#autistic writers

[nanowrimo]

4 Tips for Autistic Writers

Autistic writers can face unique challenges when it comes to writing. NaNo Participant Auden Halligan has tips to handle some of those challenges!

So, you’ve just sat down at your desk, all ready to work on your next chapter, but you just can’t seem to start. Something is itching at your brain, and no matter how hard you think, you can’t figure it out. For autistic writers, that itch might be even harder to get around when compounded with autistic inertia, introspection issues, and sensory processing disorder — even if we were super excited to get started, sometimes the stumbling blocks are enough to keep us from going anywhere at all.

Here are four tips to identify your struggles and work around them rather than against them as an autistic writer!

1. Schedule your writing time appropriately

While keeping a schedule can help you stave off unwanted change in your routine, the need to switch to another task when the clock strikes the hour sometimes feels like a monumental task, one that eventually becomes detrimental to your creative pursuits.

If switching tasks is the biggest hurdle to your writing, setting a designated writing time with no other plans around it could do the trick. Oftentimes, just one hour of time to transition from doing dishes to sitting down at your computer to write is exactly what you need to get past that point and find your writing headspace.

2. Make sure your sensory environment is right

Sometimes getting into that writing headspace is harder than normal, but you can’t put your finger on a reason. Chances are, you’re not quite ready until you have your sensory needs met and you can fully focus on your story.

Personally, I like to be on the couch with my water bottle, a playlist at just the right volume, and a comfortable jacket or hoodie on. For you, the ideal sensory space might involve a desk and a snack, a pet nearby, and a quiet room. For others, it could be outside or even at a library or coffee shop. Autistic people are all different and so are their sensory needs, so this one is super subjective — do what works best for you!

3. Take breaks often

Writing can be exhausting, and if you’re struggling to keep going, you might need to take a pause. If you’re like me and struggle with remembering to hydrate and eat once you’re deep in a task, use your break to get some water and a snack. If you’re having trouble staying focused, get up and move around and stim or go outside to give your brain a reset. If you feel like you’ve gotten some good progress done, however small, reward yourself — do something related to your special interest, dance with a pet, and celebrate your little (or big!) win!

The pomodoro method is a good way to keep yourself from working too long without a break, and if that doesn’t work for you, methods like the Eisenhower method with breaks interspersed and even simply inserting breaks into your scheduled writing time are just as valid.

4. Don’t be afraid to skip around

Another thing that often trips us autistic people up is needing to follow the story down its natural progression, from start to middle all the way to the finish. But inevitably, once we’ve gotten past the initial excitement of having the project started, we hit a stumbling block…and the project gets abandoned. I’ve left behind countless projects because I lost interest after hitting a scene I wasn’t excited for after just a few chapters.

To combat this, try writing out of order! Skip ahead to the scene directly after your stumbling block. You could also skip to the next scene your favorite character is in or even to the climax if it helps you move forward. If you’re having trouble putting your first words down, try writing a random scene in the middle of your story to get into the groove of writing your characters.

Alternately, if you can’t abide by the out of order method and really need to get your characters from Point A to Point B, try putting the scene you’re stuck on in brackets. For example:

[Character 1 and Character 2 fight over the decision to kick Character 3 off the team. 2 leaves in anger.]

It’s simple, efficient, and gets you out of that particular rut so you can keep moving toward that sweet, sweet conversation you’ve wanted to write since Day 1.

Now go forth and write, my friends!

Auden Halligan is a creator through and through. She’s been writing her entire life, but didn’t start participating in NaNoWriMo until 2017–right now she’s working on developing a TV series (or two!) and has several novels and short films in the drafting phase. Auden is currently a college student studying film production and hoping to minor in disability studies. You can find her on her very sparse Twitter at ink.and.spite. Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels

If you’re an autistic writer, check out the Pillow Fort in the NaNoWriMo forums! It’s a group for people who are neurodivergent, have disabilities, mental health concerns, or physical challenges that affect their lives.

[aph-mable]

dpxdc; My Uncle is Nuts.

My Uncle Is A Nut

Written by:

Aph-mable

@thegatorsgoose

Having been announced the heir and Co ceo of D.A.L.V co, Danny has gotten used to being dragged to formal events with Vlad against his will. Getting caught up in saving one of the many galas he’s forced to attend, Danny catches the eye of one Lex Luther. 

Chapter 1

Danny tries hard not to sigh for the umpteenth time as Vlad drags him towards another group of rich folks and reporters.

When his Godfather had publicly announced Danny as his heir during one of his mayoral speeches he thought he was going to die all over again from sheer embarrassment and frustration, especially when he started calling Danny out of class to work on ‘special’ projects or drag him to Gala’s like this one.  

Usually at least one member of team Phantom would come along, usually Sam since her parents often forced her to attend anyway, unfortunately this time everyone was busy.

Sure Danny could have asked, but he didn’t want to take away what little free time they had during spring break, so for now he was going to face this party on his own. After all nothing really interesting happens at these and he’s not going to end up socializing much anyways. 

At the moment Vlad had rolled him over to a group of men who were chatting away about their latest technology, a nerdy looking yet buff reporter taking notes on everything. 

Danny was only half listening to what was being said when the frootloop budged in, something about wanting to partner up with Wayne tech since DALV co was already partnered with Lex co.

He could only roll his eyes and cringe as his crazy arch nemesis wrapped an arm around the shoulders of the bald ceo who looked just as done as he felt.

Seeing Vlad finally to distracted with his deals Danny took his chance and snuck away, moving his wheelchair as fast as possible to make a break for it, away from the party and to explore the building. maybe even escape if he was lucky. 

Unfortunately as he reached one of the doors the pesky security stopped him, saying he needed to stay within the building, so he pulled out the oldest trick in his book. 

“I have to go to the bathroom, can you at least point me to it?” He even pulled out his pleading eyes to look as innocent as possible to make the security guards feel uncomfortable.

“It’s through those doors over there, just across from the kitchen… do you want-” before the guard could finish Danny was already zooming to the door and shouting, “No thanks, byye!” 

Once out of sight he at least made an effort to head towards where the bathroom was but stopped in front of the kitchen.

First double checking all sides of the hallway, he pushed himself into the kitchen in search of something to tinker with. Danny swears he will drop dead if he doesn't get some kind of technology in his hands. 

When he entered the place was completely empty of any staff. makes sense as they had set up a huge buffet in the main hall and had all the kitchen staff stand against the wall to show who cooked what, like it was some kind of grand show. 

This left Danny to ‘borrow’ a few appliances, they’re rich they can afford it!

He ends up taking a toaster, a blender, and some kind of cylinder air fryer, stuffing them all into his magic bigger-than-it-looks bag and bolting out of there as fast as his wheels could take him so as to not get caught. 

Once he re enters the gala he parks himself in the furthest corner near a window. He starts pulling out his mini tool kit and the items he took, trying his best to hide them by making them semi invisible so it just looked like he was messing with his tools as he gets to building an ecto gun. 

Danny tried to stay alert and scan the room on occasion but nothing much was happening, Vlad was still bragging to the group of men, and there were only three other kids around his age hanging out on the opposite side of the room. One looked ready to pass out while the other two stood next to the door arguing over who’s dog was best.

Danny pulled his goggles down over his eyes and rolled up his sleeves so his specialized gloves could start putting power into the ecto gun. He quickly starts to hyper focus as he tinkered with the homemade gun, his mind drifting off to play among stars that were just out of reach. 

Even with everyone talking around him it all faded to white noise, finally quiet enough he now focused his power to flow through the machinery as he twisted the screws into the right place. 

His very core sang with how peaceful it was as he finished making the home made ecto gun and set it down in his lap. 

Just as Danny turns it invisible to put it away, his chair is suddenly jerked as he’s dragged towards the now frightened guests, a group of men dressed in green and purple question marked suits threaten everyone into a corner as they start setting up strange equipment.  

Clutching his invisible weapon tightly in his lap one of the goons tries threatening him with a gun, but before Danny could react Vlad steps in front of Danny, letting out an instinctual growl to make them back off. 

The goon rolls his eyes before directing them to where he wants them to go, trying hard to not let his hands shake too badly as he thrust more people into the now overcrowded corner, keeping watchful eyes on Vlad who is seconds away from losing his temper and ripping someone's throat out.

Now most people in this situation would just listen to their captors, sit still, be quiet, all that jazz, especially with how many of the goons were now bringing in strange green canisters of gas that gave off the scent of pure fear.

Yet as Danny rams Vlad’s ankles with the wheels of his chair it's pretty clear he wasn’t like most scared civilians. For once he was siding with his godfather as he was very, very angry. Angry that they were targeting innocent people, angry that Vlad was treating him like he was helpless, angry that he had to show up to this stupid gala in the first place… He had noticed some of the other kids giving them the slip earlier, at least there’s that. 

Just as they bring in the last canister one of the goons trips and nearly brakes open the container, which got the already annoyed second incharge to yell at them. 

“For fucks sake! Be careful with those things, we don’t even know what they’ll do yet!”

The younger looking goon, who looks barely out of their teens, shrinks away as they whimper out an apology. He sets the items down as others around them either stare in frustration or sympathy. 

Yeah, no. 

 “Wow you people are pathetic.” 

The second in command turns at Danny’s outburst, taking a step forward and clenching his fists. “What the fuck did you just say?” Danny rolls his eyes before glaring at the goon “I said you’re pathetic, did you get that or do you need me to repeat myself again?”

The crowd looks on in half horror, half shock as the leader walks up to Danny, resting his hands on his arm rests and leaning down to stare at Danny threateningly. Danny leans back in his wheelchair and looks up at him with a bored expression, unphased. Vlad tries to shove his way to Danny, but is held back by several goons. Danny spares a quick glare at his godfather, he has everything under control.

“I may be a criminal, but even I don’t like kicking a kid when they’re already down.” The goon says, moving his eyes down to glance at Danny’s wheelchair and back up again, glaring into his eyes. “So I’m going to give you one last chance to take that back.”

Danny narrows his eyes at the goon as he clutchs the invisible ecto gun in his lap, it’s now or never. With near inhuman speed he quickly reaches for his bag and pretends to pull the weapon out, aiming it right at the goons temple. There’s audible gasps from the crowd as the goon stumbles away with wide eyes before gaining his footing and going right back to glaring.

“And I’m going to give you one last chance to reconsider what you’re doing with your life” Danny smirks at the goon, already reading up the lecture in his head.

“It’s 30 minutes past start time, what is taking you so-“ Danny’s smirk evolves into a full shit eating grin as the Riddler walks in to scold the goons, what perfect timing.

With the crowd distracted Danny uses his other hand to unlock his phone. With a few simple swipes, Danny has the gala on lockdown. With the main asshole inside.

Perfect.

_____________________________________________________________

Damian puts on his Robin suit with trained proficiency once they make it to the cave. Unfortunately he and Jon were the only ones able to leave on time, the rest of the family having been dragged away. Truly, this proved that he had good reason to not mingle with the crowd. It had nothing to do with the noise. Or the lights. Or the small talk.

Truly.

“Who do you think it is this time?” Jon asks, an excited smile on his face. But even while being carried, Damian could see the tension in his frame, the nervous tick in his brow. His friend was worried. “I mean, they have the question mark thing going on, but they also had the gas canisters which I don't think the Riddler does that? And the gas itself kinda smelled like lavender and hazelnuts like fear gas but it was also kinda minty? And not like candy cane minty but like straight mint leaf minty? I don’t know, I only know there’s a difference cus ma tried to make mint tea that one time cus she was super sleep deprived and she read online that mint tea could improve memory or something, that stuff reeked!” Another indication of Jon’s nervousness, rambling. By the time Jon had finished his rant, they had already made it to the gala.

Once he’s put down Damian dusts himself off and turns to Jon. “It is most likely a team up, then.” He pulls out his katanas and readys himself for the fight ahead. “Once you break down the door our job is to stall long enough for the others to get out. We don’t know what the gas can do, so keeping the containers safe is our top priority.” As much as it pains him to admit, just him and Jon won’t be enough to handle it themselves. There’s too many people, and they need some of the bats to disperse around Gotham in case the riddler has set up a larger plan.

Jon smiles at him and nods, hopping from foot to foot in excitement (which he doesn’t find adorable at all). “You ready?” Damian gives a sharp nod before Jon kicks in the door.

“-I mean COME ON, people would PAY you to have a chance at your game show! You could even do your whole “riddle me this!” Thing as it’s own segment! But noOOOOooo, you wanna risk the lives of countless civilians so you can get a fucking furry to answer your stupid riddles, most of which aren’t even original! And NOW you wanna partner up with a fear junky cus why?”

“I-“ a clearly startled Riddler tries to answer before being interrupted.

“Oh yeah, cus your BUDDY, your PAL scarecrow, thought it would be so FUNNY to release an UNTESTED gas in a gala for a fucking THRILL HIGH.”

But instead of a fight they walk into.. this.

 A wheelchair bound boy with black hair and blue eyes (who he’s sure his siblings would call “adoption bait”) holding a strange silver and green gun that looked straight out of one of Damian’s sci-fi mangas, at a confused and startled Riddler. It seems the crowd used this as an opportunity, as the rest of the goons were restrained near the walls by a mix of his family, Kent, and various gala attendees, while the middle of the room was occupied by the armed boy.

“Huh?” Jon let his arms rest at his sides as his head tilted to the side in confusion (it does NOT remind him of a confused puppy, absolutely not). However before Damian could say anything, it seems the boy has finally noticed them.

“Oh, you’re here. Took you long enough.” The boy finally puts the gun down and into a bag at his side. “Have fun.” He says in a bored tone as he turns and starts pushing himself in the direction of a man with silver hair, Vlad Masters, who met him in the middle only to start fussing over him, seemingly much to the boy’s annoyance.

Finally shaking off their shock both Damian and Jon rush to detain the Riddler until the police show up, yet Damian’s curiosity keeps bringing his eyes back to Master’s and his ward. outwardly, the concern seemed genuine, but with how the boy was reacting to just being touched by Master’s… made him think otherwise. 

Even Lex Luthor was side eyeing the man instead of resuming his chatter with father or Mr. Kent, meaning something was happening and Damain was determined to find it out one way or another. 

For now though, they have their hands full because of Riddler and Scarecrow.

Domain knew he should have stayed back with Ace. 

____________________________________________________________________________

End of chapter 1

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

Masterlist & Request Guidelines

I'm in a hardcore fanfic-writing fixation rn so please, please feel free to request anything. Masterlist and Request Guidelines below.

MASTERLIST

Olivia Benson (Law & Order: SVU)

N/A

Alex Cabot (Law & Order: SVU)

Alex Cabot x Reader Headcanons

After General Anesthesia

Alex Cabot x Casey Novak x Reader SFW Headcanons

Carol Danvers (Marvel)

N/A

Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

N/A

Casey Novak (Law & Order: SVU)

Clueless

Someone Will See

First Time (18+)

Sunday Mornings

She Likes You Anyway

Empty House (18+)

You're Safe Now

Home for the Holidays

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (18+)

I Need You To

Your Brother's Wedding

Casey Novak x Reader Headcanons

After General Anesthesia

Panic! At the DA's Office

Alex Cabot x Casey Novak x Reader SFW Headcanons

Maggie Pierce (Grey's Anatomy)

N/A

Emily Prentiss (Criminal Minds)

Coming Out

Let Me Keep You Safe (18+)

Emily Prentiss x Reader Headcanons

Shelter from the Storm

Don't Lie to Me

The Surprise (Part 1)

The Lentil & The Blueberry (The Surprise, Part 2) (18+)

The Kidney Bean & The Grape (The Surprise, Part 3)

The Kumquat (The Surprise, Part 4)

Natasha Romanoff (Marvel)

N/A

Amelia Shepherd (Grey's Anatomy)

Sick Call

Aces

Tea for Two

Strap Up (18+)

Postpartum (18+)

Callie Torres (Grey's Anatomy)

N/A

Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy)

N/A

REQUEST GUIDELINES

If you have requests for characters outside of the above, please feel free to send them on anyway! The above are just characters I've written for before. If I'm familiar with the character/source material and the request meets my parameters, I'll be happy to give it a shot!

PARAMETERS:

I only write x reader. I don't really enjoy writing about already-existing relationships or character ships.

I only write for people with v*lvas. I absolutely welcome non-binary/gender non-conforming characters/readers. Just be aware that, where smut is concerned, I only feel confident writing about humans with v*ginas.

I don't feel comfortable writing dark!characters or smut that's degrading. Kinks and other smut-related requests I take on a case-by-case basis. But I absolutely will not write anything that even gets close to the line of non-consensual. No shade to you if the above are things you enjoy reading/writing, they're just personally not for me.

Autistic readers are so welcome! I love reading and writing x autistic!reader fics!

I do feel comfortable writing about the aftermath of trauma (sexual or otherwise), most mental illnesses, etc. I enjoy a good hurt/comfort fic and, as someone who's dealt with both of the above, I know it can be very comforting to read something that makes you feel like you're cared for and safe.

Send those requests on, bbs!

[deanwax]

yes hello

Gina is my name, and Dean Wax is my pseudonym. I have had my pseudonym for long enough that I am comfortable being addressed by it. I use any pronouns, and I'm in the left bit of Australia.

What do you do?

Original queer fiction under the tag #deanwaxwrites

Poetry

Acrylic painting

MS Paint and ink drawings

I am also passionate about watching the performing arts, video games, cooking, and organising my pantry. And eye motifs.

Writing about?

Queer relationships and gender issues

Analysing and/or subverting power dynamics

Horror and trauma

Death and the afterlife (freestyle)

Comedy!

High and low fantasy

Where is your writing?

Behold, my master list.

Why do you write so much M slash?

I did not have a conscious understanding of my own autism for the majority of my life, so I misinterpreted my aversion to heteronormative sexuality and gender as potentially being trans, then explored that through writing (I elaborate here). It turns out I just don't care that much about my own gender or having sex. By the time I came to this realisation, using male characters had just become a comfortable medium. Overall, I don't think it changes that much, as I once gender-swapped a previously completed work to make it F slash with little impact on the overall story (though I concede that Roksana is more interesting than Rasputin).

What do you think of any concept where people are allowed to exist and be treated with fairness?

Yes, good.

What are some important beliefs you hold?

Art makes life worth living.

Immaculate consumption of media does not exist.

Ideological purity culture is a waste of time.

I don't give a damn about conventional publishing.

Asks? Tag games?

Yes but long chain posts spook me. Sometimes I can't play - it's OK to tag me again another time if I don't respond to a tag.

Can I ask you to proofread/beta read/con-crit my work?

This is an important boundary! No, you can't. I don't accept inbound requests for this labour. If you see me helping someone out, that person didn't ask me directly, I just saw a public post and felt like responding.

[wordwings]

Changelings: An Autistic Trans Anthology is coming out on the 2nd of November 2023!

I'm so proud to have a story included in this amazing indie anthology, and to be getting published for the first time.

Pre-order from Amazon UK here.

Alternatively, look it up on your country's version of Amazon (or bol.com in the Netherlands) or even better, see if you can order it from your local indie bookseller!

If your local bookstore doesn't have it, you might be able to request it through an order form, e-mail, or asking in person.

Book description:

Nothing about us without us!

A young adult anthology of stories about trans autistic characters by trans autistic authors. These last few years have been difficult for the transgender community. This has included frequent attacks on autistic trans people, claiming we can’t possibly understand who we are or what we want. This book focuses on autistic trans people telling our own stories. It aims to explore autistic trans joy and challenges and to show all the autistic trans people out there that they are not alone.

A young shepherd gets a glimpse of what could have been, but all is not as it seems.

A babysitter is tasked to take care of an unusual child, and discovers who they are in the process.

In a dystopian future, a teenager discovers a supposedly extinct animal on a beach.

Featuring stories from 13 authors including a story from New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White.

Add Changelings on The Storygraph.

[bishophazel]

I Won Y'all!

It's been a heckin' year, everyone...I don't post personal stuff here much anymore, but my short memoir about the CZU Lightning Complex Fire won the Stories That Need to be Told 2023 Grand Prize!

I'm rolling with the pen name Arlo Z Graves in honor of both my late grandpa and my goofy restaurant name from 2019.

After a bonkers year featuring a literal cancer scare among other things, I've actually picked up a few writing awards and kudos and am feeling deeply blessed and grateful for them.

I'm trying to grow my Instagram (gross, I know), so please give me a follow if you're up for it at (at)arlozgraves.

[twisted-tales-told]

Shout out to autistic writers who on a good day can write like 30 pages but then get burnt out in life & go like a week without writing because you need to recharge.

It's okay, you're valid, creativity does not exist on the same plane as time & your neurodivergence probably doesn't either.

I mentioned to my mom that I felt like I waisted so much time hyperfixating on a literally useless research project when I could have been writing or getting shit I really need to get done, and she asked me if it was enjoyable. I said yes, despite the fact the whole time I was anxious about not doing other things, it was fun.

Then she hit me with this: "wasting your time isn't the same as something being a waste of time. Some of our most beautiful moments take place when we think we're "wasting time" but how often has that led to something brilliant?"

And I was called out.

[neurodivergent-studyblr]

Hey, I don't normally do promotions like this, but a friend of mine, who is also autistic, recently received a grant to fund the process of compiling a poetry anthology that centers around life through a specifically autistic perspective. She's still looking for writers to contribute, and there's no cost to be featured in it.

Her project has an official tumblr, @eternally-golden-anthology. It would be great if some people could spread the word a bit. Especially if you're an autistic writer, if it seems like something you might be interested in, I'd definitely recommend checking it out!

That's all, hope everyone's having a good day!

[yukiwhitetm]

Goodbye

by Yuki_White (@yukiwhitetm @sentariana)

It’s raining, it’s pouring,

The clouds are grey.

The church is shrouded in flowers

And I’m wearing black today.

The priest starts to speak

And the music to play

As your casket is brought

Down the aisleway.

A choked up sob,

A grief-stricken cry,

Tears trail down my face

And my hand covers my eyes.

The sun shines through

Stained glass windows and

fills this holy place with light

right up to where I stand.

You are here and your hand

Is in my hair and in mine,

Holy Spirit, yellow as tulips and peonies,

You fill my soul up like a shrine.

A rainbow is painted across the sky

As we walk down the path whereby

Your floral and wicker casket lays

And I ask you, “Is this goodbye?”

“No,” you reply, “I’ll walk with you

And when you look back and see

Only one pair of footsteps, the one

Who’s carrying you is me.”

“Like God?” I say softly.

“Like God,” you swear to me

And then you are gone.

But now I see.

You’ll never really be gone.

As a group of six men

Lower you down into your grave

I’m reassured. I will see you again.

In memory of Helga Wright, 23.07.1931 to 16.12.2022.

[straightfromthetorturedpoetsdept]

pro-tip for autistic writers: when they say you should open your book up with an "action scene," they do not literally mean "an action movie scene." they mean AN ACTION* scene

*i.e. "hey, heads up!" a male voice called out before a hard object hit the side of my head and the grass rushed up to meet me.

PLEASE YOU DO NOT NEED TO START OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT TO GRAB READERS ATTENTION!!!

[kaedynce-is-a-writer]

One of these days I'm gonna do a timeline of queer identities the MC in my main WIP has used over the past 35 years and no one can stop me because I am queer and I am the writer of the universe my WIP is in

[eternally-golden-anthology]

What is this project?

Eternally Golden, Eternally Bright will be a collection of poetry and essays by autistic authors, centered around life through a lens of neurodiversity.

Why this title?

The title is a reference to the golden infinity symbol of the autistic community, as well as the rainbow infinity symbol of the neurodivergent community.

How does the submission process work?

To submit your writing, email us at eternallygolden@yahoo.com. In the email, please include the following:

a. the name you wish to be credited under,

b. any social media accounts you wish to be credited under. Please do not include more than three.

and, c. the work you wish to submit. For essays, the work must be under 2,500 words. For poetry, the work must be under 350 words. These restrictions may be altered in the future, as we gain a better sense of the specifics of the project, but those are the word limits for now.

When do submissions open?

We are aiming towards opening submissions by November 1st, 2022. Please do not send us any work prior to this date. If we decide to open submissions earlier or later than this date, we will make a post detailing the updated date.

How is this project being funded?

We have received a $500 grant for the purpose of covering any expenses associated with this project, and are budgeting accordingly. If the grant money is unable to cover all expenses, we may utilize a crowdfunding website, but we are planning on the grant being our main source of funding.

How will the finished anthology be published?

The current plan is to publish on a self-publishing platform as an e-book.

Other questions?

Our asks are open! Feel free to ask any questions you may have regarding the project, the submissions process, or anything else that wasn't mentioned here.

Please bear in mind that this is very much a work in progress, as well as our first major project of this type. We aim to be as transparent as possible regarding this fact. That being said, we are thrilled to be beginning work on this anthology, and we look forward to receiving submissions!

[aph-mable]

My Uncle is a Nut.

by

Aph-mable

@thegatorsgoose

 Chapter 2

Lex stares down at his computer screen as he looks over the latest news about DALV Co.

Afterall, it's not that often that one of the guests at a Gala takes it upon themselves to save the day before any heroes show up.

Luthor was now interested in the very same young man that achieved this. Daniel Fenton, Vlad's Godson and the second youngest Co CEO next to Tim Drake-Wayne.

Even with a basic internet search on the boy there was plenty of information to find, both about his family and what connections they had.

Daniel's parents; Madeline and Jack Fenton. Doctors in both biology and engineering, working with the government, as well as the most well known pioneers in Ecto science, a very unique study.

They own a weapons workshop together and quite frankly put some of Gothams own mad scientists to shame with their inventions.

There is only one other child besides Daniel, who is quite a bright young lady named Jasmine Fenton, who’s currently working towards getting her degree in psychology.

Meanwhile Daniel Fenton has his own achievements that were not to be ignored. 

He was on the fast track to becoming an astronaut in his early teens, only to have that dream crushed after an accident that left him wheelchair bound and his grades to temporarily suffer, yet he continued to push forward.

There was news articles about how Daniel risked his life to save an endangered species of gorilla, he had been seen at many protests fighting for the rights of metas and the meta adjacent, and with him now as Co CEO of DALV co he was incharge over and currently the main inventor of the technology being made and sold. 

That last part is what caught Lex’s attention the most, especially since he was now a business partner with Vlad Master’s (much to his distaste), yet the man made very high quality technology that has proven him an asset for now.

So to find out it was the man’s Godson who was the one making the inventions provided something he desperately desired, a different person to make a deal with. 

Because in all honesty, Vlad Masters, both as a business partner and a villain in arms, was just horrible to deal with.

Vlad at the best of the times was attention seeking or grumbling about not getting his way, maybe bragging about his achievements as mayor. But at his worst? 

Luthar has seen that pompous dragon get very, very petty. somehow stealing others wealth, companies, even passion projects, just because he wanted to. And somehow, he always got away with it.

Yet at the last gala Lex got a glimpse into how much worse Masters could be. The entire night the man had been strangely territorial over his charge, much to the boy’s annoyance. Lex could have sworn he’d seen Vlad’s eyes go red when he was being held back from reaching his godson later into the night. His protectiveness was not like that of a parent’s, but rather a beast whose treasure was being messed with.

That in itself is worrisome, especially since it will affect Lex’s plans to become business partners with Daniel instead of his godfather. Add in the fact that Vlad is obviously a controlling narcissist… well, lex has always enjoyed a good challenge now and then. For now, all he has to do is schedule a meeting with the young Co CEO at a time Masters will be busy, and go from there.

Reaching for his phone Luthor dialed his secretary’s number as he smugly leaned back in his chair.

“Eve, can you get me Vlad Master’s schedule? I Have a meeting in mind.” 

__________________________________________________________________________

Danny was busy tinkering away at his work desk, music playing from a small speaker as he hyper focused on his latest invention. 

It was supposed to be an updated version of the phantom thermos, making it not just easier to capture ghosts, but allowing it much more space and durability as well as the ability to catch more than just ghosts.

He had long since retired the fenton thermos back to being a normal thermos for holding liquid, and maybe an emergency projectile if needed. He wanted a much more successful capture device and is slowly trying to move away from using Fenton works weapons all together.

By now all of team phantom made their own weapons and devices, both being much more ecto friendly as well as complementing their fighting style.

Danny still mostly used his powers and hand to hand combat to take down ghosts, but it’s still useful to have gadgets just in case he couldn't use his abilities.

Danny's mind starts to race with new ideas and possible upgrades to various inventions, including some exciting upgrades to his chair when a notification caught his eye, someone had entered the lab.

With a groan he puts his thermos away and dramatically flops further back into his chair just as whoever was planning to bother him approached….

Only to see a bald man in a suit raise an eyebrow as he kept a respectable distance.

Danny pulls his goggles up as he scans the man, he could have sworn he’d seen him before… oh right, the Gala Vlad dragged him to.

Turning his chair, Danny crosses his arms as he got a better view of the man, now remembering his name; Lex Luthor, one of Vlad’s newest business partners that was supposed to hash out plans with his Godfather. 

Mr. Luthor relaxed as Danny gave him his full attention, he even gave out a small chuckle under his breath as he read the boy's shirt that said ‘I’m not a mourning person’.

Not so subtly he switched his chuckle to a fake clearing of his throat as he offered out his hand.   

“You must be Daniel Fenton, I have to say you definitely made a name for yourself, especially after the previous Gala.” he kept a smug smile that he tried to hide as a genuine one. 

Danny took the guy's hand and shook it firmly as he was trying to figure out what, exactly, he wanted. 

“Yup that's me, though I prefer to be called Danny. Soo, who are you and what are you doing in my lab?”

“Straight to the point, I like it.” Mr. Luthor glanced over at Dann’s work bench before taking a much more relaxed slouched, “My name is Lex Luthor, and I’m here to offer a business partnership with you.” 

This made Danny freeze up in surprise, because who the hell is crazy enough to make a business deal with a teenager? Lex Luthor, Apparently! 

His face scrunched a bit as he leaned back in his chair, not fully believing that's what the man wanted, or at the very least it’s not as cut and dry as he’s making it sound. There has to be a catch here. 

“Why? Aren't you already Vlad’s business partner? You're already working with us.” 

Luthor nods as he walks around and explains his reasoning, “It’s true that i'm a partner of DALV co, but the details have yet to be fully hashed out, meaning I’m not quite a business partner with Mr. Master’s himself yet. And I’ll be honest here with you, I really don’t want to deal with him.” 

Once more Danny was surprised, yet he started to relax when he heard Lex wasn’t as friendly with Vlad as he first thought. 

“Really? That must be why he was trying suck up to you all night at the gala, I just assumed that was Vlad trying to flirt.” 

Danny couldn’t help but burst out laughing as he saw Lex’s face scrunch up in disgust after hearing that.

“Noted, and I really hope it’s not the case. I’m already thinking less of him as is, only to have that bar lowered to a tripwire is the reason why I’d rather not deal with him.  Hence why I wanted to come in and make a deal with you instead, since you're less of a.. What's the proper word here?”

“Narcissistic parasite?”

Lex snapped his fingers and grinned, “yes that! At the very least it’s obvious who here actually runs the show when it comes to the technological department. So what do you say, ready to make your first legit big deal in the business world?” once more he offers out a hand.

Danny rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow and staring at the looming man. 

“Flattery will get you into many places, but I want to make a few things very clear; I don’t take deals unless I have control over the conditions. I’m not dumb enough to just say yes to someone who managed to get into my lab without Vlad trailing behind. So my rules or nothing.” 

“Very well, tell me your conditions, I’ll get my lawyer to write up a contract once we both agree.” Luthor mimics Danny’s cross-armed possession as the teen brainstormed.

Danny looked down at his lap in thought as his fingers tapped on his arm rests before he quickly shot back his answer. 

"If we are working together I want lab safety to be a top priority, meaning if I'm calling out something as unsafe you take it seriously. Next is schedules and restrictions.

 I'm still in online school and want to hang out with my friends and family, so no last minute meetings unless I can join in online or barring guests from seeing me, obviously you can look into them to be sure they aren't a security risk but beyond that they are welcomed. 

Lastly, as long as it's not in the lab I can eat whenever and wherever I want, I'm of course putting it on Vlad's tab if it's anything expensive.

Sound like a fair deal?" 

Lex humed for a moment as he tapped his chin before agreeing with a small nod.

"I'll agree to those terms if you agree to mine.

I'll go along with the lab safety protocol as long as you don't question what purpose we are collaborating on, well as long as it doesn't violate the rule of course.

Second is we have to work together at my labs in Matroplas, and I'm okay with meeting online if there is a time crunch or it's trivial, guests will need to be checked by security to be sure they aren't smuggling anything in or out.

Lastly for the budget, whenever we are collaborating it's a 50/50 split unless we agree on otherwise.

So what do you say, we got a deal?"

Lex holds out his hand for Danny to shake, which he does with no hesitation.

"Deal."

"Excellent! Now, how about we get some lunch while we work out travel plans" Luther claps his hands as he leads the way.

"Sure, as long as it's on yours or Vlad's dime I don't care." Danny follows after, placing the security protocol on as they leave.

As they ride the elevator down Danny thinks, Lex may be a nutty billionaire, but he’s not as bad as the fruitloop…

He’s a cheerio.

_______________________________

End of chapter 2 for now.

[brandyschillace]

I grew up as the weird (autistic) goth kid who spent a lot of time in graveyards. I didn’t have friends. So I invented them. That’s why I’m an author, I think. I crafted worlds full of wondrous diversity, quirky characters, peculiar souls. I knitted them into families. I often felt at home when I read; the work of Neil Gaiman, of Terry Pratchett, of Ursula Le Guin, of Terry Brooks… My fiction is meant to be participatory too. When you read it, you should feel like you came home and friends were waiting to greet you.

Maybe in a really cool graveyard—like this one at Scone Castle.

[mynameiselicomics]

Oil.