Rec: The Old Guard

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I read the comic book The Old Guard vol. 2: Force Multiplied #1-5, and it was okay. It was focused on Quynh/Noriko, and it will be interesting to see how/if a sequel to the film incorporates and/or changes elements of it.

I did not like Nicky still running around in a T-shirt with a Templar-ish cross on it. And there's a sort of fanboy attitude about women and sex that was present in the first book. And not enough Joe/Nicky!

Recs.


I don't usually go for AUs in this fandom because I consider the immortality part to be the Thing that makes it interesting (sort of like making Sherlock Holmes something other than a detective, like barista-detective, ok, but not just barista), but this werewolf!Nicky was done rather well, I thought.

When The Moon Is High (3481 words) by Wren_ofthewildwood
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Characters: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, Nile Freeman, Booker | Sebastien le Livre
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Temporary Character Death, Protective Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Werewolf!Nicky, Feral Behavior, Submissive Wolf Behavior, mostly comfort, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani and Nicky | Nicolo di Genova are in Love
Summary:

Joe is shot on a mission close to the full moon. Nicolo struggles to keep himself from changing.

--
Now with bonus chapters
- Flashback to Nile meeting Wolf!Nicky for the first time
- Flashback to Booker being seen as Pack for the first time

And I learned that the actor that plays Joe has thigh tattoos (not certain what they say) and that got me a bit interested about Writing on the Body, one of my favorite tropes. But here is one about chest hair. I like them being sweet to each other.

Now You See Me (3905 words) by WarriorOmen
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Characters: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Additional Tags: Pining, Pre-Movie, historical setting, Historical, early years, Romance, Getting Together, Light Angst, Minor Insecurity, Cuddling, Fluff, Mutual Exploration, Flirting, language barriers
Summary:

Sometimes, it takes the smallest, most innocuous conversations to say the most. Sometimes, the most random things bring about the best in self-discovery. And sometimes that thing is something as simple as comparing personal differences. Like chest hair.

Comments

[ancientreader]

I've taken a pass on the comics -- I don't like the art, and in particular the faces, not only that they don't match the Joe and Nicky I like so much in the movie, but also that they're just ugly. There's no depth of character, it's all snarling.

I like that second fic a lot. I usually find it too difficult to get past grammar and formatting errors, but the actual writing made it work. Sometimes I gnash my teeth because I want to copyedit good fics with technical problems AND I CAN'T.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

There is a lot of snarling! I won't re-read them, but I'm glad I did. And it was free. I wouldn't have paid for it.

Glad you liked it. Ha. We all have our crosses to bear.