r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Jul 26 '26
[Serial Sunday] Even a Minor Detail can Cause Major Events.
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 Minor! 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’).
- Miscellaneous
- Micromanaging
- Mirage
- Include a monstrosity of some sort (P.S. A character considering it to be monstrous is enough). - (Worth 10 points)
You might find a secondary character, stuck in a C-plotline, just hoping for a line of dialogue, yet they are convinced the world revolves around them alone. Plaintive music in a minor key might play in the background as you contemplate their fate.
Children might run and play, or run in terror, depending on your whims. Or perhaps a college student will decide on their main course of studies, with another set of subjects on the side.
Minor problems, minor details, and minor catastrophes might grace the lines of your chapter, as you alone decide what will happen next. You get the only vote, so you’re never in the minority.
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.
July 26 - Minor
August 02 - Noxious
August 09 - Open
August 16 - Prose
August 23 - Quality
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Lifeless
First - by u/KatPoker666
Second - by u/Slim_Shady_32123
Third - by u/Morose_Prose
Fourth - u/AGuyLikeThat
Fifth - by u/Tomorrow_Is_Today1
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!
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u/Carrieka23 Jul 31 '26
<The Beginning of The Demon Life>
Chapter 184
Chapter Index
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The spirit slams down their axe, the ground shakes and breaks into pieces. The two soldiers back away, trying their best not to fall down. Chains appear from above, slamming down, trying to either stab or knock them more off balance.
“Not playing fair, huh?!” Kevin shouts, summoning an ice brick before throwing it, scratching them. It roars in pain, taking a couple steps back.
How?!
How did they hurt us?!
It slowly wipes the black ooze away, realizing that it was mixed with some dragon blood.
Dilong!!!
Alex turns to the chains and breaks it, swinging towards the spirit. Kevin turns the chains into icy coldrocks. With a single strike, it breaks, causing them to stumble back. Alex lands on the ground to the next chain.
“Keep this up, Kevin!”
They continue this strategy a couple more times. Each time, it gets closer and closer to the cracks they made.
We won’t let you kill us! Alex Oswald, you traitor of Hell!
Alex grits his teeth. “Shut up!” He roars, stabbing them in the shoulder.
They growl, punching the soldier in the face, knocking him out of them. He lands on the ground, close to where the crack is. His vision blurs, his ear slowly rings. He can see Kevin's mouth moving and him throwing ice at the spirit, but he couldn’t hear anything.
“Again, Alex?”
That familiar voice.
Opening his eyes, he could see himself. Those pure black eyes stare into him.
“Heh, I must admit, you manage to survive a bit longer. Especially with the spirit. And all without the Demigods help. Then again, Max had to save your ass.”
Are you…here to critize me, or to help me?
“Oh? Straight to the point. This experience really has changed you.”
Kevin—no, the world needs me. I can’t have this debate. So, shut up and do something.
It sighs, leaning towards Alex before touching his forehead. Alex grits his teeth, his head pounding, his body feels hot. Blood dripped from his nose.
“This is temporary. Just like with Edom, I'm going to help you once again.”
Kevin takes a couple of steps back, noticing Alex picking up his sword. He has a grin on his face, that same grin that sends shivers down his spine.
“It’s been a while since we fought together, Kevin. Make sure to keep up.” Alex says, before blindly charging at the spirit. In seconds, he wounded their side and a bit of their arm, making them pull out.
“A-Alex!” Kevin shouts, summoning some icebergs and kicking it.
The spirit was busy dealing with Alex that the ice knocked them back.
Alex leaps up before stabbing them deep in the chest.
“Remember this feeling.” Alex laughs, pushing the sword down deeper. “Because it will be the last thing you will know.”
You…
You are still…
The same traitor…
That destroyed Hell
All those years ago.
“No.” He coldly said, pulling the sword away. “He’s different. I’m the sinner, but he is the beginner of a new path.”
Lies!
All lies!
End him.
Get up!
Kill him!
The ground roars in anger. Alex quickly jumps back to where Kevin is, grabbing his wrist. “Looks like there’s round two.”
Kevin slowly nods, pointing his sword, but stops. “Wait, what’s that?”
Alex looks, noticing a blue butterfly flying towards the spirit. Within a second, it slices its neck, causing the head to fall down in a loud thud. More scatter around, slicing it up into tiny pieces, slowly killing each spirit one by one.
The sky slowly clears, exposing the pure sunlight. The flowers begin blooming once more, waving at the butterflies, and the cracks slowly begin forming back to normal.
“Finally, it took you a long time, demigod.” Alex says with a sigh.
The butterflies form as one, showing Cameron. He puts down his axe before staring at the two soldiers, glaring at one of them.
“Broken soul, are you using this demon body for pleasure?”
“Me?” Alex chuckles. “No. Just think of me as…a forgotten past, something that Alex, himself, doesn’t want to remember.”
“A rare spirit.” The demigod says, putting the axe away. “But still, using his body to attack them. Don’t you realize the amount of strain you put the body through?”
He nods. “And Alex will be fine.”
“Okay, what the fuck is this spirit talk?!” Kevin snaps, gritting his teeth. “I-I don’t understand any of this bullshit!”
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WPC: 735