Yuri Shipping Olympics

Duty of Care by pebblespenguin
Written for Round 1 of the YSO 2025: Burden
CW: descriptions of injuries

Pairing: Deja Vu/Star Strike (Skylanders)

Summary: But, Deja Vu continued. Her hands would not stop. This is what she signed up for.

What I like about it:
I trained to be a nurse over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, and I was a staff nurse in a hospital for a few months over 2023-2024. Needless to say, this story really resonated with me, in a good way. The way Deja Vu has to keep pushing forward to do the important work, despite what might be comforting to her. How she still longs and has her very human desires at the end of the day, despite it all. Wanting to just come home and watch television with her wife. It's just so true to life, and I was really moved by the piece. Overall, great work!

Edited Date: 2025-08-25 12:04 pm (UTC)

From:

Round 2 fill by

pebba
Drawn as a late fill for Bonus Round 2: Image prompts

Pairing: Golden Queen/Tidepool (Skylanders)

Description: A redraw of That one image of a woman pinning another woman up against a car.

What I like about it:
Pebba had been pretty busy throughout much of this year's YSO. But the pieces that they managed to deliver were bangers. This one was probably my favourite of the art they did in the bonus rounds. I love the playfulness, how they're both clearly having a lot of fun with it. And as an aside, I like the way they incorporated Golden Queen's vehicle from the one racing spinoff in here. It's such a fun redraw of an already fun image. Even if it was late, it arrived just on time in my heart.

Edited Date: 2025-08-25 11:37 am (UTC)

From:

Betray me Tonight by meowssings
Written as a fill for Bonus Round 7: Fashion and Style
CW: Blood, injury, decapitation

Pairing: Mira/Rumi/Zoey (KPop Demon Hunters)

Summary:

She needs to find Rumi and Mira. Regroup with them. She had separated from them after running after a pair of demons that seemed hellbent on being the cowards of their bunch. She did always pride herself on being the most agile of their trio, the one that had more than mastered their collective vanishing trick.

"Zoey…"

She startles at the call of her name in the dark, hearing footsteps slowly come her way.

-

(While trying to regroup with Rumi and Mira after a tough battle, Zoey is met with a familiar voice, and footsteps limping slowly towards her.)

What I like about it:
There's a bunch of little writerly things that I quite like about the story. Such as the way fight scenes were written. It felt like the author really captured the feel of being in a fight, which I find very engaging. I also enjoyed seeing the delayed emotional response Zoey had after seeing something so traumatic. It really made the subsequent hurt/comfort beats hit really well, in my opinion. Overall, it's a fantastically structured little hurt/comfort piece. Even as someone who has not seen the movie, there's quite a lot to appreciate about it.

Edited Date: 2025-08-25 12:04 pm (UTC)

From:

here’s the fucking spoiler, everybody dies by static_prevailed
Written as a fill for Bonus Round 6: Science Fiction
CW: Death

Pairing: OC/OC

Summary:
You take stock of the situation with the ship's help. You're alive. The ship is alive. Everyone else is dead, everything forward of the dormitory gutted and venting into space. The reactor is intact, but the engines are, to use the ship's surprisingly colorful vocabulary, "fucked." You're in a wide elliptical Jovian orbit, with no delta-V, flanked by the burnt-out husks of two other frigates. It would be a hopelessly expensive rescue mission, not that anyone on Europa would be inclined to rescue you under the circumstances even if they did somehow know there were any survivors.

“In other words,” the ship says, “this ends with both of us dying, there’s no way around it. The only question is - when do you want to go, and how?”

What I like about it:
Ough, beauty in tragedy my beloved. I was so invested in seeing how the MC navigated her feelings around her inevitable death. How Jamila's presence gave her comfort through her final days. The slow way they fell for each other, and eventually passed one after another. It really stuck with me, and I get the feeling this story will stay with me for quite some time.

Edited Date: 2025-08-25 12:05 pm (UTC)

From:

Bonus Round 7 Fill by

thestoryeater
Written as a fill for Bonus Round 7: Fashion and Style
CW: Injury, homicidal thoughts

Pairing: Guinevere/Lancelot (Arthuriana)

Description: A short drabble about the aftermath of Lancelot dealing with a team of bandits.

What I like about it:
I have a soft spot for knights, and yuri knights in particular. And this story gets at why. From understanding the gravity and weight of one's power, to extending grace and mercy though you could do otherwise. I adore the way Guinevere and Lancelot navigate this. The descriptions of real anger and anxiety Guinevere has, contrasted with Lancelot's serenity despite the battle she had just been in. It does so much that scratches itches in my brain with so little words. Such an excellent fill.

Edited Date: 2025-08-25 12:05 pm (UTC)

From:

Bonus Round 7 fill by

chocodaffodil
Drawn as a fill for Bonus Round 7: Fashion and Style

Pairing: Applejack/Rarity (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls)

Description: A drawing of Applejack and Rarity with their arms around each other. They are solidly coloured while the denim on their outfits is highlighted.

What I like about it:
It's a very cute image and a very well executed idea. I also appreciate how there's actually a little symbolic value to the piece too. Though Applejack and Rarity are very different people (ponies?), exemplified with their different styles, they've also got some things in common too (symbolised with the way denim is present in both their outfits, integrated in their own unique way). Though they have their differences, they can still find a way to coordinate and cooperate with each other. (So you see, matching denim on an outfit is, in fact, also yuri.)

Edited Date: 2025-08-27 12:35 pm (UTC)

From:

alphajaye071

Title: Flashing Lights
Author: Mikotyzini
Fandom: RWBY
Ship: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee

Summary:

Wealthy, influential, untouchable. The Schnee name comes with many perks, which Weiss takes advantage of however she damn well pleases. Shouldn't that be her right for dealing with her father, who dictates her life for her and uses her as a pawn in his illicit schemes?

Everyone else bends to HER whims, HER desires. If they don't like it, too bad. This was how it's always been and how it would always be.

At least, that's what she thought until a young cop piques her interest...and radically changes the way she sees the world.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54972901/chapters/139354540

It's not often I get to enjoy a vulgar, thirsty Weiss. Her character development in this fic is absolutely peak. Ruby's 'do no harm, but take some amount of shit because unfortunately I'm forced to' attitude is also amazing. I also love extremely competent Whiteros, which I have a feeling I will be saying frequently, and a good wish fulfillment story (because law enforcement will never be this good).

Miko never misses and I was waiting in agony for each new chapter to drop while I was reading this.

From:

alphajaye071

Title: Plus One
Author: LaapSaap
Fandom: RWBY
Ship: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee

Summary:

Weiss needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Thankfully, her bank account is as full as her desperation. If she can’t find a partner, she’ll just rent one.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63316141/chapters/162202468

Easily one of the best Fake Dating AUs I've ever read. Every time I read it it makes my heart feel so full. Also Ruby in a suittttt my beloved. The gender.

There's a reason this is one of the fics that I reread for comfort after I've put myself through particularly emotionally draining angst.

From:

kyaasnow

Littlest Adventures by AMisfitToo

Fandom: Arcane
Ship: Caitlyn/Vi

Summary: Almost a decade has passed since the Anomaly disappeared, and the many sacrifices made to the cause. In its wake, Caitlyn and Vi have picked up their pieces and assembled a new life for themselves in the reformed twin cities of Piltover and Zaun, a new world order where now the demands of work, life and parenting challenges to consume them. Will love prevail?

Or

Snippets into the lives of Caitlyn and Vi as parents. Post-canon.

What I Love: This is my comfort fic! I love love any headcanon about Caitvi as parents, and this fic captures it so well. The daughters are adorable, Cait and Vi are the sweetest mothers who still have their faults, and every chapter is a fuzzy warm hug. I love how it looks at so many aspects of their life: holidays, sports, school, birthdays, date nights—just pure feel-good content, which is so needed after such a tragic show. <3

From:

dipndops

Made for Round 2 of YSO 2025: Liminal Space
Luminal by Nally
Pairing: Lumity|Luz/Amity (The Owl House)

Summary: Luz and Amity visit a mall Luz used to frequent as a kid, but old memories resurface.

What I Like!: So much love was put into this project! I definitely didn't expect to see a visual novel as one of the submissions. I love how the music really adds to the unease in different scenes as Luz recalls her childhood. The art style is also super cute and the ending is very sweet! Lovely work!! c:

From:

https://yurishippingolympics.dreamwidth.org/5033.html?thread=861097#cmt861097

Bonus Round 1 Fill by whumpshaped

Pairing: Isadora/Lenora, sort of (OCs)

Summary: Lenora and Isadora are pretty close. Too bad Lenora's not here.

What I Like About It: I'm very fond of a good imposter story, particularly when one of the people being impersonated is close to the other. The imposter leverages her likeness for all its worth, giving us some truly delicious tension here. But layered in their interactions are some good hints at what the non-imposter dynamic is, as the things they get wrong gets as much emotion out of our protagonist as the things they get right. It's a bit brutal, very emotional.

From:

https://yurishippingolympics.dreamwidth.org/5033.html?thread=884393#cmt884393

of steel and silence by mariequitecontrary

Pairing: unclear, though context leads me to suspect it's probably mechas

Summary: Musings on one's first gladiator duel at the pits.

What I Like About It: Despite how brief it is, it's an incredibly evocative piece. The author has a good sense of when to put a break in their poetry, making each line feel meaningful in its length and placement. It gets across the disorientation and panic, then wonder very well. Possibly one of my favorite takes ever on love at first sight.

From:

https://yurishippingolympics.dreamwidth.org/5033.html?thread=960169#cmt960169

Bonus Round 1 Fill by livicottle

Pairing: Falin Touden/Marcille Donato (Delicious in Dungeon)

Summary: Marcille and Falin are running late for a graduation ceremony caught in traffic, and things are only getting worse.

What I Like About It: This one captures the energy of its source material perfectly. You've got some spot-on comedic timing driven by character-based humor, everything going wrong, and of course, yuri. The main couple have that great dynamic where they're obviously great friends on top of being a little intimate, and everything is just shitty enough to feel relatable and charming. The "solution" they wind up resorting to is great. Definitely read this one if you want a smile on your face.

From:

https://yurishippingolympics.dreamwidth.org/5033.html?thread=920489#cmt920489

Bonus Round 1 Fill by sapphicharrow

Pairing: Tegan Jovanka/Nyssa of Traken (Doctor Who)

Summary: Goth Opera art hours :D

What I Like About It: Gosh this is some really well-drawn blood. When you want to look at vampire art, you always want some crimson dripping off of clawed fingers and fangs, and oh boy does this deliver. The blood also makes a good contrast with Nyssa's pastel outfit, and can I just say that drawing stripey outfits looks hard but this artist delivers! They also have a way with lighting; there's a flashlight involved in this art that makes for some really awesome contrast, making the illuminated bits pop without ruining the dark-yet-visible vibe of the rest of it. Also Doctor Who is just great.

From:

manesixwinx

'She Understands Me Like You Did' by Tabby_Shieldmaiden
Written for a fill in Bonus Round 6
Ship: Evil Ninja Minion / Evil Witch Minion & Evil Ninja Minion / Stealth Elf from Skylanders
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/68563751

Summary:
What was it about this particular death that got to her? In the past, they used to be able to openly loathe their good counterparts together. But all she did these days was sulk about the good Stealth Elf. The dead Stealth Elf. The Witch couldn't get a word out of her about it, and every time she tried, they'd just spiral into an argument.

It ran through the Witch like a blade, a question about her that she just couldn't answer. Could she have changed? Why now, why this as the catalyst?

What I Liked:
I've always adored stories that explore grief, and this fic is an embodiment of what makes media like this so appealing to me. It's realistic, in its depiction of how both Evil Ninja Minion and Evil Witch Minion deal with grief, even if Evil Witch Minion was just an active bystander to said grief. Also love how this fic deviates from what I personally typically expect from clone4clone fics. Just very potent writing that touched me when I first read it and has still stuck with me until now.

Edited Date: 2025-08-26 09:17 am (UTC)

From:

manesixwinx

'I'd sooner die than bury you (grieving, grieving, constantly grieving) by ILovedHerAndSometimesSheLovedMeToo
Ship: Rumi / Mira / Zoey from Kpop Demon Hunters
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66977773/chapters/172901371

Summary:
As Zoey and Mira walk towards their impending doom, into Gwi-Ma's gaping maw, the entire world waits with bated breath for a hero. For someone to come with a song, a light in the dark, to save the day. But, no one does. And as destiny falls apart and fate screams in disapproval, the Honmoon reaches out to fix a cosmic error. Again, and again. No matter how many times it takes.

What I Liked:
This is by far my favourite fic I've read in the fandom. It is a gut punch after gut punch after gut punch with each chapter. The fic physically hurts, but in the best way possible. I adore the portrayal of love here, how Zoey and Mira would keep repeating themselves in an endless time loop to rescue Rumi, and how Rumi will forever choose Zoey and Mira, even when she thinks they hate her, or have been horrifically betrayed by them. Such devastatingly strong depictions of Huntrix's characters all around. This fic has taken up permanent brain space in my mind whenever I think of Polytrix fanfics.

From:

manesixwinx

light prisms by lynpheas (astralgolds)
Ship: Stella / Tecna from Winx Club
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/65328295

Summary:
“Um, sorry,” Stella says, eyes wide and face tinted pink. There’s a bead of sweat trickling down her temple, which Tecna unthinkingly wipes away. Stella purses her mouth.

“Did I tell you?” Tecna blurts out, overheated and unfiltered. “You look really handsome today.”

Stella mouths the word: ‘handsome.’ “I’ve never gotten that one before. Beautiful, yes. Handsome… that’s new.”

“You’re beautiful, too,” Tecna says, matter-of-fact. This is a given. “And handsome lately. You have to know that.”

(Or: Musa gets a haircut. So does Stella. Tecna is a good friend. And, well, something else, too.)

What I Liked:
This was a fic written by a friend for a rarepair I love in Winx Club, and they've written an absolutely amazing fic. Stella's and Tecna's relationship is so accurate to their characters, and how their dynamic is like in show. Beyond the fluff, I love the exploration of style and fashion experimentation in the fic, in Stella as a typically presenting fem character exploring a masc style in the story, and the Transmasculine Musa headcanon that pops up as a background plot point in the story as well. Just a tooth-rotting, absolutely fun story that I adore.

Edited Date: 2025-08-26 09:35 am (UTC)

From:

manesixwinx

Written for a fill in Bonus Round 1 by hopelessgemini
Ship: Winter / Cinder from RWBY
Link: https://yurishippingolympics.dreamwidth.org/5033.html?thread=879273#cmt879273

Summary:
Winter rushes to find Cinder after a battle at Vale.

What I Liked:
Cutesy little story involving tropes I love (Hurt/Comfort, One half of the ship is injured). You can feel the panic from Winter in the first half of the story, and the relief amidst the light banter and faux annoyance in the second part. I don't know much about RWBY, but the dynamic between Winter and Cinder is definitely one of my favs in media ever, and I think the story perfectly captures what exactly I love about it.

From:

Bonus Round 2 fill by scallioncreamcheesebagel: Dead Ringer
Ship: OC/OC
Summary: When her girlfriend shows her the quite-alive skeleton in her closet, Veronica spirals into obsession over her girlfriend's doppelganger.

This story is weird and unsettling in the best possible way. I'm still not sure what to make of the ending - there are a couple different things that could plausibly be going on in the POV character's head, and I love the unspoken implications of all of them. It's also very well-executed on a technical level. The descriptions are vivid and I don't think a single sentence feels unnecessary. IMO this is professional-grade writing, and I love it.

From:

Bonus Round 4 fill by scallioncreamcheesebagel: Catch of the Day
Ship: OC/OC
Summary: Minali finds a mermaid at the fish market.

This story's tone reminds me a lot of magical realism*, particularly in the way it mixes the supernatural with the mundane, and in the protagonist's very matter-of-fact reaction to something that ought to be shocking. It didn't occur to me until a re-read that the final line of the story is actually a parallel between the two characters, and really the theme of their entire relationship. Without spoiling the ending, I absolutely love the way it transforms the power dynamic in an instant, and the way that Ee makes her point without being able to speak makes for incredibly potent imagery.

*I'm thinking in particular of "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

From:

Bonus Round 4 fill by thestoryeater
Ship: Mushka/Laika
Summary: Two (actual) dogs from the Soviet space program share a meal and look at the stars.

This was in response to my prompt "a last meal." As soon as I saw the ship and realized which prompt it was filling, I knew I was fucked. Hobbes really delivers on the premise, capturing the innocent voice of the dogs and contrasting it with the reader's knowledge of what was in store for Laika. The whole thing is beautiful and heartbreaking and made me feel things. Now I'm sad about dogs from half a century ago. Thanks a lot (but genuinely).

From:

Round 1 participation piece by Spectre: Unwinding
Ship: Lunaeris/Kallixenia (OCs)
Summary: Loyal knight Kallixenia is forced by the princess to have a day that's just focused on herself. The horror!

The dynamic in this fic is so delicious to me. On the one hand, Kallixenia is just temperamentally incapable of focusing on herself. On the other hand, Lunaeris has brain worms about taking too much from her. It weaves the theme of "burden" through both of their experiences. The way Kallixenia treats Lunaeris throughout the story, from tricking her into forgetting the day's purpose and just enjoying herself, to talking her through her issues at the end, is incredibly sweet.

Also, the description of Lunaeris preening Kallixenia's feathers gave me the most visceral need to have wings. It sounded luxurious.

Edited Date: 2025-08-27 08:20 am (UTC)

From:

hot to go - but i'm a cheerleader animatic by tepidti

Pairing: Megan Bloomfield/Graham Eaton (But I'm a Cheerleader)

Summary: An animatic retelling the film 'But I'm a Cheerleader' set to Hot to Go! by Chappell Roan.

What I like about it:
Finally, the lesbian cheerleader movie meets the lesbian cheerleader song. This is really such a fun video. Even with its simple premise, it just brings a smile to my face. The art style is adorable, the song really matches up with the film scarily well. I just can't stop thinking about it.

From:

Claire and Audrey Strawberry Blond AMV by ProjectiveSchemer

Pairing: Audrey Hill/Claire Gorski (What Happens Next)

Summary: Edit of various different What Happens Next frames to the song Strawberry Blond by Mitski

What I like about it:
Can an amv count as an analysis piece? I think this video makes a case for that. It's a very intriguing edit, taking a song that is already a part of the intertext of the comic, and bringing the thematic value of it to light. I like how it goes into Audrey's role in the story. How her relationship with Claire, despite being something that she desires, being symbolic of something that she yearns for, is something that will still hurt her for a variety of reasons. It does an excellent job highlighting the themes of race, respectability and how that intersects with queerness in the story. This edit will be on my mind for quite some time.

From: