#Ellen McLain

[aperture-hag]

Anyways here's a video of GLaDOS/Caroline's voice actor Ellen McLain saying the words "Gordon Freeman!" (and her husband John Patrick Lowrie immediately doing his City 17 Civilian voice).

Caroline Portal 2 knows Gordon Freeman confirmed!!! /j

(source)

[pybun]

myy wife8

[ooliecat]

old random idea i had

[idkplzhalp]

The Admin in TF2 comic 7 was so GLaDOS and Caroline (Portal) coded. Her character has made me tear up multiple times, there's such complexity to her I'm so upset.

(TF2 comic 7 spoilers)

Anyways. I think her arc is Caro/GLaDOS coded due to similar ways of keeping up this cold facade and then being the pettiest woman on the planet. GLaDOS' cut voice lines are so petty, I posted some earlier but like the way she tries to guilt Chell and makes stuff up... oh girl. And Admin put up a big fake idea of what she was doing and then turns out she's trying to keep one single guy alive for an event she cannot even remember.

They both are so focused on their goals and only do things to help themselves (though GLaDOS definitely gets more of a redemption, at least end of Portal 2). Admin only cared about Pauling & her team in comic 7 because of potentially having australium, then abandoned Pauling when she said no. GLaDOS sent the co-op bots out to rescue the humans, they saved them so she stopped using the robots, and only chose to use them again because she killed all the humans and had no one left to test. They both seem to get bored easily of whatever doesn't help their goals. Bored of anything outside of their path. An obsessiveness. GLaDOS because of the mainframe, it's built into her, and Admin because of wanting to get vengeance for her parents, which had spiraled into her full personality.

Pre-australium Helen was more Caroline in my mind, mainly in her appearance, but also the section about Zepheniah dying? The frame of Admins absolute apathy for life? She lost all her purpose now that he's dead and she feels like she didn't win.

The general story of getting so wronged by someone and basically traumatized into a different personality (Caroline -> GLaDOS -> PotatOS, Young Helen -> Pre-Australium Helen -> Administrator) is very similar. There's this spiral/shift that both of them had.

^ (Her appearance in these, like okayyyy slay girl you look just like Caroline (similarish hair & nose shape)).

^ The feelings that come from the panels of Admin are so strong, you can so easily read what state she's in. Caroline coded in my heart. The way the mansion is left uncared for while Admin sits depressed in bed was just. So emotional for me?

I don't think Caroline felt that way about Cave, the hatred Admin did for Zepheniah, as it was very implied they were besties at least for awhile (notably in scrapped voicelines from Cave about her). The hatred was more likely at the scientists, as they genuinely had no care for her (think about LabRat where they dehumanize GLaDOS and call her "it" during activation tests). Though I feel she'd hold the grief that Admin did for Zepheniah in a different way. Admin is grieving because her purpose in life since childhood was lost, she has no one to focus revenge on anymore once it settles in that Zeph' was dead forever. Caroline lost a friend and was forced into a fate she didn't want, mistreated by employees, left angry and isolated forever. She lived to be the highest assistant of Aperture, working as one for 40 years prior. So in a sense, her purpose was lost as well. We don't hear anything from the Caroline CEO era so I'd like to think she took a step back as she awaited her fate. She probably was barely keeping things together from the stress (though not to undermine how good at her job she was, I just think she'd be depressed for at least some of her CEO time). That's more headcanon territory though, and I wish there was a way we could get more confirmation on how she acted then.

Caroline wanted to live out the rest of her natural life, but it was forcibly cut short and turned into something else. Opposite end, Admin wanted to end her natural life and was forcibly kept alive. While Admin initially didn't want to live, she got stuck in a cycle of trying to spite this guy forever and it was for nothing, she ruined people's lives in the process (Mainly Pauling, ohhh she was so betrayed, someone SAVE HER).

Both were fated to live basically forever and forgot the reasons why they feel the way they do.. GLaDOS didn't remember Caroline/her being a human while Admin forgot how her parents died/that Zepheniah likely killed them.

They are wasting their time forever. GLaDOS is testing and evolving science for NO ONE but herself. Forever. She's alone. Implied to feel lonely in the Lego Dimensions song + her VA thinks so too. Eventually she'd run out of materials and there's no people left to either help her or torture her. Admin admits herself that her plan was a waste of a hundred years and for a moment she's sad. Such big efforts for something miniscule in the end!

TLDR, Both characters were mistreated at some point in life, causing them to became isolated from everyone around them. They're both self absorbed and manipulated everyone they knew for an objective that only mattered to themselves. They had no reason to be rational anymore and their hatred for normal life pleasures grew as they strayed farther from humanity.

And both are voiced by Ellen McLain, nicest woman on the planet. Wow. Thanks Valve.

Really gives same character different universe, doesn't it.

[0sbrain]

the world is hard and cruel but sniper tf2 and glad0s have confirmed we can call them our grandpas and so life is a little bit better

[lucytf2-irl]

i was at meet the mercs on saturday. i had so much fun highlights of the night include

getting made fun of for stuttering and then john patrick lowrie saying “good job mate” afterward bc i looked distressed but my life was in fact more fulfilled after having my question answered. i was declared third most pathetic person in the room it was great

JOHN PATRICK LOWRIE HELD!! THE SRAT!! THE SNIPER RAT AND ELLEN SAID HE WAS ADORABLE. and he also said rodents have standards which they do!! rats are incredibly intelligent creatures

so im mixed. im wasian and so. im french and then i have a great-grandfather who was a spy so i had to tell this to dennis who then made what was not a “your mother” joke it was a “your great-grandmother joke” thank you for implying that im related to spy

but i had so much fun i did not have a panic attack like i thought i would and so i did not make a complete and utter fool of myself besides the stuttering thing shoutout to my roommate for coming with me for emotional support. i had so much fun! i need to do my german homework now goodnight

[aprofessionalwithoutstandards]

@stangeranfanficion sent me this last night and I feel basically obligated to repost it (from an old Reddit ama with JPL and Ellen McLain)

[Image ID: Reddit screenshot showing a post by ApepCaldera that says "Hi again, I have another question! (Am I allowed to ask two?) This one is for Mr. Lowrie... What gender do you think Pyro is?" and a reply from JohnPatrickLowrie that says "Pyro has gone beyond gender. He is post-genderific!" End ID]

[sysig]

Ellen McLain’s commentary from my trivia playthrough

[tf2cosplaycommunity]

On Saturday evening, we participated in Meet the Mercs! This was the second Meet the Mercs event, this time taking place in a smaller venue in Belltown.

Doc helped with ticket sales and Sol acted as a celebrity handler.

Here's to another amazing Meet the Mercs in the near future!

[slyakoch13]

this is love

(source)

[thegremlindraws]

Are we gonna get an anime adaptation of the Sandvich Saga or do I have to do everything around here?! 😤

[niblets-criblet]

For those who wanted to see the voice actor's open their gifts! 🎁

(John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain reaction)

I will release the full footage on YouTube soon.

[stangeranfanficion]

I think about this everyday like- truely the fucking wording of both of this-

Some fucking guy and THE ELLEN MCLAIN-

[loch-n-ceol]

I love this clip

1. Ellen has probably been standing there like that for god knows how long until they got the right take

2. ‘Bonza’ means pleasing or excellent or attractive, and it doesn’t seem sarcastic. John is literally happy to have Ellen come around with him on this adventure, it’s a cute the out of character reference

3. ‘And her’ *suspence*

4. Side profile frame

5. Ellen is definitely so close to laughing, I just know it

[still-alive-mp3]

Posting Portal facts every day until Portal 3 gets released: Day 59

Ellen McLain, who is also the VA for GLaDOS, does voice acting for the sentry turrets

[deadpoetyogurt]

Oh to be a TF2 voice actor with so much free time on their hands that they willingly make a song about SANDVICHES.