Rec the Thing

Two recs from FFFX, a 10k+ fic exchange. Anonymous because authors are not yet revealed. Originally posted at my journal.

Original Work
Tying Knots With Wind
Prince sent in Diplomatic Marriage/Chief of Nomadic People, 23k. I'm a sucker for the arranged or political marriage trope, and this is my favorite that I've read in a long, long time, not so much for the romance as for our main character discovering a whole new culture and his journey of finding a place in the world that he fits, which he never had at home. I really enjoyed all the worldbuilding around the nomadic plains peoples, too.

Sunshine - Robin McKinley
So All The Things Can Grow
Sunshine/Mel/Con (pre-ship), 18k. Post-book, Sunshine recovers, tries to figure out what shape her life is now, and how Con and Mel fit into it. I've always been interested in these characters as a triad, but given who and what Con is, it clearly was going to take some work, and I don't think I've read a fic before that really dug into that until this one. Everyone's points of view are great, written with a delicate touch and true to who they are in the books, and there are some delightful little worldbuilding surprises that feel absolutely in keeping with canon. Just really good and very satisfying.

Top Gun
The Edge of Heaven
Ice/Mav, 12k. While rehabbing from a mission-related injury, Mav gets a surprise visit from Ice. It's not exactly the reunion either of them were expecting. But it just might be the fresh start the both of them need. Great messy relationship dynamics, A++ pining, very satisfying resolution.