#i would have actually made johnny's clothes more stylised and appear more fitted

[hoperays-song]

Random Colour Symbolism in the Human AU

So, people’s hair is incredibly important for storytelling purposes. It tells a lot about the character, from their personal style to their personality. It also can be used to show change like leaving the past behind (think of all the dramatic hair cutting scenes) or becoming who the character actually is (the reveal of their hair actually being curly or dying their hair). All in all, it’s huge in character design. 

As is the way characters dress and hold themselves.You can tell a lot by how a character is dressed from their profession to their hobbies to their favourite colours. If they’re wearing an heirloom, it’s implied that family is something that’s important to them, like wearing a suit implies they are business oriented. That’s why animators and illustrators spends so much time focusing on the little details of what the characters wear.

And colour theory is also important. Colours have different meanings and associations in different cultures and areas of the world. They are commonly used to showcase traits for characters long before said traits actually appear. 

Why do I mention this? Because a while ago while I was working on character profiles for the human au, I decided to combine these for Johnny. Working in the self expression aspects as well as colour theory (and referencing silverback gorillas for an easter egg), this is what I came up with for the evolution of Johnny’s hair and style between movies. I hope you enjoy!!

***Heads Up: I do have a more severe costume change mentioned as I found his and Meena’s lackluster in the wake of all their growth.***

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Johnny’s story arc primarily is one of identity and acceptance. In the first movie we see him at first as a mini version of his dad. He’s dressed in his dad’s hand-me-downs and it’s clear he’s trying to mimic the man and make him proud by focusing on their similarities.  He’s clearly trying to come across as intimidating and grown up which really doesn’t work. However, this makes him seem just small and lost and he looks like a little kid trying to play dress up.

Over the course of the movie however, we start to see slight changes in his appearance. During rehearsals and practicing, Johnny’s hair starts to look a little bit more silver (like his dad’s) but only for a few seconds. His posture also improves and he starts to come across as more self assured. He starts to actually look closer to his age. This only relapses when Johnny nearly steals the prize money, again appearing as a smaller version of his dad. When he stops however, the lighting on-screen has his hair come across as silver, when he decides to win the money properly. 

During the final performance scene, Johnny’s hair can only be read as silver because of the lighting, with the actual black color only appearing briefly. This is indicative of him becoming his own person and starting to make a path of his own, with or without his father. When we see the two reunite, Johnny’s hair looks almost as silver as his dad’s for a few seconds at the end when his dad leaves, marking him as his own person and his father’s equal not his shadow as well as this being the start of something new for both of them.

In the second movie, Johnny’s casual appearance has drastically changed from the first. His hair is longer than his dad’s and is styled in a way that is clearly his own preference as we see none of his family members with a similar one. It is also silver tipped, just like his dad’s, again marking them as equals. Johnny’s clothing also seems much more fitted and like his own, and despite wearing the same jacket as in the first movie (this time showing his connection to his family instead of mimicking), his clothing is more stylized and has more accessories. It’s clear that Johnny is no longer focusing on being a version of his father and instead on being his own person. He seems much more confident as well, using his appearance to showcase his identity. He looks older. This shows how much he’s changed since we last saw him.

 However, when he’s with Klaus, his hair appears darker and he once again is read by the audience as small. It isn’t until he gets his confidence back that his posture straightens again and his hair seems as silver as it was in the beginning. But, it does go back to essentially all black when Johnny is getting attacked during the performance, showcasing the fear and self-doubt he was feeling at the time. When Johnny starts to fight back again and gain traction in the fight, his hair starts being read as more and more silver until at the end it appears to fully be so. This would mark once again Johnny’s victory in the situation as well as him doing so as himself, not as who someone else wanted him to be, therefore bringing the identity aspect back into the picture.

In all instances when Johnny’s hair can be read as silver, I would hav it so that it does look like a trick of the light, but the symbolism remains. Silverback gorillas are the leaders of their groups. They are in charge. And while the silver colour was a nod towards that base species, it also symbolises maturity, healing, and enlightenment, all things that do appear in Johnny’s story. He matures in both movies from a scared kid to someone who is confident in himself and who he is. He heals his relationship with his father as well, and his relationship with his family is clearly important to him. As for enlightenment, I would argue that his story does touch on that in a broad sense as he is enlightened in the second movie to continue to be himself no matter how many people try to stop him.

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