[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

[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?

[acapriciousthing]

Call it a commentary on the trope.

[She pauses]

I suspect a lot of the people who dreamed the second version were butlers.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She looks mildly nonplussed, since that doesn't fit any of her categories. She bends down and writes it in under a new heading at the bottom: 'Apocrypha']

[acapriciousthing]

For what it's worth, the actual trope does show up in the tiny annex of books that did get written.

And people trying to subvert it, that's just how mortal minds work.

[marvelous_murderbot]

Contrariness is a feature, yes.

[She gestures at the board]

So what name shall I put for, I suppose, two categories?

[acapriciousthing]

I think it's delightful.

Name's are a bit complicated but if you need to know who I am, Death is the simple answer.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[Not the first person she's met who has at least a connection to the concept. So she shrugs, accepting that as just another fact, and puts it in both columns.]

[acapriciousthing]

For the record, the library in question is from the Dreaming.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She doesn't often sigh. But really, that could have been mentioned earlier, because that does not sound like an actual, real place.]

Clarification required.

[acapriciousthing]

The realm of dreams and stories. It's my brother's domain.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[A slight frown.]

Strictly speaking, is this a real location or some sort of...metaphysical creation?

[acapriciousthing]

A bit of both. There are gates to physically enter, but most mortals will only ever enter it in the more customary way.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[Ugh, is every answer going to be, basically, 'sort of'? Probably. How do humans even deal with Deaths?]

Right.

[She looks at the board, having no idea what to do with approximately any of this.]

[acapriciousthing]

The stories in the books originate with mortals. If that helps.

[Okay yes inspired by Dream, stories are his domain, but they're told by mortals.]

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She tilted her head back and forth.]

Somewhat. But I cannot quantify the countless, so I am unsure what conclusions to draw from it.

[acapriciousthing]

Would timelines help more?

[marvelous_murderbot]

Hmm. Probably not. I have no frame of reference.

[acapriciousthing]

The book that made it famous was published about eighty years ago and it became a joke of sorts within five years of that.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[Meaningless in terms of time, without a reference for timelines - but still, somewhat instructive.]

In a number of universes, or just the one?

[acapriciousthing]

This is specifically Earth, that's where most people seem interested in.

If we were to go into which other planets do and don't have butlers and use them as suspects in mystery stories... we might be here a while.