#some jonsa angst

[sailorshadzter]

im back again 👀

When darkness falls, she feels the chill of winter air against the exposed skin of her cheeks, a stinging reminder of what was yet to come. She stands there on the battlements as she’s done time and time again, but there was something that felt different about this time- something that leaves her stomach full of uncertainty and her heart full of fear. Perhaps it’s the simple fact that any day now, a war would wage quite unlike any of the ones before, one which might very well leave them all dead before the sunrise. She hopes for the best, but she is not the most optimistic of women… How could she be, after all she’s seen?

A sigh escapes her and she turns to go, thinking perhaps she might call for a glass of wine before she retires to bed, but to her surprise, there comes a figure towards her. “Jon…” She greets softly, a smile curving upon her lips as he comes to stand before her. They’ve spoken little since the afternoon before, when they’d shared angry words before being interrupted, unable to finish the conversation. Did you bend the knee to save the North, or because you love her? Those had been the words she’d asked of him, words he had not had the chance to reply to before the knock had sounded. She wonders what he would have answered and yet she finds she’s afraid to know the truth. 

“It’s cold,” he says, bringing her back from her own thoughts and she nods, the breath she releases a cloud of white. “Come,” he gestures for her to follow after him, so she does, heading back into Winterfell’s warm halls. Their path leads them back to his own rooms and he opens the door, allowing her to step inside ahead of him, the door falling closed as he comes in behind her. “Ale?” He asks, to which she nods as she shrugs off her furs, draping them across the back of the nearest chair. 

When he’s poured two goblets full, he turns back, unable to stop himself from staring at her where she now stands, perfectly framed by the golden light of the fire burning in the hearth. “Thank you,” she says when she takes the goblet he offers, putting it to her lips to drink down one long sip. 

A shiver races down her spine and Jon chuckles at her expense. “Better than the ale from the Night’s Watch,” he says as she nods, a laugh of her own escaping as she sinks into the chair he’s drawn to the fire. For a single instance, everything is as it was, they were as happy as they could have been with everything happening around them. For a single instance, there was no darkness falling around them, nothing but the two of them. “Sansa, I…” He knows there are no words enough for him to say and even if there were, he’s not certain he could conjure them up. He thinks back to yesterday, to those words he’d said to her, and the ones she’d said to him. Have you any faith in me at all? You know I do. He wishes with all of his heart that they might go back to an easier time, a happier place; that it was not death and destruction that had brought them back together again. But, he knows as well as she does that there was no changing the past, and so they must keep on, building a future that would bring them peace. 

And perhaps even love.

There it was again, that thing he knows that no one else knows, the truth of the feelings deep within his heart and soul. And then… The other thing. The thing that would change everything. The thing that Sam had only just told him that very day, another truth, but one he thinks might truly be more explosive than his heart’s. 

And yet, he still can’t bring himself to say the words aloud.

“Jon…” Her voice is soft, tugging him back, reminding him that he’s not alone. Suddenly, her hand, so soft and warm, is taking hold of his own. “You can tell me,” she says, even quieter than before, those clear blue eyes staring deep into his own Stark gray. As always, she knows him better than he even knows himself. 

“I’m afraid,” he admits, not the truth he wants to say, but another truth all the same. “Of what’s to come.” Her hand tightens its grip on his and she leans in closer, her red hair falling across her shoulders as she shifts. “I don’t want to fight anymore.” They both know that this war with the Night King would certainly not be the last one and she cannot blame him for his fears. Somehow when he looks back up, she knows what he needs, and so does he; he opens his arms as she climbs into his lap, curling up against him with her head to his shoulder. 

He breathes her in as his arms come around her, closing his eyes against the rising tide of emotions within him. “All will be well,” she vows, her voice a wisp of smoke, her breath warm against the skin of his neck. “No matter what else happens, all will be well again.” She thinks of the long road it has been to get to where they even were now, after all they’d fought for, after all they had done… No, they couldn’t give up now. They couldn’t lose faith now. “I promise,” she whispers and she can feel him nodding, his grip on her body tightening, as if she is all that anchors him to this world. He cries quietly and she lets him, knowing sometimes that was all someone ever needed. 

She would be his anchor, she would be his steadfast companion, she would be whatever it was he needed her to be.

[babybells123]

No but you don’t understand . I need Jonsa to be a tangled mess of depravity and tenderness. Grief haunting them - the ghosts of their past connecting them in some irrevocable way, because perhaps that’s the only way they know how to bond - initially, at the very least. Estranged but bursting with love but not knowing how to show it because ‘we were never close.’ But Sansa used to teach me courtesy, and Jon used to sneak me lemon cakes when no one was watching. I love you so much but I feel as if you’re a stranger to me and I don’t know how to change that. Do you wish it was arya who walked through those gates or I should have been a better brother to you, I should have ridden north for you. Please just let me hold you in my arms until our hardened hearts soften again. Until something ineffable develops. And to their horror, they realise this raw and fresh and beautiful (damaged) bond that they have created. And then comes the angst. The yearning. The unspoken words. Religious disillusionment. Inadequacy. Shame shame shame. Understanding slowly burning brighter, until they realise how similar they actually are and oh my god , you were there the whole time and I never even realised. But she was radiant and glowed brighter than any star in the sky, how could I not ??? Now give me your hands and I’ll kiss your fingers one by one, I’ll gentle each tip the way you’ve deserved. And I’m here, I see you. I’m not leaving, but gods am I a vile being. Look at how this world has corrupted me.

[stormcloudrising]

Do you think Jon/Dany will have any genuine romantic feelings for each other (before she goes full mad queen mode? Personally the strongest evidence for Jonsa imo is just the time constraints on the books. Grrm writes loooong books but honestly? Not that much time passes, and certainly not enough for Jon to form that deep of a connection w Dany in the span of like, part of one book, compared to Sansa, who already knows him, and could likely spend most of Winds and DoS near him. But how do you think their (Jon/Dany) relationship will unfold before Dany's death/ is their a chance of genuine romance (not Jon just playing along like some speculate)?

Hi Nonny,

Thanks for the ask.

No! I don’t think that Jon and Dany will have true romantic feelings for each other in the books because I don’t think there will be a Jon and Dany in the books. I’m probably the only person in the fandom who thinks this, but I’ve been saying this for years…even before they met on the screen.

I think their relationship on GOT was a show only thing and was a case of catering to the fans because so many expected it. And part of the reason it was written so badly on the show is because D&D knew it wasn’t going to happen in the books. They know that in the books, the core romantic relationship will be between Jon and Sansa. That is why they wrote them with the romantic angst and framed practically all their scenes in a romantic manner on the show.

Jon and Dany’s ending story will be about the final Dance with Dragons. I see the foreshadowing all over the text just as I see the Jon and Sansa pairing all over the text. Once you see it, you can’t unsee. And both story arcs will tie into the ending magical storyline.

[eruherdiriel]

After ruin

Jonsa ficlet Rating: T Universe: Canon Other: Angst, Sansa POV

Also on AO3.

She watches him slide the knife from its sheath and test the sharpness of the blade against a callus on his left hand.

“Must you go?” Sansa asks. Jon is always going to war it seems, and this time he would march right into the dragon’s maw. “Daenerys has already killed kin to clear her path to the Iron Throne.”

Aegon Targaryen is dead, so proclaimed the letter that arrived not five days ago with news from the south. Dragon fire killed him, as it kills many in the Crownlands and the Reach these days. But his death occurred after a challenge, a mockery of a test Daenerys must have known her nephew would not pass. She offered him one of her dragons to ride and then commanded it to breathe fire on him, the letter said. When he burned, she said it proved he was a pretender and that her true nephew died nearly two decades ago in King’s Landing.

Sansa knows better. Targaryens are not immune to fire; she has felt the proof as she traced the ruined skin of Jon’s sword hand. And yet, she has also heard the stories of when they tried to burn his body after the mutiny at Castle Black. She still remembers how Satin would not meet her eyes when he spoke of it, out of both shame for allowing it to happen and for fear of how Jon rose amidst the flames.

“I am a soldier. The battlefield is where I belong,” Jon says. The blade sings as he slides it back into its covering. “This is how I serve the North.”

“And how you run from love,” she says softly. She had not meant to say the words aloud, and hearing them nearly stops her own heart. It is much too soon for such a sentiment, but once it is out, Sansa knows it is true. She loves him. 

Whatever he feels in return, it is enough for Jon to run from her, just as he runs from his parentage. If he is fighting, he doesn’t have to face either thing. He doesn’t have to think about his mother dying after she birthed him and living her final months hidden away in a tower in Dorne. He doesn’t have to explain why he lets Rickon fall asleep against one side of his body and Sansa fall asleep against the other when they tell her baby brother a bedtime story. He doesn’t have to explain why he stopped letting Sansa come to his bed when she has nightmares, but she knows it happened after the morning she woke to feel him pressed against her, his hand wound in her hair and his breath warm on her neck.

He doesn’t have to explain why, when she tended his wound after fighting the Others and began to cry at the damage to his body that showed how close she came to losing him again, Jon lifted her chin with one hand and told her not to weep. Told her that he survived. That he could survive anything if it meant coming home to her. And then he kissed her tears away, his lips pressed against one cheek and then another before finding the curve of her mouth.

Her words to him now make Jon still, his back toward her, and he stays silent for some time. Sansa holds her breath and waits. Jon is always making her wait.

Jon, and the gods. And because of that, she has learned to be patient, learned through waiting to escape King’s Landing, and then waiting to escape the Vale of Arryn, and still she waits for Bran and Arya to come home.

“I do,” he says, head cocked slightly in her direction but still not facing Sansa. “Love you. But my love would only ruin you.”

This time, her heart does stop; she would swear to it.

If only Jon had stopped speaking after saying, I do love you.

“Ruin? You know nothing of love if you think it would ruin me.”

Now Jon turns. “Sansa, I’m—”

“A bastard?” she snaps. “A Targaryen? A deserter from the Night’s Watch? How many times must I tell you I do not care about any of those things? I care about how you treat your friends. How you respect me and make me feel safe. I care about how you’re the only person left that I can talk to about Robb, even though it hurts. I care about how you do your duty as a soldier despite how I know you want nothing more than to find out if Bran and Arya are alive and to search for them.”

He sighs and scrubs a hand over his face.

But Sansa has more to say, so she continues before he can protest yet again. “When we find love in this world, we should cling to it. How much love does anyone know in their life? I once had a mother and father and siblings who loved me. And they are gone except for Rickon, swept off by war and violence, and that is ruin, Jon.”

His eyes soften, and finally he leaves his half-packed saddle bag and walks over to her. Then Jon takes her face in his hands, and for the heartbeat that he studies her, Sansa thinks he is going to give her what she wants—he will kiss her and say he is going to stay. But instead, Jon tilts her head down and presses his lips to her forehead, and the vision is dashed.

“This is all I can give you at present,” he whispers into her hairline. “My sword.”

Why, she wants to scream. Why can’t you stay with me?

But she knows why. The qualities that would keep Jon from her and drive her ire are the same ones that helped make her love him.

“And after?” she whispers.

Her head is tucked into his neck, but she can hear the frown Jon must wear when he speaks. “Let me deal with our enemies. Then we can talk about after.”

It is only half a promise, but she will take it, will hold it tight to her chest while she waits for the wars to finally be over.

[agentrouka-blog]

Some book! jonsa fanfics recommendations? pleaseeeee <333

Hi anon!

The last time I made a list of bookverse jonsa fic was in late 2021, in this post.

I've added a few more to my AO3 bookmarks since then!

(Disclaimer: These reflect not a commentary on popularity or overall quality. I only bookmark those for rereading that fit my extremely specific tastes, the fandom has MUCH more to offer.)

I'm leaving out anything that veers too far off book canon, regardless of how good it may be, so while many of these are AUs to some extend, they won't be modern or regency or anything like that.

for the wars by ganymede_elegy (@cellsshapedlikestars) is a bookverse AU that veers of canon early and well. Jon doesn't join the Watch - and he is not Rhaegar's son, either. An excellent exploration of the Stark family dynamics in the time of war, both bitter and genuinely sweet.

My Maid of Stone is a WIP by @undercovercaptain is a bookverse "Jon goes to the Vale" AU, and already the first chapter is delightful. Come for the premise, stay for the sheer beauty of imagery and language.

Dance by @esther-dot is a short and very sweet pre-parentage reveal moment. <3

he flies by his own wings by TrishTan (@notbloodraven) is a WIP and actually an extremely different "Rhaegar won" AU, with a dark Targ bastard Jon, but it's definitely bookverse flavored and it's just all around excellent, hilarious and absolutely unique, so.. you know, enjoy!

a wind with a wolf's head by Juliet_Capulet is a bookverse Sansa-centric WIP (unfinished) where she travels North and reunites with Jon at the Wall, great Sansa voice, really captures her book personality.

Worth The Keeping by @undercovercaptain - the sequel to Beneath my Bones - is a lovely post-parentage reveal exploration. Romance, atmospheric nature descriptions, angst with a soft reward (to quote the author's approach to jonsa) - what more can you want?

Willowy Creature by @esther-dot is a lovely short post-canon happy ending moment. <3

What We Want by @justadram is a lovely jonsa fic from way back in 2013, both dark in its exploration and sweet in its execution. Set in the Vale.

By Firelight by @undercovercaptain (goodness me, how can she be in this list so often, is it because she is amazing??) and it's basically, soft and dreamy Married Idiots in Love in the gentlest way possible.

Safe and Sound by alemoncakelife is an unfinished WIP blending show and book canon post Season 4. Sansa heads North. 21 chapters and lots of plot!

Varg-hamr / Wolf-skin by @undercovercaptain is all about the Girl in Grey from warg!Jon's perspective! Gorgeous, riveting stuff!

That should about cover my new additions! I hope there's something there for you to enjoy!

[cellsshapedlikestars]

I am begging (very literally begging) for a longer “A Crown” fic, or if you have any recommendations of fics with similar themes/ideas. I just can’t stop thinking about A Crown and it’s been months since i read it. I still consider it my favorite Jonsa fic (and i’ve read hundreds). Any and all help is welcomed. Thanks a million for this amazing story that’s rotting my brain, i love your work and your writing! :,)

Oh anon! That's so sweet!!

I've debated adding more to that story, because the fallout would be fun to write, you know? But I always fear ruining one shots I really love with sequels, and I don't have the best track record for doing that to canon stories (rip white knuckles, I should've left you as a standalone). I never say never, so maybe some day!

As for fics with the same theme/ideas? That's a tough one!! It's often hard to take a step back from my own fics and compare it to others.

So I'll post this in the Jonsa tag and maybe someone there will have recommendations for "Jon is raised as a Targ prince" fics? I assume you also don't want angst? A crown was pretty lighthearted

[juuls]

Multi-Fandom Fic Recs

The @fanfic-reading-challenge gives me the opportunity to explore tons of fandoms I normally wouldn't, and I wanted to share some of my favourite so far this year!

Game of Thrones

and in the night, you'll hear me calling by shawsdavid | T | 10k | Jon/Sansa/Margaery: When you met your soulmate, touched them for the first time, you would see everything in all its colorful glory.

A Knight's Watch by DolorousEdditor | M | 670k | Jonsa: Jon Snow is forbidden to take the black by his father. Instead he sent to squire for a famous knight, beginning a long arduous journey that causes him to cross paths with characters he never would have. Along the way he learns truths long hidden and discovers love in the most unlikely of places. All of this in the shadow of the War of Five Kings and the coming of the Others.

Potterverse

Dancing with Draco by diamonddaydream | T | 19k | Dramione: Retelling of the Yule Ball segment of Goblet of Fire as a Dramione story. Hermione Granger needs a dance tutor before she embarrasses her partner, Viktor Krum, and herself at the Yule Ball. Draco Malfoy needs a good deed to make amends for hexing her teeth. Both of them need to keep everyone else for finding out what's going on between them. Fluffy romance with just a touch of angst. NOTE: story continues in "Draco Takes a Mark."

All I Have Never Known by LittleSixx | M | 32k | Dramione: The Ministry of Magic requires all magical people to marry someone of opposite blood status by 25. The Malfoys host a ball to help Draco meet a non-pureblood witch, and the one he falls for isn't who she claims to be.

Divination for Skeptics by olivieblake | M | 98k | Dramione: The latest in magical advancements is an enchantment that reveals the bearer’s romantic compatibility with another person. Effectively eliminating uncertainty from dating, the charm can tell you whether or not you’ve found The One with a precise, Hermione Granger-approved calculation of traits and preferences. It’s a foolproof method of predicting relationship happiness. It’s also, for Hermione, positively dreadful news. Dramione, post-war, soulmate AU.

The Black Rose by DarkCloud190, Rijaya83 | E | 166k | Dreomione: After years of a rocky relationship, Hermione Granger is single again, and for the life of her she cannot stop staring at her two friends. Draco Malfoy and Theo Nott both work with her at the DMLE and she is analyzing everything they say, do, or breathe. Surely, she is just imagining it. They have been dating each other for a year now and couldn't possibly be interested in her. Hermione's troubled love life aside, there is a killer targeting a specific group of people, putting both Hermione and Theo at risk.

Hermione Granger, Demonologist by BrilliantLady | T | 47k | Hermione & Theo: Hermione was eight when she summoned her first demon. She was lonely. He asked what she wanted, and she said a friend to have tea parties with. It confused him a lot. But that wasn’t going to stop him from striking a promising deal with the young witch.

The Accidental Courtship by Lomonaaeren | T | 14k | NottPott: Harry gets a soul-mark during his eighth year at Hogwarts, and is hopeful that he can finally be sure he’ll have someone who loves him for himself. When Theodore Nott rejects him, Harry steps back and goes to live his own life. Theo, who doesn’t want to be trapped in the limelight at Potter’s side, finds himself falling in love anyway.

A Star and Her Dragon by Lizzie_carlile | E | 256k | Theomione, Drarry, Hermione & the Malfoys: “The order took everything from me,” Lucius spoke again. “Now I’ll become the monster they always feared I would be.” The Death of the Malfoy Daughter was the catalyst for Lucius Malfoy becoming the man that everyone feared he would. With a second war brewing and secrets finally coming to light, one girl holds the key to turning the tides of the war.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Odd Little Family by chimneystacks | T | 1.7k | Xedgin: "Kira found it practical to believe that her father would someday remarry, and even more so to believe that it would be to the woman who was already a trusted, guiding figure to his child. Therefore, it was much to her surprise when a tall, handsome man interrupted her lute practice to ask her blessing in his proposal to her father."

House of the Dragon

The Falcon Becomes a Dragon by MichelleGz | T | 28k | Daemyra & Aemma: What if Rhaenyra and Daemon “woke up” during the tourney that was hosted for Baelon’s impending birth, both remembering their future life. What if Aemma’s labors were not so far along. What if there was time to save her? Will Aemma believe that her beloved husband was going to kill her for the child in her womb?

you and i are made of fire by aur_el_ias | M | 8.6k | Daemyra: Soulmarks are no trivial thing. Indeed, the words inscribed on the wrist are far from frivolous��they are the most important words heard in one's life, spoken by another. Unfortunately, save for a few exceptions, most highborn marriages are not soul-bound marriages. This is the story of one of those exceptions. OR In 105 AC, Daemon Targaryen finds his soulmate.

Viable Alternatives series by madina | T | 375k | Laenor/Rhaenyra, Daemyra, her children, and Viserys' children: So much could have been solved and so many could have been spared if a universe with dragons, magic, wargs and White Walkers had artificial insemination—and if the characters tried to be anything else but a dysfunctional family.

lodestar by aramblingjay | M | 43k | Daemyra: A Targaryen destined for a soulmate is a strange, broken creature, alone in a way that lives in their very bones, waiting for the half that will make them whole. Daemon waits sixteen years for her, and then a whole lot longer. A soulmates share scars au.

From Ashes to Embers by ladyalianora (AmbitiousWitch) | M | 185k | Cregan Stark/Rhaenyra, Daemyra: After burning by Sunfyre's flames, Rhaenyra Targaryen wakes up in her maiden bed, five and ten once more. With her mind broken and a determination to not relive the life she left behind, in a court that still presents a danger and with a father that keeps tripping her path. Can she change the future? Can she give up enough to take her crown? Or will she once again lose to her father's mistakes, her enemies' schemes and her own errors? (Juulna: One of my all-time favourites.)

A Woman Scorned by Shadow_Monarch_14 | E | 96k | WIP | Daemyra, Aemma/OC: After Prince Baelon Targaryen was a miscarriage, Queen Aemma Arryn tells King Viserys I Targaryen that she will have no more children. She has given him a daughter (a heiress) and that should be good enough. Viserys, pressured by his Small Council and his dream of a male heir as well as manipulated by Otto, makes the decision to set Aemma aside and marry Alicent. Aemma, betrayed by the love of her life, agrees… after taking her daughter, Dragonstone and the Islands of the Narrow Sea and the dragons from Viserys and his Small Council. If Otto Hightower wants a dragon King with his blood on the Iron Throne, he'll have to another thing coming.

Ancient Fire by AnaWayne | NR | 198k | WIP | Rhea/Daemon, Jonsa: Bran Stark knew that it wasn’t enough. So he decided to use his sister’s dormant yet growing magic to change the history of the House of Dragons before its fall.

put down that gravestone by darkgods | E | 249k | WIP | Daemyra: they have his mother's eyes, these would-be velaryon boys. not those of their own mother, but his. the king stretches limbs and smiles wide, heedless of his brother's fury mingled with agony, his daughter's frozen gaze. fire and blood has reunited. all must be well. the king thinks nothing of the prince's lack of mourning blacks, for the whole kingdom knew the wife daemon targaryen sought was never found in the vale. ten years after the godsforsaken night in the brothel, daemon targaryen makes his return to court to find it infested with vipers that threaten to coil lethal bodies around his niece. his niece and the nephews that bear his features yet claim the name velaryon. the rogue prince has returned, and a reckoning is set to begin.

Marvel

Some Things Shouldn't Be a Chore by scifigrl47 | T | 22k | Stony, Phlint: Steve takes things like personal responsibility and respect seriously. Tony's got people he pays to take care of that kind of thing, and anyway, he's pretty sure that he's going to die of some exotic disease in his workshop, because Dummy's still a little spotty about what is 'clean' enough to put on an open wound. The rest of the Avengers are in this for personal gain, except for Clint, he just enjoys being a dick. And some things shouldn't be a chore.

Basic Rules by StrivingArtist | T | 7.9k | Tony & Avengers: It said something about Toni’s life that she had an established system in case of kidnapping and torture, and while there had been tweaks, it was still basically the same as from when she was a kid.

Let them underestimate you.

Don’t fight back until you have an exit.

Lie from the start.

Protect what matters.

Assume no one is coming to help.

Tony and the Falcon by ArcticVulpix | T | 10k | IronFalcon: Steve introduced Sam Wilson to Tony Stark after the Fall of SHIELD. He grows to regret that. He grows to regret that very much.

Ramblings by TheSovereigntyofReality | G | 34k | Pepperony, Tony & Peggy: The problem with Alzheimer's is that sufferers sometimes ramble…often with no idea who is sitting with them. Peggy says something that sends Tony Stark on a legal manhunt.

Five Things Darcy Loves About Working for SHIELD by teand | M | 49k | ShieldShock, Phlint: The Bronx was up, the Battery was down and thank freaking Thor that SHIELD provided housing or Darcy suspected she wouldn't have been able to afford to live closer than Vermont.

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy | T | 62k | Stony: Six years ago, without the Avengers Initiative there to save the day, scientist Dr. Eric Selvig sacrificed himself to save the world, the almighty demi-god Thor was lost to a terrible storm, and vigilante Iron Man – spotted with a nuclear weapon trying to take advantage of the situation – was forever labelled an enemy of SHIELD. This is a comic book office AU, where Steve is defrosted a year too late, Thor has forgotten who he is, and no one knows Tony is Iron Man. Also includes: office pranks, inappropriate post-it notes, and superheroes who like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

The Mechanic, The Soldier, and The Captain by AvocadoLove | M | 6.4k | Stuckony: HYDRA need a replacement for Zola’s genius, and they have years worth of experience breaking and brainwashing a good man into something they can control.

The Evidence by StrivingArtist | T | 16k | WinterIron: Didn’t notice. Right. Sure. Two brilliant minds, two super spies, and a god didn’t notice when the chattiest man they knew stopped making sound. They just seemed happier than before. Brighter and more cheerful than before. They just seemed like they were more comfortable with him around when he was stone silent. Fuck it. He knew they noticed. And he knew they liked him better this way.

In Which The Winter Soldier Might Just Be Wooing Darcy by Out_Of_Custody | T | 28k | WinterShock: Exactly what it says on the tin. (Prompt-Fic) (Juulna: I adore this fic!)

Blood Stained by QueenVee1 | NR | 313k | WinterShieldShock: With a war on the horizon, the Avengers mend bridges that had been burned, relationships are rebuilt, and new friends forged. After a chance encounter with Steve Rogers, Darcy Lewis figures she's had her fill of Avenger-related activities. Turns out she's more entrenched than she ever thought possible. When she forms an unlikely friendship with James "Bucky" Barnes, she thinks her life can't get any weirder. Spoiler alert: IT CAN! A (double!?!?) meet!cute and secret!sibling story! They said it couldn't be done. B**** YOU THOUGHT!

Shadow & Bone/Six of Crows

Quiet Miracles by goatsandgangsters | G | 10k | Darklina, Zoya & Nikolai & Alina & Aleksander: Alina knew miracles. She was no Saint and no savior, she knew this. But she knew the light in someone’s eyes when they smiled. She knew the warmth of an arm slung around her shoulder, the squeeze of a hand, the elbow in her side, the tight squeeze of an embrace. She knew the moment the room held its breath and then broke into the brilliant cascade of laughter. She knew the glimmer of tears wiped from her cheeks by careful fingers. Alina knew miracles. Ravka had never been so full of them. Or: sometimes a government is the beloved sun saint of the people, a young king determined to fix what has long been broken, the eminently practical head of the newly formed Grisha council, and the heretic who’s no longer going it alone.

Without a Mouth I Can Swear Your Name by tothewillofthepeople | T | 32k | Wesper, Kinej | Helnik: Kaz looked at Matthias coldly. “What do you want?” “I want to know where Wylan Van Eck is,” Matthias said. (A Six of Crows Hogwarts AU)

Star Trek Discovery

Respite series by Alethia | E | 22k | Michael/Pike: The Terran Pike comes to visit the newly-resurrected Captain Burnham on the Shenzhou and things get…heated.

Stargate Atlantis

Desert Rose by mific | E | 18k | McShep | John, a downed Hurricane pilot in WWII, is rescued by Rodney who's tracking strange energy readings in the Sahara. And in another life, their story makes another John and Rodney unwilling Atlantis celebrities.

Ted Lasso

At the Right Time by Annaelle | E | 25k | RoyJamie: Roy doesn't like to think he's taking advantage of Jamie. He's making him better, stronger, faster, a better player, and now that he's got the fucking muppet actually behaving for him, he'll be damned if he lets him go. For the PepPerVerse Bottom!Roy Challenge.

The Hunger Games

The Victors of District Twelve by DustyAttic | G | 49k | Everlark & Lucy Gray Baird & Haymitch: night What if Lucy Gray survived that night in the woods with Snow? What if she made it up north, found those people rumored to be surviving without the Capitol, and realized District Thirteen wasn't quite as obliterated as she'd been taught? And what if, sixty-five years later and after watching a certain Mockingjay end Snow's reign, she came back to District Twelve? This is the story of Katniss and Peeta meeting Lucy Gray Baird, and learning her story-- the story that Snow so desperately tried to erase.

The Locked Tomb

Your Necro Questions Answered by Magichorse | T | 8.8k | Griddlehark: Syndicated columnist "Nav the Cav" offers a sympathetic ear to cavaliers across the galaxy and dispenses practical, no-nonsense, real talk advice on how to properly manage and care for your necromancer.

Cake by the Ocean by zoicite | T | 15k | Griddlehark: Okay, so the thing was, Gideon had always been shit at plans. She knew that. Everyone knew that, but this--she really didn’t think it would be this hard! Gideon’s voice was like the least memorable thing about her. Bargaining her voice for a well-shaped set of human legs--that really should have worked in her favor.

who ya gonna call? by igneousbitch | E | 24k | Griddlehark: (Casual sex and paranormal investigation. Not necessarily in that order.) (Or: the Buzzfeed Unsolved AU in which Gideon is ready to fight a ghost, and Harrow just wants to be haunted.)

Behind the Locked Door by UnseelieWench | T | 98k | Griddlehark: It figures that the only college with the badass Cavalier program is also the college that Harrow Nonagesimus wants to attend. Oh well. Campus is big, right? She'll probably never see that pointed little face again.

The Mummy

Best Laid Plans by kyaticlikestea | T | 6.6k | Ardeth Bay/Jonathan Carnahan: After 20 years of being subjected to more yearning than any sister should ever have to witness, Evy decides that enough's enough.

Wednesday

A Torment of the Mind by cherrybirch | M | 58k | Wenvier: In which Wednesday and Xavier sign up for Hermione’s course in Legilimency. Two overdramatic darkness-loving teens with crushes on each other, trying to master their psychic powers by learning to read each other's minds… what could go wrong? NOTE: Canon non-compliance has been tagged for three things: Hermione’s presence at Nevermore, Larissa acting as principal (as if nothing happened), and the complete removal of the stalker subplot. (I find stalkers terrifying and don’t want to write about one.)

[fvckinaphrodite]

I cannot understand the rationale of "Good Stepmother Elia" or "Catelyn loves Jon Snow" fics where, because of the patriarchal and oppressive institutions, Elia and Catelyn are forced to live with their cheating husbands and, are expected to raise their husband's bastard born out of the infidelity that could pose a risk to their children's inheritance. I love Jon, but Catelyn's hesitance regarding him was valid. He wasn't a son, and he was the source of insurmountable shame to her.

I couldn't have put it better myself, honestly. Those fics disgust me. I find them disturbing and repulsive with the way they turn Catelyn and Elia into Jon's cheerleaders LMAO AS IF. I'm sorry but some of these authors just love to turn every female character in ASOIAF into plot devices for Jon's story.

You will not believe how many fics I've read in which Robb always insists to push both Sansa and Arya further down the inheritance line, and the Northern lords and ladies just nod along and agree like a bunch of baboons and how Catelyn just have to suck it all up. Sometimes there is even a fic or two where Sansa insists that Robb points Jon as his heir to mark her so-called "development" when the narrative brings her to the Riverlands after escaping King's Landing, and in the process, ruining a mother-daughter relationship forever. Guess what's gonna happen? Yep. Robb dies and Jon becomes king with Sansa as his ever faithful advisor. Sometimes even Sansa is pushed away from the North and decides to stay in the South because Gods forbid she ever touch the Northern throne again. Lmao.

Or, you know, the favorite of all Rhaegar Wins AU, fics where Jon becomes the next king after Rhaegar because Aegon is gay and conveniently doesn't want the Iron Throne🥺

I'm a Jonsa stan. I love me some fics with angst; Sansa's struggle to overcome the fact that Jon's existence hurts Catelyn, etc. But there's a line for everything. For example, I fucking refuse to read Jonsa fics where Catelyn is so demonized one would think she constantly beat him when he's a child or told him to become a servant or a stable boy or something. And of course, Sansa gonna defend him with her whole chest and worships the ground he walks on. Lmao Unbelievable. What a way to degrade a female character, to turn her into a plot device--a cheerleader for their hero. Well done.

[esther-dot]

If Lyanna and Rhaegar marriage actually happened in books, it would have similarities with Sansa-Tyrion marriage. Marriage in south with southern lord/Prince. Plus no one from brides family there. Kingsguard presence. Tyrion wearing Targ colors especially rubies. Septon influence by groom's family.

(about this reblog)

I like how your mind works, anon!

I once wrote about how certain beats in Sansa’s story weirdly have Rhaegar hovering in the background which kinda makes it feel like we’re getting clues about Lyanna’s story:

(link)

I’m not actually dedicated to a R/L marriage because I’ve pointed out before that Jon being a Targ bastard who must go up against trueborn Targs is a fun development of his angst regarding his bastardy. It would kinda be fulfilling every negative trope about bastards except it would be the necessary and right thing to do.

Despite that thought, I don’t dismiss the possibility of some form of legitimacy either (Rhaegar being a dumbass means him taking a second wife, whether others would recognize it, feels plausible?) because that gives us the potential for some fun parallels. Either this:

Aemon Targaryen, Jon thought, a king's son and a king's brother and a king who might have been. But he said nothing. (ASOS, Jon X)

Or even better, an heir who rejects it all for love. That fits with the idea of Jon as the Prince of Dragonflies (meta) and works nicely with the assumed chain of events/Jonsa (short post).

[poppypickle]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by mi amor @cfr749, so obvs I gotta do this.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 29

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 230,379

3. What fandoms do you write for? I've written the most for The Rookie. I've also dabbled in: The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Avengers, Community, and Miss Scarlet and the Duke.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Lots of Chenford up in here...

• Come a Little Closer • I Can’t Help Myself • Want You to Stay • Bang Bang (Look What You Started) • Break Up With Him

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do! It's really important to me to respond to anyone who takes the time to leave a comment. That reciprocal appreciation is a really vital part of fandom for me.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm...probably Let Me Tell You a Story About War, which adds further angst to the canonically angsty ending for Clint and Natasha in Avengers: Endgame.

But all of my Gale-centric Hunger Games fics are suitably angsty too. 😅

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I Can’t Help Myself is ooey gooey sweet. Let Me Name the Stars for You isn't sweet in the same way, but giving Gale and Johanna a happy ending still warms my heart.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. I have found most people in my fandoms to be very kind and considerate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

"Yup... the horny kind?"

Lana, I LOL'ed. That pretty much sums it up. I had Chenford banging in closets and on tables and in cars and in bar bathrooms! Very satisfying for all, I hope.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No. They aren't really my thing.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

I think someone asked me if they could translate Let Me Name the Stars for You many years ago, but I'm not sure I ever saw the finished translation.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Want You to Stay with the amazing @cfr749. The collaboration brought me so much joy, taught me so much about writing with someone else, and helped me push through some major writing block. Lana is an amazing friend and we need to write something together again!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I can never choose a favorite, so I'll say that my favorite ships that I never finished fic for are Dan/Blair and Jonsa. I have quarter-written fics for each pairing somewhere in my notes and google docs.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The one I currently have rattling around in my brain where Miss Scarlet and the Duke's William and Eliza try out a Victorian friends with benefits thing. 😅

16. What are your writing strengths?

This is too loaded of a question. Hmmm...I think I write humor and banter-laced-with-feelings well.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don't love writing climactic love confession moments, and I think it shows. I think I could let my characters be sappier sometimes. I also don't write action very well! Muddling my way through the gas station hostage crisis (LOL) in Want You To Stay was a STRUGGLE.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I would want a native speaker to review before publishing.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

First fandom I wrote for (but never published) was General Hospital. Jason & Robin 4eva. 😂

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Let Me Name the Stars for You. It's a quiet little thing that covers a lot of emotional ground in not that many words, and I really love exploring how broken people find ways to put themselves back together again.

I also loved some of the moments I created for Hermione in Could You Leave Me With a Scar?

Tagging @itsoneofthemuses @crose84 @farfarawaygirl - but no pressure!

[joanna-lannister]

Any other incest ships besides JC you love, and any you dislike? (Personally not the biggest fan of Daemyra but they did have some good chemistry at times) (Let your inner hater out💕)

I don't like Daemyra. I tried, but it just doesn't work for me, and I don't like Daemon (tho I appreciated him a bit more in S2 than in S1, but yeah). 😬 I don't like J*nerys as well. Same, I tried, but the lack of chemistry was a big no for me. Otherwise, I love:

Jonsa, they are cousins, but it's still incest to me especially since they were raised as siblings. Like, the angst of them falling in love while believing they are siblings 🤌🏻

Tywin and Joanna, kinda same as Jonsa. Also I believe they truly loved each other.

Cesare and Lucrezia, they just made me insane! And the chemistry was over the roof. It was kind of a slowburn with "Will they? Won't they?" until they crossed the line.

Lu and Valerio from Elite, half-siblings, the show isn't that good, but they add a nice flavor to it. They gave me a lot of JC vibes.

Chris and Cathy from Flowers In The Attic, I have only seen the movies, but I loved them!

And pretty sure I'm forgetting at least one ship 🤔 but they are all the ships I can think of right now.

[mkstrigidae]

I wish you'd write a Jonsa fic where Sansa gets taken by the fae when she's older ;)

Oh my gosh, this has SO many possibilities! (More under the cut!)

Of course, it all depends on whether Jon is a hot fae prince or not.... ;)

If he is, you might get your wish, anon! (I need to get it together and actually get that fae AU polished and published, though).

But if he isn't... well that's interesting too, isn't it? Imagine a human Jon in love with human Sansa, who's suddenly been abducted by some sort of fae king/prince (Who really knows why- maybe she's lovely enough that he wants to collect her like a particularly interesting specimen of beetle, maybe they take her for her singing voice, or her skill at embroidery- maybe this fae king just sees her, takes a liking to her, and decides he needs her in his court. The possibilities are endless).

Jon is devastated when Sansa disappears, and can't entirely understand why others have begun to forget her- like she's just never existed at all. He and probably Arya and Bran (neither of whom can forget their sister, even as Rickon's memories disappear) are hell bent on getting Sansa back- whatever it takes.

Bran probably has the sight, and might be the only one who realizes what's actually happened to Sansa. He shows Jon and Arya how to wash their eyes in a fae-touched spring so that they can see as well, and they set about trying to figure out where exactly Sansa is, while accumulating a number of interesting allies along the way. A troll named Gendry who takes a liking to Arya, a sprite called Ned Dayne who flits about gathering information for them. A brother and sister- both goblins who share the gift of prophecy- called Jojen and Meera. Jon's best friend Sam, who has no idea this is all real, but has been obsessed with lore about the fae since he was a child. A terrifying woman in red- a high elf that they hardly trust and who keeps insisting that Jon has a larger destiny than this.

In their search, they encounter a coy dragon with beautiful white scales and violet eyes who seems to take a liking to Jon and agrees to help- for a price. If Jon can recover her crown, stolen hundreds of years ago by a pride of extremely dangerous manticores, then Dragon-Daenerys will tell him exactly how to get into the fae king's realm so that he can spirit Sansa back home. Jon is broody and angsty the whole time because he's eighteen kinds of in love with Sansa and desperate to get her back.

This probably culminates in Jon having to duel said fae king for the right to return to the mortal realm with Sansa. It's (of course) a rigged competition because he doesn't want to give Sansa up and there's a whole thing where Jon finds out that he's actually a faery changeling himself (which was why he didn't forget her in the first place- Bran already had the sight, and Arya managed it out of sheer stubborness and love). Will Jon win? Will Sansa be trapped in the fae realm for the rest of eternity? Will Arya get to kiss her hot, hunky troll Gendry? Will there be an extraordinary amount of angst?

(of course there will be- this is jon we're talking about).

adsjfklhasfklajfh anon I'm so mad because this is SUCH a good idea and i have NO TIME to write it at the moment 😭😭😭 Thanks so much for the ask- I'm sorry it's taken me so long to answer!

Send me an anonymous ask completing the sentence “I wish you would write a fic where…”

[thedarkestgreys]

tagged by both @stannisfactions and @theangrypomeranian 🖤🖤 thank you friends!

How many works do you have on AO3?

67 but something new is popping up for halloween

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

so it says 976,114 but 266,429 of those words are from @baratheonbrotherspresent group written co-op fics

3. What fandoms do you write for?

primarily Fexi/Euphoria right now. but i've also written fics for ASOIAF/GoT, Eternals, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, and Teen Wolf over the last near decade.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

your violent overnight rush (fexi) stages (jonsa) and i'll do anything you say (if you say it with your hands) (drukkari) slow hands (drukkari) and then a fic that i currently have hidden 😅

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

always! even if it's a quick TYSM FOR READING. i always appreciate when readers take the time to leave a comment, and i want to show my love back.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i don't think i've written anything with an angsty ending tbh. yes, lots of angst in various fics, but i'm a happy ending girlie through and through.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

as stated above, im a happy ending girlie. but maybe my heart's gone double time if i had to choose.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i haven't in a long time, but in the past yeah. like drove me away from a ship and shut down my interest in writing for like a solid year. it wasn't even about the writing, it was about the plot (a Sweet Home Alabama AU) and the comments were unnecessary (go read the wiki on the movie yall its not hard) and it just sucked lol. that was a hot minute ago though. we're good now.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

hahahaha do i write smut???? i have an internal checklist of all the smutty things i haven't written yet that i want to give a go, so you could say that. (note: daddy kink is off the list and never to be seen from me again)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i do not! but i like to write a lot of AU's of different media.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

as far as i know of, no i haven't.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i've had some offers in the past to have things translated back in the GoT days but i never gave the okay on it simply because it was a fic i never completed (ya girl used to get in over her head)

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

technically the BBP fics are cowritten but we all did our own chapters following a basic outline of plot/storylines and worked around what other authors were posting. it was chaos and hilarious and the most fun i've ever had

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

to write for? i'd have to say it's fexi, they unlocked a new level in my brain as an author. shout out to my favorite non-canon little crackship that could podrya though - i'll love you forever. to read? this is like asking someone to pick their favorite child. i've read so many incredible fics across a ton of different fandoms. but god i guess the ones i still seek out frequently is dasey and dramione. wouldn't say i have a favorite though?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

i really want to finish but the wolves came and went and i think i'm sitting on at least two chapters completed for it right now lol someday i'll sit down and finish writing the whole thing and get it posted.

16. What are your writing strengths?

plotting. world building. exposition. keeping characters in character. i've been told i'm good at writing big emotions too?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i've improved greatly but i still struggle with dialogue. 🙃

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

okay so. when i was writing slow hands as i got further into the story i really started describing the actual sign language being used by makkari and druig. hours of watching asl videos to pick out different words or phrases to translate. it was fun and it was hard work and i ended up with a whole new appreciation for asl. but it also felt important to really dig into describing the asl and i'm glad i did it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? ... and i'm still bitter about the cancelled reboot.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

taking yvor out of the equation: my fexi warm bodies zombie au sharing different heartbeats mostly i go back and read it and go "wait i wrote this?" because i don't do zombies at all lol. i'm just very proud of it.

tagging: @sarahcakes613 @muserepeats @calculated2stagger @iwantthemtostay and @idontneedtobeforgiven

[firesteel-eden]

Am I milking the angst for all that it's worth?, why ma'am and sirs, yes I am

Last chapter has been quite... polarizing, some have sided completely with Aemond and found the entire idea of independence as foolish and useless (might I point out that Cregan is using the fact that they have the undying loyalty of Sansa, the only timetraveller and thus the Greens only chance at surviving and keeping the Iron throne whereas without her they would die and loose the throne?, which is kind of a very big leverage, with or without Aemond's clear feelings for her, which would mean the North could go free and become stronger thanks to the marriages with the Iron throne' dynasty and thus the alliance's points?) and those who have been focusing on Sansa's behavior about Jon and the fact that she had resolved not to change the Stark line to ensure all of her siblings were born, which I think it's very human of her? (she's clever, but even she knows that if she makes too much changes to the Stark line she might completely destroy her family's existence?, also btw, Celia was the original When matriarch as she was a Whent bastard the late lady Whent had discovered and was trying to get under herself as heir as not to marry as she was lesbian, so to Sansa's knowledge if she wasn't to have children the Stark line could continue unbothered to her siblings).

Also some of you get frustrated as Sansa because we know we've seen Sansa and Aemond marrying...but have we seen that?, yes Sara and others have seen Sansa with a Targaryen looking (violet eyes) babe and alternatively with a boy-king...and even if your interpretation of it all was completely, absolutely correct...Sansa is unaware and has just underwent the shock of realizing Jon's parentage AND that she's been working tirelessly to stop the Black line, which she cannot anymore know as she has to at least keep Viserys' line alive. It's bound to be extremely taxing for her. Does it excuse the way she has immediately thought of selling herself to ensure Viserys' line doesn't die out because of her choices until now?, no, but she's said more than enough that she'd do anything for her family. Is Aemond right about being angry with her behavior? hell yes, it's human.

So...peak angst, that's what it is.

Anyway, I love writing angst and, this video is the peak of it, since we have both Aemond's POV (by which they are more like Theon and Sansa — I would die for you, I love you and ask nothing but love in return if you are willing) and Sansa's POV (who sees more of Jonsa as she feels more strongly the strife of being at odds with the only man she actually trusts right now, because their views are completely at odds)

So, if you enjoy the angst, I hope you enjoy this too!

[as always the music, lyrics and such all belongs to their rightful owners, I'm just having fun]

See you next chapter!

[branwendaughterofllyr]

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now?

13. How much planning do you do before writing?

6. I for sure have a couple of old favorites that I periodically come and revisit.

I Want Something So Impure by silentfrenzy is a classic in my mind. It's got loads of Jonsa angst, and was especially something I read a lot after s8 came and kneecapped me, personally. It's a one shot, and is actually a songfic, though I forget that all the time, and is mainly an extremely cathartic fight between Jon and Sansa, showverse

 strike hard and true, crow (or i'll come back and haunt you) by Hatice is another dark Jonsa that I used to read all the time. Dark, angsty Jonsa was my absolute fav back in the day (still is, really). Really goes hard into implications of resurrection based on book canon, and I enjoy that immensely.

Of Ribbons and Barbarians by SainTalia is, unsurprisingly, another Jonsa fic, but this time set in an amazingly imagined AU where the Targaryens never came to Westeros. This is the kind of fic writing that I aspire to.

and to prove I do read fic other than Jonsa, there's also we get dark, only to shine by Elizabeth (aghraine), which is a LucreziaCesare fic, which mixes the showtime Borgias with the actual history

there are a couple others that I personally have on my laptop, but have been deleted from ao3 😩 Rip "your mess is mine" you will always be famous.

7. At the moment, I really only have one major fic idea that I've been working on and off for ages. I've resolved not to publish it until its finished, which may be a long time, lol. A couple of years ago, there was a Jonsa week prompt set that used one of the Seven for each day. I ended up writing a short one for the Smith, and then shelved it because I wasn't happy with it. I ended up reopening it last year, and trying to write a multi part series with each chapter being themed after one of the gods. The main thing that inspired me to reopen it was, uh, some chats about Sansa bathing in the godswood a la Jonquil and how that fits the Maiden theme, hahaha. I have a couple of other Jonsa ideas that I periodically work on but I doubt will ever be posted. Oh, and there is a Maris/Aemond fic that lurks in the back of my ASOIAF fanfic folder. It predates "a poison tree", but I got sidetracked with that project, lol.

13. I actually plan a lot before I write. I do a ton of outlining and spitballing before I ever end up typing anything, and I also don't write chronologically. It's one of the reasons why I struggle to put out chapters regularly, because I am rarely writing in order, and am usually writing way out in the future, before circling back. I actually have more plans for my inactive published fics, but I haven't written the connecting pieces to what's already has bee published, lol. But I do spend a ton of time just thinking about what I want to write and where I'm planning to go. Which then gets frustrating when I end up scrapping a lot, lol.

[agentrouka-blog]

'[p]seudo-sibling-incest foil with a cousin marriage escape clause' Rouka we love your work. Amazing incredible spectacular showstopping.

It's so funny how those elements you describe are what makes Jonsa work, but so many of the criticisms are founded on precisely that!

(post referenced)

Thank you anon!

The thing about Jonsa is that - yes - it is incest angst. That's the big test of character, the dark temptation, the heart in conflict between love and duty, the impossible desire.

RLJ isn't about two surprise cousins suddenly losing their sense of sibling relationship because it's now legal to marry. It's not about paving the way and then falling in love. It's not about avoiding the taint of incestuous love. It's not about the Starks being "above" such damning transgressions.

It's about a look inside the abomination. And finding innocence in it.

They believe each other to be siblings, they refer to each other this way. But they won't feel about each other this way. And that's a big conflict. Jaime and Cersei, and the more zealous Targaryens, are not conflicted about incest. They like it. They want to be with the closest possible iterations of themselves. It is one aspect of their toxic world view, the way they have been damaged by it.

Jon and Sansa do not. That's why GRRM made them look like the parental Stark marriage counterparts, not like each other. We are invited along on a journey inside the problem, from the perspective of two people who understand it's a problem. Who do not blithely act, but who persist in romantic love.

It's about being sucked into that tragedy, about having to deal with that mix of joy and heartbreak, about being as faithful to one's impossible love as one can be without becoming a monster in the process. It's about dealing with the darkness inside in a way that is accepting and noble.

And because this is a song: It's about a miracle occuring to make the impossible, dark, damning and tragic dream... possible.

Because in their society, being cousins is the "get out of jail free" card. What noble is going to care if they knew about RLJ beforehand or not, if they grew up as siblings, as long as they are not now. They can spin this story to make it work. (And if their siblings want to judge them for the shape of their love, let them cast the first stone if they haven't been guilty of worse.)

This is the narrative point of that twist of the parentage reveal. It's the hidden reward. The one thing that is made possible in a positive way by this revelation.

Not Jon suddenly embracing some kind of Targaryen identity, riding a dragon and gaining status. He has a wolf and a Stark identity, he doesn't gain anything he wants on that front.

Not Jon being the prophetic savior, son of Saint Rhaegar the Visionary. He is not the magical key to either apocalyptic threat, and his existing contributions are not related to his parentage.

No.

It's about love fulfilled.