Whumptober
| Challenge | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Whumptober |
| Date(s): | 2017- current |
| Moderator(s): | |
| Founder: | whumpreads/whumpxholic |
| Type: | |
| Fandom: | Panfandom |
| Associated Community: | Whump Community |
| URL: | whumptober2020, Archived version whumptober |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Whumptober is a month-long annual whump challenge taking inspiration from Inktober. It appears to have been started in 2017 by tumblr user whumpreads (since changed URL to whumpxholic). The "official" Whumptober blog was created by tumblr user la-vie-en-whump, who began hosting their version of the event in 2018.
Over the years, Whumptober has become a staple in the Whump Community on tumblr. The event has been praised for inspiring and encouraging both seasoned and emerging creators to produce and post new work. Perhaps unsurprisingly, community engagement seems to soar leading up to - and during - this creation challenge. Many official posts include the phrase "Happy Whumping!" - which serves as a recognizable tag and captures the spirit of the event.
Event History
In 2017, tumblr user whumpreads (whumpxholic) posted an "Inktober Whump Prompts" list for community use.
In 2018, tumblr user la-vie-en-whump hosted another version of Whumptober (on what is now called the official Whumptober2020 blog). Tumblr user im-here-to-help-you-all-write also hosted Whump!tober and released daily whump prompts for the month of October in 2018.
In 2019, the official Whumptober blog was updated with new event feature, like an alternative prompts list and improved event info resources. In this second year, this version of Whumptober went somewhat viral in fandom communities and is estimated to have had 400+ active participants.
In 2020, tumblr users Pan2fel, the-wandering-whumper, and fyeahvulnerablemen joined la-vie-en-whump in creating, improving, and moderating Whumptober. Updates include: 31 Official Themes with 93 community-chosen Prompts, an alternative prompts list, an AO3 Collection, and improved FAQ and information resources.
Prompt lists
- 2017 prompts Archived 20 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- 2018 prompts by la-vie-en-whump, Prompts by im-here-to-help-you-all-write
- 2019 promptsArchived 9 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- 2020 prompts
- 2021 prompts
- 2022 prompts
- 2023 prompts
AI-less Whumptober
Generative AI and the impact on fandom arose as an issue in the lead up to 2023's Whumptober. Some fans were opposed to the stance the moderators of Whumptober originally took towards the inclusion or reblogging of AI generated content and to the way the moderators responded to criticism[1]. This led to a group setting up their own Whumtober prompt list and event, calling it AI-less Whumptober.
The moderators of Whumptober clarified their stance towards AI generated content[2] and other users pointed out the difficulty in even trying to bar AI generated content from events (other than relying on an honour system)[3]. Some users still opted to stay with the AI-less Whumptober prompts.
Additional links
- Works tagged "Whumptober" on AO3
- What is Whumptober? on ShippersGuideToTheGalaxy (YouTube)
- Official Whumptober Blog on Tumblr