Chekhov MacGuffin

I have some random posts about this on DCTP... --- Team Shin-chan has three not-dead people: Shinichi, Shiho, and Akai, and two traitors: Amuro, Kir (and sort of Vermouth, maybe). Assuming that none of these will be discovered, does this mean the showdown with the boss is going to be repetitions of team Shin-chan sending out a not-dead person/traitor combo and then the boss going "I have a counter for that because I was paranoid!" before finally succumbing to repetitive tactics when temp antidote Shinichi takes the field? --- I think Gin is going to die in the final clash, and chances are he will do so trying to take somebody down with him. (Shiho or Shinichi are likely). Fire, explosions, or collapsing structures are likely to be involved. I think the literary need to cement him as the strongest opponent second to the boss will mean no one person's bullets or actions will be able to take him down completely, which is probably a good thing because a lot of characters owe him some payback. His Porsche may join him in death, because everyone loves expensive car destruction. Bonus points if the Porsche is used to crash a helicopter. --- My current favorite theory with no evidence to support it whatsoever is that the boss has been stuck in the body of a child for 50 some-odd years due to an accident/experiment/miscalculation that also caused Vermouth to stop aging too. He doesn't let anyone see him or hear his voice (besides Vermouth) because it would undermine his authority. The FBI and CIA can't pin him down because no one expects a child mastermind. It would be a pretty damn cool twist and a great final opponent for Conan because he has to trap a mirror of himself in a way that convinces adults, only his doppelganger has decades of experience and the force of the Organization to back him.(This idea is elaborated on in Chek's theories at DCTP's story discussion board) --- I seriously doubt Conan/Shinichi and pals are going to "raid the enemy base." Conan (it will most likely be primarily Conan's intellectual effort) is going to very cleverly trap them by manipulating events so they turn out to his liking. The boss and the rest of the org meanwhile will be doing the same. Shinichi might not even have all his facts lined up going in, but he will somehow manage to pull it out in the end with something jawdropping in its cleverness. How I think the end will work out. I imagine it will go down like a slightly more epic version of the confrontation with Vermouth; Conan will spend the majority of the time laying the plan and figuring out how to use the information accumulated over the course of the series to his advantage. Finally, there will be some triggering event that will cause Conan to put the plan into motion; perhaps the B.O. found out something or is threatening something sacred (like Ran). Conan will probably be flying by the seat of his pants at this point. The action will begin after that with both sides seeking to outmaneuver the other using whatever the triggering event is as a framework/setting. To avoid making the manga too mature, Gosho will "protect" Conan's pals and teen friends by having them primarily contribute in ways that don't involve them maiming people or getting too heavily into the line of fire. The police, the FBI, and Kogoro will be taking and giving out the real injuries on the protagonist's side. I expect that Conan will start cashing in some of his trump cards now. (Kir being a mole; Akai being alive, etc. whatever ones he has going in) Despite Conan's best efforts, everything will fall apart and look hopeless as the boss takes everything in stride and dominates the intellectual playing field with his own cunning traps. It will look pretty grim for Conan. The climax will probably be when Conan (not Shinichi but Conan), seemingly backed into a corner, reveals that the organization walked into his completely amazing, out-from-left-field trap. All of Conan's mysterious actions that didn't fit previously suddenly fall into place. Now is a good time for Conan to reveal his true identity. (Expect Ran to be party to the conversation somehow.) The Syndicate's last ditch struggle will probably involve something blowing up. This will provide a convenient karmic finish for the badguys who are unlikely to get carted off to prison, like Gin. Vermouth will probably have had the opportunity to interfere and ruin Conan's master plan completely, but she will have chosen not to for her own reasons. She may even have helped a little. When the dust has settled, Haibara will complete the antidote and Shinichi and Ran will be together and have their long awaited sappy love confession. (I hope Ran gives him a much deserved slap or fist to the face for lying all this time to her.) Conan/Shinichi will cry. (I'm not sure when or what the situation will be but it is bound to happen.) Also, Ai will genuinely smile, shocking the heck out of everyone including me. She may or may not take the antidote herself. (I think not personally.) I wonder if Ai will have confessed to Conan as well during the course of events? (If so, Conan probably had no idea it was coming.) I'm not sure Kaito Kid will even have a role in the end. --- I think the boss had some relation to a case involving Mouri Kogoro or his family at some point in time, possibly related to why Kogoro became a police officer, or is a Mouri himself. The reason why is because it would be odd story-structure wise to not have all of the three main characters (Kogoro, Ran, Shinichi) significantly involved in the final plot, Gosho likes to connect people in the past (childhood friends, past meetings prior to storyline via school or job, but also coincidental [Heiji-Shinichi, Kaitou Kid-Shinichi, Akai-Vermouth-Ran-Shinichi, Yukiko-Kaitou Kid-Vermouth, Agasa-Miyanos, etc.]), and the Mouri family non-romance history is noticeably blank. --- Vermouth and Jodie still have unfinished business with each other. I imagine the two of them will have their own version of a rematch. Also, I expect Yukiko will play a role, either indirectly by creating a disguise for someone to help out or directly since they two have an unresolved past with one another. If Kaito Kid is going to have a part in the takedown of any B.O. member, it will be Vermouth. (I don't think Kaito will though...) My guess is Vermouth will come cleanly out of the confrontation though, because she is going to need to resolve the "why does Vermouth seem to be betraying the org by not informing them about Conan and Ai" subplot. Also there are "Vermouth's connection to the Miyano's", "Vermouth's aging wonkiness", "Why does Vermouth flip Ai out more than other Org members?", and "Why is Vermouth the boss's favorite?" subplots as well that hasn't been touched on that will need to get wrapped up near the end. I think Shiho Miyano will be involved here. I think Vermouth's part of the final confrontation will emphasize the past of the org, it's research goals, and Vermouth's connection to Ai through her parents rather than the identity of the boss. I think Vermouth is either going to escape or will die by her own action or inaction, with the possibility of her betraying the org in the process rather than Jodie taking her out. Gin's role in the final confrontation will almost certainly be figuring out that it was Conan who has been causing the damage, but not necessarily his identity as Shinichi. Almost every time Gin appears in a confrontation so far, a hint is dropped for him about Conan's interference. Gin just hasn't pieced them together yet, and he will almost certainly be the one who will. Expect him to go after Conan with a vengeance. Also subplots related to him are "his relationship with Shiho", and "his past and motives for working in the org". Akai's vendetta with Gin will almost guarantee an epic matchup between them. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they both take each other out, if only that I would feel really bad for Jodie who would be left behind again... I don't think Shiho will play much of a roll in the confrontation, other than as Gin's target or maybe having a conversation at gunpoint with him. A lot of people have pointed out in the "how will Gin die" thread that Gin is unlikely to get carted of in chains... Akai will definitely have role in the close to the end if his Okiya disguise is not revealed at the finale of the Bourbon arc. My guess is that Conan will use him and Kir if Kir is still unknown as a mole as a trump card against the org, but while "causing the org damage" will not be the "critical hit" Conan hoped because the boss has mad intelligence/caution/anticipation skills. My guess is that Conan's plan will appear to go to hell in a handbasket, but then it is revealed at the end that in easily overlooked insignificant details Conan had been laying the foundation for a master plan. I think Kogoro and Ran and probably no one else will be Conan's primary "helpers" in the confrontation with the boss. I also think a temporary antidote will be involved as well which will invoke the Conan=Shinichi reveal. --- This one edited some. After the final confrontation, Shinichi takes the permanent antidote and he and Ran get together. Ran will definitely cry. They'll finally kiss or at least try to. Ran will have saved Shinichi at some point during the final confrontation. She will also have been made a damsel in distress. Kogoro will get a shining moment. If Kogoro knew Shinichi was Conan, we find out Kogoro was hitting Conan every time he was looking too smart as a warning, not because he hated kids. Maybe he suspected Conan was Shinichi all along and simply played the role because he was waiting for Shinichi to reach a point where he could tell Kogoro the truth. Shiho may take a temporary antidote for purposes of the last battle but she never takes the complete version because she wants to remain as Ai Haibara. The detective kids figure out/directly observe Conan was Shinichi and are made to keep quiet about it because deaging shouldn't become known to the world. Ayumi cries. Haibara gets revenge on Shinichi for this somehow per the promise she made about not making Ayumi cry. Vermouth either betrays the org by either helping Shinichi at some point in the last fight or more likely pseudo-betrays by choosing inaction during a particular situation which allows Conan to get a key advantage. She either dies or escapes. I favor escaping. Maybe she will steal a permanent antidote from Haibara and age properly. I don't think Jodie will get her. Vodka gets arrested. If Akai and Shiho never had their talk at the end of the Bourbon arc and Akai is not dead now, they have their chitchat now. Heiji actually figures out what those weird feeling towards Kazuha mean. She will call him an idiot multiple times. Kaito Kid doesn't get caught nor has much contribution to the finale. Kogoro and Eri may or may not get back together, but they'll have a talk and resolve some of their differences. They'll have a comedic argument during this however. --- I think each of the major factions (FBI, Police, Hattori) will chip something in on the final sprint to the end. The "final showdown" so to speak will probably only involve the core characters; however, Gosho leads in to the org showdowns in the form of an "investigation phase": cases where incidentally Conan gathers hints and tries to piece the picture together. My guess is that each major party will chip in some necessary observation or clue during the "investigation phase" to help Conan assemble the final puzzle. This way, everyone gets to help out, but avoids cluttering the storyline with too many people at the same time. An alternate way would be to have an extended final showdown which is broken into sections where different groups of characters are important, culminating in a "final final showdown" where only the core characters take part. ...Or some combination of both... --- Haibara will stay as Haibara in the end even though I don't think she would run away from her crimes if she took the antidote. The primary reason I think she will stay small is because she has no one to go back to as Shiho, but has made a lot of contacts as Ai; Shiho has no future, but Ai does. --- DCTP just went offline so I will have to search for more posts later.

The guitars switch by the time the dolly is rolled by. That's what it looks like to me.

https://www.facebook.com/508258949226063/photos/pcb.1006828342702452/1006828102702476/?type=3 http://pre04.deviantart.net/50a8/th/pre/f/2014/207/8/6/picspam__1__shuukichi_haneda_x_miyamoto_yumi_by_kkaito_ddinh1413-d7sba7d.png Don't tell me it's another Ethan Hondou situation...

（° Д°）

It varies. Some of the tricks are realistic. Others are prone to failure and lucky circumstances. Some are pretty bizarre and probably wouldn't work in real life without someone noticing. A lot of the locked room tricks where the door is locked from the outside are possible in real life. I have tried a few of them. There was one involving a hotel room lock bar and scotch tape in the manga which left behind a tiny bit of tape and a sticky residue as evidence, but when I tried it for myself, I left no evidence on the bar at all. About the tea and the snake venom, there is at least one scientific paper looking at the effectiveness of tea on venom that says there are positive benefits. However, no medical group I have seen recommends doing anything beyond cleaning the affected area with soap and water. The problem is that any liquid you pour on the bite won't penetrate into the bitten tissue, so most pour-X-on-the-snakebite recommendations are more wives tales. I live in a place with many poisonous snakes, and the typical first aid instructions are to make sure the person holds still while waiting for medical attention to arrive. The perosn must stay calm to keep the heart rate down, and the bitten area must be kept immobile with a loose stick splint and well below the level of the heart to keep the venom from spreading and affecting internal organs. If you have a snakebite kit, you use that instead while waiting for medical attention to arrive. Also take off any rings or tight anything because those will get trapped and cause the skin to split open if swelling starts.

Re: this whole phone conversation Keep in mind that tech turnover in DC follows real life time passage, not in-comic time passage because Gosho doesn't want his characters to appear old-fashioned. If they are upgrading phones in line with real-life phone schedules, then there really is no problem. (Although it becomes much harder to match phones.) I'm not convinced that Gosho is being very careful about drawing the phone models. Before making conclusions on Shuu and bro's phones, I think you all should also evaluate the attention-to-detail and art progression of other characters's phones (Ran, Conan, Ai) as controls because we know they aren't switching models all that frequently. People who routinely use burners (because they are doing illegal things and trying to evade law enforcement monitoring) may switch as frequently as weekly or monthly. After Amuro's showdown with Okiya, Shuu should probably switch his phone just in case Amuro did some DC magic hacking ahead of the showdown.

That was one of things I tried to deal with in the BO wiki article. That one statement seems to contradict everything else seen in the canon and official guidebooks, which I noted. We have evidence to support ranking like Amuro needing to ask for permission to see the files on Akai's death, the FBI acknowledging the existence of executive agents, Rum being the number 2 (there should be no rank), and Akai being asked to work under Gin (not equal to him) when codenamed....

The floating timeline (that's the proper term!) is definitely a choice Gosho has made deliberately. I should mention it on the Internal rules in Detective Conan page.

I remember in my early days getting in an edit war about eastern vs western name order, and was rightfully overruled and told to use Japanese names with western order like we do for the rest of the pages. As for the others, I'm not sure. Usually I heave this sort of thing up to Skyechan.

I am super thrilled for the anime. I have checked out the manga and it wasn't half bad. I think Ace Attorney is the sort of game that translates well into animation. I am sad that Dai Gyakuten Saiban has not been confirmed for Western release. The news is that AA6 will have priority. DGS in English may still have chance, but it will be likely after the release of the whole trilogy (assuming the Japanese sales are good enough). TBH, I think DGS is more promising than AA6....

Detective Conan's find-where-the-culrit-has-hid-the-cyanide cases have made me more aware of how I can spread lab chemicals with my fingers. If Person A opened the fridge with a little osmium tetroxide on their gloves, Person B could get it on their bare hands if they peeked in the fridge later to make sure they had enough left-over buffer to run another experiment. It's not a critical issue because the daily-use chemicals are mostly harmless, but I am now more proactive about observing places where both gloved and barehanded people touch and cleaning them regularly, like the edges of tables, the microscope focus knob, or the sink faucets. Places where they enforce strict glove rules to segregate areas and items that can and can't be touched barehanded seem to be the most effective at preventing accidental spread. It works better when one whole room follows the same rules rather than part of a room.

\o/

I recommend imgur highly. It lets you batch upload quickly, which is what I did with the postcards and doesn't make downloading hard.

I feel like that was round 2 of suspicion which kind of quit/resolved after Ran learned Shinichi's phone number (483). This round 3 technically started back in 188 but has only become an issue since file 651/693.

For some reason the suspicions arcs have always progressed in Heiji cases recently. It started with Murderer, Kudo Shinichi and then The Whereabouts of the Embarrassing Charm when Ran comments about Conan's fingerprints being on Heiji's onamori. There have been more incidents since then, but I can't remember the exact chapters.

I will add the car and upload some of your pictures if you don't mind. I have done all but point three on the Akemi one. I am still trying to figure out point three. Ugh, photobucket. That site makes saving pictures so obnoxious. It doesn't let you right click and you have to enable a million scripts to see the image. I'm going to have to try something else because I don't want to printscreen and crop 15 times.

Do you want this thread moved to the art section, or so you want this to stay as your introduction thread?

I'll try to do something.

Eh, Vermouth's arc used the same mystery tactics as Kir's and Bourbon's. True, the clues were harder to spot and fewer in number, but you definitely could see the writing on the wall from a ways out. Once you got the feeling Jodie was not Vermouth but was actually hunting her instead (the biggest easy to spot clue was the fact that Jodie chose a high school position, not elementary school where Haibara and Conan were), then suspicion fell sharply on Araide. The big difference was that it was the first arc mystery where the reader had to hunt for a BO, so readers didn't have the learned experience yet. Also there were no internet forums to collaborate on back then, like edogawa proboards or early stage DCTP.