Belly Literary Universe (part 2)

Azure Journal Part 1: The Watchers

This is a series providing a lens to the broader world of the Belly Literary Universe. At times it will contain content around weight gain, ventriphilia, bellies, feederism and other fetishes. Additionally any similarities to current political issues is absolutely not to be taken as a statement by me. They are the fictional politics of a fictional world.

A diverse cast of people ran across a field, prepared dinner, watched fireworks, smiling all the while. A voiceover talked about the importance of community and connection. It was an ad for a new social media service boasting about its ability to fulfill your deepest social needs. Friendship? Love? Community? The ad promised that Aves could provide it all using the most sophisticated algorithms in the social media landscape. The logo flashed on screen - a cartoonized image of an Aztec bird.

And then it was gone, replaced with a different logo made from a series of consummate circles. It shattered to reveal the studio of the scheduled program.

"Welcome back. I'm April savage reporting again from Azure Heights Entertainment Nexus." She said, her blonde hair swirling as she turned dramatically to face the camera. Her red outfit, scrunched and twisted, looked like roses. The choice of clothes wasn't out of the normal for her as grabbing attention was the name of the game for her segments. Consequently her clothes were always stunning, if not a little garish. With a tilt of her head and a confident smile she continued with the show. "Our leading story tonight is Veera Deva. Or more accurately, speculation regarding her comings and goings. I can't blame you if you haven't been keeping an ear to the ground, but she's been almost completely absent from the public eye since her last show and that incident where she yelled at a fan in front of people queued to see her."

The show cut to a cell phone clip of Veera Deva pointing aggressively and scolding a young man on a stage.

"But you know I don't dig up old dirt. No, tonight I'm coming to you to highlight what little information we do have on what she's been up to." April waved broadly, conjuring a series of images onto the left half of the screen. "Our story starts at Ruby Peak, that crimson tower in central Azure Heights - the bastion where the rich and famous of the state retreat to. Has our diva Deva locked herself away to hide from our prying eyes? Maybe. Our first image provided by an affiliate on the ground suggests that."

One of the images expanded and zoomed. In it, Vera Deva walked alongside a taller woman with a spectacularly rotund belly. "We don't yet know who the woman walking with Veera is. A fan? A business associate? You let us know who you think she is on our social media. Here at the network we think this must have been an important meeting because not long after she was seen trying to secretly traverse the city. She's visited a neighborhood of well known oligarchs, distant towns high up in the mountains, and was even seen checking into a hospital for a several day stay."

April shrugged and shook her head. "Miss Deva what is going on!?" April said, feigning concern. "What is it you're after? Funding? Privacy? Or maybe something more serious. We of course wish her the best, but the hospital she checked into wasn't exactly known for cosmetic surgeries. Speculation aside however, we have no evidence to suggest our dear Deva is in anything but perfect health. Especially after the most recent twist on the story."

April gestured again, and sent a video clip to the right side of the screen. In it, Veera Deva belted a beautiful note while dressed in a fiery red dress with extravagant back mounted wings. "That's right. After a month of suspicious absence and clandestine meetings, Azure Height's own Veera Deva shows up to incite a flash mob at one of our many research campuses. We reached out for comment but the record label's publicists refuse to make a public statement on the matter."

April interlocked her fingers and pressed her hands against her chest. "So what is happening exactly? Only Veera Deva and those closest to her know for sure. But if we had to guess? We say that this past month has been preparation for something big. With the start of her next tour not far off, we think this is part of some larger media campaign. Either way, stay tuned for further updates. This has been April Savage from the Azure Journal. Back to you Robin."

A swipe transition revealed a blue glass newsdesk. Robin Grenfield straightened the papers in her hands. With brown hair, copper skin, and a stoic face, Robin was the opposite of April. "Thank you April. In a seemingly unrelated series of events, the very day of the Veera Deva impromptu concert, one of the computer labs in the same campus experienced a break in. There's been no report of any theft or damages at this time. Authorities suggest it may have been a former employee attempting to use research hardware for a personal project. No suspects have been named at this time though the research center has stated they plan to handle the incident internally for the time being. We'll bring you more as details emerge."

As the show switched to a wider camera, Robin's co anchor, Faye tailor, A blue haired Caucasian woman with a tightly wrapped bun smirked and offered banter. "As I understand Robin, the facility in question was top of the line. We don't have details about where the actual breach occurred, but it has been indicated that it was the highest security part of the campus. I'd hate to be the guy responsible for cleaning up a mess like this." She chuckled, tapping the desk closer to her co-anchor to mark her punchline.

"Indeed," Robin said, not offering any further reaction. "In other news, tensions between the Balkan Federation and the Aligned Greek States have flared up once again after a relatively peaceful winter. The situation arose yesterday as newly released satellite based laser photography revealed the existence of previously hidden AGS military facilities near their mutual border. The Balkan Federation claims that these facilities were the origin point for the EMP attacks that shut down a quarter of the Balkan Federation's civilian power grid last year. The Balkan Federation's released a statement this morning confirming their commitment to peace in the region so long as the AGS refrain from interfering with their genetic modification program."

An image of an octopus-like machine armed with a suite of syringes took up the left half of the screen as Robin continued. "The Balkan Federation has received wide criticism for their program to create 'Super Astronauts'. Critics have said that the technocratic superpower is only interested in space exploration as a way to assert dominance here on earth and covertly develop weapons technology. A spokesperson for the Balkan Federation assured the press that the rigors of long term space travel require the very best humanity has to offer, and that they're not doing anything not found in nature. The situation and conflict remain an ongoing issue. Make sure to tune in daily to keep track of the unfolding situation."

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