Challenge The Kessel Run 2025 | 12 Weeks, 11 Prompts, 1 Wild Fanfic Challenge | Thanks for an awesome Run!

Happy New Year, everyone! We’ve said goodbye to 2024, and now it’s time to kick off 2025 with the return of a challenge so extreme, it just might have you begging for mercy. (Or begging for more, let’s be real.) So whether you’ve made a resolution to write more this year or you can’t resist the siren call of a good challenge, or you just want to have fun and win some colors (or all of the above), I invite you to join me for…

The Kessel Run!
* * 2025 * *


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Welcome to the Kessel Run, a fast-paced fanfic challenge worthy of the Millennium Falcon itself! Over the next twelve weeks, you’ll be pushed to your writing limits as you complete eleven different fanfic prompts. Here’s the catch: once each prompt is posted, you’ll have only one week to write and post your response.

Okay, so it’s somewhat fast-paced, and the prompts aren’t nearly as wild as the previous paragraph would suggest, but I hope it will be a fun and challenging experience for everyone who signs up!

Let’s break it down a little more…


How Does This Work?

We all know that Han and Chewie made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, so in honor of that achievement, you will complete eleven writing prompts spread out over twelve weeks. Ten of these prompts will be secret prompts – you won’t know what they are in advance, and once they’re posted, you’ll have one week to write and post your fic. Given the time limits involved, most of these prompts will have a word range of 100 to 1,000 words, with a few exceptions. There will also be one longer prompt for a 2,000+ word vignette. This prompt will be revealed at the very beginning of the challenge, and you’ll have the whole twelve weeks to write it. The longer story will be posted during Week 12.

Because life sometimes gets in the way of fanfic, I’m including a bye week in the schedule, to be taken totally at your discretion. If you know you can’t finish your prompt during a certain week, you can opt to skip that week and make it up during Week 11. (I’ve included a sample schedule below so you can see how this would work.)

In addition to the eleven prompts already mentioned, there will be a twelfth “substitute” prompt. If one of the secret prompts just isn’t doing it for you, you can replace it with the substitute prompt. Be selective with this one, because you only get one, and you won’t know what any of the other prompts are until they’re posted. You cannot use this twelfth prompt to replace the 2,000+ word prompt.

Spoiler: Sample Schedules

Normal Schedule – No changes

Week 1 – secret prompt #1
Week 2 – secret prompt #2
Week 3 – secret prompt #3
Week 4 – secret prompt #4
Week 5 – secret prompt #5
Week 6 – secret prompt #6
Week 7 – secret prompt #7
Week 8 – secret prompt #8
Week 9 – secret prompt #9
Week 10 – secret prompt #10
Week 11 – no new prompts (you could use this time to work on the Week 12 fic)
Week 12 – 2,000+ word prompt

Sample Schedule with a Bye Week

Week 1 – secret prompt #1
Week 2 – secret prompt #2
Week 3 – secret prompt #3
Week 4 – secret prompt #4
Week 5 – choose not to write this week, make-up during Week 11
Week 6 – secret prompt #6
Week 7 – secret prompt #7
Week 8 – secret prompt #8
Week 9 – secret prompt #9
Week 10 – secret prompt #10
Week 11 – secret prompt #5
Week 12 – 2,000+ word prompt

The Rules

1. In order to participate, you must post in this thread stating you’d like to sign up.
   
   
2. All of your vignettes, ficlets, drabbles, one-shots, short stories, etc. written for this challenge must be posted in one story thread, and your story thread must be a new thread created for the 2025 Kessel Run challenge. Please also include a reference to the Kessel Run in the header for your thread, so that I can keep track more easily.
   
   
3. Prompts will be posted in this thread each Monday, and responses must be posted in your own story threads by the following Monday at 11:59pm EST. (That gives you a week plus 12 hours, give or take, to write and post your fics.) The first prompt will be posted Monday, January 13th.
   
   
4. The final vignette (the 2,000+ word story) is due Monday, April 7th at 11:59pm EST. Please wait until the start of Week 12 to post these fics!
   
   
5. Please post a link to your story thread in this thread once you’ve started. You may also post links here each time you update your thread, if you wish.
   
   
6. The substitute prompt can replace any one of the secret prompts, but it must still be completed by that prompt’s deadline. The substitute prompt cannot be used to replace the longer 2,000+ word vignette.
   
   
7. You do not have to stick to a single character, theme, time period, fandom, etc. for the entire challenge. Go wherever the muse takes you! (Of course, if you want to focus on a single character or ‘verse or theme, go for it!)
   
   
8. Even though each response to the challenge should be posted in your Kessel Run thread, feel free to double up on challenges, if you have another writing challenge that applies. (Please also check the rules for the other challenge to make sure that it’s okay!)
   
   
9. Non-SW stories are welcome!
   
   
10. As always, all entries must abide by the Fanfic rules and the TOS for the site.

The Rewards

Anyone who competes in the Kessel Run has a chance to win colors! Thank you to our lovely mods for once again allowing us to increase our reward offerings! Here’s the breakdown:

• If you complete the entire Kessel Run on time (that’s 10 secret prompts, plus the longer 2,000+ word vignette), you will receive 14 days of colors!

• If you complete 8 of the secret prompts, plus the longer vignette, on time, you will receive 10 days of colors!

• If you complete 6 of the secret prompts, plus the longer vignette, on time, you will receive 7 days of colors!

• If you complete all 10 of the secret prompts on time, but are unable to finish the longer vignette before the deadline, you will receive 7 days of colors!

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FAQ

Wait, when does this challenge begin?

The first prompts will be posted in this thread on Monday, January 13th to kick things off!


What is the deadline to sign up?

Sign-ups are open for the duration of the challenge. The longer you wait to sign up, the less your potential prize will be at the end, but if you’re not concerned about colors or want to join the fun anyway, you are more than welcome to!


Are the word limits absolute, or is there some wiggle room?

In short, yes, they are absolute. The word limits are part of the challenge and must be adhered to. However, I’m not likely to go around doing a word count on everyone’s entries, so I’m relying on the honor system here!


Is there a specific word counter I should use?

You may use whichever word counter you prefer, whether that’s an online counter, your word processor, or if you want to count the words yourself. Whichever method you decide on, please stick with it for the entirety of the challenge.


What if I miss the deadline for one of the prompts? Can I still win colors?

You can definitely still win colors! There are multiple tiers based on how many prompts you finish on time, so even if you miss a week, keep writing! (See “The Rewards” section above for a breakdown of the prizes.)


Can I use the substitute prompt and the bye week during the same week?

No, the substitute prompt cannot be combined with your bye week. You can use each at separate times, but not together.


Where can I find the master list of prompts?

An index of all prompts will be included in the next post!


Have a question that you don’t see answered here? Post it in this thread, and I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible!

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Previous Challenges:
The Kessel Run 2022
The Kessel Run 2023
The Kessel Run 2024


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Index of Prompts​

Long vignette (2,000+ words)

• Over the next twelve weeks, you will write a story featuring an embedded narrative, also known as a “story within a story”. Maybe one of your characters tells the other characters a story, or watches a play, or discovers a diary containing some long-forgotten tale. All of these are examples of a story within a story, and they can be as simple or as complex as you want to make them.
  
• Click here for further details
  
• Word limit = minimum 2,000 words, no maximum limit
• Entries due Monday, April 7th at 11:59pm EST (please wait until the beginning of Week 12 to post these responses!)

Substitute prompt
(you may use this as a substitute for one of the weekly prompts)

• Write a story between 300 and 1,200 words in the form of a character’s journal/diary entry (or something equivalent for your fandom)

Weekly Secret Prompts

Week 1 | January 13-20

• Write a story between 100 and 1,000 words that ends with this sentence: “For the first time in her life, she felt powerful.”
• Word limit = 100-1,000 words
• Entries due Monday, January 20th at 11:59pm EST

Week 2 | January 20-27

• Write a story between 400 and 800 words using third-person omniscient POV in which a character teaches another character something.
• Word limit = 400-800 words
• Entries due Monday, January 27th at 11:59pm EST

Week 3 | January 27-February 3

• Write a story between 500 and 1,200 words that takes place at a wedding and features at least one EC and one OC in speaking roles.
• Word limit = 500-1,200 words
• Entries due Monday, February 3rd at 11:59pm EST

Week 4 | February 3-10

• Write a story between 100 and 1,200 words with an unreliable narrator, using one (or both) of the following additional prompts:
  • Don’t stop, don’t think, don’t look back
  • Spoiler: picture prompt

    
• Word limit = 100-1,200 words
• Entries due Monday, February 10th at 11:59pm EST

Week 5 | February 10-17

• Write a set of 3 double drabbles, choosing from among the following prompts: ephemeral, journey, labyrinth, flower, barrier, soul, doppelgänger, emblem, killer
• Each double drabble must be exactly 200 words, for a total of 600 words
• Entries due Monday, February 17th at 11:59pm EST

Week 6 | February 17-24

• Write a a story of at least 500 words in which a character is searching for something and ends up discovering something unexpected in the process.
  
• Minimum 500 words, no maximum limit
• Entries due Monday, February 24th at 11:59pm EST

Week 7 | February 24-March 3

• Using 100 to 1,500 words, write an OTP story that includes this line of dialogue: “If we both stick to the story, they can’t prove anything.”
• Word limit = 100-1,500 words
• Entries due Monday, March 3rd at 11:59pm EST

Week 8 | March 3-10

• Write an AU (alternate universe) story of at least 400 words where the moral alignment of one of your characters is the opposite of (or drastically different from) what it is in canon and/or Legends (or the source material, for OCs or NSW fandoms). For example: Qui-Gon as a Sith Lord, Tarkin as a Rebel, etc.
• Minimum 400 words, no maximum limit
• Entries due Monday, March 10th at 11:59pm EST

Week 9 | March 10-17

• Write a found poem using the selected passages from the novelizations of Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi as your source
• No word limit
• Entries due Monday, March 17th at 11:59pm EST

Week 10 | March 17-24

• Write a story between 100 and 400 words, and include these three words: privilege, vault, cascade
  
• Word limit = 100-400 words
• Entries due Monday, March 24th at 11:59pm EST

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Index of Participants​

• Gabri_Jade | We Will Call This Place Our Home

• Chyntuck | [Harry Potter] Witches of the White Sea: The Age of Gods and Monsters

• Vek Talis | [Firefly] Precious

• vader_incarnate | Up, Down, Strange, Charm, Truth, and Beauty

• Mira_Jade | Now That Castles Cannot Fall

• earlybird-obi-wan | Spooks, Cooks and techies

• WarmNyota_SweetAyesha | Long Ago and Far Away

• Force of Light | [Multi-fandom] When Lost in the Darkness, Look for the Light

• amidalachick | [Stranger Things] Some Reason to Believe

• Thumper09 | Location, Location, Location

• devilinthedetails | [Multi-fandom] The Oddest Ends

• Kit' | Shadow's Thieves

• Nehru_Amidala | [Encanto] Tales from the Encanto

• rktho | rktho's Kessel Run Thread 2025

• Pandora | Honey Vanity

• ViariSkywalker | We Still See Embers

• DarthIshtar | War Writ Wrong

• Findswoman | Disjecta membra

• JediMaster_Jen | Black Knights: Powerful Light, Powerful Dark

• Raissa Baiard | Fire Across the Galaxy

• study888 | Leia Gets Her First Blaster

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Sign me up, babe

 

Me, for the next twelve weeks:



Please sign me up.

 

Yes, please.

 

Me please!

 

I am in (First week with drabble prompts)

 

I'll sign up also.

 

I'm in (and I don't make resolutions, since they're too easy to break).

 

Sign me up, please!

 

Please sign me up too.

Though I'm getting a little nervous because I've been trying to figure out for a while what I want to try to do for it overall and haven't come up with an idea yet. I've learned I need a bit of direction to my madness when writing quickly or I flounder in analysis paralysis.

 

I'd for one love to read more about Niilo

For myself, whichever fandom I wind up focusing on I'm going to frame it as recollecting in the present upon earlier experiences, such that there are flashbacks and flash forwards.

 

SQUEEEEEEE!

 

Me too!

@Thumper09 I have the opposite problem so I don't know if this will be useful at all. But maybe you could just make a list/outline of every idea that crosses your mind and then draw from that? It might not be one overarching storyline but it still might help give you some structure to work from by having some ideas already in place. Again, I don't know if that helps but wishing you (and everyone) the best of luck.

So excited for this, as always!

 

I’m in, although I did promise myself I wouldn’t bite off more than o could chew this year…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I just use whatever fandom fits the prompt the best. Since I only have one Star Wars related OC, I often use Non Star Wars themed ones, since I have a lot more of those. For ones I don't have OCs for (like with Stray, Horizon and the Last of Us), I use canon characters, sometimes even a mixture of canon and original characters, like with Marida and Owen Grady, for example.

 

Thanks, everyone. @amidalachick , that's a good idea and it usually works well for me-- I do have a list like that. Unfortunately nothing on it is currently speaking to me for the scope the KR covers. But, eh, I'll figure something out at some point.

 

I will enter, and this year I WILL ACTUALLY FINISH!

... I hope!

 

I’m in! I just hope I can keep up with the new semester starting soon…

 

"Signing up," I typed, once I gained control of the keyboard.



[She moved over onto the desk, and I am typing this with a velvetsoft black paw slung casually across my wrist...]

 

You guys! I'm so excited to see you all here and have you signing up for the KR once again! The list of participants has been updated, and if I've made a mistake there, please let me know. There's still plenty of time to join the fun, so step right up!

Speaking of fun, I have a small surprise...

Pre-Run Warm-Up Exercise (Totally Optional, Don’t Panic!)​

Since the Kessel Run is starting a little later this year than it has in the past, I want to try out something new: a warm-up exercise to get us all psyched up and ready for January 13th! To that end, I’m posting a totally optional writing prompt to work on. This isn’t an official Kessel Run prompt, nor is it a requirement to participate in any way. But if you’re itching to write and you just can’t wait any longer, here’s your warm-up:

Write a letter/memo/whatever to your characters, apologizing for what you’re going to do to them over the next twelve weeks, or telling them how great you’re going to treat them and how grateful they should be for your benevolence. Or whatever you would say to the made-up people in your head if you could. You can post your prompt responses right here in this thread for the rest of us to read and enjoy. (No starting your KR thread early! We’ll save those for Jan. 13th )​

There are no word limits for this, however I do ask that if your response goes past 300 words, that you please put anything beyond those first 300 words under a spoiler tag, for ease of reading for those scrolling through the thread. It doesn’t have to be exactly at the 300-word mark, but it should be close.​

And that’s it! Don’t sweat it if this prompt doesn’t speak to you; there will be plenty of opportunities for writing in the coming weeks, and there’s no pressure at all to write for this prompt. It’s just for fun.

With that said, happy writing!


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