Im Surprised No One Is Talking About How Elon Musk Paid People To Make High Level Hardcore Characters

Sometimes I think about how and why some people had such a *bad* reaction to the end of Steven Universe, specifically in regards to the Diamonds living.

Even though they no longer are causing harm to others and are able to actually undo some of their previous harm by living, some folks reacted as though this ending was somehow morally suspect. Morally bankrupt, even.

And I think it might be because so many of us were raised on a very specific kind of kids media trope:

They all fall to their deaths.

Disney loves chucking their bad guys off cliffs. And it makes sense- in a moral framework where villains *must* be punished (regardless of whether their death will actually prevent further harm or not), but killing of any kind is morally bad for the hero, the narrative must find a way to kill the villain without the protagonists doing a murder.

It's a moral assumption that a person can *deserve* to die, that it is cosmically just for them to die, that them dying is evidence that the story itself is morally good and correct. Scar *deserves* to die, but it would be bad for Simba to kill him. So....cliff. (edit: yes, cliff then hyenas. But cliff first. Lol.)

Steven Universe, whatever else it's faults, took a step back and said "but if killing people is bad, then people dying is bad", and instead of dropping White Diamond off a cliff, asked "what would actual *restorative*, not punitive, justice look like? What would actual reparations mean here? If the goal is to heal, not just to punish, how do we handle those who have done harm?" And then did that.

Which I think is interesting, and that there was pushback against it is interesting.

It also reminds me of the folks who get very weird about Aang not killing Ozai at the end of Avatar. And like, Ozai still gets chucked in prison, so it doesn't even push back on our cultural ideas of punitive justice *that much.* and still, I've seen people get real mad that the child monk who is the last survivor of a genocide that wiped out his entire pacifist culture didn't do a murder.

Reporter: so, Mr. Stark, tell us, what are going to do this Pride month?

Tony: SI has planned several events actually and for our LGBT+ employees we—

Reporter: I’m sure that’s very interesting, but what about your personal involvement? Sure there’s something you could do from the height of your privilege—

Tony: Oh, me, personally? I’m planning to suck a lot of dick.

I believe in low chaos!Corvo being good, despite everything against him and rats and plague and corruption trying to claw their way up from the streets to his throat. But I think his prime quality is resilience.

Ghost+clean hands!Corvo is wonderful and spine-tingling to me because he is well-versed in fighting and killing, but this is him standing against all the traitors. “I will tear you down in ways that make you beg for me to be the murderer you pretended I am.” I love that he canonically executes Burrows post-game. He has no qualms about killing but it will never be on the traitor’s terms

"A warlock patron can be a warlock themselves, it's called a pyramid scheme."

Tony: *grumbling* What do you two want now?

Steve: Just checking in. Making sure you’re taking breaks.

Bucky: Making sure you’re hydrated.

Steve: Making sure you’re not overworking yourself.

Bucky: Making sure you know how good you look in those glasses.

Steve: *blinking* Bucky.

Bucky: What? It’s an important check-in.