hold on, stay awake

Picture it:

Whumpee crumpled up in a ball on their cell floor, clutching the hilt of a knife buried in their gut, blood seeping from between their teeth.

Whumpee who fell several stories during a buildings collapse and can’t move a muscle to escape the rubble because there’s a rod sticking out of their abdomen, pinning them to the ground.

Whumpee tied up in their seat, unconscious. Rescuer finds them with nails pinning their hands to the arms of the chair.

Whumpee who has been shot and Medic who is frantically looking for the bullet but can’t find it. Caretaker holds Whumpee’s head in their lap, trying to keep them from falling asleep as they slowly bleed out. OR…

Whumpee that’s been shot but has no way to fish the bullet out, whether it be too deep in or they just don’t have the knowledge to do so. They sew up the hole in their abdomen, limb, etc., with nothing more than a prayer that it didn’t hit anything vital.

Hello! And welcome to the whump gifmaking challenge! I'm your host @aceofwhump and I'm excited to bring another year of a whump challenge specifically created with gifmakers and visual artists in mind.

The challenge begins in August!

Rules:

All gifs posted must be made by you. Do not just post gifs using the gif keyboard and claim them as yours and do not repost other people’s gifs. No AI-generated content please.

Various mediums are welcome! So long as the visual art aspect is the focus you can make whatever you want. Yes this is primarily a gifmaking challenge so everything is geared towards that but any visual art is welcome. If you draw, make moodboards, edits, videos, etc you’re welcome to participate!

You can use the prompts however you like. There is no wrong way to use a prompt. Feel free to interpret them however you wish. If you think it counts as whump? It's whump! Make it! Angst, comfort, emotional whump, small things, big things, it all counts so no need to over think it.

Tag all potential triggers (things like emeto, gore, nsfw, blood, eye whump, rape/noncon, etc.) When in doubt, tag it.

Tags to use when posting so I can find your ppst: #whumpedit, #whumpgifathon, #whump gifs

Please try to include the show/movie title, character names, and episode number (if applicable) somewhere either in your tags or in the post caption. This way anyone interested in watching it can find it easily.

An example of a way you can caption your gifsets:

@whumpgifathon | Day #: "prompt description"Show/Movie title, episode number, character name

2026 Prompt List

Each day comes with one thematic prompt and 3 specific prompts. Feel free to use any of the 4. If none of them float your boat, use one of the alternate prompts!

Text version of the prompt list is below the readmore:

Project Hail Mary (2026)

(partially counts as well)

Rb for reach maybe

Using gun but without shooting it. It's a intimidating factor and a possibility. In extreme case it can be shot to a non vital part,

But what's more fun is:

Punch to the jaw while holding the gun: classic trail of blood down the forehead.

Shoving the gun in whumpee's mouth: what's a better way to silence a talkative whumpee.

Guiding whumpee's face up with it: To see what's deep rooted in thier eyes, Fear or defiance?

Pressing it into their back: Or their side, while whumpee is unaware of what they are going to get into. The bruising pressure against their bone, guiding them.

Choking them with it

Hitting the wrist with it: perhaps to make whumpee drop thier own weapon

And one different trope that those above,

Keeping it trained on someone Whumpee cares about: can whumpee call the bluff? Will whumper actually go to the lengths and shoot? Kill? Or hurt "loves one" ? Should they lunge for whumper's gun?

So many possibilities

So, I think most people know that if a person actually passes out from blood loss, they're pretty much fucked. BUT the trope of revealing a bleeding wound and then collapsing is super fucking fun.

So I was thinking about ways to keep that trope in without totally sacrificing any degree of realism -- especially if your characters are far from medical treatment and/or don't have modern tech or magic to help them out.

I also think it's fun if the team / caretaker panics because whumpee passed out, assuming they're much closer to death than they already are. Maybe they find whumpee passed out, covered in blood, and assume the worst, only to be hit with an intense wave of relief when they discover whumpee's still breathing (albeit barely).

So, here's a list of reasons for your injured whumpee to pass out that aren't strictly blood loss. (Of course, blood loss absolutely takes a toll on the body and is definitely a compounding factor leading up to the collapse.)

Adrenaline crash. Whumpee is finally out of battle and they're just fucking exhausted. They realize they're finally safe and they just crumple.

Exhaustion. Maybe whumpee has been running or walking for miles, trying to find safety. Their wound has been slowly bleeding the whole time. Eventually, they just can't keep going, and their legs give out. They promise themself they'll only rest for a moment or two, but then their eyes are closing and sleep takes them.

Sight of blood / panic. Whumpee's seen blood before, sure. But not that much. They didn't even know a person could have that much blood. Where the fuck is it even coming from? Oh. Shit. Me. Alternatively, whumpee has been pretty sheltered up to this point, and this is their first time in combat. They've never seen this much death and blood and gore.

Illness. Maybe whumpee's wounds are infected. Maybe they were already sick but had to fight anyways (or maybe they lied to the rest of the team about their health in order to be allowed to fight). The stress of combat plus the injury is too much for their already weakened body.

Poison. Maybe the blade that stabbed them was coated in something nasty. Makes for a fun reveal when the team/caretaker has treated the wound but whumpee is only getting worse. Also provides a fun sense of urgency if whumpee knows they've been poisoned, and needs to make it to the one person they trust / know can treat it. (Do they make it to the door and collapse in caretaker's arms? Do they collapse on the way? Do they not even make it out of their own room?) (This one is particularly good for assassinations. "I'm not sure which will kill you first: The blood loss or the poison. Unfortunately, I can't stick around to find out.")

In the past, I've always posted one (or two during the first heat) poll a day with the polls set to last for a single day. It seems like sometimes people don't end up seeing the polls until after they're closed. It was suggested that I post all of the polls for a heat in one go, and then keep them open for a week which, the more I think about it, seems like a pretty good option! The only other idea I had was to do an afternoon reblog of each poll. But I wanna get your thoughts!

(also: please reblog for sample size! TIA!)

• Sleep can function as mental bondage. If you're asleep and can't be easily woken, you're completely helpless and vulnerable. If you're sufficiently drowsy and out of it, you're still basically helpless, but with the added bonus of potentially being somewhat aware of what's happening.

• The many ways to be forced to sleep -- surgical drugs, chloroform rags, hypnosis, sleeping spells and potions, tranquilizer darts, hidden sedatives in food or drink...

• The onset of sleep can be quick, barely giving you time to react before you're out, or so gradual you won't even realize what's happening until it's too late (and everything in-between).

• Uncertainty -- being put to sleep against your will, not knowing what will happen to you while you're defenseless. Being carried away as you fall asleep, not knowing where you'll be when you wake.

• The fight to stay awake, because it feels like something you should be able to fight, to overcome with enough willpower, but...

• The inevitability of being put to sleep. You might not feel the effects of the drugs or magic right now, you might feel wide awake, but sleep will be coming for you.

• Heavy eyelids fluttering and straining to stay open, drooping and closing all by themselves.

• Confusion and disorientation as the drowsiness sets in.

• Floating in and out of consciousness, perhaps just able to hear people discuss you or feel them handling you.

• Deep hypnotic sleep where your conscious mind is shut down and your subconscious is utterly vulnerable to suggestion.

• Glassy, dazed eyes with nothing behind them -- your eyes might still be open, but you're still fast asleep.

• Sleepwalking, wandering around in a trance, unaware of your surroundings -- or perhaps your sleeping mind is following someone else's commands...