#i'm very familiar with the generic mechanics of intrigue and misdirection and obscured reveal

[pochapal]

Have you ever read a mystery novel?

is. is umineko not fulfilling that requirement. lol.

more seriously i've not really For Fun read an actual mystery novel. i studied a couple in my undergrad writing degree but anything i could have learned there i taught myself when i was in my danganronpa phase and needed to figure out how to construct a compelling mystery narrative for a fanfic. outside of that my main genre's more horror and also whatever homestuck is but i think in many cases horror and mystery are very close to being the same thing except instead of pivoting to working out a solution to the conundrum halfway through the story in a horror novel the mystery remains unsolved and people start dying instead. a lot of the things i'm into i was drawn to due to overarching mysteries and unanswered questions so my preferred mode of engagement with fiction Is stuff that expects you to be trying to figure out what's going on as you read even if this does not necessarily take the form of the conventional mystery genre.