#ju dou

[ubourgeois]

Ju Dou (1990) dir. Zhang Yimou & Yang Fengliang

[cinematic-explorations]

(via Gong Li up close and personal – IN A LONELY PLACE)

[kubelictitles]

Semilla de crisantemo (Zhang Yimou, Yang Fengliang. 1990)

Ju Dou

[kubelicatthemovies]

Semilla de crisantemo (Zhang Yimou, Yang Fengliang. 1990)

Ju dou

[celestialspark]

Before the fall

One more bonus snippet from Pages and Petals - with my favorite title that you also see on my tumblr blog~

The innocent childhood of the protagonist, the last days before the disgrace of house Tse ...

━━━━━━━━━━━━☽━━━━━━━━━━━━

Sweltering heat came down from the sun high in the sky, accompanied by the deafening sounds of crickets in the field. Only the silence in the house was more oppressive when An Ju stood by the main entrance and peeked into the estate of her mother's family.

The young girl, who had stuck out her tongue in concentration, stood on tiptoes as she peeked past the pillars. She could get to her room unseen. She only needed to hug the far right wall in the shadows and then take the turn towards the inner court before she would reach her room.

She would only need to be very careful. The lack of servants and the deathly silence spoke of her grandmother's mood. An Ju really did not want to be seen by her like this. Not after having missed a lesson by forgetting the time. She had run back now, leaving her younger cousins outside to keep on playing, but it still was already too late.

Taking a deep breath, the girl began her venture.

As long as she didn't make too much sound, no one would—

She tripped.

It took a moment for her to catch herself from the stumble. Her lips were tightly pressed onto each other to not let a sound escape.

Only when she had found her footing again did An Ju twirl around to see what she tripped over.

There was nothing.

An Ju squinted her eyes. A moment later, she noticed one of the talismans against intruders stuck on one of the plants.

A defeated sigh escaped the girl's lips. No wonder there was no servant near the main entrance. They were all warned against the trap.

"Well?" Matriarch Dou's voice floated from the main hall towards the main entrance.

Contrite, An Ju folded her hands how it befit a young lady and went to greet her grandmother. She hoped it would hide her muddied nails and dirty hands. But considering how her dress had gotten stiff with dried sludge, there was not much to be done.

Inside the main hall, only the matriarch of the Dou family was sitting. As she was drinking tea, two servants stood on the side, ready to attend her. With just a short look at her granddaughter, the stern woman took a sip from her tea. "Do you know what you did wrong?"

Her voice was calm. She rarely raised it in volume, but each word was punctuated and bore gravity.

An Ju squeezed her folded hands. At least none of the rest of the family - neither her parents nor aunts and uncles - were around to chime in on the scolding. So, she needed to confess and be as truthful as possible. That was the best way to appease her grandmother.

"I went out to play with the little ones after breakfast and forgot that I had a lesson scheduled today. Also, while chasing a kite, I slipped on the road and fell into one of the rice fields. I've fixed the damage I caused with the workers but that made me be even tardier."

The matriarch put down her tea bowl with an audible clink. "To think your parents even went through the trouble of finding you a teacher here in the countryside so that you won't be lagging behind. Is that how a young lady behaves, Tse An Ju?"

The girl lowered her gaze. "No, grandma."

"You're almost a young woman now, An Ju," her grandmother continued. "You'll be participating in the Blossom Pageant next year - ready to be presented to His Majesty, the king! You can't keep on going out to play like a child!"

"I understand, grandma." An Ju really did. As the daughter of a household where both spouses came from prestigious family lines and growing up in the capital, she was well aware of what society expected of her. But at the same time, this was her summer retreat, and she loved her cousins too much to not be playing with them. There was no way for her to run beneath the endless sky like this in the capital.

As if knowing exactly her granddaughter's thoughts, the stern woman sighed. "Hands," she demanded as she rose from her seat.

Surprised, An Ju looked up. When she saw that her grandmother grabbed a stick from the servants, she pressed her lips onto each other in fear. Still, she obediently held out her hands with the palms up. She had messed up this time and her grandmother was no one who left misdeeds unpunished.

The three hits came in quick succession. Despite her advanced age, Matriarch Dou was still nimble and strong.

Tears stung in An Ju's eyes as her hands burned from the hits.

"This was for damaging the rice fields. You were able to fix it but that was luck. It could have ended up worse and you cannot bear the responsibility of depraving some household of food for this winter. You know harvest has been bad."

"Yes, grandma," An Ju replied as calmly as possible. Yet, the tears that welled up threatened to spill over. Considering the possibility that she could have caused misery for someone due to her carelessness hurt her more than the hits.

The matriarch sighed a second time. She returned the stick to her servants before she took her granddaughter's hands. Massaging them gently, she spoke again: "As one of the richer households in the area and blessed with magic on top, we have a responsibility to our neighbors. It does not matter if it was on purpose or not, once something goes wrong, people will blame us first. So don't give them a reason to bear a grudge against you."

"Yes, grandma," were the only words that An Ju could repeat.

Her grandmother did not use magic but her cool fingers did alleviate some of the pain. The soft skin did not shy away from touching the girl's dirty hands.

Only when the throbbing in An Ju's hands stopped and the fiercely held back tears had dried agai , did her grandmother let go again.

"And now, go apologize to your grandfather."

An Ju opened her mouth. She had thought that the punishment was done. But when she looked up and saw that the matriarch was serious, she meekly walked over to the family altar.

Kneeling down on the cushion, she watched one of the servant bringing over a incense stick. It was not the large one. This one would only last an hour. It was still an hour.

"Apologize properly," was what Matriarch Dou said when she lit the incense stick.

An Ju could only nod as her grandmother left the room.

This was the worst punishment for her. It was not the kneeling. It was not how her knees would feel afterwards. It was the boredom.

She could tell her plaques of her grandfather and ancestors stories about her day. But even if she did, it would not be enough to let the time pass quickly.

More than once had the girl already fallen asleep while kneeling, only to be met with additional time on top of the incense stick. Her family knew that this was the best punishment against her.

So, An Ju only had to push through the hour. She recounted story in her mind. She counted the time. She tried to remember some songs as she kneeled there. She watched the ashes of the incense fall down piece by piece.

The very moment the incense burned down, the girl jumped up. "I'm free!" she shouted excitedly. Only to be met by a servant clearing her throat who was cleaning nearby.

"Sorry," An Ju whispered, then ran out of the main hall.

When she arrived in her room, she noticed that her parents, some servants, and even her grandmother were there. Most of her things were packed, except for one fresh set of clothing laid out next to a basin with fresh water.

"Oh? We're already leaving today?" she asked as her mother waved her over to finally clean her up.

As her mother pushed a wet cloth into her face to clean it, she answered: "Yes. Your grandmother says it will be raining tonight. If we leave soon, we can still reach your other grandparents this evening. Then the horses and wagon won't have to pull through the mud."

An Ju's father nodded eagerly, before he turned to his mother-in-law: "Thank you for your hospitality as always, mother. It is always a great pleasure to see you in such good health."

"And it is always lovely to welcome you, Tse Chang Ping. Thank you for taking care of my Seon Ha. Send the Tse household my regards."

"I will."

Tse Chang Ping smiled and then left the room as his wife shooed him out so that their daughter could change clothes.

As Seon Ha took care of the dress, Matriarch Dou stepped over to comb An Ju's hair to make her look proper again. While she did so, she gently murmured: "It was a good summer with you. I do hope I won't see you troublemaker here next year anymore, though."

"Grandma, that's mean!" An Ju shrieked. But she laughed and at the nod from her mother that she was finished, the girl turned around and wrapped her hands around her grandmother. "I will miss you greatly if I can't see you every summer!"

Those words made the matriarch laugh, too. She bowed down and pulled her granddaughter in a warm embrace. "May you always walk under the Sky, my dearest. Bring honor to the Tse and Dou families."

That was the greatest blessing Matriarch Dou could give her granddaughter for at that time, for everyone, the only reason for An Ju to not come back to the countryside was her being chosen as a candidate to become one of the king's wives at the next Blossom Pageant.

None of them would have expected for this to be the last time An Ju had ever stepped into the Dou household again.

[ubourgeois]

Not One Less (1999) dir. Zhang Yimou

[romanceyourdemons]

in my opinion, if you’re going to be writing an epic or large-scale tragedy, the thing that causes the tragedy (be it a character trait or a circumstance of the environment) NEEDS to be perceived as a good thing at first. in hamlet, it initially feels good to see hamlet both dedicated to revenge and acting carefully about it. in ju dou (1990), it feels good to see ju dou and yang tianqing fighting against the constraints of the confucian family structure. in the godfather (1972), as tears go by (1987), and menace ii society (1993), it feels good to see the protagonists rise and earn respect within their community. it’s tempting to make the fatal flaw tragic from the beginning, but being asked to feel bad about the exact same thing over and over until the story ends is like ordering a meal and being served a bowl of salt. there NEEDS to be some really potent good to give the bad meaning. after all, the real pleasure of tragedy comes from not just knowing but feeling why the characters willingly walk into the arms of death

[odetoalibrary]

End of Year DRAMA Wrap-Up for 2024

Yes, I’m late but here is my drama wrap-up for 2024! I look forward to these posts by other drama watchers every year so this is mine!

A couple of disclaimers! This is not a list of shows that were released in 2024 but the shows I watched in 2024. To make things easier. I will put the year next to the shows that were not released in 2024. Most of these shows are Chinese but there is a mixture of Chinese, Korean and English-language shows here.

My list will be in order of least favourite to most favourite. This is a very personal list and not a ranking of shows I thought were objectively good.

But first, let’s start with the shows I dropped. All of these were released in 2024.

DROPPED

Tale of the Rose cdrama

A beautifully short modern Chinese drama starring Liu Yifei that should have held my attention…but somehow didn’t. On paper it has a flawed and driven female lead and a cast of equally flawed and driven characters….but I just wasn’t interested. I thought this would be the first modern Chinese drama to hold my attention but it wasn’t.

In Blossom cdrama

Is Liu Xueyi cursed or something? I’ve been waiting for him to take the lead since he won my heart in Ancient Love Poetry and this gothic melodrama had everything going for him…until they replaced the female lead and all that wonderful romantic chemistry flapped like a cold fish on the floor. I was pretty ambivalent towards Ju Jingyi before this but I can’t watch another show with her in it. This actually pained me.

Snowfall cdrama

Ok this one physically hurt too. 20th century gothic vampire tale starring Gao Weiguang as a vampire. Vibes are immaculate, costumes are lush and beautiful and there is a haunting melancholy to the show. Unfortunately, storytelling is king to me and there is only so many times I can watch the circular plot of the lead being tortured in jail before I rage quit. Vibes can only get me through so much.

The Princess Royal cdrama

Meh, I was excited for this one too but one day I just stopped watching it…and never felt the need to go back. There wasn’t enough tension between the leads once we got past a certain point and (once again) storytelling matters more to me than vibes.

And now on to the list of shows I actually finished!

RANKING OF SHOWS I WATCHED IN 2024

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy cdrama

This show had such amazing potential. The tension at the start between the leads was delicious and the trust built up so slowly and perfectly until we got that smashing scene in the mirror world. Beautiful! And then the personal conflict of the characters wisped away and we got a series of big events happening which I felt no personal stake in. But the main reason this is at the bottom of the list is Esther Yu’s performance as the lead. I know she can act better than this but for some reason she was directed to act not just innocent like a child (not my favourite trope in the best of times) but innocent like an actual BABY. In some scenes her voice and behaviour were so childish it felt like a parody of the genre or a skit.

House of the Dragon Season Two

I think if you’ve been reading my posts this year, it was kind of obvious how I felt about this season of HOTD. I’m not a book purist but the writers are not even following the logic of their own character arcs in season one. What was supposed to be a story about a civil war within a family where nobody really wins, has turned into a show where one character is the chosen one and everyone else is wrong for going against her. What a waste of a story. What a waste of your actors! What a complete lack of understanding of the very story you are adapting!

A Journey to Love cdrama 2023

A solidly written intelligent story with an interesting cast of characters and brilliant directing. Why is it so far down on the list? Because other shows made me feel more. I felt mostly invested in the story of one of side characters, the Princess Yang Ying, and her portrayal by He Lan Dou. If the show and centred on her this would have been higher up the list but alas. I’m aware this is a firm favourite of many people for the year it was released!

Story of Kunning Palace cdrama 2020

I loved this hot mess of a show and it certainly kept me invested while I was watching it. Bai Lu is fast becoming my woman to watch with the kind of roles she chooses to star in. I felt that Zhang Linghe was slightly miscast in this role as his aggression felt slightly ridiculous and forced. He tends to do much better in more subtle pensive characters. But this was a great revenge drama and I had a blast watching it.

The Red Sleeve kdrama 2021

This show tackles something that I have never seen a show do before except for the 2011 Chinese drama, Scarlet Heart. Every time a character states how happy the crown prince (and then the king) is that the heroine is in his life, a question is asked; is she happy? Does her happiness even matter? Is not the crowning joy of any heroine to get the love of the male lead and live for him? There have been so many historical Korean dramas where the heroine has been absorbed into the male lead’s story and this feels very meta in the way the story doesn’t follow this. I even had to turn the Viki comments off because the heroine was criticised for not being happy with the love of the male lead, for being ungrateful for wanting something else. I wish more dramas took inspiration from this.

Fortune Writer cdrama

Sun Yun Qi took command of my heart much like she takes command of this show. This domineering character type is one we rarely see from a female lead and she was portrayed so well by Li Mu Chen. The worst thing this character could bear is being controlled by others and we see her fight remorselessly against this to the end. Magnificent! Unfortunately the male actor really didn’t have the acting chops to pull off the role of an angry tormented general and I couldn’t help snorting every time he scowled like a teenager throwing a tantrum. Still, this was a wonderfully intense little story and I will definitely check out more mini Chinese dramas this year.

The Double cdrama

The villains really made this show for me. As much as I loved the theatrical Duke Su and the vengeful Xue Fang Fei, Princess Wanning and Shen Yurong had me logging into tumblr every day to rave about their insane dynamics. Watching Shen Yurong, a righteous official, on his inevitable descent into the kind of man he always hated was PEAK television. Every time he and Xue Fang Fei went up against each other, I was screaming into my fist.

Lost You Forever Season Two cdrama

What happened here? The first ten episodes had the same magnetism of the first season but then something started to unravel. I don’t know if pivotal scenes were cut due to time constraints or censorship but the latter is definitely to blame for the it-was-all-a-dream sequence they shoehorned in at the end. The story still powerful enough to get us through but something magical was lost. The only character with a satisfying arc from beginning to end was Xiang Liu and his scenes were iconic until his tragic last battle.

Blossom cdrama

Beautifully shot, wonderful chemistry between the leads and non-typical side characters…until we devolved into yet another emperor-is-righteous-and-the-leads-must-help-save-the-country ending. Is the Chinese government in fear of opposition more than usual lately? This isn’t even censorship, it’s making every story a targeted propaganda tool. The only story that has made me care about saving the country and the emperor is Story of Ming Lan. Ironically this show shares a lot of similar beats but is still lovely in it’s characterisation. My heart was in a clench during many of the intimate scenes between friends, lovers, parents…parental figures. My favourite relationship was definitely between Song Mu and his uncle, General Mei Sun.

My Dearest kdrama 2023

A beautifully shot, beautifully written Gone with the Wind inspired drama set during the Qing invasion of Joseon. The first half had me by the throat as we followed Gil Chae and Jang Hyun deal with their inability to give up as everything falls around them. Once the story branches away from the major plot points of Scarlett and Rhett’s story, it fell apart a bit for me and the show falls into the familiar trap of putting the heroine’s story in the backburner to support the male protagonist. Still, a gorgeous historical drama that deals with difficult themes with sensitivity and intelligence.

Here are my top three. In other words, we are now in feral territory. I have already watched these multiple times.

Til the End of the Moon cdrama 2023

Instead of taking the one ring to Mordor, Frodo goes back in time and makes the Dark Lord his little meow meow. This story was epic, insane, glorious and unhinged. Other fantasy dramas wish they were even half as good. The fight scenes used such strong thematic imagery and choreography that it was pure theatre. The fight between Ming Ye and the Devil God with its use of celestial figures, constellations, and hellfire imagery has ruined me for other boss fights. And we haven’t even touched Tantai Jin with his necromancer-esque magic and his use of crows and puppets. Above all though is the love story and the suffering between Li SuSu and Tantai Jin and how everything is against them. I loved this. I loved the acting, and the epic soundtrack, the fight scenes, all the incredible side characters and the brilliant costumes. It fell apart at the end but this has secured itself as one of my favourite fantasy dramas of all time.

Lost You Forever cdrama 2023

Do you know what is better than watching the male lead suffer over the course of an amazing story? Watching the female lead suffer. Lost You Forever never forgets that the protagonist is Xiao Yao, the beating heart of every episode. This was my obsession of 2024. I watched the show, read the novel, watched the show again, wrote some fanfiction and it still wasn’t enough. The storytelling in this fantasy drama was so tight that it felt like a joy from start to finish. I loved the heroine, Xiao Yao, and her drive to find someone who won’t leave her even as she fears making herself vulnerable. Every character had a believable and devastating motivation that touched me and despite being a reverse harem (yes really) it was so much more than that.

Interview with the Vampire Season Two

I had taken 7000 souls by then. But Lestat was the only one that felt like murder.

Poetry in motion. Gothic romance. Vampirism meets colonialism. A literary love letter to Anne Rice while creating something so much more. From the first ten minutes, I was breathless watching this. The dialogue was sharp, romantic and devastating. I had close to a panic attack while watching the penultimate episode, I Could Not Prevent It. This is everything you hoped a show about vampires would be while also giving you what you didn’t even know you needed.

I’ve written nearly 2000 words but I can’t stop now. Here are some special awards!

Favourite Female Character

Xiao Yao from Lost You Forever

I was pretty neutral on Yang Zi as an actress before watching her as Xiao Yao but she has skyrocketed to an actress I need to watch out for. She made me cry multiple times with her performance as Xiao Yao, a lost princess living as a wandering doctor in a backwater town. Warm-hearted, charismatic and being fully believable as a poor doctor who has seen and cleaned up a multiple of human messes, Xiao Yao is compelled by her deep desire for companionship while being certain that anyone she loves will never stick around for long. A wonderful performance of a flawed and loveable heroine.

Runners up

Claudia from Interview with the Vampire

Despite replacing a beloved actress in season one, Delainey Hayles did the impossible and made me (and the rest of the fandom) adore her interpretation of the vampire Claudia, just as dearly. An old soul in a young girl and a tragedy fighting against her inevitable demise, Delainey’s Claudia was a firebrand. I loved her and I hope to see her memory torture Lestat in season three.

Li Su Su from Til the End of the Moon

A young idealist who is put under an absolutely insane amount of pressure right from the start of the show. Her naturally bubbly personality doesn’t prevent her from being ruthless to others and even more ruthless to herself. She suffers from bad-writing-syndrome a few (more than a few) times but Bai Lu’s depiction of a woman who is in way over her head is striking.

Favourite Male Character

Tantai Jin from Til the End of the Moon

There was no competition really. Tantai Jin is the most fascinating character I saw onscreen this year. The way Luo Yunxi portrayed a man who could be ruthless, cruel, tender, kind-hearted, honourable, courageous and incredibly vulnerable was incredible to me. He went above and beyond to portray a man who could equally turn out a villain or a hero and even went on to act as Ming Ye and the Devil God (two completely different characters) too. The show really made use of his ballet dancer training in the fight scenes and every one of them is thrill to watch. I think this really illustrates why sometimes you need an older actor with experience to take on these roles and you can really see the range that Luo Yunxi has built over the years. This was a magnetic performance from beginning to end.

Runners up

The Vampire Armand from Interview with the Vampire

Hauntingly tragic and horrifyingly manipulative, Armand proved to be just as magnetic an antagonist and lover as Lestat but in a way that creeps up on you until betrayal at the bitter end. I knew what was coming but he still captivated me. I can’t imagine any other actor but Assad Zaman as The Vampire Armand after watching this. He is the breakout star for me of 2024. Fans of the show were literally taking trips to the Louvre in Paris to see “Armand’s painting.”

Xiang Liu from Lost You Forever

A nine-headed snake and a demon general who signed his soul to a cause long before the show started and never betrays it. I wasn’t aware of Tan Jianci before this but he completely enchanted me with his portrayal of a monster with a steadfast human heart. The soundtrack with his song has been on repeat for me all year.

Favourite Love Story

Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu from Lost You Forever

A gothic doomed romance between two very flawed individuals on opposite side of a conflict. Dark, romantic and full of mutual longing, this was the romance of the year for me. Their fate was already sealed before the show even started thanks to Xiang Liu’s adopted father and Xiao Yao’s brother needing to take over the world but they also can’t let go of each other either so we get this beautiful tormented story.

Favourite Villain

Shen Yurong from The Double

Surprise! Of course it’s Shen Yurong. This man had me logging on here to froth at the mouth over his descent into depravity and wickedness. I never knew what he would do next but every one of his actions made sense for his character. Lang Yongqi performed this role with a subtle brilliance.

Best scene of 2024

The domestic showdown of Interview with the Vampire season two

There were so many amazing scenes I watched in 2024 but if I had to appoint the one that defined last year, it would be the fight between Louis and Armand in Interview with the Vampire season two; Don’t be Afraid, Just Start the Tape. This fight went viral and for good reason. So many of the lines were both comical and horrifying and the implications of the fight itself, forcibly buried and erased until then, were enough twist everything we thought we knew. Assad Zaman and Jacob Anderson may not get the recognition they deserve from the industry but new fans and old were quoting this fight for weeks all over social media for a reason.

[possession1981-moving]

more selfies coming later but managed to get bestie to the cinema to see ju dou today 🩷

[hils79]

Hils Watches Love Me, Love My Voice - Ep 30

Oh god this is going to be a disaster

I love them so much

That seems quite personal stuff to ask a man you're not even dating yet

They keep subbing Ju Mei as Dune

Married

I don't know why they're snuggling like this but I love it. Dou Dou deserves all the girlfriends and boyfriends.

GASP! She's splitting up the cosplay husbands!

Ehehe! They sang a duet together and now Gu Sheng's cousin is planning their wedding.

This episode has mostly been singing and tourism but it's a very gentle watch

Archery is hot

[tecontos]

Uma trepada revigorante ontem entre minha amiga, sua crush e eu (lesb) (12-09-2023)

By; Juliana

Ola a todos, sou de São Paulo, me chamo Juliana, tenho 23 anos, sou solteira. O que contarei aconteceu nessa terçafeira passada.

Eu estava cansada, E-XAUS-TA. Essa vida de trabalhar, estagiar e ainda ir pra facul a noite estava acabando comigo. Sem contar o fardo que eu carrego nas costas em ser essa grande gostosa. Pensa que é fácil? Por isso, dei graças a nossa senhora da mulher gostosa quando descobri que o professor das duas últimas aulas tinha faltado. A galera queria ir para um barzinho, mas eu? Eu iria para minha casa fazer um cosplay do hino nacional: deitar eternamente em meu berço, esplêndida. 

Abri a porta e estava na cozinha pegando um copo de água quando ouvi gemidos e uma voz de mulher dizer:

— Isso, chupa mais… Se lambuza com o mel da minha xota sua safada.

Parei no meio da cozinha, eu dividia o apê com uma amiga. E pelo jeito ela estava acompanhada e trepando gostoso.

— Ah… Ah… Vou gozar… Quem é David Guetta perto de você, minha DJ preferida… Esfrega esse grelo vai, esfrega.

E agora? Saio? Vou para o meu quarto de mansinho?

— Isso sua cachorra safada… Goza… Goza que já já a Ju chega e a gente tem que ficar quietinha… Goza safada.

— Ah…hummm… Assim, assim.

Estavam falando de mim. Eu ia para o meu quarto de mansinho, não seria eu a empatar uma foda gostosa. Só de ouvir os gemidos eu já estava cheia de tesão.

—  Deixa ela chegar… Dou conta das duas.

Epa. Essa voz eu reconheci, era da minha amiga, a Susana. Hummmm então a safadinha tinha um tesão escondido em mim? Olha só… Parabéns pelo bom gosto, pensei comigo.

— Dá conta das duas? É? E vai chupar as duas bem gostoso? Ah… Ah… Ah…

— Chupo até me lambuzar toda. Chupo assim… tá gostoso? É assim que você gosta?

— Isso Susana, ah… ah… Tô gozando…

Senti um fogo na buceta que faz tempo que eu não sentia. Como elas trepavam gostoso. E que safadinhas elas eram. Meu grelo estava pulando como se fosse um grilo. Iria para meu quarto quietinha tocar uma siririca e dormir gozada. Até esqueci que estava cansada. E lá vou eu, indo para o meu quarto quando CARALHO elas estavam com a porta do quarto delas aberta. Eu fiquei ali parada como um bonecão de posto, sem saber se ia ou vinha. Os olhos atraídos para as duas na cama, Susana chupava a crush dela que estava com as pernas abertas e agarrando o lençol como uma pulga agarra numa gata. Tão lindas, tão gostosas. Elas gemiam e a crush estava gozando.

— Ah que delícia. Que tesão. Sua gostosa…

E eu ali de frente para partida e sem poder entrar em campo para jogar. Susana estava no meio das pernas da crush e eu podia ver como a bunda dela era linda. E enquanto eu finalizava esse pensamento, a crush abriu os olhos e me viu parada ali.

— Ju? - a desconhecida falou, fazendo com que Susana levantasse a cabeça e olhasse para a porta. E eu ao invés de sair correndo de vergonha, estava era olhando os peitos gostosos dela. Dois pêssegos maduros prontos para serem saboreados pela minha boca. Ao invés do cansaço eu só sentia fome. Fome daqueles peitos e sede. Sede do chá de buceta que eu queria tomar.

— Quanto tempo você está aí? — Susana perguntou, talvez imaginando se eu tinha ouvido elas falando de mim.

— Cheguei agora, estava indo para o meu quarto. Façam de conta que eu não estou aqui. - Falei para elas, mas permaneci parada, olhando as duas gostosas juntas.

—Difícil fazer de conta que você não está aqui com você olhando desse jeito para os meus peitos. - Susana falou. — Gosta do que vê? 

Ela perguntou segurando os seios de frente para mim, como se estivesse me mostrando uma blusinha ao invés dos peitões dela.

— Uhum. — Falei e dei um passo mais perto da porta e fazendo beicinho.

— Será que vai gostar também do sabor deles? 

Antes que eu respondesse a crush ficou de frente com Susana e colocou os peitos na boca, mamando na minha frente. Minha xota escorria, acho que nunca senti tanto tesão.

— O gosto é bom, amor? Diz para a Ju se meu gosto é bom?

— Mas e se ela não acreditar em mim? — A desconhecida falou. — O correto seria ela experimentar, você não acha?

A estranha se posicionou atrás da Susana, segurando os peitos dela, me oferecendo. Susana se encostou na crush e ficou me olhando com uma cara tão safada.

— Vem, Ju. Vem provar.

Eu entrei no quarto sem falar nada, sentei na cama do lado delas e mamei gostoso aqueles peitos. Susana gemia e a estranha passava a mão nos meus cabelos. Eu sentia o cheiro daquelas xotas gozadas, eu sentia a maciez daqueles corpos e sem que ninguém me dissesse nada, parei de chupar os peitos da minha amiga, tirei minha blusa e meu sutiã, mostrando os meus seios. Foi a estranha que primeiro os tocou, beliscando o mamilo.

— Gostosa. Vem aqui, vem. - Ela disse batendo na cama. — Vem fazer piuí no meu abacaxi e vamos fazer um trem da alegria.

— Não precisa dizer de novo.

Fiquei de pé e tirei meu shorts e minha sandália, e só de calcinha pulei no meio das duas. Fechei os olhos e nem sei te dizer quem eu beijei primeiro, só sei que passei a sentir duas línguas na minha boca e uma mão no meio das minhas pernas. Eu gemi gostoso e ouvi Ju dizer:

— Sua xota tem sabor de paraíso. - Eu abri os olhos e vi Susana lambendo os dedos da estranha, ela que tinha colocado a mão na minha bucetinha.

— E ela está tão melada, amor. — A crush falou.

Eu ajoelhei na cama, abri as pernas e segurei os lábios da minha bucetinha bem abertos.

— E quem vai beijar essa boca aqui? — Perguntei para elas.

— Fica em pé. - Susana falou e eu fiquei.

Elas se ajoelharam, uma na minha xota e a outra na minha bunda. As duas línguas me chupando de uma vez só. Uma gostosa mamando meu grelo pulsante e a outra enfiando a língua no meu cuzinho. Eu rebolava gostoso no meio delas, servindo um sanduíche de xoxota que já já iria receber molho gozé.

— Delícia. Suas safadas, que tesão. Porra.

Elas me chupavam tão gostoso e eu estava com tanto tesão que gozei mais rápido do que pular anúncio depois de cinco segundos. Gozei. Gemi. E queria mais.

Deitei na cama e elas vieram me beijar. Eu beijava a boca gozada delas e passava a mão na xota da Susana. Ela rebolava no meus dedos toda safadinha.

— Vou te dar uma surra de xota. Toma, toma, toma. — ela falou sentando na minha cara e rebolando.

Eu pus a língua para fora e lambi ela toda. Gostosa demais… Fiz aquele grelo de chupeta e Susana gemia e rebolava.

— Isso gostosa… Rebola na cara dessa safada. — A estranha falou se sentando sobre mim. Eu senti ela tocar minha bucetinha, massagear meu grelo, e se encaixar por cima de mim. Os dois grelos se roçando, a gostosa botando nossas aranhas para brigar.

Porra, que delícia. Era grelo na cara, era grelo no grelo. Era tesão demais. Senti aquela quentura gostosa nas coxas, senti meu grelo pulsando como se tivesse vida própria, senti a bucetinha da desconhecida esguichar como um vulcão em erupção, uma lava feita de tesão. Eram tantos gemidos, tantos arrepios. E ouvi Susana dizer agarrada na minha cara:

— Isso.. assim… vou gozar… Tô gozando… Delícia.

As três gozaram quase juntas, como nadadoras de nado sincronizado numa piscina de tesão.

— Porra, que gozada.  — Eu falei me deitando entre elas, que se beijavam e se acariciavam, todas de amorzinho depois de gozar. — Nossa, e eu nem sei seu nome. — Falei olhando para a crush gostosa da Ju.

— Me chamo Raquel, prazer. — Ela respondeu.

— É, muito prazer mesmo. — Respondi rindo.

E tenho que concordar, de prazer a gente entende.

Foi uma noite muito deliciosa e revigorante...

Enviado ao Te Contos por Juliana

[its-not-a-pen]

fifth generation film recs!! it’s a longer list than i usually compile (and i’ve still got more i wish i could include), but i hope this is a good resource as you look for films to watch

THE CONTEXT

the red detachment of women (1961) - third gen

two stage sisters (1964) - third gen

the last emperor (1987) - for a sense of the international film scene these directors were entering into (also director bertolucci apparently consulted a number of fifth gen directors about the cultural revolution while making the film)

the king of masks (1996) - fourth gen

EARLY FILMS

yellow earth (1984) - zhang yimou was the cinematographer for this one! (chen kaige directed)

the black cannon incident (1985)

dislocation (1986)

the big parade (1986) - i haven’t actually watched this one yet but it’s considered an important early work

red sorghum (1987)

ju dou (1990)

life on a string (1991)

raise the red lantern (1991)

farewell my concubine (1993)

to live (1994)

not one less (1999)

the road home (1999)

LATER FILMS

the emperor and the assassin (1998)

happy times (2000)

hero (2002)

together (2002)

house of flying daggers (2004)

curse of the golden flower (2006)

the founding of a republic (2009)

a woman, a gun, and a noodle shop (2009) - an adaptation of blood simple (1984), which i would recommend you watch first

sacrifice (2010) - a reimagining of the orphan of zhao, which i recommend you’re familiar with first

coming home (2014)

legend of the demon cat (2017)

shadow (2018)

the battle at lake changjin (2021) - also haven’t gotten around to watching this one, but like i know i ought to

BONUS FILMS

code name: cugar (1989) - it’s bad

the great wall (2016) - also bad. BUT it’s got pedro pascal

hope there are some films here you like!

WOW that was fast! Thank you so much this is such a great list!

[444namesplus]

Ba Baa Baas Bae Baes Bais Bam Ban Bao Baos Bau Baus Be Bees Bei Beis Bem Ben Beo Beos Beu Beus Bi Bias Bie Bies Bii Biis Bim Bin Bio Bios Biu Bius Bo Boes Bom Bon Boo Boos Bou Bous Bu Bua Bues Bui Buis Bum Bun Buo Buu Buus Chi Chia Chias Chie Chies Chii Chiis Chim Chin Chio Chios Chiu Chius Chu Chua Chuas Chue Chues Chui Chuis Chum Chun Chuo Chuos Chuu Chuus Da Daas Dae Daes Dais Dam Dan Dao Daos Daus De Dea Deas Dee Dei Deis Dem Den Deo Deu Deus Dha Dhaa Dhaas Dhaes Dhai Dhais Dham Dhan Dhaus Dhe Dhea Dheas Dhee Dhees Dheis Dhem Dhen Dheo Dheu Dhi Dhia Dhies Dhiis Dhim Dhin Dhio Dhios Dhiu Dhius Dho Dhoa Dhoas Dhoes Dhois Dhom Dhon Dhoo Dhoos Dhou Dhous Dhu Dhua Dhue Dhues Dhum Dhun Dhuo Dhuu Dhuus Di Die Dies Dii Diis Dim Din Dio Diu Dius Do Doa Doas Doi Dom Don Doo Doos Dous Du Duas Due Dues Dui Duis Dum Dun Duu Fa Faa Faas Fae Faes Fai Fais Fam Fan Fao Faos Fau Faus Fe Fea Feas Fee Fees Fei Feis Fem Fen Feo Feus Fi Fia Fias Fiis Fim Fin Fios Fius Fo Foa Foe Foi Fois Fom Fon Foos Fous Fu Fua Fuas Fue Fues Fui Fuis Fum Fun Fuos Fuus Ga Gaa Gaas Gae Gaes Gam Gan Gaos Gau Ge Gea Geas Gee Gei Geis Gem Gen Geo Geu Geus Gi Gia Gias Gie Gies Gii Giis Gim Gin Gios Giu Gius Go Goe Gom Gon Goo Goos Gous Gu Guas Gue Gui Guis Gum Gun Guo Guos Guu Guus Ha Haa Haas Hae Haes Hai Hais Ham Han Haos Hau He Hea Heas Hee Hees Hei Heis Hem Hen Heo Heu Heus Hi Hie Hies Hii Hiis Him Hin Hio Hios Hius Ho Hoe Hom Hon Hous Hu Huas Hui Huis Hum Hun Huo Huu Huus

Ja Jaa Jae Jaes Jai Jais Jam Jan Jaos Jau Jaus Je Jea Jeas Jee Jem Jen Jeo Jeos Jeu Jeus Ji Jia Jias Jie Jies Jii Jiis Jim Jin Jio Jios Jiu Jo Joa Joas Joe Joes Jois Jom Jon Joos Jou Jous Ju Jua Juas Jue Juis Jum Jun Juo Juos Juu Juus Ka Kaas Kae Kai Kais Kam Kan Kao Kaos Kau Kaus Ke Kea Keas Kee Kei Keis Kem Ken Keo Keos Keu Keus Ki Kia Kie Kies Kim Kin Kio Kios Kiu Kius Ko Koe Koes Koi Kois Kom Kon Koo Koos Kou Kous Ku Kua Kue Kues Kum Kun Kuos Kuu Kuus La Laa Laas Laes Lais Lam Lan Laos Lau Laus Le Lea Leas Lee Lees Lei Lem Len Leo Leos Leu Leus Li Lia Lie Liis Lim Lin Lio Lios Liu Lo Loa Loas Loe Loes Lom Lon Loo Loos Lou Lu Lua Lue Lui Luis Lum Lun Luo Luos Luus Ma Maa Mae Maes Mai Mam Man Mao Maos Mau Maus Me Mea Mee Mei Meis Mem Men Meo Meu Mi Mias Mie Mies Mii Miis Mim Min Mios Miu Mius Mo Moa Moas Moe Mois Mom Mon Moo Mous Mu Mua Muas Mues Mui Mum Mun Muo Muu Muus Na Naa Naas Nae Naes Nai Nais Nam Nan Nao Naos Naus Ne Nea Neas Nee Nees Neis Nem Nen Neo Neos Neu Neus Ni Nii Niis Nim Nin Nio Nios Niu No Noa Noas Noe Noes Noi Nom Non Noo Nou Nous Nu Nua Nuas Nues Nui Nuis Num Nun Nuo Nuos Nuu Pa Paa Pae Paes Pai Pam Pan Pao Pau Paus Pe Pea Peas Pee Pees Pei Peis Pem Pen Peo Peos Peu Pi Pias Pie Pii Piis Pim Pin Pio Pios Piu Po Poas Poe Poes Pois Pom Pon Poo Poos Pou Pous Pu Puas Pue Pues Pui Puis Pum Pun Puo Puu Puus Ra Raa Raas Rae Rai Rais Ram Ran Raos Rau Raus Re Reas Ree Rees Rei Reis Rem Ren Reo Reos Reu Reus Ri Ria Rii Rim Rin Rio Rios Riu Rius Ro Roa Roas Roe Roes Roi Rois Rom Ron Roo Roos Rou Rous Ru Rua Rues Rui Ruis Rum Run Ruo Ruos Ruu Ruus Sa Sae Saes Sais Sam San Sau Se Sea Seas Sees Sei Seis Sem Sen Seos Shi Shia Shias Shie Shies Shii Shiis Shim Shin Shio Shios Shiu Shius Shu Shua Shuas Shue Shues Shui Shuis Shum Shun Shuo Shuos Shuu Shuus Si Sia Sii Siis Sim Sin Sio Sios Sius So Soe Soes Sois Som Son Soos Sous Su Suas Sui Suis Sum Sun Suo Suu Suus Ta Taa Taas Taes Tai Tais Tam Tan Tao Taos Tau Taus Te Tea Teas Tees Tei Tem Ten Teo Teu Thi Thia Thias Thie Thies Thii Thiis Thim Thin Thio Thios Thiu Thius Thu Thua Thuas Thue Thues Thui Thuis Thum Thun Thuo Thuos Thuu Thuus Ti Tias Tie Tiis Tim Tin Tio Tios Tiu Tius To Toas Toe Toes Toi Tom Ton Toos Tou Tous Tu Tua Tuas Tue Tues Tui Tuis Tum Tun Tuo Tuu Tuus Va Vaa Vaas Vae Vaes Vai Vam Van Vaos Vau Vaus Ve Vea Veas Vee Vees Vei Vem Ven Veo Veos Veu Veus Vi Vie Vii Viis Vim Vin Vio Viu Vo Voa Voe Voes Voi Vois Vom Von Voo Voos Vou Vous Vu Vue Vues Vui Vuis Vum Vun Vuo Vuus Wa Waas Wae Wai Wam Wan Wao Waos Wau Waus We Wea Wees Wei Weis Wem Wen Weos Weus Wi Wia Wias Wie Wies Wii Wim Win Wio Wiu Wo Woa Woe Woes Woi Wois Wom Won Woos Wou Wu Wua Wuas Wue Wui Wum Wun Wuo Wuos Wuu Wuus Za Zaa Zaas Zae Zaes Zai Zais Zam Zan Zaos Zau Zaus Ze Zea Zeas Zee Zees Zei Zeis Zem Zen Zeo Zeos Zeu Zeus Zha Zhaa Zhae Zhaes Zhai Zhais Zham Zhan Zhao Zhaos Zhau Zhaus Zhe Zhea Zhee Zhees Zhei Zheis Zhem Zhen Zheo Zheos Zheu Zheus Zhi Zhia Zhie Zhies Zhii Zhim Zhin Zhio Zhios Zhiu Zhius Zho Zhoa Zhoas Zhoe Zhoes Zhoi Zhom Zhon Zhou Zhous Zhu Zhuas Zhuis Zhum Zhun Zhuos Zhuu Zhuus Zi Zia Zias Zim Zin Zio Ziu Zius Zo Zoe Zoes Zois Zom Zon Zoo Zoos Zou Zous Zu Zuas Zue Zues Zuis Zum Zun Zuos Zuu

[galerymod]

A very impressive Japanese samurai war armour Mogami Dou Gusoku from the Hosokawa clan around - fabric, iron, leather. - Mito ju Yoshinobu - Japan - around 1700

細川藩の鎧「最上道具足」（布、鉄、革）。- 水戸稚児義信 - 日本 - 1700年頃

[world-cinema-research]

Two-Film Essay: Similarities Between Ju Dou (1990) and Blue Velvet (1986)

By Rachel Powers

The film Ju Dou, directed by Zhang Yimou, was released in China in April 1990, followed by a U.S. release in September of the same year. The film is based on the short story “Fuxi Fuxi” written by Liu Heng.

Ju Dou stars Gong Li as the main character Ju Dou. Zhang Yimou had previously cast Gong Li in Red Sorghum (1987) and Codename Cougar (1989) and would continue to cast her in future films such as Raise the Red Lantern (1991), The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), To Live (1994), Shanghai Triad (1995), Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) and Coming Home (2014). Gong  Li and Zhang Yimou’s relationship was not simply a professional one. Zhang Yimou was married and had an affair with Gong Li, ultimately leaving his wife for her. They were a couple during many of their film collaborations up to 1995.

The story of Ju Dou takes place in rural China in the early 20th century. Most of the film takes place inside the residence and fabric dye facility owned by Yang Jinsan. Jinsan lives there with his adopted 40-year-old nephew, Yang Tianqing. Jinsan previously had two wives whom he beat to death because they failed to bear him children. In a third attempt at marriage and an heir, Jinsan purchases a new wife, Ju Dou.

Upon Ju Dou’s arrival, Jinsan promptly resumes his history of abuse on his new wife. Tianqing watches from afar, clearly upset by what is going on. Ju Dou notices him watching, and the two begin to fall for each other. The two begin a secret affair, and Ju Dou gets pregnant. Their child Tianbai is passed off as Jinsan’s, although Tianqing is the biological father.

The affair doesn’t remain secret for long, at least not from Jinsan. Jinsan suffers an accident and becomes paralyzed from the waist down. Ju Dou and Tianqing take on the responsibility of caring for Jinsan, but as he is unable to abuse Ju Dou, they no longer need to hide their relationship from him. In fact, they flaunt it and let him know that he is not Tianbai’s real father. They treat Jinsan quite badly during this time in a sort of revenge for what he had put Ju Dou through. To the outside world, this remains a secret.

Jinsan becomes resentful of everyone and everything, including the child Tianbai who he tries to kill unsuccessfully. Jinsan also attempts to burn down the facility, but is caught and the fire is put out by Ju Dou and Tianqing.

A few years later, Tianbai speaks for the first time, calling Jinsan his father. Jinsan is thrilled at this new connection with Tianbai, and especially happy that he has gained sympathy and influence over the child and can use it to drive a wedge between Tianbai, Ju Dou and Tianqing. Unfortunately for him, one day while playing with Tianbai in the dye factory, Tianbai accidentally knocks Jinsan into a vat of red dye. Being paralyzed, Jinsan drowns while Tianbai laughs in the background.

Tianbai grows up to be an angry and resentful teenager, hostile towards his mother Ju Dou but especially towards Tianqing. Jinsan has died, and tradition states that Ju Dou must remain celibate after his death. Instead, she continues her secret relationship with Tianqing. The son, Tianbai, has observed all the events over the years and is aware that this relationship is not normal. Paired with the town gossip regarding the situation, Tianbai grows angrier and angrier. One day, Ju Dou and Tianqing sneak down into a cave to be together, but the lack of oxygen in the cave causes them to pass out. Tianbai discovers the unconscious couple and carries them out of the cave. He brings his mother upstairs to her bedroom but carries Tianqing towards the dye pools. Tianbai throws Tianqing into the very same pool of red dye that Jinsan drowned in years prior, and Tianqing suffers the same fate.

Source: https://www.simbasible.com/ju-dou-movie-review/

Devastated, Ju Dou burns down the dye factory in an act that strongly resembles Jinsan’s original attempt to do the same years earlier.

The film was well received by critics. Anand A. Yang writes “Brilliantly filmed in vivid splashes of color, the dye factory and its products, richly hued fabrics, make for some spectacular shots. The striking colors also reflect the passion of the lovers, a passion depicted by the sensuality of their lovemaking. Supposedly, it was this intensity of sensuality and eroticism that led the Chinese government in the conservative atmosphere after the 1989 massacre to seek the film's withdrawal as China's official entry in the Academy Awards.”

Anand A. Yang’s review also dives into the symbolism of the cloth in the film, as it takes place in a textile factory. The cloth is dipped in dye and hoisted high up to dry, with nowhere else to go but to fall back down again. “Nothing soars, nothing seemingly can in a China weighed down by its suffocating traditions.”

The social commentary apparent in Ju Dou came into the world less than a year after the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989.  Student protests for social and political reform in China resulted in the government declaring martial law. The Chinese army killed hundreds and wounded thousands of protestors in order to suppress their calls for democracy.

Ju Dou was banned in China for the first two years following its release, another example of censorship and control in China at the time. In the United States, Ju Dou was received well with critics.

“The film appealed to me for two reasons. First, because of its unabashed, lurid melodrama, in which the days are filled with scheming and the nights with passion and violence. Second, because of its visual beauty. When the Technicolor company abandoned its classic three-strip process for reproducing color on film, two of its factories were closed down but the third was packed up and sold to China, and that is why the bright colors in the vats of the textile mill will remind you of a brilliance not seen in Hollywood films since the golden age of the MGM musicals. Not that this story would have been very easily set to music.” – Roger Ebert, 1991

The use of Technicolor contributed to the cinematography of the film and influenced it’s style, look and feel.

Comparison to Blue Velvet (1986)

Both Zhang Yimou and David Lynch cast lead actors that they had worked with previously and would continue to cast in their future works. Zhang Yimou and Gong Li have a long history of collaboration. David Lynch and Kyle MacLachlan also worked together on many of Lynch’s works besides Blue Velvet, such as Dune and Twin Peaks.

Similarly, the women in each film take on some of the same characteristics as their abusers. Ju Dou, the abused, ends up abusing her abuser and ultimately burns down the dye factory as Jinsan had attempted to do previously. In Blue Velvet, Dorothy Valens repeats her abuser’s words “don’t look at me” and controls Jeffery at knifepoint.

Differently, Ju Dou is more of a product of its time and history than Blue Velvet. The social commentary and historical context are fundamental to the story of Ju Dou, whereas Blue Velvet is not deeply rooted or connected to any one historic event.

[dabisbratz]

WAIT OMGMGMGM DOU HAVE AN NAFW AUDIO LINK THINGY FOR LEONNNNHWHEEHHEHE

mso picky when it comes to voices this was so hard. n mstill on the lookout for voices pretty enough to match leons!!!):<<<<nywayyy for dbd leon! id say this one! be wary of the “msub vibes” tag, though really he’s jus sayin one word so… i like t’think of it as a whiny dom. but! this! for re4 remake leon!