I disagree about going directly from "you can't stall or over-gee this plane" to "a pure stick displacement equals corresponding control surface movement".
Yes, the pilot is aware of pushing the envelope limits (tactile soft stops), so let him go through it in order to clear a cumulus granitus or the tree tops or allow to flare the plane over Hudson.
Details about soft stop in video below at 0:54
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0qQrMaLYw
The direct law should not be spooky, but just a reversion to conventional flying. Many of Cseries tests were performed in direct:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OghtdzFXFoo