Life stuff got a bit in the way, but here it is! The 2026 Horrortember prompt list! I can't wait to see how you fill them! The prompts are intended to be used for writing, but any medium will be accepted (poetry, art, gifs, sculpture, your imagination is the limit!) Tag your prompt fills with #horrortember2026 or @ this blog and I'll reblog as many as I can. Please do not use generative AI in this event. That is not the purpose of this prompt list.
A written list of prompts beneath the cut. Stay tuned for the playlist, I should have it up in a few days!
AND I DIDN'T BELIEVE THEM WHEN THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO SAVING YOU: (false hope, hospital, vital signs)
DON'T YOU DARE JUDGE THE THINGS THAT I DO: (religion, forsaken, loss)
I DON'T THINK I WANT TO WATCH THE ENDING: (genuine fear, recording, muffled screams)
OH, DON'T GO 'ROUND TONIGHT: (rural, weather, warnings)
THE VICTIMS HAVE BEEN BLED: (classic horror, monster, blood)
I AM THE RAT, FEAST UPON THE CAT: (meat, animal instincts, road trip)
IN DEATH I HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN: (charisma, undead, shackles)
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER: (deal with the devil, gold, insufficient regret)
MOTHER IS HERE: (parents, body horror, infanticide)
AND NOW WITH ME, HE WILL NOT STAY: (until death do us part, tragedy, together)
I'D RATHER DIE AT THE HANDS OF MY OWN FAMILY: (kin, betrayal, poor choices)
I CAN HIT A LOT HARDER IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT: (robbery, accidental death, masks)
MY THREE-LEGGED PIG: (broken bones, fused, dehumanization)
I'LL WORSHIP LIKE A DOG AT THE SHRINE OF YOUR LIES: (cults, inequality, devotion)
HE CAN'T HEAR US: (beyond help, ruined life, narrative twist)
GOTTA HAVE YOU ON MY WALL: (serial killer, girls, collection)
IF YOU HAVE TO GO OUT, TAKE A GUN AND A LAMP: (deliberate ignorance, cannibalism, missing persons)
WHEN THE PROBLEM IS YOU: (unreliable narrator, taking responsibility, horses)
YOU JUST DON'T KNOW IT YET BUT YOU LOVE ME: (restraining order, stalking, patience)
I'LL BE GENTLE: (stabbing, eyes, dripping)
CLAWING AT THE CEILING OF HIS GRAVE: (revenge, last words, ocean)
PSA for my writer friends and fellow medical whumpers and sickfic enjoyers: you don't have to injure your character badly to fuck them up.
Two weeks ago I fell off a horse (or rather, fot thrown off with force) and slammed into the arena wall with my back and right shoulder. What looked very dramatic at first and had me struggling to breathe for a hot minute including a ride in the ambulance to the ER ended up "only" being bad bruising. No broken bones, no internal bleeding. Just a bruised shoulder, ribs, and back.
I was released home the same day after my x-rays came back clear with pain meds.
And let me tell you, I was almost incapacitated by "just" bruises. I barely managed to get around by myself at home. Could barely stand for more than a few minutes bc my back hurt so much. Had to force myself to breathe properly. Had shit lying around on the ground for days bc I couldn't bend down to pick it up.
Getting out of bed in the morning still hurts. Imagine sitting on the toilet and thinking "fuck how am I gonna clean myself up".
It's been two weeks and I'm now finally starting to feel somewhat normal again. I expect to feel some pain for at least two more weeks.
So, uh, if your character gets knocked down good, like, in a fight, they can be totally helpless even without any serious injuries.
The selection of this year's prompts has arrived! Dig in! We are excited to see what you'll create.
Plain text and flavor below the cut!
Light it Up – The first flame, the spark that started the wildfire. Does it burn with resistance or regret? Does one turn to the other? Or does the ash that it all crumbles into at the end make it futile?
2. Cobbled together – Rushed and misaligned. Is it the torture itself, or whatever mishap follows? Maybe you didn’t need somebody’s help to be like this in the first place.
3. Mirror – The reflection that haunts you, the trapped representation of all your flaws, or the shine-facing proof of what you could’ve been.
4. Beyond – Is there one? Does it bring peace, or pain? Should it be dreaded, or sought? Or maybe you should be warned of it, of what lurks in that dangerous place of Other.
5. “Did it hurt?” – Naive concern, or sadistic mocking? A misplaced pickup line turns into a nightmare. Regardless, we all know it did, didn’t it?
6. Grotesque – Beauty or horror? To whom? What horrifies one might be the epitome of beauty for another. What’s beauty without pain and sacrifice? Where do we draw the line?
7. Lost – Where or when? Is it a person, a place? Do you need to be somewhere unfamiliar to be lost? Maybe its what you’ve seen all your life that becomes unknown.
8. Persistence – Repetition, stubbornness. Does it help, does it make it worse? Do you have a choice? They say to repeat the same mistake, always met with the same result is insanity, but you know better don’t you?
9. Let it go – Your life, your love, your friends, what came before. Or maybe the horror of it all. Can you ever truly leave it behind? Who are you without it?
10. “Please- just please” – A plea for mercy, for compassion. An empty one, maybe, looking up to an unforgiving universe, a god so far away or one with hands still dripping of the blood of your guts?
11. Behind bars – Freedom or capture? The impression of something better, but which of the two is it?
12. Scars – Reminders of failure or strength? Both, neither. Who held the handle of the knife, who’s hands clutched the blade as it came down unforgiving?
13. Sterile – The room, the tools, your life. Even after that smell haunts you, the siren call of the fake promise of safety and care. The enticing form of futile protocol.
14. Redemption – Yours, theirs. Does it matter when its demanded? Does it make the suffering worth it, does it cleanse the blood it spilled? Do the ends justify the means, when the bleed drips warm and the screams still ring?
15. “What have they done to you?” – Horrified, gleeful. It doesn’t matter when it’d damning all the same. You’ve been changed, gutted and repurposed.
16. The Hunt – The thrill, the chocking fear, the all encompassing rush of primal instinct. The instant before, when you know you’ve been caught and there is nothing to do but run, run until your lungs give out and your legs crumble and betray you.
17. Sacrifice – Willing, primed and promised, or torn and given? Is it a trade, a gamble or is something predestined? Will it ever bear the fruit it promised in sweet whispers?
18. Resistance is futile – It is, it always is. Things are the way they are, and you may run yourself ragged after some idealistic dream but you know better, don’t you? You’ve been told the truth all your life after all. Hope brings only regret.
19. Branded – Unequivocally. Forever. Iron sizzling on skin, marks that will never let you be somebody again. Always brought back to your lowest point, it doesn’t need to be physical to be there, mocking you.
20. “Don’t leave me here like this!” – Indignant, to hide the pain, the fear. The betrayal of loneliness, or maybe it begs for inclusion, consideration.
21. Last Hope – Feeble or undying, or maybe yet all on your shoulders. The weight of it crashing, an anchor in the sea of despair. Will you sink down with it?
22. Self Loathing – Maybe its what you did, what you are. Or maybe its what you failed to be or avoid. It burns, stains everything around it with the caustic knowledge of its truth.
23. Disgust – Visceral, instinctive, overpowering. Is it an action? A situation? Or maybe some lie finally uncovered?
24. Guilt – Slimy, just at the back of your throat. The pit in your stomach for what you’ve done or what you’ve missed. Who you failed. It’s hungry in it’s pursuit.
25. “How could you?” – Whispered in horror, chocked around blood, wheezed in one’s last moment. That’s always the question, isn’t it? How, how, how? Why, why, why?
26. Drowning – You can’t breath, there isn’t an up anymore. It’s all down, down deep and it fills your lungs, your mouth, your nose. It presses against the back of your eyes, replacing every bit of you.
27. Change – Unforgiving, undeniable. There is something different, something wrong that had to be pulled out or has been forced in. You’re unrecognizable.
28. Everything is a tool if you want it to be – How inventive the human mind is. How many inventions through the ages, advances and so much cruelty. Anything can buy you escape, time. Anything can hurt, if used in the right way.
29. Reversed roles – When the hunted becomes the hunter, the prey the predator, the victim the executioner. They say the abused become the abused, and the cycle is inescapable.
30. True freedom – As tradition dictates, go out with a bang.
September 2026 is going to be simply Sinful here at the Prompt Foundry!
Devious and devilish, cunning and cruel, or simply self-indulgent in a way puritan morality cannot abide, there's a wide range of things we can mean when we talk about sin so, whether repentant or impenitent, let's play in that space!
Feel free to combine different days’ prompts with each other, or combine them with other events, like last year's Steampowered September! Draw, paint, sculpt, sing, write fiction, write poetry, write academic analysis—use your OCs, your favorite characters from media, your own experiences, whatever tickles your fancy.
If you use this list, please tag me here @thepromptfoundry, I’d love to see what you create!
Respond to as many prompts as you want or as interest you, don’t worry about missing or skipping any, or posting your work after the day the prompt is assigned to. Remember, this is supposed to be fun!
If you have any questions or musings, check our FAQ, and if you don’t find your answer, shoot me an ask.
Plain text list below the cut:
1 Living in Sin
2 Repentance
3 Lust
4 Seduction
5 Adultery
6 Decadence
7 Deception
8 Wrath
9 Murder
10 Violent Vices
11 Negligence
12 Sloth
13 Stealing Credit
14 Empty Promises
15 Conspicuous Consumption
16 Pride
17 Pleasure
18 Crimes of Passion
19 Envy
20 Blasphemy
21 Hoarding Wealth
22 Arrogance
23 Greed
24 Immodesty
25 Forbidden Food
26 Inhospitality
27 Control by Force
28 Gluttony
29 Indulgence
30 Absolution
It’s finally here! The Angeltober 2026 prompt list!
For new followers, if this is your first time seeing Angeltober, let me get you caught up: every year since 2020, I’ve been hosting an angel-themed prompt list event in October, similar to Inktober. And it's not just for illustrators—writers and other types of artists are welcome, too!! I usually post the lists in August so people (including myself) can plan.
This year, the prompts on this list were inspired by my upcoming novella [Wormwood’s Fall] which is releasing during Angeltober! That novella has strong botanical horror elements, so I chose words either directly from the novella or related in some way. The result was an intensely Gothic list with religious, botanical, and angel-related themes.
Please remember to tag me (@sancta-seraphina ) or the Angeltober blog (@angeltober ) to have your posts reblogged!
Like last year, some notes about Angeltober are under the cut—
FAQ:
I don’t draw, may I join in another way?
—YES! All human creators are welcome to use the prompts!
Can I use these for A.I.?
—This account is against A.I., but I can’t stop you from using the prompts. A.I. generated content may not be shared to the Angeltober IG highlight or blog.
Does it have to be angel-themed/biblically accurate?
—Nope! The prompts were made with angels in mind, but use them for whatever you like! And please design angels however you like.
May I use one of the earlier lists?
—Yes! You are more than welcome to use an older list or combine the lists.
Do I have to do all the prompts?
—Nope, you can do as many or as few prompts as you like!
Is NSFW allowed?
—NSFW posts may not be shared to the Angeltober IG highlight or blog if they contain uncensored material and/or offensive material.
—
ADDITIONAL INFO:
As already stated, the prompts are inspired by Wormwood's Fall, but here's some more information about them:
The ‘Angel’s Trumpets’ prompt is about the flower genus this time, Brugmansia. I had a similar prompt last year about the seven angels with seven trumpets from Revelation.
A bonus fun fact for those who don’t know, flowers from the genus Datura are also known as ‘Devil’s Trumpets’. Both the Angel’s and the Devil’s Trumpets share the same family (Solanaceae), but are different genera and obviously species. The Angel’s Trumpets point downwards, looking at Hell, while the Devil’s Trumpets point upwards, looking at Heaven.
Many (but not all) of these words are taken from titles or themes in the book. Betas may recognize some of them from their read-through. Others were added into the book at the suggestion of betas, and then included in the list because they were excellent suggestions.
As usual, I've included multiple big words, since I get many comments about people loving that the Angeltober lists teach them new words. I decided to continue that tradition despite the book community drama around big words this year.
Did you ever just feel so lucky for knowing someone you met online? Like.. I was one click away from not following you. I was one second away from never even knowing of your existence.I would never have been this happy!!!...
Annie looked at the body, a single glassy eye staring up at her. It was already putrefying, the soft golds of the iris and patient black of the pupil faded to a milky white. The rest of the eye was shriveled and darkened, sunken deep into a dusky socket. The mouth hung open, pleas for a life to be spared still hung where the lips had shriveled away. She grimaced and looked away, staring into the overwhelming darkness of the void.
"DO YOU REGRET YOUR SINS?" A voice that was not Marco's came from the corpse.
Hesitantly, she gazed back at it. The eye was fixed sharply onto her. "I would do it all again." She answered coldly.
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED." Its jaw moved slowly, almost like a mocking version of the words it spoke.
"It doesn't matter how I feel. He's dead, now. Nothing will change that."
"THEN, WOULD YOU DO IT ALL AGAIN, OR WOULD YOU LET HIM LIVE?"
Ice crawled through her veins, she breathed hard, staring at the corpse. Something thick and cold crawled over her, it dripped off of her like blood.
"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE UNTIL YOU FACE YOUR SINS." The corpse's jaw moved in a circle, like it was chewing on the words. "YOU MUST ANSWER TO THE WRATH YOU CREATED."
She screamed.
x~x
Hitch was at a loss for what to do in this moment. First, the crystal Annie was in suddenly melts, and now she's seizing violently on the floor, while puking blood and chunks of… meat?
"A little help down here?!" Hitch shouted. "The crystal melted!!"
