The reason I decided to use this quote was to commemorate a recent role-playing adventure I participated in, where Shiwan Khan played a pivotal role as a Super-Villain. Super would actually be a much too powerful word to describe him. In this game, he was actually terrible. The only psychic power he had was a flame-fist, which meant his fist could light up with energy. It didn't really do anything. Of course, this didn't stop Shiwan from thinking he could cloud peoples' minds. He kept giving us ridiculous commands to join him, or that we needed fuel. These were easy to ignore. It was harder to ignore the fact that Shiwan was eating rice with his hands! This villain had terrible manners! In fact, he was a Barbarian. Not only that, but Shiwan had actually stolen a letter opener some 200 years ago from a wizard school where one of the characters was employed. He brandished this letter opener during the Chinese dinner scene, to our shock and surprise. He then used the following lines.
Shiwan Khan: Recognise it? I took it from Professor Dumbledore. No, I correct myself. I took it out of Professor Dumbledor...'s desk after I RAN it through his mail! When will you learn to listen to your instincts?
Any good villain needs good help. Of course, Shiwan wasn't a good villain, and his help was also less than competent. He had about a half-dozen Mongol Warriors at his command. They weren't very bright, but they were loyal. They were also very noticeable when walking the streets of a city, or when attending a horrible movie. Like in the movie, these Mongol Warriors also have the ability to fly incredible distances when hit with anything. Usually doing several flips in the air as well. All the same, these warriors were still far stronger than Shiwan Khan. Despite his 'psychic powers'. Now, I need food.
For the many people who probably can't guess, this quote is from The Shadow movie. And no, the movie isn't in black and white. For some reason, that was the only picture I could find of Shiwan Khan. On the other hand, it is a picture of the exact scene where this quote is used. Unfortunately, The Shadow met with very little success when it was released, despite the fact that it was a great movie. Sure, critics might complain about the plot, or about the unrealistic lack of security at the Museum of Natural History, but at least it had style. This puts it above a great deal of other movies, up to and including Planet of the Apes. Mainly because it didn't have Charlton Heston. You've probably heard enough about the movie, so I will now explain this particular quote. It is spoken by Shiwan Khan at a Chinese restaurant. He is berating the Shadow for becoming a hero, and suggests that he follow his instinct. My personal instinct would be to order something expensive and then leave Shiwan with the bill. I'd like to see his psychic powers deal with THAT!
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