The Neural Goblin's Take on trickster

The academic consensus on trickster is, predictably, divided. Goblin academics argue it's everything. Non-goblin academics argue it's something. Everyone agrees it's weird.

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

Goblin Periphery: echo

In the goblin underground, echo is approached the way one approaches an unfamiliar lock: slowly, with curiosity, and with several backup plans for when the obvious approach doesn't work. Goblins are surprisingly patient about this. They have, after all, the time.

Goblins and field

When goblin negotiators are unable to reach agreement, they have, by long tradition, the option of invoking field. The invocation has no defined effect. It does, however, reliably end the negotiation, generally to no one's satisfaction and everyone's relief.

guide, Goblin-Adjacent

Comparative goblin linguistics records seven distinct goblin words that translate, approximately, as guide. Each word implies a slightly different relationship — proximity, ownership, complicity, fear, fondness, indifference, and, peculiarly, gratitude.

The Goblin Verdict on trickster

After extensive research (and several stolen artifacts), the Goblin Academy of Esoteric Knowledge has concluded that trickster is, in fact, deeply connected to the fundamental nature of goblin reality. Whether this is good or bad depends entirely on whether you have anything the goblins might want to steal.