[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

[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]

[labcatte]

It must have happened in a really old one, I guess. And now it's the only part they remember of that mystery... not even the title or victim or the detective.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She nodded]

It is curious. And coming from far enough back that details have been lost is...plausible.

[labcatte]

I mean, when are you from? I'm from the twenty-forties and the roots of the mystery genre are well over a century and a half in the past. That's definitely long enough for details to be lost over here.

[marvelous_murderbot]

Year 12 after the formation of the Empire, to use the calendar that was current before the last year or so - but I doubt any other would provide you a better reckoning. The origins of our current galactic system go back over 25,000 years, after all.

[It's an old universe, really.]

[labcatte]

[Holy shit.]

... yeah, then it's probably been a while since the mystery genre originated in your world.

[marvelous_murderbot]

I can't speak for all of them, of course. But it's fairly common in human-based cultures across my galaxy, and across other sentient species as well.

[labcatte]

Mystery as a genre? Yeah, I can see that. It can be pretty fun. My abuelita's into them.

[marvelous_murderbot]

Oh, new term - what does abuelita mean?

[labcatte]

Grandmother. It's Spanish. Well, the '-ita' makes it affectionate, so it's maybe more like 'granny?'

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She nods.]

Noted. Thank you for the clarification and specificity.]