Frighty Cat Animation

@frightycat.bsky.social

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Old-school, ink-and-paint, hand-drawn cartoon studio based in Rochester, NY. Stanley Crowe, Viktor the Fox, Izzy Inkblot & more. Owned & run by @jfrancisfright.bsky.social

Meet Jack McConnell AKA Wormwood the Jester: Juggler, bartender, enabler, and the worst buddy a sweetie like Stanley can have. He'll listen to their problems, but he won't really care. He'll encourage all that's worst in Stanley, while blaming them for their own pain. He plies Stanley with drinks, worsening their alcoholism and actively preventing them from leaving or taking any other action that might be healthy. Wormwood is a callous, mean-spirited lowlife, and the closest thing to a friend Stanley has in the circus.
Three wicked clowns standing in a row. Stitch, a portly tailor holds a needle and thread with a devilish sneer on his face. Scratch, a tall doctor in a long pink lab coat stands hunched over, glaring at the viewer with a foul expression. Wormwood, a sloppy, bespectacled drunk, wobbles unsteadily on his feet, waving a whiskey bottle around.
A loose, zany animation drawing of Viktor the fox plopping down some dynamite.
Colored sketches of Paolo Parapinini making some zany faces.
a 4-panel storyboard of Stanley Crowe putting on a blade-throwing show for the circus. Paolo the ringmaster / their boyfriend is riling the crowd up. "Can you BELIEVE it, folks? I didn't think you could FIT that many knives on one bull's eye!" "C'mon now, let's hear some more love for the BEAUTIFUL blade master, STANLEY CROWE!"
Character sheet for Menlo Kipnis, a nomadic, horny, body-modding goth jester 🖤 He's playing a tenor guitar.
A traditionally inked & colored ref. sheet for Paolo Parapanini, a performer and circus ringmaster.
Some expressions of Stanley Crowe.
Stanley Crowe is a gentle, non-binary pumpkin fellow who works as a master blade thrower at a nocturnal circus, where they're also trapped in an abusive relationship with the ringmaster, Paolo Parapinini. After finally mustering up the strength to flee, they had to give up everything: their possessions, their sense of security, and the only home they've even known. All they have left are a set of knives, a broken heart and the clothes on their back. Fortunately, it's not long before Stanley meets, and falls in love with, a traveling jester named Menlo. As their relationship blossoms, Stanley will join Menlo on wild adventures in fantastical lands while coping with the wounds (physical and emotional) given to them by Paolo. Paolo, for his part, isn't ready to let Stanley go and will do everything in his power to get Stanley back. This series will delve into some pretty heavy topics, such as the power dynamics involved with abusive relationships, processing trauma, narcissism, people who hide monstrous behavior behind artistic merit, finding love (both internal AND external) and gender dysphoria, all told from a queer-centric point of view.
Quick animation preview of Stanley Crowe running away from the circus.
A slinky, dozy looking raven shambles along with an unnaturally smooth gait. He's puffing a cigarette. Ert has a lazy, shiftless and evasive personality, so I decided to give him a level, understated walk cycle. He's the sort of guy who doesn't like to be noticed by anyone; he doesn't walk, he skulks. I also animated the walk and cigarette smoke at different frame rates, so the smoke would look jankier.
A mini comic done in ink. In panel 1, Menlo and Stanley are gearing up to practice ring juggling. In panel 2, Menlo hurls the rings at the viewer, with some of them bursting out of the panels. In the third panel, the rings have slid over Stanley, tying him up tightly. Menlo grins and says "Perfect".
Stanley Crowe and their boyfriend Menlo are holding hands, looking lovingly into each other's eyes while walking along a raised, grassy path. A spooky circus looms in the background.