#aspi

Happy Pride Month! This year, I’m celebrating by recommending books with LGBTQ+ main characters. The first three weeks each highlight a different intersectional subcategory, and the fourth week will be for general recommendations.

This week, I’ll showcase books featuring neurodivergent queer main characters. Like my other recommendations this month, these are all books I’ve read and enjoyed that feature happy endings. Feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments and reblogs!

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske Through a bureaucratic error, the completely unmagical Robin Blyth is assigned to the role of liaison between the magical and nonmagical spheres of British government. On his first day, he is ambushed and cursed by a group of masked men connected to whatever shady business his missing predecessor got involved in. His new colleagues aren’t exactly eager to help him (or brimming with magic themselves) but they must work together to solve a mystery that threatens the entire magical society of Britain. I am still absolutely head-over-heels in love with this story and it might be my all-time favorite book ever. It’s got decent worldbuilding, a cleverly crafted mystery, excellent banter, awesome female characters (even if I’m still annoyed about the ones who get killed off), and a slow-burn romance built on how the characters interact with each other rather than simple physical attraction (although there is that, too, and extremely well-written smut). It’s also got one of the most compassionate and authentic portrayals of neurodivergent-coded representation, and one of my favorite Aspi/ADHD pairs in fiction (a lot like Payneland from Dead Boy Detectives). Best of all, it’s the first in the Last Binding trilogy, and the books get progressively better—but this one remains my favorite.

Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer Steph and her mom have been running from her abusive father forever. Steph’s only friends are on the online site CatNet, which is run by an AI (as in an actual digital person, not one of those pretender chatbots) who likes cat pictures. When a school prank leads someone dangerous to Steph’s location and when CheshireCat’s creator threatens to take them offline, all of the friends need to work together to help each other. This one keeps tying for first place in all-time favorite book ever. I love the mystery, banter, awesome female characters, chase scenes, slow-burn romance with a foundation in friendship, chosen family, and positive neurodivergent and queer representation. I like how there are human nonbinary, neurodivergent, and asexual characters in this story, not just the AI. I like how the two main female antagonists are written as flawed people in difficult situations, not just one-dimensional villains. And the main villain is truly terrifying, possibly the scariest villain in a Young Adult book ever, no superpowers required. This book ends with a bit of a twist teasing the sequel, so be sure to check out Chaos on CatNet afterward.

The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood & Boyfriends by Jamie D’Amato College student Brennan is still recovering from his recent suicide attempt and the last thing he needs or expects is getting turned into a vampire. Now he has to navigate all this on top of coursework, mental health issues, and his crush on the cute guy at the library. But there are people he can lean on now, both humans and vampires, and he’s going to need their help to investigate the recent attacks around campus that threaten the fragile peace. Sometimes I read a book and within the first few pages I just know it’s going to be one I love. And I was right. Yes, it’s a lot heavier than most—most of the characters are navigating some kind of trauma and/or family issues and several struggle with suicidal thoughts. All of the characters are flawed and many hurt each other without meaning to, but also people care and try to mend relationships where they can. It’s very messy, and beautiful. There is a romance, and things don’t always go well, but they do talk to each other and try sort through all the hurt and insecurity and trust issues. The ending offers some surprises, but not typical clever plot twists—it’s more like the story is subverting how we expect stories to go by making everyone feel like a fleshed-out character that we care about, including the antagonists. I really loved this book.

Steam by Shannon Garrity Ruby escaped from the lab that created her and is fulfilling her purpose by playing matchmaker at a coffee shop. She just wants to make people happy! Unfortunately, not all of her plans work out as intended, and the lab is intent on bringing her back. I don’t normally read graphic novels, but I couldn’t resist this one. Loved it. Ruby reminds me so much of Niko from Dead Boy Detectives, and while I definitely don’t agree with most of her decisions, I still find her extremely relatable. It’s a coffee shop romance, but it’s also a mystery, and it’s also about learning to trust your friends and figuring out what it means to be a person. Plus, I really enjoyed how the community collaborated at the end to mastermind a nonviolent solution—we need more of that in stories! Very fun and highly recommended.

Daniel Deconstructed by James Ramos Daniel is an Autistic high school student and filmmaker playing matchmaker between his best friend and a new kid at school. Only things don’t quite turn out the way he expects, and he has some things to learn about both his classmates and himself in the process. I feel a little bad that this is the only book on my list with an explicitly Autistic, Aspi, or ADHD protagonist instead of a heavily implied one. I didn’t fall head-over-heels in love with it, but it’s very good. We get nonbinary and asexual representation as well as Autistic representation and fandom representation—I know, that’s not a category most people recognize, but how often do fans see ourselves in stories; not enough! Sure, it’s LARP and RPGs, which aren’t my spheres, but I still appreciate seeing them on the page. Plus, it’s set in Minnesota! Do you know how many books, movies, or shows are set in Minnesota? Not enough! Yeah, I enjoyed this one.

I should note that the Aiden Thomas novels mentioned before also belong on this list (you cannot convince me those characters are neurotypical and I love them for it).

kay!! you’re too kind, thank you so much for all the love 😭💜

here’s a little aspi rewrite/rework snippet for you, one i have been thinking about for literal years:

Sylvie watches them carefully. “You knew that song.”

Nova shakes their head adamantly, lower lip sucked between their teeth. The accusation is crazy - the least feasible explanation for the lump in their throat, they’re sure. The look the variant gives them makes them want to be swallowed by the couch, to disappear out of the carriage and get as far away as possible. They want Mobius, now more than ever. It takes a moment for their voice to claw itself free and they croak, “Shut up.”

-Solo cuando hay gente-

So it starts at a music competition (performers come out in alphabetical order of they're last name)

two parents are taking (they don't know each other) they're jus talking shite and one of them brings up that one of their children has autism.

the person preforming on stage finishes the song and that introduced the next preformer and the parent says that's my son

He comes on stage looks all nervous and is real awkward he sits down at a piano and fidgets around to get comfy then inaudibly mumbles they're name and what song they're gonna play he plays some classicl piece and plays it perfectly

cut back to the parents

Parent 1: oh my you sons so talented (scrunches up they're face) dispit all his set backs

Parent 2: one I'll assume you don't know enough to realize how bad you worded that and two my son doesn't have autism my daughter dose and she's on next

Cut back to the stage

Boom she steps out hair in a messy bun makeup real thick and dark brandishing a real beat up guitar covered in anarchist stickers. She stomps her doc Martin on the stage for a drumbeat and starts play folkpunk

Cut back to the parent

They're son's now sitting beside them now they're sister's song almost done

They're just talking about how they did great and they're glad the son listend to they're sister and...

Crash she kicked the Mic down continues to play the guitar as she jumps off the stage and walks out through the main entrance for the audience she finished her song but dosent care about the competition as she had a deal with her brother that if she entered he would too (he's shy)

Play the title of the movie

So I am autistic and I fuckin can't stand the

the autistic plays classical music trope

Autistic people: then why do you call yourselves “autistic moms”

Autistic moms: ....... don’t worry about it ....

we all love recommending things to friends right? Movies, shows, Music etc...

The issues with Autism if we tend to have -Special Interests- and things that we might somewhat on and off kind of be interested in. 

If we’re in a special interest mood, which can last a few minutes or until the special interest changes. Don’t be offended or disheartened if we don’t share your enthusiasm for whatever this thing is. I know you really want us to get into it. But we might not have room on our plates right now.

When I’m having a special interest in something, no matter how long it lasts. Everything else is kind of... secondary. I can be into it for a little while, but then will always go back to my special interest.