#Nancy Birch

[a-gnosis]

Drawing all the recent comic pages with Demeter and Hekate made me think of Margaret Wells and Nancy Birch from Harlots. They gave me big Demeter and Hekate vibes. Funnily enough, one of the plot lines of the first two seasons was actually loosely based on the Persephone myth.

I was very fond of Margaret, but Nancy was probably my favorite. Her clothes were absolutely fab.

#nancy birch #margaret wells #harlots

[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

#too bad charlotte had to DIE to make this happen #harlots #this show had the dumbest plot structure everybody just chases their own tail for a whole season until things eventually work out #i dont think s1 was as bad but it got progressively worse s3 is unwatchable i was fully just fueled by the need to have some context #fitzbirch #nancy birch #isabella fitzwilliam

[slashonmydash]

Right on the money

#lovely that she's drawn to wearing red too in #harlotshulu #nancy birch #liandrin guirale #liandrin sedai #the wheel of time #wot show #wot prime #slashonmydash

[ouroboobos]

i need to suck the strap so bad its making me sick. good afternoon

#i cant remember her actresses name but shes always so hot in everything i see her in #harlots #nancy birch

[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.

#harlots #isabella fitzwilliam #nancy birch #fitzbirch #isabella/nancy #nancy/isabella #day 24 #blankets #comfortember #comfortember 2023

[carrymelikeimcute]

Characters with Izzy Hands vibes

Nancy Birch - Harlots (even the ring - perfect).

Amalia True - The Nevers

#izzy hands #femme izzy hands #fem!izzy #amalia true #the nevers #nancy birch #itv harlots

[multifandomfix]

Imagine being there for Nancy after she’s flogged in the streets.

It had been a horrendous sight. Each crack of the whip leaving its mark on Nancy’s flesh. And each time it sounded it was as if you felt the sting along with her. Every cruel second that passed felt like an eternity, but finally it was over.

You ran to her the first moment you were able. Curled up and in bed, you could tell she was in a world of pain. “Nancy,” you began.

“Leave,” she managed to say, though even that simple utterance sounded pained.

“No,” you told her firmly. She may want to be alone, but that’s not what she needed right now. She needed those wounds tended to, and a kind hand to do it for her. “I’m staying until you’re cleaned and bandaged. I’m not letting you die over this.”

You helped her sit up. She winced and you couldn’t blame her. You’d witnessed that beating and she’d likely hurt for weeks to come. She didn’t fight you when you removed her shirt. As you tended to her wounds, she finally spoke again, turning to look at you.

“Why do you care so much?”

“Because Nance, I love you and it hurts me to see you hurt. I need you to survive this because I can’t live without you.”

It appeared she wanted to reply, but her words failed her. Her cheeks tinted the faintest shade of pink and she looked away. How had she never realized?

For @baubeautyandthegeek

Nancy Birch: @osterhagen

#nancy birch #nancy birch imagine #nancy birch x reader #harlots #harlots imagine #request #send requests #requests open

[hahnspoetry]

thinking about how my friend sent me this:

and said this reminded him of me and my fictional character obsessions like dude? pls don’t call me out.

#lanfear #liandrin guirale #nancy birch #agatha harkness #claire debella #always mentally dating someone!! and they’re always fictional characters #or atm it’s lianfear and im just there like hello

[princelydisaster]

I have the inexorable urge to rant about a character I’m obsessed with that much of the fandom hates

Anyway fuck it.

I understand that a lot of people dislike Charles Quigley (for good reason) but I keep getting burned by finding fanfics and posts tagged with the character that only feature him to make fun of him or something

Honestly if you are writing a fanfic in the Harlots ‘verse and don’t want to include him, there is no shame in writing him out. (Or any other character for that matter.)

Have a throwaway line where someone says he went to visit a friend for a month or something.

That could also introduce things like more tension because Lydia might be more stressed / worried about having her precious baby mid 30s boy out of the house. Maybe she’s more prone to lashing out. Maybe she’s distracted and her rivals like Margaret get more bold about taking action against her.

It introduces a lot of interesting things that could work for a number of fanfic plots.

…Okay that’s it for people who don’t want to include him in fanfics, I’m gonna discuss things I think could be explored in fanfic below.

Note that because this show has a lot of interconnected characters I also talk a lot about Lydia, Emily, and Nancy for some reason.

TW: discussions of abusive relationships, incest, sex trafficking, kidnapping, murder (stuff that’s in the show)

I’ve seen someone say before that Charles is one of the few straight male characters on the show who’s important because of his part in fleshing out female characters via relationships.

I can see that. I think the nature of the show means that he as a man - a passive one at that - wouldn’t get a lot of screen time.

The point about him being important relationship wise is really interesting. Tbh, the early-mid season 1 interactions between Emily and Lydia remind me of the trope of a dad running to chase away his daughter’s boyfriend with a shotgun.

There’s that gender flipped part where women aren’t usually given as much sexual agency in tv/film etc, but also I like that it’s not played off as a kinda quirky “overprotective” parent thing, but the show recognizes how toxic this dynamic is.

You can argue in the gun toting dad example it’s sometimes bc the daughter is underage, but still, there’s often that undercurrent of a parent being threatened by their child getting a romantic partner and “replacing” them.

This is a big part of the Lydia and Charles relationship imo. I would characterize it as a nuanced depiction of an emotionally abusive relationship with elements of covert / emotional incest.

Emotionally abusive because she tends to manipulate him - isolate him from others, like potential partners.

When she feels he “replaced” her by choosing Emily - she immediately replaces him with Charlotte, a surrogate daughter.

Note: covert incest is not actual, literal incest. I do Not think their relationship has an actual sexual / romantic component to it. (but idk if you think that would be interesting to explore in a fanfic, go right ahead.)

I’m referring to unhealthy parent/child relationships where the child is expected to take on a role similar to the parent’s spouse. Such as where the parent expects the child to comfort them emotionally (even from a young age), or to prioritize their relationship over other forms of relationships, like friendships or dating other people.

I can definitely see that, especially with Lydia’s line to Rasselas in season 2 after he talks about losing his partner to an unknown disease. He says something like “I lost my precious boy”.

And she says, “so did I”.

This is due to Lydia being self centered as fuck, sure, but remember how she reacted to Charles nearly dying of an OD because of Emily? She was nowhere near this mopey about it.

(Ofc she had to make sure he was safe but once he was in stable condition she immediately struck.)

In that case at least she could react with violence and use Emily to boost her own standing.

In the case of Charles moving out to live with her, she’s kinda screwed, her old methods of dealing with a situation by attacking others to her own benefit don’t work.

It’s not really actionable. She can’t just go after Emily at the moment.

Lydia is finally stuck having to deal with the idea that her son - who she’s made part of her identity, especially if it means she can say she’s a Good Mother so she’s winning at Patriarchy - maybe chose someone else over her. Or doesn’t want to be close to her anymore.

—

Okay yeah I have talked about the relationships a lot but I could also talk about Charles himself.

Again, he’s a very passive character in a show about very active - or even aggressive - women.

I think his scenes in the show serve an important role of providing some levity or respite from the more intense drama (ie kidnapping, psychological torment, etc). It kinda breaks things up so you can fully digest how awful the other scenes are.

Not to say that he’s a totally innocent guy.

He’s still a shitty person, very self centered and privileged and willing to take advantage of others for his own desires.

I feel like sometimes I’m tipping the scales in his favor too much, as Charles is a morally grey character who likes to think he’s a good guy, but… it’s much easier for him to continue being awful or allow others to suffer for his benefit.

I think there’s a lot of interesting stuff at play with him, the ways Lydia’s parenting makes him see her as a role model and also a negative role model.

He starts off wanting to follow in her footsteps, to impress her. When Lydia starts intimidating Margaret for Emily coming to her, he backs up Lydia by remarking that Emily’s pretty bangable.

(Which is… kinda a stupid thing to add, but it still has an effect on Margaret, which is what they want.)

But once Charles starts to get into what it really means for Lydia to be a bawd - and him by extension - he doesn’t want to continue in the same way.

It’s not just, maybe he can keep Lydia from lashing out at the girls, or maybe if she does he can help them out by sneaking them food.

Once Emily nearly kills him via OD to escape, he doesn’t feel like going after her. Maybe he has a realization from that near death experience. Maybe he’s just too passive to want revenge. Maybe he knows that if he tried to get revenge Lydia would just take it to an eye for an eye levels of intense.

Maybe you could argue that he’s got some kind of guilt around what he did to Emily.

He seemed to almost have a moment of self awareness when (iirc) he told her he’d want to move out some place without Lydia, where she wouldn’t have to have sex with anyone… except him. Oops.

I think the relationship with Emily - because she’s a lot more pro active than he is, and she’s willing to talk back to him despite the power he has over her - forces him to realize his role in things.

And the development with the whole kidnapping people and giving them over to sadistic cultists to murder thing gets him firmly off Lydia’s side.

(Well, that and the line where iirc Nancy says something like “you can’t be on everyone’s side”.)

I think also there’s a lot that could be said about Nancy’s role in nudging him in the direction of a redemption arc in season. Maybe more like pushing him, idk.

Nancy is one of the only people who’s really patient enough to help Emily, even when she lashes out because she feels vulnerable.

She’s one of the first people who really treats Charles as an adult now that I think of it. Like even when Emily rocks the boat, she still plays into his childish side to keep his favor.

I think it’s largely because he’s the exact kind of guy Nancy is used to seeing - a rich dude who wants a dominant woman to take care of him and guide him - and the added history with his mother helps.

You could also argue that while Lydia fits patriarchal ideas of the ideal mother - being nurturing (unless you piss her off), delicate, feminine, lacking her own romance / sex life in lieu of caring for her child (usually) - Nancy is more like the reverse of all these traits, but she actually cares for and guides the people she takes under her wing.

When Emily lashes out at people she thinks are condescending to her, Lydia just doubles down on punishing her, but Nancy gives her the benefit of the doubt and offers her aid.

Was this post a Trojan horse for Nancy birch?? Maybe??

I think that the contrast is also interesting, with Nancy lacking all the conventionally feminine things that make Lydia appear to be a good person on the surface, but actually nurturing and wanting people to grow and providing good coping mechanisms and a shoulder to cry on. Often at the expense of herself.

(So basically Lydia is cloth mother and Nancy is wire mother? Yeah)

I realize I went way off the mark here but I think there’s a lot of potential in exploring the relationship between Charles and Nancy too.

Like he’s more used to seeing women who try to fit into social roles men place on them (whore, virgin, mother, crone etc archetypes) so seeing a goth butch lesbian who tells him to get his shit together… kinda breaks his brain.

It’s a really interesting dynamic I wish we saw more of.

—

There’s a lot more I could say, and maybe will say at a later date, but I’m getting kinda tired of writing this post. I tried to focus on the stuff that was touched on in canon + my own interpretation of it. Or different ones you could run with.

If you got this far… thank you for reading! I give you a sugar pig (whatever that is) for your efforts

#princely squeaks #harlots on Hulu #Charles Quigley #Lydia Quigley #Nancy Birch #Emily Lacey #in the end?? #why couldn’t I fixate on characters who have merch OTL I have to make my own or write long shit like this

[clarasteam]

Last Line Challenge:

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or however many you'd like)

I was tagged by the lovely @panzercat - thank you Red! gah, the last fic writing I did was at the end of January, part of an unfinished GO/Harlots crossover sequel with Nancy Birch and Crowley getting drunk and talking about their impossible loves.

[they're drinking the Bedford's best claret (Crowley refused gin*) and it's better than usual. Nancy's starting to relax, but not so much that she's going to accept his offer of tobacco - who knows what's in it?]

"Take a fill of mine," she tells him. "Make yourself at home."

tagging: @owl-by-night @codswalloping @expo63 and @theletteraesc if you haven't done this and would like to.

*this may or may not emerge in the course of the fic, but Crowley has found that gin makes him maudlin (shades of Julian and Sandy in Round The Horne: OUT IT ALL COMES ABOUT BOGNOR)

#meme #writing with a stick #a glass of wine in Russell Street #I will finish this fic I swear #a gentleman in black #harlots #good omens #nancy birch #crowley

[lovers-paradise]

Doing It For Her – Nancy Birch/F!Reader

A/N: More smut for the babe. @notsosecretlyalesbian​ Happy Valentines.

“I can take it.” You speak softly even as you let Nancy press you back into the wall, accepting her strap deep inside you even as you stroke a hand into her hair, caressing her cheek lightly when she emits a soft whimper, your free hand resting at the base of her back, just under her shirt, a promise of love and protection. She sets her pace, your eyes flickering shut under her stubborn pressure even as you whimper her name, cursing softly when the pace picks up, thumbing away her tears quietly, shaking undone against her. “Haven’t done that in a while…” Her voice is rough, almost embarrassed and you smile, stroking her cheek one more time. “You were perfect, you are perfect Nance. My Birchrod.”

#nancy birch #f!reader #nancy/f!reader #harlots

[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.

#harlots #nancy birch #isabella fitzwilliam #fitzbirch #why yes im currently stuck on the side of the road waiting on a tow truck #why do you ask?

[ocmerunaway]

Suzanna Quigley has always been the hidden child, she's been the girl sold by her own mother, she's been a victim and a harlot and a madam. Clawing her way back from the hell her mother put her into. She had made enough from her own ex-husband, the man that Lydia sold her to. She makes enough to buy Terese Addams, the one girl she can save from Lydia's mess... but when she meets Nancy Birch, when she sees her mother send the woman to be beaten and flogged brutally, she chooses a new path. She chooses Nancy. The question she faces now is can she convince Nancy to trust her? Will Nancy save her life when she finally kills a man to protect her own? Will they ever be safe?

#nancy birch #suzanna quigley #harlots

[baubeautyandthegeek]

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes -  Nancy Birch/Lizzie Stark

A/N: Final day of @flufftober.

Nancy Birch walked into Lizzie Stark’s life right as it fell apart. She had fled the men, one dead by her own hand. She meant to seek out Tommy’s brother, but instead she had crashed into Nancy almost falling in the process. Nancy’s grip was gentle but strong as she steadies her, quick to release her when she shudders, her voice low, warm and surprisingly sweet. “Are you alright?” “No…” Lizzie mutters the word, then shudders again when Tommy calls for her. “I need to… go.” “Come with me…” The offer is quick and Lizzie nods, following her away and blushing just slightly when Nancy wraps her coat around her when she shivers, leading her into her house and quickly stoking up a fire, guiding Lizzie to sit near it, warm herself. They are soon locked in, the house’s shutters closed over the windows and Lizzie sighs just slightly when Nancy sits with her, eyes closing at the obvious care in Nancy’s eyes. “Who hurt you?” “Nobody important.” A snuffle escapes then… “He’s dead anyways.” Nancy’s smile tugs just slightly at one side of her mouth and Lizzie inches closer, settling her head on Nancy’s shoulder. “Men never deserve women like you…” “You hardly know me.” “I know enough. Ex-whore, some kind of kin to Polly Gray…. Kinder than you care to admit. I know you, Lizzie Stark, like it or not. Pol asked me to check on you.” “Well, I’m glad she did.” Lizzie admits. “Tommy was…” “A fool.” Nancy mutters, stroking a hand through Lizzie’s hair. “He’ll be handled, don’t you worry…” Later, days later, Tommy is gone, Lizzie’s wrapped in Nancy’s coat again and they are freely together at the offices where Polly puts them both to work. Lizzie had dreamed once that she might find someone loving, to keep her safe… now it seemed that dreams really did come true.

#harlots #peaky blinders #nancy birch #lizzie stark #nancy/lizzie #lizzie/nancy #nanzie #flufftober2023 #flufftober 2023

[ouroboobos]

not even joking btw its making me stupid i'd even let her keep the stupid pirate hat on. idc girl our babies will come out saying ahoy

#nancy birch #harlots

[ethelthebossiny]

I have two questions.

Someone please explain to me how a RADIO show about identifying wood works. Do they just talk about the chemical composition of it? Do they describe it visually in crisp, vibrant detail? How long until they run out of different kinds of wood to talk about?

2. Is there really nothing better to do in Wisconsin than listen to a show about wood? Do they not have the internet?

#nancy drew #nancy drew games #clue crew #her interactive #someone give wisconsin internet access #what wood am i #i think i'm a birch wood personally