per aspera ad astra

Here are our 31 prompts exploring shadows, secrets, and intense emotions. Use them literally or metaphorically, mix genres, combine with fluff or angst. Just have fun writing!

1. Long shadows

2. Locked door

3. The call in the night

4. Whispers you’re not supposed to hear

5. The thing left behind

6. Blood on snow

7. False smile

8. Broken mirror

9. The silence after

10. Forgotten oath

11. Eyes in the dark

12. Paper-thin walls

13. A secret you regret

14. Flickering light

15. Footsteps behind you

16. Black feathers

17. The unspoken truth

18. Lost time

19. Chilling laughter

20. Ashes and smoke

21. A key without a lock

22. Cracks in the mask

23. Empty streets

24. The last candle

25. Betrayal’s taste

26. The locked box

27. Shadows under the bed

28. Your name in a stranger’s mouth

29. A dream that follows you

30. Hands you can’t see

31. The ending you didn’t expect

Tag your work with #Darktober so we can find it! 🖤

Alternate Prompts:

Welcome to the sixth annual 31 Days of Horror writing challange!

To anyone who hasn't participated before it's simple. This is a horror writing challenge that takes place through the month of October. Everyday you take the corresponding prompt and write something spooky to go along with it. Then, you can take your work and post it under the hashtag #31DOH2025 so others can see what you've written for the prompt!

if you're looking for inspiration or just to see what kinds of things have been made for this challenge there are four other years worth of writings under the hashtags 31DOH2024, 31DOH2023, 31DOH2022, and 31DOH2021.

If you have any questions you can check out the FAQ, send an ask, or pop into our community here on tumblr!

Happy writing!

made my own prompts for next month

Welcome to the 6th year of Angstober! We're delighted to unveil the prompts for this year of angsty, spooky fun.

What is Angstober?

Angstober is a yearly October challenge with 31 angst-themed prompts to inspire you to create. The challenge is open to all sorts of creative work - writing, art, edits, whatever you want - in whatever medium you want. Original work or fanworks? Whatever you feel inspired for!

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How do I take part?

Tag your works with #angstober or #angstober2025 and the day of the prompt (e.g., #day 01) to share on tumblr. Feel free to @ us directly in the post as well! To share your work on AO3, add it to the Angstober 2025 collection.

You can post your works whenever - early or late - and use as many or as few prompts as you feel inspired for! We'll do our best to reblog as many works to the @angstober blog as we can.

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Are there any other rules or limitations?

No. We do not limit what you can create. Angst can include some darker topics. We do ask you tag your work appropriately.

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This year we have alternate prompts!

Not feeling a prompt? Wanting to do more? Switch it for one of our alternate prompts.

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Is there a banner to post my work with?

Of course.

I’ve always wanted to do an ink-tober like challenge, but I find I always have some kinda problem with the prompts, and or I end up getting super overwhelmed before I can finish the challenge

So I decided to make my own

((Here’s a typed version if you have hard time reading it or need text to speech <3))

[{1. Faerie, 2. Leaves, 3. Old, 4. Dog, 5. Cat, 6. Feast, 7. Cryptid, 8. Moon, 9. Angel, 10. Demon, 11. Pareidolia, 12. Tree, 13. Killer, 14. Sea monster, 15. Bat, 16. Doll, 17. Death, 18. Not what it seems, 19. Ghost, 20. Bones, 21. Clown, 22. Gore, 23. Pumpkin, 24. Witch, 25. Frankenstein’s monster, 26. Werewolf, 27. Vampire, 28. Undead, 29. Candy, 30. Costume, 31. Happy Halloween!!!}]

Anyway, I called it Art-tober because I wanted people to be able to do anything they wanted

Like, you wanna do a traditional Ink-tober challenge? Cool

You wanna just have some fun sketching with a theme? Great

You wanna make some kind of elaborate painting for each prompt? Awesome

You could do anything, sketching, photography, painting, characters, baking, dance or music, or whatever I don’t know what kind of people are gonna be seeing this

But the point is that I want every kind of artist to be able to join in