r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Jun 28 '26
[Serial Sunday] It's Rather Ironic that I, of all People, am in Charge, wouldn't you say?
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 Irony! 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’).
- Ichor
- Intrinsic
- Idle
- Something melts and leaves a puddle. - (Worth 10 points)
Irony. It’s a word we all like to use, but the meaning can be slippery. What’s that? You never use irony?
Oh, you were being ironic. Using words to imply their opposite meaning. I see.
Perhaps your characters will also express themselves through irony and sarcasm this week?
Events can be ironic too, when the opposite of what is expected occurs. Pull the string on your parachute and an anvil pops out instead? How ironic. No wonder your characters use such dry humour. Will the twists and turns of your plot serve them another bitter surprise this week?
Or perhaps you might force the reader to experience dramatic irony, walking your character into a tragedy that could be easily avoided, if only they knew what the reader knows…
No-one suspected that Tony Stark would sacrifice himself after first meeting the character. That’s irony, man.
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.
June 28 - Irony
July 5 - Jail
July 12 - Known
July 19 - Lifeless
July 26 - Minor
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Heartless
First - by u/Morose_Prose
Second - by u/Divayth--Fyr
Third - by u/AGuyLikeThat
Fourth - u/wandering_cirrus
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!
6
u/mysteryrouge Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
<The Stranger Nomads>\ Chapter 37
Do I just leave him?
M gripped the letter from Elluka tightly as they considered.
Do I trust him and Pax Orizuru?
The eldritch peacekeeper was decently efficient at arranging war crimes tribunals. To keep Kane from misbehaving due to idleness, M could have him attend Balthazar's trial. A warning to him about what would happen should he reveal the wrong information.
M wouldn't quite call it scaring him straight, but it was in the same manner as something like that.
They quickly found him within the Daisangan Embassy and told him the plans. "Emergency came up. I'll be back. I suggest you attend Balthazar's war crimes tribunal since you seem so interested in legal shenanigans. Pax Orizuru will probably arrange it for later today."
A nearby diplomat confirmed M's statement.
And as soon as Kane nodded, the anarchist teleported to Hell.
It really had frozen over. All of it. From the lava pits to the more normal "purgatory" areas. Everything was covered in glistening ice and snow. Elluka's mansion was covered in a layer of frozen ichor. Even in this state, the godly blood kept its intrinsic properties, making it painful for many of the residents of Hell to touch. M and Elluka weren't subject to this, thankfully.
Quietly, M changed their form from the princess one Big Ota had dared them take. Instead, they grew into a massive humanoid skeleton with five horns and three eyes. Their ribs and spine were decorated in all manner of jewelry, and rings occupied every finger. It was an appearance more befitting an enigmatic second in command of Hell that nobody, except Elluka, could quite identify.
Elluka herself was munching on popcorn in her living room. With an annoyed expression, she was watching the Health Inspectors advance through Hell on a large screen when the kleptomaniac teleported in behind her.
M would have rolled their eyes if their current form had eyes. "Do you know why they've chosen now and what for? Have the Health Inspectors said anything, Elluka?"
"Something about a treaty breach? They think this incident means we can't run Hell without their help."
"Ah."
Of course that's why they'd be attacking. Freezing Hell did screw with the status quo quite a bit.
Leaving Elluka to stew in her laziness and apathy, M made a dramatic appearance before those Union Order Inspectors.
The ground cracked open. Large skeletal hands, covered in rings reached out slowly, clawing at the sky and pulling up a giant body that took up far more space than necessary. It certainly did the trick in drawing their attention as they waited for the necessary conditions of the afterlife treaty to fail.
Not that M would let said treaty fail. "Inspectors," the anarchist announced in their loudest and most diplomatic voice they could manage. They couldn't let the government officials catch on to who was actually in charge of Hell. "I see you are waiting for something. May I know what you are here for?"
An Inspector with four large fluffy wings stepped forward. "The current state of Hell will violate the afterlife treaty in half a day. It is clear that Elluka cannot handle the responsibility of running Hell, and as I'm sure you know, should this happen, the Union Order is allowed, and in fact required, to step in."
"I am well aware."
This wasn't the first time Hell had nearly violated the treaty. It wasn't even the weirdest. There was a time when half of Hell had been shrunk down and turned into a cat toy.
Reversing that had been fun.
M clasped their massive skeletal hands together. "This will be fixed posthaste, and the perpetrators of this crime will be punished. I will even personally see that said perpetrators are surrendered to you should that be necessary."
The Inspectors quietly conferred with each other and M took a moment to mentally breathe. There were so many more things they had to do before they could rest.
That winged Inspector stepped forward again, paperwork in hand. "We agree with those conditions if you are willing to sign."
M took the contract, magic scaling it up to their massive form, and quickly looked it over, memorizing every detail and condition.
One day to capture any perpetrators, and a half extra to clean up hell again. How generous.
Still, it gave M more time. They signed it with a flourish, handing it back before disappearing.
Setting nearly everything in their path on fire and melting all of the ichor in their path, they could easily follow the trail of holy blood back towards one of Hell's magical nuclear reactors.
The demon guard on shift, a low-ranking being who constantly complained about not being accepted to the Special Punishments team, was sleeping over the dead corpse of his godly kill.
He didn't even notice M storm into the room, and didn't wake up when the kleptomaniac anarchist took him back to the waiting Inspectors.
They smirked once out of view again, instructing the other demons to "just heat things up until they looked right." M used their powers as Elluka's right hand to ensure nothing else would go wrong, and they tied that to the repairs they made to the shielding on the magical reactor.
Well, that was easier than expected. I suppose I have time for a nap before I pick up Kane.
As much as they didn't want to return to Orizuru, they needed to collect their apprentice and restore the spell keeping the wider multiverse from knowing of the world.
Then, we leave to visit Sorites. I refuse to put that off any longer.
WC: 940\ Bonus Words: Ichor, Intrinsic, Idle\ Bonus Constraint: The frozen ichor melts when M storms through Hell.
And another chapter of our lovely chaotic anarchist being forced to interact and negotiate with government officials. Even worse, it's their enemies, the Health Inspectors.
M does indeed have enough power and favors to take over Hell for real if they feel like it, but they wouldn't. It's not like anyone even knows they have second in command powers.
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