Ad Astra: Weekly Challenges (2023)

The Ad Astra: Weekly Challenges (2023) were a recurring writing challenge, with prompts posted to the Ad Astra Discord server and open to anyone. Entries would be posted by users onto the Ad Astra website, with specific filters. These were the challenges for 2023, posted by SLWalker.

April

Weekly Challenge #1: The Face Looking Back at You

Can be the face in the mirror, a stranger, a friend; go where you will! Challenge will end 4/28/2023 at 11:59PM Eastern.

• Date posted: April 23

Weekly Challenge #2: Sex, Lies and Videotape (or just two out of three)

Write a story between 100 and 700 words about two of the three words above, or all three if you want to! Is someone being setup for blackmail? Does the news get hold of someone's subspace sex? Or is there something altogether more innocent going on? Challenge ends on May 5th, 2023 at 11:59PM Eastern.

• Date posted: April 29

May

Weekly Challenge #3: Pets and Companion Animals

Write a story between 100 and 700 words exploring someone's pet or other companion animal. Do therapy animals exist in that era? How about microscopic pets, are those allowed? Challenge will end on 5/12/2023 at 11:59PM Eastern.

• Date posted: May 6

Weekly Challenge #4: History and Memorials

One of the things Mike and I have discussed and agonized over is how to preserve the works of those no longer with us, friends we've lost along the way. So, in honor of that, go ahead and write 100-700 words about your characters looking back at history, or visiting a memorial. Challenge ends on Friday, May 19th at 11:59PM EST.

• Date posted: May 14

Weekly Challenge #5: Graduation

My oldest kid just graduated! So, how about a story about your character(s) graduating? Be it from the Academy, or from university or from one life stage to the next. Between 100 and 700 words, post them here or link them here! Challenge ends on 5/26/2023 at 11:59PM Eastern.

• Date posted: May 21

Weekly Challenge #6: New Homes

In honor of Ad Astra's new archive mostly being up and running with relatively few bugs to iron out (we hope): Write between 100 and 700 words about your characters finding (or creating!) a new home! Is it a ship? A person? A crew? Challenge ends on Friday, June 2nd, at 11:59PM Eastern!

• Date posted: May 27

June

Weekly Challenge #7: IDIC - Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations

In honor of Pride Month, write a tale (or several) between 100 and 700 words about some manner of queerness. Be it polyamorous relationships or something outside the gender paradigm, be it queer-platonic relationships or being ace or different sentient species involved with one another, the sky is the limit! Challenge ends on June 9th, 2023 at 11:59PM Eastern

• Date posted: June 3

Flash Prompt - Thunder and Lightning

From 12:00AM Eastern to 11:59PM Eastern, June 14th, write as much or as little as you want for the prompt 'Thunder and Lightning'. Interpret the prompt as liberally or as strictly as you like. At the end of the flash prompt period, all entries will be put up for a vote and the winner will be the first author interviewed for Ad Astra's news page.

• Date posted: June 13

Weekly Challenge #8: Ideals

Since we're having a neat ongoing discussions in # general about ideals and values, take this on creatively! Write between 100 and 700 words on ideals in Trek and share it with us! Can be fanfic, looking at it through the eyes of your characters, or it could be meta! Anything goes! Challenge closes on June 16th, 2023 at 11:59PM Eastern.

• Date posted: June 10

Weekly Challenge #9: Juneteenth

Our writing challenge this week is in honor of Juneteenth and is therefore the celebration of Black Star Trek characters. So, write a piece between 100 and 700 words in honor of the holiday and the amazing Black characters we’ve gotten from Trek over the decades. Challenge ends on Friday, June 23rd at 11:59PM!

• Date posted: June 17

Weekly Challenge #10: Sensory Processing

For this week, write a story between 100 and 700 words about a sensory event or even just a day in the sun or rain. Can be extra-sensory, can be just plain old atmospheric, can involve any of the senses (and then some!) Interpret the prompt as literally as you like or as figuratively as you like. Challenge closes on June 30th at 11:59P, Eastern.

• Date posted: June 24
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Sensory Processing

July

Weekly Challenge #11: One Reality Over

For this challenge, you get to take a look at a 'turn right' AU. Or left. Or backwards. Pick a canon moment or a moment in the lives of a character, one of your OCs or even just in the universe and explore, in 100 to 700 words, what might have happened if it played out differently. If a different person stepped in front of the disruptor fire. Or if someone had a nightmare and backed out of that assignment. The sky's the limit; interpret however liberally or strictly as you like! If you post it to the archive, add it to the Weekly Challenges collection with the tag Weekly Challenge: One Reality Over and post a link here in this thread so we can go see! Challenge ends at 11:59PM Eastern on Friday, July 14th!

• Date posted: July 8
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: One Reality Over
• Entries:
  • "Hop, Skip and a Jump" by Hawku

Weekly Challenge #12: Missing Moments

Suggested by @sixbeforelunch, this week we're going to spend between 100 and 700 words exploring a missing scene, a moment, a character beat between the ones we see on screen or in between pages of a book! Interpret it as liberally or strictly as you like! If you post it to the archive, add it to the Weekly Challenge collection with the freeform tag Weekly Challenge: Missing Moments. Challenge closes at 11:59PM Eastern on 7/21/23.

• Date posted: July 14
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Missing Moments

Weekly Challenge #13 - Altered States

Your challenge this week, should you accept it, is 100 to 700 words about altered states! Be they altered states of body, consciousness, energy, thought-- interpret this as strictly or loosely as you like! When you're done, consider posting it on the archive with the freeform tag Weekly Challenge: Altered States and to the Weekly Challenge collection! Challenge ends on July 28th, 2023 at 11:59PM Eastern.

• Date posted: July 22
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Altered States

Weekly Challenge #14 - Wind and Water

For this week's challenge, let's do something environmental; write between 100 and 700 words under the theme of wind and water! Stranded on an ocean world? Or just caught in the riptide of memory? Interpret as liberally or strictly as you like! When you post it to the archive, add the freeform tag Weekly Challenge: Wind and Water. Challenge ends on 8/4 at 11:59PM Eastern!

• Date posted: July 29
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Wind and Water

August

Weekly Challenge #15: What's Left Behind

What do we leave behind? Either as we move to another stage in life, or as we leave it all for whatever comes after. A feeling or an object or a letter. Or anything. Write a story between 100 and 700 words -- I mean it this time, Gibraltar! XD -- talking about just that. Interpret it as strictly or as loosely as you like. Add it to the Weekly Challenges collection on the archive and tag it Weekly Challenge: What's Left Behind. Challenge closes on 8/11 at 11:59PM Eastern!

• Date posted: August 5
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: What's Left Behind

Weekly Challenge #16: Unexpected Appearances

Ever have someone show up on your doorstep when you had no idea they were coming? Or how about that time you were crusing that nebula and suddenly a warship decloaked. Or what happened that time someone actually stood up at a wedding and interrupted?

Anyway, your challenge is to write between 100 and 700 words about unexpected appearances, as prompted by @DaraOakwise. And when you post it to the archive, tag it Weekly Challenge: Unexpected Appearances. This challenge ends on 8/18 at 11:59PM Eastern.

• Date posted: August 12
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Unexpected Appearances

Weekly Challenge #17: Heat

The dog days of an Earth Summer. Vulcan's Forge. Or maybe something less weatherly: Maybe the heat of battle. Or maybe the heat of sex. Write between 100 and 700 words based on some kind of heat and post it to the archive! Add it to the Weekly Challenge collection and tag it: Weekly Challenge: Heat. Challenge ends on August 25th at 11:59P Eastern!

• Date posted: August 19
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Heat

Weekly Challenge #18: Back to School

For a lot of people in various countries, this is the time of year students go back to school! So, in honor (or lament) of that, this challenge is all about that theme. Continuing education for your faves? Or maybe we step back to when they were wee and see what they were like in primary or secondary? Whatever you do with the prompt, it's between 100 and 700 words. Post it to the archive under Weekly Challenge: Back to School and don't forget to add it to the collection! Challenge ends on September 1st at 11:59PM Eastern.

• Date posted: August 26
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Back to School

Appendices

External links

• June:
  • Weekly Challenge #10: Sensory Processing works
• July:
  • Weekly Challenge #11: One Reality Over works
  • Weekly Challenge #12: Missing Moments works
  • Weekly Challenge #13 - Altered States works
  • Weekly Challenge #14 - Wind and Water works