Portal 2

[Lythiaren]

Fuel for the "Chell is Cave's daughter" theory: she's the only person on the testing list to have her surname redacted. Why?

 

Fuel for the "Caroline is Cave's wife" theory: Portrait of a Lady.

 

Speaking of Rattmann, who else has heard that he's seen in the opera sequence? I've watched it like six times and I know exactly what and where they see him, but... I see a boxcrab. Anyone else?

 

 

... I like the boxcrabs, I think they're adorable. ;;

[Kukilunestar]

I love this game! And I now want Wheatley's Voice Actor to make books on tape, I could listen to him for days X3

 

Honestly, I think that either A. Caroline is still alive, is back in control, and that she lied about being deleted. Mostly so Chell wouldn't go back to the center and try to get her out of the GlaDOS and so she could move on with her life.

 

Or B. Caroline is in the Companion Cube, perfectly fine. Considering if you pick up the Other Companion Cubes in the game and they play music, who's to say that if you pick that one up, Caroline can speak through it.

 

Also, I firmly believe that On Wheatley's journey through the cosmos he finds (MORE SPOILER) Gnome Chompsky and they become the best of friends

[evilbunny405]

Me: I'm in space x100

My dad: You...are a moron

Me: I AM NOT A MOROOOOON!

:3

 

Heh. I actually think the boxcrabs are adorable as well. But I'm scared of the regular turrets... to kill them I run up to them and randomly mash buttons. It usually works.

[Dr. Paine]

It's nice I see the whole Companion Cube thing in the same light...

 

And I guess this does help confirm that the ties between Portal and Half Life are still there, and things still could go to hell at any moment.

 

And when the hell did any Companion Cubes play music? ._.

Edited April 26, 2011 by Dr. Paine

[funky3000]

I preordered it and beat it a couple days ago.

 

I have to say, I loved it. Comparing beginning to end, both GLaDOS and Wheatley changed dramatically. GLaDOS used to be a monster, while Wheatley was your friend. Then GLaDOS became very nice, while Wheatley only wanted you destroyed.

 

The boss was really fun. You have to put 3 corrupt cores into Wheatley and then start the core transfer process. But it turns out Wheatley trapped the button and it explodes. But you are still alive. The white goo from before was mentioned to be made of moon dust. A hole in the ceiling falls and you shoot a portal to the moon, sucking Wheatley and you through it. Wheatley is allowed through the portal and GLaDOS saves you. Space, I'm in space. Space spaaaace. I'm in space. I love space. The turret song and credits song were pure awesomeness.

 

Some people I have seen think that Caroline is GLaDOS and Chell's mother and Cave is Chell's father. If you look at the overgrown potato in the Bring Your Daughter to Work Day projects, you can see By Chell on it. Chell must be the daughter of an employee. Also, she would be an orphan as her parents are dead. GLaDOS must be Caroline because she responded at the same time with the same words to Cave: Yes Mr. Johnson. There are quite a few other things. But I will always believe it is Cave Johnson, Caroline Johnson, and Chell Johnson. CJ, CJ, CJ.

 

How many of you saved the turret on the turret redemption line? I did. He was just too cute to be left to burn. And polite at that. And smart.

 

I also thought the Turret Cubes were cute. I wouldn't exactly call it snarling, more like "wth am I?" What am I doing? Who are you?" They are cute. Except Wheatly could have done a better job at making them. Some are built better than others, but all of them look to be a bit choppy during the building process.

[wonton55912]

How exactly did we find out that her name was Chell?

Whatever. I'm still stuck.

[Dr. Paine]

Yep, I saved little Prometheus :> And set him/her (all normal turrets are girls to me, but Prometheus is a masculine name ) a little before the emancipation grid, so she didn't get vaporized.

 

The name on the potato project could well be an easter egg, though it's more likely that Chell is the child of a random employee than related to Cave and/or Caroline, but even then, it's unlikely- ages just don't match up (Cave was on death's door/dead by the time Chell would have been born, and Caroline would be going through menopause/would be GLaDOS. General consensus is that Chell was born sometime in the 80's, and I've seen interview snippets that place Portal 1 somewhere around 2010) , and the writers have stated there was no cloning or anything going on with Chell. She's just a normal human.

 

My thoughts:

 

Chell is indeed an orphan. During the ARG, you could see notes about the four main Aperture test subjects, the ideal ones were orphans. That note also mentioned Aperture brand/sponsored orphanages. It's entirely possible Chell grew up in one (at least for some time- my personal canon is that she was one of the kids who never managed to leave the system), and when she was older, ended up volunteering for/being volunteered for testing.

 

The Lab Rat comic also places her as an adult when she got into testing, so it's just very unlikely that she was involved with Bring Your Daughter to Work Day- that was the day GLaDOS took over, and if Chell was there, she would have been ten or so. Being put in stasis would have stunted/totally prevented aging, so that's out.

 

We learned Chell's name back in Portal 1, in the end credits.

 

"Thanks for the use of their face: Alesia Glidwell- Chell." at

.

 

... I will add one more thing x3. I do like to think Chell's last name is Johnson. It's the second most common surname in the US. (This also means GLaDOS 'I found two people in storage with your last name' line could be less of a lie- there's just no relation.)

Edited April 26, 2011 by Dr. Paine

[funky3000]

How exactly did we find out that her name was Chell?

Whatever. I'm still stuck.

It's in portal game files, in the Lab Rat comic, and other stuff.

[Kamak]

And Kamak (SPOILER) you're taking the "What's so bad about being an orphan?" line out of context, because you're negelcting the imediate next line where she lowers her voice to Chell only and says "For the record, you are adopted and that's horrible, but go with me here."

Spoilers ahead.

 

I see that line as more of a typical "tsundere" (for lack of a better phrase) response. If a tsundere person defends the person they have feelings for (especially if they're supposed to be a villain), they'll likely give an excuse like "I didn't do it for you, I just really hate that guy", and that's how I rationalize GlaDOS's aside comment to Chell. GlaDOS isn't the type to be overtly kind to anyone, and even if Caroline's memories and (potentially) maternal instincts are integrated with GlaDOS, I wouldn't expect her to do anything "nice" without making it seem bad or snarking about it. She let Chell go free because Chell would "kill her again" and mocks her mortality while GlaDOS will live forever (if no other test subject kills her), but at the same time, I believe Caroline is the one that "convinced" GlaDOS to set Chell free, GlaDOS just tried to rationalize it.

 

I have a bit on contention with the people who feel GlaDOS would be "ruined as a villain" if she was Chell's mother and showed her mercy. Even if GlaDOS lets Chell go free, I doubt Caroline is going to care about any of the other test subjects, so GlaDOS is going to be back to her old ways the instant a new test subject emerges, especially if Caroline keeps her promise to Cave to continue the testing. If Chell is free, there's no risk of Caroline's family being hurt, so she can continue as she wants. If Caroline was indeed deleted, it may have been Caroline's wishes to do so, with the caveat that Chell needs to be set free. The song could have been pre-recorded by Caroline in GlaDOS and set up while Chell was unconscious.

 

The only thing I can't tell though, what reason was there for the Companion Cube to be returned to Chell at the end? GlaDOS rationalized setting her free, but returning the cube could only be a form of kindness (unless GlaDOS is hoping it stabs Chell, but there's no proof that that will happen).

 

GLaDOS is only GLaDOS, and Chell is not a clone. (Sorry, that's just another theory that's bugged the crap out of me since I first heard it x3) It's... possible Caroline is still in there, somewhere, but those imprints no longer have any impact on GLaDOS. They are completely separate entities. They always were. Caroline might have been the base, but what you saw by Portal/Portal 2 was a completely different being.

 

I don't much understand the logic behind the clone thing, unless it's supposed to explain how you can die... but even then, it's not like Wheatley woke you up hundreds of times... And the only proof I've seen to back up the claim is that GlaDOS "deleted" Chell's "backup" but at that point, you're still able to die and come back... so...

 

Yeah, I believe GlaDOS was a separate identity made by the transfer process with the "blueprints" for Caroline somewhere in there (hence why GlaDOS couldn't find where Caroline was in her brain). While GlaDOS is derivative of Caroline, they're two separate and legitimate identities, only connected on a few points (likely a few memories and habits, like how GlaDOS responded to Cave), which is the only reason GlaDOS found Caroline in the first place. Now the only questions are really if GlaDOS lied about deleting Caroline, if Caroline asked to be deleted, or if Caroline backed herself up in some way. It's hard to tell when we have GlaDOS speaking on Caroline's behalf, and since she's a pathological liar...

 

This may be something addressed in the next game...

 

Also, I heard somewhere that there was information revealed by Valve that Cave transferred himself in a core as well, but I haven't seen anything about it, and the game seems to indicate that he died before Caroline was the first subject, so I'm not sure if this was just a retcon on the part of Valve or just fake info being passed along.

 

-K-

Edited April 26, 2011 by Kamak

[Dr. Paine]

The only thing I can't tell though, what reason was there for the Companion Cube to be returned to Chell at the end? GlaDOS rationalized setting her free, but returning the cube could only be a form of kindness (unless GlaDOS is hoping it stabs Chell, but there's no proof that that will happen).

 

-K-

"In my mind GlaDOS has given you the Companion Cube like “take your and go” " (Erik Wolpaw, one of the lead Portal 2 writers)

[Kaini]

^ that.

 

Actually the only person who gets the unequivocal happy ending is the space sphere, who is now out in space and genuinely pleased about it – he loves it.

 

LOL!! I love the space sphere

[Dr. Paine]

^ that.

 

 

 

LOL!! I love the space sphere

Oh, oh, I can spell space! S... P... ACE!

[Kamak]

Actually the only person who gets the unequivocal happy ending is the space sphere, who is now out in space and genuinely pleased about it – he loves it.

 

Actually, according the the ripped dialogue, after the Space core goes to space, he quickly gets bored of it and says "Earth. Earth. Gotta go to Earth. Space is boring. It's too big."

 

-K-

[Switch]

Oh, oh, I can spell space! S... P... ACE!

For the love of all that is sane and sacred, he already has his own website?!

What is.

Thoough, the Space Core remix is actually moderately catchy.

 

I started playing Portal 2 last night, and the fact that I hadn't played the original Portal for almost a year came right back to kick me in the head. I have died so many times just from being completely shakey with the gameplay and controls it isn't even funny. :'D

Edited April 27, 2011 by Switch

[Dr. Paine]

For the love of all that is sane and sacred, he already has his own website?!

Yep.

 

All the cores should.

 

... actually, wait, no, the Fact Core already does have his own site.

 

ETA: Some unused GLaDOS voice clips!

 

Finally, the pronunciation debate is settled.

 

Edited April 27, 2011 by Dr. Paine

[Kamak]

... actually, wait, no, the Fact Core already does have his own site.

The Fact Core is also handsome and has lots of friends, unlike the Adventure Core or the Space Core...

 

-K-

[War Pig Killer]

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1659/mylittleturretsbg.jpg

 

Only ever so slightly totally disturbing.

[Lythiaren]

So uh... why exactly are we all posting spoilers in black now and ruining things for people who haven't finished yet?

[wonton55912]

Oh... so THAT'S how you pronounce it.

I always pronounced it "Shell"

I'm weird. AND STILL STUCK.

 

[AruGard]

I think Chell should appear as an easter egg kind of thing in HL3.

 

Valve, make it happen.

 

And also, if they're gonna make Portal 3, they should have the Animal King again, as well as a kind of "Companion Turret" like "Prometheus" was. I was sad when I had to leave him, like my little Companion Cube (which apparently IS sentient). And back to the Animal King. If nobody noticed, the Animal King was in the very background of the [spoiler ALERT] turret singing scene at the end of the game. I don't know why, but his little cutscene on the walls around the elevator rooms made me wet myself laughing.

[Kamak]

So uh... why exactly are we all posting spoilers in black now and ruining things for people who haven't finished yet?

I was originally, but no one else seems to be doing it... So... *shrugs*

 

I'm down to needing only a few more achievements in the main game... Schrodinger's Catch is going to be annoying since I can't kill myself after attempting to get the cube...

 

-K-

[Kaini]

 

... actually, wait, no, the Fact Core already does have his own site.

 

He/it does?!?!? Want. I love the fact core too, those are SO funny x3 The one I didn't like was the adventure core. It just kind of annoyed me.

[Dr. Paine]

He/it does?!?!? Want.

Yep.

 

Right here.

[Rmun]

If you go through the commentary there is a room with picture of Chell and it says lab rat and there is speaking bubble thing there. If you click it it says something in Morse Code.

[War Pig Killer]

Alright! *fist pump* I finally got $50, so I bought it! I'm downloading it now :3