Low Light by Dragonrider4000 is a Darker and Edgier (yeah really) Death Note Fanfic.
Upon realizing his feelings for Light, L uses the Notebook to save his life. L goes to the Dark Side and with Light they go on to rule their Evil Empire together... (except that Light's beginning to realize he's created a monster...)
Low Light provides examples of:
- A God Am I: deconstructed as it shows how Light's God Complex makes it easier for L to take advantage of him...
- Better Living Through Evil: L, Matsuda, Mello, and Matt all get high status in Kira's Empire.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: L decides to let a few of his successors live for the sake of a challenge and to give some the option to join him.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Matsuda... maybe... There's also the implication that Light and L have both been corrupted by the notebook.
- Cheap Costume: Light's FABULOUS Kira costume which he already assembled for the day he could come out and publically claim his place as the God of the New World. It seems he's been taking hints from the Code Geass costuming design department... Later he makes a matching one in black for Matsuda.
- Cliffhanger: The series stops right before Light goes home to have dinner with his family... most likely to the tune of a messy reveal as Sayu and Halle Lidner know his secret, have it in for him, and will be attending...
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: Ryuk manages to piss off the Shinigami King and so the King tells Ryuk that he's made him violently allergic to apples.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: Lampshaded:L: You can be incredibly creepy when you want to be.
Light: Creepy?
L: You question whether writing a message to someone in another's blood upon the floor is creepy?
Light: I suppose you have a point there L, but it was the only writing material I knew the man would have readily available. - Crazy Jealous Guy: Evil!L is very possessive of Light and becomes jealous when Light is spending so much time with Matsuda.
- Death Seeker: Rem wants to die but the Shinigami King won't let her.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: The world trembles in fear of Kira, but among his inner circle, Light is the Butt-Monkey.
- Foil: Evil!L really puts Light's idealism into focus...
- I Did What I Had to Do: When Light calls L out on blowing up an orphanage. "They were a threat!"
- I Know You Know I Know: Light and L do this as Kira to intimidate Near via letter. As in 'I know all about you but you don't know anything about me. How do you know all about me...' See "The Reason You Suck" Speech below.
- In Harm's Way: L apologizes that he keeps putting Light in this position... he assures it isn't intentional but...
- My Master, Right or Wrong: Mello and Matt are loyal to L no matter what.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: Mello and Matt sign up to support Kira's regime out of loyalty to L and get the various organized crime syndicates to do the same in exchange for their lives.
- Pet the Dog: Light giving Rem back her notebook, despite the fact that he monologue's that it's for the sake of ensuring her loyalty.
- Powers That Be: the Shinigami King seems to have taken interest in Ryuk's project...
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech:Good Morning Near,
I hope that you are well this morning, and my impromptu greeting has not interrupted any important investigation work this man was pursuing. I would not wish to deprive you of your important information, but when I realised that you were attempting to find me I knew I it would be remiss of me not to greet you.
As is my way, I shall prove to you my identity, as if this were not enough already. I believe you have an Ellickson Thomas and a Larry Conners working for you, yes? I also know that if you had been more thorough in your investigation you would have realised they were perhaps not quite as virtuous as you were led to believe. I shall say no more on that.
I must say that taking on L's persona in front of the American President really was quite rude. L was a far more worthy opponent to my righteous justice than you could ever hope to achieve. I suggest you admit your real identity to him soon, as well as to those who are blindingly following you in the hope that you are L, or I will tell him who you are. I assure you the president will escape retribution for his transgression, I believe in second chances.
Oh, and Near, you should stop twirling your white hair so much, you could damage it.
Yours Faithfully,
Kira.
- Something Only They Would Say: When "Kira" sends Near a message L reveals to Near that he's still alive and has joined Kira's cause when he includes the line that Near should stop twirling his white hair.
- "Truman Show" Plot: Light and L are (for reasons yet unknown) favored by the Shinigami King who makes it so that they cannot be killed (at least by the Notebook)... they’re loving it so far...
- What If?: The basic premise of this fic is What If? L joined Kira to Take Over the World?
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: L uses the notebook once and then proceeds to take a nosedive off the Slippery Slope and signs up for Kira's evil league of evil.