Gore — Tag Meaning
Warns of explicit, graphic depictions of blood, wounds, viscera, or bodily destruction. Authors use it alongside or beyond the archive's violence warning when the visceral detail itself is significant — common in horror fic and dark character studies.
What to Expect From "Gore" Fics
Vivid, unflinching descriptions of bodily harm. This tag exists so you can opt in or out; take it at its word.
How to find Gore fics on AO3
On AO3, click any tag to see every work that uses it, then refine with the "Filters" sidebar — combine it with your fandom or ship, set a rating, or exclude tags you don't want. See our AO3 filtering guide for the full walkthrough.
Browse "Gore" works on AO3Popular Fics Tagged "Gore"
Real examples from AO3's most-kudosed works:
His Darkest Devotion
by Lomonaaeren
Casualties of Politics
by Lomonaaeren
Raava Academy
by silkarc
Devil with a Silver Compass
by Biscoote
Yamikumo, the Black Rabbit
by Dire_Kumori
Payment in Blood
by SpyroForLife
Related Tags
Blood and Injury
The canonical AO3 pairing of blood with bodily harm, used when injuries are depicted with some vividness rather than mentioned in passing. It functions as a mid-level warning — more graphic than a scraped knee, less than gore — common in action, whump, and battle fic.
Tag guide →
Body Horror
Horror rooted in the body itself becoming wrong — transformation, mutation, parasitism, flesh doing things flesh should not do. Fanfic writers use it for everything from monster AUs to psychic possession aftermath, and it signals discomfort that is existential as much as gross.
Tag guide →
Horror
The genre tag for fic that sets out to frighten or unsettle, whether through monsters, hauntings, dread, or human cruelty. In fandoms without horror elements, it warns of a sharp tonal departure from canon; in horror fandoms, it confirms the fic keeps the lights off.
Tag guide →
Violence
A general-purpose flag for violent content that exceeds the incidental but may not warrant the archive's Graphic Depictions warning. Authors use it to cover fights, assaults, and brutality, trusting readers to combine it with the fic's rating to judge intensity.
Tag guide →
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