Phenomenon 15 - "Inversion"




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― Overview ―


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An instance of Phenomenon 15 taking place in Level 0.

Phenomenon 15, also known as “the Inversion”, is a paranormal turn of events that has recently begun taking place throughout the entirety of the Backrooms. The most impactful, notorious property consists of an inversion of gravity in the totality of the affected level.1

Nonetheless, the gravitational change is always preceded by a specific sequence of supernatural events.

The colour inside the level will unavoidably reverse; the environment will see itself completely altered into its opposite shade.

However, the effects of this phenomenon are more expansive than these simple occurrences. Hence, the following in-depth analysis has been made.


The Colour Reversal

The initial inversion of colour is accompanied by a host of supplementary quirks. As such, the Colour Reversal has been divided into two distinct phases: the Fade and the Nexus.

Being the initial characteristic of the Inversion, the sudden variation of colour does not happen instantly, as it is instead a steady and gradual switch, even if said transition only takes 5-10 seconds to fully complete.

This aspect of Phenomenon 15 is not a direct alteration of the wanderer’s vision, as it does not affect wanderers themselves. Instead, the colour alteration merely affects the level's environment and objects native to it per nature. This means that any part of one’s body ― such as the skin, eyes, and hair ― will retain its original appearance.

Interestingly, the personal objects of the explorer are unaffected by the Colour Reversal as well, although further study has shown that this only applies to belongings that they had direct contact with at the moment of entering the level.2 A plausible explanation for this exception has yet to be found.

The Fade is also known to override the nature of any level it is affecting. This means that if the environment in specific locations happens to be in an already altered state, this will not stop Phenomenon 15 from deploying the aforementioned changes. For example, if Level 1.5 were to confront the Inversion, its tint would simply return to normal.


The Gravity Switch

What makes Phenomenon 15 an imminent danger is the second occurrence that always takes place without fail: an abrupt alteration of gravity that encompasses the entirety of the level in question.

What strikes one most about this happening is that the center of gravity of the level, usually situated below one’s feet, makes a total position swap and situates to the opposite side of its original location.3 Contrary to the Colour Reversal, this adjustment takes place near instantly, which can cause wanderers to receive severe injuries if unprepared, or suffer a much worse fate should they be unfortunate enough to be outdoors.

Moreover, this effect of the Inversion is never altered under any circumstances. Even in the event that one was to be situated in a spatial environment characteristic of its lack of gravitational forces ― such as those in Level 188 or Level 217Phenomenon 15 would still find a way to impose the pulling energy in an unpredictable direction.

The Transition

In between the Colour Reversal and the successful activation of the Gravity Switch, there lies an ambiguous zone in which the gravity effects materialise prematurely. Just as the Nexus phase concludes and its ringing comes to a closure, small, almost unnoticeable objects start to float, spreading their effects to other objects of similar sizes. This will eventually transition4 into larger and heavier objects starting to float once the full effects of the Gravity Switch have begun.

Fortunately, the Gravity Switch always follows the Colour Reversal, regardless of the situation. This means that wanderers can utilise the Colour Reversal as a warning and prepare for the upcoming threat. However, it is worth noting that the definite alteration of gravity will not always take place after an equal time frame or period; depending on the circumstances, it could range from a 15-20 second window from the Fade phase at the absolute earliest ever registered, to 45-50 seconds at the utmost latest.



― Possible Scenarios ―


Naturally, the core nature of Phenomenon 15 changes according to the specifics of one’s situation. It is essential to know how to adapt to the distinct causalities that are bound to happen.


Outdoors

Being outdoors is the worst scenario when facing the Inversion; one must be extremely cautious in order to survive the upcoming turn of events. If possible, the optimal course of action would be ducking under solid coverage no higher than 4 metres (13 feet) from the floor. If this is not an option, wanderers should urgently look for anything attached to the ground to get a hold of before the inevitable “fall” comes about.

It is confirmed that "normal" objects (from here onwards referred to merely as "objects") located indoors and outdoors behave distinctly during the fact. While outside, objects affected by the Gravity Switch behave exactly as expected; they will begin to "fall" towards infinity or float upside down if connected to other bodies anchored to the ground. Taking this into account, the safest approach would be to attach oneself to trees, traffic signs, or different elements of the same nature.

In addition, a particular property of Phenomenon 15 while taking place outdoors is the fact that almost every survivor claims to have seen a giant, black star appear in the sky in the interval corresponding to the Nexus phase of the Colour Reversal. While it is suspected that this is the reason why the Gravity Switch occurs, no testing has been done to try and confirm this thesis, as analysing Phenomenon 15 while it is happening outside is highly unsafe and impractical.

Nonetheless, the previously mentioned hypothesis is likely to be erroneous, since no one has ever witnessed this obscure celestial body while experiencing the Inversion indoors, and yet it is unequivocal that the Gravity Switch will always manifest.


Indoors

The other situation in which Phenomenon 15 can take place is inside enclosed spaces. This kind of appearance is much simpler to overcome than the previous, but even so, various procedures should be taken to minimize any risks or casualties that may emerge.

The immediate precaution is to ensure the presence of a low ceiling on which a safe landing can be accomplished. Nevertheless ― the threat posed by Phenomenon 15 does not end there; one has to be wary of the variety of objects that could potentially accompany them on the "fall".

This is because objects indoors present abnormal behaviour. At first, they do not render the expected effect; in its place, they acquire an unstable condition that causes them to tremble and shake uncontrollably, as though they were posing a thorough resistance to the phenomenon, before ultimately succumbing to the effect, albeit sooner or later depending on the specifics of each instance.5

The anomalous effect inflicted on objects indoors has, on some occasions, even reached the point of affecting their closest surroundings. Examples of this include, the generation of large rifts in walls, the shattering of other more delicate surroundings (such as those with great amounts of glass), and other potentially destructive properties. However, despite this, an escalation beyond that point has never been registered, and Phenomenon 15 will come to an end several minutes after the fact.

Furthermore, this collateral damage reinforces the theory that the Gravity Switch is already partially operative during the Colour Reversal; the high-pitched sound during the Nexus phase is speculated to originate from the pressure "small" objects may exert, as their minuscule form doesn't allow for the level of disturbance "normal" objects can attain, although this needs additional study and confirmation to be proven undoubtedly true.



― Additional Information ―


Entities

Not much is known regarding the exact effect Phenomenon 15 has on entities. The few witnesses of the experience while accompanied by other beings tend to contradict each other’s report when questioned. Whereas some claim that entities are entirely affected by the phenomenon, others affirm that they have an immunity to the Colour Reversal, as though they were treated like any other wanderer would in their place. What is certain, though, is that the Gravity Switch affects entities and wanderers alike.

One peculiarity that stands out is that all the testimonies regarding entities native to the Backrooms, such as Smilers,6 Deathmoths, or Clumps, affirm they suffer the inversion of their colour, whereas other more humanoid-like beings, namely Wretches, Skin-Stealers, or even the Keymaster, have never been observed to suffer the same outcome.

What this most likely indicates is that any entity with a connection towards humanity of any kind7 is treated as though they are part of it when exposed to Phenomenon 15.


Uncertainties

Whenever a wanderer “falls” into the void of the outdoor manifestation of Phenomenon 15, it is unknown what truly becomes of them, since even after the entire chain of events comes to an end, no one ever returns from the sky. Possibilities such as no-clipping into other levels are discarded, as no subject victim of the worst outcome of the Inversion has ever been seen again.

This is further reinforced by a recent incident caused by Phenomenon 15 that took place in Level 11, causing one of the most tragic catastrophes ever documented. The number of casualties broke records, and despite this, the precise whereabouts of every single individual affected remain undetermined to this date.

As a final note, the following audio log contains an interview with a survivor of the aforementioned occurrence, which may help with visual representation regarding the true nature of Phenomenon 15.





To all wanderers, stay safe, and take care.
The unknown is still too mysterious for us to unveil and properly fight against.

































































































































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