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The Old Guard Fic Recs

@theoldguard-recs / theoldguard-recs.tumblr.com

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When Copley first learns of the God Killer, a new drug promising euphoria and invincibility, he doesn’t think much about it. The Old Guard isn’t in the business of catching drug traffickers, after all. But when he learns that people who shouldn’t have started dying of old age, the job suddenly seems more up their alley than he originally thought. With only what Copley’s been able to glean from his files, the Old Guard embarks on a journey to track down the warehouse manufacturing the new drug and to find out who’s behind the sudden deaths. What follows is intrigue, mystery, and more introspection than is required before Andy’s morning drink. Can the Old Guard stop the production of the God Killer before it’s too late? And who will they be when they come out on the other side?

No Archive Warnings Apply, canon-typical violence, unhealthy coping mechanisms, non-linear timeline, angst and feels, past relationships, background relationships, pov alternating, post-canon, mission fic, ensemble fic, communication, character study, families of choice.

gen, background canon relationships | 57k | Mature

Author Recommendation: I had a lot of fun planning and writing this fic, most especially because the fic went in a direction I hadn’t intended when I first wrote the prologue. I am particularly proud of the characters and the plot and in the end, this fic turned out to be mostly “found family goes on a mission and there’s action and mystery and intrigue with a little bit of dark humor.” Which, if I’m being honest, is my new type of fic to write. 

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The unexpected death of Robert Lovell, fifth Viscount Lovell, upends the lives of his siblings Andrea, Nicolas, and Nile. 
None of the Lovell siblings had married, each for their own reasons, but it seemed that they wouldn’t have a choice now. As the sixth Viscount Lovell, Nicolas was duty-bound to father an heir. His sisters, Andrea and Nile, needed husbands to provide for them in the event of his untimely death, and so he felt it would also be his responsibility to see his sisters married well—and sooner rather than later.
  • No archive warnings apply
  • Mature
  • Joe/Nicky, Booker/Nile, Andy/Celeste
  • Novel-length (18 chapters & an epilogue)
  • Alternate Universe
  • Romance
  • Georgian Period
  • Aristocracy, Class differences
  • Fencing
  • Duelling
  • Horseback riding
  • Courtship
  • Marriage
  • Fake/Pretend Relationship
  • Bridgerton fusion

Author recommendation: This story reads like a Julia Quinn novel, with the political sensibilities of an eighteenth-century historian—because it is based on all the reading I’ve done to write a dissertation on eighteenth-century literature. Nile, whose story we follow in the first book, is armed with a healthy suspicion of marriage plots after reading Samuel Richardson’s epistolary novels and Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman at an impressionable age.

This work is a WIP: new chapters will be posted every other Monday.

This author is on Tumblr as @caldefrance and has written other fic for the Old Guard!

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Quynh’s eyes snap up to meet a collision of phenomena so strong it nearly blinds her, brightly wild and loving for eternity and heartbreaking in its loveliness and endlessly forgiving and deathless inky black. The full force of it pulls her in, like gravity.
It is quê hương, the home of her heart, her soul.
More than anything, Quynh wants to reach out her fingers to trace the edges of Andromache’s face, but something raw and red and raging instead commands them to lie still, so there they sit, not touching, not breathing, barely even being. Call it cowardice. Call it the anxiety of being harmed. Call it heady memory that sticks in the now. Whatever it is, it seizes her whole against her will.
Quynh wishes she could do more, but that’s not in her nature right now.
(Or: Quynh and the intersection of her past and future)

Creator chose not to use archive warnings. Quynh-centric, character study, BAMF Quynh, PTSD, Flashbacks, she was under the ocean for centuries my dudes, her mind is fucked, Good!Quynh, angst with a happy ending, a bit of derogatory language, alcoholic Booker, Team as family, tons of Vietnamese language and culture, little bit of Latin for the boys, Love, Trauma, Tea, Acceptance

Quynh-centric, Andy/Quynh | ~15000 words | Mature

What I loved: This fic passes back and forth between Quynh's memories and the present moment (ie: reunited with the rest of the Guard and joining them on missions) - she's grounded by the actions of her loved ones (a tea ceremony, a coat, a trip to Vietnam, desire and love for Andy that she can’t quite express yet). They love her, and she's encircled by that care!

The imagery and sensory details are immersive and this fic doesn't skimp on the violence, so please heed the tags, but at the end of the day this fic is about rebuilding trust, Quynh starting a journey towards recovery, and a heck of a lot of tenderness - the ending caught my breath up and made me feel triumphant for her. This fic clearly has so much love and care and poetry put in, and it's a masterful character study for Quynh that’s complex in its treatment.

Slightly spoilery mod notes under the cut if you’d like additional details about the content:

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Andy and Quỳnh enjoy a soft winter morning in their private cabin.

No archive warnings apply. Fluff, implied sexual content, lazy mornings, art, traditional art.

Andy/Quynh | 965 words | Mature

What I loved: Harold, there’s art! This is lovely, and a soft fic! In keeping with the cozy winter theme.

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TOG fic rec, Joe & Booker reconciliation story

Forgiveness takes time. Any wise man could tell you that. But maybe sometimes it’s different. Maybe sometimes Booker and Joe aren’t particularly wise. And maybe sometimes it takes a disastrous bit of kidnapping for two brothers to forgive each other and themselves.

Graphic depictions of Violence

Booker & Joe platonic, Hurt/Comfort, Group bonding, 16k words, rated Mature

Things I liked:

  • Joe and Booker having a chance to talk about the betrayal and come to terms with it in an emotionally authentic way
  • That the bad guys from Merrick didn’t just disappear. There is nice continuity from the movie.
  • That there are things out there that can threaten the characters in meaningful ways
  • Quynh is scary and barely features, but she’s still hella scary the way she should be
  • A Booker reconciliation with the group that feels very real and not like he was let off the hook

Mod Notes: Both mods discussed this fic at length during our review! The story focuses on Booker and his relationship with the team; specifically his and Joe’s friendship, and on Booker’s redemption. Neither of us typically seek out fic where Quynh seeks revenge on the Old Guard, but this fic felt like it explored the impact such a role would have on other others. As the submitter noted: Quynh is a background character of this fic and the antagonist! As such, reader discretion is advised.

Other tags: Kidnapping, medical experimentation, non-consensual drug use, forgiveness, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, protective team

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Joe and Nicky have worked together for three years, but Joe’s crush can be reliably dated back about six months. (Of course he has a crush,  and of course he can admit that to himself, he’s an adult. Doesn’t mean  he’s going to admit it to Booker.) They’d known of each other, of course, but it’s a relatively large library and material services folks  are notorious for rarely emerging from their back room, where they hoard fresh barcode stickers and the laminator.
In which Joe is a youth services librarian, Nicky repairs books, and their coworkers have their suspicions.

No archive warnings apply. Library AU, modern setting, no powers, fluff, emotional honesty, the inherent romance of a ride home

Joe/Nicky | 10400 words | Mature

What I loved: OH BOY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS. I’m a librarian by training and this fic made me so nostalgic for the public library. It is a love letter to libraries, pitch perfect from the contact paper to the microfiche to the collegial conversations dunking on MLIS programs - and on top of that it is incredibly cozy and sweet and vulnerable. The romance is utterly gorgeous, totally believable, and this is one of my fave AUs in the fandom already. If you haven’t read this one yet, move it up in your list! Also, I’m a simple woman - I see a Mary Oliver themed title, I start crying a little bit.

The author is on Tumblr as @emjee and honestly please feel free to reblog at the source rather than from here; this fic is one day old!

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Highest rating: Explicit, Lowest rating: General

No archive warnings apply, graphic depictions of violence, and major character death as archive warnings.

Drabble. Additional tags vary. Pairings vary.

The ensemble is all here | 100 words each, 8600 words and counting overall | ratings vary

What I loved: I am breaking all my own conventions while making this fic rec post but I think it’s worth it! Why? Well, like me, you might be working on an Old Guard Big Bang fic, and don’t have time to read as many full-length fics! Or (given the time of year) you might be doing a gift exchange, working on finals, busy at work, or just need something chill. These fics are literary snacks. They’re 100 words each and span so many pairings, scenarios, and tones that you’ll find something you love!

Personal faves include

  • 04. Firsts (Nile, slice of life);
  • 07. Time (Andy; historically accurate reference to mammoths
  • 24. Sunrise (Nile POV; references to Quynh’s return)
  • 55. Greed (Andy; prehistoric, her time as a god)
  • 73. Heat (Joe/Nicky, pre-relationship, pining)

I had forgotten how much I love and appreciate the art inherent to a well-crafted Drabble. These are so good! The author is on Tumblr as @aimmyarrowshigh - show some love!

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Andy says, slowly, “Look, I’m not even going to touch what you actually said, but…what if I set you up on a date?”

No archive warnings apply. Past Joe/OMC, Minor Andy/Quynh, Minor Booker/Booker's Wife, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Blind Date, Fluff, Past psychological abuse, Cameos from the rest of the Team, this is basically just 15k of fluff and healing

Joe/Nicky | ~15000 words | mature

What I loved: I was craving something that would feel good and this fic delivered. It’s warmly funny, there’s a gentle easiness in how Joe and Nicky interact and how Joe comes to trust himself again, it’s got Nile and Joe as artists and work colleagues, an incredibly satisfying ending... this is a comfort read through and through!

The author is on Tumblr as @sixth-light and writes extensively for the Old Guard!

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So consumed was Nile with imagining the sun glinting on clean new steel, that her ear missed the sound of trudging from behind her. Quite suddenly, they were outstripped, and the bright horizon now included a head of curling black hair above a pair of bare brown shoulders, peeling from sunburn.
“Morning,” said a cheerful voice. A naked man patted the neck of Andy’s horse, and soldiered on.

Graphic depictions of Violence. AU – Medieval, AU – Fusion, AU – no powers, non-immortality AU, Nile Freeman-Centric, jousting, intentional anachronisms, medievalia but hold the bigotry, wlw-mlm solidarity, unbetaed unbent unbroken

Nile-centric, background relationships | ~15000 words | Mature

What I loved: This one is FRESH off the PRESSES and I’m obsessed! This fic is a seamless crossover with A Knight’s Tale that reimagines Nile as Sir Petronella von Lichtenstein of Gelderland, Andy as the temporarily-ousted Knight of the Tournies, Yusuf as the irreverent beloved Herald, Nicky as Squire, Celeste as the Lady in Waiting for Quynh --- oh, it’s just such a joyous crossover, and you don’t need to have seen A Knights’ Tale to appreciate it (or know anything about jousting; the author does a great job describing the action). Though I do recommend listening to the soundtrack while you read. And I definitely recommend watching this film. SHE’S PUMPED. SHE’S PISSED. SHE’LL SEE YOU IN THE LISTS, LICHTENSTEIIIIN--- Like all the best AUs, this one is gorgeously rendered and colourful in its language and framing of the key plot points.

The author is on Tumblr as @hauntedfalcon and has written lots of other Old Guard fics! Show her some love!

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After the lab, they go back to Malta. Creator chose not to use any archive warnings. It’s Nicky and Joe, about 15,000 words, and it is rated mature. I love Godspeed because it’s warm, I think. It’s comforting, and it’s soft, and it’s quiet. I thought that Nicky and Joe deserved some peace, and so I hope the story communicates that peace. - pastandpresent

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In Your Stead by lilolilyrae (@lilolilyrae @lilolilyr) for Your Work Wednesday 

This is the most-well-loved and most-commented-on fic I’ve written for this fandom, so I thought I’d submit it here as well :)

Summary: Drowning under the sea for decades and centuries, Quynh suddenly wakes up on land- in Andromache’s body. Switching back and forth, they have to find their way back to each other before the switches can prove to be fatal for Andy…

The story starts at the point in time where Quynh is thrown into the ocean and ends with the movie postcredit scene. There are follow-up one-shots in a series as well!

33k words, Andromaquynh, rated M for violence and sexual content but the sex scenes can be easily skipped when you take note of the chapter notes, minor Joe/Nicky, temporary character death, canon-typical violence, happy ending :)

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She wanted Andy to trust her. She wanted Andy to see her the way she saw Andy: brilliant, composed, powerful.
Nile wants to protect Andy, and Andy wants to protect Nile, and somewhere in the middle of that they end up looking after each other.

Graphic depictions of violence. Loyalty, post-canon, injury recovery, first kiss. Mod tag: brief description of gore.

Andy/Nile | ~3000 words | Mature

What I loved: I really love Nile’s voice in this fic – crisp, clear, and strong. The dynamic here reminds me of how they interacted towards the end of the film: Nile throwing herself in front of danger for Andy, Andy’s toughness (and vulnerability) showing up.

The author is on Tumblr as @masutrout and has written another fic for the old guard!

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Nile has had it. She’s tired and she’s telegraphing her moves and she’s done caring. There is nothing that matters except beating her. She crowds up to Andy and swings for her face; Andy leans out of range. Nile puts everything she’s got into the backstroke, and Andy raises her stick to block with her hands set wide. It snaps in half. That doesn't count as a point, but damn if it doesn’t feel great anyway. Andy steps back, staring at the two halves. Nile puts the tip of her stick under Andy’s chin. That’s a point. There’s something new and electric in Andy’s eyes. She nods, as if to the beat of a song Nile can’t hear, and tosses the broken pieces away.

Graphic depictions of violence, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim fusion, canon-typical mentions of torture, canonical character death, world building, angst, dystopia

Nile-Centric | Gen | 16,767 words

What I Loved:

Full disclosure - I love any and all AUs and especially Pacific Rim fusions. I love the way that the history of both Pacific Rim and of The Old Guard is woven into this fic. It’s a rich and wonderful bit of world-building, and - who doesn’t want to see Nile in a Jaeger?

The author is on Tumblr as @hauntedfalcon and has written other fic for The Old Guard!

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It’s not lost on her that technically, her dating pool is now exactly one person, if she wants to be with somebody who won’t die on her. Still, “you’re my only option” is miles away from being a good enough reason to give it a shot.
5 Times Nile & Booker Ended Up in a Romance Novel Scenario + 1 Time They Didn’t

booker/nile | <50k | mature | bed sharing

What I loved: I am forever on my bs about this ship; I liked the acknowledgment that they aren’t just getting together because there aren’t other options- sort of a reverse soulmate au?; either way it was sweet and I enjoyed it!

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In the aftermath of escaping the lab, everyone deals in the ways they know how to.

Graphic Depictions of Violence. Hurt/Comfort, Caretaking, aftermath of violence, trauma management for immortals, coping mechanisms, sexual content.

Everyone, with some Joe/Nicky | ~3600 words | Mature

What I loved: This one is a really tender look at some conversations, different ways of decompressing, and how they look after themselves and each other; plus, Joe/Nicky comfort sex!

The author is on tumblr at @fuckyeahisawthat!

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