Awesome post! You make a lot of great points here. I could do another whole thread on “showing not telling.” Stories get really old when it is just a long list of things that happen, in my opinion. Even if it is just a long list of what characters are thinking, that’s boring.
First person stories are great. I like any story that follows the perspective of one person because of the suspense. Leading readers and the MC astray creates a wonderful conflict that has to be resolved, leading to a more natural plot. This is what I’m attempting to do with my third person limited stories here: only tell the thoughts of the POV character to build suspense.
I will say that I have seen second person work very well to this effect. Stories where the reader is the MC, so “you” are in the story. Authors do have to be careful they do not fall into the many holes that are available here, such as making weak unnamed characters that are forgettable, but second person has the same suspense as first person if done correctly. The best place I have seen this used is on “choose your own path” stories. That is to say, stories where the reader can make choices that affect the story. The ability to control parts of the plot lends itself well to second person. I haven’t tried to use it in any other context.