Beware of the gnomes.
So. You know how a lot of fiction has races of half-human half-animal people, right? Well, I was thinking about them, and came up with a question. Why do they even exist? What is the purpose they serve in their worlds aside from just being humans but with another flavour? And I think the answer to that is that they often have very different cultures because they adapted to a different habitat. Pretty sound, right? But then, I started thinking again. Why are these races so often just people + animal? For example, you got Centaurs, which though I love, I have to admit they are a bit boring. You also have your typical bird people like the Aarakocra from DnD, and your half-goat guys, like the Beast Men from Warhammer. Well, thing is, while certain biomes will make a species evolve in a certain way, there's often no "correct" way of doing this. So I wonder. Why are winged humans always so akin to birds? Why are people with fur always so similar to other animals like cats or goats or whatever? Why are fish people always either humanoid fish or mermaids? Can't we have something more close to sea mammals? Or maybe something more amphibious? In short: WHERE ARE MY GODDAMN BAT PEOPLE?!
Okay, but taking it back a little. I just think there's a lot of potential here. I think it'd be wonderful to have more varied races in fiction, instead of the common human + thing. Try to think how something totally strange would evolve into something humanoid, or how a human evolved into whatever funky body it has now! And another important thing to think about is how their characteristics influence the way they live. For example, Centaurs are often depicted living in forests, but that makes no sense! Someone with the lower body of a horse would struggle a lot moving through so many trees. And since horses can digest grass, it is logical that Centaurs can too, since, as previously mentioned, they have the lower half of a horse. So, it would make a lot more sense for a Centaur to live in a meadow! They have stuff to eat, can move easily, and it's the best place for them to use their body for things like hunting or moving heavy loads around or stuff. Just think of some Centaurs pulling a cart, or using their speed to hunt animals with bows.
Of course, I know there are a lot of franchises that do this, but I'm just saying I would like it if this was the default way of making fiction races. The natural world is very weird, and I'd love to see more of that weirdness being turned into wonderful characters and cultures.
Yes it is. Of course it is. Otherwise it wouldn't be here!
Anyway, this is the first post of my blog. Expect more soon.
