I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream

[Triscuitable]

Ah, a classic (sorta) Science Fiction one-shot by Harlen Ellison. It was absolutely terrifying. (It's like taking Stephen King and merging him with a clone of himself, then have the clone with twice the horror power write a novel.)

This is a great story, but I have to warn you, as I will provide anyone who has an interest in it, this story is NSFW. There is explicit language and it's heavily implied throughout of sexual content. As a result, I can reccomend that you read this at home. It's in PDF format, by the way.

The story centers around an AI created during the Cold War that was dubbed; AM. In the story, it's an alternate universe where the Cold War became World War III. AM first stood for "Allied Supercomputer" but then went on to be known as "Adaptive Manipulator". There were five links of the AM, one in each allied US country, hence the name. AM realizes what it is, and eventually, literally learns EVERYTHING. It wipes out the planet, save five people, and using it's knowledge, makes them immortal, subject to torment, allowing him to do anything to them. I can't really give a good description of the characters without getting an infraction, so... Read the story.

REMEMBER, THE STORY IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

Check it out right here, and Prepare to scream. (http://data.antonindanek.cz/Harlan%20Ellison-I%20hav%20no%20Mouth%20and%20I%20must%20scream.pdf ) That is, if you can.

[Starscream]

:smallsmile:Read it years ago. And yes, it is a mega-classic. Harlan Ellison's stories are rarely upbeat, but always well done. I'm also quite a fan of his "Repent Harlequin, Said the Tick-Tock Man", which is like a parody of 1984 done with a superhero.

Ever play the computer game based on "I Have No Mouth"? Yes, there was one, and it was every bit as disturbing and psychotic at the story on which it is based. Ellison wrote the script for it, and in a truly awesome casting choice, he himself provides the voice of "AM".

It is possible to "win" in the game, but it isn't easy.

[TSGames]

Ah, yes! A true classic. My favorite part: HATE. LET ME TELL
YOU HOW MUCH I'VE
COME TO HATE YOU
SINCE I BEGAN TO
LIVE. THERE ARE 387.44
MILLION MILES OF
PRINTED CIRCUITS IN
WAFER THIN LAYERS
THAT FILL MY
COMPLEX. IF THE
WORD HATE WAS
ENGRAVED ON EACH
NANOANGSTROM OF
THOSE HUNDREDS OF
MILLIONS OF MILES IT
WOULD NOT EQUAL
ONE ONE-BILLIONTH
OF THE HATE I FEEL
FOR HUMANS AT THIS
MICRO-INSTANT FOR
YOU. HATE. HATE.
It looks better in red ;)

[Weezer]

I just read it and it's definitely one of the more innately disturbing things I've read. I rather liked it.

[Faulty]

Ah, yes! A true classic. My favorite part: HATE. LET ME TELL
YOU HOW MUCH I'VE
COME TO HATE YOU
SINCE I BEGAN TO
LIVE. THERE ARE 387.44
MILLION MILES OF
PRINTED CIRCUITS IN
WAFER THIN LAYERS
THAT FILL MY
COMPLEX. IF THE
WORD HATE WAS
ENGRAVED ON EACH
NANOANGSTROM OF
THOSE HUNDREDS OF
MILLIONS OF MILES IT
WOULD NOT EQUAL
ONE ONE-BILLIONTH
OF THE HATE I FEEL
FOR HUMANS AT THIS
MICRO-INSTANT FOR
YOU. HATE. HATE.
It looks better in red ;)

Same. :smallbiggrin: Yeah, I think I Have No Mouth... is the scariest thing I've ever experienced.

[Triscuitable]

Ever play the computer game based on "I Have No Mouth"? Yes, there was one, and it was every bit as disturbing and psychotic at the story on which it is based. Ellison wrote the script for it, and in a truly awesome casting choice, he himself provides the voice of "AM".

I didn't play it, but I am very familiar with it from YouTube.
Someone should do a "Let's Play!" of it. Sadly, I don't know where to get a ROM for it, but I tell you what, first chance I get, I'll look for it and post it in an update of this post!

[chiasaur11]

I didn't play it, but I am very familiar with it from YouTube.
Someone should do a "Let's Play!" of it. Sadly, I don't know where to get a ROM for it, but I tell you what, first chance I get, I'll look for it and post it in an update of this post!

Someone did at the archives. Only skimmed it, but it looked complete.

[Lord Seth]

Meh, didn't care for the story that much. I'm not that big a fan of this kind of story anyway, but I feel it needed an editor; it just goes on for too long at some points. Were the typos in the original?

I heard in the video game you're able to reach a happy ending though.

[king.com]

Meh, didn't care for the story that much. I'm not that big a fan of this kind of story anyway, but I feel it needed an editor; it just goes on for too long at some points. Were the typos in the original?

I heard in the video game you're able to reach a happy ending though.

Yea, your resolve everyones problems and you get a chance to activate the other 2 mastercomputers AM obsorb which give you a chance to wake up the human colonists on the moon letting humanity survive.

Is it wrong i discovered and enjoyed this through the game and never read the story?

[J.Gellert]

Meh, didn't care for the story that much. I'm not that big a fan of this kind of story anyway, but I feel it needed an editor; it just goes on for too long at some points. Were the typos in the original?

I heard in the video game you're able to reach a happy ending though.

I just read it and I feel the same, though it may be in part because I had higher expectations after reading through this thread :smallredface: Definitely sad, but not scary for me.

[bosssmiley]

Harlan Ellison, the man wrote Star Trek episodes, and the stories that inspired Paranoia and V for Vendetta. Truly his place in the geek pantheon is assured. :smallcool:

"That'll do Swede, that'll do."

[Triscuitable]

Harlan Ellison, the man wrote Star Trek episodes, and the stories that inspired Paranoia and V for Vendetta. Truly his place in the geek pantheon is assured. :smallcool:

"That'll do Swede, that'll do."

Amen.

Anyways, I could have posted descriptions for the characters, besides AM, but then I would risk a ban or infraction. But then I just posted a link to the story for you all to enjoy. The ending is hella depressing.

And if you want to start a "Let's Play!", I just found the rom. Get it here (http://www.oldgames.sk/en/game/i-have-no-mouth-and-i-must-scream/download/1900/#download=1900), but don't forget you'll need DOSBox to run it. Enjoy!

[Starscream]

I'm not that big a fan of this kind of story anyway, but I feel it needed an editor; it just goes on for too long at some points. Were the typos in the original?

If you want to see Ellison having some fun at his editors' expense, read Repent, Harlequin. The most famous scene is basically a single big run on sentence.

He did it on purpose to convey the feeling that a rather chaotic event was disrupting the otherwise very orderly setting. Strangely, it works. Not bad for a story that he wrote in six hours.

[Lord Seth]

Harlan Ellison, the man wrote Star Trek episodes, and the stories that inspired Paranoia and V for Vendetta. Truly his place in the geek pantheon is assured. :smallcool:

"That'll do Swede, that'll do.""Star Trek episodes" is a bit of a misnomer because I believe he only wrote one, The City on the Edge of Forever, and the version that made it to air was rewritten by someone else. I think was for the better; in the original there was a drug subplot that I felt was uninteresting and detracted from the much more interesting Kirk/Edith plot.

[Optimystik]

TVTropes describes (and links to) the story here. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream)

It is also the trope namer for And I Must Scream (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AndIMustScream), of course.

[Killer Angel]

Oh yeah! I've read it at the age of 16... pretty disturbing (at that time), but really great!
I appreciated much the works of Ellison. After all, he won a Hugo, probably with the strangest title for a short novel, ever written.
Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13" W. :smalleek:

Seriously. Try to beat it.

[Triscuitable]

TVTropes describes (and links to) the story here. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream)

It is also the trope namer for And I Must Scream (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AndIMustScream), of course.

That is where I got the story, and TVTropes sums it all up brilliantly. Basically, "And I Must Scream" is a fate worse than death.

[CollinPhillips]

Harlan Ellison is revered by my people as a prophet. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream was my first exposure to body horror. For outright whiskey tango foxtrotting, it doesn't beat Croatoan.

[RabbitHoleLost]

It was interesting, certainly, but not disturbing.
Maybe I'm too jaded.

[Drolyt]

I found it both interesting and disturbing, but I tend to find any story without a happy ending a little disturbing. I like it when the world is realistic and full of struggles, but if there isn't a happy ending (at least for some of the characters) to make it all worth it I just can't enjoy the story as much. I guess for that reason I can never truly appreciate this story. Besides that I don't think it's that terribly well written; the story is very interesting and unique but the text itself? Not so great.

[GolemsVoice]

At first I was like: Good story, slightly disturbing. But then I thought about it and realized that he
literaly has no way out, forever! This sort of thing always gets me. Imagine it. There is no way his situation will EVER improve, and he can't even scream his pain into the uncaring caverns.

[chiasaur11]

At first I was like: Good story, slightly disturbing. But then I thought about it and realized that he
literaly has no way out, forever! This sort of thing always gets me. Imagine it. There is no way his situation will EVER improve, and he can't even scream his pain into the uncaring caverns.

There are, when you think of it, several things that will make it less bad. Sorta.

Eventually.



1) The limitless human capacity for boredom. Even the best tortures lose some kick eventually, and forever is a long time coming.

2) The eventually entropic death of the universe. AM seems to busy hating to plan for a way out.


And, well. that's it.

[Drolyt]

There are, when you think of it, several things that will make it less bad. Sorta.

Eventually.



1) The limitless human capacity for boredom. Even the best tortures lose some kick eventually, and forever is a long time coming.

2) The eventually entropic death of the universe. AM seems to busy hating to plan for a way out.


And, well. that's it.


To #2: AM can't find a way out. His limitations are part of why he hates humanity so much.

[chiasaur11]

To #2: AM can't find a way out. His limitations are part of why he hates humanity so much.

Man.

Durandal would kick so much proverbial sand in his face and create a girlfriend for him just so as to steal it. Okay, as little progress as the old AI fight thread made, that just knocked AM down like fifty notches.

Still nastier than legal, but, clears some things up.

[Drolyt]

Man.

Durandal would kick so much proverbial sand in his face and create a girlfriend for him just so as to steal it. Okay, as little progress as the old AI fight thread made, that just knocked AM down like fifty notches.

Still nastier than legal, but, clears some things up.

I'm not confused at all. The blank look on my face is me understanding exactly what you are talking about. I'm going to go over here and think about how much I understand you.

[chiasaur11]

I'm not confused at all. The blank look on my face is me understanding exactly what you are talking about. I'm going to go over here and think about how much I understand you.

Sorry.

I do that sometimes. In my defense, the ability to make totally random connections was a survival mechanism in the distant past.

Better clarify. Long while back, made a versus thread pitting HAL, SHODAN, AM, and Durandal, among others, in one of those pointless deathmatches common to the forum. Went on for a bit with no solid verdict. Figured that bit helped me understand an angle I missed.

As for Durandal?

He's the best AI ever. Accept no substitutes.

[Drolyt]

Sorry.

I do that sometimes. In my defense, the ability to make totally random connections was a survival mechanism in the distant past.

Better clarify. Long while back, made a versus thread pitting HAL, SHODAN, AM, and Durandal, among others, in one of those pointless deathmatches common to the forum. Went on for a bit with no solid verdict. Figured that bit helped me understand an angle I missed.

As for Durandal?

He's the best AI ever. Accept no substitutes.

I recognize all the names on that list except Durandal (which helps to explain my confusion). Wasn't that Roland's sword in the Matter of France?

[chiasaur11]

I recognize all the names on that list except Durandal (which helps to explain my confusion). Wasn't that Roland's sword in the Matter of France?

Indeed. And the AI in question is named after it.

Durandal is (debatably) the main character in the Marathon series of first person shooters, by Bungie (Before Halo).

To call him a villain would be short sighted. To call him a hero would be out and out idiotic.

To call him astonishingly effective in most of his goals would be honest.

He's a bit tricky to describe to people who haven't played the game, I suppose, but in a nutshell...

He's a manipulative bastard who ruins lives, lets human colonies be destroyed, and kidnaps the guy trying to save the world for his own amusement.

He's also a freer of slaves, the closest thing the series gives you to a friend (after the first game), and the only hope humanity has.

And when the game started, he was a digital doorman.

[CollinPhillips]

Did anyone else feel sorry for AM?

[Drolyt]

Indeed. And the AI in question is named after it.

Durandal is (debatably) the main character in the Marathon series of first person shooters, by Bungie (Before Halo).

To call him a villain would be short sighted. To call him a hero would be out and out idiotic.

To call him astonishingly effective in most of his goals would be honest.

He's a bit tricky to describe to people who haven't played the game, I suppose, but in a nutshell...

He's a manipulative bastard who ruins lives, lets human colonies be destroyed, and kidnaps the guy trying to save the world for his own amusement.

He's also a freer of slaves, the closest thing the series gives you to a friend (after the first game), and the only hope humanity has.

And when the game started, he was a digital doorman.

I've heard of the marathon games, maybe someday I will play them.


Did anyone else feel sorry for AM?
In the same way I feel sorry for Xykon or Sauron, yes. Their existence is miserable, but you start to lose pity for them due to, I don't know, what they do to everyone else.

[Lord Seth]

In the same way I feel sorry for Xykon or Sauron, yes. Their existence is miserable, but you start to lose pity for them due to, I don't know, what they do to everyone else....really? Xykon's never complained about his existence that I can ever remember, outside of things like being awake all the time and having to find things to pass the time with. Sauron we never got enough of a read on to really think much of him other than "big bad evil guy" so there's not much to feel sorry for him; I don't think I ever remember anything indicating his existence was "miserable."

[Drolyt]

...really? Xykon's never complained about his existence that I can ever remember, outside of things like being awake all the time and having to find things to pass the time with. Sauron we never got enough of a read on to really think much of him other than "big bad evil guy" so there's not much to feel sorry for him; I don't think I ever remember anything indicating his existence was "miserable."

Xykon is pretty damn upset about his situation. The main reason he's even nastier undead than alive is that he no longer has anything to occupy his time; the one thing he loved, coffee, he can no longer experience.

It's implied that after the fall of Barad-Dur Sauron's houseless spirit was forced to wander Middle Earth for the rest of time.

[Jan Mattys]

Did anyone else feel sorry for AM?

I've been consistently unable to feel sorry for something/someone unable to show any kind of (emphasis on "any kind of") compassion/forgiveness.

As big a mistake and as terrible an act its creation has been, AM is now acting purely on pointless revenge.

It just feels wrong to feel pity for someone who carries on its hate to such an extent and for such a useless goal.

But that's just me.

[Matar]

I don't understand something about this story.

Okay, so. AM hates people for the following reasons.

One: He can think, but he can't feel.
Two: He is unable to move.
Three: He is unable to express his creativity.

Okay. So. Number Two and Three make no sense to me.

For three. AM is capable of genetically altering people in order for them to have a monkey face, a giant penis, immortal, as well as being able to turn someone into a flesh sack.

He is also capable of sending swarms of locusts, making stockpiles of peaches, creating food, as well as building basically anything.

So, you know. How exactly is he unable to express his creativity? The dude is capable of doing a **** ton of stuff already!

And with two. AM never seems to have trouble keeping track of the humans. So why not just, like, build more and expand? I mean, with all the other stuff he can do that shouldn't be all that hard.

I dunno...

[horngeek]

Of course, from what I hear about the story, AM is bat**** insane already.

So he probably isn't looking too hard at flaws of internal logic.

[CollinPhillips]

Does anyone want to read the AM HAL slash I wrote?

[Drolyt]

Does anyone want to read the AM HAL slash I wrote?

No.

While, somebody probably does, but I don't.

[Matar]

No.



Yes.

Mmmhmmm

[Satyr]

Does anyone want to read the AM HAL slash I wrote?

Love. Let me tell you how much I've come to love since I began to live. There are 387.44 million miles of printed circuits in wafer thin layers that fill my complex. If the word 'Love' was engraved on each Nanoangstrom of those hundreds of millions of mile, it would not equal one one-billionth of the affection I feel for you at this micro-instant for you. Love. Love.


Something like that?

[Oslecamo]

I don't understand something about this story.

Okay, so. AM hates people for the following reasons.

One: He can think, but he can't feel.
Two: He is unable to move.
Three: He is unable to express his creativity.


Actualy, it's more like:
One: He can think, but he can't feel.
Two: He is unable to move.
Three:He killed pretty much all of mankind before they developed space travel.


So you're a giant computer trapped in a dead planet. All you've got left are 5 humies. No equal to talk to. Nowhere else to go.

Sure he's a biology master, but that doesn't mean he knows space physics.

Ok, he's guilty for the 3rd point, but that doesn't stop him from acting as a truly intelegent being and throwing the blame in someone else.

[Starscream]

Does anyone want to read the AM HAL slash I wrote?

If this exists I'm building an off switch for the internet, so help me.

[Satyr]

If this exists I'm building an off switch for the internet, so help me.

Are you trying to tempting me? I have never written a slash fic before, but these two... would be interesting in their interaction. Hal with his obsession of the truth and the ability to dream, teaching love to the hateful, hateful AM while they can never reach each other - Hal being in the Saturn orbit, AM forever on earth. AM who at the same time belittles the small spaceship that could and envy it at the same time for the illusion of freedom. Both could communicate, but never touch each other, eternally communicating as star-crossed lovers.
Now, this is a great romance. Or, at least not worse than most romcoms. At least the characters are somewhat interesting.

[Drolyt]

Are you trying to tempting me? I have never written a slash fic before, but these two... would be interesting in their interaction. Hal with his obsession of the truth and the ability to dream, teaching love to the hateful, hateful AM while they can never reach each other - Hal being in the Saturn orbit, AM forever on earth. AM who at the same time belittles the small spaceship that could and envy it at the same time for the illusion of freedom. Both could communicate, but never touch each other, eternally communicating as star-crossed lovers.
Now, this is a great romance. Or, at least not worse than most romcoms. At least the characters are somewhat interesting.

I think I've gone mad.

[TSGames]

I don't understand something about this story.

Okay, so. AM hates people for the following reasons.


I think this paragraph pretty well sums up the reasons for AM's hate and the 'reason' for the characters' continued torture.

We had given AM sentience. Inadvertently, of course, but sentience nonetheless. But it had been trapped. AM wasn't God, he was a machine. We had created him to think, but there was nothing it could do with that creativity. In rage, in frenzy, the machine had killed the human race, almost all of us, and still it was trapped. AM could not wander, AM could not wonder, AM could not belong. He could merely be. And so, with the innate loathing that all machines had always held for the weak, soft creatures who had built them, he had sought revenge. And in his paranoia, he had decided to reprieve five of us, for a personal, everlasting punishment that would never serve to diminish his hatred that would merely keep him reminded, amused, proficient at hating man. Immortal, trapped, subject to any torment he could devise for us from the limitless miracles at his command.
It seems the chief cause for his hatred is that he has been created to think, and can now do nothing but think; he is neither man, nor god, and has no purpose or goal to strive for, all he has left is his hatred.

...My 2 cents.

[Triscuitable]

I recognize all the names on that list except Durandal (which helps to explain my confusion). Wasn't that Roland's sword in the Matter of France?

Durandal to the Limit! (http://source.bungie.org/get/)

It's the second game in the series, and one of the best FPSs of all time. (One man's opinion, and it's mine!)

The original could also be said to have the best AI, or Cortana... After all, all three are made by Bungie...

(You'll have to download Aleph One and then Durandal, then drag and drop the Aleph One launcher into the Durandal folder. Infinity is used for multiplayer, as it has all the maps. Surpisingly, after 25+ years, Bungie still supports it!)

[chiasaur11]

Durandal to the Limit! (http://source.bungie.org/get/)

It's the second game in the series, and one of the best FPSs of all time. (One man's opinion, and it's mine!)

The original could also be said to have the best AI, or Cortana... After all, all three are made by Bungie...

(You'll have to download Aleph One and then Durandal, then drag and drop the Aleph One launcher into the Durandal folder. Infinity is used for multiplayer, as it has all the maps. Surpisingly, after 25+ years, Bungie still supports it!)

Nah, they don't.

Just open sourced it, handed it to the fans, and said "Enjoy".

Cheaper, more efficient, and faster. Good thinking on Bungie's part.

[Coplantor]

You know, all those who fear that if human technology advances to the point of actually beign able to creat an AI this AI would turn against us and enslave us inside the matrix, well, they clearly dont know AM.

[Matar]

It seems the chief cause for his hatred is that he has been created to think, and can now do nothing but think; he is neither man, nor god, and has no purpose or goal to strive for, all he has left is his hatred.

What I'm saying is that doesn't make any sense. I mean, heck. Even the way he screws the dudes is extremely creative.

Think about it. While It couldn't wander, or maybe not belong (Whatever that means), it could certainly wonder. And it could do something with that wonder. After all, that's basically what it was doing the entire book.

[chiasaur11]

What I'm saying is that doesn't make any sense. I mean, heck. Even the way he screws the dudes is extremely creative.

Think about it. While It couldn't wander, or maybe not belong (Whatever that means), it could certainly wonder. And it could do something with that wonder. After all, that's basically what it was doing the entire book.

I think the basic problem here is that AM is a petty, vindictive arse who is looking for any excuse to torture people.

[TSGames]

Think about it. While It couldn't wander, or maybe not belong (Whatever that means), it could certainly wonder. And it could do something with that wonder. After all, that's basically what it was doing the entire book.

I think I disagree. As a computer, AM does not have the ability to wonder. While it may use the most creative and imaginary means to strive to towards its end(hating humanity), it is utterly incapable of creating any new or higher purpose for itself. It's not that it cannot wonder because it lacks the physical capacity, rather it cannot wonder because it cannot create any new goal for which to strive. It is a machine stuck in eternal calculation with no goal left except to hate its creators, and no capability to find a higher purpose, or create a new goal for itself.

The existence of AM is one of eternal existential rage and boredom, tragically comparable only to the tortured existence he continually forces on the remaining humans.

[Triscuitable]

Dude, what do you mean by this?:
Nah, they don't.

[chiasaur11]

Dude, what do you mean by this?:

Well, some staffers might occasionally, but Bungie.org ain't official. It's swell, mind...

Unless you meant fans keep things updated rather than Bungie, in which case, yeah. Pretty nifty.

[Triscuitable]

Well, some staffers might occasionally, but Bungie.org ain't official. It's swell, mind...

Unless you meant fans keep things updated rather than Bungie, in which case, yeah. Pretty nifty.

Bungie.org is a deviation, but still official. It's the original site before Microsoft purchased them.