#dusky roach

the goal was them to be sort of tropical dock themed? hence why we got a fancy primate, sea life, and a bug

their color scheme is also supposed to lean into that 

they’re more of a rival group to the other trio of toons than proper antagonists (they hang out together quite often and vibe well when they’re not competing)

Blake and Jake are gay for each other and Dusky is their son who they love and dote on a lot, because yes

Blake is the ringleader (hehe puns) of the troupe. he’s a lemur, and he’s Very Serious, and Very Dapper

blake can use his feet like hands- hence he’s got a thicker armature in his legs to support all the wiring down there

blake’s tail is just one really long and bendy wire covered in clay 

blake is wearing a suit jacket, tie, and shirt, which he keeps as clean and neat as possible 

Jake is the muscle of the troupe. he’s a lobster, and he’s very grumpy and surly looking. but he’s a real softie if u get to know him

jake’s armature is a little bulky due to his odd shapes and the need to arrange all his limbs/antennae/etc. this is also why his body is very rounded and thick at the ends 

jake’s claws (the black parts) are metal, they move with a joint inside his arm 

jake’s antennae are wires with a thin clay covering over them 

jake has a captain’s hat and a sailor’s ascot, as well as a pipe

jake is currently the most complex character in terms of animation/armature. his three little arms and the fan at the end of his tail tend to move around to express emotion and show off how cool the animation is. also means he’s got a lot of little parts to break, though, hence why the dock troupe doesn’t appear more often in the main cartoons 

Dusky is a cockroach. he’s sort of just going along with Blake and Jake because they’re his dads and he loves them, and is very ditzy/naiive. he’s jus a lil friend :>

dusky has a cute lil bowtie because he deserves one

dusky’s antennae are wires w/ a thin clay covering 

like axel, these guys get converted into marionette enemies by stella in act 5

they’re all controlled with barbed wire “strings”

they’re unsalvageable at this point

the only reason they’re not more melty is that they’re already “dead-” just shells of themselves- and they’re still fulfilling their basic characteristic of “causing trouble”

they don’t do much besides serve as obstacles in act 5

they can be distracted via noise to get past them peacefully 

jake (aka “claws”) is missing his antennae, 3 middle pairs of arms, and the fan at the end of his tail. he’s lacking his hat, pipe, and ascot 

blake (aka “pilfers”) is missing his tail and the clay on his hands/feet. he’s lacking his tie, shirt, and jacket