🚨 GRRM’s ORIGINAL GoT Plan Was DARKER Than Jon & Sansa Kissing – And Fans Are TRAUMATIZED All Over Again! 😱💔🐉

Kit Harington and Sophie Turner just filmed a steamy kiss in their new horror flick The Dreadful… and the internet lost it. “That’s my SISTER!” they gagged on set – hilarious, awkward, peak “Jon/Sansa” vibes that made everyone cringe.

But hold up… George R.R. Martin had something WAY worse brewing back in 1993.

In his leaked original outline for A Song of Ice and Fire (when it was just a trilogy!), GRRM planned a secret, tormenting romance between Jon Snow and Arya Stark – his actual little sister! Incest vibes, forbidden passion, Night’s Watch vows shattered, all while Tyrion pines for Arya too, sparking a deadly love triangle rivalry.

Yes, you read that right: GRRM almost gave us full-on Stark sibling romance torment that would’ve made Daenerys/Jon look tame.

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Recent promotional buzz for the upcoming horror film The Dreadful has thrust Kit Harington and Sophie Turner back into the spotlight. The actors, who portrayed half-siblings Jon Snow and Sansa Stark on HBO’s Game of Thrones (2011–2019), share on-screen romantic scenes in the movie, prompting playful behind-the-scenes footage where both gag dramatically after a kiss. Turner called the experience “vile” on Late Night with Seth Meyers, joking about seeing “kiss, kiss, sex” repeated in the script and realizing, “Oh, shoot… that’s my brother.” Harington described it as “slightly embarrassing,” noting he needed an apple box to compensate for their height difference. The clip, shared by Entertainment Tonight, went viral, reigniting fan jokes about Targaryen-style family dynamics and the awkwardness of former on-screen siblings turning lovers.

Yet, amid the laughter, a darker parallel emerged from George R.R. Martin’s early writing process. In a 1993 pitch letter to his publisher—leaked years ago and widely discussed in fan communities—Martin outlined his initial vision for A Song of Ice and Fire as a trilogy. This document, penned before A Game of Thrones was published, reveals plans far more unsettling than any actor kiss: a secret, tormenting romantic passion between Jon Snow and his half-sister Arya Stark.

The outline describes the core cast as five key players: Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and three Stark children—Arya, Bran, and bastard Jon Snow. Jon remains at the Wall, maturing into a daring ranger and eventual Lord Commander. Meanwhile, Tyrion bonds with the Starks, befriending Arya and showing sympathy toward Sansa and Bran. The twist arrives in Arya’s arc: “Arya will be more forgiving… until she realizes, with terror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but a man of the Night’s Watch, sworn to celibacy. Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until the secret of Jon’s true parentage is finally revealed in the last book.”

This forbidden attraction was compounded by a love triangle: Tyrion falls “helplessly in love with Arya Stark,” unreciprocated, leading to “a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow.” The incestuous tension—Jon and Arya grappling with sibling bonds, duty, and desire—would have echoed real-world historical taboos Martin often draws from, but amplified in a fantasy context where Targaryen inbreeding is normalized yet destructive.

Martin ultimately abandoned this direction. The published books feature no such romance between Jon and Arya. Their relationship remains familial and protective—Arya idolizes Jon as a brother figure, and he views her as a little sister. Jon’s romantic entanglements shift to Ygritte in the books (and show), then Daenerys in the series finale. Arya’s path evolves into independence, exploration, and Faceless Men training, with no incestuous undertones.

The 1993 outline differs in many ways from the final series. It envisioned only three books, with Sansa marrying Joffrey Baratheon, bearing his son, and choosing her husband over family in a moment of divided loyalty she would regret. Catelyn dies to White Walkers, Jaime claims the Iron Throne through murder, and Daenerys kills Khal Drogo in revenge. These elements were scrapped or altered as Martin expanded the saga into five published novels (with two more planned). The outline serves as a snapshot of early ideas, not a blueprint—Martin has described his writing as “gardening,” letting stories grow organically rather than rigidly following initial plans.

The resurfacing of this detail ties into broader discussions about Game of Thrones‘ handling of incest themes. The show featured Jon and Daenerys’s aunt-nephew romance, criticized by some as rushed despite foreshadowing. Jon and Arya’s potential arc would have pushed boundaries further, risking backlash in a post-#MeToo era. Fans on platforms like Reddit and X note the irony: Kit and Sophie’s on-screen kiss feels “weird” due to their sibling roles, yet Martin’s early draft proposed genuine sibling incest torment.

Harington and Turner have leaned into the humor. Turner sent Harington the The Dreadful script, and both acknowledged the awkwardness upfront. Their real-life friendship—forged over a decade on set—made the transition challenging but ultimately professional. The film’s release in early 2026 has amplified nostalgia for Game of Thrones, while reminding audiences of how far the franchise has evolved from Martin’s original concepts.

Martin’s books continue to diverge from early outlines. Jon’s parentage reveal remains a looming revelation in The Winds of Winter, but romantic tensions stay external to sibling dynamics. The 1993 letter, while fascinating for scholars and fans, underscores why adaptations and revisions matter—some ideas are better left on the cutting-room floor.

As House of the Dragon and other spin-offs expand the universe, Martin’s willingness to pivot from initial plans highlights the creative freedom that shaped one of modern fantasy’s most complex sagas. The actor kiss may have sparked laughs, but the almost-was Jon-Arya subplot serves as a stark reminder: Westeros could have been even more twisted.