History Main / Starboarding

* It is popular in the WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel fandom to portray Vox as being one-sidedly in love with Alastor due Vox's obsession with him, Alastor's idenity as aroace, and the implication that they were once friends. This is sometimes called 'Radiosilence' or 'one sided RadioStatic'.

* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': Rapunzel and Cassandra have been the subject of some LesYay in general, but this is irreconcilable with the fact that Rapunzel is canonically much in love with, and in a monogamous relationship with her boyfriend ([[WesternAnimation/TangledEverAfter later, husband]]) Eugene. So another popular theory is that while Rapunzel never feels anything more than friendship towards Cassandra, the latter on her part is in love with Rapunzel (without Rapunzel having a clue about this). This would add even more depth to Cassandra's character, because then her continual contempt for Eugene wouldn't just be because he used to be a thief, but because of Cassandra's jealousy of his love relationship with Rapunzel; and Cassandra's [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]] in Season 3 would be because her realizing Rapunzel will never love her back the same way.
* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'': The [[TheSnarkKnight Rogue]]/[[TheStoic Scott]] pairing is sometimes written this way. This one's got canon support, though: Rogue's one-sided crush on Scott as seen in the show was seen as being much more interesting than Scott and Jean's relationship.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':
** There are fans who find Dipper's PrecociousCrush on Wendy adorable without shipping them. At the end of "[[Recap/GravityFallsS2E2IntoTheBunker Into The Bunker]]", [[spoiler:Wendy admits at the end of that she finds it super flattering, but she naturally lets him down due to the age difference]].
** Following "Northwest Mansion Mystery", the fandom theory skyrocketed that Pacifica has a crush on an unwitting Dipper. Canon-wise, there are only a handful of vague hints from her side, and complete obviousness from him (aside from an instance of possible flirting during the aforementioned episode).
* Some ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' fans like Mac's PrecociousCrush on Frankie without shipping it.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}'', Kitty has a stalkerish crush on Eric, who is more into [[AlphaBitch Vana]].
* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' has established that Lance's feelings for Allura are more than just him hitting on every cute girl in the series. Then Allura found out because he confessed to the mice, and she has a psychic link with them, but she seems rather guilty about finding out. So many fans ship the unrequited love.
* Some ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fans like the idea of Chloe having a crush on Ladybug, without necessarily having those feelings requited.
* Some ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'' fans like the idea of Piper having a PrecociousCrush on Starling, an interpretation which is [[LesYay not unfounded in the show itself]].

The term comes from the fact that Starboard is the naval term for the right side of a ship (the left side being the Port, but "Porting" [[UsefulNotes/SoftwarePorting already meant something else]]), and many shippers [[JustForFun/TheShipYard just can't resist a good nautical pun]]. Thus a Starboard is one side of a ship. Not to be confused with the sailing term "Starboard!", which is shouted when a boat has right of way since that boat is on "starboard tack." Though there is a parallel if you think about it hard enough.

** Oscar having a one-sided PrecociousCrush on Ruby is common in fan-works.

* In the same way, many people ship one-sided Maria/Rani → Sarah Jane in ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' since conventional shipping would be... [[{{Ephebophile}} icky]].

* [[DarthWiki/RuinedForever A weird meta inversion]] from the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' fandom. For all the crap Sega gets about [[DamselScrappy Princess Elise]] in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', it's hard to argue that she had anything more than a starboarding relationship with Sonic. Sonic considered her a friend no doubt, but he's always been a CelibateHero and ''Sonic 06'' does nothing to change that.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', fans tend to support the idea of any pairing with the Doctor as being unrequited. It's a very popular idea that the Doctor is asexual, but seeing as his ''very first appearance ever'' also included his granddaughter, maybe not. One novel in the Expanded Universe (not part of the TV show main canon) states that Time Lords never have sex, but instead weave their children on ''looms''. A later novel has human companion Franchise/BerniceSummerfield simply tackling the Doctor to a bed and merrily having her way with him, but the author was forced into a FadeToBlack (which got lampshaded again in a Creator/BigFinish audio, twelve years later). AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho also has a serious AnguishedDeclarationOfLove between the Doctor and human companion Charlotte, which becomes a major plot point -- but the Doctor makes it very clear that he did ''not'' mean it ''that'' way, and the two spend a lot of time arguing about her "yearning" for him. The issue is often explicitly addressed in the new series: the Doctor realises that a relationship with a human just won't work, and tells his companions so, time and time again. However, writers Creator/RussellTDavies, Creator/StevenMoffat and Creator/PaulCornell all enjoy writing the Doctor as flirty and quite sexual, and enjoy coming up with in-story reasons for him to kiss people and for implying quite a bit more on occasion. And as of 2010 canon, there was that... thing with Queen Bess. Now with [[http://i.imgur.com/I17zn.jpg bingo card]]!

* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', Ash is both a ChasteHero ''and'' the LauncherOfAThousandShips of the series, with evidence for (in order): Misty → Ash, May → Ash, Dawn → Ash, and Serena → Ash, [[ChickMagnet among others]]. In Serena's case, it's completely canon.

Whereas a more conventional ship is usually displayed in fanfic summaries and stuff as, say, Bob/Alice or [=BobxAlice=], a "starboard" seems to displayed with an arrow thus:

[[folder:Film -- Animation]]

!!Examples:

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'''s slash pairing of Gauron/Sousuke. It would be pretty hard to try to explain how that pairing ''wouldn't'' be unrequited, considering how canonically straightforward Sousuke is shown to hate the man. Most of the shipping and ways that fans pair them up involves rape. Heck, even Shouji Gatou acknowledges that the pairing would be non-con. And [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/OhLord.jpg would probably involve bondage]].

* In ''Manga/Reborn2004'', there's the shipping of [[LauncherOfAThousandShips Tsuna]] and any of his [[HoYay male guardians]]. Due to Tsuna being an innocent and shy [[MessianicArchetype Messiah]] who ''very'' canonically has a crush on [[SatelliteLoveInterest Kyoko]], most of the fans justify the pairing by having whichever guardian he's paired with have an unrequited love for him. Shippers of Gokudera/Tsuna, in particular, support the idea of Gokudera having an unrequited love for him.

* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' has Legato Bluesummers/Knives. Part of the appeal of the pairing is that it's ''very'' one-sided for [[HappinessInSlavery Legato]], as Knives sees him as a useless piece of trash.

** [[spoiler: And it's implied in canon with all the subtly of a locomotive. Even if you can never marry the one you love, eh Franz?]]

* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'''s slash pairing of Gauron/Sousuke. It would be pretty hard to try to explain how that pairing ''wouldn't'' be unrequited, considering how canonically straightforward Sousuke is shown to hate the man. Most of the shipping and ways that fans pair them up involves rape.
** Heck, even Shouji Gatou acknowledges that the pairing would be non-con. And [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/OhLord.jpg would probably involve bondage]].

*** Huh. I always thought that was Prussia's role in Austria/Hungary fanfics, with fans seeming to like the idea of him having quite the crush on Hungary in spite of her constantly beating him up with her FryingPanOfDoom and only having eyes for Austria. Then again, there ''are'' more fics in which Hungary actually returns Prussia's feelings, if in a SlapSlapKiss way, than fics in which Austria returns Switzerland's feelings (or is even aware of them).
*** Also, Prussia is sometimes portrayed with a crush on Austria instead if not as well, and it's up to the fan artist/writer if Austria reciprocates this.

** Most Russia/Lithuania fics make Russia's affection for Lithuania decidedly one-sided, with Lithuania staying with Russia only out of fear, pity, and/or StockholmSyndrome.
*** Likewise, most of shipping with Russia can be identified as this (RussiaX... Insert Lithuania,Latvia,China and etc.) seeing that most of time he "forced" everyone.

*** Japan also gets some of the "popular target for one-sided crushing" attention that the aforementioned England and America get, especially in Japanese fandom where he gets put into triangles with England and America and/or has his adoptive brother China or sister Taiwan crushing on him ever since their childhood/teenage years.

* ''Manga/VampireGame'' has too many to count.

** Just because Dark is triggered by love doesn't mean Krad is, and it's highly implied that Dark isn't really triggered so much as chooses to respond.

* Many ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanworks featuring Belarus (either Male or Female) bring up her [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous]] [[StalkerWithACrush obsession]] with her almost-equally [[{{Yandere}} Yanderish]] brother Russia (unfortunately for Belarus, it's not ''her'' Russia is Yandere towards), as a lot of fans ''[[RuleOfFunny love]]'' the idea of the most feared and stalkerish character in the series being reduced to quaking and tears by ''his'' personal stalker.

*** Later on Sharon Carter refers to Bucky "Mr. America" and "Cap's Best Friend" in a very suggestive way that sounds like she's half-taunting him for acting like [[MrsHypothetical Captain America's husband]]. While he's upset at her overall mischaracterization of him as a SycophanticServant towards anyone who holds the title, he doesn't deny it either. It's easy to read his lack of rebuttal as an admission that, even if Sharon was completely wrong about the [[PatrioticFervor reason why]], her acknowledgement of his [[EveryoneCanSeeIt devotion to Steve]] [[AccidentalTruth wasn't wrong either]].

* The Marauders in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' are subject to a lot of this. It started with Remus/Sirius as a popular ship; however, as the series went on it became harder to ignore the evidence that it was Sirius and ''James'' who had the HeterosexualLifePartners relationship that's so easily mined for HoYay, and James, of course, [[NoBisexuals wound up with Lily]]. This led to a variety of scenarios: Sirius is in love with James, who is straight; Remus is in love with Sirius, who is straight; [[TriangRelations Remus is in love with Sirius, who is in love with James, who is straight]]; and occasionally, Sirius is in love with Remus, who is straight (because Remus eventually married Tonks; there was a time when he was the one most likely to be portrayed as gay, but as it turned out, it was Sirius who finished out the series as the only good Marauder who was never seen to have a female partner).

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** There's another faction that believes the opposite, with Dean--the series' [[TroubledButCute troubled]], [[HeroicSelfDeprecation self-loathing]] [[ExtremeDoormat family doormat]]--pining after the [[TheStoic emotionless]] [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]] Castiel. It was made murky later on when Castiel slowly turns human and actually gains emotions, but once [[StatusQuoIsGod Castiel is re-"angelfied" and his faith in God restored]], he sees no problem in leaving Dean to fly off to Heaven. In Season 6, he only appears when he needs something from Dean (or vice versa), and Dean does not seem to have forgiven him.

* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': It's ''very'' easy to read Radek Zelenka as being quietly and hopelessly in love with Elizabeth Weir. Whether or not a fan believes she returns his feelings [[ShipMates tends to depend on]] [[PairTheSpares whether or not that fan ships [=McKay=]/Sheppard]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', [[DiscoDan Milla]] [[FriendToAllChildren Vodello]] is hinted to have feelings for her secret agent partner [[TheSpock Sasha]] [[TheStoic Nein]], and a cutscene involves Milla either fantasizing or remembering a makeout session with him, but within the game there is no evidence that he sees her as more than a friend and colleague.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Rift}}'', WordOfGod has hinted that [[RebelliousPrincess Uriel]] [[PerkyGoth Chuluun's]] [[LesYay crush on]] [[ProfessionalKillers Kira Thanos]] is canon. Whether or not Kira reciprocates, on the other hand, is a matter of debate.

* [[DarthWiki/RuinedForever A weird meta inversion]] from the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' fandom. For all the crap Sega gets about [[DamselScrappy Princess]] [[StrangledByTheRedString Elise]] in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', it's hard to argue that she had anything more than a starboarding relationship with Sonic. Sonic considered her a friend no doubt, but he's always been a CelibateHero and ''Sonic 06'' does nothing to change that.

Alice → Bob → Charlie → Diana → Emma

** Going even further back in the past, we have the ambiguous ship of Dumbledore and Grindelwald. [[WordOfGod Rowling has confirmed]] that Dumbledore was gay and in love with Grindelwald, the dashing new kid in town, but her stance on Grindelwald's feelings are less clear. Grindelwald may or may not have been aware that Dumbledore loved him; he may or may not have been manipulating Dumbledore for his own gain; but plenty of fans like the tragedy of Grindelwald truly loving Dumbledore back, and their differing ambitions driving them apart.

* A lot of fics and doujinshi in the ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' fandom involve a character (or multiple characters) having an unrequited crush on Shirou. Justified, as it's based on a game with a RoadCone, and he can return the affections of all of his love interests, but usually only one at a time...Unless it's [[GayOption Issei]], in which case not even fandom can get Shirou to return it.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', fans tend to support the idea of any pairing with the Doctor as being unrequited. It's a very popular idea that the Doctor is [[{{Asexuality}} asexual]], but seeing as his ''very first appearance ever'' also included his granddaughter, maybe not. One novel in the Expanded Universe (not part of the TV show main canon) states that Time Lords never have sex, but instead weave their children on ''looms''. A later novel has human companion Franchise/BerniceSummerfield simply tackling the Doctor to a bed and merrily having her way with him, but the author was forced into a FadeToBlack (which got lampshaded again in a Creator/BigFinish audio, twelve years later). AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho also has a serious AnguishedDeclarationOfLove between the Doctor and human companion Charlotte, which becomes a major plot point -- but the Doctor makes it very clear that he did ''not'' mean it ''that'' way, and the two spend a lot of time arguing about her "yearning" for him. The issue is often explicitly addressed in the new series: the Doctor realises that a relationship with a human just won't work, and tells his companions so, time and time again. However, writers Creator/RussellTDavies, Creator/StevenMoffat and Creator/PaulCornell all enjoy writing the Doctor as flirty and quite sexual, and enjoy coming up with in-story reasons for him to kiss people and for implying quite a bit more on occasion. And as of 2010 canon, there was that... thing with Queen Bess. Now with [[http://i.imgur.com/I17zn.jpg bingo card]]!

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': There's actually a surprising amount of evidence that Tom Paris had feelings for Captain Janeway, at least in the early seasons, although whether or not she returned them is certainly up for debate.

** The WebSite/SFDebris reviews highlight the many times that Harry Kim shows his devotion to Tom Paris, so much so that [[SarcasmMode "There's nothing gay about this"]] practically became a CatchPhrase. There's a lot less evidence, however, that Tom sees Harry as anything more than a good friend.
** WordOfGod also confirms Garak → Bashir on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}:'' One could easily see implications of River → Mal if one wanted to, especially during/after the BigDamnMovie.

A common way of pairing characters when [[FoeYay one canonically hates the other]], or [[NoYay when it would]] be {{Squick}}y for the character to return their affection (for example, [[TeacherStudentRomance a student with a crush on their teacher]]).

* Certain yaoi fans in the ''Anime/CodeGeass'' fandom seem to favor the idea that Lelouch has an unrequited love for [[HoYay Suzaku]] (who is oblivious and loves Euphie), mainly because of the [[TheWoobie beautiful angst]]. The first season works better for this, given a large part of the plot is Lelouch either trying to protect Suzaku or win him over to his side, though even as [[FoeYay bitter enemies]], Lelouch demonstrates a surprising amount of trust and unwillingness to hurt Suzaku.

* ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'': Some people feel Adrian Veidt is carrying a little torch for Dan Dreiberg. Especially in the FoeYay-ful final fight, and in particular the part where Adrian doesn't fight back.

** A FoeYay version of this can also be an interpretation of the [[MadGod Discord]]/[[BigGood Princess Celestia]] ship, with Discord having the crush. Can also come with a side of DryDockedShip.

* Jaqueline Pearce, who played Servalan in ''Blakes7'', is on record as starboarding her character with Avon. Evidence for this in canon is... inconsistent, to put it mildly.

* In ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'', there's the shipping of [[LauncherOfAThousandShips Tsuna]] and any of his [[HoYay male guardians]]. Due to Tsuna being an innocent and shy [[MessianicArchetype Messiah]] who ''very'' canonically has a crush on [[SatelliteLoveInterest Kyoko]], most of the fans justify the pairing by having whichever guardian he's paired with have an unrequited love for him. Shippers of Gokudera/Tsuna, in particular, support the idea of Gokudera having an unrequited love for him.

* Many ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanworks featuring Belarus (either Male or Female) bring up her [[BrotherSisterIncest incestuous]] [[StalkerWithACrush obsession]] with her almost-equally [[{{Yandere}} Yanderish]] brother Russia (unfortunately for Belarus, it's not ''her'' Russia is Yandere towards), as a lot of fans ''[[RuleOfFunny love]]'' the idea of the most feared and stalkerish character in the series being reduced to quaking and tears by ''his'' personal stalker.

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood'' has Speedwagon → Jonathan. Speedwagon's extraordinary devotion to Jonathan is obviously very commonly interpreted as HoYay, but Jonathan ends up in an OfficialCouple with Erina, and [[spoiler:gets killed by Dio on the first night of their honeymoon]], so there's no way that a relationship between the two can fit in canon. This is further supported by ''Manga/BattleTendency'''s epilogue, which states that [[spoiler:Speedwagon died of a heart attack at an old age, while having never married ("he never married" was used in England as an euphemism for homosexuality)]], implying that Speedwagon was never able to move on from his feelings for Jonathan.

* There's a number of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' fans that see Castiel having serious feelings for Dean, but not the other way around.