secret third thing

The Murderbot Diaries attracts fans who are aro/ace and/or less interested in shipping (romance, sex) in general, I hear.

Is this true? Since this is my first fandom I don't know what other fandoms are like. So I decided to check.

I went to Archives of Our Own (AO3) and selected 4 fandoms: (1) The Murderbot Diaries; (2) Project Hail Mary; (3) Good Omens; and (4) Lord of the Rings. These are all popular books turned into tv/film adaptations.

The problem with AO3 is that it allows creators to select multiple categories (e.g., F/F and F/M). It also allows people to post without selecting a category. So, when you add up numbers from each category, the sum total is different from the total works posted in the fandom. Thus, the percentage graph is not accurate, but it will still give you some ideas.

Et voilà !

The data is taken from AO3 on 15 July 2026.

[Sources]

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary - All Media Types Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien

These include ALL the works, including crossovers and possible translation works.

Here is the raw data:

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It's true!

The Murderbot Diaries does have the highest proportion of Gen fics!

Also, it's the only fandom where F/F exceeds M/M and F/M.

First meetings

SecUnit Designs

Tenna art by @9Aaaalt29 on twt

I mean full-on khaki-shorts-wearing, traversing-wilderness-with-nothin'-but-a-machete Adrian who yoinks snakes outta trees and pets swamp puppies and will unflinchingly dig around in elephant faeces for signs of a rare parasitic tapeworm if needed.

Oh, humans eat socially? No problem, Adrian has observed many many animals eat. Did you know that an obscure species of small underground dirt creature from the north side of Erid also eats socially? Adrian can give you a not-so-short presentation on them.

Oh, the human has no external carapace and so its internal sounds are absurdly loud, wet and off-putting? No problem, Adrian was just conducting an expedition last month researching the incredible eridian animal, the Wet Loud Worm from the south-east region of Wet Loud Wormland. They're desensitised, it's fine.

Oh, Grace leaks often from many orifices and it can be a bit of a learning curve to get used to? No problem for Adrian, see Wet Loud Worm paragraph again!