[Whether it's fortunate or not, L can be insular; he hasn't had the pleasure (or displeasure) of meeting either Shiro. What's certain is he's one of those people who's a little off, who might not be psychotic or overtly attempting to make others uncomfortable, but certainly has failed to pick up a certain number of social skills over his lifetime. He had a cheat code for it, recently... but that's been taken from him. His Bonded is no longer in the back of his mind telling him how to succeed at every juncture.

Explaining that, of course, is a little fraught and might actually make him sound insane.]

It's just that... it's what I'm going for. Too much self-deprecation can just make a person seem like they're down on themselves or suicidally depressed, whereas the right amount can make them seem self-aware and confident enough to poke fun at their own flaws.

[He thinks this is the case. It's actually really difficult to apply book knowledge to these types of situations.]