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)

i have FINALLY finished this thing!! holy crap thank you to everyone who has been following and for the incredible, enthusiastic comments that have been feeding my ego!

this wasn't honestly supposed to go beyond the first part but the muse asks for no opinion when she takes a mallet to your head i guess,,

since ive personally always been a fan of people showing sketches with their work heres some stuff from my process:

these are as i affectionately call them my insane person notes, frantically scribbled down and barely legible to even me

(edit: forgot to add since my handwriting isn't that legible, i picked the random plant parts of the tree from googling symbolism of plants so if anyone's interested here tis

Aspen- bravery, facing the unknown

Mangrove- strength, support

Oak- longevity, strength, robustness

Red carnation- i love you forever

Grapes- rebirth

Maple- strength, resilience

Ginkgo- resilience, longevity, duality, peace)

and here's a random warm up page that i did: