* External Appearance

Described as spiny and stocky, for reasons I will get into later, this tells us that the Gojid had evolved to defend in place. This combined with the confirmation that they are omnivorous give heavy support for them being fundamentally similar to porcupines, hedgehogs, and echidnas. All of which are burrowers. Burrowing creatures don't have a significant enough diet to fuel sapience, so I believe they transitioned to living above ground, either full time or part time, to feed on fruit falls or by climbing trees.

While not detailed in canon, Offspring invented two moons for the Cradle. Of which, Ki-Yu has a highly elliptical orbit causing significant weather shifts on the Cradle whenever it passes by. I believe these weather shifts would have forced the Gojid to stay underground during hard weather, and emerge after the moon’s passing to feast on fruit in the canopy, setting the stage for a dual specialization species. This is further supported by their significant mass and claw strength, which is precedented on earth by both bears and sloths, who use a strong grip strength and sturdy claws to hold on to the bark of the tree as they climb. Large body size can sometimes be selected for when there is an abundant low-quality food source and climatic instability, as you can range further on lower nutritional content.

As described in the Attack on the Cradle arc, as well as in the Arxur Bonus Story patreon miniseries, the Cradle is generally very similar to Earth: verdant land masses with at least one large ocean, gravity similar enough it was not an impediment to human ground forces, and atmosphere close enough to earth to not require breathing equipment. The wiki details that the Gojid are most well known for their Fruit exports and general hardiness.

Gojid are described as taller than Venlil but shorter than humans, which would put the average Gojid, standing with good posture, at the jawline of a 6ft human; so I will estimate this to be around 5ft 5in, or ~165cm. Interestingly, this is well within the range of average human height, so there may be frequent occurrences of Gojid standing taller than a human; put another way, a 6ft Gojid is tall, but not Tall tall. They are also described as having a tail ‘too stubby for tail language’. This tells me their tail is largely a balancing tool, as their spiny backs would be heavy enough to either give them a constant slouch, which is never described, or need something else to keep them balanced, which a broad meaty tail would do well for.

The Human Exterminators Patreon bonus story established that a mostly healthy almost-adult Venlil is ~90lb. In Ch11 of Main Canon, Sovlin bodily ‘flings' Slanek with disdain through a door with enough clearance that the door can close without impedance, and Marcel can approach despite his severe injuries. Sovlin also held Marcel down and clawed his face off-camera, and in Ch98 Sovlin gored his claws through an Arxur raider. This is a mountain of evidence to say that either Sovlin is an A-tier badass among his people, or the Gojids are more beefy than many may assume, and probably appear more bear-like, as exemplified in all five of the art references I shared above. Described in canon as having a sturdy frame, and combined with the above conclusion, Gojid would have easily twice the body mass of a similarly tall Venlil.

Evidenced in Ch67, Sovlin caused a guard to step into his spines and the guard’s injuries were described as ‘prickle wounds’. Lacking the description of quills hanging off of the injuries, we can conclude the Gojid have smooth spines, and not barbed quills. As an intelligent species with tool use, they may notch their spines to create barbs, but this would be a personal decision and not a natural attribute. This encounter also implies that a gojid’s spines are well-rooted, and would not become dislodged into their attackers as in porcupines.

This slides us into their claws. Shifting focus to their more bear-like appearance, their claws would be adapted for both climbing and rooting, with a possibility of some burrowing in soft substrate, creating forward claws that are long but strongly curved, and very sturdy; I believe that Blackbears would be a comparable reference, as they are known to root as well as climb. This is also supported by their described damage I mentioned above. Their back claws would be similarly sturdy, but transitioning to bipedal would reduce their use, making them shorter either by decreasing length or magnifying the curvature; in either case, they would be very damaging but difficult to control, so not used for carving, but rather defense, ripping, or digging.

Most artist consensus shows a preference for neutral browns, and forest patterns. Canon only describes shades of brown and cream, but I prefer Offspring’s interpretation that it would expand into the black/white spectrum, possibly regionally. Patterning would be largely colorblocking and banding with limited discernable shapes. Wide-area shapes, such as spirals, spots, or stripes, would be possible but a minority, and be poorly defined. More extreme mutations such as Albinism, Melanism, Heterochromia and Vitiligo would be possible, as with nearly any other species on earth. Vitiligo would appear as paling of defined areas and the hairs or spines in those areas.

The aforementioned patterns such as banding and colorblocking would be especially apparent comparing the front and back of an individual. Forward fur would be soft along the belly and inner arms, tougher or wiry on their legs and undertail, and a lighter shade compared to their back. Snout fur tends to be short and stiff but some persons, especially males, may overproduce this fur to the appearance of whiskers. These may be cultivated or trimmed aesthetically.

Back fur would be stiff and wiry, as long or just shorter than their spines. Said spines would be most prominent and most developed in the spaces between their shoulders, along their spine, over their hips, and along their tail. How far beyond this initial space varies from person to person, but in general the highest concentrations are where I mentioned, steadily thinning out to regular fur as it moves to just behind their sides.

Different fur quality would be the main difference in color. This would allow the opportunity for gradients, but they would be due to a transition of fur quality, rather than coloring.

* Internal Biology

The Archives confirmed that the Gojid were omnivores who occasionally supplemented their diet with animal meat, stolen from the kills of larger predators. This is described in-chapter as an occasional treat or celebration, as meat is not a necessity to their diet.

With this reveal, and our earlier conclusion of fruits, nuts, and berries, we can conclude their diet would be exceptionally human-like, though it appears they either don’t need, or are able to self-produce, essential vitamins and proteins found in animal meat such as Vitamin B12, Creatine, Taurin, and several others. Given the continuing similarities to humans, I believe their internal organs would appear largely the same; I see no reason for Gojid to have specialized organs that humans do not have, nor vice versa.

It has been commented in-story many times that their blood, internal organs, and musculature are all very blue, which would expand to blushing and eye color. Their irises would have melanin-based coloring, ranging from brown to gold, with rare mutations allowing green, but their sclera would appear extremely white due to the hint of blue from their veins; similar to how modern day clothing manufacturers include blue thread to make white more ‘white’. ‘Bloodshot’ eyes would be a deep blue, which combined with their darker irises, would make the eye appear very dark overall.

Skin color would be melanin-shaded as well, but due to their thick fur, their skin would be fairly pale, then spotting with darker skin to exposed areas like around the eyes, ears, lips, and nose. As well, due to their habitat and blue internal biology, they would again appear especially white; though their thick fur and spines would make this difficult to perceive.

Being blue-blooded - literally - would influence how they blush, though their previously mentioned darker skin under thin fur would hide it completely. It would also appear in places of high bloodflow such as intimate areas, soft-flesh sides, and hinge connections like armpits. Only the most perceptive, or uncomfortably invasive, observers would be able to see.

* Relationships

As a reasoned sapient the Gojid would be able to make abstract judgments about how they make relationships, so they would have the potential and presence for any relationship possible by humans; one or more partners, productive or non, performing any number of acts in the pursuit of good feelings.

Being a seasonal burrower would reinforce close families and strong bonds, leading to a natural preference for monogamous relationships. As with any other species, their courting practices would be more time together, giving of gifts or favors, or performative actions. I believe the giving and keeping of keepsakes and gifts would be most common, followed by demonstrations of one's capability as a provider such as decorating nests or places of safety.

This would also extend to their marriage rituals, in the giving of something important to themselves and/or their relationship to symbolize they are now one person.

* Reproduction

I believe the Gojid have good feelings from the stimulation of intimate areas, and pursue these feelings recreationally and as a bonding activity. Given their above- and below-ground history, this would push them to leave the burrow and family at a certain time in their development in search of their own burrow and to start their own family, after which they would spend a great deal of time with that person and mate whenever their needs align. This would lead to a very human experience in which they do not have seasons or cycles, don’t have complicated dances or performances, just simple urges that they can ignore or pursue.

Gojid are mammalian, which means they are warm blooded and feed their young with Mother’s milk. Offspring set the expectation on Ch13 that the teats are in the lower torso, around navel area, and I feel that is reasonable and will follow it. During late pregnancy and after birth the teats swell in preparation for the child, and because of this swelling may become more sensitive than average. I do not believe they are sexualized in any significant measure, though individuals may have their own preferences.

Gojid give birth in litters of one, with the possibility of twins+ roughly on par with human percentages. Infant gojid spines and claws are softer than their adult counterparts, but still dangerous to the soft internals of a mother so they are normally birthed with a tougher amniotic sac.

Besides that, the Gojid reproductive system and cycle would be very similar to humans. Birthing canal with external labia, proto-penis that is reminiscent of a clitoris, self-lubricating and cleaning with natural fluids, and a menstrual cycle that, while less severe than the human experience, would be a source of discomfort and mess, especially since clothing is still an oddity even among the Gojid.

One significant difference is the presence of a tail and spines. I believe the tail would be lifted to allow access and to protect the giver from the spines of the receiver.

The male reproductive system is similarly human-like, with a spongy penetrative organ which, while at rest, remains hidden within or just under the fur. Excitement by increased bloodflow would cause it to engorge and rise from under this fur in shades of white and blue. As burrow life has limited competition between partners, hindrances to mating would happen outside of the body such as dominance displays or altercations. The organ itself would develop for ease of entry and exit, and efficiency of emission. The testicles would exist outside of the body but held close, only discernible as lumps under and behind the base of the member in high temperature and excitement scenarios. Human sex organs are as large as they are to fill a performative need; they do not assist in the act of reproduction in any appreciable fashion. As the gojid lack this performative need, I believe their members to be of a smaller size in comparison to their mass.

As with most Federation species, the gojid gestate, deliver, and develop at a faster rate than the average human. Offspring set the precedent that a 5-6mo gestation is premature but survivable, leading me to conclude the Gojid gestate somewhere between 7-8mo.

* Language

Following artist consensus, their heads are of a significant mass, with lips and a tongue. The small teeth I mentioned earlier would not be easy to name a seal against, but this could be adjusted to the roof of one’s mouth rather than their teeth, allowing D, N, S, L, T, and soft J sounds. Being a burrower they would develop large deep sounds that can carry through tunnels and across open ground beneath the canopy.

Being spined implies they naturally tend toward defense, standing their ground against an aggressor. This is also evidence for big sounds and also loud. They would have likely developed several ways to posterize and intimidate; this is supported by using their spines to emote. Pretending to be bigger is a good tactic, but it works much better with sound, this combined with their larger-than-the-average-fed size makes me confident they know how to give a good bellow.

Since they likely developed language in, or close to, being soft-substrate burrowers, they likely have more guttural grunts and huffs, using a louder drone to get attention across long tunnels. This would also suit them well communicating across the canopy. As they came to dominate their ecosystem, their dominance calls would become more social, possibly even using a howling mating call, or shouting down competition.

This would give heavy emphasis on guttural sounds such as Guh Hh K and Q, and including glottal stops in their grammar. This would mean they can create many of the sounds a human can make, with a preference for slavic dialects.

As to writing they would start their history writing on their burrow walls in soft substrate or against stone caves, using their claws and later their quills, and later still switch to stones. Needing to differentiate each other by sight they would gain a keen perception of the orientation of quills, leading into very straight lettering with prominent downstrokes and purposeful cross-strokes. I believe their guttural language would create lettering that is phonetic, representing specific sounds, and the letter would indicate where in the mouth or throat that sound originates. The height of the meeting of the crossbar would indicate its location, and its angle would indicate its movement or emphasis. More complicated sounds, such as mouth-focused, would adjust the position of a highly angled crossbar to show how forward in the mouth the sound is.

* Names

This will be using my Gojid Name Post as reference. First off I am very saddened by the limited overall cast of this species. There are a lot of good characters and a lot of good history to work with, and I for one would be excited for more Gojid content overall! First off I’m seeing a lot of conflict with my earlier language conclusions: not a lot of guttural sounds, but we are seeing a lot of lip sounds, like M, P, and B. Again we are seeing a lot of duo-syllabic, and it appears Offspring is prompting a few sharp guttural sounds like K and Q.

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I do believe that names mean something, but given their long history with the Federation, and the fact their culture was not totally erased like the Venlil, these meanings would be ancient and forgotten. Now these names reference people and stories that the parents hope will guide or personify their child, in much the same way modern humans name their children after mythologies or faiths. On that note, I think the Gojid lean the hardest into their faith in terms of naming conventions.

Main Story(canon)

Nulia [F]

Sovlin [M]

Hania [F]

Talpin [M]

Berna [F]

Piri [F]

Yotul Oneshot (Canon)

Bemic [F]

Jemic [M]

Rumi Something About Blue (Patreon) Rivlia Arxur Bonus Story (patreon Nimlin

Offspring

Braq

Turin

Imdi

Taraka

Rylett

Laenar

Arrut

Yotun Juran

Callio

Irt

Redan

Marlo

Erryt

Roklin

Bolaro

Mela

Praitor

Carcos

Harbeck

Goranuut

B’tly

(northern dialect)

Urèd

(northern dialect)

Merilla

True Predators

Thraxis

Nature of a Giant

Sol-Vah

Tight Money

Boalin

Blue Roses

Pelago

Pelaga

Barlim

Telg

Pragh

Tack

The Dojo

Barak

Lost and Found

Bolad

Dunyab

Shehrab

Geneva Team

Tevest

Virnix

Dwlin

Kover

The Foundations of Humanity

Ulmic

Letter of Marque

Salamar

* Architecture

Chapter 128 confirmed that at time of first contact, the Gojid lived in clay houses; as well and off topic, they had sailing technology, as well as gunpowder and limited electricity. Having familiarity with clay lines up with having some manner of familiarity with soil, which does give some support for initial evolutionary development as burrowers, and is further supported by my conclusion that they are closer to bears. Their initial development would have them creating their own burrows in soft substrate, as a hedgehog or porcupine, but as they would become more massive larger homes would be needed, pushing them to caves, or hybrid burrows; an example would be to make a hole or ditch and pull foliage over it for shelter. This invention of created shelters, combined with learning of the malleability of mud and then clay would give support for built-up shelters such as a mud hut.

This catches us up with First Contact so this cultural progression stops here, but Federation influence would not remove these trends, only alter them. Their modern houses would range from recessed into the ground or natural features, such as Braq and Turin’s home in Offspring, or appearing more modern and technological like what we see on Venlil Prime or Aafa.

One thing I would like to highlight is the focus in canon, and the even stronger focus in fanfiction, that the Gojid are more spiritual, more connected to their Protector faith than most, and this would reflect in their architecture. They would have scattered places of worship and a handful of larger temples or cathedrals to their faith. My own story mentions the Cathedral of the Protector and describes it as a feat of artistry and engineering. True Predators also mentions “An ancient church dedicated to the Gojid goddess Valla, or the Great Protector as she was more widely known” though describes it closer to a wooden temple or monastery. Such a reverence for a protector and provider deity would give them great appreciation for the natural world around them, and if we combine that with their burrowing and carving claws, I think that bas-relief and carvings would be especially popular.

Canon makes special mention of great orchards; and if we combine this with their burrowing background we can conclude they didn't have much in the way of plains or fields, native gojid wouldn't have much experience with a distant horizon if not for their evident seafaring ability pre-contact. So their houses and buildings would have less concern of protecting from the wind, like the venlil. They would instead be more focused on protecting from moisture and fallen limbs, which means solid walls and sturdy supports.

While the Gojid would use most of their trees for fruit production, this would also give them a lot of experience with raising lumber forests, which would allow them to have mostly wood architecture. The Federation may not have erased this part of their culture, but they would have thought it primitive or obsolete, so most if not all new buildings would be the usual Fed style: build up, lots of metal and glass, things that would be abundant in space debris.

* Artistic Expression

Offspring explores Gojid music with what browneorum called a Sonophone. A sonophone is a tall woodwind reed instrument, not dissimilar to a baritone clarinet, with a downward facing bell that is to be planted on the floor. The instrument does make its own tones and harmonies, but it is largely designed to encourage the listener to feel the music through the ground.

This is an interpretation that I enjoy, so I will agree that the Gojid have a stronger sense of touch than the average species, and enjoy this sensation as both leisure and stimulation as we would with music. They would have all of the simple instruments, percussion and woodwind; string instruments I believe are a post-contact development due to their lack of string-like resources. The archives confirmed they had firearms before contact, which means they had decent metallurgy. Combine this with a burrowing history, they may have a comparative abundance of metals to use for non-essentials. This lays the groundwork for brass to be possible, though they don't have the lips or facial muscles to use a bell-style mouthpiece. This might instead give them the opportunity to have woodwind-alternate instruments made of brass.

Yes, I am saying the Gojid probably have something similar to a saxophone.

As far as physical art, I believe the Gojid have the most opportunity to build their art into their living spaces, with statues, frescas, murals, and carvings. Their interior spaces, especially religious spaces, would be richly decorated with a combination of realistic depictions and abstract representations, filling spaces and allowing texture to add depth and meaning to the art. More novel, I believe the Gojid would be very practiced in acoustic design, allowing these spaces to be tailored to speaking and performing venues; A priest could give a sermon without electronics, a performance hall would be full stereo.

* Faith

The Archives confirmed that the Protector was the majority faith on the Cradle pre-contact, possibly even only faith. It was revealed as a provider deity, believed to have taught their ancestors agriculture and having created the world for The Gojid. This was corrupted by the Federation to also give the Protector a defender role, demonizing predators and meat-eating as against her creation and plans.

Fanfic has largely kept to this interpretation, though Offspring expands on the Protector faith and what it looked like pre-contact. Offspring’s worldbuilding centers around the Bendara region, so there is a strong possibility for regional variation in the Faith, especially pre-contact as it is canon the Federation enforced a monoculture as part of the uplift process.

The Bendara region hosts an almost pagan-esque faith entirely separate from the Protector, known as the Great Chain of Being. This faith is very old, all but completely extinguished by the time of Braq’s grandmother, who taught Braq what she could of the faith before her passing. One of these lessons was the familial box; a coming-of-age or familial-confirmation ritual in which a person gives the box something emblematic of their regret, and takes from it something an ancestor gave; essentially allowing several generations of family to teach lessons they wish they knew themselves, long after their passing. These boxes and their contents were treasured items, carefully recorded and stored. Whilst a box could be replaced, its contents could not. The chain itself was also an important heirloom, made from a precious metal or similarly long-lasting material.

This early culture was built over by the arrival of a northern culture, who also brought with them the Kay-ut [All Mother] mythology. This faith introduces a family of the Protector, possibly the ‘family’ being the Protector collectively. This faith describes Kay-ut, the All-Mother, as a faceless woman, beautiful and terrible to behold, and is associated with the creation and protection of life, such as by fertility, birth, love, strength, judgment, and totality. Kay-ut gave birth to the daughter Ki-ra, associated with intelligence, craftsmanship, and patience; She gives life its form, and lays out the days ahead. Go-ji is another child of Kay-ut, and a representation of the Gojid themselves; as such, is not necessarily worshiped but rather used to represent the average Gojid in stories. Ki-yu is the son, represented by the moon of the same name. He is associated with burial, death, and humor, and guides the dead to Kay-ut. Ki-yu arrives on every perigee of the moon to collect the bones of the dead, to be given to Ki-ra to be remade anew. Because of this, to exhume a body is to prevent it from being remade, and is therefore considered a mortal sin.

These faiths were heavily modified by the Federation, and in the case of the Chain possibly erased entirely. In the current story, Kay-ut and Ki-ra’s relationship is maintained, but The Protector figure has been modified or introduced to ward off Ki-yu and the predators. Ki-yu is the most changed, where initially he was a description of change and passage, in this new reckoning he is a wicked trickster who brought predators into our world, and was banished for his evil. Every perigee of his moon is his attempt to bring new evil, and it is through the Protector that he is driven off.