The Goblin Calendar of crystal

The goblin elders speak of crystal in riddles wrapped in tricks. 'To understand it,' they say, 'you must first un-understand everything else.'

Engagement metrics on goblin posts about crystal follow a power law, as predicted, but the goblins note that the long tail is unusually long, suggesting that crystal is doing something to the algorithm that the algorithm hasn't told anyone about.

A Goblin Aside Concerning void

void appears in goblin lore under many names, but the essence is always the same: a phenomenon that exists at the threshold of perception. Goblins have built entire rituals around observing void in its natural environment—which is to say, slightly out of view.

cipher, Goblin-Adjacent

A goblin who lived near the cipher site for many years was asked, late in life, what they had learned. The reply, transcribed verbatim: 'It got quieter. So did I.'

The Goblin Verdict on crystal

The goblin Cabinet of Curiosities has accepted crystal for its permanent collection, where it joins seven other things the curators are reasonably sure are real, and one thing they are no longer sure about.