Episode 37 - The Morning Hour

## The Morning Hour

'The Morning Hour With Lady Ethel Mallory', with a pair of red, heart-shaped sunglasses

### Author

William A. Wellman

Bill Scarberry makes a good choice, Riot finally returns home, and Botco makes some policy changes. This is Botco's Morning Hour with Lady Ethel Mallory.

***Content Warnings:** Static (including sfx), emotional manipulation*

## Intro - Good Morning!

Lady Ethel Mallory greets those in Dreaming Boxes with a good morning, although they may not be able to notice the new day due to them being in The Prime Dream, during which she compares the Prime Dream to the sun. She goes on to state that The Prime Dream was 'The real America', and that the 'spirit of our great nation', and that anyone outside of a Dreaming Box who might be hearing her broadcast should come and join them, that they shouldn't have to spend another morning 'in the dark' as they didn't know how many more they had. She calls the Botulus Corporation graciously, loving, and forgiving towards those without a Dreaming Box subscription.

Ethel is in Box Polaris, located in Ontario, talking about how cold it was in Canada.

## Story One - Another Day Begins

Ethel announces a new member (being Bill Scarberry) had joined Dreaming Box Venus in Las Vegas. Ethel sends out a message to Bill's immediate family to also join Bill in a Dreaming Box.

New development in the Botco space line had been made in Box Betelgeuse (Houston) after a successful docking of a rocket at the Biggs Station, and that the astronauts were able to re-join their families in the Prime Dream. She states that 'advancements' in cryonic sleep might one day allow astronauts to join the Prime Dream even as they're sent across space over hundreds of years to new planets.

Anew hit single 'thrum' (also mentioned by Melanie Flores in Episode 84 - Interference) by Avery Crane. The song contains elements of 20's (2020's) rock but "*revitalized through the lens of the Dreaming Consciousness*", the song is at once a youth anthem for those who had never known the 'terrors' of life outside the Dreaming Boxes, and that the song might end up in the heads of listeners.

Box Aries is back online (with assistance form name drop Anderson Faust) and that the dreamers would be but into quarantine due to brain trauma from the sudden disconnection to the Prime Dream. (See Episode 75 - Loyalties).

Oswald Biggs Botulus and the Botco security team are working on increasing safety and security in Box Orion

### Interlude One - Azuria

Botco has realised a new dream scape "Azuria", which is set in a high fantasy setting where Dreaming Box users live out stories of quests and monsters, all while safely in the Prime Dream.

## Story Two - Real Talk

Ethel addresses the rumours that she has a hatred towards Valerie Maidstone by stating that she didn't actually have very many friends outside of Valerie (this is a lie, as we have seen Ethel order Valerie's torture upon her being kidnaped by Botco, although them having a once positive relationship might be true, as Ethel is referred to as Valerie's "Frenemy" in the summary of Episode 7- Nightmares). Ethel claims that when her and Valerie first met Ethel had only just begun working for Botco and Valerie had just released her first hit single, and that some of the arguments between the two had become public, but they were "*two sides of the same coin*". She then metaphorically throws shade on Valerie by comparing their success and indirectly saying that Valerie is stuck in the past and fears change. Ethel says that she'd held on to hope for the 20 years that Valerie was hiding in the Bunker with Riot Maidstone, and that she'd been shocked by how weak she was upon arriving at Botco, stating that she'd been in recovery since, and that the reason she couldn't finish their first interview. Ethel happily announces that they'd also managed to track down Valerie's daughter, though in truth is is Other Riot, also lying about her heath, and saying that she was also sick form being exposed to the Black Rains, but the two would be reunited on air.

### Marketing - Incensed

Nikignik manages to briefly take over the broadcast and announces that he was incensed, and question how Ethel was managing to 'drown him out', and asks if she knows what she is doing. He begins to threaten her, but is quickly, as he said, drowned out.

### Story Two, Continued - Real Talk

Ethel apologises, stating that those outside of Dreaming Boxes listening had a 'moment of interruption', but those inside the Dreaming Boxes were free from such interruptions. Ethel begins addressing The Stonemaids, stating that they'd agreed to the terms and conditions that everyone else had, and that they were wanting to expose Dreaming Box users to 'the contaminates of the world outside'. She states that she understands the romanticization of the outside world, but it was a deadly place that would lead to all it's inhabitancies dying a slow ad painful death, comparing these to Bill Scarberry and Valerie Maidstone. She requests that the Stonemaids lay down their weapons (of which they have non, being exclusively peaceful protestors) and violent thoughts, as Botco was there for them to keep them safe when the Rains first fell.

### Interlude Two - All About Agency

Ethel once again speaks of the Stonemaids, ad she speaks of how they might be so violent in their ways. She addresses the problem as agency, as the 'ringleaders' of the Stonemaids were all older, and thus remember the world 'as it was - not as it is today', and that they may have chosen to subscribe to a dreaming box due to feeling as if they had no other choice, ad that they'd like feeling as if they had a choice, just as much as they'd like being told which one was right. She calls this out as ironic, but it was their job to help them see the way things really were. She implores that if any dreamers listening know someone they suspect of being a Stonemaid, that they report them.

## Story Three - Not Much of an Economy

Ethel announces that due to the outside worlds economy having changed, they would be no longer accepting USD as payment for a dreaming box subscription, or another forms of currency when 'determining base value for new arrivals', but as always their doors were open. If a potential dreamer could not pay Botco with any form of sufficient valuables, they could assist with the out-of-dream operations. She thanks the operations ranch of Botulus industries, and that she felt strong about Botco's future, affirming that America was a sleeping country now, and that Botco Dreaming Box users had made the right choice.

## Outro - The Morning Hour

Ethel wishes the in Box dreamers to sleep well and enjoy The Prime Dream, and reminds outside dreamers that a Dreaming Box was never far away, and that Botco would be waiting for them. Ethel signs off.