this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2026
238 points (98.8% liked)
Memes
55738 readers
424 users here now
Rules:
- Be civil and nice.
- Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.
founded 7 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
tangent asside, fuck using too much subtext, say what you mean. reading authors who intentionally don't use subtext is such a breath of fresh air.
People say a lot more than what their words mean all the time. Having that in art is just part of being made by people.
there's still art in the mundane and the vulgar, closing yourself to that is like a food snob refusing to try stuff like burgers or soulfood.
That's not what I said? You can have both. You are the one closing yourself to art with subtext.
we're flooded with that though.
I just need a breather
You aren't wrong for liking what you like. But I love subtext, make me riddle out the meaning.
I know this isn't all 'non-subtext' works, but I hate when theres a beautiful passage that neatly implies what a character is thinking and feeling indirectly... Followed by them just blithely stating their current emotional state out loud. Hits like a sack of bricks every time.