Thread by @cerbykerby

hmmmm… crow!wwx and crane!lwj au where crow!wwx takes One look at crane!lwj and is like:

crow!wwx: wow!! look at him!! ☺️☺️he's very handsome!

crow!wwx:

crow!wwx: i'm going to go yank his tail feathers and piss him off

hhhhhh crane!lwj's human form with the blue and white robes (with some black accents) and red eyeliner!! aaa!!

crow!wwx wears black all over, but when the light catches his clothes just right, they have a bit of a lovely purple and green sheen. 🥺🥺

crow!wwx is also an annoying lil shit

idk how this au works i'm just working off of the donghua's animal assignments lol

maybe it's a world where everyone develops an animal counterpart that is supposed to embody their most prominent traits. wwx is clever and mischievous. lwj is regal and enduring.

oh man, imagine all the stereotypes people attach to crow!wwx because of his animal: scavenger, trickster, harbinger of death, pest. fun and hilarious to be around, but ultimately undesired.

maybe he believes it too, a bit—so he ultimately sees no harm in pestering crane!lwj.

it's all in good fun! this is just what he is, and what he does! he bothers people! he yabbers at them in his human form and yanks on their appendages in his crow form! nobody is going to think anything of him bugging crane!lwj so much and bringing him shiny things!

meanwhile, crane!lwj is mad because crow!wwx brought him a lovely smooth pebble and crane!lwj already knows he's going to most likely make a bracelet out of it and treasure it forever and he's NOT HAPPY about it, because he knows crow!wwx doesn't *mean* anything by it.

imagine if crane!lwj starts getting courtship gifts. cranes are known to mate for life, and there are those who would benefit greatly with a lan spouse who won't leave them no matter what.

the wens and jins in particular are interested in having the lan under their thumb.

crane!lwj is not impressed by the luxurious gifts; if anything, they stress him out. every single one of these gift-givers want him for his status, family, and unending loyalty—without any intention of offering him the same. some of them are even already married—such as wen chao.

amidst so much commotion and crane!lwj's social obligation to thank his suitors for their gifts, he rarely sees crow!wwx anymore. but when he does, crow!wwx still gives him little gifts.

today's gift is a small, pink peony. "I saw it and thought of you," crow!wwx tells him.

the peony is small and a little bedraggled-looking from enduring a journey from its home plant all the way to crane!lwj's hands via a crow's beak, but it is still beautiful.

"Thank you," crane!lwj says as he holds it against his chest.

crow!wwx laughs. "I bet it's nothing compared to the gold and silver you're receiving."

the opposite is true; no amount of gold and silver could possibly compare to this single peony. its presence in crane!lwj's hands is proof that crow!wwx thinks of him.

later, crane!lwj carefully presses the peony and places the book it's in on a table, alongside all the various bits and bobs crow!wwx has given him.

crane!lwj goes through them, as he often does, touching each of them gently. such wonderful gifts—but not out of courtship.

crane!lwj desperately, silently pining over a playful crow who gives him thoughtful pretty baubles

VS.

crow!wwx constantly giving crane!lwj gifts and telling himself it's okay because that's how he is! he's a crow! he gives things! all while ignoring his reasons for the gifts