Yagami Light (夜神月) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
worldcleansing) wrote2037-09-28 03:19 am
worldcleansing) wrote2037-09-28 03:19 am
info/permissions
LIGHT YAGAMI
Light Yagami
NAME
Kira, God of the new world
NICKNAMES
02-28 - 17- 24 y/o
BIRTHDAY / AGE
Male/Single/Bisexual
DATING
Death Note
CANON
Tokyo
HOMETOWN
Tokyo
CURRENT LOCATION
Deceased
STATUS
HISTORY
Please note that anything marked with a ** is headcanon. I will use this sparingly and only when canon lacks details. Weaknesses are combined with Abilities for those looking to get a leg up. Light's wiki page can be found here.
MEDICAL
Light has no medical conditions.
PERSONALITY
A very quick glossary: Light finds the Death Note, which has the ability to kill anyone whose name is written inside but must follow a very specific set of rules. He begins killing criminals out of a sense of justice and becomes dubbed 'Kira' by the world.On the surface, Light is everything anyone could want: handsome, brilliant, athletic, and manages it all with just the right amount of humility, toeing the line between being confident without being arrogant (at least externally. His ego is huge in reality). As the son of a very important law enforcement agent, justice has been instilled within Light at a very young age and drives his plans for the future. Though the audience is able to see that he's naturally brilliant, it doesn't stop Light from going to cram school in order to keep up appearances and be his best. He'll grow up, join the NPA, and do what he can to fix the world.
Do what he can to fix the world. Not fix it completely, at least not prior to finding the Note because Light has a secret: he's disgusted with the world. Being exposed to the constant stream of negativity shown by the news as well as having insight thanks to his father's work and the two cases he's solved on his own, has left him with cloud-colored lenses. Despite his sincere confidence, even Light doubts his ability to completely fix the world and make it safe for the people who deserve to live in peace. This disgust is one of the few things that make him so susceptible to becoming a murderer once he gains access to the Note.
Another is his boredom. With such skill in almost everything he tries, Light has never been challenged. Even tennis was such a small part of his life, that he drops it casually to focus on school despite being so highly ranked. School's never a struggle for him either, not when he's placing first in all of his practice exams and ranks number one when it's time to actually enter college. For Light, it feels a bit like doing addition once you've mastered calculus. How can you not be bored? While the Death Note is certainly interesting, Light engages in another way when pitted against another genius: L. So satisfying is the game that after Light kills L, there's something missing in his life. He's alone again, surrounded by people who love him but no one who challenges him. Light's earliest scenes show him staring at the window, knowing he doesn't need to listen, which is a stark contrast to the intensity his body shows whenever planning his next move against his greatest rival.
As excited as he may be, engagement doesn't always bring out the best in Light. It's easy to never get angry when you can best anyone, and to act mature when your life is going according to your plan. Once the rivalry begins, other sides of Light begin to show, such as extreme immaturity and the hatred of losing. L says it himself: he understands Kira because they're both the same in their need to win. From the first time L manages to trick him into killing a faux version of the detective by insulting his ego, Light shows that the right kind of blows are effective. Near and Mello are capable of landing hits as well. Near becomes a constant thorn in his side, and Mello is an unknown that prevents him from becoming too comfortable. The latter is responsible for kidnapping Sayu, Light's sister, and putting him in a position to choose between risking the Note and killing her. Despite it being in the latter half of the series when Light's learned how to play the role more effectively, the conflict cuts so deeply that he actually strikes out physically, knocking over the drink Misa offers. This is one of the very few times he actually becomes physical.
Not that these emotions show with any kind of ease. Thanks to the narration, the audience is treated to Light's inner thoughts where he isn't so perfectly poised, but the characters don't receive the same benefit. Even while internally panicking, Light hides his true emotions behind a flawless mask. Aside from L, his first real end nearly comes when he meets Naomi, a former FBI agent and fiance of the FBI agent recently murdered by Kira. She's sharp, intelligent, and not so trusting in spite of Light's youthful charm. New to the life of crime and used to being able to easily handle any social interaction, he finds himself forgetting a very easy solution and instead begins to internally lose control. In the end, he reasons through it, but not even his worst fear manages to show before the answer comes to him.
Not all parts of his new life are new. Light has always been a chameleon. The perfect persona initially described exists because he's made it exist. If there's a role to play, there are a set of corresponding actions and 'right' things to do in order to play the part successfully. It's a skill set that serves his advantage once he becomes Kira as well, but it's also a double-edged sword. Light has to conceal certain sets of emotions, at least in his own mind. Instead of just being open and honest about the distance he feels from the world around him, it's always been a buried secret they don't fit the narrative. Check the right boxes, even if it goes against your actual feelings, and you'll win the game of life.
In spite of the times he does lash out, Light is very patient. Trading the future for immediate satisfaction isn't a very smart move. The Shinigami Ryuk, the owner of a Death Note and Light's companion, offers him the Shinigami Eyes, a tool he can use in order to see L's real name in order to write it in the Note. The catch? It would shorten his life span, meaning he'd die an earlier death. The win would come much faster, but it also means a quicker end for Kira. We see it again when he gives up the Death Note and memories in order to play a very long gamble to clear his name against L.
Aside from concealing and not feeling, there are many things Light can do. Three important traits often work together to make him such a formidable enemy in spite of little criminal experience: his ability to adapt, his social skills, and his innovative mind. The same scene with Naomi shows the audience how well he's able to adjust to different situations. During the course of the conversation, Light phases from scared and panicking to smooth and manipulative. When his usual tactics don't work, instead of doubling down, he forces his mind to remain calm and rethink his plan, giving him the 'victory'. Likewise, his innovative mind is obvious. Not only does he play with L a bit by way of Death Note messages, but his plans are also creative. A few examples include the way he sabotages his desk to explode should someone go to enough lengths to find the Death Note, his small misdirect with his door (he places a paper in the seal so that people can think he's being a normal teenager wanting to test his privacy so they assume it's his one check. In reality, the exact position of the door handle is the test he uses to determine if anyone's been inside his room), to the very long gamble that temporarily results in memory loss before assuring the Death Note returns to him and someone else is framed for being Kira.
His social skills are notable for two reasons. For one, they're on par with his intelligence and are arguably more useful to him than the Death Note in his defeat of L. Regarding intelligence, they're roughly equal, but this is likely one area where Light has the definitive edge. While smaller examples include the way he's able to charm his way through life, even having a list of girls at the ready should he require a date, or his ability to date multiple girls at once, the biggest indication aside from his ability to always stay likable while still being a suspected murderer comes in the form of two girls: Misa Amane and Kiyomi Takada. Misa Amane is a singer/actress/cute-but-psycho girl who becomes obsessed to the point of being willing to die or kill for Kira, even when Light doesn't want her to. Kiyomi Takada is the popular girl at school that everyone wants to date and goes on to become a Kira spokesperson, a woman who's oft admired and highly prideful. Both women would have a pick of men and yet, Light's able to play with both against one another toward the end of canon, convincing them both he loves them and that he's the one most worthy of their love.
The second reason his social skills are so notable is that as much as Light sincerely believes in justice and protecting the innocent — this does twist later, but in the beginning, it holds some truth — he doesn't actually like many people. In the anime, Light walks home alone. While he does walk with friends in the manga, we see him sitting alone at lunch even though we've already seen his popularity. Sexually, he feels nothing. While looking at a swimsuit magazine in order to seem like the average teenage male while L is watching, he's uninterested. It isn't that he hates everyone, but there's no engagement. Living a life without proper engagement or challenge has left him feeling disconnected from the actual people of the world he thinks he's saving. Girls are such a bother to him that he pretends to want to focus on schoolwork instead of dating until he needs a date for his plans. His hatred for L, and later Near and Mello, are some of the most genuine emotions he experiences outside of his own family.
The people who have a more solid place in his life may or may not be different. His family is notable for his interactions with them. Light's father is a very strong role model and is likely the reason justice is such a solid building block for Light's motivations. Sayu's interactions with Light are cute, but we see the sincerity behind them when he's unable to kill her despite it possibly being the smarter move. Misa, however, never grows on him. Despite dating her for years, there's no affection between them, at least not on his side. While he does have a pleasant relationship with Ryuk, the lack of a real connection is on display between them as well. They joke, and Light even seems to be amused by the Shinigami. Though Ryuk will never help him with a plan unless there's a mutual benefit, the two share a living space for a long time and have worked together. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that he'd kill him as well, should Death Gods be easier to kill. However, it wouldn't be out of hatred but for utilitarian reasons.
Skilled but not perfect, even the wonderous Yagami Light is capable of mistakes, even as the series progresses. Their placements are also very telling. I've mentioned L's bait several times already. During the Naomi talk, Light forgets that he can turn off a ringer. For a bit, he more or less does everything right, and his next big blunder comes when he's lacking memories of Kira. Since those memories are gone, so are the lessons he learned in that time, and he makes another very obvious mistake during the Kira investigation. Once Mello and Near enter the game, they become a bit more frequent, though this can be explained by several years of being unchallenged. Rust.
So, why does Light want to be Kira? If asked, he says it's because the world is rotten and needs to be reformed. Kira is justice, and once he acquires the Death Note, he can finally make the difference he's always wanted to make but on a grand scale. It isn't entirely a lie. Light didn't want to be a murderer. His first murder he was able to handwave as being a coincidence but his second leaves him feeling physically sick. It's difficult for him to become someone who took a life without feeling anything. Thanks to the allowance of internal dialogue, the audience hears Light's struggle. He's not a murderer. What he's done is bad. However, only he can do it. With the struggle acknowledged and his purpose determined, his ego turns into a messiah complex, and Light truly feels like this is his chance to save the world.
This is partially thanks to his ability to reason himself into any conclusion that's convenient. After all, he does the same later on when he doesn't want to kill Sayu. The concern is very obvious and yet, even to himself, Light reasons that it would be too obvious if he were to kill her then. However, there's further proof of Light's humanity when he intentionally gives up access to the Note (which takes away all memories of the Note and thus his memories of being Kira. It's a thing). Gone are the calculation and the willingness to use people. He's still intelligent and smart enough to remain on par with L, but he refuses to try and use Misa until Misa herself demands it. We're shown a glimpse of what Light might have become if he hadn't found the Note.
However, it's also very true that Light has a massive ego, and eventually, his reasons become warped. The original intent was to only kill criminals. Then, L baits him into killing on live television. Like all slippery slopes, one choice leads to another, and the number of things he becomes willing to do grows. Targets start to include the law enforcement that's chasing him once L brings in the FBI. However, it's with the aforementioned Naomi that his enjoyment becomes obvious. While no L, she is probably the first formidable foe he defeats so once he manages to get her name and write it in the Note, knowing it will mean her death, he smirks. He's so gleeful that he even makes a risky decision: admitting to his victim that he's Kira the moment before she loses the ability to control her own body and goes off to die.
Even then, he keeps a moral code to a degree: he'll kill for self-defense, including those trying to stop Kira or high-level criminals. L is even able to catch the existence of a second Kira by the fact that the second Kira (Misa) is willing to kill anyone. However, toward the end, he begins to kill even his own people as the pressure mounts and it becomes more likely he would be caught.
So, is Light completely good? No. Is he completely evil? No. He's the guy who never demands anything tangible in return and even manages to stop wars across the globe while also managing to feel nothing for the criminals or people he kills unless he takes joy in killing them. One thing does remain consistent: Light believes himself to be justice personified. Both he and L often declare themselves to be justice, and this is one of the ways Light is able to sparse his ability to do horrible things with the ability that he's good. As Kira, the very idea of justice, he must be protected.
APPEARANCE
At 5'10.5, Light is a relatively tall man. In spite of his build, his official weight is 119. Considered polished and in fashion, Light wears his light brown hair in a way that flatters his face and matches his brown eyes.Impeccably dressed, his clothing of choice is well-fitted and up to high standards. Early on, he's most often seen wearing his uniform.
I'll include some canon reference images. Clicking on a picture will take you to a larger version.
tba
ABILITIES
THREADING
What: Angst, hurt/comfort, dark, and recovery stories are among my favorite. I'm also open to fluff, slice of life, smut, gen, light-hearted, and most other genres. I like action enough to write fight scenes and for the occasional meme. I'd prefer crack to be limited, but I'm fine with comedic/fun threads.
Who: Canon, cross canon, LAs, OCs, etc are all welcome. Evil characters are just as welcome as nice, and there's no canon exclusion. Basically, if you're worried about tagging me, don't be. I'll work with you. The only exceptions are canon doubles. Other reiterations of Light are fine.
As a rough example of what to expect if you interact with Light: pleasantry. In his day-to-day interactions, he isn't a bad person and comes across as friendly and sociable. While it may seem to contrast his actions, Light doesn't hate most people and saves most of his disdain for criminals. That said, while he doesn't hate as a whole, it's very difficult for him to get close to someone.
Where: Anime or manga. I don't play Light from any other medium.
A note about AUs: I can AU him into another world within reason. I'm perfectly happy to work with you to figure out how this works, but some worlds will be more difficult than others depending on canon familiarity. However, it's worth noting that Light without his Death Note is a different person.
Want to AU him into Death Note but don't know how? Talk to me. I'll help with that, too.
When: I'm very flexible with this. Canonmates, we can work this out. I'm also good with 'he lived' AUs. For crosscanon, it depends on the meme. I usually play him in his younger years but occasionally bring him out once he's older.
Shipping: Yes, please. I love me a ship. However, please note that many of his relationships will be fake. Physically, Light chooses more traditionally elegant, feminine women as partners. For real connections, appearances won't matter.
Misa and Kiyomi are his canon relationships. He and L are in an obsessive relationship that I'm willing to explore in this way. Mikami is one I personally enjoy. I'm also good with other ships, pretty much all other ships that we can make work. Dark!ships are also A-okay.
For crosscanon, it's the same approach. I'll try most things. If the character is evil, it'll be a dark!ship instead of fluffy, but I'm down for it.
Light would never do anything inappropriate with a child character though he himself is 17 at the beginning of canon so I'm willing to 16+ at that time. I'm also happy with going older with no limit.
Type: Canonically, Light chooses elegant, traditionally feminine partners but this is for appearance's sake. His real type is someone dangerously intelligent.
One-sided crushes are fine even if they don't meet the above criteria. Likewise, if you want to try and ship with Light but don't know how, feel free to message me.
Smut: Also a yes, both canon and crosscanon. Light has no real interest in sex outside of the right relationship, but he uses it quite regularly. Again, light and dark are both welcome. Please refer to the kink list here for more detailed information.
MISCELLANEOUS
Family: Father (Soichiro Yagami, deceased), Mother (Sachiko Yagami, alive), Sister (Sayu Yagami, alive). In kanji, Light's name looks like Tsuki.
WARNINGS
Dark content. Click to expand
SUICIDE - Light uses this method of murder quite often since the Death Note allows it against anyone.
If you wish to opt-out of interactions with Light, please comment here. If you want to leave a note, please feel free, but an explanation isn't required. For those interested in tagging with him but would prefer to avoid the topics discussed above, I can certainly work around them.
opt-out
Light's character and choices can be very difficult for some players. Even aside from how it's handled, the subject matter can be a sensitive one for a lot of people. Whatever it may be, if you wish to opt-out of any interaction with him, feel free to reply to this comment. If it's a problem with my writing, please consider using the how's my driving entry as well if you'd like to leave a critique.
Also, please leave a list of your journals for reference. I completely want to respect your decision across all of your journals and without that information, I may accidentally tag an account I don't realize is yours. If the wish to avoid Light is more character-specific, and you don't mind interacting with him under other accounts, I'd appreciate that information. Likewise, let me know if you want to tag with him but want to avoid any specific content.
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tldr;
pleasant, intelligent, friendly, mature, egotistical, disconnected; Light is someone who does care for the people of the world but is unable to connect with them on a more human level. He chooses a dark path and becomes the same kind of murderer he despises.
suicide
If you'd wish to opt-out of interactions with Light, or just with any specific topic, please reply here.