Last person in the world to watch The Old Guard

[firecat]

I have now seen The Old Guard (movie streaming on Netflix) and I understand what the fuss is all about. Very entertaining.

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I am glad you liked it! Labrys for the win!

[serene]

Yes!

[firecat]

Looking forward to checking out your fic!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Oh, cool. So I like Joe/Nicky, specifically I like Joe. Once in a while I read what is called 'book of Nile' meaning Nile/Booker because fandom has decided that Booker gives excellent head and sometimes that is what I'm looking for.

I read a lot of Joe/Nicky getting-together in the Crusades fic at the beginning, and now I am branching out into AUs. I think the commentor below is spot-on in their assessment [in fandom in general and in Andy/Nile]. There is a decent bit of Andy/Quynh.

You could also check out my bookmarks [https://archiveofourown.org/users/okapi/bookmarks] if you like Joe/Nicky (there are two Booker/Nile). The most recent 16 are The Old Guard. They are older fics.

I read the two graphic novels, too, but they are different in many ways from the film.

[firecat]

fandom has decided that Booker gives excellent head and sometimes that is what I'm looking for.

Hahahaha I love fandom.

I need to watch it again to get a better sense of what my ships will be, but my initial sense is Joe/Nicky and Nile/Andy/Copley.

Thanks for the recs!

[serene]

I kept seeing really enthusiastic reviews of it, without spoilers, and while I don't generally mind spoilers, I'm glad I went in as a blank slate (hadn't even seen previews).

[firecat]

Yeah, I knew the names of the characters and knew they were long-lived, that was pretty much it.

[sewn]

It's a lot of fun! Really great characters.

[kore]

It was so fun! (My tastes is apparently the polar opposite's of fandom's right now -- I wanted All The Fic about the new gang in the modern world.) Also, Charlize Theron is now an action movie category of her own.

[firecat]

What does the rest of fandom want?

Well I should hope so, after all the action movies she's done...

[kore]

From what I can see, which is of course partial and there are also SO MANY fics now to look through, a big chunk of what that fandom wants is really intensely detailed historical fiction about Joe and Nicky Through The Ages, particularly Joe and Nicky In the Crusades. And I adored Joe and Nicky (as a friend of mine said, "Not only do they not bury the gays, the canon gay couple is unkillable!") but they....weren't the focus of the movie for me? and I have zero interest in racial and religious warfare. I like historical fiction, and I've read some really good historical Old Guard fics, but it's just not what I really wanted. -- I guess my view is, yes, that was their crucible, and where they met, but they've also lived nearly a thousand years since then, in very different cultures and contexts! I just am much more interested in them all as found family in the modern world, personally, especially how Nile affects them all, and especially in that Nile-Andy dyad of Nile having to learn how to live while immortal and Andy needing to accept mortality all over again.

There's also a certain kind of fan who really delights in nitpicking historical details and while I love historical fandom, I also think a lot of popular historical media isn't written in ways that stand up to that kind of scrutiny and a lot of the time I don't find it fun, I find it stifling and even kind of blocking. I seriously don't think there's anything wrong with doing fandom that way! (I think it's called curating? Maybe?) Historical research is great! But just for me, personally, after a while I don't caaaaaaare that the red cross on the white tunic that Nicky is wearing in the comic is completely historically wrong and fic authors need to take that into account when writing fics or they're Doing It Wrong.

But like I said that's just my POV and just what I ran into on Tumblr and various places, and right there is a big reason why I miss ship manifesto and fic rec comms, because I find it really difficult to search for what I want on AO3 but that's a whole other thing. Maybe what I want is out there and I'm just missing it! but after a while it gets frustrating.


tl;dr I wanted all the Andy/Nile, fandom did not oblige me personally, so unfair

[firecat]

Isn't it weird how fandom fixates on a particular type of fic so often? I feel your pain.

As for nitpicking, I sometimes like doing it, especially for canon (although historical details aren't my area of expertise). But I really don't approve of people snarking other people's works for nonaccuracy.

[kore]

It is! I just wish finding what I want could be a little easier.

[starwatcher]

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I just am much more interested in them all as found family in the modern world, personally, especially how Nile affects them all

Yes! My fave genre is Nile learning to fit into this new 'family', and them learning her, and helping her to adjust. I've even made separate folders in my Old Guard fic folder for Nile-centric and Andy/Nile stories.

I'm not the best at searching, but I am persistent (or stubborn; take your pick), so I've found a few searchable tags that might suit you --

Andy/Nile

Nile Freeman-centric

POV Nile Freeman

They're not infallible -- especially the 2nd and 3rd tags, some authors don't know they're available, so don't tag their fics that way. But this should help you get started.

And a search of "Nile Freeman" and "English language" and "complete fic only" gives you approximately 2000 fics, instead of 5000. At least there's fewer to evaluate to decide if you'll like them. So, happy reading.
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[jesse_the_k]

Thank you so much for adding at least 500 fics to my TBR!

[starwatcher]

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You're very welcome. I celebrate the explosion of TOG stories, and I love Joe-and-Nicky (or Yusuf-and-Nicolò), but the ability to find other "flavors" of fic when I want a change of pace is such a relief. Happy reading!
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[kore]

Aww man, I was looking through my inbox and I can't believe I never responded to this comment with the really good links! Thank you!

[starwatcher]

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No worries, especially at this busy/hectic time of year. I had so many holiday stories showing up in my inbox from authors I follow that it was really easy to mislay a comment or several. Anyway, you're very welcome; happy reading!
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Re: tl;dr I wanted all the Andy/Nile, fandom did not oblige me personally, so unfair

[semperfiona]

Hello new friend, I also have this feel

Re: tl;dr I wanted all the Andy/Nile, fandom did not oblige me personally, so unfair

[kore]

It is a feeling I wish other people did not share! sigh.

[sabotabby]

HAha so happy to hear

[silveradept]

It is a very nice movie, and contains both all the action and all the fandom bait.

[hitchhiker]

definitely an entertaning movie, and it's been fun to see some of my friends enjoying the fandom community too!

[beaq]

The bit I dipped into, the dialogue was so dire I was put off. Worth starting at the beginning and immersing, even if I have to yell and throw things?

[firecat]

I didn't notice the dialogue being awful, so I can't advise. There's one scene with some absolutely beautiful dialogue, though.

[beaq]

I thiiiiiink what this might be telling me is I should watch it for sure, and bring small soft things to throw at the TV just in case.

[firecat]

That sounds like a delightful entertainment!

[beaq]

For me! Perhaps less so for my companions.