What could have gone wrong...(dn)

[splinteredstar]

Now, everyone who is familiar with Death Note either knows or will soon about the Xantos Roulette of Light's that leads up to That Which Shall Not Be Spoiled. In the series itself, this plan worked out without a hitch. Almost suspiciously so. So, between me and saint_archie, we came up with a list of places that it could have gone wrong. (If nothing else, slowed it down quite a bit.)

Credit for these is split between Arch and I. Some of them have commentary, some don't. And all are, of course, spoilerific

1. Losing the watch.

2. Having the note and his memories taken off him before he gets a chance to kill Higuchi.

3.Not being able to write the name in the watch without someone seeing it.

4. Someone finding the watch!note after Higuchi dies.

5. Rem picks someone even smarter than him to give the note to. Not likely, I'll admit, but still.
            Hell, even someone smarter than Higuchi would muck things up
                    If Namikawa got it, it would have never worked
   
6. Misa doesn't pursue Higuchi herself and doesn't put the suspicion on him

7. Light investigates the watch before he gets his memory back and finds the piece of note within.
             Since, once he touched it he would remember and put it back. Unless in the process of putting it back he woud lose his                     memory again, leading to an action-loop and much confusion
                   ^Especially bad if someone catches him doing it.
   
8. Someone else investiages the watch and finds the piece of note.
   
   
      
9. L happens to look at him while he's writing Higuchi's name down

10. Misa is unable to find the other note he buried.

11. Rem doesn't show Higuchi to Misa

12. Matsuda doesn't do his stupid bit



13. L decides to not tell the rest of the team (or Rem) that he's testing the note.
            ...Thinking about it, I'm actually kinda surprised he didn't do that.

14. L may have had Light incarcerated perminently

15. L may not have allowed him to join the investigation.

16. Higuchi may have deemed Misa a risk and killed her (unlikely, but possible, imo)

17. L insists that Light remain behind when they go out to arrest Higuchi, preventing him from gaining access to the note until after L had had a chance to question him.

18. If someone less impulsive than Higuchi got the note - someone that wouldn't fall for the trap

19. If the rest of the Group didn't help out

20. If just one of the players involved had miscalculated their timing.

21. If the police hadn't helped out

22. and/or Higuchi had escaped somehow

23. If Watari had missed.

24. If Higuchi hadn't told them about the note

25. If Higuchi hadn't told the rest of Yotsuba about the note.

26. If the practice of talking about who they would kill never started

27.Or, conversely, the note had been given to someone who wasn't apart of a company group.

28. If the Group hadn't sought out Coil

29. If L hadn't employed Wedy and Aiber

30. If more of the team had decided to leave

Comments

[serria.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks for posting. XD Light's genius master plan was definitely not kink free, and damn that boy got lucky. For some of them, I don't think Light could possibly anticipate - like I don't believe he PLANNED Matsuda's stupid - but in a lot of those if something had screwed up horribly then he wouldn't have ever gotten the note book back, or at least the process would be super delayed. A couple of them had me thinking. Like, for example, was it really L's best judgment to bring his prime suspect along to arrest the third Kira? I mean, I know he wants to observe Light, but he didn't really do a fantastic job of it. He would've done better to leave Light at base with Misa under surveillance... he did mention that he was short on staff though, and Light was helping out in the arrest. But seriously, it wasn't a very rational move on L's.

Light is, again, lucky as hell for a boy who is doomed to misfortune for having the Death Note. Ha, ha..

[starsplinter.livejournal.com]

As for L taking him on the team...well, there are a variety of potential reasons for that. He may have acknowledged his brilliance, may have wanted to observe him more directly (since the cameras didn't really work) or he may have just been thinking, "He's interesting. I want to keep him around." Besides, when the handcuff arc starts suspicion had faded somewhat. (And L could tell the moment when Light changed from Kira to Amnesia!Light.)

Light is lucky as hell. As he says with Naomi, "It looks like there are gods other than the gods of death on my side."

The nice thing about this list is that it leaves lots of space open for us fanficcers. *wink* *goes back to scribbling on her own fic*


S

[kari-izumi.livejournal.com]

I've heard people mention that when too perfect, but holy shit. Seeing it spelled out like that shows just how wrong this could have gone. O_O I kind of always wondered about the watch bit myself..wouldn't L have confiscated that when he put Light in that jail anyway?

Great list.

[starsplinter.livejournal.com]

L did take the watch, but he returned it with the rest of Light's possessions. But still - what if he hadn't?

It could have gone magnificently wrong, indeed. But it gives us fanficcers lots of opportunities, so I'm not entirely complaining. *wink*


Thanks!