Level 178 : "Kyoto Dreams" (Trimmed; Open for Rewrite)

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Level 178 is the 179th level of the Backrooms, described as a looping traditional machiya house with a hot spring that is devoid of entities.

Level 178 is a looping machiya house whose walls and floors are crafted from wood. One notable feature of this level is that it is devoid of entities and has both food, almond water, and clothes hanging in certain areas, serving as a base for many people to live in or for explorers to restock, shower, and eat. Various methods can be used to enter it, including finding a house in Level 11 or by sleeping in Level 7. The level has multiple sections: a courtyard with a hot spring in the centre, a wraparound porch, kitchens, the main area, showers and bathrooms, and bedrooms.

The main area is usually the spot most travellers end up in. It is flat, a notable warm scent of bamboo and wood radiating through the level. Most doors are slid open, allowing for navigation. The sound of trickling water and flute music can sometimes be heard somewhere in the level. The floors usually have carpet or wood surfaces, and open-air studio rooms can be found in certain areas, samurai swords and weapons hung up in cabinets and shoji lanterns illuminate rooms. Closets can be found housing hung-up kimonos and pairs of geta that can be worn. Travelling through the central area can lead to the other sections.

The kitchens can be reached by going through a sliding door made of glass and wood, comprising a narrow room with kitchen appliances such as taps, a refrigerator, cupboards, and an oven. Almond water and food can be found here, all of which is safe to eat, and prepared meals can be found in the refrigerators with a list of meals, likely prepared by the Sector of Amaterasu. A door to the right leads to a dining area with a lantern hung above a short wooden table, mats to sit on below. Another door leads out to the porch.

178’s wraparound porch is visible from multiple areas in the level, being a square shape surrounding the courtyard and facing the hot spring in the centre. Lanterns are typically hung from the curved roof. The courtyard and porch are stuck in a time loop that appears as early morning, dew coating the plants and the gentle trickling of water heard from all angles. A set of small waterfalls flowing from under the porch lead to the hot spring, which is safe to use and soak in. Shoji-style doors to the rest of the sections of the level can be accessed from the yard area. One door leads to a closet full of warm towels that can be used to dry off or be worn in the hot spring. Sleeping in the hot spring can either lead to Level 66 or Level 132.

Bedrooms can be accessed through the main area or by travelling through the showers and bathrooms area. Watercolour artwork and windows line the walls of the bedrooms, some having views of the porch and courtyard. Futons are spread on the floor that are safe to sleep in. Wooden staircases lead to more bedrooms. The showers and bathrooms can be used safely.

[The video begins with a shaky camera, before focusing on a young, tall man in a purple, tulip-dotted kimono, his dark fluffy hair tied into a small ponytail. He is sitting on a couch. Behind him, an ace flag is pinned to the wall and a pitcher of almond water rests on the floor.]

Irawan: This shit on? I'm not losing footage like yesterday whenever I tried to get you to film it for me, and it turned out you didn't even take off the lens cover, you stupid crotch goblin. Dammit Philippe.

Philippe: …wow. Well, it's off, and you're recording. Once this is taken to the M.E.G. and broadcast, you're going to be ruined.

Irawan: Well, I just had to look directly at you and guess what, now my eyes are ruined.

Philippe: Let's just get this done.

Irawan: Yep, after this I'm taking a cashew bath and asking the nearest Memory Worm to remind me of whenever I didn't know you.

Philippe: Okay, well, you want to announce the update? This is gonna be monumental to wanderers.

Irawan: Hello, everyone. Hell is real, and it was built right here. Recently, talks with the folks over at the Order have gone better than expected despite the efforts of my best friend here, and we've not only secured an agreement, but some new, very real objects of interest. Now, I'm aware that level 11 is probably going to be everyone's go-to spot to live in even though you have to slash your way through 9, and that most wanderers would rather live in a city level where they could no-clip out accidentally and end up fucked two ways past Tuesday in a dangerous level rather than live on Ray's cooking and hang with us in the weeb level. It's probably Philippe, right?

Philippe: Really? Wow.

Irawan: 178, as the article says, is safe and has no entities - in a way, it may be closer to home than 11 for that matter. It's not a trap level, seriously. Everything is true, there's no danger except for exiting into a dangerous level like that sub-layer or the swamp one. Despite my best efforts, Aadhira still wants to live her days in a Class 3 level and only see me during restocking. She's always been a wide-eyed idealist like that, wanting to help everyone. No one like that really makes it here. And no, we're not a competitor to level 11 in habitation. I don't believe in that capitalist bourgie market competition shit.

Philippe: I tried to go to 11 through 9, almost lost my leg.

Irawan: Okay, lunchbox. Look, talks have been going well. The Order is okay with an M.E.G. base if anyone wants to create one here. We've agreed to form a sort of village conglomerate and have established these hooks on the walls to lay rope on so we can navigate and trade easier. Going further in this level helps you find other things. Some of our traders and cartographers have been trying to map out this level and travelling in far led them to some kitchens, and they didn't just have the rice and Almond Water shit found in most pantries. There were some kitchens full of spices, others of fast food. One had a package of daun salam. Reminds me of home a little bit in my mom's curry. We've been trading around that stuff, and it looks like our menu is about to get a little more broad.

Philippe: Ray's certainly happy to make chicken parm again.

Irawan: Enough with the food, enough! We're making villages and trading. Any wanderers who enter the level, just follow any rope you find and I'm sure you'll find a village or some human presence. We've reached agreements with the Order quicker and easier in months than the M.E.G. does in years, shade intended. But beyond this progress, there's something new and really big. I'll update you all once this first message gets out. Philippe, you can turn it off now, we all know you wanna get off and get drunk.

[The message ends.]

Order of the Sun Goddess

• A base for the group known as the Lost that resides in the central area.
• A few members can speak both Japanese and English, as well as their own language.
• Helpful and live permanently in this level, but not open to new members.
• Allies with the Sector; trades and communicates with the group frequently.
• Around 12 individuals are part of this base, all from either the Lost Mayans, the New Pantheon, or the Dragon’s Gate.

The Sector of Amaterasu

• Bases distributed around the level.
• Largest group in Level 178.
• Central base is in a studio room near the kitchens, where they make meals for themselves and for travellers.
• Have a travel station near known entrances to help recently no clipped travellers either live or travel through this level.
• Leader of the group is named Irawan.

There are also smaller, more temporary groups of people who inhabit this level who are either too small or lack the structure required to be considered a community. Recently, talks between a smaller clan and the Sector are considering building a city-like settlement in 178 due to the lack of entities and the easy-to-navigate structure of such a safe level.

Entrances

One traveller entered Level 178 on accident in level-127 while being chased by a Wall Scraper and collided with a wall, phasing through it and entering a wide room in 178. Methods of entering include sleeping in Level 7, which has a very rare chance of successfully waking up in the hot springs of Level 178, entering a wooden building in level-138, or travelling far into Level 11 and seeing a machiya house in the distance, which is the safest entrance to use.

Exits

There are currently four methods to exit Level 178. These include staying in the hot spring long enough and falling asleep, which causes you to end up in Level 66 or Level 132, or no clipping directly into a darker-looking wall, taking you back to the level you were in before. Another is to travel through the level for a few weeks to see a small room with an exit sign, which leads to Level 138. If you swim down a hot spring, you'll end up in Level 178.1. And finally, through a pantry in one of the kitchens, leads to the Anti Reality Bowling Alley.

The following was sent to M.E.G. 'Base Beta' by Irawan and an unidentified member of the Order of the Sun Goddess.

Hello, M.E.G. echelons, it's Irawan and…you don't want them to know who you are? You're sure? Alright, buddy bo - gender shouldn't be disclosed? Well, that's fine. Of course you have blue hair and pronouns. That was funny…I like my blue hair, it makes me look like a blackberry. Anyways, the Order and the Sector have been talking and…we've found something big. Don't let other groups know about this, though. I don't want this shit getting away from us, especially due to bureaucratic error in a place like this. Currently, the rest of the Lost doesn't know about this. So, little things we're finding include ingredients we previously didn't know about far in the level, establishing a rope network, whatever. Just look at the video we sent. Siria and Marvin are working on an "Objects" article to update you guys…look there, it's weird.

Come to Kyoto Dreams!
Was this formatted right? Damn you, Philippe.