#Tiger Cage II

[omercifulheaves]

Tiger Cage II (1990)

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Tiger Cage II (Yuen, 1990)

The first Tiger Cage was a corrosive cops versus crooks actioner with amazing action scenes. Tiger Cage II is a kinder, gentler, more lighthearted actioner... but also with amazing action scenes. In the first movie, whatever trust we could place in authority or even in our friends proved to be fleeting. Here, if you think you’re having trouble trusting authority on this side of the law, well, they have the same problem on the other side. And if some of the good guys might not be so good, well, some of the bad guys might not be so bad. The boisterous violence of the first movie has been toned down, with the violence less graphic this time around, or at least lingered on less blatantly, but the pace has not let up. Here, we start at a law firm doing some kind of crooked criminal deal involving drug money from eeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvviiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllll foreigners, where Donnie Yen (returning from the first film but as a different character) gets mistakenly accused of murder when the deal goes south and a bunch of people end up dead. He’s soon paired up with Rosamund Kwan, whom he rescues from the carnage, finds himself accused by, and then gets paired up with as both flee from the bad guys and try to prove their innocence.

Yen’s and Kwan’s scenes together are played almost like a romantic comedy, like a Hong Kong action movie version of It Happened One Night, stringing contrived set piece after contrived set piece together at a breakneck pace. The result feels almost free associative, stringing together the bare minimum of cop and crook tropes as it bounces from one scene to the next almost reflexively. True, if the characters bothered to slow down, they could easily resolve any confusion. One gets the sense that this is like The Wrong Guy, where the police have good reason to believe they’re innocent, especially after getting in a shootout with a black-clad motorcyclist killer after witnessing said killer do the deeds Yen and Kwan think they’re accused of. But it’s hard to complain about any idiocy in the plotting when we get scenes like Yen peeing his pants while handcuffed to Kwan and Yen threatening to torture somebody with Perrier water. If you subscribe to the theory that actors essentially play the same character in all their movies, then that’s technically Ip Man peeing his pants in that scene.

I probably don’t need to tell you that Yen is extremely charismatic and a remarkable physical performer, but will note that at one point we see him kick down three bad guys while still in midair. (I don’t know if I’d describe the movie as stylish, but the action scenes are directed with undeniable verve, and images like Yen charging at the camera and the atmospheric scene in the darkened tunnel have a palpable visual impact.) I will also note that after seeing Kwan in Prince Charming, where she’s unfortunately outmatched by Cherie Chung and Maggie Cheung, and Armour of God, where she has unfortunately little to do, I think this movie makes a good case for her particular charms. We also get Cynthia Khan, who has her name misspelled in the credits and is maybe underused, but does get to face off with the motorcyclist killer. I am less familiar with her than some of the other girls with guns stars, but perhaps I will make time to explore her body of work. Also, as I mentioned earlier, there are some eeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvviiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllll foreigners, although instead of the lady with the nice hat from the first one, we get a guy with a ponytail. Which sounds like a downgrade, until I reveal that the ponytail guy has a sword, which we uses to face off against Yen in an all-timer action sequence. Which would be the peak of most movies, but this one finds time to deliver a few more amazing fight scenes right after, because one climax is for pussies.

Alas, the excellence of the first two entries is not maintained by Tiger Cage III, but for a movie that’s not very good, it’s surprisingly good. That’s a contradiction, you say? Well, first of all, fuck you, I’m trying to coin a phrase. Second, what I mean to say is that while there are pretty blatant narrative weaknesses that keep this from being remotely as enjoyable as the first two, it still delivers pretty ably on the kind of pleasures we see these movies for. This time, the sense of corruption has become almost background noise, as we go from a tale of corporate wrongdoing and insider trading to a Phantom of the Opera riff about sexual misconduct and greed, all conveyed with as little feeling as possible. A large part of the problem is the cast, as this lacks anyone with the star power or charisma as the leads in the first two movies. Instead, we get such memorable faces as ascot dude, long hair dude (the specific kind of non-grunge long hair dude they stopped making after the mid ‘90s), and a hero whose facial scars resemble the pizzaface makeup of the zombies in Hell of the Living Dead. Which is to say, I did not find the proceedings terribly worthwhile to invest in, but it’s hard to hold that against the movie too strongly when we have such action delights as a fight with fiery wooden planks and a speedboat / jet ski chase with rocket launchers.

[wondrouswendy]

Why Fictional CaseyWake Is Interesting

Back by popular demand (one person asking me to continue my essay), I will continue promoting my Fictional CaseyWake agenda. The Fictional CaseyWake tiger has escaped its cage (and is doing just fine, if a little tortured).

DISCLAIMER: While some of this post involves media analysis, I am not an expert by any means. I am just a fan interpreting things. Don't take what I say as gospel. Also, I am only working with canon presented to us through the video games.

Further, this post is not to discredit or attack FBI Casey/Alan Wake. This is just my way of explaining why this other version of CaseyWake is interesting to me. Don't come at me with a pitchfork.

As a reminder, this post was made with fun in mind.

With that said, this will be a much longer post than those I usually make, so buckle up buckaroos.

I. What's the Deal With Fictional Casey?

The Casey we meet in the Dark Place in Alan Wake 2 is not the same as FBI Agent Alex Casey. There are certainly parallels between the two men, they of course share the same name, the same face, the same voice, a handful of the exact same dialogue lines, but their perspectives on life, Alan Wake, and everything in between is extremely different.

In Abhi Jha's interview with Sam Lake, Lake describes how he decided to revive his love of hardboiled fiction through the Casey we see in the Dark Place. Alan has received visions he doesn't understand of the real Alex Casey which he has then interpreted and curated into becoming his own character named Alex Casey. At the time of this creation, Alan believes Casey came from his imagination. We later learn in Vision 02 that Alan was receiving visions of the real Alex Casey as his inspiration. In Lake's words, this is "an echo of Casey he has molded... turning the knobs more, going more into that hardboiled inspirations." He is a "fictional character coming to life" who is different than the "actual FBI Agent in Washington with Saga who does have similarities and potential of being pushed in that direction but not quite. More three dimensional. With real worries and all of that."

From this, we can extrapolate that Fictional Casey is an exaggerated version of the real Alex Casey and not necessarily a one for one copy of him. Fictional Casey's worries are therefore extremely different than his source material's worries. They live in two entirely different contexts and have vastly different people around them. FBI Agent Alex Casey had an ex-wife and currently has a partner he has a close relationship with. Fictional Casey essentially only has Alan.

Also, Fictional Alex Casey has a little hair floof whereas FBI Casey does not. Their wardrobes are completely different. FBI Casey prefers coffee as his poison of choice; Fictional Casey prefers whiskey.

II. Tropes of Interest

A. Hatemance/Enemies to Lovers

If you’re looking for a hatemance, the pairing has you covered given the whole “Alan killed Casey off for shock value” situation. There’s sex appeal in that alone, but I also think there’s this tender bond between Alan and his character which I will continue to go through later. Alan calls on Casey for help in the Dark Place later on. Maybe it’s on a subconscious level, but it’s certainly there.

In the QR code videos released by Remedy and added into the remastered version of the game, Alan brings up the importance of his character, Alex Casey several times.

In Vision 01, he describes how the Dark Place tapped into his "unconscious mind." Taking things and twisting them to ultimately create a mystery for him to unravel. He specifically writes, "I needed a detective to guide me. Echoes of Casey haunted me."

From Vision 02, he writes, "I saw visions carried by the ebb and flow of different dream states, they seeped in from the reality beyond, things I had a connection to but also things I couldn't possibly know. I used them in my writing to make it real so the parts that weren't would become so. And there were visions that I knew were not real. Ideas I had lost. Often of Casey. I had written about him for years. I use them as well."

In Initiation 2: Casey from Alan Wake 2, Fictional Casey introduces himself with no aggression. To me, in this scene, he is almost acting like a questgiver, an NPC you'd meet in a game whose purpose is to be the guide for the protagonist. There's no immediate malice. In fact, he sacrifices himself to the monster that threatens them.

Casey, who's supposed to be the hero in the narrative, is killed by the Dark Presence. Alan doesn't protect him. You could argue that Casey's final lines of dialogue in this chapter are a moment in which he's breaking through the narrative, implying that he's tired of being used as cannon fodder to protect Alan and to further him on his quest to escape the Dark Place.

B. The History Between Alan Wake and Fictional Casey

For six books, Alan exclusively wrote Alex Casey's story. I would argue that most authors do not stick with a character as long as this. Authors tend to write trilogies if they stick with one character. Often, authors tend to write a story with a character for the course of one novel and then in their next novel, they may shift that character to the background to let another character take the spotlight (this happens all the time in romance novels, for example).

For Alan to write six books worth of Alex Casey, he must have enjoyed it in some way. Something must have appealed to him. His character, the universe, the mysteries. However, something changed with Alan to cause him to not only kill off his star character, but to then proverbially shit-talk him during an interview with Harry Garrett (though the argument could be made that because this interview is shown in a dream sequence that it isn't necessarily something we can reliably trust happened in the real world; if this has been confirmed to be real canonically, please feel free to tell me).

You could argue that Alan killing off Casey in The Sudden Stop threw his marriage and his life out of control. Alan experiences writer's block because Casey's gone. Now this could simply be because the well of inspiration with real life Casey ran dry, because FBI Agent Casey's life had become warped because of Alan's novels.

Alan spends an undefined time with his character Alex Casey. Six novels worth and then thirteen years in the Dark Place. That's a lot of time together.

C. Hurt/Comfort, Angst, and Whump

Alan hurt Casey, personally. He killed him off. Not once, not twice. Several times. He sacrifices Casey over and over.

Casey's echoes in Alan Wake 2 are familiar to Alan. They guide him along to create suitable plots for his escape attempts.

Even though Alan has hurt Casey so much, Casey can't help but assist him with escaping the Dark Place. Even when Casey begins to question his existence, even when Casey starts breaking the fourth wall, he doesn't

This lends itself to juicy Hurt/Comfort, Angst, and Whump potential.

D. Alan Wake: Dude in Distress

The bodyguard trope. Casey arguably functions as a bodyguard to Alan in the Dark Place. Casey is always there for Alan.

I hear what you're saying. Is it because he has no choice in the narrative? I would argue no. He has a choice. We see moments where Casey questions his state of being, he breaks the fourth wall. He acknowledges his status as a fictional character as Alan leaves Zane's theater. He knows there will always be another case for Casey. he walks off into the night's loving arms and cheekily says, "Roll credits."

In my interpretation, there's a part of Casey that enjoys this life, fucked up as it may be sometimes.

E. Forbidden and Star-Crossed Romance

There is potential for forbidden romance between these two. After all, you aren't supposed to fall in love with your creation. It isn't real in the physical sense.

If Fictional Casey isn't important to Alan, if he isn't a threat, then why does the Dark Presence continue to kill off Casey? Why does it continue to separate them, as it does in Initiation 5 when Scratch takes over Alan's body to shoot Casey? It knows that Casey is Alan's guardian angel in the Dark Place. It knows that Casey has been useful in creating plot points to help Alan figure it out.

Further, there is the potential for no happy endings with these two. Of course, that could be a turn off for some and a delicious morsel for others.

F. Sexual Tension

In culmination, these elements of their relationship create sexual tension between Alan and Casey. There's so much potential in their history for romance. Charged moments in the Dark Place.

One could argue there's a will they/won't they moment in Initiation 5 - Room 665 when Casey is pinning Alan to the alley wall. Freud did say, after all, that gun's have phallic imagery. Take that as you will.

On a more superficial level, Alan can shape his fictional character to be his vision of the ideal man, the ideal partner. Or, conversely, his ideal fling. His ideal hot mess. Maybe Alan's version of the manic pixie dream girl is a hardboiled detective.

III. The Act of Creation as a Form of Love of the Self, the Creative Process, and the Creation Itself

Prepare yourself for a bumpy ride through my philosophizing. Sorry in advance. I'm sure others could dive deeper into these particular subtopics better than I could, but I want to just throw this spaghetti at the wall and pray something sticks.

A. Love of the Self

Loving yourself is hard. It's a platitude to say it, but it's true.

Alan and his character Casey do share some qualities. Depression, alcohol abuse. Often as writers, we do draw inspiration from ourselves to add dimension to our characters. Alan doesn't need to be a hardboiled detective himself to share similarities to his fictional character. Alan is destructive, angry, confused, self-loathing, and dysfunctional all throughout Alan Wake 1 and 2. Much of Alan's worst qualities are in Fictional Alex Casey.

In Initiation 5, as Casey lays dying from Alan/Scratch shooting him, he says,

"I was dead tired. I just wanted it to be over. It was all my fault."

Circling back to Alan's writer's block, arguably Alan being in the Dark Place is Casey's fault to an extent. Something happened to cause Alan to want to quit telling Casey's story. Perhaps if Casey had continued to be a source of inspiration, Alan would have continued writing his books?

Going back further, if Alan had never created Casey, his life could have taken an infinite amount of turns. But because Casey came to life through Alan's writing, because of their history, Casey feels some degree of responsibility for how events in the Dark Place have shaped up.

Continuing, he says,

"...I'd had this dark place in my head for so long. Sometimes I'd forget the pain was there. Like it was the way you were supposed to feel. I was not in a dark place. I was the dark place, the source of it all, the vessel. Me and the writer, we were the same."

Casey's final monologue in this chapter echoes sentiments Alan is experiencing. The overall metaphor of the Dark Place as not necessarily a physical or supernatural realm, but a state of mind. Some days are better than others. Some days, you're used to your pain that it feels natural.

This then relates to Fictional Casey's potential guilt. What broke down between Alan and his character to cause Alan to want to kill him off? Did writing Casey's story leave Alan feeling too depressed? Too gloomy as he tells Harry Garrett? Was it early signs of writer's block? A lack of direction?

Relating back to Alan, Alan and the Dark Place are largely one. He finds out Scratch is him. Scratch is Alan + the Dark Presence. Alan/Scratch has been the one haunting Alice, tormenting her. He is the source of it all.

Thus, there is a recursive relationship where Alan's self-loathing feeds Casey and vice versa.

However, there are positive elements of Alan's character in Fictional Casey and vice versa. Casey solves mysteries, he protects others, even at risk to himself. Alan has goodness inside him, but it is cloaked by his own self-doubt and self-loathing.

Alan so badly wants to be the hero all throughout Alan Wake 1 and 2 to save Alice (from the Dark Place and later Scratch), but he's struggling against his own narrative and the meta narrative at large. Fictional Casey is arguably the idealized hero-fantasy he has for himself, which is later realized when he sacrifices himself. He willingly goes back to the Dark Place to save Saga, her daughter, and FBI Casey from the Dark Place and its jailor, the Dark Presence.

B. Love (and Hatred) of the Creative Process

To quote a great tumblr post for the 100th time, the act of creation is like sticking your hand in a cylinder of irradiated water full of piranhas. At the bottom is a button, that when pressed, will give you the best orgasm of your life. However, the irradiated water is obviously toxic and the piranhas are constantly biting. In short, the act of creating something is a struggle. But when you manage to hit that button...

Ask any writer (and any creative person at large), there's nothing more enjoyable than being inspired and filled with energy. Writing a new story is exciting. It's often why people tend to have a backlog of WIPs, because sometimes creatives are always chasing after the next new rush of endorphins. Sometimes we fall in love with a universe, sometimes it's a character, an idea of ours.

On the other side of the coin, hating the creative process, I'll quote a tweet from one of my favorite Youtube video essayists, "I hate literally every step in the filmmaking process. The only thing I hate more than making a film is not making a film." Similarly, most authors state that the worst thing about the writing process is not writing.

Alan can't write because he has writer's block, and he has writer's block because he killed off his character, and he hates that he isn't creating. See the vicious cycle? He can't psych himself up for whatever new book he was supposedly going to write prior to the events of the first game.

C. Love of the Creation Itself

Even in Alan's nightmares, he has copies of The Sudden Stop stuffed into his car's trunk like that meme about the person who trips and has pictures of their senpai shoved up their sleeves.

Art is subjective. It's tailored to our personal experiences and vision. Alan (and on a meta level, Sam Lake) enjoy hardboiled detective fiction. Alex Casey is the realization of that love come to life.

Understandably, there are elements of this style of relationship which are not equal in power. We see these elements repeatedly with how Alan uses, yes even abuses Fictional Casey to further his own goals.

Yes, you could say that loving your own creation (no matter the medium) is masturbatory. It's self-aggrandizing. But loving something you put time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears just feels good. We as creators have a right to feel proud of our works.

IV. Interesting Parallels

I'm sorry to all my English major friends for the fumbling I'm about to commit with literary analysis.

A. Biblical

It wouldn't be a deep dive analysis if we didn't bring up the Bible. Of course I'm talking about God and Adam. Anyone creating their own original universe with their own original characters is playing God. Alan creates Alex Casey through the divine act of turning his imagination into tangible writing.

Will someone PLEASE draw Alan Wake and Fictional Casey in the vein of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam already???

B. Literary

John Milton's famous lines from his work Paradise Lost:

Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould Me man? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?

Of course, Paradise Lost is an epic poem about the story of Genesis, but this stanza in particular, spoken by Adam to God can easily be applied to Fictional Casey towards Alan. Casey didn't ask for any of this. He didn't ask to be created, he didn't ask to become Alan's guide in the Dark Place.

I’m a sucker for Frankenstein by Mary Shelley so I regret to inform everyone we're bringing it up.

I think there’s some Frankenstein/His Monster vibes with this flavor of CaseyWake. I think there were moments where Casey resented coming to life, certainly much later on as he lives and dies over and over.

From his dying moments in Initiation 2:

"I remembered dying in this alley in a dream I had. He was just gonna keep killing me here, loop by loop. You're not gonna get what you want. You think you know. You know shit. You don't really wanna know. You're gonna get what's coming to you."

And then from Frankenstein:

"Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good – misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous."

Unlike his real counterpart, Fictional Casey has no one other than Alan. He has no friends, no found family. Arguably, even FBI Casey wants nothing to do with his fictional self. He is completely reliant upon Alan. I suppose you could say we the audience are his only true friend, as we function as voyeurs into his fictional life, much like Alan (but we seem to want to take better care of him than Alan does).

C. Mythological

Pygmalion and Galatea.

The Greek sculptor Pygmalion fell in love with his sculpture of a woman. He asked the goddess Aphrodite if his sculpture could become real, and somehow the goddess of love was like "yeah sure bud." The sculpture, Galatea, comes to life, and they live happily ever after.

(This is the part where I'll make a brief Weird Science shoutout since it's a somewhat similar premise).

V. Conclusion

If you have somehow made it this far, thanks for reading.

There are likely things I've forgotten that I wanted to talk about at some point. Maybe I'll have to make a part two if I end up remembering them.

Hopefully my essay will help inspire others to create fanworks featuring this particular version of CaseyWake. I would love to hear what others think, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts!!

And finally,

[inkblot22]

All This Over A Notebook II

You might notice that the warning font is bigger this time. I don't want anyone who doesn't want to read this to read it. I tried to do a gn reader, I hope I did okay.

TW because this is DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT. Noncon, choking, violence, vomit, captivity, cursing, biting, nudity, reader has hair, disassociation, cursing, violent language if you squint, Floyd and Jade because they freak me out and I'm sure I'm not the only one. All characters have been aged up 18+

Part One Here!

You were going to die tonight. That’s all you could think. Floyd hadn’t done anything but touch your shoulder, but in your mind's eye you imagined him gnawing on your bones.

He straightened his back and ruffled your hair, “Don’t act so scared.”

Being stuck in a room with Floyd was like being locked in a tiger’s cage. Sure, he might not eat you, but your life was still in danger. It would make sense that your split-second response was to rip away from Floyd’s touch so you could start pounding at the door again, screaming at Jade for locking you in here.

“You’re a fucking asshole, Jade!” You wailed, “This isn’t funny!”

“Shrimpy.” Floyd’s voice sent a horrible chill down your spine. It was perfectly calm, completely level compared to your loud screeching.

You couldn’t bear turning around. Not when you hadn’t heard him move, not when you could almost, just maybe hear Jade on the other side of the door. You tried the doorknob again in pure desperation, your breathing labored.

“Shrimpy, I already told you. You can leave when we’re done here.” Floyd said.

You turned around, anger overtaking your fear, “What the hell are you talking about?”

He smiled, which broke into a wide grin as he giggled. That wasn’t reassuring, not in the least. You let go of the door, turning around and slumping against it. You sent a final desperate message to Jade, one last shot to try and get him to come back.

“i swear to god if you dont unlock this door i'm gonna kill you”

He read the message immediately but didn’t respond. Your heart crawled into your throat and you made this weird choking squeal noise. Floyd looked entirely unimpressed.

“I’m bored, waiting for you to stop freaking out.” He whined, squatting down in front of you.

It felt like the world was in slow motion. As soon as Floyd’s eyes were level with yours, you lashed out like a scared animal.

If you had asked yourself last week what your greatest regret was, it would be not taking that deal that Sam had offered you on tuna. If you’d asked yourself what your greatest regret was two weeks ago, it would be not badgering Crowley about finding your way home. If you asked yourself what your greatest regret was today, it would be hitting Floyd. 

As soon as he registered what had happened, which didn’t take very long, he yanked you by your collar, sprawling you out on the floor. As you tried to recover, his hands were around your neck, barely applying pressure. It was more to scare you than anything else, you were sure.

He was grinning, straddling your chest and bearing down until you gasped for air, clawing at his arms and wrists. When he finally let go, you turned to your side as much as you could, coughing muttered curses of his family name under your breath. 

“You know, Shrimpy…” Floyd began, fingers fidgeting with the collar of your shirt, “I get the feeling you don’t like me too much.”

You sucked in a breath and twisted your body so you could swing at him again. He caught your fist and slammed your wrist into the shiny tile. You cried out, hugging your other arm close before you desperately tried to pry his hand from your arm. 

Your voice was high, way less calm and angry than you would have preferred, “Get your sweaty ass off of me, Floyd!”

“Sweaty?” Floyd giggled, wiggling backwards so he was straddling your hips, “I just got out of the shower.”

“This isn’t a joke! Get off me!”

You wished he had responded to that. You’d take anything over him pulling you by your arms so your head hit his shoulder, anything to keep him from pressing his lips against your ear and laughing louder when you flinched away.

“You’re funny.” He purred.

When you woke up this morning, you hadn’t thought once of being trapped in this room with Floyd. It never crossed your mind in the realm of possibilities, and if you had anything to say about it, you weren’t going to be in here much longer. 

Floyd leaned back as you aimed to headbutt him. Your next best bet was just thrashing, lashing out with your knees and feet and elbows, and for a second, it worked. Floyd let go of your arms and moved off of you, watching calmly as you scrambled back and went back to the door, like someone suffering from insanity. 

Somewhere deep down, you knew that you weren’t getting out of here anytime soon. Subconsciously, you knew your actions were futile, that for all the banging on the door, Jade, Azul, whoever, none of them were coming to save you. You had been thrown to the lions.

Floyd crowded you against the door, your bag plopping besides your foot. Floyd’s thumbs hooked in your waistband of both your pants and underwear. You shuddered out a scream and banged against the door faster, harder. Maybe, your fist would go through the door, and you’d be able to open the door from that side.

You screamed louder when something pressed against your entrance. Just as you began to turn to smack him away or kick him where he was the most tender, he grabbed your head and slammed it against the door.

“Don’t turn around.” He mumbled, “You’re not gonna like what you see.”

“Don’t- Floyd, stop it! Stop!” You swung your arms back, hoping to knock him off balance.

You did strike him, once. In the ribs, probably. Something bony, something broad. Unfortunately, this was Floyd you were dealing with, so he didn’t even flinch. No, instead he looped the hand already on your head through your hair and pushed his hips into your ass. 

You realized, possibly a little belatedly, that the noise you were suddenly hearing was coming from you. It sounded like it was coming from some kind of creature from the depths of hell, something crawling up from the depths and begging for mercy. Your legs felt weak, and you could hear the door thumping against the frame as Floyd pistoned against you.

His breathing was low and heavy, every few breaths punctuated with breathy snickering, just soft enough that you could mistake them for something else. You felt his lips against your sweaty temple, trailing down to the side of your neck and your shoulder. 

Your fingernails scraped uselessly against the door as he violated you. You were past begging for help, begging for him to stop, to get away from you. You just had to wait for this torture to end.

The pain was intense and hyperfocused around the ring of muscle that Floyd had battered past. Every time he moved it sparked up again, doubling over itself. Your screaming petered into hollow sobbing.

Your legs gave out from under you, but the last person you wanted to catch you grabbed you securely around the waist, his body still beating against yours. You were going to be sick. The obscene slapping, the slick squishing, the smell of it all, it made your head spin. You gagged around a sob.

“O-kay, Shrimpy,” Floyd mumbled. “Here it comes.”

Floyd kissed your ear again and dipped his head into your shoulder. You let out an even louder scream, which you hadn’t realized you were capable of, when his teeth latched into the skin of your shoulder.

Your legs kicked helplessly as he pressed closer, the slick skin sticking together between the two of you. You were sobbing, desperate for freedom. 

You were granted your freedom, more or less. Floyd let you down onto the floor a lot more gently than you expected. You slumped to your knees, and for a moment, it was like you felt yourself separate from your body. You saw yourself, crying with your chest against the door and your pants around your ankles, and Floyd standing over you, staring down at you like you were a very interesting insect or something he had just dissected. 

When your consciousness snapped back into your body, you sluggishly rolled over, tugging up your pants and hugging the wall to stand back up before you grabbed your bag. Floyd was still staring at you, toothy smirk widening. You looked away before you saw his eyes. 

You cowered away from him as he approached the door, not even bothering to pull his pants up. 

He rapped on the door once, “Jade, Shrimpy wants to go home now.”

The lock clicked and you threw open the door, storming past Jade and beginning the long walk home. Grim was asleep when you got in, his homework unfinished. You didn’t care about that, he was comfortable or whatever. Hoping that all of that was worth something, anything, you ripped open your backpack to see your notebook and a shiny bundle of thaumarks in front of your notebook.

You threw up.

[spidermanifested]

returning to the concept of greed playlists: im actually really proud of the one ive been working on. its not "done" yet, in the sense that i like to make my character playlists go in chronological order and theres still comparatively few songs representing the latter half of his arc, but what ive got so far is very solid in my humble imho. so. heres a big post with all the songs ive got in it so far, particularly relevant lyric excerpts, and explanations for how they fit into my Grand Vision

act i: greed the avaricious

softy by kiltro

there's a boy who stalks these halls, he never leaves and when he talks, he talks a lot always by mistake there's a man who runs the show you never see and where he walks, all our breathing stops, how he quiets things

i figured this was a good one to start off the playlist, it sets up the quiet unease of greeds existence. also starting with a song called "softy" on a playlist about the Ultimate Shield and building everything else on top of that is a move of genius i think

shadow's keeper by black rebel motorcycle club

what is the purpose if you feel so incomplete? what is the reason if it beats you to your knees? what do you keep? your eyes were wide but there's a world that keeps you blind a painted serpent turning water into wine seeking light

hes starting to acknowledge how unfulfilled he feels, and the shadow/light motifs are an extra treat considering he uses the metaphor himself. ive done my best to continue that theme throughout the playlist. especially fun if you take the "painted serpent turning water into wine" as the "world that keeps (him) blind" AND the thing "seeking light", aka father, and combine that with the later verse:

you're begging for the truth but now you've seen too much you're living in your head but never feel their touch and everything was buried by the deep blue sky help me to breathe 'cause I don't wanna see the light just tell me to breathe 'cause I don't wanna be denied

he doesnt want whatever grand plans father has in store, he wants a family that cares about him. truth mentioned also, as well, give it up for the truth

willard! by will wood

i've never understood what humans do and want it's quite confusing to me to try to connect never learned how I should feel, instincts somehow stunted just seem haunted by my stupid urge to protect

replace "humans" with homunculi and you have a whole song about how his chimeras are the only ones who really get him. "being haunted by (his) stupid urge to protect" is also such a greed line

hast thou considered the tetrapod by the mountain goats

and alone in my room i am the last of a lost civilization and i vanish into the dark and rise above my station

he, father and the other homunculi quite literally are the last of a lost civilization. also

held under these smothering waves by your strong and thick-veined hand but one of these days i'm gonna wriggle up on dry land

^these lines make me cry on their own already and when i place them in greedcontext it has an effect

what's a devil to do? by harley poe

oh, when the saints go marching in i won't be there, 'cause I love my sin am i so bad that you hate me? there was a time when i could see my hopes and dreams, they are no more i'm not a rich man, but blessed are the poor oh man, forgive me, i turned away i won't come back, so i'll have to pay

i dont think i have to expound on how this relates to greed very much do i. entire song about your inherently sinful nature making you unfit for your home

act ii: taking on the world

could have been me by the struts

don't wanna live as an untold story rather go out in a blaze of glory i can't hear you, i don't fear you i'll live now 'cause the bad die last dodging bullets with your broken past i can't hear you, i don't fear you now

the tiger! he destroyed his cage! the tiger is out!!!!

i by kendrick lamar

and i love myself (the world is a ghetto with big guns and picket signs) i love myself (but it can do what it want whenever it want, i don't mind) i love myself

hes seen how much pain society has in it at this point, but he still has no regrets about leaving home. for the first time in his life hes starting to fill the void in his soul

i want it all by queen

i'm a man with a one track mind so much to do in one lifetime (people do you hear me) not a man for compromise and where's and why's and living lies so i'm living it all, yes i'm living it all and i'm giving it all, and i'm giving it all

the first of several songs about Wanting Everything because you have to have songs about wanting everything in a greed playlist. but thats not the only reason this one fits, youve got the "not wanting to live a lie" part, as well as talking about giving instead of just taking

raise hell by dorothy

young blood, run like a river young blood, never get chained young blood, heaven need a sinner you can't raise hell with a saint young blood, came to start a riot don't care what your old man say young blood, heaven hate a sinner but we gonna raise hell anyway

hes way past young at this point but theres always room for a Fuck You Dad song

emperor's new clothes by panic! at the disco

welcome to the end of eras ice has melted back to life done my time and served my sentence dress me up and watch me die if it feels good, tastes good, it must be mine

this is maybe The classic greed song. everybody knows its about him. the only difference in opinion with the masses i really have is that even though emperor is in the title it really fits more as a pre-nest wild party era greed song than a greedling era song because at no point during the winter road trip does he get to engage in the songs brand of lavish hedonism. hes too busy being depressed

also its fun that it has the word decapitated in it. when, you know

the man by the killers

i know the score like the back of my hand them other boys, i don't give a damn they kiss on the ring, i carry the crown nothing can break, nothing can break me down

obligatory Toxic Masculinity Song. some of the lines about not taking advice dont really apply here because this is greed "looks to his minions for social advice in the middle of a kidnapping" the avaricious but he does have his weird chivalry thing and also a lot of baggage around his own vulnerability. i also think its funny to put in a song where he brags about his dick

thrift shop by macklemore

imma take your grandpa's style, imma take your grandpa's style no, for real, ask your grandpa, can i have his hand-me-downs?

unfortunately this is definitely a greed song.

mr. pinstripe suit by big bad voodoo daddy

now he strolls through the city like a big ol' alley cat with his pinstripe suit and a big bad voodoo hat i don't believe i ever saw him without a kitten on his hand and no one swings as hard to the big bad voodoo band

the time period doesnt quite line up but the Vibe is there. hes making a name and a reputation for himself and hes looking good doing it

busy earnin' by jungle

you think that all your time is used too busy earnin' you can't get enough

a more uncertain interlude. the melody doesnt falter but the lyrics ask if this is really what he wants out of life. after all, he has a long time, but he doesnt have forever.

everybody loves me by onerepublic

don't need my health got my name and got my wealth, i stare at the sun just for kicks all by myself, i lose track of time, so i might be past my prime, but i'm feelin' oh so good, yeah

this answers the question the previous song posed with a "psssh, ill think about it later"

i want it by viv and the revival

in the stores make it rain 'cause it's wet like a dream (a-wooo) cars, boats, big house, everything in between (a-wooo) i don't know i don't care i don't give but i can share, so i'll make you scream make you believe that you can have anything, anything!

another "i want everything" song that stands out by mentioning wanting someone else to have things too. still not really addressing the uncertainty yet in favor of continuing to fuck around

gimme! gimme! gimme! (a man after midnight) by abba

gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight won't somebody help me chase the shadows away? gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight take me through the darkness to the break of the day

well? give him a man after midnight

i'll rust with you by steam powered giraffe

i'll rust with you i'll rust with every one of you nostalgic nights have got me feelin' its all gone, gone, gone to rust

song about being immortal and watching all your relationships fade away before your eyes as the decades roll past? dont mind if i do

highwayman by the highwaymen

i was a highwayman along the coach roads i did ride with sword and pistol by my side many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade the bastards hung me in the spring of '25 but i am still alive

by this point hes been living among humans long enough to have racked up a considerable number of deaths. but hes still around. he'll always be around. Or Will He

act iii: coming together

red right hand by nick cave & the bad seeds

you don't have no money? he'll get you some you don't have no car? he'll get you one you don't have no self-respect, you feel like an insect well don't you worry buddy 'cause here he comes through the ghettos and the barrio and the bowery and the slum a shadow is cast wherever he stands stacks of green paper in his red right hand

the tone of the song is sinister. within the context of this playlist i am envisioning it as entirely literal. whats up with this weird guy and his red right hand. well he got me a new car so he cant be all that bad. he definitely casts a shadow wherever he stands but you know itd be kind of weird if he didnt

this marks the beginning of his quest to find lasting friends minions. clearly just bribing them wont really work

evil friends by portugal. the man

it's not because the light here is brighter and it's not that I'm evil i just don't like to pretend that i could ever be your friend

return of the light motif and the cataclysmic collision of greeds refusal to lie and his refusal to accept the most basic truth about himself. hes gotten to the point where hes able to recognize that who he is isnt a bad thing, but he still cant connect the dots and understand that he was lied to from the start about who he is at all. so he says shit like this with full confidence

let me bathe in demonic light by the mountain goats

someday the old flesh will give way to the new find a functioning mirror inside and slip right through and there, there i'll be and who, who's coming with me? to show me my one true face when i arrive at my preordained place

the light theme continues, and illustrates the fact that in starting to seek out immortality he's retreading the same ground as father-- making the same mistakes. the hunger, as the lyrics explain, runs "deep in the bloodline". just like father, he cant do it alone, and calls on others to join him, while the lyrics run in direct contrast to the past song by saying the word "friend" multiple times. this will continue

amy aka spent gladiator 1 by the mountain goats

i hide down in my corner because i like my corner i am happy where the vermin play

i might wind up relocating this somewhere else on the playlist at some point but right now the sound fits well in this part so. song about Coping, and not necessarily coping healthily or well. but hes surviving, with his little crimelord hobby

if i lead by kiltro

show me the ways that you talk and all of the places you walk if i lead would you follow? let me at the corners where the light don’t touch colors, figures sway love, they might lift you away from the street to what’s under and everything that scatters by the light of day

weve got light again folks! this ones (very plainly i should think) about recruiting the gang. he asks for their trust and brings them down into the underbelly of dublith.

modern jesus by portugal. the man

don't pray for us we don't need no modern jesus to roll with us the only rule we need is never giving up the only faith we have is faith in us

the Greed Crucifixion jokes are hilarious but this song i think fits very well as a refusal by the nest to treat him as anything but an equal, at least in terms of his being a homunculus. they dont want a god, they want a boss and an ally and a friend.

bourbon street by jeff tuohy

every night we throw this little soiree i'm gonna turn her head until she's mine, all mine every night I breed a new disaster might be right, might be wrong try to get away and i will bring you right along

another party song, this time with hints that being on his side isnt totally safe, and he might not be as in-control as he makes himself out to be. everyones having fun, though. for now!

guys on every corner by the mountain goats

with your tabloid stars and your unmarked cars with your special forces and your inside sources with your radar fields and your riot shields and heavy horses i'm coming to swat you down like flies 'cause i got guys

come at him, government. hes got guys.

act iv: the downfall

alligator teeth by mother falcon

i will turn my friends to gold for the treasury to hold them safely while they dream

a sudden shift in musical style to something way more... i dont quite know how to describe it but its soft at first and then turns frantic and its generally not the kind of music i would typically listen to for Fun but in the context of the events leading up to the raid i think the sound works to illustrate the confusion and fear. immortality, i think, was never just for greed. he wanted to protect his friends too. the lyrics start to repeat "i don't wanna ever dream", and then "'cause all it ever leads me to is bad things, bad things"-- this desire is exactly what gets them all killed.

king rat by modest mouse

we spun like birds on fire right down towards the residence, and i i took all that I desired, even crooks have to pay the rent we swam like rats on fire right, right down the reservoir we took all that we could carry, but we tried to carry more and you know, you know, you know it all went wrong

the musical panic continues into the next song, which describes a burglary gone sideways and perfectly captures the raid. greed tried to bite off more than he could chew and paid the price for it. plenty of the lyrics can be directly associated with the situation-- the "king rat" who "has (greed) on his list again", the "deep water" he's sinking in, the claim that he was "honest even when he cheated them". i dont think id be able to find a more fitting song for this part if i looked for a year

going to hell by the pretty reckless

father did you miss me don't ask me where i've been you know i know, yes, i've been told i redefine a sin i don't know what's driving me to put this in my head maybe i wish i could die, maybe i am dead and he said for the lives that i fake, i'm going to hell for the vows that i break, i'm going to hell

barring any better future options this song has provided the title for the whole playlist-- "redefine a sin". the in-context priest being called father really elevates this one, if the whole premise wasnt enough to begin with. a+ greedsong

heretic pride by the mountain goats

and i start laughing like a child and i mark their faces one by one transfiguration's going to come for me at last and i will burn hotter than the sun

maybe greeds emotional state is a little different from the narrator here, but overall this is a certified Song to Get Put in the Soup To

act v: rebirth

still feel. by half alive

floating in outer space, have i misplaced a part of my soul? lost in the in-between, or so it seems, i'm out of control floating in outer space, have i misplaced a part of my soul? lost in the in-between, but it can't keep me asleep for long 'cause i still feel alive

i can so vividly picture the animatic to this one. greeds little soulface flipping around in the stone. zooming in on fathers weird eyeball as he cries him out and puts him in different guys. the last verse being him coming to life again in lings body. why dont i have 7 million dollars

same man i was before by oingo boingo

i'm not the same boy I was before but I haven't changed my desires i've not extinguished the fires i haven't lost wide-eyed wonder i haven't lost, haven't lost, haven't lost that stupid fear of thunder

AND everyone keeps telling him everything he does is wrong. cut that out

ドーナツホール ft. GUMI by hachi

いつからこんなに大きな | When was it that I got these memories, 思い出せない記憶があったか | These big ones I can't remember? ど���にも憶えてないのを | Out of what I just can't recall, ひとつ確かに憶えてるんだな | There's one thing I remember pretty well もう一回何回やったって | Try one more time, a hundred times, 思い出すのはその顔だ | All I remember is your face それでもあなたがなんだか | And yet you yourself, I'm not sure why, 思い出せないままでいるんだな | But I still can't remember you…

this is the bido song. look up the rest of the lyrics its about bido. i searched bido on japanese twitter one time and saw somebody else saying this song reminded them of greed and bido. its about greed and bido

act vi: memories returned

stronger by the score

set me on fire set me on, set me on fire (whoa, whoa-oh) i'm still alive i'm still a- i'm still alive (whoa) bet you didn't think that i'd come back to life

every single line fits him perfectly. youve all seen @humming-fly's animation right you dont need me to explain. if you havent what are you doing

long way down by black rebel motorcycle club

don't you cry to yourself just to feel like someone who's hit bottom? but you can't run away 'cause the hole that remains will follow don't you care just enough? don't you feel your heart stop? but you can't know what you want

after the emotional high of 'stronger', representing the anger overtaking him as he goes to attack bradley, 'long way down' takes us, well, Down. hes is so fucking sad. but he cant know what he wants! now more than ever! because to admit it would mean admitting he lost it!!!

clean slate by the mountain goats

rest until you're rested, climb back onto the caravan remember at your peril, forget the ones you can and then just when you think you've learned how to forget you learn it's just the ones who haven't risen to the surface yet

this is The Roadtrip Song. hes sorting through his memories and struggling the entire time. i owe john "the mountain" goats my life for continuing to make ten million songs about extremely specific situations. ideally id have so many more songs in this category but until i find more this is it for the time being

act vii: final sacrifice

human heart by thao

god damn your crooked mouth and lean your fear is a bullet in the wing is it so brave? tell me, is it so brave? the private posture of the self homemade

with this, we skip ahead to the final fight and the moment when he decides to sacrifice himself. shout out to whoever transcribed "eat and won't you be hungry" as "ethan won't you be hungry" on the spotify lyrics for this one, i dont know who ethan is but i hope he has a good lunch. what was i talking about. oh right

children play with fire by mischief brew

children lead us to the lake of fire (fire!) children lead us to the lake of fire (fire!) and as we drive down into the flames maybe I'll let you hold the reins

change da world... his final message. goodb ye

epilogue

just one more by mad caddies

no necesito la vida rica (i don't need the rich life) estoy contento contigo (i'm happy with you) 'cause in the end we all go the same place, yeah so i'll be happy with what i know

like the title says: just one more. because whatever form it takes, he IS partying it up in that shitty bar in the sky. and all his friends are there too.

like i said i would very much prefer to have more songs in the latter parts so if anybody has recommendations. please rant at me about the songs you associate with greed. and if i can fit them in i will. this post took me all day to make i have got to get some follower interaction out of it

[amandasgeekblog]

i am a tiger pacing in its cage because i know Other People are playing Oxenfree II and I'm not....... I'm have 10 hours

[enchantdly]

╰     demi woman , she/they     ☆     𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 …   we’re introduced to JASMINE YAZDANI , the THIRTY years old ARCHITECT at YELLOW BRICK ROAD REPAIRS AND CONSTRUCTION from enchanted falls who bears a striking resemblance to MEDALION RAHIMI. the whispers in the wind tells us of their DETERMINED and NAÏVE reputation, that’s why the townsfolk often are reminded of sand trickling through your fingers like an hourglass, time grinding to a halt before you ; promises and laughter carried on the wind as fireworks light the sky ; the stripes of a tiger masked by dappled light as it stalks through the palace gardens ; half-finished sketches of marble hallways and colonnades, courtyards and gardens filled with filigree and ornamentation.  they are often haunted by dreams of a life lived as PRINCESS JASMINE ( ALADDIN ) .

i . statistics

full name : jasmine [ middle names tba ] yazdani

nicknames & aliases : tiger ( by her father ) ; jaz ( by friends )

age : thirty

date of birth : 12 october

gender : demi woman

pronouns : she/they

orientation : ???

occupation : architect @ yellow brick road repairs & construction

ii . in the present

parental death mention.

her mother died while jasmine was very young. but even so, she remembers how freeing it felt to go on walks through the forest with her mother. how it brought her so much joy. there is none of that joy when she goes for walks in the forest now, quickly guided back to the so-called safety of town by her father or his friends. the world around her seems so dull and lifeless, though she tries to brighten it with her sketches and plans of wondrous buildings. working in a different part of town, a different field, a different company to her father gives her a sense of freedom — but it disappears again the moment she returns home.

iii . in dreams

she dreams, with rajah sprawled comfortably atop her, of a boy with a monkey. of running from men with swords. of a palace, all gold and marble and the finest architecture she's ever seen and just as much a cage as the four walls she sleeps within. of a man with a bird, of a genie and a lamp, of a magic carpet. of devastation, imprisonment. of fear, of joy, of freedom. real freedom.

[vintagebitchgifts]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: New Handmade Native Sterling Silver Bohemian Minimalist Caged Tiger Eye Ring.

[asifcooks]

A Burnt Love Turns into a Biscuit: The Story of the Baqarkhani

Once upon a time, a man's tears turned a mill. He lost his love to a rival in the royal court.

Perhaps you can guess already, the object of his desire was too beautiful. But it was the time of kings and queens. And when the premier's son set his eyes on the same woman he loved, he found himself trapped in the royal chokehold.

After a while, his lover was dead in the swordfight that ensued. He could not save her.

He ordered to bake a new biscuit in her memory. It was his magnum opus, and an undying signature on time itself. Perhaps he too didn't know that it would become immortal. And every time it is baked, people will remember the love story - for centuries.

The delicacy is known as Baqarkhani - named after the couple who could not be together in life, Agha Baqer and Khani Begum.

It is not exactly a biscuit. Best to say, it is somewhere between a biscuit and a cookie. The subtle difference of its flaky and yet silky texture makes it a category of its own. But nevertheless, it is a baked good.

In the absence of a proper word in English, some call it a flatbread.

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is the location where it originates. Or more precisely, the 'old Dacca', the oldest part of the city which now looks like a downtown suburb, still littered with the ruins and the last remains of the Mughal buildings and structures - from five hundred years ago.

Mirza Agha Baqer lived in the 18th century. History says, he died in the year 1754. In different versions, he appears either as the adopted son or the son-in-law of Dhaka's Naib Nazim, the chief of the city, Murshid Quli Khan II. And Khani herself was a courtesan. Zaynul Khan, the son of the Wazir (the Prime Minister of the City), abducted her after she turned him down for Baqer.

As the story goes, Zaynul tricked the premier into believing he is dead when Baqer followed him. And out of fury, he ordered to lock up Baqer alive in a tiger's cage. But he was too much of a brave guy and ended up killing the tiger.

That did not end the turmoil. It is said that the premier himself killed Zaynul when he attempted to hurt Baqer. But at his last breath, he pierced his sword into Khani's chest, leaving her dead with him.

300 years later...

The biscuit never lost its popularity, but records of time are saying that it became impoverished after the second world war. The country came to a standstill and people were battling a famine.

So instead of milk and Malai - the locally churned cream, the bakeries at Old Dacca started baking it with oil and Dalda - a type of fat extracted from vegetables.

Originally, it might have been way silkier than it is today. The version that remains comes in mostly sweet and salty flavors. But the local, traditional bakers of the city aren't affluent enough to recreate the very authentic version.

For centuries, it served as the breakfast of the city's royalties. When it started losing its glamour, it slowly turned into a rather ordinary food.

Pic: Collected

It is no more a royal feast now and everyone can afford a piece or two. But lately, it has been commercialized. These days, it comes in dry chocolate flavors as well - which is the newest addition.

The factories of Baqarkhani in the city are now baking it in the commercial ovens. Although, these rather synthetic versions can neither beat the taste nor the texture of the traditional bakeries.

The traditional flavors still surviving from ages include sweet and salty Paneer (cottage cheese), sugar, salt, Kebabs, minced meat and coconut.

And it is still a hot favorite in at least three countries of modern times, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.

Tips for Baqarkhani

If you ever come to see Dhaka, don't forget to try it out. I guess at this point, that goes without saying. But if you do, here's my suggestions.

You have to travel to Old Dhaka and hunt it down right from the shabby, dimly lit bakeries by the road. If you are going for the cheaper versions manufactured at factories, you will miss the entire taste profile.

It is a token of love, a melt-in-mouth delicacy. And it turns into dust if your grip is too firm when holding it, and it crumbles. Just like the lost love of Baqer and Khani. The only Baqarkhani that's fake is a hard one. The products made in its own land all retains the softness and the snowflakes that drops from its body.

My American friend tried to make it in her oven. It didn't exactly turn out as what it was meant to be. From the pictures she showed me, I could tell that it came out a rocky (and if not rockhard) buttertoast - sitting on her cookie tray. She wasn't as much of a Baqarkhani enthusiast as I am, but perhaps a few more tries could make it better. So, while you can always google up a recipe and make it at home, it would be best to taste the original thing that comes out of the traditional, clay oven dug on the ground.

It is addictive. Once you taste it, you will crave for more. So, every time I buy it, I make sure I'm having a mix of flavors in my rack - both sugary and salty. The sweet Baqarkhani is harder to resist, but it still satisfies my sugar cravings on a rather low sugar count than all the desserts I would have in place of it.

And when a jar of Baqarkhani ends up at your life, make sure to try it with desi meat curries. The cup-a-Baqarkhani sold nowadays is rather a new twist to it, turning it into a meatier and juicier wholesome dish. Fewer carbs than a regular rice Bento, and still a wholesome meal. And there's quite a few recipes available on the internet for the leftovers, too!

Everyone knows that the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan once built the Taj Mahal to immortalize his love for his wife, the empress Mumtaz. But the Baqarkhani was here, too.

And it will be here, like a brown moon - served on silvers. And on our plates - will be a story of love, to cherish and remember.

(Though it's just a dream, I'm pretty sure we will remember it lavishly one day. The story has everything one could ask for - kings and queens, the white marbles of the royal palace and the fountains in the room, streaming, the dancing courtesan girl, the heartbroken Baqer and the jealous Zaynul.

When the time is ripe, and the country finally gets a real film industry - Baqer and Khani will become the Romeo and Juliet of a desi blockbuster.

It is not just flour and sugar. All of these goes into the making of Baqarkhani.)

Asif Tamoso

12 July 2024

[klausie]

Man in City Boat [LOSS OF SOUL -I], Klaus Pinkthem, 2024

Tiger Escaping grom Glass Cage [LOSS OF SOUL-II], Klaus Pinkthem, 2024

[cinenthusiast]

films watched in july 2023

125. john wick (2014, stahelski) (7th-ish viewing?) (DCP screening) 126. john wick: chapter 2 (2017, stahelski) (6th viewing) (DCP screening) 127. john wick chapter 3: parabellum (2019, stahelski) (3rd viewing) (DCP screening) 128. john wick chapter 4 (2023, stahelski) (3rd viewing) (DCP screening) 129. mission impossible II (2000, woo) (4th viewing) 130. hanagatami (2017, obayashi) (1st viewing) 131. mission impossible III (2006, abrams) (3rd viewing) 132. trouble every day (2001, denis) (2nd viewing) 133. mission impossible -- ghost protocol (2011, bird) (4th viewing) 134. the gold of love (1983, schmidt) (1st viewing) 135. murder in a blue world (1973, iglesia) (1st viewing) 136. mission impossible -- rouge nation (2015, mcquarrie) (3rd viewing) 137. kwaidan (1964, kobayashi) (3rd viewing) (35mm screening) 138. mission impossible -- fallout (2019, mcquarrie) (2nd viewing) 139. liliom (1930, borzage) (2nd viewing) 140. tiger cage (1988, Yuen) (1st viewing) 141. batman begins (2005, nolan) (not sure what viewing) 142. barbie (2023, gerwig) (1st viewing) (theaters) 143. oppenheimer (2023, nolan) (1st viewing) (theaters) 144. 3 bad men (1926, ford) (1st viewing) 145. orange county (2001, kasdan) (1st viewing) 146. oppenheimer (2023, nolan) (2nd viewing) (70mm IMAX) 147. the boys next door (1986, spheeris) (1st viewing) 148. rocky III (1982, stallone) (2nd viewing) 149. rocky IV (1985, stallone) (1st viewing) 150. the truman show (1998, weir) (no idea what viewing)

[andersonvision]

The Tiger Cage Collection, a set of cult classic martial arts films, is set to release on May 9 and will make all three movies available on Blu-Ray™ for the first time in North America. The collection includes the police thrillers Tiger Cage (1988), Tiger Cage II (1990), and Tiger Cage III (1991), all of which were choreographed by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping, known for his work on blockbuster films such as Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, Kung Fu Hustle, The Matrix, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. These action-packed movies are filled with intense shoot-outs, hand-to-hand combat, and high body counts, and feature an all-star cast including Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Jacky Cheung, Cynthia Khan, Robin Shou, and Michael Wong. Fans who order the collection from ShoutFactory.com will receive an Exclusive 18” x 24” Rolled Poster featuring brand new artwork while supplies last. Here's a closer look at each of the movies in The Tiger Cage Collection: TIGER CAGE: In this movie, a team of cops raid a drug operation and discover a link between some members of the police force and an American crime syndicate dealing with drug trafficking. As they investigate, they are brutally exposed to violence. The Blu-Ray™ set includes a 2K restoration by Fortune Star, two cuts of the film (The Cantonese Cut and the English Cut), new audio commentary with David West, author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film (English Cut), an interview with actor Vincent Lyn, an interview with Frank Djeng of the New York Asian Film Festival, the original theatrical trailer, the English trailer, and additional shots from the Taiwanese Cut. The audio features Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio with a new English subtitle translation for the Cantonese Cut and English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio for the English Cut. TIGER CAGE II: In this sequel, an ex-cop and a divorce lawyer team up with a gangster to clear their names after getting involved in a dirty money scheme led by a vicious money launderer who plans to expand his business and wipe out anyone who stands in the way. The Blu-Ray™ set includes a 2K restoration by Fortune Star, two cuts of the film (The Cantonese cut and the Malaysian Cut), new audio commentary with David West, author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film (Cantonese Cut), an interview with action choreographer Bill Lui, an interview with academic and author Victor Fan, and the original theatrical trailer. The audio features Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio with a new English subtitle translation and English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio. TIGER CAGE III: In this final movie of the collection, two detectives chase down leads in a case that might bring down the biggest gang boss in the city. The Blu-Ray™ set includes a 2K restoration by Fortune Star, new audio commentary with David West, author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film, an interview with film critic James Mudge, an interview with film critic Ricky Baker discussing the emergence of the “Heroic Bloodshed” term, the original theatrical trailer, the English trailer, and English credits. If you're a fan of martial arts films or action-packed police thrillers, The Tiger Cage Collection is a must-have for your Blu-Ray™ collection. Don't miss out on this opportunity to own all three movies with a wealth of bonus features and exclusive artwork.

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Tiger Cage (Yuen, 1988)

If you picked up the 88 Films box set of the Tiger Cage trilogy, saw the picture of Donnie Yen holding the sword on the cover and assumed that this first movie delivered on that front, I must regretfully report that it does not. If you saw the picture and assumed that he was at least the lead, I must regretfully report that he is not. If you saw the cover and at the very least hoped that he got to do cool shit, I must...what’s the opposite of regretfully? I must cheerfully report that he does indeed get to do lots of cool shit, starting from his introduction, jumping in through a window, shattering the glass with his body, charging in guns blazing into a drug bust turned firefight. And that’s not all. He gets to do plenty of cool shit throughout the movie, including a two-on-one fight where he practically levitates as he bounces his kicks off his opponents. And there’s more, but that would be getting into spoiler territory. What’s important is that the movie delivers on cool shit.

This is a police corruption actioner, where the betrayals sting all the more because the movie establishes the rapport between the characters at the beginning. After that initial drug bust, where a lot of paunchy mustachioed bad guys get shot to pieces but one escapes, we have the characters celebrating their success as well as the impending wedding of two members of the unit. This scene has a lot of “one day before retirement and here’s a picture of my kids and the boat I’m gonna be spending my time on” energy, so it’s no surprise that the guy who escaped guns down the fiance with an especially threatening looking shotgun. (We first see the guy prep and pose with the weapon framed against red lighting, like a weapon forged in the fires of hell.) As the other cops vow to avenge his death, we get what can only be described as a police brutality montage (police brutality is common in Hong Kong action movies, but this is the first time I’ve seen it montaged through). And then more paunchy mustachioed bad guys, and not so paunchy, not so mustachioed bad guys, and the revelation that members of the police force might in fact be selling drugs to some eeeeeeeeeevvvvviiiiiiiiilllllll foreigners (literally three people hanging around the docks, one of whom wears a nice hat). This thing might go straight to the top. Something something handover anxiety, something something distrust in institutions, I’ll leave the political analysis to somebody smarter than myself. (If there’s one thing I’ll quibble about, it’s that an attempted rape scene feels a bit of a miscalculation, bit too gleefully evil for a character who should be more businesslike. But like the time in high school basketball when a player covering me got a little too hands on, the attempt is squashed with a knee to the balls, so things work out in the end.)

What I can analyze is how much the movie kicks ass. My experience with Yuen Woo-Ping’s work as a director and fight choreographer has been through comedic star vehicles like Drunken Master and The Magnificent Butcher, appreciative Hollywood efforts like the Matrix and Kill Bill movies, and of course Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And I’ll take a moment to give a shout out to Game of Death II, arguably the best Bruceploitation movie, largely thanks to the  formidable fight scenes. Across those movies there’s a good amount of range in the exact qualities of the choreography in each of those, but the intricacy and grace I’d associated with his work is downplayed here in favour of an atmosphere of brutality. This is heavy on gunplay, but it’s meted out in relentless bursts, lacking the balletic qualities of John Woo’s work. Every squib has a thunderous impact, every bone crunch deeply felt, the brain matter exploding out of a character’s head a manifestation of the raw emotion of the scene. Excess is the name of the game, right down to the exclamatory final moments.

[fuforthought]

Cynthia Khan vs Leung Lam Ling in Tiger Cage II (1990) 

[cultfaction]

Preview- Tiger Cage Trilogy (Deluxe Collector's Edition Bluray)

Preview- Tiger Cage Trilogy (Deluxe Collector’s Edition Bluray)

Bought to you by legendary martial arts stalwart Woo-Ping Yeun, the original Tiger Cage (1988) was an explosive, fast-paced Hong Kong feature replete with criminal gangs and a dedicated law enforcement team in a battle for the city. Just as a crack drug unit celebrates a successful operation one of their numbers is killed. This leads them on a mission to expose the killer and the underground…