A child's painting of what they saw during an encounter with a Nostalgia Child while traveling with other Wanderers.
Description
Nostalgia Children are hostile entities that can be encountered in many parts of the Backrooms, with varying degrees of rarity. Usually favoring Levels with environments that have a sense of familiarity and remembrance, they appear as manifestations of nostalgic imagery in the minds of their victims, often taking the form of a child, which could be a childhood friend or even just a subconscious image that draws out feelings of tenderness and nostalgia in the Entityβs target. They use these emotions and sensations to trick Wanderers and πΈππππ πβπΌπ ππ πππβ ππ in what is theorized to be their own ππβπ»πΌβπ½ππ, ππΈπ½πΌ βπππΌ. It is currently unknown what happens once they have captured their victims, as no one that has attempted to follow them to this place has ever returned.
Behavior
Nostalgia Children attack the mind of an individual Wanderer; they cannot attack more than one person at a time, and any other Wanderers they are not attacking cannot see them, except for children. There is no physical way to repel them, which makes resisting them difficult. The mental effects are subtle, at first, and only become stronger with time. Those who have survived encounters with these Entities have reported that Nostalgia Children always appear as βone child, speaking with the voices of many children.β Though the mouth of the illusionary child will not move, Wanderers hear many whispers encouraging them to accomplish a specific task that βπΌπβπ πππ πππβ ππ, while also using the surrounding environment to create further illusions to manipulate them into doing as they wish. This will quickly erode sanity unless one has a strong enough will to resist these voices long enough to escape. Sometimes, a Nostalgia Child may give up if they are resisted long enough, but others may persist even longer, even to the point at which the only hopes of escape are to either exit the current Level or find fellow Wanderers to help regain sanity.
Biology
As of now, they have no confirmed biology. Instead, they appear in a variety of forms according to the mind of the Wanderer. However, it is said that they do have a βtrue form,β but only children can see it. Based on the descriptions given by these children, this βtrue formβ is incorporeal and shadow-like, with eyes that have a bright, white glow. They have no discernible face or physical features beyond a basic humanoid shape.
Recommended Action
Here is a small list of precautionary measures, tips, and courses of action given by R.I.F.T-TG in the event that one encounters a Nostalgia Child.
- To reduce chances of encountering a Nostalgia Child, try to avoid Levels and areas of Levels that commonly evoke a strong sense of memorability or familiarity. Environments such as abandoned playgrounds, suburban homes, and shopping malls are where approximately 97.4% of encounters occur;
- Given that these Entities can only attack one person at a time, it is recommended to travel with other Wanderers unless you are absolutely confident in your mental strength. They can βsnap you out of it,β even when the illusions have reached their peak levels of strength;
- Carry sanity-boosting items for a stronger resistance to their mental attacks;
- If the Entity simply will not give up, try to find an exit to the Level. They cannot follow you;
- While it is absolutely NOT recommended to purposely bring a child into the field, it is encouraged that you do take advantage of their ability to see Nostalgia Children should their presence become necessary via circumstance (i.e. finding them lost in the Backrooms, bringing them from one colony/outpost to another, etc.).
Discovery
Nostalgia Children were first encountered and recorded by a R.I.F.T-TG Lone Wolf [Designation: βImajinaryβ] after accidentally stumbling into Level 65, which is believed to be the source of their presence in the Backrooms. He recovered an audio recording by a man named Halal Akra, then came into contact with a Nostalgia Child.