In the realm of internet mysteries, a trio of bizarre phenomena has captured widespread attention over the past year. These seemingly unrelated occurrences share a common thread: they all exist within liminal spaces—transitional areas that exist between defined states of being. From the girl who discovered an abandoned shopping mall behind an Airbnb basement door to Javier's claims of being trapped alone in a 2027 alternative universe, these stories tap into our collective fascination with places that feel both familiar and eerily wrong.

Liminal spaces create discomfort precisely because they exist outside their intended purpose. Empty airports at midnight, abandoned schools during summer break, or deserted shopping malls all trigger an unnerving sense of something being "off." This feeling intensifies when locations designed for human activity sit completely empty, waiting for people who never arrive. The concept reaches its most extreme form in the "backrooms" theory—an endless maze of yellow wallpaper and fluorescent lighting that one might accidentally "no-clip" into, becoming trapped in a perpetual state of transition with no way out.

Key Takeaways

Liminal spaces create psychological discomfort by existing in transitional states that feel simultaneously familiar yet wrong.
The internet has documented numerous examples of real-world liminal spaces, from abandoned malls to completely deserted cities.
The concept of being trapped in endless transitional areas has evolved into community-created lore with its own established rules and boundaries.

Mysterious Internet Phenomena

Forgotten Retail Space Discovery

Last year, an intriguing incident occurred when a traveler discovered a concealed entrance in their rental's basement. Behind this doorway lay an entirely abandoned shopping center, frozen in time. The discoverer documented her exploration, displaying a mix of excitement and unease as she wandered through the empty corridors and vacant storefronts.

This location represents what experts call a "liminal space" - a transitional area that exists between defined states. Such spaces often feel simultaneously familiar yet unsettling, triggering strange nostalgia for places we've never actually visited. The empty mall's eerie quality stems from its intended purpose as a social gathering place now sitting completely vacant.

Solo Survivor in 2027

A Spanish content creator known as Javier claims to have awakened in a Valencia hospital on February 13, 2027, finding himself in an alternate reality where humanity has vanished. His TikTok account documents his solitary existence in this empty world.

Javier's evidence includes footage from locations that would normally be bustling with activity:

Major department stores with products still on shelves
Fully stocked supermarkets
Empty professional football stadiums
Vacant hospitals (normally operational 24/7)
Military installations with no personnel

He has responded to skeptics by filming public digital displays showing 2027 dates and times. Most remarkably, Javier suggests a connection between our realities. In one instance, a Spanish TV program challenged him to locate and move a hidden book on their set. Security footage later revealed a door opening and closing with a momentary glimpse of a figure, while the book had indeed been relocated.

The Endless Yellow Hallways

The third phenomenon began on an internet forum when users shared unsettling images. One anonymous submission showed a yellow-wallpapered hallway with fluorescent lighting and old carpeting. Though seemingly mundane, viewers reported a collective sense of unease and strange familiarity.

The image spawned a concept called "The Back Rooms" - an alternate dimension one might accidentally "no-clip" into (borrowing gaming terminology for glitching through boundaries). Key characteristics include:

Moist, old carpet with a distinctive odor
Endless maze-like structure
Monotonous yellow walls
Constant fluorescent light humming
Approximately 600 million square miles of empty rooms
Possible unknown entities lurking within

What makes this concept particularly disturbing is its perpetual liminality. Unlike normal transitional spaces we pass through quickly, the Back Rooms represent endless transition with no destination - a liminal space from which there is no escape.

This concept resonated so strongly that an entire community-driven mythology has developed, with hundreds of documented "levels" and extensive lore created through collaborative storytelling.

Liminal Spaces Explained

Understanding the Threshold Experience

Liminality refers to a transitional state or threshold between two distinct points. These spaces exist both physically and psychologically, marking the end of one state and the beginning of another. The concept has gained significant attention online, with numerous examples ranging from abandoned shopping malls to empty hospitals and seemingly infinite hallways with yellow wallpaper.

Physical and Psychological Transitions

Physical liminal spaces are locations we can physically encounter, like airports at midnight or schools during summer break. However, liminality also manifests emotionally during major life transitions. Events such as divorces, bereavements, relocations, or career changes create psychological thresholds where our previous life phase concludes and a new one begins. This in-between state often produces feelings of uncertainty and apprehension.

Characteristics of Transitional Environments

Liminal spaces typically share several defining features:

Familiar yet strange: They often evoke déjà vu or nostalgia for places you've never actually visited
Contextual displacement: Ordinary objects or settings appear in unusual situations (e.g., flooded staircases)
Emptiness: Places designed for human activity that sit vacant
Transitional purpose: Areas not intended for extended stays

Places like bowling alleys, arcades, and amusement parks often qualify as liminal when empty, as they're designed for temporary use but feel unsettling without people.

Discomfort and the Not-Quite-Right Feeling

The anxiety triggered by liminal spaces parallels the "uncanny valley" effect. Both involve something recognizable that's slightly wrong, creating discomfort. This explains why empty places normally filled with people feel particularly disturbing.

Online communities have developed fascinating examples of extended liminality, such as the viral "backrooms" concept—an endless maze of yellow wallpaper and fluorescent lights that one might accidentally "no-clip" into from reality. Similarly, accounts like Javier's depiction of an empty world in 2027 amplify this concept to a global scale.

These spaces fascinate us precisely because of the tension they create. They're recognizable yet wrong, familiar yet alien, and they trigger both nostalgia and unease simultaneously.

Real-World Examples of Liminal Spaces

Liminal spaces exist all around us, places that evoke an uncanny sense of transition or threshold between two states. In recent internet culture, three compelling examples have captured public imagination through their documentation of these unsettling transitional zones.

The first notable case involved a woman who discovered a hidden door in her Airbnb basement that led to an abandoned shopping mall. Her video exploration shows her experiencing a mix of excitement and discomfort—classic emotional responses to encountering a liminal space. The empty storefronts and silent corridors created an environment both familiar yet jarringly out of context.

Another fascinating example comes from a Spanish content creator known as Javier, who documents what appears to be Valencia in the year 2027—completely devoid of people. His videos show deserted department stores, empty supermarkets, and vacant football stadiums that normally would house thousands of people.

Javier's footage is particularly striking because hospitals, which typically operate 24/7, appear completely abandoned. He responds to viewer challenges by visiting restricted locations like police stations and military bases, all eerily empty. The time stamps on public digital displays in his videos add to the unsettling nature of his documented world.

The third example, known as "the Backrooms," originated from a single unsettling image posted online. This concept depicts an endless maze of rooms with dingy yellow wallpaper, buzzing fluorescent lights, and moist carpet extending for what feels like infinite space. The Backrooms represent perhaps the most extreme version of liminal space—one you cannot escape from.

Common features unite these examples:

Emptiness - Spaces designed for human activity that sit vacant
Familiarity mixed with strangeness - Environments that seem recognizable yet wrong
Contextual displacement - Things appearing in settings where they don't belong

These documented spaces trigger emotional responses similar to what people experience during major life transitions. The anxiety comes from being caught between what was and what will be—a physical manifestation of psychological liminality.

Everyday examples of liminal spaces include:

Airports at night
Schools during summer break
Recently vacated homes
Supermarkets in early morning hours
Empty office buildings
Amusement parks off-season

What makes these internet examples particularly compelling is how they amplify the natural discomfort of liminal spaces by extending them beyond their natural boundaries—whether through an accidental discovery, an apparently empty world, or an infinite maze of identical rooms.

Javier's Unexplained Reality

Documenting the Empty City of Valencia

Javier emerged as a distinctive figure on social media through his account "unigo sobre vivinte." Unlike typical content creators claiming extraordinary experiences, Javier provides compelling visual evidence of his situation. His videos showcase completely deserted locations throughout Valencia, Spain—a city that normally houses over 800,000 residents with nearly 2 million in the surrounding metropolitan area.

The footage reveals empty department stores, vacant supermarkets, and abandoned football stadiums. What makes these videos particularly striking is their consistency and scope. Javier documents himself moving freely through normally restricted areas, including:

Police departments
Fire stations
Military facilities
Luxury hotels
Private apartments
Fully-equipped hospitals

The hospital footage stands out as particularly convincing evidence. Unlike other locations that might have quiet periods, hospitals typically operate with staff present at all hours.

Responding to Public Challenges

To address skepticism about his claims, Javier has participated in various interactive tests proposed by viewers. Critics initially suggested he was simply filming during early morning hours when few people would be present. In response, Javier recorded himself walking past public digital displays showing the current time—technology that would be difficult for an average person to manipulate.

When challenged to visit specific locations on demand, Javier complied by:

Entering normally secured facilities
Accessing private buildings without restriction
Operating vehicles normally kept under strict supervision
Retrieving objects from precisely described locations

These demonstrations have strengthened his credibility among viewers who initially dismissed his claims. The unscripted nature of these challenges makes fabrication increasingly difficult to explain.

The Bridge Between Realities

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Javier's story involves apparent connections between his empty world and our populated one. According to his claims, objects can sometimes interact across these separate realities. The most notable demonstration of this phenomenon occurred when a Spanish television program devised a test.

The show's producers concealed a book on their set and challenged Javier to locate and move it. Security footage from the studio later revealed something extraordinary: the door opened and closed on its own, and for a brief moment, a figure appeared to flash past the camera. This suggested physical interaction between two separate versions of reality.

Javier maintains that he awoke in a hospital in Valencia on February 13, 2027, with no memory of his identity or residence. In his experience, electronic devices display dates from 2027, though the physical environment resembles our present day. His documentation continues to expand, offering a window into what appears to be either an alternate timeline or parallel dimension where humanity has mysteriously vanished.

The Unsettling Realm of Alternate Spaces

The internet has become fascinated with places that exist on the threshold of reality. These unusual environments captivate our imagination through their familiar yet disturbing qualities. From abandoned shopping centers to endless yellow hallways, these spaces represent a growing online phenomenon that explores our relationship with transitional environments.

Origin and Cultural Rise

The concept of unsettling transitional spaces gained significant popularity through several viral internet stories. One involved a traveler discovering an abandoned mall behind a door in her vacation rental. Another followed a man named Javier who claimed to awaken in 2027 in a world completely devoid of people. However, the most influential emergence came from an anonymous 4chan post featuring a disturbing image of a yellow-wallpapered hallway.

This image prompted a description of a place where people could accidentally "no-clip" out of reality—a gaming term for glitching through boundaries into areas players shouldn't access. The accompanying text described "the stink of old moist carpet" and "endless background noise of fluorescent lights" in a space extending approximately 600 million square miles.

The Allure of Liminal Realms

What makes these spaces so compelling is their foundation in the concept of liminality—the threshold between two distinct points or states. Liminal spaces exist both physically and emotionally, creating feelings of unease during transitions. Common characteristics include:

Familiar yet strange: These locations often evoke déjà vu
Contextual displacement: Objects or environments appearing where they shouldn't
Emptiness: Areas designed for people that sit vacant

These qualities combine to create a profound psychological effect. School hallways during summer break, late-night airports, and empty shopping malls all share this quality of existing between purposes. The emotional response comes from seeing places meant for human occupation sitting in abandonment, waiting for a purpose they may never fulfill.

![Table: Common Features of Liminal Spaces]

Feature Description Examples Familiar Strangeness Locations that feel recognizable yet off Empty malls, vacant hotels Temporal Displacement Places encountered at unusual times Schools during vacation, midnight offices Absence Spaces designed for people but empty Abandoned theme parks, empty hospitals

Community Development and Lore Expansion

What began as a single image has evolved into an entire collaborative universe. The online community has created an extensive mythology around these spaces, developing a comprehensive framework with hundreds of distinct "levels." Each has its own characteristics, dangers, and rules governing how they operate.

This crowdsourced intellectual property has expanded organically without central direction. Participants contribute stories, images, and videos to expand the narrative. The original "backrooms" concept now includes various sub-locations, entities that inhabit them, and complex rules for navigation.

The phenomenon represents a uniquely modern form of folklore—digital mythology created collaboratively across platforms. Unlike traditional urban legends passed verbally, this digital legend grows through social media, forums, and content sharing sites. Contributors build upon existing elements while adding their own creative interpretations.

Liminal Spaces: Between Realities - Empty Worlds, Time Travel & Dimensional Shifts