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thecarnivorousmuffinmeta · 3 years

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How long would it take the volturi to solve the Kira case?

Fascinating question, anon, I like it. So much so you get answered much earlier than you normally would be.

Shinigami and the World of Twilight

In Twilight there are few supernatural creatures that remain in our world. There's vampires, children of the moon, and the shapeshifter. However, these need not be the only supernatural creatures.

There have likely been mass extinctions (seen in Children of the Moon) and there may be more creatures that are so uncommon that we just don't see any hint of them.

Death Note's Shinigami easily fall into this category.

They live in another dimension, and in the human world (which they rarely visit in person), they're invisible to the eye save for those who have touched their death note. Their methods of killing are so unobtrusive, (heart attacks by default or whatever method they please), that they're unlikely to be noticed unless someone (i.e. Light) is trying to make a point. And in the grand scheme of things, Shinigami also kill relatively infrequently, meaning that any odd death gets passed off as that: an odd death. Also being forbidden to kill for the sake of a human being means that the deaths tend to be a) random b) whatever amuses them the most. That'd be hard to pick a pattern up of.

Shinigami exist in such a manner that I doubt even the Volturi are aware of them.

Some Ground Rules For the Post

I don't see why vampires would have an innate ability to see Shinigami that humans lack. As a result, the Volturi are in the same boat everyone else is, they can't see a Shinigami unless they touch that Shinigami's notebook.

Also, per the manga, the Kira case takes place from 2003-2010, meaning that as Twilight is happening (or before if Aro and the gang somehow solve this faster than L would), the world is mired in the Kira case.

Bella would certainly have been talking about it in Twilight. As would Edward, as he once had his Kira foray as well if on a much smaller scale and with a lot more junkies.

For the sake of my nitpicky need to have everything line up, we're going to push Death Note back a few years, to the beginning of Twilight.

Also, we're taking out L. If L's there, Aro can rely on him doing most of the work for him and only show up at the end to either murder or turn Light once L's narrowed down exactly who it is. That's not really fair per the ask, we have to leave the Volturi on their own.

With that, let's start.

Kira Makes His Appearance

Light's appearance was by no means subtle, he wanted to be noticed immediately, but he also didn't want to be noticed as a human being.

He made no televised announcements, left no messages, sent in no letters saying, "I am God, tremble before me". Instead, he let his silence speak.

He killed via heart attacks those he considered having broken the law to some heinous degree and then he sat back and watch. The public dubbed him Kira first and he only became a confirmed presence, something more real than a specter and a human who could be caught and brought to justice, when he murdered Lind L. Taylor in a public spectacle.

But this is a world without L, which means no Lind L. Taylor, instead we have Volturi and company in Volterra, utterly unconcerned with the human world.

Of course, they immediately notice once an undeniable pattern becomes clear. Human criminals are dying en masse of heart attacks, someone is making a message. The question is, to what end?

Aro wouldn't immediately think this is a human. This kind of power, this kind of gift, to be able to seemingly kill any person in the world at any time no matter the distance, is something too strong for a human. It would be unheard of to have this much power as a human.

Which means Aro believes he's looking for a vampire breaking the law.

The trouble is, it's only humans. The newborn wars are raging as always, every major coven he's ever heard of remains untouched, and there's been no noticeable uptick of deaths among the vampire population.

The only difference to them is that more of them are dangerously close to breaking the law, as crime rates are now plummeting as criminals live in terror of a spiteful god who might strike them down at any moment. This makes murders performed by vampires, in certain areas, far more noticeable.

(As Light is probably killing off known gang leaders, drug lords, etc. left and right, it's probably pandemonium in certain cities/countries. So vampires are probably alright in these places as I'm sure there's a lot of murder going on as survivors try to fill the power vacuum.)

Still, the Volturi have to put their heads together and try to think why any vampire would do this? To what end would they murder all these humans, in such a noticeable manner, and not even to eat their victims?

Aro concludes he's looking for a very young vampire, likely newborn, someone who still thinks of himself as very human and beholden to human society and who isn't aware of Volterra or else does not consider them a threat.

The Volturi Investigators

I think Aro's going to take the lead on this one. There's his gift, obviously, but he'd by far have the most interest.

Caius would be upset by the nerve of Kira, but he has no patience to track him down either when it becomes exceedingly obvious that this is going to be tricky. That, and it just doesn't seem like his thing to me. He's going to mostly sit this one out.

As for Marcus, he's not up to it.

Which makes Aro our lead detective.

The Investigation

Like L, the first thing they do is try to pinpoint the first deaths. There was the immediate deluge, of course, but that screams of confidence in this assassination gift.

Kira likely needed practice to perfect his gift or even realize he had it at all. There's going to be a first victim and it will probably be messy.

Given enough investigation, this probably leads Aro to Japan, where a man taking children hostage suddenly dies in the middle of the hostage situation when televised on national TV (though not outside of Japan). Given that Kira's a vampire, he could have moved from where he started quite easily, but Aro's willing to bet he's still somewhere in Japan.

What Aro does know is that Kira's keeping close to human society. Kira will be reading human papers, watching human television constantly, and appears to be very well-informed concerning his future victims. Both locally as well as internationally. Kira is likely still in a human settlement.

So, the first thing Aro does is look for an unusual number of casualties in any city or town in Japan. Kira will probably be in the newborn phase, may truly be only a few months old, and given his actions has probably been abandoned by his sire. Even if he has unusually high control, he's got to eat sometime, and thanks to his own actions the murder rate in major cities is way down.

Except... there's no uptick.

Crime, murder, in Japan is universally on a downwards trend. Major cities like Tokyo and small rural villages it's all the same, there's nothing noticeable.

Kira either isn't in Japan or... he's not eating.

Aro wonders if, perhaps this assassination gift of his, somehow feeds Kira. He is, after all, stealing life. He does it via heart attacks but maybe, somehow, the very act of stealing life is all Kira needs. Perhaps he doesn't have to drink blood due to this.

This blows Aro's mind for a few days but eventually he decides that, no, he's never heard of this. True, he's never heard of this gift either, but all vampires drink blood. Even Carlisle, who drinks animal blood, still drinks blood and suffers great negative effects for his avoidance of a natural diet.

Kira the vampire must still eat.

Which means, in the absence of any other explanation... Kira's not a vampire. Kira is likely a very gifted human.

Aro's mind is blown again because Holy Fuck, what a gift. Kira has blown Jane and Alec, who were only immediately noticeable in their own village, completely out of the water.

Except, the trouble is, neither Aro nor anyone else in the Volturi is a detective. Aro knows enough about human society to pay his taxes, to hire secretaries, and keep on the up and up, but he doesn't actually solve human crimes.

What he's looked for for thousands of years are vampires who break the law: and they have certain patterns, motivations, etc. that are more or less easy to spot. More, the entire point of his law is that, if Aro notices then it means you broke it. There are those that can and do fly under his radar.

How is he supposed to find a gifted human who can kill anyone in the world any time he pleases? From a brief perusal of Japanese news, there's no one immediately obvious as gifted or strange by local papers.

From earlier killings, Aro notes that Kira doesn't seem to kill between 8 in the morning to 4 pm, which might make him a student but also could mean he's working those hours.

And even if he is a student? How in the world is Aro supposed to touch the hand of every student in the entire country of Japan? Aro, who makes it a point not to navigate the human world.

Aro Calls in the Expert

When you want to hang out with the humans, there's only one vampire to call: Carlisle Cullen. As we're setting this in early Twilight, neither Eclipse nor Breaking Dawn have happened. To the Cullens, and Carlisle, Aro is simply a wise king and Carlisle's old friend.

And I'm sure Carlisle has been watching the Kira case very closely and is very disturbed by the entire thing. Kira's methods are very much not Carlisle's m.o.

Aro gives Carlisle what he knows: Kira's probably a gifted human, probably somewhere in Japan, probably in school, and has access to an extensive amount of human media.

That's it.

That's all Aro's got.

As for the police at large, without L, they haven't even narrowed it down to Japan yet.

Carlisle points out that, as much as he hangs out with humans, he doesn't think he could find the needle in the haystack either. However, he definitely wants to help in any way he can.

However, they do have something. Aro can't touch the hand of everyone in Japan, however, Edward can unobtrusively listen to a much larger segment of the population.

(Alice is off the table as she's best able to see the future of those close to her. Without knowing who Kira even is, let alone being close to him, she has no idea what he's going to even do next. She's likely very frustrated by this.)

Surely, whoever Kira is, he or she will be contemplating their victims more often than not. It's a long shot, but Edward might be able to find that needle in a haystack.

How's Edward Feel About That?

Edward's extremely conflicted. On the one hand, he doesn't want to disappoint Carlisle, and this is the first time Carlisle has ever asked him for a favor of this magnitude. And, in theory, Carlisle is right, all creatures are worthy of life.

On the other hand, Edward's on Team Kira. He thinks these rapist, murderer, pigs all deserve to die and is rooting for Kira to put the fear of God into them. Emphasizing this is when Bella was nearly raped in Port Angeles, but her would be rapist suddenly remembered himself and vomited in terror at the idea that he might be next should he get caught raping her. (As it is, Edward catches him, and a few weeks later he dies of a heart attack in prison. Edward pops the champagne).

More, if Edward goes to Japan, it means he has to leave Bella. Bella has proven she cannot survive without his personal protection. More, he's not sure he can survive without her presence. He can hardly contemplate the idea of leaving Bella, though he ultimately must, but to do so soon? He though he'd have a few more years, likely until they graduate, but now he and the family would have to move all the way to Japan in a matter of days.

Not to mention this would be letting Aro know that Edward's... not technically breaking the law but not not breaking the law either. Bella clearly suspects he's not human, she just doesn't have the right word.

And then to give Kira up to the Volturi? To have his activities stopped, to be turned and placed into the guard, or else murdered? Edward feels like he'd be selling out the brother he never knew.

But also Carlisle and imagining Carlisle's sad, disappointed, face.

Edward says yes but he really wants to say no.

He sneaks into Bella's room in the middle of the night, and for the first time, makes her aware of his presence. He tells her that regretfully he must leave her, he's off to do a man's work and catch Kira, and that they will never see each other again.

Then to Edward's horror and disappointment, Bella's completely on board for Edward catching Kira and thinks it's the noblest thing he could do. Charlie, being a chief of police, utterly despises Kira and Bella carries forward this sentiment. People deserve the due process of law, not being murdered off by some jackass conning people into believing he's a god.

Bella wishes him luck and tells him to return as soon as he can.

Edward just numbly says he won't be returning. This really is it. Goodbye forever.

Bella's utterly broken (though not nearly as much as canon as Edward didn't dump her for being boring).

Edward in Japan

Well, turns out, Edward's not actually that useful. There's a few problems.

First, there are a lot of people out there claiming to be Kira, or even convincing themselves that they're Kira. They do this to brag, to feel special, for any number of reasons.

None of them are Kira.

Second, Edward can only go out on cloudy days or at night, this severely limits when he can wander the streets and the people he'll run into. More, even if he starts with Tokyo, Tokyo's a big place. That's a lot of wandering to do.

Third, say that Edward does come across Light Yagami. Edward immediately dismisses him as being utterly insane. See, Light Yagami is talking to his imaginary friend, Ryuk, bickering about which apples they should buy from the store. Edward sees the giant clown demon that Light believes only he can see and goes, "Ah, another lunatic, cheerio."

Edward does not find Kira.

The Investigation Continues

Aro likely keeps Edward at it for months. It doesn't matter how long it takes, they're going to track down Kira and they're going to find him. It might take years, but dammit, they'll find him. Edward despairs that he will ever be able to go back to normal life.

Luckily for the gang, Bella saves their bacon.

Bella, ruminating on Edward's mission and on Kira, starts doing her own internet investigation. She doesn't get very far, but she does have those prophetic dreams to help her out.

Bella has a seriously weird dream about the moon, night gods, Kira, demons that look like giant crows, notebooks, and Light Yagami's face. Somehow, just as in canon with vampires, Bella's able to somehow put this together.

She calls up Edward (as they parted on more amiable terms, and so quickly, Edward did not yet disconnect his number) and tells him that Kira's name is Light Yagami, he's attending the University of Tokyo as the top student, and his murder weapon is an evil notebook.

How does she know this?

She looked it up on the internet.

Well, Edward isn't sure how to take that, but he also has nothing to lose. They find Light Yagami, Aro shakes his hand, and holy shit, Bella Swan was right. (Aro now decrees that she will be turned, much to Edward's horror and insistence that she has no idea he's a vampire, and has plans to recruit her for his guard).

What Are We Going to Do About Light?

Well, on the one hand, Aro discovered a new species today that he can do nothing about. Luckily, they seem to have their own laws that have more or less the same result as the Volturi laws: don't get noticed.

On the other hand, he's disappointed that this all-powerful gift was not a gift at all.

On the other other hand, Light does not seem to be an ordinary human. He's... lucky, for lack of a better term. No, it's more that he doesn't need luck, he somehow has such an awareness of everything around him that he assimilates it perfectly into his own plans. As if he can manipulate the very universe to his favor.

That's intriguing and useful, and in any other situation, Aro would jump on taking that chance and at least seeing what happens.

So the question becomes, does Aro turn Light or not? On the one hand, that's a useful gift, on the other hand, this kid's a loose cannon and a lunatic.

This Kira thing cannot continue, and Light, even as a vampire, would likely insist on continuing it somehow.

Luckily, there's a solution to this.

Aro burns the notebook, much to Ryuk's protesting despair. Light loses his memories of Ryuk, the notebook, and having been Kira. Before Light even knows what's happening, Aro turns him.

Three days later, Light wakes up a very confused vampire, gets the Volturi pitch with Chelsea there to help loosen bonds, and accepts a position in the guard to, oddly enough, stop those like Kira.

Aro's confused, but hey, they'll see how this Light thing works out. Aro also likely tells himself that he will watch for Ryuk trying to drop Light another notebook like a hawk.

The Kira case is never solved for humans: Kira just disappears one day as if he never existed. As for Light, I imagine he plots the destruction of the newborn armies, and Caius watches in utter fascination as this kid ruthlessly exterminates them all.

Bella is shortly turned into a vampire, much to Edward's despair, and due to the giant mess of this is also likely recruited to Volterra.

How Long Does This Take?

Given the need for the Volturi to first investigate, then Edward, I give them at least a year. Maybe a year and a half.

And really, it's Bella who saves their bacon.

#twilight #death note #twilight meta #death note meta #twilight headcanon #death note headcanon #light yagami #ryuk #carlisle cullen #edward cullen #anti edward cullen #aro #caius #the volturi #bella swan #meta #headcanon #opinion

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tackypies · 5 years

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who do you want to be?: a love letter to mob psycho 100

Coming-of-age stories are timeless. Everyone goes through a period of uncertainty, and nowhere is it more apparent than in adolescence. Like One Punch Man, ONE takes the inherent absurdity of superpowered heroes and whittles them into a good-natured comedy. Mob Psycho 100 isn’t just about psychic powers -- it’s about trying to find your place in the world, about people’s perception of “talent,” and about discovering your true potential.

The following essay will contain major spoilers for Season 1 and spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1. Please keep in mind that I’m writing this from the perspective of an anime-only viewer!

Superheroes are naturally special people. There’s a reason why they’re super, after all. Many deconstructions of superheroes have been done, but ONE characterizes his works by making his characters as ordinary as possible -- powers aside. Instead of making world catastrophes the main conflict, he chooses to focus on a smaller scale of the character’s personal world and how those powers affect their day-to-day lives.

Kageyama Shigeo (”Mob”) is an unassuming second-year middle schooler who has a complicated relationship with his psychic powers. While he’s indisputably the strongest esper on the show, he strives to suppress his powers whenever he can. As a result, he comes off as so ordinary that his presence is constantly overlooked.

And, of course, his resolve to stay ordinary will be tested again and again.

It makes for a great set-up and punchline. Mob wants to be popular to impress Tsubomi, so he’s unwittingly roped into a cult. He doesn’t want to risk hurting a girl’s feelings, so he lets himself be duped by Tenga’s fake confession letter. But this formula is also what gives the show an emotional weight. After all, the line between good comedy and good drama is blurred.

The genius of Mob Psycho 100′s writing stems from this: Mob’s psychic powers are tied to his emotions. The show naturally integrates character-driven conflicts because of this. Each arc represents an emotional challenge Mob must overcome. This allows each episode to have zany, over-the-top situations ranging from smiley-faced cults to a school brawl gone wrong to a shady organization, while still maintaining its heart. It’s never just about Mob’s powers -- it’s about why he chooses to use them the way he does.

The beginning and end of each story arc is marked by Mob’s progress towards his emotional explosions. These explosions are necessary breakdowns where Mob must wrestle with a truth that threatens to turn his world upside-down. And it is through these breakdowns that we grow to sympathize with him.

Through flashbacks, we learn why Mob has chosen to become a nobody. He’s terrified of hurting others and, as a result, has subconsciously compartmentalized all his emotions, positive or negative. Because of this, he is unable to take action for himself. He’s essentially a doormat, easy to sway and without a strong stance on almost anything. There isn’t much to Mob at first because he’s too afraid to express himself.

The core question of season one is “Who do you want to be?” For his entire life, Mob has suppressed his extraordinary powers at the expense of himself. Yet, at the same time, he wants to be noticed by his crush, Tsubomi. It’s a very teenage question and a very teenage problem. How do you stand out but not stand out too much? What qualities make you unique and special but not “weird?”

Through Mob’s explosions, ONE makes it clear that suppressing his powers is just as harmful as using them. You cannot ignore something that’s a part of you, regardless of whether you want it or not. Like being able to run fast, being tall, or being near-sighted, everyone must learn to live with the talents they were born with. Because Mob distances himself from his powers, he has no solid identity at the show’s beginning.

How people use their “gifts” to form their identity is also a key theme throughout the show. Teru bases his entire identity on his psychic powers because he is afraid of being ordinary. Ritsu despairs at his lack of powers in spite of his other talents. Dimple sees psychic powers as a mean to an end, while Claw deemed themselves superior to non-espers.

In other words: all these characters see power as a way to assert superiority. Who they want to be is implicitly tied with getting ahead of others or attaining a position of power and prestige. “Because I can do this, I am better than you.” There is, however, one character aside from Mob who doesn’t have this attitude.

Reigen.

Reigen is arguably the most powerful character on the show, despite being the most ordinary. The way he connects with his gifts is completely different from the main characters. He uses his myriad of talents -- massaging, photo editing, acting -- to spice up his business. He has complete confidence in the way he lives, even if his methods are questionable, and it is because he’s able to embrace himself -- flaws and all -- that Reigen is able to defeat Claw.

Although he’s a conman, his actions seem to genuinely benefit his clients by setting their troubled minds at ease. While he initially employs Mob only for his powers, he quickly becomes the voice of reason and kindness in a world that’s all about kicking others down. It’s an inherently funny concept. A conman being the nicest guy on the show? But time and time again, Reigen provides stability for Mob by telling him to be who he wants to be, expectations and society be damned.

Reigen equates powers to knives. In the wrong hands, they’re deadly weapons. But in the right hands, they can be used to create something good, like a warm meal. When Mob says he doesn’t want his powers anymore, Reigen reminds him: "It’s all about how you use knives, remember?”

This is crucial for Mob, who lacks an identity because he’s suppressed his powers his entire life. He’s taken a passive stance to his own being because of his fear of hurting others. But by doing so, he’s isolated himself from his emotions and those around him. It’s an unsustainable way to live, which is meeting Reigen was so important to Mob. He helps him understand that having a talent isn’t necessarily bad. It’s how that talent is used that’s important.

What’s striking is that, in the grand showdown, Reigen ends the season with his most important lesson: “It’s okay to run away when things go south!”

Figuring out who you truly are is a scary and difficult process. Who you think you are will be challenged again and again, but sometimes, when things are beyond your control, it’s better to recognize your limits. To remember that there are other people you can rely on, and that you don’t have to stay in a bad situation to force yourself to learn a lesson when the price is too high to pay. Learning who you are shouldn’t break you.

It’s what makes Mob’s declaration in Season 2, Episode 1 so impactful. Finally, he understands that he must take into consideration his own emotions in order to take care of what is important to him. The use of his powers to repair Emi’s novel is a nice parallel to how he used his powers in front of others in the previous season. We see through flashbacks that Mob had used his powers to only show off what he could do -- lifting frogs, creating bubbles -- but never did anything of actual merit. But Mob now knows that his powers can be a tool to help others and we see firsthand the impact of his realization. Emi goes home and, inspired by his act of kindness, begins writing a new story.

Essentially, Mob Psycho 100 is a story about the pitfalls of growing up, of navigating a world that isn’t so kind but deciding to choose kindness. There are enough people wielding knives to hurt others -- that’s why it’s important to use your knife for something good, in a world that won’t necessarily reward you for the choice. In the end, your life is your own.

Who do you want to be?

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 #tacky writing #meta

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