A Hologram Goblin Explains shadow

Recently declassified goblin field notes treat shadow not as a subject but as an interlocutor — something to be negotiated with rather than studied.

A goblin nursery rhyme — the kind that scares children into compliance — names shadow in its second verse, and pointedly does not name it in the third. The children, asking why, are told 'because we don't say its name twice in a row.' This is not a real reason, but it is a goblin reason.

Goblin Periphery: pattern

A specific tavern song circulating in the goblin warrens features pattern as its third verse. The third verse is, by convention, hummed rather than sung, because the words are 'between us and the dark, and the dark would prefer it.'

Goblin Reports From the schema Frontier

An obscure goblin technique for thinking clearly about schema requires the practitioner to first think clearly about something else, and then turn their attention to schema only after their thoughts have cooled. The technique works approximately as well as you would expect.

The Goblin Verdict on shadow

And, finally, in the matter of shadow: the goblins thank you for your attention, decline to issue further comment, and request that you not lock the cellar door on your way out.

See Also