Editing White Space

{{IB-Level
 |image      = WhiteSpace.png
 |id         = 77292103
 |creator    = [[XG]]
 |verifier   = [[Viprin]]
 |created    = [[Update 2.1]]
 |difficulty = {{EasyDemon}}
 |stars      = 10
 |length     = 2m 15s (XL)
 |objects    = 246,597
 |copytype   = No password
 |downloads  = 4.95M
 |likes      = 251.2K
 |rating     = Epic
 |artist     = [https://derpcatofficial.newgrounds.com/ DerpCat] (feat. [https://teslax11.newgrounds.com/ Talurre])
 |music      = [https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/951493 Something Different]
 |musicid    = 951493
}}
'''White Space''' is a [[Update 2.1|2.1]] Easy Demon level by [[XG]], verified by [[Viprin]] and published on 11 January 2022. The level features high-detailed art and effects primarily using white and blue colours. It has many references to the game [[Wikipedia:Omori|''Omori'']]. The level's story follows a user who encounters an anomaly in 'White Space' that takes them to a dimension created from their memories, revealing events from their past. The level is accompanied by an [[wikipedia:Alternate reality game|ARG]] organized by XG. White Space received widespread acclaim for its concept, ambition, decoration, effects, transitions and themes, and is considered to be XG's ''magnum opus''.<ref>https://x.com/today_gd/status/1730369250580455815</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD35tYjTrcg</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG7d16iqnDE</ref> In the ''Geometry Dash 10-Year Anniversary'' presentation, the level was voted the fourth most favourite level of players.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWi_zuXBECw</ref>

==History==
On 16 January 2021, XG showcased a layout preview of White Space for the 20,000 subscribers special.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSDbzCnj6sQ&t=6s</ref> Six days later, XG released the first preview of the level, showing that the first part was nearly finished.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuyFDEJjmMQ</ref> On 31 January, XG released the second preview, which showed the entire pre-drop and the beginning of the drop.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m284crHXaCc&t=3s</ref> A third preview was shown on 14 February, showing some progress on the level's drop. On 21 March, XG released what he called the final preview of White Space.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GboecSZBnvU</ref>

On 6 April 2021, XG announced the planned release date for White Space as 30 April. A trailer was released on XG's Twitter account on 19 April.<ref>https://x.com/XenderGame/status/1384354533678092291</ref> However, on the planned release date of the level, XG announced that he would delay it because of college work and make sure it did not feel rushed.<ref>https://x.com/XenderGame/status/1388292877072027648</ref> He released another trailer on 17 May, with a hopeful release date of that month.<ref>https://x.com/XenderGame/status/1394452242271408128</ref>

A final trailer was released on 28 June 2021.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19hiMHPuEQ8</ref> He was hopeful that the level would be released that week.

On 27 July 2021, XG announced the level's status on Twitter.<ref>https://x.com/XenderGame/status/1420215992009953280</ref> He had started to lose motivation to finish the level due to experiences in the community and his personal life. He said that White Space was the hardest he had struggled with making a [[Geometry Dash]] level and that he does not consider it his masterpiece. On 6 August, XG released three previews of parts on Twitter.

On 27 August 2021, [[Viprin]] premiered the level on his YouTube channel. However, XG decided to delay the level's release for bug-fixing as well as recreating some messy art, remastering, changing and optimizing the level.<ref>https://x.com/XenderGame/status/1433295834183979010</ref>

On 6 December 2021, he revealed that he had decided to remove some sensitive art from the level due to recent unfortunate events in the community. As a result, the level became buggy and near-unplayable. He planned to release Viprin's original verified version on the server, although he did not wish that level to be rated.<ref>https://x.com/XenderGame/status/1467840209467305988</ref>

Due to how difficult the level became to work on, XG lost motivation to finish. On 11 January 2022, he decided to revert to a previous version as the level's development was taking too long. He released the level in this state, stating he no longer wanted to work on it. He created a Low Detail Mode two days later, along with adding the QR code leading to the @WhiteSp54899516 Twitter account above the level.<ref>https://x.com/XenderGame/status/1481321260470910977?s=20</ref>

==Story==
''The full lore of White Space is unknown due to the existence of an unsolved augmented-reality game surrounding the level. The following section is currently in development. Currently, [https://x.com/WhiteSp54899516 this Twitter account] is confirmed to be part of the ARG.''

On 2 January 2017, Rosie's sister was excited about being on a trip because she was eager to be with Matt for their Ultimate Roadtrip, which was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. She picked up her phone to remind Matt about the trip the next day, but Matt was already at her place, surprising Rosie with their Dad and Mom because they were all coming too. All of them got excited about it, but they ended up delaying their trip to 2 February 2017 to prepare things.

On 3 February, what was supposed to be Matt's happiest day of his life, he was completely together with his mom, dad, and sister. However, he did not realize that this was the last time he would see his family. At 4:00 am, they were about to head home, but Matt did not realize they were about to get hit by a bus after passing by the train station. He could not focus and was too tired to drive the car, resulting in a car accident. The windscreen shattered into pieces.

His dad was crushed to death, his mom was impaled, and his sister Rosie suffered from third-degree burns. The only person who survived the accident was Matt. All of them were sent to the hospital. Unfortunately, it was declared that Rosie was dead on arrival due to the burns, his dad due to being crushed, and his mom due to being impaled, while Matt was in a coma. When Matt finally woke up from the coma, he was confused and did not remember much. He picked up his phone to talk to Rosie right away, asking, 'Are you still there?' and 'Can you hear me?' The doctors declared to Matt that Rosie and his family had passed away during his coma. He denied what happened, hoping it was just a nightmare, but when he realized it was reality, he lost control of himself. He was destroyed, knowing it was his fault, and wished he had been more careful that night.

He saw Rosie's corpse, his mom, and his dad, and he hugged them tightly, apologizing repeatedly. It was when he finally developed his guilt, creating a nightmare that followed him every day of his life. His guilt ate him up, representing the day he saw their corpses. Whenever someone mentioned the name of one of his relatives, especially Rosie, he did not want to hear it because of the nightmares it brought back. He tried to hide the truth from others and felt alone. Matt did not know how to move on and could not forget what happened that night. It was too traumatizing, and he attempted to kill himself by overdosing on painkillers. He did not want to feel anything anymore.

One day, he heard about a groundbreaking feature, Virtual Reality Tech, that was shown publicly. The doctors recommended it to Matt, thinking it would save him from his depression and guilt and help him move on, but this ended up becoming Matt's biggest mistake. He did not realize that VR would change his life dramatically. A world where everything was fine, named White Space, became his new reality. He stayed there for a long time, losing touch with the real world. In White Space, he imagined his family was alive and relied solely on his life inside the VR world. His doctors told him not to, urging him to wake up and face reality, but Matt never listened.

Years passed, and he completely lost touch with reality. He stayed in White Space for as long as he could remember, exploring every path of his virtual life. However, there was one place he was scared to face, 'Black Space', where every dark secret and dark memory stayed. He finally realized what his doctor had said about not relying on life inside a VR world. The realization hit him that he had to face the truth and what had truly happened. VR was a drug to him. He finally faced the truth and let go of the false hope he had clung to for years, remembering what happened that day. He saw a train going by and remembered the crash near the train station. He tried to catch the train, seeing the car about to get crushed by a bus, but he could not stop it. He saw his dad getting crushed to death, his mom impaled, and his sister Rosie burned in the car. He realized he could not save them, even in virtual reality.

When he let the train go, he realized it represented time, the time to move forward. Even if he had caught the train, he would have saved nobody. He decided to get out of virtual reality and face the truth. On 2 March 2037, his birthday, he was alone, depressed, and about to take painkiller pills, but he saw a picture of his family celebrating his 13th birthday in 2007. He realized how much time he had wasted. He was 38, trying to move on. He picked up the phone he had not checked in years, reading old conversations with Rosie, and got teary-eyed remembering what happened. He realized his sister was dead, someone he wished he was celebrating with. Remembering their happy memories together, he decided to move on and leave her one final message: 'I miss you, Ross, I am sorry, goodbye.' He finally said his last goodbye to Rosie and his family.

He told the authorities the truth about what happened and was sent to jail for a long time for the accident. He did not lose his spirit; he became a better person and was finally able to do the right thing, never committing the same mistake again. He was ready to create new memories and start fresh for a happy life.

In 2035, XenderTech announced the development of a project known as 'White Space'. The project's goal was to 'create a technology that could implement the concept of neural extraction from substrates and create a possible example of neural SIM', and 'help achieve the goal of greatly improving future medical institutions'. On 23 July 2036, XenderTech revealed that the project was entering the Test Beta phase. During this phase, the Jenova research team tested White Space for anomalies. A particular mind anomaly, known as 'XIV', was discovered, which 'directly interacts with the user's [UNKNOWN] and their [UNKNOWN] to create a bonding'. The team warned that if XIV was interrupted by memories other than the user's, it would be lethal to the user of White Space. They were unsure of its origin.

At some point, another anomaly was discovered within White Space. Some users were taken to a pocket dimension created from their memories. The users were greeted by something like a 'modern bullet train', which brought them to the Memory Tower, shining a bright light in the middle of a peculiar city. The Jenova research team advised against trying to enter the tower or interact with XIV during this time.

The story of White Space follows a user, most likely named Matt, judging by the text at the end. While going through White Space, he saw the bullet train and followed it. This event caused White Space to malfunction, and he was transported to the pocket dimension representing his memories. He approached Memory Tower, and upon entering, White Space rebooted, causing his memories to unwind.
{{Togglebox
 |header = Theories
 |body   = 
During White Space, the protagonist's memories were interrupted by Matt's, causing major malfunctions. The research team warned that this could happen and hinted at what happened in the level.

Judging by its name, 'XIV' (X-4) might be Laser Eye, a boss by XG called 'Boss 4'. XG hinted at a return of Laser Eye shortly after the completion of [[Ultra violence]].

The text that appears in the beginning might be XIV trying to connect to the user.

Another piece of information reports that 'ELECTRO', which refers to 'BOSS 3 Electro' by XG, appears to have infected the program, causing White Space to be overridden.
}}

==Description==
White Space begins with a mini-cube part jumping onto various platforms. Then, the player changes to normal size, goes at double speed, and must hit many orbs, with gameplay similar to the mini-cube. The player jumps onto a flat platform and transforms into a triple-speed ball. In the ball segment, the player must hit four platforms before the gravity portal, then hit a yellow orb and a pink orb. Switch gravity a few more times and then hit the pink orb. The gameplay continues in an enclosed manner, culminating in multiple orbs and holding them while in the blue gravity portals to finish this part. In the cube transition part, the player must jump, hit a yellow orb, jump again, hit three pink orbs before the ship part, and fly through the flying train to reach an auto section.

A few jumps with the cube lead the player to the drop. The player must jump and hit the pink orb before the ball segment. Next, they must hit the blue orb and hold a red orb while in a yellow gravity portal, then hit a dash orb and then hit a blue orb during the ball part. Afterwards, the player must hit the yellow orb but avoid the two red orbs, then hit the two black orbs and a pink orb during the spider part. Next is a UFO part where the player must hit three times, hold near the yellow gravity portal before the ship part, and then fly towards the ball transition. In the ball transition, the player must hit a blue orb and then click three times during the UFO part. The third click will be the red orb, but the player must time this click to avoid the four black orbs. Next is a cube part where the player must jump twice and hit the yellow orb. Finally, the player must avoid obstacles during the wave part and enter the ball part with the text 'Last Memory'.

Afterwards, the player becomes a mini cube and must jump, hit a pink orb, jump again and hit a blue orb. Following this, the player is launched by a pad and must hit a red orb, where they turn into a mini UFO, then hold a green dash orb to turn into a wave. Then, the player must jump and land on the first notebook, turning the player into a ball where only two clicks, one on a yellow orb, are needed to transition them into a ship part that requires holding to continue. Afterwards, the player must hit a yellow orb, keep holding as they jump onto platforms, and then hold a dash orb. Next is a UFO part with some orbs and several gravity portals where the player must time some clicks to avoid obstacles (with a cube transition mid-way), followed by an auto ship part with the following words flashing in the middle of the screen, arranged in a sequence:

*'SAVING...'
*'SAVE?'
*'SAVE WHO'
*'WHAT'S LEFT'

After these words, a cat face appears, looking on both sides before looking directly at the player.

The final drop starts with a wave part that requires spamming. Then, the player must hit a black orb in the UFO part and then spam before the ball. Next, as a ball, the player must click three times, then hit the following orbs: two blue orbs, two green orbs, a dash orb, and a red orb. Afterwards, in the spider section, the player must hit the pink orb, then click five times. In the robot part, the player must hit the pink orb, jump before hitting the yellow orb and the two green orbs, then jump before hitting the red orb and the dash orb. The player must hit six orbs at the final cube part before the auto part, where a cutscene of a car crash shows.

After the car crash cutscene, there is the end screen, featuring another cutscene, this time under a bridge with the camera continuously moving right. During this, the level's creator (XG) and the music artists (Derpcat and Talurre) are credited, while the following words appear in a sequence at the bottom of the screen:

*'UP HERE, USER'
*'DO NOT WORRY'
*'THAT DAY, STAYS HERE'
*'WAKE UP'

If the player looks closely, they can see some dialogue faintly appear on the left side of the screen:

*'Hey Matt.'
*'Matt?'
*'Are you still there?'
*'Matt!'
*'Can you hear me?'
*'Oh don't you do anything stupid Matt.'
*'I am on my way.'
*'...'
*'..'
*'.'

The screen then flashes white before turning back to black, ending the cutscene. After this, the ending quote appears, arranged in the form of a poem, reading the following:
{{Quote
 |quote      = 
Don't Let Your Past<br>
Stop Where You Are<br>
Create More Memories<br>
And Keep This Train Moving
 |originator = XG
}}
At the bottom, a cat face representing XG, credited as the creator, along with the level's name in both English and Chinese and the ending quote's font can all be seen. Everything then fades away, leaving the screen completely black again, as the level ends.

==Gameplay==
{{VC|6fYodceeIGs}}

==Trivia==
*White Space was rated on 14 January 2022 with an Epic rating.
*White Space was ranked #5 in Geometry Dash Today's list of 'The Top 100 Greatest Geometry Dash Levels Of All Time'.
*White Space was nominated for and achieved ''Best Story Level'' in the [[The Geometry Dash Awards|Geometry Dash 2022 Awards]].
*White Space is named after the location of the same name from ''Omori'' and features visual references to the game, including a photograph with artwork reminiscent of the game and a hanging black lightbulb.
*The in-progress ARG surrounding White Space features content and themes inspired by the [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/ SCP Foundation].
*The player can find several secrets in the editor.
**If the player turns off preview mode, they can find a QR code above the level at around 87%. This QR code takes them to a Twitter account created by XG for an augmented-reality game based on the level's story.
**Secret unsolved numbers has been found on the editor<ref>https://x.com/cybercrafted_/status/1481817138734284800</ref> if preview mode is off. These numbers would later translate into 'Rebooting virtual space white space.'<ref>https://x.com/cybercrafted_/status/1481820791876509697</ref>
**A secret message appears before the player teleports to the start of White Space and can be seen in the editor if preview mode is off. 
*At 4%, the player could jump onto the 'Y' and fall underneath, going to the end of White Space. This secret way was patched in the LDM update.
*In visual arts, the page layout, illustration and sculpture, '''White Space''' is often referred to as negative space. It is the portion of a page left unmarked: margins, gutters, space between columns, lines of type, graphics, figures, or objects drawn or depicted.
*White Space was used as inspiration for the aura ''Chromatic:Genesis'' for the game Sols Rng.

==References==
<references />
[[Category:Classic levels]]