
I can see some feet sticking out.
S goes to one of the drawers and opens it.
There is a small paper cartoon person standing inside.
I feel some relief for finding this paper person.
Recalled on waking around 7AM.

Went to bed at ???

Purgatory Island
I'm on an island in a Harry Potter game.
Lots of grey colors. Feels isolated and alone.
3rd person view. Playing as a man in a bowler hat.
Like Wayne from Mistborn.
There is a water-logged cave up ahead.
Recalled from early morning.

Went to bed around 11:15PM.

Moving On At Work
I'm walking outside at work between buildings, heading away from my main one.
There is an RV setup on a grassy hill where the stairs leading to the visitor meeting center normally is.
My mentor B is there. Getting to see the RV is a sort of right of passage, according to the plot of the dream.
Inside the RV there are a bunch of shoes hanging on the walls on all sides.
There is a man inside the RV that says there is a chemical engineer van as well.
J from marching band is there, and there is also a puppy nearby in the street.
The puppy is smart, and J is playing frisbee with it.
...
Later I'm walking back toward my building.
I'm texting with E who used to work there too.
She's talking about a 4th of July event with the group I recently missed.
I send her some pictures of my girlfriend and I on a pirate ship, vacation.
She's talks about how she is about to have her fourth kid.
I get a sense of relief/closure.
The path that normally leads to my building leads to a different building nearby.
I'm late for a meeting and I've forgotten something. I decide not to go back for it.
E is there now in person and clarifies that she's only having one kid.
I tell her about W and how now I'm a twice uncle.
The meeting room is located in a similar place, but it has two floors instead of one.
I wake up and think about recording the dream and do so.
Then I wake up for real and write down the dream.
Recorded at 4:30AM.

Fragment
Something about deception, dwarves, and World of Warcraft.
Recorded on waking at 7AM.

Went to bed around 11:00PM.
All recorded at around 4:45AM. I lost a lot because life was busy today and had to wait until the evening to write this.
Plus, my nightstand notes were not very detailed and I underestimated how dark my room would be in the early morning.

Fragment
I'm at home sitting on the couch with my girlfriend S.
My neck is killing me. She comes over and reveals a red neck pillow she has made for me.
It feels godly when she puts it behind my head.

Fragment
I'm playing a 2D video game that resembles something from the SNES era.
Point of view is from overhead, like The Legend of Zelda.
There is a plot-line that involves time-travel, and when the player traverses eras, the 'future' has a blue-purple styling compared to the standard green-grass look in the present time.

Fragment
Something about World of Warcraft.
I might be playing a new expansion.
My friend Z is there.

Fragment
Something about my Grandma P and Uncle J.

Went to bed around 10:45PM.

Banjo-Kazooie Remade
I'm seeing a remake of Banjo-Kazooie. It is running in 1440p and 120fps.
The player is at Spiral Mountain and it looks amazing.
There is a spokesperson demoing the game and he goes around Banjo's house to show a secret area.
He makes a point that while there are changes to the remake, it still remains faithful to the original game.
Through this back path, there is an alcove and I can see Gruntilda's hand reaching out from somewhere.
This is meant to prove that the game is remaining faithful, but in waking life there is no such section of the actual game.
Recalled from around 4:30AM.

Investigating M
I'm with my brother A, sister M, and Mom at my Grandma P's condo.
It is the same one where I had the nightmare about the hairy-faceless monster, as well as the one with the crying girl upstairs.
My brother and I suspect that my sister has done something sinister so we make a plan to investigate her room while my Mom is distracting her.
We go up the stairs and find her room with clutter all over as expected. We find a side closet that isn't normally there.
We find that it is set up for her daughter to sleep in. We don't find anything sinister about it.
Recalled from around 4:30AM.

Fragment
Something about Hagrid from Harry Potter.
Recorded at 7:00AM on waking.

Went to bed around 11:45PM

Directionless at the Arcade
I'm at a lively arcade with either my friend H or my ex H. It is a two-player game, but she is watching. I lost a lot of recall here because I waited too long to record.
I'm playing a game where one controls a green lightening bolt that quickly moves across the screen.
If it impacts a wall, you lose. There are many obstacles and the speed is high, so it is difficult.
I die multiple times and end up on my last life. I realize on my second last life that I can change direction mid-move, not committing to a direction.
I can do that repeatedly, allowing me to dodge obstacles as the screen scrolls that I couldn't before.
I am getting much further this time and hopes are high. Very exciting.
I finally die, and I reach for a bag of coins to continue as the countdown to do so speeds up.
I get the impression that I know the coins are mine and it is OK to use them, but also that H doesn't know that and is surprised I am reaching for them.
Recalled from earlier in the night.

Went to bed around 11:30PM.

New Life
I'm with my family at a hospital. I recall Grandma P and sister-in-law K in particular.
There is a glass viewing case that has the newborn baby girl in it.
The baby is "K Junior". I bring my Grandma P over to make sure she gets to see the baby, and she tells me she already has.
We are rushing down a hall, and at the end of the hall there is a room similar to the small band room from high school.
There is a group assembled here. My friend H is part of it. I think the subject of the dream has changed at this point.
H has a new girlfriend and it is an exciting mystery about who it is. There are other members of our friend group there too.
...
Later I'm rushing outside to a car. It's a downpour of rain.
I'm carrying my saxophone case. My Dad is driving the car.
He won't pop the trunk so I can't put it away. I'm frustrated because he won't help me.
It seems he wants me to bring the saxophone case in the car with me.
Recalled from earlier in the night.

Random Dancing
I'm at a dance studio. It resembles the one my girlfriend and I went to a few year back.
I'm with my friend H again and we are in a line leading to the front desk.
I'm nervous because I'm bad at dancing.
There is a screen behind the desk and it has a randomized list revealing who will be dancing with who.
H is paired with someone else, and I don't recall who my partner is.
Recorded around 7AM.

Axe-Steal
I'm playing a Zelda game. It resembles Tears of the Kingdom. My girlfriend S is watching me play.
We are in a lava-themed area. I'm currently fighting a tall monster.
There is a new partner (similar to Navi, Tatl, KoRL, Midna, Fi etc) that has the ability to steal enemy weapons mid-strike.
In a dramatic and exciting moment, I execute this ability just as the monster is thundering down a massive axe toward me.
The axe gets a green glow (similar to how the ultra-hand works) and teleports to Link's hands. S thinks it is awesome. We're both excited about it.
At that moment, the game slows down, and the background is red. The silhouette of Link holding the axe and the action lighting makes the moment all the more epic.
I strike, the monster falls, I win.
Recorded around 7AM.

Went to bed around 11:00PM. Used a sleepmask for the first time.

Wisdom Teeth
I'm at the dentist's office. The dentist reminds me of Butch Hartman.
He's talking about how he has lost a pen.
I talk about how there should be more colors than red/blue.
I have impression I am here because I'm to have my wisdom teeth finally taken out.
Recalled from earlier in the night.

Fragment
I'm in a city, its day-time. I'm in an alley somewhere.
Recalled from earlier in the night.

Visiting Grandmas
I'm standing outside a small home, it's night-time. There are some fairy-lights around.
I'm with my family (Dad, brother, sister, and Grandma P) and we are visiting Grandma M.
Grandma M is very short. I got to give her a hug and I need to practically kneel to do so.
We enter the home and start to help my Grandma P unpack.
My brother and I are to share a room on the left, with two twin size beds in it.
My Grandma P's room is just across the hall on the right, but there is a laundry room there.
The laundry room resembles the one Grandma M used to have, but the orientation is wrong.
Someone is taking out a kid's costume of some animal out of the drier.
Recalled upon awakening, around 7AM.

Based on this and the last WBTB attempt, it seems like 6hr/10m might not be the optimal WBTB configuration for me. I think I'll stick to it for experiment #4 to finish out the original plan though.

Went to bed at 11:30PM.

Pre-WBTB

Fragment
I'm at the Darkmoon Faire from World of Warcraft.
I'm playing as a Night Elf. I'm bragging to the other players around me about something.
Recorded at 5:30AM. Near the end of sleep cycle 3.

Scorpion Trap
I'm at some sort of manor, and I'm together with my ex-girlfriend H.
I find it strange that we are together again, but not enough to make me question it further.
We are standing in the front yard and it resembles the side-entrance from highschool (P) but with concrete steps going up.
There is a man up a story telling us about a device.
The device is a way to capture or deal with scorpions.
I remember looking back at H and thinking she looked kinda hot with her short blue dress on.
Recorded at 5:30AM. Near the end of sleep cycle 3.

WBTB
Woke up 6 hours after going to bed as planned. Felt very well rested. Almost decided to just stay awake. But I want those points. So I took the Galantamine 8mg to stay consistent with my experiment parameters and reviewed my go-forward for the lucid. After 10 minutes I went back to bed.

Post-WBTB

False Awakening
I wake up in my bed and do a nose-plug RC out of habit.
I'm lucid now. I try to move my hands forward to do a hands RC, but they feel very heavy.
I struggle against this weight, but I can't overcome it.
Recorded at 7AM. Early in sleep cycle 5.

Went to bed around 11:30PM.

Thirst at the Store
I'm in a grocery store that looks like Fry's.
Something in the store is chasing me, and I am getting ranked based on how well I can evade it.
There is something standing on top of one of the pop-box displays.
I'm thirsty and start looking for something cold.
My girlfriend tells me that there are drinks in the cart, but I want something cold.
...
Later I'm in a car outside with my girlfriend. I'm in what looks like the bank's withdrawal/deposit section, mixed with the pickup/dropoff area at the airport.
It's dark and lit up by a few artificial lights.
I'm paying for a black Buick car by putting money into the tube.
The car reminds me of the one my Grandma P drives.
Recorded at 5AM. Near the end of sleep cycle 3.

Getting to the Bottom
I'm at my Grandma P's condo with my sister and my friend D.
We're in sitting room by the den playing Super Smash Bros on the Temple stage. There normally isn't a TV in this room.
I take D out of the game, and then chase my sister into "the pit" near the bottom of the stage (if you know, you know).
I hit her with consecutive Down-A sword attacks as Link and she loses.
Then we switch to a different game that my sister choses. The style is cyber-punky, vaguely reminding me of Mortal Kombat.
The screen is split vertically into 4, but players can move between the splits to sabotage the others.
This game's goal is to get to the bottom the fastest.
Recorded at 7AM. Early in sleep cycle 5.