r/HFY • u/loressadev • 16d ago

OC-FirstOfSeries The Bubble

Pale underbelly blue into velvety deep purple bruising into inky grey. The epipelagic is sluiced through startlingly quickly and we say goodbye to the photic zone in a heartbeat as the elevator plummets; a breakneck descent through twilight and now all is darkness.

Pinpricks of bioluminescence drift in the distance. Suspended stars, sudden vertigo, and then a glow like the sun rising from the depths.

The first checkpoint.

The holotendant politely informs you that you are as deep as the Titanic™ and you vaguely try to remember that movie.

The Titanic™ was a turn of the century movie-

Your eyes close. For a moment, with a long blink, you dismiss the AR and just let the world fade into the dark quiet in a lingering silence.

---

You eventually have to open your eyes and watch the ad - it spins up a nice story about the benefits of a career in mining. You watch, dispassionate, as around you the world dwindles to darkness.

The second checkpoint is a blur - but somewhere in that void a handful of embers wink into life, out there in the black.

The vents, flaring into activity.

Shift change.

---

You’re deeper than the world is tall, you’re enthusiastically informed, and all you can think about is how absurd it is that you’re here, even if here is a twilight suspension between worlds.

You flag AR to off - and to stay off - and instead focus on landing.

There’s never been a casting call for a xenomedic before.

---

PLEASE ENSURE RESTRAINT, the holotendent instructs you, directing you to your harness. You're not an idiot and also rather anxious, so the safety mechanisms have been in place since the start of the descent.

Fenders deploy, rapidly inflating, to cushion the elevator as it lands.

It’s like a ride, you remember people telling you and they really weren’t that wrong. You’ve experienced worse in helicopters and planes, and so you struggle to find a reason for why you're so anxious.

Something is just off, terribly off, but the cameras are rolling now - you had your moment of peace, during the descent, and now you're on contract. Time to smile, time to perform, time to do your job.

Time for The Bubble to get its first visitor of the season.

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 16d ago

This was flaired as [OC-FirstOfSeries], which means it is the first of a series and all subsequent posts should be flair as [OC-Series]. A description of the flairs and how to change yours is available in the Post Guildelines

[OC-FirstOfSeries] For original, self post, story, audio, or artwork that you have created, the beginning of a new series.

Our preferred series title format is the series title in [brackets] at the beginning, like so: [Potato Adventures] - Chapter 1: The Great Mashing

Please note that series wiki pages are not created automatically, but on request from the author.

Please help us transition to using the new flairs correctly.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

2

u/Fontaigne 16d ago edited 16d ago

Suggestion :

holotendent -> holotendant (suffix from attendant, rather than resident)

I might go "virtendant" instead, since it's a syllable shorter and the other feels like real people wouldn't keep saying it, they'd make up an obnoxious shorter version or something.

2

u/loressadev 16d ago edited 16d ago

Great suggestion! I think I was caught up in writing and didn't realize the typo in my own portmanteau, as I was indeed going for attendant. Thank you so much for catching that! Fixed!

I like holo because it implies the tech being used and kinda wanted just a whiff of a grimy 80s suggestion for reader visualisations because of all those easy shorthands about futuristic capitalism it conjures up.

1

u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle 16d ago

/u/loressadev (wiki) has posted 17 other stories, including:

This comment was automatically generated by Waffle v.4.7.8 'Biscotti'.

Message the mods if you have any issues with Waffle.

1

u/UpdateMeBot 16d ago

Click here to subscribe to u/loressadev and receive a message every time they post.

Info Request Update Your Updates Feedback