r/shortstories • u/FyeNite • Aug 23 '26
[Serial Sunday] A Quaint Quality Quip
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 Quality! This is a REQUIREMENT for participation. See rules about missing this requirement.**
[Image](- https://www.deviantart.com/arnimbruno/art/army-1367329415)
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’).
- Quench
- Quaint
- Quip
- A question is asked and an answer is concealed. - (Worth 10 points)
When I think of quality, I’m reminded of the phrase “Quantity has a quality all on its own”. Which is interesting to think about. Do you think you can replace your protagonists with a thousand others to achieve the same result, or do you perhaps require a very specific person with very specific qualities to complete the quest you’ve set before them?
Quality is also a synonym for traits your characters possess. What is it that make your works of fiction unique? Perhaps this week you’ll celebrate what makes them different by presenting them with a challenge only they are equipped to handle? Or maybe an unlikely hero will finally get to show off their own strange qualities?
Either way, I want to see what you guys come up with when all other paths have failed and all that you’re left with is the absurdly strange.
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 BSTand 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.
August 23 - Quality
August 30 - Rebellion
September 6 - Stratagem
September 13 - Torture
September 20 - Unleash
Check out previous themes here.
Rankings
Last Week: Prose
First - by u/Morose_Prose
Second - by u/KatPoker666
Third - by u/ZLErikson
Fourth - u/Divayth--Fyr
Fifth - by u/mysteryrouge
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 BST. 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 BST 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 BST, 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 BST. 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/katpoker666 Aug 27 '26 edited Sep 15 '26
<‘Wild Eats’>
Chapter 6: A Quality Friendship
“Nuvvuh round? …Ser-sehrsley?” Carol slurred, glaring like a wounded animal in a hunter’s sights. “Kn-know woooooduhn leg, Ann-ugh—“ she dry-heaved.
“‘Carry Home Carol’ night it is then,” Annie quipped. “Quaint, just like old times.” She held out a remarkably steady arm considering how much they’d drank, and smiled. “I’ve got ya.”
Leaning on Annie’s arm for all she was worth, Carol gallows-shuffled toward the exit.
Annie cast a glance over her shoulder at Jake, who quirked a well-groomed brow, universal bartender speak for ‘You’re not going to trash this place, are you?’ Noncommittal, Annie lowered her head and shrugged slightly as she continued heading out.
Bouncing into the glass door hard earned Carol and Annie a dirty look from the bouncer. As they lurched onto the sidewalk at an otherwise-sensible 9 p.m., Annie looked both ways. Other patrons just entering for an evening out shook their heads in dismissal at Carol’s sorry state.
“C’mon, we’ve all been there!” Annie defended.
“Yeah, maybe in college!” A man huffed as they bumped into him. “You’re too old for this shit!”
“And you’re too, too… too, umm, ugly, so we’re at an im-impasse,” Annie spat out before sighing. “C’mon, Carol. It’s not far.”
“Mungakay.”
“I’ll take that as ‘Yes, Annie. Let’s go home. Thanks for always being such a wonderful friend.’”
“Mungaaahhhh!”
Annie looked over.
Carol pointed to the gutter.
“Brief pit stop, huh?”
Stumbling, Carol bent over and vomited onto the street. Hers was not the first load of the night despite the early hour, Annie noted. “Better?”
“A lit-tle.” Carol shivered slightly. Annie pulled her in closer.
“Good, we’ll be home soon.”
Thirty minutes later, or three times the duration of their outbound walk, and they reached Carol’s building.
“Want me to come up?”
“Please.”
Together, they inched their way up the stairs and gingerly entered the apartment.
“You good?”
Carol shook her head before racing to the bathroom.
“I’ll take that as a ‘no.’” Annie sighed. “Lemme call Tom.” She put the phone on speaker.
He picked up on the first ring. “Hey, everything okay? I was worried…”
“No need,” Annie said, her voice brusque. “I won’t be home tonight. It’s a ‘Carry Home Carol’ night.”
“Ah, so that’s who you’re with,” Tom chuckled. “And I understand. I’ve got Jamie covered.”
“Thanks.” Annie’s voice softened, and she meant it. “I’ll let you know exact timings tomorrow. It depends how broken she is.”
“I get it, and thanks. Sweet dreams, Blossom.”
“You too, Socks.”
As Annie hung up, there was a loud thunk, and Carol moaned. She raced into the bathroom. “You okay?!”
Nodding sheepishly, a very disheveled Carol pointed at the broken brush on the floor. “Was trying to clean up… Bed.”
“I’ve got ya. Sit down.” Annie motioned to the toilet seat.
Carol flopped as Annie picked up the remnants of the brush and tossed them into the trash before grabbing a comb. “Stay still.” Annie smiled as she smoothed her friend’s hair down. “That’s better. You look less nuts.”
“Teef?” Carol laughed before comically baring hers.
“Sheesh, full service night!” Annie smiled, grabbing the electric toothbrush. “No flossing though!”
Carol held up her arms. “PJs?”
“Seriously? Even Jamie wasn’t this much trouble.”
“Please?” Carol made a show of fluttering her lashes.
“Alright, fine. Stand up and turn around.” She helped Carol shimmy out of her dress and get her pajamas on.
“Bed?”
“And I thought I was the demanding one,” Annie laughed. “Okay, but no story.”
They went into Carol’s bedroom, and Annie pulled back the covers as Carol got in. She kissed her on the forehead. “Sweet and hopefully not too drunken dreams.”
WC: 606
Includes: Quaint, Quip, and a question is asked, and an answer is concealed (Jake and Annie exchange)
Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated
Chapter Index
Chapter 1
Chapter 5
Chapter 7