Posthuman Goblins Reflect on ritual

Researchers at the Goblin Institute of Esoteric Knowledge have classified ritual as a Category-4 Phenomenon: 'Real enough to matter, unreal enough to be goblin business.'

A specific kind of goblin — call them the apopheniacs, though they have several less polite names for themselves — devote their entire mental architecture to spotting ritual in unrelated contexts. They are correct surprisingly often, which has caused considerable distress to the goblin epistemologists.

Goblin Periphery: goblin

A goblin field anthropologist embedded for six seasons with the goblin-curious sept produced a single page of conclusions, the most quoted being: 'They love it. They cannot stop loving it. It does not love them back. They love it anyway.'

Salvage Notes: chronicles

The goblin etiquette guide, on the matter of chronicles, advises hosts to 'mention it once, in passing, without lingering.' Departing guests should not be asked their thoughts on it. This is considered firm.

The Goblin Verdict on ritual

Goblin academic publishing convention requires the closing paragraph to gesture toward future work. Future work on ritual is anticipated, planned, and already, in some quarters, mildly resented. The goblins will press on regardless.