I'm still not exactly sure where this came from. It's a city built into the stars that blends two dimensions and satisfies my childish love of mind-bending sci-fi-scapes. There's details hidden in there to give it life.

Here's how this fantastic city might exist:

A wondrous city named Xorion sat on a dimensional rift  and was known for its unique and fascinating schism. Xorion was divided into two halves - the top half in one dimension and the bottom half in another. Citizens who lived in the top half were known as the "Uppers" and those who lived in the bottom half were the "Lowers", although how it was originally decided which side is up and which is down has never fully been revealed.

The Uppers were known for their more advanced technology, futuristic architecture, and highly developed education system. They had access to the most advanced medical treatments and were known to have longer life spans than the Lowers. The Uppers were highly competitive, constantly striving to be the best in their fields, and were known for their ambitious and hardworking nature.

On the other hand, the Lowers were known for their rich culture, vibrant community, and simpler way of life. They lived in colorful, bustling market style streets and were renowned for their artistic talents, poetry, and music. While some of the two halves might look the same, if you lifted the skin much of it was different. The Lowers had a more relaxed lifestyle and were known for their laid-back generosity and welcoming nature.

Despite the differences, both the Uppers and Lowers co-existed in peace, and the city prospered. Citizens could move freely between the two halves, but they had to pass through a special rift portal. This portal ensured that the two halves remained separate and that the laws of physics were not disrupted.

One day, a curious Lower named Jaxo, who had never really left his district, found himself at the portal while exploring the city. He had always been fascinated by stories of the Uppers' advanced technology and radically different lifestyles, and decided to intrepidly cross over to the top half.

When he emerged on the other side, he was greeted by a world unlike anything he had even imagined, and at first arrival all he could do was stare mouth agape. Besides the obvious fact that he had just gone from night to day in a step, there were other immediate surprises. The buildings were taller, gleaming silver, and wholly more imposing, and people, who moved at a much faster pace, were dressed formally and all seemed very earnest and busy.

Jaxo was fascinated by the technology everywhere, digital billboards, hovering drones, flying objects of all manner. Everything was a marvel to him. There was so much going on, stuff in every corner. He explored aimlessly, fascinated by it all and pulled one way and another by all the strange sights, looking much like a wide-eyed child who doesn't yet know he is lost.

As time passed, Jaxo noticed something in the pit of his stomach. This city left him feeling a bit funny in the tummy, but he wasn't sure if the pressure he immediately felt against his skin when he arrived was just the change in physics and gravity, or if the place just unsettled him. For despite all the wonders, he felt a nagging urge to return to his own dimension. Maybe it was just the sensory overload, or being from a place where life was simpler and less frenetic, but he was ready to leave.

Sure it all seemed very exciting here, but one thing immediately apparent to him was the people of the Lower seemed to have more enthusiasm and spirit than these Uppers. It seemed they were obsessed with their technological tasks. He wandered the streets for so many hours until finally, almost on auto-pilot, he found himself back to the portal. That was enough of a visit for now, he decided, and passed through the dimensional door, emerging in the Lower half of Xorion once more.

Jaxo returned to his home and was congratulated with mixed enthusiasm by his community when they realized where he had been. He laughed and remarked that he felt like a native son gone on walkabout. He shared his experiences with his friends and neighbors, the lower Lowers, shall we say, and in doing so, he sparked a local curiosity about the top half of Xorion. No one encouraged anyone to explore the Upper half in their little corner of the world. They all thought little of its pull. Everyone had the same shared preconceptions really.

Jaxo suggested maybe it wasn't important that the Upper world fit some expectation, and that maybe just a visit now and again would be like a sort of medicine to the settled mind. Slowly, and despite all the old warning stories, more and more Lowers began taking his advice and crossing to explore the other side of their wondrous city on a rift.

The dimensional door was at core just a bridge, connecting two different worlds, and allowing the citizens of Xorion to experience the uniqueness of another dimension. The city continued to thrive on both sides, if for no other reason than that it could give itself perspective. Uppers and Lowers learned not to expect compliance with each other's ways, but instead to appreciate each other's unique qualities and laws, ultimately making Xorion a truly fantastic and unforgettable place. Step through this door and spend time in another world so that when you step back through, you are larger and wiser and more whole than before.

Or maybe it was just the physiological effects of another dimension's physics on the body? Who really knows?

Here are some examples from my Redbubble store (click on any to visit the store):