Portal theory.

[Rydian]

So, Aperture had brain-uploading stuff, right? They started on it to use on Cave, but it wasn't done so they used it on Caroline, right? Well if they're going to do something like that, of course they're going to test it (Aperture LOVES testing, and it IS something they were going to use on important people), and perhaps use it elsewhere once it was proven to work. So it can be safely assumed that Aperture was using their brain-uploading technology in some way.

Boy, Aperture sure likes to test... and in the old days they sure tested on a variety of people. What were those people they tested on again, back in the old days? Astronauts, war heroes? Hey, weren't there comments that some of the astronauts went missing? Heh, maybe they went to space. Gotta' love space. Space? Are we space? SPAAAAAAAACE! What about war heroes? They probably love danger... they don't mind fighting big bad bosses, while hitting on pretty ladies... you know, like my friend Rick the adventure core!

It's not like Aperture could always afford to test those kinds of subjects you know... we know that aperture employees were forced to test later on in cave's life... and it supposedly included everybody, even the scientists. Scientists are smart, you know. They know lots of interesting facts! Of course, if they were somehow uploaded into a sphere and the sphere was corrupted they'd likely do nothing but recite false information forever...

From speech in both games we know that various spheres were attached to Glados in order to limit or restrain her in one way or another, depending on the sphere. Well we can guess that once the spheres passed a certain corruption point they were removed and new ones were added with a new approach. As we know the core of the facility has no way to add or remove spheres itself, so it was likely done by humans... and all the ones who would/could do it were killed before the start of Portal 1, right? Well, that'd mean the spheres attached to Glados in Portal 1 had been there for a while, and were probably pretty damn corrupt by then.

I mean, just look at the red core; it's been reduced to a growling pile of animal instincts! The cake sphere seems... hey wait, it's just reciting a weird cake recipe. Isn't that Glados' cake recipe? It is! In fact the core is so corrupt it's actually her voice as well, lowered in pitch by ~20%. Hm, what about that morality core? It was probably the one she liked least, and attacked most... and it's catatonic.

Oh, what's that? The curiosity core seems fine! Yes, in fact it was actually partly functional in it's duties, still keeping Glados' from killing Chell! Aw, look, it's so curious, too! It seems the least corrupt... so cute... and innocent.

Almost child-like, you'd say.

Aperture Science "bring your daughter to work day" indeed...

 

[alidsl]

wat?

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

I'm not sure I'm getting the point of this...
Are you saying the curiosity core came from little girls?

 

[Rydian]

I'm not sure I'm getting the point of this...
Are you saying the curiosity core came from little girls?

I'm saying it looks like many (or all) of the spheres were humans that were uploaded into them (like Caroline was uploaded to make Glados).

The fact that Aperture seemed to do this against their will and even did to to little girls is what's disturbing.

 

[FireGrey]

I think that portals are just gateways to alternate universes, the other portal is the enter point of that universe.
And if you do an infinite free fall for long enough, you enter a universe where apature never existed, but then that would mean there would be no portal for an enter point...
So you cannot enter a universe that you are not being tested in.
dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuun

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

I'm not sure I'm getting the point of this...
Are you saying the curiosity core came from little girls?

I'm saying it looks like many (or all) of the spheres were humans that were uploaded into them (like Caroline was uploaded to make Glados).

The fact that Aperture seemed to do this against their will and even did to to little girls is what's disturbing.

Now I see. I just re read it.
When someone is 'uploaded' into a sphere, will they definitely die?

 

[HaniKazmi]

I want a portal game revolving around being downloaded into various places and/or brains now

 

[Ace]

Sounds like an interesting premise for a fan-fiction of sorts, where Aperture Science is like a cult that follows Cave, and they eventually all get transformed into cores (sounds a bit like Jonestown, IMO)

 

[ProtoKun7]

I think that portals are just gateways to alternate universes, the other portal is the enter point of that universe.
And if you do an infinite free fall for long enough, you enter a universe where apature never existed, but then that would mean there would be no portal for an enter point...
So you cannot enter a universe that you are not being tested in.
dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuun

Actually, the portals utilised by Aperture Science merely warped and folded the fabric of space within the one universe.

 

[Gahars]

That's an interesting idea, but considering the fact that the cores made to inhibit Glados seem to have been put in place before the whole Take Your Daughter to Work Day incident, it doesn't seem very likely.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

That's an interesting idea, but considering the fact that the cores made to inhibit Glados seem to have been put in place before the whole Take Your Daughter to Work Day incident, it doesn't seem very likely.

But the story says that they had gradually added spheres, not just all of them at once. So perhaps they added the curiosity core later as GlaDos became more corrupt, meaning that Aperture used Take Your Daughter to Work Day as a way to obtain more spheres, a collection of sorts, so that in the future you could keep GlaDos sane. It all works out...Scary...

 

[chyyran]

Wait, My guess was that when you upload a brain, your consciousness gets copied onto the core.

 

[Gahars]

That's an interesting idea, but considering the fact that the cores made to inhibit Glados seem to have been put in place before the whole Take Your Daughter to Work Day incident, it doesn't seem very likely.

But the story says that they had gradually added spheres, not just all of them at once. So perhaps they added the curiosity core later as GlaDos became more corrupt, meaning that Aperture used Take Your Daughter to Work Day as a way to obtain more spheres, a collection of sorts, so that in the future you could keep GlaDos sane. It all works out...Scary...

But the games state, or at least imply, that TYDTWD was when Glados went off her rocker and killed everyone or stored them as test subjects, which puts a hole in that theory. After all, why would she give herself cores that would only serve to inhibit her ability to function?

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

That's an interesting idea, but considering the fact that the cores made to inhibit Glados seem to have been put in place before the whole Take Your Daughter to Work Day incident, it doesn't seem very likely.

But the story says that they had gradually added spheres, not just all of them at once. So perhaps they added the curiosity core later as GlaDos became more corrupt, meaning that Aperture used Take Your Daughter to Work Day as a way to obtain more spheres, a collection of sorts, so that in the future you could keep GlaDos sane. It all works out...Scary...

But the games state, or at least imply, that TYDTWD was when Glados went off her rocker and killed everyone or stored them as test subjects, which puts a hole in that theory. After all, why would she give herself cores that would only serve to inhibit her ability to function?

But as you said, it only implies. And who said that the TYDTWD was exactly when it happened? Perhaps that was just a plot by Aperture in order to collect a supply of curiosity cores? I believe in Portal 2 there is a giant stockpile chock full of cores, so who is to say TYDTWD was GlaDos and not Cave himself? Besides in the story, doesn't Cave continue to live for quite a while after TYDTWD? As the whole day in general would be absolutely bonkers if only Cave and a few others were alive at the time? (I assume that's what happened as I haven't played Portal 2 since it was released, [but considering this post has again sparked my interest I think I shall start playing again tomorrow]) Alas we'll never know, at least unless Valve comes out with a Portal prologue of some sorts.

 

[Gahars]

That's an interesting idea, but considering the fact that the cores made to inhibit Glados seem to have been put in place before the whole Take Your Daughter to Work Day incident, it doesn't seem very likely.

But the story says that they had gradually added spheres, not just all of them at once. So perhaps they added the curiosity core later as GlaDos became more corrupt, meaning that Aperture used Take Your Daughter to Work Day as a way to obtain more spheres, a collection of sorts, so that in the future you could keep GlaDos sane. It all works out...Scary...

But the games state, or at least imply, that TYDTWD was when Glados went off her rocker and killed everyone or stored them as test subjects, which puts a hole in that theory. After all, why would she give herself cores that would only serve to inhibit her ability to function?

But as you said, it only implies. And who said that the TYDTWD was exactly when it happened? Perhaps that was just a plot by Aperture in order to collect a supply of curiosity cores? I believe in Portal 2 there is a giant stockpile chock full of cores, so who is to say TYDTWD was GlaDos and not Cave himself? Besides in the story, doesn't Cave continue to live for quite a while after TYDTWD? As the whole day in general would be absolutely bonkers if only Cave and a few others were alive at the time? (I assume that's what happened as I haven't played Portal 2 since it was released, [but considering this post has again sparked my interest I think I shall start playing again tomorrow]) Alas we'll never know, at least unless Valve comes out with a Portal prologue of some sorts.

Remember how you come across the giant overgrown potato plant project created by a girl named "Chell"? That's a huge indicator of when the TYDTWD occurred - it wouldn't have been left out to grow to such huge proportions if there was anyone, you know, alive in the facility. And just because the head of a company dies, a company (even one as nuts as Aperture Science) can continue on (Also, Glados was around when it happened, because she mentions it repeatedly in the first Portal as if she was the announcer for the facility). I am drawing a blank, but I know that there were a couple of other hints that I just can't quite remember.

The exact events of the day are still vague, but there's no need for Valve to go into detail. Glados went berserk and took control. Whoever she didn't capture and place into stasis was killed by the deadly neurotoxin. The exact specific aren't really necessary or important.

 

[notmeanymore]

Couldn't Rattman have installed TYDTWD cores to stop the neurotoxin? GLaDOS even said at the end of Portal 1 that they installed that morality core to stop her from flooding the facility with neurotoxin.

 

[Gahars]

Couldn't Rattman have installed TYDTWD cores to stop the neurotoxin? GLaDOS even said at the end of Portal 1 that they installed that morality core to stop her from flooding the facility with neurotoxin.

Glados said it was the scientists that did that, though, during the ending of Portal 1, so there was more than one. I don't think that makes Rattman a likely candidate.

And the fact that they were able to make a morality core so quickly without having access to any of the Daughters (All either captured or in stasis by this point) is another strike against this theory.