Ad Astra: Weekly Challenges (2024)

The Ad Astra: Weekly Challenges (2024) 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.

March

Weekly Challenge #41: Cultural Exchanges

The Trekiverse is a wide and complicated place. So, your job is to write between 100 and 700 words on the themes of cultural exchanges. Are we talking a dinner with two alien species exchanging dishes? Are we talking about exchanging bombs? The sky's the limit! When done, post it under the weekly challenges with the tag: Weekly Challenge: Cultural Exchanges. This challenge ends on 4/5 at 11:59P.

• Date posted: March 30
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Cultural Exchanges
• Entries:
  • "All at Once: Cultural Exchanges" by Hawku

April

Weekly Challenge #42: The Dolphins Were Right

So, if you're a sci-fi geek (and what are you doing here if you aren't?), then you know the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is 42. Except-- no one knows the question. So, your challenge this time around is to have your characters or whomever searching for the meaning of life, the universe and everything! It can be as hilarious or wrenching as you like, and you can interpret the prompt as liberally or strictly as you want. Extra bonus to whomever manages to work Cetacean Ops into it. When you post it, add it to the collection and tag it with Weekly Challenge: The Dolphins Were Right. This challenge ends on 4/12 at 11:59P Eastern!

• Date posted: April 5
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: The Dolphins Were Right
• Entries:
  • "All at Once: The Dolphins Were Right" by Hawku

Weekly Challenge #43: Smell the Roses

As Spring settles in properly in the northern hemisphere, green is growing, flowers are blooming and allergies are driving everyone fucking bonkers. Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to write between 100 and 700 words on the theme of taking the time to smell the roses. The literal roses? The metaphorical ones? It doesn't matter, interpret as liberally or strictly as you like. When you add it to the archive's collection, tag it Weekly Challenge: Smell the Roses. This challenge ends 4/19 at 11:59PM.

• Date posted: April 13
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Smell the Roses
• Entries:
  • "All at Once: Smell the Roses" by Hawku

August

Weekly Challenge #57: Seeking/Offering Shelter

Whether your protagonists (or otherwise!) need it or are offering it to someone else, or whether you're looking at something bigger (refugee crisis? colony under seige? horrible space storm?), this week's prompt is all about sheltering! Could it be interpersonal? Sure! Could it be intergalactic? Also sure! Interpret it however liberally or strictly you like and write between 100 and 800 words on the topic! Once you do, post it to the archive under the tag Weekly Challenge: Seeking/Offering Shelter and make sure you add it to the archive collection! This challenge ends on 8/20 at 11:59PM Eastern!

• Date posted: August 23
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Seeking/Offering Shelter

Weekly Challenge #58: Comedic Timing

Some people have it naturally. Some people don't. Some people are the inadvertant butt of it, while others are the perpetrators. Sometimes it's a comedy of errors or an error in comedy. Any which way, this week's prompt is on comedic timing! Can be funny! Can be angsty, though I think that's a bit of a reach. XD Any which way, interpret how you will! When you post it, use the tag Weekly Challenge: Comedic Timing and remember to add it to the challenge collection on the archive! This challenge ends on 9/6 at 11:59PM Eastern!

• Date posted: August 30
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Comedic Timing
• Entries:
  • "Grievous Obscurity: Comedic Timing" by Hawku

September

Weekly Challenge #59: Mopping Up

Be it after a battle or after a cooking mishap or after someone spills the edible marital aid during a particularly athletic encounter, this week's prompt is about mopping up! You can mean this literally, with an actual mop and bucket, or you can mean this in a more figurative sense, like mopping up the tears. Go where the muse takes you! Write between 100 and 800 words and tag it Weekly Challenge: Mopping Up when you add it to the archive's collection! This challenge will end on 9/13 at 11:59PM!

• Date posted: September 6
• Freeform tag: #Weekly Challenge: Mopping Up
• Entries:
  • "Grievous Obscurity: Mopping Up" by Hawku

Appendices

External links

• March:
  • Weekly Challenge #41: Cultural Exchanges works
• April:
  • Weekly Challenge #42: The Dolphins Were Right works
  • Weekly Challenge #43: Smell the Roses works