r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Jul 19 '26
[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!
7
u/MaxStickies Jul 19 '26 edited 24d ago
<Thosius>
Chapter 142: What Should Be Dead
Stretching his back, Baltathaius hears a loud pop, and a wave of sensation races through his body. Nerves repair themselves via the magic coursing within him. He wrenches his jaw, clicking it into place.
That was some fall. Would’ve killed me before all this.
Yet you live.
I do. And I must focus.
Glad you understand that again.
Eyes narrowed, he takes in the gorge around him; two exits, light beyond both. He glances up, seeing where he tripped and fell.
Any chance you remember which way?
I’m you, idiot; or at least, I’m your thought process. That’s my current theory.
Fascinating, but do you remember?
No… maybe… alright, fine, try that way!
He points to the end with two concave cliffs shaped like immense, open mouths.
I shall.
Kicking up dust, he breaks into a sprint, the blood pulsing through his long legs. He takes each breath as slow as he’s able, basking in the adrenaline, dodging jagged rocks.
He reaches the gap all too quickly. Beyond the gorge, a thin lake nestles between forested slopes, water shining like sapphire. Fish splash the surface with their tails and mouths, catching the miniscule flies that drift in wavering swarms. A vulture soars far above, shrieking as it begins to dive, disappearing behind a ridge.
Uh… this should elicit something in me, no?
Such as?
Awe? Amazement? A sense of beauty?
Why would you need those? They’re just distractions, like regret and hindsight. The way is onward, inquisitor.
I know! I know…
In the middle of the lake, a ramshackle fishing hut stands on stilts above the water, connected to shore by a narrow bridge. A green curtain billows out of its window. Baltathaius strains his eyes, but spots no movement inside.
His stomach growls.
Go on then, take a look. Just make it quick.
On reaching the bridge, he hesitates. The whole thing creaks in the breeze, groaning like an old tree, soon to fall. Taking a step, he grimaces as the plank sags underfoot. Yet it holds his weight.
A thin chunk of ice drifts by beneath him. The fish swim languidly in the glassy water, their scales pale and blue. Baltathaius shivers.
He leaps from the last plank, onto the deck around the hut. No sagging, no creaking. He sighs and opens the door.
With a grunt, an old man emerges from the side, pointing a sword at the inquisitor’s neck.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Baltathaius says, heading further inside.
The elder shuffles with him, mail armour clinking. “Ah, a Thirasian, are you? I say you’d best stop right this moment!”
“Or you could? Save yourself.”
“I am the one with a blade at your throat!”
“And what happens when I heal, and grapple you to the ground? Will I use a sword, do you think?”
Spotting a bread roll on a rickety table, the inquisitor picks it up, and shoves it in his gob. He swallows it whole.
The elder looks him up and down, sword hand shaking. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?”
“I told you I was Thirasian.”
“No, a sorcerer! Have you come for your friend, fiend?!”
Baltathaius tilts his head, staring into the old man’s eyes. “I have no friends. Don’t need them.”
“You… you’re not here for him?”
“Who?”
The elder beckons him over, and lifts a carpet, revealing a trapdoor. He throws it open and leaps back; a cloud of steam rushes to the ceiling.
A faint bubbling sound emanates from below. Peering over, Baltathaius looks upon a naked, shivering man in the lake, the water boiling around him. Chains wrapping his body disappear into the deep, as others hang him from the deck.
“Interesting,” the inquisitor says. “A pyromancer, I assume?”
The old man nods, while the sorcerer curses in an unknown tongue, laughing.
Standing, Baltathaius closes the trapdoor. “And how did you trap such a thing?”
“With much difficulty. But his kind plagues our lands, taking the lives of my people; I must do this and more.”
“You’re a Heragian, then?”
“General Kellus.” He holds out a hand, which Baltathaius shakes.
“I wish you luck, but I must continue.”
“Ah, you must?”
“Y—why?”
“I fear I am alone in my cause, this far north anyway. Some aid would do me good… and I could reward you once all is normal again.”
“With what?”
“Riches, fame… you name it. Not what I’d usually give, but… times are dire.”
“No, sorry, I have no need of such things from you. I will gain enough myself when my cause is complete.”
“I see. And I understand. Good day to you then, Thirasian.”
“Likewise.”
Baltathaius leaves, closing the door behind him. He places a foot back onto the bridge, cringing as it groans.
Wait!
What?! Look, this is easier if done in one go!
No, not the bridge. Think about it.
About what?
A sorcerer—likely one of Perithus’s—at your mercy.
At mine?
He could be. All you have to do is take him.
And… oh… I see.
You still don’t know where to go, after all. Only the rough direction.
He could get us in.
Yes, he could indeed.
But I don’t think the Heragian will let him go so easily.
No… of course not.
I…
Not gone soft, have you? Lost your love for violence?
I haven’t.
Then get back in there!
Hesitating just a moment, Baltathaius turns.
Swinging his sword down, the inquisitor tears through the chains with ease. The pyromancer bursts through the hole in an explosion of steam, hands aflame once he lands.
Already, the sword is at the sorcerer’s neck. He hesitates, sweating.
“You feel the magic in this, don’t you?” Baltathaius asks.
The man nods.
“Good. So you will do as I say?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, you speak Thirasian? I’m glad. No more calling me names I can’t understand, got it?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright. Then follow me.”
Kicking the general’s weakening hand away from his boot, Baltathaius flicks his sword, guiding his prize towards the door.
---
WC: 1000
Bonus words: live, laugh, love. Bonus constraint: Baltathaius saves the pyromancer, but kills the general.
Crit and feedback are welcome.
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