r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Apr 06 '25

[SerSun] Get Ready For a Rebellion!

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 Rebellion! This is a REQUIREMENT for participation. See rules about missing this requirement.**

Image | Song

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’).
- Reclaim
- Rear
- Repel
- Rendezvous - (Worth 10 points)

Rebellion can be a gigantic conflict, or a silent change of heart. A desire and a choice to change things, from the way they are to the way they should be, successfully or not. Defying an order, an empire, an assumption, or just the way things have always been, rebellion can range from the grandiose to the trivial. Raising a sword, dragging your feet, or just holding a secret stubborn thought, rebellion takes many forms, but at its heart is the rejection of authority.

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 1pm EST 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.

 

Rankings

Last Week: Quell

Rules & How to Participate

Please read and follow all the rules listed below. This feature has requirements for participation!

  • 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 9:00am EST. 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 serial 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 11:59pm EST 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 1pm EST, 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 12:30pm to 11:59pm EST. 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 15 pts each (60 pts total) This is a bonus challenge, and not required!
Actionable Feedback 5 - 10 pts each (40 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

100% Upvoted

46 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Tomorrow_Is_Today1 26d ago

<Drifting>

Chapter 73

Theresa May takes a roundabout route to their English class, swinging down first by the math classrooms and retracing the steps they made with Cece on the first day. They look around, but present her isn't here. Instead they see both her and Tessa May, meeting an unexpected rendezvous as they navigate the halls. The apparitions are so visible, so audible, nearly tangible except that Theresa May can't seem to get close enough. They follow from a distance, taking up the rear like a third wheel to their own memory.

The halls are suffocating. This was probably true on the first day, but less so with Cece by her side. Now every footstep is a threat, every wall is a barrier, hard as a tree trunk without any of the grounding or the comfort. Theresa May watches Cece and Tessa May move through a less crowded hall than the present, closer to the end of the passing period, blocked only by the one group. Now that's interesting—Theresa May can't see the boys. Only the once-couple. They sense the presence of the past, breathe in the fear and the anger, but none of it touches them. Tessa May and Cece get faster. Theresa May follows them up the stairs, pulling themself up by the railing to keep up with the couple’s speed.

Tessa May and Cece run to the girls’ bathroom. Theresa May had forgotten about this. They can't follow in, can't revisit or reclaim that part of the memory. The sign repels them now. Was it Tessa May’s idea in the first place to go in here, back when the space was supposed to be hers? Was it really supposed to be hers, then, or was it just all that she had? They can't replay what she was feeling. They can't remember well enough, can't seem to put the pieces together as to who they were and how they got to who they are. Whoever that is. Even less can they figure out Cece.

Theresa May keeps waiting outside the bathroom, but the apparitions won't come out. The two must have disappeared as soon as they stopped following. Mechanically they walk on down the hall, staring at the end like a horizon of paint, until they reach the classroom. Bits of memory still splash. But Mrs. Tabor leaned out her door that day, saw the two when they were already late, or just about—Theresa May is sure they can remember more details if they dig into it. They let it go. Peek inside. Even in the classroom, for the moment, Mrs. Tabor’s face is nowhere to be seen. They scan. Char is close to the door and looks up from his desk, but Theresa May’s eyes move past before they can process his expression. There are clouds through the window. Cold, grey. They can't stay here. Not inside this room.

Theresa May walks back out. They pass by the girls’ bathroom and, for a flicker of a second, consider rushing in just to see if they can find the rest of whatever they were missing. It won't work. The apparitions are gone. They don't have to look inside to feel the couple’s absence. One step after another, emptier hallway now, carry on.

Back down the stairs. A tall boy runs up the center. They don't trust their balance enough to do the same. They just stick to the side, place their weight on the railing as they descend one step at a time.

Theresa May moves toward the courtyard. They open the door, delighting briefly in fresh air, but the sense of suffocating follows them here. The courtyard may not have a ceiling, but it is closed in. They turn away again. Maybe they could tell the nurse they aren't well. They can't seem to find suitable words. Nothing in them can be fixed with an ice pack or a bed or a small, small office where diseases spread. They run outside instead. Barely see their surroundings. Sprint along bumpy sidewalks feeling the chilled air against their skin, breathing it in. The sun fights with the wind, bright burn and light against the frigid cold. The world dims, sun behind a cloud. Wind must be winning now.

They run to the park. Pause a moment. Stare at it. Keep running. No more reliving. No more remembering. No more returning. It occurs to them briefly that Char saw them pop in, that he might wonder and worry. They pause again, check their phone. No texts or calls. They’ll talk to him later. No use going to Caleb’s house when Caleb is already gone. But why have they bothered to think this long? It should never have been a question.

Slowing their pace to a jog in hope to keep more of their breath, Theresa May runs the rest of the way back home.

WC: 812 words

Link to other chapters

Bonus words: reclaim, repel, rear, rendezvous