#it lives within spoilers

[laylaisthename]

ILW // Here they are! All 7 different end cards you can get in the many many more variations of the niche endings available in the game.

Google Drive Link to the cgs here

I am beyond honored to have been allowed to leave my own mark in the game like this, and honestly never in a million years expected to actually become involved with the game.

Everyone is fine to use these as phone backgrounds but if you do youre legally required to tell me which one is your favorite.

Putting it under the cut for length, but here's a breakdown of each card;

Starting with the Evil!MC end cards, that are lovingly dubbed Judas' Kiss if you stayed with Matty, or Scorched Earth for MC's solo end.

The images really mostly speaks for themselves; the flaming heart, hand in atrocious hand if you chose to share the power with Matthias, but then when you put it next to the solo end is where it got fun for me. The heart is broken, its just you now, but the glowing eyes are smiling. My first time testing the judas kiss route I did not hestiate for a second to hit "kill him"

Next is the death card

I really liked the idea of (if your mc wasnt a huge dick anyway) that they give you a grave outside the cave, something for people to leave Rowan flowers and gifts. A classic grave didnt quite feel like it fit so I settled on a cairn. It felt very fitting with the Power being a respect for nature and such. I set it to be at night, with moonlight streaming down on the grave to give it a melancholic sort of feeling, with the sun charm sunny gives you strung off it, and then placed flowers at the grave to kinda show that people have come by because they care about Rowan. Meanings for the flowers are below and while not canon, I like to think each of the LI's left behind one of them; red roses from Abel, blue violets from Amalia, sunflowers from Lincoln and the marigolds from Joss, though really they were all chosen more generally.

Onto the blood end card! Which I named New Horizons, and not because of animal crossing. A winding road in the mountains at sunset; the road has been long, it has been hard and now youre choosing to move on. Symbolically what i wanted this card to be is that feeling of leaving everything behind. The sun is setting on your old life as you go to embrace the normal life that Blood MC wants so much. Youre on the top road moving around the bend, not sure where life will take you but that's alright, you have the rest of your life to look forward to figure out where you'll go.

Onto my own canon end; the Mixed end!

Lovingly called "Best of Both Worlds" because mixed rowan is playing that hannah montanna life. More seriously; this card in contrast to the blood end is not about leaving everything behind, but embracing what you are. The card itself is set at dawn to contrast this; soft yellows and pinks, morning dew and fog clinging to the forest floor with a streak of Power playfully dancing among the trees. Its the dawn of a new day, seeing everything in new light after the darkness of the past weeks/years rowan spent trying to understand themselves. It's my personal favorite end even if my mc and Linc gotta do long distance for a while. But to me its about accepting yourself; moving on from the grief of losing your family without alienating yourself from your memories of them and embracing that Power side of yourself without being changed by it. The life you built after being ressurected is your own and no one can take that from you.

Next up my almost canon end, that does live rent free in my mind because I love angst.

Closed gate shadow end, Far, Far away (yes this is a shrek/starwars/nerd refrence); its a fairly straight forward card, thought it does have one of my personal favorite little details. This is the second draft I made of it after this scene from Lincoln's shadow goodbye stuck with me; looking up through the trees at the night sky.

I really wanted to hide an eye shaped constellation in the stars but couldnt make it look good sadly :sob: But my favorite little detail are the fireflies and how some of them are cyan; touched by the power Rowan is now again a part of. Not canon, but I like to think these little cyan fireflies come to sit on the LI's heads next they wander too close to the woods (Fireflies by Owl City starts playing).

Shadow end is just. Its so beautiful really. From sharing your experiences with the wisps, how Rowan's wisp has been changed by their time as a person, how despite their grief they are not sad or unhappy, melancholic yes but this is where you want to be. Its a cosmic love, the joy of having lived, coming inside on a cold winter day to find your home warm and inviting, your family waiting for you to tell them about your day. The card itself is a little whimsical, hopeful despite the closed gate that the power will forever be part of the world, even if its been cut off. And this brings us to the other shadow ending card; the flower

Eternal Bloom, a ghostly hand reaching out to hand this flower over to the world, a final gift, a final goodbye. Maybe a promise of "I'll see you soon" but first and foremost, it is a promise of love.

Thats right babes. Its all about Love. Unfading Love.

symbolically there isnt anything hidden in the card, but thats also in part of it at face value telling you all you need to know; its about love! its a gift, for you, to remember me by. You have not forgotten me, and even changed as I am, I have not forgotten you. Rowan's change in personality after merging shadow was sooooo heart breaking tbh but ITS SO GOOD. You found joy in what you were, but its time to come home, take off your coat, hang it up, take off your shoes.

And it is all about love! All these cards (well, not all of them) were for me made from the heart, trying to keep in line for the different themes each end resolves to give the players something to remember each route by.

To anyone that made it this far, let me know which one is your canon card/which card you like best! And im kissing you on the lips I love rambling about my thoughts and if you got to here then you deserve a reward. So.

[abelflints]

My ILW MC done for me by @bunmellos 😊

[still-a-morosexual-help]

It Lives Within is so incredibly Evil™ for making one of the LIs a loner with daddy issues who slowly learns to open up and trust people and make friends and fall in love because of MC and then for the secret LI to be his evil dad

i still haven't worked up the guts to see what happens when you romance them both in the same playthrough

[payroo]

crying screaming throwing up finally seeing the connor path when cheating on him with noah

connor told no lies though 😭 faust (named for his seeking of forbidden knowledge) deserves all this pain and worse for doing this to him... connor is totally right to dump his ass

and yeT HE STILL FEELS PROTECTIVE OVER HIM despite EVERYTHING- I AAAAGH- I'M A MONSTER I'm SCUM FOR DOING THIS connor sweetie i promise you'll get a pure devoted romance run after this torture

[valkair]

Not over the shadow route ;-; how could you

[jocelynwus]

this is so important btw ??!?!?!

[blazingflareon]

going home

[fourfreckledstars]

The Anchor ⚓️

[janexromantic]

GASP

DIDN'T EXPECT THIS THING TO COME BACK BITING ME IN THE ASS SO SOON. AND CONNOR OF ALL PEOPLE.

[this-is-a-choices-blog]

thanks to everyone involved for making this reunion possible

[laylaisthename]

ILW // im SO happy Marianthe got out of there alive. Win for girlbosses everywhere

[abelflints]

Btw. Because I've never posted his updated looks here. This isn't all I have of him, though 😉

[professor-abeloved]

me: it was poignant to have dan admit that one of the reasons he stayed away is because he was afraid of devon, of their bravery and determination, of how he's worried he can't hold a candle to their light also me: daniel pierce you fucking fruit

[payroo]

i love this boy

(this is during the judas kiss route)

Devon's dialogue here by contrast

[alfairy]

It Lives Within finale no context

[leotheeworld]

And with that.... It ends... Thank you for the it lives team for making a wonderful and amazing story. The culmination of everyone living and my blood MC living in peace with Lincoln and my ilitw MC getting married to Connor along with my mixed MC getting his love with Abel and Dan and ilitw MC getting together was so amazing and heartfelt. Everyone's outros were amazing and I seriously say this is the best piece of choices media I've played.