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kaylinalexanderbooks · 3 months

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Find the Word tag

Thanks @jezifster for the tag! These are piling up I'm going through them!

My words: chill, lift, wreck, final

Your words: disappoint, raise, bland, flexible

Tagging @theeccentricraven @thepeculiarbird @awritingcaitlin @sleepywriter00 @mikathewriter @little-peril-stories @space-writes @unrepentantcheeseaddict @ohnomybreadsticks @blind-the-winds @andyswritings or anyone else who'd like to play!

Keep reading for:

Training session with dragon

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jumped....

Don't let this guy fool you he's an asshole

Robbie's infamous fight with Jason

Chill - from The Secret Portal Part One (Akash POV)

Custos roared and his fire broke through the pitch darkness, illuminating Tyler. He pitched the light toward Custos as Kelsey slammed into him. Tyler stumbled but held his stance, pushing against Kelsey as he tried to keep Custos in the light. “Medina! Go!” I could scarcely make out Noelle’s outline in the dim light, but the chill I felt down my spine as her silhouette moved was strong. I heard a surprised shout. “Gills! What happened?” “My rock stopped! I slipped off the ledge, but I’m okay.” My grip on the stick tightened. Tyler struggled to keep Kelsey from knocking him over. I looked at Custos. Gills told me I was defense. He’d understand. The real problem was Noelle. She grabbed Gills’ rock in pitch darkness. She could get me. I pulled harder on the stick. Noelle’s pull tightened, too. Smirking to myself, I let the stick go and flew upward—cutting through the air. Noelle grunted as the stick hit her with her own force. Once high enough, I shot toward the dragon, hoping to keep the momentum to pass through the dampening field and get the sphere. I knew it as soon as I passed. I lost my grip on the air and began to fall, but I latched onto the collar before doing so. Custos didn’t like that and tried to paw me off, but I managed to unclasp the sphere. “Haha!—oomph!” I celebrated until Custos did knock me off.

Lift - from School of the Legends Year One

Jill seemed mildly confused, but she shrugged, and the three of them began to sneak back to the edge of the mantle. Jack fell a bit behind, struggling to carry the harp. The logical side of him told him to just leave the harp, but his gut told him otherwise. He couldn’t explain it, but he needed to take this harp. Ahead, Jill and Beau had already reached the end of the mantle. Jack gestured for them to go on, but too late he realized that was a mistake, as the harp began to slip from his fingers. He moved quickly, gaining a firm grip on the harp before it hit the mantle, but as he did so, one of his fingers brushed against the harp’s strings. Jack froze as both giants turned toward the sound. Instantly, the male was up and crossing the room. Jack bolted toward the end of the mantle, suddenly finding an adrenaline-fueled strength to lift the harp. “Go!” he shouted at Jill and Beau. “I’ll catch up!” They both hesitated, but they soon disappeared from Jack’s view. Jack continued to run, but was soon stopped by the crashing of a gigantic fist crashing onto the mantle in front of him, the force of which sent Jack off his feet, and crashing on his back. The giant loomed over Jack, eyes that were larger than Jack blazing in fury. “Who do you think you are?” he asked in a mountain-shattering voice--in English, Jack was barely able to process. “Breaking into my home and stealing my things?” “It’s not like you’re gonna do anything with them!” Jack shouted--though his voice came out a lot weaker than he expected. “I’m keeping them safe until they are needed!” The giant raised his fist--probably planning to smash Jack--but Jack took the opportunity to bolt toward the end of the mantle. The giant’s size was now a hindrance--too slow, and his fist crashed into the mantle, cracking it, just next to where Jack was. But the crack bent the mantle, and Jack now found himself on a sloped surface--slight enough to where he could still run, but steep enough for him to lose balance and almost fall to his feet. He peered over the side. Jill and Beau were now on the ground, pressed against the wall. They’d left the plants for Jack, though with the force of the crack, the stalk connecting the mantle with the side table had snapped. Jack was now at the edge of the mantle, looking down at the long fall to the table. He whipped his head back to the giant, who was now recoiling from breaking his mantle. He looked back at his options. He could stay here and get crushed, or he could jump. Then his eyes drifted past the table and to the recliner--the back of it. It was a soft surface. It wasn't too much farther. Though directly in the path of the jump he would have to make was the candlestick, the flame on the wick now threateningly large and sparking. A quick glance back was enough to tell Jack that he had no option. As soon as the giant slammed his hand down beside Jack, he jumped, hoping the force from the giant’s slam was enough to propel him over the candlestick.

Wreck - from The Secret Portal Part Three (OLD DRAFT because this word doesn't appear in any current drafts....this was back when telepathy and empathy were separate oh my God whyyyyyyy)

Doctor David Pinchên took a seat on his sofa, reclining into its soft cushions, his coffee warming his hands. Just three days ago, he had published his textbook on Telepathic Theory. It had taken him years of research, but finally, his work was complete. He hoped that the school curriculum would soon offer Telepathic Theory as a course. It was fascinating to think about, and he himself hoped that one day more and more of the youth would be as swept away as he was. He, of course, was not a telepath. He was, however, a Level-1 empath. The two were often confused, and he took umbrage at the ignorance of others when he had spent nearly the entirety of his life being asked, “What am I thinking?!” Though, being an empath, he did understand that not everyone was familiar with the Levels and Classes and abilities of their race. The database was long and complicated, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the one who put it together a millenia ago didn’t have it memorized by the time he or she died, even though when the database was first published, most of the subpowers, and even full umbrella powers, didn’t even exist yet. In fact, it hadn’t been too terribly long since a fourth Class of powers had been discovered, with the arrival of chronokinesis, energy conversion, and dimensiokinesis. With empaths being closely related to telepaths, David found himself sympathizing rather seamlessly with the psychics. Even as a Level-1, he still experienced the common headaches and emotional breakdowns that had formed into a sad-but-true stereotype for empaths to be unstable. He had been what some would call “a wreck” as a boy, and it didn’t help that he skipped two grades of elementary school, so being a physically smaller emotional mess did nothing to stop nasty kids taking advantage of him once his powers kicked in. Though he usually used his abilities to discover if anything else was bothering the bullies, which there usually was, and reported his findings to the school’s counselor, also an empath, all of which were, and usually that kid’s issue was resolved, which led to that kid being nice to him in gratitude. David didn’t want to brag about this accomplishment. He was just using his powers for a good reason. Because of these actions, he’d had mixed reception from adults. Some wished him to continue to use his powers and become a counselor or therapist, while others pushed him to appeal to his science side. He had no interest in therapy, as he had been simply stating his findings to someone much more qualified. So he did go toward the direction of a more theoretical science, which those adults that pushed him to pursue a more scientific path were convinced was “a waste of a great mind.” Oh, how he hoped he could see them once Telepathic Theory became a college major.

Final - from The Secret Portal Part One (Robbie POV)

I stopped in my tracks and turned to my right. Jason Sturges stood down the hall, clicking his stupid sticks against the lockers. A rush of fury overtook me as I remembered this morning. I didn’t know what I was doing until I was right beside Jason, punching him in the face. Jason stood up straighter, rubbing his jaw, his steely blue eyes locked on me with a look that could kill. Still, I didn’t regret the action. Yeah, I shouldn’t have done it, but who gave a shit? I may not have been a hero, but justice was justice. “Alright, heartthrob.” Jason tucked his drumsticks into the back pocket of his jeans. “This is how you want to play?” My right hand was on fire from the punch. Jason cracked his knuckles. I wanted to run, catch up with Akash, but I stood my ground. Jason took a swing at me; I threw up my hands to block my face—actually, my glasses—and Jason’s fist collided with my arm with enough force to cause me to stagger backward. Before I could regain my balance, Jason charged at me, and with full force, slammed me against the nearest locker. The impact caused my entire nervous system to light up, and though it hurt, I felt powerful. The force filled me with new-found energy. The lights flickered, warmth flooded through my body. Jason stepped back, though kept me in place. A scarlet light began to glow from somewhere. Jason looked at the light, then the ceiling. Then me. “What the….” I gave Jason a final push to get off of me, but what I meant to be a good shove sent Jason through the air and crashing into the lockers on the other side of the hall, then falling to the ground. The scarlet light dimmed until it disappeared. The lights stopped flickering. “Stay away from him,” I growled.

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 10 months

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A federal court judge has ruled that parents in Ohio don’t have the right to challenge a trans-inclusive school bathroom policy.

A case brought by parents and students in the Bethel Local School District (BLSD) in November sought to prohibit trans and non-binary students in the region from using toilets and other facilities consistent with their gender identity.

But, in a ruling issued on Monday (7 August), Judge Michael Newman decreed that the accusations brought by the group did not “pass legal muster” to warrant further consideration.

“Not every contentious debate concerning matters of public importance presents a cognisable federal lawsuit,” Newman wrote in his ruling opinion.

During a school board meeting in January 2022, BLSD announced it had implemented policies allowing transgender students to use communal toilets consistent with their gender identity.

Several months later, a group of parents filed a legal challenge, arguing that their parental rights were being infringed upon by not having a public meeting to discuss the matter.

They further argued that a previous policy, which had no protections for trans students, did not violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which states that no person in the US shall exclude or discriminate against students on the basis of sex.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio argued that the plaintiffs lacked standing for the Title IX claim and that citing parental rights did not immediately require the school to adhere to the group’s demands.

Dismissing the case, Newman wrote that parents do not have a “constitutional right” to revoke school policies on toilet usage.

ACLU Ohio deputy legal director, David Carey, said the ruling reaffirmed that the Constitution is not a vehicle to “compel discrimination.”

He explained: “Nothing in the constitutional guarantees of parenting rights, equal protection or free exercise of religion, mandates that transgender students be excluded from gender-appropriate communal restrooms on the basis of their classmates’ beliefs and values.”

“For public schools to function, one student’s or family’s religious beliefs cannot provide a basis to exclude another student from full participation in the school environment.”

In its legal intervention arguments, the ACLU wrote that it believed the public has a “strong interest” in advancing policies that affirmatively protect transgender students and create inclusive school environments.

The LGBTQ & HIV Project staff attorney at the ACLU, Malita Picasso, said the court’s decision made it “resoundingly clear” that the rights of trans students are “not in conflict” with the rights of their peers.

“No student should have to fear discriminatory treatment every morning they walk into school, and this ruling brings us closer to the day no transgender student has to,” she added.

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