Scorched ---;; [L APPLICATION]
Out of Character Information
player name: Rue.
player livejournal: rue_algedonic
playing here: N/A.
where did you find us? ATP.
are you 16 years of age or older?: Yesss’m.
In Character Information
character name: L Lawliet.
Fandom: Death Note.
Timeline: Book 7, chapter 57.
character's age: Twenty-six.
powers, skills, pets and equipment:
L is likely to have the clothes off his back (jeans and long-sleeved white shirt), several Dum Dum pops and, perhaps, a cell phone. Even with the Forge, I imagine he was at least carrying a cell. His pockets are relatively empty usually.
No pets, no.
Skills: Skilled in tennis, speaks several languages, hacking, Capoeira, deductive reasoning, interrogation, voice imitation, intentional insomnia (something of a skill, considering), and vast knowledge in the sciences, literature, history, religion, justice studies, humanities and so on; generally very fuckin' smart.
As for powers, I’d prefer that they be faint; perhaps a more acute sense of the emotions of those within a radius of five feet.
canon history:
L Lawliet was born on October 31st, 1979. The time directly following, his childhood, was left nearly empty, a scrambled puzzle with several ambiguous pieces to be interpreted by the viewer. The details, such as his parents’ names, the quality of their treatment and the financial situation are unknown. In a flashback, he was depicted as a young child, being led by Quillish Wammy to what is known as Wammy’s House/Orphanage. The circumstances surrounding its significance and his relationship to Wammy have never been confirmed, though it is highly likely he was orphaned. There is a lapse in time between this vague childhood memory and the moment his character is introduced to the audience in 2005.
His professional history fills the gap. During this time, his name has been transformed into the alias, L, a title associated with the world-renowned detective with a penchant for privacy. He works alone, faceless and nameless, dedicated to the pursuit of justice (very grey and subjective as it is). At some point, L adopted the decoy aliases of Eraldo Coil and Deneuve, titles also within the top ten, often solving several cases simultaneously. Quillish remained with L, working as his assistant in a variety of tasks, also adopting his own alias: Watari. At some point, Wammy's House became the training grounds for L’s potential successors. The first generation's most promising students proved to be failures, however. The highest ranking student, A, collapsed under the pressure and committed suicide.
Beyond Birthday, codename Backup or B, left Wammy's following this incident and deliberately brought about the deaths of three individuals in CA, USA in a case known as the LABB murder case. L appointed Naomi Misora, a suspended FBI agent, as his proxy in apprehending the man he believed to be his ex-successor. The man was eventually arrested, but not before being left terribly scarred through self immolation. It is implied that L acquired his Capoeira fighting skills through the minimal contact he had with Misora.
In 2003, a mysterious situation arose: hundreds of criminals, and eventually thousands, abruptly fell prey to a series of heart attacks and, unsurprisingly, this drew his attention some time before the news gained national notoriety. L retraced the deaths to the first unusual instance of a criminal's heart attack and found his sights set on Japan. When Interpol decidedly met to discuss the situation, L acted so as to express his interest in the case and request the cooperation of the worlds' police agencies. He then revealed his suspicion that the criminal was in Japan.
Through careful investigation, the detective came to the conclusion that not only was there one individual to blame for the murders, he or she (most likely the former) required a name and face in order to commit the crime. This, in and of itself, proves that the perpetrator wasn't a God, as the mass murderer's worshipers had begun to whisper. These followers gave the unnamed murderer a title: Kira. And it stuck.
In the manga, one may note that L doesn't seem to hunch or sit in his usual, knees-drawn way while investigating on his own. He also isn't shown continuously devouring sweets. This changes later, so the shift will be addressed later as well.
Shortly after, L made a deal with one Lind L. Taylor, a criminal scheduled for execution. This deal involved his appearance on television, posing as L in order to challenge Kira's powers and, given that he survives, he will not be executed. The broadcast claimed to be live worldwide, but it was actually aired only in the Kanto region of Japan in order to further narrow the field given that Kira responds. Needless to say, Lind L. Taylor was killed. However, when L spoke and illustrated that the stand-in wasn't L and challenged the man, he proved in his continued living that Kira required a face and a name. And that he was presently in the Kanto region of Japan.
During the investigation, L came to the conclusion that Kira may be a student since his victims were frequently murdered during times off from classes and cram school. In response, the murders sporadically spread out, as though to indicate a leak and indirectly display his power. Kira could designate the time of death. As a result, L felt uncomfortable working openly with the NPA, so he had the FBI send twelve agents who would investigate the NPA and their families.
On December 14th, these agents entered Japan. On December 19th onwards, something odd occurred; Kira's victims began to act unusually prior to their death. They left notes and several exhibited other strange actions. These notes secretly expressed a hidden message: L, did you know | Gods of death | love apples? Initially, L took this message as a taunt of sorts. Kira's psychological profile was well underway by this time. Childish. Competitive. Arrogant. Hates to lose.
On December 27th, the agents requested information on the other agents and all twelve subsequently died of a heart attack. This hurt L's relations with the NPA since they were now aware that he had been investigating them even as they aided his investigation on Kira. This cost him many men, though he wasn't especially concerned with quitters. However, losing the agents so easily did anger him. In fact, it left a more reliable team to be utilized more fully.
He requested that this team now meet him face to face, where he would reveal his face to as to regain their sense of trust. L had made his leap towards Kira and Kira had done him one better, so he had to reveal his face. This would be the first time he did it out of necessity and in relation to his work. He met the Task Force for the Kira investigation and determined that none of the men were Kira.
It turned out that one of the agents, Raye Penber, displayed especially unusual actions just before his death. He was caught on camera entering the Yamanote Line with an envelope. He took one full circle on the train, failing to get off for any of the stops and, when he exited the train, he was missing that envelope. There was also some actions that implied Kira may have been on the train as it departed.
News of Naomi Misora's disappearance came shortly after. She was apparently the fiancee of Raye Penber, so many quickly considered suicide, but L was doubtful since he had once worked with the woman one a difficult case. She was a strong individual; unlikely to have committed suicide. She had taught him Capoeira, in fact, which was his primary method of protecting himself. She was an excellent agent and one of the few individuals who could connect his face and title. Otherwise, however, she wasn't especially significant beyond this uncharacteristic vanishing.
During his time with the team, L displayed more unusual quirks to a greater degree, such as crouching in order to sit and hunching heavily. However, he seems to have always brushed his lip with his thumb, worn loose clothing, preferred bare feet and pinched items regardless of company. It's only speculation as to why he decided to alter his behavior. I interpret it as a need to present himself as less threatening or off-putting so as to set someone off-guard. His crouch will always allow him the ability to quickly retaliate and his sugar intake is especially off-putting in a culture such as Japan. That said, he probably also devours the treats in order to support his sleepless behavior, apparent in his dark bags.
Following news of Misora's vanishing, enough evidence had accumulated that L felt it proper to... lightly violate the law. He had someone set up cameras in the households of those Raye Penber had investigated; one of the households belonged to a member of team: Souiichirou Yagami. L and Yagami watched the footage constantly and, during their time staking-out, several criminals died of a heart attack while none of the family members were capable of knowing the victim's name or face. However, L found the son, Light Yagami, fairly suspicious due to his pristine record and appearance. It was too convenient.
In the end, neither of the households turned up anything suspicious.
Despite this, L decided to follow his instincts/curiosity, taking the same entrance exam as Light Yagami and tying with him for highest grade. During the ceremony welcoming the two to Touhou University (for which they had applied), L told Light Yagami that he was Kira. There was no visible proof of guilt. Later, they ended up having a tennis match and tea, during which his suspicions grew and grew.
Abruptly, another Kira reared their head, interested in gaining the first Kira's approval. L decided to invite Light Yagami to the investigation so that he may aid in apprehending this second Kira. This second Kira was much more sloppy and proved to have the ability to kill with only a face, implying that she had the "eyes". She also repeated the use of "shinigami", suspiciously. Just when L was quite certain he may be done for, due to the possibility that this much-more-dangerous second Kira and manipulative first Kira may have met, he set a risky plan into motion.
He vocalized the likelihood that L was Kira in the case of his death and set out to spend as much time with him as possible in hopes of running into this obsessive second Kira during the the process. And he ran into Misa Amane. Highly suspicious. Misa Amane was quickly arrested and questioned. Her fingerprints matched with the fingerprints associated with the second Kira and L was quite obviously pinched through association. However, halfway through her interrogation, she seemed to lose. Something.
She no longer recalled that she had been arrested on charges of being the second Kira. Shortly after, Light volunteered to be held in confinement for as long as it took to prove that he wasn't Kira through the death's continuing. As it turned out, the deaths continued despite his confinement. However, they did stop. And start once more, with a brief reprieve. After quite some time, L relented and performed one last test to prove Light was Kira. It failed.
He would allow them out of confinement, now, but he required that Light Yagami constantly be under his supervision. As a result: handcuffs. This may have seemed unusual, but L felt it was the most appropriate solution to the dilemma. Oddly, L found Light to be acting especially unusual, seeming both genuine and... sincere? How could this be. He was stumped. His conclusion was that Light and Amane had, somehow, lost their memories of their time as Kira.
Since the killings had continued, though, it meant that the Kira power could be passed along. This resulted in his depression, up until Light had shown him new evidence of the current Kira being a different Kira altogether. Together, the two worked towards apprehending the third Kira and, eventually, they did just that. At this point, the startling realization that shinigami do exist was brought to his attention.
L was previously dragged from his world just prior to his death, while enduring the harsh rain beating down upon him, but this L is a returning L Lawliet. He has been in Scorched before and he will recall his memories during that time. The excuse for his disappearance will be a less than pleasant run-in with the mist while researching. If there are to be further punishments for this resurrection, I'm open to them.
personality:
L Lawliet is an often misunderstood individual. This truth is primarily of his doing, however. He deliberately applies appropriate masks to each situation so as to both shield himself and portray a certain image that may benefit himself. For instance, early in the manga, while L is alone, he is shown standing upright and adopting more “normal” sitting positions. According to him, his usual fetal position increases his deductive reasoning-and yet he does not utilize this position throughout his contemplation while alone. Once he meets face-to-face with the Task Force and Light Yagami, however, he is sporting a hunch and supposedly needs to sit as he does. These idiosyncrasies are, most likely, fake; perhaps to appear more frail, young or childish; whatever the reason may be, it is most likely a play.
That said, the habit of brushing his lips seems to be consistent regardless of his company.
His lies also spill into his everyday speech. To give a few examples, it has been stated that when L gives his percentages, his approximation is actually much higher. He also claimed Light Yagami was his “first friend” and this has been confirmed to be a lie. It’s highly likely that he occasionally lies for amusement purposes, as seen in the aforementioned examples, but the primary fuel behind it all has to do with his paranoia. A sense of privacy that he will not allow to seep into potentially dangerous hands.
This paranoia colors much of his life, from the usual workings of his cases to his relations with everyday people and work associates. Ultimately, this paranoia forces him into isolation. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t enjoy it, that he truly misses social interaction. He is a workaholic at heart, loving the challenges that come with the supposedly “unsolvable” crimes tossed his way. He may spend days straight focusing on one particular case if it interests him enough to do so. This can be attributed to his rather unorthodox priorities; of course, he knows sleep, hygiene and nutrition are important. Just not as important until he has closed the most recent work endeavor.
L is a childish individual. He does expect to be taken care of in areas that do not require his brilliant brainpower, which may be the result of constant pampering from the age he was given the power to work as such. He expects that these areas be taken care of to his satisfaction, as well. Perhaps he is spoiled in that sense. As for his competitive side, this is perhaps the only trait that may overcome his paranoia (and all others) from time to time. His selfishness is a childish sort of selfishness. Only cases that do not bore him are deemed worth of his attention, regardless of the suffering caused by others he may neglect.
L has difficulty connecting with most people, especially those of lower intellect (ninety-nine point nine percent of the human population). It isn’t that manners and kindness are difficult to understand, but that he feels it unnecessary. Where needed, he will resort to acting in a polite manner as it is an important thing to know in certain situations-particularly when he wishes to confidently gain the trust of those wary of his more eccentric mask.
Despite all his negatives, L is not a cruel individual. He may be rough, blunt and generally a childish bastard sometimes, but he does maintain a sense of empathy. He expresses genuine grief at the loss of the FBI agents’ lives as well as frustration when the Second Kira took one of the Task Force’s lives. This sense of empathy is drawn out in private or extreme situations, as being emotional is likely frowned upon in such a perilous line of work.
Perhaps most notably, L is massively intelligent. He is verbally and linguistically gifted, nearly fluent in several languages of both the Western and Eastern world: English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. There are several others he may be able to understand, though coherently speaking becomes an issue. He’s very mathematically and logically wealthy, the latter of which entering nearly his every waking (and subconscious) thought. His intrapersonal intelligence is notable as it allows him to confidently analyze himself to the point of understanding his abilities and fallbacks and adjusting to better himself (though the latter has largely stabilized since becoming older).
why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting?
I feel that L would be an excellent addition to the DN cast already chilling in Scorched and personally, placing L in any situation beyond the norm for him is entertaining. Usually he is safely tucked behind a screen or surrounded by security measures designed to completely ensure his safety. In this world, he will be required to step out of that box and reassert himself. I’m not sure if he’s so much appropriate as enjoyable to play in this setting. Personally, I enjoy dystopian settings, so I’m potentially biased.
Writing Samples
Network Post Sample:
[The visual flickers life, focused on creases of white, twisting and shifting, shadows dancing across the fabric pillars and dipping into the pits between. The generic sheet rustles loudly, pressing against the screen briefly before the source of the movement ceases-and a pale fingertip brushes the lens as the Forge is lifted. A moment of silent bewilderment and subsequent realization.
Ah…
The screen darkens, muffled by the sheets and there is the subtle scuffle of skin to floor, footsteps a hushed, confident sound and then silence. Enduring silence. One, two, three, fo- The footsteps are louder when they return, lifting the device so that it cuts across the honey floorboards and clips the white of his sleeve, deliberately aimed opposite his face. It tilts now and then, as though under scrutiny.]
Mm, interesting…
[The screen moves with him as he takes several steps towards the window again, visual’s corner cutting across the gray sky and lighthouse beyond thick white smog.
Yes, this is almost definitely a dream, but paranoia persists, demanding that he not share his face with… whoever his audience may be; likely his own mind. The random firing of neurons twisting his thoughts into this picturesque environment and creating the sensation of touch… hearing… smell-ah, there’s the vague stench of smoke
Perhaps a drug? Unlikely, considering his company and their capabilities.]
No residual tingling… motor skills: fine. A dream.
[Decided.]
Third Person Sample:
Slow music seeps from the device, so agonizing, dragging, stumbling that it seems to trip on itself and stall before bursting forward again in a strangled cry between jazz and martial industrial. It’s a difficult sound, seemingly radiating from the heaps of ruins, and L refuses to acknowledge the pathetic sight filling the roads and bordering shops. The ground is dirty and there is a hazy layer of white obscuring his vision as he walks, though it seems to be lessening with his scuffling deeper into the maze of electricity and stone. His feet are sore, of course, irritated by the rough floor and yet grateful for the lack of constraint in such a realistic, yet highly surreal dream.
The sensations, from the stench of smoke often wafting down alleys to meet his nose to the vague coolness that kisses his heels with each step. The man isn’t particularly nervous, mind you. As persuasive as his mind was, he knew better than to believe these sights possible considering his place only hours prior. If it was hours. The odd device digs into his thigh and he lifts it, glancing over the screen of yet another face, offering words that mean little and will continue left unanalyzed.
The confusion this setting is portraying, the impoverished peoples and general dismay, is likely a result of his own anxiousness over completing this case. Manifested into quite the unusual environment, admittedly, considering his usual dreams. Mmm. The device is redeposited, dismissed, as the city grows livelier, stepping up a class from the last few miles and seeming to play lighter music.
Mmm. Yes, it will be rather depressing to confirm the rule’s faultiness, close the case and send a truly brilliant mind to its execution. It isn’t about him, however. The man isn’t going to sway and what’s done is done. The rule is to be tested within the coming week-which is why it’s mildly surprising he has found the time to drift off.
An inhale, gaze curious as wide eyes trail over the happier faces, clad in quite the odd apparel. Ah. Steampunk, yes? He isn’t exactly one to keep up with fashion, but this had been the setting of a recently popular novel; perhaps that’s where it originated from.
Anything else? Nopeeee~