Question for the viewers: When was the last time you saw a fanfic with a theme?

last year (ish?), reading a handful of very short xmen-fanfics by Duck_Life, particularly their scott summers centered things. Usually themes surrounding identity (its fragility, confusion, all that second-guessing yourself jazz), character-focused stuff that isn't covered in comics anymore.

but they're definitely the exception to the rule, and the only one I could think of off the top of my head.

Thanks to @the-ink-kettle for the tag! honestly at this point I don't know which of my mutuals writes regularly, so I'm going to take the coward's way out and tag @jiubilant and any TESblr who wants to do this off me - show us what you're working on, or signpost some other WIP!

anyway here's something I've been toying with for a while but only got the impetus to start once I was tagged :D so legit tysm for the kick in the ass!

Bastian kept his face pleasant as the third noble of the afternoon cornered him. It wasn’t as if he was a stranger to glittering high-society soirees, and the one being hosted by Lady Silane was very normal so far as those were concerned, but it had apparently gotten out that his absence from the Silvelle’s most recent trip to Daggerfall was because he was, in fact, on the other side of High Rock.

“Did you enjoy the cooler weather down in Evermore?” this particular noble drawled, swirling the wine in his long-stemmed tasting glass. Bastian made a bow.

“Of course.” He tried very hard not to be more curt than could be expected. He wasn’t sure he did a good job of it.

“It must have been very exciting for you. To be out of your family’s generous patronage for the first time.”

He was probing for information, Bastian knew it. The glint in his dark eyes was too pronounced to miss. Damn it, nobody was even supposed to know he’d been gone - it certainly wasn’t supposed to be common knowledge that he’d been hunting down an errant factor of Lord Silvelle’s, one skimming far too much off the top of the shipments she was supposed to safeguard.

“Quite dull, actually,” was his curt response. Even saying that it was a matter of business seemed too dangerous. Then people would know that Quistley wasn’t taking on his fair share of the family name - that Lord Silvelle had to turn to a Hallix to deal with family matters.

The noble’s brows rose. “Really? Gracious, how unique. Your foster brother, the Heir Silvelle, gave my daughter to understand that it was quite a milestone for you.”

The heir Silv-

Quistley.

Bastian hardly knew how he responded through the rushing in his ears. Quistley. Of course the information had leaked because of that idiot young man. His daughter, he’d mentioned - probably trying to flirt, to win some young woman’s favor, just as usual.

If Lord Silvelle heard the gossip, it wasn’t Quistley that was going to get in trouble.

Bastian bowed out of the conversation as soon as could be called polite, stopped a passing servant to ask if she might know where the young Silvelle was, and headed to the gardens with a quick step, doing his absolute best to hold back the simmering heat in his chest as he went.

I don’t know if anon wants a fic where Scott is the only one who gets whumped and if they want *Scogan to be the ultimate pairing, but Room 101 by eoen on AO3 is a great mindfuck of a fic that I’d recommend. It puts all of the X-men through the ringer, but especially focuses on Scott.

The author didn’t include many tags or a summary, so the whole fic was a surprise to me, but it really draws you in. Basically, the X-men have to face their greatest fears on a mission and it follows them home after, which strains their mental health and relationships.

*Scott is in a relationship with Jean in the fic, but there’s one-sided Scogan, with Logan pining for Scott and acting protective of him.

Mask Protocols, by Grayjay  Follows the comics canon, the time early on when original 5 was in their early 20s and they (except jean) thought xavier was dead.  Scott gets injured in a fight with the hulk, and they take him to a hospital.  Jean takes charge and is fantastic. (honestly their entire ‘rex racer around the final turn’ series is great and focuses on scott and alex rediscovering each other and the pysche of scott and his issues and how they complicate his relationships… but also how he’s surrounded by at least 2 people who love him ;u; )

(they say) with time by Anaer Follows post xmen evolution, scott is 19 here, and this is one of the few fanfics i could find that actually deals with his jack winters backstory.  Winters is still alive in this one -having just been carted off to jail instead of killed in scott’s backstory here- and this starts with xavier giving scott the news that winters has broken out of prison.  Visceral, full of anxiety, hallucinations, violence, flashbacks, and breakdowns.  Good ending (winters is dealt with), but yeah. Great read.

Chemical Imbalances, Kissing, and Other Sappy Things by L. Burke Following comics canon, another early original 5 xmen fic; everyone’s worried when scott comes down with some sort of illness that xavier, hank, and even moira mctaggart are pulling out their hair trying to figure out.  Mostly follow’s jean gluing herself at the hip to her boy worrying about him as she reminisces. (also the fact that it references ‘the rime of the ancient mariner’, one of my fav poems ever, is a big bonus)

Honestly it’s so fucking difficult to find good scott whump fics, and I’ve been at my wits’ end trying to get new ones.

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Words:17504

Summary: 

Scott deals with the past. Or, rather: the past deals with him.