#but watching him utterly disregard ellie's autonomy and wishes

[inthegloomglow]

The thing that frustrates me so much about the readings of TLOU is how people push their own morality and feelings on it and decide that is what the story was saying and what Joel was thinking or feeling canonically. "Humanity isn't worth saving if it's at the cost of a kid's life" "The cure wouldn't work with what they're describing because scientifically it wouldn't work" etc etc. Joel didn't stop and think about grand morality about saving humanity or not before he did it, he thought of his own feelings about his daughter. 

And fiction uses inaccurate science all the time and it's taken at face value as being canon, so to speak. The game said the cure would work, and even if not, Joel had no scientific knowledge. He never once says anything about it not working, or asking or implying he thought it wouldn't. Joel's motives were selfish, it's not some commentary on the morality of killing Ellie to make a cure.

People thought that because it made them feel better about a sad ending, to not have to question if what Joel did was right or totally wrong. I completely understand Joel's actions, I'm not arguing that. I'm just so frustrated how people see the final shot of the game being Ellie looking heartbroken over her trust being utterly betrayed because deep down she KNOWS he was lying, and they go 'woo hoo happy found family ending! Joel is a hero!' and then attack the second game which I honestly really really love.

#joel miller #tlou 2 #tlou #the last of us #anti joel miller #i'm not honestly #but some of his stans are so frustrating #the second game is COMPLETELY tonally and narratively sound #and YES a lot of the people attacking it #are horribly misogynistic and transphobic #and if they're not being those two things they're lowkey homophobic #or hell anti semitic #with some of the reactions to dinah #i could not like joel after the first game #because i wanted to #i wanted to excuse his actions #but watching him utterly disregard ellie's autonomy and wishes #BECAUSE REMINDER THAT SHE WAS OKAY WITH DYING #SHE EXPRESSLY SAID T HAT #PLEASE STOP ACTING LIKE IT WAS IMPLIED OR SOMETHING #he ignored her most basic right to autonomy #to her own body and life #for his own feelings sake #and then lies to her to keep her with him #and as the second game shows KEEPS lying to her to keep her with him #and it made my SKIN CRAWL #i couldn't get past it #no amount of love for their relationship #or enjoying the first game #could get me past how REVOLTED i am by joel's actions