Archive of Our Own

Recent works

• The Way We Are by LittleBitGarbage

  Fandoms: The Gilded Age (TV 2022)  

  • Mature
  • Major Character Death
  • F/M
  • Work in Progress

  18 Jun 2026

  Tags

  • Major Character Death
  • Bertha Russell/George Russell
  • Bertha Russell & Gladys Russell
  • Gladys Russell & Larry Russell
  • Bertha Russell
  • George Russell (The Gilded Age)
  • Gladys Russell
  • Larry Russell (The Gilded Age)
  • Monica O'Brien
  • Pre-Canon
  • Civil War
  • Stillbirth
  • Child Death
  • Grief/Mourning
  • Wakes & Funerals
  • Hurt/Comfort
  • Mother-Daughter Relationship
  • Character Study
  • very much how did we end up with a woman who desperately wants to throw away the past and a man who is so devoted to his family

  Summary

  When the Russell family travels to upstate New York for Monica's funeral, Gladys and Larry start to learn why their mother, and their parents' marriage, is the way they are

  Language:

  English

  Words:

  9,141

  Chapters:

  3/?

  Comments:

  8

  Kudos:

  28

  Bookmarks:

  4

  Hits:

  525

• Heaven is a Place in a Costume Drama by LittleBitGarbage

  Fandoms: The Gilded Age (TV 2022), Black Mirror (TV)  

  • Explicit
  • Major Character Death
  • F/F, F/M
  • Complete Work

  29 May 2026

  Tags

  • Major Character Death
  • Aurora Fane/Bertha Russell
  • Bertha Russell/George Russell
  • Bertha Russell & Gladys Russell
  • Bertha Russell & Larry Russell
  • Aurora Fane & Sylvia Chamberlain
  • Marian Brook/Larry Russell
  • Bertha Russell
  • George Russell (The Gilded Age)
  • Aurora Fane
  • Gladys Russell
  • Larry Russell (The Gilded Age)
  • Marian Brook
  • Sylvia Chamberlain
  • Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
  • a kind of prequel to San Junipero
  • except the alternate universe is the show
  • Angst
  • Hurt/Comfort
  • Drug Addiction
  • Implied/Referenced Suicide
  • Also a bit of a Hotel Reverie prequel
  • but that got lost in the edit

  Summary

  Long before there was San Junipero and the tech developed by TCKR Systems, there was rAI.

  Bertha Russell, troubled wife of the Russell Industries CEO George Russell, corners Dr. Aurora Fane, Russell Industries' head of research, and convinces her to let her try rAI, the neural AI dream connector that immerses the user in an alternate universe of their choosing. Eventually, George finds out. Things work out in the end, but the road isn't easy.

  Language:

  English

  Words:

  16,657

  Chapters:

  1/1

  Comments:

  2

  Kudos:

  5

  Hits:

  81

• Like Old Friends by LittleBitGarbage

  Fandoms: The Gilded Age (TV 2022)  

  • General Audiences
  • No Archive Warnings Apply
  • Gen
  • Complete Work

  29 Apr 2026

  Tags

  • No Archive Warnings Apply
  • Bertha Russell & Gladys Russell
  • Bertha Russell
  • Gladys Russell
  • Mother-Daughter Relationship
  • Reconciliation
  • Divorce
  • Post-Divorce
  • George Hector and Archie Baldwin get a mention
  • but I didn’t want to tag them because they’re more just mentions
  • Inspired by what actually happened between Consuelo and Alva

  Summary

  Bertha and Gladys’ marriages dissolve in tandem, and they become closer for it

  Language:

  English

  Words:

  1,306

  Chapters:

  1/1

  Kudos:

  3

  Hits:

  72

• Fade Away by LittleBitGarbage

  Fandoms: The Gilded Age (TV 2022)  

  • Teen And Up Audiences
  • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
  • F/M
  • Complete Work

  16 Mar 2026

  Tags

  • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
  • Bertha Russell/George Russell
  • Duke of Buckingham/Gladys Russell
  • Bertha Russell & Gladys Russell
  • Bertha Russell
  • George Russell (The Gilded Age)
  • Gladys Russell
  • Duke of Buckingham (The Gilded Age)
  • Unplanned Pregnancy
  • Childbirth
  • Angst
  • for everyone who wants to see George suffer after what she put our girl through
  • Discussion of Abortion
  • Stillbirth
  • Near Death Experiences
  • Hallucinations
  • complicated mother/daughter relationships

  Summary

  Gladys didn't know how she missed it. It was obvious why George missed it.

  After Bertha stays at Sidmouth for Gladys' first birth, she leaves somewhat abruptly. A month later, the family realizes that nobody knows where she went. When they finally find her, they discover why she didn't want to be found.

  Language:

  English

  Words:

  13,143

  Chapters:

  3/3

  Comments:

  7

  Kudos:

  50

  Bookmarks:

  8

  Hits:

  1,246

• Two Berthas by LittleBitGarbage

  Fandoms: The Gilded Age (TV 2022), 19th Century CE RPF, Historical RPF  

  • Teen And Up Audiences
  • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
  • F/M
  • Work in Progress

  01 Feb 2026

  Tags

  • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
  • Bertha Russell/George Russell
  • Bertha Russell
  • George Russell (The Gilded Age)
  • Original Female Character(s)
  • Original Male Character(s)
  • Duke of Buckingham (The Gilded Age)
  • Alfred Merrick
  • are they original characters if theyre taken from history?
  • welcome to my Bertha Palmer infodump
  • get ready to learn about chicago in the gilded age
  • if the canon isnt giving you a proper wife guy store bought is fine
  • bertha making friends for the very first time

  Summary

  When Bertha Russell leaves Sidmouth, her life back in New York seems bleak. Her daughter is married, George and Larry are at their club, and the Met is fully established now. There's no particular pull other than maintaining a position in society.

  Then, she meets Bertha Palmer, a Chicago socialite organizing the women's building for the World's Fair. They become fast friends, and Chicago's Bertha helps New York's Bertha remember how great she truly is.

  Language:

  English

  Words:

  3,105

  Chapters:

  1/?

  Comments:

  5

  Kudos:

  12

  Bookmarks:

  3

  Hits:

  160