Hey sorry to bother you again, but you mention theres some difference from the donghua and the novel of land of miracles, can you tell me about those?? thank you very much
Hey! It‘s genuinely not a bother omg I always love to talk about them so feel free to send me asks whenever :D
Alright so funny thing is I‘d planned to do a comprehensive list sometime ago but I never got to it so I‘ll just do it now ahaha
- The biggest difference is the physical intimacy between Fa Hua and Lan Ge due to censorship. In the novels, they consistently hold hands from start to finish every time they need to power up and use the abilities of the Peerless Bead together. But of course the censorship couldn‘t have that, so all we got was them occasionally grabbing each other‘s wrists or touching palms in place of a hand hold 😩 it‘s better than nothing, but yeah…I just absolutely love how the grew so used to it over time and that holding hands is the norm but…oh well
- Another huge difference is how Hongbao was much less targeted as a „potential love interest“ in the novel. The donghua most likely did that to make sure it isn‘t too gay or the censorship will get their ass 😔💔 that scene in episode 36 where they talked about Hongbao while they were drunk doesn‘t exist in the novel, instead we had this iconic ambiguous af scene that made me go 🤨🏳️🌈⁉️:
You could interpret this scene in many ways, but what was most important to me is that by this point, both of them already accepted that they may be connected for the rest of their lives and are okay with it. Compare that to LG fussing over this and being disgusted at the start qwq and FH who was so against this bc he didn’t want to feel whatever LG was feeling now simply laughing at the notion and teasing LG, I just— *sOBs* MAN. They make so me insane. OTL You can interpret this scene a million ways and most of them does not have any hetero explanation like- JDFKDJDKSJK
No wonder that when they actually do adapt this scene later on (oh and they split this scene in two in the donghua), they changed Fa Hua‘s dialogues to be less ambiguous and even Lan Ge‘s to (again) circle back to „the girls“ even though that never happened in the novel lolol
Like I said, definitely to make sure the censorship doesn‘t shoot them down 😭 and to probably balance out the gayness in the next ep LOL (episode 37, my beloved…). Alas, some things had to give just so they can keep the other iconic scenes where they were mistaken for a couple and LG calling FH his boyfriend in front of his parents :“) even then the donghua diluted some things too ahaha (but at the same time made the scene more sweet too ???? Bless u donghua team ur a hit or miss but when u hit it‘s *chefs kiss*)
- The mention of Hongbao was also only added in the end as an afterthought, framed more as FH worrying over someone who literally sacrificed her life for them. Not only that, they actually also changed how Hongbao got the life stone from the Green Sea of Life. In the novel, she snatched it from them when she searched their bodies after they failed to run from her. In the donghua, they gave it to her after she protected them from the Heavenly Devils in episode 34.
- Lan Ge‘s personality in the donghua is a lot more…exaggerated? Probably to accentuate his cuteness ahaha so I‘m not gonna complain, but LG is a lot less…stupid in the novel JDJDJDK he still has his clumsy and stupid moments, but usually FH‘s there to knock him down a peg or two LOL
Tbh I like the donghua‘s interpretation of LG a lot, but what I wish they didn‘t change was him canonically having a beautiful singing voice. It‘s in his name dammit!! (蓝歌 = Blue Song). I wish we got to see him sing more qwq granted he doesn‘t even sing that much in the novel either but…I wish they showed him singing well in the donghua instead of what we got…
- They also showed much less bickering and banter between FH and LG in the donghua :( it‘s one of my fav moments of them in the novel, but I get why they had to cut it (screentime constraints and all that). But I reaally wish they kept FH‘s sassiness and bluntness with others too…like this man is absolutely ruthless especially with LG when it comes to dissing LOL but it also extends to other people he doesn’t like like Shenglian and Xiao Zhan. It‘s honestly insane how much they held back in the donghua 😭👏👏👏 I drew one of the funniest interactions of them here ahaha
- Fa Hua’s personality largely stayed the same, but the donghua did make him more…easily flustered around women who show interest in him ? In the novel he‘s actually quite dismissive and has a huge idgaf energy…😭 this is probably one of my biggest gripes with the donghua dhdjdhd but to be fair they also made him softer around LG too so I guess you win some you lose some LOL
The scenes in question were when Big Golden Goat Lady (who btw, they also made her to be all flustered when talking abt marriage??? When in the novel she was very matter-of-fact and pointedly not shy whatsoever, mainly focused on how FH would be an asset to her clan lol, and saying how marrying him would dilute the purity of the clan), LG teased FH about it and all FH did was glance at him and say „Childish.“ to him telepathically without all the embarrassed fussing lol. Oh and they also removed this dialogue between FH & LG,,, they‘re so damn silly bro i can‘t omfg
And another scene they excluded in the donghua was a scene where they were working together with the Five Commanders in the Thunder Legion. FH chose to work together with the only female Commander, Leng Lan, and she obviously didn‘t trust him. But only reason for this is bc she and her brigade was the only one he was familiar with bc they met them already and LG told him about her brigade earlier 😭 that and he was confident in his abilities regardless of who he chose ahaha
(I kid you not…FH smiled and laughed so much because of LG in this arc. Specifically, after That Hug Scene in episode 31/chapter 118…I had to stop reading bc my heart was so full lmao. I am so SO glad the donghua absolutely nailed this development bc the amount of times FH smiled/laughed bc of LG in S3 is twice as much as S1-S2 combined qwq <3)
Idk it just feels like to me that TJSS was reaallly hammering down how FH isn‘t interested in any of the female characters at all throughout the entire book 😭👏👏 like the female cast aside from Hongbao (and Shenglian) were mostly there to drive the plot forward + world building.
It‘s like a subverted harem where the main male chars are surrounded by women who want to marry them but also not bc they aren‘t even interested in them and just need something from FH & LG lmao (the tiger sisters wanting to piss off their dad, golden goat wanted someone as strong as her to help her clan, Shenglian wanted the Peerless Bead).
I love how it shows how each of these female characters have their own ambition and aren‘t just there as „potential love interest“ for the boys but also show FH and LG‘s lack of interest 👍 it‘s a nice change from the usual ahaha. To be fair I do think the donghua managed to show this too, but the novel did it much better imo
- Another scene they changed slightly was the scene where they saw each other naked JDNFJDK and yes in the novel they had no clothing whatsoever lol and LG didn‘t have emergency clothes for them (that was only bc of censorship lolol)
FH‘s reaction was also quite different from the novel ahaha he was much more…crazy ???? Mad. Furious. Yes HDNFJFKDK-
He already apologized once like in the donghua, but they didn‘t immediately make up and needed some time to cool off by themselves bc FH literally beat LG up immediately 😭😭😭 LG was initially gonna let FH beat him up without much complaint bc he felt guilty, but then FH just didn‘t seem to be stopping and grew madder so they ended up beating each other up and wrestling JFNFDNDJK
"I'm sorry." Fahua's voice was a little hoarse.
Lan Ge was stunned for a moment. It had been a long time since they knew each other. This was the first time he heard Fahua actually apologize.
"The body, hair and skin are given to the parents. According to the tradition of our jurisdiction, except for the parents, the body cannot be seen by others casually."
"Then what would happen if I saw it?" Lan Ge asked curiously.
Fahua glanced at him, "Not much."
(this almost makes NO sense bc he was SO friggin mad that he thought LG saw him naked bc of his domain‘s traditions and apparently it meant nothing ??????? Nah. Nah man. I refuse to believe that LOL I mean you could argue this was the first time anyone‘s ever seen him naked which is why he overreacted that way but omg 😭 my intuition is saying sth else is at play…maybe he was angry the thought of being forced to marry LG HAHAAHKDJSK or maybe this is how he reacts when he‘s embarrased, or maybe all of the above :3 who knows. We already know nudity is one of the few things that can crack his stoicness ahaha)
LMAOOO WHY ARE THEY LIKE THISSSS
also LG crying out bc he didn‘t want to be the woman „why can‘t you be the woman?“ and FH‘s just like „can we not talk about this?“ while pouting ????? Ohmygoodjdjdh 😭👌💕💕💕
And of course, there‘s the scene where Lu Ying found them naked back in the house in the Green Sea of Life and just casually told them to continue what they were doing LMAOOOO I WISH THAT WAS ADAPTED BUT I GET WHY IT ISNT SHJDHSJS
(I drew a comic for that here!!)
- Hongbao is also quite different in the novel, and the Director actually admitted that they changed her to be slightly softer in the donghua. She was much more stoic and doesn‘t comprehend human culture like boyfriend-girlfriend, she’s colder and aloof even till the end of the book after she was reborn as a human girl. She only started to understand human emotions after she turned into a human at the end of the book.
- Hongbao‘s scene after the final battle with LG‘s parents were much, MUCH better in the novel. A lot of fans actually (rightfully) complained on weibo bc it was nothing like in the novel, instead the donghua snuck in another „come be LG‘s potential wife!“ joke even though by that point Hongbao was obviously intended to be more like family to FH & LG and learn how to be human through them and their families. In the novel it was only Xiangyun who mentioned that (bc Lan Xiang have always been more lax when it comes to LG marrying) and it wasn‘t done in an exaggerated manner either:
It‘s one of my fav scenes especially with Hongbao and I too was so upset they didn‘t include it :“) bc Xiangyun showing Hongbao warmth of a mother and family is so so important to her development as a character 😭💖 and seeing FH and LG as her family…sigh. Alas…
We know LG is a kindhearted person despite his flaws—FH wouldn‘t have loved him if he wasn‘t lol. But there are some scenes they didn‘t include in the novel that really show his consideration especially towards FH and explains why FH slowly warmed up and opened up to him.
For example after they met again at the Tri-Domain Competition, LG was shocked when he found out FH didn‘t have a place to stay and begrudgingly (but still willingly) planned to pay for his hotel room so he wouldn‘t have to sleep on the streets :“) Obviously they ended up not getting a single room bc it was all booked (they were so close to a "there was only one bed" situation damn…) but they did end up sharing a tent HAHAHA (eventually anyway when LG finally stops being a petty ass lmao)
And there was this scene after they started training together in earnest:
(P. S. LG sweetie wdym you‘ve always been observing him every day that you know his habits and that he takes a bath everyday (this was mentioned in an earlier chapter haha) 😄😄😄 sweetheart…
Oh the scene in the donghua where LG followed FH and saw him bathe before accidentally falling into the pool didn’t happen in the novel ahaha but it’s a welcome addition :3 I do think the donghua does a better job at showing LG being in denial about his attraction to men Fa Hua and it‘s sooo nice to especially see it in the deleted scenes ahaha)
But yeah, FH seeing how LG is actually quite generous and kind despite his brashness and arrogance, willing to pay for his hotel room bc he was about to sleep on the streets and considerate enough to get FH something to eat because he noticed FH was broke and ate nothing but crackers everyday…whose heart wouldn‘t be warmed by this ??? 🥹
And this scene after they met the Big Golden Goat and she treated them to the fish they caught:
The way LG—who complained nonstop about having to eat the bland crackers throughout the trip at sea—willingly ate it without complaints OR FH asking bc he didn‘t want to mess up FH‘s cultivation ?????????????:):):€/)/&-&-&
LIKE,,,, imagine this from FH‘s perspective: the person who obviously has a big appetite and loves to eat and is never against complaining his discomfort quietly follows your lead and only consumes the thing you‘re allowed to eat in solidarity without complaint and because he was afraid of messing your cultivation. If that isn‘t an act of love idk what is 😭💖💕💕 their love language really is acts of service ahaha
And FH being the little shit that he is (and obviously happy and touched at this gesture from LG) just never told him until that very second LOLLLL I love them so much byeeee OTL
- The scene that the donghua actually built upon is the scene in episode 34 when they had to part ways after basically being stuck together for 3 years qwq I absolutely LOVE the donghua‘s version omg and they nailed the quiet affection they have for each other and the discomfort of having to physically separate and be away from one another 😭💔
Fahua stood on the shore until the ripples left by Lan Ge dissipated, then turned and walked in the direction of the City of Wisdom.
Ever since they had the relationship of Wushuangzhu, they were together most of the time, and they were somewhat uncomfortable when they suddenly separated. In fact, it is impossible for them to be truly separated. Whether it is cultivation or spiritual communication, they maintain an extremely close connection.
*head in hands* they make me feel so ill….
- ok I’m gonna start talking about scenes from the last arc bc this is another scene that I hold so dear to my heart and absolutely gutted me when I realized they didn‘t have enough time to fit it in qwq
Any scene that starts with "Night fell" in the novel, you know it‘s gonna be sweet as hell 👌
Just- this whole scene + BBQ scene deserves a whole episode alone man 😭💔 but alas…
FH who‘s smiling more and loves messing with LG and LG who‘s grown so comfortable with FH and wants to show him the things he loves…we could‘ve had it all…
- Another scene they sadly couldn‘t fit in the donghua was this scene after the BBQ scene. Honestly I have no complaints bc the donghua made the scene even cuter than the novel, but it lacked the sheer hilarity of their interaction and FH trolling LG HAHAHAHA
Oh and in the novel, the BBQ scene is the first time FH drank alcohol, not just eat meat! I thought I should mention that bc I felt it important to his character development and relationship growth with LG :D bc FH has always avoided alcohol bc of its side effects, but he felt safe enough to drink and let go with LG at his side;;
Anyways here‘s the scene of FH being an absolute troll (and LG getting his revenge for all his bullying only for it to backfire LOL):
And another scene after they realized the Heavenly Demons have arrived where FH immediately told LG "I understand. I'll stay with you." They did keep a part of this dialogue but not all :“) which is a shame bc it gave us an insight on how they felt at that moment in time.
Basically LG called out to FH in his heart and FH replied faintly "There‘s no need to say words of gratitude." bc he could tell LG was so, so grateful he stayed just for him even though they should be running away, but at this point, their relationship was already beyond that. So instead LG deflected and said "For the sake of your willingness to stay with me, let's forget about the beef tongue just now!"
And Fa Hua only replied with:
"Speaking as if I can live if you die." Fa Hua's body paused for a moment before he accelerated again and headed straight for Thunder City.
Lan Ge was a little dazed while speeding up. Why did this guy's words seem inconsistent? Could it be that he was also a little nervous?
Like…omg OTL I really wish they kept this bc there‘s a lot of unspoken stuff between them and I love it qwq
- Even though the donghua did sneak in a really funny scene of LG‘s parents suspecting LG actually being in a relationship with FH and going „No way…right?“ in the novel they actually explored it more even if just a bit ahaha
It just showed how his parents would be totally okay with him being in love with FH as long as he either took on the job or got married LMAO
- "I would love the whole world for you."
They actually managed to reference this line in the donghua for a split second ahaha and I loooveee how they used "and the most important one…is you." in place of that bc I literally lost my mind during that scene BDNDBDK BUT !!! I wanted to talk about the significance of this line and why they had to remove it due to censorship.
This line "For you, I would love the whole world" was the name of the chapter (Ch 164), and it is also the name of the autobiography by the author Tang Jia San Shao/TJSS, where he narrates the 16-year love story between him and his (now late) wife, how their friendship and love persist over the years. The fact that he used this specific line for FH & LG is so— OTL it just shows how he wanted the readers to know that the love between FH & LG runs deep and changed them both for the better, how important they are to each other. That and…his wife passed away due to cancer while he was writing this novel. I will forever be grateful to him for still pushing through despite the obvious grief he lived in and wish him nothing but the best;;
Here‘s the scene from the novel:
While it is true that the ultimate law of fire is warmth, they were much more upfront of the true nature: THEY USED THE POWER OF LOVE !!!!! It‘s so clinche and corny and I love it so friggin much 🥹💖💕💕
And the way LG was all like „For whom do you love? For whom?!" as though he’s daring FH to say it outloud and FH not even denying it,,, them not wanting to acknowledge it bc obviously it‘s EACH OTHER 😭✨ man,,,, my embarrassed bbys ilysm 🥰
TJSS had no intention of being subtle in the novel that they do love each other—the nature of the love is intentionally kept vague so we can interpret it however we want, but the fact that they‘re also clearly written as soulmates is so— *chef‘s kiss*
We also got to see them hug nonconsensually aka forced by the Peerless Bead and they were like „ewwww get off!!!“ afterwards as if they’ve never hugged before (remember FH comforting LG with a hug…and LG hugging FH’s thigh…yea…) LOL it was so silly of them dhsjshajajah
- Chapter 118/Episode 31: "Good boy."
Saving this for last because it‘s 1) my favorite, most beloved scene in the entire book and 2) the donghua actually nailed it 100% and made it even better. Pretty sure all the budget went to that episode omg 😭🫶✨ which is so real of them bc it‘s THE most crucial scene in the whole book, especially when it comes to LG & FH‘s relationship. It created a very subtle shift in their dynamic in that…they know now. They know how much they matter to each other. Not just bc they could feel each other‘s emotions, but because of their actions.
In the novel, FH was willing to sacrifice his cultivation in order for them to survive, in order for LG to avenge his parents, and when LG saw FH…LG saw the back of his mother as she was sacrificing herself for him, and he snapped. The donghua turned it even more emotional and dramatic by making them nearly lose their lives but it works, bc it still followed the core of the narrative.
All that matters is for us to know just how important this was to them, and to show how LG who was passively suicidal defy death bc he wanted FH to live. That he didn‘t want FH to sacrifice himself like his parents did. And FH now knew just how much LG cares about him too qwq sigh. Man. This scene was done so incredibly beautifully and respectfully, and for that alone I‘m willing to overlook all the other flaws of the donghua ahaha
Here‘s my favorite excerpt from the novel:
Fahua felt the holy power in his body like a blowout, and felt the blank ninth page of the god-given code slowly opened. He lowered his head, looked at Lan Ge who was hugging his thigh in a daze, raised his hand, and gently stroked his head, subconsciously said: "Good boy! (乖!)"
Lan Ge suddenly let go of his arms as if he had been struck by electricity and jumped up in an instant, "Good boy, my ass!"
But Fahua laughed, with a gentle and happy smile, and surprisingly didn't diss him again.
Lan Ge also laughed, yes, they succeeded,
You remember how gentle FH is around children right? And he would often praise them with "乖" when they hug his thigh and clamour around him…I think LG definitely reminded him of them in that moment, clutching tightly to him, desperately, because he didn‘t want to lose him at all. He‘s so irrevocably fond of him and they love each other so SO much I just— *collapses*
FH‘s always been very gentle and patient with LG (when he‘s not being a bully and manhandling him lolol) especially in the face of his grief, and it all came to a head in this scene, where LG was struck with the fear of losing FH and being left behind again, where he was forced to be honest with his feelings and have it reach FH…god this scene is so peak. And the donghua did it perfectly.
Anywho hmm…I think I got all the important differences hmmm I can‘t fit in any more images anyway but if I did forget some (and I‘m sure i have lmao) I‘ll just add it under a reblog or sth :D
I do think the novel does a good job at keeping their relationship relatively vague and ambiguous while still catering to danmei enjoyers and keeping itself genuine and true to itself haha.
I heard TJSS actually wanted to write a BL but he realized it wasn‘t working out the way he wanted so he changed his mind and we ended up with this gem XD and honestly I wouldn‘t have it any other way bc that‘s what makes FH & LG so special to me (but that‘s just me).
(Plus censorship has been growing even more strict sadly and in a way…it‘s a good thing Shenlan Qiyu isn‘t a „true“ BL bc we might not have gotten 3 seasons worth of content in that case in this day and age 😭💔 ughhh)
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