Jon’s pure love for the Admiral here is so touching to me in a way I’m usually resistant to. That’s what something something the love was there it didn’t change anything but it matters that the love was there means to me.
Of course the Admiral couldn’t change anything, even leaving aside that Magnus has a hopeless narrative–he’s just a cat! But the moments he shares with Jon at a time where he’s having the worst time ever still matter. Jon himself says, “bet the world ends and you’re just fine”. It’s a joke, of course, but it shows that Jon views the Admiral as someone removed from the world he’s been thrust into. The Admiral is the only recurring character who never does anything to judge or harm Jon, after all. And it’s (naturally) illusory, yes, as we see when the ritual happens and the Admiral feeds the Hunt as any other cat does, but it matters to me that Jon had that last place of comfort even if it didn’t change anything in the long run.
ALT