Description[]
Level 72 is an endless, dimly-lit complex of various marketplaces that exclusively sells fresh produce, and rarely, its derivatives. The ground is riddled with potholes filled with polluted Almond Water and consists of weathered cobblestone pathways interspersed with patches of worn asphalt, implying that the level is situated alongside a road. Regardless, any attempt to locate such a road is impossible, as the level terminates abruptly, replaced by an empty void where the intended landmark should be. Crossing this anomaly is impossible due to an invisible, possibly magnetized barrier that repels any objects attempting to traverse beyond its boundaries. This barrier, nicknamed "The Repellant," is also positioned just above ground level at about 12 feet, preventing anyone from climbing onto the tall structures adjacent to the stalls in an attempt to escape.
While provisions are plentiful, it is important to note that certain fruits and vegetables in Level 72 may be carriers of the Special Ochre-Spot Autotrophbacteria (SOSA). Determining whether the produce that spawns in the level is infected with the pathogen is only possible with microscopic imaging technology (which is not immediately present), as there are no discernible differences between infected and uninfected items. Therefore, transporting these potentially hazardous products to other levels — especially those that support plant life suitable for consumption — and ingestion of anything done within the level, regardless of its origin, is strictly prohibited. Compounding the issue, exits from Level 72 are frequent, so it is advisable to avoid carrying them altogether. The pathogen uses humans to transmit itself, through bodily fluids such as nasal mucus, saliva, and sweat. Making contact with any crop can potentially cause significant agricultural losses in the area, thus it is worthwhile to thoroughly inspect any items before exiting the level, particularly considering its murky environment.
It is unknown whether the level is in a perpetual state of twilight or if the buildings obstruct any sunlight from reaching the accessible areas of the level. They resemble apartment complexes, though their height seems to be infinite, disproportionately stretching beyond the point that one may discern a ceiling on top. Access to these buildings is technically possible, though entry points are typically the windows that are often too small to fit through and/or situated just beyond reach. A usable window is exceedingly rare, and finding one might require weeks of exploration. Instances, where wanderers breach into these buildings, have revealed that they house a fully furnished interior: Household objects scattered throughout, being left in a state suggesting recent use; personal belongings and documents (i.e. keys, wallets, passports) are sometimes found in handbags; and electronic devices such as phones, computers, and televisions sometimes remain running or operational.[1] Text and images on items that may reveal the residence's identity are strangely blurred out or are absent, as is the case for any forms of physical signs like books, posters, and tags.
Such signs may also feature inappropriate figures instead of listing prices, including hazard symbols, political emblems, and rarely, pornographic imagery. The ones related to controversial factions in the Backrooms, for example Atrego and Marauders, are more commonly observed, and hence, with their prevalence, images of Level 72 posted by wanderers on forums like Backchat are often subject to censorship. Users may face bans from specific domains controlled by certain groups depending on which opposition group's symbol(s) appear within the image, which may limit these individuals from accessing to other essential survival information contained within these databases. Wanderers may only be partially informed or completely unaware about the critical procedure needed to contain SOSV within the level. Efforts to counteract with these false flags by revamping the image recognition software's program have only marginally reduced such incidents, meaning that food shortages can still occur.
The range of fruits and vegetables is extensive, despite the level maintaining a humidity level of 45% and an average temperature of 20°C. From small, toxic berries to jackfruit, paddy rice to cubed watermelons, and potatoes to Gros Michel bananas and the leaves of the extinct Lepidodendron used as packaged herbs, they appear to be resistant to the level's damp environment as no signs of overripeness can be seen. Additionally, produce sold within the level are often of superior qualities: Their flesh content and sweetness are increased, as well as containing little to no seeds. Mutant versions like conjoined and oversized fruits may sometimes appear as well — and in rare cases — car-sized pumpkins have been discovered amid debris possibly of a former stall, indicating it may have spawned on-site and caused the stall's collapse due to its weight. No transportation vehicles capable of moving such a pumpkin have been identified, nor have any other parts of a pumpkin plant been recovered. Apart from the merchandise available for sale, no vegetation has been found in Level 72.
Diversity notwithstanding, the pathogen affects all known fruits and vegetables that have ever been documented, save for those either native to or introduced into the level. Infected vegetation shows dark yellowish spots approximately 24 hours after pathogen exposure, with no successful cure identified in either plants or carriers. Photosynthesis will cease 2–3 hours following the onset of symptoms as they specifically target and replicate within the stroma[2], practically causing the chloroplast to rupture. The plant oftentimes swell when it reaches this period, gradually withering that is characterized by a dry, ochre appearance. Heterotrophs and autotrophs lacking chloroplasts are inherently resistant to SOSV, as the pathogen remains inert within their systems and instead using them primarily as carriers. This occurs more often within humans, possible driven by their preference to target crops. The pathogen usually ceases once detected by the immune system, as the immune system may mistakenly identify the pathogen as part of its own components for several weeks before recognizing it as foreign.
Added revision, 26th July 2009: It appears that despite wandering through the level for entire months, encountering another person is impossible. Reports of vagrant groups occupying small settlements have surfaced, yet their existence remains unconfirmed.
Entrances & Exits[]
Entrances[]
- One might inadvertently stumble into a hole in the darkness of Level 6, leading them here;
- Sometimes, going through vending machines only selling juice boxes may bring one to Level 72;
- In urban environments, areas resembling markets, particularly in Level 11, may transfer one here;
- Jumping into a train cart in Level 154 may reveal it filled with fruit or vegetable products, akin to the rooms found in the apartments;
- An incongruous fruit stall in Level 399 usually conceals a trapdoor beneath its display, which provides access to Level 72;
- Noclipping through a fruit kiosk in Level 909's the Lantern Walk.
Exits[]
- Noclipping through any apartment wall would almost always bring one to Level 1.
- Certain potholes lead to Level 10, though occasionally it may instead transport one to Level 75.
- Being passed out, most commonly from drunkenness, may result in one waking up in Level 73.[3]
Footnotes
- ↑ Strangely, there have been reports made concerning rooms that are fully stocked with fruit and vegetable products. In a complex located in a Korean-themed section of the level, wanderers stumbled upon a room packed with well-preserved kimchi, while rooms filled with apparent apple pie filling can be found in American-themed sections.
- ↑ In botany, stroma refers to the colorless liquid that surrounds the grana in a chloroplast
- ↑ Merely falling asleep does not facilitate this method of exiting.
- First Image (Pexels License), edited by me: "An Empty Vegetable Market During Night Time" by Andrea Pambuku.
- Second Image (CC BY 2.0), edited by me: "The Hall" by William Warby.
- Third Image (CC0 / Public Domain), edited by me: "Ringspots and mosaic on leaf of unidentified plant" by Scot Nelson.
- Fourth Image (CC BY 2.0), edited by me: "Day 6_ Night Fruit Market-topaz" by Chaplain iMonk.
| Canons | Winter's Butterfly |
|---|---|
| Levels | Megalophobia │ A Child's Abnormality │ White Torture │ Roads to Abyss │ Haphazard Remnants │ Saturation │ Terror Basins │ Innocent Ball Pit │ Day Zero │ Vitrum Madness │ The Last Snow │ The Unit │ Antiquated Perpetuity │ Indigence │ Niagara of Iron(ic) Fists: The Contra-Pulp Fiction Theme, Vol. I & Vol. II │ Ain't All Blood Red │ Pipe Dreams │ The Worm in the Fruit │ Vienesse Sunday │ Old Mister Staircase │ Thalassophobia │ Toko Kelontong
|
| Entities | Mandela Disease │ The Death Locomotive │ Rainbows │ Count the Stars! │ The Thing on Level 7 |
| Tales | The Temporal Yellow │ The Ladybug Heart of a Génocidaire |
| Joke | Em Dash Island │ Meggies |