Rec the Thing

The Old Guard Reverse Bang 2022 RECS

Some more recs from where I am slowly making my way through all the wonderful stories. Please note: I won't be reading or reccing every story due to personal taste! Also, I tend not to rec WIPS no matter how beautifully written to this point. ALL the stories are worth checking out for the gorgeous artwork, regardless!

Title: The Road to Malta by xJane, Art by Hoax
Summary: They are enemies at the gates of al-Quds. But it's a long road to Malta...
Rec: This is their journey from al-Quds (Jerusalem) to Malta, learning about each other along the way. Learning to communicate, workign through misunderstandings, and slowly moving from enemies to travel companions to friends and finally to lovers. Well written and contains some beautiful pieces of art by Hoax.

Title: Did you walk on water just to save me? by BeesKnees, Art by Nele
Summary: Quynh is lost but not for long. Andromache, Yusuf, and Nicolo save her this time.
Rec: This is a canon divergence story where they discover where Quynh was dropped into the ocean and, within weeks of her being tossed overboard, she is rescued. The intensity of the search and how it affects each of them is beautifully written. I loved how Quynh is the one who reminds them of the beauty in the world, making them all take a long break to enjoy life. I like how Andy is the one who reaches Booker, stopping him from returning to his family with her words but all of them watching over Booker's family until the end.

Title: And the Waves Will Never Weep by Bodgei, Art by ZairaA
Summary: Joe thought he had lost his soulmate. Will a search for a myth show him love he could never imagine?
Rec: I adore stories about mythological beings, especially mer-people. Loved the mythology, with Joe's tears bringing his true soulmate swimming from the deep, and all the action after Nicky (the merman) is captured. Lots of angst but with a happy ending.

Title: Blessed be the Day by linx91, nolimepercipere, Art by Zambetta
Summary: "Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to meet when we were that age?"
Nicolò shakes his head at him fondly and follows suit. "At that age, I was already in the monastery. It would have been impossible for us to meet like that."
"Don't ruin my fantasy with your common sense!"
"Do tell me, then, love. How would we have met?"
Rec: Joe and Nicky are in Florence around 1470. The story follows them meeting back up after spending a short time apart. I love all the descriptions of the city and its people, and of the workshop where Yusuf talks of an apprentice, Leonardo, with extraordinary talent. I love all the sweet moments between them but also when they go to the aid of a young man being attacked.

RECS Part 1: https://recthething.dreamwidth.org/102022.html
 

I've read about half the stories so far, and these are the ones that have resonated with me.

All the stories (and the gorgeous art) can be found at: The Old Guard Reverse Bang 2022

Title: Through the Ages Series by lilolilyrae, Art by Nele
Summary: Quynh is taken away in the iron coffin, but her immortal companions are still trying to get to her in time. A rescue is a team effort.
Rec: Andy/Quynh, Joe & Nicky - Canon divergence AU where the boys arrive in time to stop the ship (by sinking it) from carrying Quynh away and all three work to free Quynh from the iron maiden. Tense and action filled. I could feel all of Andy's distress.

Title: Autumn 1994 by Ignisentis, Art by Psyclo
Summary: When an innocent bystander saves Joe's life at the cost of his own, both Joe and Nicky have to deal with the aftermath, physically and psychologically. But life is never as simple as it seems, and it turns out the bystander isn't so innocent after all.
Rec: Joe/Nicky - The gorgeous artwork by is a comic and the author has fleshed it out with a wonderful story, bringing it all together beautifully.

Title: Spice Trails by quincette, Art by Aivelin
Summary: Nicky is on a quest to fool the oldest tongue in the world. Joe is all to happy to assist.
Rec: The story is the journey from where they were 'vacationing' to that meeting in Marrakesh with Booker and Andy... and how Nicky had hoped to fool Andy along the way as he picks up the ingredients to make baklava.

Title: Brethren Shield In Danger's Hour by addyke, Art by Giò
Summary: April 1912: Joe and Nicky are living in Manhattan, and waiting for Booker to join them in New York after eighteen months apart. Booker is traveling across the Atlantic on the maiden voyage of the SS Titanic. Then the unimaginable happens to Booker's ship, and Joe and Nicky despair that they may have lost him forever.
Rec: Anything to do with the Titanic is always harrowing, but in this story there is also the fear from Booker, Joe, and Nicky of Booker being lost at sea, just like Quynh.

Title: With You Always by totalnerdatheart, Art by krimsnkrams
Summary: Joe meets Nicky on the football field in the fall. Yusuf meets Nicolo on the battlefield. Two tales of love.
Rec: It was interesting reading these two stories interwoven, depicting a magical AU and a modern AU, and although the end reveal came as no great surprise, it was so sweet and enjoyable.