The Devils See Application
P L A Y E R
☓ Name: Duck
☓ Personal journal: theevilduck772
☓ Age: 21 (almost 22)
☓ Other characters in The Devils See: N/A
☓ Email: deviouswaterfowl@hotmail.com
☓ AIM/MSN/Yahoo! Messenger: theevilduck772 // N/A // N/A
C H A R A C T E R
☓ Name: Mello
☓ Series: Death Note
☓ Reference: The Death Note wiki
☓ Canon point: just before his death (so already in the church he dies in.)
☓ Age: Twenty (although he acts a bit older)
☓ Background:
Not a lot is known about Mello before he became Mello. He was born Mihael Keehl in Germany, orphaned (seemingly) at an early age and sent to Wammy’s House, an orphanage/school for gifted children in Winchester, England. It was there that he was given a codename, Mello, in place of his real one. While this may seem strange, it makes more sense when the real purpose of Wammy’s House is brought to light.
Wammy’s House was more than a simple school for the gifted. It was the facility that trained L, the world’s greatest detective; now it was home to an “alphabet” of successors, all with codenames that could be shortened to a letter. Mello was eventually chosen to be M. The training process was rigorous and claimed more than one unlucky trainee, most notably A, the first successor, who killed himself. Mello and Near (N) were the fourth (and best) generation of successors. The rivalry between them was intense. They were in constant competition against one another, a competition that Near won time and time again. This status quo of constantly coming in second was something that would define Mello’s entire life. When L was killed during the Kira case it was Mello and Near who were chosen from all the successors to replace him.
Kira was a serial killer who started by murdering criminals in Japan and soon afterward throughout the globe. He was no ordinary serial killer - he could kill anyone anywhere in the world at will. Because of the difficulty of the case, L decided to take it on himself. Kira would prove to be L’s greatest adversary. The longer the case went on, the more willing Kira became to kill. He had started with convicted murderers and perpetrators of equally horrific crimes; but soon he began to annihilate petty criminals and even suspects. Eventually he started to kill anyone who spoke out against him. Kira was, in reality, Light Yagami, son of a police chief who eventually took on a position in L’s task force dedicated to bringing down Kira. Once Light graduated high school he himself became part of the task force, acting as though he wanted nothing more to bring Kira to justice. L was eventually killed and Light erased all files and records that the detective had kept over the lengthy investigation. And Kira became L.
When the news of L’s death reached Wammy’s House, Mello and Near were sent into action. While they were supposed to join forces Mello refused to work with Near because he hated Near’s methods. (In the notes Mello wrote about another murder case he refers to Near as “an armchair detective”.) He didn’t want to assist his competition; and he wanted to prove that he was better than Near. Mello left Wammy’s House the night he found out L had died. He was fourteen and positive he could make it on his own.
Mello went to the United States where he joined the mob. He quickly climbed through the ranks until he was allowed into the inner circle of Rodd Ross, the mob’s leader.
Five years had gone by at this point, the world had completely changed. L - who was Light - was leading the investigation in circles while he, as Kira, slowly took over the world. Countries had begun to hand their power over to Kira, promising to do what he wanted in exchange for leaving their leaders alive. Names and faces of criminals were posted everywhere for Kira’s convenience. All those who stood in Kira’s way were destroyed.
It was Mello who discovered how Kira killed and even acquired his weapon. Mello kidnapped Sayu Yagami, sister of Light Yagami and daughter of Sorichiro Yagami (now the leader of the group trying to track Kira down.) The exchange was made, girl for weapon. And Mello found out how Kira was able to kill seemingly whoever and however he wanted, Mello was now in possession of the Death Note; a magic notebook used by Kira and Shinigami (death gods) to claim their victims. The user simply has to write their victim’s name in the Death Note while picturing their face. The victim will then die of whatever cause written. If the cause of death is unspecified the victim will die of a heart attack. The first thing Mello did with the Death Note hinder Near, wiping out most of the SPK (Near’s organization working to bring down Kira) leaving only three alive.
With the Death Note came the Death Note’s original owner, Sidoh the Shinigami. Soon Sidoh was at Mello’s command. (Sidoh was terrified of Mello and did whatever Mello told him to and, when intimidation failed, Mello just had to give Sidoh a little chocolate.) Sidoh told Mello about the “Shinigami Eyes” which, at the cost of half their life, gave the recipient the ability to see any human’s life expectancy and name. Thus, they could kill literally anyone they'd ever met. Mello forced one of his mafia underlings to make the eye deal (a decision backed by Rodd Ross). It was during this time that Mello started developing his theory as to Kira’s identity. Mello also discovered the false "rule" Kira planted in the Death Note. The Death Note has many rules and restrictions so the addition of one more didn't seem odd. The false rule claimed that the owner of the Death Note had to kill regularly in order to avoid punishment themselves. Mello determined that this was not a real rule but Kira trying to slip him (or any other user) up.
The Japanese task force deployed a SWAT team to take Mello down, lead by Sorichiro Yagami shortly after the officer made his own Shinigami eye deal. Rodd Ross’s inner circle fell one by one at Kira’s hand, but the SWAT team was taking casualties as well. The SWAT team was mostly eliminated by the time Sorichiro came face to face with Mello. Chief Yagami revealed that he knew Mello’s real name and showed him that he was armed with a Death Note. Mello revealed that he had rigged the building they were standing in with explosives. In his panic Mello decided to set them off while still inside, killing Sorichiro, the remainder of Ross’s inner circle and all but two of the SWAT team. It left Mello horribly burned over much of his left side, including his face.
Mello’s exact whereabouts at this time are a mystery. It is assumed that he was living with Matt, number three at Wammy’s House, and the person closest to Mello. In his next appearance Mello used one of the remaining SPK members, a woman named Halle Linder, to find out about Near’s plans. He broke into Near’s headquarters, holding Linder at gunpoint to get the only remaining picture of himself in existence. He met with Near (not a very happy reunion) and passed on some information about the Death Note in exchange for the photograph, which Mello destroyed. However, I believe this was really just false pretense to protect his injured pride and convince himself he was not helping his bitter and hated rival. In order for Kira to be brought to justice they needed to work together, Mello understood that even if he wouldn't admit it. By combining what they both knew, Near and he came to the same conclusion: the fake L was Kira. Matt and Mello then spied on Misa Amane, Light’s model/actress girlfriend as well as the “second Kira” who worked for the original Kira.
When it was confirmed that Light was Kira, Near decided to corner him and Mello chose to help. Mello's potentially fatal plan was to trick the third Kira, Teru Mikami, into a) revealing his Death Note, b) determining that it is the fake planted by Near and c) show them where the real Death Note was. Mello was largely successful. Mello risked his life to make sure the plan worked. The plan itself was to kidnap Kiyomi Takada, who served as Kira’s spokesperson after he all but took over the world. Matt provided a distraction while Mello pretended to help Takada before abducting her. Takada’s bodyguards surrounded Matt and killed him when he surrendered. This shook Mello and caused his final undoing. He failed to realize that Takada had a piece of the Death Note, despite the fact that he forced her shed her clothes to reveal any tracking devices that she might have on her (she hid it under the blanket he gave her to cover herself up). Mello died at the age of twenty on January 26, 2010.
☓ Personality:
Mello is…volatile. Everything he feels, he feels with a passion; everything he does reflects this passion.
He is prideful, though not exactly arrogant as he will always be “second place” in his own mind. Raised in constant competition and perpetually judged by test scores, Mello will never surpass Near, not on paper and not in his own mind; no circumstances would ever change this. This is something he is constantly fighting, constantly trying to get rid of. He is always trying to one-up himself and become number one, something more than he is. He is always in competition, even when the other parties involved don't realize they are competing with him, or, in the case of Near, don't really care. Although Mello will never actually convince himself of victory, he will never stop trying. He will not rest, will not give up, until he is "number one"; until he is, without a shred of doubt, better than Near.
His inferiority complex colors everything he does. He is perpetually second. Nothing he does will ever be good enough. Mello is constantly trying to prove himself to the world and more importantly, himself (although he doesn't realize this last part). He thinks everyone sees him as a failure the same way he does, giving him a chip on his shoulder to say the least. He always wants to be number one but never honestly believes he’ll get there. His ambition is incredible but his inferiority complex hinders it. Despite this, Mello never, ever gives up on anything, not the least of which being competition.
Mello’s true cause is justice. He fights for the greater good, but not by conventional means by any stretch of the imagination. Mello’s methods are as fiery as his temper; explosives, firearms, kidnapping, all part of the plan. But in his mind the ends always justify the means. Mello doesn’t consider himself “the good guy” but he considers himself justified. He is a sinner, but he’s accepted this. He does the dirty work because somebody has to.
Mello is extremely intelligent, probably one of the smartest people on Earth. He is keenest in detection and investigation. This is one of the places that Mello doubts himself, however. While he knows he’s smart, incredibly smart, he will never be as smart as Near or L. He second guesses himself even while acting on impulse. It’s more that he thinks over his mistakes rather than preventing them.
His impulsiveness also hurts him. Mello is one to shoot first and ask questions…maybe. He is easily enraged and is very difficult to calm down. Mello doesn’t forgive or forget easily and there are times in which he’ll just let his gun do the talking. He has an extremely short fuse as well, making him a pretty lethal enemy to have. It doesn't take much to make him pull the trigger.
☓ Abilities:
Mello is a genius. His natural intelligence has been honed and enhanced through years of training. Coming from Wammy’s House, Mello has incredible observational, logical, and detecting skills. He is athletic and has also been trained with a variety of guns and firearms, knives, and hand-to-hand combat. He knows how to make and use number of different kinds of explosives and improvised weapons. And, apparently, he can drive both a motorcycle and eighteen-wheeler.
☓ Weaknesses: Most obvious is of course his horrible inferiority complex, but he is also hot tempered and bitter. Mello is easily blinded by passion and acts without thinking. He has a short fuse and a long memory. Should you anger him he will never forgive you. As cliché as it sounds, if you make Mello your friend he is extremely loyal; if you make an enemy out of him he will make your life hell (if he doesn’t end it first). This, of course, makes people distrust him. Although Mello wants to help people (for justice’s sake) he is not always able to win people’s confidence. His pride gets in the way a lot of the time and when it is injured it can blind him. Physically Mello has only one weakness (or I suppose you could say two if you believe being quite short and skinny to be a weakness) that being the burn covering about a third of his body. Because of this his mobility is somewhat impaired and sometimes causes him intense pain. (The pain/mobility loss caused by the burn is not discussed in canon, but it only makes sense considering the traumatic nature of the injury.)
☓ Strengths: Mello’s keen intelligence and years of training have sharpened his abilities to a metaphorical blade. Very little gets passed him and his observational and logic skills allow him to analyze information and do it quickly. Mello is very athletic and well-trained in gun combat and improvised fighting. He's gifted with explosives. When not crippled by pride or rage Mello is very good at manipulating people; he also is good at reading them, determining friend and foe quickly. Mello has seemingly unending determination. Once he gets an idea in his head he will fulfill it, no matter what. Although Mello loves his creature comforts he is also very adaptable and can adjust to most situations pretty swiftly. And even if at his core Mello is a very moral person, he is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
☓ Intranet post sample:
[Mello has torn the camera off the computer, leaving a sad length of plastic and exposed wire behind like an oozing wound. He has thrown the antique device itself into the nearest garbage and crushed it beyond repair. But now he's gotten the computer up and running-- at least it appears so. He blows dust off the microphone, causing a loud "whoof" sound to burst from speakers across the island. There's a silence punctuated by a few muttered curses as he ensures the microphone is actually recording]
I know I’m not alone here, too many signs of life. Besides, all this is set up for people to communicate. Someone’s playing with us and I, for one, don’t like it. If you're out there, answer me. There's no point in ignoring each other. Safety in numbers.
[Although that's not exactly what he's thinking. He knows that getting everyone in one place would allow them to trade information and figure out their situation. But he also knows there could be some out there who wouldn't see the significance of it or who are paranoid enough to keep secrets.]
And to whatever bastard is responsible for this:
[He speaks slowly and his voice is quivering with anger.]
I will find you and you will regret dragging me here. I will end you, that's a promise. I will kill you for interfering in my life and I will make sure it hurts.
☓ Log post sample:
There was no pause, no moment of white light, no falling or rising sensation between Mello sitting in the church and his sudden struggle to stay afloat in the great gray sea. He had been praying, praying for forgiveness, for clarity, for the strength that had suddenly left him and now his mind was completely emptied in his struggle. There was no time for conscious decisions; his body and mind were on autopilot. Their only job was to keep him alive, keep him moving. It was a blessing that he was freed of the guilt and sorrow he had previously been immersed in. His emotional struggle was replaced by a physical one.
After recovering from the shock of cold Mello swam with all his strength to the distant shore. He shed his leather jacket, vest, gloves, and shoes. Under normal circumstances this would have been the last thing Mello would do but this, not only his sudden appearance in this strange ocean but everything that had happened to him prior that day, were as far from normal circumstances as possible. So the expensive leather Mello loved sank to the bottom of the sea.
It felt as if it took hours to reach the shore; when he did manage to reach the beach he was exhausted. Now that the immediate danger of drowning had passed Mello realized how drained he was and allowed his ailing muscles to give out, falling onto the sand. While lying inert Mello's mind snapped to full attention, processing his present situation in all its bizarreness. His senses took in everything they could as Mello's mind worked to make sense of all of this.
His first thought stung him like a knife through the heart. There was a possibility, a very real one, that he was dead, that he had missed something when he ordered Kiyomi Takada to strip, that she had been given a piece of the Death Note and that she had managed to kill him. And if that was true then this could only be one place; Mello was in Hell. Mello sat up, his eyes swept the beach then the gray blur of the horizon. He shook his head as if to dislodge this thought physically from his head. This place was far too calm for Hell. And Mello wasn't afraid. Although long ago Mello had accepted that he was Hell-bound, he figured that when actually faced with the horrors of Hell, it would be enough to terrify him. This place lacked the overwhelming terror and awe that Mello knew Hell would have.
Far from scared Mello felt numb, physically as well as emotionally. Physically this was obviously thanks to the freezing seawater, emotionally it was because of everything that had happened before appearing here. As the randomness of his situation settled in his mind the feelings it had suspended were clouding his mind again, causing his heart to ache. His intense guilt and grief returned.
No, this wasn't Hell. But this decision might have been in part a defense mechanism. If he was dead then that meant it was all over. He would never see Kira brought to justice and Near had won. He wouldn't let himself think about that, just as he forced himself not to think about Matt, the man he cared so much for and had sent to his death. But it was all starting to catch up with him. It was becoming harder and harder to keep his mind clear of all this. The thoughts sprang back to life like the feeling tingling back into his limbs.
If Mello had been almost anyone else the weight of his failure combined with the exhausting pain of everything that had happened to him and the stress of his current situation would have crushed him like a bug. But Mello was exceptional in many ways. He refused to accept failure, he kept pushing no matter what happened to him. Losing was just a setback; stress was just another challenger Mello had to defeat in his quest for victory and justice. So there was really nothing to it, no other option even crossed his mind. Mello got to his feet and set off to find out exactly what was going on.