#elytrian Philza

[imaginethat0327]

So I’ve been feeling pretty burnt out recently but also still wanting to do creative stuff, just not the stuff that I actually need to work on, lol. And so here’s a Philza Minecraft because I wanted to draw somebody I don’t normally draw!

in my headcanons, elytrians like Philza here have freaking huge wings because they need to catch the super light and thin End air. Then, in the Overworld where the air is thicker, they are SUPERB flyers. Can practically launch themselves into the air with just one flap! 😃 -Imagine

[elementic-symphony]

[fabshroom]

Day 1: Bruises/Scars (+ Amputation)

A bird without wings

SBI whumptober day 1 (combined with Amputation)

Excited for what’s to come this month!

Prompts can be found here: whumptober prompts

Achievement tracker: 1/9 (if the optional prompt counts towards Combo Attack)

[erissdoesart]

God fight started on the 3m server! I'm gonna take it chill but for now, enjoy a bit more art :D

A newly presented avian in a normal household- well that won't do! Thankfully totally not bloodthirsty elytrian dad comes to the rescue :D (He may be using some instincts to keep sonboi quiet-)

[avephelis]

origins dnd au for @tea-with-veth (details under cut)

here's my gift for @mcytblraufest!! settled on a fantasy/dnd au to work in found family (and also because i noticed you like critical role). there's a bit of a hug, as requested, and context is ranboo's being brought in as a new party member.

some brief character descriptions (which can be taken with a grain of salt, especially regarding alignment):

Philza: Aarakocra Cleric (based on a golden eagle, death domain). serves Kristin (minor goddess of death). allowed to kill and maim a little, as a treat. lawful evil.

Technoblade: Harengon Barbarian (path of the beast). Chat gifted him the ability to adopt boar characteristics when he rages. easily bribed with carrots. chaotic neutral.

Tubbo: Fairy Artificer (insectile legs. artillerist). makes probably too many explosions. not to be trusted alone near mountains. chaotic neutral.

Ranboo: Aasimar Wizard (school of conjuration). idolisation from his community made him a bit of a prick with a superiority complex. kicked out of school. true neutral.

Tommy: Kenku Rogue (based on a caramel crow. scout). uses mimicry solely for comedic potential. admires rangers and their connection to animals. chaotic good.

Jack Manifold: Fire Genasi Bard (college of satire). runs, bartends, and performs for the Pube all at once. generally nice, but fuck around with his property and you WILL find out. neutral good.

[mellorphic]

Tbh the og origins smp meant so much to me with Niki’s lagoon and the original Pube that Jack and Tommy lived in together, and I’ll forever prefer Shulk Tubbo over Bee Tubbo honestly

[argo-bolo]

sometimes i remember that crowfather philza is a phoenix and i have to live with that...

gotta refrain from ☝️🤓

[wendy130]

// scuffed emerald duo bc it’s the only duo ever <3

[aeldariofmanyfandoms]

o!Philza is the main character of the OSMP and nobody can change my mind

[calmthefuckdownalright]

Phantombur's Fall

You all remember A Fall From Grace? Specifically the part where I vaguely said that Phantombur finally told the reader as to why his wings no longer worked/existed? Well here's what he told her...

Tw: Gore

Pairing (its at the end): Phantombur x Angel!Reader

(Continuation of A Fall From Grace sort of)

°~•°~•°~•°~•°~•~°~•

From the very beginning there were two brothers and their father. A man by the name of Philza Watson, later known as the Crowfather or Lord Elytrian. His wife, the Goddess of Death, blessed him with two sons over the course of their physical marriage before she was called back to the heavens where only gifts could be traded between the two.

The oldest son, Wilbur, was a lanky boy in his youth with wings the color of freshly tilled soil that got darker to the point of sable and black at the tips of each feather. His wings combatted the majesty of his father's and triumphed in lengthy as time wore on.

His younger brother was a fair haired squealer of a child with lumpy wings that never seemed to be able to stretch out without contracting even smaller. There were complications with his egg concerning that the Goddess of Death had contracted a humane illness that would've killed a mortal while manifesting it. The Red Death. A new disease that colored the victim's veins a dark putrid red and spotted up like chicken pocks. It was quick to come and go through ones body but was fatal in every diagnosis.

Tommy, as the boy would later be named, was affected by this even as his mother was well from it by the time his egg was laid. His wings and feathers were spotted and colored crimson over the white they would've been. Over the years they folded over and Tommy never found out the truth as to why he could hardly even glide without an ache in his deformed wings.

The two boys, Wilbur and Tommy...Tommy and Wilbur, were inseparable. From the very moment Tommy hatched Wilbur was his brother. When Philza told him it was likely Tommy would never truly fly, Wilbur was his brother and taught him all the proper techniques as to soar.

Tommy loved Wilbur and Wilbur loved Tommy. A brotherhood as close, if not far closer, than any other. Then a blessing from their mother came. A strange hybrid of a boy. He was pink-haired and pig-like in features with tusks and blank eyes that held an intelligence no animal could, but he was quick and strong legged like a rabbit. This boy's name was Technoblade and Wilbur too became his brother.

The Three fought and agreed with each other throughout their whole lives. Throughout their father's Lordship and title of the Elytrian. Wilbur was declared an Elytrian himself on his eighteenth birthday and Tommy something called an Avian once he reached ten. Technoblade stayed Technoblade though a doctor said he had the resemblance of a Rabbit more than his piglin stature.

The Elytrian Lordship was passed to Wilbur when he turned 21 and Philza became a being known as the Crowfather and husband of the Goddess of Death.

To put it lightly, Wilbur was not the best Lord of his people. He was tough in his decisions and cracked under immense pressure in his young age. He had a courtship with a nymph and produced a fox daughter, but that daughter turned to a fox son and that nymph did not become his wife, but rather fled leaving the young Lord and now Father to find his way himself.

Fundy did not stay in the narrative long as the son of the Elytrian Lord went on his own adventures, accompanying a Merling that Lord Wilbur had befriended in his youth named Niki. Wilbur was losing his family bit by bit. His father took his brother Technoblade off to lands needing their battle experience and Tommy was busy hanging out enjoying his boyhood with two beings by the name of Ranboo and Tubbo. A bee hybrid and an Enderian whom Wilbur did not completely trust just yet.

Nonetheless Wilbur was eventually alone in his estate. The only things filling his halls were the wings on his back and the crows that fluttered too and fro tidying the place or exploring if they were new. Insanity crept in. Loneliness grabbed at his mind.

And Wilbur lost his way.

One night under the glow of a candle Wilbur sent out letters. Letters to his family saying he planned to destroy his life and the lineage they all had built. That this was his final goodbye. His last chord to the song of existence.

Then that morning he flew put over his small plot of responsibility and rained Hell down on it. With fiery arrow striking piles of haybales and setting ablaze the villages, Wilbur relished in the destruction. He loved it. His charm had won the trust of these people yet none of them deigned to think even their charismatic Lord was lonely in that large empty estate.

It didn't make sense... Any of it. Why had he been left behind? Because he was the eldest? Because perhaps his father had hated him for not living up to the world of expectations that were never presented? Maybe it was because Wilbur was the only normal one. He wasn't special. The only thing he had had was Sally and his son to define him and they had left him as well. The title 'Elytrian' meant nothing to him. Anyone could have wings if they wanted. Just because he was born with them did not make him special.

His brothers were special. Technoblade was a war genius and Tommy a smile in the rainiest storms. Wilbur was the brooding young Lord in the estate by the cliff. Son of the Goddess of Death and her mortal husband. That was all he had but even that was shared with Tommy and Technoblade.

So as the fires climbed and the people of his reach recognized him as their destroyer Wilbur smiled. Laughed. Found joy as swords were drawn against him. As arrows pierced his wings and shot him down. Laughed as the people he'd led through drought and disease cornered him on that cliff and tore away the one thing he DID have that was uniquely his.

Wilbur died in joy that he'd destroyed everything his family had ever loved...and he was cursed for it.

~~~

After receiving Wilbur's letters the whole Elytrian family and their friends they'd found on the way rushed to the village of their origin. When they arrived they were too late. Everything was burnt to a crisp and the estate Philza had built with his own hands was destroyed. Torn down and blown up.

Tommy's room was vandalized and the armor that had been specially crafted for when he finally grew into his wings was desicated.

Technoblade's carrot experiments, although long abandoned, were shattered and burned to ash. Not even a speck of orange or scribble left to prove anything of his curiosity and discovery.

Then there was Wilbur's room...and his throne.

Wings. Wings of the darkest browns bloodied and pierced by arrows still stuck in the thick feathers. A sickening laughter choked the air around the three living as the one dead cackled in the darkness a sobbing sound.

He was there, Wilbur. He was with his wings pinned to his throne. A reminder of the monster that once sat upon the ruined chair.

"I still remember their words." Phantombur said quietly with his head resting on your lap.

"Wilbur?" Technoblade was awestruck at the sight of his brother. A pale corpse of what he'd been last they saw each other.

"Wilbur what the Hell happened?!" Philza rushed to his son's side but stopped several paces away at getting a closer look at his boy turned man turned phantom.

"I was so....alone." Wilbur sobbed. The dire of his actions fully wrapped around his mind now. "They didn't care. No one cared." He cried and grabbed at his wings, his beautiful wings, but his hand phased through it.

Wilbur's skin was a pale grayish blue with darker colored circles under his eyes which now glowed an ethereal green. His hair was turned a dark navy with glances of white edging the roots and giving the look of transparency as all of his body now was. Etchings of skeletal bone traced his arms and the tattered remains of his clothes. A once regal suit turned to a demolished scrap of fabric.

"Wilbur your wings." Tommy was crying though trying to make it seem like he wasn't.

"Oh my God." Technoblade echoed and choked on his words. The back of the newly presented Phantombur was in shambles. Only the very start of his wings still hung on before tearing off into membranal shards. Feathers dis not decorate the skin but rather they were like a bats. Skin stretched over bone and punctures stabbing through the skin.

"I don't know what went so wrong...I was just so sad." Wilbur crumbled as his hand yet again went through the tufts of feathers on his physical wings. Phil tried to embrace him but he fell through his son. A chill wrapped around his body as he kneeled by him instead. It would take years for Wilbur to gain a physical enough form to be able to touch things again.

"Wilbur we're so sorry." Tommy sniffed and reached for his brother before registering the fault in the action.

"It's so cold..." Wilbur shivered and looked at his hands as the appearance of them started to disappear. He was fading away from his family. When the darkness reached for his eyes Wilbur darted forward to only be met with fresh grass and an empty forest at sunrise.

There was a book in front of him.

"Welcome to Origins SMP. Your life on Earth has ended and you have been chosen to join an elaborate group of hybrids." The first page read.

"Under certain circumstances considering your death in the world you were assigned your Origin early due to your decisions and therefore might have found out a few quirks to your new form. Despite this possibility, you will still be given a thorough description of your Origin as to help better yourself through this new world."

💀Phantom💀

Translucent- Your skin is slightly transparent and others may see objects through you

Phantom Form- If you can sprint you can switch your form between invisible and your regular translucent self

Phasing- While in Phantom Form you may walk through walls and other objects such as trees

Photoallergic- Watch out for the sun because you will burst into flames

Fast Metabolism- Since you are indeed dead, your body does not require much food to function but when it does it processes it extremely fast so keep a good supply handy

Fragile- Without the ability to develop immunity or callous' your body does not heal very quickly which results in a fragile state of being. You'll die much faster than most your fellow Origins.

"Welcome to the world! Remember to keep your wits about you and fly high King!"

"That was all the book told me. Nothing of where I was or if any of my family had been chosen to this world as well. I later learned they had, but it was still so lonely. I started to go insane again once, but then I found Philza. I could touch again and it saved me to see my family. Technoblade didn't join us till much later. According to Phil, my people hunted down the Elytrian line till all of us were dead. Then they went to find the other superhuman entities. Fundy, Niki, Ranboo, Tubbo...they all died because of me." Wilbur carried on.

"But now were all here without any of those threats. You probably died in your past because of me as well and I'll be honest I couldn't be happier about it if it means I get to stay here with you forever." Your Phantom husband chuckled. You realized the pain it must've caused him to have those wings of legend removed from him. How excruciating it must've been to be alone for so long in a position where you didn't hardly know what was happening. It was easy forgive him, even if it meant your past life and past potential was gone because of him. It was easy because you loved him and he loved you.

°~•°~•~°•~°~•°~•~°~•

That ending was a bit rough but I think it worked. Happy Spooky Season btw you guys. I meant to say it yesterday but I got really caught up in some work stuff.

Love you all 💙💙

[imaginethat0327]

Wings, wings, WINGs!!! I’m actually really happy with these! I’ve decided to post the wings of the block men (which is to say, the avians - and one Elytrian - of my discovered minecraft youtuber personas.) So up top we have Philza, the Elytrian, who’s wings are based on a crow. This was my first time doing iridescence and I’m SO proud of how it came out! Then below is Grian, who is based on a scarlet macaw, and the bottom is Jimmy’s lovely golden canary wings. P2 to come soon! 

-ImagineThat 🦜

[origins-updates]

Origins SMP members and their powers from the subreddit!

Slime: Slimecicle

Feline: James Marriott

Bunny: Technoblade (never dies!)

Arachnid: Fragrance Man (Schlatt)

Enderian: Aimsey & Ranboo

Merling: Nihachu

Shulk: Ash Kabosu

Fox: Fundy & Billzo

Elytrian: Philza

Blazeborn: Jack Manifold

Avian: TommyInnit, Badlinu, Beautie_

Starborne: Smajor & CaptainSparklez

Bee: Tubbo

Inchling: Sneegsnag

Phantom: Wilbur Soot & Shubble

Chameleon: Bekyamon

Human: TheFinalSusan & Ninja

Whitelisted but have not joined: GeorgeNotFound, Ted Nivison, Quackity

[mcytblrconfessions]

One thing I'm always going to be angry at is how everyone automatically assumes "Being good at elytra = bird" or whatever. Like NO!!! AN ELYTRA IS A PART OF BEETLE WINGS IF ANYTHING PPL SHOULD BE MAKING LIKE PHILZA AND GRAIN CHARACTERS BUGS!! I just need more bug hybrid characters but nooo elytrian on the osmp automatically = bird and phantom = dead bird instead of much cooler concepts. I think we should in fact ban any further avian hybrids so ppl can do cooler winged character designs.

[anarchy-and-piglins]

Would you care for a spare AU on this fine day?

Think about it: Moon Bunnyblade

Bunnies live on the moon in their very nice Bunny Kingdom. But even in the very nice Bunny Kingdom, there are still lost and forgotten children. Children on the streets with no one to take care of them. Seen as nuisances and not worth anyone's time. Pests.

Technoblade is not a pest. He is a very smart bunny.

I mean, how many six year olds know how to sneak to earth?

Earth is a bit scary because there are these terrifying tall swaying things (trees) and tons of these really weird colorful things (flowers). But he is a brave bunny and he persevered.

He runs into a 6 year old Wilbur and is in absolute awe of the wings on the kid's back. Wilbur, in turn, is fascinated by Techno's soft looking ears.

They click immediately.

Techno sneaks off the moon more and more, bringing sweet treats he stole to share with his first and only friend. Wilbur enjoys talking to Techno and singing him pretty songs. Best buds.

Wilbur introduces Techno to Philza and THAT is a little scarier. Philza has very sharp claws. He is very tall. And, unlike Wilbur, he can actually fly.

He also has a very shiny hat. Gold and emeralds.

Philza welcomes Technoblade into his very big house and Technoblade is happy to play with Wilbur in the massive halls. Philza is kind enough to provide a wide range of vegetarian options so Techno doesn't have to eat the stinky meat.

Philza is very curious about the Moon Bunnies legendary potions, but Techno doesn't know much about them. He's a street kid. He can't read.

Philza teaches him to read and Wilbur begins to have sooooooo much trouble dragging his friend out of the library. He tries his best to convince his Dad to un-literate his new friend.

As nice as Earth is, though, Techno still always returns to the moon. It's his home, though it begins to feel less and less that way.

He spots an old book in a trash can.

It's not particularly rare or out of the ordinary. There were tons of books on potions on the Moon. He had never gotten to have one, but he saw them all the time.

He immediately takes the dingy book with him back to earth to give to Phil. Phil is over the moon (pun intended)

The Moon Kingdom is NOT happy about this.

Little street rat running around on the earth? Who cares!

Little street rat sharing kingdom secrets to their enemies, The Elytrians? Big Problem.

The soldiers chase Techno down, intent to bring him into custody. But his is six (maybe seven, now) and he is afraid. So he runs, as fast as he can, to the one place that feels safe.

He ends up really REALLY injured and collapses in the woods outside of whatever city the Elytrians live in.

Wilbur was expecting his friend to come that day and goes out to look for him, only to find him in a puddle of blood unconscious and FREAKS OUT. He runs to get his dad, but he is so upset that it takes Philza a while to figure out what happened. When Philza does figure it out, he goes out and carefully picks up the little bunny and brings him back to be helped.

Its a good thing Techno gave him that potion book otherwise Techno would be dead. As it is, he loses a foot, but he will live.

The Bunny Kingdom sends a diplomat and demands that Philza overturns the criminal and the book.

Philza refuses both and the Bunny Kingdom says that it will be seen as a declaration of war.

Philza says bring it.

Aaaaaand that's all I got! Philza probably crushes the bunnies and keeps his new fluffy son. Honestly, he is really soft and fluffy. Very cuddle-able. He's probably going to insist on carrying him everywhere, he is so incredibly soft.

A mean kick, though. Best to stay on the footless side when you demand he eats broccoli.

Sometimes you send me banger asks like this and I keep them hostage in my inbox for over a month (this one is from December 2023) and I feel bad but I do this because I wanna reread them over and over and over again. I love this one in particular, this is just so HNNNN

[solaneceae]

blind devotion

a team bolas oneshot. codebreakers-centric (philza and étoiles) (read on ao3) found family, ambiguous relationships, fluff @apthotiosis tagging u because codebreakers heehee

“They’re not crow wings,” Jaiden remarks, tracing the sharp edges of the long feathers meant to catch on updrafts. “They’re too big. And you got extra bones and joints going on.” Phil hums, a hesitant eeeeeh with a twist of his hand. “There’s some crow in there. But most of it is actually—”

“Elytra!” Baghera quacks, awe lacing her voice as she croons over the white diamonds that appear beneath the grime and dust she’s cleaning out. “You’re part Elytrian, Philza?”

“Not exactly,” he laughs, pointing at the very human features on the rest of his body. “I’m not actually a hybrid. Not like Jaiden, or even like you. Those wings were a gift.”

Étoiles perks up. “From Kristin, yes?” he nails down, perceptive as ever. The rest of the flock oooohs, a little chorus of yes, of course, makes sense. “I like your wife, Phil,” the duck smiles, brushing out a crooked feather. She remembers the Goddess’s voice, soft and warm as late spring’s sunlight, pouring out of Phil’s mouth as she borrowed his body to greet them. “She’s so nice.”

“She’s awesome,” Étoiles nods, unseeing eyes reflecting invisible stars. He cannot see anymore, he’s told them, but he still fights like he can, somehow. “I see her, sometimes, when I don’t have enough sugar and I almost die. She tells me to take better care of myself, but I’m dumb and shit so it keeps happening.”

“T’es con,” Baghera chastises him, slapping the back of his head, and Philza snorts at their antics. He’s so glad Étoiles joined them, the memory of his expectant frame almost vibrating out of itself when the old crow-not-quite-a-crow approached him at Global, just the day before. The words had barely left his mouth and the warrior had dropped to his knees before him, like a worshipper before his deity made man. I am your arm, your sword, Étoiles had said to him once, long ago. Felt like long ago. Just tell me where to hit.

A wave of fond-flock-yesyes, the Angel of Death pulls Étoiles forward to shelter him within his wings. “Aaah, Philza, Phil,” Étoiles laughs as his friend pecks at his hair, crooning incessantly. “The goat, oh, he’s moving so good! So good aim!”

“No mames.”

“No maaaaames man.”

“Shut up dude,” Phil wheezes, a huge smile on his face as he runs his talons through the frenchman’s tangled, white-faded locks. Yesyes. “I’m having a moment.”

“Oh? He has a moment, okay. I fuck myself, I don’t move, I get it.”

“Oh my god, stop.”

“I want to see you fly,” Étoiles says, quieter. Almost a whisper, that has everyone tilt their head in focus. “I didn’t see you fly, that’s bullshit. It must be beautiful, to see.”

Phil flashes him a wry grin. “Maybe. They’re pretty fragile, still. I don’t want to fuck them up all over again. Pretty sure the Feds will just clip them once we get back anyway, so.”

“Fuck them!” Baghera screeches indignantly. “Not letting that happen. I kill them first.”

“It’s fine. Just gotta enjoy ‘em while I got ‘em.”

Étoiles pouts at that, mumbles something in rapid-fire French that sounds rude. Phil hums and cups his face with a low trill, talons rapping on the space between his skull and neck, feather-soft. His friend blinks, cloudy silver. “What do I look like to you?” Phil asks, feathers ruffling as he spreads his wings wide, his fellow avians shifting to avoid being smacked by them.

Étoiles smiles, all teeth and greenish gums. “Like home,” he says, and it’s such a silly yet earnest answer that Phil could kiss him into silence. Mine, his hindbrain thrums, fierce possessiveness curling around his heart, and Étoiles laughs, that airy, high-pitched wheeze of his, because he’s making bird noises again. “And he says, he says he’s no hybrid, this man?” he mocks, tackling Philza to the cold floor of their cave to wrestle him into submission. “He’s a liar! Lies! You know who you are, Felipe Minecraft! Embrace it!”

“I am- fuck, get off,” Philza growls, play? play? Swoops Étoiles’ legs from under him to pin him down and they’re both laughing, batting at each other’s faces, talons carefully curled inward to not slice at dark green skin. Baghera and Jaiden cheer them on from the sidelines, loose feathers flying here and there, a viney tail wrapping itself around his leg as they roll and swipe and snap their teeth at each other’s necks, play, play! 

Étoiles loses at some point, freezes when sharp claws brush against his jugular. “Oh, he’s too good,” he smiles, tired and fond. “He’s good, and I’m shit. GGs.”

“Don’t say that,” Phil rolls his eyes, but doesn’t draw away. Étoiles’ eyes are squinted in twin crescent moons, and he doesn’t know if he wants to pluck them out to wear like jewellery or forget himself in them. “You. Are the best,” he chirps, pressing his forehead against the other man’s, flock, mine. hello. “I chose you. And I only choose the best for my family.”

“That’s us,” Baghera gasps — she and Jaiden have taken to preening each other instead, her bill ruffling through dark blue and green to dislodge specks of dried blood and sand out of her flockmate’s wings. “Bolas family, yes!”

“You picked Roier first,” the warrior whines, hands pawing at Phil’s chest, not quite pushing him away. “You like him better, no? He’s better, stronger. I don’t blame you.”

“Cellbit wanted him. I wanted to make him happy.”

“Oh, he is,” Jaiden huffs. “They’ve been snogging in the nest all evening. It’s cute and all, but I can only take so much kissing noises until I gotta vomit.”

“Hater!” her sister teases, bonking her bill against her cheek. “You’re just a little hater, let them be gay and happy.”

“They can be gay and happy and not slobber over each other.”

“I kinda like it,” Slime pipes up from his hole in the ground. Jaiden quirks an eyebrow at him. “...You need to get over Cellbit, dude.”

“Whaaaaat? You’re talkin’ nonsense. Put your mask back on, the fumes got to you.”

“Don’t you have Mariana anyway?”

“I don’t see your point.”

“Roier is Roier,” Phil cuts them off, catching Étoiles’ wrists to push them down against the stone. Mine. “You’re you. Cellbit wanted him, I wanted you. Simple.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh.” A croon, their noses brush together. Jaiden makes a gagging sound, which makes Baghera cackle. What am I doing? “Phil?” He blinks. His friend is looking up at him, eyes crinkled up in amusement, fang poking out from beneath his upper lip. “I’m already yours. You don’t need to go all birdbrain on me.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah. Don’t be sorry, be the GOAT that you are.” Étoiles pushes himself up, and Philza lets him. He tilts his head to the side, like he always does whenever he’s mapping out his surroundings. “Phil, Phil,” he nudges at the crow’s shoulder, vine-tail thumping against the ground in renewed vigot. “PvP check, yes? Sticks?”

“Bruh.”

“Come oooon.”

“We’re actually ahead today, let’s not die and mess it up.”

“Rhoooooo…”

[lookinghalfacorpse]

/dsmp /rp tw for mentions of violence, death, war, medical details

the various skills of philza minecraft and where he learned them.  a collection of the half-lost memories of an immortal.

basic medical procedures.  he was around 350 years old when he stumbled to the doorstep of a village doctor.  a polite, patient woman who wore shawls and long dresses.  she wrapped his wounds, gave him tea, and they hit off well enough that philza spent the next 5 years with her.  he watched her operate on soldiers, on children, on mothers and fathers.  he learned how to amputate a limb after a pre-teen boy crushed his hand during a cave exploration, and while he lay half-conscious and drunk on pain pills, his remaining hand grasped philza’s sleeve.  “how do you keep from falling in love?” he asks the doctor.  “i don’t,” she replies, “i just let it happen.”

(her home is targeted by a clever army.  if you take down the doctor, you eliminate the chance of recovery.  philza uses what he learned to try to save her-- tourniquets, cpr-- but it isn’t enough.)

herbal mixes.  he spent around 80 years with a commune deep in the mountains-- a collection of folks who needed a home and found it within one another.  they built beautiful structures and gardens where they grew herbs to mix into teas and pipes.  he outlives all of them and their children.

carpentry.  his foggiest, most distant memories take place on a farm.  he’s a clumsy young boy following his father around, holding candles for him while he worked, learning about different woodworking terms.  years and years have passed, and he can no longer remember his father’s face or name, but he’s kept many of the lessons.

flying.  everyone has to start somewhere.  phil trained with an old elytrian-- a man who has taught many, many children over his years.  when phil first approached, the man thought he was another hunter seeking to slice his wings from his back and sell them, as humans often did, but philza showed him how his wings were attached to his back and explained that they were a gift from death herself.  the elytrian’s training methods were harsh.  birds drop their children from the nest to teach them, and similarly, philza found himself tossed into the void with no option but to save himself.  his lack of other bird-like features made things interesting.  With no tail to steer or talons to grasp a perch, the old mentor had to adjust his ways when he worked with phil.  they stayed together for 20 years before the elytrian left him, as he did with all his children before.

handling panic attacks.  after a village is burned to the ground, the survivors ran away together and tried to restart.  philza joined them for a while.  many of the villagers break down into tears and tremors, barely breathing between sobs, and phil watches a young mother help them.  she coos, she traces fingertips along their skin, she whispers compliments and affirmations and confident declarations that they’ll be safe.  an earthquake destroys their efforts, and as a little boy suffocates under the ruins of his new home, philza talks to him.  coos.  traces fingertips along his skin.  whispers to him, with confidence, that he will be okay.

playing guitar.  he travels, briefly, with a warden hybrid.  being born in darkness and sculk, the hybrid has an easier time navigating cave systems than the airborne philza, so phil elects his help when he makes a journey underground.  the man is blind, and he uses music as a way to pass the time.  phil can only play basic chords, but it’s enough to help him teach his son later on.  philza doesn’t realize the man has died until he visits his home many years later to ask for his aide again, only to find the structure long abandoned.

braiding hair.  a talkative young woman at a market stall offered to teach him, insistent that he’d look lovely if he tied his long hair back.  he only wanted to buy some wool off of her, but he left with a new skill, a blush on his face from all the compliments she gave, and a discount on the wool.

(he tells kristin later, and she laughs and laughs and laughs)

leatherworking.  he pays a woman very handsomely to teach him.  she has strong, muscular arms and eyes that tear through him, and she isn’t patient with his mistakes.  her voice, heavily accented and deep, is frightening when she raises it, but philza enjoys her company regardless.  he’s been spending many years alone, and her commanding presence is a stark contrast to the silence he’s been enduring.  he likes finding ways to make her laugh.  when he returns later, hoping to ask her about a saddle he’s struggling with, he finds the shop flooded and destroyed, no owner in sight.

there’s a nerve in the spine that, if sliced, can turn the strongest of men into drooling vegetables.  philza cut it once, reducing a bloodthirsty warlord to a mindless lump of flesh within a heartbeat.  phil doesn’t talk about it, but he was 22 years old at the time, and although thousands of years have passed he still remembers the emptiness in that warlord’s eyes.  he scared himself.  he felt more aware of the consequences of brutality, of the frailty of the human body, of what vengeance can lead to.

(who could ever deserve this?  for all that he’s done, is this justice?)

archery.  escaping the violence (and the demands for his head), philza spends some time in the nether.  befriending the piglins comes easily, and they don’t really care about his past.  they do, however, care very much about how small he is.  his bones snap easily, a shove from one of their shields can toss him across a field.  they insist that he learns more long-distance techniques, and he undertakes archery.  he masters it, and he lies in wait until the overworld forgets him.

horseback riding.  he learned this from technoblade.  having lost his ability to fly, he needed new ways to travel quickly, and horses were a good option.  sitting atop a horse felt like a defeat, like a loss, like a demotion from the angel of death that he’s been for centuries, but techno taught him with a smile.

playing patty-cake.  he’s walking through a distant village when a boy, no older than 5 years old, takes a fistful of phil’s feathers.  the child is wandering alone, and when phil asks him where his parents are, he answers with questions of his own.  why do you have wings, mister?  why are you wearing a hat?  phil takes him by the hand and leads him to the side of the road, away from the horses and travelers.  the boy doesn’t seem frightened, which could be a good sign, and phil sticks around in hopes that his parents will show.  he pretends not to know how to play patty-cake as the boy teaches him.  he messes it up in exaggerated, humorous ways (smacking himself in the face, using a foot instead of a hand) to make him laugh.  when his mother returns to retrieve him, her face a deep red, he tells her that she has a most lovely son.

(philza would say that patty-cake is one of his most important skills.  and blowing raspberries on a baby’s stomach, and planting rapid-fire kisses on a toddler’s cheek until she squeals and blushes.  how do you keep from falling in love?)