Those who are actively anti-caryl are probably the same people who were anti Jaime/Brienne, the only difference is that in one case their prejudice is against non conventionally attractive women and in the other, it’s blatant ageism (particularly towards women).

The argument “They don’t need to be romantic, it would cheapen the purity of their bond”, besides revealing a twisted and cynical view of romantic relationships (as well as a lack of comprehension of the respective narratives and characters), is the shield they use to justify it.

It’s also worth mentioning that this argument holds platonic and romantic relationships to a different standard and implies that one kind of love is “better” or “more” than the other, which has implications that I won’t go over but that are definitely still there.

Another argument that is frequently brought up is that one of the characters (Jaime and Carol) doesn’t deserve the other (Brienne and Daryl) because they’re “problematic” and the “perfect angel deserves better”. First of all, love isn’t about ~deserving~ or matching up —

good person points. All of these characters are flawed & nuanced and help each other grow by bringing up the other’s best qualities and helping them through the bad stuff. They have an impact on each other & come out of it better than they were, and that’s what love is all about.

It’s also very clear that the real arguments behind all of that hatred are that you think Jaime is too hot to be with Brienne, Brienne is too much of a badass to want a man (go read the books please), Carol is somehow too old for Daryl and Daryl deserves “better” than Carol.

If you’re solely interested in what could be described as one dimensional, “non problematic” ships then that’s your prerogative and it’s fine, you’ll find a lot of those around. But you can’t go around demanding that pieces of media that are specifically about human nature —

and its complexity adhere to your Disney-esque standards. These shows in particular aim to portray their characters at their most vulnerable and desolate, pushing them to test their limits and struggle along the way. It only makes sense that, in situations like these, —

true and fulfilling love be something that comes from a deep understanding, acceptance and admiration for someone that chose to bare their soul to you. It’s about knowing another person completely, deepest flaws and all, and still loving them unconditionally.

You have every right to choose not to accept the underlining romantic and sexual attraction between these characters but you can’t claim that they’re not canonically there. You can make your headcanons because it’s fiction and it’s supposed to —

bring you joy, but don’t go around attacking other people for commenting on what anyone with half a neuron can see is clearly there.

Before you say I’m full of shit, let me give you an example: I didn’t ship Jonerys, still don’t. I think they had little chemistry, it felt awkward, forced & bland, and that’s incest aside. But I never once denied that they were written as a canon romance, I just disliked it.

I sure as hell didn’t keep harassing those who ship(ped) them. I was very glad other people could love that story and always wished I felt the same. So please, for the love of God, stop this nonsense. Don’t waste your energy on what you don’t like, try to find joy in what you do.

Please note that I’m not talking about people who simply don’t ship them romantically but still enjoy their dynamic /would be okay with it either way it goes; I’m referring to those who devote most of their time finding new ways of tearing the ships, the characters and fans down.

sorry this got a bit long but i needed to get it off my chest

tl;dr: you can not ship them and that’s cool (really), just don’t be an ass about it and/or try to mask prejudice with “woke discourse” because it’s very transparent and the only one who looks bad is you.