// suicide

Why c!Wilbur's death was an assisted suicide and not a murder, why c!Philza shouldn't be blamed for it and why he isn't "avoiding responsibility" and HAS faced consequences.

(a thread)

/dsmp /rp

Philza killing Wilbur is often used against him to prove that he was a bad father/person, but I think to fully understand the complexity of the situation in the button room, one needs to immerse themselves in Philza's perspective.

You haven't seen your son in a while, but you keep in touch through letters. He seems to be doing fine - he's got a son and is building a nation with his friends. He seems happy.

One day, the letters stop coming, and you don't know why.

Your son is 32 years old, you know he can care for himself, but you seek him out anyway, just to make sure. He is a leader of a whole country, after all. Something could've gone wrong.

You find his server, you hack in and discover that your son is a changed man.

The man who has only recently been telling you about how much fun he's been having in this new country of his is now trying to blow it up. You barely recognize him.

You try to talk him out of it, but it's in vain. He presses the button, blowing up the thing he cared so much for.

You rush forward, sacrificing your treasured wings to protect him from the explosion. You don't know what's going on but you don't want him to DIE.

As you watch the destruction your son has wrought on his own people, a sword is shoved into your hand.

"Kill me," he tells you. "Look, they all want you to." You are a stranger here, and so you have no reason to doubt him when he says that everyone wants him dead. Might as well let him fall by your own hand before anyone else gets the chance.

As far as Phil knew, Wilbur would've been killed by someone else if they tried to run, or done it himself.

Philza killing Wilbur WAS NOT A CALCULATED DECISION. It was spur-of-the-moment, prompted by pressure from Wilbur himself, the crowd before them and general circumstances.

Philza WAS NOT QUALIFIED to deal with that situation. His judgement was as muddled as Wilbur's. https://respawn-anchor.tumblr.com/post/644107575212867584/wilburs-death-at-the-hands-of-philza-from-the

It is important to understand that Wilbur went to November 16 LOOKING TO DIE. Had Philza not been there to protect him with his wings, he would've been dead even without the help of a diamond sword. https://twitter.com/fieldofgrief/status/1366456949974441986?s=20

Then there's also this aspect. Philza could've simply not known that if he killed his son, it would be forever. https://twitter.com/elytrianphiIza/status/1381584296020824064?s=20

What else could Phil have done?

"He could have gotten him therapy". There is no therapy on the Dream SMP (Puffy wasn't there yet and if she was she would've probably driven Wilbur off the deep end quicker).

"He could have just walked away". And let someone else kill his son?

"He could have hugged him and let him cry it out" I don't know how to tell you this, pal, but the story takes place in MINECRAFT. Not to mention that you can't just chase away suicidal ideation with a hug.

Saying that Philza avoids responsibility/has had no consequences is simply false.

His consequences for killing his son is the grief and guilt he's been carrying since he has done it. He is suffering and expresses that fact very clearly both in actions and dialogue.

Philza isn't pushing the blame of killing Wilbur onto 'government'

When Philza shouted "Since I was forced to kill my own son", he didn't just mean "government forced me to", he meant "being head of government corrupted my son to such an extent that he decided to kill himself."

Philza blames government for his son's descend into madness, not for forcing his hand in killing him.

And he has been facing responsibility for killing Wilbur by looking for ways of resurrecting him, seeking ancient knowledge and going out for totems.

If your only argument against c!Philza is "killed son" and you don't take the complexities of that situation into account, I have to assume you are simply incapable of nuanced thinking. But maybe this thread can make some people reconsider.

Just the unfortunate fact of Philza killing his son due to being caught up in complex circumstances isn't enough to consider him a bad parent/person.

(end of thread)