this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2026
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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.
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.
i don't hate subtext, but reading some authors who most people consider garbage (very likely on the spectrum), it made me realize that there should be no rules. who decided that subtext was superior than direct text. or poetry better than vulgarity? those are arbitrary rules and stuff that breaks all convections can be amazing.
and I will genuinely hold that Chuck tingle is worth a read. he breaks every single convection, and still makes books are that so loving and wholesome I actually had to hug his trans Harry Potter finalist erotica.
not saying one is bad or better. just that those rules are made up and it's ok to break them.