#can't show weakness when the slightest sign would have your resident dragon coming to fuss over you

[masteri-0]

Come on guys, don't leave these in the tags, I miss them sometimes (says the one that likes to place all their thoughts in the tags..)

I imagine the courting would work sort of like demon courting, but also different in certain ways. From what I seem to recall (I can't tell if this is canon or fanon), demons kinda beat up their partners as proof that they, themself, are stronger and therefore can provide and protect. On the other hand, dragons go about trying to murder their person of interest to see if their potential mate has what it takes to provide for their young and uh, survive bonding events ☺️

So it's different intensity and intention, but would look quite similar on the outside. Ofc, that's not all it is. Dragons have hoards, and if they consider you in the highest regard, they may part with select belongings as gifts. But don't expect it to happen, and definitely not often, it really depends.

Also SY absolutely clocks onto what MBJ is doing immediately. Results in earlier revelations for Moshang. He's just very judgemental, looking at the Icy Lord™ persistently beating up this scrawny pathetic hamster of a man that clearly doesn't even want to fight back. Where's the appeal? Isn't that just bullying? Just add him to your hoard if you like him so much.

And on that note, family building isn't the only way to get a dragon's love and attention! This inspo came to me whilst replying to the comments, but there's no limits to a dragon's hoard! Which can totally include living beings, sentient or otherwise. That... May have caused issues in the past, in SY's old world, but that's a story for another day! One could totally become a hoard member (not that it happens often, what with dragons being mostly unknown and all, at least their types). And that's what I imagine YQY would be. He shows up with all those hoard-worthy gifts and looks like a kicked puppy, SQQ-Yuan can't help but be endeared.

What does it mean to be a hoard member, you ask? Well, guaranteed protection, for one. Maybe possessiveness and control for some dragons, it depends on the dragon. SY is on the more relaxed side of the spectrum, so YQY lucked out (or maybe not, that guy honestly might've preferred it, who knows). Anyways, main difference between being in a dragon's hoard vs family, is that they always ensure the wellbeing of their hoard. The sect leader looks more tired than usual? Dragged to bed or bullied into his nest to sleep. SY absolutely ignores any misunderstandings and cues ppl are getting from this, or the complicated past his host body shares with his hoard member. You know, like the smart dragon he is. YQY is absolutely overjoyed, but he also needs his Xiao Jiu to tone down a little- (when he called him Xiao Jiu, SQQ hissed and looked like he would bite his head off). It was a good thing he was the strongest cultivator of his generation, because God forbid he shows up with some sort of injury, SY might be out for blood.

(The Peak Lords are furiously testing for possession)

Went on a tangent there, but anyw, hoards! Instead of the typical gold and valuables, hoards generally consist of what dragons find precious and hyperfixate on. Truly fitting the ADHD peak, Yuan. Ofc, shinies and valuables make their way in there naturally, but they don't all consist of priceless goods or artifacts, once again it ranges from dragon to dragon.

I like to imagine that SY's hoard as SQQ consists of a whole assortment of fans and choice monster parts, some of those from LQG (ideal mate!!). Wld say rare plants as well, but despite fanon interpretations, canon SY doesn't actually seem to have much interest in the different plants and flowers used as plot devices. Also, if his hoard ever contained a plant that Qian Cao maybe really needed, that'll just cause quite a bit of conflict.

SY's hoard in his old world is absolutely still with him tho. How, you ask? Ever try to separate a dragon from its hoard? ☺️🔪 He would have truly done everything in his power to eviscerate the damn system, consequences be damned. System realised SQQ wouldn't be able to direct the story properly in that state either, so now he basically has the privilege of a neverending inventory for his hoard, with all his belongings from his old world included, under the condition that no inhabitants of his current world would be allowed to see it. I reckon this would give rise to funny shenanigans between the transmigrator duo. Also, funny scenarios like him pulling out neverending fans from his sleeves, that actually came from his inventory (Shen-shixiong why do you have so many fans in your sleeves?!), or even just those hilarious memes of people pulling huge or numerous objects out of a small space.

Oh, Shen Yuan absolutely does that, it was even written into one of my reblogs, but then I didn't know you had to press save as draft specifically and deleted the whole thing... With other things... Sighhh. Let me try to rmb what I wrote...

LQG, decidedly not on the same page: it's just what Bai Zhan does as training. Why should your disciples be trying to kill you?

SQQ ignores any further questions and decides that the children must just not have enough training! He's heard their wishes! Man he is so good at this parenting thing!

QJP now harbours a lifetime grudge against BZP. Shizun, they're the scholarly peak. Shizunnn! They've raised their skill level, but at what cost?

SQQ frequently sends his disciples out on monster hunts and such, as tests, for experience, to hone their skills... Etc. All perfectly normal for a Shizun to do, if it wasn't for the sheer level of difficulty of some of them. There absolutely have been interventions by Peak Lords, because, are you trying to get those disciples of yours killed, Shen-shixiong???

But... Once the disciples are actually questioned, none of them seem truly dissatisfied. Sure, their shizun sends them out on all manners of quests, generally forcing them to utilize all they have and push their limits in order to complete it (even dragon younglings cannot be called weak-), but no one is ever truly in danger of dying, even if there are injuries aplenty (but also someone better tell SY soon that human young can't regenerate their limbs-). Ofc, there have been instances where the disciples have almost died, but Shizun is always there at the sidelines, swooping in to rescue his ki- uh, the disciple in question, and then promptly mauling the creature responsible before he turns back to cluck and fuss over the disciple. Despite that, everyone still tries their darnest tho, for one, it's to make their Shizun proud, but also more importantly, despite the fussing and coddling immediately after, the disciple in question is always subjected to training from hell in the near future.

Also concerningly brought up to the Peak Lords' notice, SQQ seems to deeply lament about how none of his kids, even grown up as they are, have taken a shot at him (in a murderous way). Sure, it's cute how they stick to him so much and seem really attached, but he could've sworn he wasn't this attached to his parents, even as a hatchling? Was it because he was still a juvenile, and therefore didn't exert the same pressure as an adult, so the kids don't feel the same compulsion to attack him??

Regardless, peak lords try to subtly question SQQ to gauge his mental state. Could it be the grief of losing his favourite disciple causing all of this...? But, nope. An off-handed remark from SQQ-Y abt his fun experience of trying to murder his mom has them realizing that, oh, nevermind, SQQ just has a skewed perception of what normal is. How did they never notice this before???

Meanwhile YQY is just ??? When did this happen?

A few of them could catch on that something may not exactly be adding up. How is that thought in any way normal and persist for so long? I want this to end in a reveal eventually, someway or another, and writing all of this out is making me more and more tempted to just write a fic abt it.

What should I name this AU? Just dragon au? Lol. Unhinged dragon AU.

Here are the people that made the tags: @arsonisticscholar @howam-i-theparent

Just had a sudden thought of Dragon!Shen Yuan (or any creature really) AU, where it was like a normal rite of passage for parents to raise their young (protectively, they're not jerks, just uh, very unsafe for human children, or just humans in general...), then throw them into some sort of extreme trial to prove their strength, when they're deemed ready. Oh, and it was normal, expected, even, to take a go at your parents and try to murder them as a proof of superiority, or smt like that. Doesn't mean they don't love each other! Dragons just have a different way of showing care, that's all. What's a lil play fighting?

Anyw, main point is, SY transmigrates into SQQ with this mentality. Sees his cute little sheep. Falls in love instantly and adopts him. But oh! Oh, the protagonist is so weak, so malnourished! He's gonna nurture him and make sure he's well taken care of! Such a scrawny little sheep can't possibly survive anything! Oh? What's that? He has to push the scrawny baby into the abyss? Well! Makes sense, but that's years into the future, and he has time to make sure they grow up big and strong yet! Cue all the canonical pampering.

I'd imagine during LBH's disciple days, he receives a lot more comments about him going out into the world, and there's less matchmaking from Shizun, since SY believes that girls will flock naturally to him if he's strong enough, so there's also more emphasis on his training, as well as the training of other disciples on the peak. I'm not sure how he'll react to Bai Zhan disciples. Does he comment on their strength and set off the QJP disciples, causing an interpeak war? Does he still hold the same annoyance for them and property damage?

By the time the IAC rolls around, SQQ has already sent his not so little white sheep all over to gain experience, and deemed him ready for his 'coming of age' (close to human adulthood too, he'll do fineee). There is far less tears and hesitation. When the time comes and LBH's seal is broken, SQQ feels the increase in power and the last of his worry dissipates. He basically just looks at his kid, nods, and chucks him in. Dusts off his hands and pats himself on the back. One child down, however many more to go. Oh, they grow up so fast... (Was LBH freaking out during this? Oh well, must be the nerves, he knew the feeling well. But he's read the book and knows what's going to happen. His kid will be okay, and he'll naturally gain confidence after surviving in there!... No one ever said dragons were GOOD at feelings ...)

Of course, it takes some time to adjust to the absence, but there's less grieving and freaking out over his impending doom. Sure, he's judging the original work a little. Limbless and hanging, really? SY much prefers a clean death, thank you. (How he died in his previous life is up to interpretation). But that's besides the point, his favourite is off on his trial, and it's about time to test a few of his other kiddos too (single dad to, uh, how many?)

Shen Qingqiu gains reputation as a sadistic (?) teacher that puts his disciples through dangerous missions seemingly without care, but unlike in the past, he seems to love the kids and dotes on them off-missions, so no one's really sure what's going on with... That. (He's still waiting for one of them, any of them, to try and kill him? Where's the bonding?? Was he not doing enough???)

So when LBH returns, things go uh, differently. SQQ is just here, waiting in anticipation, appreciating how his kid's all grown up, and seeing the scheme to unfold. Safe to say, people are confused. (Him, especially. What do you mean, his kid isn't trying to kill him?? Really, where did he go so wrong in parenting? None of his kids want to bond with him the proper way!!)

(I imagine SY being a better fighter than in canon due to literal trial of fire as a dragonet, and I'm not sure if he would've gotten hit with without a cure at all during the invasion in consideration of this)