Goblins XVIII: Being yourself can be dangerous

[Morgaln]

No, no you actually are just objectively wrong. Cultural preferences for what kind of hair stylings or clothing are considered attractive or unattractive cannot be reasonably compared to something like racism. Especially not in the way you are trying to force the connection in this context.

You don't get the point. Being born with hair or being born without hair is not a cultural preference but a biological difference in goblins. Being born some way or other is never cultural. Therefore your argument is invalid.

[Dragonus45]

You don't get the point. Being born with hair or being born without hair is not a cultural preference but a biological difference in goblins. Being born some way or other is never cultural. Therefore your argument is invalid.

As opposed to your argument? Which is so convoluted and roundabout it would make an experienced Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth-Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker cry tears at the beauty of it. Because apparently the goblins from the warcamp are some hitherto unknown subspecies of goblin who don't grow hair as opposed to just shaving because that's what their tribe does or some similar reason. And if, just if that turns out to be true it would still be a 9th dimensional bank shot off the moons or Orion to say natural cultural preferences resulting from that being the norm would somehow be racist enough to undercut or invalidate the comics fuzzy feel good moment of the group just accepting Big Ears without comment.

[Morgaln]

As opposed to your argument? Which is so convoluted and roundabout it would make an experienced Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth-Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker cry tears at the beauty of it. Because apparently the goblins from the warcamp are some hitherto unknown subspecies of goblin who don't grow hair as opposed to just shaving because that's what their tribe does or some similar reason. And if, just if that turns out to be true it would still be a 9th dimensional bank shot off the moons or Orion to say natural cultural preferences resulting from that being the norm would somehow be racist enough to undercut or invalidate the comics fuzzy feel good moment of the group just accepting Big Ears without comment.

The goblins from the warcamp were the first goblins we saw. None of them ever had hair. The assumption that they just don't grow hair is perfectly valid. They are not an hitherto unknown species. Goblins with hair were the hitherto unknown species (to the reader) until the viper clan showed up. I find the reasoning that they all grow hair but choose to shave it far less likely than assuming this is a biological difference in different clans, but if you want it to be your headcanon, go right ahead.

[Wildstag]

The goblins from the warcamp were the first goblins we saw. None of them ever had hair. The assumption that they just don't grow hair is perfectly valid. They are not an hitherto unknown species. Goblins with hair were the hitherto unknown species (to the reader) until the viper clan showed up. I find the reasoning that they all grow hair but choose to shave it far less likely than assuming this is a biological difference in different clans, but if you want it to be your headcanon, go right ahead.

To add to the conversation, we've seen a mixture of goblins in other scenes, where some goblins have hair and other goblins do not? It's bizarre that the other guy would prefer that they're just shaving their hair instead of just not having it. Why would Goblinslayer have cared to respect cultural standards instead of just shaving them all or restricting the shaven goblins from shaving their hair while in his "care"?

The more obvious response is yours: that some goblins are born with hair, and some are born unable to grow it.

Or are they all just some new variant of goblins, maybe named nilgob?

[Godskook]

The bigotry is not getting mocked either.

Yes, yes it is, it's being mocked by the -reader-. That's the point I already explained. "Hair" was chosen because readers of the comic are almost universally going to mock the characters of the comic for having such a weird hang-up. It's too ridiculous to find empathetic.

[Draconi Redfir]

It's too ridiculous to find empathetic.

and this is exactly why it should not be compared to real-world skin colour of all things.

[Traab]

To add to the conversation, we've seen a mixture of goblins in other scenes, where some goblins have hair and other goblins do not? It's bizarre that the other guy would prefer that they're just shaving their hair instead of just not having it. Why would Goblinslayer have cared to respect cultural standards instead of just shaving them all or restricting the shaven goblins from shaving their hair while in his "care"?

The more obvious response is yours: that some goblins are born with hair, and some are born unable to grow it.

Or are they all just some new variant of goblins, maybe named nilgob?

Im pretty sure most of them arent goblins at all. I see one clan viper dude and another half burned guy that might be a goblin, but there are dwarves kobolds ogres and lord knows what else in the melee.

[Dragonus45]

Yes, yes it is, it's being mocked by the -reader-. That's the point I already explained. "Hair" was chosen because readers of the comic are almost universally going to mock the characters of the comic for having such a weird hang-up. It's too ridiculous to find empathetic.

I figured hair was chosen to poke fun at hair specifically, since some people IRL have big angry opinions about things like where hair should and shouldn't be or how long it needs to be to find another person attractive and it's a much more direct parallel then the racism thing.

[Vinyadan]

As others observed, it seems that many goblins are simply bald. There were GS's prisoners, plus we have never seen hair or heard of grooming during the GAP's travels, although that might be due to the short timespan.

If it is genetic (or something you can't change) as it seems to me, then it is a form of discrimination. Body shaming, we would call it; or inciting body shaming, in this special case. If you want a real world comparison, you can think of someone going, "You like bald women? That's weird. Seriously, bald heads? Would you like to be alone with my flesh-coloured swimming cap?"

It's clearly meant to be a joke by the author to which the reader should participate, a joke that compares cultural mores among goblins and among ourselves, to portray the absurdity of the ones in our world. Unfortunately, while Goblins used to have elements of societal parody (remember this?), they fundamentally disappeared after the attack on the warcamp, so that the joke assumes that we somehow revert to reading the comic as if it still were as it was years before this page.

And Vorpal did say these things in-comic, author joke or not, so yes, Vorpal should have to work through this issue (and who knows, maybe he will, if he meets Fox). This is important because, while Young-And-Beautiful from the linked strip was never meant to be a character you empathised with, Vorpal definitely is. And let's be honest, some grown-up character development wouldn't hurt him.

[Morgaln]

Im pretty sure most of them arent goblins at all. I see one clan viper dude and another half burned guy that might be a goblin, but there are dwarves kobolds ogres and lord knows what else in the melee.

If you go through the subsequent pages, there's a smattering of goblins both with and without hair in that melee. It's a bit tiresome to look for all of them in often tiny images.
An easier example is probably the viper clan's chiefing ceremony, were we have a line-up of goblins, more or less alternating between hair and no hair. It's unlikely the vipers let their slaves keep razors to shave, so it's quite probable those without hair are naturally bald.

[Keltest]

If you go through the subsequent pages, there's a smattering of goblins both with and without hair in that melee. It's a bit tiresome to look for all of them in often tiny images.
An easier example is probably the viper clan's chiefing ceremony, were we have a line-up of goblins, more or less alternating between hair and no hair. It's unlikely the vipers let their slaves keep razors to shave, so it's quite probable those without hair are naturally bald.

I am suddenly reminded of how much i really disliked that arc. This has nothing to do with the hair thing, i just think the whole Viper clan storyline was kind of dumb.

[Anarchic Fox]

I am suddenly reminded of how much i really disliked that arc. This has nothing to do with the hair thing, i just think the whole Viper clan storyline was kind of dumb.

On the plus side, there are far fewer Viper goblins as of that arc's ending.

[Wildstag]

Im pretty sure most of them arent goblins at all. I see one clan viper dude and another half burned guy that might be a goblin, but there are dwarves kobolds ogres and lord knows what else in the melee.

There's one that is very clearly meant to be Clan Viper (same patterning and the telltale hair), as you pointed out, but how is it in that page you only pointed out the half-flayed goblin and not the goblin positioned right between them? The clearly not Clan-Viper green hair-having goblin?

And in the following pages we see more of the goblins. As they're running out of the city we see more goblins, some without hair and some with. They're all over that arc, and it's pretty clear many of them are supposed to be goblins. They look a whole lot like the goblins we have seen, just some with and some without hair.

And even if most of the prisoners weren't goblins, clearly a large percentage are (which honestly isn't too surprising given that it's Goblinslayer's prisons and he seems to get extra joy from the idea of being an eternal goblin boogeyman). And the fact of the matter is, the strip is consistent in showing that some clans of goblins seem to have hair, and others do not. Later comics only continue this trend.

[Draconi Redfir]

As they're running out of the city we see more goblins, some without hair and some with.

Hair aside, can we take a moment to appreciate the minotaur two pages after this one? Dude's going out of his way to get as many little guys out of the city as possible. What a badass bro.

[Wildstag]

That same minotaur also was the first to the gates and held it up, taking an entire volley of bolts to the face. It definitely put in work to free its fellow prisoners.

[Draconi Redfir]

h'uh, was it? i thought that volley killed that particular minotaur, and there were just more then one.

Also bro shoutouts to the Ettin and Ogre who grabbed the gate from the falling minotaur and held it up for the rest of the monsters.

edit: H'uh, yeah. Minotaur at the gate has bolts in his face in the same pattern as the Minotaur rushing out of the city, with the latter having one extra. Whadea know.

[BaronOfHell]

That same minotaur also was the first to the gates and held it up, taking an entire volley of bolts to the face.

Nice catch! Thanks for sharing.

[Vinyadan]

There's a new page (which I liked).
https://www.goblinscomic.com/comic/page-5-2021

[Hackman]

There's a new page (which I liked).
https://www.goblinscomic.com/comic/page-5-2021

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I'm not sure if appealing to blood ties is a great idea. Favouring your relatives doesn't really strike me as Good or Lawful.

[Morgaln]

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I'm not sure if appealing to blood ties is a great idea. Favouring your relatives doesn't really strike me as Good or Lawful.

And killing someone because they didn't answer an arbitrary question the way you'd like them to is?

[Murk]

And killing someone because they didn't answer an arbitrary question the way you'd like them to is?

At least it's lawful!

[Traab]

Gargoyle dude is right, the entire thing is nothing but a trick meant to play off psychological issues each person has. Now, it is remotely possible the whole deal is meant not as a test but as a lesson, the fear of death driving home the point the angel is trying to make far better than just going, "yeah you are a hero, you are a chief, you are incredibly old and wrinkled" etc But as things stand now its dirty trick questions clearly designed to produce the "wrong" answer based on the character of each goblin. Not very angelic at all.

[Vinyadan]

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I'm not sure if appealing to blood ties is a great idea. Favouring your relatives doesn't really strike me as Good or Lawful.

Well, she's on drugs, so...

[Willie the Duck]

As a lesson it works (one hopes that the chute actually leads to a pile of kittens or somesuch). As a trap-dungeon feature it works. As an avenue for an incredibly affable opponent saying their really very sorry that they have to kill you (but then fails because they aren't really very competent) it works. As angelic behavior... yeah, it doesn't make sense.

[Dragonus45]

Remember, the angel is bound to do the job. It’s not some normally angelic job to be doing.

[Fyraltari]

I'm not sure someone could really call an (unvoluntary) organ donor the parent of the person receiving it.

[Dragonus45]

Under normal circumstances yea, the logic is suspect. But I imagine that when used on a celestial being, especially ones in the style we know of here, I imagine it making a sort of insane troll logic kind of sense.

[Draconi Redfir]

Especially if Angels can't normally have kids in this setting. Reproduction might just not be a thing for them, so even the idea of having one through any means could be appealing to some.

[Vinyadan]

Or simply because she's stoned, and easily impressed.

But there might be some gay commentary here.

[Lurkmoar]

Wait, wouldn't the death trap take care of the Axe problem too, or would it just allow Hell to directly invade the Angelic realms?