ink, then digital.

Work for an upcoming Ironclaw project.

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Skunks take for granted that their reputation precedes them. They've heard all the jokes, seen all the looks, and dealt with endless unfairly sour first impressions. As a result they tend to skew one of two ways: either towards beatific, patient resignation and a thick skin against petty meanness, or towards perpetual irritation and hypersensitivity to a perceived world of misunderstanding.

Which is not to say that skunks see themselves as superior or inferior, but they certainly are made aware that they are different, and they tend to stick to their own kind simply because it's easier. This goes for skunks raised among a diverse society; those that are brought up primarily around other skunks experience considerable culture shock when travelling abroad.

Skunks that succeed in the wider world tend to find ways of fitting in that mask what others regard as their central trait: their smell. It is almost a cliche that the richest skunk in town is the perfumier, but they can also be found in bakeries, as florists and tanners, fishmongers, alchemists, firefighters and so on.

As they are often required to navigate between what can be seen as two distinct cultures: skunk and non-skunk, they are quite good at picking up on social psychology, and many also excel as comedians, counsellors, first mates, major domos, diplomats and other positions that require a quick read of people and a knowledge of how to defuse, distract or control attention with subtlety.