Welcome to the slaughterhouse! Dead Dove With Left Grief is a fest celebrating wretched, nasty, terrible darkfic, art, and other fanworks, by and for fans of the Locked Tomb book series by Tamsyn Muir.
Inspired by the HYDRA Trash Party ethos, Dead Dove With Left Grief is explicitly for lovers of fictional awfulness being perpetrated upon their beloved blorbos. From thoughtful explorations of dark themes to uncritical wallowing in filth (my fave, teehee), it’s all welcome!
TL;DR
The fest runs from November 16 to 23, 2025. This collection will remain open after the posting period ends—please continue to post to the collection and use the Tumblr tag #dead dove with left grief after the fest is over!
Fanfiction, art, podfic, fanvids, animatics, and anything else you can think of are all welcome! (All works must be created by you. No AI-generated works are allowed.)
Some themes and tropes that fit the vibe of Dead Dove With Left Grief: whump - rape/noncon - gore - torture - cannibalism - sexual violence - self-harm - abuse - horror - hurt/no comfort - major character death - bad endings… Generally speaking, if it crushes your heart a little bit, it’ll be a great fit for this fest. You are welcome to run the gamut from thoughtful exploration of dark themes to uncritical wallowing. Smut explicitly welcome.
Incest and underage sex are allowed; please tag appropriately. AUs, omegaverse, and crossovers/fusions are allowed.
If you’re not sure whether your idea is suitable for Dead Dove With Left Grief, ask yourself: “As a reader looking through a dark TLT fanworks event, would it make sense to me to see this work in the listing, or would I be confused to see it here?” If you’re still not sure, feel free to DM or inbox the event Tumblr (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deaddovewithleftgrief) with questions.
The fest runs from November 16 to 23, 2025. You can post either here on the collection, or on your own Tumblr with the tag #dead dove with left grief. Or crosspost! The collection will remain open after the fest is over; please feel free to keep posting to it.
No minimum requirements for word count or art complexity (and no maximum either, for that matter).
Please tag appropriately, especially for potentially disturbing content. What makes you cackle with glee might upset a fellow fan. Conversely, this is not a “no archive warnings apply” event; what upsets you might be someone else’s heartsong. Be prepared to mute and block tags for topics that upset you. (Here are how-to guides for filtering, muting, and blocking tags and content on Tumblr and AO3.)
You’re welcome to post works anonymously if you like, especially if it will allow you to be bolder with the awfulness than you might otherwise be. :) Or post them on main! Whatever works for you.
Finally, don’t forget to comment on and rec your fellow creators’ works!
For a little snootful of fandom history, HYDRA Trash Party was a kinkmeme that spawned a tag explicitly about Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, getting brutalized and passed around like a party favor by the villainous HYDRA. It inspired the later pan-fandom tag “dead dove: do not eat.” Suffice it to say, it is the type of energy I wish to take into the TLT fandom.
So here are some TLT-specific trash party tags! This is a totally optional side quest and you can draw or write about any characters and pairings you like for this fest, but if any of these specific concepts tickle your fancy, use the following tags:
If you’re not a fanwork creator but want to join the party, check out the rec list post on Tumblr and make your own rec list to spread the good word about your favorite already-existing dark Locked Tomb fanworks.
And, of course, you can always comment, comment, comment!
Thanks for asking, pal! <3
To avoid seeing posts or works from this event, block the Tumblr blog and/or add “dead dove with left grief” to your Tumblr or AO3 filters. (Here are how-to guides for filtering, muting, and blocking tags and content on Tumblr and AO3.)
Creators, please be courteous and tag appropriately, both for the event and for any potentially disturbing content in your works—both so that those who don’t wish to see it can avoid it, and so those looking for it can find it more easily!
Messagedeaddovewithleftgrief on Tumblr, either in inbox or DMs, and I’ll do my best to answer. Go forth and dead-dove it up, friends!
Inspired by the HYDRA Trash Party ethos, Dead Dove With Left Grief is explicitly for lovers of fictional awfulness being perpetrated upon their beloved blorbos. From thoughtful explorations of dark themes to uncritical wallowing in filth (my fave, teehee), it’s all welcome!
TL;DR
- Dark fanworks for the Locked Tomb book series
- Fanfic, art, podfics, whatever you want
- No wordcount/art minimums
- Tag appropriately
- Block/mute tags you don't want to see
- Post your works November 16-23, 2025
- Make rec lists of your favorite existing dark TLT fanworks
- Comment, share, and spread the dead-dove love!
When is Dead Dove With Left Grief?
The fest runs from November 16 to 23, 2025. This collection will remain open after the posting period ends—please continue to post to the collection and use the Tumblr tag #dead dove with left grief after the fest is over!
What can I create?
Fanfiction, art, podfic, fanvids, animatics, and anything else you can think of are all welcome! (All works must be created by you. No AI-generated works are allowed.)
Some themes and tropes that fit the vibe of Dead Dove With Left Grief: whump - rape/noncon - gore - torture - cannibalism - sexual violence - self-harm - abuse - horror - hurt/no comfort - major character death - bad endings… Generally speaking, if it crushes your heart a little bit, it’ll be a great fit for this fest. You are welcome to run the gamut from thoughtful exploration of dark themes to uncritical wallowing. Smut explicitly welcome.
Incest and underage sex are allowed; please tag appropriately. AUs, omegaverse, and crossovers/fusions are allowed.
If you’re not sure whether your idea is suitable for Dead Dove With Left Grief, ask yourself: “As a reader looking through a dark TLT fanworks event, would it make sense to me to see this work in the listing, or would I be confused to see it here?” If you’re still not sure, feel free to DM or inbox the event Tumblr (
deaddovewithleftgrief) with questions.How can I post?
The fest runs from November 16 to 23, 2025. You can post either here on the collection, or on your own Tumblr with the tag #dead dove with left grief. Or crosspost! The collection will remain open after the fest is over; please feel free to keep posting to it.
No minimum requirements for word count or art complexity (and no maximum either, for that matter).
Please tag appropriately, especially for potentially disturbing content. What makes you cackle with glee might upset a fellow fan. Conversely, this is not a “no archive warnings apply” event; what upsets you might be someone else’s heartsong. Be prepared to mute and block tags for topics that upset you. (Here are how-to guides for filtering, muting, and blocking tags and content on Tumblr and AO3.)
You’re welcome to post works anonymously if you like, especially if it will allow you to be bolder with the awfulness than you might otherwise be. :) Or post them on main! Whatever works for you.
Finally, don’t forget to comment on and rec your fellow creators’ works!
(Fun optional side quest!)
For a little snootful of fandom history, HYDRA Trash Party was a kinkmeme that spawned a tag explicitly about Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, getting brutalized and passed around like a party favor by the villainous HYDRA. It inspired the later pan-fandom tag “dead dove: do not eat.” Suffice it to say, it is the type of energy I wish to take into the TLT fandom.
So here are some TLT-specific trash party tags! This is a totally optional side quest and you can draw or write about any characters and pairings you like for this fest, but if any of these specific concepts tickle your fancy, use the following tags:
- Gideon or Harrow Nova getting brutalized by characters in the Ninth House: tag Drearburh Trash Party.
- Gideon getting brutalized by characters at Canaan House (hi, Cytheon enjoyers!): tag Canaan Trash Party.
- Harrow getting brutalized by characters on the Mithraeum: tag Mithraeum Trash Party.
I’m not a fanwork creator. How can I participate?
If you’re not a fanwork creator but want to join the party, check out the rec list post on Tumblr and make your own rec list to spread the good word about your favorite already-existing dark Locked Tomb fanworks.
And, of course, you can always comment, comment, comment!
I don’t like this event. How can I avoid it?
Thanks for asking, pal! <3
To avoid seeing posts or works from this event, block the Tumblr blog and/or add “dead dove with left grief” to your Tumblr or AO3 filters. (Here are how-to guides for filtering, muting, and blocking tags and content on Tumblr and AO3.)
Creators, please be courteous and tag appropriately, both for the event and for any potentially disturbing content in your works—both so that those who don’t wish to see it can avoid it, and so those looking for it can find it more easily!
What if I have more questions?
Message
deaddovewithleftgrief on Tumblr, either in inbox or DMs, and I’ll do my best to answer. Go forth and dead-dove it up, friends!
