Ink, then digital.

Work for an upcoming Ironclaw project.

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Foxes are effervescent people, generally sociable, upbeat and optimistic. When confronted with hard truths or explicit negativity, they adopt a c'est la vie attitude and proceed forward with the best spin on the situation. They are not naive, just aware that happiness is a choice and a skill. They don't exhibit much in the way of neuroses or character flaws, though if anything this lack of "issues" can itself be a disadvantage when confronted with people caught up in their own misfortune. A fox's "cheer up, tomorrow's another day" philosophy may be aggravating for those around them who are in pain or mentally unstable, particularly when the fox can seem to live untouched by harsh realities.

As a result, they don't do very well in situations that call for objective, pragmatic counsel and "tough love"; they make horrible legal judges, midwives, commanding officers, referees, hagglers, and so on. But whenever a gregarious, chipper personality can be of use, foxes fit the bill perfectly.

While there are times when a little plucky spirit is good for low morale, generals know that "too many foxes is a gift to the enemy", and to thin their numbers within the ranks in favour of more hardened species. But it is also the wise commander who keeps a fox or two for when courage is needed, or a fool to lead the last charge. Similarly, a loyal fox on board a sea vessel is like a spare wind in the captain's pocket and a safeguard against mutiny. Vulpine messengers are also typically used to deliver word of misfortune, as their cheerful demeanour can soften the blow; this leads to the cliche of someone bearing "fox news" as bad news.

In civilian life, foxes are as common as any other species, and constitute a baseline average citizenry, or at least in the popular imagination. Most foxes manage a bourgeois, middle- to upper-class lifestyle, occasionally rubbing elbows with their close, blue-blooded kin; the much more cunning and suspicious grey foxes. Reds are good workers and thinkers, amiable, generally attractive and welcome wherever they go. Whenever an anonymous personage is represented, in formal documents or public signage, a fox is commonly used.

Red foxes aren't universally beneficent however; while history shows that the grey fox is the usual openly ambitious villain, the red villain certainly does exist. But this is rare; it is far too profitable to maintain the veneer of respectability and the benefits of class to flaunt the law. Most foxes have it good, and have no desire to rock the boat.