Ink, then digital.

Work for an upcoming Ironclaw project.

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As with monkeys, raccoons are notably gifted with their hands. Although, as the saying goes, "Monkey makes; raccoon makes mischief". This reputation as troublemakers is not entirely undeserved, and it doesn't help that they naturally look the part, masked and gloved as any common burglar. They are almost universally afflicted with some mild compulsive disorder like kleptomania. At best, this can take the form of endlessly touching and handling whatever is in reach; at worst, this can develop into delinquency, adultery, and a life of crime.

A police action requiring rounding up the usual suspects will typically net a few raccoons, and even if they aren't involved in the crime at hand, they are likely to have done something reprehensible. Again, it is not due to any particular streak of villainy, indeed most raccoons in stocks and jails regret their choices immensely and can honestly profess bafflement by their own motives, helpless before the lure of gleaming lucre.

It is the lucky raccoon to be guided at an early age into a way of life that allows for something positive to come from this trait. They make incredibly good smithies of all variety: clocksmiths, locksmiths, gunsmiths, jewelers, lensgrinders, carvers, potters, and other artisan careers. They might not have the knack for innovation that monkeys have, but they can devote a monomaniacal attention to craft to produce masterpieces in all the traditional arts.

Of course the seedier side of the same coin is that raccoons have the ability and temperament to succeed as thieves, stage magicians, jugglers, forgers, and other pitfalls for idle hands. They tend to respond to what's in front of them and find it hard to pass up an easy mark, a hand-puzzle, a stolen kiss, a dropped coin, or a bribe.

This kind of compulsion can be taxing for the otherwise moral raccoon, and it is not unusual to find them involved in high-minded civic duty, clerical life or as devoted churchgoers; seeking penance and some sort of spiritual treatment for their transgressions. Some may even take to vigilantism or minor positions in law and medicine as a way to atone for their darker impulses.