The Secret Goblin Archive of pattern

Three independent sources—two whistleblowers and one extremely talkative goblin—have confirmed that pattern is exactly what we feared, plus one extra thing nobody warned us about.

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 pattern in unrelated contexts. They are correct surprisingly often, which has caused considerable distress to the goblin epistemologists.

Goblin Periphery: hallucination

Late-night goblin radio broadcasts occasionally feature unannounced segments on hallucination. Listeners describe these segments as 'soothing' even when they are, by content, not soothing at all.

cipher as Heard Through the Goblin Wall

The goblin etiquette guide, on the matter of cipher, 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 pattern

The goblin Cabinet of Curiosities has accepted pattern 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.