Thread: Incubation Experiment: Crafting a Dream World

Impressive plan.

If you manage to execute it, and over time it keeps consistency even in dreams that aren't lucid I'll be very impressed; currently I've heard of dream worlds being nothing less than unpredictable, and with that sub-conscious touch always present we'll see just how hard it'll be to maintain a world like this through many dreams over several nights.

Even if it appears more than once over a spread of say a month or two without the need of lucid control I'd still be happy for you.

Anyway, don't let others put you off from trying - following what you want to do and use your spare time at work to do what you wish to do. Just be sure to keep people like myself updated as 'projects' like this do intrigue me; it's always interesting what we can do with our minds when we have the correct mindset.

Originally Posted by Alucinor XIII

Okay, so some of you might have seen the old thread. I came up with this place a few months ago, but it completely fizzled out. Things are pretty stable for me at the moment, so I'm gonna start this up again fresh.

The Goal

The goal of this experiment is to craft a fairly consistent, fantasy dream world. The process will be very similar to what novelists do. I will plan on the land, the people, the customs of each region, and the "magic/dream" mechanics of the world. This is not only for lucid purposes, but for non-lucid as well. I want this world to be a place that I visit frequently in my non-lucid dreams.

I plan to see just how much detail will carry over into this dream world, and just how consistent the world will be.

The Experiment

I imagine this will take quite a while. A couple months, actually, if not more. Here's a few of the things that I plane to flesh out for this world, first and foremost:

A.) Places: I'm going to draw out a map. It wont be stunningly beautiful or anything, but it will serve its purpose. Afterwards, I'm going to draw out areas, and pinpoint large cities, a couple towns, and then a few miscellaneous locations/villages/ruins/temples, etc.

B.) Characters: I plan to have at least 10 "main characters" for this world that should frequently appear and that I will interact. I expect my mind to fill in miscellaneous characters as it goes.

C.) A very, very general storyline. Perhaps not really a storyline, but some very general events and such that I hope to occur, general themes such as warring factions, political rivalries, conflicts between man and nature, etc.

D.) A specific culture for each of the areas.

Implementation

I work 12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, and most of it is doing fairly menial tasks. I have LOTS of time to think. I plan to just plan out and imagine characters, areas, and plotlines/themes as I go about my work-- which also keeps me from being bored to death!

Expectations

I'm not too sure what to expect. I spent about a week on this project last time, and then it fizzled out. But for the week that I did, I didn't see any crossover whatsoever into my dream world. This may be a very long project, but thats okay. I need something to entertain me while I'm at work anyway. :]

Very nicely planned out man.

I'm interested to see how this goes, I'll be happy to hear about it anyway.
Best of luck with this man, really.

- Brute

EDIT: Also, I'll just add I'd be more than happy to help if you need any.

The Dream Realm: Alara

I decided to make it a fantasy world. Seems to fit in best with the whole dream theme. The general idea for it is actually based on a pentagram, and heavily influenced by Avatar The Last Airbender, as well as a few games and mythology.

Its somewhat important to note that I'm not going for anything entirely original. In fact, I think it will be better for it to be a little cliche-- it'll be easier to intergrate these themes into a dream world if they're already familiar plot elements.

So the mechanics of the dream world are based on the pentagram. Each of the Five points of the pentagram represent an element. Each point (element) on the pentagram has two lines diverging from it, which represents the two aspects of the element. Here's a stunning MS Paint representation

dreamincubation.jpg
[Click for full size]

Each of the Elements have spirits/elementals which control their aspect of the world, all kept in check by each other. For example, the Stone Elementals are in control of the earth, nature elementals influence plant life and animals, and the Ethereal Spirits watch over the sentient beings, etc. All come together to form the actual realm itself.

However, by drawing a pentagram, one can open a portal to a corresponding elemental realm, through which they can be summoned-- depending on if the spirit wishes to cross over, or if the summoner has a strong enough will. A pentagram can be etched into an inanimate object and a spirit can be bound to it.

Also, the Dreamer and Dream Characters can channel the powers of a spirit through circles.

That's the basis of my idea for the world. I have some characters and locations fleshed out too, but I'll add them later.

Originally Posted by Hugh

Impressive plan.

If you manage to execute it, and over time it keeps consistency even in dreams that aren't lucid I'll be very impressed; currently I've heard of dream worlds being nothing less than unpredictable, and with that sub-conscious touch always present we'll see just how hard it'll be to maintain a world like this through many dreams over several nights.

Aye, thats the biggest problem I foresee. I'm gonna give it wiggle room and "assume" that there are alternate realities/realms that are reflections of the one which I am planning out. So, if I dream of somewhere thats really close, I can just say that its a reflection of the realm. My ultimate goal though is to find and explore the Realm itself.

Also, thanks for the encouragement and interest Hugh and Brute. =]

Hey man, just wanna pop in and say that it definitely is possible.
My friend has kept a journal of all his dreams set on this island and after a few weeks of focusing on it he actually managed to have like 40 almost consecutive dreams about it. He wrote it down in a very detailed story format every few days and the entire journal is almost 30 pages long, its really impressive.
Think about it enough and passionately and it should work

I intend to do something very similar. I'd had a vague idea to try this for a long time, but, seeing someone else with nearly the same idea has encouraged me to try and do it. I'm going to start out simple, a small group of characters, maybe only 3 or so. I'm going to write the characters out and read them, memorize them, visualize them, try and, I guess, get to know them as if they were real. Then I'm going to try and begin dreaming of that place and those characters, then hopefully bring about lucidity.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Alucinor XIII

Aye, thats the biggest problem I foresee. I'm gonna give it wiggle room and "assume" that there are alternate realities/realms that are reflections of the one which I am planning out. So, if I dream of somewhere thats really close, I can just say that its a reflection of the realm. My ultimate goal though is to find and explore the Realm itself.

Also, thanks for the encouragement and interest Hugh and Brute. =]

I'm sure you'll see many different depictions of your world throughout your dreams if you have it playing on your mind and you actually manage to create a mental image of it, or reproduce it at least once in the dream world through lucidity and dream control.

Dutchraptor has just confirmed that it's highly possible, therefore with determination I'm sure you'll meet your goal; you sound like a determined type of guy. For the start I'd say to leave your worries on the big things rather than the little ones, maybe try introduce things bit by bit rather than manifest the whole thing straight away - what do I know though?

Anyhow, good luck with your ventures - you've got more aspiration that I do!

Thanks again for all the encouragement guys! I'll definitely be posting regular updates. I'd be more than happy to hear any feedback/criticism on the ideas. =]

Progress: Day 1

Didn't have any dreams related to the world, as far as I can remember. I did spend a great deal of time thinking about it yesterday. I completely fleshed out the Sanctuary, which is a floating island above the mainland that I plan to have as my "spawn point" so to speak. Its mostly mountainous with a large plain in the center with gentle rolling hills, a large willow in the center. Carved into one of the mountains is a temple that leads into a large, open waterfall.

I also started working on one of the areas. There's a heavily forested/jungle area in which there will be some aborigine/native-american style tribes. I figured working on this place first would be easiest and best. Forested settings are pretty easy for me to envision, and the tribes will be nomadic, constantly moving, so consistency in locations wont be terrible necessary-- which gives my dreaming mind more wiggle room.

The forest is filled with creature and its natives, some of them are at war with each other, and each tribe is led by a Shaman who is in cohort with a Nature Elemental. So, there will be plenty of action in this area. The tribes revere nature and worship the nature elementals-- who usually take the form of animals/anthropomorphic-animals. The area is very warm and humid, most of its people wear little to no clothing.

They're primarily hunter-gatherers. They hunt with spear and bow, and only farm a few things. They often have heavily trained dogs for hunting purposes, as well as defending camps. At night they often have dances/pow-wows around campfires and wear animal masks and hides in a sort of religious ceremony. They also smoke a very psychoactive substance that they make out of the root of a shrub that grows wild in the forest. Which I will most definitely be partaking in when I finally meet them.

Oh, and there's a couple tribes who worship a wolf spirit that grants them the ability of lycanthropy. As well, some of the tribes have "sleep walkers" whose spirit leaves the body in sleep, usually in the form of an animal, to scout the land/other tribes.

Most of the peoples are hardened warriors and hunters. They are very stoic, and at times can be very callous, but that's the result of their lifestyle. They really open up during the nights by fireside, when they all begin to smoke their roots and drink and partake in ceremony.

That's just a few of the things that I've come up with. As well as a few characters in the tribes that I based of of some friends.

I have a similiar goal, though in smaller scale. My goal is to create a dream house seeded in a hill / forest area similiar to this one in China & an fantasy airship I can use to "find" the places I want to go too. I have them planned out already for a longer time, I just need to get better in stabilizing my lucid dreams so they don't end already after 5 minutes.

Who knows, when I will be able to change the scene from one of my dreams by just travelling with my airship and flying "towards" my destined goals, I might even be able to use it to visit your forest area, I am sure that would be an awesome dream for me. Though I guess it would be a very different version of your forest, but depending on if you will continue to feed us with detailed updates it might even turn out pretty similiar .

I am really seeing foreward to more updates from you, because of this thread I am now very optimistic in achieving my own goal so thanks for sharing your plans

Count me in on this thread! This idea is great, and I've actually had this as my end-goal since learning about Lucid dreaming two weeks ago. Over the course of my childhood my best friend and I crafted a living, breathing alternate dimension using our imaginations - flooding it with memorable characters, rich history, and tons of detail. It would be incredible if I could remake this world in my dreams and actually see the characters and places that he and I crafted as children. It would be a perfect world for adventure and nostalgia!

So I am going to try this too, once I get my first lucid. Until then, I'm just going to worry about my Dream Journal and Reality Checks

Good luck to you, Sir. Your creative mind is very impressive! Keep us posted!

~Raven

I have done this a few times in lucids but that's relatively simple. It gets hard when you always want to have dreams about it.
Creating a stable lore and world is very simple if you have a basic understanding of dream control and you lucid frequently enough, I'm on my third world right now (not that they have very rigid rules). Never have they shown up in my non-lucids as far as I remember.

I think it's a true feet if you can actually manage to mold the dreamworld into some sort of alternate reality, so whenever you dream you go there.

Originally Posted by Oceandrop

I have a similiar goal, though in smaller scale. My goal is to create a dream house seeded in a hill / forest area similiar to this one in China & an fantasy airship I can use to "find" the places I want to go too. I have them planned out already for a longer time, I just need to get better in stabilizing my lucid dreams so they don't end already after 5 minutes.

Who knows, when I will be able to change the scene from one of my dreams by just travelling with my airship and flying "towards" my destined goals, I might even be able to use it to visit your forest area, I am sure that would be an awesome dream for me. Though I guess it would be a very different version of your forest, but depending on if you will continue to feed us with detailed updates it might even turn out pretty similiar .

I am really seeing foreward to more updates from you, because of this thread I am now very optimistic in achieving my own goal so thanks for sharing your plans

Hey man, I can definitely recommend this, in fact one of dream worlds looks just like this. I love it to bits and it's probable the best things I've done yet in my lucisd in terms of storyline. THe beautiful chinese landscape just works really well, as do the interesting cryptic old people

I failed to dream about anything relevant to my goal, last night. Then again, I didn't put as much thought into it as I wanted. I'm going to start very small. Perhaps just one location and one character. Focus as much as I can on fleshing them out in the waking world, then try to dream of them. I might even make a recording to play on my tablet as I sleep, using headphones. I tried last night to use isochronic tones, but couldn't get comfortable, so my sleep wasn't very nice.

Man, I want to partake in a similar adventure as well now.

I can't really do any induction techniques, nor improve my re-call until I get the chance to sleep in a separate bed where I both don't disturb my partner, and she doesn't disturb me.

I'll just begin planning though, writing our and designing what I want the world to be like - I love what you've came up with for your lucid world, and as I've just said it's inspired me to be a bit more ambitious with what I'm going to utilise my lucidity to do. If you're going to aim, you may as well aim big.

For now though, without the correct conditions to get into lucidity efficiently and consistently, tracking your progress will be as fun as it gets for me now.

Wow. I'm really glad I'm inspiring some of you guys to give this a try. Let me now if you figure out any secrets to it.

Originally Posted by Hugh

I can't really do any induction techniques, nor improve my re-call until I get the chance to sleep in a separate bed where I both don't disturb my partner, and she doesn't disturb me.

Ah...I remember those days. I used to wake up and dream journal anyway with a flashlight. Usually resulted in some disgruntled mumbling and snatching covers on their part. lol

Progress: Day 2

[The Alaran Forests]

So, last night I spent a lot of time at work planning out the tribal people who live in the Forests of Alara. I came up with the different tribes that live there, as well as a general plot/theme.

The Owlkin Tribe: A peaceful tribe that lives in a series of tree huts in the depths of the forest along a series of rivers. They value wisdom and peace above all else-- a rarity among the tribal people, which has cultivated a haughty attitude and aloof demeanor. They do fight to defend themselves however. In battle they use staves and powder-bombs that act as a strong sedative/psychedelic to disorient the enemy.

The Owlkin are led by a council of three. Their shaman-- also a council member-- is a channeler of nature spirits, specializing in plantlife. They wear light colored leathers, adorned with owl feathers, quarts, and the occasional pearl or raw emerald.

The White Paw Tribe: The White Paws are a tribe that build there settlements on stilts in the ocean, just off the coast of the forest. They are so-called by their brethren because of the white sand of the beaches that sticks to their feet when they come to land. They're one of the few tribes who are integrating well with the more advanced civilizations outside of their forest. They've began to trade with the Sea Folk that regularly pass by their settlements in ships, and have become as shrewd a merchant as a tribal man can be. Some of the other tribes harbor a disdain for the White Paws for welcoming outsiders, but that doesn't seem to keep them from trading with them.

Their Shaman channels the element of water, altering currents in favor of their ships. They are led primarily by a spirit woman, and in part by her husband.

The Raven Clan: Long ago, the tribes used to be a united people. And with such unity, came a strict set of laws and regulations. The Raven Clan were the first to secede from the pact. They have valued independence and individuality. They have historically been treasure hunters, in a sense, often leaving the forests to raid and plunder Outsiders. Until recently, the Raven Clan was quiet and solitary, with little interest towards the other clans. But suddenly they have joined up with the Serpent's Blood Clan and began attacking.

Their shaman is their sole leader. Historically, the Shamans of the Raven Clan have channeled the Element of Shadow. Normally they keep their element in check, but some believe that Korvenia (the leader/shaman) has finally lost control. The Raven's often wear dark brown leathers adorned with black feathers, and hoods at night. They are masters of stealth and archery.

The Serpent's Blood Clan: When the Raven's first broke the Pact of Unity, they discovered that some of their clansmen were under the impression that the new tribe was a anarchy. The Serpents Blood are the exiles from the Raven's Clan, and harbored a deep resentment for them for ages. They are ruthless raiders, and are masters of poison darts and throwing weapons. They are the only tribe to use swords-- mostly stolen from Outsiders.

They are led by a single man, counciled by a serpents spirit. Leadership frequently shifts due to assassinations.

The Wolf Brothers: Last, but not least, is the Wolf Tribe. They were the last man standing in the Pact of Unity, and have felt a duty to continue to try and re-unite the clans as one. They have been losing hope, however. The Wolf Brothers are proud and fierce warriors, valuing honor and loyalty. They fight with spear, and specially crafted claws for hand-to-hand combat. They quick and strong fighters, and the best sprinters in the land.

There is no shaman. Instead they commune with a great wolf spirit that guides them and grants a select few of their warriors with the power of Lycanthropy. Through this communion, they have also gained the trust and loyalty of the wolves in the wild, who often travel, hunt, and fight along side of them.

The Alpha Chief leads them, with his wife, and my be challenged at anytime for leadership so long as the fight is fair and honest. They wear very little in the way of clothing, and often go into battle with little more than war-paint. The little clothing that is worn is made out of the pelts of fallen wolves. They live under cliffs and in caves, decorated with powder-painted murals on their walls.


Well, thats it for the clans. I have some plans for a story element too, but I think that's a big enough wall of text for now.

I tried to focus on my scene and character last night, and, well, the results were less than good. I had many 'dreams' none of them were restful, and some I would consider to be nightmares. So, last night, and all the times I woke up through the night and went back to sleep, went terribly.

Progress: Day 4

No dream cross-overs so far. I haven't done too much more planning in the lore department. I've been focusing on visualizing the people, characters, and locations I've come up with so far. My current goal is to WILD and visit The Sanctuary-- the island in the sky.

I did think of a nifty story element. Its a way to account for the inconsistency/unpredictability of dreams in a lore friendly way:

"A prophecy as old as age itself is known amongst the realm, that of The Dreamer. Some believe that The Dreamer is a savior, come to unite the lands and purge them of evils. Too good to believe, I think. Others believe that The Dreamer is a harbinger of chaos. What is known for sure, told in all tales, is that The dreamer brings change. His very presence brings instability to the realm itself... from this moment to the next, day maybe suddenly become night, and mountains may move from this place to that." -Eva'nawa, Owlkin Shaman.

Originally Posted by ImmatOfKafir

I tried to focus on my scene and character last night, and, well, the results were less than good. I had many 'dreams' none of them were restful, and some I would consider to be nightmares. So, last night, and all the times I woke up through the night and went back to sleep, went terribly.

Sorry to here about the failure + nightmare D: But keep at it man! If there's one thing I've learned for sure, its that this stuff takes a lot of dedication and a slight obsession. But, if you can craft an alternate reality all your own, I think its worth it.

Progress: Day 5

Nothing so far, I slept like a rock last night.

Now that I've come up with the location and a general society layout, I've been focusing on fleshing out a few main characters, and trying to visualize them and get their image cemented into my subconscious. Their personalities are starting to unfold pretty well.

At this point, I'm just focusing on visualizing and solidifying ideas and characters that I already have, rather than creating new ones. I probably wont be posting as many updates from here on out-- that is, until I have some results.

Oh, and I'm going to try a sort of bi-phasic sleep pattern for a while, and try to practice WILDing into this world. Probably going to alot myself 5 hours of sleep, get up for an hour or so every day, and then sleep another 2 hours.

Dream World Lore

Well, I was debating whether or not I wanted to load down the thread with any more lore, or if I wanted to focus more on induction methods. But, hell, I'll post some more of the lore. The more I write and re-think this world, the more depth it will have...or so I'm thinking.

|-Story Element-|

At one point in history, the tribes of the Alaran Forests were one. The Talon Clan, under the guidance of an eagle spirit, laid conquest to that unruly tribes, and gathered the remaining clans under a single banner, forming The Pact of Unity. For a great many moons, the Talon Clan reigned over the natives. As it often happens, power corrupted the leaders of the Talon Clan. They had great shrines and temples built in reverence of their guardian spirits, and began to ignore their people.

The first of the clans to secede from the Pact were the Ravens. The Raven Clan feared that under the rule of a single group of men, the tribal people would become soft like the outsiders who live in great walled cities, cut off from nature. Shortly after, another group broke the pact, the Owlkin, who differed greatly in opinions of politics and philosophy. Further dissolving the pact, the White Paws left for the coast, having grown tired of trade regulations of the Talon Clan.

Infuriated, the leaders of the Pact began making threats to all who seceded. Only a week after, so called "freedom fighters" within the Ravens Clan led a surprise attack under the cover of night on the Talon's chiefdom, brutally slaughtering man, woman, and child alike. Outraged and disgusted by their actions, these raiders were cast out of the Ravens clan, and painted villains by all other tribes. Thus the Serpents Blood Clan came to be, comprised of assassins and raiders.

All that remained of the Pact of Unity are now known as the Wolf Brothers, the proud and the loyal. To this day they still make efforts to reunite their peoples.

And that is where the Dreamer (myself) comes in. Off in the distance, to the mountains far in the northwest, there is a civilization called The Dragnar, that has been growing rapidly, and advanced technology is beginning to arise. Black smoke rises from the mountains, and seeps into the land below. They venture to the Alaran Forests, and elsewhere, to clear the land of timber and game in the name of progress. Having grown mighty and developed a insatiable appetite for technological advance, the Dragnar have begun conquest of the lands.

What most do not know is that the true rulers of Dragnar, the ones behind the curtains, are sect of Fire and Shadow Elementals. My job as the dreamer, will be to unite the lands against them. My first task, is to re-unite the tribes of the Alaran Forests.

(I have way too much time at work to think about this stuff lol )

Excellent idea mate. I'm definitely going to try establishing a permanent base once I get better at LDing

Status Report

Still haven't had any success. No signs of any characters or of the locations. My recall has however been pretty atrocious. Still, I feel that even with my bad recall phase, if I dreamt of the world I'd remember it.

Haven't been getting much sleep either, which isn't helping, but I'm still thinking and refreshing on the characters and places I've come up with so far. I've not given up hope.