A Jade Dragon
is a A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones fanfic in which instead of being sworn into the Night's Watch, Jon Snow. Benjen Stark and Samwell Tarly are sent to get help to fight against the long night and end up ship wrecked in the Yi-Ti empire.
Tropes that appear in this fanfic:
- Adaptational Expansion: The Yi-Ti Empire is the main setting for the first portion of the fic and much of its culture and beliefs are explored despite never having appeared in the show or books.
- Adaptational Villainy: While more morally ambiguous than heroic, Varys is still doing what he thinks is best for Westeros in canon. Here he is a Blackfyre trying to get his nephew on the throne, to the point of playing a key role in starting Robert's Rebellion.
- All for Nothing: Varys spent years trying to get his nephew Aegon Blackfyre on the Iron Throne only for him to be captured and killed by Daenerys and Jon's forces before being burned by dragon fire.
- Amazon Brigade: The Jade Order is tasked with protecting the female members of the imperial family and is comprised entirely of women. Arya Stark becomes a member.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Subverted during the Battle of King's Landing. A cornered Tywin throws himself on his sword rather than give his enemies the pleasure of killing him, but Daenerys beheads him before he can finish bleeding out.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Meiying does this to Randyll on Sam's behalf, calling him out on being heartless and narrow-minded.
- Canon Welding: While taking place in the show universe there are several characters from the books that also show up in key roles such as young Griff.
- Cool Sword: In addition to Longclaw, Jon Snow also uses the ancient Targaryen blade Dark Sister.
- The Chessmaster: Princess Khiara is a master manipulator on the level of Litterfinger. In one event she is able to put herself on the throne as well as remove a large portion of the corrupt bureaucracy in the Imperial court.
- The Coup:
- Princess Khiara manipulates her half-brother Yujin into killing the Emperor and starting a civil war that her faction is quick to take the upper hand in, allowing her to take the throne.
- Eventually getting sick of Joffrey's terrible rule, and needing a scapegoat to appease the Reach and Dorne for their losses in the war against Stannis, Tywin and the rest of the Small Council (save for Jaime and Cersei) remove him from power and execute him, propping up Myrcella as a new Puppet Queen.
- Following the revelation that the "Aegon" they were supporting was an imposter, Arianne and Oberyn stage a soft coup, convincing Sunspear's guards to side with them and placing Doran and Trystane under house arrest while Arianne takes over running Dorne.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Jung-Hwa stabs the Mountain in the neck with an acupuncture needle, paralyzing him and causing all his blood to build up in his head until it bursts out of every orifice.
- Decadent Court: Yi-Ti's imperial court puts Westeros to shame with the amount of corruption and political maneuvering going on.
- Decade Dissonance: The Yi-Ti empire is shown to be more advanced than both Essos and Westeros, having paper money and gunpowder weapons.
- Defiant to the End: When put on trial by the victorious Targaryens, Cersei spitefully refutes any opportunity to show guilt for her actions, and even when sentenced to death, her last words before being decapitated by Rhaenys is to state that ruling will be a burden for them all.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation:
- Tommen is accidentally poisoned at Joffrey's wedding instead of Joffrey, rather than committing suicide over being a Puppet King.
- Loras is killed by an angry mob instead of being blown up in a wildfire explosion.
- Joffrey is beheaded by Illyn Payne at Tywin's order instead of being poisoned by Olenna.
- Stannis and Selyse are killed by the Faceless Men instead of dying by Brienne's blade or suicide, respectfully.
- Varys is beheaded by Jon instead of being burned by Drogon.
- Enemy Mine: The Free Folk and Sansa's forces eventually agree to work together against the Boltons.
- Everyone Has Standards: Jon is completely horrified when a woman is sentenced to death for the crime of striking her abuser in self defense.
- Eye Scream: Instead of being castrated, Theon instead has one of his eyes cut out by Ramsay.
- Far East: The Yi-Ti empire is this, taking aspects from Ming Dynasty China, Feudal Japan, Korea and Mongolia for its peoples and cultures.
- Firearms Are Revolutionary: Benjen Stark calls firearms this when he first sees them in action.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Death, the entity that is the manifestation of darkness and decay in the universe, is the driving force behind the Long Night, being the master of the White Walkers and the demons beyond the Five Forts.
- Going Native: Jon, Samwell, Benjen, Arya, Gendry and the Hound all take aspects of the Yi-Ti people when they live in and leave the empire.
- Hypocrite: Cersei keeps insultingly referring to the Targaryens as incestuous, completely ignoring her own relationship with Jaime making her just as guilty of that as them.
- In the Blood: Jon takes a lot after his father Rhaegar, such as being skilled with a blade and a natural leader.
- In-Universe Catharsis: Theon leading the Free Folk in conquering the Dreadfort is his revenge for everything Ramsay did to him.
- Large and in Charge: The Emperor of Yi-Ti is shown to be a heavyset man.
- Long-Lost Relative: Dyanna Dayne is Ned Stark's daughter by Ashara, making her the half-sister of Ned and Catelyn's children.
- Mêlée à Trois: The North becomes a battleground between the invading Free Folk, the Boltons and their allies, and a coalition of Stark loyalists and Valemen led by Sansa.
- Named After Somebody Famous: In-Universe, Jon names his red dragon Meleys after the Red Queen of the past.
- Outside-Context Problem: The Jade Company is this to Essos and Westeros. None of them know how to fight a professional army that is armed with gunpowder weapons like cannons.
- Psychic Dreams for Everyone: Jon and Daenerys have multiple dragon dreams in which the two meet and interact before coming face to face. Likewise with Rhaenys.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Lord Comander Mormont is willing to work with the Wildlings and even let them into the North if it means denying the Night King corpses for his army.
- Shout-Out:
- The first meeting shown between the Night King and Death plays out like one between Ronan and Thanos.
- The scene where Prime Minister Shu is tracked down and killed is based on the climax of Apocalypse Now.
- Joffrey being ousted from power, put through a Kangaroo Court, and subsequently executed, is done just like what happens to Beria in The Death of Stalin.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- Robb Stark and Grey Wind survive the Red Wedding.
- Rhaenys Targaryen lives though the sack of King's Landing by being replaced with a body double.
- Joffrey survives the poisoning attempt at his wedding. Subverted in the long run, however, as he's executed by Tywin later on.
- Shireen is never burned as a sacrifice by Melisandre and her parents.
- Ygritte isn't killed during the Free Folk's attack on Castle Black, and Mance isn't burned by Stannis shortly after.
- Jojen Reed isn't killed by wights north of the Wall.
- Due to Tyrion not having a Trial by Combat, Oberyn isn't killed by the Mountain. As a result, Ellaria and the Sand Snakes don't carry out the revenge plan that results in the deaths of Myrcella, Doran, and Trystane.
- You Have Failed Me: The Lannisters ultimately cut off aid to the Boltons, choosing to prioritize securing their own position in the south over continuing to prop up their failed Northern puppets.
