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"My goblins are different!"
(kanka.io)
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this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2023
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Worldbuilding
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My goblins are magic-stripped elves who were physically altered by a spell to make 'assassin' type soldiers (almost all my "humanoid" races stem from something similar actually). The goblins developed a scavenger/recycling culture after the conflict they were created for ended and they now often live just outside of settlements or monster territories. They get the majority of what they need from their neighbours scraps. Being small, fast, and blending into their environment benefits their survival significantly, hence their size and unusual coloring.
That's sick! Do they retain some elvish culture and practices? Have they mostly lost that heritage, and/or do some try to reclaim it? Or have they rejected all that in favor of a newer culture that reflects their current predicament? They're basically living in their own apocalypse setting, alongside people for whom the world hasn't ended. That sounds like fuel for a lot of angst.
Oh man, I typed a big response and lost it so this is going to be much shorter whoops.
To answer your questions: In the time immediately after the conflict there was a lot of desire to "go back to elf", but there were a few problems.
As for culture, there are virtually no similarities remaining at the main time period I'm writting in, as elven culture further developed in a magic-centric way and goblin culture developed in a very different direction. And since they weren't interacting whatsoever during that development, very different.
Of the elf-based races, goblins are probably the most content with their new way of life, and are usually the least ambitious. While others, like humans, deeply desire reclaiming magic somehow (not being an elf again, just getting their "birthright" magic back). Goblins have a bit of pride in their new lifestyle, and power like that would disrupt their way of living. They don't really teach about their origin (though they retain stories of it as needed) and they live among many also non-magic races, so there isn't a lot to be jealous of (for the time being).
There's also definitely some difference between the ones that have a symbiotic thing going with creatures in the wild vs those that are urban. The grief is mostly for the latter, who have to deal with the people who see them as "trash rummagers" and "thieves", and treat them harshly, instead of seeing them as the "recyclers" they are. They'll never acknowledge that cities with goblins living nearby are always cleaner.
That's cool! I like stories where "you can never go home". Status quo is for episodic TV. I like to lean into consequences.
Something I find is that you can never change someone else without them changing you right back. As for the original promulgators of the goblin race, have they had any sort of knockback effects in their culture a la Fouccault's Boomerang? What about elf culture, have they changed throughout their grieving/rejection process?
It had one huge impact on elf culture which was completely dividing their society into 1) people that isolated and 2) people who wanted to help the other races, guide them in the right direction and such.
Since the "borders" on elf lands went into lockdown, the ones that chose to leave and help also can never return (until far far in the future when a world event breaks boundaries). They also insist on keeping their existence secret for many decades, until the other races are no longer so...combative.
In the eyes of the "inner" elves, they are giving the other races a chance to flourish without putting themselves at risk. They could have killed them all, and considered it, but they chose not to because they were once family. Let them have their chance. There's only so much damage they can do to the world without magic and they cannot enter elf lands without it, so "it's fine probably".
In the eyes of the "outer" elves, the others abandoned their kin and are putting up ridiculous walls. They see them as lacking compassion and often resent them as they made these elves choose. They also often feel the others abandoned their duty.
Are inner elves basically like the political isolationists we have in real life? What were they protecting from the outside world?
Stupid joke response
Did they make the goblins pay for the wall?Hah, thankfully not really like that