(Untitled)

[juno_chan]

(Cross-posting here because this turned into over 3,000 words of pure LET ME SALVE MY SOUL WITH SHAMELESS HURT/COMFORT MMMKAY?)

For the kink meme, prompted by blackcigars - prompt: Ned/Cat, a difficult pregnancy and birth puts Catelyn in a depression that Ned works to pull her from.

No porn, non-graphic childbirth. JUST ME TRYING TO FIX MY FEELS.

Comments

[lainemontgomery]

AHHHHHHHHHHH THIS IS LIKE A SNUGGIE FOR MY SOUL!!!! After last week's episode, some wonderful, heartwarming Ned/Cat fic is just what the doctor ordered. And you deliver it like no one else.

Your use of imagery is so visceral and vibrant here. The description of the terrible Bran birth engages every sense- seriously, I can smell the frickin' blood. And I LOVE the thoughts that Cat has about her mother, that she thinks she sees her ghost in the room with her...gahhhhhh terrifying and tragic because WHAT IF SHE DIES TOO? Unf.

Also, I love that you emphasize the indelible connection between Cat's personal identity and her role as a mother. This is absolutely how she defines herself, and the possibility of being unable to have more children, even if she's already had four, would be devastating for sure. The Elia Martell comparisons were spot-on- a really nice touch.

And of COURSE Cat has to start thinking about Jon's mother (SHE GAVE HIM A GREY-EYED SON AND CAT DIDN'T GUHHHH CAT LET ME HUG YOU). That constant fear of not being enough, of not being good enough for Ned- it's one of the aspects that you ALWAYS nail about Cat's character, and it works especially well in this story. (Also, HAI ASHARA DAYNE).

The end....the end....OH CAT NED LOVES YOU OF COURSE HE DOES YOU'RE A FIERCE GINGER BITCH AND YOU GAVE HIM ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL BABIES AND YOU'RE HIS LAAAAAAADYYYY AND HE IS YOUR MAAAAAAAAAAN.

I loved every word of this fic. Duh. How could I not?

YOU. xoxo

[juno_chan]

THANK YOU BB!!!! <3 I so needed some CATELYN DOESN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH SHIT ALL BY HERSELF fic after last week!

I always kinda wondered if Bran was a difficult birth anyway, since there's four years between him and Rickon, which may have just been nature, but the rest of the kids came in pretty rapid succession, especially Sansa-Arya-Bran. And I feel like between her mother dying in childbirth, and her sister having nothing but miscarriages and stillbirths, there would always be some apprehension that she would try and push down.

Eeeee, I'm so glad that it came across that it wasn't about the NUMBER of children (because they do have four, after all, which includes two sons), but the inability to have more - there's such pressure on women in this society to have children and if they can't, they receive all the blame and scorn. Like Jon Connington's dismisal of Elia as weak and 'unworthy' - tied to the fact that childbirth was a difficult thing for her. He didn't see to have any other reasons.

I always felt SO bad for Cat and her desire to have a son who looks like Ned, CATELYNNNNN YOU HAVE BEAUTIFUL GINGER BABIES IT'S OKAYYYYY!!!! Ugh Ashara Dayne, CLEARLY I NEED TO GO READ MORE STORIES WHERE SHE'S HAVING SEX WITH THE LANNISTER TWINS AND ALSO HER BROTHER, I LIKE HER BEST THEN. XD (Actually I ship her pretty hard with Elia, ELIA NEEDS SOMEBODYYYYYY!!!!)

Your comments always make me ridiculously happy and excited, thank you so much!!! ILU!