#milkflower

[ridgeclan]

Snippets: Fallen Feathers, Fallen Angels

Word Count: 748

Characters: Hawkclaw, Milkflower, Asterflower

Hawkclaw is named after a nursery story, one that hovers over her life like a bird circling overhead, waiting for her to slip up, to not live up to expectations. She decides to end that when she has a kit of her own.

—————

    There’s a story in TalonClan about their founder. She was a kittypet before she was a Clan cat, and every morning she’d find a hawk’s feather outside her housefolks’ den. She ignored it for many sunrises until the wind picked it up and took it far away, towards a mountain path that the older kittypets had warned her against taking. They had told her that the mountain was full of strange cats the size of lions who ate wandering housecats, and despite their warnings and her own apprehension, she followed the feather. It led her up trails and paths carved by many different animals, through caves and sheer cliffs with no end in sight, and on snow and rough stone that wore down her pawpads, but still, she followed it, for she felt it called to her. 

     Her flanks were heaving by the time she had reached the peak of the mountain, and the clouds were mere foxlengths away. She looked down the cliffs and saw that her twoleg home was just a series of blurry brown dens. There was a stillness to the air, no wind to taint the taste, just the scent of air where it was its purest, and she felt more at ease than she had when swaddled by twoleg blankets. 

     It was then when her heart had opened to accept the mountain that she saw the hawk where the feather had originated. It spoke to her.

     The hawk told her that she was chosen by StarClan to establish a Clan here near the mountain’s peak where only the bravest and most true could survive. Her Clan would be watched over by him and when they fell, he would carry them in his talons to the stars. He would help guide her, and the leader after her, and the leader after them, and so on.

     Hawkclaw had been told that story many times. Her elders told her it was a great honor to be named after the hawk that watched over their Clan, and she usually gritted her teeth and nodded to their empty words. There was no need to kick up a fuss, but she’d heard other warriors murmur how they deserved her name more than she did many times.

      Let them have it and see how they like having the hawk’s eye on them. She thought bitterly as she sat in a moss nest decorated with hawk feathers. She picked at one idly with a claw. That’ll change their tune real quick.

      Asterflower, her mother, slunk into the nursery with a freshly caught mouse that she almost dropped when her jaw opened wide in awe upon seeing the kit nursing at Hawkclaw’s belly. Quick as a lightning strike, Aspenflower rushed over to her side and crouched over the small patched kit cooing like a dove. 

       “He’s beautiful, my hawk.” Her mother nuzzled the tom-kit, licking between his ears with a delicate tongue. As if recognizing his kin, the kitten leaned towards the tender affection. He was a loving kit that wanted nothing more than a warm body by his side at all times. “Have you thought of a name?”

       Hawkclaw knew what her mother was thinking; what the whole clan was thinking. Featherkit for the kit of a hawk-named. It was only right after all.

      “Milkkit,” She said.

       Asterflower blinked, certainly surprised but didn’t argue. “His white patches do resemble milk,” She said after a moment in a measured tone.

       She nodded and didn’t say that she hadn’t even thought of his patched fur when she chose the name. She had named him after milk because it was what truly allowed TalonClan to live here, not StarClan or a hawk watching over them. When a cat was their weakest, it was their mother’s milk that gave them strength to grow; it was their kin that guided and watched over them. There was no influence of the stars when it came to raising kittens, only the dedication of the living. 

      “Tell Icewhisker I chose a name.” 

      “I will,” Asterflower mewed, seeing the dismissal for what it was.

      Once her mother’s tail tip disappeared from the nursery entrance, Hawkclaw gave Milkkit a quick lick, ruffling the fur that had just been smoothed down. “Welcome to TalonClan Milkkit. Let’s hope I don’t regret this.” 

     But she knew there was no other option. She could never levy those expectations upon her own blood. Let them whisper that he deserved a better name, never a worse one

[sashiavi]

Have you by chance tried any of the Mamma Chia drinks? Very good, highly recommend.

Ooo I can't say I have! If I can source some I'll be sure to try!

I love trying new drinks~

Recently I've been lowkey obsessed with that "Baby Bottle" Yoghurt drink? Especially the mango flavour, reminds me of mango sago.. without the sago hehe

Tysm for chatting ♡

[aurorapicturecompanyinfinite]

Maximize Your MOO-Tential

[lily-onher-grave]

I’m fucking dying about the Elphaba’s promise scene holy fuck. You could’ve posted this shit on fanfiction dot net back in the day and it would’ve fit right in

“You could’ve picked me” holds so much weight I almost feel like they had to cut it just so it doesn’t seem like Glinda slides backwards in character growth at the train station scene. But I love it so much because yes she’s jealous of Elphie and Fiyero yes she’s hurt she was left behind (foreshadowinggggg) but also this is her vocally and intentionally picking Elphaba right back. It feels as significant as Glinda telling Elphie it was the milkflowers’ fault, not hers. And it’s so freaking delicious because we as an audience know that it’s also not 100% true. Glinda means it here, and she wants Elphaba to choose her, and she would choose Elphaba, but soon that choice will come with too many consequences for both of them, and they won’t be able to choose each other anymore, no matter what promised they made or how much they want to

AND Elphaba promising not to leave Glinda behind again?? Excuse me???? “I won’t leave you behind” then proceeds to bring her to the emerald city, to the wizard’s palace, on a daring but doomed hot air balloon escape, etc etc. Elphaba promised not to leave her behind and then she kept her at her side until Glinda stepped away

And all this of course makes Glinda’s part in defying gravity so much richer, because she’s silently begging Elphaba to choose her, to listen to her, to stay and make this work from the inside. But she doesn’t. And when Elphaba keeps her promise, asks her to come so she doesn’t leave her behind again, Glinda can’t go

(And don’t EVEN talk to me about all the times Elphaba starts breaking that promise in act 2)

Also I feel like the “maybe magic is hard for you because you’ve always had it easy, you’ve never needed it” conversation is either supposed to come in play again in act 2 or it’s just foreshadowing to the passing of the grimmerie but either way I have feelings about it. I kinda wonder if the first half of this scene was supposed to be a lot meaner/pettier, but Cynthia and Ariana kept playing it soft and earnest instead. Either way I’m thinking about post-musical Glinda finally getting her magic to click because elphaba’s gone and the nation is looking to her and nothing is easy anymore, so she needs it more than ever

[cometblaster2070]

ranting for a bit because the entire scene where elphaba tells glinda her secret makes me go rabid and actually makes me want to chew concrete because not only is it actually absolutely heartbreaking to see just how deeply elphaba believes all the horrible things her father reinforces; how she thinks she's responsible for her mother's death and is the reason for nessarose's disability even when it's literally not her fault in any way and is actually DIRECTLY her father's fault.

and just the fact that elphaba tells glinda all this and tells glinda her father hates her and that everything's her fault and glinda looks at her and she's absolutely heartbroken to hear elphaba saying all these things and she becomes the first person in elphaba's life to look her in the eyes and tell her that none of that is true and that it is NOT her fault, it was NEVER her fault despite whatever anyone said.

ik a lot of ppl see glinda's "it was the milkflower's fault" line as a very sort of shallow take by glinda (I'm explaining it poorly but ik some ppl wonder why she didn't just call out governor thropp directly) but I've got to disagree with that take because personally I think glinda heard elphaba talking, heard her describe her secret and heard how her father forced her mother to chew milkflowers constantly during her pregnancy all because he was afraid the baby would come out green like elphaba and she heard all this and she hears how elphaba thinks this is all her fault.

and yk they're roommates. glinda sees the way elphaba talks about her father and how even though she says that he hates her in an almost casual manner despite how she says he's justified for hating her, elphaba still loves her father and she still wants to do right by him and she still wants him to love her.

so glinda knows that elphaba will not listen to her if she straight up tells her that her father's fucking mental and completely wrong and that it was all his fault and that she's probably going to bludgeon him to death. she knows that elphaba will never accept this and she knows that right now it won't do any good for anyone.

so instead she tells elphaba it was the milkflower's fault. and she looks her in the eyes and she tells her this was never your fault you shouldn't think this was ever your fault and anyone who ever told you that it was your fault was completely and totally wrong and I need you to know this.

because the primary concern isn't about telling elphaba she's got a shitty dad the primary concern is telling elphaba that it is not her fault for simply existing. and to let her know that there is nothing wrong with her and that there is someone here, right now, who loves and cares for her so so much and wants her to know that. that there is someone who will hold her hand and who will tell her that they are there for her and that she is fine the way she is. that she is loved.

[imliterallyjustsittinghere]

Something I found interesting after watching Wicked Part 1, is how Galinda phrases her reassurance that Elphaba isn't to blame for her mother's death and sister's disability, "It's the milkflowers' fault, Elphie, not yours." Not her father's fault, for making her mother chew the milkflowers, nor her mother for going along with it, nor even any hypothetical third party who might have told Elphaba's parents doing so was safe, but specifically the milkflowers, which as plants certainly had no say in the matter. And I do think that indicates something in Galinda's mindset: she's willing to admit that people are sometimes treated badly for things that aren't their fault, but she can't or won't make the jump to blaming people who actually had power in the situation.

[daydream-hq]

Ever After High Pokemon Teams - Maddie Hatter

Part 5 is finally here! Sorry for not updating this series - life got crazy. Hope you enjoy this spellbinding return!

Raven’s traveling partner and best friend, Maddie is not at all interested in Pokemon battling. Instead, she is more interested in having a good time with her Pokemon. Her father runs a Pokemon Cafe where you can eat with your Pokemon and battle while you wait for your food. Maddie joins Raven on her journey and helps by cooking and finding Berries to help heal their Pokemon.

Trainer Class: Pokemon Trainer

Chamomile the Polteageist

Teatime

Shadow Ball

Giga Drain

Aromatic Mist

Biscuit the Dedenne

Parabolic Charge

Charm

Super Fang

Swift

Cherry the Cherrim

Sunny Day

Solar Beam

Morning Sun

Magical Leaf

Candy the Swirlx

Draining Kiss

Cotton Guard

Energy Ball

Round

Honey the Combee

Bug Bite

Gust

Sweet Scent

Bug Buzz

Milkflower the Miltank

Milk Drink

Body Slam

Play Rough

Heal Bell

For Maddie's Team, I mainly picked Pokemon that were either Food themed or fit Maddie's friendly and bubbly vibes. All her Pokemon nicknames are all Tea Party Themed!

I hope you enjoyed this and again, sorry for being gone for so long! Hopefully I can put out another one soon! Thank you!

[sapphic-lottienat]

tried getting milkflower with @yoghurt-and-oatmeal bc her birthdays today but my card declined the $11 drink and she forgot her wallet and then we missed our bus so turns out we're missing all of first period with nothing to show for it !!

[weirdloverwilde]

wicked thoughts

damn i wonder what the good witch of the North was up to during all this glinda elphaba nessarose drama.

i love the wizard of oz so much man. its such a good fun whimsical universe and the extended lore is so fun. ive been obsessed with these books since i was a little kid

the design of everything in this film was incredible. it was so incredible and whimsical and looked perfect and brought a great stage musical even more to life

the ribbon fish were so cute!!

the part in defying gravity where she is flying around and the camera frames it so her long cape takes up the entire bottom half of the screen and i think it was a reference to how the effect is done in the musical

i think boq is more likeable in this - but that is moreso cause im an unironic ethan slater fan and have been since before everyone knew him from dating ariana. hes got some good music

i thought they were going to change some nessarose stuff - esp the part with the milkflowers, cause her plot is the weakest in the show and could be improved.. maybe in part 2?

in the wizard and i elphaba runs like a mile away from shiz and gets to the impassable desert so interesting that shiz is on the edge of oz

everytime seeing the impassable desert was so exciting i love it they do so many silly things with it in the books, like the dwarfs that tunnel under it to invade

did i mention the SET DESIGN. oh my god please let them win every award for it it was beyond incredible. shiz was sooo magical and whimsical. dancing through life in the library was done incredibly well!!!

loved fiyero. i just like Jonathan bailey but he brought so much to such a mid character

every time we saw into a random town ie. at the begining the extras werent all colour coded?? sorry are these the munchkins or the quadlings or the winkies or the gillikins?? they WOULD be colour coded that is essential

i hope this makes a hundred trillion at the box office so they greenlight a wizard of oz remake (desperately needed cause the 1939 one isnt that good) and also start making films of the sequel books

i should read all the wizard of oz books again

i didnt know kristin and idina were going to be in this it was cool af to see them. i dont remember that whole lil stage show being present in the musical. i love the idea of the ancient magical ones though its a really good backstory

the moment when elphaba makes the stone carving of the wizard fall down and it reveals an animal behind it ooo

theres a lot i cant remember that probably will be explained in part 2 but i wonder how the animal plot is resolved - in the books there are many talking animals and the wizard is happy and glinda teaches him magic and fine with it, so we'll see..

sentimental man is so underrated and will always be

the monkeys are still so terrifying

i love the model of oz they built its so cute - but the hmmm what colour should this brick road me was such a prequel trope it was prob my least favourite part

its so interesting that wizard of oz and this film have the same plot twist - that the wizard cant actually do magic, so you go into this film knowing that but its still an effective twist and is obviously played so differently in this film

im so excited for part 2 why do i have to wait a wholeee year... this must be how people felt after back to the future part 2 waiting for part 3

thank you so much if you made it to here i love you!!!! ❤️😍❤️😍💖❣️💕💘

[ghostmaggie]

I think what also really bugs me is articles from professional journalist that just don't seem to have done the most basic modicum of research.

WaPo published an article that says Glinda is "pronounced" Ga-linda without seeming to understand that she changes the entirety of her name, not just the pronunciation, to Glinda.

The same article says Elphaba is ostracized by her father "for being the product of her mother's affair"--which I think is a completely unfounded reach. He hates her because she's green. He has no idea, so far as the show or movie indicates, about the affair. If he knew Elphie was from an affair, I think he's blame the greenness on that and the milkflowers wouldn't be a thing.

A different article calls the party at the OzDust "Oz's version of prom."

Like. What the fuck?

[eternal--returned]

South Vietnam, April 29, 1975: Armed Forces Radio played Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" as a code to begin Operation Frequent Wind, the ultimate evacuation of American civilians and Vietnamese refugees by helicopter during the fall of Saigon.

Milkflower petals in the street like pieces of a girl's dress.

May your days be merry and bright . . .

He fills a teacup with champagne, brings it to her lips. Open, he says. She opens. Outside, a soldier spits out his cigarette as footsteps fill the square like stones fallen from the sky. May all your Christmases be white as the traffic guard unstraps his holster.

His fingers running the hem of her white dress. A single candle. Their shadows: two wicks.

A military truck speeds through the intersection, children shrieking inside. A bicycle hurled through a store window. When the dust rises, a black dog lies panting in the road. Its hind legs crushed into the shine of a white Christmas.

On the bed stand, a sprig of magnolia expands like a secret heard for the first time.

The treetops glisten and children listen, the chief of police facedown in a pool of Coca-Cola. A palm-sized photo of his father soaking beside his left ear.

The song moving through the city like a widow. A white . . . A white . . . I'm dreaming of a curtain of snow

falling from her shoulders.

Snow scraping against the window. Snow shredded with gunfire. Red sky. Snow on the tanks rolling over the city walls. A helicopter lifting the living just out of reach.

The city so white it is ready for ink.

The radio saying run run run. Milkflower petals on a black dog like pieces of a girl's dress.

May your days be merry and bright. She is saying something neither of them can hear. The hotel rocks beneath them. The bed a field of ice.

Don't worry, he says, as the first shell flashes their faces, my brothers have won the war and tomorrow . . .

The lights go out.

I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming . . . to hear sleigh bells in the snow . . .

In the square below: a nun, on fire, runs silently toward her god—

Open, he says. She opens.

Ocean Vuong ֍ "Aubade with Burning City." Night Sky with Exit Wounds (2016)

[yarnpika]

me and my friend @divinemodes dnd ocs as warrior cats. they are freakin lesbians!!! (browntabby quailheart belongs to said friend, cream kitty milkflower)

[dayb00k]

18 Feb 2023

& how the sun seeds your voice,

& sinks into the garden’s cleavage, its lit pink tapers spill their desperate secrets & abandoned mornings woo our addictions to the milkflower

✨️🌊🧜🏽‍♀️

[ethanrayne]

"that was the milkflowers' fault, not yours"

I LOVE HER I LOVE HER I LOVE HER SHE'S SO KIND WHEN SHE STOPS GETTING IN HER OWN WAY

[lmaxell-plants]

Asclepias Incarnata - Swamp Milkweed

native

Milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae)

Notes: last year this was covered in milkweed aphids but they seem to have calmed down this year. This plant also had a short lived bloom in the spring but now it seems to have really started. Lots of polinator activity on it but mostly syrphids. I have yet to see any monarch larva but maybe I'm just not looking enough because it's in a back corner being bullied by goldenrod and hibiscus. I also believe this is a cultivar with more pink in the flowers than the straight species.

[sehaaonline]

Manual Versus Electric Pump

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Aside from its convenience, this single electric breast pump has a closed system that prevents breast milk from entering the tubing and leaking into the pump mechanism. This ensures that your expressed milk will be safe and hygienic. Furthermore, its 2-phase expression technique can assist the speed of milkflow. It can be especially beneficial if you have an older infant or are returning to work.

Sehaaonline also provides medela breast shield, and medela storage bottles for nursing mothers.

Both types of pumps can be quite effective at drawing out milk and/or bottle feeding. If you're not sure which of the two to choose, first know the frequency of pumping. Some mothers intend to breastfeed their newborns. If you don't want to pump frequently, a manual pump will suffice. They are also less expensive. However, if you want to return to work a few months after giving birth, an electric breast pump will be your saviour. Because of its power source, electric breast pumps provide better suction and pumping, giving you more time to do other things.