The City by Betty Tureaud

I have packed my suitcase

walk out the door without looking back

Leaving hopelessness and take the bus

to the city

With the hope of a better life

I stand in the dust, waiting for the door to open

on the way to the city

My last money is used for a plane ticket

Hope and uncertainty awaits me in the foreign

I am on my way without looking back

*Betty Tureaud*

You land in the sand with a poem in your hands. Aside from a bit of brush, oddly green against the weight of all that gray, are sets of footprints luring your to step into the wilderness. Other bits of abandon decorate your travel - a large skull, bleached pale; a gas canister; the log book of a nearby skeleton left behind in the wastes.  The story is one of disaster and despair, and their plane waits where the footsteps are already washed clean from the sand's changing face. The desert itself spans all four of this cluster of sims, but the path to the City itself is relatively easy to find - and once found it is an absolute marvel of gleaming light in the distance.  You need projectors turned on at this point and sound adds a lovely ambiance; despite this, and I found there was very little lag - I was able to explore while also enjoying the light shows and sounds of the invisible city inhabitants.

The city is made out of simple shapes layered together in pure white, the differentiation between them caused by shadows alone, while narrow blimps float in the air and project bright colors across each matte surface. It is an architect's dream made life-sized, lollipop trees and delicate layered buildings mixing harmonious, the pathways between them sleek. It was the drops of whimsy which made me smile, though - here a flock of untextured pigeons grouped around a distinctive bench, there a hot dog vendor waiting in white splendor for a slew of featureless customers. I found a church only slightly larger, the mixture of sizes both disorienting and charming, and posed within hearing range of bells while a metro with cars smaller than the stand lingered a few moments before zooming off. In other places, glowing triangles offer a sky view or pink boxes offer interactive elements to explore - and everywhere, colors shift around and gleam in the shadows cast, lighting up the city where it's darkest. Everywhere in the city, color is the guide to wonderment and exploration - follow it to find hidden secrets and a gateway down to earth.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Alice Project, Jocelyn (Group Gift)
Eyes: .:Soul:., Oculos Eyes
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Ears: .:Soul:., High Elf
Lipstick: .:Soul:., Lipstick Fades
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Body: SLink, Hands & High Feet
Nails: ZOZ, Urban Gold
Outfit: G Field, Knit Tunic (Valentines Gift)
Shoes: G Field, Lovie Flats
Particles: Cole's Corner, Love Dusted

Poses: !bang

Location: The City by Betty Tureaud
Windlight Settings: Phototools, B/W Light 02
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping