I’ve been noticing an uptick in Jonsa content on my timelines lately (love that for me), with a lot of people dedicating space to why they still believe Jon and Sansa will happen in the books.
The consensus seems to point to the same pieces of evidence:
Original outline
Tournament at Ashford
ASOIAF foreshadowing + chapter orders + parallels
R+L=J actually having meaningful payoff
The bloody show that tap danced all around it, even going so far as to have Jon kill his kin for Sansa
Goes without saying, it’s all fantastic. I appreciate the hard work so many writers and sleuths have put into this during the past decade, and I’ll continue to eat all that shit up.
But I must say, I’ve always felt the most undeniable confirmation for an eventual Jon + Sansa pairing is treated more like a footnote by the Jonsa fandom, and is completely (purposely) ignored by BNFs/non-believers altogether.
And that’s the following:
Let me explain why.
I’ll just quickly say, I’m not about to divulge any new information or hints here. I assume most of you are aware of the clues GRRM left in the Stark lineage that points to a Jon and Sansa relationship, but if you’re not, I highly suggest checking out this breakdown by @occupyvenus
I’ll quickly summarize:
In 2014 The World of Ice and Fire was published
Found within the House Stark lineage is an incestuous marriage between Jonnel “One-Eye” Stark and Sansa Stark
Jonnel Stark’s mother is named Lynara Stark
Hilarious, right?
The thing about most BNFs, antis, and locals is that they dismiss everything. Everything is a reach, everything is a coincidence, everything can be explained away.
The tournament at Ashford? Coincidence. The order is wrong. Joffrey isn’t actually a Baratheon. There were no final champions. This is actually pointing to book!Aegon + Sansa, not Jon. It’s nothing.
Original outline? A lot of these plot points have been abandoned. Sansa chooses the Lannisters. This is actually pointing to Arya + Jon, not Sansa. It’s nothing.
Book foreshadowing? You’re reaching. They have absolutely no relationship to speak of. There’s more book foreshadowing for Daenerys/Arya/Val and Sandor/Tyrion. Crackship. It’s nothing.
Etc. etc.
The thing about the Stark family lineage clue is that it’s absolutely impossible to explain, dismiss, or misinterpret.
JONnel “One-Eye” STARK...
@rose-of-red-lake (will Jon lose an eye?)
marries SANSA STARK...
…in published literature written by George R. R. Martin himself.
You would have to be acting deliberately obtuse to not concede that this is a direct reference to these two characters.
What’s maybe most telling about this piece of evidence is the timeline in which it came out.
A World of Ice and Fire was released October 2014
The original ASOIAF outline was leaked February 2015
Jon and Sansa reunited on the show May 2016
Fire & Blood (Ashford tournament) was released November 2018
Correction: (thank you @kellyvela)
The story of the Ashford Tournament was told in The Hedge Knight (1998)
The Sansa’s suitors theory first gained traction within the fandom in early 2014 (here)
The point is, he paired them long before people shipped Jon and Sansa on such a large scale.
Sure, there were some trailblazing metas that predated this, but it’s important to remember those were quiet (brilliant) voices. This isn’t George, tongue-in-cheek, winking towards a certain sub-section of the fandom, because that fandom largely didn’t exist. Sandor, Tyrion, Daenerys, Arya, and probably even Val, would have been far more popular endgame predictions by the overwhelming majority.
There’s also something to be said for George actually transcribing something so transparent in meaning. George doesn’t do this with any potential matches that might develop in his books. Whether it’s the books, blogs, or interviews, he doesn’t give an inch. He’s never overt about anything. People have to survive off the bread crumbs he drops and try to piece together a possible meaning for everything. And yet he quite literally sat down with pen and paper and went:
THAT’S CRAZY. It’s actually crazy.
He had a Jon marry a Sansa in book canon, and thought, yeah that’s fine. These names are totally fine. He actually did that.
There is NO WAY George R. R. Martin would create literature where a Jonnel Stark marries an Arya Stark and not understand the implication of that. He’s not an absent-minded buffoon.
If there had been House Stark lineage that featured a Sansa Stark married to a Sandor “Mongrel” Stark, there would be roughly one hundred 2 hour video essays dedicated to it. If a Jonnel “One-Eye” Stark married a Daenarra? Oh my god, forget about it.
It’s so breathtaking in its simplicity and so explicit it’s impossible to ignore. It simply has to mean something.
It’s also the one piece of evidence that I’ve found completely stops an ardent non-believer dead in their tracks. That is why it’s never covered or mentioned by BNFs. There’s no argument to be made, there’s no counter for it. What are they going to say?
“GRRM would never spoil major book events like that in such a flippant way.”
Oh, but he would, AND HE DID. The Frey lineage features a Rhaegar Frey with a 2nd son/3rd child named JONos Frey. Yeah, he actually did that too.
“Jonnel and Sansa Stark don’t have a child, so that’s ominous for their relationship.”
Again, returning to the @occupyvenus write-up, we know this marriage was a last second addition because it’s absent from the draft. Apparently it was important enough to add, lolz. Point being, Jonnel Stark was Cregan’s heir, any child he had with Sansa would have influenced the entire line of succession for a mostly already completed family tree. Regardless, that’s not a counter argument to its relevance.
“An incestuous relationship between an uncle and niece in the Stark family line is actually foreshadowing Daenerys + Jon.”
Sure, Karen. He used the name Sansa Stark as a placeholder for Daenerys Targaryen. You genius.
“Whatever, so a Jonnel marries a Sansa in book canon. So what.”
Yeah, okay, this coming from the fandom that can spend hours dissecting one sentence of exposition alluding to absolutely nothing. Tell me again how the shadow on the wall is indicating Daenerys will have triplets.
“IT DOESN’T MEAN WHAT YOU’RE SUGGESTING.”
Nobody knows what it’s suggesting!
I don’t know what it means! I don’t know what will happen. I don’t know if Jon and Sansa will have unrequited love. I don’t know if there will be a politically arranged marriage. I don’t know if Bael the Bard is about to steal Winterfell’s rose all over again. I don’t know if the Queen in the North is about to have a torrid love affair with the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. I don’t know if there will be a child. I don’t know anything – and neither does anyone else.
What I do know is that it’s something.
So when I’m sitting here and I have these moments of doubt,
– am I crazy? am I imagining shit? do I have this all wrong? am I dumb like the people who believe Daenerys is the hero and Stannis is the mannis? –
@occupyvenus is one of our best. She doesn’t take any shit and is always on point. Her teaching Aegony shippers ‘How to use the tag’ is iconic. Her ‘I like the Wolf Bit’ is incredibly hilarious. ‘Why Jonny chokes Littlefinger’ is also one of my favourites.
💕 for @shinynewrevulsions @occupyvenus @fedonciadale @tiny-little-bird @kitten1618x who are just a few of my favorite meta writers (there are so many amazing ones out there!) You're so sweet for doing this my dear!
@nmyrish-lace-love I LOVE her fics <3 A Jonsa writing legend. From fluff to smut, she can write anything! But my favorite series of hers is her Lawyers AU. It’s what inspired me to write my own Doctors AU. I love how she shares a glimpse of her life by using our favorite duo as the channel. :) Her commentaries are also always well thought of, easy to understand, and straight to the point. That brain of hers, ugh am love. And she’s very easy to talk to, very supportive, open minded, and give great constructive criticism.
Aside from my gushing over myrish, everyone she mentioned, I am in awe of. I am always amazed when they post new metas and if reading metas are your thing, follow ALL of them! Seriously.
@shinynewrevulsions ugh maybe you should just…just publish your blog as a legit Jonsa reference textbook! :) Especially for character analysis and comparisons. You explain them in a way I can’t describe, I’m always blown away. You can add your reblog commentaries are cross-references! And your blog has that textbook aesthetic I’m just itching to use my highlighters on! You make ‘studying’ Jonsa easy and fun. :)
@occupyvenus her posts always deserves a “You go, girl!” with matching snaps and neck-rotation-thing-gesture-i-can’t-name-right-now-but-you-get-it-right. “YASS!” She is the master of receipts too, always ready with a quote back answer. I also love her style of giving out her metas. Direct, snappy, and straight to the point. And I love her sarcasm and snark. She will be the first to fight for her rights but most of all, she’ll fight for YOURS.
@fedonciadale seriously, all of you should just publish a book together dgadgadgadga like what I said in a previous compliments post for her, her metas are always on point, very open minded, I like how she exhausts all possibilities and scenarios first. She takes the time to consider each, relate them, then write her two cents in. Also an ace fanfiction writer <3
@tiny-little-bird her edits/manips/gifsets are perfection! I very much appreciate that she takes the time to create “gif receipts” to all her metas which make them more convincing and easier to be understood. Her Jonsa manips are pure magic like…HOW. Yer a witch, Eca. (Especially the Jonsa baby ones adafdadfadgadag makes me weep all the time). I am living for your dedication to the Jonsa ship. In times of doubt, I go to your blog and leave a believer again. lmao.
@kitten1618x her fics are amazing! (I LOVE PIRATE!JON) Her edits/posters are golden! And the fact that she shares her talents by making posters for other people’s fanfics too is just so very sweet and incredibly supportive! She’s incredibly nice and funny and I don’t know why she talks to me. lmao.
idk why that anon is pestering you about Jon’s sister... sux sorry :(
yeah, it does. I mean, a lot of Jonsas get this ask. I mean, it’s just a way of the fandom life. I mean we do shit on Dany and Jon shippers. Because they it’s okay for Jon to bang his aunt.
Everytime I’m desperate for some logic in arguments I know I can turn to @occupyvenus and lean back and just enjoy how they meticulously destroy bad and silly arguments! They are a blessing to our fandom!
@occupyvenus has an amazing blog! I love her take on things, she’s hilarious with her sarcastic responses and the posts she made correcting anti-posts made my day. I think she is a true jonsa warrior and seeing her posts in my dashboard always puts a huge smile on my face. Seriously, I think everyone should follow her.
I love @occupyvenus, @thelawyerthatwaspromised and @shinynewrevulsions. I can’t think of a better trio to defend the realm of Jonsa! Always prepared with cold hard facts, intellectual arguments, textual evidence, and razor sharp comebacks. When their posts show up on my dash, it’s time to grab a seat and get comfy, because I know it’s going to be good. I love them!
anonymous at @occupyvenus @thelawyerthatwaspromised @shinynewrevulsions
