I wanted to talk about designing fantasy cultures for stories, or roleplaying games, or like, anything you're doing, because it's a topic that's pretty important! You want a culture that is y'know, not some kind of offensive stereotype lmfao but is also a neat varied and expansive culture. Mostly though I just wanted to gush about Goblins.
Goblins are very important to me. I am a Goblin. I consider myself otherkin, as just, a Goblin. That's what I am. But Goblins are a varied people, and there have been many, MANY different representations of Goblins over the years in media. And most of them are freaking terrible.
Shout out to Pathfinder's description of Goblins: "Goblins are a race of childlike creatures with a destructive and voracious nature that makes them almost universally despised. Weak and cowardly, goblins are frequently manipulated or enslaved by stronger creatures that need destructive, disposable foot soldiers. Those goblins that rely on their own wits to survive live on the fringes of society and feed on refuse and the weaker members of more civilized races. Most other races view them as virulent parasites that have proved impossible to exterminate."
This is really, really bad lmfao. And I'mma be real, most media doesn't do much better. Hell, most Goblins are just blank slabs of meat you should hit with a big stick so they give you things. They're nothing for than floppy eared green pinatas. So if you're curious about how I, a self proclaimed Goblin, view my people, read on. I write stories for a living, and have written several with these Goblins.
Goblins are a small peoples, though their body types vary, the most common ones you'll find are small and green with big ears and sharp fangs. While Goblins seem to be closely related to Humans and Orcs, this is actually not true, and is instead just convergent evolution. The Goblin is actually closely related to raccoons and cats, a kind of evolutionary link. I don't care that this isn't how evolution works, don't @ me, Goblins are like a cross between cats and raccoons.
Goblins often fit into the cracks of society, blending in well with other peoples. This isn't to say there aren't Goblin communities, but more that they tend to thrive in other's communities. It helps that Goblins are a very communal people, and while they tend to be a little mischevous, they are generally well liked.
While Goblins often blend into other societies, easily assimilating, they tend to keep a few things that are distinctly Goblin, a few signs of original culture that are true pillars of what makes a Goblin a Goblin.
#1) Shinies. There are three major peoples who are tiny Goblinoids. There's the Kobolds, who also collect shinies, more to horde it for their own private showing. There's the imps, who tend to horde a shiny for a bit before getting bored of it and throwing it away. Goblins, on the other hand, are very passionate peoples, and they tend to let those passions burn bright and openly. They will collect a large collection of "shinies", something important to them (it doesn't need to be literally shiny), and then they will never shut the hell up about that collection. They will show it to all their friends. They'll make a little museum of it in their home and constantly gush about how excited they are by their collection of shinies. Shinies can be literally anything. Some examples of what a shiny could be are: actual shiny rocks, jangly keys, arcade PCBs, socks, anime figurines, dice, singing bass.
#2) A few biological compulsions. In modern terms, pretty much all Goblins have ADHD. They get over excited and distracted. This tend to give them the stereotype of being aloof. They are also often seen as goofy and mischevous. Obviously not every Goblin is, but Goblins have a tendency towards bratty behavior and general mischief. Goblins also have a tendency to rank and rate things, ordering them. This comes in handy with their Shiny Collections, and if you allow a Goblin to, they will spend hours telling you the order of their favorite shinies. Goblins also tend to suffer from agoraphobia, a fear of wide open spaces, and prefer to live in enclosed small homes.
#3) Trash. To Goblins, trash is a very important cultural concept. To most larger peoples, trash is just... things you don't need, worthless, stuff to be thrown away. To Goblins, who live most of their lives within the cracks of society, they realize differently. Trash is what society deems to be worthless, and throws away. But that doesn't mean it's ACTUALLY worthless, as people so easily make mistakes. Goblins have a stereotype for being smelly trash lovers, and some find the idea gross, but Goblins aren't like, people who wade around in food refuse. Instead, the concept of trash to them is more theoretical. Always give reconsideration to things that society deems worthless. There might be some gold there they missed (or some shinies to collect).
#4 Emotion and Empathy. Goblins often let their emotions guide them to what they do, but not to an extent where it'd hurt others. Empathy is important in communal relationships, and thus is valued highly.
How do Goblins communicate with each other? Well, there's a traditional Goblin language, called "Goblin", understandably. It's actually extremely easy to pick up, because of its simplicity. Goblins are creatures of emotion, empathy, and thus their language reflects this. The Goblin language is essentially a couple words, the meanings of which are completely changed through tone of voice, pitch, length, or body language. Murr mrrawrr is MUCH different from Murrrr mrrawrwrr. This does mean early Goblins had no concept of writing in their language until they began to incorporate themselves into other communities and mostly relied on doodling to get ideas across in writing.
There are also theories that something about Goblins makes them branch evolutionarily easier than other peoples, but this is untested and unconfirmed. There are, however, several varieties of Goblins out there.
Common Goblin: Also known as the City Goblin, or the Trash Goblin, the Common Goblin is 3-4 feet tall, with big floppy ears, large hands and feet, and usually a more curvaceous and stout body. They are commonly shades of green, and to combat the fear of open spaces Goblins tend to have, they often live, or at least sleep, in small, cramped spaces. Holes in the ground. Trashcans.
Forest Goblin: A less common cousin, the Forest Goblin is a taller, slightly fuzzier, more lithe variant of the Goblin. They are less sociable than the Common Goblin, often preferring smaller enclosed communities. Forest Goblins also have tails, long thin ones that often whip around in different ways, depending on the mood of the Goblin. They have skin colors that match the trees of the forests they live in, often deep greens, but they can be shades of reds and oranges.
Rock Goblin: Also known as the Cave Goblin, Rock Goblins live in mountain caves, and are a strikingly different variety of Goblin. They are more stout, and have thick, lizard-like tails and calcified patches of skin that resemble scales. They are much less common to see, tending to have more extreme agoraphobia than the other varieties of Goblin. Their skin tends towards shades of gray and blue.
Hopefully after reading all this, you now know more about Goblins than you did before! And maybe you'll consider taking "traditional" fantasy races and doing more with them than just making them The Fodder. =w= Goblins have so much more to give.
