Death Note : 1997
is a Death Note fanfiction by NebulaMist. It takes place in an Alternate Universe where the events of the series begin in April 1997 and, among other things, explores how Light obtaining the Death Note as a preteen affects his thoughts and actions.
Death Note : 1997 provides examples of:
- Child Prodigy: 11-year-old Light Yagami
- Children Are Innocent: Subverted. 11-year-old Light is explicitly stated by the author to be no less evil than his canon couterpart. If anything, he is more childishly numb to the idea of killing.
- Children Are Tender-Hearted: Again, subverted with Light, who is childishly numb to the idea of killing and derives joy from using the Death Note to kill criminals.
- Cruel and Unusual Death:
- In order to both conduct a test and get rid of a person who could see Ryuk, Light writes in his Death Note that Mr. Sugihara is killed in such a violent manner that it prompts widespread media coverage. This leads to the man getting his head bashed in by another patient at a mental hospital.
- Surprisingly, subverted with the murders committed by Beyond Birthday, as he drugs and quickly kills his victims before doing gruesome things to their bodies.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best:
- Played with for Touta. His mother, who had died when he was much younger, is remembered positively by him while his living father is overly harsh on him. However, his father had only become this way after his mother had died and it’s unknown if she would have been any better if he had died and she had lived instead.
- Inverted with L, whose parents are implied to have been abusive.
- Driven to Suicide: A's suicide, about a year before the story's beginning, serves as the main reason why B does what he does.
- Enfant Terrible: Sweet, polite, 11-year-old, mass murderer Light Yagami
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Light, despite being a mass murderer, is genuinely concerned for his mother in the busjacking scene. It’s revealed that he had made sure to specify in the Death Note that she doesn’t get hurt.
- Giggling Villain: Light in the first chapter.Light let out a sound similar to a scoff. Then he started giggling. He covered his mouth with his hands, muffling the sound so that his parents wouldn't hear, but the laughter continued.
Oh, oh my god.
I'm God. - Gold Digger: Light pretends to return Misa’s affections because she can get him expensive items that his parents wouldn’t get him (e.g. a mini TV), no questions asked.
- Just a Kid: Light hates when people see him in this way, but acknowledges that it is useful in diverting suspicion.
- Manipulative Bastard: Light
- Neck Snap: Beyond Birthday threatens to do this to Light.
- Parents as People: Parents in the fanfic are often portrayed in this way.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Light and Sayu
- Teen Genius: 14-year-old L
- The '90s: When the fanfic takes place, as opposed to the original series, which takes place in The 2000s.
- Time Title: The title of the fanfic specifies the year in which the story takes place, while the chapter titles are the dates that the chapters take place in.
- Title by Year: The title of the fanfic is Death Note : 1997, as 1997 is the year in which the fanfic takes place.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: How B sees A.Still, this world wasn’t made for sweet, kind, intelligent people like A.
It chewed those people up and spit them out.
The only people who could survive in this world were monsters and sheep. - "Well Done, Son" Guy: Touta
- What If?: What if the characters of Death Note were younger? If Light was a child? And what if the story took place in 1997?
- When You Coming Home, Dad?:
- Downplayed with Soichiro Yagami and his kids.Soichiro had been coming home less and less these days. Sure, he had been working more ever since he had been promoted to chief, but at least, before Light had become Kira, he had managed to come home before dinner almost every day. Now, he often came home after Sayu and Light’s bedtimes.
- Downplayed with Soichiro Yagami and his kids.
- World's Smartest Man: L sees himself as the world’s greatest mind.
- Would Hurt a Child: Beyond Birthday, who threatens an 11-year-old Light with murder if he refuses to tell him about and share Kira’s power.
