Final ILW Survey Results!
Apologies for the delay, but here are the survey results after the It Lives Within finale! We received 558 responses, and this is what they said.
Ending Choices
Summary
Blood (successful) was the most common ending with 251 responses
Mixed (successful) followed, with 162 responses.
Shadow (successful) in third with 76 responses
Betrayal (successful) with 47 responses
Killed by Matthias with 9 responses
Killed by Noah/Devon with 7 responses
Blood Betrayal (successful) where MC joins Matthias, merges humans, and is betrayed by Matthias, with 6 responses.
Final LIs
Noah, with 149 responses
Connor, with 144 responses
Andy, with 63 responses
Stacy, with 52 responses
Ava, with 51 responses
Lucas, with 43 responses
Dan, with 43 responses
No one, with 12 responses
Tom, with 237 responses
Parker, with 130 responses
Danni, with 99 responses
Imogen, with 62 responses
No one, with 29 responses
Lincoln, with 154 responses
Abel, with 149 responses
Jocelyn, with 102 responses
Amalia, with 70 responses
Matthias, with 56 responses
No one, with 26 responses
Collectibles & Other Results
LIs & Corresponding Endings
Out of curiosity, I decided to see which final LIs corresponded most with the different endings, and I found the results quite interesting! The options were: Blood, Mixed, Shadow, and Betrayal (all successful), Blood Betrayal, killed by Matthias, and killed by Noah/Devon.
LIs & MC Gender
And there you have it, the final It Lives Within survey results! A massive thank you to everyone who took the time to respond, and I hope you find these results as interesting as I did.
Link to the first survey results, which were shared in December, can be found here!
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Requiem
Posting on behalf of JCR/Departer, who does not have a tumblr for ILAW Day 3, villains and monsters.
Word Count: 1761
Premise: Sometimes the scariest villains and monsters in your life are human, or even more complicated, your family. Lincoln, Imogen, Harper, and Parker discuss this after the memorial.
A/N: For maximum angst, listen to this while you read.
I will sing no requiem tonight, Because when the villains fall, the kingdoms never weep
No one lights a candle to remember, No, no one mourns at all
When they lay them down to sleep, So don't tell me that I didn't have it right, Don't tell me that it wasn't black and white
After all you've put me through, don't say it wasn't true, That you were not the monster that I knew
Because I cannot play the grieving guy and lie, Saying that I miss you and that my world has gone dark, I will sing no requiem Tonight
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, “Requiem”
“I don’t miss him.”
Lincoln stared into his bourbon after saying those words, feeling the truth of them sink into his bones. He lifted his head and looked at Imogene with her mojito, Harper with a fireball and cream soda, and Parker nursing a whiskey on the rocks.
They found themselves at a bar after the memorial, having paid tribute to those who lost their lives to the Power in Westchester and Pine Springs. Lincoln couldn’t help but feel envious of Imogene, Harper, and Parker, and how their core group had remained intact despite everything. He thought of Danni and Tom who took Elliot and Robbie home, of the trust they shared with Imogene, Harper, and Parker through it all. He pondered the lonely years Demelza spent being the sole survivor of her friend group until Noah had regained his humanity. His mind turned to Jocelyn, who died in that cave thinking everyone hated her, and how her death allowed him to be brought back.
Lincoln could never hate Jocelyn. She was not the first or the last person manipulated and swayed by Matthias. Lincoln himself had once thought he could have Matthias’ love and approval by being himself. He had learned the hard way – like everyone else did – that Matthias’ support came with a price too steep to name. He sipped his bourbon and wondered what it would’ve been like to have a father who cared.
“I know how you feel,” Imogene said. She set her drink down and stared at him. Her brown eyes looked solemn behind the round glasses that sat perched upon her slender nose. “I feel awful wanting to forget about my parents but separating myself from them was the only way I could move forward and actually be myself.”
Lincoln nodded in understanding. He and Imogene knew how it felt to inherit an unwanted legacy and the artifacts of a life lived in pursuit of selling one’s soul. Imogene once went through the process of giving away her late parents’ fortunes and material possessions and had supported Lincoln through the process. They had sent countless emails and text messages, and regularly talked on the phone about the process and finding the charities that would most benefit from the wealth Lincoln refused to keep.
“My parents hurt so many people,” Imogene said. “I lived with their high expectations and rigid standards just fine, but it was only a matter of time before they would’ve used the Power against me.”
Parker swished his drink around and agreed. “Abraham Kelley raised me as his own son after my parents checked out. He kept me from making bad choices and heading down a destructive path. But now that I know who he really was, it’s hard not to wonder: would he have dragged me into the Pine Springs cult? Forced the Power onto me? Used me as a conduit to hurt others?” Parker tilted his head back and downed the rest of his drink before slamming it down hard on the bar counter. “It’s hard coming to terms with that: knowing that the person who saved you was the reason for other people’s tragedies.”
Parker signaled the bartender for another refill while Harper’s blue eyes wandered. He set his drink aside and commented, “My grandmother – Josephine – was in pain for fifty years. She suffered due to other people’s selfishness: she never got to be in my mom’s life or know her as a person. It took so little to send her over the edge.” He looked down and said, “I did that to her. I told her my mom had died and she lost it.”
“Harper, no,” Imogene said. She put an arm around his shoulders and told him, “That was not your fault. Josephine was already so far gone. You couldn’t have done anything to keep the storm from coming.”
“Thanks, Genny,” Harper said. “I still get mad at her sometimes. I don’t blame her for being angry, self-destructing, and flying off the handle, but it’s hard not to wonder if there was another way. Arthur – my grandfather – should’ve listened to her. All the problems in Pine Springs started because of him. He didn’t take Josephine’s warnings seriously and thought he knew better.”
Parker took Harper’s hand in his and squeezed it. “Arthur paid for that with his life so you wouldn’t have to. I know he regretted hurting Josephine. He wouldn’t want you living with that guilt.” Parker kissed Harper’s cheek and looked at him in a way that made Lincoln wonder how it would feel to be loved like that.
Lincoln cleared his throat before finishing his bourbon and asking for another shot. “There were so many red flags with Matthias – Arthur – Abraham – The Wescotts. How did no one see? How could my mom be so blind?"
Imogene grimaced. "It's easy to have tunnel vision when you're not on the receiving end of that abuse. You saw through Matthias before your mom – or anyone – did. Harper was the first one who saw my parents for who they really were. I didn’t want to hear it.”
“I don’t blame you for that, Genny,” Harper commented. “No one wants to believe that the people they love are capable of doing the worst.”
“Love,” Imogene mused. She took a delicate sip of her mojito before setting it down again. “Sometimes it feels as though the love between family is more complicated than romantic love or that of friends. Then again, blood isn’t always thicker than water.”
“Too much of either can make you sick,” Lincoln said. “Noah got turned into a shadow monster and got his friends killed because he loved his twin sister too much. Jocelyn put blinders on when it came to Cody and was okay with him hurting people since he was her best friend, and she was never on the receiving end of his bullying. Matthias knew she was haunted by her past and used it to his advantage.” He pounded the remaining bourbon in his shot glass and banged it on the counter. “That bastard was going to kill Everest! He was going to murder our friend – then us – and all of Westchester by playing up our weaknesses! Goddamnit!”
Lincoln put his head in his hands. He wanted to forget Matthias McQuoid had ever existed at all.
He cried and felt hot, fat tears fall from his eyes and down his face. Lincoln hated himself for crying over the man who killed his mother, Jessica Williams, Loha, and all the innocent people sacrificed in the first blood moon ritual. He wanted to kick himself for shedding tears for the one responsible for disfiguring the carnival attendees, causing Douglas Redfield to lose his humanness, and not caring how many people the Power hurt in his wake.
He heard Imogene, Harper, and Parker stand from their barstools and felt their arms around him.
“You’re allowed to be mad,” Harper said. “You’re allowed to cry and to feel everything and nothing about Matthias. There’s no right or wrong way to grieve for – or not grieve for – someone.”
Lincoln wiped his eyes, swiveled around so he could see his friends, and admitted, “It’s not that I miss him. It’s more… I mourn the loss of the idea of him and the kind of father he could’ve – should’ve been but wasn’t. He wanted to mold me in his image. He only loved me when I was small, impressionable, and didn’t have any thoughts or opinions of my own. Matthias wanted nothing to do with me when I grew into myself and became my own person. He should’ve loved me regardless. He should’ve been there for me after my mom died… he should’ve been there no matter what.”
“Matthias didn’t know what he was missing,” Parker said. “He never deserved to have you for a son.”
“Thanks, Parker.” Lincoln gave a faint smile and added, “It’s horrible, but it’s a relief not having to carry him around anymore.” He retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper confirming his name change. “I’m Lincoln Aquino now.”
“Your own person,” Harper affirmed.
Imogene smiled at Lincoln and said, “You have a whole new life as Lincoln Aquino ahead of you. Think of all the things you want to do and go do them. Nothing’s stopping you.”
Parker grabbed his glass of whiskey and motioned for Harper, Imogene, and Lincoln to do the same with their own drinks. He raised his glass and said, “For Lincoln Aquino!”
“Lincoln Aquino!”
Lincoln and his friends clinked their glasses together and drank deeply before Imogene said, “For love and all the complexities it brings.”
Harper went next. “For recognizing that it’s okay to have complicated feelings about your own family. For knowing your limits and setting your own boundaries regarding grief. For missing the idea of someone rather than the actual person. For not being in mourning despite the world expecting it of you.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Lincoln grinned. He steadied himself and said, “For new beginnings. For change. For making your own way and being true to yourself while doing so.”
The four of them cheered, had a final drink, shared two pitchers of cold water between them, and called a cab to take them back to Demelza’s parents’ house where their cars were parked. She had given them her blessing to stay the night before Lincoln flew back home to Las Vegas the next morning; Imogene, Harper, and Parker would make the drive back to Pine Springs the next day.
Lincoln settled into the cab with his friends and sighed with content. He was grateful for the future in store for him, the chance to mold his life into whatever he wanted it to be, and the friends who would help him along the way. He knew that the only way to go from here was ahead.
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as we all recover in the wake of that devastatingly AMAZING chapter (bless your brains seriously), could I ask if yall have any crossover friendship hcs with the cast of the anthology? like Tom and Andy are the brotp of brotps, but I think it'd be cute if Lincoln and Imogen bonded over sketchy parents and getting their powers from rituals. Or Abel and Lucas being adorable nerds. Or Ava and Amalia talking about weapons yes 💜
I am a huge fan of a Lincoln and Imogen friendship. They never interact, but I imagined it one time and it was SO cute, like, bonding over terrible parents, Imogen just being so sweet and kind and understanding and offering the kind of unconditional friendship Lincoln needs, Lincoln being protective and validating of her feelings... idk man their friendship would be so wholesome.
I think Danni and Joss would get along really well. Just like, both are protective, both take things seriously. During a crisis, the two would just be completely in sync and understand each other without having to say anything, and their mutual respect just 📈📈📈
Tom and Abel... I'd love to see them interact. They're both such cute nerds, I feel like they'd have a lot of similar interests and a very compatible sense of humor. Tom would go on about mechanics and robotics while Abel is like "ooooh" like, he doesn't understand much since it's not his area but he picks up the concepts quickly and thinks it's amazing, and vice versa with Abel explaining things about history and artifacts.
Amalia and Ava yes I think you're onto something.... Amalia would show off her skills and Ava would be amazed, and Ava in turn shows off her spells and how it works, and Amalia is thoroughly intrigued.
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