Schlatt got a grave and Wilbur didn't
Even when he made everyone's lives worse, Schlatt had the privilege of getting a grave to his image. Ghostbur never attended Schlatt's funeral, he never knew that Schlatt's bones were robbed either way, that his heart was eaten and that people shat on him. That means that as far as Wilbur knows, Schlatt got an actual grave, a memorial, a funeral service, whereas he never did.
This hits harder when you remember how Ghostbur specifically saw himself not getting a gravestone as him not being good enough to deserve one (, because in his eyes, Alivebur was just that much of a bad person and shitty leader (and we all know that Wilbur ties his worth as a person to what he can provide for people).
“You’re the best president L’Manburg’s ever had” (Ghostbur)
“Really? You think so? I’m-” (Tubbo)
“Oh, for sure! For sure!” (Ghostbur)
“Are you sure you were not better the first term? Before I… came in” (Tubbo)
“Look Tubbo, I- I don’t know what I did, but it was enough that I don’t even deserve a-” (Ghostbut)
“Do you not even remember the first term, Wilbur? Your second term was where it kinda backed” (Tubbo)
“I remember- I remember my- I remember my- my first term, but I’m just saying- (coughs)” (Ghostbur)
“But you brought freedom to the nation” (Tubbo)
“I- I had a second term?” (Ghostbur)
“Oh…oh, yeah… I guess you don’t remember the second term” (Tubbo)
“(coughs) Tubbo, I- I-“ (Ghostbur)
“Wilbur, Wilbur, do you need some blue? Do you need some blue, Wilbur?” (Tubbo)
“No, it’s cool, I’ve got loads of blue. I say- I’m just saying Tubbo, look… At the end of the day, it’s- I… I don’t- I feel like I was a good president, but I-I wa- Tubbo, I wasn’t… I-I wasn’t good enough to deserve a gravestone… A-and everyone hated me” (Ghostbur)
-(Tubbo’s The Next Steps: 30:14, 7th Dec)
When revived, when Wilbur asked, he was told that the exploded L'manburg was his grave, which clearly didn't sit right with him, but he covered it up by saying it was cool (and lying about never wanting a grave anyway while letting the self-hatred slip out a bit).
“I know this may be a bit ominous, Tommy, and I’m sorry if it’s a little bit morbid, could- Look, I’m just saying, Tommy, could I, could I see my grave? Tommy, could I see my grave?” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 10:10, 5th May)
“Look, I know it’s a bit macabre, but I, I, I would like to see. You know, I wanna see- I wanna see what- You know there’s that kinda morbid fascination of what would people say about you when you’re dead, you know? You ever heard that?” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 10:33, 5th May)
“That’s fucking sick, that’s so sick, man. You’re saying my grave is the city? They made the city my grave that’s badass, dude. … You just said it was this. … Well, I mean, yeah, I didn’t want a grave. I was hoping I’d go there and it was just be full of requiems and obituaries of horrible I was, and how much I was hated.” - (Wilbur’s resurrected gentleman of L'manburg: 10:51, 5th May)
He only let it slip that he was sad about not getting a proper gravestone when Tubbo told him about how they rebuilt, and he mentioned that he didn't like the idea of the exploded L'manburg being left to be as his gravestone, but he felt so happy about people choosing to continue his legacy and deeming L'manburg worth another chance, worth rebuilding and worth mourning. If L'manburg was worth another chance, and with how hard he ties the mere idea of L'manburg to himself, then maybe he's worth another chance.
“Sorry, that’s kinda… hit me. Not, not the blowing up part, I mean, I’ve done that. You know, I’m not, I’m not shaken up about that. The thing I’m shaken up about, man, is that, you rebuilt this. After I’d gone.” - (Wilbur’s A Year Later: 18:48, 3rd Aug)
“Fuck a grave. I was so pressed about not having a grave. Screw a grave. I built something that you… that you love, that you wanted to preserve, that’s- Tubbo, that’s worth more to me than a grave, that’s worth more to me than this shrine, that’s worth more-” - (Wilbur’s A Year Later: 19:09, 3rd Aug)
“Tubbo, this is probably the best gift I’ve ever been given. Just this knowledge, that you actually cared enough to rebuild this community after it fell.” - (Wilbur’s A Year Later: 19:26, 3rd Aug)
And I NEED to see, with all of that in mind, how hard it'll hit him to know that people rebuilt, deemed it worth it, continued his legacy, deemed the special place they once had worth the effort to keep around, worth it enough to continue even if it'd never be the same old L'manburg because they could still make it a home, only for his own father to be the one to destroy it for good while using him as an excuse for it. Using him as a mere scapegoat while destroying his legacy in all senses of the word, taking the hope that kept L'manburg alive and crushing it like nobody else could before, destroying the historical records Wilbur cared so much for, and dismissing his ghost's agency and hurt.
.
.
I have brainrot about c!Wilbur not getting a proper grave.
About how it seems that canonically they just left his body in the button room which they sealed back up, and how in one instance Ghostbur saw the room when a creeper opened it, where you could say that he probably saw his body there.
And about how it probably was completely decimated with doomsday, which would make Phil saying that it was justice for Wilbur even more ironic, as he not only destroyed his legacy, his history, his loved ones, his comforts, mistreated his ghost, but he also probably finished destroying whatever was physically left of Wilbur right there.
