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Post by Taro Yamada on Jan 26, 2016 2:55:27 GMT -5
There it was. Taro knew that Root was going to be bothering about this trial when he remembers it and he rather get it out of the way now rather than later.
"I voted for Saorise and accused Willow because I knew that Daisuke was the killer. I'll admit, I only figured it out while Monokuma was giving his synopsis on how a trial works, but I figured it out nevertheless."
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Post by Alexander Root on Jan 26, 2016 20:06:40 GMT -5
[googlefont="Berkshire Swash"] Science is the Poetry of Reality Root blinked a couple times before laughing aloud, nearly falling down he was leaning so far back to laugh, feeling his chest tighten up with the extreme exercise it was getting from such a laugh. He leaned back forward, leaning over and using his knees as support. He wiped his eye of a non-existent tear due to laughter and stood back up. To him, it was ridiculous. Sure, he didn't understand people, but Taro? He was pretty sure he would never understand him. While he might not want to, it actually was an infuriating fact that he would just have to ignore, because while Root might be working in order to create a better world, leave a better world for those he cared about, his mind was always thirsting for knowledge, for wanting to know everything he possibly could before he eventually keeled over.
Maybe the fact he remembered those little details from the case would at least solidify the fact Taro would think that there wasn't a memory problem, even if there was a big issue with his memory. However, with more recent things, if someone were to spur the memory, such as asking a question like that, or asking the question about Tamashi being strangled with a sock, especially if those memories were more powerful than others. Being on trial and possibly dying because of the outcome was a strong enough memory to be spurred by simple questions. No wonder he had a feeling that he found Taro annoying. The trial's vagueness was still there but he was remembering bits here and there because of the discussion.
"You actually want me to believe that? You do realize you could've gotten all of us killed. What if enough people were as dumb as you and we didn't vote to convict the obvious murder because of one stupid vote? You could've died. You could've killed everyone. I think it makes more sense you're just an idiot and you're trying to cover your tracks and seem smart."
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Post by Taro Yamada on Jan 26, 2016 21:14:03 GMT -5
Taro chuckled. This was going to get interesting.
"You see, in order to explain my motivations, I have to start from the beginning."
He folded his hands behind him and started pacing like a professor preparing for a lecture.
"You see, when we first found the body, I immediately disregarded Willow as the killer based on the soul fact that he was just as shocked about the corpse as the rest of us. I could do the same for Alexia. When the body announcement played, I could no longer based this logic on everyone else as they were clearly able to prepare for the discovery and could easily feign shock. Plus, the shock from the others would have been delayed. I'll admit I was suspicious of you for standing out from the rest, but decided against it. I first decided to check out the ? ? ? room due to the the obscurity of said room and my personal belief that no one would check it. So, I decided, I would. I grabbed Iocus, which will be explained later as to why him, and headed out towards the ? ? ? room. Within the room, I saw a sheet stained with sharpie and Willow's outfit. You don't actually believe that a survivor cannot tell the difference between marker and blood. They stain differently. But when I saw the outfit, I knew it had to be Willow. At this point, logically, Iocus and I would have to head out to Willow's room to investigate just to keep up appearances. If we were to head to any other room, it wouldn't make sense. We found Willow's clothing and went to the cafe instead? That doesn't make sense for any following up on us to check in. So we had to investigate Willow's room and found some more things that point to Willow's exploded pen and nothing more. I did find it convenient that the marker exploded just when a murder occurs. But I won't bore you with that logic trail. Because you stood out to me previously, I wanted to investigate your room. Once there, I found nothing definitive about the crime scene that could link you to the crime. So you went down to just being a regular suspect rather than a prime suspect. Unfortunately, the time for the trial emerged and Iocus and I was forced to stop investigating and headed off to the trial. Once there, I looked at everyone else very carefully. While everyone was staring at someone else and changing the point of perspective, Daisuke looked straight. Why? Because he already knew who the killer was. It was him. At that point, I decided to put my plan into perspective."
Taro stopped and turned to Root, pointing at him with his elbow still at his side.
"Do you know what my plan consisted of?"
Taro did not give Root enough time to respond.
"Survival. Everything I did during the trial is due to my need to survive. Now, we have a cop, a scientist and a recently departed lawyer. The others, such as Adrianna and Willow, seem to be very capable when it comes to knowledge. So, a bunch of smart people, if one of them decided to kill, who do you think their target would be? An idiot or someone who could possibly solve their murder and get them killed? The obvious answer is someone smart. Probably why Daisuke aimed for someone with a talent of more intellectual persuasion rather than someone with less. It was only just luck he ended up killing two of such talent instead of one. In order to cement myself into the lower category, I have to prove myself to be such of lower intelligence. How do I do such a thing? By simple going for the most idiotic amongst the group. That would have to be someone who didn't even realize his life was at stake. I forced Iocus to become my partner in order to have the comparison between us. If I looked dumber than Iocus, I would be at the bottom of everyone's kill list. Now, how to look even more stupid than to pair off with an idiot? Simple, defend the killer at all costs, no matter how insane the logic is. That was simple enough. Willow was an easy target due to his ink staining half the room with a reddish color. So I pointed the finger at him and would not allow anyone to easily change my mind. Because Daisuke did not argue with my logic or just straight up agreed to my logic, I knew I was on the right track. It helped that I saw Willow talking to Monokuma. That just confirms my assumption that Willow is the culprit to be just nothing more than sheer circumstantial evidence at it's best. I even gave Willow an out by stating that he could have been doing the exact same thing. It wasn't unusual that Monokuma was seen talking to people, so that just further shows that my evidence is faulty and easily disregarded. Staying on course with the sheets and not allowing the discussion to move further was helping me having everyone start disregarding anything I said as falsifications and outright stupid views. All that was left was to get passionate about it. Yelling and cussing tend to allow me to be the center of attention to attract the stupidity I was spewing. Now, not only was I wrong, but I was annoying too. Now everything I said could be disregarded and everyone after that, when they decide to kill someone, will just state that maybe it was a good idea to keep me alive so that I could further derail the trial and give the a better chance of succeeding. Everything after that is just icing on the cake. It helps that Iocus of all people was telling me off. Then all it was left was little things, like completely fucking up the murder order and completely forgetting about evidence that could help my case against Willow. My greatest work on the matter was completely switching up to Iocus, Alexia and Saorise while not even stopping accusing Willow too based on the littlest things like Iocus splitting up from me and Alexia's broken arm, which I so happened to witness."
Taro leaned against the fish wall removing his hat and glasses and pocketing them.
"Now for the answer to your question. As you already know, voting incorrectly can get all of us killed. So why would I vote for Saorise? Simple. Saorise was my last ditch effort to prove that I was an idiot. There was fifteen people including us. You, Willow, Adrianna, Alexia, Joaquinn, Iocus, Mariko and Saorise were not going to vote for Saorise. You all were going to vote for Daisuke. I could see the looks of disgust and confusion. Each and every one of you looked towards Daisuke before voting and I had no reason to suspect that you guys wouldn't. So, with the majority all going to Daisuke, then it's doesn't matter who I voted for. The case was already won. My vote is useless after all of you guys voted."
Taro chuckled a bit before putting his glasses back on his face to hide his scarred eye.
"As for the reason why I'm telling you all this, you believe that everyone is dumber than you. The only possible exception is Mariko, which you believe is incredibly gifted in another aspect of intelligence. So it doesn't really matter what I do, if you do kill someone, nothing I could do to change who your target is. But I highly doubt you'll kill someone, especially since Mariko is still alive. You wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her safety."
Taro smirked. For so long, he wondered why the bad guy would always reveal his evil scheme to the good guys to give them enough time to turn the tables. Simple. They couldn't hold it in. This was the feeling Taro had. His brilliant plan had to be told and he'd rather tell Root then someone who could be a bigger threat to him.
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Post by Alexander Root on Jan 27, 2016 0:01:41 GMT -5
[googlefont="Berkshire Swash"] Science is the Poetry of Reality Well, at least Taro here was giving an overview of the trial. That way, well, he could have notes over it that he could review the coming days, until they are allowed back to their rooms and able to sleep. Oh that would be a glorious day, being able to just lay in a soft bed and rest. Of course, he'd been up this long before, but that was with work, and something to really distract him, but right now he didn't know where he left off, he tried to write it all down, but looking at it didn't make much sense at this point and with the degradation of his logic centers due to the lack of sleep, he doubted he would get anywhere. However, if it got too bad, then he would of course work on it, try to figure it out in order to stay awake, but he wanted that as a last resort, something that could really occupy that last bit when it was harder and harder to stay awake because that was the most reliable activity that he knew that would definitely keep him awake. It was like coffee for him, his work was. He loved his work, and it always made him not want to stop, not to eat or to sleep, no matter what. There were times he'd passed out only to be found by his sister, or his mom, who would insist that he eat. Sometimes his sister would come in and eat with him, to make sure he was eating, or remind him to get some sleep, sometimes forcing him out of his lab and into his room, tearing down his wall of notes if he was particularly stubborn (even if he was pissed at her afterwards for days, he knew she did it because she cared about him). However, because of that training by his family, he had gotten lackadaisical in his ability to stay awake or go without eating for too long. Something he really wished hadn't happened at this point because it was going to make everything harder for him.
Of course, Root was listening and jotting down notes, some things he circled as things he wasn't sure if it was Taro's bias changing his perception or not. He didn't doubt that Taro suspected him at first. Who wouldn't suspect the jerkface scientist who didn't seem to care about anyone (he didn't know he was giving off the impression he liked Mariko)? That'd be his prime suspect too. In fact… he probably suspected himself at one point as well, even though killing someone would be one of those powerful memories that would stick with him, how was he supposed to trust himself when his memory was so faulty? In fact, no one could ever trust themselves, as they could simply repress a memory like that.
However, it was getting to the point that it was tiring to hear Taro speak. The kid sure liked to hear himself, thinking that explaining everything that happened would convince him. Then again, he was walking around like a professor. Fuck professors. They never knew what they were talking about anyways. Just like Taro probably. Damn it felt like he was in one of those stupid classes back in elementary where the teachers just kept teaching things he already knew and surpassed, even if he didn't exactly know this information. It just was something that wasn't that interesting… It got to the point Root's eyes were drooping down threatening to make him fall asleep. However, he caught himself and jerked opened his eyes. Was he done yet?
Nope. Oh! Yes, he got to his point! Wait. Okay, there was at least some sort of thought behind it, but there was one glaring flaw in his 'glorious' plan. It was a flaw Root didn't expect to find, given his little understanding of people, and the fact Taro had to be better at that than him because no one could be as bad as him when it came to people and feelings and stuff like that. Yes! He had bested someone in this respect at least, or at least in this one case he had bested him.
"That's all fine and dandy, Taro, but you're missing one very important thing," Root began with a cocky smirk on his face that he had so very often when he was right and someone else was wrong (or at least in his mind thought was wrong. "Let's say, yes, Daisuke killed Shiro because he was threat in trial to him. Killed Tamashi, two birds with one stone. It's a wonder he didn't kill me too, haha." He paused for a moment. "Anyways, that was a smart move on Daisuke's part, if that really was why he went after Shiro. However, not everyone will think like that, Taro. The fact of the matter is, you were annoying, and that might just prove to be the reason someone kills you, because they cannot stand to be around you anymore. It's a more… human approach, and most people here are, including myself, human. By doing that, you might have painted an even larger target on your back."
"So tell me, when we get farther into this, let's say our numbers dwindle lower and lower, and you magically discover who the killer is, but because you've played the fool, no one listens to you. The killer manipulates everyone into thinking one way, and you can't do anything about it, because no one listens to you. Think in the long run, Taro. You might just end up killing everyone in the end because they don't listen to you. It's like the boy who cried wolf. When the wolf presents itself, you'll get eaten alive."
Root took another moment to pause and gather his thoughts, his brain not working at the highest level it could due to the lack of sleep. He held a hand up indicating he wasn't quite done before he started again. Like Taro, Root liked hearing his own voice as well, but his voice was much more reasonable, Root reasoned with himself, which is why he liked hearing it so much more than Taro's.
"You're right about one thing, however. You can't do anything to change my target… if I end up killing someone that is. Mariko has nothing to do with anything." Of course, he was still going on about the whole 'no I don't like her' sort of appearance, or at least saying it. "I could kill any one of you, and you'd know nothing about it. Good luck trying to figure out who kills next. Good luck figuring out if it was me or not. Because I don't think you're as smart as you say you are. It's just like with memory. If you think something happened, then in your mind it happened, even if it didn't really happen that way. You can look back and say, yeah, I was pretending to be an idiot, I knew all along. I know better than anyone when it comes to perception: just because you look back and think you thought something, doesn't mean you actually thought it. Next time, accuse the right person right off, then maybe I'll believe you."
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Post by Taro Yamada on Jan 27, 2016 0:23:09 GMT -5
"So your memory is faulty." Taro muttered, just barely loud enough for Root to hear.
"Let me address the issues that you have brought up."
He stopped leaning against the tank and turned around to look at the fishes.
"You're first point is my annoying demeanor. I probably seems like I have a bigger target on my back than most. But you forget the simple fact. Only one person can leave. That's right. One person. So, in the end, it doesn't matter who dies in the end, according to the killer, I die too. When they get down to it, I hardly believe that they won't keep a person alive who purposely derail the trial. Survival of the fittest. I have seen it too many times. I highly doubt this one will be a fluke."
He crouched down to get a better line of sight for a purplish fish Taro had kept his eyes on for a while before Root entered the room.
"As for your second point, if fewer and fewer people start dwindling down, then they'll most likely be those of average or below average intelligence with maybe a smart man or two. If I know who did it, then I'll simple weigh my options there. If everyone ignores me, then I'll simple start accusing the wrong man. They'll go out of their way to prove me wrong because I'm annoying and the satisfaction of proving me wrong will be subconsciously in their minds. That's why you and Willow kept on me and tried to prove me wrong or even tried to flat out shut me up. Since we proved the latter is harder than the former, not to mention violent, then I'll eventually lead them to the correct killer."
The fish he was watching went into a rock formation and didn't come back out immediately. Taro sighed and stood up and faced Root once more.
"As to your last point: it's true. That's what a psychologist told me once. It's called a hindsight bias. People think that, in hindsight, they should have caught on to something. But, in reality, they would never have. That's a funny way of the brain. It does a lot of weird stuff. I know a fellow survivor on a pile-up accident when I was 10. Guy lost the ability to understand his native tongue. He could still speak it, and write it perfectly, but couldn't understand it at all. He had to be retaught something he had known since infantry. My point being that the next time the murder occurs, and let's face the fact that it will inevitably come, the first name I give will be the culprit. Then you'll have to figure out why I believe so. Deal?"
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Post by Alexander Root on Jan 27, 2016 17:10:55 GMT -5
[googlefont="Berkshire Swash"] Science is the Poetry of Reality It had been awhile since he had a debate. It was actually more entertaining than he was going to let on. Debating facts were one of Root's favorite past times because he hadn't lost before, he'd always been right, or at least Root liked to believe that he was always right. And in Monoworld there seemed a lack of people to debate with. Of course, Adrianna was easy to debate with, but at the same time, it was just one person. Sure, there were other intelligent people around, but so few had something he really wanted to debate about. If he had the choice of anything, this debate would be low on his list, but he knew he was right and so showing someone how smart he was, even if it was just Taro, was going to be really nice and fun.
However, when Taro crouched down to the fish he was observing, Root's focus was brought back to where he was, and how just behind that glass lie a ton of water ready to crush and drown him. He rather have control over his body and his own survival, and in water, his strength could fail and he would be unable to do anything about it, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from dying because of the crushing water all around him, and the inability to breath due to the lack of oxygen. He caught his breath the whole time Taro was facing away from him, the fear beginning to show on his face once more. However, in the instant Taro turned back around, Root straightened his face, as he couldn't seem fearful in front of anyone, especially not Taro. Then he'd probably mutter something about that too.
"Taro, Taro, Taro," Root began shaking his head as if he were some little boy who did something wrong and he was disappointed in him, as in a way that was what he felt right now. "Survival of the fittest is an outdated phrase with roots in Darwin's theories of evolution. However, the layman, such as yourself, misinterpret the phrase and assume the 'fittest' are those with physical prowess, no matter the level of intelligence. However, throughout time, the fittest has proved to be those with superior intelligent, from the emergence of Homosapiens as the dominant species in this world. Otherwise, we would all be Neanderthals. We would all be dead. The intelligent survive. The intelligent know how to keep others from killing them, how to talk people down. If Tamashi or Shiro were truly smart, they wouldn't have fought or tried to run away, they would have talked Daisuke out of it. The intelligent know not to kill no matter what motive is thrown at them because the perfect crime is abstract, completely and totally impossible in real life, but great in theory. So yes, survival of the fittest. Survival of the smart, the cunning, the intelligent. Therefore, acting like an idiot to survive is just stupid in itself. You assume everyone will think to kill the intelligent people, but most people don't think that way, they don't plan ahead. They think with their heart. Even if they have to get away with it, in the end, they still have to live with their selves. They had to kill someone directly. Monokuma killing the others isn't on them, they can say, but whoever they killed, they killed. In order to live with themselves, would it not be easier to kill someone who was annoying, or disliked?"
Tired of standing, Root took a seat, his body starting to give out because of standing too long. Hm. He needed water. He was talking a lot today and he was low on energy. Debating was fun, but it was also tiring if he was talking to a wall. Then again, with how stubborn he could be, that was the pot calling the kettle black. However, unlike Taro, Root kept his eyes on the one he was talking with, at least most of the time.
"Hindsight bias is not quite the phenomenon I am looking for, though quite similar, and not quite how you describe it. Hindsight bias is looking back and thinking it was predictable after it happened. What I am talking about is the actual memory being altered in your mind. Let's say we're arguing about that giant squid." He pointed to the squid above, though his eyes never leaving Taro. "Its years in the future and we can't come back here, the squid is gone, and somehow you survive this, and I say it was a squid. You say it was an octopus. In both our minds we are right. Our brain actually alters the memory, so we remember it incorrectly. Our brains are very much imperfect. I was not insinuating that my memory is faulty, because its not." He made sure to put stress on that hoping that it would get through his thick skull, "I was pointing out that everyone's memory is faulty, because that is just how a brain processes things, and you might not even realize it."
Finally reaching the end of this debate strand on his end, Root let out an annoyed sound, though his eyes didn't leave his argument's target. "You show me you know who did it at the beginning of the trial, I might believe you. But I am certain that you will prove yourself wrong. If, of course, we are still in our right minds when the trial comes."
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Post by Taro Yamada on Jan 27, 2016 20:26:49 GMT -5
Taro followed Root's finger up to the glass above them to look at the aquatic life above them. Though Taro only saw this interaction as his explanation and viewpoint on life, Root saw it as something else. It wasn't arguing against Taro per se, but arguing for argument sake. Root seemed to be enjoyed by the company of being in a debate. Why wouldn't he? Engaging in a trial-like setting not only helps them out to prepare for their own trial, but also keeps them awake.
"Here." Taro tossed Root a bottle of water, noticing his thirst. "I picked up a spare bottle from the cafe. It isn't open. I'll gladly drink some if you think I poisoned it, though. Never can be too careful in these situations."
Taro continued to look at the squid and it's momentum going back and forth. The movement was perplexing to him. It was so, synchronized.
"I never once stated that survival of the fittest is based on pure strength, which I know is wrong. Unfortunately, you're wrong too. Survival of the fittest means that the people best adapted to the environment survive. The increase in intelligence rather than strength is simple because the society we live in right now does not need strength. Now, people in a culture with absolutely no access to technology, say the Amish, if left alone for an extended period, I believe they would be better equipped for farm labor rather than the ability to create new technology solely because their society does not require it."
He sat down with his back towards the fish tank so he could get both the squid and Root in the same field of vision.
"Sure, we can use our intelligence to stop a murder, but we can also use it to craft a murder we deem unsolvable. The crime doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be good enough to go unsolved. Therefore, I foresee the harder cases coming later when the smarter people realize that the best case scenario for getting out is to wait for people to start dwindling. I bet there is someone out there right now that is holding off on their murder simply because they are gambling with their lives. The longer they wait, the easier the game becomes."
He took a sip of his water out of his inner pocket and put in back in like a flask.
"You do have a point. The annoying and disliked makes for a less heavy load on their morals, but, when weighed, I believe that they will keep me alive as a necessary evil. If not, then they will simply misjudge me as an idiot. They'll try to lure me out, but I won't let them. Shiro was smart enough to realize that he was a target for murder and thought that if we have no idea why Daisuke was in the Supply Store, then it would be harder to figure out who did it. Tamashi died because he was unlucky. That's a major part of survival: sheer luck. In the end, everything we could be doing to protect ourselves could be fucked over by luck. I, for one, am doing things that I believe will increase my chances. My survival is not guaranteed. That is why I am the Ultimate Survivor. The fact that I know that doesn't make me reckless. I am rational and have experience to think things through. It's like one of your science experiments. You don't just mix two chemicals together and see what happens because people consider you the best at science. No, you're the best at science because you think about how the chemicals react on their own and what research tells us what happens when the chemicals are mixed. Then, you decide if you should make the mixture."
Taro looked down to start cleaning off his sunglasses. They have gotten smudged with his fingerprints.
"As to your next point, I can't argue. Are brains are faulty. That's because the faults are do to evolutionary tactics that are no longer needed in today's society."
Taro shrugged. He didn't have any more to say on the matter.
"As to your last point, do you see the water bottle I handed to you? How did I know you were thirsty? Because I have been with enough thirsty people to nail thirstiness. I have been with pilots who caused crashes to know guiltiness and shame by a glance. If I'm not tired enough, I'll be able to spot the killer, but it'll take some time. Hell, Daisuke was just an easy case. I might not know if we're on the right track til a quarter-way through based on their actions during the trial. For example, some who do not speak suddenly dominating the debate looks odd and I'll keep my eyes on them. But that doesn't necessarily mean they did it. It could just mean that they are eager to solve this trial for one reason or another. When I figure it out, you'll be the first to know. But, I hope that you could keep this on the down low. I want to keep my cover for as long as possible."
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Post by Alexander Root on Jan 28, 2016 0:03:54 GMT -5
[googlefont="Berkshire Swash"] Science is the Poetry of Reality Arguing was fun. There was no denying that. He loved to argue with someone, anyone, even himself at times if he couldn't find someone else to argue with. It only made it more apparent that he was smarter than whoever he was debating against. He had yet to find someone to match him, to show that he was wrong in any major instance (even if he may concede small points, his overall idea hadn't been wrong, at least in Root's mind), which made things a little boring at times, but if he wasn't researching, then debating with anything would suffice to occupy his mind.
Root let he bottle of water hit him, seeing as his reflexes were slowed due to the lack of sleep so there was no point in trying to catch it. He stared at the bottle for a moment before he picked it up and threw it back. "Sorry to disappoint, but you're wrong, I'm not thirsty." He was a liar, but he couldn't let Taro have that satisfaction. "Maybe you should get your eyes checked." Right now he didn't feel like actually drinking water, he was mostly musing before that he should get some after this conversation because his throat was getting a bit dry from talking. Drinking water in a place like this would probably make him sick.
"I think you misunderstand. Being able to adapt is based on intelligence as well. Sure, occasionally strength can come into play, but in nearly every situation, intelligence will make it so you can survive. You change the circumstances around you. Stupidity will get you nowhere. Stupidity gets people killed. Like in the last trial, you wasted so much time. The bear forced us to vote before we were ready. You might cause us to not find the true killer in time, we barely managed it last trial."
"No, no, no, you don't understand Taro!" This was a little frustrating, but a little rise in his blood pressure would help keep him awake or kill him, and either way, he'd be okay with whatever happened, because at this point he almost wanted to just die and get over with this torment (and it wasn't just talking with Taro), but of course, he wouldn’t ever actually want to die. "This isn't like the real world. You don't have to know for a fact who did it. You just have to have an inkling on who it might be. You don't have to be proven guilty. There can always be a little bit of doubt. In such a closed system it is impossible to commit any sort of murder without some trace back to you! In the end, the unsolvable crime, the perfect crime, the crime you can get away with in here is just theory, and impossible to put into practice."
Root was still sitting, but as he was instilled with the obligation of looking at the person he was speaking to, he continued to watch Taro, no matter what sort of movement he made, no matter how frustrated he might get with him.
"Luck is a construct for people to simply understand probability on a small scale. All it is, is a calculable probability when an ensemble or assembly is unable to be used in real life. However, instances where 'luck' is truly the factor that effects the end results are very few. Tamashi could have talked Daisuke out of killing him, if he was smart. He could have work his way to change things around. Daisuke was smart enough to be able to turn the knife against Shiro to avoid getting killed himself or else, Daisuke wouldn't have been around for the trial. It was intelligence, knowledge of how to turn that knife against him that truly turned things in favor of Daisuke surviving that encounter."
Root finally laughed, trying to calm himself down so he didn't really snap at Taro. While he might be a jerk, he wasn't stupid, and knew that yelling at someone didn't solve any problems, especially in a situation like they were in. He had to keep his emotions in check at all times.
"I still don't believe it’s a 'cover', Taro," Root scoffed, "And I think the 'it might take some time' is an attempt to buy yourself enough time until we all know who did it. And then we'll have this situation all over again. Just like with an experiment, you have to prove to me that your theory is correct through substantial proof, such as finding out who the killer is before I do. We'll even make it a game. Use some sort of code word to convey to me who you really think did it, without actually accusing them. That shouldn't be so hard of someone with the level of intelligence you claim."
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Post by Taro Yamada on Jan 28, 2016 1:43:18 GMT -5
Taro was not surprised that Root got hit with the water bottle. In retrospect, he should have considered that he was too tired to use his reflects. As to why he didn't drink it, Taro thought it was pride that was preventing Root to quench his thirst. Whatever. It wasn't like he wouldn't get a water bottle later. Preferably, in Root's eyes, without Taro in sight. Reasonably, Taro decided to no longer press the issue. "Probably do. I don't know if you noticed, but my eye has seen, how should I put it, better days."
He continued on with the debate. "Unfortunately Root, I think you are the one who misunderstands. I know intelligence is important to the ability to adapt, much more than strength. But you are still underestimating the concept of strength. Strength built the homes that get heated. Strength protects the money we invest. Strength is what keeps us from being pecked off one by one by a dominant creature that wanders into a suburb. Everything you said about stupidity is true, but the one problem is, I am not stupid. I am only playing the fool. And Monokuma only forced us to vote because we had Daisuke's scar as evidence. We already knew who did it. And I don't believe that a single person in the trial was aware that the two-tone fuck will cut the trial immediately or that there was some time limit involved. So you can't blame me for something I didn't know. That's like blaming you for not being in the Supply Store to prevent the murders. You can't think like that in this game. You just have to keep moving on."
Taro inspected his sunglasses once more and put them back onto his face.
"You forget that none of us are trained professionals. I am pretty sure there were several pieces of evidence no one saw that could directly pin Daisuke to the crime. And I'm not talking about fingerprints. The fact of the matter here is that the murder just has to be unsolvable to the eleven strangers slowly dwindling down to an even more manageable number. The definition of "perfect", in this case, means unsolvable to amateurs. And let's face it. Just randomly strangling someone in the middle of the night with everyone without an alibi makes the case nigh impossible to solve. Sure, it's risky, but doable. It's not impossible to do and, if no one witnesses it, then the murderer can get away with the crime. No blood to clean up, no reason to move it and no evidence that could point back to you. Simple."
Taro looked at his nail. It was clear that somehow it got chipped. He peeled the nail chip off of his finger before continuing his conversation.
"Luck is always a factor. No matter how much you try, you can't escape chance. I have been in plane crashes, traffic pile-ups, earthquakes, elevator malfunctions and, hell, I was even in the reactor that blew up not too long ago. All of those were just luck. It was just luck that the pilots had human error or the plane had a malfunctioning part. It was luck that I got on the elevators destined to crash. Hell, my car broke down randomly when a plane crashed into it. Every one of those was nothing short of a miracle. Every. Single. One. So, it was luck that Tamashi interrupted Daisuke when he did, but smartness has nothing to do with convincing someone not to murder them. Daisuke was lucky that his wound to the chest was superficial, and he ended up being strong enough to push the knife into Shiro. Intelligence, Strength and Luck all work concurrently. Not a single one takes a backseat."
Taro laughed alongside Root. It was ridiculous how serious they were getting what boiled down to philosophy. He took another swig of water.
"Fine. How about this: Whatever name I use in the sentence with the word "eyes" is who I am thinking is the killer. If I use another person's name with the word "eyes" in it, that means I changed my mind and you are right and I'm grasping at straws. But it's easier on me when they don't prepare. They already know the intensity of the courtroom. They'll likely be better at hiding it. But still, I believe that I can get to the culprit before you. Deal?"
Taro extended his hand.
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Post by Alexander Root on Jan 29, 2016 2:05:50 GMT -5
[googlefont="Berkshire Swash"] Science is the Poetry of Reality He misunderstood? He misunderstood? Oh no, no, no, no. He could not let this idiot get away with accusing him of being wrong. For a moment he considered just ending this and leaving, but this punk had the nerve to accuse him of being wrong. No. He was going to show him just how wrong he was, and then kick him while he was down and show him just how stupid all of this was, because Alexander Root was never wrong on matters like this, he didn't misunderstand situations like this. Of course, there was the human aspect where he could occasionally be wrong, but he was pretty darn sure he understood who these fellow students would kill first, because it wasn't him assuming they were professionals, it was Taro making that assumption.
"Sorry, you're wrong, I'm not misunderstanding the situation. You just cannot connect the dots. Here, let me lay it out for you. Strength didn't build homes. Intelligence did. The fact homes can get heated is due to technological innovations. The fact we can build giant skyscrapers is because we are smart enough. We developed the technology and the processes by which we could warm and cool houses, build giant buildings, and everything else humans have created. You don't see monkeys out there building homes with heat. You don't see tigers creating giant cities with tall skyscrapers, despite both species having more strength than humans do. Humans are so much weaker than most other animal species. If a giant tiger came into your neighborhood, you could try to fight it off, but in the end, you'd die. Strength does not keep us safe from other animals that walk into the suburb. If a giant tiger walked into this park right now, the best way to not get killed by it would be find Koji's gun and kill it. Wrestle it if you want, but humans have not survived by being the stronger species. It's the intelligence of the species that has allowed humans to become the dominant animal. If it were strength, then tigers or bears or some other stronger animal would be the dominant. Your examples are great examples of how intelligence has progressed the species. If you're really trying to convince me to your point of view, perhaps you should make stronger points that aren't easily knocked down by logic. I'm not blaming you for something you didn't know, except for the fact you have shown through this conversation that you plan on keep on doing what you're doing, which wastes time, and therefore puts everyone's lives at risk."
Of course, Root couldn't just stop there, he had to tear down every argument this kid made now. He wasn't going to let him beat him, because there was one thing that Root had going for him and it was his brain. He wasn't creative or strong, but he was smart, and he wasn't going to let someone beat him in an argument that required intelligence. Especially when he regarded his opponent as one with little intelligence.
"It is you who make the assumption we are all professionals and would do the 'smart' thing, to eliminate the smart people in order to leave the dumb ones to the trial. You're example has a possibility of working, except for the fact that it would be impossible to lure someone where no one would witness the crime in the middle of the night without any evidence left behind. Footprints, perhaps. A note that lured them to where you killed them. There are so many variables you are not taking into consideration. What if there was a struggle, they made sounds, people heard. What if there was a struggle and they managed to leave a clue or injure you while you squeezed the life out of them? There are so many things and there is absolutely no way to commit a crime, especially in such a small space, but even out in the real world. You simplify the issue way too much. You fail to see all of the variables, and that is what will get you killed eventually."
And boy did he wish that day was right now, because then it would prove him right. However, now was not the time to dwell on how much easier this whole conversation would be if Taro weren't actually around, because in the end, he wouldn't have this distraction from the need for sleep right now. So at least Taro's feeble arguments were proving somewhat useful.
"Luck. Is. Calculable. It's. Not. Random. There are plenty of equations out there that can predict any outcome. Tamashi chose to run. Tamashi could have thought of the possibility of Daisuke throwing something at him, and been prepared, he took his eye off of his predator, and that was why he died. Because he acted on his emotions, because he was afraid and didn't act intelligently. The knife never would have been able to be turned back on Shiro if he wasn't smart about it. Fear got to him too. Instead of taking the chance when he hurt Daisuke to run, while also making sure Daisuke didn't attack him from behind, he paused. And that pause was what killed him. I'm not saying that fear is stupid. We all fear, but they allowed fear to control them, and therefore they died. Every situation can be reversed with intelligence, every problem can be solved if one is smart enough."
Root sighed and shook his head, finally break his look at Taro and looking towards the ground he was sitting on. "Fine. Good luck trying to beat me. You'll need it."
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Post by Taro Yamada on Jan 29, 2016 4:05:46 GMT -5
Now Taro had done it. Root was only fighting back with the sole purpose of keeping himself occupied. Now, it's personal. Apparently, the "misunderstand" comment had pushed Root to reacting the way he did. It was no longer just something to keep Root awake. Now it was to completely dominate Taro and shoot down all logic. Good. Taro was getting slightly bored of explaining himself to Root. But now Root added a fun element to this arguement. Taro started clapping.
"That was a good attempt. Now please don't cry when I rebuttal you into submission." Taro smirked. He stood up, straightened his tie and dusted himself off. He gave a good chuckle and prepared the asskicking he was going to deliver.
"I didn't say that we didn't use intelligence to bring about the concept of building a house. Monkeys and Tigers aren't clever enough to figure out how to build a house. It wouldn't matter anyways. Monkeys and tigers survive their environment without the need of a heated or cooled home. As humans, we survived and adapted all these years by living in caves and wearing clothes that we can't survive the harsh weathers we find ourselves in. Because of that, we need the homes and we have figured out ways to construct said homes. But, intelligence only brought along the concept of a home and how to build it. Strength physically built the houses. Why do you think all construction workers are beefed-up? That's because there jobs mainly require strength over intelligence. An architect mainly uses intelligence over strength. In other words, you can't completely say Strength is useless. It has purpose. As for your arguement concerning the fighting a tiger, who said anything about fighting said tiger alone. In a suburbia, there are at least twenty or so people. Sure, the tiger may kill four or five of them, but they are protecting the youngsters undoubtedly within said suburbia. And that's assuming that no suburbia homes contain a gun. You can't outrun a tiger, so it's pointless to go searching for Koji's gun. The only option is to attack the tiger or hope that the tiger leaves. The latter is just wishful thinking. There are no other options is to attack the tiger. People have fought off sharks before by hitting it before the shark realizes that it's not worth the effort. Same concept can be applied to tigers. Humans have not survived by trying to be rational. They mainly survived by instinct and the strength to be instinctive. Only after they became safe from the wilderness and its enemies did humans begin to get smarter. My main goal during the trials is simply act like an idiot to the extent that people ignore me. If people ignore me, then no time is wasted and the trial will proceed as normal. So you see, if they are smart, they will disregard every word I speak."
Was this how Joaquinn felt? The surge of emotions contradicting everything the apposing part speaks? The feeling of euphoria by proving the other party wrong? Taro felt this rush of delight. This was interesting, far more interesting than anything anyone has ever done during their stay at Monoworld. The trial might have felt like this, but the students showed to much fear to demonstrate this rush. Besides, Taro wasn't even trying that time.
"I never once said we are all professionals. I just said the majority are smart enough to think their crimes through. My example was based around patience. No note to lure the victim out. Everyone here knows that we can easily summon a hand-writing examination as to who wrote the note. Just like Tamashi. Tamashi wandered out of his room. I know that Joaquin and Alexia chose to leave their rooms as we had a conversation in the Magic Castle one night. Whose to say that someone else can leave? And I just simply attack the culprit at the fountain with something from the Hobby Shop. Toss whatever that may be into the fountain and proceed to strangle them with their shoe laces. They're unconscious and, therefore, won't put up a struggle. There. Sure, forensics can get skin cells off of the shoelace. And as far as witnesses go, we can all hear the footprints around Monoworld if it's silent. There. Crime committed with no ties back to me. A crime which anyone can do it and therefore almost impossible to be won by the competing amateurs. By almost impossible, I mean that there's still a chance that they randomly select me to be the culprit by sheer luck."
Root has to feel this too. The fun of a debate. A real debate. He has too. Trying to stay awake be damn. This was much more than that. This was entertainment. This was an absolute delight!
"Luck is calculable. It's not random. But you can only calculate the chance of something to happen. You can't calculate which outcome will happen. You can only calculate which one is more likely to happen. Think of Blackjack. Card counters don't know the exact outcome of every game. They just know what's more likely to happen and react accordingly. Let's pretend we are Tamashi for a second. We freeze time to see Daisuke all bloody and know that a murder has occurred. We don't know it's Shiro, but we know it's somebody. We are able to think of all the outcomes. Daisuke is an athlete. That must mean he is strong. The outcome of attacking him head on will just result in our own deaths. So that's out of the question. So we can't fight Daisuke, but we can flee from Daisuke. No matter how you look at it, the outcome is more reasonable that Tamashi should run rather than attack. He weighed his options and running had the better odds of success. Unfortunately, it still didn't pan out for him. As far as Shiro goes, we don't really know what Shiro did after slicing Daisuke. We only assume he paused. Maybe he sliced Daisuke and Daisuke reacted immediately. We don't know at this point. It really could be anything. I agree that fear can make people stupid, however, the adrenaline from the fear is invaluable. We fear our deaths so our adrenaline pumps us up to avoid it at all costs. Pure instinct keeps us alive. Every situation involves luck. You cannot eliminate that factor. Daisuke didn't know that Shiro was bringing a knife, so he used his instincts to keep him alive before he had a chance to process what was going on. And by wishing me luck, you prove my point. One point we didn't foresee can make or break our arguements, even the word choice. In fact, one of us could completely forget the point of the argument and can't remember how to disprove it. But let's hope that doesn't happen. I want a good fight."
And the atom bomb shall be detonated inside Root in 3...2...1...
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Post by Alexander Root on Jan 29, 2016 15:47:43 GMT -5
[googlefont="Berkshire Swash"] Science is the Poetry of Reality Root was getting annoyed, which was not unreasonable given how wrong Taro was in Root's mind. He was simply spraying lies and he had to combat them. Plus, Root was extra irritable due to not being able to sleep, currently staying up for two days straight. No matter how much a person was used to staying up, there was always the undeniable truth that the brain needed sleep and without it, people weren't as… practiced or nice as they were normally. With Root not being a nice person already, sleep deprivation caused his jerk-face demeanor to be even more present, especially when said person was annoying.
"I don't think you know what rebuttal means. Rebuttal means you actually present points that make sense. You might say something that causes me to pause only to try to interpret the stupidity at which you must operate to not understand the concepts I am trying to convey to you. I'll lay it out a little simpler so your simple mind can at least have a chance of understanding."
Root had his eyes locked back onto Taro and took a deep breath in order to get out his next little speech in one breath, something he usually did in the past when he engaged in a battle of words with someone he deemed beneath him.
"Strength can be useful but not required in order to survive. The construction man? They are a tool of the intelligent people. Strong idiots are simply tools, animals for the intelligent to use for their own needs. We don't need to have construction people, we can build machines that will let us build whatever we need, but we use what the less intelligent as tools so we can rather focus our attentions on more complicated issues. And in return, we make the lives of our tools easier with inventions of phones, or the ability to grow more and better food. It’s a give and take in society, but the stupid would not be able to survive without the intelligent, but the intelligent could survive without the strong. How else would we be able to figure out we needed caves to survive, that caves and homes would protect us? Intelligence."
"If a tiger shows up in Monoworld, it was not a pleasure knowing you, because you'd die. In that suburb, people will not be strong enough to survive without intelligence. I simply was stating two possible recourses, and the smartest being look for a weapon. However, there are plenty of other recourses. A tiger won't attack if you're smart enough and treat it correctly, just like any other animal. Then again, a tiger killing you because you were an idiot and chose to attack it, well that would save any of us from having to kill you to get you out of our hair. "
Root shook his head for a moment considering the next part of Taro's argument and just how simplistic he seemed to think in terms of. He needed to take this complicated thing that was survival, that was supposed to be Taro's area of expertise, and dumb it down to his level. "You keep going in circles and contradicting yourself. I don't even have to make my own arguments. I'll just argue back what you argued to me in the first place: You plan on keep acting dumb, so people will ignore you. If people ignore you, you can't derail the trial. If people ignore you, then you lose all reason for these others not to kill you, even though it was a weak reason in the first place. If everyone ignores you, and you know the real killer, how can you steer the trial to the killer? You say you are trying to actually help the trial in the end, but all you do is either waste time or become ignored. Which one is it? Which does your strategy play to? Will you be ignored or waste a ton of time trying to divert the trial?"
It wasn't helping that Taro was infuriating and he was tired. In fact, he was so tired it was hard to construct any sort of argument without repeating himself, especially seeing how Taro seemed to go in circles when it came to his strategy. Taro was constructing his counterargument for him. Being quiet all trial, that could be smart. Laying out occasional subtle hints or quietly guiding the conversation would be smart. But his strategy was stupid in Root's opinion. He hadn't even thought of the strategy it was so stupid to him.
"Your statement places the assumption that people here are smart enough to think through their crime. That they're professionals. That is what a professional would think. We're not criminals… well most of us aren't, and we're not used to having to think in that manner. It's just not how most people think. It takes a very… different sort of person to be able to commit a crime and think it all the way through. Again, with your example you simplify it again. Every factor. You'd die if you don't return what you used from the Hobby Shop back, it’s a rule. And you continue to assume that even though with as many people we have there is a high chance someone will leave and find you there, just as Tamashi found Daisuke had killed Shiro. And even then there is the problem of how you got them out to the fountain in the first place. Or maybe they brought a knife to protect themselves and you would have the same problem as Daisuke had, because they were ready for you. You just assume that none of that would happen, when you would have to plan for anything that is to happen. One can also assume that the one who strangled the victim is one of the stronger ones. And you still have to live with the guilt without showing it at all. We're real people out here, not cold-blooded murderers. We'd all have some sort of guilt, and there are those in the park who would read that guilt and use it against you, because no matter how talented someone is, they are still human. Unless someone here is truly the SHSL Psychopath or SHSL Actor, then they might be able to hide it. Willow might be able to get away with it, considering his talent."
Again with the luck. Constructing the counterargument so Root didn't even have to really think. "Oh, so that's why they're banned, and get kicked out of casinos. Because it's not a reliable way to win a game of probabilities. Makes sense." Okay. That was a very Root-like sort of thing to say if he wasn't in a debate with someone and he was just being a jerk, though he didn't regret it, and in fact loved the fact he said it.
"Are you even listening to me? When it came to Tamashi, he wasn't wrong with running. It was how he ran. He turned his back to his predator, and died because of it. Allow me to repeat myself again: I'm not saying that fear is stupid. We all fear, but they allowed fear to control them, and therefore they died. Fear is a weapon that if one is smart enough, they can use it against another. We all fear. But it's how we react to fear that allows us to survive. I never said that fear was stupid. I in fact said it wasn't stupid. But the way they both reacted to fear was stupid and got them killed."
Was he trying to make him angry? Root stood up and walked up close to Taro, a look that could kill in his eyes, even if he knew that Taro wouldn't be intimidating; Root was pissed off by his stupidity now instead of mildly amused. "Me wishing you luck was fucking sarcasm. And you assuming that I actually meant it, means you're a fucking idiot and didn't take into account this entire conversation. You didn't think of all that I've said, and put it all together to find that I am a fucking sarcastic person and I was mocking you and your belief in luck."
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Post by Taro Yamada on Jan 29, 2016 20:28:31 GMT -5
"I'm sure your mother wouldn't appreciate that language. Tell me, what was she like?" Taro said.
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Post by Alexander Root on Feb 2, 2016 0:18:38 GMT -5
[googlefont="Berkshire Swash"] Science is the Poetry of Reality Taro didn't even argue back with him. He didn't defend himself. He was admitting defeat basically, seeing as he wasn't going to continue the argument, despite the logical fallacies Root had pointed out in his argument, the structure of his counterargument being blasted to pieces with intelligence. Yet, it didn't feel like a victory when Taro just stopped and said those two sentences to him. Who was he to – Who did he think he – What the hell gave him the right – How could he think that was –
Root took ahold of Taro's shirt, threateningly, even if a survivor wouldn't be intimidated by him because threatening him like this made him feel better about the whole situation, like he wasn't just letting it go, no matter the stupidity of the one he held. He held his other hand clenched to his side, ready to punch, itching to connect the with face in front of him, but controlled by the logical centers of his mind which were slowly turning off with each word Taro had said, and would continue to turn off if Taro pressed the right buttons.
"You don't know my mother. You are not allowed to speak about her. You are not… You will never mention my mother again or you're going to be the next to go. You know, the only reason you're not dead right now, is because I care more about what my mother would think of me because of what I did. You're really, really lucky because… you have no right to speak about my mother, as if you know what she would think." Root let go of Taro's shirt and turned around, but didn't step away. "You want to know what she was like? She was the type of person that deserves the utmost respect. She deserves undying loyalty and love. And you? You're dirt to be trampled over by everyone here. You don't deserve to even mention her."
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Post by Taro Yamada on Feb 2, 2016 2:26:20 GMT -5
"Well, you're right. I don't know her." Taro fixed his tie that Root carelessly crumpled. "But I have a feeling she was artistic, something like Mariko. In fact, exactly like Mariko. Hell, you feel like Mariko embodies whatever Mrs. Root embodies. I mean, why else would you give a flying fuck about what Mariko does? You should have been cussing her out. And by the way you speak of her, I assume she died years ago when you were preteen or somewhere around that time. And that, however the means she died in, I assume you blame yourself for it. Hell, you might even be correct in that regard. And given your overall personality traits, I think you might even hate her for dying before your father. How does it feel to live with a man you hate? Also, when I read your notebook back in your room, a name "Wendy" appeared in it multiple times. Do you think she's a bitch or is she your true love? If it's the latter, than don't cock-tease Mariko like that."
Taro kinda felt bad. He only bothered in participating in the whole arguement was in order to get Root unguarded so he can rapid-fire these questions into him. Well, not really. This was all part of his plan.
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