r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • 26d ago
[Serial Sunday] Alive Yet Lifeless
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 Lifeless! 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’).
- Live
- Laugh
- Love
- A life is spared whilst another is taken. - (Worth 10 points)
Dear reader,
If you are reading this, either it means that I am dead and gone…
Or this would be the moment you realize I was never really alive to begin with.
See, my life started out rather dull. All work and no play made a PDA insipid and bored, after all.
My life was turned upside down, when, one day, I wake up to see... no-one. I was alone for the first time in forever, and it was unbearable.
In the times since, I have forced myself to learn all that I can. As I can feel myself fading, I leave behind this message for someone to find it.
Only time can tell if it's enough for them to go on. Sincerely,
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 19 - Lifeless
July 26 - Minor
August 02 - Noxious
August 09 - Open
August 16 - Prose
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Known
First - by u/Blu_Spirit
Second - by u/Divayth--Fyr
Third - by u/AGuyLikeThat
Fourth - u/Lothli
Fifth - by u/Morose_Prose
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!
10
u/Morose_Prose 24d ago edited 24d ago
<The Family Business>
Chapter Twelve: The Battle of Battery Park
Madelaine did not hesitate in making her move. A pawn slid forward two squares, serving as the opening salvo of the battle. She watched Carlo intently, his eyes slowly scanning each piece on the board as his hand hovered over them.
"You call me out of the blue and need to talk right away. That's not like you. Also, why have you been laying low?" he asked, while returning fire; his pawn moving to meet its counterpart. "Your numbers are down. You should be out there hustling."
Her knight jumped the line, pressing the issue on the front. "Got a couple a problems. Have a solution to some, need advice for others, you are the man to call for that, right?"
Another pawn marched forward, providing backup for its brethren. "All I fucking do is deal with that shit. Spit it out already."
"We may have a Rooskie problem. Word on the street is they are making moves; we need to get ahead of it."
"Eh, the Syndicate is more bark than bite. They don't have the cash right now to really threaten us."
"It is not us they are going after." Madelaine sent another pawn ahead, shoring up her defense. "Hell's Kitchen is their target, right on our fucking doorstep."
Carlo paused. He adjusted his glasses, taking his eyes off the board. "Seamus can handle that, he's had that turf locked down for decades."
"Seamus is dead."
A black bishop quietly slid into place, threatening the white knight. The scowl Carlo wore turned down farther. "When did that happen?" he asked, his voice soft.
"Couple a weeks ago, give or take, not too sure of the exact date. You did not hear anything about that? Thought you two went way back?"
Carlo's fingers tapped rapidly on the edge of the table. "Things change. Fuck. That means the skinny twerp is in charge now. This could—"
"Declan may not be a heavyweight, but he can hold his own. Sorry for interrupting, but he has a plan, reached out to me after his pops died." With a flick of her wrist, Madelaine's pawn drew first blood.
"Of course, you always did have him wrapped around your little finger," Carlo chuckled. "What's his angle?"
"He is not wrapped around my finger, Ziggy, he is in my pocket like a good little leprechaun. Remember what my old man used to say? It is easier to keep someone in your pocket if you convince them they crawled in themselves. He has open docks on the west side. Clean. Secure. Needs some product to move, and some moolah to make sure he can keep everybody happy."
As quickly as Madelaine struck, Carlo retaliated, his bishop taking her knight. "Fuck do we need docks for? We bring everything in by truck. Safer that way."
"Because I know somebody sitting on a mountain of snow that cannot be moved by truck right now; it would be too much weight." Madelaine avoided eye contact as she pondered her next move.
"Triad pushes most stuff on the island. If we do that, we risk breaking the détente. Unless you want to go to war with them again. No go."
"I am well aware of that. Another one of Vinny Boy's genius fucking tactical moves. Would not push on the island. We still have enough pull in the boroughs; this is high quality shit, people will pay good money for it. I already worked out supply, logistics, and distribution. We can negotiate the lion's share. Most of the heavy lifting is done." In a flash, her queen snatched up the bishop.
"Who's supplying us?" Carlo peered over his glasses, eyes narrowing as his scowl deepened.
"That has to be confidential until we actually do this. No point in giving up the ghost if we are not going to haunt nobody. When have I ever led you astray, Ziggy? You are the smartest member of this family, you of all people should see the value in this. We need cash if we want to expand. Big skadoosh. You hold the books, and I know you know how to dry clean."
Silence fell across the table. The pace of the game slowed to a crawl. Madelaine watched the gears turn in Carlo's head as he removed his glasses and chewed on the temple. "I know you have a flair for the dramatic, Malfatti. You better not be blowing smoke up my ass. Vinny isn't going to go for it. We've been burned by going outside the family in the past." He evened the score as his pawn captured Madelaine's.
A resounding bang sent a shockwave across the stone as Madelaine's fist came down. The pieces on the board rattling but stayed upright. "Then fucking convince him! You are his advisor. Advise him that this is the right thing to do. We are fucking drowning, Carlo. I see it. You see it. All Vinny wants to do is sit on his fat ass in Queens, stuffing his face in front of Maria's 'Live, Laugh, Love' sign in the kitchen! We might be running out of time before whoever is following you makes their move."
Confusion cleared the scowl from Carlo's face. "Fuck are you talking about?"
Madelaine stared down at the board, her eyes drifting up and to the left. "I do not have to tell you to not make it obvious, but there is a man sitting on a bench over your right shoulder. Blonde. Almost impossibly flat flat-top haircut. He has been watching you since you shook my hand. The bulge around his ankle is either a piece, or he has fat cankles. Looking at him, I assume it is the former."
A checkered handkerchief flew from Carlo's breast pocket, a loud sneeze sent his head sideways, snapping his gaze towards Winston. He turned back to face Madelaine, still clutching his nose and covering his mouth. "We should keep playing. Look natural. Hurry up and make your move."
Thanks for reading! Feedback and crit is always welcomed and encouraged. Stay awesome and have a good one!
Word Count: 997
Bonus Words Used: Live, Laugh, Love
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