[[HideakiAnno http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reichu_anno_bloody-clue.png]]
[[caption-width:300: [[NeonGenesisEvangelion The master himself.]] ]]
->"''Why do we have to come up with all the answers? People think we have all the answers. We don't. We're just the creators. We don't know what we're doing''"
-->--''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97S1hczrlgI creators cartoon]]

->''God shuffled His feet\\
And glanced around\\
At them\\
The people cleared their throats\\
And stared right back\\
At Him''
-->--'''Crash Test Dummies'', "God Shuffled His Feet"

Joy of joys, the authors of your favorite series are [[WordOfGod answering the fan's questions]]! Now's your chance to finally get some closure on [[SeriousBusiness pressing continuity issues]]! So you walk up and ask, "Was Bob really a [[{{Robotic Reveal}} robot]]?"

Their answers? "I dunno." "No comment."

Congratulations. Instead of an answer, you just got the ShrugOfGod.

Before you get angry at them for being evasive, remember that they may have a reason for their ambiguity. Maybe:
*It's an ongoing series, and the question will be answered in an upcoming episode.
*It's an ongoing series, and while there are no immediate plans to answer the question in an upcoming episode, the author wants to leave their options open for addressing it at some point in the future.
*The series isn't running at the moment, but could be continued or spun off from in the future, and the author wants to leave their options open.
*The plot point in question was ''supposed'' to be [[NoEnding ambiguous]] or [[MindScrew senseless]]. The fans are supposed to come up with [[EpilepticTrees their]] [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory own]] [[WildMassGuessing answers]]. ''Sheesh.''
*The possible answers to the question have sparked much [[FlameWar debate]] amongst the fandom, and the author realizes that coming down on either side will provoke a [[BrokenBase backlash]].
*The question is about some detail completely tangential to the story, which the author had never considered. Sure, it would be cool if the author would just make up answers on the spot to questions about [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters supporting character #23]]'s favorite pizza topping, but you can hardly blame the author who doesn't.
* The creator thinks ambiguity feels realistic; after all, RealLife isn't perfectly neat and organized with no mysteries.
* The creators firmly believe in the DeathOfTheAuthor theory and don't feel their interpretations are any more valid than anyone else's.
* The writer honestly doesn't remember anymore what he was thinking when he wrote that particular bit.
* The question is (and it ''[[FreudWasRight frequently]]'' is), "So what were Alice and Bob ''really'' doing, IfYouKnowWhatIMean, [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar while off-camera]] after that {{UST}}[=-filled=] scene?", and the writer can't answer truthfully without MoralGuardians screaming for their head on the chopping block.
* The writer is just making it up as they go and honestly has no more idea what's going on than any of the viewers.
* The question has religious implications that the authors would really rather avoid. ("Does God actually exist in [[FantasyKitchenSink this setting]]?", for example.)
* [[RuleOfFunny It's funnier]] [[NoodleIncident that way]].
* The writers just like being contrary and watching their fans squirm.

Not to be confused with FlipFlopOfGod, where the author has a definite answer which has ''changed'' over time.

Contrast with the HandWave, and "AWizardDidIt," which are given in response to questions about {{Plot Hole}}s or the workings of a story's {{Phlebotinum}}. In contrast, the Shrug Of God is given in response to more mundane questions: questions that should have a simple, straightforward answer. Don't mistake it with SureWhyNot which, while it may come with a shrug from the creator, is quite different.

In other words, if the question is "How does this work?" and the answer is "Beats me," then it's a HandWave. If the question is "What happened?" and the answer is "Beats me", it's the Shrug Of God. If the answer is "Magic" then changed later on to "Science", it's FlipFlopOfGod.

For those stories that are deliberately ambiguous, see NoEnding. See also [[BellisariosMaxim Bellisario's Maxim]] and the {{MST3K Mantra}}.

Not to be confused with ''AtlasShrugged''. Also see TheWalrusWasPaul.
----
!!Examples:


[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* When asked if [[spoiler:Spike]] of ''CowboyBebop'' actually died, Shinichiro Watanabe said he didn't know and jokingly said there could be a sequel. It's anyone's guess whether it's for the third, fourth, or both reasons.
** By contrast, Watanabe has also answered questions asked by those who seemed to assume [[spoiler:Spike]] must be dead with something to the effect of "Did you see him die? I didn't, he seemed like he was seriously lacking some sleep."
*It's easier to pull out the tongue of a live lion than it is to get a straight answer on ''RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' symbolism from Ikuhara. "[[http://uranime.nekomusume.net/misc/ikuhara_interview.iphtml Miki keeps timing things because his watch contains the secret of the universe]]".
*The people from Seven Arcs will answer anything you ask about ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''... unless if it's "[[LesYay Are Nanoha and Fate]] [[{{Shipping}} in love with each other?]]", then they go all coy and skirt around the question.
*Hideaki Anno is brilliant at this. He directed ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'', and not even ''he'' knows what in the blue hell was going on in the last two episodes.
**The mantra "I don't know. FanWank something." [[MemeticMutation tends to pop up]] along with a picture of Anno, whenever the fandom discuss the more ambiguous parts of the series.
*Completely inverted by Eiichiro Oda, creator of ''OnePiece'', who will answer absolutely ''any'' question a fan poses to him about the series, no matter how silly, obscure, or [[{{Squick}} disturbing]]. However, his answers are themselves [[ItRunsOnNonsensoleum often rather silly]], and other times he [[SureWhyNot just agrees with a guess the reader makes]].
** Up to confirming that [[spoiler:Captain Buggy's cock can pop off and float around...]]
*** And that [[spoiler:yes, ''every'' part of Luffy's body can stretch to insane lengths. IfYouKnowWhatIMean.]]
**It can also end up being frustrating for fans who disagree on what bits of Word Of God should be considered "real", straight answers. The most controversial example? Five words: "[[NoHuggingNoKissing They're in love...WITH ADVENTURE!]]" No, actually, let's not talk about it; the FanDumb on both sides is too much of a headache.
** Possibly even more amazing is the fact that he ''did'' answer the possibly plot-relevant question about if Luffy's MissingMom is alive (most likely, though he's not sure if she'll actually make an appearance) and what she's like.
*In the interviews for ''DeathNote How to Read 13'', Ohba and Obata answer several questions (mainly about the ending) with "That's meant for the reader to decide."
**Also going for the numbers over heads which could tell how long that person had to live, but only {{shinigami}} understood. It was said there was a complicated math equation, but it was forgotten.
* [[YoshiyukiTomino Yoshiyuki]] "(no longer) KillEmAll" [[YoshiyukiTomino Tomino]] is perhaps the ''granddaddy'' of shrugging Gods. On many oft questioned significant story elements, particularly dealing with the endings to his many series, he steadfastly refuses to give answers, as he truly does want the people watching the show to [[WildMassGuessing create their own idea of how the story ended]]. He wasn't likely thinking of FanFiction, but you still won't get straight answers from him as to Amuro and Char's fate in ''[[{{Gundam}} Char's Counterattack]]'', or whether Loran Cehack and his [[{{Shipping}} eventual partner]] are in a married kind of love or if it's a caregiver/friend thing.
* Yoshitoshi [=ABe=] won't answer many questions about ''HaibaneRenmei'' because he wants people to draw their own conclusions and make their own interpretations about the series.
* Akira Toriyama is particularly bad at this, to the point where a recurring ''DragonBall'' character simply disappears and his only explanation was that he forgot about her.
* The makers of ''{{Noir}}'' keep very quiet about what the [[spoiler:two gunshots]] at the end mean, so the fans are still in the dark about the important question whether [[spoiler:the main characters live or not]].
* RumikoTakahashi's famous reply to being asked (probably not for the first time ''that day'') whether or not [[RanmaOneHalf Ranma]] could get pregnant in female form: "I don't think about such things, and neither should you."
** In fan circles, a "pregnant Ranma" is something that is better left unanswered. TheOtherWiki once had an article on the phrase, but it's no longer up.
***Well, except in fanfics. It happens a lot in them. Unsurprisingly, really.
* When asked if the ending of ''CodeGeass'' was meant to be [[HappilyEverAfter happy]] or [[DownerEnding sad]], director and co-creator Goro Taniguchi's response was "Decide for yourself."
** In regards to [[spoiler:Lelouch's apparent death at the end]], however, this trope was averted; in several post-series interview, the staff and cast say [[spoiler:he's really dead]]... although WordOfGod [[LyingCreator had also claimed that]] [[spoiler:Nunnally died during the Tokyo disaster in order to keep her eventual return surprising]].
*** Actually, [[http://www.sankakucomplex.com/wp-content/gallery/misc-images-xiii/img_1032045_22102323_0.jpg Newer evidence]] from Sunrise [[FlipFlopOfGod show that they prefer to see fans like us duke it out]].
**** Sunrise marketing department doesn't count as WordOfGod, Taniguchi and Okouchi have made it clear Lelouch's fate.
* Kishimoto, the creator of ''{{Naruto}}'', isn't even sure what [[ViewerGenderConfusion gender]] [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/naruto/images/0/0c/7tails.jpg Fu]], the [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/naruto/images/6/6a/Seven-Tails_%26_Fuu.jpg Seven-Tailed Horned Beetle]] jinchūriki, is (was?).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Supposedly WordOfGod says that [[spoiler:Azula]] ''could'' eventually [[spoiler:regain her sanity and/or redeem herself]], but didn't say if she actually ''will''. This was likely because a definite "yes" would feel cheap, but a definite "no" would seem rather harsh.
** There's also the above quote, which was in response to asking Michael Dante [=DiMartino=] why he removed a scene in the GrandFinale of [[spoiler:Zuko reuniting with his mother.]] They have since said that it's a story that needs to be told properly...
** Before that, they gave a rather playful shrug when a fan asked about the name of the previous airbender avatar who appeared in a flashback. Their answer was "Susan?" She was eventually revealed to be named Yangchen.
** One of the storyboard artists did an unofficial sequel/side story (in webcomic format) which propounds that Azula ''does'' eventually regain at least some measure of sanity. No word on whether any of it is actually canon.
*Glen Murakami of ''TeenTitans'' fame is (in)famous for not caring about the finer points that get the {{Fandom}} up in arms. The Shrug of God is the official answer to ''anything'' related to whether or not it's in continuity with the other {{DCAU}} cartoons, anything to do with the characters' origins or out-of-costume lives (most famously, which Robin it is), and pretty much anything not detailed onscreen. General fan consensus is that ''TeenTitans'' isn't part of the {{DCAU}} and Robin is Dick Grayson, but ThePowersThatBe have never answered yes or no, [[TheyJustDidntCare not considering these things to be important]].
** David Slack, a writer for the show, disagrees, having stated that the Robin we see is Dick Grayson.
**Admittedly all evidence in the show clearly points to Robin being Dick Grayson. The relationship with Starfire, the scene with two trapeze artist falling to their doom when Raven mind searches him, and the fact that the series is based off the 80's incarnation of Teen Titans.
* Greg Weisman, writer of ''{{Gargoyles}}'', can go into this territory. Admittedly, he's already revealed much of what would've (and may yet eventually) happen had the story been allowed to continue. So now fans wind up asking questions that get the simple answer of "I'm not going to answer that at this time" or some variant thereof. Man's gotta keep some secrets.
* ''TransformersAnimated'': After Starscream found out [[MesACrowd each of his clones was part of his personality]], he asked his OppositeSexClone what she represented and she responsed "[[YouDoNOTWantToKnow Don't ask!]]" When someone put the same question to lead character designer Derrick J. Wyatt on [[http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html an online Q&A session]] he responded "[[{{Squick}} I try not to think about that one!]]" He also said that she has a name, but wouldn't say anything beyond it not being Susan, Dirge, Nightbird, Laserbeak, or Laserwave.
**Fan Theory have come up with everything from his self-loathing, to his treachery, to his gayness.
*** He ''did'' [[{{Jossed}} joss]] self-loathing.
** And her name was confirmed at Botcon 2009: [[spoiler:Slipstream]].
**In a much different version of this, Marty Isenberg said they have no idea the significance of Professor Sumdac's name being "Cadmus" backwards as it was decided before they go involved.
*** This troper has always assumed it was because, like King Cadmus sowing the dragon's teeth which grew into an army, Sumdac sowed the "teeth" (technology) of Megatron, which grew into the ubiquitous robots of the series' setting.
*Bob Schooley, co-creator of ''KimPossible'', [[http://ronstoppable.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=genkp&thread=12815&page=4 has stated at the fandom's most popular forum]] that [[DeathOfTheAuthor there isn't any "right" answer to the fans' questions, as the series belongs to the fans to spin any way they want]].
* This was done by the creators of ''TheVentureBrothers'' for a subplot that seemed to be unambiguous in canon. According to Doc Hammer, the writers still haven't decided if [[spoiler: Myra is the boys' birth mother]].
* The creators of ''PhineasAndFerb'' claim that the title characters have [[VagueAge no definitive age, just that they are "less than fifteen."]] They did this after making the pilot and seeing how well different age groups all identified with them; the pilot itself gives their age as nine, but is not canonical.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]
*"Team Silent, Team Silent, which one of the endings to ''SilentHill'' is canon?" "They're all canon." "Nyoro~n."
* "[[http://rare.co.uk/extras/scribes/9may08/index.html Please, no more]]. It is 9:27pm, I'm trying to work on ''[[{{Banjo-Kazooie}} Banjo]]'' and you keep asking me questions about supporting characters in [[DonkeyKongCountry games I designed nearly 15 years ago]]."
* The ''FinalFantasyXI'' dev team is ''frustratingly notorious'' for this. Every interview they have will always have at least one question with an ambiguous answer that's as vague as possible. '''Always.''' It's not so bad to want your MMO to have some mysteries, but trying to have your game as GuideDangIt as possible with things that hundreds of thousands of players haven't figured out for 4+ years is something else entirely.
** The "you wish it was only NintendoHard" boss Absolute Virtue is featured in a developer-made video showing unimaginably vague "hints" for beating it. Every single frame of the video has been scrutinized and subjected to dizzying heights of WildMassGuessing. To this day, nobody knows what the developers were trying to convey.
* When asked how {{Kirby}} got his name, Masahiro Sakurai says he doesn't remember.
** It's named after John Kirby, the lawyer who defended Nintendo from Universal Studios's accusation of copyright infringement. Reference [[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_39/234-The-King-and-the-Donkey.4 here]].
* Many TheLegendOfZelda fans argue feverishly amongst themselves about the timelines throughout the games. Eventually Nintendo made a statement on the matter, declaring that the games were mostly stand alone creations and any apparent connections were simply prevailing themes being reused. Many, many people were unhappy about this.
* Bungie Studios, the creators of ''{{Halo}}'' and ''{{Marathon}}'', deliberately dodge many questions by the fandom, because they prefer to let the fans answer the questions and come up with the theories themselves.
** "How do Grunts reproduce?" "''[[{{Squick}} Frantically]]''."
* What happened 10 years ago, during the War? Why did the scientists come to the island? And what the hell is Balrog? These are just a few of the questions that all ''CaveStory'' fans wish to have answers to. Yet all Pixel-san says is "I leave it to the player's imagination".
* In ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' 2, it's strongly hinted at that [[spoiler:Kreia is Arren Kae, Brianna's mother]]. If this is news to anyone, check out Scorchy's post [[http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/KOTOR%202/Update%2058/index.html here]]. Still, the writer Chris Avellone's response to a question on this was "Can’t comment, but good catch. Sorry." Doesn't he realize that we [[SeriousBusiness want to know]]? :(
** Anyone that's read [=MCA's=] ''{{Fallout}}'' Bibles would recognise "good catch" as his standard response to a coincidence or minor detail pointed out by a fan that he actually likes the implications of.
*In the RPG ''TalesOfTheAbyss'' this is how the creators reacted to the question of whether [[spoiler: the main character, Luke, survives or not]]. Cue endless debates on the subject.
* Every single time Testuya Nomura is asked about when KingdomHearts 3 will be announced, it usually results in this. Like in this interview concerning ''Birth By Sleep''
--> '''Interviewer''': Do you think people will want to replay the first title after clearing this one?
--> '''Nomura''': Hmmm, I think there are a lot of puzzling elements, so maybe they'll want to play the next game... and there'll be a secret movie too.
--> '''Interviewer''': The next game!? Do you mean "III"!?
--> '''Nomura''': The next game will be the next game (laughs)
* {{Braid}} is a puzzle platformer that is dripping with symbolism both heavy-handed and brilliantly delivered. One of the major plot points is that The Princess [[spoiler:represents the atom bomb/Manhattan Project,]] and when someone asked the designer Johnathan Blow whether that was true, he said something like "I leave it open to interpretation." Seriously? The epilogue clearly has direct real-world quotes from [[spoiler:people who witnessed the first ever nuclear test,]] and in the secret ending, The Princess [[spoiler:literally explodes.]] Who does he think he's fooling?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
*''DoctorWho'': RussellTDavies refused to confirm whether or not [[spoiler:Jack really is the Face of Boe]].
** Similarly, the stinger at the very end of "Last of the Time Lords" has its official ShrugOfGod. It's apparently a generic SequelHook, no strings attached.
***Director's commentary is "It was in, it was out, it was in, it was out."
** When asked whether the Eighth Doctor's revelation that he's half-human on his mother's side is still valid, StevenMoffat gave a response to the effect of, "Well, he certainly said that, didn't he?"
*The producer of ''LifeOnMars'' "encourages" multiple interpretations of the ending.
*David Chase was very tight-lipped about the ambiguous ending of ''TheSopranos''.
* Cuse and Lindelof of ''{{Lost}}''.
** Well, in case enough wasn't said, there are occasional things fans want to know that the show runners don't consider interesting or important. Some they have mentioned in podcasts include how Kelvin got to the island and what happened to Sun's dog. At other times, they'll read the fan question, but avoid answering it, then comment on how they dodged the question (this usually means, "Yes, that's important, and will be revealed on the show, possibly soon.")
* ''{{Reunion}}'' was planned such that each episode would take place in one year in the lives of six friends, covering the span from their high school graduation to their 20-year reunion. Tying the series together was the mystery of the murder of one of the friends. Unfortunately (at least for the show's few fans), it was cancelled with only nine episodes having been aired. When the show's creators were pressed in interviews for details on how the show would have played out, they admitted that they hadn't decided who the murderer was.
* StarTrek: A writer was asked how the ''Enterprise'''s inertial dampers work, and gave the only honest answer: "Very well, thank you."
* A deleted scene from ''BattlestarGalactica'' features Helo confessing to Adama that he was responsible for stopping the humans' chance to wipe out the Cylons with a virus. Adama's knowledge or lack thereof is a pretty significant part of the relationship between the two characters, yet Ronald D. Moore has never given an answer on whether the scene should be considered to have actually "happened".
** He also has no idea just what the hell Starbuck is/was. So...yeah.
* Mostly averted by ''{{Babylon 5}}'' creator JMichaelStraczynski, who was among the first TV show producers to consistently interact with fans and answer any of their questions, with the exception of things that would spoil future plot points; on some occasions, he even flat-out lied to avoid spoilers. This was made possible due to his having planned out in advance not only the entire five year run of the series, but the thousand years before and after that period. However, there are still some plot points he refuses to explain, in case he gets a chance to use them in a spin-off: a case in point is Delenn's toast to the disgraced Lennier in the series finale among toasts to the dead; all we get on the commentary is "That's a very sad story, and maybe I'll tell it someday."
* It seems someone [[spoiler:JossWhedon JossWhedon JossWhedon]] has convinced Morena Baccarin to avoid answering any questions on [[{{Firefly}} Inara Serra]]'s preoccupation with aging. Not trying to start a rumor or anything...
** Also, remember in the pilot episode, when it looks like the Reavers might board the ship, and Inara has a syringe in her hand? All Joss will say is that it was ''not'' a suicide shot.
** Also on the topic of Joss, he was asked at Comic-Con who would win a fight between [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy Summers]] and [[{{Firefly}} River Tam]]. He proceeded to state the pros of each one and then trailed off.
*** On Cambridge Forum, though, he had he audience vote on it. River won.
* The staff writers who maintain the ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' blog "Behind the Eclipse" do this a lot. One shrug that inspired particular fan rage was when they were asked how Nathan Petrelli ''came back to life'' after being pronounced dead in the Season 3 premiere, and the answer was, "He just got lucky. People can survive shootings all the time. It happens."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
*Of the famously ambiguous scene in the Marabar caves in ''A Passage to India'', E.M Forster said, "In the cave it is ''either'' a man, ''or'' the supernatural, ''or'' an illusion. If I say, it becomes whatever the answer a different book. And even if I know! My writing mind is therefore a blur here, i.e, I will it to remain a blur."
* When asked whether Lyra and Will from ''HisDarkMaterials'' had become lovers at twelve or thirteen or however old they are, PhilipPullman said something like, "I wasn't going to look and neither should anyone else." Pullman also has no answer as to why a few people in Lyra's world have daemons that are their own sex, or when exactly the daemon appears - during birth or after.
** He had a SureWhyNot moment, though, when someone asked if a same-sexed daemon meant the person was gay. He said he'd never thought of that and it was as good an explanation as any. He also said it could mean second sight or something.
* The most notorious mystery in the ''WheelOfTime'' series is: Who killed Asmodean? Every time Robert Jordan was asked, he refused to answer, assuring the readers that they should have figured it out already (although this is not clear at all).
** "[[http://edition.cnn.com/chat/transcripts/2000/12/12/jordan/ The reason I won't tell people though is that I am enjoying watching them squirm entirely too much. It's probably bad for me.]]"
*** And [[AuthorExistenceFailure now he's dead]]. Take heed, writers -- he might well have been right.
** However, he also [[{{Jossed}} shot several theories out of the sky.]] The good news: The answer was in the notes he left and will be in [[strike: Book 12]] Books 12, 13, or 14.
**** Jordan had a term invented specifically for this use-whenever he was asked a question which he thought would spoiler things, his response would be RAFO (Read And Find Out). "Who killed Asmodean?" "RAFO." Thus creating the MemeticBadass known only as RAFO.
*** In Jordan's defense, he does come out and say who WOULD have done it right in the novels, you just have to pay attention. [[spoiler: No, I am not going to spoil it here, but here is a hint: Tower of Ghengi.]]
* JKRowling used to do this a great deal before all the ''HarryPotter'' books were released, but most of the questions she didn't answer would have spoiled the later books, so she had to be very careful with what she said about them, and in some cases, she worried about seemingly innocuous questions where even refusing to reveal the answer could spoil the surprise, e.g. [[spoiler: if someone were to ask what Dumbledore's wand was made of]].
** She also refused to reveal the identities of the {{Official Couple}}s for fear of fan backlash (because Pottershipping is SeriousBusiness).
** The Shrug has also been applied to the entire chapter "King's Crossing", which, according to Jo, could be interpreted as reality or simply "Reality inside Harry's head"- but why on Earth should that mean it was not real?
*In ''The Scarlet Letter,'' Hawthorne is usually an omniscient narrator, knowing the deeds, words, and innermost thoughts and feelings of many different characters. But at one point, his omniscience falters, and he says that one woman is rumored to be a witch, without confirming whether she is or isn't.
** Well, if she isn't, she sure does use a lot of weird metaphors. She even invites Hester into the forest to dance with the {{Devil}}.
*Tom Bombadil from ''LordOfTheRings''. To a reader that asked him who or what he really was, JRRTolkien wrote:
--> Even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally).
*This is the entire point of the story ''The Lady or the Tiger?'' by Frank Stockton, as well as its sequel ''The Discourager of Hesitancy''.
** Stockton was once at a party where, in an attempt to get a straight answer out of him, the host(s) served two kinds of ice cream: one in the shape of a lady, the other in the shape of a tiger. They asked which he would prefer. Stockton said, "I'll have a bit of both."
*In ''The Big Sleep'' by RaymondChandler, the murder of Owen Taylor is never explained. When the book was originally being filmed, the director asked Chandler who killed Taylor; Chandler said that he didn't know either, so it was left unexplained in the movie as well.
** Legend suggests that the lack of a solution was an error on Chandler's part, which he acknowledged in during the above conversation. He just forgot to tie that detail up.
** Legend may be overstating the case, though: The evidence in the book does wind up pointing in a specific direction, it's just never pinned down with a definitive proof.
* George R.R. Martin is very fond of doing this, either because he hasn't thought out the details of a particular question, or because it's related to future events in the series. The most common shrug is the one that comes after any question about Jon Snow's parentage in ''ASongOfIceAndFire''.
* Every {{Discworld}} book contains a statement by Terry Pratchett that there is no map of the Disc, because "you can't map a sense of humor." [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discworld_Mapp Then he made one anyway.]]
*** However, the map ''was'' supposedly written by the very CMOTDibbler itself. That alone should raise questions of accuracy.
*** And he's also said the Disc has [[AlternateHistory alternate pasts]]. God only knows which one the map is showing.
*** In one of his forewords he said that the book contained no map but readers should feel free to draw one if they wanted to. A reader named Stephen Briggs took him at his word, which is how the various Discworld maps ended up being draw.
* CiaphasCain--'''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!'''--was originally inspired by the idea of a Flashman {{Expy}}. However, the (in-story) editor of his memoirs has said that he doesn't give himself enough credit. SandyMitchell admits to not knowing himself whether Cain deserves more credit than he is prepared to give himself.
* In the prologue of Margaret Craven's ''I Heard An Owl Call My Name'', a doctor explains to a bishop that a newly ordained priest is terminally ill: a few active years left, then a few as an invalid. The priest dies during the novel, in an accident. Craven has said she doesn't know what he had.
* An interviewer asked W. M. Thackeray if [[spoiler:Becky kills Jos]] in ''Vanity Fair.'' Thackeray cheerfully admitted that he hadn't a clue.
** Though one of Thackeray's own illustrations, not included in every edition of the novel, these days, shows Becky hiding behind a curtain, holding what appears to be a bottle of poison.
* Lois Lowry has refused to explain the {{Gainax Ending}} of {{The Giver}}. The two main schools of thought are that [[spoiler:Jonas escapes]] or that the final vision is a [[spoiler:{{Dying Dream}} as he freezes to death.]] The sequels, however, imply that he [[spoiler:survives]]
**This was upgraded to WordOfGod at author Q&A of the 2009 National Book Festival in Washington, DC. After asking if anyone had any questions, Lowry added, [[spoiler:"Jonas is alive, by the way. You don't have to ask that one."]]
*Samuel Beckett, when asked what, exactly, {{Waiting for Godot}} even meant responded "What do you think?" And then, on being given the interviewer's analysis, "Hmmm, interesting." And that is all.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
*John Patrick Shanley won't reveal whether, in his play ''[[Theater/{{Doubt}} Doubt]]'', [[spoiler: the priest molested the children or not]]. The point of the play is the investigation. He has, however, noted that he has decided on an answer and told the actors playing Father Flynn, although nobody else.
* [[GilbertAndSullivan W. S. Gilbert]], when asked about whether or not Jack Point is dead (the libretto says that he "falls insensible") at the end of ''The Yeomen of the Guard'', said: "The fate of Jack Point is in the hands of the audience, who may please themselves whether he lives or dies." (However, he [[FlipFlopOfGod was also reported as having said]] "Jack Point should die" when asked if it was all right to treat Point as dead.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
*The Joker in ''TheDarkKnight'' tells two entirely different stories as to how he got those scars (and started to tell a third), all of which are probably lies. ChristopherNolan not only didn't comment on them, he said Joker has ''no backstory at all''.
** This follows the comics, where (leaving aside one recent storyline that everyone seems sensibly to be [[DisContinuity ignoring]]) the Joker has never had any backstory that was not told by the Joker himself. In ''The Killing Joke'', a backstory is told which initially appears to be definitive, but the Joker later says, "Something like that happened to me. I'm not quite sure what it was. Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another. If I'm going to have a past, I'd rather it be [[MultipleChoicePast multiple choice]]."
*The contents of the suitcase from ''PulpFiction'' are arguably an example. It was originally supposed to be diamonds, but then [[QuentinTarantino Tarantino]] changed his mind and said it's basically supposed to be "Whatever [[MacGuffin seems most valuable to the viewer and can fit in a suitcase]]".
** One theory is that it was intended as a ShoutOut to a similar {{MacGuffin}} in ''Kiss Me Deadly,'' Tarantino being an enormous fan of old movies and ''Kiss Me Deadly'' something of a classic of ''film noir.'' This would explain why Tarantino is vague about the precise contents, as the explanation in ''Kiss Me Deadly,'' [[spoiler: a nuclear weapon]] wouldn't work for ''Pulp Fiction'' and its cast of gangsters.
** Tarantino also won't say why ''InglouriousBasterds'' is spelled ''Inglourious Basterds''.
*** Probably because it's named after an obscure war film, and he didn't want it to have the exact same name (likely for both copyright reasons, and so it would be slightly easier to tell them apart by name).
* Paul Thomas Anderson often responds with these when asked about the meaning of different things in ''{{Magnolia}}'', claiming he doesn't remember what he was thinking at the time.
*"If you understood ''[[{{ptitleh3elkyxdypyw}} 2001]]'' completely, we failed. We wanted to [[MindScrew raise more questions than we answered]]." -- [[ArthurCClarke Arthur C. Clarke]]
* The DVD commentary to ''{{Tron}}'' explains just about everything of significance in the film, except the bit where the Master Control Program is terminated and is revealed as a spinning bearded ancient operating an adding machine. The commentators can't even manage a verbal shrug -- they just stop talking until the scene finishes.
** It made perfect sense to This troper. Notice that MCP's avatar is the protagonist's older colleague, who started the company.
***Wait, that doesn't make sense. The older colleague, Dr. Walter Gibbs, is already represented by the elder program Dumont, who runs the input-output tower that Tron uses to get into contact with his real life doppelganger, Alan. The novelization version below seems to better represent what happens on screen, as eventually even the old typist MCP disappears.
** The novelization by Brian Daley explains this as the Program reverting to earlier, less complex iterations as it degrades.
* Anything by DavidLynch.
* In response to questions of whether or not the Human Project really existed and if they were able to create a cure to the mass infertility after the ending of ''ChildrenOfMen'', the staff merely responded that the answer depended wholly on where you lie on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Tom Siddell of ''GunnerkriggCourt'' is usually very helpful about providing answers, no matter how pointless or obscure. But when future plot points or very specific questions about numbers or lengths of time come up, Mr. Siddell proves a master of answering questions [[MathematiciansAnswer without actually answering the questions]].
-->'''Fan:''' When exactly are our heroines' birthdays?\\
'''Tom:''' [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards75.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=40&page=8#1178001262 At some point during the year.]]
* TCampbell is as notorious as Tom for answers like these, although usually responding to fans who should have known better. One noteworthy ShrugOfGod is that he refuses to reveal whether the ''HermansHead'' storyline [[PennyAndAggie 20 2020 Pennies]] was a dream or an actual plane of existence -- which wouldn't be so bad, except that he ''[[WordOfGod did]]'' say the versions of Penny and Aggie featured there were bisexual and lesbian, respectively.
* Maritza Campos of ''CollegeRoomiesFromHell'' is famous for answering fan questions with a smile and a "Maaaybe..."
* Interestingly, Dave of ''BobAndGeorge'' rarely answers questions about his own comic, more likely, someone on the BnG forum gets there first, leading to a huge discussion on the meaning of life, which Dave leaves alone (in most cases).
** Any questions about plotholes are actually taboo in the BnG community.
*** That's because there are no plotholes. Even the ones you think you see, even the ones you ''know'' you see, are not plotholes.
* This troper is a good friend of the artist and co-writer of ALoonaticsTale, and getting an answer out of her regarding seemingly innocuous bits of fluff is ridiculously difficult, because she and her boyfriend, the other writer, have the story plotted out so far in advance that all but the most general questions involve answers that spoil the plot of these years-distant stories and she doesn't want to give it away (apparently she picked up this paranoia because her boyfriend really is that paranoid about giving things away and it's easier than being read the riot act)-even if it's not really relevant (one of the answers this troper tries and fails hardest to get regards a couple of characters who may well have been written out of canon, simply because they're descendants of a character who's too mentally imbalanced to get a date, let alone breed). A mutual friend of ours, however, gets more answers because she's apparently very good at guessing, and the dear artist loves to hear her theories.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop]]
* Many fans of the ''DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign setting ''{{Eberron}}'' frequently ask questions such as "What happened to destroy Cyre and create the Mournland?" no matter how many times such things are said to explicitly be points of CanonUncertaintyAndDoubt. The answer is deliberately left out, so [[GameMaster DMs]] can provide their own and easily work those events into their own plotline.
**Additionally, a similar question involving the ''Planescape'' campaign setting is one regarding the true nature of Sigil's ruler/guardian, the Lady of Pain. A straight answer has never been given, other than a novel hinting that she has ties to the Greek pantheon of gods. The most direct answer simply states that she was inspired by the titular character of Algernon Swinburne's poem "Dolores".
*** Incidentally, unlike the {{Eberron}} scenario, which it's stated explicitly that it is the [[GameMaster DM's]] call to provide an explanation for the various mysteries, ''Planescape'' encouraged [[GameMaster DMs]] to leave such questions regarding the Lady of Pain and various other multiversal engimas deliberately unanswered, to maintain the setting's particular ethos.
*** Similarily, the nature and identity of ''Ravenloft's'' Dark Powers are usually kept mysterious.
**** While some fans reject the 3rd edition Ravenloft products, they did provide a satisfactory answer: the Dark Powers have no canonical true nature, and DMs should do whatever they want with no worries.
* Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games (the creators of ''{{GURPS}}'') has been known to answer obscure questions about his games with "Fnord." (A reference to the ''{{Illuminatus}}'' trilogy, which has often gotten [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]] in SJG products.)
** Given the sensitive nature of the subject matter (religion) in the ''InNomine'' roleplaying game from Steve Jackson Games, many topics are what the Line Editor officially refers to as matters of "Canon Doubt and Uncertainty". Each individual DM is supposed to come up with their own answers to such questions as 'Was Jesus Christ really the Son of God?', and the official game material has never and will never address the issue directly.
* ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'': So, what's up with the two missing Primarchs? WordOfGod is, of course, "No comment."
** Likewise with the pronunciation of "lasgun" (is it "lass", "laz" or "laze"?), making this kind of discussion on [[ImageBoards /tg/]] primo {{Troll}} fodder. However, sales-staff always use the term "laz".
** The idea behind the two missing Primarchs is so that players can [[ASpaceMarineIsYou justify creating their own chapter out of whole cloth]] without having to tie it into currently existing chapters.
** Also, who the hell is Cipher and what is he up to?
**This is essentially Games Workshop's company policy about canon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Fans will never stop asking about the newly formed [[TheDCU multiverse]], or when [[{{Flash}} Bart Allen]] and/or Superboy will come BackFromTheDead.
** Of course, the ''real'' answer to the Superboy question is "About six months after the Siegel lawsuit is settled."
** [[spoiler:Bart Allen]] recently came BackFromTheDead in ''Legion of Three Worlds'', so that question is settled.
*** [[spoiler:Superboy did, too, an issue or two later.]]
* [[{{Fables}} Bill Willingham]] is nigh infamous for this. "Keep reading" should simply be emblazoned across his messageboard.
* Devin Grayson, writer of ''Nightwing'' #93 where the title character is implied to have been raped by a female cohort during a Heroic BSOD, evaded the question when asked to confirm what happened beyond it being [[http://www.comicboards.com/devin.php "nonconsensual."]] This is an irritating example, because the script for the issue does directly say that he was being raped. (This may have something to do with the female cohort in question being suspected by many of being her AuthorAvatar[=/=]MarySue.)
*When it comes to ''StarWars'', John Jackson Miller, the writer of the ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' comics, is practically this trope personified, although it's almost always for the first reason. He refused to confirm various future [[TheUnReveal unreveals]], one of which was confirmed in a reference book before it got anywhere close to being confirmed in the comic itself. And when asked about "the Rohlan/Demagol thing", namely the theory that "Rohlan" has been Demagol in disguise since issue 14, he said [[http://qdb.lucidfox.org/quotes/view/2924 this]]:
--> "The Rohlan/Demagol Thing is a fusion jazz act that worked many of the clubs on Mandalore until a dispute over a recording contract broke up the duo. However, their early recordings remain popular and one was recently used as the background music for a series of Holofeed apparel commercials."
* The writers of the Scrooge [=McDuck=] Universe seem adamant against revealing anything about the origins of all these kids running around with [[ParentalAbandonment no parents]] (Donald's nephews, Daisy's nieces, Goldie's granddaughter...) Since acting like you're hiding something leads others to believe you have something to hide, fans are left to assume the worst.
** For the most part, at least - Don Rosa introduced both Donald's mother and sister and Scrooge's parents, and Scrooge has two sisters, a brother and a half-brother making regular appearances. His mother got around.
* DonRosa can neither confirm nor deny [[DidTheyOrDidntThey "what happened that night"]] in ''The Prisoner of White Agony Creek'' (Chapter 8B of ''TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck''), asserting it's "for each of us duck fans to imagine in our own minds. I have my own idea, but after all, this is a Disney comic!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* None of the editors on ''OrionsArm'' will ''ever'' answer certain questions about certain setting elements. Are the Dawn Hunters real? Why did the previous galactic empires all up and disappear? "The last--" What did they find at the Hedrile? Where, exactly, does the Fargate lead? Which of the higher Archailects actually exist? Is the universe just another Bottle Universe? Are the Amalgamation Terragen or Xeno?
* The official mission position of {{The Salvation War}} is that every single thing that happens has some kind of rational, scientific explanation. Whenever the author has trouble coming up with one, he inserts a shrug into the story himself by having the characters say they have no idea why this thing is happening, so they're just going to accept that it does for now.
* Many of the senior writers and editors of the SCPFoundation never give straight answers about the details and inner workings of the Foundation and the [=SCPs=] it contains. The stock reply to lore questions usually is to figure it out for yourself. Or that there is no canon:
-->'''[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=utbmk5kxkkqah7d8k16jx7su&page=9#202 Dr. Clef:]]''' At the end of the day, people can call it canon, non-cannon, brilliant, and stupid, and be right and wrong all at the same time. When dealing with the SCP, you have to understand that we took Canon out behind the barn and shot it in the head a long, long time ago.
* Burnie Burns, the creator and writer of ''[[RedVsBlue Red vs. Blue]]'', is generally willing to clarify anything about the series. Ask him about [[HiddenDepths Tex]], though, and he instantly shuts up. He also enjoys leaving smaller plot threads hanging for the [[WildMassGuessing wild mass guessers]] in the forums.
* Lanzer, admin of GaiaOnline, does this a lot in the weekly open interview sessions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Paul Simon's song "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard" contains the line "What your momma saw/it was against the law". Simon has claimed he has no idea what it was the momma saw, other than it was probably something sexual.
* Carly Simon notoriously refuses to publically name the subject of "You're So Vain." (Although she did reveal the identity to NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol, who had the winning bid of $50,000 in a charity auction for the privilege, on the condition that he not reveal it. He also got a private performance of the song and a peanut butter sandwich, both by Simon.)
* The straightest answer to the question "What does ''American Pie'' mean?" that anyone has gotten out of [[DonMcLean Don McLean]] is "It means I never have to work again." More seriously, he claims "songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence."
** The most popular theory is that "The Day The Music Died" refers to the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and Jiles "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and the song is pretty much about the loss of innocence that comes with getting smacked in the face with the fact that "Youth =/= Immortality". [=McLean=] infamously won't confirm or deny this interpretation.
* BobDylan, upon being asked what his songs are about, replied '[[{{Henway}} Some are about three minutes, some are about five minutes]]"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''CalvinAndHobbes'': What is Hobbes true nature? A magical stuffed animal that comes to life when Calvin is around? A figment of Calvin's imagination? Bill Watterson isn't sure himself.
** In the ''Tenth Anniversary Collection'', Watterson states that "''Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie'' (like the 'NoodleIncident' I've referred to in several strips) is left to the reader's imagination, where it's sure to be more outrageous."
** Watterson confirmed in the Tenth Anniversary Collection that Hobbes is a comment on the subjective nature of reality; Calvin sees him differently from everyone else.
:: This is reportedly the reason Watterson would not allow a stuffed toy Hobbes to be manufactured (that, and his loathing of merchandising.) He felt it would answer the question as to whether or not Hobbes was just a stuffed toy.
[[/folder]]

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