#anxicast

[anxi-writes]

How did I never noticed that Tailgate’s board has a little him on it (pretty sure his board didn’t always look like that?? But still)

[anxi-writes]

Okay okay I will be doing this, I’m aware that I’m 3 days late but I can catch up dw !!

Please send something in the ask box along the lines of this-

Rodimus, Cold compression/Infection/“I don’t feel so good”

Feel free to add anything else. I don’t mind if you request all 3 of the prompts or only request one. Keep in mind that these will still be x reader oneshots

Whumptober 2023

Welcome to Whumptober 2023 — the sixth year running!

To those of you who participated last year, welcome back! To everyone joining this year, welcome!

Please make sure to read the Event Info carefully, as most of your questions will be answered there already. For everything else, you are welcome to come to our ask box or ask questions in our Discord server here.

This year’s AO3 Collection can be found here.

And this years playlist can be found here.

There are 139 prompt options in total this year - this is including the alternatives list! A special thanks goes out to those who took part in our trope vote back in July. From the 1526 responses to our list of 223 tropes, we looked through the popularity results, as well as your honourable mentions, and were able to produce this years prompts list. Stay tuned, as we will be posting some of the results at a later date!

We’re very excited to see the community come together once more and be a wild, chaotic bunch of creators and consumers of whump. Go wild with the prompts, and support your fellow creators - we wish you all the fun!

Best of luck and happy whumping,

Mods Vanne, Yenn, Kitty and Surro

(All 31 Themes + Prompts, Event Information and FAQs are posted below the cut!)

Whumptober 2023 Prompt List

No. 1: “But now this room is spinning while I’m trying just to fill in all the gaps.”

Safety Net | Swooning | “How many fingers am I holding up?”

No. 2: “I’ll call out your name, but you won’t call back.”

Thermometer | Delirium | “They don't care about you.”

No. 3: “Like crying out in empty rooms; with no-one there except the moon.”

Journal | Solitary Confinement | “Make it stop.”

No. 4: “I see the danger, It’s written there in your eyes.”

Cattle Prod | Shock | “You in there?”

No. 5: “You better pray I don't get up this time around.”

Debris | Pinned Down | “It's broken.”

No. 6: “Do or die, you’ll never make me; Because the world will never take my heart.”

Recording | Made to Watch | “It should have been me.”

No. 7: " “I paced around for hours on empty; I jumped at the slightest of sounds.”

Alleyway | Radio Silence | “Can you hear me?”

No. 8: “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.”

Overcrowded ER | Outnumbered | “It’s all for nothing.”

No. 9: “Learning everything ain't what it seems, that's the thing about these days.”

Polaroid | Mistaken Identity | “You're a liar.”

No. 10: “Can’t you see that you’re lost without me?”

Broken Phone | Stranded | “You said you'd never leave.”

No. 11: “All the lights going dark and my hope’s destroyed.”

Animal trap | Captivity | “No one will find you.”

No. 12: “I haven't slept in days but who's counting?”

Red | Insomnia | “I’m up, I’m up.”

No. 13: “It comes and goes like the strength in your bones.”

Cold Compress | Infection | “I don’t feel so good.”

No. 14: “Feed me poison, fill me ‘till I drown.”

Flare | Water Inhalation | “Just hold on.”

No. 15: “I don't need you to help me I can handle things myself.”

Makeshift Bandages | Suppressed Suffering | “I’m fine.”

No. 16: “Would you lie with me and just forget the world?”

Gurney | Flatline | “Don’t go where I can’t follow.”

No. 17: “You’re the lump in my throat and the knot in my chest.”

Collar | Touch Aversion | “Leave me alone.”

No. 18: “I tend to deflect when I’m feeling threatened.”

Blindfold | Tortured For Information | “Hit them harder.”

No. 19: “I’ll take one final step, all you have to do is make me.”

Floral Bouquet | Psychological | “I’m not as stupid as you think I am.”

No. 20: “People don’t change people, time does.”

Blanket | Found Family | “You will regret touching them.”

No. 21: “See the chains around my feet.”

Vows | Restraints | “Don't move.”

No. 22: “They never saw us coming, ‘til they hit the floor.”

Glass Shard | Vehicular Accident | “Watch out!”

No. 23: “It’s gonna get me by the end of the night.”

Shadows | Stalking | “Who’s there?”

No. 24: “I’ve got a head full of chemicals; mouth full of ridicule.”

Goodbye Note | Neglect | “I thought they were with you.”

No. 25: “You’re not delivering a perfect body to the grave.”

Storm | Buried Alive | “They’re not breathing!”

No. 26: “Sometimes I get so tired; I don’t even know myself.”

Seeing Double | Working To Exhaustion | “You look awful.”

No. 27: “You drew stars around my scars; But now I’m bleeding.”

Matches | Scars | “Let me see”

No. 28: “We might not make it to the morning; so go on and tell me now.”

Bloody Knife | Sacrifice | “You'll have to go through me.”

No. 29: “I only sink deeper the deeper I think.”

Scented Candle | Troubled Past Resurfacing | “What happened to me?”

No. 30: “It’s okay, just to say, ‘I’m not okay’.”

Borrowed Clothing | Bridal Carry | “Not much longer...”

No. 31: “I thought that I was getting better.”

Emptiness | Setbacks | “Take it easy.”

Alternatives List:

Betrayal

Aftermath of Failure

Brass Knuckles

Decoy

Body Modification

Playing Cards

Examination

Hunting

Drugging

Shaking

Panic

Broken

Miscommunication

Lab Rat

Reluctant Whumper

Event Info & Rules

~ Please read our extensive event info posts before sending us an ask ~

WHUMPTOBER is a month-long, prompt-based creation challenge (think: Inktober, but whumpier). There are 31 official themes this year - one for each day of the month - which can be used, skipped, or combined in any way you’d like. The 'theme' of each day is the line of lyrics.

The prompts are merely to serve as inspiration without being taken literally (e.g. you don’t have to include the exact wording of prompts into your work). Feel free to run rampant on interpretation. For example, if the prompt is "flame", you could create something with reference to a candle/campfire, your character could have suffered a burn, or the flame could be related to the 'spark' of a relationship. It's truly up to you!

In total, there are 4 prompts for each day: there's lyrics, an object, a trope and a line of dialogue to choose from.  We want to give everyone as much creative freedom as possible, as well as increase event accessibility for folks with triggers and squicks.

Creators can PRODUCE work in any media they choose, including but not limited to: writing, visual artwork, photo/video/audio edits, paper crafts and elaborate recommendation lists (not just a list of links). Creators can PARTICIPATE as much or as little as they want (i.e. you don’t have to do ALL the prompts if you don’t want to) and prompts can be used in any order. They are also free to use even after the event ends.

When uploading Whumptober content to your blog, be sure to tag the with:

#whumptober2023 …..(the event tag)

#no.1, #no.2, #no.3, …..(day number)

#lyric, #bruises, #stabbing,  …..(the theme or specific prompt you chose)

#fandom or #OC, … (ironman, originalcontent, oc …)

#medium …..(gifs, fic, podcast, art, etc.)

#teeth, #gore tw, #etc …..(trigger warnings & any additional tags. Add "tw" AFTER the trigger/content warning. )

#nsfwhump …..(only for nsfw content)

#your own tags go here

PLEASE BE DILIGENT WITH YOUR TAGGING. Only properly tagged posts are considered for archiving on the official @whumptober-archive blog. They must be tagged in the order above. An elaborate post about our tagging system can be found [here]

Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of participants in recent years, we cannot guarantee your work will be archived. A random selection of properly tagged posts from all genres will be reblogged each day.

Whumpers who produce content for 31 total theme days are considered event completionists and will be tagged in a masterpost at the end of the month. A form will be published at the beginning of November asking you to tell us if you completed the event. You do not need to post anything you have created, we rely on trust and we will not check this.

Questions not addressed in one of our many event info posts can be directed to this blog. We will not answer any questions that have been answered in the FAQs or rules already.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How does this year’s prompt list work? What do I have to choose?

You can create something based on:

The overall theme/lyric of the day

Prompt 1, 2 or 3

One or several of the alternative prompts

A combination of the above

Q. Is [specific anything] allowed?

When in doubt: JUST DO IT!

Q. Do I have to do all 31 days?

Participate as much or little as you like! Just be sure to tag your posts properly (ex. #no.7, #radio silence). If you create works for 31 total theme days you will become a completionist. But apart from that, there are no repercussions if you don’t fill prompts for each day.

Q. Can I post early/late?

Yes, you can post whenever you want. We will only reblog posts during October, but you can use our prompts all year round. The day you post will only affect your probability of being reblogged.

Q. Will you reblog my post?

Due to the sheer number of content posted during Whumptober we can’t promise to reblog every single post. We will make a random selection trying to capture a wide variety of content. The following will increase your chances at being reblogged:

tag your post properly

post within 2-3 days of the theme you want to fill: if you fill the prompt for Day 1 your chances of being reblogged during October 1st to 3rd are highest and will go towards zero afterwards.

Q. What if I don’t understand a prompt/theme?

Send us an ask! We’re happy to help with wild, unhelpful clarifications or brainstorming. That being said, the themes are entirely up for interpretation. Don’t take them too literally. For example: You can be choking on a cherry, someone else can choke you or you could be choked up on emotions, etc.

Q. What kind of content can I make? Can it be NSFW?

This is a MIXED MEDIA event! You can write fic, post meta, doodle or paint, create a gifset or photo edit, link a song, or get crafty with video - anything goes. As for NSFW, make what you like, we just hope that you’ll tag your work accordingly so that others participating in the event can stay safe.

Q. Can I combine Whumptober with other creation challenges?

Absolutely, as long as the other challenges allow it too.

Q. Can I upload/repost my Whumptober content to other social media platforms?

Of course! You can post your own content wherever you like (or you can opt to not publish it at all). Additionally we’ve created an AO3 Collection to archive any fics posted there. It can be accessed here. The tumblr blog @whumptober-archive is the official archive, so please respect the boundaries of any closeted whumpers in your social circle.

Q. Can I use prompts to write a new chapter for an existing fic?

Yes.

Q. An existing fic I am currently writing contains many of the Whumptober prompts, can I use it?

If you are actively writing this fic at the moment with the Whumptober prompts in mind, yes. If you’ve previously posted something that checks the boxes, we ask that you not include it retroactively for this current year. You can, however, add new chapters relating to one or more of the prompts.

Q. What kind of characters can I write for?

Fandom characters, OC characters, human, furry, alien, cyborg, RPF, whoever you like. You can use the generic “whumpee” character or have specific ones.

Q. Does it have to take place in a specific fandom?

No, you can create works for your own worlds or for fandoms or for both. You can also create more generic or pan-fandom works. You can do cross-overs or use OCs, whatever you want.

Q. Can I use a prompt multiple times?

Yes, but it only counts once towards being a completionist.

Q. If I’m not comfortable with one day’s prompts can I use a prompt of a different day as a substitute and still be a completionist?

No, you can’t exchange prompts for different days. However, if all four prompts of a specific day make you uncomfortable, we have created an alternate prompts list that you can draw from. You can exchange any prompt with these, but please make sure not to use them twice.

Q. Where can I post my work?

Post where and how you want. You don’t have to (cross)post it to Tumblr or at all. Just keep in mind if it’s not on Tumblr we will not be able to add it to the blog archive.

Q. Can I start posting early?

You can, but this is an October event and wouldn’t it be more fun with everyone doing it at the same time? That being said, you can post early, but we won’t be reblogging any work predating October 1st.

Q. Do I have to finish a fic I started/can I post WIP’s?

Yes you can post WIPs. And you’re not obligated to finish it in October for it to count towards being a completionist.  

Q. Is co-writing allowed?

Yes, absolutely, and it would count towards being a completionist for both/all of you.

Q. Do I have to create 31 standalone pieces to be considered a completionist or can I write one continuous story?

One continuous story is fine.  The challenge is to write something for 31 prompts. If that’s spread over 31 fics or just one, you are still considered a completionist. (The same goes for every other media you choose.)

Q. Is there a min/max limit on word count?

There is no limit.

Q. Can I combine prompts? Is there a limit on how many?

No limit and combine as many as you’d like.

Q. Is a hc/angst/emotional whump focus ok?

Of course! We are not going to establish a threshold for whumpiness. If you think it’s whumpy enough, then it’s whumpy enough. It can be physical, psychological, emotional, or any combination of the three.

Q. What’s considered nsfw?

See this post

Q. What is whump?

Typically the genre includes situations where a fictional character is hurt, be it emotionally, psychologically, or physically. Fanlore provides information here.

Q. My interpretation of the prompt isn’t whumpy at all, does that count?

If you don’t think your interpretation is whumpy, then it doesn’t count for Whumptober. Remember that whump comes in many forms, though, and that we don’t have a whump-checker or a threshold for how much whump needs to be included. If you think your interpretation contains enough whump to count, then it does.

Q. Can I start working on the prompts before October?

Absolutely! That’s why we post the prompts a month in advance. We recognise how difficult it can be creating for 31 days in “real time” so feel free to start creating early!

Q. How do I tag triggers?

tw at the end of the word, ex. #gore tw

Q. Do I have to use your tags?

Yes, if you want your work archived on the blog. If not, feel free to use whatever tags you want. 

Q. Does combining prompts count towards completion?

Yes

Q. Can we @ you?

Yes but we mostly rely on the #whumptober2023 tag.

Q. Is there anything we are absolutely not allowed to write?

There are no rules, but please make sure to properly tag your trigger warnings. And keep in mind Tumblr’s policies if you are posting it here (or the policies for whatever site you use).

Q. Where can I go for brainstorming help?

Here on Discord or come into our ask box.

Q. My characters are minors, is that ok?

Yes, but as with everything else, use clear and descriptive tags.

Q. Can I cross post on other blogs?

Yes, multiple platforms and blogs are perfectly acceptable. You can also post different works to different accounts under different names, without posting them everywhere at once.

Note: This is a creation challenge, please don’t repost your old work under our tags (unless it’s been changed or edited for the event).

Thanks for reading, and happy whumping!

[anxi-writes]

Ngl my Roman Empire is the cybertron war

Like the fact that it started out as a movement and then went on for so long that everyone forgot what they were originally fighting for

[anxi-writes]

My sons

[anxi-writes]

Does anyone know where I could find a comic dub for all of the mtmte and lost light issues ??

[anxi-writes]

Had an urge to write something angsty awhile ago. And thought that maybe tumblr would enjoy this depressing piece of work because, y’know, transformers. Anyways, here’s your food 😋

• ANGST •

It was like a blow to the gut. The glassy windows to outside serving as anything but protection from the sudden emotional pain. The dark space swirls with yellows, oranges and reds, a violent yet beautiful landscape.

A sob escapes from the back of your throat. You didn’t even realise you were crying until now. Your face is drenched in tears, it’s as if you went for dive in an endless abyss of tears. It takes all of your strength to prey yourself from the disastrous scene out in the distance.

A hand clasps your shoulder. Your emotions change like wildfire as you whip around and slap the metal hand away.

“I’m sorry.”

Sorry…? Sorry?? He’s sorry. Where was that apology, that kindness, when he drove his blood stained fist into your planet? Where was his sympathy when he continued to push his own race into near extinction? It’s too fucking late.

“You’re sorry? Well sorry doesn’t bring back my home now, does it?” You hiss with anger. The pit in your stomach boils with rage and you can’t help but release it. Anyone would think you had a death wish with how close you were standing to the ex-warlord. Then again, maybe you did have a death wise. The one thing you were looking forward to and yearned had been incinerated. Dying is the least of your concerns.

“I thought the war was over! I and many others were told that Earth would be safe, that we wouldn’t have to fear a fate such as this!” You’re practically screaming now, your anger burned into your face like the scorched planet of what you once called home. Your crewmates, the aliens you’re now stuck with, look at you with pity. A pettiness that makes you want to just hurl yourself off into the coldness of space. Their pity is the last thing you need. If anything, it just makes matters worse.

“I had a family down there you know? I had a life down there outside of this whole human liaison bullshit!” Tears trickle down your face as you continue to express your anger whilst Megatron stands there. It’s only now that you realise that you might be the last human alive. And that scares you to no end. It’s that thought alone that stops you in your tracks. It stops you from adding onto your continuing verbal assault towards a certain mech, who knows If that’s a good thing or not.

The realisation that you might be the last of your species makes your knees wobble. The sense of dread fills your tiny being to the brim as you find yourself now on your knees. You can’t do this. Fuck this. Your body shakes uncontrollably as you fail to ground yourself. This all seems so bloody dramatic, maybe you would’ve ended up doing great in that one school drama play your teacher begged you to join.

Your vision blurs as you try to pull yourself up from the floor. It’s no use. Maybe it would be better if you just sank into the floor. Sinking into the floor and becoming one with the ship didn’t seem so bad. At this point you would do anything to not be here in this present time.

[anxi-writes]

Cybertronian S/O reader is onboard during the whole Overlord thing, but is never exactly seen... until after it’s all over, that is. But, they’re dead. Headcanons for how Fort Max, Chromedome, & Drift would react/deal with this?

I’d say something cool but I’m still mourning the loss of my tumblr account

• ANGST • GORE •

Chromedome

Chromedome searches through the halls of the lost light. Every turn, being move tortuous as he moves forwards. His pedes feel heavy as he drags them across the floor. You’re nowhere in sight and it’s getting harder to push past his thoughts. You should be here, somewhere, he can’t handle losing two people in one day.

Shock envelopes him as he turns around the next corner only to see your mangled body on the ground. His steps are quick, no longer held back by his overwhelming anxiety. He crashes to the floor in front of your visibly dead body.

Your facep was unrecognisable whilst your limbs were torn and twisted. Energon was everywhere and to say it wasn’t pretty was an obvious understatement.

Chromedome’s shaky servos reached out for your frame, bringing your corpse close to his spark just to hold you one last time. His needles sprung out almost immediately, knowing exactly what he would want to do after this.

OH WAIT YOU SAID HEADCANONS MY BAD-

Fort Max

• He lost it when he saw what Overlord did to you.

• He broke into sobs as soon as he saw your body torn and damaged. The fact that he went through almost the same damage yet he remained made him feel even worse.

• You didn’t deserve a fate such as this. Your servos that he once held onto for comfort were cold. You were cold, dead and cold.

• It took a long time for the other bots on the ship to pry him away from your corpse.

[anxi-writes]

I’ve been on my PROWL shit lately (I love that pathetic man) can we have a Gn!bot reader with Prowl and the two just got on a much needed coffee break? Lots of gay tension. :)) if you need a prompt I like to give Prowl a forensics specialist buddy for his detective work.

You sit at the table in the breakroom, the boring white walls of the facility surrounding you. It isn’t often that you get silent breaks in a job like this. Something is always going on, not that that’s necessarily bad. Hectic stuff can be good, easier to keep your mind off of things.

You go to take another sip of your drink before you hear the door to the breakroom being opened and closed. At first, you don’t bother to look up at who it is. It’s only when datapads are shoved into your face that you look up at the bot.

It’s Prowl? Prowl in the breakroom? I mean he is technically your partner in this case so you shouldn’t be surprised about seeing him. Still, seeing him in the breakroom is weird, you kinda got the vibe that he was a bit of a workaholic. One of those bots that can’t rest until everything is solved, yknow? I suppose he is shoving datapads in your face though…

“He has to be the culprit, last seen on the corner of the alleyway by that bar you frequent at,” Prowl informs you, his face stuck with a serious expression. You set down your drink, settling your optics upon one of the datapads. “I think it would be best if we investigate in there,” He adds, pointing at the picture of the bar on the datapad you’re holding.

“Strange way to ask someone out on a date but sure,” You joke, only merely catching the heat rising to his faceplates as he looks away.

Before Prowl can respond you quickly speak once again, “also this is the breakroom, take a break.” It takes a few glances between the two of you before he sighs and reluctantly takes a seat next to you. You try not to grin too much as you push the datapads away and focus your attention on your coworker.

[anxi-writes]

Okay, hopefully I format this correctly

may I request Rodimus/Hunting/“you said you’d never leave”.

Gn human reader?

WHUMPTOBER DAY 10

“You said you’d never leave”

Warning for slight possessiveness and dark themes

—

You run. You run like your life depends on it, because for all you knew, it did. Your bare feet pound against the hard ground, otherworldly nature nipping harshly at your ankles. Literally nipping. Venus flytrap like plants litter your trail, snapping at you just like in Mario. Lucky for you, they’re easy enough to avoid.

You continue to manoeuvre through the jungle because as far as you know it’s all you have. It wasn’t like Earth at all but it was organic. Hell did you miss actual wildlife, not enough to stop and take in the beauty though.

The ground quakes, heavy footsteps, rapid, careless. Your heart starts beating even faster than before. If there’s was a contest between your heart and your running power, you think that it’d be a close tie. You try to pull yourself forward more, not daring to look back.

But maybe you should’ve.

A fiery hand encloses around your body, bringing you face to face with someone who you once called a friend. Rodimus narrows his optics down at your small form and you can’t help but freeze. Everyone knows who would win in a fight between a human and a cybertronian.

“Why did you leave?” The mech utters, expression unreadable as he keeps his grip tight around you, “You said you’d never leave.”

Anyone could detect the hurt in his words. And you’d be a liar if you said that I didn’t make your heart sting, “That was before you became..” You trail off, the words seemingly stuck in your throat.

“A monster?” The prime replies with just the right words as if he’s rehearsed it a thousand times. You want to tell him that he’s wrong but you can’t. You also want to strangle him though.

“Yes,” you mumble, your lungs feeling like they’re on fire as the mech holds you even tighter than before. His optics stay narrow, blue slits of disappointment staring down at you. Maybe you should have stayed on the ship

[anxi-writes]

Do you think transformers would freak out about taxidermy and stuff?

[anxi-writes]

HOW DO YOU GUYS DRAW TRANSFORMERS SO GOOD?? TEACH ME YOUR WAYS PLEASE 🙏

[anxi-writes]

I want Rodimus for Christmas

[anxi-writes]

ANXI I’M SO FUCKING SORRY I WAS SO HIGH WHEN I WROTE THAT

- @loveofbots AAAAAAAA

😭 PFFFT ITS OKAY LMAO, IT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE AND MADE ME LAUGH SO-

[anxi-writes]

I need to be spooned by a giant robot rn

OR

Be the one spooning the giant robot

[anxi-writes]

PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE EXPLICIT POSTS TUMBLR, I DONT WANT TO SEE FULL ON HONKAS FROM BOTS

IM PRETTY SURE TEARS OF THE KINGDOM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH P0RN

ALSO THE EXPLICIT MESSAGES FROM THOSE BOTS ARE COMING BACK AND ITS HORRID