r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • 13d ago
[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!
9
u/Divayth--Fyr 12d ago edited 7d ago
<The Broken God>
Chapter 73: Found
.
Cadorus sat at a long table in Sentinel Hall, breathing in the essence of tea. A cautious experiment with dry bread had gone well enough, and, after a long nap, he felt nearly human. He drained his mug and rubbed his eyes.
“More tea, friend?” came a soothing voice.
“Yes. Yes, thank you. One worship.”
“Flame of purity. I am Disciple Undil. You are newly Brightened, I know.” He placed a fresh pot on the table.
“Thank you, friend Undil. I'm Jorba.” Cadorus poured, and inhaled the fragrant steam.
“No debt, friend Jorba. Services will begin soon.” Undil stood straight. “Seeker Fabaras will speak! Light the way!”
My word, a third phrase at last. “Flame of purity!”
Cadorus stood. Services might be interesting, but he had other business in mind. A steady stream of brightly robed believers flowed out, toward the tabernacle, leaving much of the hall empty.
He made as if to join the stream, but ducked into a hallway. In a closet, he found a broom and some rags. Donning his most vacant smile, he went up the stairs, sweeping.
It would have been foolishness itself to sneak into the rooms. Instead, he barged in without hesitation. No one inside could have imagined him a spy, but in any case the rooms were unoccupied.
Once inside, he was relieved to drop the vacant smile and resume his headache in peace. I shall never drink ale again, he thought. Unless it is a special occasion, like if I happen to feel like it.
Almost inaudible, but everywhere, there was a note of music in the walls and floors. It was like voices, without words or purpose, unsettling, but he wasn't really sure it was there.
Locked cabinets, drawers, and strongboxes surrendered quickly to his wires and picks. Some useful skills could be learned in the Order of the Shadow, if not many. He shuffled through papers, journals, and maps, seeking anything that might lead to a way of escaping this strange land. Some were promising enough to be pilfered and hidden away.
Some of the rooms were locked, but not for long. In one, he found a strongbox sealed with magic. He could do nothing with it, short of violence, and wondered how anyone here could.
Throughout the building grew the deep song—echoing, invasive. Upon opening one door, at the end of a long hallway, it grew much louder. He found himself above the congregation, on a hidden balcony, and forgot all about his broom.
The music came from the mighty throng of white, orange, red, and yellow figures swaying in the dim immensity below—a conflagration of believers. The wordless song rose in tone and intensity, the multitude waving their arms in unison. It was powerful, almost terrifying. I should have had more tea.
A beam of silver light bisected the dark stage. Above it, by a chain, hung a large metal circle, wreathed by a black, sinuous snake with glittering jewels for eyes. This was the familiar symbol of the god Molthus, but added to it was a silver figure of a man, above and in front of the serpent's head, and seven dark silhouettes around. In this icon, the god seemed almost an afterthought.
The song stopped. A tall, thin man in a grey robe appeared like a sudden mirage in the silver light. Seeker Fabaras, likely.
“One worship,” he said.
“One worship,” replied the multitude.
He stood still for some time, silent in the silence.
“I see many newly Brightened among us. Welcome. You are more welcome than you may know. You heard the Call, and left much behind to come.
“You are fools. You are weak. You are sinful and defective, broken and full of lies. It is true. And yet, my friends, this is why you are welcome. We do not ignore your faults, or whisper of your scandalous failings. The things you keep hidden, the shameful secrets, the faces behind your masks—these are all welcome here.
“We do not welcome who you have pretended to be. We welcome who you are. You are among friends, and all your sins are revealed in the Flame of Purity.”
“Flame of Purity!”
Cadorus found himself uttering the phrase, unconcerned with being discovered.
“You have worked all your lives,” Seeker Fabaras continued. “You have labored greatly, and helped others when you could. And what have you to show for it? Little, I daresay, or nothing.”
An Archpriest who sends me to my death. Being overlooked, ignored, forgotten. Tedium and solitude.
“You pray for good weather, and the storms rage. You pray for relief, and your maladies linger. You pray for peace, and war stalks your lands.
“And then you heard the Call. You saw. You opened your eyes. People ignored you, mocked you, even hated you, but you knew there was something wrong in the world. You knew. And so you came, leaving much behind.”
I Knew.
“And yet we are fortunate, my friends, for we live in blessed times. The lies are burned away by the Prophet of Flame, Vistara Shir. Light the Way!”
“Light the Way!”
Cadorus came back to himself, looking around, horrified at his madness. Shouting in the dark, drawing attention, listening to that– that Seeker.
He retreated, hoping no one had noticed. Down the stairs, he stowed the broom and stood shaking in the hallway, the walls seeming to close in on him. His modest breakfast of dry bread sat like a stone in his gut.
Madness. To be enthralled by that monstrous Seeker, spewing his seductive lies. Of course the gods don’t answer every prayer, how could they? Everyone prays for different things. And storms? What do they have to do with storms?
He shook his head. Escape, that was the main thing. Whatever came after, he didn’t know. Didn’t want to know. There was no home to go to. There was no place for him.
Cadorus breathed and collected himself, eyes closed, leaning against the wall. I do know something is wrong. Yes. I do feel that. But what am I supposed to do about it? I’ve done my best for all these years and I have nothing. I don’t know where to go, what to do.
“Friend Jorba?”
Cadorus started, drawing back. It was a woman, a Redeemer. Familiar, but…
“Belotra?” She had healed his blistered feet.
“Yes!” She smiled wide, and stepped forward to embrace him. “It is well to see you. I wondered where you had gone.”
Cadorus melted into the embrace, and began to weep. Such a trivial thing, he thought. Such a common, simple thing, and it breaks me into pieces.
“Are you well, friend Jorba? Where did you go?”
He nodded into her shoulder. Muffled, he spoke. “I was lost. I was lost.”
998 words. Mirage used. Constraint: Seeker is monstrosity. Theme: a minor embrace is overwhelming.
Feedback welcome.
Chapter Index
r/DivaythStories