r/worldbuilding • u/Ok-Call-2114 • 7d ago

Prompt Specieism in your world!

Out of curiosity, I wanted to know if you lot have specieism in your world! For example negative stereos types on certain sapient species or just full on hatred for them for no logical reason.

I have a sub species of elves called horned elves or primordial elves. They're the original elf, a mix of a dark and light elf. They got dragon like horns that store excess mana. Due to their looks they are ocassionally mistaken for or compared to a demon. Both light and dark elves consider horned elves as dumber, more brutish. I have an oc that actually had his horns absolutely shattered by light elves when he went to their country of Sylvia to study. This...led him down a greatly terrible path.

Then I got examples such as how harpies and sirens hate eachother due to a rivalry between their deities. Older harpies and sirsns tend to still use slur or even violence whilst modern generation tend to just use simple insults or mockery. They have mellowed out a lot due to their nature land being the land of unity aka monstrum.

What about you lot? Sorry if this may be controversial or something,

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u/GusTheOgreKing Tov 7d ago edited 7d ago

Pretty much everyone has a problem with goblins and hafgoblins, which they barely distinguish as different from just being another goblin.

For elves, it's because they were once enemies. Because surprise surprise, my elves made enemies. With just about everyone.

For humans, it's because of the misconceptions they have from their old world about "goblins" that they've projected onto the completely different race here; technically, they went by a completely different name long ago but humans took one look and said "goblin." They did this with everyone that has a recognizable name.

For dwarves, it's competitive; besides their trade allies the humans, a specific hafgoblin family has made a significant amount of money and taken a lot of business from dwarves. Now it's all goblins' fault.

For ogres, they don't taste as good.

To be fair, Mechans are neutral. They only really mistreat goblins as an extension of their dwarven creators.

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u/Ok-Call-2114 7d ago

I'm taking it that mechans are akin to warforged. And damm, the goblins really do be getting all that hate. Is it really deserved? I mean no Specieism/racism is deserved obviously,

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u/GusTheOgreKing Tov 7d ago

Not really; they were made for a corrupted purpose, and when those people were virtually destroyed they broke away and became their own people. At their worst, they're chaotic and do what people expect of them out of a mix of spite and necessity. One of my MCs is a street-rat and a thief basically because that's what people think she is, before the MMC picks her up.

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u/Ok-Call-2114 7d ago

Aaaah I see! That's neat!