Ask Lemmy

I feel like I would kind of have to, the potential upside is just way too big

If I'm being completely honest, the first name I'd write would be mine.

No, not accidentally.

Yes.

However, in the long run the DeathNote would make me a corrupt PoS. I genuinely believe no one should have such power (DeathNote, Geass, Makima’s Control etc).

Didn't a list of ICE agents just come out? How could one resist?

I'd like to claim a moral high ground, but as someone who's seen Death Note (the anime, plus the Netflix adaptation), I'd probably be light Light and go after those who evaded justice.

So, a quick rundown on what a Death Note (mystical item) from Death Note (an anime) actually is. It's a divine object in the form of a notebook, and it has several rules, many of which are not invoked in the show. It can be used to kill in that a handgun can be used to kill: that is the point of it, but you can do other interesting things. The first rule is that whoever's name is written in the Death Note dies, and that you must be able to picture the person in your mind to avoid accidentally killing a person with the same name. So for example, if you're thinking of a certain paedophile president, you would have to be able to picture him in your mind as you wrote his name so the Death Note knows exactly who you mean. If you stop writing, they die of a heart attack in 60... seconds or minutes, I forget which. If you keep writing, the timer is held. Then, additional rules apply. You can choose the manner of death. You can set conditions. You can use it to force people to do things.

So here's basically what I'd set up: I'd list each person who was in the Epstein files who hadn't yet faced justice. I would compel them to hold a press conference or at least state on camera with verifiable proof that the confession is real and not coerced, and declare all the things they actually did do, to whom, and when. Then, I'd list the person or people responsible for prosecuting crimes in their jurisdiction, and compel them to put the person on trial. If the trial is tampered with in any way, a highly trained assassin comes for everyone who was bought, and the prosecutor and accused both die by self-inflicted wounds leaving behind a note saying the guilt was too much, and apologising to the women and children, as appropriate.

Then I burn the damn thing. They never say it can't be destroyed, but since it is a divine object, it probably just respawns somewhere else.

I genuinely don't know. My beliefs are pretty contradictory on this. Murder is wrong, unless it's self defence in which case it's still bad but better than being killed yourself. This is a pretty core tennant of my beliefs. However I genuinely believe that there are a number of people the world would be better off without. This includes the awful right wing leaders much of the world seems to be under currently and their backers namely every billionaire on the planet. It is potentially possible that with something like the death note I could convince myself that writing those names is self defence, or defence or the planet/ human race. I don't know if I could go through with it or if I'd be able to find someone with more flexible/ extreme views and hand it over to them. Or if I could use it, destroy or hide it and then turn myself in.

I’d do the eye deal so that I could take out bad drivers. Just have sheets and sheets of “___ pulls over safely, parks, and turns off the car, then has a heart attack.” with a mount so that I could fill in the names as I go.

I would 100% go mad with power. Fully convince myself that I knew what was best for humanity and try to sculpt the world through deletion.

First I would rip out like 50 pages and give them to one of my closest friends to use as he sees fit. I trust him entirely.

Second I would write my own name in the deathnote, that I will die a peaceful death of natural causes at 100 years old. This will prevent anyone from writing my name in a deathnote since I don't know how many others could be out there, and once someone's name is written it cannot be written again.

But how would I use it? Tough question. You kill one dictator and an even worse one takes their place. There will always be wealthy people. Killing the top 1% just means there's new people who are considered the top 1%. It would have to be some type of behavioral conditioning. Where everyone in the world is aware of some kind of super natural killer, but they only kill those who cause consistent and deliberate harm to others. I guess kind of like what Light wanted to do. Except I'd ignore the police entirely. Some dude named "Lind L. Taylor" is talking shit about me on TV? Cool.

Light's biggest weakness was his ego. Too easily goaded into making mistakes. I'm fully aware I would be "giving up my humanity". But instead of thinking about myself as a "God" I'd treat myself more as a "steward". Someone doing out of some kind of obligation. I have the power to affect real change in the world, I'd be remissed if I didn't at least TRY to do something.

The existence of the death note proves the existence of the afterlife, and as the one who found it I am clearly the predestined divine ruler of earth.

Using the death note causes ones soul to be irreparably marked and when you die your soul is obliterated (iirc the Shinigami eat it but it's been a while so idk specifics end result is obliteration)

My death note would be used as a tool of power. First to create the ultimate prisoner's dilemma. Simply write down the names of your accomplices, and they will be absolved of all crimes (go to heaven) while you will be given a title of nobility in the kingdom (might as well make your life worthwhile since you won't get the afterlife).

I would even allow the justice system to use it as punishment. Have criminals sentenced to obliteration use it on criminals sentenced to mere death.

Scientists of course would be given a copy. Since it kills the heart, what about pacemakers? There's a small delay in effect implying that it must travel at some speed, so does relatively matter and in principle could you outrun the effect? Can we draw power from soul obliteration? Can we draw power from the afterlife? Can we bridge into the afterlife and turn souls into power gems??? How does the paper know what language to use? Many tests to run, many sadistic villains with damned souls which I'll have to run them.

Also since it would inevitably be used on me in some way, or I would inevitably be forced or tricked into using it, I'll just have to die knowing the memory of tyranny will persist and make it into the afterlife.

Unexpected question to see on Lemmy but an interesting one.

I think I would do it. Especially for people who cause disturbance for good people, serial killers etc.

Yeah, a lot of awful people in positions of power would go. I hope I wouldn't use it for petty things like "parking in the bike lane".

Removing a lot of the forces keeping the capitalist dystopia in place might let something else grow.

Absolutely not.

I'm as capable as anyone of identifying some of the scumbags that are fucking the world over, but I'm certainly not going to fool myself into believing that I could fix everything by killing all the non-believers.

Yes, it would be enormously useful in combination with a mass movement and organized worker party to implement socialism.

I would.

Yeah. But, the problem is I would have to literally look at the court room proceedings for actual guilty verdict except for Child Sexual Abuse Cases and Domestic Abuse Cases as well.