Liminal Space Patrol

In the 1980s, a government project was launched to address the growing issues of overpopulation and resource scarcity. The program aimed to create artificial environments such as parks, apartments, and shopping centers to alleviate these problems. However, the program was not able to generate realistic environments in the real world, so it was implemented inside a simulation.

The simulated environments were meticulously created, with even small details like toys and chairs being generated. Special procedures were put in place to enter and exit the simulation safely, and patrols were established to navigate the virtual environments. But despite the program's careful construction, unsettling reports began to emerge.

Some aspects of the simulation were off, with environmental noises being limited, the temperature remaining lukewarm, and gaps appearing as infinite pitch-black voids. The food generated within the simulation was stale, and the material of objects felt "fake." Additionally, the architecture was nonsensical, and items were scattered in a haphazard manner, creating a sense of unease. Later enthusiasts dubbed these spaces "liminal spaces," which are defined as transitional spaces or states where people feel a sense of ambiguity and disorientation.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, there were rare international reports of people "no-clipping" into these liminal spaces. Victims reported experiencing various mental health problems such as paranoia, disassociation, intense nostalgia, and phobias. While some claimed to have encountered entities, such claims are mostly bunk since they usually turn out to be violent, mentally disturbed human beings. In some cases, people who entered liminal spaces were never seen again, their corpses remaining static within the simulated environments.

As a result of the controversy, the project was quietly shut down, with funding being cut due to lack of interest and concerns about the primitive and unstable construction of the simulated environments. However, the program, neglected, remained active and continued to generate environments and items.

Fast forward to 2019, and liminal spaces have become widely known to the public. People are entering these spaces out of curiosity, for fun, for illegal activities, for fame and money (such as clickbait YouTubers), or for shelter. An organization called the Threshold Watch was formed to rescue and keep people out of the ever-expanding liminal spaces, but they are mostly glorified police officers who patrol and carry firearms, with pistol carbines and pump shotguns being the standard weapons. They wear jumpsuits, protective masks, and specialized vests and travel in an armored golf cart designed to navigate through cramped areas and withstand the liminal environment. However, given the potential threats and criminal activities that could be lurking in the spaces, the Threshold Watch's job is far from easy.