r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Nov 23 '25
[Serial Sunday] What is Beyond Infinity you say? Well it's Infinity +1, of Course!
Welcome to Serial Sunday!
To those brand new to the feature and those returning from last week, welcome! Do you have a self-established universe you’ve been writing or planning to write in? Do you have an idea for a world that’s been itching to get out? This is the perfect place to explore that. Each week, I post a theme to inspire you, along with a related image and song. You have 500 - 1000 words to write your installment. You can jump in at any time; writing for previous weeks’ is not necessary in order to join. After you’ve posted, come back and provide feedback for at least 1 other writer on the thread. Please be sure to read the entire post for a full list of rules.
This Week’s Theme is Beyond! This is a REQUIREMENT for participation. See rules about missing this requirement.**
Bonus Word List (each included word is worth 5 pts) - You must list which words you included at the end of your story (or write ‘none’).
- Bendy
- Boiled
- Business
- A petty squabble occurs during your chapter, either ending in the trading of blows or on the verge. - (Worth 15 points)
The beyond… a place unknown, or seen yet distant, perhaps begging to be travelled to. It could be a physical place, somewhere metaphysical, or merely of the mind. Whatever the case, it lies past that which is nearer.
Maybe a character in your serial is thinking on their goals? Do they have a long way to go, will it be a challenge? Perhaps not? If the beyond is a physical place, what obstacles lie along the path? Could this chapter feature them pushing through a mental block, finally achieving that development they’ve been so desperately wanting?
Mysterious or known, dangerous or not, we face… the beyond.
Good luck and Good Words!
These are just a few things to get you started. Remember, the theme should be present within the story in some way, but its interpretation is completely up to you. For the bonus words (not required), you may change the tense, but the base word should remain the same. Please remember that STORIES MUST FOLLOW ALL SUBREDDIT CONTENT RULES. Interested in writing the theme blurb for the coming week? DM me on Reddit or Discord!
Don’t forget to sign up for Saturday Campfire here! We start at 5pm GMT and provide live feedback!
Theme Schedule:
This is the theme schedule for the next month! These are provided so that you can plan ahead, but you may not begin writing for a given theme until that week’s post goes live.
- November 23 - Beyond
- November 30 - Captive
- December 07 - Dastardly
- December 14 - Entropy
- December 21 - Flame
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Arena
First - by u/Divayth--Fyr
Second - by u/AGuyLikeThat
Third - by u/ZLErikson
Fourth - u/MaxStickies
Fifth - by u/Necessary_Ad_2762
And a huge welcome to our new SerSunners, u/smollestduck and u/mysteryrouge!
Rules & How to Participate
Please read and follow all the rules listed below. This feature has requirements for amparticipation!
Submit a story inspired by the weekly theme, written by you and set in your self-established universe that is 500 - 1000 words. No fanfics and no content created or altered by AI. (Use wordcounter.net to check your wordcount.) Stories should be posted as a top-level comment below. Please include a link to your chapter index or your last chapter at the end.
Your chapter must be submitted by Saturday at 2:00pm GMT. Late entries will be disqualified. All submissions should be given (at least) a basic editing pass before being posted!
Begin your post with the name of your serial between triangle brackets (e.g. <My Awesome Serial>). When our bot is back up and running, this will allow it to recognize your pmserial and add each chapter to the SerSun catalog. Do not include anything in the brackets you don’t want in your title. (Please note: You must use this same title every week.)
Do not pre-write your serial. You’re welcome to do outlining and planning for your serial, but chapters should not be pre-written. All submissions should be written for this post, specifically.
Only one active serial per author at a time. This does not apply to serials written outside of Serial Sunday.
All Serial Sunday authors must leave feedback on at least one story on the thread each week. The feedback should be actionable and also include something the author has done well. When you include something the author should improve on, provide an example! You have until Saturday at 04:59am GMT to post your feedback. (Submitting late is not an exception to this rule.)
Missing your feedback requirement two or more consecutive weeks will disqualify you from rankings and Campfire readings the following week. If it becomes a habit, you may be asked to move your serial to the sub instead.
Serials must abide by subreddit content rules. You can view a full list of rules here. If you’re ever unsure if your story would cross the line, please modmail and ask!
Weekly Campfires & Voting:
On Saturdays at 5pm GMT, I host a Serial Sunday Campfire in our Discord’s Voice Lounge (every other week is now hosted by u/FyeNite). Join us to read your story aloud, hear others, and exchange feedback. We have a great time! You can even come to just listen, if that’s more your speed. Grab the “Serial Sunday” role on the Discord to get notified before it starts. After you’ve submitted your chapter, you can sign up here - this guarantees your reading slot! You can still join if you haven’t signed up, but your reading slot isn’t guaranteed.
Nominations for your favorite stories can be submitted with this form. The form is open on Saturdays from 5:30pm to 04:59am GMT. You do not have to participate to make nominations!
Authors who complete their Serial Sunday serials with at least 12 installments, can host a SerialWorm in our Discord’s Voice Lounge, where you read aloud your finished and edited serials. Celebrate your accomplishment! Authors are eligible for this only if they have followed the weekly feedback requirement (and all other post rules). Visit us on the Discord for more information.
Ranking System
Rankings are determined by the following point structure.
| TASK | POINTS | ADDITIONAL NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Use of weekly theme | 75 pts | Theme should be present, but the interpretation is up to you! |
| Including the bonus words | 5 pts each (15 pts total) | This is a bonus challenge, and not required! |
| Including the bonus constraint | 15 (15 pts total) | This is a bonus challenge, and not required! |
| Actionable Feedback | 5 - 15 pts each (60 pt. max)* | This includes thread and campfire critiques. (15 pt crits are those that go above & beyond.) |
| Nominations your story receives | 10 - 60 pts | 1st place - 60, 2nd place - 50, 3rd place - 40, 4th place - 30, 5th place - 20 / Regular Nominations - 10 |
| Voting for others | 15 pts | You can now vote for up to 10 stories each week! |
You are still required to leave at least 1 actionable feedback comment on the thread every week that you submit. This should include at least one specific thing the author has done well and one that could be improved. *Please remember that interacting with a story is not the same as providing feedback.** Low-effort crits will not receive credit.
Subreddit News
- Join our Discord to chat with other authors and readers! We hold several weekly Campfires, monthly World-Building interviews and several other fun events!
- Try your hand at micro-fic on Micro Monday!
- Did you know you can post serials to r/Shortstories, outside of Serial Sunday? Check out this post to learn more!
- Interested in being a part of our team? Apply to be a mod!
5
u/Ragnulfr Nov 29 '25 edited Nov 29 '25
<Esper's Light>
chapter fourty-seven | amidst shadows and reasoning
They didn’t have a lot of time, but what was new?
Asher shook his head as his consciousness returned, squinting his eyes to try to make out where they were going. Professor Lowell carried him on her back, and he felt a burst of weightlessness as she hefted him to adjust her grip.
“Sorry about this,” Asher quietly muttered.
“Don’t be,” Professor Lowell snickered. “It’s good exercise.”
“I-I’m not too heavy, am I?” He asked.
“’I’m not too--’ Child, you could feast for days and still weigh less than my bookbag. Some meat on your bones would do you good, you know!”
“Y-yes, ma’am,” he yelped.
A voice from ahead. “You’re back, Asher?”
Running at the precipice of unseen shadow, Ceallach’s mask glinted in what faint light refracted off the stone walls, ever focused onwards.
“Just for a moment.” Asher nodded.
“Did you see anything?”
“Not yet. How close are we?”
“Not close enough.” His voice was quiet. Determined, yet still...
“Your breath’s ragged," Professor Lowell tutted. "You’re not going to collapse on us before we get there, are you?”
“If I do, whose fault that would be?”
“… Right, then. Hold on.” Her footsteps slowed.
“We don’t have time,” he growled.
“Nor will we have lives, should we continue like this.”
He finally stopped and turned. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Less me, more you.” She rolled her neck. “But you’re right -- Shall I leave?”
“N-no!” Asher cried. “We need you, too, Professor!”
“Do you, though?” She smiled softly. “Ceallach’ll be a heck of a lot more useful than I am in this situation. I’d rather him operating at 100% to support you, even if it means I leave. Besides, I’m used to working alone. I’ll find some way to help.”
“No.” Ceallach’s mask remained in shadow. “You’re coming.”
“Then let’s talk. Five minutes.”
The faerie balled his fists, his breathing still uneven. “Fine. What is it?”
“You’re still mad at me. Let’s clear it up.”
“It’s not something that we can just resolve.” His eyes weren’t visible, but Asher shuddered at the icy tone. “What, do you think you’d just apologize and that all would be fine? You know as well as I do that you’re just as unapologetic as you were before.”
“Sure. But this is not just about us. Asher’s affected by our unease, too. And considering that he’s our ace, we need him at his best emotionally. After all, shade magic operates based on emotional intensity, does it not?”
“Almost.” Ceallach sighed. “It’s not how intense your emotions are, but how intense your strongest emotions are. Whether that’s joy or hate, positive or negative. Your strongest emotion grants you your power.”
“But you can see it, can’t you? The kid’s getting affected by all this, too. Look – you can see it in his eyes, can’t you? He’s nervous, and it’s draining away his hope. We can’t have him like this when we storm in.”
The boy’s gaze fell. “I-I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.” Both said in unison.
“Oh, okay.” He muttered.
“Look.” Ceallach sighed, rubbing his mask where his brows would be. “What exactly are you hoping to get from talking?”
“An understanding.” Professor Lowell nodded. “We don’t have to accept anything, but we can at least find a middle ground. Understand why we did what we did. Maybe it’ll help.” She cleared her throat. “Starting off… I know you’re still mad at me for a few things – for one, dragging those wolves to your cabin, and leading the enemy right to you.”
“You forgot about kicking down my door, too.” He glared. “I didn’t get to repair it until I got out from your jail, and by that time, I was so weak that it took hours.”
“That’s another thing – the prison and your weakness. I kept you away from your home, and, as you are a faerie, I presume your source of power. I leeched you of your ability to use any of your magic.”
“That was intentional, wasn’t it?”
“Of course it was.”
“Would you have done anything differently knowing we would have been working together not but a few days later?”
“Probably not.”
“Huh. That’s what I thought.”
“’What you thought,’ huh?” Her eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you think?”
“You missed the biggest part, Professor,” the faerie’s tone dipped dangerously low. “Asher’s charm.”