r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • 8d ago
[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/AGuyLikeThat 2d ago edited 2d ago
<The Tower in the Tangle>
[Previous Chapter] [Chapter Index]
Chapter One-hundred & Forty-eight: Some Kind of Plan.
~ Samal ~
The fall of the Brightflame Empire can be traced to the wild misfortune of a curious damsel and the daring actions of her knight protector.
A simple, unpredictable twist of fate that cascaded into an unstoppable chain reaction, ultimately disrupting the prophesied ascendance of a deity.
Knowing this, who would dare take the reins of the future? Of what consequence are mortal efforts, when history turns on the small and unexpected?
The wise witch cuts a simple design from the clothe of the present. She must observe and measure from a place of quiet, hiding from the World, lest it conspire to balance the scales.
Seek not to forge an encompassing future, for complexity is the enemy of intent.
Understand that the ontologia is nurtured by the past. Trace the many paths of history from root to branch. Consider every action in terms of trajectory and potential.
Only then, braid the tides of circumstance with subtle enchantments woven from will.
The buds of the present sprout infinite possibilities. To prune them is a delicate task of last resort, for each may bear the strangest of fruit in time.
- The Subtle Craft, Lesson Thirteen; ‘Weaving Fate.’
One by one, dark figures emerge from the storm.
The Warden leads the short column along the muddy road; a tall, black silhouette striding out of the gloomy, rain-soaked morning, lit from behind by the white brilliance of a swinging lantern.
Stepping back under the eaves of a tumbledown shed, Samal shivers in his damp clothes. There’s no chance he’ll be seen while he’s faded out. But still.
Better safe than sorry. It’s the Warden, after all.
The man is an enigma, one Samal cannot comprehend.
He’s either far too bloody canny or completely mad. But he must have some kind of plan.
Water drips from the roof as he watches his former companions trudge out of the misty rain. Lightning flickers within the swirling vortex surrounding the Tower, but the roaring winds and rumbling thunder are strangely muted within the wyldstorm’s eye, and Samal can hear the crunch of boots as they approach the gravelled forecourt.
Somewhere above the wretched valley of Nightvale the sun has risen, but little light bleeds through the roiling clouds. Shadows dance across the rain-slick cobblestones, cast by Aostlah’s lamp as it swings atop her crooked staff. The witch’s featureless, porcelain mask gleams within her deep-green hood as she glides across the debris-littered path.
Thirno walks beside the witch, coppery-hair sodden, teeth bared and eyes blazing. His pale-blue skin looks purple in the gloom, and his muscular shoulders bunch as he idly spins his twin throwing axes.
Slinking furtively in Thirno’s wake comes Shira, short bow ready as she crab-walks behind, guarding the flank as they pass the first of the dilapidated buildings that line the courtyard.
Check the damn stables, you blue-arsed idiot. They’re full of damned monsters.
Anxiety and doubt roil in Samal’s gut as he recalls the twisted creatures within. Ranks of servitors; corpses enslaved by steel and sorcery, and rows of stalls containing huge, armoured Gargantae; creatures rebuilt for war. All standing quiescent and motionless, ready for the Tower’s instructions.
What is the Chamberlain waiting for?
Two figures hang back further, watching the shadows for any sign of ambush. Rahby has the gemlock rifle hoisted against his shoulder, and old Moskoto watches his back with a short spear ready to throw, with three more in his off-hand.
The jabiri twitches in Samal’s grip, pulling towards its owner as the Warden strides by, barely twenty yards away, raking the shadows with his piercing glare. Cold, gray eyes pass over Samal without pausing, leaving his skin dimpled in the chill.
One by one the others pass by, casting fearful glances up at the great, black Tower and the storm-tossed sky.
Still no sign of Petal… The fact of her absence tears at his guts. Where is she?
Even worse than the idea of her vengefully hunting him down is the thought that she might have fallen to some trap or ambush. The image of her covered in blood and choking on the Captain’s arrow is engraved in Samal’s memory. She might be the strongest warrior he has ever seen, but Akari Pe’etelan is still human.
At the base of the wide stone steps the Warden halts, and the others spread out to either side.
“REVEAL THYSELF!” Water drips from the Warden’s tall hat, trickling down his long, oil-skin coat, and he strikes his spear against the ground with a resounding thud. “I would parley!”
Thin laughter drifts out of the sky, and the great iron-bound doors swing out, revealing a bright-lit hallway, adorned with rich tapestries.
“You may speak with our champion.” A sonorous voice floats on damp air. “The Sentinel.”
A dazzling figure steps out of the light, reflections dancing of its burnished skin. Unlike the ironbound, this creature bears no remnant of flesh. It is forged of cold steel; the head is an eyeless helm, and sharp, curved spikes protrude from its shoulders and forearms. Gauntlet-hands brush the rows of throwing knives that rest in scabbards across the Sentinel’s chest.
The artificial creature pauses at the top of the stairs as motes of sparking sapphire wink into existence. They gather and grow, spinning around the Sentinel, forming thickening spirals that tighten and coalesce into a pale, familiar form.
Where the Sentinel had stood, the tall, emaciated figure of the Chamberlain regards them, outline flickering slightly in the fine rain. The copper wires and dangling jewels of his ornate headpiece obscure his eyes, but his short white beard splits in a cold smile.
“Warden.” The greeting is at once a taunt. “Have you come to replace the Captain? Did you know that he too called himself ‘warden’? Of course, that was before he became our loyal servant.”
The Warden sneers. “Garnok was a fool.”
“As are you, it seems.”
The Chamberlain raises a hand, and with a splintering crash, the stable doors burst asunder.
WC-999
Author's Notes:
For newer readers who might wonder about the meaning of some of the strange terms like 'ontologia', I have compiled a small Glossary.
This week's theme is Doom! - The Warden seems to have led his few remaining followers to their doom! Samal worries that Petal has already met her doom, and even if she has not, she seems likely to bring doom to him.
I'll put some links to previous chapters here later. Maybe.
Bonus words used; - Damsel, Daring, Deity.
Additional bonus constraint: 'Somebody is overly dramatic.' The Warden starts speaking in all-caps and using archaic pronouns like 'thyself'. Seems overly dramatic to me.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. All criticism and feedback is welcome.
r/WizardRites
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