"Hold on, I have to appease the shippers now."
Many fans
'ship. These fans often do it
all the time (context or no) especially in certain
demographics. Producers, especially those who keep their finger on the pulse of the audience, not to mention their eye on the fan
fora, know this. So, they decide to tease the fans with hints about possible romantic entanglements, and thereby build that emotional attachment between the show and the audience as much as they can.
If the writers are particularly impish, they'll tease a relationship that either never comes up or takes a hard right just as it gets going. Like a sudden death.
Probably the cruelest method of Ship Tease is the
Moment Killer.
See also:
Will They or Won't They?,
Subtext,
Fanservice,
Never Trust a Trailer,
Tonight Someone Kisses,
Literally Falling In Love,
Implied Love Interest.
Contrast
Ship Sinking.
Not to be confused with Striptease (see
here for that).
Examples
