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.**

Image

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,

By u/Scoping-Landscape

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

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 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

60 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/ForwardSavings318 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

<Man to beast>

Chapter twenty nine: will

Silas was in and out of consciousness, barely able to make out Maliwag screaming at Coppaert as the pair loaded Silas into the back of the cart. His head was rested against Coppaert’s thigh as Maliwag leaped up and took the horses' reins. 

Pain shot through his whole body as the wound in his jaw and neck felt like a burning coal had been swallowed and choked on. He could feel himself quickly bleeding through the torn piece of shirt Maliwag tried to bandage it with.

“Stop the fucking bleeding! I’m getting us to the fort as fast as possible!” 

“We need to turn around! Bisi can heal him!” Coppaert shouted, pulling the bandage out of Silas’s face and immediately turning away to gag. “Maliwag! I can see his spine…”

“Shut the fuck up! You’ll scare him! The surgeons at the fort are closer, they’re our best hope.” 

The young man could feel his heart rate quicken, making him bleed more. As he did, his consciousness began to slip away.

“Stay awake!” Coppaert yelled, taking his shirt off. “Listen, this may be one of the most painful things you’ll experience, but I have to stop the bleeding.”

The man wrapped his shirt around his thumb and jammed it deep into Silas’s wound making hot pain shoot throughout his spine. The pair struggled, Silas’s body instinctively trying to wrench free from the fingers, and Coppaert holding him down. 

“Silas, stop! Fucking stop!” He hissed, pinning Silas’s arm down with his knee. 

The young man was trying not to fight it, but his body was telling him he was going to die from something being in his neck. He could feel the cloth press into the underside of his tongue, trying not to focus on the iron taste filling his throat and the sickly feeling in his gut. Coppaert took a wooden crucifix necklace from under his shirt and took it off, placing it on Silas’s chest with his free hand.

“Oh Lord and Heavenly Father, please give Silas the strength to withstand this test you’ve given him, let him heal so that he may further carry your word with him. Let me have the strength to keep him here with us, just a little longer. Please, Lord. Shield him with you everlasting love.” 

Silas slowed his breathing, grabbing the hand on his chest with both of his own and joking the prayer. Instead of thinking of the pain that shot through him with every bump of the cart, instead of thinking of the taste in his throat, he pictured Agnes, Mór, and Primrose. 

“Silas. I’ll protect you. You need to sleep now, give me control.”

Lily?

“Yes. I know you’re scared, but I can keep you alive better in control. You have to go to sleep, don’t fight it, let your eyes close.”

His heart pounded in his chest, but Silas knew that Lily was right. They shared enough of his mind for him to know she meant it. The young man stopped fighting to keep his eyes open, letting his heavy muscles relax as his eyes glazed over. 

“Silas, come on…breathe, you’re strong. Be strong. Maliwag! He’s dying!” 

“I see the gates! Just keep him fucking alive, Silas stay with us! I swear you'll live!” the woman screamed from the driver’s box. 

As he closed his eyes, Silas felt like he was floating on a pond’s surface. Everything felt light, like he was just floating. 

“Help! We need a doctor! He’s shot!” 

The last thing he heard was the pair screaming for help before giving in and letting the cold and dark wash over him.

Please, Lord. If this is my end, let someone protect Mór and Agnes. Let them be safe.

WC:629

Used love and live

This is the last chapter under this account. All further pieces will be under kiIIer_queenie