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Subtext is extremely subjective, and not all fans will agree on their validity or application to a particular relationship in a show or film.

Subtext is extremely subjective, and not all fans will agree on their validity or application to a particular relationship in a show or film.

An example of subtext:  When Bodie and Doyle have a different set of rooms every time they are shown at home in [[The Professionals]], the subtext can be, "CI5 agents have to move often for security reasons," or "These characters are so unstable that they can't keep the same apartment for long."

An example of subtext:  When Bodie and Doyle have a different set of rooms every time they are shown at home in [[The Professionals]], the subtext might be, "CI5 agents have to move often for security reasons," or "These characters are so unstable that they can't keep the same apartment for long." The subtext intended by the show's creators, if any, can be intuited through dialogue, continuity, bits of stage business and so on. For example, a line about how much they're paid can help to determine if they're choosing to move that frequently (expensive) or if CI5 pays for their housing and/or assigns them to live in different places.

In fan discussions, subtext most commonly refers to canon that is felt to imply a romantic [[Shipping|relationship]] or [[UST|unresolved sexual tension]]/attraction between two same-sex characters, or to hint at a character's sexual orientation. [[Slash]] fans point out elements of art direction and photography as well as acting that they feel make the "obvious" point.  

In fan discussions, subtext most commonly refers to canon that is felt to imply a romantic [[Shipping|relationship]] or [[UST|unresolved sexual tension]]/attraction between two same-sex characters, or to hint at a character's sexual orientation. [[Slash]] fans point out elements of art direction and photography as well as acting that they feel make the "obvious" point. Sexual subtext, of course, also still exists between male and female characters, but these are not generally the focus of modern fan attention.

When the term subtext is used with regard to canon, an argument is often made that fans are [[Slash goggles|seeing sexual relationships or attraction]] where they don't really exist. In film and television, especially in dramatic or suspense genres, two men looking intensely at each other or even touching does not mean they are lovers. However, [[TPTB|showrunners and producers]] who point this out, may be accused, rightly or wrongly, of [[Queer Baiting]].

When the term subtext is used with regard to canon, an argument is often made that fans are [[Slash goggles|seeing sexual relationships or attraction]] where they don't really exist. In film and television, especially in dramatic or suspense genres, two men looking intensely at each other or even touching does not mean they are sexually attracted to each other.<ref>Early ''Star Trek'' fans saw James Kirk and Cmdr. Spock's wordless exchanges as evidence that they were developing a kind of intuition or telepathy common to people who work closely together, rather than a sexual connection. Kirk's becoming telepathic was a subplot in [[Claire Gabriel]]'s ''[[The Thousandth Man]]'' and a major plot point in later episodes of [[Jacqueline Lichtenberg]]'s ''[[Kraith]]'' series.</ref> However, [[TPTB|showrunners and producers]] who point this out, may be accused, rightly or wrongly, of [[Queer Baiting]].

{{Quotation2|For my part, I never have been able to "slash for slash's sake." I don't and can't "[[Slash goggles|see slashy]] [[subtext]]" everywhere I look. Evidence of emotional and/or physical intimacy (same gender or opposite) demonstrates only that characters are emotionally and/or physically intimate. Emotional/physical intimacy exists between people who are friends and among family members and is, by itself, insufficient to suggest, much less prove, that there is or should be sexual relationship.  

{{Quotation2|For my part, I never have been able to "slash for slash's sake." I don't and can't "[[Slash goggles|see slashy]] [[subtext]]" everywhere I look. Evidence of emotional and/or physical intimacy (same gender or opposite) demonstrates only that characters are emotionally and/or physically intimate. Emotional/physical intimacy exists between people who are friends and among family members and is, by itself, insufficient to suggest, much less prove, that there is or should be sexual relationship.