Ambrosia's Whispers

My writings, thoughts, and such. I write mostly fics for the moment: Kastle & FDTD - multi-ship in that fandom. I'm nice feel free to say hi, ask me things, or buy me coffee? http://ko-fi.com/tashanaambrosia

[dduane]

KOSA again, with a different name… and they’re trying to sneak it past you before July 4th. CALL YOUR REPS!

The KIDS Act Would Require Age Checks To Get Online

Buried inside the KIDS Act are provisions that will push online services to verify all users’ ages, require government-directed moderation p

Like the man said…the shadow takes another form and ruses again. Time to make some calls and let them know we’re watching.

[probablyasocialecologist]

[angelbabymikaa]

don’t let anyone convince you that caring about the earth, the environment, and wildlife isn’t cool. it is so cool to care. it is so important to care.

[depsidase]

credit: angyfrog_

[tropka]

when my OTPs parallel 🥹 if only kastle has the same ending

[lamignonette]

[moonychka]

In the name of the moon I will punish you 😎

[wiseguynephile]

#the increasing militarization of the moon kingdom has interplanetary relations experts ‘deeply concerned’

[josilverdragon]

"The horrors persist but so do libraries, books, iced coffee, sunsets, trees, the word 'fuck', the moon and the sea."

[sweettaleswithspice]

Books in the Barn - Information

Books in the Barn on Apr 11, 12:00 at Washtenaw Fairgrounds - Information and tickets on Sweet Tales With Spice

I'm getting over the cold from hell. My nails need done! Please Thursday I'm ready!

Preparation are completing. Last bits are arriving in mail. Volunteers are prepped. Authors and Vendors announced. Map submitted for review.

Ya girl is exhausted, but so fucking proud of herself. However successful...whatever that means... this event is: I did it. I did it for the right reasons and ten toes down.

I can't wait to see you all Saturday, 4/11/26 💐

Tell your friends. Come celebrate books, authors, and vendors and have a great time.

[ambrosiaswhispers]

If there's anything I know, it's that I run head first into things. I'm a writer. Indie published. Hard fought.

I signed up for an author event and then the organizer said essentially, "ICE is no big deal" I spent a weekend bawling about how I couldn't lose my table fees... then the following Monday I decided "Fuck it. I'll do it myself"

So I set up and now I'm hosting my own event. April 11, 2026 is the day. Wish me luck ya'll.

[theprofessional-amateur]

Well played Merriam-Webster.

“There is artificial intelligence, and there is actual intelligence” 🎤🫳

[theprofessional-amateur]

[tedcruzisthezodiackiller]

[inkskinned]

hey if this storm ends up being as it looks, you need to take it seriously, particularly if you're in a southern state and not used to storms like this. i'm not a professional but my new england experience for losing power/etc is:

fill your bathtub with water before the power goes out. in an emergency where the pipes freeze, you'll have semi-clean water. you can use this water for your pets, to wash dishes, flush your toilet, and other small important stuff. if you have no bathtub, fill as large a bin/pot/etc as you can find.

air is the best insulator. if you can tape plastic over your windows and major drafts, it will genuinely help. (they have kits for it, but i've used trash bags and duct tape). blankets/tarps/etc also work. leave space between the covering and the window - the layer of air protects you. shove towels under your doors.

in a true emergency, you can ball up newspapers and shove them into your coats/pants/etc between your base layer and your coat. it won't be comfortable but it does insulate a little better.

have an emergency plan for your pets, particularly animals like reptiles that need constant heat to survive.

the weight of the snow and ice will be an issue. plan accordingly.

black ice is a bitch. if it looks "wet", assume it is frozen. actually just assume everything is frozen for a little while.

if you do not have a generator or other emergency power source, DO NOT bring outside-use heat sources (like propane stoves) inside. you can gas yourself and die.

instead, if you truly have no heat source: focus on insulating a small amount of space in your house - a few rooms - and bring as many bodies and supplies in there as possible. do not break insulation if you can avoid it. you are a ~100-degree object. make your safe space into a blanket fort. you may go stircrazy but it is better than freezing.

if you have a fireplace you never use, check the flue and the chimney before the storm holy shit. i am not kidding about this. do not just start a fire willy nilly. you will burn your house down.

relatedly, if you start a fire and notice smoke is billowing back into the house: stop the fire immediately. your flue is closed or your chimney is backed up. you will burn your house down.

keep the fridge closed as long as possible; it lets the air out. but honestly like, my family has used snow as a fridge a lot. stuff that needs to stay cool will be less of an issue than things that need to get warm. plan accordingly.

most canned things can be eaten cold, but check the label. if you have a little sterno fire, it can go a long way.

if you develop a headache and feel weirdly sleepy, you may be forced to open a window. you might have carbon monoxide poisoning.

every year people die while shoveling snow. it is actually not very safe as a chore tbh. you need to go slow and take lots of breaks. you should also 100% wait until the snow has actually passed, only because when it starts shifting and undoes all your work, it will piss you the hell off.

have drinking water somewhere easily accessible. a lot more of it than you think completely necessary tbh.

fill your gas tank. it will help prevent your lines from freezing.

if you have a battery-powered light that's not very strong, put it under a water jug, it'll throw more light. idk why it works but it works.

just because you know how to drive in the snow doesn't mean other people know how to drive in the snow. better to just not.

your device probably has a "low power mode". probably best to just keep it on asap rather than be taken by surprise tbh. the battery will last longer.

great news to fanfiction writers: it really is better if y'all take one bed and huddle together for warmth. do not strip out of your clothes, though, i have no idea who the hell decided that was the smart thing to do. you want to keep at least a layer of leggings and a tight shirt on. the goal is to find the fine line between "warm" and "sweating" - you want to stay as dry as possible for as long as possible.

your hair, eyelashes, and nosehairs can freeze. just from personal experience: try not to rub or touch them, it can snap your hair off and then you'll be very sad.

hypothermia is a lot faster and more evil than most people expect. watch for shivering, confusion, and unexplained exhaustion. if someone stops shivering, that is not always a good sign. if you think you/someone you love has hypothermia, warm them up slowly. often this is through rubbing/friction (or a heat source if available). keep them awake and try to feed them something.

same for frostbite: don't just shove your hands into a fire. warm any affected area slowly. fair warning, as the blood recirculates, it will hurt :(

those blue rubber examination gloves under other gloves can help even very-cold hands stay warm.

liquor is not a good idea to drink right now, sorry beloved. but vodka/rubbing alcohol does work as an excellent de-icer if you need something small done quickly (like a lock/door handle). it's just, like, expensive in comparison to other things lol

"i don't eat that much anyway i'll be fine" that's the devil talking. you will not be. you will also probably be burning way more calories than normal. let the soft animal of your body eat a bunch of delicious snacks.

good luck i love you stay warm out there everyone

[2boldlyqueer]

99% agree with this, all very useful info people should read now and save for later

The current recommendation regarding snow removal is not to wait until it's all done. Especially if it's wet snow, not powdery (AKA good snowball snow vs good sledding snow). If it's wet snow and you can safely go in and out for shoveling, every 2-3 inches is recommended to reduce the risk of a heart attack. Also, do some light stretches and warm ups beforehand, dress in layers that can be removed as you get warm, pause to wipe down/dry off if you start sweating, and drink lots of water.

And a few additions from personal experience:

If you have a radio, find out now what channel(s) you have that update on the weather in case your phone does die (here's the National Weather Service list of radio stations: https://www.weather.gov/nwr/station_listing )

If you have direct sunlight on your place you can open the curtains to get some warmth if your window won't let in more cold (see OP's points on towels and plastic to reduce drafts). Any window that isn't getting direct sunlight should have the curtains fully closed to trap heat.

Bubble wrap over windows is also very insulating - my family just taped them to the glass, not even fully covering the window, and it's noticeably warmer

Masks are awesome for going outside. I layer a KN94 under a scarf when I go to shovel, then pull off the scarf as i get too hot. The mask prevents your nose from getting super cold, both in a frost bite way and in a messing up the inside of your nose way.

If you have any nonperishables/ things that are safe at room temp, take them out of your fridge before the storm hits so you don't have to open it. Especially if it's medication you desperately need.

Subnote to that is if your power goes out, do not open your fridge unless it's dire!! You will lose anything that cannot be frozen and add cold to your already cold home.

If you do have power, using the oven to prepare food means you can then leave the oven partially open as it cools to add ambient warmth to the house (even with power it can be hard for your heating to keep up when it's bad).

If you can get one or more space blankets AKA emergency thermal blankets, do it now! They trap heat better than regular blankets. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/ANMEILU-Emergency-Blankets-Survival-%EF%BC%8CMarathons/dp/B07GLCYR5S/

Make sure your carbon monoxide and fire detectors are working and have good batteries. If you don't have one or both, try to get a carbon monoxide one at the very least, so you don't have to use symptoms to figure it out

[ambrosiaswhispers]

1000 posts!

Wow. That's so many.

[wordfather]

the only way out is through but fuuuuuuuuuck fuuuuucckkkk cant i like scooch past or something

[yoanxue]

I was asked by an anon for calligraphy tips, and I decided to make a full on tutorial about how I make (the fanciest version of) my headers! Please tag me with #yoanxue to let me know you’ve used this, and have fun ☺

[ellipsus-writes]

If you haven't heard, the em dash has been getting a lot of attention lately…

Because it was trained on pirated work—including freely accessible online writing (like fanfic, academic texts)—ChatGPT picked up patterns and quirks native to human writing.

Including (sigh) the em dash.

There are other victims here (RIP tapestry and delve 🫠), but the appropriation of the em dash—a punctuation mark beloved by writers everywhere—feels especially personal.

A kind of low-grade panic is ensuing. Writers who once memed their own em dash overuse—the greatest punctuation mark ever to grace the control-freak’s lexicon, frankly—are suddenly backing away to avoid accusations.

No. More. We have centuries of dash-abusing writers behind us. We will not sit quietly while AI repurposes our beloved stilted aside—or the just-one-more clarification the sentence demands—or the dramatic pause your comma could never—etc.

You don’t write like AI—AI writes like you.

Defend the em dash.

(Feel free to download/share/stick it where it matters!)

[scutesketch]

YOUR ART ON TUMBLR IS BEING USED TO TRAIN AI!

The setting that prevents your work being used to train AI models is turned off by default! I had no idea about this until now! Artists, go to your settings, click “visibility”, and turn on this setting! Protect your work!

[ambrosiaswhispers]

Supposed To Be...

Okay. So I speed ran watching Chicago Fire this summer while working a data processing job at work. Like all 13 seasons and caught up to current. So that season 14 opener... What a kick in the fucking teeth. Watching Kelly's growth through the seasons has been great. He's such a loving partner to Stella (not perfect, but hey I generally like my characters messy). And Stella is such an incredible character. Their love-story made me giggle and kick my feet.

I process my feelings in writing...hello indie author. lol. So I processed my feelings with this. It's not quite poetry, but not like my normal writing. It follows the first episode's storyline so spoilers and trigger warnings for the subject matter of that very first scene.

Supposed To Be...

Focus. Drills. Don’t strangle the new guy.  Focus. Clean the house. Check in on her crew. Focus. Walk away from Kelly - too many emotions if she looks at him too long… ….And she can’t.

Can’t think about it. Not with a Captain she’s still proving herself with. Can’t think about it. Not with a new guy who’s already a problem and she knows it. Can’t think about it. Not with her husband who she knows blames her despite his assurances.

Won’t let herself cry. She already cried. Teary-eyed in the doctor’s office. Slow rivers running down her cheeks on the drive from the hospital. Anguished sobs when they were safe at home.

Won’t let herself cry here. She’s a firefighter here.

But she’s supposed to be a pregnant firefighter. She’s supposed to be arguing about when she has to put herself on restricted. She’s supposed to be rolling her eyes about Kelly fussing at her in secret. She’s supposed to be over it when the whole House starts doting on her.

Violet’s supposed to be giving her medical advice. Finding the baby things should have been when she accidentally let the cat out of the bag. Her and Kelly would have dragged her Molly’s and sworn her to secrecy The medic would have been watching her like a hawk confusing The House.

Herman’s supposed to be asking her about her weird eating habits. He’d catch on before the others…he’s got so many kids. Ginger gum in her locker with him winking at her, keeping it under wraps. Volunteering to be first in on calls and backing up her orders

The squad crew should be noticing Kelly smiling at her more than normal. They should be teasing him about bedroom activities until he gives them ‘the look’ Maybe Cruz would catch on…but maybe not.

Focus. Paperwork. Processing grants for Girl’s-on-Fire. Focus. Updates from the department and schedules. Focus….Focus on the blurry words.

He’s so disappointed. He won’t say it. But she knows he is. He’s hoovering - not in the ‘you got this Stella Kidd’ way but in the ‘are you gonna break’ way

She can’t break. CAN’T. She’s supposed to be a pregnant firefighter! She’s supposed to be calling Brett, to keep the gossip at bay. She’s supposed to be a mom.

He’s supposed to be touching her belly. He’s supposed to be talking to their child. He’s supposed to be suggesting awful names while rubbing her feet. He’s supposed to be a dad.

The universe gave them a moment to rip it away? What the fuck was this? Why?

She wants to scream, but she can’t.

Focus. Focus. Focus….

His arms are strong around her.  Her music louder in her office The door slams shut - a boot print from his kick.

He’s whispering how much he loves her.  How she’s strong. How he’s never leaving her. How she’s allowed to cry.

No. No. Not here. They’ll all ask. They’ll all know. 

He promises they can blame it on him. They’ll tell The House he broke something she loved. Or her beloved aunt hated him for saying something stupid. The House never had to know.  He’d keep the secret forever. It would be theirs and theirs alone.

Her body is a quivering mess Snot and tears on her face.  She vomits into the trashcan that he barely hands her in time.

Morning sickness… This is supposed to be fucking morning sickness. Instead it’s Mourning Sickness.

Damn this universe. Why… why when she was nervous but ready to tackle it?

He’d be such a good father.  His hand rubs circles on her back. They rock back and forth as she continues to wretch. His lips press to her hair. Warm words of love against her ear.

Focus…through the tears and pain.  She’s supposed to be able to focus. But it’s too much.

The knock on the door is soft… She turns her body away to hide. He stands up and guards her grief - shielding her. They are supposed to support each other - save each other. She hates how broken she feels.

They’re supposed to be happy. She’s supposed to be a pregnant firefighter.

The conversation she barely hears is brief. His growl about being interrupted is fierce. The light on her desk phone is blinking red. She’s supposed to answer a call? Focus on that? On paperwork? Are they fucking joking?

It’s the hospital. No. No. No. 

Her head shakes like a child. Voice meer tremor as the ‘noes’ cross her lips.

He takes the call.  His hand still on her back, rubbing circles. Her hand finds his thigh. Touch to ground them. They are supposed to be parents, not a pair of messes not holding it together.

Her name makes her look up to him. His eyes are full of tears. He was crying with her. She should have comforted him too.

The phone is in her hands. Receiver to her ear.

Mistake. Focus. Test results. Focus. Apologies. Focus. Follow-up. Focus. Focus. Focus.

Pregnant firefighter… She’s a pregnant firefighter.

**Not sure if I'll ever write anything else on them. But I had feelings to get out. Love to my loves. - T.A.