Fannish 50: Through the Eyes of Others Kidou Yuuto and Personal Identity (ft. some OCs)
This post has been siting in my drafts since last year. I have left fic writing and worldbuilding to the wayside and I wanna get back to this this month. Thus, I'm hosting a body doubling event on Pillowfort called 'Finish. That. WIP: Writer's Edition'. My goal is to publish at least five posts from that dusty digital pile. This is the first one! Chosen by the roulette in the Tiny Decisions app.
One of things I'm really hyped about OFAM is the potential for interactions between Kiyoshi (OC), Keima (OC), and Kidou.
These first two, of all of Raimon, only know Kidou from a distance. Kiyoshi worships his every decision like the word of god and Keima detests what he stood for when Kidou was Kageyama's protege. To Kidou, both are versions of him in other people's minds that are very real, and the shock from the match against Shin Teikoku might make him face those versions where he will have to decide what they mean to him.
A bit of background, Kiyoshi (OC) and Kidou were part of Teikoku Gakuen and its soccer team. Kidou was in the main team while Kiyoshi joined one of the backup teams sometime between EAL and OFAM (second semester of his second year or beginning of his third school year). Kiyoshi's perception of Kidou is the one everyone has of him at school. Kidou was basically a celebrity because of his family, his capitancy, and his relationship with Kageyama. Basically, he was the school's prince.
Fans and haters alike found Kidou hard to connect with. Top of his grade and captain of the soccer team. People revered and feared him alike. Fans believed in his inherent superiority and reinforced that idea around the school. This is based on Sakuma's inferiority complex which I'm interpreting as being rooted in a hierarchical school system were Kidou stood at the top. It probably got in Sakuma's head as well because of Kidou's haughty demeanor.
Thus, Kiyoshi represents the idea of Kidou Yuuto as Teikoku's Prince.
Now, Keima. He was Tengawara Gakuen's ace striker since his second year, same year Kidou entered Teikoku. He represents the resentment of all the teams who lost because of Kageyama's intervention.
To him, Kidou Yuuto represents Teikoku Gakuen's mighty rule over Japan's middleschool soccer, an impenetrable fortress, an unbeatable adversary. After Kageyama's dirty deeds come to light, rumors amongst schools exploded. All the odd accidents before matches were interpreted as Kageyama's sabotage with Kidou Yuuto as his lackey. After all, Yuuto was Kageyama's protégé, how could he not know what was going on?
Keima believes Kidou was in on it and that he's responsible for his team's loss. It's misplaced anger from a sore loser for sure but no amount of evidence will change his mind.
Thus, Keima's version represents Kidou Yuuto's villainy, his self as Kageyama's protégé. He has some responsibility over certain foul plays like head of operations of Teikoku's spy network. That's a fact Domon (in canon) can testify to.
So, putting these three teens in close quarters with strong feelings, sparks are bound fly.
Kiyoshi admires Kidou to the point of willing to obey his order over Endou's, and Keima is willing to ignore him out of sheer pettiness. They are both upperclassmen which will contrast with Tsunami's chill attitude regarding rank.
Heck, I can even throw Yuu in here. She knew Yuuto from the very beginning when he was just adopted into the Kidou household. The Yuuto who had just been separated from his sister and everything was new to him.
She represents his past self, his inner child. The innocent child who looked up to Kageyama and followed him like a little duckling, hanging onto his every word. Everyone at school considered Kageyama to be more of a father than Kidou's father. The one who attended parent meetings, school festivals, and other such events. After all, Mr. Kidou (the father) did say that he had left most of Yuuto's education to Kageyama.
As a teen who's in the process of building his identity, Yuuto feels a connection to all of these personas but none feel quite right. Taking several key scenes, Kidou Yuuto is a character who is always questioning about who he is which is heavily explored from the eyes of others.
Episode 11: You're Kidou Yuuto. Shin Teikoku: You're my greatest creation. Episode 56: You are more free at Raimon. etc. Need to look for more.
Is there ever moment where Yuuto asserts who he is in canon? If not, I would love to write such a scene.
Last updated: 40 minutes ago
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