The Pixel Phantom:
Hey everyone, I'm new here!
I came across this story recently
Seems interesting but thought it was more fascinating the author had a Discord
Didn't think that was a thing

AuroraWild:
A lot of authors do if they start online, but Luna's is the best!

The Pixel Phantom:
We'll see about that

BakingClearly:
Have you read any of Luna's work?

The Pixel Phantom:
A little bit. Haven't gotten too far yet. Just finished the first chapter.

AuroraWild:
It's really good, right????

ThePixelPhantom:
It's okay so far.

Luna frowned at the interaction that was taking place as the others launched into trying to get answers from whoever Pixel was. The server didn't seem thrilled that whoever this new user was didn't come in immediately gushing over her work. It wasn't the first time that it had happened, a few comments slipping through questioning what was happening in specific chapters, but Luna didn't let it bother her.

This, however, made her uncomfortable, and she couldn't exactly pinpoint why. She watched the interactions for a few minutes longer before slamming her laptop closed, putting it back in her bag, and going home.

It was a relief that the house was actually quiet when she returned. Sam had stayed upstairs, most likely already asleep, and the things Luna had cleaned up stayed clean. There were things that she still needed to do. She still needed to try to make sense of the remaining mess, but those weren't Luna's next steps.

She stepped into the downstairs bathroom and pulled open the closet door so that she could look at herself in the full-length mirror. It wasn't something that Luna did often, mostly wanting to make sure that an outfit looked okay, but she avoided looking at herself. She looked much different than she did when she was younger, and it pained her to see what she had become. With a grimace, Luna stripped down to her underwear and forced herself to meet her gaze in her reflection.

Luna studied herself in the mirror, trying not to pull a face whenever she met her eyes. Luna would never deny the fact that she wasn't skinny, but she hesitated to ever use the word fat because it wasn't how she normally saw herself. Sure, she was on the bigger side, and finding clothes was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. She was often sequestered to weird animal prints and what she deemed "old lady floral" and not the hip, modern patterns her smaller peers could get away with, but it wasn't all bad. At least that's how she tried to rationalize it.

Her weight had fluctuated over the years like a yo-yo. Going up when she was most stressed before finally dropping when things leveled out. Luna pinched and pulled at herself, running her fingers roughly over her stretch marks as if she could rub them away just by being rough. She grabbed at the loose skin under her arms and pressed in on her belly as if she could push every part of her back into herself. She couldn't exactly pretend that she hadn't gained a lot of weight over the years, either, something that she felt was exacerbated by Sam and his refusal to cook over the years they'd been together.

It wasn't like it was something Luna wanted, but after working so much to keep their house going, the one thing she always wanted Sam to do was cook. She begged him to; just simple things like chicken and broccoli, but he always deemed those meals too hard. He couldn't bake the chicken correctly and insisted that he didn't know how to steam the broccoli. It didn't feel like things that were over-complicated, but they were things that Sam couldn't ever seem to manage. Even a basic salad seemed to allude his grasp.

Instead, more and more fried food that left Luna uncomfortable kept coming into the house. Although she couldn't say that her being home was any better. With Sam being out more often, it appeared that he just decided to bring home food no matter what most days. He would get upset with her if she didn't have at least some of what was there. It didn't matter that she had taken the time to make something healthy; she was expected to have whatever he brought along with him. Because of his expectations, Luna had probably spent more time feeling ill than okay. The last thing she needed was for Sam to get any more annoyed with her than he'd been.

Before she knew it, Luna became aware of the tears streaming down her cheeks, and she dropped onto the floor, shoving the closet door closed so that she didn't have to look at herself anymore. She scooted herself across the floor so that she could lean back against the wall, her tears coming harder.

Why was her life going the way that it was? Why did she look the way that she did? What was she supposed to do about it? She tried to do whatever she could – taking longer walks with the dogs and trying to sneakily cut back on whatever Sam brought home. It just never felt like enough because of the days she would have to lie on the couch, feeling nauseated and unable to move out of fear of making things worse.

And why couldn't Sam be supportive of what she was doing? Why was he always so mean to her about her writing? Why was he questioning what she was doing and the friends she had made online? She was aware that many of them didn't know her, didn't know what she was like in person, but did that really matter if she was making them happy?

Eventually, Luna's tears slowed, and she wiped them away from her cheeks roughly as she pulled her clothes back on. She studied herself in the mirror over the sink for a moment before leaving the bathroom with an annoyed huff with herself as she went upstairs to get changed. She made to enter the bedroom, but quickly realized that the door was locked when the doorknob refused to turn.

Luna's first instinct was to want to slam on the door to wake Sam up and force him to let her in, but she turned back around and went downstairs instead. She thought about the mess she still needed to clean, but that could wait. Luna pulled out the blanket and pillows she left in the bathroom closet, took off her jeans, and tossed herself onto the couch, crying herself to sleep.

By the time Luna woke up the following day, Sam had already left. She wasn't surprised to find that the kitchen was a wreck from whatever he had decided to make himself for breakfast on top of what she needed to clean, but she was relieved to see that the animals were at least taken care of. Despite how things were, Luna would be grateful for small favors.

After a quick breakfast of toast and eggs and a shower, Luna set herself up at the kitchen table to work on her writing. It felt like there was a lot of editing to do, and she couldn't seem to catch up, especially not with how distracted she was.

Sam didn't return home until shortly after dinner, a little later than he should have been. Luna frowned as he entered, dropping a bag on the kitchen table and pulling out a box. She watched him pull out something cylindrical, wrapped in paper and bubble wrap. He carefully pulled away the tape holding the package closed, and Luna grew cold when Sam pulled out a dagger from its packaging.

"What are you doing with that?" Luna questioned, staring at the knife as it glinted in the light ominously.

"Isn't it cool?" Sam asked. "Thought I would start a knife collection."

"But why? What do you need them for?"

"To collect," Sam said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Luna wanted to comment that Sam had never mentioned doing such a thing, but she could recall several conversations where he had mentioned wanting to collect knives. She just didn't feel like it was a good idea to have, especially with how frequently he had been drinking lately, but she wouldn't dare to mention that.

"So, I was thinking," Sam said, twisting the new knife in his hand, the overhead light bouncing off the silver blade.

"Thinking about what?" Luna asked roughly.

"Well, maybe I should read what you've been writing. See what people have been seeing and try to understand, you know?"

"You want to read my book?" Luna questioned, an eyebrow raising as she searched Sam's face. He nodded, and Luna scoffed. "You've never wanted to read it before."

"I just want to know what people have been reading so I can give you my praise, too," Sam answered with a smile. "So, get your laptop and let me read it."

"Why don't you use yours?"

"Because it's easier to read it from yours when I know you've got everything, and you've got yours right there."

Luna was uncertain but decided to be brave and give it a try. She had backups of everything in case something happened, and while she didn't think Sam would do anything drastic, she still worried. It felt like there wasn't much that he wouldn't do. At least if he read what she wrote, maybe he would finally support her in what she was doing. She looked at the knife in Sam's hand as he set it down before she turned her laptop around. She hoped that she was doing the right thing.

As Sam sat across from Luna, skimming through the full document of her work that she had done so far, the blank expression on his face began to change. It was hard for Luna to read what it meant other than "critical," leaving Luna feeling on edge. She shouldn't have shared what she wrote, and when Sam finally spoke up, she knew it was true.

"I think there are some major changes that you need to make," Sam said, looking up at Luna. She felt her heart sink. While she wasn't expecting constructive criticism from Sam, she also wasn't expecting him to be so blunt.

"Changes?" she asked. "What sort of changes?"

Sam leaned back, folding his arms as he peered at the computer. He gestured towards the screen momentarily, his lips pursing slightly before folding his arms again. "Well, your pacing is off, for one," Sam said. "The story drags, and the dialogue feels forced. I don't know how anyone can enjoy this when there's nothing engaging about it."

Luna nodded, forcing a smile on her face. "Okay, pacing and dialogue. Sure. Anything else?"

"And your characters, to be quite honest, suck. Chloe is the worst character I've ever read."

Somehow that was an even harsher blow. For all intents and purposes, Chloe, the character Luna had created, was her figurative child, and the story she was telling that revolved around the girl meant a lot to her. So much of Chloe was Luna, and Luna was Chloe. It was hard for her to explain it in words, but part of Chloe's story had parallels to her life as a child and the things she had wanted growing up. It stung more than anything.

"She lacks depth," Sam continued. "I don't feel invested at all in her story. There's nothing relatable about her."

"I disagree," Luna said quietly. "But okay, I guess I'll take another look..."

Luna sat back, listening to whatever Sam had to say as he commented on every little aspect of her writing that he didn't like. She worried her lip between her teeth, barely noticing that she was biting it so hard that it started to bleed. The more Sam said the less Luna wanted to know. She wanted Sam's support, but she wasn't sure she would get it. Luna could feel tears forming as a knot tightened in her chest.

She had poured so much of herself into her writing, and she didn't mind learning things she could do to improve, but it felt like Sam was more concerned with tearing her down. At least Erik was gentle with his criticisms, though sometimes he slipped, but he always quickly reminded Luna of what she was good at.

"Sam, I appreciate your honesty," Luna said, cutting Sam off, not wanting to let him continue, "but I wasn't asking for you to tell me everything that's apparently wrong. What about the parts that you liked?"

A flash of aggravation crossed Sam's face, but he recovered quickly with a slight shrug. "I mean, there were a few good lines here and there, but I think you need to rethink the direction that you're going."

"I like the direction that it's going. Other people like the direction that it's going."

"But it's not good. A werewolf girl that is suddenly all-powerful –"

"She's not all-powerful –"

"But she's given special privilege."

"Because that was the card she was dealt! She didn't choose to have any of what happened to her happen; it's just her circumstances. She doesn't want to have power, as basically non-existent as it is because she's still a child," Luna practically shouted. "Besides that's not the story I'm trying to tell. I'm trying to tell the story about a girl who finally has a family who loves her!"

Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and then rubbing his forehead. "Listen, I want to support you, but you need to make changes now before you continue. I promise that it'll make things better if you just sit down and really think about it." Luna nodded, giving Sam a tight smile.

"Now, what's for dinner?" Sam asked, but before Luna could answer, he stood up, placing the knife back in its box and taking it with him. "Never mind, I'll just go pick something up. I'll get the usual."

A few days later, Luna's mood hadn't improved. She was on a call with Erik, the first she had been able to have in what felt like ages and was watching her laptop screen. She had just posted the next chapter of her work, and she was curious to see what the others had to say. It seemed to be going well, with Erik gushing to her about how much he loved what she had done and the members of her server saying the same until things shifted.

BakingClearly:
Has everyone else finished reading Luna's most recent chapter? It's really good.

Aurora Wild:
Oh, man. I need to go read it right now! Do I need to get ready to cry?

Baking Clearly:
Maybe?

AuroraWild:
Well, we all know that I will anyway.

BeeTree94:
I've been following Luna's story since the beginning and it's so so so good. It's really cool to see how everything has evolved.

The Pixel Phantom:
Am I missing something? Her work really isn't that good. It's okay, but it's not as poignant as you all make it out to be. It feels too...idk. It's too much.

TheWerewolfPrincess56:
Really? I think Luna's writing is genuine. What don't you like about it? I don't think it's too much at all.

The Pixel Phantom:
It just feels too forced and try-hard. She's pushing things too much when it should be more laid back.

Luna frowned at the conversation that was occurring, even though the others were defending her work. She knew that not everyone would be a fan of her writing, but whoever this new person was seemed to really be hot and cold over what she wrote. She was busy reading what was happening while trying to pay attention to what Erik was saying, but she was struggling.

"Luna," Erik said, repeating her name over and over again until he managed to pull her attention back.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Erik," Luna said, trying to sound chipper. "Just trying to figure out what to write next, you know."

"But you've already written it, Luna. You finished the first book."

"Doesn't mean I can't go back and add more. Besides, I don't think that it sounds right, and I need to go back in and fix things."

"Luna, it's perfect."

"No, it's not Erik. I need to fix it, or else everyone is going to hate it."

Erik was silent for a long moment before speaking again. "Does this have something to do with Pixel?"

"No," Luna huffed. Though he wasn't helping, she wanted to add. "I let Sam read everything."

"Oh," Erik said in response. "And?"

"He thinks that it needs to be changed." Luna groaned, leaning back into the couch cushions and running her hands through her hair. "I think he might be right."

"What?" Erik replied, sounding stunned. "Luna, it's perfect. You don't need to change anything."

"But what if it needs more action? What if it really doesn't make sense?"

"It all makes sense," Erik said. "You don't have to change anything."

Luna sighed before launching into the explanation of everything that Sam insisted that she needed to change. Even worse, the more she said, the more it made sense even to her. It wasn't the story that she was trying to tell, but maybe Chloe really was too powerful. Perhaps she should have a different life, one with more drama and action. Maybe she needed to give her characters more depth. She was explaining a different plot point that Sam had suggested when she flew into a panic at the sound of a car door being closed.

Luna looked at the time on her laptop and groaned. Sam was home sooner than expected again. It felt like he was arriving home earlier and earlier lately instead of later.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," Luna said quickly. "We'll talk later." Before Erik could say anything else, she ended the call and closed out of Discord completely, switching screens to her writing. She was impressed with her speed as no sooner had she switched windows when Sam walked into the house, joining her at the kitchen island she was sitting at.

Sam studied her face closely, but Luna didn't look at him. "You've been sad lately," Sam said in observation. "You've been working so hard."

"I'm fine," Luna muttered, face twisting in confusion when Sam shoved an envelope in front of her face. "What's this?"

"Just open it," Sam said, his eyes twinkling and a beaming smile splitting his face in two.

Whatever Luna had expected, it certainly wasn't whatever it was Sam was giving her. She took the envelope from his hand and opened it. Inside was a card, a surprisingly pretty one by Sam's standards, and inside was a hand-written apology. By the time she got to the end of what he had written, Luna looked up at Sam skeptically.

"What's this?"

"An apology," Sam said before jabbing his finger to the last line written. "And I want to take you somewhere for a few days. You deserve it. Thought it would be good to shake off the stress and get back into things with a fresh mindset. Maybe we can look at everything together and see what we can fix."

Luna hesitated, wanting to believe that Sam was being genuine, but she wasn't sure. "You were just telling me the other day that you didn't like what I was doing," Luna said slowly, "but now you want to take me somewhere and want to help me?"

The smile on Sam's face faltered, and he ran a hand down his face. He sighed, waving Luna off in an attempt to downplay their previous conversation. "I just wanted to help, and I think it could be good if you make some changes," Sam said, reaching out and taking Luna's hands in his and forcing her to look at him. "I just want to get away for a little bit with you and give you a nice little surprise. I thought a change of scenery would be good for us both. You've been talking about that bed and breakfast you've been wanting to go to for a while."

The smallest bubble of optimism bubbled up in Luna's stomach. She had wanted to go to a specific bed and breakfast for a while – one by the ocean with beautiful views. It had been modernized but had just enough of its old vintage charm with a soaking tub that Luna would love to relax in.

"The bed and breakfast?" Luna questioned, trying to keep the small bits of doubt out of her voice.

"Yes, the bed and breakfast," Sam said, laughing at the squeal of joy that Luna let out. "So? What do you say?"

There was only one thing that Luna could think of to ask, "When do we leave?"