love is not a victory march

like.... in what world??? how am i supposed to buy that aegon and aemond are any worse than daemon?? than viserys? but only the men who support rhaenyra get redemption arcs, even when those redemption arcs do nothing to address the rot in their characters. daemon's most problematic trait isn't that he coveted his wife's throne. it's that he's a misogynist who was physically violent with said wife after he groomed her as a child in retaliation for a conflict with his brother (and i happen to like the guy!!!). it's that he's dismissive of women in general, including laena and his daughters, and was downright nasty to rhea for the entirety of their marriage until he onscreen!murdered her. and okay, some of these, like aemond and aegon's, are fanon crimes, but none of this is ever brought up, none of this is addressed in any meaningful way, it's okay because he bends the knee to rhaenyra and builds her an army and swears to never leave her. redemption. he is a man cleansed of his sins and we must accept him as such.

You showed me that being a hero isn’t just for people who can fly or shoot lasers out of their hands: it’s for anyone who’s brave enough to do what’s right, no matter the cost.