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Well, we did elves and dwarves. Always felt orcs were the third fantasy species that showed up all the time. Sometimes they are simply goblins, but they usually have the same themes. Definitely big stereotypes with these guys too. So, what are they?
- They are ugly.
- They are savage and vicious.
- They hate everyone and everything.
- They are evil.
- They only eat meat.
- They are bandits who are out to rape and pillage.
- They are stupid.
- They smell bad.
- They live in harsh landscapes, but leave to attack others.
- They are cruel.
- They are monsters.
- They obey more evil beings.
- They have no interest in art or civilization.
- They are always dirty.
You get the point. This is why I changed the orcs in Legends of Windemere to be more than monsters. I felt like they were always what you see above even if they were thrown into a non-fantsy setting. I still made the males kind of ugly, but the females are gorgeous with the same strength and prowess as their counterparts. The idea was a ‘beauty and the beast’ species where looks don’t mean anything to them. Still had to skew it towards human asthetics to get the point across. A few stories have come out with orcs as more than violent threats to the prettier species. Maybe things are changing.
Legends of Windemere 
Kudos for shaping your own orc lore. Travis Baldree’s Legends and Latte world has a different spin on orcs as well.
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Thanks. 😊
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Good for you for digressing from the orc formula. I often wondered if all those things applied, how did they manage their society and even produce more orcs?
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In other stories, orcs were primal and savage. Many times they were a race of bandits. Procreation tended to be raping of species or some type of asexual reproduction.
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Great information. I think you are a good PR rep for the Orcs.
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They should start paying me.
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Ha ha ha.
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This is all true. When in doubt, create your own species and break the chain of expectations. (Harder than it sounds.)
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Hardest part is getting people to accept the changes.
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Interesting that you changed the orc prototype. I find it difficult to believe in a wholly evil species, though.
In Dragonlance, if I remember correctly, the ancient hero, Huma has a friend who was either an orc or a hobgoblin. Both traditionally evil species, but this one wasn’t evil.
Another traditionally evil being is the dragon. My dragons aren’t evil. They are selfish, vain and consider themselves to be above all others, but not evil.
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I think it depends on the origins. Those born from pure darkness or evil with such instincts could be a dark race. Maybe a few members that don’t fall into the same category, but they’re outliers. Never realized dragons are traditionally evil. I’ve read a lot of lore with them being neutral or good unless provoked.
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There is always room to re-examine the fantasy races. Some of my shorter stories have goblins as a persecuted minority struggling to escape their human overlords.
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I did that with my goblins in a way. They were primitive creatures, but with a culture.
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