very short one today, this is like,,, an interlude between chapters i guess, let's call it part 3.5
posting this mostly to ramble about the amalgamation of thoughts that make up this eldritch AU:
the idea is that the eldritch thing here isn't the iron lung god, or the eel, it is literally the tree that exploded out at the end of the movie
it gained consciousness/became an interdimensional eldritch being (through handwavey fuckery, idk) the moment it exploded out and it killed the eel
also healed simon,, lizard style, he obv aint human anymoe
the reason it is so fond of simon is because they fused and it gained simons memories (and most prominently of his fond and reverent memories of the tree on eden that the tree came out of)
(also of him taking care of the tree in some way, whether its tending to the soil or spilling blood to it)
somewhere in that logic this giant interdimensional plant thought "ah yes this lump of flesh gave me life and my freedom and it yearns for freedom therefore i shall search for a suitable habitat"
then it spent a few moments and an eternity scrolling through universes where it believed its charge would be happiest, found poor grace, saw the same cinematic parallels tumblr saw and said "aight thats the one"
it connected them like,,, cosmically
(not really relevant to the plot but it infected and changed grace the moment he reached back to it in his dreams to become like simon bc the lifespan difference between ryland and rocky devastates me on a daily basis)
(i don't think anyone mentioned it in the comments of part 3 (or at least i didnt see anyone mentioning it) but one of my favorite little details i added is that the tree roots gradually wrap around graces arm and around his ring finger) (hell yea, symbolism) (so i gave the other end of the tether to simon now :) )
another reason for the interlude is i realized that everything i wrote down was in graces pov so i figured id add a bit of simon before i wrap things up (even if hes unconcious)
thanks for listening to my ted talk, if anyone writes something about this begging on my knees send me a link, i find this stupid concept so interesting
“scientists don’t want you know” is a phrase that always cracks me up because if you actually meet a scientist they will be shaking and crying like an overstimulated chihuahua with the need to let you know
Would you force a person into a spaceship to die, against their will?
No?
What if it was the only chance to save all of humanity?
Maybe?
What if the person was a vicious war-criminal with the blood of many people on their hands?
Yes?
What if that criminal was indoctrinated as a child? And the main crime they're charged with was an accident?
Maybe?
What if there was almost no chance sending them would save the world and a 100% chance they'd die?
No?
My favourite thing about the whole bloodymary / project hail mary + iron lung similarities is that it brings up this trolley-problem-esque ethical quandary then really pushes to find where the line is for people.
See hi-res version here: patreon.com/posts/158400509
Rocky and Adrian bringing their younger set of pebble children to visit their weird fleshy uncles!
I personally imagine both Ryland and Simon take a while to adjust and be comfortable with physical touch, despite both being touch starved as well (thanks to trauma ;u;). So this would take place well after the long burn of slowly and naturally allowing themselves to feel safe and secure with each other to close that space. It's hard for them to trust anyone again, but I like to believe they choose to trust each other in the end.
(working on this again after having to rush to finish work for finals has been a balm on my weary soul, but also i feel slightly insane bc i was tired of drawing and i am recovering by drawing🧎)
love the trope where an authoritative side character pointedly pretends not to help the hero they’re not supposed to be helping by saying shit like “well I can’t just let you wander around up to the THIRD FLOOR where you could just FIND THE THING YOU NEED in the FIRST ROOM ON THE LEFT. And under no circumstances should you USE THE KEY FROM UNDER THE MAT. I wish I could help you, but I CAN’T. Now excuse me, I need to take this phone call for the next 37 minutes EXACTLY.”
My doctor did that for me once. I had to get an expensive brain scan and she was like ‘do you smoke?’ and I was like ‘no’ and she was like “well that’s a pity because the government will pay for this expensive brain scan if you had been a smoker so - do you smoke?” 🤣🤣🤣 I was like ‘yes’ and she’s like ‘oh wow then this scan will be free’