Hi. Do you have any fic with Joe and Nicky as parents?
Hi there! Mod: CactusDragon517 here! I got really excited the other day when I saw your ask because I LOVE AUS so much and I had one that IMMEDIATELY came to mind. As ever, please mind any and all author tags for any fic we recommend. I hope you like the ones I’ve linked here!
There is a particular gap in Nile's life experiences that shows up at the most inopportune moment.
No archive warnings apply. Genuary 2021, OG Crazy Horse Girl Andy
Nile-centric | ~3900 words | Gen
What I loved: Dunking! On! FRACKING! Horse girl Andy!!! This fic evokes the feeling of riding a horse for the first time (and given that it’s been years since I was last on a horse with supervision, I was feeling it). Plus, Nile gets back on the horse when she falls off! I dunno, feels like a great metaphor for her learning to be immortal.
There’s no history to Nile’s hands, digging out the bullet, rubbing the rawness down.
Graphic depictions of violence. Tending wounds, sparring, cooking, found family, battle couple, Femslash February.
Andy/Nile | ~1500 words | Teen
What I loved: Oh this one feels like poetry to read, and captures so much of physicality and spark between them that felt so evident to me in the movie. The imagery is so sharp at the edges and crisp; you get lines like Nile kisses back like her name, a force of nature, one letter away from victory, and I scream! If you’re into the Andy/Nile dynamic I feel like this one won’t disappoint.
the author is on Tumblr as @bohemicns!
The world is violent, time is long, and Andy is tired.
No archive warnings apply. Character study, light angst, pre-canon. Mod tag: plane crash referenced.
Gen, Andy-centric | ~1700 words | Teen and up
What I loved: Oof. It feels like there are so few fics that delve into Andy’s burnout. This one does so with grace, and a tinge of hope, and it’s entirely believable as a lead-in to what we see at the start of the film.
The author is on tumblr as @andromachequynh!
The stars are bright, cold and unreachable, hung high in the firmament.
They haven’t changed in all of her centuries gone. The names are different but the same figures look down on her, the gaze of the Ursa and the Swan’s tail, the Crane hidden under the horizon in these parts of the world.
She isn’t ready to see her homelands yet, but this is enough. This is good. The Steppe hasn’t changed either, the same grass covering the earth everywhere she looks, the sun burning her skin as the winds surround her. It all feels so familiar, the sights, the animals, the long days of travel. Andromache, sitting by her side, walking by her side, sleeping by her side. Andromache, Andy, Andreas, Hadriana, Anath and so many other names forgotten by time. And still, she’s here, with her.
~
After reuniting, Andy and Quynh leave the family to have a trip through the Great Steppe and reconnect. They might get more out of this travel than they expect.
No archive warnings apply. POV Quynh, Good!Quynh, Hurt/Comfort, Andy regains immortality, happy ending, character study
Andy/Quynh | ~4450 words | Teen
What I loved: ohhhh the imagery of this one is so lovely - and the thought the author put into the names, the places, the motifs! This fic is calm, and lovely, and Andy regains her immortality. This, and their conversation, are lovely if you need something warm and comforting to sink into.
@salzundhonig is on Tumblr and has written other fic for the Old Guard!
The Old Guard finally has a location that will, hopefully, lead them to Quynh. Andy dives down to find her
Podfic available here!
Creator chose not to use archive warnings. Canon-typical violence, temporary character death, drowning, post-canon, emotional hurt/comfort, saving Quynh, podfic available, Andy regains immortality
Andy/Quynh | 2113 | Teen
What I loved: This is a fic that gets into drowning - heed the tags! - but there’s something about the image of Andy helping Quynh swim up towards the light that’s very powerful in this piece!
@lilolilyr aka @lilolilyrae is on Tumblr and has written extensively for the Old Guard - particularly Andy/Quynh! Check out her works!
I am seeking fics where either Nicky or Joe loses his immortality before the other. Any rating or resolution is great. I am jonesing for some loving angst. I appreciate any assistance :)
Seeking recommendations! I seem to recall there being a LOT of fics that explore this topic. Nicky or Joe, one loses his immortality before the other!
Thanks so much to all who have recs!
This blog plans to reblog recommendations that adhere to the below criteria, with added tags for internal navigation:
Hi there!
CactusDragon517 from theoldguard-recs here! I’ve done some digging on AO3 and found two that might be fitting what you’re looking for for this. No worries about dark - sometimes you just wanna read sad stuff, right? (Or is that just me?)
My first rec for you is:
Nicky knows his time is up in the most innocent of ways, he stubs his toe against the table in one of their safehouses and it doesn’t immediately stop hurting. Instead, it hurts for hours. His suspicions are confirmed when he cuts himself in the kitchen the day after and the wound doesn’t seal the way it usually does. He hides in the kitchen, cooking for hours until it stops bleeding and he can pretend it isn’t there.
Rating: Teen and Up
Word Count: 6609
Warnings: Major Character Death
Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Nicky loses his immortality before Joe, But they still go together in the end, Moments of a happy life, Found Family, Their Cottage in Malta
Why I Love This: This was the very first fic I thought of when I saw your ask. I think that it is soft and sad and sweet all at the same time - it addresses just how it might affect all of them and Nicky himself. Nicky’s voice is SO true and understated in this, it’s a real gem for me.
el_gilliath has written one other fic for The Old Guard, though I could find no mention of their tumblr on AO3!
And my second rec might be a little unconventional, but it’s Your Work Wednesday, right? I’m reccing one of my own fics!
They find out later that the young man’s name was Lykon.They find out that should they lose the gem, they will not rise again. With the gem, they can heal from most wounds, but once the gem is gone, so is their immortality.It is hundreds of years past their first awakening, Nicky curled around Joe as he comes back to life, slowly but surely. The gem in the hollow of Joe’s neck winks cheerfully in the sun and when he draws his first breath back, Nicky covers his face in kisses.
==
Or, a different look at immortality and The Old Guard.
Rating: Teen and Up
Word Count: 3303
Warnings: Major Character Death
Additional Tags: Universe Alteration, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Immortality in a vessel, this is sad and I apologize but I can kind of promise a happy ending?, Tumblr Prompt, background andy/quynh, selective mutism, Nicky goes first, but it works out in the end, Sort of Reincarnation
Why I’m Reccing It: This is kind of a weird one, I admit - it’s sort of adjacent to your prompt in a way but I thought I would take a chance and put it out there. I’m proudest of creating this universe alteration as well as why Nicky would make that choice. Also, I really love exploring what the distant future might look like for The Old Guard crew.
I’m obviously on tumblr and have written more for The Old Guard - you can find me on tumblr at CactusDragon517 or on AO3 as MayQueen517
Aside from these, I couldn’t think of any others off the top of my head so I happily invite anyone else to add any on they can think of!
"You said you were worshipped as a god."
"I was."
Nile steels herself and asks, "Would you like to do it again?"
Andy laughs and throws back the contents of her glass. "They don't teach you pick-up lines in the Marines, do they."
No archive warnings apply. First time, cunn*lingus, femdom, age difference, podfic available
Andy/Nile | ~3500 words | Explicit
What I loved: It’s about the banter. This one is great, and intimate, and is one of the quintessential reads for this pairing as far as I’m concerned.
Andy promises the bad dreams will get better, and Nile is too distracted to tell her how dumb that sounds.
No archive warnings apply. Dream sharing, Canadian Shack, First Kiss, Post-Canon, Not Actually Canada, Podfic Available.
Andy/Nile | ~1100 words | Teen
What I loved: I’m a sucker for Andy/Nile fics where the Tension is tapped into effortlessly, and this is absolutely a fic that accomplishes that effect in spades. With love to Femslash February, don’t miss this one!
After a mission, Nile brings Nicky home to his family.
Nicky’s taken her phone again, booking it down the terminal while speaking in soft, rapid Arabic. Nile trails after him, and idly notes the blood stain on the neck of the guitar case Nicky has slung over his back. Nicky’s arm must not have been fully healed when he zipped it shut. She hopes her own case (smaller, for a banjo, though it doesn’t hold a banjo the same way Nicky’s doesn’t hold a guitar) is blood-free.
They come through the doors into the main entry, stop, and Nile is halfway through a survey of the crowd when a small figure in overalls goes streaking toward them.
“Papa!”
Immortality, angst and fluff, kid fic, post-canon
Nile-centric | 3,281 words | Teen and up
What I loved: On the surface, this is a sweet fic about a kid who loves her family and is meeting Nile. As you read more and more, it becomes slightly horrifying (if only because of the implications of it all) and sad. This is a perfect mix of melancholy feelings and I think about this fic A LOT.
You can find the author on tumblr at @the-apocrypha
Joe was laying on something wooden, he could feel the rough material under his palms. Something brushed against curls, he stretched out and both his head and his feet came into contact with solid board. He felt himself beginning to panic again, but for a different reason. He had a feeling he knew where he was, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
Rating: T
Warnings & Tags: Buried Alive, Asphyxiation, Brief Mention of Bugs, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV Joe
Pairing: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Familial Bonds (they each get a moment): Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani
Word Count: 1595
I liked how it turned out with the imagery, and the character focus and how I ended up being able to give Joe a moment with each of his family members + a happy ending :)
They’d bought a little tent trailer and a beat up F150 that Andy paid cash for when they landed in Calgary, and the team hit the road. Nicky and Joe immediately claimed the back and crashed out, limbs entangled with each other’s, and Joe’s nose pressed against Nicky’s hair. Nile tried to subtly watch them in the rear view mirror, and tried very hard not to think about a millennia of relationships.
No archive warnings apply. Nile Freeman-centric, roadtrip, in between missions, camping, the stars, mentions of Booker.
Platonic, Nile-centric | ~1800 words | Teen
What I loved: I’ve been very homesick lately for Alberta, and this is a comfort-read fic for me between the mountains, the roadtrip, and the stars. I love Nile dealing with some complicated feelings, the relief she gets from noticing Andy and Joe and Nicky, starting to approach big questions about her immortality. This work was written early in the fandom and I still love it.
The author is on tumblr at @oh-emdee and has written other fic for the Old Guard!
“I want to go to the ocean,” Quynh says one morning, out of the blue.
--
Quynh wants to face her demons. Booker stands watch and witness.
No archive warnings apply. Trauma, healing, male-female friendship, I love thinking about the friendship between these two, supporting each other as they heal from so much shit
Booker & Quynh | ~2500 words | Teen
What I loved: There’s something about this one that hits so nicely, with the two of them being… present for each other, and Booker giving Quynh enough space to just express things. Nothing gets fixed in this fic, but that’s okay. Also, the fact that it takes place in Canada is a nice touch!
She dreamt of rivers, the comfort of her youth; she dreamt of wandering while the world changed around her and she remained the same until the weight of time felt like a stone crushing her chest with every breath. Sometimes she thought she felt touch, gentle as it offered her morsels of food, sips of water, but it couldn’t be. It couldn’t.
How dreams become reality, and yet they still feel like dreams.
No archive warnings apply. Pre-canon, first meetings, romantic fluff, introspection, soft smut (barely there really), getting together
Andy/Quynh | ~2000 words | Teen
What I loved: Quynh’s POV! This is such a soft introduction for both of them and it got me a bit choked up. Tender!!
The author is on Tumblr as @strangehighs and has written other fic for the Old Guard!
Help me, Andromache of Scythia. You're my only hope.
No archive warnings apply. Alternate Universe – Star Wars Fusion. Andy as Obi-wan, grief-stricken and alone, Nile as Leia, Joe and Nicky as Han and Chewie if they were also simultaneously Chirrut and Baze, Booker as Owen Larsson, you’ll never guess who gets to be Darth Vader. Mod tag: alcohol use!
Genfic | ~1500 words
What I loved: This is the kind of Fusion AU that’s long enough to be satisfying and short and compact enough that I’m left wanting more! It’s a fic I think deserves more love – it’s so creative!
An ongoing dispute over personal safety; or, how to break a habit of following the leader.
No archive warnings apply. Created for Halloween Ship Exchange.
Andy/Nile | ~1900 words | Teen
What I loved: This is one of those fics where a mild argument over Andy putting herself at risk during a mission ends up revealing a lot of deep, complicated emotions – it’s a really interesting exploration of an early post-canon dynamic and, for me, makes me think about where they’d go from here.
It's a tradition that had been born after a particularly awful job in northern Sweden; a simple affirmation that there were good things in the world even when they were up to their necks in the absolute worst it had to offer.
---
When the fighting is over and the mission has ended the family takes some time to take care of themselves and each other.
No archive warnings apply. Team as family, domestic fluff, fluff without plot, established relationship, showers, family dinners, family feels, post-canon, literal sleeping together, found family
Team as Family | ~2600 words | Gen
What I loved: Nothing makes me happier than the team being a family. Domestic fluff and how they take care of each other? Destroy me. The thing of this fic is that it goes back to how they’re not meant to be alone and them taking care of one another is something so special here. I love that this is an established thing they do and how they recenter themselves with the team.
