#commentary on Watcher X Escapes

[depizan]

This is the for the "DVD commentary" ask meme. I ... am not sure I want to paste in 500 words or count them. So if you want, could you do a DVD commentary for the "Watcher X Escapes" fic you wrote, I know you talked about it a bit, but I really liked the dialogue between X and Kyrian.

Watcher X is such a fascinating character. He pretty much tells the Agent he’s only helping them/the Empire because of his conditioning, yet a lot of his conversations with the Agent have this odd mentoring aspect to them. To lull them into a false sense of security? To win them over? Because he does have some loyalty to the Empire? Because he feels some connection to or pity for the Agent, who is almost certainly doomed to some fate at least as unpleasant as his own?

Nothing about him is straightforward; there’s always this sense of something hidden. He’s a man who always has something up his sleeve, some ulterior motive, some plan he hasn’t revealed. I know he’s supposed to be a product of the Watcher design program like Watcher Two, but I have trouble not thinking of him as someone who’s been in the field. There’s just something about the kind of advice/suggestions he offers that feels like personal experience, not just a previous career of advising other people in the field.

In any event, he’s far too skilled and far too clever for his potential in-game end. Hence the fic.

And I wanted to keep that sense of hidden motives about him for his dialogue with Kyrian.

Is everything X says just manipulation, waiting for the right moment to use the secondary function he'd rigged in the implants? Is he just messing with them, like Kaliyo thinks? Or is he trying to find a way to end their stand-off of sorts peacefully?

Or is the whole conversation something of a Xanatos Gambit? Whatever happens, he wins, because the only option that might have prevented him from escaping wasn’t actually on the table. (He clearly has Kyrian figured out well enough to know that.)

Kyrian, conversely, has no option open to him that he likes. He can’t just let X go because Kaliyo won’t go for it and there’s a good chance that Watcher Two has hacked into any available security cameras and is watching the whole thing. He doesn’t really want to try and drag X back to Shadow Town (not that he thinks he could) and knows he can’t just convince him to go back. (Why would anyone?) And he definitely doesn’t want to shoot him.

What he wants is to somehow manifest a solution that works out for everyone. Even though he knows that’s somewhere between wildly unlikely and impossible.

So we start with game dialogue. With clever, twisty X who, as always, has something up his sleeve. And immediately take a left turn as Kyrian tries to convince them both that there is some magical third option, that maybe there’s a way to convince Intelligence that X should be rewarded for his efforts.

There’s not, of course.

The irony, or something like irony, of the situation is that the conversation is a battle of wits between two people who basically want the same outcome and neither of them can talk their way to it, largely for reasons that are out of their control. The only person in the hanger who wants X dead or back in Shadow Town is Kaliyo.

X knows Kyrian doesn’t have the power to convince Intelligence to set him free or reinstate him or anything that’s not (at best!) stick him back in Shadow Town. Kyrian isn’t ready to acknowledge that he’s not loyal to the Empire, or at least that his sense of morality and ethics and compassion and all the other things a field agent shouldn’t have will always outweigh his loyalty.

Though I do hope the audience is as amused as X is when Kyrian's response to X noting that he's clearly not a proper Cipher agent because he keeps trying to find "soft, inefficient solutions" is to...keep trying to find, or sell, a soft solution to their standoff.

Then again, Kyrian's also right that X is stalling (or also stalling), since X has the ability to end their apparent impasse at any time. Perhaps X really does think he can get Kyrian to realize that he and his career are doomed. Something makes him wait until the last moment, anyway, even if its merely a sense of drama.

And the lesson Kyrian learns is not: “if you’re supposed to shoot someone, don’t talk to them first” it’s: “maybe I’m not entirely loyal to the Empire.” Now that the question he hadn’t dared to ask himself has been asked, it can’t be unasked.

Though the lesson he probably should have learned was: "get out while the getting's good." Somewhere out there, Watcher X must be so disappointed in how Kyrian's career ended.

[frozenjokes]

Hermitdragons Masterpost (Wings of Fire x Hermitcraft/Third Life AU)

Grainshifter (Grian) was born to the Nightwings under one full moon, giving him the power to read minds. However, as fortold by Nightwing seers, he also possesses animus magic, a power that the Nightwings will use to bring their tribe into greater glory, becoming Watchers that feed off the strong emotions of the other dragon species, particularly fear. When Grainshifter attends Jade Mountain Academy in disguise as a Skywing called Grian, the Watchers take notes, and years later they surprise him with his very own death game featuring all his friends.

hello hello! this fic is on hiatus, and while I would like to finish it one day, it is my first foray into fic writing basically ever, and my writing has improved dramatically since a year ago when I started to write this. It’s been a while since I’ve reread this, but I have been told it’s good! lol. However! There’s still a lot of content (70k words and SO MUCH ART) so let’s get into it!

Fic One - Ruler of Everything

After Grian betrays Nightwatcher secrets to one of his best friends, Scar, he is punished by the Nightwatchers and placed into a death game with all of his past friends from the academy. However, there are two dragons he does not know; Scott, a Seawing who seems mostly normal, and Martyn, a dragon whose mind he can not read at all. Whose mind no one can read. Whose body can not be manipulated by animus magic. Soon, it is clear that Grian is not the only dragon here that is being punished.

Fic Two - Mechanical Hands (this fic does not exist but in theory it would after the first)

Grian comes to terms with his relationship with the Nightwatchers, finally realizing and accepting that they do not love him, and only want to use him. He teams up with Martyn in a shared goal of destroying animus magic, but a massive problem still stands; they’re both still stuck in these death games. And their friends are still under the Nightwatchers’ magical control. As the games go on, things are starting to feel hopeless, but revealing the secret of Martyn’s immunity to animus magic that he has so desperately tried to keep might just be the solution these trapped dragons need to escape.

Beyond these summaries, I’m going to try and keep these story explanations brief, however, if you’re interested is All Of The Art + commentary + more story explored through the art, then you can keep reading under the cut :) also just as a warning there is a lot of undetailed cartoon blood below

Designs

before writing, these were my first pass of most of the designs in the series! As you can probably tell from the references of the main three characters at the top, Scar, Grian, and even Martyn have changed quite a bit, and if I ever return to this series, other designs will probably change as well. Except Joel and Bdubs. Those are peak. The biggest change from these designs, is that Jimmy is not actually a dragon in this fic!(which is why I included the third picture with him, Scott, and Grian) He is super human, and he dies first for A REASON. He just looks the way canon Jimmy does, minus the wings.

Full Pieces

I made two fully rendered pieces for this fic. To the left is a scene from the academy where Pearl, Ren, and BigB are play fighting in the mountains while Grian and Scar watch. Grian is very uptight in the academy, struggling socially, and his friends, painfully aware Grian comes from a bad home situation and possibly raised in a cult, are trying to help him relax and have a nice time in school while he has the chance.

On the right is a scene from far into the death game, where Scar is overtaken by the magic of his red life, and is threatening to force Grian to kill all three Dogwarts dragons, and at the same time, blowing himself up in the process. The dragon on the left is Skizz and I hate his design, however the little tie thing is hilarious.

Chapter Headers

I made a ton of headers for the chapters of this fic, though most of them are broken on ao3 as far as I’m aware. However, you can see them here!

dragons featured in order of appearance: Scar, Pearl, BigB, Grian, Martyn, Scott, Jimmy, Ren. This isn’t actually every header but I’m going to run out of images and these cover most of them. The ones I left out aren’t anything special.

Mini Comics + Misc Art

I have literally run out of image slots. But that’s okay (most of the stuff was covered, but if you want to scroll through the hermitdragons tag then feel free). Hope you enjoyed regardless! This series is still very close to my heart, and even though I kind of lost touch with it, it’s something I still love dearly. Thanks for reading :)

[detective-grey]

Commentary

part 2 of "Wayhaven Frights 2021 - Connections" prompt "Thriller"

pairing: detective jasmine ricci x mason

rating: t

summary: Jasmine just wants to watch her favorite thriller movie to ring in the new Spooky Season, but her idea of enjoying a movie and Mason's are two different things.

read on ao3

She made her way quietly through the house, knife in hand, casting shaky glances around as shadows danced and twisted about.

Her breath caught in her throat as her foot creaked loudly on a floorboard. Sweat glistened on her forehead, mixing with the blood that flowed at an alarming rate from a cut above her brow.

She froze, listening, clinging to any noise she could in hopes that the pounding of her heart couldn’t be heard above the rattled old air conditioning unit blowing out of the nearby window.

Sure that she hadn’t been heard, she turned around to find him standing right behind her.

She screamed-

“If you had just listened to me, you wouldn’t be in this situation!”

“Why do you watch this shit if you’re not even going to enjoy it?”

Jasmine looked at Mason with a questioning glance. “What do you mean? This is one of my favorite movies, I literally watch it every year.”

He rolled his eyes. “Then why are you yelling at the screen and telling the characters that they’re idiots?”

She laughed, reaching towards the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table in front of them. “I just like to be more of an ‘active’ watcher of films.”

They were sprawled out across the soft, worn leather couch in the living room of her apartment. Jasmine had wrapped a grey fuzzy blanket around her shoulders as she leaned against the arm of the couch. Mason lounged on the opposite end, an arm thrown across the back of it and a leg kicked up on the table. He was sulking slightly, a little miffed at the fact that his mind had traveled to other activities once he came in and saw Jasmine turning all the lights off and lighting some candles, watching him with that damn smirk of hers.

“Has it ever occurred to you that some people don’t like it when you talk through movies?”

Focusing back on the screen of her small tv, Jasmine replied, “ah, but there’s a difference. I don’t ‘talk through movies,’ I offer meaningful commentary about the movie. So it’s not really the same thing.”

She maneuvered out of his grasp and flung herself over the railing of the stairway, more willing to break a leg than lose her life at the hands of him. He stared after her, his eyes cold and empty.

He gave her a head start.

“See, look at that! She jumps over the banister when she could have easily made it into the room with the fire escape out the window,” Jasmine groaned, shaking her head with an exasperated smile.

She could feel him glaring at the side of her head and she threw a kernel at him while still watching the screen. “Just sit over there and enjoy my extremely necessary commentary while we watch this big dummy get chased by a murderer.”

In a blink, Jasmine found herself on her back looking up into Mason’s eyes, so dark they appeared black in the low light.

“Who said your commentary is necessary,” he grumbled, his hands on either side of her head as he lowered his full weight over her.

She arched a brow, a teasing smile playing across her lips. “Why, I did of course. Did you have something to say about it, Mason?”

He twisted his fingers into the thick dark brown hair at the base of her neck and pulled slightly. A slight moan escaped her as her head tilted back and he brought his lips to the now exposed skin.

“Tell you what, Sweetheart,” he mumbled between small bites and kisses. “You can keep watching your damn movie, but the only noises I want to hear out of your mouth are the ones I make you say. Got it?”

He accented each word with a nip of his teeth, a lick of his tongue. Jasmine ran her fingers up and down his back and his arms, wanting to feel every part of him. She then brought her hands to his face so that she could guide his lips to her own, almost melting at the first familiar taste of him.

He always tasted faintly of tobacco and something...slightly more metallic. The day she realized that the iron taste probably came from his diet hadn’t exactly been the best day of her life. But now, though it slightly weirded her out, she had to admit she kind of liked it. Not in the sense that she would pop a straw into the first blood bag she saw, but it did add to the experience of kissing Mason.

And, oh, what an experience it was.

The years had been kind in giving him the time to practice his technique to the point where she felt as if she were a violin and he a master player, stroking and plucking her strings with ease. He moved and worked her like bringing her pleasure wasn’t only second nature, but his ultimate goal in life, the one thing that could truly bring him satisfaction. Every sweep of his tongue or ministration of his hips on hers brought her closer and closer to-

The tv shut off.

Jasmine sat straight up on the couch, much to Mason’s disapproval. She looked around and noticed that the ceiling fan slowly spun to a stop and the clock on the oven no longer glowed its usual blue light.

“The power went out,” she mused.

“And,” Mason asked, already leaning forward to finish what he’d started.

She held a finger up to his lips as she turned to look out the window. It had apparently begun to rain, though she couldn’t remember hearing the storm start. Later, she would look back and realize that the weather forecast had predicted clear skies for the week, but at the time she merely stared out into the night periodically illuminated by streaks of lightning.

Turning back to Mason, she could just make out his face in the flickering orange light of the candles burning softly on the table.

“We were almost at my favorite part of the movie,” she pouted, removing her finger from Mason’s lips.

“Damn,” he groaned, again pushing her to lie back on the couch. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist to pull him close against her. “Guess we’ll just have to get to my favorite part.”

The storm raged on through the night. The power eventually came back on and the candles eventually burned out, but neither Jasmine nor Mason particularly noticed.

Their attentions were entirely elsewhere...

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: The Fly Collection

David Cronenberg's The Fly is commonly cited as a remake that is superior to the original; an assertion that's difficult to argue, but both films are effective mashups of science fiction and horror for their time. In fact, the Fly franchise - the 1958 original, its two sequels, the remake, and its sequel - is quite good as a whole. Scream Factory has collected them all on Blu-ray in a box set dubbed The Fly Collection.

Each of the five films is housed in an individual Blu-ray case with original poster art, all of which are packaged inside a rigid slipcover case featuring new artwork. 20th Century Fox's existing high definition transfers have been utilized, and each presentation is crisp and clear. The movies are accompanied by a variety of newly-produced special features along with archival extras to make viewers buzz with excitement.

The Fly begins with an atypical murder-mystery, in which the mystery is not a whodunit but rather a whydunit. Helene Delambre (Patricia Owens, Sayonara) immediately confesses to killing her husband, scientist Andre Delambre (David Hedison, Live and Let Die), via hydraulic press - first to her husband's brother, Francois (Vincent Price, House on Haunted Hill), and then to the detective on the case, Inspector Charas (Herbert Marshall, Foreign Correspondent), - but she refuses to say why.

The slow build pays off with a dramatic reveal toward the end of an extended flashback sequence that makes up the film's second act. Andre invented a light-speed teleportation device, the disintegrator-integrator, that he eventually went through himself, only to have a pesky fly unknowingly join him. The result is a disquieting hybrid with a human body topped by a fly's head, revealed in an iconic shot that harkens back to the climax of The Phantom of the Opera.

The creature is ingrained in pop culture, but it's easy to imagine audiences in 1958 being shocked by the dramatic reveal. The theatrical trailer smartly features Vincent Price addressing the audience directly, teasing the "unearthly horror" without revealing anything. The special effects may be schlocky by modern standards, but the overall concept - based on the 1957 short story of the same name by George Langelaan - holds up quite well.

The Fly is directed by Kurt Neumann (Rocketship X-M) and written by James Clavell (The Great Escape), marking his only foray into genre pictures. Neumann died under mysterious circumstances shortly before the film's release, missing its commercial success as one of Fox's biggest hits of the year. Shot in CinemaScope with Color by Deluxe, the picture features cinematography by Karl Struss (The Great Dictator) that makes the laboratory's sleek production design pop.

The Fly's Blu-ray disc has two audio commentaries. The first is a new track featuring filmmakers/historians Steve Haberman (co-writer of Dracula: Dead and Loving It) and Constantine Nasr. It's educational but far more casual than the average historian commentary, and much better for it. The second is a light, cheery track with Hedison circa 2008. His memory is sharp, and he proudly discusses playing his character for the duration, including when his face is obscured by a cloth and, later, the fly mask.

Fly Trap: Catching a Classic is ported over from the 2007 DVD. The making-of featurette includes Hedison, Haberman, David Frankham, Tony Timpone, Donald F. Glut, and more, and even touches on the sequels, but at 11 minutes, it's only able to scratch the surface. A 1997 episode of Biography on Vincent Price features interviews with the likes of Roger Corman, Dennis Hopper, Roddy McDowall, Hazel Court, Norman Lloyd, and daughter Victoria Price. Extras are rounded out by a brief Fox Movietone News segment about movie monsters attending the film's premiere, along with the aforementioned trailer.

Fox was quick to capitalize on the success of The Fly with a sequel, Return of the Fly, released in 1959. This was a time when sequels were not the norm, mind you, so the budget is noticeably smaller. It was shot in a mere 10 days and recycles sets from the first film. CinemaScope was utlized agan but this time in black and white, which feels like a regression yet also lends itself to a film noir atmosphere. It greatly pales in comparison to its predecessor, naturally, but it fares rather well for a rushed, cheap followup.

Price is the only original cast member to reprise his role, although several other characters return to be played by different actors. Well on his way to genre stardom, thanks in no small part to The Fly, Price receives top billing this time around; although he's still not really the main character. That honor goes to Brett Halsey (The Devil's Honey) as Philippe Delambre, the now-adult son of Andre who wishes to continue his father's mysterious work, against Francois' wishes.

Despite Andre's attempts to destroy all traces of his research in the previous film, Philippe is able to successfully recreate the disintegrator-integrator with the assistance of his father's former associate, Alan Hinds (David Frankham, 101 Dalmatians). Hinds, however, is a dastardly double-crosser out to sabotage Philippe for his own gain. He ultimately causes Philippe to suffer the same fate as his father, turning him into a mutant fly creature.

Writer-director Edward Bernds (World Without End) rehashes a lot for the sequel, but there are some interesting twists. While the original story's creature largely garnered sympathy between shocks, the sequel's creature is a victim that's out for revenge. It's occasionally played for scares, although the mask - oversized and cheesy compared to the original - isn't nearly as effective this time around, but the viewer is rooting for, rather than sympathizing with, the monster as a hero.

Return of the Fly's Blu-ray disc boasts three audio commentaries, two of which are new. Frankham showcases a miraculously good memory for a 93-year-old, citing events from 50 years prior with ease. He's joined by friend/actor Jonathan David Dixon, who facilitates the conversation and fills in the blanks as needed. The actor's sweet demeanor and impressive recollection caused me to add his 2012 autobiography, Which One Was David?, to my to-read list.

Film historian/author Tom Weaver's new commentary is informative yet feels conversational; a welcome change of pace from the typically dry solo historian track. The third commentary is an archival session with Halsey and film historian/journalist David Del Valle. It may not be the most enlightening listen, as Halsey's memory isn't as strong as Frankham's, but it's enjoyable enough. Other special features include the theatrical trailer, a TV spot, and a still gallery.

The diminishing budget and resources between The Fly and Return of the Fly pales in comparison to the decline from Return to Curse of the Fly. Released in 1965, the third and final entry in the original series was produced in the United Kingdom. With Price unable to return, as he was under an iron-clad contract with American International Pictures, a new story was conceived. The go-for-broke sequel extends the mythology but distorts the familial lineage, and there's no fly this time around.

Taking another jump into the near future, the film opens with a woman, who we later come to know as Patricia Stanley (Carole Gray, Island of Terror), running away from a mental institution in her underwear. The slow motion sequence is more likely to be mistaken for a Roger Corman exploitation picture rather than identified as a studio sequel. Patricia runs into Andre Delambre's grandson, Martin (The Spy Who Loved Me), and the two quickly fall for one another despite their respective sordid pasts.

Beyond the opening attempt at titillation, this is a slow burner that's decidedly less familiar than its predecessor. Martin and his father, Henri (Brian Donlevy, The Quatermass Xperiment), have continued to make advancements using the technology developed by Andre. They have successfully teleported between Quebec and London with terrible consequences; deformed experiments gone wrong are kept locked away like prisoners. A grotesque effect in the last act is a fitting precursor to the remake.

Director Don Sharp (The Kiss of the Vampire) and writer Harry Spalding (The Watcher in the Woods) present an interesting moral quandary. Once again shot in CinemaScope black and white, the picture has a bit of a Gothic horror atmosphere. It's never fully harnessed, but the plot flirts with Patricia's descent into madness. An ill-advised Caucasian actress (Yvette Rees) playing an Asian role - with obvious fake eyelids to change the shape of her eyes - is a harsh reminder of racist practices in Hollywood.

Curse of the Fly's Blu-ray disc kicks off with an audio commentary with Haberman and Nasr, who once again provide a thorough, analytical look at the film, making a compelling argument for it being superior to Return. In new interviews, actress Mary Manson recalls going under complicated makeup to play the "very, very odd part" of the film's most integral creature, and continuity person Renee Glynne doesn't remember much about her work on the picture but offers a perspective from a rarely-heard crew position. The theatrical trailer, a TV spot, and a still gallery are also included.

When The Fly received the remake treatment in 1986, director David Cronenberg (Videodrome) put his patented body-horror spin on the concept. But beyond the Academy Award-winning makeup effects, which are aberrant and plentiful, lays a beautiful romance. The lean-paced film gets into it right away, opening with quirky scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park) meeting journalist Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis, Beeteljuice).

Brundle courts Veronica by showing off his latest invention - teleportation devices known as telepods - and enlisting her to document his monumental findings. Brundle eventually goes through the telepod himself, unaware that a fly is in the device with him. While he's ostensibly unphased at first, he quickly discovers increased physical abilities. The benefits are short-lived, however, as he literally falls apart as the fly molecules overtake the human ones.

Unlike the original film, which hinged on a single, big reveal of a human-fly hybrid, Cronenberg and co-writer Charles Edward Pogue's (DragonHeart) script features a metamorphosis that slowly progresses - with gooey, practical effects by Chris Walas (Gremlins, Raiders of the Lost Ark) - throughout the film. Regular Cronenberg cinematographer Mark Irwin (Scream, There's Something About Mary) captures the atmosphere in an environment that begins cold and gets warmer as the film progresses.

Goldblum's awkward charms are at a peak. He and Davis were already a real-life couple, and their chemistry is palpable on screen. John Getz (Blood Simple) plays the third part of their love triangle as Stathis Borans, Veronica's boss and ex-boyfriend. But the intimacy extends beyond the relationships; the sparse film has but three essential roles, all of whom the viewer gets to know on a visceral level. The romance is supplemented by a heartstring-pulling score by Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings, The Silence of the Lambs).

The Fly's Blu-ray disc offers two audio commentaries: an archival track with Cronenberg and a new one with The Artist as Monster: The Cinema of David Cronenberg author William Beard. Cronenberg's commentary is a fascinating mix of anecdotes and insight, such as the telepod design being based on a Ducati motorcycle cylinder and how he had to stop Davis from subconsciously mimicking Goldblum's distinct mannerisms. Beard's analytical track digs into the film's subtext and explores its themes, giving context to how it fits into Cronenberg's filmography. There's also a trivia track, in which bits of information pop up while the movie plays.

A new interview with comedy legend Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles) - who produced The Fly under his Brooksfilms banner - is a highlight of the set. The 93-year-old Hollywood veteran chats about Cronenberg, Goldblum, David Lynch, and more. Other new interviews include producer Stuart Cornfeld, who reveals that Robert Bierman was going to direct until a family tragedy prevented it and that John Malkovich was originally sought for the lead role; Iriwn, who discusses the unique experience of working with Cronenberg, including their unfortunate falling out; and Shore, who explains how he implemented tragic themes for his first symphonic score of this size.

A plethora of existing special features are ported over. Fear of the Flesh: The Making of The Fly is a three-part documentary produced by Fox in 2005. The three stages of the film's production are covered by Goldblum, Davis, Getz, Walas, Pogue, Irwin, and more over the course of 135 minutes, not to mention extended/deleted interview segments. The Brundle Museum of Natural History features Walas sharing design concepts and effects materials alongside behind-the-scenes footage. Deleted and extended scenes, including the alternate ending, are also featured.

The disc contains a number of written works to peruse: Langelaan's original short story, Pogue's draft of the script, Cronenberg's rewrite of the script, and three 1986 articles about the film ("The Fly Papers" from Cinefex and "The Fly: New Buzz on an Old Theme" and "More About The Fly" from American Cinematographer). Other extras includes pre-production film tests, the original electronic press kit, a vintage profile on Cronenberg, various trailers, teasers, and TV spots, and still galleries (poster and lobby cards, publicity, behind the scenes, concept art, and four different effects galleries).

Much like the original The Fly, the remake's success led to a sequel. Released in 1989, The Fly II saw Walas assume the director's chair for the first time in his illustrious career. The script is written by Mick Garris (Hocus Pocus), Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), and Jim and Ken Wheat (Pitch Black). The pacing languishes in comparison to its predecessor, but it's not a bad followup overall. While Irwin and Shore's contributions are missed, the film reunites the talents of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II cinematographer Robin Vidgeon and composer Christopher Young.

The film opens with Veronica (recast with Saffron Henderson, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan) giving birth to Seth Brundle's baby - a squirming, amorphous creature - while Stathis (Getz, the only returning cast member, sporting a fake beard) looks on. The child, Martin Brundle (Eric Stoltz, Mask), suffers from a dramatically accelerated life cycle in terms of both physical growth and intelligence, so by his fifth birthday, he looks like he's in his 20s.

Martin is offered a job repairing his father's telepods in the laboratory in which he was raised. While working, he becomes romantically involved with a fellow employee, Beth Logan (Daphne Zuniga, Spaceballs). Their relationship is far less organic than the one depicted in the previous film, but it largely works. Martin eventually enters a cocoon-like state, only to emerge as a creature with virtually no humanity left for a final act that feels more like an Aliens knock-off than a Fly sequel.

Despite Walas helming several ambitious special effects - including a messy head crushing that initially earned the picture an X rating - he’s unable to outdo his landmark work on Cronenberg's film. The effects feel comparatively restrained with the exception of the the fly creature's final form, which looks a bit too cartoony. Yet, as beautifully tragic as Cronenberg's film is, The Fly II contains what is perhaps the franchise's most heart-wrenching scene: Martin watching his dog - his only friend - go through the telepod with disastrous results.

The Fly II's Blu-ray disc features new interviews with Cornfeld, who opens up about the difficulties of working with the studio on the sequel; Garris, who details his quite interesting original concept that greatly differs from the final product; Ken Wheat, who explains what he and his brother's draft introduced to the project before Darabont came on for the final rewrite; Vidgeon, who discusses working with Walas as a first-time director; Young, who talks about tapping into the emotional aspects and how his score differs from that of The Fly; and special effects artist Tom Sullivan (The Evil Dead), who talks collaborating on the creatures with other artists.

An audio commentary with Walas and film historian Bob Burns, whose extensive prop collection includes several pieces from The Fly II, is carried over. The old friends' camaraderie is apparent as Walas expounds upon the experience, including Davis' reasoning for not reprising her role. Transformations: Looking Back at The Fly II is a 48-minute retrospective from 2005 with Walas, Young, and producer Steven-Charles Jaffe (Ghost, Near Dark). Extended interviews with Walas (a sprawling 80 minutes) and Jaffe are also included.

The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood’s Scariest Insect is an hour-long TV documentary from 2000 about all five Fly films. Narrated by Star Trek's Lenoard Nimoy, it features Hugh Hefner, Ray Bradbury, Walas, Hedison, and more. Walas' crew's video production journal offers a behind-the-scenes look at the film's special effects. Young provides a master class in soundtrack composition in relation to his work in The Fly II. Other extras include storyboard-to-film comparisons with optional commentary by Walas; the original electronic press kit plus extended segments with Walas, Stoltz, and Zuniga; an alternate ending; a deleted scene; teaser and theatrical trailers; and still and storyboard galleries.

Genre fans should be afraid... be very afraid of not owning this set. Scream Factory has a reputation of going above and beyond for their collector's edition releases, but their box sets - like this and the recent The Omen Collection - are downright essential for horror completists. From presentation to special features, The Fly Collection does justice to each entry in the influential franchise.

The Fly Collection is available now on Blu-ray via Scream Factory.

[rawiswhore]

Shawn Michaels x Fem Reader- “I Luv Dem Strippers”

July 22nd, 1998.

This month during this year, after spending a hiatus in the company due to a back injury as well as retirement after having a long, virtuous career throughout the 1990's, Shawn Michaels is now back in the WWF.

He isn't wrestling anymore, but he's making guest appearances on "Raw", spending time at the commentary table.  

And thank God he's back. We've missed him so much.

Not only is he back, but he's even sexier than ever before.

His hair is shorter, and instead of dressing in his iconic outfits he wore during the 90's, he's dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt.

And...even better, July 22nd is his birthday!

Backstage, when the cameras weren't rolling, and thousands of people weren't in the seats, Shawn was sitting backstage in a leather chair, unbeknownst to what he'll get for his birthday.

It's a shame that 2 nights ago before his birthday, there was a WWF show, and this moment that's about to happen won't be filmed in an arena with several people in the seats and everyone around the world watching.

Several other pro wrestlers in the WWF were in this room with him, some of them that he feuded with in real life, others he was friends with.

Two men were rolling in a huge, white, nonedible cake as tall as they are.

Shawn's face lit up when he saw that cake, his mouth spreading a huge, ear-to-ear smile across his face, looking the way he did when he saw that Jenna Jameson lookalike in the audience wearing an Austin 3:16 spaghetti strap top flash her tits to Triple H and Shawn.

The other men in the room were reacting the same, the room filled up with their shouts and cheers of "yyyyyeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!", sounding like the men in the audience when some hot diva like Sable, Sunny or you enter the arena.

Sadly, this cake isn't an edible cake, which is a shame and disgrace.

Shawn could probably take a guess at who's inside the cake, so could the other wrestlers in the room, though, who is it inside that cake?

Once the cake was right in front of Shawn, the other 2 men walked away from this cake, whereas some other man pressed play on the boombox .

An erotic moan came out from that boombox, the moan instantly recognizable to all of the men in the room as well as just about any WWF watcher, much like the giggle at the beginning of Trish Stratus's "Time to Rock N Roll" or the glass break at the beginning of Stone Cold's entrance theme.

And much like pro wrestling, all the men in the room shouted "yyyyyyeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" when they heard and recognized that erotic moan at the beginning of the song.

Your body sprung up from the top of the cake, and that wasn't the only thing that sprung up ifyknowwhatimean.

Inside that fake cake was you, and not just you, but you were dressed like how Shawn was dressed during his 90's heyday in those red, tacky, male stripper outfits he wears in the ring.

Shawn loved it even more seeing you wearing an outfit modeled after what he wore throughout his wrestling career.

Two other men stepped up to the cake, where you lifted one of your legs up out of the cake and planted your foot on , these two men holding onto both of your hands as you escaped this cake.

You walked down this fake cake like they were stairs, more of your outfit being exposed for all the men to see.

Some of the men in this room chuckled seeing you dressed as Shawn during his 90's heyday.

Shawn, too, got a kick out of you dressed as him.

You sauntered up to him on beat during your WWF entrance song, you trying to look sexy.

Before you could do what you really wanted to do with him, you sensually and slowly walked around him, his head

When you were behind the chair, you stopped behind him, where you lowered yourself down, your hands sliding down his clothed chest.

Shawn's head was turned to the right side and looking at you, a little smirk was on his mouth as he looked at you.

You wish you could take his shirt off so you could let your hands roam down his chest, but, sadly, no.

You raised yourself up a little bit, and not just that, but lifted one of your feet off of the floor and gently rested the back of your knee on his right shoulder, your calf dangling down atop of his torso.

This took Shawn by a bit of surprise as well as the other men in the room, Shawn's facial expression going from a slight smirk to "oh, my!"

You gently brushed your calf up Shawn's torso, until your foot reached his shoulder.

You then walked slowly and sexily around the right side of Shawn, his eyes looking up and down at you.

When you were standing right in front of him again, your hands grabbed onto your vest, where you began to shuffle your vest up and down, back and forth, like how Shawn did with his vest during the 90's.

The men in the audience shouted "yyyyyyyyyeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!", one of them doing a corny "wolf whistle" at you.

When your hands were gripped onto that vest, you shimmed that vest off of your shoulders, where your vest shed down your arms, revealing your topless torso.

No bra, no bikini top, no nipple tassels or pasties under your vest, just you topless.

Shawn's eyes grew wide seeing you topless, the other men in the room seeing you topless shouted "woooooooooooooooooo!!!!" and "yyyyyyyyeaaaaaaahhhh!!" when they saw you topless.

You let that red leather vest drop to the carpet, not picking it up.

You then turned your body around, showing Shawn your bare, naked back.

You sat down in between Shawn's thighs, where you began to roll your ass up Shawn's erection, rolling your ass up his crotch while your hands were on your knees.

When you reached the top of Shawn's erection, you rolled your ass back down his clothed genitals, only to roll it back up.

Shawn feeling your ass roll and grind up his crotch over his clothed erection felt so good for his cock.

The men in the room absolutely loved seeing you topless, though, they've seen you topless before.

They were also jealous Shawn's the one getting the lapdance and not them, but this lapdance and striptease is reserved to Shawn, not them.

And unlike in actual strip clubs, you're gonna let Shawn touch you and rub you.

Shawn put his hands on your hips, where he slid his hands up and down your hips.

Feeling his touch sent chills and sensations through your body that felt so good.

Shawn let his hands roam all over the front part of your torso, his hands roaming and traveling all over your torso.

His hands stopped at your tits, where he gave your tits a few little squeezes and caresses.

Since you're giving Shawn a lapdance, Shawn removed one of his hands from your tits and slid his hand down his pocket, where he pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

He opened up his wallet and pulled out a $20 out of that wallet.

Not enough money, but Shawn's gotta pay his own bills too.

Some of the men in the room saw Shawn pull his wallet out, these men shouting "yeaaaaaah!", "alright!", one of them you heard "there you go!".

Wonder if they should shower you with dollars since you're basically playing a stripper?

When Shawn shut his wallet and put it back inside his pocket, he slid that dollar bill in between the waistline of the chaps you were wearing.

You felt Shawn slide that money in the elastic of your chaps, and you were proud of him for doing that, even if he gave you $20.

He'll still get his chance to caress your tits some more.

You then turned your body around, this time your face in front of his face and your chest in front of his, where, instead of rolling your ass up his crotch, this time, you rolled and grinded your crotch forward on his erection.

That wasn't all, your legs were spread apart on his lap, straddling him.

While you were giving him a lapdance, your hands were at the elastic of your chaps, where you separated the straps apart from the velcrow they were attached to, only to toss the chaps to the floor.

Hopefully no one steals the money in your chaps.

Shawn's hands resumed back to your tits, where he squeezed and caressed your breasts, fondling and playing with them.

Feeling his hands on your breasts, especially your areolas, felt so good, so good, you could lean your head back and look like you were in the middle of an orgasm.

One of your hands moved to behind his head, where you ran your fingers down his brown hair.

You didn't want his hair to get messy, so you ran your fingers down and through his brown hair instead.

Your other hand, however, crawled under his shirt and up his torso, your hand brushing up to his chest.

His skin felt the same way as yours when his hands caressed and roamed all over your body.

Some men did see one of your hands crawl up his shirt and your fingers run down his hair, many of them shouting "yyyyyeaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" and dragging that word out, another shouted "hands off the merchandise!".

You wish you could rip Shawn's shirt off of him and everything else off of him, and you'll probably do that later.

You've grinded your crotch on his lap too much, so now, you shifted and turned your body around, your hand slipping away from behind his head and up his shirt.

This time, your hands gripped onto the elastic of the tights you were wearing, the same red, iconic "Heartbreak Kid" tights that Shawn wore in the 90's, the words "Heartbreak Kid" plastered on your ass.

You lifted your ass off of Shawn's lap and slightly bent down, showing your ass in front of his face.

Shawn could nearly reach down his pants and pull his cock out and masturbate, but nah.

He was, however, getting a good view of your ass.

Your knees were sticking out back and forth, one knee sticking out, then the other, etc.

While this happened, you began to slowly pull your tights down, revealing a red thong under your tights.

You even matched under your tights, how awesome of that.

The men watching you pull your tights down, Shawn included, were getting a huge kick out of this, some of them doing that stupid, corny "wolf whistle" as its called, others pumping their fists up in the air and cheering you on.

Some of these men were chanting "take it off! Take it off!" over and over again at you.

Your tights slid down your legs courtesy of your hands, your upper part of your body bending down to your ankles as you got lower and lower the ground.

While you were showing your ass off in front of Shawn, his hands reached out and squeezed your ass cheeks, and not just that, but one of his hands gave a playful little smack on your ass.

"Yyyyyyyeaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" you heard one man shout in the room over Shawn smacking your ass.

You, meanwhile, were trying to keep a straight face as Shawn squeezed your ass and smacked it.

Shawn had to reach down his pocket and pull his wallet out again, opening his wallet back up and picking out a $50 this time.

He could make it rain on you if he wanted.

He slid that $50 bill beneath your thong strap, you feeling that dollar touch your skin.

Thank goodness you aren't wearing boots (though it completes the Shawn Michaels look), and when your tights were at your ankles, you lifted one of your feet out of the tights legs, then the other, letting those red tights lay on the floor.

The music stopped playing, and you turned your body around, plopping yourself right on top of Shawn's lap, your face in front of his, you looking like AJ Lee when her legs were wrapped around Kane's hips before she kissed him.

Someone by the boombox pressed "pause" on the stereo.

"Today's my birthday" Shawn said at you "And a birthday isn't complete without a cake... I've got the icing!"

His hands pointed to his crotch, albeit his fingers were attached to each other, forming "chopping" motions as if he was chopping a board in karate, doing his iconic "suck it" gesture, his hands forming a "v" shape at his "bikini line" area of his crotch.

That sexual innuendo is something Triple H at the beginning of 1998 would say or Val Venis at the height of his popularity, not Shawn.

Though, you love it when Shawn (and Trips, too, for that matter) are sexual. Val's kinda cute too.

The men in the audience filled the room with shouts after Shawn said that, shouting and yelling "yyyyyyeaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!", many of them clapping their hands.

You couldn't help but burst out into a huge, ear to ear smile when Shawn said that.

Later on that day, you and Shawn had some hot birthday sex, where yep, you got a taste of his icing.

Nowadays, Shawn would say "I've got the icing for those cakes!", since the term "cakes" referring to your ass cheeks didn't exist back in the 90's.