#and it never happened in the book iirc? or the donghua just in cql and they weren't even in CR

[llycaons]

I also find it really annoying in a postcanon fic where wwx does something against the rules and lwj quotes the rule at him. I just think it's dumb and boring and pointless and doesn't really add anything to any scene and doesn't indicate that lwj has changed at all and it makes him look like a petty asshole. and for all that he's a lot more uptight and strict in canon than in fanon I still think it's a stretch

[unforth]

A Non-Definitive and Certainly Incomplete List of the Differences Between the Qianqiu/Thousand Autumns Danmei Novel and the Donghua

@blacktigersprings commented on one of my Thousand Autumn Liveblog posts, asking about the differences between the donghua thus far, compared to the book - they'd seen the 16 episodes, but hadn't read it yet. After I wrote down what I could remember I was like...ya know what, I should just make all this into a post.

This is non-exhaustive. I am a tired person with a bad memory and a lot going on, so I am sure I forgot things. I'm gonna ping @baoshan-sanren since they're the main person I know who is in Thousand Autumns fandom also, and I'm willing to guarantee they will think of things I didn't, and also probably be able to correct me if I mixed anything up. I'll try to edit this based on new info, if I have the time, and I might post it as meta on AO3? I did that with my list of differences between CQL and MDZS and people found it helpful so...yeah. I'll add a link if a do.

Note that all posts like this rely to some extent on interpretation; what I write reflects my interpretation and understanding of events (...to the extent I remember them...) and others may have read/watched the same sequences and reached different conclusions. I've made specific notes where I think I'm raising a point that's more subjective than others.

This contains spoilers for all 16 episodes of the donghua, and for the equivalent parts of the novel. I did my best not to put in novel spoilers for past when the donghua ends, but there are allusions to subsequent events.

Anyway - vaguely in chronological order of when they happen?

(read more)

Overall, the basic premises of the donghua and the novel are pretty different. In the donghua, there are several primary conflicts - the intrusion of the Beimi/Tujue, the competition over access to the Solarity, the competition between different sects' top masters, and the search for that ring that Yan Wushi has. In the novel, these are all things that exist, but they're not the primary plot, and they're all at least somewhat difference. While the novel has multiple plotlines that focus on different things, looking at it as a whole, the main plot is a political one about control of the Empire, and how different sects are pulled into that conflict as a result of how the Emperor relates to Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist sects. Which tradition each sect follows is much more important and relevant in the novel. The Beimi/Tujue plot is still relevant and involved, but it's just one thread in the political milieu. The Solarity, which has different and long name in the novel that I never remember - it's like, "the complete works of (some master who's name isn't in my brain" - is in six volumes, and it's definitely still important, but it's importance kinda fades as the novel progresses (though it's still a main piece at the point where the donghua leaves off). The ring is basically non-existent in the novel - instead of it being in Yan Wushi's possession, it's in the possession of the woman who's birthday party Shen Qiao goes to (...Madam Su? Might be her name? I'm sorry, I'm not great with names, and I usually rely on fandom wikis but this one is sparse) - in the novel, she was a disciple of Hulugu, and then she stole the ring and returned to the Empire. That other Beimi/Tujue disciple (...Dong something??) takes it back and returns with it to his clan, if I recall correctly, so it can be used to unify those clans to make war against the Empire.

In the donghua, Yan Wushi is just...generally portrayed as pretty nice, and the YanShen vibes start pretty early - there's an early sign of playful flirting from Yan Wushi that actually seems sincere? At least it did to me. As a result, the YanShen vibes feel a lot stronger than they do in the novel at a similar point in the narrative. In the novel...I'd personally say Yan Wushi has zero interest, romantically or sexually, until well after where the donghua left off, and their relationship isn't canon until nearly the very end, and is always left more implied than...outright. I would personally say that in the novel, Shen Qiao has some feels for Yan Wushi pre-Sang Jingxing, but Yan Wushi doesn't reciprocate (except maybe at a deep level he refuses to acknowledge). It's not until he's healing post-almost-dying (as in, during the time immediately after when the donghua leaves off - I'm trying to be vague to avoid giving spoilers to people who haven't read it) that there start to be some real clear signs that Yan Wushi may have caught some feels, and even then it's complicated. They're complicated. They're also complicated. It's part of what I love about them, lol.

In the donghua, the fight between Shen Qiao and Kunye is shown "on screen" instead of only being described afterwards, and it's revealed almost right away that Shen Qiao was poisoned. Also, a lot of people help Kunye and they all fight Shen Qiao together. In the novel, this fight is off-screen. It's strictly a one-on-one battle between Shen Qiao and Kunye, and the reader doesn't learn that Shen Qiao lost due to poisoning until Shen Qiao goes to Mount Xuandu to confront Yu Ai.

In both the donghua and the novel, when Yan Wushi is trying to turn Shen Qiao evil, he sets up a mission for Shen Qiao and Yu Shengyan, The object of this mission is to kill a family that serves the Hehuan Sect. Shen Qiao refuses to participate, and helps them escape. In the donghua, they don't actually escape, and the "they serve Hehuan" thing turns out to be a ruse; they actually serve Yan Wushi. In the novel, they're actually Hehuan spies, and Shen Qiao still helps them, and they actually escape.

(RAPE MENTION TRIGGER WARNING) In the donghua, Chen Gong betrays Shen Qiao when that jerk noble whose name I can't remember right now (and it's not in the wiki, god the wiki is so slim, I wish I had time to help with that) hunts him for sport, and he doesn't want to die. In the novel, Chen Gong betrays Shen Qiao when that same jerk noble, who as a reputation for using pretty boys as sex slaves, tries to kidnap Chen Gong as a sex slave, and Chen Gong is like, "no no you don't want to fuck me, I know someone WAY prettier for you to rape." (The fall out remains the same in both - Shen Qiao beats up the guy, nothing bad happens to him, and he and Chen Gong part ways).

In the donghua, Shen Qiao goes to confront Yu Ai at Mount Xuandu by like. Literally walking up to the front gate. And then all the disciples for some reason get mad that Yan Wushi comes, even though he...also walked up to their front gate. Why do they even have a gate??? In the novel, Shen Qiao uses a super sneaky back way, only known to disciples, and so it actually makes some kind of sense when Yu Ai et al are like SHEN QIAO WHY ARE YOU SHOWING THE EVIL GUY OUR BACK DOOR?

(NOTE this one relies more on subtext and thus is very open to interpretation. What's written here reflects my personal interpretation, and others may disagree). In the donghua, when Yan Wushi hands Shen Qiao over to Sang Jingxing, they have a chat that heavily implies that Yan Wushi is kinda-sorta-not-so-secretly thinking that Shen Qiao could win a fight (and is probably expecting Shen Qiao to do so by using the demonic core that has been implanted in him). Sang Jingxing also says things that indicate that he thinks that Yan Wushi is setting a trap for him. In the novel, while it's never all that clear what Yan Wushi's motivations are, it becomes pretty clear by the point of the Sang Jingxing fight that Yan Wushi was serious when he said he didn't care about Shen Qiao, didn't consider him worthy, and doesn't care what happens to him. He definitely handed over Shen Qiao with every intention of Shen Qiao getting tortured and raped, and had no interest in saving him. Shen Qiao only becomes interesting to Yan Wushi afterwards. Yan Wushi is never only playing one game, so he may have thought that being pushed into a corner would force Shen Qiao to use the demonic core, but it also seemed to me like he genuinely didn't care - he'd gotten bored, and was done playing with the "new toy" that was Shen Qiao.

In the donghua, there is a shot of someone - the clothing is pretty unmistakably Yan Wushi's purple robe of ultimate purpleness - pulling Shen Qiao out of a river after he plunges to his almost-demise in the fight with Sang Jingxing. In the novel, Yan Wushi doesn't pull Shen Qiao out of the water, after Shen Qiao destroys his meridians in the fight against Sang Jingxing. Instead, Shen Qiao collapses in the mountains, where he is found by Shiwu and brought back to the monastery for treatment.

In the donghua, Yan Wushi is fighting the four masters who have it in for him, and before the end of the fight, Shen Qiao arrives and tries to help him; he fights the four masters solo to try to keep Yan Wushi from using his powers and harming himself, and when he's about to lose, Yan Wushi...uses his powers and harms himself. In the novel, Shen Qiao doesn't arrive until after Yan Wushi has been defeated; he finds Yan Wushi almost dead and brings him to a small village nearby, where he stays with a nice girl and her...grandfather, iirc...and tries to keep them safe while nursing Yan Wushi back to health.

In the donghua, it's kinda implied that Shen Qiao goes to rescue Yan Wushi because, like...he likes him? There's not really a reason given, just that he wants to, or maybe to keep the ring from going to the Beimi/Tujue? In the novel it's pretty explicit that Shen Qiao goes to save Yan Wushi because he believes Yan Wushi's position in the Empire is critical to the stability of the world - and he wants the world stable, so that there won't be more refugees, starvation, etc. That he also may like Yan Wushi is the case but is almost incidental; Shen Qiao is focused on doing the most good for the most people, and that means saving Yan Wushi, because Yan Wushi is critical to the Empire, and the Empire is critical to the common people. (this is a major part of the political themes that are more prominent in the book than in the donghua).

I can't actually remember when Bian Yanmei was introduced in the novel? But I was pretty sure it was around when Yan Wushi sends Shen Qiao to that birthday banquet? Anyway, Bian Yanmei isn't in the donghua at all thus far; in the donghua, Yan Wushi's only apparent disciple is Yu Shengyan.

[crossdressingdeath]

Isn’t the part when WWX makes LWJ drink actually constructed as a variation on the scene in the book where WWX is trying to sneak over the wall with alcohol and is caught by LWJ, so he makes him fall outside the CR boundaries thinking that it’ll get him out of being punished only for LWJ to punish them both while in that CQL scene, LWJ surprises WWX actually drinking, so WWX immobilizes LWJ and makes him drink in turn, allowing JC and NHS to make a strategic exit? WWX has no way of knowing1/5

that a single sip of wine would make LWJ blackout drunk, so he was just trying to make LWJ an accomplice in their illegal drinking with the same motivation of escaping punishment that the wall scene. Shooting the scene as it was in the book with people falling over walls would probably have been complicated, expensive and not good looking on screen if the other fall scenes in the drama are anything to go by, plus by making LWJ drunk and destroying his inhibitions, it allowed to set up the2/5

next scene where WWX and LWJ shares a bonding moment about their pasts to advance the LWJ and WWX bonding as friends when young CQL-only subplot, a scene that could never have taken place with a sober LWJ at that point in the story, as well as making LWJ immediately more sympathetic to the audience by revealing all his hidden vulnerabilities (Wang Yibo did such a good job acting in that part of the scene!). So imo, that scene is way more than just a throwaway gag. And yeah, the talisman3/5

seems overpowered, though iirc it was more of a body control talisman than a mind control talisman and one which seems to be activated only at very close distance, so it’s not really some plot changing magic because if a cultivator gets that close to you, way worse things that a control talisman can happen. Actually, nothing in the scene goes against the interpretation that it requires big amounts of energy to activate4/5

or that it’s a talisman WWX invented himself and never released to the public.5/5

Here’s the thing. WWX didn’t know one sip would make LWJ blackout drunk? Sure, okay. You know what he did know? THAT LWJ DIDN’T WANT TO DRINK ALCOHOL. THAT IT WAS AGAINST THE RULES THAT LWJ WAS DETERMINED TO UPHOLD AT ALL COST. THAT FORCING SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING AGAINST THEIR WILL IS WRONG. It’s not about him not knowing that LWJ is a Super Mega Lightweight, or about him giving JC and NHS a quick exit, it’s about him forcing LWJ to drink against his will and without his consent! Also I’d argue that them talking about their pasts in the next scene makes it worse, because that is information that LWJ would not have shared with WWX at that point in the story if he was sober. That was deeply personal! Honestly I’m of the opinion that even if WWX was going to force LWJ to drink and (granted, accidentally) get him drunk, he should have stopped him from talking about his past because LWJ is a deeply private person who would not have shared that with WWX if he was in his right mind. Not to mention that LWJ canonically does not remember anything after he drinks, so it’s not a fair and equal exchange of information; it’s WWX getting deeply personal information about LWJ that he remembers while not giving LWJ anything after LWJ wakes up and, if I remember right, not even telling him LWJ gave him such personal information. Even if WWX doesn’t know LWJ won’t remember anything, as someone who drinks A Lot he probably knows drunk people don’t always remember what happened the next day. You say this scene could never take place at this point in the story if LWJ was sober? I say that that means having it take place at this point in the story is a representation of a huge betrayal of LWJ’s trust (what little trust he had in WWX, anyway) on WWX’s part. 

And if WWX and LWJ falling off a wall wouldn’t have looked good, they could have filmed at the front gate and handwaved WWX using the main entrance instead of climbing over the wall with him being tired or something, not to mention that it not looking great has never stopped them before and doesn’t stop them after this point. Yeah, this scene is a variation on a scene in the novel, but the addition of alcohol and a talisman that allows WWX to force LWJ to do what he wants to it as opposed to a simple push during a fight makes it way more complicated than just changing the setting or order of events!

And also... you say it was to show LWJ’s hidden vulnerabilities early on. First off, they did a good job of setting up that there were hidden, more vulnerable parts to him with Wang Yibo’s excellent microexpressions; they could easily have left it at that and then added a scene during the Yin Iron thing or in the Xuanwu’s cave where the two of them have a heart to heart about their pasts with both of them sober and fully aware and avoided this whole mess. Second... they didn’t have to. LWJ is pretty damn popular in the novel fanbase without having to spill his backstory the first time he and WWX are alone together! CQL could’ve just had someone mention that LWJ’s parents were dead, and then had WWX ask about it at a time when they were close enough that such a question would be reasonable. Or have LWJ choose to tell him at a time when LWJ is comfortable with it, showing him opening up to WWX and letting himself be seen beyond his outer appearance and mask of cool disinterest! I’d say that would be much more effective than having LWJ get drunk and spill the beans because that’s just what he does when WWX asks him questions while he’s drunk!

Also re the talisman itself, a) whether it’s body control or mind control doesn’t really make much of a difference as far as what it does is concerned as it still seems to allow WWX to force whoever’s affected by it to do whatever he wants them to and b) if it’s a talisman, WWX can presumably use it the same way he uses any other talisman, and he can launch those things pretty far; he just didn’t have to because LWJ was right beside him. Also I’d argue the fact that there’s no evidence of WWX having any difficulty activating suggests that if nothing else it’s not exhausting to use, and in situations like... I don’t know, the Xuanwu cave with WC or the fall of Lotus Pier where being able to take control of the person giving orders would make their situation way less perilous I’d argue a little exhaustion would be worth it anyway. It’s the same problem as the donghua giving WWX the ability to rip out golden cores only for him to not use it after it’s introduced; if you give someone a power that could change the sequence of events significantly, you have to explain why they’re not using it in situations where it would be useful.