If you’ve spent any time in fandom spaces over the last decade, you know that shipping isn’t just a pastime—it’s a language. It’s how fans process stories, explore what-ifs, and connect across time zones and media platforms. And no place captures that pulse of fandom better than Archive of Our Own, better known as AO3.
Each year, fans look forward to the unofficial “Top-Ship List,” which ranks the most popular pairings based on the number of fanfics posted. It’s not just trivia—it’s a snapshot of fandom culture. What fans write about, what they obsess over, and what they leave behind says a lot about where storytelling and internet communities are heading.
In 2025, the numbers told a new story. This wasn’t just another year of repeating favorites—it was the start of what fans are calling the “New AO3 Era.” Between AI concerns, locked works, returning legacy fandoms, and new multimedia ships emerging from unexpected corners of pop culture, the top-ship list of 2025 says more about us than ever before.
1. What the 2025 Ship List Reveals
While AO3 doesn’t officially publish statistics, data analysis from community projects and fan observers paints a clear picture. The 2025 ship rankings highlighted four major shifts that caught the fandom’s attention.
First, legacy fandoms surged back into prominence. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black from the Harry Potter universe reclaimed a top spot, proving that older fandoms never truly fade—they just wait for a new generation to rediscover them. For many Gen Z fans, these stories feel vintage, almost historical, yet emotionally timeless.
Second, newer fandoms from video games, web series, and streaming originals began climbing the charts. Ships from franchises like Baldur’s Gate 3, The Last of Us, and even indie animation projects saw major gains. That shift signals how the source of fandom inspiration has diversified far beyond network television.
Third, locked works and deleted fics have changed how ship statistics function. Many creators now protect their writing from AI scraping and reposting, meaning that public metrics no longer fully capture what’s popular. The 2025 list may show fewer works in certain ships, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those pairings are less active—just less visible.
Finally, there’s a noticeable balance between old and new fandoms that didn’t exist before. This coexistence of nostalgia and innovation defines the current AO3 landscape. Fandoms are regenerating instead of replacing one another.
2. Why This Shift Matters for Fandom Culture
Shipping has always been more than fictional romance. It’s a social structure—a way for fans to talk about identity, desire, creativity, and representation. The 2025 list reinforces that fandom isn’t static; it’s an ecosystem that reflects broader cultural change.
A. Legacy fandoms prove resilience. The return of older pairings like Remus/Sirius or Dean/Castiel shows that beloved stories have staying power. Fans may age, platforms may change, but emotional attachment persists. The rise of “nostalgia shipping” demonstrates how people revisit formative stories through new lenses.
B. Platform policy now influences fandom behavior. Concerns about AI scraping have led many users to lock their works to registered readers only. This decision protects creators but alters visibility, which in turn affects which ships appear “popular.” The 2025 data isn’t just about creativity—it’s about digital safety.
C. Representation continues to expand. A decade ago, top-ship lists were dominated by male/female pairings from blockbuster media. In 2025, queer, polyamorous, and gender-diverse ships dominate nearly every tier of the rankings. Fans are clearly demanding stories that reflect the world around them—and writing them when mainstream media doesn’t deliver.
D. Shipping metrics now measure engagement, not volume. A smaller fandom with intense participation can rival an older fandom with thousands of inactive works. This change means “top ship” doesn’t necessarily mean “most written”—it means most vibrant, most talked about, and most creatively active.
3. The Key Trends Shaping the New AO3 Era
The rise of multimedia fandoms
Where early AO3 culture revolved around television shows and films, the 2025 list shows video games, streamers, and virtual performers entering the conversation. Ships from interactive storytelling, visual novels, and gaming platforms demonstrate that fans crave emotional depth across media. Characters with moral complexity and branching narratives make fertile ground for creative exploration.
AI anxiety and digital archiving
The fear of generative AI scraping fanfiction for training data has reshaped the archive. Many authors lock or delete their work to prevent exploitation. As a result, AO3’s visible content pool has shrunk while its private creative communities have flourished. This dynamic tension between openness and protection defines today’s fandom culture.
The endurance of community spaces
Despite privacy concerns, fandom still thrives through shared rituals—commenting, kudos, Discord chats, Tumblr memes, and fan art trades. These activities maintain engagement even when the fic itself is private. The health of a ship is now measured by conversation as much as by content count.
Queer normalization in mainstream fandoms
Queer pairings have moved from subtext to center stage. Fans no longer treat same-sex ships as “alternative readings”; they’re now default interpretations of emotional intimacy. The AO3 top-ship list reflects that progress, with nearly all leading pairings featuring queer or nontraditional dynamics.
Cross-platform fandom migration
AO3 doesn’t exist in isolation. Fans promote, discuss, and remix their works across TikTok, Twitter (X), Reddit, and private servers. This interconnectivity means that fandoms now evolve in real time. What trends on social media directly impacts what gets written, bookmarked, or celebrated on AO3.
4. What These Shifts Mean for Creators and Platforms
For writers, 2025 is both an opportunity and a challenge. The audience has never been larger or more diverse, but visibility now depends on community interaction and consistency. Posting schedules, tagging accuracy, and engaging respectfully with readers matter more than ever.
For artists and remix creators, cross-media expansion means more flexibility. Fan videos, digital art, and playlists now accompany stories, extending a ship’s reach beyond AO3. The new era rewards multimedia creativity.
For platforms, the challenge is balance. Fans want safety, autonomy, and archival integrity, but they also want discoverability. AO3’s nonprofit model and strong community moderation give it credibility, yet the conversation around AI will push for stronger privacy tools and creative rights protections.
For fandom culture as a whole, the 2025 data highlights sustainability. Communities can outlive source material if they prioritize inclusivity and respect. The archive’s decentralized model means no corporation dictates what counts as “canon”—fans do.
5. Where Shipping Might Go Next
The New AO3 Era suggests a future that’s collaborative, protective, and defiantly creative.
Expect more cross-media ships that defy categorization. As boundaries blur between games, anime, and live action, characters will travel freely across mediums in fanworks. A hero from a fantasy RPG might meet a sitcom character in a crossover romance—and thousands will read it.
Expect further experimentation in form. Writers are exploring interactive fiction, choose-your-own-adventure structures, and even AI-aided story prompts (ethically used) as part of fandom innovation.
Expect fandom historians to play a larger role. As older works disappear due to privacy or data issues, projects documenting fandom history—like Fanlore or Ship Stats—will become crucial for preserving creative lineage.
Expect more activism within fandom spaces. As AI and corporate interests encroach, fans are turning their communities into advocacy networks for digital rights and creative independence. Shipping, once dismissed as frivolous, is now part of a larger movement about ownership and voice online.
Most importantly, expect fandom to keep evolving. The top-ship list will look different every year, but its heartbeat—collaboration, transformation, and unapologetic emotion—remains constant.
6. What the 2025 Top-Ship List Ultimately Told Us
This year’s rankings didn’t just tell us which characters fans love most. They told us that fandom is resilient. They told us that even in a landscape full of AI anxiety and corporate homogenization, creativity thrives. They told us that people still find comfort, connection, and community in telling stories together.
The New AO3 Era isn’t defined by any single ship or fandom. It’s defined by adaptability, by the willingness to protect art without extinguishing joy, and by a new understanding that fanfiction isn’t derivative—it’s participatory culture in its purest form.
So the next time someone asks why the AO3 Top-Ship List matters, remember: it’s not just a ranking. It’s a reflection of how humans continue to find each other in digital spaces, share passion for stories, and keep inventing love in every possible universe.
