#fitzbirch

[pulsingvoid]

harlots season 3 is just as stupid and lifeless as everybody said but i'm glad nancy birch got to punch the most repulsive man in london and received a kiss from liv tyler for her troubles

[baubeautyandthegeek]

Hidden Pains - Isabella Fitzwilliam/Nancy Birch

A/N; More Alt fic for @augustofwhump. (Tagging @selkiewife as usual)

Isabella had always promised not to judge, and she didn’t, not truly. Her touch lingers when Nancy finally dares share the wounds on her back, the touch light, gently cautious in ways that make Nancy feel more than a little understood. The whipping that lead to more, then the flogging, had left her skin tender to even the gentlest of pressures, Isabella’s touch is so butterfly light that Nancy can feel tears sting her eyes, it’s rare, horribly rare, to be so loved. Isabella’s voice is soft when she finally speaks. “He should pay… they all should.” “They did… most of them.” Nancy’s voice is still thick with pain even as Isabella moves closer, brushing hair from where it covers wounded skin, soft lips brushing the wounds and dragging a soft sigh from Nancy. “Good, then I shall stay and tend to you.”

[hailbabel]

Modern Fitzbirch au idea - Isabella's car is stuck in a ditch, Nancy is a handy butch who drives a big truck and can't resist those big, doe eyes.

[selkiewife]

GIVE ME THE LASTS

~ Tyler Knott Gregson

HARLOTS PRIDE FEST || Prompt: FITZBIRCH

[harlots-source]

Harlots Pride Fest Original Post

[nancy-birch]

Inspired by Scandalous by hailbabel

@hailbabel​ asked:

My Dearest Nancy, 

It feels as though it's been an age since last I felt the warmth of your company, though perhaps it has only been a week and three days. I must apologize for our last encounter, as I must have done something to make you avoid me so. Perhaps I am too forward in my affections, but you must forgive me as I cannot help myself. Might I tempt you with a drink? Though I cannot abide the taste of gin, perhaps it would be sweeter in your company? Or from your lips? 

In lieu of a signature, a cluster of violets has been included in this letter.

Nancy’s hands couldn’t help but tremble as she opened the smooth envelope from Isabella. She knew it was from her. She recognized the impeccable handwriting. The sweeping drama of the way she wrote Nancy’s name. Any other time, it would have made her smile, but today she hurriedly ripped it open and ducked into the corridor to read in relative private. 

Her brow furrowed and she felt a stab of guilt upon reading the yearning tone of Isabella’s note. She had taken herself away to lick her wounds after Sophia discovered them. She was use to doing that- of taking herself away to make things easier- just as she had those many years ago, when she realized that Will was the best thing that would likely ever come Mags’ way. For some reason it rankled her more for being a wound so old. A wound that still had the audacity to blister and bleed after all these years. 

The shocked and appalled look on Sophia’s face had been bad enough, but it was Isabella’s reaction that had clawed at her heart. When she had turned those deep blue eyes on her, filled with regret, and said, “Oh Nance, I didn’t want this to happen.” Nancy had quickly swallowed down her hurt... But Isabella’s words bit her in the head the whole walk home. And if she were honest with herself, they’d been been running round her mind since then too.

She tried to shrug it off. Why should it matter that Isabella wanted to keep her a secret from her daughter? Why should it fuss her? She herself was a secret to everyone. Everyone who ever tried to get close, except Mags... except Isabella.

Nancy lifted the cluster of violets to her nose and breathed in their sweet, powdery, ethereal smell. But it wasn’t enough. She ached to see Isabella. To breathe in her own particular sweet scent, to touch her skin, her hair, to taste her sweet cunny. Why had she been keeping herself away?

She told herself that she didn’t want to make things awkward for Isabella. That she would never, ever, come between a mother and daughter. But that wasn’t the reason. Not the real reason. She did it to protect herself. And why not? She didn’t want to be hidden, like something unsightly that has to be swept under the rug. It had been too many years living like that. But, oh, how can she walk away from the understanding, the gentle touches, the stolen kisses, and the nights of heaven when she held Isabella in her arms?

With new resolve, she fetched paper and set about scribbling a note to her lady. 

Dear Isabella,

I fear I have stayed away too long. I will come to you tonight. 

She didn’t know what else to write. Her heart felt too full for expression, too heavy to twist into the right words. She made her way to the sitting room and found that same book of poems that she had once torn a sheet from for Isabella. She didn’t tear out another page this time, but merely copied the words into the letter. 

Softer than rainfall at twilight. Bringing the fields benediction And the hills quiet and greyness. Are my thoughts of you.

( Another verse from the Poetess. )

Last time she wrote to Isabella, she had enclosed a sleek black feather in lieu of a signature. But she didn’t have another. So she went to the kitchen and pulled a few birch leaves off of one of the branches she was going to use to make into a new rod. She smirked as she folded them inside the note. The leaves were light green, small and triangular-shaped, soft to the touch, but with a tooth edge. They were a bit like her. 

It’s why she had chose her name all those years ago. She remembered well- how she had stood in front of the glass in the mens’ clothes Mags had acquired for their escape from Quigley’s. Mags had put hers away once they were safe. But Nancy had continued to wear hers. They felt right. They felt like freedom. She had gripped her new birch rod in her hand. It had made her feel powerful like no pain could ever penetrate her again. And that was when she had decided. She would no longer be known as Nancy Burroughs. That girl was dead and gone, crushed by Quigley and her cruel culls. She would become Nancy Birch. And she would not live in fear.

She opened the note back up and signed her name. 

[neuroharlot]

I’m so happy to have managed to finish a chapter of this idea that’s been floating around for a while now. I’m hoping to get chapter 3 out soon too but not in time for the end of this event.

Basically William North offers boxing lessons to Lady Fitz. Nancy is of course around being her usual awkward self.

I’m so looking forward to reading people’s work! Thanks @selkiewife for all your work organising us to get writing for this event.

[julie-slamdrews]

Harlots Fic Appreciation Week: Share a fic that inspired you

I saved this square until last because I didn’t want to choose just one fic and then I decided I wouldn’t. Every fic I read, in this fandom and across fandom generally, inspires me. It inspires me even if it’s about characters that aren’t my favourites or contains a kink that I don’t share or isn’t written in a style that I personally enjoy. It inspires me because putting your writing out into the world is terrifying, you worry that it isn’t good enough, that nobody will want to read it. But every person who pushes through that fear helps to keep the fandom going (along with the people who read them, and the people who create moodboards and gifsets and other art that I don’t even know the names for, and the people who share headcanons and meta and keep the discourse going long after the thing we’re all in love with has left the screen).

So with that in mind, here’s a selection of fic that I love which I haven’t had a chance to share yet during @harlots-week. There’s still a lot that I’ve missed out, and I did consider just leaving a link to the Harlots archive, but that felt ever so slightly like cheating even though it would be very much in the spirit of this post. 

Charlotte/Caroline Howard

what a lady shouldn't by Heather

Charlotte/Isabella

if i'd told you (you would have stayed) by thewritermakingdreamsreality

Charlotte gen/multiple ships

Before the Mourning by @selkiewife

Masks by pierrette

Nancy/Margaret

All I Have by @catherinecat143

Promised Me Heaven by aldiara

Nancy/Isabella

freedom among the ashes by sapphicish

Settling on the Farm & Fun in the Barn by @neuroharlot

Swagger by @hailbabel

Whisper by hailbabel

[baubeautyandthegeek]

Between Then And Now (Our World Has Changed) – Nancy Birch/Isabella Fitzwilliam

A/N: Day 24 for @comfortember, another one to tag @selkiewife for.

Then: Nancy is silent as she settles herself onto the long seat. She would never learn the name, she thought, there was no point. After tonight she would never see Isabella again. Still, for now she can accept the comfort. Her head rests on a pillow in Isabella’s lap, Isabella’s fingers combing through loose dark brown hair, soothing her in ways she still didn’t understand. When she had first arrived she had trembled, allowing Isabella to pull her into a tight, reassuring, hug. Now, as Isabella soothed her nerves, she felt all fear leave her. She was safe, chosen and wanted. Sleep steals her away even as Isabella tucks her tenderly under a few blankets. Come the next day she would only have one, the others pooled on the floor. Now: Isabella wakes first, taking in the quiet confidence and calm in Nancy’s face, she’s soft like this, at rest. The years have been horribly unkind to them both but now, with Nancy in her arms, it doesn’t seem to matter. Nancy nestles closer, resting her cheek against her chest and Isabella smiles, smoothing her hair tenderly, pulling the blankets higher to cover them both as Nancy sighs and settles. They no longer care what people think. On Nancy’s arm is a safe place to be, the woman walks with surety that makes Isabella feel like nothing can harm her. She, in turn, refuses to let Nancy’s past, her scars and fears, her tears, keep them apart. Nights now are spent with one another, Nancy’s gentleness is a balm to a fragile heart and she will do all she can to be the same for Nancy.

[hailbabel]

So, one of the great things about working the overnight shift is that I have plenty of time to think up plot ideas that I may never use. For tonight's edition of plots I will never get around to:

FitzBirch Coffee Shop (?) AU where Isabella keeps visiting this little shop not because of the setting or the coffee itself, but because the owner has a habit of singing to herself and it's just so beautiful. Sometimes the songs are bouncy or crude, and sometimes they're so poignant that it breaks her heart. She realizes she's falling in love with the woman and they've never even spoken.

I'm not married to the coffee shop idea, but I couldn't think of another context in which to put them where Isabella might hear Nancy singing regularly, but they wouldn't already be acquainted. This idea inspired by the nice gentleman who told me one time that "there's just something about a woman singing", and then wandered off with a wistful look. I haven't been able to get that interaction out of my brain since.

[harlots-source]

HARLOTS PRIDE FEST 2021 FANWORKS MASTERLIST

Thank you so much to everyone who participated and supported Harlots Pride Fest 2021! Below are links to all the fanworks created. They are organized by prompt.

CANON QUEER CHARACTERS

Know all about the glories//And the disgraces by @seymours-secret-deactivated2021​

Nancy Birch gifset by @selkiewife

Nancy Birch and Margaret Wells digital painting by @neuroharlot

CROSSWELL

Confession, a fic by @neuroharlot

Delicate Things, a fic by @seymours-secret-deactivated2021

Salvation, a fic by @julie-slamdrews

We Must Be True to Ourselves/ Love is Not a Sin, a gifset by @selkiewife

FITZWELLS

But what good is a heart//If you’re not there? a fic by @seymours-secret-deactivated2021

Fitzwells digital painting by @neuroharlot

It’s Requited... They’re Just Idiots, a gifset by @selkiewife

Let Me Break His Spell, a gifset by @selkiewife

BIRCHWELLS

Mind, stop running//It’s time we just let this thing go... a fic by @seymours-secret-deactivated2021

You’ve Been My Whole Life Nancy Birch, a gifset by @selkiewife

FITZBIRCH

Give Me The Lasts, a gifset by @selkiewife​

It’s not simple to say//That most days, I don’t recognize me... a fic by @seymours-secret-deactivated2021

No reason to throw it away when there’s love to be had//Hold me tight as I tell myself that you might make sense... a fic by @seymours-secret-deactivated2021​

MLM CANON SHIPS

Fredo Harvey x Ned Lovell, a gifset by @selkiewife

NON- CANON QUEER SHIPS AND HEADCANONS

Epithumia, an ace!Lucy Wells fic by @julie-slamdrews

FitzHarriet, a Harriet x Isabella gifset by @selkiewife

Matters of the Art, a LuceBirch (Nancy x Lucy) fic by @neuroharlot

Matters of the Art Moodboard by @neuroharlot

[thewritermakingdreamsreality]

i’m not going to lie, i haven’t made it past 3x04 of harlots because fitzwells is my everything but i’m stoked for fitzbirch despite the end of isabella and charlotte. here’s why:

i can’t wait for them to navigate the way they learned to love from wells women together and bond over what a ride it is. i can’t wait for them to learn together than they can love someone new while still holding onto the love they have for the wells women in their lives.

i can’t wait for them to grow and love and learn together.

please, god, don’t let the writers fuck this up. they have the potential to be beautiful.

[nancy-birch]

Nancy/Isabella headcanons?

Hello Nonny! Thank you so much for the ask! I am incredibly sorry about how long this took! I feel kind of ridiculous even posting it at this point since you won’t get an alert since it was sent on anon and you have likely given up on me ever responding to you. But here are my headcanons. I’ll put it in the fitzbirch tag and hopefully you will come across it! Also, this will be primarily from Nancy’s POV. 

The relationship between Isabella and Nancy is super slow burn 

In spite of that, the attraction between them was pretty instantaneous. Even when Charlotte and Isabella were together, Nancy always considered Isabella an incredibly handsome and intriguing woman, but she would NEVER had pursued Isabella at that point or even consciously recognized any attraction between them because of her love and loyalty for Charlotte but also because of her deep fear of intimacy. She would also never believe that Isabella could possibly be interested in her because of the verbal abuse about her looks that she internalized from Lydia and Mrs. May.

If Isabella hadn’t made the first move, Nancy would have been a disaster lesbian indefinitely, never catching on to the fact that Isabella was attracted to her. 

Isabella is the first person that Nance has trusted enough to pursue a relationship with since Mags. 

Nance went through a shame and fear spiral when Isabella kissed her the first time. It was primarily because of her fear of intimacy and aversion to any sexual situation where she is not in control. But it also had to do with Charlotte and the fact that she had developed feelings for someone Charlotte had loved so soon after her death. 

Nancy originally took the lead in their relationship- advising Isabella, offering her protection, always there with a witty remark, etc. Until Isabella kissed her and then her dominate demeanor crumbled and she became incredibly shy, unsure, and hilariously clumsy- like when she spilled the tea with Fanny when Isabella showed up unexpectedly.

Even after they officially get together, with each new step they take in their relationship, Nancy has a bout of clumsiness. 

Isabella asks to be shown how to use the rod, and Nancy obliges. 

Isabella started subtly dressing with nods to Nancy even before they officially started their relationship- Exhibit A: The black gloves she wears to visit Nancy:

( gif by @eireneofathens )

This inevitably leads to Isabella often wearing Nance’s clothes when they become a couple.

Nancy declines the offer to wear Isabella’s clothes, but Isabella likes to make gifts of fine clothing to Nancy in her style of course (lots of cocked hats and high quality boots with silver buckles (this headcanon comes directly from @hailbabel and our thread ❤️)

It takes Nancy a long time into their relationship to be able to receive pleasure from Isabella. Her primary arousal comes from giving pleasure in general, but there are also the trust issues. In the very beginning of the relationship she still has an aversion to being touched. 

The first time they sleep together (and many times after) they keep their clothes on- not only because that was common of the time but also because Nance needs the psychological shield of her clothes. 

One night Isabella asks Nancy if she can see her. They go slowly, Isabella removing each piece of clothing and gently kissing the Nancy’s scars on her back. 

Isabella catches Nancy singing to Anne Pettifer’s baby and asks her to sing to her during intimate moments. 

Nancy pushes her away about it, thinking she’s in jest since she thinks that her voice is about as tuneful as a warbling crow. But one night when Isabella wakes from a nightmare, she draws her close to her in bed and sings her a lusty tune as sweet and slow as if it were a lullaby.

This singing becomes a regular occurrence.

I also have to say that basically everything @hailbabel writes about these two become part of my personal headcanons as well so I really recommend you following them! I’m sure I will develop more as we continue to write together!

[gabsxena]

me: wants to write a super angsty slow fitzbirch fic where neither of them are over charlotte/mags 

me: but what if they easily communicate their feelings....... and heal together............. and kiss...........

[neuroharlot]

A Lady’s New Skill (Chapter 3) - Finally!

Finally got around to finishing and editing this chapter. I’ve been so caught up with chicken rescuing life on top of general life shit, I’ve not had chance to sit down to write anything. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

[julie-slamdrews]

Harlots Fic Appreciation Week: Share a fic you can’t stop thinking about

Is it even a @harlots-week bingo square if I don’t complain about how difficult it was to choose just one fic to fit it? I spend entirely more time thinking about fanfic than is probably healthy, but one fic which my thoughts definitely keep coming back to is Burn by @selkiewife. I think about this fic a lot for two main reasons, because it breaks my heart and apparently I enjoy pain (I have been seeking out the ‘angst’ tag for approximately as long as I’ve been reading fanfiction) and because it has some truly beautiful descriptions that occasionally just pop into my head entirely unbidden and I’m not even mad about it.