#liudao hall

[pi-ying-xi]

If, as Liu Yuning teased on Weibo, they do make a Liudao Hall prequel, I would also very much like a more complicated and not necessarily all feel-good sequel with Yang Ying and Li Tongguang.

Think of the potential for their adjustments, both personal and political; of their being forced into proxy parenthood of the princeling; of their understanding of mentorship, now that they're in the roles Ning Yuanzhou and Ren Ruyi previously occupied.

And the slow love and understanding that I feel sure is possible for these two.

Somebody just give me a post-canon fic. I'll be happy with that.

[lostinadrama]

𝐀 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 (2023)

[baek1nho]

@userdramas event 13: team spirit

@asiandramanet  jan/feb bingo: black & white

liudao hall | a journey to love 一念关山

[silviakundera]

another post-script on A Journey to Love and why I am ok with the Sad Ending™

what's truly messed up but also the reason the series even WORKS is that ultimately all of these characters could have lived if they stuck to their original agenda and outlook.

The delegation squad originally are like fuck everything & everyone, we are here and probably gonna die for ONE THING - clear the names of (Qian: avenge 🔪) the fallen Liudao Hall comrades. They don't care much about the emperor except for a means to an end, aren't expecting to fix anything for the Wu state by going thru this bullshit, and they hate everything about An, who they have been playing spy games with for years, which cost them family members, and they just lost 80K soliders from the war.

But in the last string of episodes they found the bodies & their brothers, gave the death rites, and THEY HAVE THE EDICT. The original goals, they're all done! They could pretend "I do not see it" and be just like the border city officials who aren't taking action with the excuse that they didn't see proof of any invasion threat, blah blah it was implausible. The guys and the cowardly Wu emperor could just go home.

Ning Yuanzhou always planned to do this 1 final act and nope-out. He could have left with Ruyi and let the geo politics play out as they may.

Ruyi had already achieved her empress revenge arc. She'd even gone a step further to free the White Sparrows.

But each character makes their final choice to fight & die because they are not the people from the start of the journey. Every episode we watched lead them to be the people who would make this choice. Opening the princess YY & Ruyi's eyes to the world opened the Hall squad's eyes as well. Being introduced to people from An as fellow humans who can hurt and laugh and want. Finding allies and commonalities. Questioning why. Mentoring a young royal who wants to understand what leadership means and what do we owe to each other. Modeling for Ruyi what partnership and teamwork means. Getting that damn edict because the Scarlet Guard leader returned an honorable act with his own, stepping back from guarding the Wu emperor. Sorta adopting a volitile An duke with violent attachment issues.

Following their original objectives would have lead to a bittersweet but happy ending as the core ensemble ride off into the sunset with their victory and let An & Wu burn, who had taken so, so much from them. But it wouldn't have been true to the characters we got to know & saw change from the experiences we shared with them. The intentional, ultimate sacrifices underline the lessons learned and lend greater meaning to its themes.

[dangermousie]

In an ep that was insanely amazing on every level, this was my favorite scene, not even Ruyi x NYZ reunion but this. Because the calmest of them all, the quietest, calmly takes the emperor he risked his life and health to save sightseeing. To bring him to the site of the final battle to human sacrifice him to the fallen. AAAAAA!!!!!

It's the best kind of twist/reveal, because it's both utterly unexpected and one that makes you go "it all fits." He's quiet, he's controlled but remember the way he was the one who, when he found out who Ruyi was, sat there meticulously planning to kill her and revealed such a boundless amount of rage in him - he's so reserved and so controlled because he's keeping the lid on a nuclear bomb in there, with all his rage and loss and grief, and when he lets it all out? Ooooh boy!

The way he drops the badges of the Liudao Hall fallen and names their personal details and their horrible deaths one by one, but then the last one is his actual biological brother (the Chai Ming he was so specifically obsessed with) and just...

It is no wonder he can't and won't stop. And I love how he emphasizes over and over of how unworthy the emperor was of all this sacrifice, how useless and pointless the whole war was - no wonder the rage in him burns, but so does bone-deep contempt.

I love you, QZ!!! You have ALL the rights! I know the censors won't ler you, but Team Murder, here!

[pippin-pippout]

So I dragged myself kicking and screaming and, yes, mostly in denial, through the last episodes of A Journey to Love.

My thoughts can be summarized as follows:

Obviously this is mainly due to me being horrifically traumatized by Yuan Lu’s death. After all, they told us from the get go he wouldn’t live to 20. They made it clear he had a deadly heart disease. And then. They had the nerve. They had the audacity. They had the actual fucking bahoonga BALLS to follow through!?

But then I found myself sobbing at literally every good guy death scene, plus all of the mourning scenes. The latter was in large part thanks to Alen Fang's acting - deepest apologies to him for just referring to his character as 'the slutty one' for the majority of the show. Not that I was wrong. Also thanks to strong performances from He Lan Dou for Yuan Lu's death.

Anyway so I need to add this gif x4 for the Liudao Hall babies:

Qian Zhao, da ge, who made mistakes but always did right in the end

Sun Lang, who just wanted to hold something fluffy at the end, dying a hero

Yuan Lu, who died in his princess's arms after running to deliver a letter rendered useless by the Emperor of An's greed.

Yu Shisan, who lived as he lived and had such a happy moment with Chu Yue right before it all became irrevocable.

When they added Yu Shisan to the snowball fight, I just about lost it. Liu Yuning's acting there - having the realization about Shisan's death as he watched them play in real time was so well done. Really hurt.

Plus I'll make a couple of versions with edits.

For the Wu Emperor. I knew it was gonna happen from the spoilers but damn, him genuinely learning the value of friendship and brotherly love made me root for him. Dude did not deserve to go out like that. Thank goodness for the magic of CDramas where he lived just long enough to pass on his will to Ning Yuanzhou, and do one last act of good.

It also ensured Duke of Chu was able to pass on his command to his daughter, Chu Yue, before dying of the same (was not clear if her bro died or not, or if dad was always going to choose her).

And for Deng Hui. Started out thinking he was just a sexist bastard. Turns out he was one of the most principled characters in the show.

Their deaths didn't make me cry, but I respect them.

Also loved Chen Du Ling's (Empress of Wu) small part in this. I may not like all of her characters but she can deliver a scene and hold a room. It was a bit cathartic to see her put every man in their place, and basically decide the fate of two countries, even though her lament that she'd only ever have power through another held true.

Ah Ying, my baby girl. This is a character that could have turned people off from the beginning. Thanks to strong writing and stronger acting, it did not. I was super impressed with He Lan Dou. She can dial it up and dial it down in a single take, and can play big dramatic scenes with a subtlety that some older actors cannot grasp. This was the first thing I've seen her in, though for her and Chen You Wei (Yuan Lu) I might watch Tiger and Crane if someone tells me it's good.

I still think Li Tongguang is a perverted and creepy child, who never managed to learn (except in literally the last ep), but at least I trust that he will treat Ah Ying well. I don't hold it against him for screwing up the battle - he was trying to be benevolent but made a bad choice.

The main couple win it for me this year. What an inspired pairing. They beat out heavy hitters including Bai Lu x Everyone which was near impossible. Something to do with letting Liu Shi Shi use Liu Yuning's height against him at every possible moment. Also the 'if you die, I'll finish the job and then follow you' is my favorite dynamic. I swear when Ruyi threw those bombs, NOT NEEDING TO HAVING ALREADY SUCCEEDED AT KILLING THE KING AND PRINCE, just to join him, y'all I died. Good for whoever posthumously gave her the Marquis title on her own (not just furen) - couldn't tell if it was Li Tongguang acting as regent or Dayang (great shot of those two at the end).

The final episode was one of the best final cdrama episodes I've seen. I might have to make another post about that. In sum, despite losing a large portion of the well-loved cast, the remainder gave a world-class finale. The visuals were incredible (explosions are my favorite). The final scene was beautiful (though I'm a bit surprised they gave it to Chu Yue instead of Ah Ying who knew all 6 of them closely).

[jianghuchild]

WIP Wednesday

This is the next installment of @vyther15's ajtl fix-it timeline (go read it RIGHT NOW). It involves some very specific Qian Zhao headcanons V and I share.

Chai Ming was eight. “There is another way,” she told him, something like sympathy in her eyes (but Qian Zhao would soon learn that Chu Sanqi could lie without her tongue). “You’re also a son of Chai Manor. His Majesty only wants a hostage. And you would be treated well. Warm meals, a dry bed. They won’t make you do anything dirty. Probably you’ll end up in the Heaven Path.” Qian Zhao knew his father couldn’t give enough of a shit about what happened to him in Liudao. But it meant a good roof over his head without servants who looked at him like the scum beneath their shoes. It meant getting away from the house that had used and cast aside his mother like a worn doll. It meant keeping Chai Ming—

It meant keeping Chai Ming out of his way, Qian Zhao decided. If he wasn’t in Chai Manor, he told himself, he wouldn’t have to keep pretending to tolerate his half-brother just for the luxury of not being punished. So Qian Zhao joined the Heaven Path, and Chai Ming was no longer his brother. And Chu Sanqi was a liar through and through, but she was also his only friend. At thirteen years old, Qian Zhao saw clearly enough that Chu Sanqi only lied for her allegiance. So they stayed friends. Three years later, Chai Ming joined Liudao Hall anyway, and Qian Zhao nearly took Chu Sanqi’s head off. But by then he’d learned to tell when she was lying, and the grief in her eyes was true. So they stayed friends.

(Fun fact: Chu Sanqi is, indeed, the dead fiancee that Chai Ming mentions in V's fic. She's, uh, not actually all that involved with Chai Ming, relatively speaking.)

[dragoncharming]

Liudao Hall drops the next boyband hit "(I can't) Mend a Broken Heart."

[pi-ying-xi]

I love Ren Ruyi and Ning Yuanzhou, they're my otp.

And I adore everyone I'm supposed to: Yang Ying, Yu Shisan, Yuan Lu, Qian Zhao.

But I have such a soft spot for this prickly, vicious boy.

He can be so sweet one moment

And so petty the next

A childish temper, as Yuanzhou says.

And yet, ambitious enough, with conscience enough to know when to work with Liudao Hall so that together they can avoid endless war and suffering.

[labseraph]

A really intriguing AU of A Journey to Love with our Liudao Hall guys still alive!

I hope the author is inspired to write more.

[bean-in-dice]

Journey to Love Thoughts

Ep 1

1. That's some pretty nice camera work. Knows exactly where to put emphasis on and stylistically so but not overdo it and rely overly on slo mo (ahem like in MJTY. This is NOT a hate on MJTY btw, don't come after me lol). The lighting and coloring isn't exactly complimentary to the level of camera work (I liked the cinematography in League of Nobleman) in my opinion but it's quite good comparer to most costumes dramas.

2. Ooh Dou Cheng from The Lost Tomb! Hii

3. Music is already very beautiful. Just first 10 mins and there's a track inspired by actual historical Chinese tunes?? Wow I hope they release the full version soon.

4. 1. Wow I really like the Spy girl group. This is exactly what I wanted MJTY Spies to be. It's such a pity to have a badass female assassin to go all "Oh no I don't really mean to be bad, I have this tragic backstory and I'm trapped here, romance will save me!" Like girl sure, you can be a good person but you still need to have a convincing performance if you want to function in your ranks and also your character needs to show the results of your cutthroat upbringing. The only thing worse than that is when fans excuse this as "but that's because censorship and there cannot be any openly ruthless main leads" and I'm like ????? No? That's just wimpy writing?

4. 2. The setup and characters are convincing. They aren't pretentiously mysterious but with 50% amount SLAY and 50% rational. The costumes, world building... all sound legit even if this is not a real historical drama. Way too many period dramas use "but it's imaginary!" excuse to write absolutely over the top and ridiculous universes (This was the problem I felt about Kunning Palace from as early on as first 15 mins, and from what I hear it got worse?)

5. Chen Duling hi again girl you are going to occupy a place in "Most Watched Actresses of The Year" category in my Mydramalist 2023 wrapped for sure😂

Also your neck looks hella weighed down by that updo, you are holding it so stiff.

And hiii cat boy from Reset!

6. The info dumping is not done in an in-your-face way, nor are information deliberately hidden. The story gives you hints and maximizes visual storytelling and spell things out *just* enough. That's very respectful to the audience's intelligence.

Liudao Hall- Detective Organization

-Three Virtue Paths (Calvaries)-

Heaven path: In charge of Royal security

Human path: Monitors the officials

Asura path: Works on prostitution (uhh I think what they mean is like not observing from the "outside" like the prev two but the detectives in disguise placed among the entertainers?) Very cool that they are not prudes and this path is among the Virtue paths😌

-Three Evil Paths (Scouts)-

Hungry Ghost Path: Trap masters

Animal Path: Spies (Uh what, Isn't that more or less the same as Virtue path?)

Hell Path: Assassins Intellect gathering from Prisons aka good stuff like torture

(I still have SO many questions but thanks for the exposition fairy)

7. The pacing is very good and even. There was never a boring moment, I haven't seen something NOT in 2x for so long.

[dangermousie]

I looooove those two's bromance so much. I know they both won't make it but I wish they would. Out of everyone in Liudao Hall they are the most equal ones if it makes sense.

[dragoncharming]

The problem with the final arc of A Journey to Love is that it steps on the face of the previous 85% of the show. They make it explicitly clear that they're in this mess because emperor made 3 critical errors:

not properly utitlizing intelligence assests.

casualities should be avoided wherever possible. when not possible, exchange each drop of blood for maximum results.

don't let commanding officers run around in the middle of the battlefield bc they want to.

And then guess what the last few episodes consists of? Did we follow any of our own instructions.* How many strategy meetings and information reports are there? The main characters are spies, agents, assassins, and guards. They are not rank-and-file soldiers so the show should not be about slamming a block of soldiers against the other guy's block of soldiers and seeing who dies faster.

Starting from when they arrive in He County, the initial confrontation, yes, should be messy. The command doesn't fully believe them yet and they are scrambling to get prepared. But that encounted lasted three days. So after the first night, a scene where they are debating how many of the few Liudao hall members they have to send out to gather information and sabotage vs. how many to keep to guard the emperor. Second day goes a little differently. Yuan Lu had time to build things and Sun Lang advised the local commanders on rearranging some of their formations. Then when we get to the third day's strike on the prince, it follows from the build up they've been working towards.

The finale should be a microcosm of the show. We have hostages and we have a king for Ruyi to put a sword to. This is a greatest hits concert, bangers only, with the whole gang working together. War table with everyone around it. They get intelligence from their field agents there are hostages. Li Tongguan does immediately try to rush out of the room calling for troops, but he's stopped by Ning Yuanzhou before he can leave with a "Then what? So you can watch them get slaughtered?" and a laugh. This confrontation and relationship growth happens here.

Everyone working together towards a singular goal. Li Tongguan does lead the army out to ensure that suspicions aren't raised. Yang Ying comes over before he heads to make sure his acting is on point. The Crimson Guard follow Ren Ruyi to slip behind enemy lines. Liudao Hall gets the hostages out. It's still cool badass battle scenes, but just change it to half the artillery hitting the wall and half blowig themselves up because they've already been spiked.

I'm not saying it needs to be a flawless victory. It's a story about the serious cost that war and even peace has on the people in charge of protecting that peace. Great, love that, but that doesn't have to mean everyone dies. Their happy ending, retired and disabled, not silent and "remembered" as heroes but messy and real. There is poety in that.

Yu Shisan, the archer and lover of beauty, going through the rest of his life blind. Qian Zhao, unbending, rolling around the Imperial Palace in a wheelchair because his spine is not going to recover. Sun Lang, everyone else's defense, not able to hold a shield again because when he threw his shield to cover Yu Shisan he could only catch the arrows aimed for him in his own arm. Not to mention, an emperor they so badly needed to write an edict not able to write again for years or even ever due to the burns on his hands.

Ning Yuanzhou was introduced pretending to be dead on a battlefield. How else is his arc supposed to end, other than him hiding among the dead again, except this time he is found by people hoping he is alive.

*Li Tongguan caveat. It is, in fact, good characterization for him to lose rationality over sentimentality. However, we can simply do that in a different frame.

[pippin-pippout]

Initial thoughts on A Journey to Love/一念关山 – Boy Band Edition

A bit of a slow start – lots of murder – but picked up after that asshat ex-head of Liudao Hall was murdered and they got the band back together.

@dangermousie pointed out the uh... inconsistent tone of the trailers and I was a bit worried, but so far they've balanced the comedic moments well. Mostly thanks to the boy band.

The boy band looks good. Loved the action poster moment where they all look cool and badass and then there's Yuan Lu grinning so big.

The slutty guy's intro was funny, but he seems irritating and the shtick will get old fast. I did appreciate that the scene where he and Liu Yuning saw each other for the first time again in the jail. Randomly romantic and unexpected, but I guess it's in character for this guy to flirt with anyone. Alas, he is the second male lead and I already cannot listen to another of his pick up lines.

The serious heaven path one is so sweet though. Love how his stoic matter-of-fact nature contrasts with the others. I wonder what the original Chinese phrase they translated to "Jack of All Trades, Master of None" was. Because he seems to be a master of all trades (art, fighting, medicine). He's also got a really big sword... (I'll shut up).

The human path guy hasn't really talked much. Or been in it really? Like the other 3 are always there, and then there's human path guy just missing. Where is he? I vaguely recall that Ning Yuanzhou may have sent him ahead or behind to set something up. Will hold my opinion on him until later.

Also shout out for the prime minister for helping get the band together. That was such a fun exchange in the woods. He's such a dick but so open about it. I love him (this will last until I am sure he does something treacherous that hurts one of my loves in the future).