History Main / ShipSinking

%%* The finale of Natalie and Niya Impichishmay's spinoff from ''WebVideo/SingleGirlOneHundredBabyChallenge'' featured this with [[spoiler: Natalie and Caleb]] breaking up.

* The finale of Natalie and Niya Impichishmay's spinoff from ''WebOriginal/SingleGirlOneHundredBabyChallenge'' featured this with [[spoiler: Natalie and Caleb]] breaking up.

* ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'': Any and all ships involving Alastor were sunk when [[WordOfSaintPaul Faustisse confirmed that Alastor is aromantic asexual]]. However, Faustisse also informed the fans that they can still ship him with anyone they want in fanon.

* Luke and Kevin Lerdwichagul, creators of ''[[WebAnimation/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'', have made it abundantly clear they do NOT like the ship of [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros Mario]]×[[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} Meggy]] ([[NoYay who joined the series as a fifteen-year-old girl]]). Along with them, plus Meggy's voice actress, insisting the characters have a LikeBrotherAndSister relationship, they've shot down the ship in-series a few times…

** There initially a lot of ShipTease between Blake and Sun in Volumes 1-3, where Sun actively attempted to date Blake. From Volume 4, the ShipTease gradually winds down in favour of close friendship until Sun is PutOnABus in the first episode of Volume 6; after telling Blake that she's grown beyond his help and she needs to finish healing with her team-mates, Neptune questions what Sun is doing as they depart; upon mentioning that it looks Sun is letting go of Blake, Sun tells him that his decision to help Blake in Volumes 4-5 was never about romance in the first place. From this point on, the ShipTease that builds is between Blake and Yang, [[spoiler:reaching OfficialCouple status in Volume 9]].

** There initially a lot of ShipTease between Blake and Sun in Volumes 1-3, where Sun actively attempted to date Blake. From Volume 4, the ShipTease gradually winds down in favour of close friendship until Sun is PutOnABus in the first episode of Volume 6; after telling Blake that she's grown beyond his help and she needs to finish healing with her team-mates, Neptune questions what Sun is doing as they depart; upon mentioning that it looks Sun is letting go of Blake, Sun tells him that his decision to help Blake in Volumes 4-5 was never about romance in the first place. From this point on, the ShipTease that builds is between Blake and Yang.

** Due to the Black Trailer setting up Blake and Adam as partners, shipping existed for them from the beginning. However, the Volume 3 climax makes it clear that Adam is a PsychoExBoyfriend when he vows to destroy everyone she loves as a punishment for dumping him, to the point that the name for the Blake/Adam ship was changed to "Animal Abuse." [[spoiler:He starts by cutting off Yang's arm; in Volume 5, he tries to have Blake's parents assassinated; in Volume 6, he stalks Blake across an entire continent after deciding that, [[IfICantHaveYou if he can't have her, no-one can]]; Blake and Yang are forced to fight him to the death to stop him from murdering them.]]
** There was initially a lot of ShipTease between Blake and Sun between Volumes 1 to 5. But after Sun was PutOnABus for multiple volumes the ship gradually began to sink, particularly after the surge of Blake and Yang moments that followed after his departure. This eventually culminated into [[spoiler: Volume 9 where Blake and Yang finally confess their feelings towards one another and seal their love with a BigDamnKiss, with Jaune [[ShipperOnDeck saying he's been waiting for them to confess to each other]], definitively putting an end to the Blake/Sun ship.]]

** There was initially a lot of ShipTease between Blake and Sun between Volumes 1 to 5. But after Sun was PutOnABus for
multiple volumes the ship gradually began to sink, particularly after the surge of Blake and Yang moments that
followed after his departure. This eventually culminated into [[spoiler: Volume 9 where Blake and Yang finally confess their feelings towards one another and seal their love with a BigDamnKiss, with Sun himself [[ShipperOnDeck saying he's been waiting for them to confess to each other]], definitively putting an end to the Blake/Sun ship.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Due to the Black Trailer setting up Blake and Adam as partners, shipping existed for them from the beginning. However, the Volume 3 climax makes it clear that Adam is a PsychoExBoyfriend when he vows to destroy everyone she loves as a punishment for dumping him, to the point that the name for the Blake/Adam ship was changed to "Animal Abuse." [[spoiler:He starts by cutting off Yang's arm; in Volume 5, he tries to have Blake's parents assassinated; in Volume 6, he stalks Blake across an entire continent after deciding that, [[IfICantHaveYou if he can't have her, no-one can]]; Blake and Yang are forced to fight him to the death to stop him from murdering them.]]
There was initially alot of ShipTease between Blake and Sun between Volumes 1 to 5. But after Sun was PutOnABus for

followed after his departure. This eventually culminated into [[spoiler: Volume 9 where Blake and Yang finally confess their feelings towards one another and seal their love with a BigDamnKiss, definitively putting an end to the Blake/Sun ship.]]

* ''[[WebAnimation/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'' himself has shot down the infamous [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros Mario]] x [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} Meggy]] ([[NoYay who is a fourteen-year-old girl]]) ship a few times:

-->'''Luigi:''' Man...Love is complicated...\\
'''[[TheDitz Mario]]:''' Love is dumb.\\
'''Meggy:''' ''(FacePalm)'' You guys got that right...

-->'''Luke (after Kevin touches a cardboard cutout of Meggy inappropriately):''' "I'm gonna call [[Series/ToCatchAPredator Chris Hansen]], you're goin' to jail."

-->'''Anti-Shroomy:''' "Just point the gun at anything you want to die."
-->'''[=JubJub=]:''' "[[PokemonSpeak [=JubJub!=]]]"(''[[RuleOfSymbolism Shoots a picture of Mario and Meggy]]'')

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Due to the Black Trailer setting up Blake and Adam as partners, shipping existed for them from the beginning. However, the Volume 3 climax makes it clear that Adam is a PsychoExBoyfriend when he vows to destroy everyone she loves as a punishment for dumping him. [[spoiler:He starts by cutting off Yang's arm; in Volume 5, he tries to have Blake's parents assassinated; in Volume 6, he stalks Blake across an entire continent after deciding that, if he can't have her, no-one can; Blake and Yang are forced to fight him to the death to stop him from murdering them.]]

%% Image kept on page per Image Pickin' threads:
%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1304994757095005300
%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1587991568043437500
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[quoteright:325:[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mai_naval_strategist.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:325:[[http://sopa-kingu.deviantart.com/art/Mai-Naval-Strategist-67355287 All's fair]] [[VisualPun in love and]] TabletopGame/{{Battleship}}.]]

!!Examples:

* ''[[Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'' himself has shot down the infamous [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros Mario]] x [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} Meggy]] ([[NoYay who is a fourteen-year-old girl]]) ship a few times:

* ''[[Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'' himself has shot down the infamous [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros Mario]] x [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} Meggy]] ([[NoYay who is a fourteen-year-old girl]]) ship a few times:

[[folder:Toys]]
* There was some undeniable shipping in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'''s early years, such as Macku/Hewkii, Jaller/Hahli, Matau/Nokama and Roodaka/Sidorak (from the latter's perspective, at least), not to mention all the {{fan preferred couple}}s. These were declared non-canon when the creators ruled [[NoHuggingNoKissing that the characters are incapable of feeling romantic love]], seeing as they're artificial. Most of these relationships, no matter how blatant, were written off as close friendships (with some scenes outright ripped from canon), and the would-have-been marriage between Roodaka and Sidorak was revealed to be strictly political, with both viewing the other as a tool to gain power (and Sidorak also got killed). Kiina and Mata Nui were the only official "couple", but that ship sank when the latter transferred his soul into a mask. This was mostly ExecutiveMeddling: according to Franchise/{{LEGO}}, kids find romance icky, and given the subject matter (toys), the story writer agreed.
[[/folder]]

* [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]][=/=]WebVideo/MarzGurl was sunk for good when Lewis's girlfriend, Iron Liz, became a part of his show. Though most fans seem to like Liz, so this isn't the [[DieForOurShip problem]] it would be in other fandoms. After Liz left the show, Linkara started dating, and is currently married to, Viga, sinking any chance for a [=MarzGurl=]-shipping resurrection.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Due to the Black Trailer setting up Blake and Adam as partners, shipping existed for them from the beginning. However, the Volume 3 climax made it clear that Adam is a PsychoExBoyfriend when he vows to destroy everyone she loves as a punishment for dumping him. [[spoiler:He starts by cutting off Yang's arm; in Volume 5, he tries to have Blake's parents assassinated; in Volume 6, he stalks Blake across an entire continent after deciding that, if he can't have her, no-one can; Blake and Yang are forced to fight him to the death to stop him from murdering them.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
** "Arkos" (Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos) was nuked in "End of the Beginning" when [[spoiler:Cinder murdered Pyrrha and disintegrated her body, just after making it canon]]. It should be noted that this did little to actually stop shippers, and Arkos remains one of the most popular ships, especially in regards to ships that involve Jaune or Pyrrha.
** "Tauradonna" (Blake + Adam Taurus) wasn't so much sunk as it was blasted more than the ''Bismarck'' by the events of "Heroes and Monsters". [[spoiler:Adam goes full {{Yandere}} on Blake and vows to destroy everything she loves. He follows up the threat by stabbing Blake through the gut, ''[[MoralEventHorizon lopping off Yang's right arm, and trying to decapitate Blake]].'' When the creators confirmed that Adam and Blake's past relationship was abusive to Blake, the fandom renamed the ship to "Animal Abuse" and whatever support was left firmly sank in Volume 6 when Adam is killed by Blake and Yang.]]

Ship Sinking is an event that seems to kill any reasonable chance of a romantic relationship occurring between two characters in the canon of the work. Though many producers and writers are aware of {{Shipping}} in their respective fandoms, that doesn't necessarily mean they ''like'' it. It may be because of [[WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings the actions of the fans if they get too rowdy about it]], or they just don't like the pairing involved, or have intended the pairing to die for dramatic effect. They may have set out from the start to write two characters into a specific pairing and need to make it more obvious, or have simply decided on an alternative set of partners for the two characters in question. Whatever the reason, the creator loads torpedoes [[{{Pun}} (or missiles)]] to send the ship to Davy Jones's Locker.

It can be a [[EtTuBrute betrayal]], [[SurpriseIncest a very sudden familial connection]], hooking up with someone else, [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse having the respective love interest kick the bucket]], really being [[LetsJustBeFriends only friends]] or [[LikeBrotherAndSister like brother & sister]], or maybe [[WordOfGay they just bring them out of the closet]] (or rarely, put them ''in''), come out as UsefulNotes/{{Aromantic}}, or the many varieties of a character being KilledOffForReal. Basically, [[{{Pun}} the canon has sunk the ship]]. {{Ship Teas|e}}ing often occurs before the sinking to enhance the dramatic effect of the sinking, and there are some creators who are [[TrollingCreator just plain sadistic]] and love to see their fandom squirm before they breach the hull and tell them to say hello to Jonah.

This may cause AbandonShipping inside the fandom of the work, but some ships refuse to sink, with the help of ludicrous amounts of ShippingGoggles or outright FanonDiscontinuity. Pairings can also be revived despite a Ship Sinking moment, in which case the creator could be said to be [[PlayingWithTropes playing with]] the pairing, and as such, would qualify these revival moments as more examples of ShipTease. At its most pronounced, this can be a HumiliationConga for shippers. In any case, it's probably going to take a {{Retcon}} to get those two together. Sorry fans!

Compare NoHuggingNoKissing, where romance as a whole is avoided in canon. A variation on {{Joss|ed}}ing. Another variation, the AnchoredShip, occurs when factors arise that preclude the characters getting into a relationship, but have the potential to be resolved (although the problems are not always resolved, and even if they are, other factors can still sink the ship). If an Anchored Ship is never resolved before a work is finished, the moment of the anchoring will become a Ship Sinking moment. See also DeathOfTheHypotenuse, where the author takes it one step further by killing off one of the characters instead of making them a RomanticRunnerUp. Contrast ShippingTorpedo, when a ship is sunk or attempted to be sunk by the characters, not the writers. See ThisIndexBrokeUp for tropes about breaking up relations that actually exist in the work, regardless of the fandom preferences.

** "Tauradonna" (Blake + Adam Taurus) wasn't so much sunk as it was blasted more than the ''Bismarck'' by the events of "Heroes and Monsters". [[spoiler:Adam goes full {{Yandere}} on Blake and vows to destroy everything she loves. He follows up the threat by stabbing Blake through the gut, ''[[MoralEventHorizon lopping off Yang's right arm, and trying to decapitate Blake]].'' A later comment from the creators also revealed that Adam and Blake's past relationship was abusive to Blake.]] [[{{Website/Reddit}} /r/RWBY]], a nexus point for the show's shipping community, officially renamed the pairing [[spoiler: "Animal Abuse"]] as a result. Whatever was left after that was firmly sunk in "Seeing Red" [[spoiler:with Adam's death.]]
** Both Rosewick (Ruby x Roman) and Gelato (Roman x Neo) hit icebergs in "Heroes And Monsters" when Roman [[spoiler:was eaten alive by a Griffon]].
** While not nearly intensely as the above examples, Sailor's Delight (Ruby x Scarlet) was sunk when Scarlet was confirmed as gay by the manga. However due to the small nature of the ship and the much more popular ships for Ruby, the fan-base was mostly fine with it in this case.
** Fair Game (Qrow x Clover) was hit pretty bad when Ironwood called for the arrest of all the heroes. [[spoiler:Then died violently with Clover.]]
** "Nuts and Dolts" (Ruby x Penny) took a battering in Season 3 with Penny being torn to shreds by Pyrrha in a freak accident. The ship did get some life breathed back into it with the reveal that [[spoiler: Penny was rebuilt in a new body later on]], but took a final salvo and died with [[spoiler: Jaune giving Penny a MercyKill at the end of Season 8 to prevent Cinder from taking the Winter Maiden's powers]].

It can be a [[EtTuBrute betrayal]], [[SurpriseIncest a very sudden familial connection]], hooking up with someone else, [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse having the respective love interest kick the bucket]], really being [[LetsJustBeFriends only friends]] or [[LikeBrotherAndSister like brother & sister]], or maybe [[WordOfGay they just bring them out of the closet]] (or rarely, put them ''in''), or the many varieties of a character being KilledOffForReal. Basically, [[{{Pun}} the canon has sunk the ship]]. {{Ship Teas|e}}ing often occurs before the sinking to enhance the dramatic effect of the sinking, and there are some creators who are [[TrollingCreator just plain sadistic]] and love to see their fandom squirm before they breach the hull and tell them to say hello to Jonah.

** The final scene from "Mario's Valentine Advice" pretty much reveals the duo's {{Asexual}}ity:

Ship Sinking is an event that seems to kill any reasonable chance of a romantic relationship occurring between two characters in the canon of the work. Though many producers and writers are aware of {{Shipping}} in their respective fandoms, that doesn't necessarily mean they ''like'' it. It may be because of [[WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings the actions of the fans if they get too rowdy about it]], or they just don't like the pairing involved, have intended the pairing to die for dramatic effect, or have simply decided on an alternative set of partners for those characters. Whatever the reason, the creator loads torpedoes [[{{Pun}} (or missiles)]] to send the ship to Davy Jones's Locker.