History Main / AnchoredShip

[[folder:Multiple Media]]
* This is how the only remotely canon relationship between major characters ends in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', since while [[TheLadette Kiina]] ends up developing feelings for [[spoiler: Mata Nui]], he never sees her as more than a [[JustFriends good friend]]...likely because [[spoiler: Mata Nui, being designed for a rather specific purpose, doesn't have much capacity for romance.]]

[[/folder]]

** [[spoiler: Reno and Silas spend the entirety of ''The Suicide King'' falling for each other, only for Silas to finally be [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor get his beloved Sky back.]]

** [[spoiler:Reno and Silas spend the entirety of ''The Suicide King'' falling for each other, only for Silas to finally be [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor get his beloved Sky back.]]

[[folder:Film]]

* Niles and Daphne were like this for five solid seasons in ''Serie/{{Frasier}}'': Niles was helplessly in love with Daphne, but he was married and refused to cheat on his wife, and wouldn't divorce her since he loved her too (though ''why'' he loved her, no one will ever know). So he never mentioned his love, and though Daphne had mad chemistry with him, [[ObliviousToLove she remained oblivious to his feelings]], never even considering him due to his marriage. They finally de-anchored when Niles' marriage fell apart for unrelated reasons, but went through a long period of WillTheyOrWontThey, CannotSpitItOut, UnrequitedLove, PoorCommunicationKills, RomanticFalseLead, and UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo before [[TheyDo they finally hooked up.]]

*** In the end both the aforementioned ships were refloated despite the immense difficulty for all the characters involved.

* ''Series/ICarly'': Carly and Freddie get together in ''iSaved Your Life'', but break it off at the end of the episode because Freddie can't be sure of Carly's true feelings for him, as they may be a result of hero worship.
** Sam and Freddie break up after a 5 episode arc in ''iLove You''. It's not a total sinking, they could come back to it later.
*** Carly & Freddie end up sharing a last minute kiss to pull up their anchor, Sam & Freddie stay sunk.

* ''The39Clues'' has [[ShrinkingViolet Amy Cahill]] and Ian Kabra. Ian [[IWasOnlyPretendingToLikeYou pretended to like]] Amy so he and his sister could run off with a clue, but [[UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo as she began to think that she was getting over him, he actually developed feelings for her]]. Even if he wanted to tell her how he felt, it is unlikely that [[MyBelovedSmother his mother Isabel]] would let them be together. At the end of the series the SequelSeries offers a chance for things to change.

** Also, in a short story written by JimButcher, with Murphy as the protagonist, set 40 minutes after the events of ''Changes'', shows she has definite interest in him.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' is a rather...complicated example. [[RebelliousPrincess Relena]] admits (in her {{Image Song}}s) that she's in love with [[HitmanWithAHeart Heero]], but CannotSpitItOut because she doesn't want to risk ruining the relationship they already have and is okay being JustFriends as long as he's nearby. Heero's feelings are less clear but there are strong signs that he feels the same way, especially in the ExpandedUniverse works penned by the show's writers, one of which has an implied off-screen kiss. The still-ongoing sequel novel ''Frozen Teardrop'' might change things, especially since pretty much every other ship related to these two was [[ShipSinking sunk]] thanks to [[spoiler:their being turned into HumanPopsicle for a good 30 years]].

* ''{{Series/Smallville}}''[='s=] Clark and Lana got so bad that, by the end, the actress quit and the audience was in outright revolt.
-->'''[[http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=reviews/smallville5-ep16 Neal Bailey]]''' So IT'S OVER. FOREVER. AND EVER AND EVER. Clark and Lana will NEVER EVER EVER be together again. It's over this time. Really! ...If it's true, I openly concede that this was [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing the best episode of the series ever]], because it saved the series. But you and I both know it's not, so it holds no drama, no hope, no character, nothing.

* Niles and Daphne were like this for five solid seasons in ''Serie/{{Frasier}}'': Niles was helplessly in love with Daphne, but he was married and refused to cheat on his wife, and wouldn't divorce her since he loved her too (though ''why'' he loved her, no one will ever know). So he never mentioned his love, and though Daphne had mad chemistry with him, [[ObliviousToLove she remained oblivious to his feelings]], never even considering him due to his marriage. They finally de-anchored when Niles' marriage fell apart for unrelated reasons, but went through a long period of WillTheyOrWontThey, CannotSpitItOut, UnrequitedLove, PoorCommunicationKills, RomanticFalseLead, and UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo before [[TheyDo they finally hooked up.]]
* Danny and Lindsay on ''Series/{{CSINY}}''. At first, she pushed him away because of her emotional problems with having survived an incident that took the lives of her friends. Then, he pushed her away while he grieved for a young boy who'd been shot and killed while out with Danny.
* Jack and Sue in ''Series/SueThomasFBEye'', since it would involve one of them quitting their job at the FBI.
* In ''Series/TheXFiles'', Mulder and Scully were this for the first six seasons, along with being mutual [[LivingEmotionalCrutch living emotional crutches]]. Though neither outright said anything, [[EveryoneCanSeeIt everyone could see it]] -- which resulted in them being used against one another by the various bad guys -- and the [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST]] was sometimes so palpable it was painful.
* ''Series/{{Victoria}}'', despite being a biography of real-life individuals, established a "will they, won't they" semi-romance between Queen Victoria and her prime minister, Lord Melbourne (based, it must be said, on evidence that the two did carry a torch for each other). RealLifeWritesThePlot, however, and just as in real life Victoria is destined to marry Prince Albert, forcing the Victoria/Lord M ship to be anchored permanently (but not sunk as the series and its accompanying novel - as well as historical accounts - indicate that Lord M, at least never stopped being in love with Victoria).

* It's hinted in ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' that this is Otacon's problem in general. He's a ChickMagnet, but considering that most of the women he loves [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid tend]] [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2 to]] [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4 die]], he has reservations about starting relationships.

* This happens with the crossover ship Mikoto and Eru, where the two of them have feelings for each other in high school, only to never act upon them. Instead, they part on bad terms, before reuniting many years in the future.

* This happens with the crossover ship Mikoto and Eru, where the two of them have feelings for each other in high school, only to never act upon them. Instead, they part on bad terms, only to reunite many years in the future.

** The finale of the manga justified the state of their relationship by revealing [[spoiler:[[MayflyDecemberRomance relationships between goddesses and mortals]] are strictly forbidden. The Ultimate Force, which acts to preserve Keiichi's wish of being with Belldandy, prevented their separation by ''suppressing Keiichi's sex drive'' to the point that even platonic gestures were difficult; he'd never even had dirty thoughts about Belldandy as a result. This ensured their relationship fulfilled Keiichi's wish without breaking divine mandate]].

** In the TV series, Keii/Bell originally began as one of these, then a resolution occured in Episode 19... and '''again''' in Episode 24. The second season, sadly, went back to the later manga's format, [[SeriesContinuityError making it look like Keii and Bell never "pulled in anchor" in the first place]].

* In the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series: none of the possible (or believed) romantic relations involving main character Phoenix Wright come to a viable end, due to several reasons: Iris went jailed (not to mention she [[spoiler:is actually a religious vowed maiden in disguise, and apparently returns to her duties at monastery after imprisonment time)]], Maya left to her village, Edgeworth apparently left the country again and Mia and Dahlia are both dead.
** The most remarkable, however, is that after the gap of seven years passed between the timelines of ''Trials and Tribulations'' and the sequel ''Apollo Justice'', none of these characters return to the story: Phoenix in ''Apollo Justice'' is portrayed as a single and decadent man, in charge of taking care of an adoptive daughter. No romantic relation or ''ShipTease'' related to him and any of these characters (or any others) is even mentioned.
** As said before: is arguable. Not just because some of these characters are often considered as cases of ''TheNotLoveInterest'' (Maya, Edgeworth), but also there is still a chance that any of them reappear in a next sequel of ''Ace Attorney''. Anyway, until then (and if occurs), these existing ships about Phoenix Wright are nominally anchored.
*** As of ''Dual Destinies'', Edgeworth's back and the HoYay continues apace. Iris is absent, and, [[PlatonicLifePartners oddly enough, so is Maya.]]

** After acting like a couple in all but name for several episodes, a number of misunderstandings and the Eleventh Doctor's centuries-long stay on Trenzalore (during which he saw generations of humans live and die) led him to break off his relationship with Clara. After his regeneration into the older-looking Twelfth Doctor, he further attempts to anchor the ship by claiming that he had been mistaken in thinking of himself as her boyfriend. Clara tries to be mature about it, denies any interest she might have had, and asks out a co-worker whom she eventually becomes involved with. But throughout Series 8, it becomes quite apparent (and was confirmed by actors and writers) that despite their occasional fallouts, mutual attraction is still very much there, resulting in a ship-lifting anchor in "Mummy on the Orient Express" and creating a somewhat unusual LoveTriangle scenario. In Series 9 (by which time Clara's boyfriend in Series 8 is [[spoiler: deceased]]) it is clear, if never ''explicit'', that the ship between the Twelfth Doctor and Clara is no longer anchored, with both lead actors and the producer speaking openly in promotional interviews about the two being "crazy for each other" (Peter Capaldi's words) and Clara being "totally in love" with the Doctor (Jenna Coleman's words). Due to TheILoveYouStigma long held by this show, they express this through looks and other subtleties. Ultimately, the Series 9 finale "Hell Bent" ''forces'' the ship to be anchored, likely permanently. [[spoiler: Clara '''died''' two episodes prior, but the driven-mad Doctor '''risks all of time and space''' to bring her back. Realizing their relationship is now dangerous, they not only part but the Doctor erases his memories of her -- he reconstructs the adventures they had together later, but the things that made him love her (her appearance, personality, etc.) are gone]].

* ''The39Clues'' has [[ShrinkingViolet Amy Cahill]] and [[HandsomeDevil Ian Kabra.]] Ian [[IWasOnlyPretendingToLikeYou pretended to like]] Amy so he and his sister could run off with a clue, but [[UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo as she began to think that she was getting over him, he actually developed feelings for her]]. Even if he wanted to tell her how he felt, it is unlikely that [[MyBelovedSmother his mother Isabel]] would let them be together. At the end of the series the SequelSeries offers a chance for things to change.

** After acting like a couple in all but name for many episodes, a number of misunderstandings and the Eleventh Doctor's centuries-long stay on Trenzalore, during which he saw many generations of humans live and die led him to break off his relationship with Clara. After his regeneration into the older-looking Twelfth Doctor, he further attempts to anchor the ship by claiming that he had been mistaken in thinking of himself as her boyfriend. Clara tries to be mature about it, denies any interest she might have had and asks out a co-worker whom she eventually becomes involved with, but throughout series 8, it becomes quite apparent (and has been confirmed by actors and writers) that despite their occasional fallouts, their mutual attraction is still very much there, resulting in the ship lifting anchor about three quarters of the way through the season, creating a somewhat unusual LoveTriangle scenario.
*** As as result, during Series 9 (why which time Clara's boyfriend in Series 8 is [[spoiler: deceased]]) it is clear, even if the series never gets explicit about it, that the ship between the Twelfth Doctor and Clara is no longer anchored, with both lead actors and the producer speaking openly in promotional interviews for Series 9 about the two being "crazy for each other" (Peter Capaldi's words) and Clara being "totally in love" with the Doctor (Jenna Coleman's words), but due to TheILoveYouStigma long held by the series they express this through looks and other subtle ways. Ultimately, however, the Series 9 finale episode, "Hell Bent" forces the ship to be anchored, likely permanently, [[spoiler: when the Doctor and Clara realize their relationship is actually dangerous for all of time and space and the Doctor erases most of his memories of her - not all of them, just the ones dealing with her personality, i.e. the aspects he fell in love with.]]

* For ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', this seems to be more likely the case for [[spoiler:Wendy and Dipper as of "Into The Bunker." While she did let him down after he revealed his crush, they are still friends and it is the beginning of Season 2 so anything can still happen.]] Age seems to be the factor here and not genuine personality.
** As of the show's end: [[spoiler: she confides in him that he means alot to her before they exchange hats to remember each other by and even hands him a note with the signatures of everyone along with it saying See You Next Summer. It appears the ship will remained anchored indefinitely unless Hirch decides to revist the series.]]

*** As as result, during Series 9 (why which time Clara's boyfriend in Series 8 is [[spoiler: deceased]]) it is clear, even if the series never gets explicit about it, that the ship between the Twelfth Doctor and Clara is no longer anchored, with both lead actors and the producer speaking openly about the two being "crazy for each other" (Peter Capaldi's words), but due to TheILoveYouStigma long held by the series they express this through looks and other subtle ways. Ultimately, however, the Series 9 finale episode, "Hell Bent" forces the ship to be anchored, likely permanently, [[spoiler: when the Doctor and Clara realize their relationship is actually dangerous for all of time and space and the Doctor erases most of his memories of her - not all of them, just the ones dealing with her personality, i.e. the aspects he fell in love with.]

** The relationship between the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond was not only flirtatious, but at one point Amy becomes the first (and only) companion to actually try on screen to have sex with the Doctor. This causes the Doctor to anchor the ship right then and there, considering Amy is actually engaged to be married; her fiance is taken on board as a companion and ultimately, in "The Big Bang," the Doctor-Amy "ship" is permanently anchored when Amy and Rory finally wed, and in "The Wedding of River Song" it is outright scuttled when the Doctor [[spoiler: marries their daughter, River Song and Amy becomes his mother in law]].

*** As as result, during Series 9 (why which time Clara's boyfriend in Series 8 is [[spoiler: deceased]]) it is clear, even if the series never gets explicit about it, that the ship between the Twelfth Doctor and Clara is no longer anchored, with both lead actors and the producer speaking openly about the two being "crazy for each other" (Peter Capaldi's words), but due to TheILoveYouStigma long held by the series they express this through looks and other subtle ways. Ultimately, however, the Series 9 finale episode, "Hell Bent" forces the ship to be anchored, likely permanently, [[spoiler: when the Doctor and Clara realize their relationship is actually dangerous for all of time and space and the Doctor erases most of his memories of her - not all of them, just the ones dealing with her personality, i.e. the aspects he fell in love with.]] Not coincidentally, the very next episode, "The Husbands of River Song", [[spoiler: anchors the Doctor-River Song ship by having the Doctor finally let go of his deceased wife]].