I have to say, jonelias is like the only ship I have where I don’t want to just ignore the canon relationship, I would be very happy if Jon left Martin for Elias
Actually I want to expand on this. According to paper cut theory, when reading fiction people tend to empathize with things that have happened to them or people they know over fantastic things, even if objectively the fantastic thing is way worse. So people will flinch watching a TV character get a paper cut, but probably won’t when that same character gets decapitated. I have not personally been turned into a fear monster by my boss before, but I have definitely known people like Martin.
I just get such a sense that Martin doesn’t actually like John, he likes some ideal of John he thought up when they met. He doesn’t understand John’s sense of humor, he doesn’t agree with his principles, every time they’re in the same room in s5 they seem to argue with each other. They have pretty much no common interests. Elias is an awful person in pretty much every regard, but at least he seems to like the John that actually exists.