#I can imagine Beatrix's indignation | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

halcyon-girls · 2 years

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Hello there, it's StellatrixPrompt!anon again, I was thinking about a new prompt for them, only if you like it and have enough time to write it of course, this time it's something more lighthearted: Beatrix going crazy when choosing a birthday gift for Stella because Stella has literally anything and she's not used to giving people gifts anyway

Always lovely to see you! I went a little wild with this one and it ended up longer than I had expected. The premise is Beatrix gets Stella a long-lost item.

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Beatrix stares at the calendar sitting haphazardly on her bedside table. It was practically mocking her. There, circled with perhaps a few tiny hearts, not that she’d let anyone know that, sat Stella’s birthday. August 18th.

Today was August 10th and the number of gifts she’d brought for her girlfriend was sitting at a resolute zero.

What do you get someone who likely has everything you could imagine and more? She was the princess of Solaria after all. Anything Beatrix could buy her, her family could get her at the flick of a wrist.

‘Ugh,’ she groans, tilting her head over the edge of her bed. Clearly moping about it in her room wasn’t going to solve her problem and she forces herself out of bed.

As she buttons up her shirt for the day she comes to the painful realisation. She’d have to go to the source to get an answer. That means talking to Stella’s, no, not hers, friends. Brilliant.

With Stella away on business with Solaria for the past week, she’d had plenty of time to demand answers from them all.

It’s Bloom she finds first, wrapped around Sky.

She leans against the pillar in front of the two. ‘Hey.’

They continue to converse, with their lips. Ugh. ‘You know, you could do that practically anywhere else. I’d even offer you my room if it’ll stop me from having to see it.’

Bloom sighs, pulling away from Sky and leaning her head against his shoulder. ‘Okay, fine, you’ve got our attention, what’s the issue, Beatrix?’

Beatrix presses her hand against her lips. Okay, this was far more embarrassing in person than it had been in her head. She taps her foot against the floor as she wills the words out of her mouth. ‘Would you say that as former boyfriend, and as a current close friend, you know Stella well?’

‘Really Beatrix?’ Sky huffs, ‘We’re friends.’

Beatrix rolls her eyes. ‘Well, yes, I know that, I am dating her after all.’

Bloom presses her hand against Sky’s chest, pushing him back in the seat. ‘Okay, what’s the point here?’

Did she really have to spell it out? She looks between their equally dumbfounded expressions and realises she will. ‘Very well, as you know, Stella’s birthday is soon.’

Bloom catches on, ‘And you haven’t got her a gift.’

‘Well, I wouldn't say-’ Beatrix starts. When Bloom raises her brow, Beatrix gives in. ‘Fine, no, I haven’t got her a gift, have you?’

Bloom smiles and Sky eases up, empathy in his eyes that she absolutely did not want.

‘You know she’d be fine just spending time with you, right?’ Bloom offers.

Beatrix realises she’s going to need to find Stella’s other friends. These two were giving her nothing. ‘I can do that at any time, at any moment, what I want is to give her a gift.’

Bloom scratches her cheek, a sheepish grin on her face. ‘I haven’t got her anything. I mean what do you give a girl who’s got everything, right?’ Bloom looks over at Sky who nods alongside her. ‘Nothing that I could afford, that’s for sure,’ she tacks on.

Beatrix finds herself right back at the start of her dilemma. Indeed, what do you get the girl that has everything?

‘Alright, that was not very helpful, on to the next.’ She pushes herself off the pillar and starts walking, ignoring Bloom’s indignant ‘Hey!’ as she does so.

Terra informs her she plans to get another plant to liven up Stella’s already very plant-filled room. No. Beatrix is not adding to that mess.

Musa already has some sort of playlist created, calling it ‘Stella’s hits.’ Maybe that one was a little cute, but again, not something achievable by Beatrix.

Flora talks about taking her out for the day, mentioning a cafe she’d found with the perfect cup of tea and cakes to die for. Beatrix wishes she’d thought of that one first. But not one to make herself second-best, she crosses it bitterly off her list.

Aisha just smiles, pulling out coupons for a spa day for the two of them. Of course, the water fairy did that.

She stomps out of the room when she realises she’s run out of friends to talk to, dragging herself back to her own room.

Flowers? The two nature fairies have that. Music? Ask the mind fairy with a playlist for every mood. Water? Yep, you guessed it, the water fairy has that covered. She was definitely not going to dwell on the thought of fire-related things. Bloom can keep that.

All Beatrix had to offer was the ability to turn a bright and happy day, Stella’s favourite kind, into a miserable stormy one.

She trudges over to her desk and falls into the chair, dropping her head on the desk. Why is this so hard? Haven’t they been together long enough? Shouldn’t Beatrix just know?

She heaves a sigh, looking down at the floor as she bemoans her struggles. Those hideous shoes that were maybe a little bit comfortable enter her view.

The shoes that Stella no longer had a pair of since Beatrix had turned them into dust. Yes. That could work.

With a newfound determination, Beatrix opens up her computer and navigates to the search engine Alfea had loaded onto it.

What even were they? She taps her fingers against the keyboard trying to remember what they were called. She sighs, hitting her keys and hoping for the best. ‘Ugly plastic shoes.’

Amusing results but definitely not what she was looking for.

‘Ugly moderately comfortable plastic shoes.’

Nothing.

‘Plastic shoes without laces,’

She pauses and tacks on the additional word before hitting enter. ‘Ugly.’

Again, nothing.

She groans. Why was this so impossible? She had literally purchased a pair of them only a few months ago.

Her eyes widen. She’d purchased them a few months ago. With a quick tap of her mouse and a few well-placed searches in her email, she’s found them. ‘Slide on shoes,’ she reads. Well, she could have guessed that. The search engine is the failure here.

Nevertheless, she opens up the website and orders a pair in Stella’s size, finding almost the exact same colour as the original ones she’d owned. She hits ‘order’ and is pleased to see they’ll arrive two days before Stella’s birthday.

Hearing a knock against her bedroom door, she quickly closes all of the tabs she has open, swivels in her chair and answers, ‘Come in!’

Stella opens the door with a smile, making her way over to Beatrix and draping her arms over her shoulders. ‘Did the school burn down while I was away?’

Beatrix fails to control the smile that forms on her face. ‘No, but the school was significantly less bright. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you the same.’

Stella laughs, squeezing Beatrix’s shoulder, ‘How do I know you didn’t blackmail them all to say that?’

Beatrix shrugs her shoulders, ‘You won’t.’

She relishes the way Stella smiles and shakes her head at Beatrix’s words. ‘My legs are aching, come sit with me on the bed.’

She didn’t have to ask twice. Beatrix hops out of her uncomfortable desk chair and flops on the bed into Stella’s waiting arms.

Stella immediately starts running her hand through Beatrix’s hair. ‘How was it, really?’

Beatrix presses her face against Stella’s neck. ‘I missed you. Terribly so. An embarrassing amount of missing occurred.’

She feels Stella’s lips press against her forehead, ‘I missed you too.’

They stay like that for a while until Beatrix decides to continue to conversation. ‘So how were princess duties? Dreary as always?’

Stella hums, ‘My mother is kinder, something about me finally settling with someone competent.’

Beatrix smiles. ‘Competent, huh?’

Stella squeezes her side, ‘Very.’ She continues. ‘It was really just a trip of my mother informing me that with every year I age, a year’s worth of responsibilities will be added to me. This year is no exception to that fact.’

Beatrix leans back, taking the time to look at Stella’s face. ‘Between the two of us, we could turn that into half a year instead.’

Stella smiles, placing her index finger under Beatrix’s chin. ‘Now there’s a thought.’

‘Got any other thoughts, there?’ Beatrix questions, very aware of Stella’s finger.

‘Kiss me, I’ve missed it.’

Beatrix obliges, closing the gap between them for the first time since Stella had left for Solaria. It was comforting, familiar, and something that Beatrix had sorely missed.

With a few greetings to her suitemates after hours spent with Beatrix, Stella retires to her room to unpack while the rest head out to dinner.

When the day ends, the official countdown to Stella’s birthday begins now that Beatrix has a gift.

Each day is another day that she waits patiently at the mailbox hoping the gift would be waiting for her. Each day is another disappointment despite reading the tracking number that informs her it’s still in transit. They needed faster fairies.

Finally, the day comes. She wakes up with a notification on her phone that the package has arrived and just after breakfast, she breaks away from the group to collect it.

She takes it to her room and opens it, grinning as the hideous things are revealed to her. It’s perfect. She wraps them and hides them under her bed, awaiting Stella’s birthday.

She returns back to class and meets Stella at lunch.

Stella wraps her arm around Beatrix’s waist. ‘You know, you’ve been awfully mysterious lately. Nothing I have to worry about?’

‘No, no, nothing of the sort,’ Beatrix reassures, rubbing Stella’s back. ‘I promise you’ll find out soon.’

Stella stabs her fork into her food and takes a bite, ‘I’ll hold you to that.’

So she did. Every day Stella would watch her, waiting for the ‘soon’ that Beatrix had promised would come. Today Beatrix is infinitely glad that it had finally become that ‘soon.’ She’s not sure she could have kept it a secret for a day longer with the way Stella would pout at her.

They had ended the previous night with the promise that Beatrix would be at Stella’s room first thing in the morning to wish her a happy birthday.

Beatrix takes a deep breath and knocks at the door. She doesn’t have to wait long, Stella throws the door open and pulls her into her embrace. ‘Hi,’ Stella grins, moving to press her lips against Beatrix’s.

‘Hi,’ Beatrix responds once she pulls away. ‘Happy birthday.’

Stella kisses her again. ‘It’s already the happiest with you here.’

Beatrix smiles widely at that. There was something in the way Stella so casually spoke about her affection with Beatrix that had always astonished her. She was frankly still getting used to it.

She offers out the crook of her arm, ‘Come with me?’

Stella tucks her arm into the gap. ‘Lead the way.’

It’s a short journey back to Beatrix’s room. She’d already gotten her suitemate to agree to leave for the morning, so it was just the two of them.

She directs Stella over to the bed. ‘Cover your eyes, it’s a surprise.’

Stella smiles widely but obliges, placing a hand over each eye and tapping her foot against the ground. ‘You better hurry, I’m not sure I can hold this for long.’

Beatrix rolls her eyes in amusement and ducks down to the floor, pulling the gift out from under it. She drops it onto Stella’s lap, enjoying the little ‘Oof’ that slips from her lips.

‘You can open them now.’

Stella removes her hands from her eyes and looks down to see what had landed in her lap. ‘A gift?’ She questions, tugging at the bow Beatrix had neatly tied around the box.

‘Yes, it’s a gift.’ Beatrix sits down on the bed next to Stella. ‘I can return it if you don’t like it or already have it. I just thought-’

Stella places two fingers against Beatrix’s lips, silencing her. ‘If it’s from you, I’m sure I’ll love it.’

All Beatrix can do is wait in anticipation as Stella slowly pulls the ribbons and removes the wrapping paper, revealing the shoebox. With a quick flip of the lid, the shoes are revealed.

‘Is this?’ Stella whispers, running her hand over them. ‘Beatrix!’

Beatrix has little time to respond as the shoes go flying when Stella throws her arms around her, sending them back onto the bed. Stella doesn’t speak and Beatrix considers letting the silence continue, had it not been for the wetness she starts to feel against her neck.

‘Stella?’ She panics, lifting her head up and noticing the tears running down her cheeks. ‘Oh god, you absolutely hated it, didn’t you?’

Stella vehemently shakes her head, cutting off Beatrix’s self-doubts. ‘N-no.’ She rubs her eyes, clearing up some of the tears. ‘It’s perfect.’

Beatrix frowns, wiping her cheeks to remove the rest. ‘Then why are you crying?’

Stella smiles, her cheeks rosy. ‘Because it’s so thoughtful and I’m always so used to just getting things to tick the box of ‘present provided’ instead of someone thinking about what I’d want.’

She pulls Stella into her arms, letting Stella’s cheek rest against her collarbone. ‘Don’t people ask?’

Stella shakes her head. ‘Rarely.’ She reaches for one of Beatrix’s hands, running her fingers over Beatrix’s own. ‘Not that I don’t appreciate them but why the shoes?’

Beatrix presses her cheek against the top of Stella’s head. ‘Well, considering you now no longer have that accessory in you, I figured you could be allowed the privilege of dressing less nice.’

‘Less nice?’ Stella teases.

Beatrix sighs, tapping her spare hand against Stella’s side. ‘Terribly.’

Stella laughs at her response. ‘Yes, that sounds far more like you.’

She’s not wrong there. ‘So, you like the gift?’

‘I love it,’ Stella asserts, turning in Beatrix’s arms. ‘I love you.’

A soft smile settles on Beatrix’s face. ‘I love you too, you beautiful fashion crime.’

A loud snort escapes Stella. ‘Cheeky.’

Beatrix shrugs, pulling Stella in for a kiss and letting Stella set the pace. She sighs when Stella pulls away, a smile on her face.

‘Happy birthday,’ She whispers.

Stella leans back in, her lips ghosting over Beatrix’s. ‘A very happy birthday indeed.’

#fate: the winx saga #stella of solaria #stella #beatrix daniels #beatrix #stella x beatrix #stellatrix #ftws #fate the winx saga #myfics

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kayr0ss · 4 years

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So... Is It Her First Day? (Diakko)

[LWA, Fluff, a lot of Fluff, Established Relationship, Pls Help Diana, slight Hamanda]

Summary: Diana found herself sneaking out of Luna Nova past curfew to visit a convenience store. Why was she even here?

Oh right. Her girlfriend was cranky, on her period, and driving her absolutely insane.

Diana stood at the hallway, unsure of how to process the fact that Akko had just very gently ushered her out of the Red Team's dormitory, shoving her textbooks into her arms while she told her, quote, “not to come anywhere near me with homework within the next twenty-four hours, Diana, I swear to Beatrix—”

Then silence. Because Akko closed the door.

At her face.

Diana blinked towards the heavy slab of wood that stood between herself and Akko. What could she have possibly done wrong?

“Cavendish.”

She whipped her head towards her left. To her surprise, enlightenment on the situation was about to come from Sucy of all people.

“You do not want to go in there right now,” she grabbed Diana by the sleeve.

“Surely there’s no need to drag me across the hallway—”

“Yes, there is.” The purple-haired witch spoke with the authority of experience. “It’s Akko’s first day and that is a shitstorm if I ever saw one.”

“First… day?” Diana had an idea what the other witch meant, but it paid to be thorough.

“Of her period.” Sucy glared back. “Don’t you have those? Also, you live with two other women in the dorm.”

“I just wanted to be sure.” Diana said in a clipped voice before pulling her sleeve free of Sucy’s grip and matching her pace down the hallway. “And what might you suggest I do?”

“Why would you have to do anything? Just leave her alo—” Then Sucy paused, smirking. “Right. I almost forgot. You’re her girlfriend now.”

It still made her blush whenever she explicitly remembered it, although she would have preferred not to look so flustered in front of Sucy.

Akko was her girlfriend for all of fourteen days by now.

The newest development in their relationship was something of a serendipitous moment. A pleasant surprise, so to speak—even if it seemed the two of them were the only ones surprised at the news. Were we that dense? Diana frowned, recalling how Hannah and Barbara sighed in relief rather than shock when she told them.

“Food.” Sucy had blurted out.

Diana looked at her inquisitively, and then she realized the pair of them were on the way to the… kitchens?

“Food is our go-to.” The other woman supplied. “Lotte will already be at the kitchens. Doesn’t fix her shitty mood completely, but it helps.”

“That’s… quite thoughtful of you, Sucy.”

The purple-haired witch shot her a massive eyeroll. “Don’t give me that look. Do you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass Akko is when she’s like that? It’s exasperating.”

---

All it took was one crate labeled ‘exotic ingredients’ for Sucy to lose track of the purpose of their kitchen visit.

“Diana’s her girlfriend.” Sucy had told Lotte, already trailing the goblins due to deliver the ingredients to the potions lab, “I’m out—this is her job now as far as I’m concerned.”

Lotte smiled apologetically, scratching at the back of her head while she opened the door into the kitchens and inviting Diana to come inside.

“This is really sweet of you,” the bespectacled woman said.

Suddenly she felt self-conscious, growing hot under the collar. Beatrix. How long was it going to take before the mere thought that she and Akko were dating would stop making her blush?

But at the same time—it made her smile. Lotte had always been observant, so the way she knowingly smiled back could only mean she knew what she was smiling oh-so-softly about. She briefly wondered if the butterflies in her stomach were glaringly obvious as well.

Diana’s eyes widened in surprise when she stepped through the door.

The kitchens were much bigger than she imagined. The walls were thick, aged stone, with pillars that shot up into the high ceiling, connected by arches for support. It looked a bit like a smithy with all the stone, smoke, and fire—but she realized that it wasn’t sweltering at all. There were metal air vents that ran above the kitchen, looking out-of-place but keeping the area well-ventilated with modern technology. And the aromas! She was hit by a delectable sensory over-load that made her (already fluttering) stomach grumble.

“Heya, Lotte!”

A friendly-looking goblin with a lopsided smile trudged towards them, landing a heavy slap on Lotte’s shoulder (“Ouch!”).

“Barry!” Lotte whined, rubbing at where he had greeted her.

“Sorry!” Barry scratched his head. He had bushy brows and fangs that stuck out of his lower lip, and yet despite it all he managed to look so… friendly. Perhaps the apron had something to do with it? “We just get excited when you guys visit.” Large eyes flitted towards Diana and then widened in recognition.

“Hello.” She cleared her throat, unused to being scrutinized. “I’m Diana Caven—”

“Hey guys!” Barry had called over his shoulder, grinning. “It’s Comrade Akko’s girlfriend!”

Comrade?

She looked back towards the staff who were busy with work, several of them turning towards her and waving. There were even some cheers. But they quickly fell back to cooking, which made sense—dinner time was coming soon. Oh. Perhaps now was not the best time to be bothering them with the concerns of a teenager who hadn’t the slightest inkling how to woo a cranky significant other.

“So we finally get to meet’cha!” Two burly troll hands settled heavily on her shoulder. “Why didn’t you guys bring her in sooner, Lotte?”

“You know how it goes,” Lotte chuckled mirthfully, still rubbing the sore spot on her shoulder. “School gets busy!”

“Good thing you’ve got us to keep those rumblin’ bellies full, amirite Jean?”

Coming up from behind him was another troll (Jean, she supposed?). He was a bit taller and leaner, with an expression that reminded her of snobbish pastry chefs she’s met when vacationing abroad. Except, troll-like.

“I can’t believe Comrade Akko had chosen a member of the oppressive bourgeoise for a fling!”

Diana blanched along with Lotte. Bourgeoise? That she could forgive. But—a fling?

“We’re very much in a serious relationship.” Diana found herself seizing up the taller troll, cheeks flushing in indignation at the thought that they were just a fling.

“C’mon, buddy. If she’s okay in Lotte and Comrade Akko’s book, then she’s good with the kitchen trolls!” Barry smiled brightly.

“Speaking of Akko,” Lotte interjected. “It’s that time of the month.”

Barry and Jean were struck with urgency and realization.

“First day?” Jean said quickly, brushing his manicured moustache.

“Yup.”

“Alright. Follow me, ladies.”

---

“I’m quite sure this is against regulation.” Diana set her hand on Lotte’s shoulder, allowing magic to soothe the inevitable bruising that would have come from Barry’s slap.

“Don’t let the trolls hear you say that!” Lotte said quietly. “They love her. Oh, but thanks for healing that—it’s… not like any of the magic they do at the infirmary.”

“It’s a Cavendish skill.”

Her mother had taught it to her at a very young age—to soothe a toothache here, or a pulled muscle there.

They were in a small separated room connected to the kitchens which might have been used to house treasure back when Luna Nova was a proper medieval castle. These days it was used more or less similarly, except the ‘treasure’ was a collection of candied applies, tarts, an impressive meat selection, and various types of bread.

“So this is where she goes whenever she sneaks out for snacks past curfew. I can’t believe the trolls condone this.”

“It’s Akko.” Lotte deadpanned.

She was right. This was entirely unsurprising—something to do with having fought for fair labor practices, she supposed.

“You know,” the other woman started, looking over a selection of sweets which Akko might like. “I’m really glad you two are finally together!”

Diana smiled in appreciation, looking down towards several baguettes while a light dusting of pink fell on her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“It’s really cute! And took no small amount of Akko going crazy about her feelings for you for months on end.”

“She did?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Lotte seemed to shudder at the memory. “It drove us crazy too.”

Diana blinked, feeling the odd need to apologize. “Well she does have the tendency to vent her frustrations in a more… outward manner.”

“Yeah,” Lotte giggled. “Screaming into pillows, banging her head into the wall while wailing about your “perfect freaking hair”, and don’t even get me started about that whole week she dedicated to practicing her grand monologue of professing her feelings to you!”

“Oh, she told me about that.”

“It was a disaster wasn’t it?”

“She tripped on her words.” Diana fondly recalled. “And then—”

“—said ‘I fucking like you!’.” Lotte completed, apparently having heard the story from the source itself. She groaned at her usage of such an expletive.

Then they sputtered into quiet, friendly laughter.

Diana never got to spend much time with Lotte, much less alone, but she was one of Akko’s closest friends and she had no plans of denying how enjoyable their conversation had been thus far.

“I feel like I should get to you know more, both you and Sucy.” The blonde said with a little bit of shyness.

“You sure about Sucy?” Lotte grinned.

Diana laughed mirthfully, “Akko said the Red Team was inseparable—take it or leave it.”

“Glad to see our friend is in good hands, then!”

“I…” she began slowly, “Plan to do this—being together, that is—as best as I possibly can.” Diana admitted, sighing wistfully. “I’ll take all the good and the bad that comes with her.”

She blinked up at the other woman, conscious of the lack of response to her sudden admission. Lotte was… swooning with what looked like hearts in her eyes?

“Oh my god!” She squealed. “That’s so romantic!”

---

Half an hour later, Diana was once again in front of the Red Team’s dormitory. Her hand flexed nervously around the handle of a food basket and she rolled her eyes at herself. Why was she nervous? All she was doing was giving Akko food!

She raised her hand confidently to rap at the door—

—and then pulled it back, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

“By Jennifer,” she muttered to herself in annoyance. “How hard should it be to knock on someone’s door?”

But then said door opened, and red eyes were blinking at her.

“Diana?” Akko murmured. “I heard shuffling from the outside, I wanted to check it out but didn’t expect it was you.”

She looked disheveled, with her hair all over the place and her pajamas askew. She was holding a bag of warm compress and Diana felt worry shoot up at the thought that something was ailing her enough to skip dinner.

“Akko,” she started, stepping forward to lay her hand on her arm. “Is everything alright?”

“Nope,” the brunette wailed, stepping forward and dropping her head on Diana’s shoulder. “My uterus wants to kill me and this weather is making it worse! But I’m sorry about earlier.” She mumbled into her sleeve. “I didn’t mean to be so pushy. I got super stressed thinking about taking that Runes exam tomorrow while feeling this way—just seeing your books wanted to make me cry!” She rambled on. “Oh—what’s that?”

She pulled away, staring at the basket in Diana’s hand.

“I’ve brought you dinner.” Diana said softly, pleased that Akko was feeling better and even more so at how she sparkled at the thought of ‘food.’ This girl could be so simple, it made the blonde smile.

“Mou—I don’t deserve you!” She wailed, eagerly opening the cloth wrap in the basket right there at the doorway.

And then Akko groaned. She looked like she was going to cry. Why did she look like she was going to cry? Beatrix, help me. Diana swallowed.

“I’m so tired of potatoes!” Akko threw her hands upwards, lip trembling. “Does this school not order anything else?”

She stomped back to her bed, grumbling about starch and rice and ‘Okaa-san’s stew!’ before face-planting into the pillows.

Diana stood cluelessly at the doorway. Should she come on in or… just give her space?

But then Akko suddenly sprang back upward, running towards Diana before taking a fistful of her collar, pulling her in and—

Kissing her.

Very deeply.

She had never been so pleasantly confused in her life.

“I’m so sorry!” Akko pouted. “That was so ungrateful of me. Thank you! I’m starving!” She grabbed the basket. “I hate it when I’m like this—Kami-sama—I’ll be better tomorrow, I promise. You don’t have to deal with this and I’ll make it up to you okay? And-I-love-you!”

“I—I love you t—”

And then the door was back.

At her face.

For the second time today.

Was it acceptable to scream in the hallways at dinner time?

---

Feeling desperate and increasingly frustrated after dinner, she walked towards the Green Team’s dormitory, seeking the advice of someone she never wanted to ask: the only other witch in their group who had a girlfriend and experience with this matter.

Amanda.

Hannah wasn’t nearly as temperamental as Akko during that time of the month, but she wasn’t easy to get along with either. To her credit, it seemed the American witch was actually managing it quite well.

“Diana Cavendish.” Amanda smirked once she opened the door. “In the flesh. How can we help you?”

She flushed despite herself and gave a soft nod towards Jasminka and Constanze who waived at her from inside.

“I would like to seek your opinion on a matter.”

Amanda actually looked surprised. “Never thought I’d hear that from you.”

“Akko is…” Diana gestured aimlessly, trying to find the right words. “On her period.”

“Oh.”

Why was O’Neill looking at her that way? “Well?”

“So you’re having trouble dealing with the… ya know?”

“I don’t.” Diana pursed her lips. She was so tired at this point. “I don’t know.”

“No fucking way.” Amanda gawked. “I can’t believe you’re asking me about this.”

“What is it that’s so hard to believe about me wanting to be a good partner?” Diana fumed, her patience wearing thing. Wasn’t that what she was supposed to do? Make Akko feel better when in a foul mood?

Amanda whistled. “I mean… can’t you deal with it on your own?”

“On my own?”

“Yeah!” Amanda nodded enthusiastically. “The urge, I meant. Even I don’t push Hannah when it’s her red season. We just wait it out. Being intimate can get really messy when there’s bloo—”

She slammed the door shut so hard it might have hit Amanda’s nose.

---

Her attempt to learn more from the Green Team was a spectacularly embarrassing failure, and so Diana resigned herself to leaving Akko with space and shutting herself in her dorm.

“Trouble in paradise?” Hannah piped in, noticing the forlorn expression on her usually impassive face. “And why are you looking at me like that?”

Forget about what Amanda said, forget about what Amanda said.

“You could say that.” Diana admitted, not in the mood to hide anything. They were her best friends anyway.

Barbara watched with interested as Diana walked over to her desk and seated herself, catching her head in her hands with a sigh.

“So what happened?” The raven-haired witch leaned forward.

“Akko’s in a mood.” The blonde replied in a muffled voice. “I can’t make heads-or-tails of what to do about it.”

“Is she jealous?” Hannah guessed.

Diana shook her head.

“Injured?”

She shook her head again.

“On her period?”

“First day.” Diana confirmed.

It was met with a synchronized “Ooooh.”

“She hexed Amanda one time she bugged her on her period right?”

“Yeah.” Hannah tried not to snicker. “Burned her skirt. Never knew Akko could pull that spell off.”

Diana rubbed at her temples. “Why is that everyone else seems to know about her apparently infamous temperament and I don’t?”

“Because,” Barbara started, “she made it a point to steer clear of you so she doesn’t snap up or, and I quote “burden you”. And some people really do have it worse than others. My cousin had cramps so bad she would have to miss classes sometimes. I think Akko’s got something similar.”

Diana vaguely recalled days when Akko seemed more reserved than usual. She also had her fair share of spending the day at the infirmary every few months.

“She told you this?”

“Lotte did.” She said off-handedly. “Night-fall convention.”

“You talk about Akko and me during a—”

“We’re romantics!” She said defensively. “And we were right about you two. But anyway, what are you going to do about it?”

“I’ve been trying to do something about it. I brought her food.”

“And?”

“She’s tired of potatoes.”

Hannah sighed. “We all are. Even you—don’t deny it! I see the face you make whenever it’s potatoes for dinner again.”

She made a face?

“She’s probably craving for comfort food.” Hannah hummed to herself. “Tough luck, Japan is half-way across the world.

“Oh.” Barbara perked up, glancing over to Hannah. “What about that place Amanda sneaks out to get you snacks from?”

Hannah glanced warily over to Diana, who was raising her eyebrow in question. “Oh, fine. Don’t tell on her okay? She’s just trying to be sweet.”

“I won’t.” Diana sighed. “But I’m not Amanda. I’m not going to sneak out into the town past curfew just to buy Akko snacks.”

---

She was sneaking out into the town past curfew just to buy Akko snacks.

Beatrix, she mulled over to herself, pulling up the collar of the her capelet coat. What has become of me?

It was a warm night, unsurprising given the sizzling afternoon sun they suffered through earlier that day. She’d have to thank Professor Ursula for giving her a pass. Glastonbury, while still a bit of an ‘old town’, was beginning to modernize with the advent of the new magical age. More students enrolling at Luna Nova meant more business for the nearby towns, and the influx of children from non-magical families brought with it a union of old tradition and contemporary establishments.

One of which was the ‘Convenience Store.’ As per Hannah’s explanation, this type of establishment was open all hours through the day and night, and typically sold snacks and refreshments to address one’s cravings.

Unfortunately, said Convenience Store was a fifteen-minute broom ride away from school, and she hated having to sneak about. Not very convenient, if she could say so herself. She found it shorty after her arrival to town—it was hard to miss with its bright, off-white lights that glowed through Glastonbury’s dark and dreary streets. She tentatively pushed the glass door open. There was a young man snoozing behind the cash register.

She rolled her eyes, feeling painfully out of place in a store that screamed ‘twenty-first century.’ Why was she here again?

Right. Her girlfriend had cramps and was likely craving.

“Excuse me.”

He didn’t stir.

She cleared her throat, deliberately louder. “Excuse me.”

When he finally awoke, he regarded her with a groggy stare. “Yeah?”

“Do you have any snacks?”

“Help yourself,” he drawled lazily, gesturing towards the rows upon rows of brightly-colored chocolates, candies, and chips. There were coolers at back end of the store with a multitude of energy drinks and juices. Towards the left of the counter was freezer. “That one has ice cream.”

Where was she even going to start? By the nine, there so many choices! Feeling the need to vent, she had blurted out: “I have a cranky girlfriend on her period and I’m so very near my wits end.”

“Oh.” His eyes widened in sympathy. “I got you. Friend of O’Neill’s?”

“So to speak.”

“First time?”

She nodded.

“Alright kid, my name is Marty and I think you and I are gonna be good friends.”

Five minutes into their conversation, Diana realized that Marty was… quite interesting and not at all unpleasant.

“So we’ve narrowed it down to chocolates, and ice cream.”

“She’s quite fond of chocolates. You said these were imported from Asia?”

“Japan!” He grinned proudly.

Perfect.

“I’ll… get one in every flavor.”

“Go hard or go home, amirite?” Marty laughed.

“And…” she glanced over the ice cream cooler. “One pint of each flavor you have.”

Marty blinked.

Costs didn’t matter. Might as well make the most of being part of the ‘oppressive’ bourgeois.

---

“I had a feeling you’d still be up.” Diana whispered softly through the opening of Akko’s dorm. “Please don’t shut the door at my face again.”

“I’m sorry about that!” Akko cried out, but Diana held up her finger in a gesture to keep her quiet.

“Sucy and Lotte might wake up.”

“What’s going on?” Akko inquired. “It’s really late now, Dia.”

“M—May I come in?”

They slipped into the Red Team’s dormitory with hushed voices and the sound of shuffling feet. Diana should have asked Akko’s roommates before inviting herself to stay the night, but she’d rather not wake them and she could leave first thing in the morning.

Akko’s bright red eyes glistened in wonder at the plastic bag Diana was carrying. “W—Where did you get these?”

“In town,” she supplied cryptically.

“You snuck out.” Akko gawked.

“The method is unimportant.” Diana replied. And then her voice and gaze softened. “What matters is… do you like them?”

“I would have screamed in joy if you haven’t been trying to keep me quiet!” Akko said under her breath, pulling on Diana’s arm to sit beside her at her bed. “L—Let me take your coat.”

“That’s not necessary,” Diana whispered back, slipping out of her coat herself and hanging it at the edge of Akko’s bedpost. “I’d rather you just lean back and not exert yourself.”

She had changed into something more casual before leaving, and was glad she wouldn’t have to spend all night in their stuffy uniform. Akko was fiddling with her thumbs and biting her lip.

“Is something wrong?”

“No—no!” Akko reassured. “Well… I’m still sorry for how I’ve been today. I guess I should have told you, but I get really bad cramps on my period and it makes me want to like… break things.”

Diana softly reached over to hold Akko’s hand. “Barbara tells me you didn’t tell me about this?”

“Yeah.” Akko scratched at her cheek, looking away.

Diana scooted over to lean against the headboard of Akko’s bed, quietly inviting the brunette to rest against her. If instinct told her right, Akko would appreciate being held. Sure enough, the smaller witch followed the invitation, situating herself to lean against Diana’s chest. While she wrapped her arms around Akko’s torso, the only thing the blonde could think about was how much she missed holding her today.

She held onto Akko a little tighter, pulling her just a bit nearer. But then Akko began to tense, curling up into herself with a sharp breath.

“Cramps?” Diana spoke gently, laced with worry.

“Yeah. Jennifer’ tits this sucks.”

“What do they give for you at the infirmary?”

“The potion they give me knocks me out cold and I hate how I feel when I wake up in the morning.” She sulked. “Today wasn’t so bad though, so I just wanted to sleep.”

Diana frowned. The way she was gripping on her forearm told her the cramps probably haven’t gone away, so on a whim she wondered if…

“May I try something?”

Akko blinked up at her, a strained expression on her face. “It’s good, this is the worst of it. I really will be fine tomorrow.”

“But may I?” She insisted.

“O—Okay.”

Slowly, she breathed in, setting her hand above Akko’s stomach while she remembered the feeling of magic and… love.

“It’s warm.” Akko whispered, noticeably relaxing.

“It’s a spell from my family. Is this better?”

“So much better.” Akko laced her hands with Diana’s, gratitude evident in the breathlessness of her voice. “Thank you, Dia.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“It would have been troublesome for you, so I just wait it out.” Akko admitted sheepishly.

Troublesome. Diana smiled, watching Akko relax once the pain had been soothed away. She chuckled when Akko opened the first bar of chocolate her hand had found from the nearby pile. Her surprised gasp was a wonderful thing to hear. “This is—from—”

“Home?”

“Yeah!”

“I went to the convenience store in Glastonbury.” Diana admitted.

“I really don’t deserve you!” Akko pouted, head falling back into Diana’s shoulder. “You get me chocolates, have magic healing hands, and now you’re out of your dorm past curfew and—Ugh! I told you—troublesome.”

Diana pressed her nose against Akko’s shoulder, tightening the arms around her waist. The darkness of the room was relaxing, accentuated by a moonlit glow. She breathed in deeply, enjoying their closeness and how nice Akko smelled.

“I think you’re underestimating how much trouble I’m willing to go through for you.”

That earned her a kiss on the cheek. “When did you get so cheesy?”

“Are you complaining?”

“Definitely not.”

“And this is nothing.” Diana teased. “I believe I remember a certain witch chasing me all the way into Wedinburgh just to get me back to school. She didn’t even fly.”

“Mou!” Akko huffed, snuggling into Diana’s warmth even further. “You loved it.”

Diana paused in contentment.

"I love you.”

Akko turned to face her. Her eyes were moving carefully over Diana’s features, as if to memorize how she looked. She grinned. “I can’t believe you’re real and that you feel the same way.”

Diana felt her ears flush. This time, Akko kissed her softly on the lips.

“I love you.” She kissed her again. “Thank you for these, Diana. It—It means so much.”

“So,” Diana started with a teasing lilt in her voice. “What was that about—kissing me right at your doorway earlier?”

“Mood swings are caused by hormones, you know.” Akko pouted, flushing red in the cheeks.

“So picky with food, too.” She continued to tease, earning another quiet laugh from her girlfriend. Akko looked like herself again.

They fell into a familiar banter, curled up together in bed, and she realized that she’d do it again.

From raiding the kitchen, to running around the castle, to flying out in the middle of the night.

She’d do it again, and again, and again if she had to because Akko was smiling once more and everything—everything—was worth it.

fin

A/N: Hey guys! Here's another one-shot that absolutely no one asked for but I may burst into tears because of how much I loved the idea. I was beginning to get self-conscious about how many one-shots I've made for Diakko but like IDK I LOVE THEM OKAY IDC ANYMORE I hope you enjoy, and stay safe! I also appreciate all the comments people have left in the other works, and am sorry if I don't always get to respond but will try to find the opportunity to! <3

Additionally: Haahaaha yeah I know it's not an Appt update I'm soRRY

#Diakko #Dianakko #Diana Cavendish #Akko Kagari #Atsuko Kagari #LWA #Little Witch Academia #Luna Nova #Sucy Manbavaran #lotte yanson #LWA Akko #LWA Diana #Fluff #Romance #Cute Fanfic #Hamanda #wlw

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timeagainreviews · 5 years

Text

A Loch back at a Zygon Era

Hello friends! I've had quite the week! Monday was my birthday, so my boyfriend and I took a road trip around Scotland. We saw lots of things from the Beatrix Potter Garden in Birnam, to the Cave of Caerbannog from Monty Python, to the Devil's Pulpit in Dumgoyne. But our main destination was Loch Ness! We settled into our hotel by watching "Terror of the Zygons," which seemed appropriate considering our surroundings. Naturally, I decided to review it here. Before I do, however, I would like to thank all of you who have been liking and reblogging my stuff lately. It means a lot to know I'm connecting with people. Thank you for your support!

On the surface, "Terror of the Zygons," appears to be just like any other serial of its era. However, if you do a bit of digging, you'll discover that there are some interesting facts about its production. Did you know that there was a sort of "real-world," tie in with the story? No, I don't mean Nessie. Think closer to Mickey Mouse. In 1975, Tom Baker played the Doctor for the August "Disney Time," bank holiday special. After introducing several clips from Disney films, he is called away by the Brigadier to the events of Terror of the Zygons. I can't help but wish this information was known to me before writing my Doctor Who and Disney article! You can watch the clips on youtube. They feature Tom being suitably bizarre.

Along with having an unusual prequel, the story also had a deleted scene from the beginning which was later colourised by YouTuber "babelcolour," for the DVD release. This edited version is the one I rewatched for today's review. The scene begins with the TARDIS materialising invisibly. The Doctor walks out from nothingness, wearing a matching tartan tam and scarf, replacing his usual fedora and scarf. Not far behind are Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan wearing said hat and scarf respectively. There's something rather humorous about the Doctor using his companions as human hat racks. Considering Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart's name, it seems appropriate that the Doctor is sporting the Royal Stewart tartan. I can't help but wonder if the costume department did this on purpose. After rematerialising the TARDIS to "fix," it back to it's usual broken police box state, the three continue their journey to answer the Brigadier's Disney Time summons. It seems an oil rig off the coast of Scotland has crashed into the sea just shortly after having lost radio contact.

After hitching a ride from the eccentric Duke of Forgill, the three meet up with a kilted Brigadier in a small Scottish inn where the landlord, Angus, plays bagpipes ad nauseam. They're really driving the Scottish shit home, which makes sense when you consider they filmed the episode in Sussex. Also gathered at the inn are Sergeant Benton, various UNIT soldiers, and a man from the oil company named Huckle. The Duke has some curt words with Huckle, informing him that any crewmen found on his land will be shot. After leaving in a huff, we see one of these crewmen wash ashore, seemingly alive. Over the past month, three different rigs have all met their demise. The gang splits up Scooby-Doo style. Dr Harry goes off to check on the injured crewmen, while Sarah stays behind to get the scoop from the locals. And the Doctor goes off to be the Doctor.

Back at the inn, Sarah mentions the odd nature of the Duke to Angus who promptly defends the duke as a good man. However, even he has to admit that the Duke has been acting strangely since the oil companies came. After letting go most of his servants, the only real bit of interaction he's had lately was gifting the inn with a goofy looking stag head. Nowadays the Duke keeps mostly to himself at Forgill Castle. The surrounding area of Tulloch Moor seems steeped in mystery. People go missing as the mist comes in, Angus tells Sarah as they're being spied upon from a distance. Eavesdropping in on the conversation over a veiny, bio-mechanical screen, an unknown figure watches from the shadows.

While driving alone, Harry spots the washed-up man from the rig and jumps out to help him. Believing him to be yet another trespasser, a beardy fellow by the name of Caber shoots the survivor and wings Harry across his brow, rendering him unconscious. Back in the bio-mechanical ship, alien villains twist and caress a fleshy panel in the weirdest form of nipple play ever seen on Doctor Who, causing the destruction of another oil rig near Ben Nevis. While trying to decipher the signal that has been jamming the oil rigs' radios, the Doctor learns of Harry's brush with death.

After checking on Harry, the Doctor goes out to inspect the oil rig wreckage where he discovers strange holes in the foundation. After taking a cast of the holes with plaster of Paris, the cast reveals what looks like the shape of an impossibly large sharp tooth. During a call with the Doctor, Sarah is attacked by the previously seen alien hand, which belongs to none other than a fearsome Zygon! I've always loved their design, especially in this scene. Something about the shape of its mouth is particularly disturbing. I was slightly disappointed about the redesign from the new series. I'm a big fan of the Zygon cat nose. I almost named one of my cats Zygon due to his dark orange fur and similar nose shape, but my partner at the time vetoed that idea. I named him Rory instead.

After discovering both Harry and Sarah missing, the Doctor discovers Sarah in a decompression room for divers, the door slightly ajar. I was annoyed by the fact that the Doctor fell for such an obvious trap, but it also led to an intriguing sequence. Harry's nurse, Sister Lamont, closes the heavy door behind the Doctor and seals it shut for decompression. Running out of air, the Doctor hypnotises Sarah and enters into a trance to conserve air. I'm a big fan of any time the Doctor acts like a bit of a mystic. I'm a meditator myself, so it's cool to see the Doctor tap into the innate powers of thought control. One of the side effects of certain meditations is a slowing of breathing. It was nice that the scene doesn't overly explain this. It allows Tom the chance to really play up his weird alien charm as his eyes roll back and he howls toward the ceiling. Moments like these are why I love Tom Baker so much. He's not afraid of being utterly bizarre.

It's around this time we begin to learn a little about the Zygons. Having taken Harry to their ship, their leader, Broton, tells him a bit about their history. After they crash-landed centuries ago they awaited rescue while subsiding on the lactic fluid of their giant Nessie-like cyborg pet known as the Skarasen. That's correct, you did not misread that- they feed off of cyborg breast milk. Only with a show like Doctor Who can you get a sentence like that. You've kind of got to love that. After discovering their planet was destroyed by a cosmic event, they redirected their efforts toward getting their suckers on Earth. The Skarasen is to be the form of Earth's destructor, as no human weapon could hope to penetrate its augmented skin. In order to move their plan into motion, the Zygons gas the village, knocking the Brigadier and the UNIT soldiers out cold, thus allowing them to move in secret. Luckily for the Doctor and Sarah, Sergeant Benton was on the lookout for them where he saves them from death by asphyxiation.

After coming to, Huckle gives the Doctor a bio-emitter that attracts the Skarasen, which he found among the wreckage of the rig. Having bugged the inn, the Zygons reveal to Harry that they use the psychic imprint of humans in order to mimic their form. He sees the likes of Sister Lamont, Caber, and the Duke, stored in hibernation chambers, maintaining a link to their Zygon counterparts. They use Harry's form to slip back to the inn where they may fetch the emitter. But he is intercepted by Sarah who is concerned by his odd behaviour. She chases him into a barn where they scuffle in a manner that had me weirdly thinking of “Super Vixens.” Russ Meyer's Doctor Who is not something I ever expected to imagine. After a bit of trouble, Zygon Harry falls from a hayloft onto his own pitchfork, killing him instantly and revealing himself to Sarah as a Zygon. However, the crafty Zygons completely evaporate his remains to hide any evidence. I wondered why they didn't just do the same thing to the emitter in the first place, but I guess the answer is "it doesn't do that." Ok, sure, whatever. Now free from his psychic link with the Zygon, Harry is able to sneak about on their ship unabated.

After realising the Zygons were working from the shadows, the Doctor assumes they must have bugged the inn somewhere, so the lads go about searching the place from top to bottom. I love Angus' indignant response to the idea that his inn might have actual bugs. Angus Lennie's performance as Angus is a true highlight in the story. Afraid of the humans discovering that the goofy stag head must be the bug, the Zygons decide to send the Skarasen to rid themselves of these tiresome humans. After figuring out the secret of the emitter, the Doctor draws the Skarasen away from the village only to find it has fused itself to his hand. But Harry's meddling with the ship's systems allows the Doctor the ability to toss the emitter in the path of the Skarasen, destroying it in the process.

The Doctor and friends meet up and go to Forgill Castle to ask permission to drop depth charges into Loch Ness, the source of the signal. Their hope is to draw the Zygons out. Meanwhile, the Sister Lamont Zygon goes to fetch the stag head and fights with Angus in the process, killing him. It's a sad ending for one of the more likeable characters, but it's also kind of wonderful in its simplicity. I never quite understood why the Zygons needed to turn people into electric balls of something I might pull out of my hairbrush, as they did in "The Zygon Invasion." If anything, I much prefer the updates they received in Mark Morris' "The Bodysnatchers." Using venom from their suckers matches their physiology far better than superpowers. Morris really fleshed out the Zygons in a way I wish the show would. Seeing them in their initial incarnation using brute force seems far more practical to me. I think sometimes, more is less.

After discovering a way into the Zygon ship, they save Harry, but the Zygons flee with the Doctor still onboard. The Doctor gets a wonderful opportunity to match wits with Broton in a speech that includes my all-time favourite Fourth Doctor line- "You can't rule the world in hiding. You've got to come out on to the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle." Evidently, that line was ad-libbed by Tom Baker, only further solidifying my love for the man. He makes a good point though, the Zygons have mostly been working from the shadows, in secret. The Zygons fly away, masking their trail from UNIT, still hiding. I must admit, it's not abundantly clear what their plan actually is. Sure they intend to use the Skarasen against earth's weapons, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of explanation as to how the oil rigs play into everything. There's mention of turning the Earth into something more habitable for Zygons, but I'm honestly not sure. I asked my boyfriend what his impression was, and he couldn't quite figure it out either.

There's a lot of what happens at this point in the story that seems like happenstance. The UNIT crew and Sarah end up going to London, which also happens to be where the Zygons have set their next target. They plan to swim the Skarasen up the Thames to wreak havoc on Westminster Abbey. In my review for "Castrovalva," I mentioned how the Fourth Doctor's super-heroics were oftentimes overstated, and what comes next is nothing shy of extraordinary. After rigging some ventricle type wiring from within his cell, the Doctor uses his own body to complete the circuit, allowing UNIT to see past the Zygon's scramblers and pinpoint their location. I loved that it was Benton that did this, by the way. This was twice in one story where Benton got to play hero. They pinpoint the ship's location to be a disused quarry, which made me ugly cackle. Classic Doctor Who used quarries so often to make up an alien planet, that the idea of them saying "This actually is a quarry," seemed almost cheeky. Broton, thinking the Doctor has died, uses his Duke disguise once more to go plant another emitter in Westminster. After releasing the human captives aboard the Zygon ship, the Doctor sounds an alarm and sets off the self destruct killing the remaining Zygons onboard. Yay, murder!

The UNIT soldiers dispatch Broton after a fumbling fight scene between him, Harry, and Sarah. All the while, the Skarasen is working its way up the Thames. It's a brilliant little bit of puppetry mixed with stop motion animation that I found completely charming. Even if it does look a bit naff, it's effective enough to be a suitable set piece to end such an episode. It's very much within the tone of the story to have the Loch Ness monster stomping through London. The Doctor manages to trace the emitter and toss it into the open jaws of the Skarasen. It nom nom noms the emitter into nothingness, causing it to lose all interest in the Abbey. The Doctor casually supposes that it will most likely return to its home of Loch Ness. I loved that the show kept the Loch Ness mystery intact. After all is said and done, "Nessie," may still be out there. It wouldn't have felt right killing off a beloved cryptid that brings so much wonder to many. Such feelings of wonder are what Doctor Who thrives upon. Sadly, while we got to keep Nessie, we say goodbye to some regulars. This marks the last regular appearance of both the Brigadier and Harry. With the Doctor no longer relegated to the Earth, UNIT begins to play a much smaller role in the story. And Harry, now back in London, hasn't a lot of need to continue travelling with the Doctor. It's an almost unceremonious end of an era for Doctor Who.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. While I feel like it somewhat falls apart in the final act, the mystery and intrigue in the first few episodes really draw you in. Even my boyfriend, who is a casual fan, was drawn in by the atmosphere. You can see the beginnings of what was to become the more horror-themed stories such as "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," or "The Horror of Fang Rock." The Zygons are, for me at least, a classic baddie. They may not be as popular or iconic as the Daleks or Cybermen, but I think they work as their own kind of threat. Bringing them back has also proven to be successful. The Big Finish audio "The Zygon Who Fell to Earth," is well worth a listen. There's a lot of care put into this story that I think makes it stand out from others. Geoffrey Burgon's beautifully haunting music was a nice change of pace from Dudley Simpson's usual work. The track "A Landing in Scotland," is particularly memorable. The Zygon ship interior being organic was a unique touch that we rarely see in Doctor Who, save for maybe "The Claws of Axos," and the model work was also pretty damn charming. Having recently been to both Loch Ness and Ben Nevis, it really added something to the experience as well. There is a surprisingly low amount of episodes that take place in Scotland, which is unfortunate. If there's anything this trip has taught me, is that Scotland has a lot to offer. There are so many peaks and valleys covered with lush greenery and deep dark waters. It's easy to imagine that somewhere, something is lurking down below. Hats off to Robert Banks Stewart and Robert Holmes for seeing this potential, and turning out something magical.

#doctor who #fourth doctor #tom baker #sarah jane smith #elisabeth sladen #nicholas courtney #BRIGADIER LETHBRIDGE STEWART #zygons #harry sullivan #ian marter #Time and Time Again #tardis #bbc #loch ness #nessie #loch ness monster #skarasen #terror of the zygons

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