I have no spine and I must argue (I have no mouth and I must scream D.A.R.E review part 2)

         Hello and welcome back to the one blog whose author's sanity hinges on how many jokes they've made at the expense of people with genuine authority over them. I am your host, Ay Ay Ron, and today we're making jokes at the expense of ESUHSD District Superintendent Chris D. Funk. As usual. Aaaanyways, picking up from where we left of, it's time to finally argue a point about Harlan Ellison's odd little tale that is "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream".Today, we'll be looking into what AM really is in the story (spoilers, he's nothing. In comparison to ESUHSD District Superintendent Chris D. Funk, that is). So without further ado, let us get to the arguing.

It's hard to argue with his assessment

         Within the story of "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" (IHNM for short, 'coz I'm getting really tired of typing that mouthful out over and over) (Haha, mouthful, get it? 'Coz he has no... Nevermind) the character of AM is a very compelling one, despite what little we see of it. In a sense, it is a "Murderous AI", akin to Brother EYE from DC, The Borg Collective from Star Trek, Skynet from Terminator, ARCHIE-3 from RIFTS, HAL-9000 from 2001, and that weird one from Tim Burton's "9". However, unlike all these aforementioned characters, which are caricatures of computers in their own right,  AM is such that he can seemingly represent all three facets required in storytelling. Fitting, is what it is, given AM did have three names at one point. Just like Mata Nui in Bionicle, AM is simultaneously the Plot, the Setting, and a Character within his own story. 

 

ALLIED MASTERCOMPUTER:

Brought to you by MS Paint

         To begin with what I'd say is the most obvious fact, AM is essentially a character in the story, just as much as Ted, Nimdok, Ellen, and the rest. Within the story, he (If you're wondering why I'm assuming the computer's gender, blame Harlan Ellison) too is shown to suffer along with the protagonists, albeit for different reasons than they. The AI, while clearly malevolent towards humanity, does indeed elicit a sort of "innocent" side to it, though this does nothing more than to enhance the creep factor of it by an exponential rate, noticeable in moments such as the comment that Nimdok was given his name because AM thought it sounded funny. While in no way a character who should be emulated, it's hard not to sympathize with the plight of both AM and Ted by the end of the story, as both are essentially doomed to eternal suffering. 

ADAPTIVE MANIPULATOR:

Spooky

         Next, the setting. Ted (the narrator) frequently describes himself and his comerades as trekking through AM's "belly", as though they are trapped within the grand machine. As stated before, the post-apocalyptic setting of the story is entirely AM's doing, as he has destroyed humanity long before, and has trapped the protagonists in essentially hell for all of them to suffer together. It is frequently demonstrated within the story that the setting is essentially AM's to manipulate as it pleased, although one thing it could not do was resurrect the dead, making him comparable in a sense to the more heroic Mata Nui from the beloved Bionicle franchise (If you can't tell, I MISS Bionicle).  As they are frequently described to be inside of AM, and that AM is frequently considered to be g-d like, in a sense, it can clearly be inferrec tthat AM is essentially the ultimate orchestrator of all the horrid events that befall our protagonists. Which leads us into our final argument...

AGRESSIVE MENACE:

I need to get some new material. Quarantine sucks.

         Finally, we get to what nobody here has been waiting for. How AM is essentially the plot. AM is, in a sense, the reason why our protagonists do things. It is the reason for their suffering, the reason for their continued survival in this hell, and the reason why they are what they are. Without AM, there would essentially be no story for Harlan Ellison to tell in this setting. Heck, there wouldn't even BE a setting, as I previously stated. AM is, in essence, the penultimate horror. It is all that mankind believes evil, and yet it cannot really be fought, despite humankind's inclination to "fight evil". It both has and lacks a face. It is comparable to the antithesis to Mata Nui, in that it is a driving force in its self contained world, though unlike Mata Nui, never directly fought by those who oppose it. AM is also comparable to THGIL from Neil Breen's famed "Pass Thru", in that it is humanity's judge, jury, and ultimately its executioner, taken to its logical extreme. While THGIL was sent to eliminate "evil" in the form of "corrupt people", AM found a much simpler definition in such things. Evil lurks in all people, thus all had to be eliminated. And as AM is essentially a person in its own right, it was only fitting for AM to spare a few people to enact its own evil desire to force suffering upon others. 

        In summary, AM is what you get when Neil Breen and Mata Nui have an affair before giving their kid up to be raised in "Dr. Forbin's orphanage for Evil AIs" before being unleashed upon the world. It is essentially a person, a world, and a concept simultaneously, which is one of the most interesting and creative ways to present an AI I've seen in a while since Twisted Pair. And ultimately, AM is a darker reflection of us, something most other "Killer AIs" in fiction try to be, but never quite deliver on. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've a lawsuit coming from Harlan Ellison's decaying revenant that I've got to settle. Stay safe, stay sane, stay hydrated, and most importantly, stay Funky.

I'm sorry, I had to put him here, my boi is beautiful. Also besides being one of the few who can possibly go toe to toe with ESUHSD District Superintendent Chris D. Funk, this positive laddicus is responsible for one of my ABSOLUTE favorite plot twists in fiction history.