This is the character list for Blue Sky (Waffles).
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Main Characters
Wheatley
Any Portal 2 fan should remember this lovably dumb, earnest-if-cowardly, blue-eyed Aperture Science core... who went absolutely mad with power and was blasted into space with no hope of rescue. Fast forward four years, and rescue has occurred — but salvation is still in question. As Wheatley transfers from a spherical robot body to a Hard Light, human-shaped one, he's out to prove if any sense of compassion or true humanity has come with his new shape, or if he's just like any other selfish, little-minded A.I. of Aperture Science.
Now if only those pesky memories would stop giving him trouble...
- Affectionate Nickname: Addressed as [00004] by Foxglove, though this isn't exactly a nickname, more like a username.
- Amnesiac Hero: Has no memory of his life from before he was a core. He does, however, remember how to move in a human body with impressive speed.
- Brain Uploading: Before the story takes place, Wheatley undergoes this process against his will in order for Aperture to create an Intelligence Dampening Sphere to keep GLaDOS under control.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Shades of this. The narrative compares his thought process to a spilled basket of marbles that are rolling in every direction - every idea he has (and it's usually a bad one) must be followed to its absurd conclusion. And he has practically no filter on his speech, so all of his thoughts are on full display.
- Dirty Coward: Almost abandons Chell after she gets shot by a turret. Even suggests leaving the residents of Eaden trapped with GLaDOS.
- Forgotten First Meeting: With Chell. Brain Uploading is to blame.
- Given Name Reveal: During his conversation with Caroline, she calls him Stephen.
- Grew Beyond Their Programming: Chell thinks that Wheatley might be capable of this — might, given that he hints at hidden depths and empathy, more than any other Aperture tech has been known to do. Inverted in his backstory — the fact is more like, Wheatley's human mind was forcibly cut down to fit the programming Aperture needed.
- Hard Light: Made of it.
- Height Angst: Wheatley's Hard Light body is abnormally tall, as if he already needs the boost to his clumsiness, or another reason to stand out among the people of Eaden. He doesn't like his height.
- Ink-Suit Actor: Some of Wheatley's physical characteristics are based off of his voice actor Stephen Merchant, such as blond hair, bright blue eyes, glasses, and excessive height.
- Last-Name Basis: Turns out Wheatley is his last name.
- Lethal Chef: Created an inedible monster known as the Frankenbread. Using Chell's trusted molasses bread recipe, and under her supervision, no less!
- Love at First Sight: Defied then Played Straight after seeing Chell.note
- Motor Mouth: He talks a lot to cover up his abysmal lack of self-confidence, so the more insecure he feels, the likelier he is to gabber on and on... and on... and on...
- Robot Names: His full ID code, according to Aperture Science, is 00004/[F]AS[IV]IDPC241105/AS[I]HRAD.
- Unwilling Roboticisation: The basis of his backstory.
Chell
The heroine of Portal has finally won her way out of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. Having established a life for herself in the quiet, small community of Eaden, she is still finding out who she is beyond being a "test subject." The answer? Someone quiet and reserved, a quick study and loyal friend, compassionate, but not inclined to forgive freely. When Wheatley unexpectedly enters her life again, she will give him three strikes to prove himself. In the meantime, she applies herself to a new test: try to solve where he belongs in the world of Eaden.
- Affectionate Nickname: Called Michelle by Romy.
- Amnesiac Hero: Has no memory of her life before the facility. She remembers her name, she remembers skills like driving and baking, but can't recall anything else. She's long since made her peace with it and moved on, forging a new life all to herself.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Most of Eaden has no idea of what focus and terrifying tenacity Chell is capable of embodying.
- Character Catchphrase: Although Chell never says this, being The Quiet One — the narration that focuses on her thoughts frequently uses the term "know damn well."
- Forgotten First Meeting: With Wheatley. Being a Human Popsicle may preserve the body, but memories are a different matter.
- Good Is Not Nice: Instead of explaining to Aaron herself why "the northeast" is to be avoided at all costs, she forces Wheatley to explain. His obvious terror convinces Aaron very well, but Wheatley accuses Chell — with some justice — of using him as an unfeeling tool.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Much, much better after a few years in Eaden, but Chell will still have vivid nightmares about the Aperture Science Enrichment Center.
- Tranquil Fury: If she gets mad, she will never raise her voice. Her brow might furrow, her jaw might tighten. If she gets mad, she will be unstoppable.
- The Quiet One: Even outside of the Aperture Science facility, Chell doesn't speak unless she has something to really say. She manages to convey commands with gestures and looks, and volumes in single sentences.
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Residents of Eaden
Garrett Rickey
Eaden's local mechanic and Chell's buddy. Though his nominal business is minding the general store and being a fixer-upper, his passion is the communication tower he's building in Otten's Field — he's convinced that once his handcrafted, hand-welded, and hand-crimped masterpiece comes together, it will put Eaden on the map. But he'll happily look at any piece of tech that's interesting enough — even if it comes from Aperture Science itself.
- Gadgeteer Genius: His passion is electronics and finding out how they work. You hand him a piece of tech, he'll figure out something to do with it. If not, he'll stash it away somewhere, just in case.
- Heroic Build: He's a hard-workin' fella, with "the kind of upper-body build that suggested he arm-wrestled cougars in his spare time."
- I Call It "Vera": That massive communications tower that's Garrett's pride, joy, and number one hobby? He calls it "Foxglove."
- Manly Facial Hair: His beard is so nice that Wheatley, in a fit of irrational jealousy, assumes that the beard has something to do with how well-liked and respected Garrett is.
Romy Hatfield
Mother to the Hatfield twins, and Chell's best friend. Exuberant, chatty, and outgoing, she and Chell may seem to have nothing in common, but she's tenacious in her own way, and willing to accept Wheatley, strange as he is, into Eaden.
- Glamorous Single Mother: No Mr. Hatfield is in sight, but Romy doesn't seem to have any problems bringing up her two boys by herself. It helps that Eaden is a small and simple community, where it's not hard to get by.
- Good Parents: Romy is very responsible towards Max and Jason.
- The Heart: She was the first person that Chell ever met after leaving the Enrichment Center, and she was unfailingly kind and gentle to the fugitive.
- The Nicknamer: Insists on calling Chell Mi-chelle. All Chell will tell Wheatley about it is, it's not her real name.
- Team Chef: Runs a diner... whenever she feels like it. Our first introduction to her is when she leaves a big pot of stew, some apples, and flowers at Chell's house after the latter has gone missing and returned injured. Chell bakes and Romy cooks... no wonder they get along so well.
Aaron Halifax
The de facto leader of Eaden, Aaron is a steady, calming presence in the small town. Though he looks out for the town's welfare, he's also welcoming to strangers — sometimes he's better at welcoming Wheatley than even Chell is.
- The Patriarch: Described as the heart of Eaden.
- Wasteland Elder: His ancestors lived through the nigh-apocalyptic days of the Combine Occupation, and he still maintains a protective attitude against the tough world.
Ellie Otten
A soft-spoken little girl who is fond of wearing wellies (that's wellingtons, or rainboots, to us Americans). Observes things that adults appear to just not see, and judges accordingly.
- Affectionate Nickname: Referred to as Wellies by Wheatley.
- Imaginary Friend: Linnell, her stuffed vortigaunt.
Max & Jason Hatfield
Romy's twin sons, brimming with mischief and curiosity, but good-natured at heart.
- Evil Twin: Wheatley asks which one is the evil one. Both claim it is the other.
Duke
Who's a good dog? He is. He belongs to the Hatfield family.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: Wheatley is far from being a threat, but it doesn't stop him from knowing a robot when he sees it.
Foxglove
Not quite a "resident" of Eaden, but what else do you call a massive, three-legged communications tower, an ongoing work-in-progress on which the rest of the town takes a certain interest (even if only a sardonic one), whose computer programs are so complex, individualized, and multilayered that she might even be said to be... alive? Nah... Foxglove is a radio tower tended to by Garrett Ricky. She's never yet been turned on, but she has the potential to really put Eaden on the map.
- Computer Voice: Subverted. When Wheatley tries to talk to Foxglove, he is practically surrounded by her presence, so instead of a disinterested monotone, what he experiences would be more properly compared to being dropped into the open depths sans scuba gear.
- Grew Beyond Their Programming: Foxglove's programming was never very cut-and-dry to start with, but she is certainly more than a simple communications tower. Close to the end, Foxglove is revealed to be partially comprised out of components of GLaDOS, specifically, those that the Aperture scientists discarded as irrelevant to her intended purpose of obsessive testing.
- Names Given to Computers: It's never clear how Garrett picked out the name "Foxglove." It might be a reference to her many satellite dishes resembling foxglove blossoms... or just because it sounds cool.
- The Nicknamer: Refers to Wheatley, whose full ID code is a real mouthful (see above) as 00004. It's his suggestion, but the fact that an artificial intelligence thinks to call him that speaks volumes.
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Aperture Laboratories
Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System (GLaDOS)
- "Oh, what a nasty piece of work She was..."Wheatley, in Portal 2, having never spoken a truer word in his life.
The Artificial Intelligence that commands all of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, from the tiniest camera to the massive neurotoxin generators. Four years ago, she admitted defeat against Chell and let her go, resolving to carry out her insanely single-minded tests (in the name of Science) without human involvement. But now, GLaDOS realizes that Chell is the one element that she desperately needs to complete her tests. And she'll stop at nothing to get her prodigal test subject back in her grip.
Has been spotted lurking around This Very Wiki, though it's probably Just for Fun...
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot
- Names Given to Computers: Her full, descriptive name, when shortened to an acronym, happens to sound like a human name, Gladys. However, no one in Blue Sky ever refers to her by this name.
- She Who Must Not Be Named
- Sinister Surveillance: When Chell is in the Enrichment Center, her first goals are always to find a place where the cameras are offline or, preferably, nonexistent.
Blue and Orange
GLaDOS's new test subjects, expertly made from top-quality materials. They're obedient. They're swift. They're cooperative. They're easily replaceable. They're good at solving tests. They... get old real fast. However, in a pinch they'll do to solve some very unique tasks.
Portal 2 players will remember that Blue, shorter and rounder, is formally named "Atlas." The taller and more spindly Orange goes by "P-Body."
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Literally, and figuratively. This is their reaction to seeing open sky, a meadow, and a stream for the first time:This chamber was not a place they wanted to stay in for any longer than necessary. Walls you couldn't see were odd, and a ceiling too high to make out properly was even odder, but the idea that someone would make a moat and then fill it with completely benign, non-lethal fluid for no reason wasn't just odd, it was downright creepy.
- Cute Machines: GLaDOS almost certainly didn't intend it, but there they are.
- Cyber Cyclops: Although not creepy, both Blue and Orange have only one optic apiece.
- Funny Robot
The Oracle Turret
A minor character from the second Portal game, this cryptic gun turret has a peculiar turn of phrase - a turn for the mythological, a turn for the Tarot, a turn for the enigmatic — which can verge into the prophetic... or might be the simple ravings of a turret that long since missed its redemption.
- The Cassandra: Downplayed: Wheatley doesn't believe or understand what the Oracle Turret has to say, but she does end up inspiring him to take the first step to make those utterances come true (namely, waking up Chell.)
- Waif Prophet: As much as a robot can be a waif — the gun turret is small and frail, without bullets, and utters truth.
