Fanfic / Those Who Stand for Nothing Fall for Anything

Those Who Stand For Nothing Fall For Anything available on FanFiction.net and Archive of Our Own is a Death Note fanfic by halfpromise, the author of A Cure for Love. It's an AU in which Light Yagami is a politician. What could go wrong?

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Those Who Stand For Nothing Fall For Anything provides examples of:

• Abomination Accusation Attack: L tells Light that Stephen figured out that they had a fight and that L told him that Light was a rotten person, a homophobe, and that he broke his heart. Light suggests he should tell Stephen that he kicks puppies too.
• Above Good and Evil: Despite his stringent beliefs on the justice system, Light believes himself to be so special that the rules don't apply to him. Shown when he gleefully uses L's Death Note to kill his political opponents and even goes so far as orchestrating a massacre when L denies him further use of the Death Note. He believes he's justified the entire time with only a brief spike of guilt.
• All Boys Want Bad Boys: L with Light.
• All Issues Are Political Issues: Light knows upon entering the political arena that anything he does can be used against him so Light attempts to be perfect in every way.
• All Love Is Unrequited: Naomi is in love with Light. For his part Light cares for her and considers he might have used her as his trophy wife if Matt hadn't gotten to her first.
• Alone with the Psycho: Light ends up alone with B.
• Alternate Universe Fic: It's the cast of Death Note as sleazy politicians.
• Am I Just a Toy to You?: When Light Cannot Spit It Out L believes that he and Light are just using each other.
• Ambition Is Evil: Light realizes how shallow his life has become and that he's forgotten why he's been striving for this position in the first place.
• Amoral Attorney: L
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: Light and L's reactions when Kiyomi is confined to the hospital due to complications with her pregnancy.
• The Antichrist: This is the punchline when L learns that Light got Takada pregnant.
• The Anti-Nihilist: Light in his monologues, he says he knows the world is rotten but he keeps trying anyway.
• Ashes to Crashes: at Matt's funeral. Not that anyone cares...
• Babies Make Everything Better: Subverted. Both Light and Kiyomi are disgusted by the whole pregnancy and it serves to put greater strain on their "relationship."
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Light. (He has something of an obsession with clothes.) Also L often wears nice suits for his job.
• Bad Boss: Light tends to sack people for annoying him or for only doing their job (or when he's deprived of his coffee) and rejects a potential job applicant without even bothering to look at his resume to see if he's qualified for completely shallow reasons.
• Bastardly Speech: Guess what this speech is about? Answer: Light's bill that would make it impossible for first time offenders to appeal their cases and make even lesser criminals eligible for capital punishment.
  "What great or noble work could we achieve if we think it enough? I see that some of you expect some rousing speech to make up your minds for you, but you won't get that from me. I want you to make up your own minds. There's no tangible prize and glory as the outcome, and none of you will personally feel any benefit from the bill I want pass, except in the knowledge that you will improve lives for others. It is a selfless goal. I go into this knowing that I will split the party. Some of you will never support me again. Those of you can stay and those can go as you see fit, but those who go will, in time, be envious of those who stayed with me. Take a firm step forward, as firm as your principles. I think some of you need to find your principles again. Be impartial. Be as gods. See what is right and follow it towards resolution. We are the law makers and in our hands are the possibilities of humanity. As it stands, we allow these wrongs to be carried out in our name and under our authority when we have the power to alter the course and prevent these crimes. We could create a better world for the people we represent. The cause is no legacy we inherited; we inherited a legacy of passivity from previous governments, and I do not want to repeat that. We are all guilty. We cannot blame others for what we had the opportunity to change. Let's not affix blame to others, for we, ourselves, allowed this to happen.
  Acceptance is the enemy, selfishness and fear of change is the barricade. Those before us could no more ignore what has happened than if they had been blind. We must see with our eyes open and observe the suffering and injustice and hear the stories, for no two are the same, and find the answers. That is our purpose, and I think we've lost that. We must find ways to ensure that no single person ever suffers again in this country. This is a social sickness which has grown and spread for years, decades, perhaps for all of time. I don't accept that it's endemic in the human soul; only guidance and provision is needed. It won't be instantly resolved by the passing of one bill, not even in our term here in government, but it is a step which will one day find an end. I blame no one. Not one person, not one group of people. It is cowardice to think that enough has been done and that we can do no more but continue the status quo, for what we could do is too great a task. It is a great task, but it is no useless endeavour. No one weak in spirit has ever won anything. We should never be satisfied that we have done enough, for there will always be need for change. We should not turn from it. I want extreme goodness. I want to work for some ideal which, one day, I will be proud that I had some small hand in and that I lived in these times. Empathy is the source of humanity and without it we cannot understand or hope to change. Dedicate yourself to humanity, or else leave this building. We would be inhuman ourselves. This is a moment of change. You are in this room at the start of a new era. Be proud."
• Because You Were Nice to Me: according to B because of L's poor relationship with his father "if you show [L] the slightest sign of affection, he's loyal to you for life."
• Bedmate Reveal: Light wakes from a nightmare to find B sitting in bed, watching him sleep.
• Believing Their Own Lies: Light well and truly believes he's the last bastion against corruption.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Light and L
• Best Friends-in-Law: Matsuda is Light's brother-in-law through his marriage with Sayu and he thinks he and Light are this. Light for his part finds Matsuda to be annoying but convenient and uses him when he needs to look sociable.
• Big Brother Is Employing You: Light hopes that once he becomes Prime Minister he can change things for the better.
• Bilingual Backfire: "I speak English, by the way."
• Birds of a Feather: L and Light-they were made for each other... as a punishment. Also Light and Takada. Light thinks of her as his "incestuous twin" and L has referred to her as Light's "clone with a vagina."
• Black Comedy
• Black Comedy Rape: L decides he's going to fuck Light in a dirty alleyway-whether Light wants to or not. Later Light pretends not to hear it when L says "No."
• Black-and-Grey Morality
• Blackmail: L makes Light lick his shoes clean and snaps a photo of him doing it.
• Break the Haughty: Light
• Brit Com
• Broken Ace: Light ("tried to be perfect and broke himself in the process") and L ("a writhing pile of parental issues and self-hatred.")
• Broken Pedestal: B doesn't want to believe that L did the things Light said he did...
• Brutal Honesty: Light's preferred method of dealing with others when he's not faking his way through life.
• Byronic Hero: L and Light
• Canon Foreigner: Shiori who appears in the Death Note live action movies. Also B from the spin-off Prequel Another Note.
• Casual Kink: Light claims that his calling himself "God" is just a sex kink and he doesn't really have a God complex.
• The Charmer: Light. L's poor unsuspecting secretary doesn't stand a chance.
• Cherry Blossoms: Light notices the cherry blossoms in the air when he’s asked to speak of Matt after his funeral.
• Childhood Friends: L and B.
• Clear My Name: The CIA is in Japan investigating the death of Secretary of State Wedy and think Light had something to do with it and the suspicion isn't going away.
• Cliffhanger: At the end of Chapter 25 Light leads the audience to believe that he's killed L.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Takada gets worried when Light doesn't touch her very often.
• Closet Key: L for B.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: B
• The Conspiracy: Light believes that Raye Penber was murdered by the government for some reason. L insists that he should drop it.
• Consummate Liar: Both L and Light
• Cool Car: Light's new Lexus.
• Corrupt Politician: Most of the cast.
• Crapsack World: the world of politics is a world of such sleaze and corruption that Light feels the need to appear just as sleazy in order to look "approachable."
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Light to L. Later L to Light-after Light has finally accepted the fact that L is leaving and lets him go and stops blatantly stalking him L abruptly returns and suggests he might take him back if he does everything he asks and totally debases himself. Also B to L.
• Create Your Own Villain: L claims most of the credit for Light's advancement, claiming "I made you." Yes. This will end well.
• Creator Provincialism: The political world of this AU is based on a Flanderized and ridiculously corrupt version of the British system.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Stephen. Light seems to forget he was a CIA agent before he retired to spend more time with L.
• Cut Himself Shaving: After L beats up Light, he tells everyone he fell.
• Cute and Psycho: B compares Light to a vicious puppy.
• Cynicism Catalyst: Light was the "anonymous witness" who saw that Raye Penber was murdered.
• Daddy's Little Villain: Kiyomi Takada is this for the great and influential Takada family.
• Damned by Faint Praise: Mikami tells Light he'd make someone a good wife.
• Dating Catwoman: Light and L. They worry that things will get boring if they ever stop challenging each other. Their love-hate relationship is Lampshaded:
  Light: I sneak a glance over my shoulder to find that he has his back to me too, and that panics me for a moment, but then I remember that I don't give a fuck about things like that and I never did. I also remember reading in a magazine that if you and your partner sleep facing away from each other, it means that you have a very stable and loving relationship. It might also mean that you hate each other but you're forced to share a bed. I still don't give a fuck, and I go to sleep.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: Apparently it didn't go well when Stephen takes L home to meet the family.
  • Souichiro isn't impressed when he walks in on Light and L while Kiyomi is still recuperating from her pregnancy at the hospital.
• Death Seeker: B thinks L has a death wish. And L thinks Light must have one because he's making lots of enemies trying to stamp out corruption in his own government and plans to clean up and consolidate Intelligence.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Light with L.
• Destructive Romance: L and Light's relationship degenerates into this.
• Did You Just Have Sex?: When B barges into Light's office to see L he swiftly comes to this conclusion.
• Did You Think I Can't Feel?: Light to L. L is flabbergasted when Light ignores him and suggests that L should just go home to his other boyfriend.
  L: Whuuu... What's wrong with you? Light? Light, stop it.
  Light: I've been thinking. I realised that you've treated me like I was less than dirt, and that I was letting you.
• Ditch the Bodyguards: Light does this regularly. L lampshades how stupid that is:
  L: You don't need to drive anymore. Why do you insist on driving? It's a security hazard. Big fucking security hazard! 'Hello, I'm the person who's taxing you to death. Shoot me.' That's what you're saying when you're driving around the way you do. You're asking to get killed.
• Domestic Abuse: L and Light get violent with each other.
• Double Entendre: Light "needs a lawyer."
• Driven to Suicide: Misa.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Raye Penber, Aizawa, Matt...
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Prime Minister Light wants to know this. Also L doesn't get the respect that he deserves (i.e. absolute best at his job with a 100% win record / never lost a case) because he's openly gay.
• Effeminate Misogynistic Guy: Light, just like his canon counterpart.
  • L to an extent, too:
  Light: He's surprisingly disparaging of the effeminate due to his hatred of women. I don't remind him of his decidedly camp music collection, but I blame his mother. He doesn't trust women. He doesn't trust men, either, or dogs, or cats, or bees, or horses, but he reserves a particularly spiteful hatred for women and femininity which I find as an equally cruel, unreasonable and sexually attractive quality in him.
• Egopolis: When Light buys L a couple of buildings L tells him he plans to name them "Yagami Towers"... and then asks him if he's aware of what his last name spells backwards in English.
• Environmental Symbolism: Light's new office is made out of special bulletproof reflecting glass and he can see out but no one can see him.
• Erotic Eating: L noisily and obnoxiously slurps up his milkshake.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Matt's dickery and his treatment of Naomi disgusts Light. Also L is against destroying the country just to advance politically. Also L abuses Light really badly. Light claims he would never be that sadistic with L. Of course this is Light we're talking about...
• Evil Mentor: Zig-Zagged Trope, L plays this for Light but at same time L is also Light's Morality Pet—L wants to corrupt Light out of his idealism and Light is idealistic but not good.
• Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Light, Lampshaded by B.
• False Friend: "First and foremost, Teru Mikami is my friend..."
• False Reassurance: After Takada learned that her father had an affair while her mother was pregnant she worries that Light might do the same to her. Light assures her "you're my affair."
• Fan Disservice: Light and L's use of Matt's ashes.
• The Fashionista: Definitely Light, he's never met a designer suit he wouldn't wear
• First-Person Smartass: Light's narration.
• Flaw Exploitation: B mercilessly attacks Light's only weakness:
  Light: Where are my clothes?
  B: They're in the sink.
  Light: What? No. They're dry clean only, you bastard!
  B: Oh. That explains the strange colour of the water. I rinsed them through with boiling water and now they're soaking in cold water. Is that ok? I put ice in it. It's like suit mojito in the kitchen.
• Flipping the Bird: Light flips off B after he gives him another of his infamous deconstructive psychoanalysis.
• Framing the Guilty Party: B has indeed been spying on L and Light and threatening Light. Light just sets matters up so that it becomes obvious to L by drilling a hole in B's floor and into their ceiling so it looks like B has been or was planning to film them in bed together.
• Freudian Excuse: L had a horrible relationship with his father. He was molested by one of his father's coworkers and his father blamed L for the whole scandal.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Matt
• The "Fun" in "Funeral": At Matt's funeral. Well, everyone hated Matt. L and Light very much enjoy the funeral.
• Functional Addict: Light before L makes him get clean.
• Fur and Loathing: L complains about Mihael's coat that's "made out of cats."
• The Generic Guy: Stephen
• A God Am I: Both Light and L.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Light to Stephen and B to Light, in both cases it's over L.
• The Guards Must Be Crazy: Light easily and routinely ditches his security detail.
• Hallucinations: Light gets them on occasion.
• Hate at First Sight: Light and B, with a dash of hate sex in the form of a demonic threesome. The sexual tension between them grows throughout later chapters, culminating in L becoming violently jealous.
• Hauled Before A Senate Subcommittee: Light is summoned to an inquest when L is searching for corruption within his department.
• He Who Fights Monsters: L. He's floored when Light compares him to Astbury. Also Light has the sudden epiphany that even though he's become Prime Minister nothing has changed.
• Hidden Depths: Lampshaded when L overhears some of Light's Back Story.
• Holding the Floor: Light does this to stall for time when he wakes to find a knife-wielding B in his bed — Light resolves to keep him talking until L gets back or he can find an opportune moment to overpower him.
• Humiliation Conga: Light courtesy of L.
• Hypocrite: The politicians. Everyone pretends to be very moral and upright while doing shady backroom deals, drugs, and everyone. One glaringly obvious example would be when Light makes sure Matt gets busted for adultery when Matt was sleeping around with Misa (Light's then Trophy Wife) while Light was busy screwing Matt's new girlfriend Naomi.
• Hypocritical Heartwarming:
  L: No one takes the piss out of Light apart from me.
• Hypocritical Humor: when Light mocks B for being distrusting:
  Light: I walk from one room to another with intent, hoping to find locked drawers and secrets. B had locked his bedroom door, which is to be expected from such a distrusting little shit. I found a spare set of keys in L's desk though, so it didn't do him much good to underestimate me. If I was B, I would have taken better precautions. I was excellent at chemistry and physics at school and dabbled in pyrotechnic devices.
• I Can Change My Beloved: Naomi with Matt and L with Light.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty: B with Light during their "chat" in L's bed.
• The "I Love You" Stigma: Light Cannot Spit It Out.
• If You Ever Do Anything To Hurt Him: understated, Light discovers L's new boyfriend is a CIA agent and he doesn't like him very much. Later, B promises Light that if he ever does anything to hurt L he'll put his head in a pot, possibly after it's been severed from his neck.
• I'm Standing Right Here: There are several moments where the social circles will start gossiping about a person who is right there with them or standing nearby.
• Imagine Spot: Light has these, in increasing frequency, in which he brutally murders whoever is annoying him at the time.
• Immune to Drugs: B tries to sedate Light by lacing his vodka with Ambien but it only leaves him slightly buzzed. Light later relates to L that he used to knock back "special drinks" like that all the time with Matt.
  L: I thought I heard you rattling when you walked into the Higuchi inquiry. Light, how did you live before I met you?
• In with the In Crowd: This is Light's ready-made excuse.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: both Light and L have shades of this.
• Ironic Echo: "To be understood would make me dead."
• Irony: Kiyomi assumes that Light knows nothing about clothes because he's a man.
  • Light gets scolded for trying to have a serious conversation about politics with his politician "friends."
• It Meant Something to Me: Light when L leaves.
• It's All About Me: Light's philosophy.
• Jerkass: most of the cast to varying degrees but Matt’s douchebaggery disgusts Light.
• Jerk Justifications: As Light points out he has to be In with the In Crowd and at least look "accessible" in order to succeed in politics.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Light seems to be getting there after Character Development. He's very protective of L.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Light uses displays of altruism to bolster his image.
• Jerkass Has a Point: B is right-Light and L's relationship is not healthy. Light was right Stephen never quit the CIA. Souichiro is right L isn't trustworthy.
• Just Friends: L and B, much to B's dismay
• Kingmaker Scenario: L doesn't get the respect he deserves because he's openly gay but he has enough power and influence to greatly help Light's career.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Light and L.
• Ladykiller in Love: or the Yaoi Genre equivalent with Light and L.
• Lady Macbeth: Kiyomi aspires to be this for Light but it already fully belongs to L-especially after he has the sudden epiphany that he "owns" a prime minister and he's decides he's going to "break" Light of his idealism...
• Landslide Election: Light wins in one.
• Living Emotional Crutch: Light for Misa. L for Light. After L leaves Light begins to quite literally go insane. Eventually he begins fantasizing about how lovely it would be to die together. Also L for B.
• Lonely at the Top: Light. He succeeded in becoming Prime Minister but he's very unhappy about his life.
• Love Dodecahedron: Misa -> Light <-> Naomi <-> Matt, Shiori -> Mikami <-> Naomi, Takada -> Light <-> L <-> Stephen, and B -> L.
• Love Hurts: Oh so much. Light doesn't believe it's real unless it hurts.
• Love Is a Weakness: Light thinks so.
• Love Makes You Evil / Love Makes You Crazy: Both Light and L.
• Love Martyr: L and Light for each other, Naomi for Matt.
• Mad Love: L and Light and later Light for L.
• Madden Into Misanthropy: Light
• Madness Montage: Light begins to see a devil staring down at him and imagined(?) screwing L at a party that L later tells him he did not attend.
• Making Love in All the Wrong Places: L and Light do it in the House of Parliament. Later after L has supposedly "moved on" they have an encounter in an elevator. Also they have an encounter at Matt's funeral and uh... make use of Matt's ashes. Later L fucks Light in an alleyway.
• The Man Behind the Man: L to Light. He's even the one killing off threats and competition for Light using the Death Note.
• Manchild: The political boy's club seems to enjoy a permanent state of adolescence.
• Manipulative Bastard: Both Light and L.
• Marital Rape License: L and Light have decided that they "own" each other.
• Masochism Tango: L and Light and Naomi and Matt.
• Masquerade Ball: Light says he once attended one and found L there, he and L knew each other despite their masks.
• Master Actor: As a politician, Light puts his manipulative and oratory skills to good use.
• May–December Romance: Lampshaded
  L: Where were you when I was seventeen?
  Light: I was ten and I was probably at school.
  L: Ugh.
  Light: Do you think that if you'd found me earlier then you could have spared me years of tragedy? Because you wouldn't. You would have been arrested.
• Memento MacGuffin: L is shocked to discover that Light still wears the cufflinks he gave him-cufflinks with Gothic "L"s on them...
• The Mentally Disturbed: Light, L, and B. They're all sick, sick puppies. Light has homicidal tendencies, a pathological need to appear "normal," and megalomania, L also has some sick and serious control issues, and as a child B enjoyed cutting up small animals and L is amazed he didn't grow up to be a Serial Killer.
• Mind Game Ship: Both L and Light are this for each other.
• Mind Rape: This is B's specialty. L says he calls it "kill or cure therapy".
• Mind Screw: Light occasionally sees flashes of a "devil" hovering above him or out of the corner of his eye that sounds suspiciously like Ryuk.
• Mirthless Laughter: Light after he was rejected and beaten up by L.
• Moment Killer: B keeps popping up every time L and Light manage to get some time alone at L's dinner party.
• Morality Pet: L for Light
• Motor Mouth: B during "therapy."
• Murder the Hypotenuse: B is in obsessed with L. So when Light and L get back together B is strongly considering it.
• Must Have Caffeine: Light and L stop for coffee in almost every chapter. Light tends to sack people when he's deprived of his coffee. Also coffee is apparently so important to L that when they run out he rushes out to get more—leaving Light alone in the house with B.
• Mythology Gag: Light gets free meals at The Blue Note.
• Never My Fault: Light.
• Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Light has to do this for Matt.
• Nice Guy: Stephen.
• No Accounting for Taste: Light wonders if Naomi has a thing for drug addicts. Also Light and L who spend most of their time together making each other miserable. Also Light wonders what the hell L sees in Stephen.
• Not Himself: Takada regularly excuses Light's irritabile moods by telling everyone he has a headache.
• "Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization: After L rapes Light in an alleyway L insists that Light liked it. Later Light pretends not hear it when L says "no."
• Everybody Knew Already: It appears that Kiyomi, Light's bodyguards, and the opposition party suspect that Light is having an affair (but not the nature of it given the Opposition's attempts at Honey Traps.)
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: B
• Obsessively Organized: B sorts and stacks his M&Ms by colour.
• Obnoxious In-Laws: Takada's family to Light. Also Matsuda who is Light's brother-in-law by marrying Sayu though Light seems to find him more tolerable or at least useful when he needs people to pretend to socialize with.
• Ominous Latin Chanting: L is of the opinion that "O Fortuna" should be playing whenever Light enters a room.
• Only Friend: L for B.
• Operation: Jealousy: Light believes that this is why L is dating Stephen.
• Our Prime Ministers Are Different: try a Scheming-Jerkass-Iron-Lunatic-Geek.
• Paparazzi: L finds one sniffing around his home, trying to snap career damaging photos of Light.
• Parents Walk In at the Worst Time: Souichiro walks in on L kissing Light.
• Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Light is a master at this.
• The Perfectionist: L is devastated when he loses a case. He's never lost a case.
• Pet Homosexual: Deconstructed. Most of the politicians only see L this way despite his being one of the most competent at his job.
• Pink Means Feminine: Light gets Takada a pink diamond engagement ring. L thinks it looks very gay.
• Platonic Life-Partners: Subverted with Light and Takada, though Light no doubt would like to be this because he thinks of Takada as his "incestuous twin" rather than his wife.
• Playboy Bunny: Mihael's choice of bar has them—girl bunnies and boy bunnies.
• Politicians Kiss Babies: Light has got this photo op covered.
• Post-Rape Taunt: Years after L raped Light in the alleyway of the Blue Note, Light is obviously still upset about it. Demonstrated when in an argument, L uses that event to further agitate Light.
  L: I had a good fuck outside there once.
  Light: My eyes flutter down to the glass he's still holding between our chests, hating to be reminded of some deep-seated feeling of degradation I shouldn't feel.
• President Evil: Prime Minister Light Yagami
• Priceless Ming Vase: Stephen smashes L's priceless china when he's mad at him.
• Psycho Psychologist: B
• Punch a Wall: After L discovers a paparazzi stalking Light, L relieves him of his camera. Light and L then proceed to play football with it to show their displeasure about their situation.
• Punny Name: When L introduces Light to his friend B, Light wonders if they had another friend named T— they could make a sandwich.
• Really Gets Around: Light, though he seems to be under the impression that everyone is sleeping with everyone. Matt keeps stealing any girl Light might be interested in. Also B calls L "a manwhore."
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: B to L when he catches L and Light in a compromising position.
• Reformed Criminal: Mihael Keehl
• Regularly Scheduled Evil: A suspicious string of deaths is occurring all around the cast with such regularity that they've taken to calling it "The Curse." Light frequently benefits from the mysterious deaths. It's implied that Ryuk exists in this universe and he still enjoys toying with Light.
• Reluctant Psycho: B is a psychologist who knows he has some issues of his own. L is amazed he didn't grow up to be a Serial Killer.
• Right Through the Wall: B complains about the noise L and his then boyfriend would make during his college years.
  • Later Light does this with L because "I didn't want B to labour under the illusion that we were sleeping."
• Romantic False Lead: Light is crazy about L and then L begins dating Stephen...
• Sarcastic Confession: When L tells Stephen that he fucks prime ministers. Also when Light assures Takada "you're my affair."
• The Scapegoat: When Mikami gets caught snorting coke, all the other politicians are naturally shocked and appalled.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: A Running Gag has L introducing his coworkers and his rivals and his enemies to his "good friend" the prime minister.
• Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: when no one comments when Light lights up a cigarette in a hospital room he takes that as "proof that the civilised world has laws for the masses and laws for me."
• Sdrawkcab Name: L asks Light if he knows what his last name spells when written backwards in English.
• Selective Obliviousness: Light is the king of this trope:
  Light: [ Stephen]'s oddly pleasant considering the last time we met, and I swiftly come to the conclusion that L hasn't told him that he loves me and that we're just going through a rough patch which involves impacting my face with his fist.
  • Also L doesn't want to believe that his best friend B is psychotic.
• Self-Serving Memory: while drunk, L relates to Light (and B who is listening in) on how he blackmailed a girl in order to get his current position. B says that when L told him about it earlier L had said he'd won it fair and square.
• Serious Business: Steak is Serious Business.
• Shout-Out: to Lust, Caution, Brokeback Mountain, Predator, Kung Fu Panda, Back to the Future, and The X-Files. Also apparently Kiyomi watches Toddlers & Tiaras. L decides Light's new car is the Batmobile and teasingly calls him an "ageing Japanese Justin Bieber."
• Slash Fic: Light/L, Gevanni/L, and one-sided B/L and B/L/Light
• Sleazy Politician: Most of the cast.
• Sleeping Their Way to the Top: Light all the way. Before he became Prime Minister Light would sleep with anyone, man or woman, to get to the top.
• Sleeps with Everyone but You: B feels this way about L.
• Slipping a Mickey: B drugs Light's drink.
• Smitten Teenage Girl: Light starts acting this way for L despite being male and in his thirties.
• Soap Opera Disease: At one of their parties Matt shows up slowly dying of a wasting disease. Light thinks it couldn't have happened to a better person.
• Sorry I Fell on Your Fist: Light apologizes to L after L beats him up. Later L apologizes to Light after Light nearly murders him.
• The Spook: L was involved in The Lady's administration's scandals. It's implied that he at the very least helped to cover up Raye Penber's murder.
• Spy Catsuit: Light makes a joke about how all CIA agents should be required to wear them so that they'd be easier to spot.
• Stalker with a Crush: Light towards L.
• Stalker without a Crush: For some reason B ripped out one of Light's hairs to keep in his notebook.
• Stalking is Love: L seems to get upset when Light stops blatantly stalking him.
• Starcrossed Lovers: Light and L
• Start X to Stop X: Light became a Corrupt Politician to put an end to corruption.
• Stepford Smiler: Light. He puts so much energy into being what he believes he should be that he doesn't even really know what he wants. Also Takada and Naomi.
• Stoners Are Funny: a typical political meeting seems to consist of drinking, smoking, and snorting coke.
• Straw Nihilist: L "His contented sadness envelopes you in the bittersweet resignation that we are doomed, all of us."
• Surrounded by Idiots: Light and L feel this way.
• Suspiciously Apropos Music: Light complains in his inner monologue that "Wicked Game" was playing on the cab ride over and he has it stuck in his head when he first meets L at his inquest.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: L realizes that Light really is in love with him when L leaves and Light tells him he never loved him anyway.
• Sweet Tooth: L of course, who decides that they should have a balanced meal of cake for dinner.
• The Thing That Would Not Leave: B at L's place.
• A Threesome Is Hot: Light talks B and L into having a threesome in order to expose what everyone really thinks of each other.
• Through the Eyes of Madness: Light. On several occasions he'll have waking dreams and hallucinations. He'll frequently catch glimpses of "a devil" (that resembles Ryuk) drawing near. It's been suggested he's done too many drugs over the course of his career and this has resulted in brain damage.
• Trophy Wife: Misa is or was this for Light. Later this is why Light marries Takada. Meanwhile Takada sees Light as her Trophy Husband.
• The Twink: L calls Light this in an argument. Light was very offended.
• Unholy Matrimony: Light and L when the two are ("working") together. Also Light and Takada of the variety where both are faking it for personal gain, although it's suggested that Takada does carry some affection for Light. Ryuk and L have some of this going, too.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: B
• Unreliable Narrator: Light
• Utopia Justifies the Means: you could say Light takes a tough stance on crime...
• The Vamp: Light isn't above using this method of manipulation to get what he wants.
• Villain with Good Publicity: The Public sees Light as a friendly, approachable, family man who's a champion for justice, the poor, underprivileged, and for woman's rights.
• We Need a Distraction: L and Light get into a quarrel over how Light wants his steak cooked so that they can storm out of L's dinner party together and get away from their "friends".
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: L had a very bad relationship with his father. Also Light has a very distant relationship with his father. Light already has shades of this with his son because he feels bringing an innocent into this arrangement, his fake, loveless family, was the greatest mistake he's ever made.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Light calls out L when his abusive behavior goes too far.
  Light: You were sadistic, I don't want to say the other word I'm thinking of.
• Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Light and Kiyomi's kid ends up with the name Kira.
• Whole-Plot Reference: Recursive one to Death Note. After another round of cutie-breaking L considers the merits of becoming a recluse and hiring a kindly old man to feed him desserts so he won't starve. Also L is amazed that B didn't grow up to be a Serial Killer. Also Light gets a special belt that allows him to call his bodyguards. And then there is Kiyomi's wish to make a better world for Kira.
• Why Couldn't You Be Different?: L had this issue with his parents. Also B, L's childhood friend and neighbor, had this issue with his own parents where they encouraged him to be more like L.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Light, he knows the world of politics is rotten but claims he won't allow his high ideals to be tainted. Also Raye Penber, Light's first political mentor.
• World of Snark
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: After locking himself in a room with Light, B begins beating himself up in an attempt to frame Light. Luckily L knows B and Light well enough to figure out what's going on.
• Xanatos Gambit: Naturally Light and L make frequent use of them to make sure their opponents are caught in compromising positions.
• Yandere: Light begins to exhibit these tendencies towards L after their break-up. And it turns out L is, at least, just as crazy about Light. Also B for L.
• Young Conqueror: Light with L steering him on his path...

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