Rock Bottom

by Elvie Parian

Feeling down? Lost that pep in your step? Has it been getting harder and harder to keep going?

Sounds

you

have

hit

ＲＯＣＫ

ＢＯＴＴＯＭ.

Luxury Universal Experience Presents:

Rock Bottom

Presented in UVX Format.

Rock Bottom refers to both a live performance and in-universe film, in which a LUX show classically goes all wrong, taking the essence of Dante’s Inferno to goofy, children’s theater heights.

This, but with more modesty and the modern privileges of HVAC. Painting by Anonymous.

LUX attempts to screen the film, Rock Bottom, a rather dull documentary about rocks, only for the LUXos Artificial Intelligence to accidentally transport everyone in the theater into the depths of its inner computer mechanisms after it overreacts to criticism. Together, the attending audience and LUX staff must figure out how to work their way out of LUXos’ tortured cyber mind in this immersive experience!

Although the specific sources of influence for this show range from disaster movies to DIY quality of children’s theater, let’s address some immediate concerns: Look, it’s not our fault that suddenly there’s a zeitgeist of media exploring multiverse concepts, and it was purely coincidental that the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All At Once had to top off its nuanced explorations of social insecurities and nihilism with an in-your-face rock joke and all, but rest assured—as much as this company loved that shit—it bore no influence in the production of all of this. (It is a great film though. 11/10. Please do watch.)

Unfortunately, we don’t have as many googly eyes.

What Rock Bottom does have, however, is just as much an emotional rollercoaster of an experience that not only provides attendees premium entertainment perks like "LUXurious padded seated in patented hardened plasteel” and direct access to a surplus of spirits, but also literally pulls audience members out of said seats at various points of the show’s duration.

The show is segmented into various “layers”, in which scenes transition from one setting and theme to the next. Each layer represents a film genre, which is a language that LUXos processes the world through. The differences between layers are established and signified by costume, set, and lighting changes. The show also has a forking narrative where audiences can influence which layer the show will transition to next. While not every possible scene can be experienced as a result, each show is unique to each audience.

A chart breakdown of the descending “layers” and their meanings of Rock Bottom based on the original pitch*.* Much of this has changed in the final book. — A chart breakdown of the descending “layers” and their meanings of *Rock Bottom* based on the original pitch*.* Much of this has changed in the final book.

At the end of the day, although Rock Bottom is about a robot, we hope that we creatively depicted the struggles against the more negative human qualities that we all occasionally are forced to endure, because often, those battles are sometimes worsened within our own head. After all, our artificial intelligence is not evil**—it’s just very anxious!