The Faceless
by Disguise of Carnivorism is an AU Death Note Dark Fic. Before the events of the series, a journalist discovers the Death Note and the Shinigami and exposes it to the world, altering the course of history. Years later welcome to a world where everyone hides their name and face, a world of permanent war and where everything is dying and a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits are fighting for survival.
The Faceless provides examples of:
- Broken Masquerade: The story begins when a journalist named Neelan Adessi discovers the death note and exposes the secrets of Kira and the Shinigami to the world.
- Carved Mark: At the POW camp L carves his name into his flesh in an attempt to remember who he is.
- Conscription: As part of the Crapsack World, everyone is getting sucked into the war against Kira either by force or out of desperation.
- Despair Event Horizon: Light, after his sister is killed. Also L while imprisoned. And Catherine in the middle of the siege.
- Emo Teen: Light at the beginning of the story (before Character Development and Taking Several Levels In Badass) but with good reason-his life really does suck.
- Face–Heel Turn: Matt. Mello and Near stop to free Matt from his prison cell at the POW Camp and in return... Matt kills them.
- For the Evulz: Ryuk is bored so he spends his time telling stories that gives the lil' Shinigami nightmares, stories of a legendary human hero named Light Yagami... and so Ryuk's stories take on a life of their own...
- Horrifying the Horror: Thanks to Ryuk's stories just the name "Light Yagami" strikes fear among the Shinigami, so when a real human shows up with that name,
they surrender en masse. - Humans Are the Real Monsters: The Shinigami Servitors, a group of fanatical humans that feed the Shinigami "undesirables" so that they themselves won't be killed.
- Hypocritical Humor: Nathaniel realizes he's being a Hypocrite and a heartless bastard when he hypothetically considered murdering someone to avoid being drafted into the military.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In this fanfic Light is skeptical about having Naomi Penber, a woman, serving among his soldiers complaining that she might get pregnant and slow them down. Naomi counters that there was more of a chance of Light getting pregnant than her.
- The Man Behind the Man: The cherub-like Shinigami that taunts Neelan. He and the King of Death made a bet and they are the reason everything has happened this way.
- Mirror Universe: In canon Light kills L but is seen as admirable by the men he's deceived. In this universe Light rescues L and is met with derision by his soldiers as they realize the Awful Truth about what they were fighting for.
- No One Gets Left Behind: Playing with a Trope Naomi can either carry the wounded Nathanial or the currently crazy Light back. She chooses Light.
- Power Born of Madness: Since he's still alive after everything he's been through Light determines he must be immortal.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Light's squad. Lampshaded when the the cast stops at a bar:Light pulled himself up to the counter, putting on his, 'I'm completely normal and if you don't believe me, I'll kill you,' façade. Evidently, it didn't work; the bartender simply continued to stare apprehensively at the faded blood-stain on Light's uniform before slowly reaching for his gun. Best not to trust soldiers.
"He's going to shoot us, isn't he?" Nathanial watched as the bartender froze and carefully removed his hand from the vicinity of his rifle, noticing for the first time, perhaps, just how many weapons the rag-tag team had.
"Someone's always trying to shoot us." Marcus was very apt in pointing things like this out, creating a philosophy that predicted all manner of reactions to their ensemble.
The bartender made an inward estimate of the money he would lose through property damage. Damn foreign soldiers.By the end of the night, it was difficult to decide whether Naomi was scarier drunk or sober. At least when she was sober, she had better aim and didn't attempt to have a sense of humor. Either way, everyone was disturbed. - The Resenter: Matt. He feels that L, Mello, and Near have all abandoned him. Also from the beginning of the story Light resents pretty much everyone and everything.
- Rousing Speech: Light gives one to the ragtag army he gathers together in the wastelands.
- Scars Are Forever: Light when he goes a little crazier than usual and shoots his gold wedding ring. The shrapnel fragments of it embedded in his face.
- Secret Diary: Light uses a simple black notebook which he keeps hidden in his desk drawer.
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: For shits and giggles Ryuk tells stories to the young Shinigami of a legendary hero and Godslayer named Light Yagami (it was just a human name Ryuk remembers from before but never got around to writing down).
- Shout-Out: To All You Need Is Love by one of the two co-writers, The Carnivorous Muffin. When Light complains about having a woman, Naomi, among his soldiers since Naomi might get pregnant and slow them down. In All You Need Is Love, Naomi gets pregnant and raises her and Light's son.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: As Sayu points out: "Everyone used to love my brother. Now, he is a complete asshole."
- Villain with Good Publicity: Matt watches and comments when "their" crazy Light pulls an entire army together out of the various scattered and ragtag squads in the wastelands with just his own notoriety and his bullshitting skills.
- Whole-Plot Reference: Recursive version to Death Note Light keeps a Secret Diary which an outside observer can see charts his descent into madness.
- You Are in Command Now: Naomi Penber has to step up and take command when Light loses it for a time.
- You Monster!: Matsuda shouts "What have you done!" at Light after he rescues L.
