#hnib

(I got your ask the first time; it just can occasionally take me a while to get to questions like this, haha.)

I think Near is a well-written and one of the best developed character because he a) fulfils his role adequately/is plot-relevant, b) has a clear arc, c) goes through character development, has d) important connections to key characters, and e) gives us insight into what Ohba thinks at the end of the story while remaining entirely in character.

And I know that a lot of people think Near was an unnecessary addition, that it should have been L who defeated Light, etc. But not only do I happen to like L’s death (even though he’s my favourite character along with Near), I also think that the second arc introduces themes we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Death Note has always been about the idea that no matter how great, influential, or beloved (by fans) you are, death is coming for everyone. It’s fitting that Near waves the tarot card “Death” in our faces, since it traditionally is the equaliser, the complete neutrality that treats everyone the same, be it kings, the clergy, or peasants:

It’s all those little things that make Near such a great character for me. All his quirks and interests that make his personality distinct add to the story; both thematically and visually, without coming across as forced or steering the story in the wrong direction.

He doesn’t have to be likeable in order to fill the holes left behind by L’s death, and in a way I find it funny that a lot of people seem to dislike him more than Light. Some people who hated Light for “killing” L are suddenly rooting for Light, and I enjoy that sort of irony. (Especially because, in more than one way, Near is to Light what Light was to L.)

It’s not like that for me at all, but it’s a fact that Near is a character that gives you a lot of stuff to work with. Be it to compare and contrast him to the other main characters, or because he has some of the most insightful quotes, and he also gives us endless fandom wank. He has it all.

Sayu is cute and likeable without being unrealistic. The entire dynamic of the Yagami family makes sense, and is one of the best-written aspects of DN.

I enjoy her relationship with Light in particular; it humanises him a lot, and their sibling banter almost makes you forget that he's a serial killer, haha. But I also wish she could've been better developed. It's sad that her main role in the second half of DN is getting kidnapped.

The crowd around her is quietly tittering and Cersei wants to slap the old bat from Highgarden seated near her that dares to suggest that Jaime looks positively thrilled to be wed in the next moments, a groom that can’t even await another instant for the arrival of his bride. Neither of Cersei’s late husbands had been described to be thrilled to be wed to her and she is the most beautiful in all the lands. No one can be happy in a marriage, no one wants to marry, the bride can only hope to gain power, and the groom can gloat in the gain of a living trophy.

The Lady Brienne is almost as magnificent as her namesake.

It is after they couple the first time that Brienne finally addresses all of the elephants in the bedchamber. “Are you going to keep those cages, leaves, and lions forever?”

Jaime holds Brienne tighter, hooks her knee with his knee up higher, and whispers just under her ear, “Merlions, Brienne.”