[Video] Clearly the most important thing right now.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She waves gently as the feed comes on. Behind her there is a large sheet, divided into three categories: 'Heard of', 'Not heard of', and 'Variance'.]

[Her name and Della's are written, in perfect letters, in the first column.]

So I was reading, earlier in the month and had a conversation with Della. Interestingly, despite our different universal backgrounds, we had both heard the trope 'The Butler Did It' - though the books on the train have, thus far, not revealed why this trope is a thing in either of our universes.

As a result, I am curious: in how many of your universes in this something known as well, and are there any variants? For those unaware, the trope refers to fictive mysteries, specifically, wherein the murder taking place in a manor house is presupposed to have been committed by the butler, or head servant.

[Because it wouldn't be Guri if she didn't break it down.]

Oh, and I am unsure what to vote for in terms of room. Perhaps something for the arts? Would that not benefit everyone most?

[Later, she adds a text updated:]

My official vote is for 'pool'.

Comments

Video

[mtsilver_conquor]

Gods, yeah, that's also a trope back home. A really common one in anything mystery-like involving the Kazoku, probably because it's easy to blame a servant.

[:/] I know the general Eselian version is the psychic stablehand did it, and amongst Yamatan shows in general, it's often the conveniently placed Darkened did it.

Re: Video

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She nods]

Yes, unfortunately class prejudices seem a universal as well. But, intriguingly, that is one more for the column.

video;

[irrationally]

[ Leaving aside the topic for murder mysteries for a moment, there's something else about this broadcast that draws Alice's attention much more. In fact, it almost makes her feel a little insecure, though she bites her lip before starting the feed, trying to look more confident than she's feeling once she's visible. ]

Are you unsure of what to vote for? I thought it would be an easy choice for you.

Re: video;

[marvelous_murderbot]

[For her part, she just smiles fondly.]

Hello, Alice. And yes, I haven’t decided which would be of the most benefit to everyone.

[A pause]

Though I am fairly certain the answer isn’t clocks. I cannot see the benefit of massed, synchronized ticking.

Or worse yet, asynchronous.

video

[ourtomorrow]

[ This is the sort of post that Ken, once upon a time, would have ignored. But Ken is not that person any more, and glad of it. Now he thinks it's interesting. (Upon consideration he realizes it's because she's talking about mysteries. Ken is not much of a fiction person, but he's been reading those on the train and....he likes them. It's a puzzle, in words, where justice is done.)

So he decides to be brave, and reply. ]

I'm Ichijouji Ken. My world contains those stories, as well.

And mine.

[ Quoth the giant green larva in the young boy's arms. ]

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She nods, in thanks and acknowledgment, writing Ken’s name in the appropriate column. Then, without any show of surprise, she addresses the larva.]

And your name?

Video

[sos_pilot]

Ahahaha! You really did it!

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She smiles]

Well, of course. It was a curiosity unanswered.

voice

[kumoko]

People who make worlds are super unimaginative... I guess. And kinda mean.

[ look it's not like she hasn't thought about whether people are from fictional universes or what have you, you know! there are a lot of coincidences and a lot of very predictable people, okay? ​but it's probably more likely that fiction echoes reality, right? Like maybe the Void leaks through into dreams?

So really it's the Void's problem--

nope, she's confused herself. ]

And, er, games are good. Just sayin'.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She thinks about this for a long moment before replying.]

Perhaps the latter, yes. But I have seen the carapaces of kilometer-long space wasps made into space-faring mining ships, so I do not think I can agree with the former - that being one example, really.

It could just be that there are predictable patterns of wealth and privilege, which leads to the natural sort of constructed scenarios. But I am merely speculating, of course. I'd have to survey thousands of universes to make that even an educated guess.

And I believe what you say about games is true - but the train does not seem terribly specific on what kind it has in mind.

[acapriciousthing]

My brother's library contains every book never written. It's pretty even between stories where the butler did it and stories that make a point of the butler not having done it.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She nods, listening to that. Which says much and yet not much at all. She gestures at the board.]

So would that be both options, then?

[Video]

[deductiongeek]

[Conan has been summoned by mention of mysteries.]

It exists in my world as well. If you're interested, I bought a lot of mysteries from the train shop and left them in the library was done with them. Its interesting reading the variety of mysteries that were provided.

Re: [Video]

[marvelous_murderbot]

I may already have been reading them, thank you.

[She takes marker in hand.]

And your name would be?

Video

[firewalled]

Yeah, I've definitely heard of that. It's always the butler, or the maid. Or they reference the trope, just to catch you up and make it be someone else.

[He didn't read a lot of mystery novels, but he knows a little bit about how that worked.]

If you don't want the orange team killing you, you miiiight want to vote for the labs. We're kind of in need of the space, since we've just been using the quiet cars.

Re: Video

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She nods]

So your name would be...? [She gestures at the board with the marker in her hand.]

And all the more reason not to - if they are resorting to base threats...

[She's not that literal these days, but it still crops up when it comes to idioms and euphemisms sometimes.]

Video

[deage]

[ There is a small child answering this query. ]

It's common enough to have made it onto Van Dine's 20 rules.

But please vote for the lab.

Re: Video

[marvelous_murderbot]

I have no idea who that is. Or, for that matter, you.

[She indicated the board behind her. Name please.]

And thus far, I believe the nature of recent missions indicates a need for leisure space, to reduce passengers’ anxiety. My initial preference was the arts for that, given their potential value to people, though of course that is less quantifiable. But now I believe I will be voting for the pool.

[Why? Because Alice is a sweet person, even if she would rebel forever at the term. At least in Guri’s book.]

[zombiemessiah]

Oh yeah! I've heard that one.

I can't remember if it came from a board game or old mystery novels, though.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She shrugs.]

One likely inspired the other. What name should I put down, then?

[yondu]

Heard of that'n, yeah.

Also figure I got along with a few butlers what did it! Haaha...

[No love lost for a lot of the people he knows of that actually have butlers.]

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She nods, writing Yondu's name in the appropriate column. It's getting a bit weighted, really.]

I assume, then, you are of a more piratical background?

[labcatte]

That's an old mystery cliche back home too, yeah, even though I can't actually think of anything off the top of my head where the butler actually did do it. At most they were a co-conspirator with a large portion of the other household staff.

[marvelous_murderbot]

That is the frustrating part - I have yet to find a single novel wherein it actually happens. The trope is mysterious in many ways.

Not least of which being this.

[Gesturing at the board, with it's increasingly heavy preponderance]

[tactlesstantei]

Yeah, that’s a known cliche back home. I’m not sure how much that’s actually done anymore, given how known it is, though.

[Then as an afterthought:]

Thankfully I haven’t solved any cases where the butler actually did it, but the closest one was when the victim’s personal assistant did it.

[marvelous_murderbot]

It seems, universally, to be a frequent trope regardless of origin point - yet very few people ever recall the butler actually doing it.

It is very strange.