Most of us are fans of the show FIRST and a ship SECOND. Rumbelle may be my OTP and I could gush for hours about why I love them but at the end of the day, I’m more concerned with myth building and storytelling.
Yep.
I may ship SF like WHOA, but it’s not just a superficial thing. I ship it because I love each of those characters individually, I find their emotional journeys compelling, and those emotional journeys are intertwined, so I think how they relate to each other is a fascinating part of the story that I’d love to see explored further, so I’m all about the ship as it pertains to the development and progression of each of those characters as individuals.
When I started to crackship Hookriel, it was because I got to thinking about the possibilities for storylines for each character as an individual, and decided those stories could potentially end up being complimentary and it’d be interesting to watch them paired up in a relationship.
I think it’s unfortunate when someone makes a show all about one ship (or even one character) to the point where their continued enjoyment of the show hinges on that one thing, because that means that they’re missing out on so much more wonderful story that’s going on as well. But we do all have our fave characters, and part of appreciating those characters is wanting to see them get their happy ending, and who they’re in relationships (romantic and non-romantic) with is an integral part of that.
If I ever get fired up over the great triangle ship debate, it’s just because I feel an emotional connection to the characters, which translates into me having a passionate view on what would make each of them (including Hook) ultimately happy. It’s not just simply that I wanna see X make out with Y instead of with Z, it’s that I’m invested in how each character’s own story plays out, and that inevitably leads to me shipping a particular pairing.