Some tips on Lucid dreaming. I believe I was close last night

Hello everyone, I'm new here and I wanted to share an experience with what I believe to have been an almost lucid dream last night.

Most of my dreams are in the third person for a good portion of the dream with a few minutes I can actually see a first person view.

Well here goes my dream I believe I was almost first successful at being lucid.

I was in my high school for some reason even though I graduated back in 2008 and I was sitting in the cafeteria with some friends. (This was all in third person view btw) While we were sitting there laughing and eating, a few of these guys who liked to mess with people back in high school came up and started talking down to everyone. I said a few things but I cant remember what that made them mad. I proceeded to leave the school how I normally did back then and was walking back to my parents house behind the school across the football field. (It switched to first person for a few minutes at this point) I was walking along the football field when I could feel someone watching me and getting closer. I then saw a ball fly over my head and I just elbowed backwards and caught someone in the gut which happened to be one of the guys I mentioned earlier trying to tackle me.
I got up after pinning him down for a moment and just said I won because I was the better fighter and then continued to walk home. This is where is completely changed pace. (at this point it switched back to third person mode) I normally would walk in between some fences at a walkway to go into my neighborhood back in high school but for some reason, the story changed to where I was part of a family who lived in this neighborhood with a god like being who lived in a portal where this walkway should have been. I cant remember the name of said godlike being. However, if you approached it's portal, it offered you a chance to enter and be tested depending on your character and it warned you that it could be tremendously painful or pleasant. I stood there for a few minutes talking to it about things I cant recall and then it got angry and told me to leave if I wasnt going to enter. (if you passed it's test, you get a single wish of your choosing if it deemed it a worthy wish)
I finally said fine Im going in and I entered the black portal. (This is where is got really realistic and I could feel everything but I had no control over what was going on)
I woke up and found myself inside a desert oasis town and it was hot. really hot and there were some people walking about and just living daily life. I then noticed someone who looked familiar going up to a man and speaking something cryptic before crushing a coconut with his bare hands. It was Toguro from Yu Yu Hakusho for some reason. At that point I could feel my skil drying out and I could barely move. After that I found myself back inside the dark abyss with the godlike voice speaking to me. It said I had passed although I wasnt sure what the test was and I could speak my wish. (I am into video games and anime and stuff if you couldnt tell)

I told it I would like to live in a world that I could manipulate to my being and be able to use the powers from my favorite things and actually live them out without the knowledge of it being me so it felt real. The godlike being then got angry and then said it could not make such a wish come true so then I suggested how about I live in the normal world, but I was able to find a way to use energy in some way or fashion. We got into some kind of argument at this point and then I said something which outlogic him but I cant remember what it was. He conceded and said my wish would be granted. I stepped outside the portal and it looked as if my neighborhood was now DBZ style and I could hear faint things in the distance that reminded me of it. I walked onto the street I lived on and for some reason now on my street, the Bernstein bears were standing in front of every house and the street behind that everyone looked like pig cops from duke nukem.

I was confused and just went into my house where I sat down with my dream family which consisted of 2 sisters and a brother and an overaffectionate mom. It seemed that only me and my brother ahd been able to pass the test and all the girls had failed for some reason or another. (at this point it went from being realistic and first person back to being third person)
I then found myself in a bar with a bunch of people I knew in real life and some video game characters as well. We all laughed and joked for a bit before ultimately, I woke from the dream in real life confused and thinking I had my first brush with becoming lucid because of how real that second part of the dream felt.

I have been trying to Lucid Dream for about 6 months now and that was the first time I ever felt like I was so close to achieving it. I would love to hear some feedback on what you guys think and maybe some tips as well because my friend is a Lucid Dreamer but he has been doing it naturally since he was a small child so he doesnt really know how he does it.

Thanks again guys and I love the website. It is very fun to be at and I am hoping to meet some great people here to talk with about things like this. I believe dreams to be more than just dreams I believe that they could in fact be real on some level.

My first really realistic semi-lucid was last week. I suddenly appeared in my room, and i actually didn't know if i am dreaming or not, because i could feel the texture of the surface i was touching. I was like : wait wait wait... Lets do a reality check, before i do something bad. I look at my hands and i count 12(the last two were on my right hand). After that i didn't get lucid completely, but subconsciously. But man, when i rubbed my hands, I even now remember the feeling. It was like completely numb hands rubbing each other.

The one thing i understood, what i should do is : imagine the reality check in your mind and tell you that you will do it, before bed and during the day. Dream recall is pretty important too, as i had the semi-lucid only after the first dream.
I have tried to get lucid for 8 months now, but as you said, this was like the first time getting so close. Wish you luck, and I'm gonna go to sleep now, hopefully get my first lucid dream :D