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Ah, I'm laughing so hard right now. The regards to the school about forgetting to write? More intelligent people create more dumb people? Dependency on computers is a bad thing. Ahaha, priceless. First of all, what do you define as "writing"? I'm pretty sure Shakespeare wouldn't think a computer typing was writing, if he knew what a computer was. "Writing" is not simply the act of writing on paper. It is the communication of information through non-verbal speech. You're not forgetting to write if you overly use computers. I'm pretty sure I haven't written much in my life, but I can write essays and stories, no problems. But that's beside the point. You're not forgetting to write. You're doing it through a new medium. Your comment about "more intelligent people are, the dumber others become" is just plain ridiculous. I don't see any correlation anywhere. There will always be smart people, and there will always be stupid people. It's just how the world is; we can't fix it; deal with it. Bringing your laptop makes you dependent on computers and internet connections. I'm not completely sold on that. The typewriter hasn't replaced pen and paper (and neither has the computer, mind you, not yet), and movies, despite Edison's predictions, did not replace textbooks. People often presume that this "new technology" will soon take over another, older technology, and that is ultimately bad. However, history doesn't agree. It hasn't happened before, and it won't happen. Despite what you believe, we humans will keep following old trends that repeat over history. It's happened with civil rights: first came black males, then women, and now gay marriage. But more importantly, even if the computer does overcome pen and paper, what is bad about that? I'll put an old argument forward: paper comes from trees. But more importantly, it's a new medium overcoming an older medium. The Internet allows communication at speeds previously unimaginable, which can't be duplicated through mail. It allows new ideas to take root and expand like they could not before. The Internet is better and more advanced to mail, and a similar example comes here with computers and writing. Obviously, typing is much quicker and easier than writing. As a writer, it's important to get down ideas, because they tend to be rather transient. The computer was a godsend for me and other writers, making writing easier. And that is what technology is all about: making lives easier. You say that children are playing on laptops instead of playing outside. Well, first, I don't know where you live, but no, this is not completely the case. And yes, there is a gradual trend upwards of computer usage, but what do people tend to do on computers? Facebook. Social networks. Forums. Email. Online games. It's socializing without actually meeting. The jury is out on whether online interactions are worse than face-to-face interactions, but honestly, until there is evidence, this argument is invalid. And what's wrong with being able to use laptops? Do you know that many grandparents don't know how to use a computer? My grandfather is excited because he can use the mouse, goddamn it. Our society is evolving towards a society that is more technologically integrated, and being able to use a computer is going to be as necessary as say, driving. This is because of mankind's pursuit of a more comfortable life for all, because easier typing and faster communication is always more comfortable. In fact, people that are hesitant towards new technology, critical of it, and cling to their typewriters, are our greatest enemies, for they are the most naive and unknowing about the world. They impede our progress as the human race. We can shut them up. Unfortunately, there will always be stupid people in the world, like I said. A new world awaits us. Embrace technology, and move forward, ever forward. One day we will travel the greatest frontier, the black beyond, improve health and cure the illnesses that plague us, and yes, computers will be critical to this process. And we will trip, like we have in the past, but do not listen to the nagging voices that insist that the old ways are best, because they are not. We will learn from our mistakes and just grow further. Soon those nagging voices will quiet, and maybe once and for all.

Hattori jumped a little as the door to the meeting room slammed open. The figure in the doorway removed a motorcycle helmet, revealing a determined, out of breath teen. Grinning like a child, she pointed at Subaru. "Shuu-nii, it's time to go! Kudou-kun's on the move!" The FBI agent smiled, his squinting eyes hidden behind the shine of his eyeglasses, and stood. Hattori watched them go, calling, "Be careful, Masumi, Okiya..." Hattori sighed. He knew their work would be at the place Kudou was, so they'd protect him... but Kazuha. If those guys knew she was his- anything, she'd be in big trouble. Frowning into the receiver, Heiji dialed Kazuha's number, his hand shaking as the call went to voicemail. "Kazuha, ahou, call me when ya get this! Ya hafta stay in yer house, an' don't do anything stupid! I'm coming over." He was up and moving before he'd even disconnected the call."That idiot had better be safe..." Amuro sat in the driver's seat of his car, working over the meanings of the day's events in his mind and staring at an old photograph. As the rain began to fall like tears from the heavens and darkness cast a shadow over his view, a drop landed on the picture, cutting off the two people furthest to the right. He rolled up his window and brushed off the droplet that separated a smiling Akemi and young Erru from Amuro and Shuuichi. Until today, Amuro was the only one left standing... but now, since Erru was back, maybe there was hope that his old rival Akai hadn't been snuffed that easily. I mean, he had Akemi, but he betrayed the syndicate. The one thing I could never do... He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Come on," he said aloud. His voice cracked in the hollow emptiness of the aftermath of a peal of thunder. "I'm not gonna suddenly betray Anokata just to help out that girl... she's none of my business. I've done my job." And nothing more... Even as he said it, Amuro knew the falsehood ringing in his words would be revealed to the boss eventually. No one escaped the boss once roped into the syndicate. There would be fault somewhere, and when that happened, Anokata would dispose of him, just as he had ordered Gin to when Akemi had been found out. With guilt hanging in his gut like lead he remembered that day. "I didn't do anything then, either, and then Akemi was killed... But Amontillado's just an FBI kid, one of Rye's trainees. She means nothing to me, and heaven knows the boss doesn't care..." But you promised Kinzie... Remember the day Akemi died, the unbearable pain? You know why you joined the syndicate; do you want to subject others to that? Is that why you became a detective? Erru is the one person you can still protect... Still shaking his head, he set down the photograph and turned his key in the ignition, turning on the windshield wipers. "This is crazy..." "Let go of me," Erru coughed, struggling against the arm pinned against her throat. Her father, Shinichi's father, the leader of the Black Organization, just laughed. "Show your old man some more respect, Erru-chan. I've stepped on too many people to get here to give up now! Do you know what I had to do to become the new leader? First, I faked my death with a poison I had Atsushi make, thereby freeing myself of you and your mother. But what do you know, it went and took ten years away from me. "I had to relive my school days, create myself a new life... And then I met Yukiko. She was so much more... understanding than Kinzie. I was able to rise to the top of the Organization, and when I took over the role of the syndicate's boss, I gave up the life of a detective and 'settled down' as a traveler and writer. Such freedom was worth the wait, and I even had Shinichi, the son I'd wanted for over ten years..." He glared at Conan now, his gun-hand shaking in anger. "Even you... you went and got involved in the syndicate behind my back, Shinichi... But I guess I owe you some gratitude. I never would've figured out Amontillado's little trick without your having been shrunk... Or maybe I should thank Gin, for using that faulty Apotoxin poison instead of the cyanide I ordered him to carry." Then he gave a quick nod to the space behind him, and Conan spun as an arm constricted him and lifted until he was almost face to face with the glaring, squirming Erru. Gin pressed his gun to Conan's temple as the boss said, "Thank you." Gin smiled, whispering, "This is how it ends for the two of you." As Conan tried to struggle, he pressed his arm tighter against his neck, choking him. With a grin and a nod, Yuusaku added, "My children..." His expression changed to one of pain and surprise as Erru chomped down on his arm, and he recoiled slightly, giving her an opening to duck out of his grip and kick Gin where it hurts. Conan writhed out of the silver-haired man's grip just as Yuusaku recovered, grabbing Erru's shoulder. Conan set his shoes and knocked Gin's legs out from under him, then falling to the ground in a fit of coughing as he finally got to breathe again. Gin hit his head on the door that had struck him earlier, and was out cold before he touched the floor. Erru hit Yuusaku in the nose with an open-palmed strike as he raised his gun arm, forcing him to back away, and reached for the hand that held the firearm. As they struggled, the pistol went off five times, twice into the ceiling, once into the floor, and two shots... Conan couldn't be sure, but through his bleary eyes it looked as though the bullets hadn't traveled clear of the two standing before him. Yuusaku fell, with Erru pinning him down, as the dented door was kicked in, and Sera burst into the room. She dropped to the floor beside Conan, pulling him into a too tight bear hug just as his breathing had become normal, and Subaru entered, stepping over the fallen Gin and kneeling beside Yuusaku. "So, this is the face you've been hiding behind that mask? Honestly I prefer the mask, Kudou Yuusaku..." He took a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, clicking the left into place on his wrist. "You can move now, Erru. He's not going anywhere." The girl didn't respond, leaning shakily over the boss, as he reached for her shoulder. "Erru..." Anokata remained still as she fell against Subaru, who flinched at the sight of red spreading across the two. "Damn..." After attaching the other cuff he turned to Conan, who'd just escaped Sera's crushing hug. "Yuusaku has a bullet wound at the right of his collarbone. I think the exit wound is at his shoulder... And Erru has one to the lower left... she may have a punctured lung, and both of them are already unresponsive. They're losing a lot of blood, and we need to get them out of here." For the third time the door was forced open, a panting Amuro standing at the threshold holding up his pistol and a police badge. He blinked, looked at the scene before him, and pocketed the brandished items, clearing his throat before he could get emotional. "Let's get them to the nearest hospital in my car. I've got a police light in the glove box," he explained. Subaru stood and nodded, lifting Erru and passing her off to Bourbon, no questions asked of the man who had been his enemy. Conan followed, still suspicious of the syndicate member. Hefting up Yuusaku, Okiya let Sera help him carry the man out to the car. As they turned back to retrieve Gin, he appeared from the room, racing down the wooden stairs and ducking into a black porsche that had been waiting. Vodka, Akai thought. With a sigh he dismissed them as currently unimportant. Conan took the cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number quickly, running off in the direction they'd gone. Bourbon called from the driver's seat, "Come on! We have to go!" Subaru nodded and sat in the passenger's seat, glancing back at Sera, who was situated between the wounded lying in the collapsed seats. She was studying the face of her former babysitter and smiling. "This is Erru, isn't it, Shuu-nii?" He nodded as Amuro's gaze snapped in his direction at mention of his name. But Bourbon returned his attention to the road, muttering, "That's not important," as he turned onto the highway, starting up the siren.

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Sorry for double-posting, but it's the only way I could update my art thread with a new (*cough cough*) drawing~ >___<" Anyways, I drew Mavis Vermillion, one of KKLT's two favorite FT characters (the other being Wendy). I'd be truly delighted if (ever) she'll like this XD

Four more days till vacation...

\o/ WELCOMEEEE~ XDDDDDd

WHAT ARE YOU DOING THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! :shock:

here is the HD/HQ Version My link

Sera walked down the sidewalk across the street from where Shinichi had boarded the trolley, her eyes fixed on the figure in front of her. Her target walked with a short, preoccupied stride. The detective looked around cautiously before slipping a piece of paper into the man's closed umbrella and turning to walk in the other direction. "I hope they can figure this out," she sighed, turning into an alley and disappearing through the back door of a restaurant. After she had snuck the paper to him, the man turned left and crossed the street, headed for an apartment building. He pressed the call button carefully and glanced to either side, checking to ensure that he wasn't being followed. The man walked up the stairs and entered the room he was seeking as the door was opened. He sat at a table, joined by the person he was meeting with. "So, ya tell me Kudou's gotten involved with a pretty tough case? I guess ya guys want me ta solve it?" Subaru tugged down the scarf that had covered half of his face, replying, "Hattori Heiji, you are known as the best teen detective in Osaka... The FBI would like you to join Kudou Shinichi on his investigation... Will you do it?" Hattori scoffed, "Of course! There's no way I'd turn down a chance ta show up a detective from Tokyo, especially Kudou~" Subaru nodded. "Good." He fished the paper from his umbrella silently, sliding it across the table to the Osakan detective. He pushed up his glasses, saying, "This message is from other detective called into the case." Hattori raised an eyebrow as he flipped the paper over. "Ah- those guys..." Subaru frowned. "Is something the matter?" "Yeah, there is," Hattori replied, "Kudou's in danger." Shinichi sneezed, blinking. "Must be getting a cold..." The elderly man with the brochure said, "Gezundheit." Shinichi nodded. "Thank you." He smiled. "Or someone's talking about you," Natake muttered. She didn't look up from her book as Shinichi mumbled, "That's just superstition..." The old man nodded, adding, "There's power in superstition, though." Shinichi shrugged, watching the scenery pass. "I guess there's power in anything that is believed..." The trolley stopped fifteen minutes later at a large plaza, and Shinichi climbed down the stairs. The two passengers he'd been talking to did the same, joining him on the sidewalk. "Why don't we take a walking tour together?" the man suggested. Shinichi grinned. "That sounds great!" It would give him a chance to scope out the area and look for clues. Natake frowned and continued reading her book. "I'll... go too." The three of them walked for about ten minutes, the man sharing facts from his brochure and Shinichi adding in bits of history he'd learned from hanging out with Hattori. Then the old man, whose name was Kiichiro, headed into the building they had stopped at, saying that he needed to use the restroom. The girl just stood there, reading. She looked up as Shinichi asked, "Are you going to just stand in the middle of the sidewalk?" Natake nodded. "I was planning on it... why?" "You're in the way," Shinichi sighed, "People can't get through with you standing there..." She closed the book, taking a step to the right. "There..." Shinichi frowned, replying, "That's not what I meant..." Natake glanced at the entrance of the building as the old man emerged, mumbling something under her breath. "What?" She turned to him quickly. "Nothing, Kudou..." As Kiichiro rejoined them, Natake went back to reading. 'What a weird person...' Twenty minutes later the group stopped at a shop that served Okonomiyaki. Kiichiro ordered one with mushrooms and cheese, and Shinichi asked for one with shrimp. Natake closed her book again and set it aside. "I'll eat whatever the cook wants to make..." Shinichi shook his head. "What if he puts in something you don't like, Natake-san?" She glanced at him, replying, "It's a risk I'll take if he enjoys making it... It's something I enjoy, whether I like the ingredients or not..." She frowned, her expression blank. "Anyway, you ordered shrimp... those are worse than whatever he may put in my okonomiyaki." "Excuse me, you two. I'm afraid I have to use the restroom again..." Kiichiro walked off, smiling, and Natake watched him. When he had disappeared from sight, she grabbed Shinichi's arm, studying his clothes and frowning. "What the heck-?" She shushed him. "I'm checking you for listening devices, you idiot..." Natake dug through his pocket, taking out his phone and coin bag and putting them back. "Um... why?" Natake looked at him blankly. "Because that old guy's Bourbon, you moron."

A girl wearing headphones and an indifferent expression slipped into the bathroom at Kansai Hotel, tugging a change of clothes from her duffel bag. She exchanged her collared shirt and tie for a tee shirt displaying a popular band and a jacket, covering her dark red hair with a black baseball cap turned around backward. She threw out the brown contacts that had been left for her, but set a pair of thick-framed glasses at the bridge of her nose. The mp3 player from her pocket was dropped in the bag, swapped for a paperback book titled, "Best Collected Horror Stories." After depositing the duffel bag behind the baggage claim counter, she opened the book to the most worn, dog-eared page within its covers and began to read as she walked. 'The "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.' Shinichi read over the letter twice, his hands shaking. The black organization had introduced another member. Amontillado... Someone was following him around, or had planted a tracer on him. He glanced around quickly, but didn't see any familiar faces. With a relieved sigh, he headed outside, following the flow of traffic down the sidewalk and letting his mind wrap around the case. The caller who had forced him to participate in the 'deduction contest,'... presumably that person... wanted him to find the "Pigeon Among the Cats..." He knew that The Cat Among the Pigeons was an Agatha Christie mystery, and the metaphor and hint led him to believe that he was being called upon to do someone else's recon work. There was a mole in the Black Organization; someone aside from Akai Shuuichi and Hondou Hidemi was leaking information to the police or another enemy of the Organization... When he found out who it was, Shinichi knew the Organization wouldn't just let him be... The informant would most likely be killed, used as an example to discourage others from thinking twice about their alignment. I can't let that happen... but- what about the prize he was so keen to tell me existed? What is it that he holds which could compel me to throw another human being's life away? Shinichi was convinced that there was nothing, but a sense of dread gnawed at his resolve... Impulsively he drew the cell phone from his pocket, dialing the number he needed with shaking fingers. His heart beat louder with each second, the ringing driving blind hope into his heart. 'Please, please pick up...' After five eternally drawn out seconds, the call connected. "Shinichi?!" He almost couldn't find the words, but he managed to whisper, "Ran? Where are you? Are you safe?" A laugh, then a heartfelt reply assured him that she was in no danger. "Shinichi, I'm fine. Dad hasn't been on a dangerous case in weeks, and you know he'd never let me get involved... is something wrong?" Shinichi sighed, then replied, "No, nothing at all... I just met the kid with glasses at the train station, and we decided to play some soccer together." That would explain his absence, and the call... "Train station...? Are you able to come to Beika?" Shinichi let out a mirthless breath. "I don't know... I have a short break right now, but not enough to take the train to the city..." He paused, thinking of what he meant to use the emergency antidote for, and added, "But if I solve this case within twenty-four hours, I promise, I'll come see you." Ran was quiet for a moment, then she responded to the words she had hoped to hear for months, a smile countering the tears in her eyes. "Okay... I'll hold you to that, Shinichi." With a grin, Shinichi said, "I've got to get back to work now so I can get that case finished, okay? I'll just bring Conan with me, since it's nothing dangerous." Just as he was about to hang up, Ran asked, "Will you bring Conan-kun with you when you come? I'd rather he didn't take the train back by himself." Cornered and with no excuses, he grasped at straws, trying to come up with a lie that wouldn't hurt anything. "Ah, well... we finished soccer a little while ago. He said he was actually here to visit Hattori on a surprise visit, so he'll be coming back in a day or two..." He didn't add 'as soon as I get out of your sight and change back.' Ran seemed satisfied with the reply, though her response wasn't exactly happy. "Conan-kun's always running off without telling us. Tell him to call me, okay?" "Alright..." Shinichi smiled, adding, "Bye, Ran." After hanging up he realized he was standing still in the middle of the sidewalk, and immediately began walking. At the intersection and to his right was a trolley, ferrying tourists about Osaka on a sightseeing venture. On a whim he jogged up beside it and scanned the vehicle. The old man from the train was sitting at the back, studying the brochure he still held. With a smile, Shinichi climbed the short stair to the cab. "It's nice to see you again, sir," he said. The man looked up from his booklet, then returned the smile and the greeting. "Hello. Are you enjoying the city?" With a nod, Shinichi replied, "Yeah, it's a great place-" The trolley pulled away from the corner, turning just as a teen in a grey jacket and baseball cap was boarding, which threw her across the laps of a couple of passengers. Shinichi was knocked over as well, and he told himself to remember that trolley floors were really uncomfortable to land on. "Oi, watch it!" the girl called, picking herself up and jamming the cap back down on her head. She glared at the driver as she fixed her glasses. The man turned his head slightly. "Sorry, I didn't see you..." With a frown, the girl picked up her book from the floor, situating herself beside Shinichi, who had managed to stand back up. "Sorry 'bout that," she sighed, dusting off her pants. "My fault I almost missed it." She held out a hand. "I'm Natake," she said. "Ah, Kudou," he replied. Then he froze. Great, I just told my name on a crowded trolley... If somebody is watching, I'm a wide open target now... "Kudou-kun, huh? Nice to meet you." She returned to her book without another word, and Shinichi sighed in relief at the dumb luck that for once, someone hadn't recognized his name. Natake, meanwhile, smiled as she finished the story she'd been reading. 'And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.'

Okay, it's up to you guys! I haven't noticed many views on my latest fic, "It's my mission," and I want to know, what do YOU want to read about? If it's "another anime" or "A chapter of an incomplete" tell here specifically which you mean.

7) break a table

5) I will make up my mind to cheat.

I will commit suicide.

I would panic.

To become a real detective, you need to be intelligent, descriptive, aware of your surroundings, and physically fit. Unfortunately, it doesn't exactly happen like in Shinichi's case. In fact, there are usually no teenage detectives that help out the police, nor is there detectives that solve cases in one day, unless it was a robbery or missing person's case. You'd first need to meet certain requirements depending on where you live. Some people don't ask for a lot when it comes to educational background, others do. Some places, like in Britain, require you to have a certain number of years as a police officer before you can apply. Other places, like in certain US cities, require you to have earned a degree in certain areas before you can. Also, some places don't allow people in with a serious or rather bad criminal record (smart thing to do most times!) Also, you don't just become a private eye like Mouri Kogoro or Sherlock Holmes in an instant. You have to work for the police for a while, the time limit varies, before you can go do your own thing. There are certain things required that Shinichi demonstrates. You need to be physically fit, first off. If you're the type that doesn't do sports or sits around all day, but you want to be a detective, you have to be physically fit. All police officers, including detectives, have to go through a certain test to prove you are fit enough to do the work. Also, you need a sharp mind, and a keen eye for details. Be aware of your surroundings, note the tiniest scratches, every difference in a room or on a person, and such. If you miss something, you could have just missed a logical clue. Like Holmes does, take everything and put it together like a puzzle. If it doesn't make since, see just what it is. You also don't just assume when it comes to murder. You can guess a person's personality from a watch like Holmes did, but NEVER assume a murderer's personality from the clues they left behind. That could mean a serious punishment comes to an innocent person. Also, when doing this, you have to be aware of every word a person says, because it may end up leading to them being revealed to be the murderer. There are two types of detectives mainly; there's the detective we think of, and the forensics detective. Forensics is the more scientific approach to becoming a detective, and requires less physical labor than a regular detective, who has to hunt down criminals with a gun all day. These "detectives" examine bodies, weapons, and objects to search for fingerprints, time of death, cause of death (in case poison or drugs were involved) and more, so if you don't have great physical strength, you don't get queasy, you are good in science, and you would love to be a detective, this job may be something to think about. There's also record investigation, which are detectives that gain background info on a place, person, gang, etc. These people usually need warrants, but can also search through stuff such as credit card records, phone calls, etc. There are also different departments for detectives, like homicide; robbery; burglary; auto theft; organized crimes; missing persons; juvenile crimes; fraud; narcotics; vice; criminal intelligence; aggravated assault/battery; sexual assault; computer crime; domestic violence; surveillance; and arson Overall, it's a more tough and dangerous job than how our heroes like Shinichi and Holmes place it. It requires a lot of work and effort, and could lead to your life being in danger, or even taken. But if you're willing to be a law enforcer rather than a law breaker, and are willing to help out others and work hard, then this is for you. Just don't do it for the donuts. :grin:

first you need an old super awesome scientist who make cool gadgets for you. do that and i'll give you the next step...

First, by not asking this question. .__. Just to let you know: real life detectives don't usually solve cases in less than 24 hours like most cases of Conan/Shinichi. It usually takes yeeeeeeeeears. And remember that they're fictional characters, they aren't real people. Anyway, you can look around the internet for these kinds of things. :3