Murder — Tag Meaning
A canonical tag for unlawful killing within the work, whether the fic follows the killer, the investigators, or the bereaved. Crime fandoms use it descriptively; others use it to warn that a death is violent and intentional.
What to Expect From "Murder" Fics
At least one killing, possibly depicted; whodunit structures are common. Combine with character-death tags to learn who is at risk.
How to find Murder 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 "Murder" works on AO3Popular Fics Tagged "Murder"
Real examples from AO3's most-kudosed works:
Care and Custody
by esama
Don't Tell Me There's No Hope At All/ Together We Stand, Divided We Fall
by Straight_Outta_Hobbiton
Two Solitudes
by emungere
The five times Flash came to Gotham for help and the one time he didn't need to (5+1)
by Silver_Athena
How the Cuckoo Ticks
by janedoeswriting
House of Dirk
by imarriedacherub
Related Tags
Attempted Murder
A canonical tag for killings that fail: assassination attempts, ambushes survived, poison administered but not fatal. The attempt typically launches the plot, whether toward investigation, protection arcs, or revenge.
Tag guide →
Serial Killers
A canonical tag native to crime and thriller fandoms, covering works where a serial murderer is antagonist, subject, or, in darker corners, protagonist. Certain fandoms built around such characters use it as a basic descriptive tag.
Tag guide →
Character Death
A canonical freeform tag for death in a work, used when the Major Character Death archive warning is too strong or the author wants to flag mortality without specifying whose. It covers a broader territory than the official warning.
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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