What do you think about c!Phil?
I love c!Phil!! He’s such a cool character, so defined by grief, so human despite his long life. My survivalist little caw caw. <3
On a serious note, I genuinely love how c!Phil’s ‘People Over Objects/Places’ policy affects his actions. I know a lot of people attribute it to his long life, and while I do think it does play a huge role, I just don’t think that he’s as detached as people seem to think he is? He has an enderchest full of sentimental items, he puts effort into building his houses, he likes making things look pretty and keeping gifts. It’s just. If faced with the idea of losing a house and losing a friend. He finds it very easy to choose. Is that really so immortal a trait? When seeing the country he’s helped build and grow hurt its people, the people he cares about, he doesn’t hesitate. Is that really so immortal a trait?
He’s a survivalist first and foremost, and he wants the people he cares about safe and happy. He wants to help. He knows the importance of emotional attachments but cannot let them fog his judgement of what’s more important to him. He’s by no means put together, oh no! That man is a mess! He is an absolute mess!! But most importantly. He’s human. One who has lived long, but is still so painfully human.
And one so painfully full of grief. Oh boy, is c!Phil very defined by his grief. Just think for a second there okay?
Your son regularly sends letters to you about his adventures and his country. And one day they stop. You’re worried so you go to check on him. You find him spiraling next to a button, talking about blowing up the country he talked to you fondly about. And he does it and suddenly he has a sword and he’s asking you to kill him, and you don’t know how it came to this point. You don’t know what happened to him, you don’t know what’s happening right know, and you don’t know what to do. You don’t know. How horrifying is that? Not knowing how to help the one person you cared so much for?
Then he dies. Then you kill him. Then he doesn’t come back as you thought he might have. Then he has a ghost so similar to him but not him and you are kind to him but it’s not him. You don’t know how to grieve. So instead, you build. It doesn’t help with the grief. That’s not how grief works. You’d be a fool to think you could ever stop grieving. You keep building.
It’s just. Ghhhh... It makes me sad man.
So yeah, I love c!Phil. This answer does not do justice to his character, I know it’s all over the place, but there’s just so much that could be talked about!
Still, I’m drained soo… Thank you for asking! <3
(Also song I think fits him: Thus Always To Tyrants by The Oh Hellos. Will I ever do an animatic to it like I said I want to? *sighs*)