CHARACTER HISTORY AND PERSONALITY: neargenius

neargenius

CHARACTER HISTORY AND PERSONALITY

Feb 07, 2010 18:45

CHARACTER HISTORY

Near is the younger of L’s two successors, and the one who ends up following more closely/traditionally in his detective-ing footsteps. From Death Note: How to Read, we learn that Near was born Nate River on August 24th, 1991. Since he lived at Wammy’s House (Watari’s orphanage), it is assumed that Near is an orphan, though the details of his life previous to the House are never disclosed. (A supplemental live action movie--L: Change the WorLd--depicts Near as the only survivor of a Thai village ravaged by disease. This history does not mesh with other known facts about Near--in an additional one shot manga, he himself states that he has never met L--but we can assume that Near’s origins were of a similar nature.)

At Wammy’s House, young children are constantly groomed and guided toward a single purpose: succeeding L in the position of world’s greatest detective. Through some undisclosed rating system (probably schoolwork, aptitude tests, etc.), Near is determined to be first in line, followed by Mello, another boy at Wammy’s. Mello is insanely jealous of Near, and is in a constant hot-headed struggle to surpass him. Near is uninterested in any competition--in fact, Near seems basically uninterested in everything besides his toys. Being number one does not seem to take any effort to Near.

When L dies, Near and Mello are summoned to Roger’s office, to discuss L’s succession. Roger tells them that L never chose a single heir, and that they are now to work together to catch Kira. Mello is shocked at the mere suggestion, but Near accepts the idea with his usual calmness and continues his work on his puzzle. Mello storms out, leaving Near alone as L’s official heir. Near does not show pleasure or distress at this situation--as usual, he doesn’t show anything at all.

Five years later, Near is seen working for the United States under the SPK (the Special Provision for Kira), established at some point with the intention of investigating the Kira murders. He quickly deduces that the Japanese task force is in fact in possession of a Death Note. When Mello kidnaps Light’s sister, Sayu, with the intention of obtaining a Death Note in exchange for her life, Light speaks as L and attempts to contact the American law enforcement for assistance. Instead he reaches Near. Referring to himself “L the second” and “N”, Near agrees to cooperate with Light in the search for Sayu.

Light’s father, Yagami, the sub-director of the Japanese police force, boards a plane to America to recover Sayu, with the Death Note in tow. The plane is unexpectedly hijacked and rerouted in mid-flight, and Light is forced to contact Near in an attempt to elicit further help from him. Misa uses her shinigami eyes and figures out the name of the hijacker, and Light passes this detail onto Near--who takes immediate notice of how quickly Light was able to come up with the name.

Still, Near cooperates with Light in this stage, dispatching a helicopter to pick up Light’s father from Mello’s bunker. The exchange takes place as promised--Sayu for the Death Note--and Mello loads the Note onto a missal. Near is not particularly troubled by this development--in fact, he seems almost amused. At this point, Light suspects that Near may be involved in the kidnapping, working side by side with Mello--but Near denies this, though he says that he would have welcomed such a connection. He reiterates that he is after the Death Note, and Kira, and that the kidnapping would have served his purposes, but he was not involved. Near takes Yagami into custody in order to question him about the exchange. He remains amused at Light’s incompetence, almost gloating over his ineptitude to hold onto the Note, and though he says that he would not have fared much better in Light’s position (given the circumstances), he would have been willing to sacrifice innocent lives in order to secure the Death Note, displaying a ruthless quality to his character.

Near figures that Mello is the kidnapper, based on several small clues. Most notable is the sound of Mello chewing chocolate over the phone, a detail so slight no one would have thought to note it. Near recognizes this as a challenge, that Mello is purposefully leaving clues so that Near will realize it is him. This is their old competition again, on a larger scale: Near versus Mello in the search for Kira. He does not reveal this information to Light at this time, but hypothesizes that the kidnapper might be convinced to return the Death Note in exchange for his photograph. Of course, Near just happens to have the only photo of Mello--but he doesn’t tell this to Light, either! Light suspects that Near knows the identity of the kidnapper and tries to get him to reveal his theory, but Near declines, stating that they agreed to cooperate with Light in the reclamation of Sayu, but not in the Kira investigation. He says that he will capture Kira and the kidnappers on his own, without any help from Light.

CHARACTER PERSONALITY

Near has the poorest social skills of all the Wammy’s House kids, ranking even with L. How to Read states that his calmness in high-stress situations ranks even above L’s. Where Mello is explosive, Near is placid, almost emotionless. But he does have an irritating, cheeky side to him. When dealing with Light, the “false L”, Near greets him nonchalantly with a little smirk: “L the second, pleased to meet’cha!” These flashes of childish casualness are rare, and only used when dealing with the false L, as if Near is taunting his opponent. Generally, Near is very laconic in his dealings with others, and shows little to no emotion. Even when his life is threatened, Near appears dispassionate and uninterested.

Near is not as cooperative as his predecessor was. He is willing to lie or suspend the truth in order to get results in his endeavors; he is candid in admitting that he would sacrifice human life in order to bring justice to Kira. At times, he is more blunt than L was, and openly disapproves of the Japanese task forces’ actions previous to his involvement in the investigation. Many of his quirks are reminiscent of L’s--he has a penchant for stacking things in towers, he fiddles with things while thinking, he is always poised in a crouch, and he is always clad in white pajamas, lending him a similar shabby, unkempt air that also effused L. His reclusive nature is also an echo of L’s. Even as a child at Wammy’s, he is pictured as avoiding the company of other children, engrossed in his own activities. How to Read cites this evasion as a flaw--though he is a genius, he is unable to interact with others, and needs to rely on his team to get his work done.

Near’s main obsession is toys. He is always depicted as being surrounded by various toys or games. Puzzles, darts, dice, cards, robots, models, puppets, matchsticks--you name it, Near’s got it. And, like any kid, he seems to have favorites (in chapter 60, when the SPK is forced to flee their hide out, he is shown gathering several toys to take with him). This quirk is only really odd when you remember that Near is seventeen or eighteen through the latter Death Note chapters. The toys seem almost a catharsis, a means to help him work out the details of his theories. He occasionally will use figurines or dolls to act as L or Kira, and at one point, he crafts puppets of all the major players in the Kira case, reenacting several scenes with them in a Lego city.

In terms of personal relations, Near is socially crippled. He doesn't seem to care very much for interaction with others. He isn't hostile, just apathetic. Near does not seem to have any hatred for Mello--on the contrary, he holds Mello in some esteem. At the end of the series, he admits that he would not have been able to solve the case without Mello’s help. How to Read states that Near actually likes Mello. And while Near is not exactly a passive player in the race against Mello, he does not have the same drive that Mello does. It is possible that he even enjoys their interactions, as harsh as they can be, since he does not have any “friends”--not that Mello could be construed as a friend! But dealing with an equal must be a welcome break for Near, no matter how unkindly Mello treats him.

HEADCANON AND MORE

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Near is a tiny lil caterpillar at 5 foot 1 inch and weighing like 88 lbs. Oh god is he tiny but probably squishy too, since I can’t imagine him working out or anything; idk he would make a good pillow I think.

2. How old is he? Mostly 18 through the series

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? ...VIVA LA SLOUCH. Naw man, considering his fav pose is crouched on the floor with his shoulders rounded, makin puzzle... terrible posture. He’ll probably end up with like spinal issues before he’s 30. Such is the fate of an L.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Out of shaaaape but not in a fatty way. Just in a he doesn’t do shit except playing with toys kind of way. Illnesses/conditions, well, he’s a lil albino boy, and I suspect him of like mildish autism? I mean symptoms of autism are “impaired social interaction and communication and restrictive, repetitive behavior” INCLUDING stacking things, making lines of things, etc. I can’t imagine that he’s unhealthy, because he wants to be able to work--but he’s not conscious of himself and doesn’t eat what/when he should. At home, I’m sure the SPK took care of most of that.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Shuffly slow in walking around, precise and perfect in building towers and models. He does a lot of rolling around on the floor.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? HAHA he’s a cutie in a creepy weird dead eyed toddler way. He’s got an extreme babyface. When he gets older he just gets a womanface. But yeah, I doubt he’s ever looked in a mirror because that would be a waste of his time.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? light light painfully white. He never goes outside; if he went to the beach he would probably burn to a tiny crisp.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. White fluffy cotton :3

9. What color are his eyes? black pits man, blaaack, the better to having a staring match with

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? you’ll never know because he’ll never show you that cute little face--you'll always get the maskface unless the circumstances require something else.

11. What are his chief tension centers? shoulders from that epic hunch. Also I see him getting headaches a lot because of all that precise detail work and staring at computer screens.

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit? white pajamas, white pajamas, white pajamas. When he visits the president in his early appearances in the anime, they’ve got it colored so he’s wearing jeans and a white shirt--I guess in an effort to look like L? But yeah, pajamas are his scene, and that’s all he’d ever wear, given the choice. They’re loose and conducive to thought XD;;

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? They fit well in that they’re floppy and loose and let him roll around and crouch without much interference. He’s totally comfortable because hurrr crouching on the floor.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? He lives at his job. Literally. His free time is spent thinking about work, but with more toys. So, yeah, no difference.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? ohman, I would actually say short little white boxers, because again, he likes his clothes loose and nonrestrictive in all respects.

Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? Is neutral (see 4:37) an option? He sounds like a pre-teen kid to me, very monotone and flat, without much inflection or excitement to it.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? Pretty soft, slow, and even. He plans out what he’s going to say before he says it, so there’s hesitation for thought followed by an easy spiel.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? Nnnnope.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? Well, as is so often the case with these things, the world seems to speak one universal language. But if we’re going to get srs--as he lives/works in America, I assume he speaks English--plus his extremely Western name (NATE RIVER shhh) indicates that he’s from an English-speaking country. He apparently is capable of speaking Japanese, as he talks easily to Light and the Japanese task force. But HEADCANON says that he speaks more than that, or is at least functional/able to understand what's being said to him. I mean, he is a geeeeneus right? I imagine him to be especially good with the Latin.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? I think he switches out of formal and casual depending on the circumstances/who he's talking to. If he's more relaxed, he'll be inclined to speak more casually (contractions, yeahs, informal greetings, etc.), but most of the time he speaks in a very tl;dr formal fashion.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? thinking, man, thinking ten days till Sunday. He would never just make off the cuff remarks because those could turn out wrong; he could say something by mistake. He’s got to plan it out in his head first, even if it’s just briefly.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Inarticulate socially; eloquent theoretically. Work stuff means smooth talking, big words, etc etc., but if you relate to him on a personal level, he either a. doesn’t talk, b. is awkward or c. uses big words/facts in an effort to feel more comfortable with the conversation :/

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? BOOK SMART BOOK SMART canon genius. He’s very intelligent in theory and he has good common sense (i.e., he doesn’t get himself into shit he can’t get out of), but street smarts he has little of. Which...is why he doesn’t go out on the street? :] Everything to him is based on what he's read/observed; he doesn't have much of a concept of stuff outside of that. (See: the relationships section orz)

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? both? It depends on the situation. He prefers long long thought out plans, but he’s capable of making quick decisions as well as they become necessary.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Logical but with strong intuition. He likes facts and he doesn’t act on hunches, but he lets them direct his line of thought. He’s got a good sense for final solutions, but he doesn’t jump to them--he’d rather have some proof first and then move to act. But he’s definitely practical. Idealism doesn’t have any place in his head nossir.

4. What kind of education has the character had? Welp he is a genius if I haven’t said that a million times already 8D My perception of Wammy’s House is a fancy pantsy orphanage academy for baby Ls with LOADS of schoolwork and classes. They taught the kids everything, from reading to nuclear physics to idk music appreciation. So a very extensive and thorough education in all things. And the fact that he's (AGAIN) a genius makes him predisposed for understanding/wanting to learn things.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? Forensics, logic, crime stuff, philosophy, sociology--anything that would help you solve a case. (Conversely, his bad subjects would be anything that requires creativity because he just can’t think in that way-he’s got the theory of art, like where the lines should go, but he can’t do it himself beyond mimicry. This does not apply to his gift of making creepy finger puppets.)

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? King Introvert, a real introvert’s introvert. Seriously he is worse than L what the hell. If he had it his way, he would sit at the top of a tall building in a big spacious room filled with toys and fuck the world, man. He’s doing much better here in Siren’s Port, because he has to talk to people in order to find out what he wants, and he doesn’t have an investigation team to do his work for him. But he’d still rather stay inside and make ridiculously elaborate Lego cities all alone. A companion would only knock down his structures :c

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? 95% even tempered, as a conscious choice. It takes a great deal to irritate him (mostly achieved through card tower destruction) and he can be baited, but he’ll figure out what you’re doing and force himself to stop reacting pretty quickly. He’s a big bundle of repressed emotion, but repressed purposefully so he doesn’t get distracted or lose focus on the situation. He isn’t cheerful or melancholy, but I would say he’s pessimistic. And he’s driven to play games and solve the Kira case. Everything else, he could honestly care less about.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Oh god suspicious. Suspicious of everything at all times. This boy cannot let that guard down for a second nossir. He hates meeting new people and he has enthusiasm only for games and puzzles, and work (if it’s interesting work).

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? I think that depends on what stage of the game he’s in. I lean toward react, since acting requires some motivation to move and do things, and he’s very passive. But if it’s advantageous to his situation to act, he’ll act--or, in the city, get Mello to act for him |D

10. Which is his default: fight or flight? He’s more likely to flop on the floor and start playing with toys. Even when big important things are happening around him, like idk the chance of his own death, he doesn’t have much more of a reaction that his eyes getting wider. And then he goes back to apathy again. He might run if he thought it necessary to preserve his own life, but running = fear and he isn’t afraid of much. But he doesn’t fight, at all, beyond innate human reaction (like if you strangled him he’d struggle). He doesn’t have a death wish or anything, it just doesn’t concern him. And anyway it’s not like he gets into very many near death situations.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Humor does not compute. Has no sense of it. Can’t understand it. Has difficulty understanding humor in others. That being said, I think deep deep down he’s got a dry little wit but it’s too much work to bring it out, so he doesn’t do it much. Oh, yeah, and he’ll make a joke for the purpose of gloating~

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? I think he’s sociopathic, but then who the hell isn’t a sociopath in Death Note nurrr. He deals with that by using it to his advantage XD

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? His parents dying (even if he doesn’t remember it), being brought to Wammy’s House, his rivalry with Mello, being named L’s successor and Mello’s subsequent walk-out, creating the SPK and taking on the Kira case.

14. What does he fear? He’d never tell anyone what he was afraid of even under threat, because fear is an exploitable weakness. Buuuut on a small scale, he’s afraid of large crowds and social interaction--and physical contact, oh god physical contact. He hates people touching him or getting close to him. Also afraid of emotion in himself I think, since it’s so unexplainable and random. He's really good at forcing himself not to be afraid, especially outwardly, since yeah, fear = manipulation.

On a larger and deeper scale, he’s afraid of not being in control--being forced to do something he doesn’t want to do, somehow. This could be as simple as being unwittingly manipulated into doing something, but it would really intensely manifest itself with the Death Note, since it’s got the ability to force you to do whatever the writer wants. The idea of having a lack of free will would really freak him out--he likes to have all the rules and be in charge of everything at all times.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations? Be better than L. Catch Kira. Do more interesting work. Be left alone to work. Get some really cool toys that will hold his interest.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? His real name. Anything personal that might be able to be used against him Also that he might be able to feel feelings very very deep down shhhh.

Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. Nonexistent since he doesn’t remember them. Headcanon, they died when he was really little--like really little, early enough that he’s mostly forgotten them, and what he does remember, he will not share with anyone because it’s irrelevant. And he honestly does like it that way, because a relationship means an attachment and noooo no attachments.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? Headcanon: he was an only child, not that it matters, because pretty soon he was a little orphan.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? NOPE

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? No family no relationships no friends. I think secretly as a kid, he felt a link to L because of this network of successors, but he doesn’t ever acknowledge or think of that even to himself, because it would imply an attachment. Also there’s a weird camaraderie with Mello & Matt just because of their association with Wammy’s House, like how you’d feel about a distant cousin. This is probably just because they grew up together and have shared similar experiences, so it doesn’t count as a real relationship at all.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? no friends except for robots :c

6. Does he have other close friends? Lots of robots? And action figures? I think they had very silent tea parties behind closed doors lalala~ In Siren’s Port, he doesn’t have friends either, but I think he’s got some tentative relationships. His favorite people to talk to are Yoite and Shiroe. Also he’s on pretty good terms with Jinx, weirdly. For canon mates, he’s hit it off pretty well with Mello all things considered, and Matt bought him Legos when he first arrived!

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? Trouble trouble trouble. He doesn’t want friends. He would actually like the opposite of friends (not enemies, just nothing). He would rather not talk to anyone and just be left alone.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? Work & games. Family & friends are just distractions.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? the perpetual single little boy.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? noooo /in b4 Mello kisses his forehead again

No seriously, he can’t bring himself to think about that kind of stuff. He understands the theory and mechanics of a romantic relationship, from a very clinical removed point of view (and he would use the word "romantic" very loosely and sarcastically, since he thinks romance is just a trick of the mind, a device to promote reproduction). It would be difficult for him to work into one because he can’t think that way. Someone would need loooots of patience and persistence. BUT as he can’t trust anyone enough to let his guard down around them, it would take a real special someone to break through that Lego barrier he’s constructed around himself...

I think this is why people pair him with Mello all the time (despite the fact that tying up their rivalry with more positive emotion makes for great dark and intense CR). Despite their rather huge obstacles/differences, the two of them already know each other very well, and they're pretty similar, all things considered. They wouldn't necessarily trust one another, but they could certainly come around to such a place, I think, because of the congruency of their minds and the sheer fact that they've known each other very well for many years--a luxury in their field. Plus the added convenience of the two halves = one whole analogy that is canonly constructed (though canonly it refers to their ability to succeed L, of course!)...

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? no crushes, ever.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? doesn’t look for a romantic partner.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? oh gawwwd he’d be such a terrible dad. He dislikes kids-they’re noisy and irritating and they knock over his towers and want attention, and-worst of all!-want to play with his toys, and NO WAI is that happening. He is so bad at sharing. Also children implies sex and sex implies connection and connections are not going to happen.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? HIS LIFE IS A RIVALRY. No seriously, MELLO. But that isn’t by his choice, actually, he’s always been willing to work with Mello. Mello was apparently incapable of doing so when they were little babies, though, so he went on alone-but he knows that Mello + Near > L, and as he wants everything to be advantageous and to win against Kira, teamwork would be GREAT. I think he likes the rivalry though, because it’s interesting to be working “against” someone so like him and so on his level. It’s like a weird friendship, or the closest thing he’s ever had to a friendship anyway, and he likes the stability of their situation. It’s something he can always count on.
Enemies: KIRA oh my god KIRA. And that’s it. He can’t be bothered to hate people, it takes too much effort |D;;

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? On the Kinsey scale, he’s an X, an asexual little caterpillar.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? uuuugh human contact no thanks.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? turn ons, none. Turn offs, everything. Weird bedroom habits, toys I guess he would be obsessively neat and clean about every step of sex, should it come to that? Anything less would be disgusting to him.

Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? Near is a Leo-Virgo cusp baby and he fits it reallllly well. He has all the intelligence and quietness of the Virgo, but all the drive and independency of a Leo. (Though full of ambition and enthusiasm, Leo has to admit to a lazy streak and, given the opportunity, will take the easy way out, especially when a situation offers little fun or glory. UH PERFECT.) ahaha by contrast his Chinese zodiac sign (the Ram) doesn’t fit him AT ALL. Side note: I have this book that discusses astrology as it applies to specific single dates (like you look up your birthday and it’s got 2 pages of really direct info) and Near’s is actually really dead on! I’m actually a huge loser always finding myself with downtime at work, so I like to look into these things or take personality tests ICly because hnn why not. His Ennegram Type was really perfect too--the Investigator, c’monnnn |D

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? Neither, he likes facts and science and stuff. Canonly he even says something like “if there is a god, I would still question it”; he wouldn’t follow blindly because he prefers to think for himself. But the events of the series force him to believe in stuff that he wouldn’t believe in at all--Shinigami, for example. But as a rule, he’s disdainful of that sort of stuff-unless someone proves it to him.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it? It’s all for the thrill of the game, baby! Except no, really, it is. I don’t think he lets ethics or morals get in his way very much; he’ll use them to get what he wants and then he lets them go again. He tries hard to keep himself above being directed by such thinking so he can consider problems without being restricted by a sense like that. He’s not afraid to break the law to get what he wants (he says he would have kidnapped Light’s sister for chrissake), but he is aware of right and wrong. It’s just that as L, he does whatever it takes to get his job done, and screw the rulesssss. As for judging others, he doesn’t do it outside the context of his investigation. Once he gets interested in an investigation, he forms a judgment/opinion and pursues the case from there. He doesn’t find that anyone has cause to judge anyone-that’s half his problem with Kira! Everyone is the same, etc.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? Curious because he’s curious about everything, really; he likes to know everything. And he tries to remain objective. But I think he’s a little disdainful, too, when people have “stupid” beliefs.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them? None! He strives for objectivity in all things. Oh wait he is prejudiced against psychopathic murderers who kill using magical notebooks D:

Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? At home, he’s got it made. He makes full use of that L fund or whatever the SPK lives off of because daaaaayum boy has unlimited resources.

In the City, he’s po’. He relies on Matt & Mello pretty much completely to help him out with $$ and food and stuff (what little he actually eats). I think that will eventually bother him, but he’s not really capable of normal jobs, soooo... He might become a private investigator just to get a paycheck? I mean that is what he’s good at. Or apply for a government grant to fund the Kira casework, if it gets too crazy X:

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? He’s exactly the same as an “adult” as he was as a little kid: hunched, disinterested, and removed from the situation. He has a horrible social rating--he can’t relate to people. He understands them in theory, and he can follow their minds, but somehow such a clinical remove from everyone doesn’t equal friendliness! I have no idea why!

3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others? In his world, Near lives in the SPK headquarters, a high rise with a super savvy clinical interior, all big rooms and steel and glass. It's not anything to Near, except that it's safe and relatively impenetrable, so he can work/play without being bothered too much--but it's not like he's attached to it or anything, he could work just as well in another setting. In Siren's Port, he lives in an apartment with Matt and Mello which... is also going surprisingly well. They're not very tidy which bothers his white and clean sensibility, but he doesn't clean up after them or anything.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? TOYS. No seriously. He could buy out FAO Schwartz and still want more, because eventually, he'll get bored D8

5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else? Near is L, the world's greatest detective. Well, he's L the 2nd if you want to get technical, but that doesn't make him any less successful. L exists to solve impossible crimes, only choosing those that interest/challenge/intrigue him and moving on from there. Near hasn't had a chance to choose any interesting crimes yet in his career, because the most Interesting Crime of All Time was passed onto him with L's title--the Kira case. Near's life is solving this case, and once he does, he will have "won" where L lost. As to enjoyment, well, he enjoys it as much as he enjoys anything. The challenge, the work that goes into it--he likes that part. He likes winning and solving puzzles, and detective work is like the world's biggest game with really high stakes--AWESOME. Not to mention that he's very good at it, since he's been trained since like day 1 at Wammy's House just to be good at it. I don't know that he could do anything else besides be L--that's all that he knows and all that he's suited for. He's so crippled socially and emotionally that other jobs wouldn't work out for him, but I don't think he's ever thought about it--to him, L is who he is, and there was never anything else.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? TOYS again. Near's main distraction is manifested in toys. This is a catharsis, a way to work through problems as much as it is a hobby, but I think he also enjoys them because they can hold his attention. He likes puzzles or things that you have to build, and anything that can be used in multiple ways (dominoes as dominoes, as blocks, etc.), and I think he likes the intricate challenge of constructing models. He plays with other simpler toys too (action figures, remote controlled rubber ducks), but they're all a means of working out problems to him.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? Canonly, he is never shown eating a single thing :<

While this would explain how underweight and titchy he is, he has to eat SOMETHING, right? I think at home, the SPK took care of things on the meal front for him, supplying food and making up a schedule of meals or something. He's a stubborn kid but he's got to get hungry sometimes. Headcanon for some reason says that he prefers breakfast foods, especially plain ole oatmeal. He dislikes most sweets and doesn't like things if the flavor is too strong. The one exception to this rule are pancakes, which I randomly imagine he enjoys, possibly for the stackability factor to them :3 In Siren's Port, he doesn't do well with eating, since Mello & Matt prefer junk food and chocolate to anything else, so he scrounges to get what he can, and waits around for shopping day to coerce them into buying oatmeal. And nnn no alcohol, no eating out, etc.

Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:

1. Color? white (durr)
2. Smell? laundry--not overpoweringly strong or sweet, just the way clean laundry smells when you get it warm out of the dryer c:
3. Time of day? early morning, just before the sun comes up
4. Season? winter
5. Book? The Hound of the Baskervilles, Animal Farm, and Goodnight Moon.
6. Music? My general Death Note go to song is Sang Real by Dredg, nnnn it’s perfect. But my default song for Near is Preparedness by The Bird and the Bee, both for its metallic creepy tone and its lyrics. If I had to pick him a theme song, it would be this :3
7. Place? indoors on the floor
8. Substance? drywall
9. Plant? a silver dollar tree.
10. Animal? Actuallllly he always makes me think of a little white kitten even though headcanon says he hates cats. Cliché answer is cliché. And well maybe he hates them because they’re too much alike?

. . . . .

The Character Expression Meme
Character: Near
Journal: neargenius
RPG: sirenspull

.happy..sad..angry..scared.