Excuse Do you have any advice on writing Kid ?
Technically, I can, but a short disclaimer:
I do not own this character. Only Oda, the author, has a full understanding of Eustass Kid and can write for Eustass Kid with 100% accuracy.Ā
My advice is based on: my knowledge of punk culture, my personal analysis of Eustass Kid, and writing tips I've learned over the years, from publishing houses, published or not published authors, editors, professional readers, friends and by myself. So all the facts and tips you are going to read are only my vision and my understanding. Also, all the things I'm going to say are, as I said, my own analysis and interpretation. Feel free to reuse it, but please credit me, itās my analysis, I wrote it all by myself.
Eustass Kid is portrayed as a punk. Itās not hidden, itās everywhere: the name of his ship, of his attacks, his character design, and his attitude. So the first thing important is to know what punk means, because otherwise, you will totally miss the whole point of Kid's character.
ā 1. A brief resume of what punk means
Punk is a counterculture - it has become through the years a sign of resistance and rebellion against mainstream society. Sex Pistols, Ramones and The Clash are really important in punk culture, not only because of their music, but also because their influence turned worldwide and spread the punk ideology: activism, will of being totally free. Punk emerged as a scream of anger, an angry answer to society, its codes and norms. I really insist on the idea of a scream of rage, because punk is also born from UK and US council estates.Ā
I will spare you a long info-dump about punk and Iāll stick to the basics. So keywords: anti-conformism, rebellion, anti-authoritarianism, anti-government. Pro freedom and founder of the DIY (do it yourself) ideology. Punk is politics. Punk means creativity, need for freedom, non-conformism. Itās the middle finger to society, the government, a middle finger from the youth, and abandoned kids from council estates, a middle finger thrown to the face of the elite. Punk is about attitude, honesty, the right of being yourself and being different; they value authenticity, even if it sounds sometimes aggressive or tough. Authenticity is everything for them. Punk means revolution. Affirmation of your identity; both your spirit and your look.
You can notice that Kidās attacks are always references to punk culture - punk/slam gibson = brand of electric guitars, punk pistols = sex pistols, damned punk = ref to the UK punk band The Damned and so go on.
ā 2. Why understanding punk is important to understanding Kid (and why Kid is often misunderstood because punks are often misunderstood)Ā
Kid is loud and rebellious. Luffy and him share the same goal, but they donāt see freedom the same way. Luffy is an elasticāman. Not just because itās fun, it also shows his ideology of freedom: kind - by kind, I mean, willing to try different things, to understand others, be flexible. Itās not the topic of the post so I shut up, but Kid and Luffy are written as rivals sharing the same goal but not the same vision of achieving it and are built on parallels and kind of chiaroscuro construction.
Why punks are misunderstood: itās the same for all alternative cultures, they are misunderstood. Being a punk is associated with something negative, almost an insult in some countries. Societies have always been against people that don't stick to the norms. Reducing Kid to a mean, angry, dumb, weak, and stubborn character is missing the whole purpose of his character. He's a punk. Heās misunderstood because of his differences. Heās not flexible - because punks are as I said a scream of rage born from the council estates. Heās not just āangryā, he wants freedom. Heās not āmeanā, heās fighting and following his rules, thatās punk spirit. Heās not āweakā, he refuses to step back, punks are rebellious, they wonāt bend, they wonāt submit, they never did, they are rebels, they want to fight for their causes and values, even if itās useless, even if it sounds like fighting for a lost cause. They will never shut up until they achieve their goals, or die.
Kid is morally gray. Heās following his own code. He has his own moral code - he cares about his friends, his crew, because again, punks are rejected. They tend to form a found family. It is shown in the manga Kid cares about his best friend and his crew. It is shown in the manga Kid can side with rivals. If he thinks it serves his purpose and his goal, he will side with other people than his punk folks. He can think, heās not stupid, heās following his code. Heās distrustful because punks are misunderstood and hated, like a lot of people with alternative esthetics or ways of viewing the world. He doesn't see the point of having allies because in his mind, they arenāt trustful - they do not share his punk spirit.Ā
I said Luffy was flexible; Kid is rigid. It is shown through his DF, metal is rigid but still able to take many forms - DIY. And the fact he can control metal is not a coincidence, itās associated with garage punk. Why garages? Because a lot of punk bands were poor, it was a scream of anger from the abandoned kids. They founded their band and started to repeat in their garage; garage is associated with what? DIY.
Kid is literally the allegory of: do it yourself. Heās creative with his DF, heās good at crafting, he learns by himself, heās doing things by himself, heās not waiting for permission, heās here to slam the door and eat the dessert without waiting for the guests to come in and take a seat.
ā 3. Writing for Kid - a few things to keep in mind
Heās from South Blue. He was born on Kutsukku Island, an island located in the South Blue and unaffiliated with the World Government.
In the past, Kid, Killer, Heat, and Wire were bosses of gangs ruling the island's four towns. After his childhood friend Victoria was murdered by another rival gang, Kid unified the four groups and took down the rival gang. Since his childhood, he has learned the hard way; he learned to do things by himself. Heās violent and tough because he had no choice. He witnessed murders and violences for years, that's all he knows, that how he survives. Keep in mind all the things I said about punk: an angry answer, a scream from the abandoned kids. His name is not a coincidence in my opinion, and itās also another parallel between him and Luffy, because Oda stated Luffy was associated with childhood + his birthday is child day.
ā 4. Characterization of Kid through your writingĀ
Heās short-tempered, loud, aggressive, and tough - but heās morally gray. Donāt fall in the trap of making him a total asshole without layers. Kid showed various emotions through the manga, especially for his crew and his best friend, Killer. Life made him tough, but heās not the clichĆ© of āmean guy without reasonsā.Ā
Heās punk-spirited, which means heās against conformism, orders, and all. Just take a look at his crew: Wire is wearing fishnets, micro shorts, fishnet top and harness. Some of his dudes are wearing skirts. So in my opinion, it's total nonsense to describe Kid as being closed-minded and to write him as a man who wants to be a real man - by that, I mean, fitting to society and its patriarchy norms. The truth is: he doesnāt give a fuck. Heās proud to wear lipstick, kohl and to paint his nails. Makeup aren't only for women, skirts and fishnets as well. Heās proud of his crew. Because they show their identity. I wonāt repeat why itās important, I already explained why it is in my brief explanation of punks.
Heās creative. Try to show his creativity; it doesn't matter if youāre writing smut, fluff, or angst. DIY is the essence of punk.Ā
He cares about his people - but he is conflicted with his will to pick the short way. Try to work with it and always think of contrasts and nuances.
Heās proud - yes, he has a massive ego. Because punk affirms their identity and capacities. Itās not just ābraggingā, itās also a part of punk culture.Ā
Heās loyal and ambitious - remember: he has been betrayed many times by his allies. But when he fought with Law, he didnāt turn his back. He managed to work with him and Luffy. Heās perfectly able to think, heās loyal, and he hates betraying. Which means heās distrustful and always looking for the truth. Again, it fits into punk culture: punks being betrayed because they are perceived as weirdos.
We can assume heās an orphan, but itās just a take based on what we know about his past: so yes, heās tough and wonāt talk with elaborate vocabulary. Itās important to characterize a character by the way they talk and think, it speaks volumes. Donāt be afraid to be rude when writing for Kid. An advice I love is that you need to keep your DNA (your writing style) when writing, but blending it to the DNA (the energy of the character) of the character youāre writing for. This is why in my way of writing for Kid, I use a lot of vulgarities and when he speaks, I use contracted English.Ā
Sometimes, heās lacking maturity - sometimes heās able to be mature: he did the dumb challenge with Law & Luffy against Big Mom, but he followed the news about Cesar Clown, heās listening to Killer who knows more about the New World than him. Again, nuance is the key for Kid.Ā
He hates being mocked or when his friends are mocked because punks are misunderstood and always mocked for their looks, tastes, etc.Ā Kid is sensitive to mockery - it stings his pride. It hurts his loved ones, for example, Killerās laugh. Punks are often mocked. But they fight back. They wonāt just ignore an offense. Kidās reaction to mockery is brutal because it has always been his life: death, murders, cruelty, brutality.
Heās possessive ā he never owned anything as a child. What belongs to him now must belong completely to him. He never has the chance to learn how to share. It was: be a predator or a prey. He decided to survive and became a predator. Predators donāt share their belongings.
He doesnāt know how to love like a normal person and he doesnāt want to learn. He loves with his punk heart: with brutal honesty, sense of honor, loyalty and ardent passion.
Heās a fashion designer and DIY to the bone - he turns his body into art. His scars are warpaint. The loss of his arm? He turns it into something better, a prosthesis arm with many abilities. His creativity is a part of his identity and of his sense of honor.Ā
Kid is not dumb. Heās working on complex weapons. It demands creativity, of course, but also a sense of logic, an understanding of science, technology, anatomy and we know Kid can craft prothesis, weapons, but also animals, which means he's aware of human and animal anatomies. He's clearly not stupid. Iām not in the OP fandom because I always tend to think fandoms are toxic, and I want to preserve my mental health. But some of my friends are really into fandoms. And I know Kid and Kid fans are mocked because āKid is dumb/weak/insufferableā. No, heās not. For all the reasons I said above, and because what heās crafting demands knowledge and skills. He knows how to use his brain - heās just conflicted with his way of seeing things: always taking the short way.Ā
His love language = ride or die, cross my heart, hope to die. Because thatās a punk spirit. Together. Until the end. He wonāt say sweet nothings, he will show his affection through gifts, but mostly through actions: he kills people who mock Killer because of his laugh. Heās rude, but not mean. Heās not an antagonist, heās a rival.Ā
I think Kid is a misunderstood character on purpose: Punks are misunderstood. I think heās loud on purpose. Punks arenāt afraid to show their anger and madness when they see the world they live in. Heās named Kid because he never had a chance to be one, but his anger is the anger of an angry child no one ever listened to. Just like punk.Ā So I think that whenever Kid is called dumb, weak, weird or whatever, it just proves my point: punks (and countercultures in general) are misunderstood.
We, sadly, donāt know a lot about Kid and his past. But we know enough to think and figure out things, especially with the main key: heās a punk. He wonāt submit, he will fight to the end, heās proud of his look, of himself. Heās not here to ask for permission. He cares about his people. His scars are warpaint. Heās creative and authentic. Heās misunderstood because he learned the hard way, because heās not fitting into the social codes. He likes make-up and nail art. His crew is queer-coded. Itās a non-sense to describe him as being racist, queerphobic when punk is all about: be yourself and show your middle finger to the people who hate you.
And if they hate you, then be loud. Don't hide. You hate him? Fine, he loves the way you hate him. He won't be silent. Never.
Kid is not afraid of dying.
Kid never betrayed his allies but has been betrayed.
Kid isnāt here to please others, heās here to please himself and stand up to his ideology.
Kid would rather fight and die than submit.
Because thatās the spirit: ride or die, fight for your values, donāt be afraid to die. Stand up, donāt complain without trying to change the world or your life - heās a punk to the bones. According to Kaidou, Kid has the ability to develop the supreme king haki. He has the will of a king.Ā
His will: they tried to bury us but they didn't know we were seeds*
Watch us burn the government, watch us earn our freedom. You donāt understand us, but we understand ourselves. Ride or die, cross my heart: so now, listen motherfuckers, we are the abandoned ones you never cared about, we are the kids from council estates and we will never be silent again.Ā Punk never dies.
ā°āā¤ĖĖĖI received a non-request ask about writing tips if you want to start writing fic, so I think I will use this post as a base to develop my thoughts and examples; for example how to stay in character or how to use character DNA through your text. I just need to gather my thoughts and structure my explanations, idk yet when I'll publish my writing tips.
