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What does Dead Dove Do Not Eat mean in Fanfiction Tags?
by T Santhosh
Updated Jul 01, 2024
What does Dead Dove Do Not Eat mean in Fanfiction Tags?
Dead Dove: Do Not Eat is a tag used in fanfiction to warn readers about dark or problematic themes in a story. This tag tells readers that the themes mentioned in the fic’s tags are exactly what they will find in the story. It's a way for authors to be upfront about the content, so readers know what to expect before they start reading.
This tag is commonly used on fanfiction platforms like Archive of Our Own (AO3). It covers a wide range of themes, such as extreme violence or inappropriate relationships. By using this tag, authors make sure that readers are aware of the challenging content and can decide if they want to read it or not.
The Dead Dove: Do Not Eat tag comes from a popular online reference. It serves as a strong warning, urging readers to pay attention to the tags and not get into the story without knowing what it contains. This helps create a more transparent and respectful environment in the fanfiction community, ensuring that readers are prepared for the themes they will encounter.
How to Use Dead Dove Tag?
Using the Dead Dove: Do Not Eat (DD) tag in fanfiction is a simple way for authors to warn readers about dark or problematic themes within their stories. This tag is particularly useful on platforms like Archive of Our Own (AO3), where authors categorize their works with tags to indicate the content and themes explored in their fanfiction.
Step 1: Applying the DD Tag
When uploading a fanwork, authors should include the DD tag alongside other relevant tags that describe the specific themes of the story. For example, if a fanfiction contains themes like extreme violence or sensitive topics, these should be clearly tagged. Adding the DD tag highlights to readers that these themes are present in the story, urging them to review the tags thoroughly before deciding to read.
Step 2: Providing Clear Context
While some authors may use the DD tag alone to indicate dark content, it's generally recommended to complement it with specific tags that give detailed context about the themes. This helps potential readers understand the nature of the content more precisely, allowing them to make informed choices about whether to engage with the fanwork.
Step 3: Ensuring Reader Awareness
The DD tag serves as a courtesy to readers by alerting them upfront about potentially challenging or triggering content. By using this tag responsibly and in conjunction with specific descriptive tags, authors contribute to a more respectful and considerate fanfiction community environment. This approach ensures that readers can navigate fanworks more safely and choose stories that align with their preferences and comfort levels.
Dead Dove Tag Meanings
The term "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat" (DD) carries various meanings across different fanfiction communities, primarily used as a warning tag for potentially unsettling or dark themes within a fanwork. Originally, it was introduced to alert readers to specific content that might include sensitive topics such as violence and some relationships, like underage scenarios.
This tag aims to inform readers beforehand so they can decide whether to engage with the fanfiction based on their comfort levels with these themes. Over time, the interpretation of DD has expanded within fandoms. Some authors use DD to indicate that their fanwork explores disturbing themes without necessarily providing moral commentary or condemnation of those themes.
This approach allows for an exploration of complex or controversial subjects within the narrative, leaving interpretation and judgment up to the reader. In practice, the DD tag may also be applied broadly to categorize fanworks that simply contain dark or emotionally intense content.
This usage doesn't specify the exact nature of the unsettling themes but serves as a general warning that the fanwork may get into darker aspects of storytelling, such as trauma or psychological complexity. Here are some examples of fanfiction tags that include the Dead Dove: Do Not Eat (DD) tag, along with other relevant tags.
Marvel Fanfiction
Tags: #Angst, #Violence, #Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, #Canon-Typical Violence, #Hurt/Comfort
This fanfiction shows what happens after a very hard battle. It talks about how the characters feel after seeing and experiencing a lot of violence and injuries.
Supernatural Fanfiction
Tags: #Psychological Horror, #Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, #Gore, #Angst, #Twisted Characters
A dark exploration of characters' psychological horrors and twisted motivations, including graphic descriptions of unsettling psychological themes.
Origin of Dead Dove Tag
The Dead Dove: Do Not Eat tag originated from a memorable scene in the TV show Arrested Development. In this scene from the show's first season, a character named Michael discovers a paper bag in his refrigerator labeled with the warning "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat!" Curiously, he opens the bag only to find a deceased bird inside, indicating his reaction: "I don't know what I expected." This humorous moment highlights the idea of encountering something unpleasant despite clear warnings.
In the world of fanfiction, the term and tag "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat" gained fame following a 2015 post on Tumblr by a user. The tag was proposed as a way for authors to alert readers about potentially distressing or controversial themes within their fanfiction works. Authors use this tag alongside other specific tags to indicate content like violence or dark themes. Its primary purpose is to provide readers with content warnings so they can make informed choices about what they read.
Since its introduction, the "Dead Dove" tag has been widely adopted on platforms such as Archive of Our Own (AO3), where fanfiction is commonly shared. It serves as a tool for authors to ensure transparency and respect reader preferences by clearly signaling the nature of the content they are about to engage with.
