im not even really here but started house of guinness and im obsessed. louis partridge is looking all but twelve in his silly lil top hat doing business speak and kendall roying it up while mr gay masters of the air with a cunty ass mustache and an even cuntier attitude is getting broken up in an age of innocence 1993 dir. martin scorsese set by his boytoy he brought back all the way from england and is played of all people by brother dawn of foundation fame. girl sibling is giving judy gemstone barely repressed incoming psychotic break from ironically all the repression she has been doing. when she said she wanted to bite a pheasants head off i knew we had an all timer on our hands. also the vaguely incestuous maternal spousal dynamic she has with louis partridge who got very territorial when his mummysisterwife stepped out with james norton who in turn is doing a very bad discount tom hardy impression was put into this show for me specifically. AND alcoholic failbrother looks like fuckable harry melling with curls u want to humiliate verbally and or sexually. everyone TUNE IN
BREACH, BUT SONG BY SONG WITH MY JOSHLER GLASSES DUCT TAPED TO MY FACE:
AKA, my very disorganized attempt at giving some form and language to the joshler situationship confession arc that feels so strong in this album.
obviously this is only one interpretation, and only a small piece of what each song means to me. i am not attempting to make a hard and fast statement about authorial intent; i am having fun and processing the lyrics in a way that i connect with (aka queering them aggressively)
city walls
- at his most desperate moment when he needs his hand to grab onto the very most, tyler wonders where josh is, and he isn’t there.
- orpheus and eurydice archetypes established.
- he tells us that this is his one big shot at addressing his soul.
rawfear
- establishing that the album is addressing one of his core fears. it’s scary to say it, but he “can’t sit still any longer”
drum show
- the joshler confession begins. setting the scene by laying out the characters through nostalgia, romanticizing how they used to be, how easy it was at first
- tyler screaming “change” feels like the coming out MOMENT and the whole vibe of the backing instrumentals and drums after he says that feel like SUCH A RELIEVED CELEBRATION and josh’s vocals repeating over and over with the words he used to promt tyler…. tyler needed josh to get him started before he could be brave.
garbage
- “i can do it” (whispered at the beginning)
- telling the story of when josh first left for LA, and becoming lost without his center of gravity, operating on low.
- “would you move closer if i grew quieter” and then realizing LA really is where josh wants to be: “and you like it like this”
- don’t give up on me ↔️ i’ll never give up on him.
the contract
- “promises and contracts i used to keep,” - because he and josh used to be something,and now they’re apart.
- “my hallucination i used to see” imagining josh (torch) there with him the entire time (many years) while Josh is in LA… or in trench, while he’s trapped in dema…
- writing trench in the basement, not sleeping, he wants to get out there but he doesn’t try, doing this alone for the first time since NPI
- the two repeated “i promised you a contract” at the end are very much about two different people, and two different contracts
downstairs
- not only has josh saved me so many times but he saved this fucking demo, because he reminisces about rabler era, hahaha, but in a bro way!
- this has always been hard for him, and josh has been patient.
- he’s always felt safer hiding it. and that’s what trench comes out of: isolation.
- let’s please NOT talk about who WAS keeping him company (with his new production toys/machines/noisemakers) while he was down there…. because that’s a whole different fic, get OUT of here pauler)
- the key modulation = him climbing back out from underground a little bit, singing a little louder, ashamed how much he’s hidden himself, warning that it might still be hard (he might be doubtful of the process like he doubts the start, SONG ENDS ON A LEADING TONE,)- transition to SAI
robot voices
- CUE THE QUEER AWAKENING AND GENDER EXPLORATION 🩵🩷🕺🪩
- hear me out: WE ARE THE ROBOT VOICES. the little gays in his phone. when he interacts with us online, the jokes are landing, “we know what he means”; he has said before that we are the “only advice he takes.” as he said in his letter, “we have given him so much fulfillment and purpose.”
- he understands that we see it in him - but he doesn’t know HOW to be himself; he’s “waiting for the changes that everyone sees” (also such a queer transition-coded line… morph in another entirely different way…). he’s seen the changes in josh, seeing how queer-coded jebby are, but isn’t sure if he’s allowed to be that way.
- the way he says “feelin’ so fancy” sounds like literal gender euphoria. he JUST wants to dance and smile and stay awhile 🕺 and on the SAI tours, he very much did. the outfits, the colors, the sparkles - he tried so many new fruity little things.
- this is how warm and free he felt when he first fell for josh, but it’s taken awhile and a lot of listening to us to realize it’s okay. we reassure him.
- i know that the “woo” is based on the one in the blanket approval song, but to me it sounds SO MUCH like the “woo” they sampled from the crowd for MTV unplugged Ride/Nico. our little (robot) voices cheering him on.
- “i wasn’t looking for love THIS YEAR” - this is specifically what points me to oh, OH, something HAPPENED. SOMETHING THAT BROUGHT JOSH BACK FOR GOOD. SOMETHING THAT STAYED A SECRET TO US, THE FANS, BUT NOT TO THEM ANYMORE. he thought it would never happen for real. “HOW DID YOU FIND ME?” HOW DID YOU GUYS KNOW THIS ABOUT ME BEFORE I DID??
- verse 2: but in another sense, being so online has made him extremely vulnerable (imagine having to hear so many casual fans shit on your risky, fruity little album?), so he’s “waiting”; he’s handing it behind the blinds; keeping it private.
- the original lyrics in the blanket approval song are “when i met you i found you safe and warming, and now i think this could really be something.” OKAY THEN! say no more.
center mass
- “a little softer than i used to be.” he’s trying… he’s changing. “i thought you had it figured out.” yeah…so did he.
- the dysphoria answer to the euphoria of robot voices. he still feels like he has to do this quietly…and without josh, because of the hurt he’s caused.
- it’s just not feasible to be where and who and how big he is, and to be so vulnerable. he has to shrink it down to survive, shrink the target, covering up that half of himself.
- (so like did he experiment kissing his friend in 5th grade? how else are we interpreting that…?)
- the outro of this song feels like a major core moment in the frenetic queer heartbreak of this album:
- “found out what i’m worth, i run to you”… “AS SOON AS IM READY TO BE THIS WAY YOU’RE GONE? PLEASE, I’LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING, TAKE ANYTHING, I’M SORRY” i am sick.
- “i hope you understand this run-on sentence” and “i don’t want to say what happened” this is the heart of what i’ve been saying since thursday - it’s never going to get more blatant than this. he’s never going to say it more transparently. he’s laying it all out for those of us who know what he means.
cottonwood
- “oh god, i’m getting old, it’s going to be too late”
one way
- i’ve spent 800 years trying to parse the punctuation in this song because the musical phrases tell a very different story from the way things are grouped in the lyrics booklet, but this is how I HEAR IT in the song:
- this song as a whole feels to me like trying to work up the nerve to be honest about his feelings. that’s why there’s the calming breath right before it starts.
- he WANTS to, but it’s a huge risk, there’s a good chance that if he is open and vulnerable with josh/others about who he really is, it might crash and burn.
- if he tells josh how he really feels, there’s a chance it would be one-way - unrequited. too late.
- he’s questioning whether he’s imagining the signals josh is sending. this is the crux of the song - “am i dreaming? (psych-up breath part two), if it’s so, can i take back who i was before, if it’s no?” if you reject me, can we pretend this never happened? (i don’t want to say what happened, i just want to let it go…)
- i haven’t been dreaming about you hahahaha if you don’t feel the same then i DEFINITELY haven’t felt this way for a while, i take it backsies….! (something something he could build a tower out of all the times he’s pretended)
- “he and his scene just aren’t gelling” - okay, what’s the scene he was raised in, still partly lives in? a conservative christian idea of family and sexuality - one that josh has made a much more blatant and visible departure from than tyler, imo.
- finally able to admit that it doesn’t feel right for him, that that’s not where HE belongs. he might actually be worth more than that confinement.
days lie dormant
- STRAP IN.
- the voicemail leading into a musical EXPLOSION OF JOY.
- musically, the beginning of this song sounds so much like cheerleader by porter robinson, the song ty said as of 2024 was his favorite song, and includes the ultimate pilotcule line, “she draws me kissing other guys”
- obviously most of this speaks for itself. josh moved to LA, tyler is left in sleepy ohio and can’t stand being away from his self-described center of gravity, wasting all this love he’s holding inside.
- he’s pulled between the paradox of not being willing to leave their home, the place that made them, that IS them, but also NOT being able to live WITHOUT josh there. tyler NEEDS to be home, in ohio, but ohio isn’t home if josh is gone.
- extreme midwest indigo parallels. i just don’t see how anyone can read the second verse as being about anything except LA joshler.
- so he’s “robbed of his momentum,” he’s left in the cold and dark to create on his own after their meteoric rise, trapped, waiting, finally realizing that he’s wasting time, has to be where josh is. he cannot live without him.
- the sweet quiet little bridge with the sound of his household in the background (at least that’s how I hear it). i don’t know how to explain it, i can’t back this up with anything except emotion, but the hesitant tonal lead up to the modulation and then huge high explosion of YEAHHHH — that sounds like a fucking kiss. that feels just like a kiss. it feels like something so good happening for them, right in that musical moment.
tally
- ah, here we are again. another cycle of betrayal. he got something so good, and then he fucked it up so bad, like he always feels he does.
- this feels so clancybearer, vs joshler. he sure loves to process through these characters. okay, orpheus.
- the religious guilt is still hanging on, and they’ve been doing this for such a long time (since rabler), he’s just wondering if this pain is still worth it for either of them (you want to love me? i’ll let you down”) or if they should cut the line before he breaks josh’s heart yet again
- but somehow, josh still believes in him. he’ll “never give up on him.” he’ll let tyler try, over and over, to be worthy of the love that’s right at his fingertips (and keeps slipping away)
intentions
- HE’S TRYING. HE WILL KEEP TRYING. THEY WILL NEVER EVER GIVE UP ON EACH OTHER.
drag path
- of course it’s about god, but it’s really hard not to read “he found me” as torchbearer, with how the lore ended.
- begging all of us: i’ve left you the evidence. i’ve given you everything i have in this story. please read it how i need you to.
- please find me; please see me.
.
looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts - but yeah, these are mine.
i love this album so incredibly deeply - i haven’t felt this way since trench. i’ve never had more joshler bees than i have right now. i’ve never seen more people connecting real actual lyrics to real actual joshler. i feel like i’m in a splinter universe where breach was written by a fanfiction version of tyler, and i need to wake up.
hyperfixation please stay with me long enough to complete the project. hyperfixation do not fade. hyperfixation finish what you started for the love of god
WHUMPTOBER is a month-long, prompt-based creation CHALLENGE (think: Inktober, but whumpier). There are four prompts for each day of the month, giving 124 for you to play with! There is also a list of 18 alternative prompts that can be subbed in for any day to give participants as much creative freedom as possible.
All prompts 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!
You can produce work in any media you 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). You can participate as much or as little as you 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.
Please make sure to read the Event Info and FAQ 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.
Information on how to TAG is 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 yet another year of Whumptober! Go ham with the prompts, and support your fellow creators - we wish you all the best of luck, but most importantly: HAVE FUN!
Happy whumping,
Mods Vanne, Yenn, Kitty and Surro
Text versions of the prompts, including a google doc format, are posted below the cut!
A Google Doc of the prompts can be found here for easy copy-and-pasting!
Whumptober 2025 Prompt List
No. 1: “Please don’t cry”
Lamb to Slaughter | Ceremony | Beg for Forgiveness
No. 2: “You’ve got a lot of nerve to dredge up all my fears.”
Prophecy | Sewer | Taking Accountability
No. 3: “I look in people’s windows, transfixed by rose golden glows.”
Isolation | Candlelight | Found Family
No. 4: “Don’t be scared, I’ve done this before.”
Non-Human Whumper | Iron Rod | Loss of Powers
No. 5: “My panic’s at the ceiling, but I’m face down on the carpet.”
Quivering | Dream Journal | Phobia
No. 6: “No grave can hold my body down.”
Caught in a Net | Medical Restraints | Pinned to the Wall
No. 7: “Tell me that you’re okay, and I’m fine.”
Trapped with the Enemy | Elevator | Pushed Beyond Breaking Point
No. 8: “Oh horror, oh horror, what did you see?”
Self-Inflicted Injury | Held at Gunpoint | Dissociation
No. 9: “We’ll make it alright to come undone.”
Touch | Flashbacks | Scalding
No. 10: “There’s nothing you can ever say, nothing you can ever do.”
Without Consent | Secrets | Lips Sewn Shut
No. 11: “Can you get through all the pain inside you?”
Hidden Injury | Laceration | Forced Reveal
No. 12: “It’ll be for nothing.”
Cardiac Arrest | Sacred Place | Withholding Medical Treatment
No. 13: “How dull is it to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished.”
Never Enough | Insignia | Forced Retirement
No. 14: “In the end, it’s worthwhile.”
Ignoring an Illness | Body Bag | Wounded Caretaker
No. 15: “You can take a break, if you just tell me that it hurts.”
Failed Rescue Attempt | Body Part in the Mail | Live-Streamed Torture
No. 16: “I’ve had the rug pulled beneath my feet.”
Repressed Trauma | Permanent Marker | Disorientation
No. 17: “Tell me there’s a hope for me.”
Internal Bleeding | Coma | Redemption
No. 18: “As the world caves in.”
Dystopia | Ruins | Environmental Whump
No. 19: “You’re on your own, lost in the wild.”
Dehumanisation | Living Weapon | On Patrol
As promised, we're bringing you the official prompt list of AI-less Whumptober 2024 today!
We have 31 days of excellent whump prompts, with three prompts per day to pick from, fun themes, and 10 alt prompts to play around with. We hope you enjoy! 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.
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.
What are these themes about?
Just a little bit of extra fun for the mods. Like last year, we'll be handing out various badges for people participating in the event. A full list will be posted later (and linked here once that happens), but perhaps there will be a special badge or two for people who can't be completionists but who do manage to finish every single day of a specific theme ;)
How do I tag and is there an AO3 collection?
It suffices to tag your work with #AIlesswhumptober2024 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 will be an AO3 collection for the writers to share their works in, this will be made available once we're closer to October (and linked here once that happens).
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 - Torture Tuesday
public torture/public use, stress position, “If you cry, we’ll go easy on you.”
October 2 - Whumperless Wednesday
Unfortunate fall, car accident, “Don’t move. You’ll be okay.”
October 3 - Trauma Thursday
Shared trauma, survivor’s guilt, “It’s not your fault.”
October 4 - Fright/Freaky Friday
Painful transformation, non-consensual body modifications, “You’re a monster.”
October 5 - Sensory Saturday
Overstimulation, migraines, “I can’t take this anymore.”
October 6 - Surprise Sunday
Multiple whumpees, self sacrifice, “I’m the only one who can do this.”
October 7 - Medical Monday
Field medicine, running out of supplies, “Hold on, we’re going to have to improvise.”
October 8 - Torture Tuesday
Rope burns, gagged, “You’re so much prettier this way.”
October 9 - Whumperless Wednesday
Hypothermia, heatstroke, “You look pretty pale.”
October 10 - Trauma Thursday
Self worth issues, pushing away a loved one, “You don't need to earn this.”
October 11 - Fright/Freaky Friday
Hallucinations, truth serum, “Why would you even say that?”
October 12 - Sensory Saturday
Isolation, sensory deprivation, “Can you feel me? I’m right here, whumpee.”
October 13 - Surprise Sunday
Whumpee using themself as bait, defiance, “Take me instead.”
October 14 - Medical Monday
Seizures, concussion, “See if you can follow my finger with your eyes.”
October 15 - Torture Tuesday
Waterboarding, removing body parts, “Don’t break down on me yet.”
October 16 - Whumperless Wednesday
Drowning, hostile environment, “I don’t know how anybody could survive that.”
October 17 - Trauma Thursday
Abandonment, misunderstanding, “Why did I even think you cared?”
October 18 - Fright/Freaky Friday
Mind control, possession, “Everybody will end up despising you.”
October 19 - Sensory Saturday
Disassociation, losing a sense, “I wish I could get you back.”
October 20 - Surprise Sunday
Enemy/Stranger to caretaker, accidental de-aging, “I’m absolutely not qualified for this shit.”
October 21 - Medical Monday
Drugged, ambulance ride, “This will make you feel better, okay?”
October 22 - Torture Tuesday
Forced (to kneel/watch/hurt somebody else), whipped, “Do not look away.”
October 23 - Whumperless Wednesday
Fever, passing out, “Hey?! Stay with me, okay?!”
October 24 - Trauma Thursday
Deconditioning, relapse, “It’s normal that you need more time.”
October 25 - Fright/Freaky Friday
Humiliation, betrayal, “How could you?!”
October 26 - Sensory Saturday
Electrocution, burning, “This is going to sting.”
October 27 - Surprise Sunday
Before vs after, Alternate universe, “Well, there’s a first for everything.”
October 28 - Medical Monday
Internal bleeding, needles and stitches, “I didn’t think the wound was that bad…”
October 29 - Torture Tuesday
Ownership, branding, “Everybody will know that you’re mine.”
October 30 - Whumperless Wednesday
Poison, delirium, “You’re not making sense.”
October 31 - Trauma Thursday
Panic attack, facing a phobia, “You need to get out of here!”
Alt prompts:
1) Pistol whipped
2) Co-dependency
3) Animal bite
4) Zombies
5) White room torture
6) Shock collar
7) Pulling teeth
8) Kidnapping
9) “You always make everything worse!”
10) “If you weren’t around, I’d be long dead by now...”
"I'm sorry," Aegon snivels and drops his hand. "But... I promise I'll be good. Okay? I need you."
It's not the words but the sad, pathetic gaze that reminds him of things he has tried to forget. That damn frown, the tears Aegon wipes away with the back of his healthy hand, that both makes his heart swell and nausea churn.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Snippet:
It's a defenseless, tired objection. Roman just wants to get over it because Kendall keeps his guard up even though he knows there's a bleak storm inside.
“It’s not… it’s not your fault Rome.”
Roman’s face goes horribly dark. He swallows and takes a wavering step. Feels like someone had slapped him. But he goes with a low blow, just like Kendall did.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Snippet:
And Roman isn’t going to let it slide. Not now when his throat is squeezing in and his lungs are burning.
“Fuck you,” he groans and punches Kendall in the chest. And does it again, because Kendall just stares and frowns, like he doesn’t understand what he did.
The rage overflows so quickly he barely keeps up with his racing heart and panicky breathing.
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