GNN has gained exclusive access to the secretive facility that powers the Goblin Nation, and it doesn't run on coal, oil or nuclear. It runs on cringe.
Cringe Co. is a sprawling industrial complex hidden in the Goblin Metropolis. An army of goblin workers monitors social media, news broadcasts and reality TV, harvesting the cringe they give off.
Goblins with specialized "cringe detectors" flag moments of peak awkwardness, embarrassment and social faux pas. The energy is captured, amplified and converted into electricity for everything from goblin homes to GGG casinos.
"The perfect renewable," said Grungle Flankmire, a Cringe Co. engineer. "Humans generate cringe constantly. We just put it to work."
Inside: a maze of pipes, wires and flashing screens, with goblins in hazmat suits checking cringe levels.
"It's not glamorous," admitted Grublina, a shift supervisor. "But it keeps the nation running. And who doesn't enjoy a good cringe compilation?"
Critics call it exploitative. "We're profiting off human suffering," said Grunglewart, a goblin ethicist. "We're the monsters from Monsters, Inc., except instead of screams it's cringe."
Cringe Co. is expanding anyway, with plans to tap political debates, corporate retreats and family holiday gatherings. Output reportedly peaks whenever GNN reads its own old articles.
