Dead Dove: Do Not Eat 

Tag used as a warning for extremely disturbing content in a work, often fanwork.

This fanfiction is tagged with "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat". I’m sensitive, so I won’t read it.

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat by nopseudosavailable May 15, 2019

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat 

A phrase meaning "read at your own risk," originating from the TV show Arrested Development. A man takes a paper bag out of the fridge that has a note saying "dead dove, do not eat," which he opens to discover a dead dove and exclaims "I don't know what I expected."
The tag is popular in fanfiction because it allows the author to warn the reader that they're probably not going to like what's inside, and now the guilt is out of their hands.

Commenter 1: OP why did you have to kill the main character, I'm gonna be ruined for a week and it's your fault

Commenter 2: they literally tagged it dead dove: do not eat

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat by GrayHollows August 13, 2022

Dead Dove Moment 

A reference to Arrested Development

When the title or description of a situation, video, location, or anything tells you exactly what to expect but still, you're surprised even though you definitely should have seen it coming.

Michael opens the refrigerator and sees a paper bag with "DEAD DOVE Do Not Eat" written on it. He opens the bag anyway and, there is, in fact, a dead dove inside and he says to himself, "I don't know what I expected."

Michael just had a Dead Dove Moment

Dead Dove Moment by 374sqft June 23, 2012

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat 

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, or read dove for short, is a tag often used on the popular fanfiction site Archive of our own (Ao3) to mark stories that have sensitive or disturbing content listed in the other tags.

"That story has Dead Dove: Do Not Eat tagged. I'd rather not be scarred for life, so I'll leave it alone"

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat by CrowTheWatcher May 23, 2022

Dead dove: do not eat 

A fanfic tag that warns you to take the other tags seriously. For example, if one tag says 'non-con', expect non-con. Don't think, 'ah, it's probably just dub-con.' If the tags say 'organ harvesting', expect literal organ harvesting. Don't take it as a joke or exaggeration. You were warned.

Very commonly misunderstood as a general warning of bad things to come, because it's so often used beside more serious tags, when really it's a specific warning not to take the other tags lightly.

(Originally comes from the TV show Arrested Development, referencing a scene in which the character Michael Bluth finds a bag in the fridge that says DEAD DOVE, DO NOT EAT. He opens the bag anyway, before wincing, and saying, 'well, I don't know what I expected..')

#medical malpractice #human experimentation #gore #major character death #dead dove: do not eat

Dead dove: do not eat by squaresquire June 9, 2023

Dead dove: Do not eat 

Dead dove: Do not eat is a tag (or label) put on fandiction works on Archive of Our Own (AO3) to tell the reader that the content contains sensitive or graphic topics.

1: Hey, wanna read this fanfic together?
2: It’s tagged with Dead dove: Do not eat, are you sure you wanna read this?
1: Ooh.. maybe not..

Dead dove: Do not eat by Spookycould July 20, 2022

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat 

you're getting exactly what's tagged

person 1: holy shit this character just jumped off a cliff why would the author write this
person 2: was it tagged with Dead Dove: Do Not Eat?
person 1: yeah
person 2: thats your fault bud they warned you

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat by robynn_ January 25, 2025