Okay so I can't stop coming back to the idea of mdzs httyd au, so here's what i figured out.
It's the part 1 of deep dive into it.
It's long, I'm warning you.
The sects have their own islands, so Jiangs have the island of Yunmeng (the most to the south, i'm very set about that one), Wen's have Qishan (They're the east. Because the sun. And Japan. Like. It's not for now.)
Actually maybe I'll make up a map. If I could do Gotham I can do a chinese vikings fighting dragons map. But that's for later.
Cultivation is a thing in more of a vague term for warrior that got a bit better reflexes. So they meditade and know their herbs, but don't have magic swords and taliamans. Their strikes have a bit more of strenght in them and they're a bit faster than normal, but nothing really super special.
The chinese dragons are all the super powerful dragons. So, the Red Death from the first movie has it's chinese dragon counterpart in my au, and that's a dragon that lost the heaven's blessing and with itself turned all the dragons around it into resentful beasts. That way dragons that could normally be peaceful, under the influence of a fallen dragon become kinda hazy. Like in the movie but different.
The big dragons from second movie will also be in a form of typical chinese dragon, and once again, the one that Drago control's is fallen from heaven's liking, but by a hand of human that destroyed it's godlyhood. The good one is a divine creature that takes care of other dragons and also the snow and storms, bringing them like heavens want it to.
So, all the dragons that the sects fight are under the undivined dragon's control, and the conflict goes on for ages already.
The sect conferences work as talks about trades, strategies against dragons, hunts for fun, but also initiations for young warriors.
The iniciation happens at 17 and then they kill their first dragon or die trying.
At the age 15 it is a tradition to send the warrior students to Gusu, an island north that is the furthest from the dragon's nest, and where the teenagers spent a few months training to bring honor to their sects during the iniciation.
I'd imagine the training in Gusu happens in winter, when the attacs from dragons are more sporadic, and the sects can let a ship go with people who normally give first aid, kill fires, transport messages and weapons.
So, young Wei Wuxian, the boy that is expected to be one of the gratest dragons slayers in Yunmeng, with his brother Jiang Cheng and few other disciples of their age are sent to partake in Gusu training.
There, Wei Wuxian meets Lan Wangji. It goes as close to canon as I can make it in this world. Lans still have their rules, although now they're more about killing dragons than kindness and things like that. Lacohol is still forbidden, and WWX still tries to get some. They fight, and find out they're equals, WWX takes on a mission of annoying LWJ to death and LWJ gets in his head he have to spoil every of WWX's mischief before they even take place.
When they practice identifying dragons and the best ways to kill them, WWX asked by LQR says something along the lines of 'wouldn't it be easier to just take control over it? Tame it like a wild animal and bring it to our side?'. LQR hates it, as could be expected.
Things go on, WWX promises JC that he would never try to tame a dragon, bc 1 it's suuuper dangerous and stupid and 2 they are enemies and dragons are all the evil in the world.
Then WWX punches JZX, the engagement is broken off, WWX leaves earlier.
LWJ composes WangXian when he's gone.
Next year, they're 16. A year more to the initiation.
The conference is hosted by Wens on the Qishan island. The initiation is happening, but WWX get's bored as soon as everyone he knows is done, so he wanders off.
He meets Wen Ning practising with a bow. He helps him, they talk, WWX has to go back. It doesn't mean that much for him, but Wen Ning will remember that - after all not many are kind to him.
LWJ and WWX briefly interact, but everyone goes home.
Not a month later, Gusu is attacked and burns, and Wens send a word to send all the clan heirs and at least two appreantices to Qishan for 'a study in a Wen way of slaying dragons'.
The indoctrination happens, and the role of Xuanwu of Slaughter takes a legendary sleeping dragon (again, a chinese dragon that's undivine). Wen Chao tries ti kill it, obviously fails, tries to take hostages, fails, WWX takes on things in his own hands, shit happens.
WWX and LWJ somehow kill the sleeping dragon, and are saved by Jiang Cheng.
Jiangs don't take actions, as per canon, and are attacked. Let's say it's early spring, and Wen's attack Yunmeng. Wen Ning saves JC, JYL and WWX, smuggles them to Yiling, an island that is on one side a quite prosperous village, and on the other a dragon hell. Wild dragons plague the island. Wen Qing helps treat their wounds.
JC saves WWX when they're spotted by unfriendly Wen soliders, and when WWX goes save JC in turn, he get's captured.
JC is free and menages to come back to Wen Qing and Wen Ning, but when they try to find WWX, there's no sign of him ever getting even captured.
JC goes to Qinghe and joins the war efforts, still looking for WWX. LWJ joins him. JYL either goes with him to be a medic or to Jins to persuade them to join the war.
WWX was, presumably, thrown into the Burial Mounds, a place that when you once entered you are ment to be eaten by dragons. He somehow befriends one dragon there, kills some that are not friendly, befriends some more. When he gets put it's on a dragon's back with revenge with mind.
JC, WWX and LWJ reunite when WWX kills Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu with his 'demonic power' of controling dragons. LWJ tries to tell WWX that dragons are dangerous and it is known that some of them can control mind.
The war goes on, WWX changes the ties of it, they win.
The gossip about WWX and his insanity grows, WWX finds out about mistreatment of Dafan Wens, takes them to the Burial Mounds. Sects turn on him, and Wen remnants befriend the dragons.
For some time they're happy. Wen Ning is alive btw, and get's himself a bff dragon, Ghost General.
LWJ visits and tries to understand, and maybe finally starts to get the appeal of dragons, but he's not courageous enought to act.
Shit happens, JZX is killed by Suibian (WWX's bff dragon). It happens bc Jin's get control over a fallen dragon that controls Suibian. They're the Drago here.
The rest goes like canon. WQ and WN with their dragons are killed (or are they?), JYL dies, the siege happens, WWX expects death but is against his will saved by Suibian. He thinks Wen Yuan is dead. He's wrong. Suibian takes him far away, where WWX creates an asylum for dragons. He befriends a Chinese Dragon, the divine creature.
13 years later, unknown to WWX, Lan Sizhui finds a hurt dragon.
