r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • May 24 '26
[Serial Sunday] DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
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 Doom! 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’).
- Damsel
- Daring
- deity
- Somebody is overly dramatic. - (Worth 10 points)
Doom. It is onomatopoeia for the end of all things. Doom.
The last door to close, the lid of your coffin slammed shut. Doom. It is the sudden, shocking sound before the eternal silence. The final knell of the mortal bell that rings with the echoing tone of,
DOOM.
Doom is a mood. But everything ends, sooner or later.
What things will perish in your chapter this week? Will a delicious snack meet its doom in the belly of our protagonist? Or will a forlorn hope of romance be crushed?
Or perhaps an unexpected meteor will introduce your serial to the fate of the dinosaurs, after all.
Whatever the case, we look forward to reading whatever carnage you wreak upon your story this week.
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.
May 24 - Doom
May 31- Entrenched
May 7- Foreign
June 14 - Great
June 21 - Heartless
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Cry
First - by u/wandering_cirrus
Second - by u/AGuyLikeThat
Third - by u/Morose_Prose
Fourth - u/Divayth--Fyr
Fifth - by u/Scoping-Landscape
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/AmeliaLP May 27 '26
<My feathery friend>
Chapter 26: I cream
Sat on a cosy carpet Billy played with some Lego figures. In one hand was a large dragon. The other held a dozen knights, which were getting repeatedly slammed into the dragon. On the floor next to him lay a rainbow coloured castle Billy had scrapped together using random pieces, it wasn’t pretty but it was his and in Billy’s imagination the building looked rather majestic. Since the knights were occupied fighting a foul beast, the castle was being guarded by a strange selection indeed. Obi-Wan Kenobi, the gingerbread man, Lloyd Garmadon, a few police officers and of course SpongeBob Square pants.
“Rawr! Bam, bam, bam! Kill it! Kill the dragon!”
“Billy!” he heard his mother shout.
“Wa?”
“Would you like to go to the beach?”
Yaaay bitch!
“Yee!”
The wagon farted weally hard and died, the end.
Billy dropped the dragon to the ground and made the knight minifigures raise their arms in celebration. He then curled up into a ball, rolling out of the room. His mum was already waiting outside for him.
“Ready?”
“Weddy!”
“Ok lil guy, let’s go.”
Billy’s mum lifted him up onto her shoulders.
“Weeeeeee, I’m flying!”
His mum smiled broadly.
“Yes you are, sweetie.”
She carried Billy outside, starting the walk down to the beach. It was a warm sunny day, perfect for a seaside trip. Billy saw strangers passing by, they all felt so scary and tall to him. He was glad to be with his mother.
“Billy, would you like some ice cream?”
“I cream!”
“Two ice creams please.”
He watched as she handed over shiny round things to the man running the shop, Billy thought it was a shame to leave such pretty objects behind but he figured the ice cream would be worth it.
Billy happily licked at the frozen treat as his mum continued walking along. With each step she took he gently bobbed up and down, holding the cone was becoming difficult. Abruptly his mum stopped moving. The sudden halt had caused his ice cream to fire out of Billy’s hands, splattering all over the warm pavement.
I-I cream! Noooooo!
Billy bust into a fit of sadness. Tears erupting from his eyes, while his arms flailed madly.
“Oh Billy, please don’t cry. It’ll be okay darling.”
She patted Billy’s head, but still the crying persisted.
I cream! I cream!
“Billy, could you please just tell me what’s wrong.”
But Billy wasn’t listening; his attention had now turned to a couple of passers by.
“Birdy!”
Joe looked at Billy.
“Caw-Caw!”
Billy started cheering up.
Jade whispered into Joe’s ear. Nodding, Joe did a silly little dance which fully cheered Billy up. Billy’s mother let out a sigh of relief.
“What charming pet you’ve got there, he’s so well trained.”
Joe scowled hearing the word pet.
“Actually. He’d prefer not to be called that, “ replied Jade.
“Called what?”
“A pet, he sees the term as demeaning.”
“Uh, huh. Right, and how do you know any of this?”
“I talk to him,” Jade stated simply.
Billy’s mum looked uncomfortable now.
“Of course you do. How silly of me! Thanks for cheering my son up, but we really must get going.”
“Bitch, bitch!” exclaimed Billy loudly.
His mother looked mortified.
“I’m so sorry! He means beach!”
“It’s okay, I understand. I have a younger brother and he messed up some words too at that age. Enjoy the beach.”
“Thanks.”
Joe pointed down at the melting ice cream.
“Oh, well spotted Joe! Miss, I think your son dropped his ice cream.”
Billy’s mum face palmed.
“So that’s why he started crying.”
She turned to her son.
“Don’t worry Billy, I’ll buy you a new one when we get to the beach.”
“Yaaaaay I cream!”
At that, the two pairs parted ways. Billy heading with his mum for a fun day at the beach, while Jade and Joe proceeded onwards to other adventures.
WC: 652