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[OOC Information]
Name: Zee
Age: 25
AIM / E-mail / LiveJournal: Deca Republica
[IC Information]
Character Name: Near
Series: Death Note
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Sexuality:
Asexual. Near has no interest in sex and considers it a waste of time. It may be possible to change this, for curiosity's sake if nothing else, but it would take a certain amount of persuasive reasoning to convince him it's worth pursuing. Also, that's no guarantee he'd do it a second time if he was in any way unsatisfied with his experience.
Appearance:
Near is a diminutive young man who looks a bit younger than he is. The average observer would place him in his late teens, though he's in his early twenties. He's approximately 5'5" and weighs in at about 98 pounds. He's skinny, but doesn't look unhealthy. Everything about him is pale, from his skin and his wavy white hair, to the oversized white pajamas he prefers to wear. His eyes are a dark grey, the only dark color present on his person.
Personality:
Near is a solitary person who prefers the company of puzzles, games and toys to the company of other people. His only apparent driving passion is his work as a detective, a real-life extension of the puzzles he enjoys so much. Solving cases is much like any other game to him. In fact, this attitude extends to all aspects of Near's life and the lives of those around him, even to the point that Near declared L a "loser" when he was killed by Kira. From Near's point of view, L had simply lost the game.
This attitude is at least partially, if not wholly responsible for Near's lack of meaningful connection to other people. He can easily tolerate the presence of others when they're useful, and even enjoys having assistants or allies who help alleviate the more tedious and bothersome aspects of his job. However, emotional bonds are useless to Near, so he simply doesn't bother with them. One possible exception to this is Mello, Near's lifelong rival. Mello was almost Near's equal and Near's only real challenger to the title of L, so Near had more personal consideration for Mello than any other individual. Still, to call them friends would be an overstatement at best.
Despite his lack of connection to people, Near understands how people work. He's very accomplished at manipulation, and can easily get a rise, or an answer, out of even the most guarded of people. In contrast, Near rarely takes things personally, and knows how to keep his cool. His ability to remain objective allows him to build a strategy slowly and carefully, moving every metaphorical chess piece with logical precision. He never makes hasty or reactionary moves.
This doesn't mean that Near is completely lacking in all emotion. On the contrary, Near expresses a number of emotions, ranging from cold disdain to cheeky arrogance. It's sympathetic emotions that Near lacks, and that absence of empathy can be a detriment. Near is awful at socializing, and can repel or offend other people by his obvious lack of any genuine interest in them. It's partly because of Near's cold and heartless behavior that Mello developed his hatred of Near, and it was due to that hatred that Mello refused to work with him. If Near and Mello's goals hadn't collided and ultimately aided Near anyway, it could easily have resulted in Near's utter defeat. And for Near, winning is everything.
There's no such thing as "fair play" in Near's mind. Rather, the ends justify the means, and he won't hesitate to use very underhanded methods to win. Even laws aren't sacred when it comes to getting things done, and like his predecessor before him, Near has no problem being responsible for crimes, or making use of criminals, if it means achieving his goals.
In general terms, Near attempts to do things much like L would do them. There are a number of possible reasons for this. For one, the public is never allowed to know that the original L died, so adopting L's attitude and mannerisms could help to make the transition between them more seamless. There's also the matter of Near's lifelong indoctrination at Whammy's House. As someone who's always strived to become the next L, it's possible Near tried his best to become as close to a copy of L as he could be while still retaining his own personality. Like his predecessor, Near only works on cases that pique his interest, and it's the challenge that Near considers fun. A desire for justice is never a factor in whether or not Near picks up a case, as justice isn't something that Near - or L - is interested in.
However, there's no question that Near is his own person. In the end of the one-shot manga centered around Near, it's pointed out that Near is L now, and it's implied that because of that, it's okay for him to do things his own way.
Abilities:
Near is a genius, but he has no superhuman abilities to speak of.
History:
Near was born Nate River and orphaned as a small child under circumstances not described in canon. What is known is that he was brought to Whammy's House, an orphanage for gifted children with the secret goal of finding a successor for L, the world's greatest detective. He was given the alias Near, and he became number one in Whammy's House, followed very closely by his rival, Mello.
When Near was 15, L was killed by Kira before he had the chance to name a successor. While Near had no problem with the suggestion that he and Mello work together, Mello refused and decided to do things his own way. The two went their separate ways, but with the same goal in mind. Instead of their rivalry coming to and end with L's death, it only escalated.
Five years later, Near had established the SPK, or Special Kira Taskforce, whose sole purpose was to assist Near in finding and capturing Kira. Mello, on the other hand, had gained control over a group of Mafia members in order to further his own plans toward Kira's capture. It quickly became a contest between the two, with Kira caught squarely in the middle.
In the end, Near succeeded in cornering Kira, but only through Mello's indirect assistance. If Mello hadn't died to reveal a key hole in Near's plan, Near would undoubtedly have failed and been killed for his efforts. Instead, through Mello's sacrifice and Near's ingenuity, Kira was caught and ultimately killed. Near took up the title of L, and has been working to solve crimes under the name for three years now.
Name: Zee
Age: 25
AIM / E-mail / LiveJournal: Deca Republica
[IC Information]
Character Name: Near
Series: Death Note
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Sexuality:
Asexual. Near has no interest in sex and considers it a waste of time. It may be possible to change this, for curiosity's sake if nothing else, but it would take a certain amount of persuasive reasoning to convince him it's worth pursuing. Also, that's no guarantee he'd do it a second time if he was in any way unsatisfied with his experience.
Appearance:
Near is a diminutive young man who looks a bit younger than he is. The average observer would place him in his late teens, though he's in his early twenties. He's approximately 5'5" and weighs in at about 98 pounds. He's skinny, but doesn't look unhealthy. Everything about him is pale, from his skin and his wavy white hair, to the oversized white pajamas he prefers to wear. His eyes are a dark grey, the only dark color present on his person.
Personality:
Near is a solitary person who prefers the company of puzzles, games and toys to the company of other people. His only apparent driving passion is his work as a detective, a real-life extension of the puzzles he enjoys so much. Solving cases is much like any other game to him. In fact, this attitude extends to all aspects of Near's life and the lives of those around him, even to the point that Near declared L a "loser" when he was killed by Kira. From Near's point of view, L had simply lost the game.
This attitude is at least partially, if not wholly responsible for Near's lack of meaningful connection to other people. He can easily tolerate the presence of others when they're useful, and even enjoys having assistants or allies who help alleviate the more tedious and bothersome aspects of his job. However, emotional bonds are useless to Near, so he simply doesn't bother with them. One possible exception to this is Mello, Near's lifelong rival. Mello was almost Near's equal and Near's only real challenger to the title of L, so Near had more personal consideration for Mello than any other individual. Still, to call them friends would be an overstatement at best.
Despite his lack of connection to people, Near understands how people work. He's very accomplished at manipulation, and can easily get a rise, or an answer, out of even the most guarded of people. In contrast, Near rarely takes things personally, and knows how to keep his cool. His ability to remain objective allows him to build a strategy slowly and carefully, moving every metaphorical chess piece with logical precision. He never makes hasty or reactionary moves.
This doesn't mean that Near is completely lacking in all emotion. On the contrary, Near expresses a number of emotions, ranging from cold disdain to cheeky arrogance. It's sympathetic emotions that Near lacks, and that absence of empathy can be a detriment. Near is awful at socializing, and can repel or offend other people by his obvious lack of any genuine interest in them. It's partly because of Near's cold and heartless behavior that Mello developed his hatred of Near, and it was due to that hatred that Mello refused to work with him. If Near and Mello's goals hadn't collided and ultimately aided Near anyway, it could easily have resulted in Near's utter defeat. And for Near, winning is everything.
There's no such thing as "fair play" in Near's mind. Rather, the ends justify the means, and he won't hesitate to use very underhanded methods to win. Even laws aren't sacred when it comes to getting things done, and like his predecessor before him, Near has no problem being responsible for crimes, or making use of criminals, if it means achieving his goals.
In general terms, Near attempts to do things much like L would do them. There are a number of possible reasons for this. For one, the public is never allowed to know that the original L died, so adopting L's attitude and mannerisms could help to make the transition between them more seamless. There's also the matter of Near's lifelong indoctrination at Whammy's House. As someone who's always strived to become the next L, it's possible Near tried his best to become as close to a copy of L as he could be while still retaining his own personality. Like his predecessor, Near only works on cases that pique his interest, and it's the challenge that Near considers fun. A desire for justice is never a factor in whether or not Near picks up a case, as justice isn't something that Near - or L - is interested in.
However, there's no question that Near is his own person. In the end of the one-shot manga centered around Near, it's pointed out that Near is L now, and it's implied that because of that, it's okay for him to do things his own way.
Abilities:
Near is a genius, but he has no superhuman abilities to speak of.
History:
Near was born Nate River and orphaned as a small child under circumstances not described in canon. What is known is that he was brought to Whammy's House, an orphanage for gifted children with the secret goal of finding a successor for L, the world's greatest detective. He was given the alias Near, and he became number one in Whammy's House, followed very closely by his rival, Mello.
When Near was 15, L was killed by Kira before he had the chance to name a successor. While Near had no problem with the suggestion that he and Mello work together, Mello refused and decided to do things his own way. The two went their separate ways, but with the same goal in mind. Instead of their rivalry coming to and end with L's death, it only escalated.
Five years later, Near had established the SPK, or Special Kira Taskforce, whose sole purpose was to assist Near in finding and capturing Kira. Mello, on the other hand, had gained control over a group of Mafia members in order to further his own plans toward Kira's capture. It quickly became a contest between the two, with Kira caught squarely in the middle.
In the end, Near succeeded in cornering Kira, but only through Mello's indirect assistance. If Mello hadn't died to reveal a key hole in Near's plan, Near would undoubtedly have failed and been killed for his efforts. Instead, through Mello's sacrifice and Near's ingenuity, Kira was caught and ultimately killed. Near took up the title of L, and has been working to solve crimes under the name for three years now.