Favorite Part Of Death Note Was When Light Accidentally Killed Two People Then Freaked Out And Killed

favorite part of death note was when light accidentally killed two people then freaked out and killed a hundred thousand more in an attempt to fix it

what the hell Peeta working at fazbear's 🤨🤨⁉️

Thoughts on: Light Yagami and Shame Culture

Oh, I definitely think Light would be a completely different person without Shame Culture. He himself isn't ashamed of much he does, but the Light we see perfectly adapted to incredibly high standards society places on people. He knows which parts of himself he has to hide.

Shame and honour are central to his and Soichiro's relationship especially. He has absorbed his father strict beliefs completely and then takes it one huge step further, which becomes the monstrosity that is Kira.

Light is so used to appear as flawless, that even him looking at erotic magazines is something Soichiro thought would be "the last thing" he would do.

But to Light, this soiling of his image are all means to an end. He wants to create a world where Kira is not only accepted but necessary. Not once does he associate himself with the people his father puts behind bars - no, instead he's the only one who can annihilate them completely.

No one would cope well with killing someone without meaning to, but Light's actions after testing the Death Note are still far from ordinary. Rather than trying to accept his mistake, he doubles down, sacrifices himself (because that's how he views the fact he's become murderer) and underlines the validity of the system his father works with bold strokes. The system isn't wrong; it's not absolute enough.

"People who harm society should die" isn't an idea Kira came up with, after all; Light grew up in a country that still has the death penalty, and I'd say it's a thought most people have, even when they're generally against the death penalty. That's part of the reason Light completely believes Soichiro when he says he'll kill him and then himself during the fake execution. Not even the narrative needs to explain why his son being Kira would be a dreadful stain on Soichiro's honour.

And all this makes Light's final moments with his father so brilliant:

Despite everything he did to make himself look innocent, Soichiro still had his doubts. And despite for what Light worked above all, Soichiro still completely rejects Kira and ideals. His biggest fear was, until the very end, that his son could be Kira.

That's brutal! And the scene never would have worked so well if Light wasn't also a product of his culture.

This has been so wdiely debated in the fandom, but what is your personal take on what actually drives Light/his motivations? Ego-protection, a misguided sense of "justice", boredom, a mere lust for power, revenge against criminals?

Ego-protection and the sense of morality that grew out of having Soichiro as his father. Those are the two driving factors in my opinion. I’ve written about this a lot, so I’ll summarize here and link elaborating posts where applicable.

For one, Light’s first murders are accidents. The reason Light kills initially is because a) he’s already a murderer and trying to give meaning to this and because b) he thinks he’ll likely be killed for having used a shinigami’s notebook and is trying to make the most out of what may be his last weeks on earth.

The thing about Light is that he doesn’t see himself as a person who can fail. All his life he’s been the ultimate Golden Child, the best of the best. For him to commit a blunder like accidental murder is unthinkable. And thus he’ll go ahead and make a world where this isn’t a blunder and he can remain a Golden Child.

Of course, all of this also happens because of how Light’s morality is shaped. His father is hugely important to Light’s perception of the world. Light’s boredom is mostly a sense of futility that he gets by watching Soichiro struggle and just.. being a good man, while the world still doesn’t change for the better. 

I don’t see power-hunger playing into it in any major way. Light’s self-narrative is consistently one of sacrifice - which, again, he learned from his father who would have sacrificed his life (and his time with his family) in the name of the Greater Good. Soichiro raises a son who understands commitment as self-sacrificial, because that is the reality his admired father has always shown to him.

For a really in-depth look at who Light is at baseline and why he becomes Kira, I really recommend reading casuistor’s essay Supernova.

Rewatching Death Note, and I feel like we collectively kind of downplay the horror Light must have felt when he first killed someone. Like, he’s seventeen, he’s done the equivalent of passing on chainmail (whilst doing the due diligence of writing down a murderer’s name as well), only it’s actually killed someone. Like imagine if you reposted one those ‘repost this or you die’ instagram posts when you were a teenager and one of the people that followed you actually died. Obviously doesn’t justify all the shit homeboy did afterwards, but like. Yikes

Soichiro and Light + playground?

Soichiro and Light + Playground

There are three playgrounds within a few feet of the Yagami house but Sayu only likes the southward playground. Light never raises a fuss over going to that playground but, after a while, Sachiko notices that he goes northward when allowed to walk on his own. She’s nervous to let him go all the way to the playground by himself so, after he arrives home late again, she leverages Soichiro’s guilt into getting him to take Light to the northward park. 

Soichiro holds Light’s hand the whole way and is amazed at how much his son talks. Usually, Light is quiet at the dinner table or in his room studying which are the only places Soichiro catches him after work. But alone with his father Light chatters about everything from his teachers to his classmates to a new model Gundam he wants but needs to save up for. The talk is butter yellow with how cheerful it is but Soichiro can’t help a sadness entering his heart.

Is this what I’m missing? he thinks. Is this who you are?

He starts taking Light to the playground once a week after that until he reaches thirteen. Then school builds up a wall of work around Light and Soichiro is so proud of his son, his smart smart son. But there’s a sadness in him that feels like Light has ultimately let go of his father’s hand.