Death Note Roleplay Rant /with a focus on L/Light;;
I must begin this rant by explaining that, no, this isn't directed at any one roleplayer; however, it is, yes, based on my experiences during my time roleplaying in the Death Note fandom.
Logic
First I'll start with this: If you're going to roleplay Death Note, try to understand the definition of logic and how to apply it to any situation. No, not everyone can be vastly intelligent and very few graze the DN casts' intellect. However, their level of logic is not impossible to obtain. Think. Would Light not question that? Does Mello have a reason to make this so complex? Is there a point to that? Why? How? What? Keep asking yourself and make it second nature to work out the reasoning and logic. I have privately torn up the logic of several players in the past because it was so tangled and they were too up in arms to untangle it. Logic, man, do you has it?
Characterization...
As I know this argument will arise, it is true that any character is up to interpretation and this is particularly true in the case of Death Note. However, we must agree that there are certain traits required or necessarily excluded from each character in order for their personality to remain distinct and intact. This is where each player may disagree and, as it is mildly subjective, perhaps every character is up to limited interpreation. Would Mello canonically bake for Near's birthday? Or would Near do so for Mello? Would L fall in love with Light or vise versa?
Of course, there are extreme instances where each these situations may be possible (though I simply do not see Near baking for Mello, ahem), but, even then, would there be an ulterior motive in mind? Could Mello have a believable reason to bake for Near? Is it logical? Can you explain how if someone confront you? If you are irritated when someone requests an explanation, it is usually because you do not have a logical one, or so it seems from my experiences.
LxLight
Now, if L falls for Light, is that love as important to him as his work? Is is really love or lust? Is he the sort to allow himself to openly admit he feels such emotions? Personally, I think L may develope feelings of affection for Light that may spill over into the physical with much character development, but it wouldn't be instantaneous-- and, inevitably, work would come first. L doesn't strike me as the type to casually date or invest himself in an emotional relationship, for that would interfere with work and, arguably, such a relationship may not be as interesting. Of course, he's clearly implied Light to be a uniquely interesting person, so that can be contested in this instance. However, is that professional interest or otherwise?
Orientation becomes a problem, of course. That said, L and Light are very intelligent and very devoted to their respective goals; it is not beyond them to manipulate through less than just means (as with Amane's imprisonment and Light's manipulation of women). They are also extremely competitive and childish. As such, if one of them challenged the other in a more physical way, it's possible that the other would, after a moment's (or longer) consideration, react in kind. It doesn't particularly mean that they are attracted to males, but, rather, eachother and the power that may become accessible through such tactics. Light has displayed the occasional impulsive move, but he operates primarily based on logic. Especially after fully comprehending that L is not below him quite as equally as the rest of humanity.
L, by contrast, has never been seen acting impulsively. He crunches the numbers and calculates the logical outcomes in fractions of a second, selecting the optimal path for himself. While he is a recluse, he is clearly playing up the part. He knows how to feign social skills, knows that the way he eats and speaks is offputting (or should, considering his understanding of social psychology), which is exactly as planned. For instance, upon initially being introduced to the reader, he stood normally, posture excellent. It is only when he met another face-to-face that he adopted his hunch. It's difficult to ascertain whether the other quirks are ploys. It is to be noted that he sat differently (than his normal) pre-meeting the Task Force as well, though that may be because he needed his faculties at 100% around unfamiliar people (given that his claim was true).
Back to his likelihood of falling for Light. To be blunt, I don't think he would love Light so much as be fascinated with him and, perhaps, develope a mixture of lust and affection. Or merely the former. It all depends on the lockdown level of the mun's interpretation of the detective. However, when it passes into choosing Light over work, it becomes difficult to believe, as much as I love reading fanfic about just that scenario. Though there were... special circumstances. Even then, I believe it was stretching it.
I'd also assume that L wouldn't be the one to make the first move (possible, but at least keep the motives logical). Light appears more likely to assume that role considering that is the exact method he employed with Amane and Takada. I do not believe, however, that L would shy away. He is competitive and, while it may be mildly uncomfortable to an extent (depending on how you play the L; again, limited interpretation), he doesn't seem particularly closed to new experiences. Especially when it means not losing, which is what retreating would mean. That isn't to say that Light or L couldn't be faintly embarassed, etc, in the case that it is their first time with a man, but when have they shown their underlying feelings to eachother?
Light's so devoted to his work, perhaps moreso than L, so there is very little wiggle room in terms of his motives. He may grow affection as well, yes, or the opposite... either is possible, but the point is that he would never not kill L if the opportunity arrived. L is just L and, while it's unfortunate to lose a brilliant mind, it is more important that he cleanse the world. Depending on how one plays Light, it may be difficult for him to come up with the plan or as smooth as every other plot he executes; either way, he wouldn't allow it to show. How many times did it show on Light's face canonically that something failed or was embarassing? Never in public.
Once they're past the initial stage, how likely are they to offer sweet whispers or gentle embraces? They know eachother. Something as blatantly, sickeningly sweet as that would be questioned; jesus, L practically drills Light with questions when he's innocent let alone attempting to manipulate. Will they cuddle? Uh. Unlikely. They both seem averse to such a thing, even in extreme circumstances. One can argue that it's "cute", but Death Note isn't particularly cute, runts. I doubt that either one is looking to be bottom and, in the case that they lose --for the night--, it would still be possible to control the situation from bottom. It doesn't need to be BDSM rough, but cmon. Begging and pleading? Please make it hard to draw out those pleas so they don't sound like school girls with dildos on.
Beyond Birthday and Mail Jeevas
I play Beyond Birthday, so I am especially passionate about his play-age. However, he's very much... an OC in several respects. That said, he has never been proven to be a cannibal and never sexually violated the corpses. He drugged them in such a way that they would not feel pain and intentionally selected those who were about to die, with or without his assistance. His eyes are not red just as Amane's eyes are not red. He set up a complicated case for L and carefully manipulated Naomi Misora through the entirety of it to suit his needs, a very difficult deed that he accomplished perfectly with the exception of the slip-up towards the end.
He ate jam once.
He doesn't cry or whimper. Rather, he seems absolutely furious with L, to the point of devoting his death to leaving a bad mark on the man's record. Dudes. He hates L with a passion. It seems to be an obsessive hate, admittedly, yes, and it is perhaps possible to work it into a pairing, but no. No. He clearly is livid with the man. Do not play it like a romance novel where B's crying on his shoulder. If you want a roleplay where he doesn't hate his guts, go for an AU. B is clearly not the right angst if you want a crying character.
Mail Jeevas. Matt. I have not seen one good Matt yet. All of them follow Mello around like mopey pets and they lack anything that makes them interesting. They are vaguely unapproachable and seem to only respond to Mello. This would work if, canonically, Matt had alwaysss been with Mello and even seemed remotely mopey, clingy, needy. I'm sorry. Make him a little more independent. Explain shit. Cmon. Be creative since he's also very much an OC as well.
Misa Amane, Mello and Near
Amane is not an utter ditz. She plays it up, of course, as to be expected of someone with her career and it certainly lightens the mood. I'm certain, on some more serious level, she is aware of Light's view of her. I don't have too much to rant about in this case. Some people will simply continue to view her as one dimensional, regardless.
Mello's not a slut. He's not a ticking time bomb of constantly kicking shit. He's not a stripper or going to shoot everything in sight if he doesn't get chocolate. I do not play him, so I will also have little to say in this area... Try to even out his maturity, intelligence and temperament so that it is believable. He didn't kick Near in the face when the albino spoke back.
And on the topic of Near. Do not make him overly emotional or interested in something not related to the current "game". It is possible to have a faint sense of emotion without going over the top... it's difficult, admittedly. Remember, he's intleligent and confident, arrogant even. But he doesn't gloat unless he suspects it will accomplish something, such as drawing out impulsive actions or words from Light Yagami, etc. Of course, he may gloat in an unintentional way, dryly perhaps, stating facts. In canon, he seems to understand there to be a challenge in Mello, though he maintains that he is still better; must be. He doesn't seem particularly concerned with L's death, which may or may not be because, logically, why should he care? He's never met L. Or it could be that he was thinking rather than feeling. Up for interpretation, though he certainly must have seen him as a great man.
Ah, I feel a bit better.
Feel free to debate (not argue).
Logic
First I'll start with this: If you're going to roleplay Death Note, try to understand the definition of logic and how to apply it to any situation. No, not everyone can be vastly intelligent and very few graze the DN casts' intellect. However, their level of logic is not impossible to obtain. Think. Would Light not question that? Does Mello have a reason to make this so complex? Is there a point to that? Why? How? What? Keep asking yourself and make it second nature to work out the reasoning and logic. I have privately torn up the logic of several players in the past because it was so tangled and they were too up in arms to untangle it. Logic, man, do you has it?
Characterization...
As I know this argument will arise, it is true that any character is up to interpretation and this is particularly true in the case of Death Note. However, we must agree that there are certain traits required or necessarily excluded from each character in order for their personality to remain distinct and intact. This is where each player may disagree and, as it is mildly subjective, perhaps every character is up to limited interpreation. Would Mello canonically bake for Near's birthday? Or would Near do so for Mello? Would L fall in love with Light or vise versa?
Of course, there are extreme instances where each these situations may be possible (though I simply do not see Near baking for Mello, ahem), but, even then, would there be an ulterior motive in mind? Could Mello have a believable reason to bake for Near? Is it logical? Can you explain how if someone confront you? If you are irritated when someone requests an explanation, it is usually because you do not have a logical one, or so it seems from my experiences.
LxLight
Now, if L falls for Light, is that love as important to him as his work? Is is really love or lust? Is he the sort to allow himself to openly admit he feels such emotions? Personally, I think L may develope feelings of affection for Light that may spill over into the physical with much character development, but it wouldn't be instantaneous-- and, inevitably, work would come first. L doesn't strike me as the type to casually date or invest himself in an emotional relationship, for that would interfere with work and, arguably, such a relationship may not be as interesting. Of course, he's clearly implied Light to be a uniquely interesting person, so that can be contested in this instance. However, is that professional interest or otherwise?
Orientation becomes a problem, of course. That said, L and Light are very intelligent and very devoted to their respective goals; it is not beyond them to manipulate through less than just means (as with Amane's imprisonment and Light's manipulation of women). They are also extremely competitive and childish. As such, if one of them challenged the other in a more physical way, it's possible that the other would, after a moment's (or longer) consideration, react in kind. It doesn't particularly mean that they are attracted to males, but, rather, eachother and the power that may become accessible through such tactics. Light has displayed the occasional impulsive move, but he operates primarily based on logic. Especially after fully comprehending that L is not below him quite as equally as the rest of humanity.
L, by contrast, has never been seen acting impulsively. He crunches the numbers and calculates the logical outcomes in fractions of a second, selecting the optimal path for himself. While he is a recluse, he is clearly playing up the part. He knows how to feign social skills, knows that the way he eats and speaks is offputting (or should, considering his understanding of social psychology), which is exactly as planned. For instance, upon initially being introduced to the reader, he stood normally, posture excellent. It is only when he met another face-to-face that he adopted his hunch. It's difficult to ascertain whether the other quirks are ploys. It is to be noted that he sat differently (than his normal) pre-meeting the Task Force as well, though that may be because he needed his faculties at 100% around unfamiliar people (given that his claim was true).
Back to his likelihood of falling for Light. To be blunt, I don't think he would love Light so much as be fascinated with him and, perhaps, develope a mixture of lust and affection. Or merely the former. It all depends on the lockdown level of the mun's interpretation of the detective. However, when it passes into choosing Light over work, it becomes difficult to believe, as much as I love reading fanfic about just that scenario. Though there were... special circumstances. Even then, I believe it was stretching it.
I'd also assume that L wouldn't be the one to make the first move (possible, but at least keep the motives logical). Light appears more likely to assume that role considering that is the exact method he employed with Amane and Takada. I do not believe, however, that L would shy away. He is competitive and, while it may be mildly uncomfortable to an extent (depending on how you play the L; again, limited interpretation), he doesn't seem particularly closed to new experiences. Especially when it means not losing, which is what retreating would mean. That isn't to say that Light or L couldn't be faintly embarassed, etc, in the case that it is their first time with a man, but when have they shown their underlying feelings to eachother?
Light's so devoted to his work, perhaps moreso than L, so there is very little wiggle room in terms of his motives. He may grow affection as well, yes, or the opposite... either is possible, but the point is that he would never not kill L if the opportunity arrived. L is just L and, while it's unfortunate to lose a brilliant mind, it is more important that he cleanse the world. Depending on how one plays Light, it may be difficult for him to come up with the plan or as smooth as every other plot he executes; either way, he wouldn't allow it to show. How many times did it show on Light's face canonically that something failed or was embarassing? Never in public.
Once they're past the initial stage, how likely are they to offer sweet whispers or gentle embraces? They know eachother. Something as blatantly, sickeningly sweet as that would be questioned; jesus, L practically drills Light with questions when he's innocent let alone attempting to manipulate. Will they cuddle? Uh. Unlikely. They both seem averse to such a thing, even in extreme circumstances. One can argue that it's "cute", but Death Note isn't particularly cute, runts. I doubt that either one is looking to be bottom and, in the case that they lose --for the night--, it would still be possible to control the situation from bottom. It doesn't need to be BDSM rough, but cmon. Begging and pleading? Please make it hard to draw out those pleas so they don't sound like school girls with dildos on.
Beyond Birthday and Mail Jeevas
I play Beyond Birthday, so I am especially passionate about his play-age. However, he's very much... an OC in several respects. That said, he has never been proven to be a cannibal and never sexually violated the corpses. He drugged them in such a way that they would not feel pain and intentionally selected those who were about to die, with or without his assistance. His eyes are not red just as Amane's eyes are not red. He set up a complicated case for L and carefully manipulated Naomi Misora through the entirety of it to suit his needs, a very difficult deed that he accomplished perfectly with the exception of the slip-up towards the end.
He ate jam once.
He doesn't cry or whimper. Rather, he seems absolutely furious with L, to the point of devoting his death to leaving a bad mark on the man's record. Dudes. He hates L with a passion. It seems to be an obsessive hate, admittedly, yes, and it is perhaps possible to work it into a pairing, but no. No. He clearly is livid with the man. Do not play it like a romance novel where B's crying on his shoulder. If you want a roleplay where he doesn't hate his guts, go for an AU. B is clearly not the right angst if you want a crying character.
Mail Jeevas. Matt. I have not seen one good Matt yet. All of them follow Mello around like mopey pets and they lack anything that makes them interesting. They are vaguely unapproachable and seem to only respond to Mello. This would work if, canonically, Matt had alwaysss been with Mello and even seemed remotely mopey, clingy, needy. I'm sorry. Make him a little more independent. Explain shit. Cmon. Be creative since he's also very much an OC as well.
Misa Amane, Mello and Near
Amane is not an utter ditz. She plays it up, of course, as to be expected of someone with her career and it certainly lightens the mood. I'm certain, on some more serious level, she is aware of Light's view of her. I don't have too much to rant about in this case. Some people will simply continue to view her as one dimensional, regardless.
Mello's not a slut. He's not a ticking time bomb of constantly kicking shit. He's not a stripper or going to shoot everything in sight if he doesn't get chocolate. I do not play him, so I will also have little to say in this area... Try to even out his maturity, intelligence and temperament so that it is believable. He didn't kick Near in the face when the albino spoke back.
And on the topic of Near. Do not make him overly emotional or interested in something not related to the current "game". It is possible to have a faint sense of emotion without going over the top... it's difficult, admittedly. Remember, he's intleligent and confident, arrogant even. But he doesn't gloat unless he suspects it will accomplish something, such as drawing out impulsive actions or words from Light Yagami, etc. Of course, he may gloat in an unintentional way, dryly perhaps, stating facts. In canon, he seems to understand there to be a challenge in Mello, though he maintains that he is still better; must be. He doesn't seem particularly concerned with L's death, which may or may not be because, logically, why should he care? He's never met L. Or it could be that he was thinking rather than feeling. Up for interpretation, though he certainly must have seen him as a great man.
Ah, I feel a bit better.
Feel free to debate (not argue).