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This document contains important information that is not to be tampered with under any circumstance. The information is highly classified - and should only be read by high-class M.E.G. officials.
Description
Incident 02-01-2016, now known as The Flicker, was a Backrooms-wide power outage which is still ongoing in considerable capacity. Having occurred on February 1st, 2016 - it was one of the most notable events within The Backrooms' history. It happened when - suddenly and without warning - every level's electricity failed to function, with outdoor levels temporarily losing their suns and/or moons. This resulted in the entire Backrooms descending into absolute darkness for an extended period of time.
The effects of The Flicker were all-encompassing, and - as such - shall be categorized into "stages" of the blackout. Within these stages, different events caused The Backrooms to go into dismay.
The Initial Failure
Without proper warning beforehand, a vast majority of wanderers and outposts fell into dismay in mere days, as electrical communication - including internet - failed completely. Many explorers did not have personal light sources on their person, such as flashlights; as a result, not much is known about the minutes after the blackout. Information was sparse - with little-to-no hope between certain communities.
The first communities to re-establish communication would be Base Blink on Level 1, and the S.R.C. base on Level 4. With both bases having established radio communication between one another, it was a major revelation in understanding The Flicker's effects. Both bases quickly started giving explorers refuge, expanding their member count rapidly.
Smaller sources of energy, such as generators, gave Base Blink temporary, yet weak lighting. This source of energy managed to power on most of the lights within its vicinity and was later handed to smaller bases. This started the first stage of relighting within The Backrooms, albeit small.
A relatively unmentioned effect of The Flicker were the devastating effects it brought to small groups and lone wanderers. Many were immediately plunged into darkness without warning. One of the most devastated communities were the Level 399 Megacolony, as many fell into the Plane of Clouds whilst trying to get food--ultimately not reappearing as normal. The estimated amount of missing wanderers within the first month could easily be within the hundreds of thousands, with casualties only increasing as it dragged on.
The Grim Discoveries
The lack of energy caused many wanderers to explore further within The Backrooms, to find shelter and sustainable lighting. This led to the discovery of numerous levels. The most famous of these being Level 188 - initially thought to be some nyctophobic superstition formed from the blackout, it caused a spike in exploration due to its properties - and above all else, it's extremely confined size. Being discovered a mere month after the initial blackout, it became the prime example of how all-encompassing and destructive The Flicker can be.
Other less important, yet newly discovered locales include Level 0.7, whose thin, profoundly dark corridors proved a significant challenge to traverse through - and Level -4, with it's dead, bloodstained landscape. All three of these discoveries proved that The Flicker's effects were more serious than initially thought and were not to be underestimated. It was soon realized how grim such events could be, and how an event only lasting a few months could utterly devastate the entire Backrooms.
Mass Entity Disruption
As soon as the blackout began, wanderers began noticing a sharp uptick in entity sightings - even in levels previously thought to be devoid of such, such as Level 399 and Level 154, whereas other levels became increasingly dangerous due to hostile activity, such as Level 3. Without an ample food source, entities such as Skin-Stealers were utterly devastated, due to various factors. The most notable of such factors is the lack of food, due to many wanderers fleeing to other levels due to the mass decrease in temperature.
The most disrupted of such entities would be Smilers - their population rapidly increasing in the months following The Flicker. Due to the profound darkness, they used the opportunity to attack helpless communities and outposts, leading to the death of many.
The Collapse
As The Flicker dragged on for months, it's effects would become more serious, leading to the collapse of many communities and alliances. Among the most devastated of these communities would be the Level 399 Megacolony. Within the weeks following the blackout, the colony's supplies dwindled at an alarming pace, as entities began attacking the colony weekly.
Among the most devastating of these attacks would be the disruption of Smilers within various levels - with most being found in levels with a concentrated wanderer population. This eventually led to a mass Smiler onslaught in Level 399, in which there were casualties which could easily be in the thousands or tens of thousands. This caused many explorers to flee to other levels, most notably Level 154.
One of the communities which almost faced total annihilation was the Republic of Level 153. Albeit not attacked by any entities, supplies dwindled as many of its population gradually froze to death, having to create temporary lighting and warmth to survive. Level 153 therein became a deadzone for wanderers due to its freezing conditions, having dipped to much lower temperatures among others.
Many communities collapsed during the event, the most notable of such being the Level 356 colony - with many of its members having to flee en masse to other levels, whereas others froze to death. This led to the immediate wipeout of the colony, with only few choosing to stay in the darkness, joining other communities with ample supply.
The Scars
Just as it was the first settlement to adapt to the outage, Base Blink would celebrate as Level 1 became the first level to fully regain power on April 26th, 2016, with its inhabitants declaring that the Flicker's end was finally in sight. As time dragged on, more levels would regain power - the first of which being Level 4 and Level 153 - as well as The Metro. Eventually, more than half of known levels would see light again. Some levels had a full relighting, whereas others fully partial, yet some never regained lighting at all. The most recent level to regain light, as of this document's writing, is Level 7, it's skies finally bright again as of October 3rd, 2023.
Albeit the blackout is now over, many levels have now been left in a different state. An example of these affected levels is Level 3, whose "day and night cycle," if it can be called one, is now notoriously slower, with lights in the level fluctuating weekly. The most famous example of such event is Level 475 - a level left in such a state of disrepair that it now takes on properties no other level could possibly have.
Many levels were affected by The Flicker - Kavragost, Level Fun, and presumably Level ! have been brutally altered by unknown forces, taking on a much different, dilapidated appearance that makes them unrecognizable in comparison to their pre-blackout counterparts.
The Surge
After The Flicker's initial end, it is believed that The Backrooms has entered a new period, dubbed "The Surge." With the relighting having affected most levels, most claim that The Flicker itself has not fully ended. For some levels, the "initial blackout" has become just that - an initial blackout.
In the months following the end of The Flicker, numerous levels had shorter, less significant blackouts. These shorter ones saw the same dip in temperatures and entity behavior, and typically end in weeks or days as opposed to months. It is noted that the full relighting of Level 7 marked the beginning of The Surge, bringing a new era of light to The Backrooms.
Larger groups have moved to rather fight off the elements than run away from them - mainly the M.E.G, which spearheaded the process of arming wanderers with makeshift weapons, most notably Kalthoff Rifles.
For many, it is believed that The Flicker has not ended, but rather instead has simply entered a new stage. A stage where people do not take light for granted, where danger lurks around the corner. A stage where wanderers are now armed and ready, trade routes, communities, and outposts are heavily guarded, and where communities tread lightly.
This article was written by KosefSturre, who is now blocked on this wiki. Therefore, it has been rewritten by Accountus.
| Levels | The Sewers │ Antiquity │ Grayscale Halls │ The Hub │ Electrical Station |
|---|---|
| Objects | Nuclear Infection │ Liquid Pain |
| Phenomena | The Flicker |
| Joke | Mickey |
| Levels | Station 154 │ Umbral Light |
|---|---|
| Objects | Kalthoff Rifle |
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