For those who aren't familiarized with the term, a Liminal Space is an empty place, with characteristics that make the viewer feel nostalgic, scared, or uncomfortable.

Usually, Liminal Spaces are places of transition, like hallways, corridors, waiting rooms, and even playgrounds. These were places that all of us walked by. Everyone knows them. Most of the aesthetic's appeal lies in the vague memory of our inner child about a place that we don't really pay attention to. We just remember the feeling of being there. That's when our brain starts to forge fake nostalgia. It is called "Anemoia."

Anemoia is a term defined by the Dictionary of the Obscure Sorrows which means "nostalgia for a time you've never known."

Take a look at that pool. Would you swim in it? Why not? Doesn't it feel nostalgic? Can't you smell the water? Don't you remember the feeling of being wet, with a towel around your body, waiting for your parents to come?

At this point, most Western people lived the same childhood, and I'm convinced of it.

But Liminal Spaces is not just about nostalgia. It's about being abandoned.

We all grew up going to the school, but have you ever seen the school empty? Without a single soul? The feeling of being alone overwhelms the nostalgic joy of being in a place you loved. And that feeling has a name.

Also defined by the Dictionary of the Obscure Sorrows, Kenopsia is "The eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet."

The premise of being in a place that is usually full of people, but now it's empty, makes us think that something is wrong, where did everyone go? Are they dead? Are they playing a prank on me? Are they hiding from me? Am I alive?

Liminal Spaces have the psychological potential to bring hundreds of combinations of feelings to the viewer. And isn't that the most important role of art in our society nowadays? "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable", said Cesar A.

The Backrooms have been a phenomenon on the internet for the past 4 years, and it's safe to say that those yellowish empty places were responsible for making the Liminal Spaces aesthetic as big as it is today.

But now that you already know about the topic, let's cut the crap and start talking about what really matters.

The Liminal Spaces aesthetic is one of the best things the internet has ever created, and also ruined, as is customary.

"But Stoots, isn't that preposterous? There are many, many good things on the internet, and-" shut the fuck up nerd, Liminal Spaces are great. And why do I say that? You'll see.

First of all, it's a multi-medium aesthetic, so painters, photographers, 3D artists, architects, musicians, and even game devs can work under this aesthetic.

The Liminal Spaces tell a story to the viewer without saying a single word. The silence is something we're not used to. It's mysterious.

The aesthetic portrays infinite quiet spaces, with a touch of surrealism that makes you feel like you're dreaming. Makes you feel like an abandoned child, alone, all by yourself. If you were in a Liminal Space, for the first moment, you would feel panic and anxiety. an urge to go back home. But after the heart rate goes down, you would find yourself in a contemplative state, thinking about every single thing that lead to that moment. You would feel the sensations that you ignore most of the time, the sound of your heart, the weight of your internal organs, the sound of the lightbulbs, and the freshness of the water. For an instant, nothing happens and there's nothing you can do. You find peace, forever, and you give up into the void of existential nihilism.

That's how much I love Liminal Spaces. But they ruined it. They fucking ruined everything, putting entities, SCPs, and terror characters from shitty games for kids (yes, I'm talking about that Huggy Wuggy shit) and turned one of the most promising aesthetics into a cringe trend on Tiktok.

The entire premise of the Liminal Spaces was to be ALONE. ALONE IN A PLACE WHERE NOTHING ELSE MATTERS, AND THERE'S ONLY YOU AND YOURSELF, THERE SHOULDN'T BE FNAF SHIT WITH YOU. All of the existential dread and the complex feelings that you can experience are gone. Now have fun running from a low-quality png image of Talking Ben searching for you through the Backrooms.

I just hope the good Liminal Space artists don't stop creating good content.

Best Regards, Stoots