rosenamedjo

[rosenamedjo]

Botanical Names Part IV

Names you can choose for your characters. Taken from the little signs in a botanical garden. So they are names of plants.

Jasmine

Sesleria

Alchimella

Pinus

Lily

Neolitsea

Ehretia

Aesculus

Lauraceae

Fatsia

Araliaceae

Poppy

Hibbertia

Acacia

Lomandra

Ivy

Celosia

Verbena

Lobularia

Asteriscus

Susan

Begonia

Juncus

Typha

Caltha

Sagittaria

Alisma

Tiarella

Gazania

Sarracenia

More names!

[rosenamedjo]

DREME 10TH ANNIVERSARY WHUMP EVENT

Ten years ago, I played Final Fantasy 1. I made four characters: a monk, a thief, a red mage, and a white mage. Two of the four, the monk, Drusus, and the thief, Keme, caught my eye and I grew to fall in love with them and their characteristics.

And thus. My love of OC making began.

And here I am, still loving these two dorks. So to celebrate, why not have a whump event to celebrate!

This event runs August 10-16 2025! However, you're more than welcome to join in now or much later!

For those who are unable to see the template, the rules and prompts are under the cut!

DREME 10TH ANNIVERSARY WHUMP EVENT

August 10: Rescue

August 11: Protectiveness

August 12: Whumpee x Caretaker

August 13: Kidnapped

August 14: Self sacrifice

August 15: Knives

August 16: No holds barred beatdown

RULES

1. Anyone can join, not just whump blogs!

2. NSFW, gore, etc are allowed, just make sure you tag properly and use community labels! If it's not tagged properly and/or no community labels are used, I unfortunately can't reblog it, sorry!

3. Anything can be used for this challenge (art, writing, gifs).

4. If you want me to find your posts for this event, tag your posts #dreme 10th anniversary event

5. NO AI.

6. While these prompts are for August 10-16, you're more than welcome to start early or late! This is just for fun after all!

7. Have fun!!!

[rosenamedjo]

August of Whump Day 3

You already know the drill, @featherlovesrobots is amazing

Day 3: greed / on display / black and blue

It was a rookie mistake — Erin knocked one goon to the floor and went after the others without pinning him down. She should’ve expected she’d get knifed in the back.

Hot blood runs down her side, pooling on her hand, sticky and thick as her palm presses against the wound. Ground is cold, gritty against her knees. A boot slams into her teeth, whipping her head back, slamming her skull into hard asphalt. She gasps, a growl building in her throat as she pushes herself up—

But another foot plows into her stomach and she crashes back onto the pavement, gravel digging into her arms and cheek. She gasps, curling in and hugging her stomach as agony stabs through her in waves. The blood comes faster now, pouring out with the mind-numbingly disgusting smell of iron. The only sound is their laughter, until even that disappears, replaced by her own heavy breathing and the blood roaring in her ears. She shakes her head against a pulse of dizziness and shoves herself up again, fists clenched so tight it'd sting if she could feel anything other than the writhing pain at her side, but another kick slams right into her eye. Another, another, another, coming down like a hurricane on her body — toes slammed against her gut, heels dug into her ribs.

Tears form against her will, but she’ll die before she lets them fall. She squeezes her eyes shut and her vision evens out, doubled and blurred but real. There’s a leg in front of her, sneakers and black pants. She grabs it with a bloodstained hand, white-knuckle tight. The leg flails and jumps like it’s been touched by a snake but she doesn’t let go. She yanks harder, even as the other two keep kicking her, again and again, back and forth, pain exploding down her other arm and leg until she hears a snap.

With one last pull, the goon falls down and she shoves her fist down his throat. Something in her goes hot and she reaches farther, farther, against his desperate choking and crying and she digs her fingers in hard. She can see it now — see herself ripping out his tongue and then tearing apart his cheeks, his throat. She freezes, her arm halfway in already, and she realizes the others have stopped.

Her arm draws back out slowly, slicked with warm blood and saliva, and the goon gasps and heaves, falling backward on the pavement. Erin falls down too, and it barely hurts for a moment. One moment. Then everything rushes back in, floods of pain spiderwebbing down every limb. The worst is her leg, a knot of agony shooting through her shin, and she’s certain it’s broken.

Sounds come filtering back in and the first thing she hears is Sabitra’s voice. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” A warm hand on her cheek and then there’s her face, masked as Starstorm and blurred like a smear of frost on a window, but undeniably hers. ���It’s okay, sweetie, I’m here. Hey, keep your eyes open, okay? Flare, come here, we need pressure on this—”

“Hey,” Erin rumbles through a cough, “take it easy. I’m fine. Did you get… the guys?”

Starstorm gives her a weak smile, and the softness of it catches her off guard — ridiculous, really, since that’s what her smiles always look like. The hand on her face thumbs circles on her cheek as another one settles on her scalp, gently running fingertips along her hairline. Someone pushes a cloth into her side, sending a shiver up her spine. “One of them got away, but Moonshine’s team is in pursuit. The other two, Violet’s got them. Come on, we’ll get you home.”

Starstorm hooks an arm around Erin’s waist and, slowly, rises. Erin winces against a sudden shock of pain when her foot touches the concrete.

“Oh, I’m sorry—was that too quick?”

“No, it's—” She grits her teeth. Stab wound and a broken leg? "It's… fine."

It was a rookie mistake. She always screws everything up.

[rosenamedjo]

Whumptember 2025 Prompt List

here is the prompt list for Whumptember 2025! You can use all four prompts or just one for it to count for the day. Combining prompts across multiple days into one fic is allowed, but make sure that each prompt gets its own time to shine!

Tag fics with #whumptember2025 (no space) for the best chance of it being reblogged

“I was just trying to help” 

Telepathic caretaker | hurt/no comfort| bedroom 

2. “You’ve never understood how important this is to me” 

Bloodied clothes | reluctant hero | crumbling building 

3. “I can’t keep going on like this” 

Shaking hands | wing whump | hospital 

4. “Keep your eyes open!” 

Blood-soaked gauze | car ride to the hospital | back seat of a car

5. “Do it right this time” 

Dagger | returning home | childhood bedroom 

6. “Make it look good” 

Quivering lip | caretaker turned whumper | hotel room 

7. “What’s happening to me?”

Emptied syringe | turning into a monster | laboratory 

8. “How scared should I be right now?” 

Flashing lights | whumper’s return | panic room 

9. “If something had happened to you…” 

Bloodied bandages | captivity | bathroom 

10. “I need your help” 

Torn shirt | amputation | in the middle of nowhere

11. “Start begging and maybe I’ll stop” 

Rusty nail | intimate whumper | dungeon 

12. “Why did you save me?” 

Warm blanket | whumpee in denial | safe house 

13. “You told me you had this handled” 

Broken tooth | in over their head | med bay

14. “I don’t want to do this” 

Scalpel | reluctant whumper | makeshift laboratory 

15. “This doesn’t look safe” 

Old bridge | failed rescue | forest 

16. “Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

Outstretched arm | hero on the run | dark alleyway 

17. “You’re going to get yourself killed acting like this” 

Blood-soaked rag | middle of the night patch-up | small closet 

18. “I don’t see a way out of here” 

Thorny bush | multiple whumpees | labyrinth 

19. “I really wanted this to work” 

Mystery pill | wrong place, wrong time | abandoned building 

20. “You can’t fix me this time” 

Teary eyes | broken-down whumpee | sidewalk of a busy city 

21. “Don’t make me go” 

Packed bag | fever | whumper’s car 

22. “Just leave me alone” 

Closed door | reluctantly cared-for | the foot of the bed 

23. “Just…keep talking to me” 

Phone screen | running out of time | rush hour

24. “I was too late” 

Grave marker | running on fumes | interrogation room 

25. “I don’t know who I am anymore” 

Broken mirror | hiding from their team | supply closet 

26. “I didn’t think I’d get out of there alive” 

Broken lock | successful escape | abandoned mine 

27. “Don’t worry about me, check on the others first” 

Puddle of blood | stoic whumpee | battlefield 

28. “As long as I’m conscious, I’ll fight” 

Broken ribs | bloodied and bruised | medical tent

29. “What do I need to do?” 

Ransom note | middle of the night phone call | parking lot 

30. “When was the last time you slept?” 

Warm drink | traumatized whumpee | kitchen 

Alt. prompts

Haircut 

2. Bear trap

3. Shock collar

4. Hemophobia 

5. Sprained ankle

6. Shaking hands

7. Suspended by chains

8. Ripping fingernails off

9. “You’re still my favorite.”

10. “Will you just shut up and hold my hand?” 

11. “I don’t think I can do this again, not with you.”

12. “I still want to take care of you…even after everything you’ve done.” 

13. “I’ve grown used to people betraying me, but I thought I could always count on you.”

[rosenamedjo]

Prompts for AI-less Whumptober 2025

It was tough to pick from all you guys' amazing suggestions, but we managed to end up with a lovely list of prompts to work with, AND not a single repeat prompt from last year which we found quite important. Additional info + plain text versions of the prompts can be found under the cut.

FAQ and Rules

What sort of content can I create for this event?

You can create whatever you want (fic, art, edits, etc). Any fandom is allowed, as well as OC stuff. NSFW is allowed, but please tag your content accordingly! The only thing not allowed is AI-generated content.

Do I need to make 31 things to participate?

Oh heavens no! You can make as much or as little content as you like, skip days when desired, or combine prompts (so for example, write something that covers a prompt from day 1, 2, AND 3). You don't have to do the days in order either, go wild! To be considered a 'completionist', you only have to make sure that at the end of the month, you've covered 31 prompts from 31 different days, but whether you do that in 31 works or just 1 is up to you. Your works can be separate onshots or one continuous fic.

How do I interpret these prompts?

Creativity is the name of the game here! If you don't understand a prompt, feel free to send us an ask about it. However, the important thing is you're free to interpret the prompts however you want. For example, 'heat' could be literal (fever, heatstroke, burn wounds) or figurative (somebody getting heat for something). The dialogue prompts are allowed to be slightly rewritten to fit better for the character whose mouth it's coming out of. As long as you're having fun!

What are these alts about?

If none of the three prompts of a particular day are your cup of tea, you can swap them out for an alt prompt of your choice. This will count as having covered that day for completionists.

How do I tag and is there an AO3 collection?

It suffices to tag your work with #ailesswhumptober for us to see and reblog it! Please also tag nsfw, since we'll be using that tag too. Tagging the day is optional but does help the mods along.

There is an AO3 collection to add your fics to. It will be revealed and linked here closer to the start of the event.

That should be all. If you have any additional questions, check our pinned or hit us up in the ask box. Or join our discord maybe, whumping can be a great group activity!

---

Plain text versions of the prompts:

October 1

Collapsed lung, Contusion, "Well, that shouldn't have happened."

October 2 

Amputation, Gunshot, "It's not worth your life!"

October 3 

Secondary drowning, Compartment syndrome, "Please don't leave me!”

October 4

Frostbite, Heat, "I can make it all better."

October 5

Torture, Withholding aid, "How do you want me to punish you?"

October 6 

Self-inflicted injury, Rocky recovery, "If I tell you what they made me do, you won't be able to look at me the same."

October 7

Starvation, Foodborne illness, "They put something in my system, I can't think straight."

October 8

Hit and run, Adrenaline, “I can’t stop!”

October 9

Emotional manipulation,  Cassandra truth, “You asked for this.”

October 10 

Blood poisoning, Hypoxia, "What were you thinking?"

October 11

Sleep deprivation, Whiplash, “Be careful, they’re watching us.”

October 12

Dislocation, Dizziness, “Don’t pass out on me.”

October 13 

Ransom, Tranquilizer, "I trusted you!"

October 14 

Self-surgery, Unconsciousness, "Look who's awake."

October 15

Came back wrong, Cannibalism, "You weren't supposed to die first."

October 16

Leashed, Painful shapeshifting, "Hold them down."

October 17

Drug side effects, Desperation, "It's fine, I can walk it off."

October 18

Captivity, Loss of powers, "Do you even know how to use that?"

October 19

Broken bone, blood loss, "When I finish patching you up I swear to god I'm gonna kick your ass for making me worry about you."

October 20

Irredeemable, Before it starts/After it's over, "I didn't react the way I should have, I'm sorry."

October 21

Stranded, Search and rescue, "You really think they're gonna look for you?"

October 22

Estranged, Changed dynamic, “Who did this to you?!”

October 23

Restraints, Obsession, “Aren’t you feisty?”

October 24

Denial, Working through the pain, “What have you done to yourself?”

October 25

Magical bind, Pinned down, "And what do we have here?"

October 26

Defanging/Declawing, pulled feathers, “This should teach you to behave next time.”

October 27

Sensory overload, Catatonic, "Don't pretend to understand."

October 28

Hospital/Doctor’s visit, Medical power of attorney, "Why can't I remember?"

October 29

Childhood trauma, Guilt, "I didn't mean to."

October 30

Cleaning injuries, Labored breathing, “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

October 31

Body horror, Enucleation, "I am the monster you made me!"

Alt prompts:

1) Mutation

2) Knife/Gun to the throat

3) Nonhuman pet whumpee

4) Chronic condition

5) No-win scenario

6) Blinded

7) Memory trigger

8) Mercy

9) "This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

10) “Get yourself out of here! I’ll be fine.”

[rosenamedjo]

June of Doom 2026 ⚡︎

Hola, Doomers! Ask and thou shalt receive: here be the June of Doom 2026 prompt list for all your doomsday planning! All the good stuff's below the cut!

Previous Dooms: 2023 || 2024 || 2025

What the heck's a June of Doom?

This is a month-long prompt challenge/ list/ event/ thing that focuses on whump, angst, hurt/ comfort, and the like. Despite the air of doom it exudes, this challenge is very relaxed—your mod knows life happens but you still want to be part of your fandom(s), and sometimes you can't just sit down 30 days in a row to write/ art/ create. So, this list is out stupid early every year so you have the chance to prepare and particiapte! It's never too soon to Doom!

Rules

Tag your stuff with appropriate warnings, plzkthnx.

AI-created content is highly discouraged and frowned upon. I have no way of "checking", but I respect the time and effort people put into their crafts and encourage everyone to do the same. This isn't a contest for best written or prettiest art — it's a challenge, so challenge yourself.

Be cool. We're cool here. Don't like, don't read. Don't start none, won't be none. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. Let people be happy. 💕 (But if someone's comin' at you within the confines of this challenge, let me know ASAP.)

FAQ

You can participate with original and fan works!

You can do so with whatever medium you want!

You can combine this challenge with other challenges!

You can start/ finish this challenge whenever the heck you want! And I'll reblog it here if you tag the blog, even if it's not June!

You can use one, some, or all of the prompts listed for a given day however you want! The point is to be creative!

You can mix and match prompts from different days!

If nothing on a certain day is inspiring you, there are 15 alternate prompts this year consisting of last year's most popular prompts!

Angst, hurt/comfort, and lighter/funnier forms of whump are welcomed and encouraged! Torture takes many forms! :)

I'll post reminders and such as we get closer!

[AO3 Collection] - open late May 2026

And don't forget to tag @juneofdoom so I can reblog all of your amazing stuff here! (I typically only check the #juneofdoom and #june of doom tags during the event, so tagging the blog itself is the best way to ensure I see it and share it!)

If you have any questions, comments, shout outs, ideas, or just need some encouragement, inbox me anytime, June or not!

Have fun, Doomers! ⚡︎

2026 Prompt List ⚡︎

"Stay down." | Rules | Unfair Fight | Dehumanization

"You have to let me go." | Dying Alone | Drowning | Blame

"Give me another chance." | Trapped | Misunderstanding | Deception

"I won't leave you." | Dragged | Natural Disaster | Blankets

"It's no use." | Lost at Sea | Grief | Coughing Blood

"You're next." | Forced to Watch | Claustrophobia | Denial

"Can you hear me?" | Adverse Reaction | Fever | Buried Alive

"Don't you dare." | Protective | Revenge | Collared

"I made a mistake." | Crying | Friendly Fire | Broken Glass

"Where am I?" | Blind | Overthinking | Handcuffs

"Maybe it's better this way." | Left for Dead | Pressure | Anxiety

"Don't lie to me." | Last Wish | Hidden Injury | Stabilization

"I just want to forget." | Revealed Secret | Touch Aversion | Lost

"You'll have to do better than that." | Servant | Darkness | Trembling

"Watch out!" | Earthquake | Sandstorm | Flood

"Take me instead." | Kidnapping | Curse | Whimper

"I'm worried about you." | Nightmares | Missing Time | Concussion

"How long have you been like this?" | Withheld Medication | Below Zero | Weak

"Whatever happens…" | Major Character Death | Carry | Regret

"I'll be fine." | Self-Surgery | Crutches | Sprain

"This isn't over." | Heatwave | Spite | Dissociation

"You're still you." | Disability | Recovery | Quiet Company

"But you promised!" | Plea | Innocence | Unreliable

"Why are you looking at me like that?" | Drugged | Insecurity | Dislocation

"This is all my fault." | Confession | Fool | Pushed Away

"You're only making it worse." | Flare | Virus | Poison Ivy

"You're pathetic." | Kneeling | Muzzled | Manipulation

"No one can hear you." | Asphyxiation | Photograph | Stalking

"Trust me." | Forbidden Love | Doubt | Mind Control

"I thought you were dead." | Near-death Experience | Explosion | Guilt

ALTERNATE PROMPTS

"Are you scared yet?"

"I'm so sorry."

"Hopefully."

"You'll be okay. Maybe."

"Stay with me."

"Don't move!"

"I'll never stop."

Injury Reveal

Obsession

Bruises

Locked Door

Touch Starved

Bedridden

Scream

Bite

[rosenamedjo]

How to Build a Bedtime Routine That Actually Works

Most people approach bedtime routines backward. They focus on what to do right before bed instead of creating a gentle transition that begins hours earlier. The most effective bedtime routines aren't rushed rituals—they're gradual shifts that honor your body's natural wind-down process.

Your body needs clear signals that the day is ending and sleep is approaching. Think of your bedtime routine as a bridge between your active day and restorative night. This bridge should span 1-2 hours, not 10 minutes.

The magic number for habit formation isn't 21 days—it's actually closer to 66 days for complex routines. But here's the secret: you don't need to implement everything at once. Start with one simple, consistent element and build from there. Consistency with one thing beats inconsistency with ten things.

Your routine should work with your chronotype—whether you're naturally a morning lark or night owl. A night owl forcing themselves into a 9 PM routine will struggle more than finding a later routine that honors their natural rhythm while still allowing adequate sleep.

Temperature regulation is crucial but often overlooked. Your body temperature naturally drops in the evening to prepare for sleep. Supporting this process—through cool bedrooms, warm baths, or appropriate sleepwear—can significantly improve sleep onset.

The most successful routines include three elements: a digital sunset (ending screen time), a physical wind-down (gentle stretching, reading, or relaxing activities), and a mental transition (gratitude, journaling, or meditation).

Remember: your routine should feel nurturing, not like another task on your to-do list.

Your 21-Day Bedtime Routine Builder

🕘 Evening Timeline Template 2 hours before bed:

Dim overhead lights, use lamps instead

Finish eating large meals

Complete work/stressful tasks

1 hour before bed:

Begin digital sunset (screens off)

Start physical wind-down activities

Begin temperature regulation

30 minutes before bed:

Complete mental transition activities

Get into comfortable sleepwear

Prepare bedroom environment

📱 Digital Sunset Strategy Week 1 Goal: Screen-free 30 minutes before bed Week 2 Goal: Screen-free 45 minutes before bed Week 3 Goal: Screen-free 60 minutes before bed

Alternative activities:

Read fiction (not work-related)

Listen to calming music or podcasts

Practice gentle stretching or yoga

Write in a gratitude journal

Do mindful coloring

Practice meditation or breathing exercises

🛁 Physical Wind-Down Menu Choose 2-3 activities that appeal to you:

Warm bath or shower (raises then lowers body temperature)

Gentle stretching or restorative yoga

Progressive muscle relaxation

Herbal tea ritual (chamomile, passionflower, valerian)

Light self-massage with lavender oil

Mindful coloring or drawing

🧠 Mental Transition Activities Select one primary practice:

Gratitude journaling (3 good things from today)

Tomorrow planning (write down next day's priorities)

Meditation or breathing exercises (5-10 minutes)

Reading inspirational or calming content

Visualization of peaceful scenes

Prayer or spiritual practice

📅 21-Day Habit Tracker Week 1: Establish ONE consistent element Week 2: Add second element Week 3: Refine and adjust timing

Daily tracking:

Routine start time: _____

Elements completed: /

Sleep onset ease (1-10): ___

Morning energy (1-10): ___

🔄 Routine Troubleshooting Guide If struggling with consistency:

Routine too long? Shorten it.

Too many changes? Pick one element.

Timing doesn't work? Adjust to your schedule.

Feels boring? Add variety within structure.

Skipping often? Link to existing habit.

🎨 Featured Stress-Relief Tool: Peaceful Nights Coloring Book

Make coloring the highlight of your new bedtime routine! The book features 40+ designs specifically created for relaxation, from gentle mandalas to peaceful nature scenes. Each page is designed to transition your mind from day-mode to sleep-mode.

Perfect for your digital sunset: Replace scrolling with soothing coloring. The repetitive motions and focus required naturally slow your heart rate and prepare your nervous system for sleep.

Source: How to Build a Bedtime Routine That Actually Works

[rosenamedjo]

Hey hey hey writers!!! Especially y'alls who are struggling to develop character or have white room/still character syndrome!!!

Look into Uta Hagen's acting techniques, specifically her 9 questions. I'm not kidding. She built off Stanislavski's techniques to help actors develop their characters and roles & bring that to the stage- specifically, and this is why I'm pushing Hagen specifically and not anyone else, their relationship with the set, props, other characters, setting (yes that's different from set), history and the play's plot, and how that changes how they act and speak. I have my textbook open I'll take some pictures.

If you need a transcript/image description I'll put it under the cut, they're a little blurry cause I'm bad at holding my phone... I know alt text is a thing but I don't want y'alls to have to scroll through a tiny box lmao.

[Image 1 alt text]

The lower part of a textbook page. The text reads:

Uta Hagen's acting exercises

[Out-of-transcript note: Most of these, with the exception of Three Entrances, are less useful in terms of writers, but you could make it work, especially for roleplay.]

Basic Object Exercise: Sometimes called "two minutes of daily life," this exercise requires the actor to replicate activities from their own daily routine in specific detail (think making breakfast or getting ready to go out). The goal of this exercise is to increase the actor's awareness of their un-observed behaviour.

Three Entrances: Starting offstage, the actor enters the environment of the scene. The actor's performance should answer three questions: What did I just do? What am I going to do? What is the first thing I want?

Immediacy: Hagen asked actors to search for a small object that they need. You can perform the exercise on a set or in your home. As you search, you should observe the behaviour and thoughts that arise as you authentically try to find something. The objective is to identify the thoughts, behaviours, and sensations you experience when you genuinely don't know the outcome, so you can use them on stage.

Fourth Side: This exercise starts with a phone call to a person you know. You should call them with a specific objective in mind. During the convention, Hagen wants you to focus on your surroundings and the specific objects that your eyes rest on. The purpose is to help actors observe how they interact with all dimensions of an enclosed physical space so they can recreate privacy on stage.

Endowment: this exercise is designed to help actors apply their observed behaviours to endow props with qualities that they cannot safely have on stage. Hot irons and sharp knives are typical examples. The Endowment excercise asks actors to believably treat objects on stage as though they have the qualities the actor needs in a scene.

Uta Hagen's exercises are her greatest gift to actors working today. She developed them between Broadway jobs to solve some acting problems she had never seen anyone tackle to her satisfaction. The result is that Hagen's exercises give actors a way to observe human behaviours and catalogue it so they can recall it onstage when useful in a role.

[Image 1 alt text end]

[Image 2 alt text]

Most of a textbook page. The image cuts off about 3 quarters of the way down the page. The text reads:

Uta Hagen's 9 Questions

Who am I? This question's answer includes all relevant details from name and age to physical traits, education, and beliefs.

What time is it? Depending on the scene, the most relevant measure of time can be the era, the season, the day, or even the specific minute.

Where am I? This answer covers the country, town, neighbourhood, room, or even the specific part of the room.

What surrounds me? Characters can be surrounded by anything from weather to furnishings, landscape or people.

What are the given circumstances? Given circumstances include what has happened, what is happening and what will happen to a character.

What are my relationships? Relationships can be with the other characters in the play, inanimate objects, or even recent events.

What do I want? Wants can be what the character desires in the moment, or in the overall course of the play. [Out-of-transcript note: I recommend figuring out both for writing, the former multiple times for whenever it changes! Outside of Hagen's technique, we call it objective and superobjective.]

What is in my way? This is the actor's chance to understand the obstacles the character must react to and overcome.

What do I do to get what I want? In Hagen's teaching, "do" means physical action.

Uta Hagen's nine questions help actors develop the granular details of their character's backstory. The questions come from Hagen's first book, "Respect for Acting," though in her later book, "A Challenge for the Actor," she condensed her original nine questions into six steps.

Uta Hagen's revised six steps to building a character are:

Who am I?

What are the circumstances?

What are my relationships?

What do I want?

What is my obstacle?

What do I do to get what I want?

Later in her life, Hagen distances herself from her first book and encouraged her students to rely on her second book, which she felt was clearer about her concepts. Both books are popular with acting teachers and students today, however. Hagen's questions and steps are the foundation for all of her acting exercises. Whether you rely on the nine questions or the six steps depends on personal preference.

[Image 2 alt text end]

Personally I like the 9 questions more, but like the book says, personal preference! So yeah, if you're a writer, try some of these out for your characters. :]

[rosenamedjo]

[rosenamedjo]

o primeiro dia

[rosenamedjo]

ultimate character development template

basics

name: meaning of name: nicknames/titles: age: gender: location: birthday: strengths + example where it's shown: weaknesses + example where it's shown: how it affects others:

emotional depth

attachment style + how it manifests in the story: physical fear: emotional/abstract fear: happy memory: sad memory: object of significance: philosophical outlook/belief: what characters are ignorant about themselves: how confident are they: goal: long-term dreams: what they're embarrassed/ashamed to tell others about: regrets: source of pride: source of misery: what they admire above all else: do they believe in fate:

personality

mbti: enneagram: big five: character archetype: star sign: who they pretend to be on the outside: who they actually are/how they feel towards the mask: mental health conditions: how it manifests for them: iq: eq: humour: reputation:

habits

bad habits: mannerisms when stressed: mannerisms when content: mannerisms when scared: mannerisms normally: verbal mannerisms/distinctive speaking style: how do they move across a room: what do they say and what remains unsaid: how they express love: hobbies:

appearance

defining features: eye shape + colour: hair texture + colour: skin texture + tone: vibe: height: build: clothing: any bodily disfigurement (scars, etc.): overall attractiveness: their opinion on their appearance: appeals to:

relationships

who they trust most: what they wish they could do for them: what's holding them back: who they hate most: what they wish they could do to them: what's holding them back: relationship with the protagonist: relationship with the antagonist: siblings: relationship with them: parents/step-parents: relationship with them: previous broken relationships: why did it break: what others expect of them: who believes in them: their mentor character/who they look up to: political/religious/other affiliations: what makes them different from every other character: non-human relationships + why: romantic "type" + why: relationship dynamics:

backstory/background

primary emotion towards their past: primary feelings while in their past: where did they grow up: defining incidents: earliest childhood memory: saddest memory: happiest memory: major accomplishments: their opinion on it: notable people in their backstory: effect on them today: trauma: what have they already lost: financial circumstance:

progression

why are they important (eg. why're they the only one able to do something?): what do they learn about themselves throughout the story: what do they learn about the world: how do they feel towards their newfound knowledge: character arc (positive, negative, neutral): how relationships change because of their actions: what mistakes do they make: what scene is their character highlighted: do they get what they want: why or why not: what happens to them after the story ends:

[rosenamedjo]

💀 Making Your Villain Make Sense (Without Making Them Right™)

("because if I see one more war criminal with a sad diary entry get a redemption arc, I’m gonna throw my laptop.")

Here’s the thing: your villain doesn’t need to be redeemable. But they do need to make sense.

And I mean sense beyond "they’re evil and they monologue about it." Or “they have a tragic past, so now they do murder <3.” Or “they were right all along, the hero just couldn’t see it 🥺.”

Let’s fix that.

─────── ✦ ───────

🧠 STEP ONE: BUILD A LOGIC SYSTEM THAT ISN’T OURS Your villain shouldn’t just be wrong, they should have their own internal system that works for them. Morally flawed? Absolutely. But coherent.

Ask yourself:

What do they value more than anything? (Power? Order? Loyalty? Vengeance?)

What do they believe about the world, and how did they get there?

What fear drives them? What future do they think they’re trying to prevent?

The villain doesn’t need to know they’re wrong. But you should.

Make their logic airtight. even if it’s awful. Give them cause and effect.

─────── ✦ ───────

👿 STEP TWO: STOP GIVING THEM THE BETTER IDEOLOGY Listen. I love a “morally gray” moment as much as anyone. But if your villain is making all the good points and the hero’s just like “no because that’s mean,” your arc is upside down.

If your villain is critiquing injustice, oppression, or inequality, make sure their methods are the problem, not their entire worldview.

✖︎ WRONG: Villain: “The ruling class is corrupt.” Hero: “That’s not nice.”

✔︎ RIGHT: Villain: “The ruling class is corrupt, so I’m burning the city and everyone in it.” Hero: “So you’re just… committing genocide now?”

Your villain can touch a real issue. Just don’t let them be the only one talking about it, or solving it with horror movie logic.

─────── ✦ ───────

🔪 STEP THREE: GIVE THEM POWER THAT COSTS THEM The best villains lose things too. They’re not just untouchable horror dolls in sexy coats. They make bad choices and pay for them. That’s where the drama lives.

Examples:

They isolate themselves.

They sacrifice people they love.

They get what they want, and it destroys them.

They know they’re the monster, and choose it anyway.

If your villain can kill a dozen people and feel nothing, that’s not scary. That’s boring. Let them bleed. Let them regret it. Let them double down anyway.

─────── ✦ ───────

🧱 STEP FOUR: MAKE THEM PART OF THE WORLD, NOT OUTSIDE IT Villains shouldn’t feel like they were patched in from another genre. They should be part of the world’s logic, culture, class system, history. They should reflect something about the setting.

Villains that slap:

The advisor who upheld the regime until they decided they deserved to rule.

The noble who’s using war to reclaim stolen legacy.

The ex-hero who thinks the system can’t be saved, only reset.

The priest who truly believes the gods demand blood.

They’re not just evil, they’re a product of the same world the hero is trying to save.

─────── ✦ ───────

👁 STEP FIVE: SHOW US THEIR SELF-JUSTIFICATION You don’t need a tragic backstory™. But you do need to show us why they think they’re right. Not just with exposition, through action.

Let us watch them:

Protect someone.

Choose their goal over safety.

Justify the unjustifiable to a character who loves them.

Refuse to change, even when given a chance.

A villain who looks into the mirror and goes “Yes. I’m correct.” is 1000x scarier than one who sobs into a journal and says “I’m so broken 🥺.”

─────── ✦ ───────

🧨 BONUS ROUND: DON’T MAKE THEM A HATRED MEGAPHONE Especially if you’re writing marginalized characters: don’t let your villain become a mouthpiece for slurs, abuse, or extremism just to make them “evil enough.” That’s lazy. And harmful.

You don’t need real-world hate speech to build a dark character. You need power, consequence, and intent.

─────── ✦ ───────

TL;DR: Good villains don’t need to be right. They need to be real. Not a vibe. Not a sad boy in a trench coat. Not a trauma monologue and then a sword fight. They need logic. They need cost. They need to scare you because you get them, and still want them to lose.

Make them dangerous. Not relatable. Make them whole. Not wholesome. Make them make sense.

—rin t. // thewriteadviceforwriters // villain critic. final boss consultant. licensed chaos goblin

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

[rosenamedjo]

Zoom In, Don’t Glaze Over: How to Describe Appearance Without Losing the Plot

You’ve met her before. The girl with “flowing ebony hair,” “emerald eyes,” and “lips like rose petals.” Or him, with “chiseled jawlines,” “stormy gray eyes,” and “shoulders like a Greek statue.”

We don’t know them.

We’ve just met their tropes.

Describing physical appearance is one of the trickiest — and most overdone — parts of character writing. It’s tempting to reach for shorthand: hair color, eye color, maybe a quick body scan. But if we want a reader to see someone — to feel the charge in the air when they enter a room — we need to stop writing mannequins and start writing people.

So let’s get granular. Here’s how to write physical appearance in a way that’s textured, meaningful, and deeply character-driven.

1. Hair: It’s About Story, Texture, and Care

Hair says a lot — not just about genetics, but about choices. Does your character tame it? Let it run wild? Is it dyed, greying, braided, buzzed, or piled on top of her head in a hurry?

Good hair description considers:

Texture (fine, coiled, wiry, limp, soft)

Context (windblown, sweat-damp, scorched by bleach)

Emotion (does she twist it when nervous? Is he ashamed of losing it?)

Flat: “Her long brown hair framed her face.”

Better: “Her ponytail was too tight, the kind that whispered of control issues and caffeine-fueled 4 a.m. library shifts.”

You don’t need to romanticise it. You need to make it feel real.

2. Eyes: Less Color, More Connection

We get it: her eyes are violet. Cool. But that doesn’t tell us much.

Instead of focusing solely on eye color, think about:

What the eyes do (do they dart, linger, harden?)

What others feel under them (seen, judged, safe?)

The surrounding features (dark circles, crow’s feet, smudged mascara)

Flat: “His piercing blue eyes locked on hers.”

Better: “His gaze was the kind that looked through you — like it had already weighed your worth and moved on.”

You’re not describing a passport photo. You’re describing what it feels like to be seen by them.

3. Facial Features: Use Contrast and Texture

Faces are not symmetrical ovals with random features. They’re full of tension, softness, age, emotion, and life.

Things to look for:

Asymmetry and character (a crooked nose, a scar)

Expression patterns (smiling without the eyes, habitual frowns)

Evidence of lifestyle (laugh lines, sun spots, stress acne)

Flat: “She had a delicate face.”

Better: “There was something unfinished about her face — as if her cheekbones hadn’t quite agreed on where to settle, and her mouth always seemed on the verge of disagreement.”

Let the face be a map of experience.

4. Bodies: Movement > Measurement

Forget dress sizes and six packs. Think about how bodies occupy space. How do they move? What are they hiding or showing? How do they wear their clothes — or how do the clothes wear them?

Ask:

What do others notice first? (a presence, a posture, a sound?)

How does their body express emotion? (do they go rigid, fold inwards, puff up?)

Flat: “He was tall and muscular.”

Better: “He had the kind of height that made ceilings nervous — but he moved like he was trying not to take up too much space.”

Describing someone’s body isn’t about cataloguing. It’s about showing how they exist in the world.

5. Let Emotion Tint the Lens

Who’s doing the describing? A lover? An enemy? A tired narrator? The emotional lens will shape what’s noticed and how it’s described.

In love: The chipped tooth becomes charming.

In rivalry: The smirk becomes smug.

In mourning: The face becomes blurred with memory.

Same person. Different lens. Different description.

6. Specificity is Your Superpower

Generic description = generic character. One well-chosen detail creates intimacy. Let us feel the scratch of their scarf, the clink of her earrings, the smudge of ink on their fingertips.

Examples:

“He had a habit of adjusting his collar when he lied — always clockwise, always twice.”

“Her nail polish was always chipped, but never accidentally.”

Make the reader feel like they’re the only one close enough to notice.

Describing appearance isn’t just about what your character looks like. It’s about what their appearance says — about how they move through the world, how others see them, and how they see themselves.

Zoom in on the details that matter. Skip the clichés. Let each description carry weight, story, and emotion. Because you’re not building paper dolls. You’re building people.

[rosenamedjo]

🍖 How to Build a Culture Without Just Inventing Spices and Necklaces

(a worldbuilding roast. with love.)

So. You’re building a fantasy world, and you’ve just invented: → Three types of ceremonial jewelry → A spice that tastes like cinnamon if it were bitter and cursed → A holiday where everyone wears gold and screams at dawn

Cute. But that’s not culture. That’s aesthetics.

And if your worldbuilding is all outfits, dances, and spice blends with vaguely mystical names, your story’s probably going to feel like a cosplay convention held inside a Pinterest board.

Here’s how to fix that—aka: how to build a real, functioning culture that shapes your story, not just its vibes.

─────── ✦ ───────

🔗 Culture Is Built on Power, Not Just Style

Ask yourself: → Who’s in charge, and why? → Who has land? Who doesn’t? → What’s considered taboo, sacred, or punishable by death?

Culture is shaped by who gets to make the rules and who gets crushed by them. That’s where things like religion, family structure, class divisions, gender roles, and social expectations actually come from.

Start there. Not at the embroidery.

─────── ✦ ───────

2.🪓 Culture Comes From Conflict

Did this society evolve peacefully? Was it colonized? Did it colonize? Was it rebuilt after a war? Is it still in one?

→ What was destroyed and mythologized? → What do the survivors still whisper about? → What do children get taught in school that’s… suspiciously sanitized?

No culture is neutral. Every tradition has a history, and that history should taste like blood, loss, or propaganda.

─────── ✦ ───────

3.🧠 Belief Systems > Customs Lists

Sure, rituals and holidays are cool. But what do people believe about: → Death? → Love? → Time? → The natural world? → Justice?

Example: A society that believes time is cyclical vs. one that sees time as linear will approach everything—from prison sentences to grief—completely differently.

You don’t need to invent 80 gods. You need to know what those gods mean to the people who pray to them.

─────── ✦ ───────

4.🫀 Culture Controls Behavior (Quietly)

Culture shows up in: → What people apologize for → What insults cut deepest → What people are embarrassed about → What’s praised publicly vs. what’s hidden privately

For instance: → A culture obsessed with stoicism won’t say “I love you.” They’ll say “Have you eaten?” → A culture built on legacy might prioritize ancestor veneration, archival writing, name inheritance.

This stuff? Way more immersive than giving everyone matching earrings.

─────── ✦ ───────

5. 🏠 Culture = Daily Life, Not Just Festivals

Sure, your MC might attend a funeral where people paint their faces blue. But what about: → Breakfast routines? → How people greet each other on the street? → Who cooks, and who eats first? → What’s considered “clean” or “proper”? → How is parenting handled? Divorce?

Culture is what happens between plot points. It should shape your character’s assumptions, language, fears, and habits—whether or not a festival is going on.

─────── ✦ ───────

6. 💬 Let Your Characters Disagree With Their Own Culture

A culture isn’t a monolith.

Even in deeply traditional societies, people: → Rebel → Question → Break rules → Misinterpret laws → Mock sacred things → Act hypocritically → Weaponize or resist what’s expected

Let your characters wrestle with the culture around them. That’s where realism (and tension) lives.

─────── ✦ ───────

7.🧼 Beware the “Pretty = Good” Trap

Worldbuilding gets boring fast when: → The protagonist’s homeland is beautiful and pure → The enemy’s culture is dark and “barbaric” → Every detail just reinforces who the reader should like

You can—and should—challenge the aesthetic hierarchy. → Let ugly things be beloved. → Let beautiful things be corrupt. → Let your MC romanticize their culture and then get disillusioned by it later.

─────── ✦ ───────

📍 TL;DR (but like, spicy): → Culture is not food and jewelry. → Culture is power, fear, memory, contradiction. → Stop inventing spices until you know who starved last winter. → Let your world feel lived in, not curated.

The best cultural worldbuilding doesn’t look like a list. It feels like a system. A pressure. A presence your characters can’t escape—even if they try.

Now go. Build something real. (You can add spices later.)

—rin t. // writing advice for worldbuilders with rage and range // thewriteadviceforwriters

Sometimes the problem isn’t your plot. It’s your first 5 pages. Fix it here → 🖤 Free eBook: 5 Opening Pages Mistakes to Stop Making:

🕯️ download the pack & write something cursed:

[rosenamedjo]

I'm sorry your writing strategy is WHAT?? I'm going to need a thorough explanation of this because I'm FASCINATED

[brian murphy voice] I DIDNT SAY ANYTHING WEIRD!!!

okay i did. but also! if it ain’t broke…

here’s how this crumbles cookie-wise. sometimes (as is currently the case) i feel like i am trying to hold onto a whole novel in my brain at once. this does not feel particularly good because the novel doesn’t belong in my brain it belongs Out There. so i make a very detailed outline and then i start at chapter 1, and i write to 100 words (give or take a few). then i move on to chapter 2 and write to 100 words. then to chapter 3 and so on until i have at least 100 words in each chapter. then once i’ve run through the whole book, i go back to the beginning and make sure each chapter is up to 200. then i’m usually in the Meat of each scene so i’ll get everything up to 500, then 1000, then 1500 and then usually i clock out of chapters around or just under the 2k mark.

this appeases the hyperactive part of my brain by making sure i’m never bored, and helps the project manager in my brain so i can keep track of many moving parts in the novel and also ensures that scenes at the end speak to scenes at the beginning since i’m (sort of) writing the whole book at once.

NOTE: sometimes i get lost in the sauce and write way past 100 or wherever im at, and that’s fine. it just means i probably skip that chapter during my next pass since it’ll be past my goal wc for each chapter of the run.

that is all. try it, if you want. i honestly don’t know how to write books any other way

[rosenamedjo]

Here it is guys! The 2025 Feveruary prompts! We wanted them to be more generally comfort focused so then they be able to be interpreted in different ways to allow you guys to be as creative as you’d like!

We’re so excited to share these with you and we can’t wait to see what you write! As always feel free to ask any questions or share your excitement about this event! :D

We'll post more about how to submit your work and the AO3 collection closer to the time! For now though, we wish you goodluck and happy writing!

Text Version Below:

“How did you end up like this?” 

Burning Up then Freezing Cold 

Caught in the Rain 

Herbal Remedy 

“Could you just hold me?” 

Spoon-Feeding 

“I’m still not used to being taken care of.” 

“Couldn’t you keep your cold to yourself.” 

Face Masks 

“You’re safe, it was just a dream.” 

“You’re burning up!” 

Role Reversal – Medic to Sickie 

“I wouldn’t even trust you to boil tea in your condition!” 

Falling asleep in the wrong place 

Guiding sickie back to bed 

“Is it me or is it really warm in here?” 

“I know you want to help but you’re only making things worse.” 

Delirious 

“I know ice cream is good for sore throats but that’s way too much!” 

Lost Voice/Strep Throat 

From better to worse 

“Our date can wait! You’re far more important.” 

“You need a tissue?” 

“Don’t you think you should stay home today?” 

Standing Vigil 

“You sure I’m sick? Because I feel fine.” 

Vacation Disaster 

“Well, it sounds to me like you need a little bit of TLC.” 

Alternates:

Forced to work

Cool wash cloth

"I don't get sick!"

Sneezing Fit

[rosenamedjo]

WHUMPTOBER 2024: PROMPTS LIST

Welcome to Whumptober 2024 — Seventh Time's a Charm!

Please make sure to read the Event Info and FAQ below 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.

This year's playlist can be found here.

The 'Anatomy of a Whumptober Prompt' post can be found here.

And our 'Resources for Writing Sensitive Topics' post is here.

We’re very excited to see the community come together for another year of Whumptober! 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

(Text versions of the prompts, as well as event information, rules and FAQ are posted below the cut!)

Whumptober 2024 Prompt List

No. 1: RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK

Search Party | Panic Attack | "If only we could hold on.” (Icysami x Renegaderr, Strangers.)

No. 2: TRUST ISSUES

Amusement Park | Role Reversal | “You got away with the crime while the knife's in my back.” (Charlotte Sands, Rollercoaster)

No. 3: SET UP FOR FAILURE

Fingerprints | Wrongfully Arrested | "I warned you."

No. 4: HALLUCINATIONS

Hypnosis | Sensory Deprivation | “You're still alive in my head.” (Billy Lockett, More)

No. 5: SUNBURN

Healing Salve | Heatstroke | "If my pain will stretch that far." (Lottery Winners, Burning House)

No. 6: NOT REALISING THEY'RE INJURED

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms | Healed Wrong | "It's not my blood."

No. 7: ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES

Unconventional Weapon | Magic with a Cost | "It's us or them."

No. 8: SLEEP DEPRIVATION

Isolation Chamber | Forced to Stay Awake | "Leave the lights on." (Coldplay, Midnight)

No. 9: OBSESSION

Broken Window | Bruises | “Frame me up on the wall, just to keep me out of trouble.” (Fall Out Boy, Irresistible)

No. 10: BLOW TO THE HEAD

Slurred Words | Passing Out from Pain | "I can't think straight."

No. 11: SEEING DOUBLE

Convenience Store | Loneliness | “Leave no trace behind, like you don't even exist.” (Taylor Swift, Illicit Affairs)

No. 12: STARVATION

Underground Caverns | Cannibalism | "Just a little more."

No. 13: TEAM AS A FAMILY

Familial Curse | Multiple Whumpees | "Death will do us part." (Set It Off, Partner's In Crime)

No. 14: LEFT FOR DEAD

Hunting Gear | Blackmail | “Because I want you to know what it feels like to be haunted” (tiLLie, kooL aiD mAn)

No. 15: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

Painful Hug | Moment of Clarity | "I did good, right?"

No. 16: NECROSIS

Swamp | Wound Cleaning | "No, I can't feel anything."

No. 17: NOWHERE ELSE TO GO

Ruined Map | Shipwrecked | "We had a good run."

No. 18: REVENGE

Unreliable Narrator | Loss of Identity | “I see what's mine and take it.” (Panic! at the Disco, Emperor's New Clothes)

No. 19: BLOOD TRAIL

Abandoned Cabin | One Way Out | "Is there anybody alive out there?" (Bruce Springsteen, Radio Nowhere)

No. 20: EMOTIONAL ANGST

Shoulder to Cry On | Giving Permission to Die | "It's not your fault."

No. 21: BODY HORROR

Body Horror | Tattoo Gun | Spirit Possession | “Let the bedsheet soak up the tears.” (Apparat feat. Soap & Skin, Goodbye)

No. 22: BLEEDING THROUGH BANDAGES

Tourniquet | Reopening Wounds | "Oh that's not good."

No. 23: FORCED CHOICE

Public Display | Broken Pedestal | "I'm doing this for you."

No. 24: RADIATION POISONING

Collapsed Building | Equipment Failure | “I never knew daylight could be so violent.” (Florence + The Machine, No Light, No Light)

No. 25: SURGERY

Stitches | Being Monitored | "It's for your own good."

No. 26: NIGHTMARES

Breakfast Table | Parting Words of Regret | “I'm haunted by the lies that I have loved, the actions I have hated.” (Poe, Haunted)

No. 27: VOICELESS

Laboratory | Muzzled | “I have no mouth and I must scream.”

No. 28: DENIAL

CCTV | Exposure | "They caught me red handed."

No. 29: FATIGUE

Labyrinth | Burnout | "Who said you could rest?"

No. 30: RECOVERY

Hospital Bed | Holding Back Tears | "What have I done?"

No. 31: ASKING FOR HELP

Therapy | Making Amends | "I'm alive, I'm just not well." (Elliot Lee, Alive, Not Well.)

Alternatives List:

Body Swap

Communication Barrier

Finding Old Messages

Forgotten

Friendly Fire

Motion Sickness

No-Holds-Barred Beatdown

Regret

Secrets Revealed

Shivering

Survivor's Guilt

Time Loop

Used As Bait

Venom

Vermin

Event Info & Rules

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. They are meant 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 a reference to an ‘old flame’ - an old relationship. It’s truly down to you!

In total, there are 4 prompts for each day. These are optional suggestions and can be used in conjunction with the theme, or as options/alternatives.  We want to give everyone as much creative freedom as possible, as well as increase event accessibility for folks with triggers and squicks. There is also a list of 15 alternative prompts that can be subbed in for any day, again to give participants as much creative freedom as possible.

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 it with:

#whumptober2024 …..(the event tag)

#no.1, #no.2, #no.3, …..(theme number)

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

#altprompt …..(if you use an altprompt, tag the post with the number of the prompt you replace)

#fandom or #OC, …..(ironman, original content, oc, etc.)

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

#teeth, #etc …..(trigger warnings & any additional tags. Keep in mind not to add “tw” in front but only use the word/trigger itself)

#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. This is based on trust and we will not check this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please read this before you send an ask!

TIMELINE

July: Trope voting form released. Late August: Prompt list is released for at least four weeks of preparation time. Tropes cannot be posted earlier than August 25th because of Moderator obligations in real life. (But, you know, go ahead and start writing/drawing, and add the themes in later, if you want!) September: Do as much or as little on your works as you want. You can prepare everything in advance or let September go by with vibes and start working in October. It’s up to you. October 1st: Challenge begins! A storm of whump breaks upon us all! During this time, some posts will be reblogged to the whumptober archive blog. We open the yearly AO3 collection for posting (optional). November 1st: The challenge is officially over! Completionist form opens for those who want to be included in the hall-of-fame. Early November: We release completionist and participant badges, solicit feedback, and post a hall-of-fame list of completionists by the 10th.

PARTICIPATION AND COMPLETION

Q: What counts as participation? Create or continue at least one work inspired by one of this year’s prompts. Q: What counts as completion? Creating work(s) inspired by at least one prompt from each day (or alts), for a total of 31 unique prompts. Q: Do I need to create 31 works? No. You can, if you want. Or you can create one work that you add to every day with a new prompt. Or several works that combine prompts. You can also update an existing work by adding new material with the current prompts. Q: Do I need to post my works somewhere to be a completionist or a participant? No. Q: How do you know I actually completed the challenge? We’ll take your word for it! Q: Do I have to finish my work(s) to be a completionist? No, you can post WIPs. And you’re not obligated to finish them in October, but if you want it to count towards being a completionist, you must have completed 31 prompts by the end of the month. So for example, if you’re writing a long fic and you fit 31 different prompts into the writing you did in October, it’s okay if that fic isn’t finished by the time October ends, you’ll still be a completionist. Q: Is co-writing/illustrating allowed? Yes, absolutely, and it would count towards being a completionist for both/all of you. Q: Is there a min/max limit on word count for written works? No. Q: Is there a min/max limit of quality for art? No. Q: Do I have to do something each day to be a completionist? No. You can skip days whenever you want, and as long as 31 daily prompts (or alts) are in your works done in October, you can be a completionist. For example, if you wrote a 1000-word ficlet that covers prompts in days 2, 3, and 17, you can check all three days off your list even though it’s only one work. Q: Is this challenge just for fics? No! Artworks, GIFsets, headcannons, rec lists, poetry, moodboards, or any other creative work is encouraged. Q: Can I combine Whumptober with other creation challenges? Absolutely, as long as the other challenges allow it too.

PROMPTS

Q: How do the prompts work? There are FOUR prompts per day: a theme and three ideas. You can use one, two, three, or all four prompts for each day. If you don’t like any of the daily prompts, you can substitute one of the ALT prompts instead. Q: How strictly/literally should we interpret the prompts? As literally or as figuratively as you want. For example, if the theme is WATER, that could mean drowning, waterboarding, raining, swimming, take place underwater, be lost at sea, construct a metaphor about a character’s mood that changes like a flowing river, crying, or whatever else you can think of that fits that theme. Q: Can I combine prompts? Is there a limit on how many? No limit and combine as many as you’d like. If you create a work that checks off multiple prompts, that work will count for a fill of multiple prompts. You need to address 31 different prompts to be an official completionist, but you don’t have to produce 31 separate works.

WORKS

Q: What’s whump? Hurting a character, whether that’s physically, emotionally, intellectually, psychologically, or any other way you can think of. Comfort afterwards is optional. Angst is emotional whump, so it counts. Q: How do I know if it’s whumpy enough? If your character is just mildly inconvenienced, it probably needs more whump. However, no participant has to prove whumpiness to the mods. Whatever you write is up to you. Q: What kind of characters can I create for? Anything. Generic “whumpee,” OC, PC, NPC, major characters, minor characters, or whatever you want. There are no limits. 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 create AI-created works? We will not reblog or promote any works we know to be generative AI-created. Q: Is there anything we’re not allowed to write? As long as it contains whump and is based on our prompts, it’s fine. Please courtesy tag your works if you post them so people who follow the #whumptober2024 tag can filter according to their preferences. Q: What about sex, minor characters, and potentially disturbing content? You can create whatever works are legal in your country and post them accordingly. Please courtesy tag anything you think might be objectionable if you post to Tumblr so people who follow the #whumptober2024 tag can filter according to their preferences.

POSTING

Q: Where can I post my work? Post where and how you want. You don’t even have to (cross)post it to Tumblr. Just keep in mind if it’s not on Tumblr we will not be able to add it to the blog archive. There is an AO3 archive for Whumptober 2024, as well as the parent collection for works completed outside of the event. 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? We won’t be reblogging any work predating October 1st. Q: Can I post late? Yes. For the sake of our hardworking Post Fairies, only a day’s themes will be reblogged to @whumptober-archive each day of October. But you can post whenever. Some of us are still working on and posting Whumptober fics from years ago. Q: Do I have to use your tags? Only on Tumblr and only if you want us to reblog your work on @whumptober-archive. Q: How do I have my works reblogged to the archive? Properly tagged posts will be reblogged to @whumptober-archive. If you want the official archive blog to reblog you, post on Tumblr and tag correctly (see this FAQ link for more info on tagging). Please note not all posts will be reblogged each day. Q: Can we @ you? For questions and comments, of course. We’ll be getting a flood of notifications, so if you really want us to see something send an ask. Q: Can I cross post on other blogs? Yes, multiple platforms and blogs are perfectly acceptable, as long as they allow cross-posting (to us). You can also post different works to different accounts under different names, without posting them everywhere at once. If you post some works under your main and others under an alt blog, that’s fine for completionist purposes. Q: Can I upload/repost my Whumptober content to other social media platforms? Of course! We’ve created an AO3 Collection to archive any fics posted there, which can be found here. The blog is the official archive, so please respect the personal boundaries of any whumpers in your social circle (don’t out anyone as a participant who would prefer not to be outed).

Most importantly, have fun, create, and enjoy all the whump posted this October!