(Death Note) Fade - xDemon_Talex
ButâŠmaybe just a little more wouldn't hurt? He could read just long enough to figure out just what Kou had been writing in the Death Note, and then he could just close it, or destroy it, or file it as evidence.
YeahâŠthat sounded good.
Swiftly but guiltily, L opened the notebook again and began to read.
I adore my fluffy Lawlight fics as much as the next person, but not to knock on the genre or anything (considering how much I love it!) - fluff can be written for practically any fandom. Something twisted, intelligent, convoluted, and kind of insane...thatâs what drew me to Death Note in the first place, and thatâs what drew me, in the same way, to Fade.
Fade takes a premise that weâve seen many times in fanfiction - maybe not necessarily in the Death Note universe - and runs wild with it. The general gist: for reasons that I wonât get into now, there ends up being two death notes, each of which details half of the events that occurred in the manga/anime. L receives one notebook. Light receives the other. And armed with this knowledge of the future, everything changes. ...Or, does it?
Itâs really hard to explain why I loved this fic so much without revealing some major spoilers, so Iâll just try to explain what I loved so much about it. First off, this work explores some pretty deep literary themes that arenât frequently explored in fanfiction, for example humanityâs struggle against fate. Secondly, the mental battle between L and Light during the first half of Fade is masterfully done, and is decidedly not just a rehash of the original story. I absolutely loved the way this fic handled the characterization (and character evolution) of L, as well as various side characters. And finally, the plot...the amount of manipulation that goes on in this fic, the amount of self-fulfilling prophesying, is absolutely insane, and I love it.
In the interest of providing a fair review, Iâm not necessarily saying that this fic is perfect. There are several very tiny plot holes - for example, L or Light knowing facts from the wrong half of the story, if you pay super close attention. And sometimes characters act in a way that one would never imagine them acting in the manga/anime. But none of these tiny facts detract from the fact that Fade is an amazing, excellent, riveting work. I am incredibly impressed with the authorâs maturity level and complex writing abilities, given their young age (entering college). So in short, if you enjoyed the mind trip that was Death Note, you will definitely enjoy this excellent fanfic.
Summary: When a mysterious notebook falls from the sky, predicting a future in which Kira reigns supreme, L attempts to alter fate. But his attempts are complicated when he discovers that he only holds half of the storyâand that the other half resides with the living paradox that is Light Yagami. The resulting chaos finds two geniuses thrown together, racing to change the future. LxLight
