lennon

the vampire armand + imperfect victimhood.

Not one person confronted Chris about the fact that his “dream world” is a Nazi dimension. There was not a single conversation about it between Adebayo and Chris this season?? She almost got put in a concentration camp trying to help Chris, and she just never mentions it? Then in the finale, she has to comfort Chris while HE’S upset???? Seriously not one character talks to him about it besides maybe Harcourt last ep, then she immediately drops it to have a romantic slow-mo motorcycle ride with him.

James Gunn completely failed in his commentary on racism (again) this season. That was evident in the fact that a lot of Peacemaker fans considered White Dragon to be a “good guy” or “redeemed”. If Gunn wanted to show that it’s not enough to just say you’re “not racist”, but be actively anti-racist, then he needed to have people call out Chris for his biases. Chris spent weeks? months? traveling to a Nazi world and the POC around him never brought it up. James Gunn also should have had a character point out that yeah, Chris’ other dimension dad died, but he was still a Nazi. He still was a “superhero” upholding the status quo is his dimension rather than fighting against it with the Sons of Liberty. So he was a Nazi. That went over way too many fans heads.

Hi anon! Short answer, Ned loved Catelyn.

Sure, they did see each other as duties at first, given that they were arranged to marry each other, but they grew into something real. And not just fondness or mutual respect, I'm talking about actual, deep emotional intimacy. Ned is not one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but his love for Catelyn is all over the text.

So I am going to breakdown quote after quote from Ned's POV to show you the long answer:

This is tenderness. This is emotional intimacy. Ned doesn’t just acknowledge her pain, he tries to soothe it before it even manifests physically. The kiss isn’t romantic in a flashy way, it’s quiet, instinctive comfort. This is a man who knows his wife’s pain and wants to ease it. The “thank you” is heartfelt, not perfunctory. He’s grateful to her, not because of duty, but because he respects her emotional strength and feels the depth of her pain. This isn’t a man tolerating a wife out of obligation, this is a man grieving with her, comforting her, loving her.

He says “my lady,” but not coldly... not like a title. He says it “in wonderment.” He is in awe of her. This is a reunion soaked in emotion. And notice: his first reaction isn’t assertive. It’s quiet, shocked affection. “Wonderment” implies that her love, her presence, is something that still moves him. And when he sees the raw red scars on her hands, he’s not stoic, he’s shaken, concerned, fumbling for words. This is not duty. This is love as emotional vulnerability.

This moment is rich with mutual love and fear. Catelyn clings to him, and Ned responds not with distance, but with a kiss. That kiss is not passion for passion’s sake. It’s reassurance, a reply to her desperation. This is love in its raw, weathered form, not youthful infatuation, but deeper, earned, and reciprocated. Ned doesn't flinch from her scars, he moves toward her. The moment doesn’t belong to obligation, it belongs to emotional safety and trust.

(This is from Catelyn's POV but it says a lot about Ned's actions towards his devotion and love for her so I felt the need to include it)

Now this moment right here isn’t just about sex between a lord and a lady trying to conceive more heirs. The repetition, a thousand times before, suggests consistency, comfort, and a shared life. He hates the warmth of her room, yet he still goes there. Why? Because being with her matters more than his discomfort. That's not the behavior of a man going through the motions. That’s choice. That’s habitual, lived-in love. They’ve built a life together, and even the most mundane details, sharing a bed, tolerating the heat, reveal that.

This is hope. Shared future. In the middle of the chaos in King’s Landing, surrounded by treachery and weighty responsibility, his thoughts go to creating a child with Catelyn. He doesn’t just dream of children, he dreams of children with her. It's romantic in the most domestic and sincere way. And it speaks volumes about where his heart is even when he’s physically far from her.

This line hits like a hammer because he belongs with her. That’s not obligation. That’s identity. She is not an external figure in his life. She is part of what makes him him. In his mind, Winterfell isn’t complete without Catelyn. This is how he defines home. He is incomplete without her.

The rage here is protective fury. It's not just about Littlefinger’s smugness, it’s about the implication that Catelyn could be disrespected. That her honor could be stained. Ned knows how much it means to her, and he will not tolerate anyone dragging it through the mud. He doesn’t hesitate—he reacts instantly, viscerally, with defensive love. This isn’t cool indifference. It’s ferocity born from devotion.

He speaks of longing for her. This is a man drowning in stress, isolation, and deception, and what does he want? Not power, not peace, not freedom. He wants Catelyn, in the most intimate and simple sense: to hold her. To sleep next to her. He calls her "his lady" not in formality, but in affection. And because it is the truth: she is his lady. That’s where his comfort lives: in her arms.

And of course, I would not forget of this devastating line. His thoughts of her aren’t a passing note. They’re aching. And look: he calls her Cat. That’s not just a nickname, it’s a marker of intimacy. This is what makes it so painful. He misses her so badly that it hurts. The fear that he’ll never see her again gnaws at him. This isn’t a man bound by obligation. This is a man tormented by the absence of his beloved.

These quotes are not neutral. They’re overflowing with emotional complexity, intimacy, and clear, enduring love. The narrative doesn’t present Ned and Catelyn as a mismatch, it presents them as a couple that grew into a deep, stable, emotionally rich, and earned love.

Prompts:

Day 1 (Jan. 26): Daughter | Sister | Friend Day 2 (Jan. 27): Blood | Wolves | Ghosts Day 3 (Jan. 28): Detective | Civilian Life | Fear Toxin Day 4 (Jan. 29): Team-up | Crossover | Costume/Mantle Swap Day 5 (Jan. 30): Gotham | Blüdhaven | Hong Kong Day 6 (Jan. 31): Food | Love | Home Day 7 (Feb. 1): Free Day | Batgirl (2024) | Fairy Tale

The prompts are here to be interpreted as strictly or as loosely as you like (or even discarded all together). There's no pressure to participate in everything for this event—let's just show some love for Cassandra Cain!