The Faceless (fanfic)

The Faceless by Disguise of Carnivorism is an AU Death Note Dark Fic. Before the events of the series, a journalist discovers the Death Note and the Shinigami and exposes it to the world, altering the course of history. Years later welcome to a world where everyone hides their name and face, a world of permanent war and where everything is dying and a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits are Fighting for Survival.

"Light pulled himself up to the counter, putting on his, 'I'm completely normal and if you don't believe me, I'll kill you,' façade. Evidently, it didn't work; the bartender simply continued to stare apprehensively at the faded blood-stain on Light's uniform before slowly reaching for his gun. Best not to trust soldiers.
 * Action Girl: Naomi Penber, Catherine
 * After the End: Civilization has already pretty much collapsed at the beginning of the story.
 * Alternate Universe Fic
 * Anyone Can Die:
 * Arranged Marriage: Light's parents had arranged it so that Light would marry Misa for her fortune.
 * Awful Truth:
 * Axe Crazy: Light, Catherine,
 * Badass Crew: Light's squad.
 * Blondes Are Evil: Misa and Catherine.
 * Blood Splattered Warrior: Light
 * Break the Cutie: well, everyone.
 * Broken Masquerade: The story begins when a journalist named Neelan Adessi discovers the death note and exposes the secrets of Kira and the Shinigami to the world.
 * Conscription: As part of the Crapsack World, everyone is getting sucked into the war against Kira either by force or out of desperation.
 * Cosmic Plaything: Light Yagami, Naomi Misora, Neelan Adessi.
 * Crapsack World
 * Crazy Sane: Light. He goes crazy pretty early on but in a way that makes him the sanest one there.
 * Dark Fic
 * Dead Little Sister:
 * Despair Event Horizon:
 * The Determinator: Light
 * Determined Defeatist
 * Deus Angst Machina
 * Draft Dodging: Attempted by Nathaniel. It didn't work out too well.
 * Dramatic Unmask:
 * The Dreaded: Kira, also Light Yagami
 * Driven to Suicide:
 * Dying Like Animals: the humans of this world and then after the human race takes to wearing masks the Shinigami begin to starve.
 * Dysfunction Junction: Everyone has serious issues. EVERYONE!!!
 * Dystopia: The world becomes one for sure after Neelan Adessi broke the masquerade.
 * Emo Teen: Light at the beginning of the story (before Character Development and Taking Several Levels In Badass) but with good reason-his life really does suck.
 * Enfant Terrible: A cherub-like Shinigami taunts Neelan.
 * Expecting Someone Taller:
 * Eyes of Gold: Light
 * Face Heel Turn:
 * Faceless Goons: Duh.
 * Fighting for Survival
 * For the Evulz: Ryuk is bored so he spends his time telling stories that gives the lil' Shinigami nightmares,  and so Ryuk's stories take on a life of their own...
 * Ghost Planet: The Shinigami world. The Human world doesn't look much different these days.
 * Heroic Blue Screen of Death: At various times  are all so afflicted.
 * Horrifying the Horror:
 * Humans Are the Real Monsters: EVERYONE, but special mention goes to The Shinigami Servitors that feed the Shinigami "undesirables" so that they themselves won't be killed.
 * Hurting Hero: Light and Naomi.
 * Hypocritical Humor: Nathaniel realizes he's being a Hypocrite and a heartless bastard when he hypothetically considered murdering someone to avoid being drafted into the military.
 * I Control My Minions Through... Authority, Fear, and Fanatical Loyalty
 * I Have the High Ground:
 * In Love with Your Carnage: Catherine to Light at first...
 * Jade-Colored Glasses: because of the events of this AU Light isn't the Wide-Eyed Idealist he is in canon.
 * Knife Nut: Catherine
 * Leaning on the Fourth Wall: In this fanfic Light is skeptical about having Naomi Penber, a woman, serving among his soldiers complaining that she might get pregnant and slow them down. Naomi counters that there was more of a chance of Light getting pregnant than her.
 * Life Drinker: The Shinigami
 * Malevolent Masked Men: In this world everyone wears masks... and Humans Are the Real Monsters.
 * The Man Behind the Man: The cherub-like Shinigami that taunts Neelan.
 * Meaningful Name: Light, mainly
 * Mirror Universe: In canon Light  but is seen as admirable by the men he's deceived. In this universe Light   and is met with derision by his soldiers as they realize the Awful Truth about what they were fighting for.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
 * Nietzsche Wannabe: pretty much everyone becomes this over the course of the story.
 * No One Gets Left Behind: Playing with a Trope
 * Later
 * Occult Blue Eyes: The Enfant Terrible Shinigami bonded to Neelan.
 * Original Character: Neelan, Marcus, Nathaniel, Catherine
 * POW Camp: where Kira is detaining L.
 * Power Born of Madness:
 * Rage Against the Heavens: Light in his diary and in his Inner Monologues.
 * Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Light's squad. Lampshaded when the the cast stops at a bar and Hilarity Ensues:

"He's going to shoot us, isn't he?" Nathanial watched as the bartender froze and carefully removed his hand from the vicinity of his rifle, noticing for the first time, perhaps, just how many weapons the rag-tag team had.

"Someone's always trying to shoot us." Marcus was very apt in pointing things like this out, creating a philosophy that predicted all manner of reactions to their ensemble.

The bartender made an inward estimate of the money he would lose through property damage. Damn foreign soldiers.

By the end of the night, it was difficult to decide whether Naomi was scarier drunk or sober. At least when she was sober, she had better aim and didn't attempt to have a sense of humor. Either way, everyone was disturbed."


 * The Resenter: Matt. He feels that L, Mello, and Near have all abandoned him. Also from the beginning of the story Light resents pretty much everyone and everything.
 * Rousing Speech: Light gives one to the ragtag army he gathers together in the wastelands.
 * Sanity Slippage: pretty much everyone.
 * Scars Are Forever:
 * Secret Diary: Light uses a simple black notebook which he keeps hidden in his desk drawer.
 * Self-Fulfilling Prophecy:
 * Shrouded in Myth: Kira, L, Light Yagami
 * Sociopathic Soldier: Light, Catherine,
 * Song Fic
 * The Squad
 * The Butcher: Catherine is the team cook. She’s also Axe Crazy and loves knives.
 * Communications Officer: Nathaniel
 * Friendly Sniper: Matsuda
 * The Neidermeyer: Light
 * New Meat: Matt
 * Number Two: Naomi
 * Sad Clown: Matt, Nathaniel, Marcus
 * The Quiet One: Mogi
 * Tagalong Kid: Matt
 * Stepford Smiler: Light and Catherine.
 * Took a Level In Badass: it's the cast of Death Note as wartorn soldiers
 * Took a Level in Jerkass: As Sayu points out: "Everyone used to love my brother. Now, he is a complete asshole." It Got Worse.
 * Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: Light
 * Trauma Conga Line: for everyone but Light's story is the one we see in detail.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Light gathers himself an army to do his bidding.
 * Up to Eleven: It's Darker and Edgier than Death Note. Think about that.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: Matt watches and comments when "their" crazy Light pulls an entire army together out of the various scattered and ragtag squads in the wastelands with just his own notoriety and his bullshitting skills.
 * War Fic
 * War Is Hell
 * We Have Reserves: this is the attitude of the whole army.
 * Whole-Plot Reference: Recursive version to Death Note Light keeps a Secret Diary which an outside observer can see charts his descent into madness.
 * Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Light,
 * X Meets Y: Death Note meets All Quiet on the Western Front meets Mirror Mask.
 * You Are in Command Now:
 * You Monster!: Matsuda shouts "What have you done!" at Light after he