I just came up with a theory about that in the SwanFire thread. Not quite like you put it but basically favourite characters can affect the audience’s perception of whether or not they like or dislike a certain character based on how that character interacts with the audience member’s favourite character. Does that make sense?
For me I’m always show before ship, I love the show so I’m more pro something than anti anything. I don’t get upset at pro SF stuff I see I get mad when I see Hook being torn down to boost up SF. Some people on the other hand if they have a favorite character or ship then that’s all they hang on to. So if we get a CS heavy arc like 3A which was very nice to us CS fans fans of characters and ships that get the short end of the stick are gonna have a lot of animosity toward the ship that reaps the benefits at what they perceive is their ship’s expense. After that those fans can’t even hear anything to do with a character or ship without it causing a problem. From that comes digging for reasons to hate characters and ships, then comes rebuttal’s from defenders of that ship and it all just snowballs!
I don’t dislike Hook as such but there are other characters I prefer over him. I quite liked Hook in Tallahassee and in the first couple of episodes of season 3. I get what your saying about Hook vs RumBelle. I am a RumBeller first and foremost so of course the moment I disliked Hook the most was when he shot Belle over the line and caused her to lose her memories and the time Hook challenged pre-dark one Rumple to the duel was painful to watch.
This is what I wrote in the SwanFire thread:
Using the locking Emma and co in Rumple’s cell as an example:
One section of fandom sees it as: He locked up Emma and co to die BECAUSE SHE BETRAYED HIM FIRST AND THEY ESCAPED ANYWAY SO THEY DIDN’T DIE
whilst another section of fandom sees it as :HE LOCKED UP EMMA AND CO TO DIE because she betrayed him first and they escaped anyway so they didn’t die.
Another example is shooting Belle:
One section of fandom sees it as: He shot Belle and made her lose her memories BECAUSE IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GET BACK AT RUMPLE AT THAT TIME
whilst another section of fandom sees it as: HE SHOT BELLE AND MADE HER LOSE HER MEMORIES because it was the only way to get back at Rumple at that time.
Hook fans (and I guess to some extent Rumple and Regina fans too)judge their favourite character’s actions differently to non-fans. Non-fans look at the action and consequence/possible consequence whilst fans tend to look at the reason why that character did what they did. Favourite characters in any given scenario can also affect the audience’s perception of any given situation.
Belle is one of my favourite characters so I will always dislike Hook more based on what he did to her rather than what he did to Archie. (Did Archie give up Belle and therefore throw her in front of the proverbial bus? Hook already knew about Belle in FTL but the way the scene transitioned made it seem like Archie gave up Belle as Rumple’s weakness)
Perhaps the whole crux of the CaptainSwanFire ship war isn’t who’s the better man for Emma but rather, of the three, who are your two favourite characters?
What are your thoughts Stelio?
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of Felix