Belly Literary Universe (part 2)

Myre's Enthusiasm Part 38: Branding

Myre and Evan slept together. And then they woke up to water their virtual crops and tend to their virtual animals. A busy week for both of them left them both tired but craving each other.

Myre snuggled into a ball in her computer chair, and re-adjusted her headphones. She chuckled into the voice chat. "You know Evan, since we first started playing this game together, I've been craving a fat avatar for it. Would be more accurate nowadays..."

"You're the artistic one," Evan said.

"I know! But I don't do pixel art. And besides that I don't know how I would actually get them into the game."

"I don't think it would be easy. The NPCs all have one set of sprites. But the player has a whole ton of them. Different shirts. Different pants. All that stuff. So you'd have to make 60 fat shirts. Then 30 fat pants..."

"Yeeah I know..."

"Sorry. Visual modding isn't really my area of expertise. Sorry."

"No, don't apologize! I was just fantasizing out loud."

Evan chuckled. "Speaking of fantasy, how is your belly doing?"

Myre blushed. "It's gotten biggerrrr. Just a little bit." She broke her blanket cocoon, pulled up her shirt, and snapped a picture of it's roundness, just barely resting in her lap. Then she sent it to Evan.

Evan's phone buzzed through the voice call. He didn't say anything. His response was more of an approving grunt than any words.

Myre liked the response. "It's sticking out a little farther. It's getting heavier. I notice it all the time shuffling around the shop. It has some momentum to it now. And in just the past month or so it's stopped doing that thing where it creases in the middle when I sit? It's just accepted that it's supposed to be round and creases a bit under my bra now."

Evan grunted again. "I could listen to you talk about your belly all day."

"I could probably talk about it all day. Wellll maybe not. Hours at least though."

"Don't let me stop you."

Myre chuckled, then slapped her stomach loud enough for her microphone to pick up the sound. "I really am loving how it's growing. I always catch myself rubbing it, or holding it. Or just looking at my rotund reflection. I guess it's made me a little bit more vain."

"Oh?"

"It's just always there! Being heavy and round. Oh! The other day I had another customer comment on it again. They asked how far along I was."

"Oh. Oh no... What did you say? Does that kind of thing bother you?"

"Definitely not," Myre said, "I just told her that I wasn't pregnant. Just left it at that. But what I always want to say is something like 'Oh, no I just got fat recently, so nice of you to notice!' to see their reaction. I don't want to make my business awkward, though. But it's kinda hot when people ask. Makes me want to go to the grocery store more often in hopes people will say things."

"I can't even imagine being so confident like you."

"It's not that. Like you saw in the picture, my mom was really big. So I guess that just feels normal to me, and people getting worked up about it in a bad way are just - I dunno - being silly. I guess there is a little embarrassment. But only a little bit. Like, you know when you say something a little awkward to a cashier, you know it's embarrassing but you also know its a little funny? Well it's like that except the little bit of embarrassment is mixed with arousal."

"I uh - don't actually know what that's like. I just cringe into oblivion when I say dumb things at the register," Evan laughed.

"Well okay. I guess everyone is different. But what I do know is I can't wait to be even bigger and see how people react. I really need to consider some fun things to wear to show off my roundness."

"Heh, well, if you get as big as you drew on the napkin... You'll have to update the logo in your room."

"Oh that one? It's not really my logo. Just a little doodle. My logo is just something simple. A ribbon with my name on it - and it mentions ice cream too because of course it has to."

"Didn't that pinup have that ribbon around your belly."

"Well yeah," Myre laughed.

"Maybe that should be your logo. Once you get bigger. Or maybe not everywhere, maybe just some special edition paper boxes," He suggested, with a worry in his tone. Concern that he said the wrong thing.

"I'd have to do the line art, then color it, then make sure it's all perfect..."

"But then your belly would be on display all the time," He said, again with audible nerves.

"You really like that idea, don't you?" She teased, hoping it would calm him.

"Well, I'm just saying. It might be fun, even if you don't end up using it."

"I don't know if it sends the right message to the market, heh."

"Ooorrrr," Evan said, "It's the move to make you stand out on shelves. The puritans who would shy away from something like that would probably only choose your brand by chance. No offense to your quality. It's great. But if they're trying something new based on looks? It's a crapshoot anyway. A big ol belly would make your stuff stand out. And people who already like your stuff would already be willing to buy it because of the quality."

"Wow, you've really thought about this...From you that's a bold suggestion," She praised.

"Heh, yeah well, I actually saw it in a dream. So take that for what it's worth. I want you to be happy, and your business to succeed. I mean you do spend a lot of time thinking about your belly. You're going to get big - you've told me as much - it'd be truth in advertising."

Myre gave her belly a long round rub with one hand. "It might be fun to finish up the logo anyways. You know. Just to have it." She smirked to herself.

***