PLAYER
Name: Duck
Personal Journal:
theevilduck772 Contact Info: deviouswaterfowl@hotmail.com // AIM: theevilduck772 // MSN: deviouswaterfowl@hotmail.com
CHARACTER
Name: Mello (AKA M) (born Mihael Keehl)
Fandom: Death Note
Canon History:
Not a lot is known about Mello before he became Mello. He was born Mihael Keehl in Germany, orphaned at an early age and sent to Wammy’s House, an orphanage/school for gifted children in Winchester, England. It was there that he was given a codename, Mello, in place of his real one. While this may seem strange, it makes more sense when the real purpose of Wammy’s House is brought to light.
Far more than just an orphanage Wammy’s House trained L, the world’s greatest detective, and now was home to an alphabet of successors. Mello was eventually chosen to be M. The training process was rigorous and claimed more than one, most notably A, the first successor as well as the first to kill himself. Mello and Near (N) were the fourth and best generation of successors. The rivalry between them was intense. They were in constant competition against one another, a competition that Near won time and time again. This constantly coming in second was something that would define Mello’s entire life. When L was killed during the Kira case it was Mello and Near who were chosen from all the successors to replace him.
Kira was a serial killer who started by murdering criminals in Japan and soon afterward throughout the globe. L took on the case. The longer the case went on the more willing Kira became to kill. He had started with convicted murderers and perpetrators of equally horrific crimes but soon began to annihilate petty criminals and even suspects. And eventually it wasn’t criminals at all but also those who spoke out against Kira. Kira was, in reality, Light Yagami, son of a police chief who eventually took on a position in L’s Task Force dedicated to bringing down Kira. Once Light graduated high school he himself became part of the task force, acting as though he wanted nothing more to bring Kira to justice. In time L was killed and Light erased all files and records the detective had kept over the lengthy investigation. And Kira became L.
However, Light’s plan neglected one detail, L had already picked his successors. So when the news of L’s death reached Wammy’s House, Mello and Near were sent into action. While they were supposed to join forces Mello refused to work with Near because he hated Near’s methods (in the notes Mello wrote about the LABB murder case he refers to Near as “an armchair detective”), he didn’t want Near to use him as his servant, and he wanted to prove himself. Mello left Wammy’s House that night. He was fourteen and positive he could make it on his own.
Mello went to the United States where he found himself without resources, associates, or money. He joined the mob to acquire these things and quickly climbed through the ranks by using his innate intelligence and the skills and tactics he learned at Wammy’s House. Mello was entered into Rodd Ross’s, the Mafia’s leader, inner circle. When Ross was killed by Kira, Mello was given his crown.
Five years have gone by at this point, the world has completely changed. L, Light, is leading the investigation in circles while as Kira slowly takes over the world. Countries begin to hand their power over to Kira, promising to do what he wants in exchange for leaving their leaders alive. Names and faces of criminals are posted everywhere for Kira’s convenience. All those who stand in Kira’s way are destroyed.
One of Mello’s first acts as mafia leader was to get a hold of Kira’s weapon. Mello kidnapped Sayu Yagami, sister of Light Yagami and daughter of Sorichiro Yagami (the leader of the group trying to track Kira down.) The exchange was made, girl for weapon. And Mello found out how Kira was able to kill seemingly however he wanted and whoever he wanted, he was now in possession of the Death Note. A magic notebook used by Kira and Shinigami (death gods). The user simply has to write their victim’s name in the Death Note while thinking about their face. The person will then die of whatever cause written. If the cause of death is unspecified the victim will die of a heart attack which for a while was believed to be Kira’s only way of killing before L proved it to be untrue. Mello’s first act is to hinder Near, wiping out most of the SPK (Near’s organization working to bring down Kira.)
Mello soon was not only the owner of the Death Note but also had the Note’s original owner, a Shinigami named Sidoh, at his command (Sidoh was terrified of Mello and did whatever Mello told him to). Sidoh told Mello about the “Shinigami Eyes” which at the cost of half the recipient’s life in exchange for the ability to see any human’s life expectancy and name. Mello forced one of his minions to make the eye deal. Mello then began exterminating the mob. It is during this time that Mello starts developing his theory as to Kira’s identity.
The Japanese task force deployed a SWAT team to take Mello down, lead by Sorichiro Yagami shortly after the officer made his own Shinigami eye deal. The SWAT team is mostly eliminated by the time Sorichiro comes face to face with Mello. Chief Yagami reveals that he knows Mello’s real name and shows him that he is armed with a Death Note. Mello, terrified, reveals that he has rigged the building with explosives. In his panic Mello decides to set them off while still inside the building, killing Sorichiro, the remainder of the mob, and all but two of the task force and leaving Mello horribly burned over much of his left side, including his face.
Mello’s exact whereabouts at this time are a mystery. It is assumed that he was living with Matt, number three at Wammy’s House, and the person closest to Mello. Mello uses one of the remaining SPK members, a woman named Halle Linder, to find out about Near’s plans. He breaks into Near’s headquarters, holding Linder at gunpoint to get the only remaining picture of himself. He meets with Near (not a very happy reunion) and passes on some information about the Death Note in exchange for the photograph, which Mello destroys. By combining what they both knew Near and he share similar suspicions, the fake L is Kira. Matt and Mello then spy on Misa Amane, Light’s girlfriend and a model/actress as well as the second Kira.
When it’s confirmed that Light is Kira, Near decides to corner him. Mello risks his life to make sure the plan works. His goal is to kidnap Kiyomi Takada, who served as Kira’s spokesperson after he all but took over the world. Matt provided a distraction while Mello pretended to help Takada before driving off with her. Takada’s bodyguards surrounded Matt and killed him when he surrendered. This shook Mello and caused his undoing. He failed to realize that Takada has a piece of the Death Note. Mello died at the age of twenty on January 26, 2010 after helping to bring down the most horrible serial killers of all time.
Personality:
Mello is…volatile. Everything he feels, he feels with a passion, everything he does reflects this passion.
He is prideful, though not exactly arrogant as he will always be second place, even in his own mind. Mello is determined to shed this title although in his heart of hearts he believes he never will. Raised in constant competition and perpetually judged by test scores, Mello will never surpass Near, not on paper and not in his own mind, regardless of what people tell him or what actually happens.
His inferiority complex colors everything he does. He is perpetually second. Nothing he does will ever be good enough. Mello is constantly trying to prove himself to the world and more importantly himself. He thinks everyone sees him as a failure the same way he does, giving him a chip on his shoulder to say the least. He always wants to be number one but never honestly believes he’ll get there. His ambition is incredible but his inferiority complex hinders it.
When Mello was in the mob he nearly lost his mind. His obsession with surpassing Near combined with the horrors of the Mafia’s criminal activity and his lack of grounding (which had previously been supplied by Matt) kept him in a constant state of paranoia, anxiety, and anger, always running hot. It isn’t until after the explosion that Mello calms down again, or becomes as calm as Mello can be.
Mello’s true cause is justice. He fights for the greater good, not by conventional means by any stretch of the imagination. Mello’s methods are as fiery as his temper; explosives, firearms, kidnapping, all part of the plan. But the ends always justify the means. Mello doesn’t consider himself “the good guy” but he considers himself justified. He is a sinner, but he’s accepted this as somebody has to be. He does the dirty work because somebody has to. Mello is a deeply religious Catholic (evidenced in canon by pictures of the Madonna and crosses everywhere. He also dies praying in a church.) But he’s accepted the role as sinner to help the world. He believes he’s Hell bound, but he’s made it that way. Even if his morals seem lax this is paradoxically because of their strength.
Mello is extremely intelligent, probably one of the smartest people on Earth. He is keenest in detection and investigation. This is one of the places that Mello doubts himself, however, while he knows he’s smart, incredibly smart, he will always think that he is not as smart as Near or L. He second guesses himself even while acting on impulse. It’s more that he thinks over his mistakes rather than preventing them.
His impulsiveness also hinders him. Mello is one to shoot first and ask questions…maybe. He is easily enraged and is very difficult to calm down. Mello doesn’t forgive or forget easily and there are times where he’ll just let his gun do the talking.
Biggest Fear: Failure.
Powers: Nope, just a genius who can beat you up.
SAMPLES
Third person:
For half a second after his finger found the button everything stopped; the alarms quieted, his breath caught, the button remained depressed. Mello had time to properly register the horrified look on Yagami’s face before everything happened, before the world sped up, before time went too fast as if making up for that half second that lasted so long.
Everything was so loud he thought his eardrums would bleed and burst and so hot he was shocked he wasn’t reduced to ash. Mello’s eyes squeezed closed just before impact, just before the wall crumbled behind him, under him. The second before the fall. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears, a rushed rhythm beneath chaos: splintering, cracking, screaming. He could hear one scream clearest of all. It was a hoarse howl; so alien it made his skin crawl.
The smell of burning meat flared his nostrils. This was what made his eyes flick opened, made the pain register, made him realize he was burning, that he was the one screaming. With all his strength Mello rolled the fire out. He gritted his teeth in silence as shockwaves of pain shot through him. It crescendoed into nothing. Everything on his left side was numb.
One hand found his cellphone, clawing it from his pocket. The other found the unhurt crucifix hanging around his neck, squeezing it. He only had to press one button before letting his hand fall to his side. “Matt,” he breathed, shocked that his voice worked, “help me.”
First person:
There’s not much to say. In the long run, I don’t really matter. I’m just another guy, another life, another name you don’t know, another face you wouldn’t recognize. I’m the loser, the world’s runner up. Perpetually second when everyone knows first is the only thing that counts. That’s why I don’t write about myself. I, personally, don’t have a story worth telling. But I can be a narrator, a guide through the life of quite possibly the single most important man of our time. I can tell you about a man who lived and died for justice. The world’s greatest detective, actually all three of the world’s greatest detectives, L.
Notes: Nothing I can think of ^^;