I'm having similar problems, the first two times I had an LD was doind reality checks durind regular dreams , I had pretty good visuals, and I could even fly in the second. I havent have any of those in a while. Now I started experimenting with the WBTB method and found myself, also in a very dark environnement, and when trying to shout clarity my voice feels strange and loose lucidity. Rubing my hands increased the lenght of the dream but not the lightning.