My eyes and ears are open tell me abt your au pretty please
This uh. Might be longer than I'd planned lol.
Back when I thought all this up this au was,, so underdeveloped. Thankfully its had enough time in the oven by now!
So, to start, the (slightly revised) premise!
A highly renowned private school, somewhere (probably canada), has set up a class for its highest scoring students! They're getting a hands on trip, to give them experience both in work or future fields of interest. This trip will take them to Iceland, on a paleontological trip, to look for the remains of ancient dragons! Volcanic activity below Iceland seems to be increasing for some reason, and its bringing newfound species and fossils to the surface.
As for the students accepted...
First student accepted for this was Alex Gonzalez. She's top of her class in marks. Also, her secondary field is electronics, she's familiar with sonar and side scan sonar (useful for looking for caves), drone technology, and other related subjects that easily fit with their mission!
Alex doesn't really have any friends amongst the group however. She's antisocial, tends to hide behind whatever she's got in her hands when people come around, and her witty overly-sarcastic remarks aren't always well thought out before she says them. Teachers love her for her attentiveness and 'workahaulic' nature. She's never scored lower than an A. Her mothers love her to the point of overprotectivness. This bothers her, but she rarely shows it or stands up for herself about it. She's an adopted child, and has been raised in a well off family.
Next up, Thomas Andrew Kullerson.
Tom is the 2nd highest scoring student in class, however, little of that comes down to his own talent.
His mother is superintendent, and familiar with the principle. Her love for her son has gotten her to push him through and, maybe, modify his grades a bit. Teachers sort-of except him because of his mom, but he's the kinda kid who falls asleep in class and might kick his desk once or twice. Would also scribble all over school desks.
Hes always had an intrest in vikings, dragons, and anything norse, due to his family heritage. He does actually put some effort into his paleontological studies, and is the most knowledgeable on dragons in the group.
Thomas was raised in semi well off household in the middle of the Appalachian mountains. Originally the Kullersons immigrated two generations past to West Virginia. His mom and dad got divorced however, a very messy one, and Tom found himself stuck with the parent he wasn't as close to. Olivia took him north to Canada, and her husband traveled to settle in Norway. Tom does his best to talk with his dad (usually behind Olivia's back), but otherwise hasnt seen him in person since he was 10.
Tom and his step-dad really don't get along. His step father tries to push that he's his new dad, and Tom consistently turns him down. Olivia is not thrilled over this, and she's grown distant with her son.
Tom himself is troublesome. He's backwoodsy, unafraid of nature or the dark or what may lay within those two. Technology is something he's only had to be familiar with for school. He has a thick Appalachian accent he's been made of fun for. He can definitely be a bit grating at times. He's quick to be confrontational with people. Thankfully can keep his anger from boiling over, he just simmers instead.
Very much yearns for exploration, anything to get out of the loop he feels he's been in. Toms moved schools a lot in the past, the one he's at he hasn't been in for more than 1 and half to 2 years.
Toms bad at making friends. Alex finds him interesting because he's so different. Jun tries to engage him over Appalachian folklore which he's deeply versed in, but Tom finds her preachy and self centered. Eugene is too big of a self assured goober for Tom to really like.
Tom and D'Angelo immediately disliked one another upon meeting. D'Angelo only saw a bad kid and a trouble maker, Tom saw a jock who didn't know where not to stuck his nose. They're so bad they almost can't even be in the same room together.
Considering we were talking about D'Angelo!
D's family is pretty well off, and his dad works for a small business that leases teams to act as security for different things. His dad is essentially the head honcho, and former military. He runs the resource officers for the school, and is contracted for their expedition.
So D'Angelo has shoes to fill. Hes raised army brat, and used to follow his dad around when he was deployed overseas, along with his mother. His dad expects him to at least take up his current occupation once he's old enough, but D'Angelos true passion lies in animal husbandry.
Personality wise he's kind of holier than thou, too self-assured. He looks down on people like Tom, is too flirty/in-your-face why are you quiet with people like Alex/Jun, and just finds Eugene plain annoying (though, thats not exactly unique).
Him and Tom have disliked each other since they set eyes on one another. They clash at all times, and the only reason they haven't come to blows is because D'Angelo doesn't want to disappoint his dad. D'Angelo is pretty reliable as a person if one can look past his outside personality.
Jun is another of the schools high scoring students, often leaving people to work der why. She can be a bit ditzy shes obsessed with star signs, various global folklore, and mysticism. Some students (Tom mostly) spread rumor about how being next to her for too long drains your intelligence straight out of your brain.
She tries to be friendly with everyone, even someone who might not want to be friends. She also focuses on herself too much, often blaming others for problems that she started. She doesn't do it on purpose of course, but its a major weak point of hers that drives people away sometimes.
Shes ecstatic to be on the field trip. Her mother is a teacher at the school. Even before they leave she's already filling the air with various info about Norse mythology. Some listen, some quietly laugh (like Tom, who knows all this 100x over since his dad used to read to him about this sort of thing), and others ignore.
Her brother Eugene isn't in the school system, having graduated. Only D'Angelo seems to be fond of him. Eugene and Jun are quarrelsome siblings. Tom dislikes Eugene, finding his flamboyant, teasing, and 'out-there' personality too loud for his taste. Alex finds him amusing to watch in action, she's the only person telling Tom that if he gives Eugene a chance they might actually get along. He's mostly coming with the group cause thr rest of his family is.
Thought not in the school, another member of the security team, Johann Speirs, is involved with trip.
Speirs is the child of a former British SAS and American spy, both from the late cold war. D'Angelos dad describes him 'as the child of the main characters from a Tom Clancy novel'.
Hes got red hair, knows more than he lets on, especially about what Tom and Alex get up to, and covers for them when they sneak out or try and avoid there parents. Hes laid back, cool as a cucumber, and generally doesn't speak much until he needs to.
Damian Odegarde is the final member of the school group. Not really being close to anyone in particular, his specialty field is that he was actually from Iceland!
He plays Hockey, rarely picks sides if anything goes down, and is generally reliable. He's pretty tired of being Tom's 'do my homework' guy after Alex said told Tom she couldn't cover for him like she used to. He's pretty interested in dragons and geology is his field of study.
Not a member of the trip but enlisted by the adults, is Sophaní Gnýisdottir. She's native Icelandic, and is the kids tour guide/translator. She's a popular girl, likes having fun. Not ditsy like Jun, actually rather clever, just doesn't outwardly show it much. Shes almost like a extroverted Alex.
For the last major character (sorta, I'm skipping the adults and other supporting characters for now), is Leonard Brune, aka, Buzzsaw. Hes also part of the security team, and a friend of Speirs. Hes unstable, D'Angelos dad finds him unsettling, and Johann might just be keeping him around to stop him from 'going off the rails'.
So what about the dragons?
I'll keep this short as well since this is getting long, and restrict this to Thunder!
The Hidden World is all but fully enclosed now. The sea entry has long since been sealed proper, by Gronckles at the 'Alphas' command. Dragons are not forgotten, but believed extinct, around 1100-1200~ CE.
Thunder is raised by a small group of Night Lights. His parents, his singular grandfather, the matriarch of the group, and he has three (annoying-ish) younger siblings.
Hes the ideal child, at first. Never straying to far, always adhering to his parents wishes, keeping the younger siblings out of trouble, away from danger. But this gets to him. Curiosity gets to him. Is this cave all there is? Is this monotony all there is, wake up, sit around, go to bed?
Thunder gets restless. He flies farther and farther, trying to spread his wings and sate the wanderlust. But he always comes back, always to take care of his siblings, the ones he's growing exasperated with.
But then his family begins to migrate. West, somewhere. Thr journey is exciting for him, exactly what he wanted. But somethings still clawing at him. No matter where he goes, how high he flies, there's always a roof of stone. His desire for more from life is still smoldering strong.
They make it west. All is well, and Thunder, reluctantly, settles in to keep up the usual schedule.
Until one of his younger siblings goes missing. Thunder leaves in search, encountering dragons he's never seen, going higher into caves and depths unexplored. The Night Light family follows not far behind.
Thunder FINALLY finds his younger sibling, lost high up in the caves. He gets him on the way back, but...
A cavern crasher intervenes. Thunder fights hard to protect his brother, but the beast destabilizes the cave, and just as he tail bats the little Night Light to the safety of the rest of his family, the cave collapses. Thr Crasher is crushed under the weight of falling stone, but Thunder is firmly stuck on the other side. Hes injured too, having taken a few blows from the Crasher, and his right tail-fin is broken. Defiant attempts to fly fail. He wanders through caves in search of another entrance to the Hidden World, but is met without success. Deep in the caves Thunde reels a siren call, something that is drawing him in, demanding he come to it. It whispers of building a nest, and a great, building hunger. Thunder manages to snap out of it, and retreats as hastily as possible.
He returns to the atrium, curls up, and is unsure of what to do. He wanted adventure, but this is more than he could ever bite off and chew. The next morning comes though...
And a beam of sunlight shines through an opening, far above. Volcanic activity has left a small, 4ish foot opening to the land above.
A week after arriving in Iceland, Tom is finding things simultaneously exciting and boring. Hes not looked favorably upon by the expedition leader, but at least he's allowed to do the fossil scouting missions in ATV's with Alex.
Hes driving, and gets out to stretch his legs. And finds himself nearly swallowed up by a cave. He looks down...
And swears he sees movement.
Tom returns to the dig site, and his usual life.
But he has to get back to that cave. And get to the bottom of it. He needs to know whats down there.
So yeah thats the jist!! Apologies if this is a bit disorganized, I'm not the world's greatest summarizer. If anyone wants more details about specifics and stuff I'm happy to respond!!
