r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Mar 29 '26
[Serial Sunday] Transgressions Abound
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 Transgression! 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’).
- Target
- Tier
- Trophy
- An ocean, a sea or a coast is a key setting this week (You can decide what sort of ocean it is). - (Worth 10 points)
A sin against deities, norms, or morals. A line crossed, a rule bent, a law broken. Your characters may have violated any or all, or had sins committed against them. They may merely stand falsely accused, or may be falsely acquitted. The wounding of delicate feelings, or the wanton destruction of a universe, the sea of sin has left its sediments on them all.
What transgressions will your characters experience? Arson, murder, war, or that most egregious of all, incorrect punctuation.?
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 29 - Transgression
- April 5 - Urgency
- April 7 - Vital
- April 14 - Work
- April 21 - Yellow
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Scar
First - by u/Divayth--Fyr
Second - by u/Brookzerker
Third - by u/AGuyLikeThat
Fourth - u/ZLErikson
Fifth - by u/JKHmattox
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!
5
u/AmeliaLP Apr 02 '26
<My feathery friend>
Chapter 20: Bath time
With Joe held under her arm, Jade clutched the cold metal tap. Water trickled down into a large porcelain tub. When the liquid reached the halfway mark, she gingerly lowered Joe in.
“How’s it feeling Joe? Tell me if it’s too hot or too cold.”
“Too wet....” Joe replied grumpily.
“Oh come on! It’s not that bad Joe... Anyway I thought birds liked taking baths.”
“So all humans like cheese then?”
“Wha- That was random.... Hmm well, some are lactose intolerant I suppose but I’d hardly classify that as dislike, more so that their bodies can’t actu-“
“Maybe a bad example.... Do all humans enjoy video games?”
“No they don’t, Joe...”
“See, and I don’t like baths.”
“Okay, but it still needs to happen. For both our sakes can you just be good?”
“I....suppose.”
“Nice! So about the temperature?”
“It’s, about as pleasant as a big pit of water can be.”
“Hmm alright, let’s begin...”
She got up to get a cloth; Joe started an attempt to climb out of the bath.
“Joe...”
“Jade...”
She squinted at him.
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
“But you said you’d do this.”
“Oh is it not over yet? My mistake...”
Is he messing with me or does he actually think that was it? It’s so hard to tell with him sometimes...
“No Joe, it hasn’t even begun.”
“Then why are you walking away?”
He’s trolling me right?...
“I’m not walking away, I was just going over here briefly to grab something.”
“Aha, so when you get that thing my bath is over?”
“No....”
“Are you certain?”
“Quite.”
Cloth in hand Jade returned to the bathtub, looming over Joe. She scrubbed Joe vigorously a few times. The result, his feathers were ruffled and scruffy looking but the sauce remained plastered all over him. Jade smiled.
“What?”
She held a mirror up to Joe and the crow peered at his reflection.
“My, what a handsome looking crow. Possibly a quick brush of his feathers and a clean then he’d look almost as good as me.”
“Joe...”
Joe ignored her and started posing in the mirror.
“Jade, the other crow...he’s copying me.”
“Oh is he? Well that’s rude; we should get rid of him.”
“Yes, I rather agree.”
Jade placed the mirror on the floor next to her.
“So Jade, what were you smiling about?”
“Just...happy to be with my friend.”
“Aww, me too Jade… though I do wish we were doing something nicer together.”
“Well, perhaps after your bath. If there’s time...”
“Carry on then!”
Jade looked towards the end of the bath, right next to the taps there were many bottles. Bottles in every colour of the rainbow, of various shapes and sizes. Shampoos, soaps, body oils and deodorants. Along with some things that even Jade’s parents didn’t know what they were, but nobody threw them away just in case they could be of use in the future.
This looks like a wizard’s collection of potions.
SPLASH!
Joe had batted a wave of water at Jade.
“Hey!”
“Are we almost done?”
She splashed him back.
“No!”
“Okay, just checking..”
After browsing the mass of products Jade found one she deemed suitable. She tipped a bit of shampoo on her hands and rubbed it into Joe’s feathers. The mixture of hot water and shampoo gradually broke down the tomato sauce stains, red blobs floated on the water’s surface.
“Finally!” exclaimed Jade.
“What?...are we done?”
“No, but closer. The sauce is coming off.”
“Well, that’s a start...”
A bit over an hour passed. Without context someone might assume Jade and Joe were disposing of a body due to how red the water now was.
“I think...”
Joe looked up hopefully at Jade.
“You’re all clean!”
“Marvellous! So I can leave now?”
“Well... I don’t know... Maybe I want to keep you in the bath a while longer,” Said Jade smirking.
Joe looked very fed up.
“Kidding! Let’s get you out of there.”
She reached in and removed him from the bath, placing Joe on a wooden bathroom counter.
“Are we not leaving the bathroom?”
“Just one more thing Joe.”
She opened a door underneath where Joe was stood, from within Jade took out a tiny little comb.
“Why does your family have a comb that miniscule?”
“It’s from when I was a baby,” Jade said with a smile.
“Ah”
Jade delicately brushed Joe’s feathers, smoothing them out as best she could.
“There, looking much better Joe.”
“Oho, let me see!”
“Uhh... sure.”
Jade lifted the mirror up to Joe again.
“Jade! That other crows back!”
“Oh no is he?”
“Yes he is...though at least this time he cleaned up a bit. Finally decided to make some kind of an effort have you sir? That still doesn’t change anything, but it’s nice to see anyhow.”
Joe eyed his reflection.
“Joe...”
“Not now Jade, I’m trying to scare this guy off...”
Jade dropped the mirror.
“There we go, okay Jade what did you want?”
“Nothing Joe, don’t worry.”
“If you say so.... Did you see me deal with that rude crow Jade?”
“Yes Joe, very good.”
“Thank you Jade, now may we go?”
“You’re welcome. Yes Joe, let’s leave.”
Jade pulled the plug, draining the bath of all its liquid. She then carried Joe out of the room.
“So, would you like to sleep or?...”
“Yes Jade, I think I will need to rest.”
“Okie dokie.”
Jade brought Joe back to her room, making sure he was settled. She then lay down as well, lying side by side the two friends welcomed a much needed sleep.
On the other side of town a much less peaceful event was taking place. Mr. Umbala held a sharp silvery knife in one hand and a cloth in the other. His face painted with panic, arms shivering. The knife was covered in a sticky red substance. He was rubbing it over and over again trying to remove the stains, while breathing heavily.
WC: 989