#it probably only makes snese to me but idc

[rubylarkspur22]

For whatever reason, one of my favourite things is using a character's hair as a means of characterization and/or symbolizing character development. And I just wanna babble about two super specific instances of how I'm using it in my own writing and character design. More below, so I don't clog up any dashes with my random babbling! Also, this is purely off the top of my head, so things may change or be a little skewed.

Nezuko Kamado - Sunlit Blossoms

Yep! Nezuko is one of them! It's honestly gonna be so much more prevalent when we get to Hashira Training, but I definitely wanna talk about how I use Nezuko's hair to symbolize a lot in her story.

First, we have the initial haircut in chapter 6 of Sunlit Blossoms. When Nezuko goes from hip length hair to just brushing her shoulders. To me, this symbolizes quite a bit when I think of how I wrote this story. Nezuko made this choice for practicality's sake, but also as a reminder of her promise to turn Tanjirou back into a human and kill Kibutsuji. While the length varies a little, her hair doesn't go past her shoulders for most of the story afterwards. She carefully maintains that length limit. She doesn't give it up. Just like she's not giving up her fight. In my head, this haircut is a symbol of Nezuko giving up her past, her childhood, her carefree life and the innocence she had with it.

Then we get to the red streak she gets in Mount Natagumo. This is, as many have guessed, because of her Sun Breathing. It's to show she's taken the biggest first step in truly mastering the technique. To joining Tanjirou, their father, and their paternal ancestors in a long line of Sun Breathers. And every step she takes in learning or using something Yoriichi once did? It expands. It never covers her entire head(which could be a symbol of how, much like Tanjirou, she will never truly master Sun Breathing the way Yoriichi or even her father did), but it keeps expanding until she masters all the techniques she needs to have the best chance humanly possible.

Now, coming back to the length. Nezuko's hair does grow past her shoulders during her post-Entertainment District Arc coma, and she doesn't think to cut it again until after she completes Himejima's section of Hashira Training. During this time, Nezuko has a bit more of a chance to just be a teenage girl. She can relax and act like she's fourteen years old, rather than like a hardened soldier. She's allowed to have back just a little bit of her child-like innocence, even if it's brief.

Then, after that, she cuts her hair one more time before the final battle. The shortest she ever cuts it. And not only that, she leaves behind her ribbon after this last haircut. I haven't sorted out the specific symbolism for this. It's meant to be significant, though. Probably symbolizes Nezuko going from relaxed and a little carefree to full on Battle Mode.

Cynder - LoS Human!AU

Yeah, this one struck me mid-sketch. But it came to me, slapped me in the face, and inspired the whole post. Thanks, random story idea!

So, if you've seen my Human!Cynder design, you know I tend to design her with her hair in a specific style. Six dutch braids that gather into one large braid in the back, the six braid referencing her horns in her dragon design. But I have some ideas now!

So, let's begin at... well... A New Beginning! AKA when Cynder is the BBEG. Not only do I plan to have her in armour, I plan for her hair to be fully slicked back and tied back tight enough to be fit for a dance recital(speaking from experience. If you didn't look ten years younger in the recital hairstyle, ya weren't doing it right!/hj). It's meant to represent just how restrained she is. How strict her life has been since her corruption.

Then, after the battle in Convexity, her hair will be loose. At first, it's completely loose. Hair is untied, she's been given the freedom to let it hang in her face. Just like how she now has the space and freedom to relax and not worry about the war. In the post-credit scene, her hair would be in a loose braid. In that same scene, she and Spyro share the sentiment of having a bad feeling despite the fact all seems calm.

Then we go to The Eternal Night. Here, Cynder's going to have the hairstyle I came up with in the first stages of her design. The braids. They're maybe a little messy, definitely not as smooth as her Queen of Conquer look, but much tighter than her uncorrupted ANB looks. At least when she leaves the Temple to try and discover her own identity and destiny. After she gets captured, she looks a lot smoother when facing Gaul. Maybe her look got cleaned up before being brought to him. As a way to show she's more trapped now. It loosens again when she tries to land a hit on Gaul, then the remainder of TEN happens.

In Dawn of the Dragon, her look obviously doesn't change much. Not until the fight with Malefor. Either she loses the hair tie in the fight, or the loose end of her big braid gets hacked off in the fight, but Cynder goes from braid to ponytail at the tail end of that fight. Pun not intended. She's being freed more the closer she and Spyro get to winning.

And then, after Spyro restores the world? In that ending where they're playing in what seems to be Avalar? Except for the Dutch braids, her hair is completely loose again. She's free. She's able to be herself.