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Fanfic / NoHoper

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NoHoper is a Death Note and The House of Night crossover by fellow Troper Ruin Takada. It can also be found on the author's Live Journal here.

A Dead Fic, it has since been resurrected as the NoHoper Series on Archive of Our Own, starting with 'LightBringer', attributed to the author and fellow Troper now known as KevinBurnett. This new version of the fic is now complete at 30 chapters long, as of March 2024.

For tropes specific to each version (with specific examples), see below:

     No Hoper (2011) 
Summary: Merely a test-subject/researcher for the anti-Vampyre drug Denyxinil, a No-Hoper in the grand scheme, all that changes when he is Marked and forced to live among those he despises most. No pairings shared here, takes place in a canon-changed Untamed.

NoHoper provides examples of:

  • Animals Hate Him: Light, well horses do-which proves to be a problem during his equestrian class.
  • Appeal to Obscurity: The fact that the whole fic was based on a tiny detail in the first book of the HON series.
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: From Light (considering he's Obsessively Organized), that last one is probably justified).
    Light: It wasn't "just" anything! I've barely been here 24 hours, and already I can see what the next four years are going to consist of: Sick minds, mind-numbing conversation, and disgusting, degenerative, disorganized HELL!
  • Ascended Extra: Considering that the author practically owns this trope, it is no surprise that Kayla was brought in as a proper character again. Also Yamamoto (Light's friend from school who appears in a few pages of the manga and doesn't appear in the anime) is one of the few other characters that makes a showing from Death Note canon. As for from the House of Night canon, Drew Partain - who'd only gotten a couple of mentions as Stevie Rae's maybe boyfriend in the books - and 'Amanda', who only ever had one mention in the first book.
  • Berserk Button: Never complain to Dragon Lankford about your safety gear.
  • Cats Are Mean: Or rather are arrogant, spoiled, and expect to be worshipped like a Goddess Cleo, Light's Familiar.
  • Cats Are Snarkers: Cleo
    Light: You know what? I'm going to name you.
    Cleo: 'Name me'? What do I need a name for? I am the best, how can anyone not know who I am? And you, what do you need a name for? You are so recognisable, you are unforgettable!
    Light: And what's that supposed to mean?
    Cleo: Nothing. I just think names are stupid. All you need to know is that you are a can-opener, and I am the Great-I-Am!
    Light: Well, you deserve a name, you know, one that doesn't invoke cries of 'blasphemy'.
  • The Chessmaster: As soon as Light arrives in the House of Night he immediately sets to work with figuring out how it all works and aquiring allies so he can properly plan his vengeance.
  • Conditioned to Accept Horror: Light. His mother was killed right in front of him and then this is reinforced at the testing facility with the staff's casual attitude when most of the test subjects die.
  • Continuity Nod: The picture in the Fledgeling Handbook of Queen Cleopatra is said to be on page 52 - guess where it is in the real life version of the book.
  • Cool Teacher: Professor Lankford a.k.a. "Dragon" the fencing instructor and Professor Erik Night the Drama professor.
  • Couch Gag: Every chapter begins with a humorous slight at the original authors of the HON series.
  • Darker and Edgier: This brings the HON series into a much harsher light - it's not all about Goddess Worship.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: the vampyres though there are exceptions.
  • Dead Fic: This version of the fanfic was discontinued, only to be brought back in a new version - see below.
  • Deconstruction Fic: What's bound to happen when you throw Light Yagami in with a cast of Friendly Neighborhood Vampires...
  • Discriminate and Switch: Amanda thinks that Light hates now-dead fledgling Diana because she turned her nose up at him during lunch that day. It's actually just because he's a sociopath, probably. In any case, she was a fledgling vampyre. Also when Light goes berserk and nearly kills Damien during their fencing lesson, Damien wonders if he's a homophobe or something but then Light doesn't seem to have a problem with Jack. Light doesn't have a problem with him being gay-he has a problem with him being a vampyre.
  • The Ditz: Kayla
    Light: I like… science.
    Kayla: Oh? Really?
    Light: Yes. And some silence.
    Kayla: Is that a band?
  • Don't Tell Mama: Light's avoiding of conversation with his father at all costs.
  • Fantastic Racism: Light is the most guilty of this.
  • Fatal Flaw: Light's Pride and desire for justice (thirst for vengeance) gets him into a lot of trouble.
  • Fix Fic: According to Word of God, this is the author's attept at showing what The House of Night series would look like in the hands of a 'proper writer'.
  • Master Actor: Light. His drama teacher is the only one that catches on to the fact that Light is acting ALL THE TIME.
  • Meaningful Name: Light's 'new name' as a fledgling vampyre, Asahi, means 'Morning Sun' in Japanese. The wholly more appropriate Yagami ('Night-God') is discarded.
  • Mythology Gag:
    • In this fic Light is very skilled at fencing and swordplay. In How To Read 13 Ohba and Obata state that they were originally going to have Light and L be fencing masters and do a fencing duel before they ultimately settled for tennis instead.
    • Light's new surname, Asahi, came from the canon as an alias used by both Light and Soichiro during the Kira investigation.
  • Professor Guinea Pig: Light was originally one of the scientists working on the cure for vampyrism but seeing how he was one of the few members of the population who could be used in the study he agreed to become a test subject.
  • Satire/Parody/Pastiche: Much of what happens to Light is a sort of parody (if a little less affectionate than most) of what happens to Zoey, but with a more serious edge. A little bit satire, with the issues that crop up in it.
  • Screw You, Elves!: Light is happy to be the one to tell the Vampyres where to stick it when he gets sick of their Cultural Posturing.
  • Ship Tease: Light with Zoey, the twins, Damien, Neferet, and Kayla.
  • Shout-Out:
  • Small Name, Big Ego: From the author, no less, and usually in Couch Gags.
    "Do what you like, just don't tell the Cast duo (Kristen may be fired and have to deal with the shame of having me replace her)."
    "Ruin Takada, culling the evils of literature since 2011 - or at least giving them the joie de vivre."
    "I am the Champion of Minor Characters Everywhere. It is my new title, in fact. 'Ruin Takada - The Minor Character's Champion'... I like the sound of that."
  • The Sociopath: Lampshaded when one of the students dies in front of Light and he shows no emotion over her death. The other students whine and scream at him and call him a sociopath. Light only agrees and tells them that they're probably right.
  • The Soulless: During the House of Night ritual, the Goddess finds Light to be "empty." Light is very disturbed by this.
  • Talking Animal: Cleo. Justified in that having a Feline Affinity is pretty common for vampyres in HON-verse (an affinity that would allow for such communication), and subverted in that it's Light's affinity and thus only he seems to understand her wittering. Of course, Word of God proclaims this development as simply for the Rule of Funny.
  • Teacher/Student Romance: To Light's discomfort Neferet tries to jump him when she thinks that he has been possessed by her lover Kalona.
  • Techno Babble: According to Word of God, 'No-Hoper' comes from the medical slang for the drug dopamine.
  • There Are No Therapists: The kid who lost his mother to vampyres is turned into a vampyre and then thrust into the school full of vampyres. Yet no one seemed to consider he might benefit from some therapy.
  • Thoroughly Mistaken Identity: when Neferet assumes Light has been possessed by Kalona, her lover and the Big Bad. Light has no clue what's going on but for the sake of self-preservation plays along with it. When the scary vampyre lady asks you if you're a God, say yes.
  • We Have Reserves: at the start of the story the scientists seem resigned to the fact that most if not all of their test subjects are dead, dying, or going to die.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Neferet calls out the human scientists looking for the vampyre cure for experimenting on and killing children.
  • Whole-Plot Reference: The No Hopers aren’t expected to live long, hence the name, so the doctors give them simple black journals to record their thoughts and feelings during the process... called "Death Notes."
  • You Are What You Hate: Light hates vampyres, but is becoming a vampyre himself.

     No Hoper Part I: Light Bringer (2023) 
Summary: In the wake of two professors’ murders and High Priestess Neferet’s threats to wage war, a crisis of power has the House of Night teetering into free-fall. Desperate to prove herself worthy to her friends, Zoey must finally do the unthinkable to complete her circle. Meanwhile, a research team on the precipice of discovery will pay any price in the fight against death.

Welcome to the Tulsa House of Night: forget everything you think you know.

LightBringer provides examples of:

  • Arc Words:"Whatever happens is supposed to happen."
  • Artistic License – Religion: Light retells the story of Cain and Abel as a possible "explanation" for the origin of vampyres, acknowledging that it's "a story full of holes made to piece together things that science had not yet explained" - no doubt picked up from someone who wanted to justify hating vampyres, demonstrating the weaponising of religion in bigotry.
  • Ascended Extra:
    • Yamamoto, previously only seen in a few panels towards the beginning and end of the original manga, is Light's childhood best friend who has been keeping in contact with him this whole time (with limited success lately).
    • Drew Partain, previously brought in from the second book of the original book series as a potential boyfriend for Stevie Rae, quickly befriends Light, all set with ribbing and mutually joyful banter.
  • Aside Comment: Light uses these frequently in italics, often to express what he cannot say aloud in the moment - or admit to himself.
  • Badass Bookworm: Light, as shown not only by his physical prowess as a fencer, but all the books he carries (and reads, if his liberal use of Shout Outs, including to Lovecraft, Jonathan Swift, Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', Melville's Moby-Dick and H.G. Well's The Island of Doctor Moreau (to name a few) is anything to go by).
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall
    Neferet: Shall we hear from someone worthwhile, for a change?
  • Brown Note Being: Apparently there are two of these.
  • Bullying a Dragon: Light goads Dr Primrose into helping him find the murderer who killed his parents in return for helping him get the vampyre cure study back from Yotsuba Intl, resulting in this biting "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
    Light: Who, me? The unlicensed, emotionally vulnerable, exploited minor? The one you taught to unknowingly commit murder from the age of 12 and forced to commit murder for you 13 more times? The one this security camera can attest was knowingly held under an unenforceable contract to be executed no matter what he chose? The one who was bribed into carrying out your dirty work with money, academic opportunity and emotional bribery? The one this House of Night already suspects was mentally warped by your study? Yes, between me and the man who ''Dr Moreau’d'' his way through 15 orphaned children, ''I'' should be worried.
  • Contrasting Replacement Character: While James Stark is a brash-but-tragic figure who spills his backstory, dies within the first five minutes, is Brought Back Wrong and sexually assaults various classmates whilst being mind controlled by the personification of Evil and never has to apologise for his actions, Light Asahi is a calculating character who is not allowed to forget his mistakes.
  • Cultural Posturing: Dr Summers and Neferet have quite the verbal battle over their positions.
  • Deconstruction Fic: This fic takes the core issues with the House of Night series and takes them far more seriously.
    • When Neferet declares war, the High Priestess of all vampyres comes in not only to refuse it, but to ensure her obvious symptoms of burn-out and work-related stress are addressed first.
    • When articles of clothing belonging to female students and acolytes are found amongst the effects of the late Professor Loren Blake, Dragon insists on treating it as a serious matter to investigate, rather than doing what happened in the original series, which was nothing.
  • Dissonant Serenity: Diana's sudden, messy and horrific death, contrasted with the almost dreamlike quality of Light's comfort and Anastasia and the healers collecting her body - broken the moment Mathieson tries to pick up her suddenly dismembered arm.
  • Establishing Character Moment: Light has one with the rest of the circle, portraying himself as the observant tactician ready to call the others out when required when he stays quiet, only to ask Damien if he actually overheard the boy refer to him as "Schrodinger's Queer".
  • Fantastic Racism:
    • In one specific example (among many) a fellow researcher would refer to vampyres with the collective noun of "tumour".
    • Light jokes that fictional vampires have the word spelled with an 'i' to avoid "copyright infringement". In reality, it probably has more to do with a lawyer playing fast and loose with technicality and plausible deniability, no doubt making the argument that it "can't be discrimination against vampyres if we're not talking about you people."
  • Forbidden Friendship: Aphrodite and Zoey have to limit their hang-outs in public to all except the dining hall at lunch and dinner, to avoid alerting Neferet to the fact that Zoey doesn't believe the high priestess when she says the goddess Nyx has disavowed Aphrodite while also carrying on the pretence of Zoey getting Aphrodite "reacquainted" with Nyx and back on Her good side vis a vis "table fellowship".
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: Subverted from the original canon; Erin and Shaunee try to establish this with Aphrodite as the target, only for Zoey to put a quick end to it. To the Twins' credit, they do tone it all the way down.
  • Joins to Fit In: In the over two months since Zoey was Marked, Kayla's friendship group of herself, Ally, Corrine, Darcy and Emi started mutually as a bunch of misfits looking for a seat at a table. They seem to get along quite well.
  • Literary Allusion Title: "Light Bringer" is a reference to mythological character Prometheus, whose stealing of the fire for mankind brought technological and societal advancement at great expense — namely eternal punishment.
  • Matriarchy: Played with, taking the Enlightened Matriarchy envisioned by the original authors and emphasising its actual state as a Patriarchy Flip that only reinforces the same patriarchal gendered stereotyoes, making vampyre society a Matriarchy in Name Only. For example, as vampyre men are only valued for physical prowess and talents and vampyre women are valued for intellectual and spiritual talents as high priestesses, vampyre men do not have significant power except as professors or warriors, with no room for advancement (as "high priests" are not a thing). It can still raise an eyebrow if too many vampyre men are on staff teaching liberal arts subjects.
  • Meaningful Rename: Light sheds his name with the Yagamis (Akira) as he "can't pretend they never existed."
  • Mouthful of Pi: Lampshaded prior with a claim to be able to recite the first one-hundred digits, Light does this in his head in order to prevent himself from panicking over the boy who sexually assaulted him touching him again, and in front of that boy's boyfriend.
  • Mythology Gag:
    • Jack Twist's celebrity man crush is Josh Hartnett.
    • Light's last name 'Asahi' is a reference to the alias Light and Soichiro use during the Kira case in canon.
    • Erin refers to Damien and Jack as 'Romeo and Juliani' - Alessandro Juliani being L's voice actor in the Death Note anime.
    • In a nod to who Light has replaced, he calls out that Aphrodite shares her name with a love goddess, to which she says, "I love it when I'm recognised."
    • Light starts reading a random book he finds in the boys' dorm's private library: ''Close Range'' by Annie Proulx.
    • Penthesilea comments on Light's inability to do too many physical tasks with a broken wrist with, "Since you obviously can't push boulders up hills."
  • No Sense of Personal Space: How Jack first greets Light - with a tight hug.
  • O.C. Stand-in: Professor Vento, previously only named briefly in the House of Night series and never once seen, is a seen character, a vampyre man named Professor Aston Vento, who teaches Music and was formerly Stevie Rae's mentor.
  • Oh, Crap!: Light has one such moment when Professor Penthesilea finds his copy of Akira Suzuki's Criminal in the Coffin; after getting 20 detentions just for talking back in an earlier lesson, he could be forgiven for thinking he'd earn a suspension (or an unfortunate accident) for carrying around anti-vampyre propaganda in a vampyre school. She simply asks to borrow it.
  • One-Steve Limit: Averted, with two characters named Akira - the anti-vampyre pundit and criminologist Akira Suzuki, and Light (previously known as Akira Yagami).
  • Opposites Attract: Light and Jack, the former being a paranoid genius ice queen and the latter being... well, Jack. Light starts to makes an effort to reach out and be his friend, starting with a token gift.
  • Original Character: The first chapter starts with a POV from an "Unnamed" one.
  • Our Vampires Are Different: Some established facts about the vampyres of the House of Night series lore are different or expanded upon, mostly to make it make sense.
    • In one key example, the Marks don't actually take a particular shape for a particular reason related to a vampyre's talents or disposition, or even "look like" anything; they are actually made up of nothing more than abstract spots, blots, ticks, stripes, swishes - just as you might find in nature. If you think they look like anything in particular, that's on you.
  • The Outsider Befriends the Best: As an outsider to vampyre culture and totally distrustful of it, Light still manages to befriend the circle - who just so happen to be leaders of the school's pre-eminent leadership club and the school's student council (which apparently engenders actual respect from the rest of the student body).
  • Psychosexual Horror: After fearing that the vampyres would find a way to kill him ever since his arrival at the House of Night, Light finds out why exactly Neferet gave him twenty detentions just for disagreeing with her.
    Only now did I understand it: the vampyre always wanted a sacrifice; she just wanted it alive.
  • Sadist Teacher: Neferet gives Light twenty detentions in his first class for disagreeing with her.
  • Shout-Out:
  • Spell My Name with a Blank: The Original Character is introduced in the first chapter as '[Unnamed]'.
  • Take That!:
    • Zoey used to think "wizarding schools" were "the tits".
    • When back in their room after his minor surgical procedure, Light apparently started telling Jack suggestive jokes while under the influence of Percocet.
    • Shekinah and Neferet, about the Twilight Series:
      Neferet: If that isn't bad enough, you know who else has a Literature degree from BYU? Stephenie Meyer.
      Shekinah: Ah. Not to taint her with another person's reputation, but she may genuinely be unsuitable.
  • Technobabble: Light describes the scientific basis for Marking in vampyre fledglings - or "vrykanthrophysic metamorphosis" - and his process for creating a vaccine against it.
  • Undignified Death:
    • Diana's sudden death in the Fieldhouse, rejecting the Change after three months of chronic illness and her arm falling off on top of it all. It's Light's attempts to comfort her that, ironically, get him labelled a "psychopath".
    • Thirteen's offscreen death is particularly messy; her bones disintegrate inside her, making her flesh a tad bit too malleable.
  • Van Helsing Hate Crimes: The vampyre tabloid newspaper describing the canon murders of Patricia Nolan and Loren Blake.
  • Whole-Plot Reference:
    • The notebooks test subjects are given to record their symptoms are called "death notes".
    • The whole fic is based on a throwaway line in the House of Night series' first book, claiming that scientists were trying to find a cure for vampyrism - a situation that in canon is never mentioned again.
    • The vampyre cure study is bought by Evil, Inc. Yotsuba International, solely so they can make money off a drug that eliminates vampyres.

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