diff --git a/app/controllers/bubbles_controller.rb b/app/controllers/bubbles_controller.rb
index 226980d23..d8a642d3c 100644
--- a/app/controllers/bubbles_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/bubbles_controller.rb
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ class BubblesController < ApplicationController
     end
 
     def bubble_params
-      params.expect(bubble: [ :status, :title, :color, :due_on, :image, tag_ids: [] ])
+      params.expect(bubble: [ :status, :title, :color, :due_on, :image, :draft_comment, tag_ids: [] ])
     end
 
     def deleted_notice
diff --git a/app/javascript/controllers/remote_auto_save_controller.js b/app/javascript/controllers/remote_auto_save_controller.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7ba4a6d5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/javascript/controllers/remote_auto_save_controller.js
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"
+
+export default class extends Controller {
+  static outlets = [ "auto-save" ]
+
+  change(event) {
+    this.autoSaveOutlet.change(event)
+  }
+
+  submit() {
+    this.autoSaveOutlet.submit()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/app/models/bubble/messages.rb b/app/models/bubble/messages.rb
index 552f2f483..e30f3dc62 100644
--- a/app/models/bubble/messages.rb
+++ b/app/models/bubble/messages.rb
@@ -3,9 +3,35 @@ module Bubble::Messages
 
   included do
     has_many :messages, -> { chronologically }, dependent: :destroy
+    after_save :capture_draft_comment
   end
 
   def capture(messageable)
     messages.create! messageable: messageable
   end
+
+  def draft_comment
+    find_or_build_initial_comment.body_plain_text
+  end
+
+  def draft_comment=(body)
+    if body.present?
+      @draft_comment = body
+    else
+      messages.comments.destroy_all
+    end
+  end
+
+  private
+    def find_or_build_initial_comment
+      message = messages.comments.first || messages.new(messageable: Comment.new)
+      message.comment
+    end
+
+    def capture_draft_comment
+      if @draft_comment.present?
+        find_or_build_initial_comment.update! body: @draft_comment, creator: creator
+      end
+      @draft_comment = nil
+    end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/bubbles/_bubble.html.erb b/app/views/bubbles/_bubble.html.erb
index db59e48f1..ea8833e50 100644
--- a/app/views/bubbles/_bubble.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/bubbles/_bubble.html.erb
@@ -8,14 +8,14 @@
 
     <div>
       <h1 class="bubble__title">
-        <% if bubble.creating? %>
-          <%= form_with model: bubble, url: bucket_bubble_path(bubble.bucket, bubble), data: { controller: "auto-save" } do |form| %>
-            <%= form.text_area :title, placeholder: "Name it…", class: "input input--textara txt-align-center full-width borderless bubble__title-rendered", autofocus: bubble.title.blank?, data: { action: "auto-save#change blur->auto-save#submit keydown.enter->auto-save#submit:prevent keydown.ctrl+enter->auto-save#submit:prevent" } %>
-          <% end %>
-        <% else %>
+        <% if bubble.published? %>
           <%= turbo_frame_tag bubble, :edit do %>
             <%= link_to bubble_title(bubble), edit_bucket_bubble_path(bubble.bucket, bubble), class: "txt-undecorated bubble__title-rendered" %>
           <% end %>
+        <% else %>
+          <%= form_with model: bubble, url: bucket_bubble_path(bubble.bucket, bubble), id: "bubble_form", data: { controller: "auto-save" } do |form| %>
+            <%= form.text_area :title, placeholder: "Name it…", class: "input input--textara txt-align-center full-width borderless bubble__title-rendered", autofocus: bubble.title.blank?, data: { action: "auto-save#change blur->auto-save#submit keydown.enter->auto-save#submit:prevent keydown.ctrl+enter->auto-save#submit:prevent" } %>
+          <% end %>
         <% end %>
 
         <div class="bubble__tags flex flex-wrap align-end justify-center gap-half txt-tight-lines flex-item-no-shrink pad-inline-double">
diff --git a/app/views/bubbles/show.html.erb b/app/views/bubbles/show.html.erb
index 5e13be7d8..18126f584 100644
--- a/app/views/bubbles/show.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/bubbles/show.html.erb
@@ -92,17 +92,28 @@
   <div class="bubble__perma flex justify-center center">
     <%= render "bubbles/bubble", bubble: @bubble %>
   </div>
-  
+
   <% unless @bubble.drafted? || @bubble.creating? %>
     <%= render "bubbles/pop_toggle", bubble: @bubble %>
   <% end %>
 
   <div style="margin-block-start: calc(var(--block-space) * -1);">
-    <%= render "bubbles/messages", bubble: @bubble %>
+    <% if @bubble.published? %>
+      <%= render "bubbles/messages", bubble: @bubble %>
+    <% else %>
+      <div class="comments">
+        <div class="comment comment--new border-radius flex align-start full-width margin-block-double">
+          <form data-controller="remote-auto-save" data-remote-auto-save-auto-save-outlet="#bubble_form" class="flex flex-column gap full-width">
+            <%= tag.house_md @bubble.draft_comment, name: "bubble[draft_comment]", class: "input comment__input", form: "bubble_form", placeholder: new_comment_placeholder(@bubble),
+                  data: { action: "house-md:change->remote-auto-save#change focusout->remote-auto-save#submit" } %>
+          </form>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    <% end %>
   </div>
 
   <% if @bubble.creating? %>
-    <div class="bubble__actions-container center border-radius pad flex align-center justify-space-between gap pad-inline-double" style="--bubble-color: <%= @bubble.color %>; margin-block-start: calc(var(--block-space) * -2);">
+    <div class="bubble__actions-container center border-radius pad flex align-center justify-space-between gap pad-inline-double" style="--bubble-color: <%= @bubble.color %>;">
       <%= button_to "Save as draft", bucket_bubble_path(@bubble.bucket, @bubble), name: "bubble[status]", value: "drafted", method: :put, class: "btn btn--plain borderless fill-transparent" %>
       <%= button_to "Create bubble", bucket_bubble_publish_path(@bubble.bucket, @bubble), class: "btn btn--reversed" %>
     </div>
diff --git a/test/controllers/bubbles_controller_test.rb b/test/controllers/bubbles_controller_test.rb
index ccbe1c573..84dbb06ea 100644
--- a/test/controllers/bubbles_controller_test.rb
+++ b/test/controllers/bubbles_controller_test.rb
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ class BubblesControllerTest < ActionDispatch::IntegrationTest
         color: "#000000",
         due_on: 1.week.from_now,
         image: fixture_file_upload("moon.jpg", "image/jpeg"),
+        draft_comment: "Something more in-depth",
         tag_ids: [ tags(:mobile).id ] } }
     assert_redirected_to bucket_bubble_url(buckets(:writebook), bubbles(:logo))
 
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@ class BubblesControllerTest < ActionDispatch::IntegrationTest
     assert_equal 1.week.from_now.to_date, bubble.due_on
     assert_equal "moon.jpg", bubble.image.filename.to_s
     assert_equal [ tags(:mobile) ], bubble.tags
+
+    assert_equal "Something more in-depth", bubble.messages.comments.first.comment.body_plain_text.strip
   end
 
   test "users can only see bubbles in buckets they have access to" do
diff --git a/test/models/bubble/messages_test.rb b/test/models/bubble/messages_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d507ebd69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/models/bubble/messages_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+require "test_helper"
+
+class Bubble::MessagesTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
+  test "creating a bubble does not create a message by default" do
+    bubble = buckets(:writebook).bubbles.create! creator: users(:kevin), title: "New"
+
+    assert_empty bubble.messages
+  end
+
+  test "creating a bubble with an initial draft comment" do
+    bubble = buckets(:writebook).bubbles.create! creator: users(:kevin), title: "New",
+      draft_comment: "This is a comment"
+
+    assert_equal 1, bubble.messages.count
+    assert_equal "This is a comment", bubble.draft_comment.strip
+  end
+
+  test "updating the draft comment" do
+    bubble = buckets(:writebook).bubbles.create! creator: users(:kevin), title: "New",
+      draft_comment: "This is a comment"
+
+    bubble.update! draft_comment: "This is an updated comment"
+
+    assert_equal 1, bubble.messages.count
+    assert_equal "This is an updated comment", bubble.draft_comment.strip
+  end
+
+  test "setting the draft comment to be blank removes it" do
+    bubble = buckets(:writebook).bubbles.create! creator: users(:kevin), title: "New",
+      draft_comment: "This is a comment"
+
+    bubble.update! draft_comment: " "
+
+    assert bubble.messages.first.nil?
+  end
+
+  test "omitting the draft comment does not remove it" do
+    bubble = buckets(:writebook).bubbles.create! creator: users(:kevin), title: "New",
+      draft_comment: "This is a comment"
+
+    bubble.update! title: "Newer"
+
+    assert_equal 1, bubble.messages.count
+    assert_equal "This is a comment", bubble.draft_comment.strip
+  end
+end