History Music / JonathanYoung

* BassoProfundo: "Only Singin' Bass", his [[SongParody parody]] of [[Music/MeghanTrainor "All About That Bass"]], is all about being one.

[[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC40gs0opj389ohjLnJIAJzA Jonathan Young]] is a Website/YouTube-based PopPunk and PowerMetal musician best known for his weekly covers of music from Disney films, although he's also done covers of music from anime, Broadway, pop music, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7hPtc1WIIg this.]] ''Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast'' has hired him for some of their soundtracks, including for ''[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty]]''.

* DropTheHammer: Not Strider, despite being TheBlacksmith, they prefer to forge their own sword, but Brass wields a massive two-handed mallet when storming the castle, reflecting their relative lack of interest and skill at violence compared to their sword-wielding comrades.

* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: "Starship Velociraptor" has instance (''"There's a dozen restrooms inside, just in case we all have to/Sit on the comfy leather seats..."'') that basically crosses CurseCutShort with NobodyPoops.

* GreenAesop: The video for "Mine, Mine, Mine" is very on-the-nose about corporate greed and environmental exploitation (not that the lyrics were particularly subtle in the first place).

* TravellingSalesman: Galactikraken stalks the young woman featured in the ''Starship Velociraptor'' music video on the street, in the cinema, where she works, and on her doorstop so they can pester her into buying the titular space ship.

* BadassBaritone: His cover of "Misty Mountains" features Jonathan singing with an incredibly deep voice.

** Brass is TheChick[[note]]albeit using 'they/them' pronouns[[/note]], while doing little directly towards the conflict aside from employing their large hammer against a few guards, it's clear that their optimism and support keeps the others, especially Strider, going. They also show the least interest in violence, simply using their hammer, unlike Wolf who is a BloodKnight and Strider who trains hard to gain skill with a sword.

** [[https://twitter.com/Lady_Redhaired/status/1534234806606868480 Brass]], the second third of the PowerTrio, is a Zebra. Drawing on the AnimalStereotypes of independence and hardiness, they provide the emotional resilience needed to push the others on. In addition, she lacks the sadism and bloodlust of the predatory wolves.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: DoubleSubverted. In a video reliant on symbolism, the King is a blonde-haired PrettyBoy, not noticeably uglier than the PowerTrio (and more attractive than the pallid and scarred Wolf), but when the Deer [[spoiler:breaks his magical amulet in their confrontation, he becomes the most hideous character in the video, a deformed, morbidly obese pig, and out of place among the generally cute cast]]. This in itself is part of the symbolic message, for all the pleasant face of his kingdom, it's an illusion covering up the ugly, greedy brutality underneath.

* {{Acrofatic}}: The only fat character in the animation is [[spoiler:the King when he goes OneWingedAngel, but he's still agile enough to leap across the room and punch the deer hard enough to nearly end the fight]].
* AdiposeRex: While the king initially appears as a human PrettyBoy, it is a glamour and he is actually a morbidly obese pig.
* AnArmAndALeg: Twice in focus, the Deer loses both legs when the guards burn down his village, though he later smiths some prosthetics and returns the favour by inflicting LiteralDisarming on the king during their fight.
* ArmourIsUseless: Downplayed, but present. While most people wear appropriate armour, the Zebra isn't wearing much more than leathers and a skirt, and most blows seem to ignore armour; the Wolf puts his blade right through one armoured guard and the courtyard fight shows guards going down in one hit, though in the latter case it could be the result of striking at unprotected areas (the animation is fast and ambiguous). Taken even further in the final battle, as the King's [[spoiler: amulet is the only thing that actually stops a sword-thrust, and when his throne becomes plate armour it doesn't take a blow before the Deer triggers his Battle Aura, at which point he cleaves cleanly through one arm and puts a second strike down into the King's neck and chest, both through the armour]].
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Most of the [[SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism more human]] heroic characters are noticeably dark-skinned in contrast to the white wolf-guards and King. The Zebra is herself darker than the others (with some paler stripes), while the rebel Wolf is even paler than his fellows, as well as having a slightly green cast.

** The main focus character is a deer, drawing on the nonpredatory nobility of such creatures, their vulnerability as prey and the fact that when backed in a corner, you really don't want to mess with them.
** The second third of the PowerTrio is a Zebra, drawing on the AnimalStereotypes of independence and hardiness, she provides the emotional resilience needed to push the others on. In addition, she lacks the sadism and bloodlust of the predatory wolves.
** The guards are all wolves, as sadistic predators, while the one defector (and third of the PowerTrio) is more of a NobleWolf (though not without the [[BloodKnight foibles]] of the other wolves). (And this symbolism links into the lyrics which refers to the 'wolves they claim protected us'). Interestingly, only the good Wolf is shown with visible claws.

** PlayedWith by the King, who appears the most human, not even a LittleBitBeastly (though his coat of arms is a boar), right up until [[spoiler:his magical amulet is destroyed and he becomes a hideous PigMan to symbolise his greed. This in itself is part of the ongoing symbolism of the beautiful face masking the ugliness, a noble wild boar is the face he presents, while his true nature is a bloated, violent pig]].
* BattleAura: The King has one in PsychoPink after going OneWingedAngel, and [[spoiler:the Deer gains a blue-white one thanks to his Eleventh Hour Superpower]].

* BlueIsHeroic: The Deer is always wearing blue, his trousers to begin with, following up with his armour in the final battle, and the Wolf switches to blue after siding with him.
* BloodKnight: All the wolf-guards, even the good one, he's only seen to smile in battle, in contrast to the Zebra's general cheerfulness and the Deer's TranquilFury and battle-resolve.
* TheBlacksmith: The Deer, despite his apparently slight frame. He smiths his prosthetic legs and his sword for the final battle. It's pretty clear during close-ups that he's got a wiry strength, in contrast to his larger allies.
* {{BFS}}: Though most of the weapons are sensibly proportioned, the two guards who nearly kill the Deer in the storming and are stopped by his friends are wielding these. It's actually possible this is why they were such a threat (aside from avoiding MookChivalry), the Deer is wiry-strong but clearly fights in a more agile style, while the Zebra and Wolf are far larger and burlier, more able to simply block the heavy weapons.
* CallBack: In the castle-storming scene, the villagers seen fighting alongside the main trio were seen earlier in the video when the Deer was agitating in the town square. It seems that despite their apparent apathy at the time, the Deer did get through to the people.
* CuteLittleFangs: The Deer has these, mostly visible when he's clenched-teeth angry at the injustice around him, and foreshadowing his [[spoiler:Eleventh Hour Superpower, when they become full protruding fangs]]. Depending on your opinion of [[SlasherSmile Slasher Smiling]] {{Blood Knight}}s, the Wolves might also qualify, though in their case it's more for [[FangsAreEvil predatory symbolism]].
* CreateYourOwnHero: The King manages this twice with the same character. His abusive leadership inspires the Deer's original speeches, and then his attempt to crack down leads to the Deer TakingALevelInBadass after losing his legs and training with the defector Wolf, who himself [[ResignInProtest Resigned In Protest]]. This ties into the themes of the story, it is the King's greed that dooms him.
* DropTheHammer: Not the Deer, despite being TheBlacksmith, he prefers to forge his own sword, but the Zebra wields a massive two-handed mallet when storming the castle, reflecting her relative lack of interest and skill at violence compared to her sword-wielding comrades.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: After getting pummeled into the ground by the King, the Deer calls on his HeroicResolve and [[spoiler:his Little Bit Beastly traits turn up to eleven, he gains a brilliant blue Battle Aura that takes the form of an antler crown, and his wounds vanish]].
* EyeObscuringHat: The only wolf who's eyes we see is the defector, the others' are always concealed under their helmets to underline their inhuman brutality.
* FangsAreEvil: ZigZagged. The wolf-guards have them as part of their SlasherSmile, but in the final conflict [[spoiler: the Deer gets a pair appropriate to a water or musk deer as part of his Eleventh Hour Superpower]].
* {{Foil}}: The Deer has a foil in every other main character:
** The Deer is young, charismatic and heroic, while the Wolf is grim, appears older, and never shakes the practical brutality of his origin. Their fighting styles contrast too, with the Deer being an agile, flowing swordsman, while the Wolf is large and strong, simply catching heavy blows, and while they fight the Wolf shows a PsychoticSmirk, but the Deer is [[TranquilFury grimly angry]] until he hits his RageBreakingPoint.
** The Deer is clearly angry and often pessimistic, seeing the horror around him and nearly falling into despair from his own suffering, while the Zebra is cheerful and optimistic, encouraging the others and never giving up. Similar to with the Wolf, her fighting style is much less refined than the Deer's, using size and bulk to wield a hammer as tall as she is. Again, her attitude to fighting is different, being a cheerful BoisterousBruiser.
** Both the King and the Deer are young {{PrettyBoy}}s with clear charisma (both are shown giving {{RousingSpeech}}es, for example), but while the Deer is innocent and fair-minded, with a true nobility to him, the King is an uncaring despot who hides destructive greed. The Deer's desire to help others brings him strength, while the King stands alone. And in the final confrontation, [[spoiler: though both receive a power upgrade, the King becomes an ugly, barely-humanoid pig monster, his strength derived from his throne and armour, making him UnskilledButStrong, fighting for his own benefit. The Deer remains much more himself, his changes seeming far more natural and not deforming, and his strength comes from his own Heroic Resolve, desire to protect others and hard work of training]]. This intense mirroring shows the evil of the King comes from his own choices to be cruel, lazy and greedy, as the hero displays many of the same traits and talents, but uses them for others.
** In addition, both the Wolf and Zebra are foils to each other. Both are strong warriors who enjoy battle, but the Wolf is trained, comes across as smarter, more prone to planning, and taking enjoyment from [[BloodKnight sadism]], while the Zebra is UnskilledButStrong and smiling due to indomitable optimism and lust for life, rather than enjoyment of death.

** Early in the video, the kingdom's crest can be seen on the wall and again on the Wolf's shield as he quits his post: A boar's head. It eventually turns out the king is in fact a pig.
** As he kicks in the door to the keep, the Deer's shadow has a large crest or crown emerging from his head, foreshadowing his EleventhHourSuperpower and BattleAura, which manifests as just such a crest.
* FullCircleRevolution: Explicitly {{Defied}}, the Deer shatters the fallen crown underhoof, he will 'not' be a king, not even a "good" one.
* GoodArmorEvilArmor: As part of the RuleOfSymbolism, the Deer and the good Wolf both wear relatively simple blue/grey armour during the final fight, representing their poor resources and honest fight (and in the case of the Wolf, his loyalty to the Deer's cause, having switched from the red clothes he wears after deserting the guards). The other third of the power trio wears yellow leathers, another heroic colour and showing her rejection of violence as a way of life. The evil wolves wear red, with intimidating helmets that hide their eyes but reveal their SlasherSmile, indicating their inhumanity and violence, while the King wears [[spoiler:golden plate that's literally made from his throne, representing his excess and the protection offered by his position]].
* GoodColoursEvilColours: The character's armour choices fall into this (see that trope above), but also in the final battle, after all the OneWingedAngel and {{Eleventh Hour Superpower}}s go off, [[spoiler: the King is outlined in sickly PsychoPink while the Deer is glowing a bright blue-white]].
* GoodHairEvilHair: Used most obviously to contrast the wolves, the loyalist guards have smart, short red hair and are clean-shaven, while the good one has antiheroic unkempt back hair and stubble. Similarly, the King has extremely neat hair in a short ponytail (which he keeps after going OneWingedAngel), while the other two heroes have less 'noble' hairstyles, the Deer being rough and shaggy (if clean-shaven) and the Zebra with long flowing (and striped) hair.
* GoryDiscretionShot: {{Averted}}, the brutality of the kingdom is important, so we see it full-force, and the only time it looks like we get one, when the Deer shoves a blade into the King's chest in [[ShadowDiscretionShot silhouette]], it's a {{Subversion}} to hide [[spoiler:that the King is unhurt, the strike simply broke the amulet concealing his ugliness]].
* HandicappedBadass: The Deer loses both legs when the guards burn down his home and he gets trapped under a flaming beam, but this just inspires him further (after a HeroicBSOD), and after forging his own prosthetics and training with the good Wolf, he's perfectly able to lead the charge to StormTheCastle.
* HellishPupils: {{Subverted}}, [[spoiler:when the Deer gains his Eleventh Hour Superpower, his pupils become rectangular like a real deer's as part of his general shift down the Sliding Scale Of Anthropomorphism, but it's not an indication of anything but his rightful rage and it reverts after he wins the fight along with the rest of his transformation]].
* HeroicBSOD: Implied after the Deer loses his legs, his eyes lack pupils as he stares at his (still hidden to the audience) stumps, and the pupils return once his zebra friend comforts him and he gains an expression of resolve, beginning to work on a smithing project (implicitly either his prosthetics or sword).
* HeroicResolve: When the Deer falls against the king, a flashback of the abuse inflicted on those he's fighting lets him get back up by triggering a RageBreakingPoint.
* MeatgrinderSurgery: PlayedForDrama, after the Deer gets his legs trapped under a burning beam, the only way they're able to get him out is to simply tear him free, losing him both legs above the knee and triggering a HeroicBSOD.
* MimeAndMusicOnlyCartoon: At no point is any dialog by the characters actually heard and they're not singing the song themselves, with the closest anyone comes to that being that the Deer's fliers contain the lyric "Rise now, stand and fight! Take your freedom, claim your right!".
* NamelessNarrative: No character in the music video is given a name, and as such they're generally referred to by their species or their role.
* NotSoStoic: Though the Deer is clearly angry throughout, especially when giving a speech, he tends more towards TranquilFury off the soapbox, and in battle he leans more towards a grim determination, but once he draws on his HeroicResolve in the final battle, he goes ''feral''.
* OhCrap: The Deer has several in the first half of the video, some justified (when a guard is coming at him with a sword, waking to a smoke-filled room), others less so (catching the eye of the wolf that would join him), appropriate to the timid deer he is. Once he TakesALevelInBadass, he gives one to the king, though he never drops the habit entirely himself.
* OneWingedAngel: When the King is confronted, he goes from apparently harmless PrettyBoy to [[spoiler:terrifying pig-monster clad in armour forged from his throne and glowing with a sickly pink battle-aura that simply punches the Deer across the room]].
* PowerArmor: When the king's glamour is broken and he's knocked backwards into his throne, he turns the throne into a suit of magical armor that seems to strengthen his blows.
* PowerTrio: The three heroic characters, though their dynamic is subtly conveyed due to the limitations of the medium, it's made clear that although they are {{foil}}s to each other, they need each other and are made far stronger for it.
** The Deer is TheLeader[[note]]Charismatic and Determined subtypes[[/note]], his speeches and leadership forging the path the others follow.
** The Zebra is TheChick, while doing little directly towards the conflict aside from employing her large hammer against a few guards, it's clear that her optimism and support keeps the others, especially the Deer, going. She also shows the least interest in violence, simply using her hammer, unlike the Wolf who is a BloodKnight and the Deer who trains hard to gain skill with a sword.
** The Wolf is TheLancer, dour and relatively unemotional compared to the others (except [[BloodKnight during battle]]), but with the expertise that the others need.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: A subtle but important theme. The Deer wouldn't have got anywhere without the others of his PowerTrio, the Zebra's unwavering moral and emotional support and the defector Wolf's expertise and training. Particularly hammered home during the storming in which the Deer is being attacked from both sides, and the others intercept the falling blows. It's in direct contrast to the King, who never stands with any other character, not even with his guards, who are simply {{Mooks}}.
* PrettyBoy: While the art style means all the characters are reasonably attractive, both the Deer and the King deliberately fall into this, in the case of the deer, his unadorned attractiveness symbolises innocence and nobility, while in the case of the King his makeup and finery is a carefully constructed false face that both conceals and betrays his decadence.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: When the King goes OneWingedAngel, [[spoiler:lacking an immediate weapon beyond his throne-armour, he simply smashes the Deer in the chest and sends him across the room hard enough to crack stone]], nearly winning the fight in one blow if it wasn't for HeroicResolve.
* PunchCatch: When a guard is about to kill the Deer in the street for rabble-rousing, the recently-defected Wolf stops the attack by catching the guard's hand mid-swing.
* PsychoPink: ZigZagged, the hero has fairly soft pink eyes that don't qualify, but the king's prominent gem necklace is a bright pink colour, and when he goes OneWingedAngel [[spoiler:after it breaks he's limned in that same sickly colour, and his red clothing lightens to match]].
* RebelLeader: The deer becomes this after TakingALevelInBadass.
* ResignInProtest: The introduction of the heroic Wolf character is him deserting the Guards, apparently at their actions and implicitly (by the camera angles and eyelines) at the inspiration of the Deer's speeches.

* RousingSpeech: The Deer is shown giving speeches twice, once at the beginning with little apparent effect, but the second qualifies, immediately before StormingTheCastle. These speeches are the only time the lyrics and the animation explicitly sync up, reinforcing the song's own intent as one. It's also contrasted with a villainous version, where in place of the varied and poor audience in the marketplace listening to a speaker standing on a wooden crate and flanked by friends, the King is addressing his uniform and ranked guards while standing alone before the throne in his palace.

* SignificantWardrobeShift: The wolf has a relatively slow one as he progresses along his defection, starting by abandoning the ScaryImpracticalArmour when he deserts, then shifting to blue when he joins the Deer, and finally donning a modified set of no-longer-scary armour for the climax. The Deer has a much faster one mid-story, going from a simple shirt and trousers to a more elaborate set of armour including a scarf and designed to work with his prosthetics as part of his TakingALevelInBadass.

* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: All the characters appear somewhere between human and BeastMan, though the focus characters lean towards the human end, with the PowerTrio being LittleBitBeastly ([[spoiler:until the Deer gets his Eleventh Hour Superpower]]) and the King being human in appearance until he goes OneWingedAngel. The guards are an interesting case, being primarily human with only wolf ears and tails, but their armour is sculpted with lupine faces.

* TheShadowKnows: When the Deer breaks into the throne room, his shadow shows an impressive crown of antlers as opposed to the relatively short ones he actually sports, symbolising his hidden nobility and foreshadowing [[spoiler:his Eleventh Hour Superpower Battle Aura that does have them]].
* TokenHeroicOrc: One third of the PowerTrio is a wolf who [[ResignInProtest Resigned In Protest]] from the guards, and he's the only wolf not antagonistic to the group.
* TookALevelInBadass: The Deer does this, ironically enough after losing two limbs. He goes from a driven but largely irrelevant speech-maker to a RebelLeader wielding a sword he made himself.
* TranquilFury: When not in full flowing speech, the Deer leans towards this, expecially during his TakeALevelInBadass montage, in which he forges his weapon and trains in swordsmanship. He holds it right up until his RageBreakingPoint.
* UnskilledButStrong: This and [[StrongAndSkilled related]] [[WeakButSkilled tropes]] form part of the deliberate contrast between the {{foil}}-pairs. The King, once he goes OneWingedAngel, throws simple but powerful blows that nearly end the fight, but once he knows what's coming, the Deer is able to use his skill (earned from hard training) to run rings around him. He learned these techniques from the Wolf, who is StrongAndSkilled, his strength contrasting with the deer's relative lack of such[[note]]Though not ''weak'', the Deer is the slightest and smallest of the PowerTrio and clearly outmatched by all three other characters[[/note]], and allowing him to both indulge and use his [[BloodKnight bloodthirst]]. This in turn contrasts with the Zebra, who is similarly strong and wields a large hammer, but despite being a BoisterousBruiser, has little interest in violence and no skill or desire to learn how to do it more effectively, even if she does fight alongside the others.

** Some of his guest co-performers have done this as well. In particular, Jack "[=ToxicEternity=]" Fleigler bellows one in the opening lines of the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMTNGrosw9o Prince Ali]]" cover video; while Travis Carte screams the rap parts on the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47nH5uTHRkU Bleed It Out]]" cover (Granted it's a {{Metalcore}} cover.)

* NiceHat: A beanie, which shows up a lot less since he moved to Southern California but still pops up from time to time. It's still featured prominently on most album art, due to its status as his IconicOutfit.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early in the video, the kingdom's crest can be seen on the wall: A boar's head. It eventually turns out the king is in fact a pig.

** PlayedWith by the King, who appears the most human, not even a LittleBitBeastly (though his coat of arms is a boar), right up until [[spoiler:his magical amulet is destroyed and he becomes a hideous pigman to symbolise his greed. This in itself is part of the ongoing symbolism of the beautiful face masking the ugliness, a noble wild boar is the face he presents, while his true nature is a bloated, violent pig]].

* EleventhHourSuperpower: After getting pummelled into the ground by the King, the Deer calls on his HeroicResolve and [[spoiler:his Little Bit Beastly traits turn up to eleven, he gains a brilliant blue Battle Aura that takes the form of an antler crown, and his wounds vanish]].

* AdiposeRex: While the king appears as a human PrettyBoy, it is a glamour and he is actually a morbidly obese pig.