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VID REC: DEATH NOTE - "Light Kisses L"

2012-11-30T20:04:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Vidder: kittehpaws (a.k.a. KittehPawz)
Musical artist: none (no music)
Pairing: L/Light
Vidder on LJ: Unknown
Vidder's website: kittehpaws on YouTube | buttercupbabyppg on DeviantART
Why this vid kicks ass:

This is one of the most famous fan-made Death Note videos of all time, with copies floating all around the internet, but this link is to the original. This fanvid is constantly at the center of rumors that L and Light actually kissed in some alternate Japanese version of the anime. Instead, it is a very clever and professional bit of editing, using anime footage to replace Misa with L and make it seem as if Light kissed L. Even the facial expressions selected for this show the good judgement of the vidder, because it seems as in-character as a kiss of a few seconds can be. Watch a bit of Death Note fandom history...

Light Kisses L

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Perfectly Hollow by Silver Pard (T, which is probably PG-13)

2012-11-30T19:46:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: none
Length: ~3000
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

One of the most popular subjects in Death Note AU fanfics is "What if Light never found the death note?"

This is an AU fanfic with that premise, but it subverts all the usual expectations you might have. It's not a sappy piece of fluff, instead it's angsty and deeply thoughtful. It is probably the most subversive by creating a universe where L and Light never meet, since non-Kira Light and L meeting is generally the prime focus of most AU fics of this type.

It's a character study of the two, especially of the personality flaws each one has, and the way they almost need each other as enemies in order for each to have an equal to strive against.

Perfectly Hollow

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What He's Getting Into by kinda_chocolate (M, which is probably NC-17)

2012-11-30T19:22:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairings: Wedy/L but with hints of L/Light
Length: ~2500
Author on LJ: kinda_chocolate
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:

It is rare to see Wedy paired with anyone, but this fanfic does it elegantly, through a lot of spot-on characterization and excellent writing. The details work perfectly with the little we see of Wedy in canon, creating the feeling of a fully-fleshed character, seamlessly merging with the few things that canon has told us about Wedy. However, Wedy isn't the only one who gets a wonderful character study. The fanfic also peers deeply into L's psyche, and gives us a satisfying view of him too.

L is tempted by Light, but L knows that starting anything sexually with his prime suspect would be a horrible idea. As an alternative, he seeks another sexual outlet in order to forget about Light, and this is how L and Wedy are drawn together for some very kinky sex. L is not an inexperienced virgin in this, and it works well. He's knowledgeable about sex, but Wedy has decided to make it kinky enough to surprise L.

The result is a lyrical, beautiful, sexy piece of very hot smut.

What He's Getting Into

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Misa and the Bear by skullanddog (T, which is probably PG-13)

2012-11-30T18:57:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairings: Many, but mainly Light/Misa and Ryuk/Rem
Length: ~4000
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction.net | Skull & Dog on Blogspot
Why this must be read:

Canon Death Note is overall a very serious piece of fiction, but it does have some brilliant, subtle touches of humor here and there. This makes it very tempting for authors to write silly Death Note fanfics, both as a strike against the seriousness of canon and to resonate with some of canon's funnier moments.

Unfortunately, Death Note humor is difficult to pull off in fanfic form, which is why this particular fanfic is extra-unique and special. It's silly, it's ridiculous, and it works splendidly. It doesn't matter that the timeline is a little skewed and characters aren't acting quite like themselves, because those things are needed for the premise, and the premise pays off in a hilarious story.

Ryuk doesn't understand much about Valentine's day...

Misa and the Bear

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Praying Mantis by Miss Bright (M, which is probably NC-17)

2012-11-30T18:30:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: L/Light
Length: ~2700
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction.net | fortunehasfallen on Tumblr
Why this must be read:

L/Light or Light/L is one of the most pervasive pairings in the Death Note fandom, and yet the circumstances of canon are such that believably pairing these two is a very tricky process, nearly impossible to get exactly right. They are paranoid geniuses who are locked in a situation where they both know each of them is seeking the other's destruction. One is the world's greatest detective, the other is the world's greatest serial killer, and both of them are obsessively committed to their own personal ideals of justice.

This fanfic is written by someone who is not a fan of the pairing, and it shows. Instead of something typical, this is something extraordinary, brilliant, and complicated. It is clear that the author has thought about all the problems inherent in that relationship, and has decided not to sweep them aside or rationalize them away. This is a raw, real, believable depiction of L and Light interacting sexually. It doesn't pull any punches, and it doesn't fall into well-worn tropes and clichés. If you want to find some good L/Light but you generally can't find any fanfics that can make you set aside your disbelief, this could be exactly what you've been searching for. It does use two anime-only scenes, so you'll understand it best if you've watched the anime.

Praying Mantis

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Performance by Markus Ramikin (T, which is probably PG-13)

2012-11-28T19:03:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: none
Length: ~700
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

Occasionally a fanfic appears where a much-ignored minor character is examined brilliantly. This tiny ficlet does just that with Lind L. Tailor, and is also something of a character study of L as well. I like it for a number of reasons, but one reason is because it doesn't sugar-coat L's character. It portrays L as a pushy manipulator who doesn't express much emotion and is something of a jerk, and yet he is still a good guy; the fanfic doesn't go too far in the other direction into L-bashing either. It simply portrays L as he is, with his brilliance and his flaws, while also looking deep into the mind of a very minor character.

Performance

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The Apple Never Falls Far from the Tree by yellowrose87 (T, which is probably PG-13)

2012-11-28T18:47:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairings: L's Dad/L's Mom in the past-setting portions, plus L/Light in the present-setting portions
Length: ~5000
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: AO3 | Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

This fanfic has two distinct parts that are interwoven counterpoints to each other: one part being the story of how L's parents met and romanced, and the other part being a romance with similar features between L and Light. The way these two story threads are written and the way they interact feels very literary, moving and realistic. It is a very rare fanfic that has that "literary" feel, but this one does.

Furthermore, a lot of thought has obviously been put into it. Canon gives us only a few hints about L's parentage and past, and this fanfic takes all those hints and fleshes them out into an interesting, intriguing and utterly believable narrative that does not contradict canon in any way. Even the L/Light romance takes this non-canon pairing and makes it a subtle thing behind the scenes of canon, so that it doesn't contradict anything the audience knows from the manga/anime.

The Apple Never Falls Far from the Tree

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Everything I Touch by Anonymous (unrated, but probably NC-17)

2012-11-26T12:58:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: Matsuda/Misa
Length: ~6000
Author on LJ: Unknown, as the anonymous author never outed themselves, at least not that I could find. Their single known fic is on both dn_kink and on dn_kink2, but comments can only be left on the new meme's copy, because the old meme is defunct.
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:

The Death Note fandom is full of angst-fics, particularly because of the heavy moral issues that canon addresses, and because of the difficulties of creating a fanfic alternate ending where people on both sides of the conflict end up fine. It can be wearing and emotionally draining to encounter so many angst-fics, and these exhausting experiences often leave fans with a desire to avoid them.

This romance between Matsuda and Misa is an angst-fic, but it is surprisingly rewarding to read. Yes, there's a strong chance it will make you cry, but it's meaningful, fulfilling and strangely rewarding in a way that is incredibly rare among Death Note angst-fics. Rather than being exhausted after you read it, you will likely find that a poignant and nostalgic place inside your heart has been touched. It's sad, but the good kind of sadness. As it is set after the anime/manga series has ended, there are spoilers galore, so only read if you've read/watched all of the main series.

Everything I Touch (OLD meme's copy)

Everything I Touch (NEW meme's copy)

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Any Way You Want It by Tierfal (rated M, which is probably NC-17)

2012-11-21T14:46:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: L/Light
Length: ~3500
Author on LJ: tierfal and tierfallen
Author Website: Fanfiction.net | AO3 | Fan Fiction Masterlist
Why this must be read:

This is a fun fanfic by Tierfal, one of the well-known masters of Death Note fan fiction. The story is lighthearted, it's mainly about a TV Tropes reference, it's smoking hot, it's an angst-free L/Light and yet the characters do not seem as if they've had personality transplants... I'd better stop here. If I go on I'll end up listing everything in this fanfic, because it's all great. Just read it!

Any Way You Want It

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Death Note / Cthulhu Mythos (rated E or probably NC-17)

2012-11-15T11:21:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Title: "Plaything of the Gods" by reaperlight (author also known as plannedbyReaperLight)
Pairing: The Shinigami King/Light
Author on LJ: reaperlight
Author Website: AO3 | DeviantART | Fanfiction.Net (no longer updated)
Why this must be read:

The Shinigami King is a minor canon character who is mentioned but never appears (at least, not until the one-shot sequel that may have been written by a different author and that some fans consider to be of a different canon continuity). Thus, there is a great amount of fannish freedom in how to depict the king, and this fanfic has one of the most imaginative, and coolest, depictions I've ever seen.

This version of the king is one of the abominable "cosmic horror" gods of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, a mass of tentacles searching for Light Yagami. After finding out that the king's tentacles confer great power, Light isn't entirely averse to being found. As is proper for a Cthulhu Mythos tale, things don't go exactly as planned...

Plaything of the Gods

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The Perseverance of a Love Unchained by CrazyNinjaPenguin (rated M, which is probably R)

2012-11-14T20:22:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: Rem/Misa
Length: ~23000
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction.Net | FictionPress.com | PhilTheTimeWizard on DeviantART
Why this must be read:

This novella-length fanfic is known in the Death Note fandom as the most epic treatment of the Rem and Misa pairing, a pairing that is mostly ignored by fans despite being (mostly) canon. This fanfic has a good plot, it is intelligent about bringing up issues that were largely side-stepped by canon and dealing with them in unexpected ways, and it's hilarious without that hilarity ruining the romantic aspects.

I must warn you that it is (intentionally) a crack-fic, starting out crackiest in the beginning and gradually calming down the further you read. However, being a crack-fic adds humor to the story and rarely detracts from its quality in any way. This is the big, sweeping romance that Rem and Misa never really got in canon. And, if the way shinigami look in Death Note is too much of a turn-off for you, don't worry, the plot has a fix for that...

The Perseverance of a Love Unchained

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As She Is by Jenwryn (rated T, which is probably PG-13)

2012-11-14T19:01:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: Misa/Sayu
Length: ~1200
Author on LJ: jenwryn and also used to be at jenwryn_fic, but I see that's now been purged
Author Website: AO3 | Fanfiction.Net (no longer updated) | Fanlore | Dreamwidth, and I'm sure I've seen some other Jenwryn websites too, but I'm not finding them at the moment.
Why this must be read:

Jenwryn is a giant of the Death Note fandom, so it was difficult choosing just one story from Jenwryn's prolific works (a limit that I've personally set during this reccing session to give exposure to as many authors as possible). As She Is stuck in my mind long after I'd read it, and I ultimately chose it because of this memorable quality, because it shortly and sweetly encapsulates Jenwryn's writing style where fluff and Death Note somehow mesh perfectly, and because it is a Yuri pairing, very rare in the Death Note fandom.

In this fluffy, sentimental story Misa falls deeply in love with Sayu while caring for her during a long illness...

As She Is

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Autophobia by Skin and Pit (rated M, which is probably R)

2012-11-10T16:40:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: Mello/Matt, sort of
Length: ~1500
Author on LJ: plaguebird
Author Website: Skin and Pit on Fanfiction.net | Skinandpit on AO3
Why this must be read:

This short, imaginative piece is based entirely on an idea that is not canon: Matt doesn't actually exist; he's just a figment of Mello's imagination. Despite not being canon, it makes an amazing amount of sense in the story, drawing out lots of canon details as a foundation for this idea until it's surprisingly well-supported. Angsty and sweet at once, this is both a moving love story and an intelligent character study. It's not any less of a romance because of one person technically not existing. Matt's nonexistence is only a minor obstacle to Mello.

Autophobia

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The Haunting by ErmengardeSecret (rated M, which is probably R)

2012-11-04T13:23:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Hello! I'll be driving the anime/manga crack van for November, for the Death Note fandom again. I started a little later than I anticipated, but I've been waiting for this opportunity for months and I've got a long list ready to go... the list is actually long enough that it needs some unfortunate pruning to fit within the crack_van requirements, but I'm working on that task too.

If you're unfamiliar with the Death Note franchise, please take a peek at my nearly spoiler-free overview posted on crack_van last March. Death Note is the kind of spoiler-laden, plotty, heart-pounding, suspenseful series where at least the first half of the canon is certainly required reading/viewing before diving into the realm of fan fiction, or else you'll spoil yourself tremendously and also won't understand a great number of the references typically found in the fanfics.

My first rec is quite appropriate for the Halloween season, and I truly wish I had been able to get it posted on November 1st, closer to Halloween. Oh, well, it isn't Thanksgiving yet, so carry on with the Halloween celebrations...

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: L/Light
Length: ~8000
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: DeviantArt | Fanfiction.Net | Whisper Fiction | FictionPress.com
Why this must be read:

Do ghosts exist in the Death Note universe? The manga is silent on the matter, the canon author (Tsugumi Ohba) has explicitly stated that death in Death Note is final, and the anime hints at the existence of ghosts without making it official. This fanfic presumes that ghosts do exist, and that Light Yagami, as an extraordinary murderer, would likely become haunted. The Haunting is poetic, spooky, romantic and a character study. Light's obsession deepens and his mind slowly unravels as a very amorous ghost comes to visit him frequently. The writing style is haunting, and the ending is deeply satisfying.

The Haunting

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VID REC: DEATH NOTE - "Death Pad"

2012-03-30T18:59:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Vidder: Daniel Bean
Musical artist: Sound and music credits in the film list Tim Beacham, Priddis Music (priddis.com) & Tyler Langford
Pairing: none
Vidder on LJ: Unknown
Vidder's website: Daniel Bean Films | danielbeanfilms on YouTube
Why this vid kicks ass:

This is a parody of those "I'm a Mac and I'm a PC" commercials. What is better, a killing notebook, or a "death pad"? The animation barely moves and appears to be traced from the anime, but the plot of this is what really matters, and it is great. It manages to be very reminiscent of the real Death Note and completely insane crack fiction at the same time. Just when you think it's done, it pulls another trick.

Death Pad

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VID REC: DEATH NOTE - "L and Raito's night"

2012-03-30T18:37:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Vidder: Go-Devil-Dante
Musical artist: Kelis
Pairing: L/Light (actually, L/Raito since Light is named Raito here) plus a second surprise pairing that is squicky.
Vidder on LJ: Unknown
Vidder's website: Go-Devil-Dante on deviantART | Go-Devil-Dante on newsgrounds.com
Why this vid kicks ass:

This original animation is a cruel kick in the face for L. Light brought him to a special love nest so they could have sex for the first time, but insists on L watching a video first. The video is... well... a surprise, but it's pretty shocking to L and probably will be to you too. Don't watch it if you can't take a lactation fetish.

L and Raito's night

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VID REC: DEATH NOTE - "LxMisa [Guardian Angel]"

2012-03-30T18:19:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Vidder: B of TeamJAMB
Musical artist: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, David Bendeth
Pairing: L/Misa
Vidder on LJ: Unknown
Vidder's website: TeamJAMB on YouTube
Why this vid kicks ass:

This melancholy song-vid tells a story through the song itself, clips from the anime, and the added device of a letter from L to Misa. The premise of the video is that L was in love with Misa during the Yotsuba arc. It is extremely spoilery for canon events.

LxMisa [Guardian Angel]

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VID REC: DEATH NOTE - "Death Note Thriller.m2t"

2012-03-30T18:04:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Vidder: sdsw
Musical artist: Michael Jackson
Pairing: none
Vidder on LJ: Unknown
Vidder's website: Kantoku point of View
Why this vid kicks ass:

With all-original animation, this parody video has some dead Death Note characters (plus several who never died in canon) all rising as zombies to torment Light. It's hilarious and contains a lot of little details and references that just make me smile.

Death Note Thriller.m2t

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VID REC: DEATH NOTE - "Sketchnote"

2012-03-30T17:32:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Vidder: witegots
Musical artist: none (no sound)
Pairing: L/Light
Vidder on LJ: Unknown
Vidder's website: witegots on deviantART
Why this vid kicks ass:

This short silent film (with written dialogue) is an original animation that tells a story between L and Light. It's a parody of the L and Light pairing, and very amusing.

Sketchnote

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"A Forgotten Encounter" series by Tarshil (rated T or probably PG-13)

2012-03-30T09:55:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: none
Length: ~22000
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

This gen-fic series presumes that L and Light met before canon, when Light was a kid and L was a teenager. They gave each other the false names of Dupin and Tsuki, and then later (mostly) forgot about it. This might sound like a premise that is difficult to believe, but the quality writing makes it work, weaving a deeply interesting pre-canon adventure for the two main characters of Death Note. The kid and teenager forge a brief friendship that has well-thought-out parallels to their canon pseudo-friendship.

Of course, they are destined to be enemies when they are older, but this series really outlines the fact that L and Light are kindred spirits who would get along, if only Light wasn't Kira. It's angsty, yes, but in a good way. This fanfic series saves its angst for the meaningful moments and uses it precisely. The angst and sadness are balanced out by other moods such as an easy-going camaraderie, exciting adventure, and plenty of characterization.

The ending meshes with events of the anime canon, so you will understand it the best if you've watched the entire anime, but I believe it will still be an enjoyable read if you've only had exposure to the manga. It is very spoilery for the mid-point climax and for the final showdown.

1.A Forgotten Encounter

2.The Ones We Take

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The "Basement" Series by amy_elysian (probably rated R or NC-17)

2012-03-29T19:25:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: mainly Light/L rape, plus some implied Light/Misa on the side
Length: ~15000
Author on LJ: amy_elysian
Author Website: Death Note kink meme fic index for amy_elysian | Hetalia kink meme fic index for amy_elysian | LJ "fic" tag | LJ "fic link" tag

Originally written anonymously, the author outed themselves here and here, so I figured it was fine to attach their name to the series in this rec.

These three fanfics tell a brutal and deeply characterized story of captivity and rape. Light's obsession combines along with Rem's stubbornness and ingenuity to lead to a situation of captivity for L. Nobody on the task force has any idea of where L is, while Light plays with L in various depraved ways.

Fanfics involving rape and captivity are common in the Death Note fandom, but this one stands out as very different from the vast majority of them.

Death Note rape-fics tend to go in one of two directions. Either they tend to be "fantasy rape" where the rape is unrealistic, clearly written for viewer titillation, and leads to the victim falling in love with the rapist, or they go the opposite direction and focus on rape as torture, with not much else in the story other than torture, torture and more torture, largely neglecting a plot and characterization.

This series manages to avoid both of those typical paths. L psychologically unravels under the strain of what he needs to do to survive, but he keeps a core of his real self alive, subversively hoping for a way out. A plot is here, in abundance, and so is lots of characterization, for L, Light, Misa and Rem.

"Warmer in the Basement Part I", "Warmer in the Basement Part II" & "The Basement Files" (scroll down to read all three fanfics)

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As Long As They Haven't Been Cremated by Saphariel (rated T or probably PG-13)

2012-03-28T18:52:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: none
Length: ~2000
Author on LJ: saphariel
Author Website: "Bloodshot Eyes" on Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

This short, brutal and beautiful gen-fic is a divergence AU set between the manga ending's final showdown and the manga ending's one-year-later epilogue. It involves the use of the death eraser, a device that is canon for the Death Note franchise, but not for the main continuity. The death eraser only exists in the pilot chapter's alternate continuity.

The way the death eraser works is that you can restore anyone who's been killed by a death note to life by erasing their name, no matter how poor the state of their corpse, as long as they haven't been cremated. As you might expect, the death eraser appears in many sentimental and fluffy fanfics, mostly as a way to soften the evil of Kira's killings and to resurrect many favorite characters. This fanfic is decidedly not one of those sentimental fluff pieces. It is dark, spooky and violent, with seriously frightening consequences for using the death eraser.

As Long As They Haven't Been Cremated

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Funeral by bahari (rated T, which is probably PG)

2012-03-26T10:47:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: L/Light (or rather L/Raito, since bahari uses that name for Light)
Length: ~6000
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

It was difficult to choose just one bahari fanfic to rec, but after long consideration, I believe this one is the most extraordinary. Why? It contains two events which would normally be extremely out of character for L, but bahari writes so convincingly that the story manages to make both of them seem completely in character. These two events are things that a lot of fanfic writers try to write about, and they almost invariably fail, but bahari succeeds beautifully.

It is a divergence AU, with events striking off from the canon storyline shortly before the mid-point climax. To understand what is happening in this fic, you'll need to have read/watched Death Note up to that point, or otherwise you'll be totally lost.

There's very little smut, mostly kissing and making out with other things implied, but the relationship has a lot of emotional intensity. Both L and Light are showing extraordinary displays of emotions in this fic, and yet, at the same time, L's coldness is still preserved and Light's problems with empathy are preserved as well. It's a delicate line to walk, to show these two geniuses in such a state, but bahari manages to walk that line precisely and to come up with good reasons for everything that happens.

Funeral

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DEATH NOTE: Unspoken Rules by Ihasabukkit (rated T or probably PG-13)

2012-03-25T15:48:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: no actual pairings, but one very disturbing attempted rape, and not between the two characters that you probably expect
Length: ~43000
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Fanfiction.net
Why this must be read:

This is the first long fanfic I'm reccing this month, at approximately novella length, and I consider it to be one of the best longer Death Note fanfics in existence. It's a gen-fic, with no real pairings to speak of. Like the canon Death Note, it has an intense focus on plot, plot and more plot! If you've been craving a big dose of gen-fic plotty goodness, with no focus on who is getting it on with who, then this fanfic is probably exactly what you're looking for.

It's a divergence AU that strikes off from the canon storyline shortly before the mid-point climax (so it's only for people who've read/watched to at least that point in canon) and it offers a completely new set of events to replace the canon's second half of the series. L uses a trick at a critical moment, and this backs Light into a corner where he's truly desperate and is willing to try things he'd never risked before. Light's new action changes everything, leading to more tricks from him and from L, to serious violence, to car chases, and to all sorts of twists and turns.

It's not just plotty and intelligent. It also contains a lot of heart, emotion and characterization insights, with a deeper look into L's personality and Light's personality, and an examination of how pitiful Misa's place in things really is. It also explores a topic that was shown in canon but is almost never explored in fan fiction: L's friendly feelings towards the task force members. Yes, L/task force friendship fics are almost nonexistent, and this fanfic does a great job of covering that topic.

DEATH NOTE: Unspoken Rules

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Death Note Overview

2012-03-24T17:25:00Z

Posted by: sashocirrione.livejournal.com

Introduction

Death Note is one of the more famous manga/anime series for a reason. It is a complex, exciting ride through many plot twists and mind games. To me, it has a feeling like one of the better-quality original Sherlock Holmes stories, a sense of various mysteries and schemes coming together in intellectually beautiful ways, all building up to a definitive and highly climactic ending, with very little filler along the way.

It is extremely plot-dense, with almost everything connecting, and the storyline has a tendency to skip over or summarize anything that doesn't directly advance the plot.

Before I begin describing the plot and themes, I need to say that Death Note has many surprise twists and, because of that, it is one of the most spoiler-heavy series out there. Almost everything concrete that I could say about the series will be a spoiler. There are even some major characters for which I cannot give a one-sentence description of their role in the plot without spoiling something important for you.

Because of this, I will need to be vague and generalize quite a bit, but the below overview will be safe from spoilers except for some basic facts, mostly ones revealed in the first few episodes, without which it would be nearly impossible to say anything at all.

( Read more )

In the spirit of this overview, try to keep any spoilers out of any comments you might leave.

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