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Have you ever heard of liminal anxiety? Well, if not, just know that the phenomenon arises from the uncertainty and discomfort experienced in "liminal" spaces. Derived from the Latin word "limen," meaning threshold, liminality describes the ambiguity and disorientation one feels when standing at the precipice of change, whether it's a life transition, cultural shift, or personal transformation.
For a lot of people, this form of anxiety is heightened by the absence of familiar reference points, leading to feelings of simply being… lost. Still, liminal anxiety, though uncomfortable, can also be seen as a transformative force of some sorts, and the Instagram page by the name of “Liminal Anxiety” does exactly that by posting interesting photos of liminal spaces.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Where Am I?
Sue Wade-Walters 2 years ago
Those clouds can become funnel clouds. Quite serious.
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BitchinintheBurgh' 2 years ago
You, my friend, are in the upside down from Stranger Things! Good Luck!!
SuperChicken 2 years ago
It looks so ominous and scary, yet mesmerizing. I can't stop staring at it.
RELATED:
#2
For What Would You Ride This?
Andy Northrup 1 year ago
it still is, actually turning 9 years old this year
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Ross “Sarcastic Dad” 2 years ago
I would be first in line. That looks terrifying in the most amazing way.
#3
Skiing Down There…
Stephanie A Mutti 2 years ago
This looks like the last scene of Stranger Things Season 4 but in Alaska
Bloody Mary (she/her) 2 years ago
Does anyone know the book ‘The Giver’? For some reason this picture looks like how the scene at the end is described.
Liminal spaces have always had sort of a peculiar allure to them. For example, picture an empty, dimly lit hallway in a long-abandoned hotel, a silent playground at twilight, or maybe even an old stairwell that seems to lead to nowhere. These settings might conjure feelings of eerie nostalgia, as though they belong to forgotten fragments of dreams.
#4
What Did You Order?
Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
The Four Horsemen have a package for you. What? They've modernized!
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Ronstantin 2 years ago
"Link ... Be on your guard. Ganon's power grows ... It rises to its peak under the hour of the blood moon …"
Whitefox 2 years ago
As soon as I saw the pic.. I knew someone would have to make a blood moon reference. Thank You!
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Daniela Lavanza 2 years ago
Fires in Australia? They experienced such reddish landscapes then.
lily jones 2 years ago
we don't have UPS in Australia, I looked it up and it's Oregon, US
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#5
I Don‘T Want To Dream
Ronstantin 2 years ago
Turned it upside down. Has a similar effect on me. upsidedown...c1edb2.jpg 
SuperChicken 2 years ago
I thought, it was just me. It looked upside down to me, too.
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RandomEpiBioPerson 2 years ago
It looks like someone underwater, taking a picture of the surface while it is raining.
gie 2 years ago
I've seen this installation in Kanazawa, Japan at the 21at Century Museum of Contemporary Art: https://www.kanazawa21.jp/data_list.php?g=30&d=7&lng=e
Unpickled Pickle 2 years ago
Theres a similar one in Xenses Park in Cancun
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Ash 2 years ago
"Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich created an illusory swimming pool that seems to be filled with water. Installed as a permanent exhibit at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan, the water in the pool is actually only 10cm shallow, supported by a thick layer of transparent glass. Underneath is an aqua room that viewers can enter, inviting a shared experience of wonder at the constructed space both from above and below. " https://www.ignant.com/2016/01/07/an-illusory-swimming-pool-by-leandro-erlich/
Aino de Jong 2 years ago
There's one in a museum in the Netherlands. Check out https://www.voorlinden.nl/bezoek/highlight/
#6
You Look Fine
The Instagram page "Liminal Anxiety" captures the essence of these places that we mentioned before, presenting its followers with an array of images that not only invite contemplation but also challenge the viewer's understanding of time and place in today's modern, yet hectic world.
#7
Chair
Jon E 2 years ago
Chair,you stand before the Mighty High Council of Pillars charged with being grossly uncomfortable. How do you plead?
Fly_Agaric_Frog (They/Them) 2 years ago
"Uh, guiltoccent, I mean, innoguilty!"
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The mad duck 2 years ago
In my own opinion, the backrooms fandom has been completely ruined by all of the "Found footage" videos that are going everywhere on the internet. It's totally ruined now, what used to be a genuinely terrifying concept is now just some children's content that requires 0 effort to make. When you look at liminal space photography, you can get genuine FEELINGS from them. That's what the backrooms used to have. Now you can make a video in blender in 10 minutes and get tons of popularity. Kinda sad, everything gets ruined by the internet eventually. It was fun while it lasted :/
Malfar 2 years ago
I disagree. I think it is ruined by all the fandom content, not just the found footage videos. I mean, it's kinda hard to keep the element of "it's eerie because we don't know anything about it" when there are pretty detailed articles about any floor
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Bill Swallow 2 years ago
Needs someone to photoshop Ron Paul sitting in it.
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#8
Going For A Walk
Mike Fitzpatrick 2 years ago
Aw c'mon man, I'll get my dog and off we go.
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#9
What Would You Do Here?
CascadedFalls 2 years ago (edited)
Wasn't this at a convention, but enough people didn't come and they started to get bored, so they just improvised with this ballpit?
Jrog 2 years ago (edited)
Yup. DashCon 2014. They started off raising money as "Tumbl-Con USA", then Tumblr brought in their legals to force the organizer to make clear Tumblr had nothing to do with this brewing disaster. Admission was almost twice the price of ComicCon, and they raised tens of thousands through crowdsourcing. The organizers stole, squandered and mismanaged most of the money, then asked for more to pay the venue and accommodations. After gathering about 5000 people in a totally unsuitable venue they ultimately failed to provide any content to the event, save for the "ball pit" that gained viral fame.
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The reception to the "Liminal Anxiety" Instagram page has been a blend of nostalgia, intrigue, and at times, unease (which makes sense given the page's name). Many followers have expressed how they feel an uncanny connection to these places, despite never having been there. Comments like "This feels oddly familiar" or "Why does this give me such intense deja vu?" can be found under the majority of posts.
#10
The Pepsi Rooms
Fly_Agaric_Frog (They/Them) 2 years ago
I remember a resort I went to looking similar to this.
Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
Because nothing screams refreshment more than an ice-cold Pepsi in a disturbingly lonely hallway...
DeoManus Argentem 2 years ago
Reminds me of the walk from the arrival gate to baggage claim at a new or just-renovated airport. Very specific vibe, heh.
#11
Who Would U Call?
The Average Food Critic 2 years ago
"Hi ma'am, I'm just calling up about your cars extended warranty"
Giles McArdell 2 years ago
No one, it's clearly been vandalised like every other fookin' public telephone!
Narelle Hussy 2 years ago
an ambulance.. 100% id have had a heart attack being there alone lol
#12
Where Does This Stair Lead To?
Memaw Mitch 2 years ago
Nevermind the stairs, they are prob to change the light bulbs and someone had too much time on their hands. What I want to know is wtf that is glowing green in back in the trees? Kinda looks like a ghost kid looking into a magic portal.
Memaw Mitch 2 years ago
Rethinking, maybe stairs to a dismantled fire ranger station
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diana king 2 years ago
Omfg! NEVER go near a random staircase in the woods! It's a whole big thing, look it up. Bad things happen if you touch them and God forbid you climb them.
Miz Melatonin 2 years ago
Ever heard those creepypastas about stairs in the middle of the woods??
Though the feelings evoked by these spaces can be unsettling, they also hold profound potential for growth. By confronting the unfamiliar and the unknown, we can pave the way for introspection and self-discovery. This form of discomfort, paradoxically, can act as a catalyst for change whether it would be your most inner world or just your everyday life.
#13
Inside Or Outside?
Katie Leonard 2 years ago
I went to a shopping mall like this in Croydon when I was little
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Garnet Perrin 1 year ago
SO MUCH NOSTAGIA AND I"VE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE but I feel like I've had
#14
Liminal Anxiety
Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
Nice! Time to load up The Oregon Trail and hunt all the critters!
Jacky Newman 2 years ago
It's the House from the Simpsons, when they build a House for Ned Flanders.
Julia Mckinney 2 years ago
*said in sepulchral voice* "Is it up? or is it down? No one knows for sure"
Renee Prete 2 years ago
Isn't this a putting green?? I see the cup to the right of that darn computer
#15
Abandoned City Island In Japan
Oskar vanZandt 2 years ago (edited)
A bit of a fixer-upper, but I could make that into somewhere I would want to live... Lots of rooftop gardens and greenery would bring some life to that place. Remove a few of the buildings...
JB 2 years ago
Depends on rainfall, you'll be needing some fresh water. But yeah, take me there, let me in, whatever
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to old to care 2 years ago
isn't Japan in dire need of land - why has this not been leveled and reused.
JB 2 years ago
It's a 50 minute boat ride from the mainland, which, while seemingly not a huge amount of time, still represents a lot of difficulty in transporting necessities to any inhabitants. Moreover, the weather is very harsh: tourists can only visit the island now approximately 160 days out of the year. The environment would be extremely challenging for habitation and the aforementioned boat-travel-transportation. The only reason the island was ever inhabited in the first place was because they were actively mining coal in the area. There are no longer any commercially viable natural resources to extract, so nobody lives there. In fact, it's one of 505 uninhabited islands in the region. Not all places are suitable for habitation; we don't usually live in deserts or on mountaintops, either. Usually.
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cal da trans emo rat (he/they) 1 year ago
Oh, this is Hashima Island! Tuv made part of a "Strangest Websites on the Internet" video about the website!
Garnet Perrin 1 year ago
I'd want to live there for all eternity,I feel like I've seen this before,yet I haven't
#16
Do We Know This Place?
Menacing Duck 2 years ago
whoever the poster is, we know that they're never gonna give us up..
#17
Let‘S Take A Bath
StPaul9 2 years ago
I would have said it was the Russian Orthodox tradition of carving a cross in the ice, then they throw an icon into the water and 'brave' (re:) idiots go swimming for it, but it's the wrong cross. Although, an Orthodox cross is hard to carve. I am 50% Russian descent (f**k Putin)
Jrog 2 years ago (edited)
"Epiphany dips", a Russian orthodox tradition. They cut cross-shaped holes in ice of water bodies. The water is blessed by local priests. before the 6th of January Epiphany mass volunteers take this ritual of dipping in freezing water, make the cross sign, repeat three times. It's not something for common people, but it's popular among religious fanatics as a way to "baptize again" and wash out sins while testing the believer's faith and strength. Putin himself did so in 2018, on national TV, because... populism. There have been a few recorded deaths from people being pulled under ice by the river current or from thermal shock.
Daria 2 years ago
I'm a Russian and I never did this. Its even more insane in person, with very pink semi-naked people around. In freezing cold and wind. At night 🙈
Bad Alchemy 2 years ago
Upvoted for use of "very pink semi-naked people". 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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#18
Cosmologist wannabe 2 years ago
No it’s super mAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-rio nightmare.
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Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
Aren't most of these creepy in part because of the filter on the camera and/or the lighting?
#19
Would U Enter?
Saint Tim the Godless 2 years ago
Doesn't everyone have a sex dungeon under their newsstand? ... No? Just me?
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EmBree 2 years ago
I was telling my son about the time my grandma fell down unguarded stairs in a store just yesterday. The stair was similar to this but it was straight. The store owner yelled "Oh!" for each step grandma bounced on, then he ran down the steps scooped grandma up in his arms, and carried her up the stairs while saying "Ouch ouch ouch...". He wanted to send her to the ER an hour's drive away, but she refused and drove home instead. It was winter and she had a big fluffy down coat that absorbed most of the blood and hid her injuries. I'm certain he wouldn't have let her go had he known how injured she was. Grandma then, casually, called my mom and asked her to drop by after work since she needed "a little help with something". Mom knows grandma and ran there immediately. Grandma needed 9 stitches and was black and blue over half her body for weeks afterward. It's been 20 years and she still has a discount at the store.
Daniela Lavanza 2 years ago
Would I enter? Probably not if I hear people screaming down there.
Philly Bob Squires 2 years ago
I'd go down. I figure if a ghost came out and bit me in the a*s... I probably deserved it.
#20
Enter The Tunnel
ninjaTrashPandaBoom 2 years ago
Just paint the road...you'll be fine! beep beep!
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Allhaildi 2 years ago
Toyohama tunnel, Hokkaido, Japan In 1996, the collapse of this tunnel crushed cars and killed 20 people.
TheOddPotater (she/her) 2 years ago
omg ya beat me to it!!! HIGHWAY 9 3/4
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#21
Red
#22
Red & Grey
The Problem With Censorship Is ******* 2 years ago
If you know, you know.
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#23
Empty Pool
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
I think this is a Mikvah........a dunking tub used in Judaism for purification rituals.
Raelene Christie 2 years ago
Or it could be baptismal font from the Mormon faith!
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Allison A 2 years ago
No the mormon ones have two sets of stairs, one going down from the boys bathroom and one going down from the girls bathroom. It also is flat in the middle and isn't that deep, at least the ones in America, I don't know how they look elsewhere.
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#24
Would U Enter?
Jessica Jones 2 years ago
I'm first shift custodian in a school. I get there at 5am, every morning looks like this. You just shove the shadow people aside and feel around for the switch.
#25
Slides
Grizzly milk 2 years ago
*crashes into sharp thing on the middle of the slide*
Load More Replies... David 2 years ago
It's a giant gacha game for childless couples. You put your money into the machine, turn the k**b, and a random kid comes out of one of those holes. You have a rare chance of getting a golden child.
The Problem With Censorship Is ******* 2 years ago
Looks like Baby Tiddly Winks' imaginary playroom! Except, well, not cheerful. XD
#26
Happy Birthday
Jrog 2 years ago
Yup. Apparently "Liminal space" means "I'm very bad at photography" according to that instagram group.
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Andrew Rodman 2 years ago
F is for fear that seeps through the flood lights, U's for ubiquity... N is for nowhere left to run, down here in The Back Rooms see!
Never Snarky 2 years ago
I'm skipping this birthday party and it has nothing to do with being scary.
#27
How Do You Feel?
Giles McArdell 2 years ago
This is the second one with a ramped area like this, anyone know why this is? Is it built over a parking space or something?
Philly Bob Squires 2 years ago
Is it me or are we at the top looking down to the doorway or at the bottom looking up?
Evee 7 months ago (edited)
... They gasp and look at the ground. "they're behind me aren't they?" You hear knocking on the wall beside you then turn to see what's there. After discovering nothing, you turn back to see 2 semi yellow-red eyes stare at you, still and emotionless. "Don't. move." That's how I feel.
#28
Wavy Floor
crazyll Frizdelle 8 months ago
it is not actually this comment is actually not why you can look up what buckling and cupping is actually that will also help.
Load More Replies... BrookeBT 2 years ago
If basketball were played on a court like this I would be a much bigger fan
Stu Stewart 2 years ago
I saw something called SlamBall on ESPN a couple weeks ago. It's basketball with 4 large in floor trampolines on each end of the court. It was incredibly entertaining to watch, way better than regular basketball.
Load More Replies... Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
If you run and jump *just right* you can slam dunk the ball no matter how tall you are!
crazyll Frizdelle 8 months ago
Whats happening is something called buckling and cupping, which is when water messes up the floor, making it bumpy and wavy. The thing really could have been that these types of conditions cause in the area are: high heat, flood humanity.) This has probably what happend here to this school like gym.
Saint Tim the Godless 2 years ago
That's because it was flooded. Saw this image a couple months (?) ago with actual backstory.
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Judes Dominoes 2 years ago
If this was the actual design, the gym students would get a lot of injuries
#29
Liminal Basketball
SuperChicken 2 years ago
Beyond the darkness of the bathroom from the other post, is this the other side?
StarlightPanda! 2 years ago
Lmao! The first word that came out of my mouth after seeing this was "Sh**!" There was no pun intended. 🤦♀️
#30
Huh. Thats A Weirdly Placed Kitchen
Emperor Kitten 2 years ago
Beat me to it. There's prob a lone bed in the middle of the next room.
Load More Replies... Oskar vanZandt 2 years ago
Think that is actually the most sensible place to put the kitchen...
Say No to Downvoting 2 years ago
I always prefer a kitchen near a window, personally
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Renee Prete 2 years ago
But it IS open concept! You can still talk to your guests as you make Thanksgiving dinner
Andy Frobig 2 years ago
When they get going converting offices to apartments, there's gonna be a lot of this
#31
Would U Ride It?
#32
How To Exit The Backrooms?
#33
It Is Winter. You Have To Walk Home From Work Because Your Bus Broke Down. It's Late, But Not Too Dark Yet. You Have A Long Way To Go And You Are Freezing
Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
That looks straight outta Fallout 4! Just need an ant the size of a pony walking towards the camera!
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Tomato Smudge 2 years ago
This. I don't know how to explain it but this is it. It's familiar but unfamiliar at the same time.
#34
Who Is This?
meow mixalot 2 years ago
It's in New Orleans. Charity Hospital abandoned since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
xWILTED_ROSEx 2 years ago
Great. Loving those few random lights turned on inside.
Load More Replies... Robert T 2 years ago
There are two lights and possibly a third, though they may all be reflections in the glass.
Mike Fitzpatrick 2 years ago
I have seen this dozens of times on 'scary' sites. I'm convinced that it's PS just to give it a creepy vibe.
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WildFlower 2 years ago
It's a Christmas tree that someone puts up every year in the abandon Charity Hospital in NOLA. "Big Charity" is an amazing documentary about the hospital and the hell it went through during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
RedMarbles 2 years ago
I'm not religious, but I always appreciated the expression "there but for the grace of god go I."
Load More Replies... #35
I Don‘T Wanna See This When I Go To Work
#36
Flipping Patties
#37
Let‘S Slide
TheOddPotater (she/her) 2 years ago
i can see feel and hear my head banging on that pole right there… AND THE KEEP CLEAR SIGN LOL so now they can say “well i warned you.”
#38
Hall
#39
New Gaming Setup
Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
"Yeeeaaaaahhhhh, if you could go ahead and move your desk down to the dead-end in the basement, that'd be greeaaaaat."
#40
What Is This?
Tim Fawcett 2 years ago
RF test chamber - like an anechoic chamber but for radio waves. I recognise the testequipment (I have the same Spectrum Analyser). The thing at the bottom just to the left of the door is the waveguide plate to pass the signals in and out of the chamber.
#41
Texture Error
#42
Bowling Alley
Firstname Lastname 2 years ago
I know red is bowling, but he looks like he's trying to smack yellow's butt to me.
Mike Fitzpatrick 2 years ago
Early 60's judging by the above-floor ball returns.
Load More Replies... Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
Is it mini bowling? The ball image in red and black's hand seems too small to me.
#43
Snakey Pool
#44
Some Chairs
Pancake_Pansexual_Panda 2 years ago
Why are chairs upside down and everywhere? Reminds me of my school's classrooms.
Bisexual bee (she/her) 2 years ago
I think that may just be the pattern of the carpet
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#46
Dreams…
Juan Something(downvotevictim) 2 years ago
Unrelated, Walmart is having a sale on cheese balls...
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#47
It‘S Watching You
Sova_Likes_Spoons 2 years ago
It's a lost eye bay from Gravity Falls. What is it doing all the way down there??
Grizzly milk 2 years ago
Nah man it’s the Society of the Blind Eyes mascot
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Maile 2 years ago
Surrealism is a big part of the liminal space aesthetic.
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#49
Liminal Anxiety
#50
Where Are The Cheze Ballzz
#51
Abandoned Museum
Laughing Orc 2 years ago
Yeaaah.. I mean what is it even a museum of? Cheap-a*s Americana?
Load More Replies... The Problem With Censorship Is ******* 2 years ago
"This doesn't concern you, get the hell out!"
#52
The Carpet Tho
#53
Take A Seat
Renee Prete 2 years ago
🎶 ALL TOGETHER NOW....🎶🎶 (snap... there goes one of each of the back legs) synchronized back injuries
#54
What Does This Place Feels Like?
#55
I Have Seen This Before…
Kevin the Manager 2 years ago
They had a super-strong window like this at the aquarium, right over the shark tank. I almost couldn't bring myself to stand on it.
#56
Avoid Those Places
#57
How Does It Make You Feel?
#58
Could You Explain Please?
Tim Fawcett 2 years ago
Doesn't look suitable for whellchairs - too narrow, dangerous and that bend is really tight. At a guess a suitcase ramp in a hotel so you can just wheel your case up and down stairs
Alexej Dvorak 2 years ago
Maybe also for luggage and cleaning carts that staff move around, but I think you're correct on the hotel setting.
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MushroomHead22 2 years ago
chose a different title, cause if your that dumb that you don't know whats going on in this pic, you shouldn't be allowed to post things.
#59
Do U Remember?
#60
A Classic One
#61
Liminal Space
#62
The Best Office
Mike Fitzpatrick 2 years ago
The photog is standing on it, they're afraid of creepy crawlies.
Load More Replies... #63
Supermarket
#64
Is This A Hotel?
MushroomHead22 2 years ago
seriously, who are these people that don't know s**t. how dumb are these OPs.
#65
Cool Bathtub
AtMostTheFabulist 2 years ago
First, I would be afraid I would trip on the edge and break a leg. Second, how do you even clean that?
#66
Fast_food
Aidan Campbell 2 years ago
The UFO-shaped diner, just off the A1 at Alconbury, near Huntingdon, was the definition of space-age architecture. It was demolished in 2008.
#67
1 V 1 On The Mcdonalds
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I remember when they had these at rest stops/service centres all over the state
#68
Let‘S Cuddle And Build A Pillowcastle In The Spongebob-Bed
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
This was epic! So many excellent photographs that just happen to be of liminal spaces. Kudos to whoever put this one together!
The mad duck 2 years ago
Wanna know something sad? A few years back I was really into making liminal space photography, I had like 50+ amazing pics saved on a school device from a photography class. I kinda just let them sit there and didn't upload them anywhere so they only existed on that device. Then the school updated all of their devices automatically and all of them were deleted forever... Shame. [Also if you want to know my opinion on the backrooms currently check out my comment on the "chair" post at the top.]
Trentin Quarantino 2 years ago
I love liminal spaces. We need more interesting posts like this and less ShitTok.
Bradley Auerbach 2 years ago
I am making a game about fighting supervillains and these photos can really give me some inspiration for the various dungeons and lairs!
Lyone Fein 2 years ago
This was epic! So many excellent photographs that just happen to be of liminal spaces. Kudos to whoever put this one together!
The mad duck 2 years ago
Wanna know something sad? A few years back I was really into making liminal space photography, I had like 50+ amazing pics saved on a school device from a photography class. I kinda just let them sit there and didn't upload them anywhere so they only existed on that device. Then the school updated all of their devices automatically and all of them were deleted forever... Shame. [Also if you want to know my opinion on the backrooms currently check out my comment on the "chair" post at the top.]
Trentin Quarantino 2 years ago
I love liminal spaces. We need more interesting posts like this and less ShitTok.
Bradley Auerbach 2 years ago
I am making a game about fighting supervillains and these photos can really give me some inspiration for the various dungeons and lairs!
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