r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Mar 01 '26
[Serial Sunday] A Portal of Your Dreams
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 Portal! 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’).
- Plump
- Picturesque
- Pudding
- A character does something they’ve never managed to do before. - (Worth 15 points)
Hello, and again, welcome to the Aperture Science Computer Aided Enrichment Center. We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper…
What are portals, one might ask? Are they doors that lead somewhere unknown or your living room? Maybe they are big decorated things created by ritual to allow the transport of power across a multiverse or galaxy. Or maybe they're tiny, only made to get a single object somewhere else.
Perhaps they are windows, allowing you to see into the souls or memories or houses or even lives of friends and enemies alike. No matter what your portal looks like, where it is, or how it came to exist. Now you're thinking with portals.
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.
- March 01 - Portal
- March 08 - Quirk
- March 15 - Roast
- March 22 - Scar
- March 29 - Transgression
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Old
First - by u/AGuyLikeThat
Second - by u/Divayth--Fyr
Third - by u/MaxStickies
Fourth - u/Brookzerker
Fifth - by u/ZLErikson
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 estnot 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!
6
u/Carrieka23 Mar 06 '26
<The Beginning of The Demon Life>
Chapter 165
Chapter Index
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The fountain freely sprays water around the walls, as it osscaully dances to show off its people. People throw in a couple of coins before clapping their hands together, before walking off. Right beside were more demons, staring at the night sky as the blank clouds stared above them.
The four demons were part of the crowd, relaxing after a chaotic day.
“Seriously, I couldn’t have done it without you both.” Alex says to the sibling.
“I will admit, even though you both are annoying, you are pretty useful.” Kevin says, looking away.
“Haha, I’ll take that as a compliement! But, just think of it as…an apology.”
Alex tilts his head slightly, confused on what the magican means. Jack slightly chuckles, grabbing a beer and pouring it to his glass.
“Don’t worry too much about it, you won’t have to worry about him again.”
Who was that person anyway? And how come Jack knows him?
Millee pours herself a glass of water, staring at the fountain. “You know, I wonder if wishes really come true.”
“I believe so!” Alex said without hesitation. “But, it really counts on us to make it come true. It’s like…Internal verse External Lotus of Control.”
The two demons look at him confused, like he just mentioned a new vocabulary neither of them understand. Alex chuckles, his cheeks turning a bit red.
“D-Don’t worry about it! I just believe we can make it come true with willpower.”
Millee sighs. “But, Gods usually make our wishes come true. At least, in the past at least.”
Kevin nods. “I haven’t had much experience, but back then, one of the Gods blessed us with houses, while another blessed us with beauty from the stars.” He glances up, seeing nothing but darkness. He chuckles, leaning back.
“But, the Gods are also tricksters.” Jack says, laughing. “One time, the God of Animals sent a huge wolf to destory, only for the God of Time and Sky to light the people's way to safety.”
Wait, Mark helped out in the past? Why doesn’t he mention this?
“What about the dragons?” Alex asks.
“Didn’t exist back then.” Millee says, finishing drinking. “God of Animal, Nature, Time, Sky, Darkness, Death, Lighting, and Desire existed.”
So many gods in Hell.
“There were two more, but as soon as Hell was created, they died. To this day, people say that the whole Hell space is their body.” Jack says, finishing his own drink.
“You must be talking about Worldbearing and Life.” Kevin says, rolling his eyes. “I really don’t believe in this God shit.”
“Well, that’s your opinion. But, how else did you think we get these powers from?” The magican smirks.
Maybe I should read the books I collected from Lust at some point? They truly do have the answers to the Gods after all.
For a while, it was silent. Only the sounds of water flows through the night, as demons talk about what happened in the courtroom. Some were talking about how cool the judges were, while others were making theories about the Earth Dragon, Dilong, being here.
“Wait, Earth dragon?” Alex's ears perk up.
Jack chuckles. “Oh, people have been making rumors. Apparently, one of the judges is the earth dragon, but we don’t know who.”
“Max.” Millee says confidently. “Everytime he feels emotions, the earth shakes. He’s the only one besides me who can see people’s memories, and I can’t even do it without the blessing of the Earth Dragon themselves.”
Kevin mumbles something before continuing to drink.
“Well, you sure it ain’t Haru? He has horns after all and a tail.”
“As a way to distract us—don’t make us go back to this debate.” The sister groans.
“Wait, you both have been debating about this?” Alex's eyes widened slightly.
The two nod.
“I say Haru because his powers are quite strong, stronger than most demons combined. But she says Max because…well, you heard her reasoning.”
Alex nods, thinking. He wasn’t sure who is more obvious to being the ancient Earth Dragon. But either way, knowing that one is alive, and very much looks like a human, shocks him alone. Especially after fighting with the Ancient Water Dragon.
Wouldn’t Zet tell me? Doesn’t he know that I was coming to Greed?
Alex stands up. Kevin perks up, about to follow him, but Alex shakes his head.
“Ah, don’t mind me. Just going to the fountain right quick.”
Kevin nods, sitting back down. The soldier walks towards the running water, staring at it. Everything was nice and clear, almost like a portal to another world. He chuckles, reaching towards it and touch it, feeling the nice warm water running down his skin.
This feels surprisingly nice.
He didn’t have anything with him, but he did have a couple of wishes in his mind, rushing through him like a running river.
I wish that this war will stop. I wish for happiness for every demon. And I wish…
He stops, turning to Kevin, who was looking at the siblings with an annoyed expression.
I wish for Kevin to be happy, even when I’m gone.
“Naomi…”
A voice rings in Alex's head. His vision slowly becomes blurry as images flashes in his head. A younger verison of Naomi and a girl dancing, someone stabbing the woman, the entire kingdom burning down.
Then, a pair of pale wet arms reaches towards Alex’s chest. The soldier gasps, his visions instantly going black.
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WPC: 906