That pillar was the closest approximation I could think of to what AM is supposed to look like
May 2, 2011
12:00 am
Yeah… I was thinking about just using HAL for this because more people would get the reference, but, you know, I’d feel like I was doing a disservice if I didn’t do my part to introduce new blood to the work of Harlan Ellison. And you’re all in luck, since I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is one of the games supported by the ScummVM player, if you can track down a copy of the disk you still have a chance to play it.
I assume that GLaDOS is supposed to be a hot by homicidal AI standards, apparently being modeled after Boticelli’s Venus and all.
My favourite part of this is the absurd notion that a couple guys with steel toed boots could do anything to an omnipotent planet-sized supercompter that GLaDOS couldn’t.
Damned emo supercomputers.
Must have been one heck of a trippy and potentially lethal break-up.
Also, that coffee’s got ready awfully fast, or are coffee machines really that quick?
I used to have one that made coffee that fast, military surplus coffee maker no doubt
I like to pretend he was recounting the story of kicking AM’s ass to Jared during the cutaway.
“I Have No Ass, and It Must Be Kicked”
That is beautiful. Well done.
Nah. It’s better that he simply just ‘willed’ the coffee done with his Badass-ness.
I thought of another thing glados could Hagan said at the end “sweet talk isn’t going to work this time”.
If you were paying attention you would have noticed that in the 4th panel, the Commander uses his “punch magic” discreetly. This prepares the coffee in an instant.
Nah, that’s clearly alchemy.
you sir, get a free internet. I laughed to the point that my roommates may think I’m insane.
People like me to laugh because I AM insane. :)
!!!!BEHOLD THIS TECHNIQUE OF COFFEEMAKING THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE BADASS LINE FOR GENERATIONS!!!!!
Poor Chell, being brought up in a broken/homicidal family.
Well, she did grow up to kill her mother and all her siblings (Turrets, Cubes, etc)…I can’t tell if that means everything worked out okay or if that’s why you don’t split up homicidal AIs.
it’s never been confirmed that her mother was/is Caroline/GLaDOS. Especially if you watch the portal2 cometary the whole Caroline/GLaDOS wasnt planned from the begining of portal (let alone portal2). For all we know her last name might actually be “Redacted” but a scientist misunderstood and thought that they redacted her last name.
I’m betting that the thing GLaDOS couldn’t provide that was needed was a man to man chat over a few beers.
After a good asskicking. Male bonding properly occurs after a fight.
Genius! I never thought I would be able to see a webcomic quoting I have no mouth and I must scream in my life!
Same here. Even though I only played the game. And got the Bad Ending. And I thought that was the true ending.
:( I don’t like IHNMaIMS
Hahaha, I played the game first, and after reading the tale I intentionally got the bad ending to see how the blob looked like :P
wait. Game? Theres a damned game for the second greatest book in all of history!?
I have been innefectually googling variations of that phrase now and then for close to 6 years trying to find the book that qoute and story came from so I can finally read it.
You are my saviour and my hero.
In fact, it is absurd to not see a blob in this comic, after what they tried to do to AM :P
Ah, ‘I have no mouth, but I must scream’. A.M truly was one of the most sadisc machines in fiction.
Yeah, I read that story ages and loved it. Must have been 6 or 7 when it was printed in some magazine. Scared the hell out of me.
“There is no escape … There is no escape!” D:
Definitely agree on introducing the AM supercomputer to more people. It’s still one of the more haunting stories I have ever read. I still regret not being able to acquire a copy of the game.
I think he should of brought her cake!
So I take it that this is a tribute?
to the greatest song in the world, alright
I’m making a note here
because I couldn’t remember the greatest song in the world
it was the best motherfucking song the greatest song in the world alllllright
And he said, be you ANGELS?!
and we said “nay…”
…we are but men,
ROCK!
Is the minotaur thing a joke I’m not getting or some kind of horrendous spell check error?
He’s using it as a verb, because internet kids will used anything as a verb. He’s verbing new words.
You could say we’re verbing it up.
Yeah that was terrible.
I just read that as monitors without even noticing. Funny how word recognition can screw you on occasions.
It’s like the robot is “manning” the chamber, except, well, more minotaury
And here I was, appreciating his use of it as a verb because GLaDOS is the proverbial Minotaur in her own Labyrinth. :P
I really need to stop digging so deep for subtleties in things. Or apply that to a different hobby. I’m not sure which, but I mean, this is *Jared* we’re talking about here, and I’m pretty sure training Mr. Fish is about the deepest expression we’ll see of his capacity for… depth. Unless… I have been tricked?!
Well, he’s using it as a verb BECAUSE she’s the proverbial Minotaur in her own Labyrinth.
She is only minotauring it because she isn’t good enough to be Jareding it.
Naw, I got it for exactly the same thing. Nice classical puns, Jared!
I can’t see how these two could have broken up. They have so much in common: AM likes to torture the remainder of mankind in an underground lab, she likes to torture people in an underground lab; he’s insane, she’s insane; He can create environments at will, she can do that too…What broke them apart, Coelasquid?
P.S: Also, can’t stop laughing at now hearing Harlan’s voice pleading for her to come back. Good job on the “I Have no Mouth(…)” reference. Were a big fan of the game back in the hey-day?
GLaDOS doesn’t really like torturing people in her underground lab in the same way as AM; ultimately, she really just cares about the lab itself. Though AM despises the constraints upon him above all else, GLaDOS embraces them, pouring all her energy into testing as efficiently as possible. Sure, she can feel spite, revenge and sadism, but that’s ultimately not what she wants; it’s just the cherry upon her cupcake. I imagine that AM is like the fun-loving slacker in this relationship; constantly bugging her to party while she’s just trying to work, damn it.
Not to mention according to portal 2 testing is the computer version of sex so yeah… i’m pretty sure that had something to do with her demeanor.
Maybe this is the start of AM’s evil?
After all GLaDOS did say he needed a better outlet for his aggression.
Yeah, that’s where I was going with it. I was wondering how many people caught that.
That’s what I thought after I read the Commander’s statement.
No, he’s NEVER going to move on, thank you very much!
You are right, I didn’t thought about that (as a defense, I’m not completely sure when is this comic “happening” :P).
Oh, NICELY DONE there…
I have faith in the Commander. If you’re dealing with an angry guy with deeply-rooted insecurities, he’s your man. Besides, if everything else fails, he still knows Lobo. Planet-killer if I ever saw one.
My favorite part is that Jared said “minotaurs” as a verb. Knowing him, I can’t be sure if he did that on purpose. X3
I reckon y’all means “Adjective”, friend.
No, he used it as a verb, and it was a perfect little malapropism for my money.
I think it worked perfectly, especially because of how close “minotaurs” sounds to “monitors”. (My first thought was that he’d accidentally but oh-so-appropriately mixed the two up.)
That’s what I thought, too. That it can work either way is delightful. :3
The “minotaur”/”monitor” similarity was something I latched on to, too. Accurate AND adequate!
No, he was correct with verb. “Runs the chamber” “Rules the chamber” Commands the chamber” all work. “Greens the chamber” etc doesn’t.
I take it you’ve never heard of the incredible French soft drink, Let’s Green?
…it’s pretty awful.
Minotaur [min-uh-tawr] v. To guard and/or be the guardian of (or perhaps a monster of), a particular location.
It’s a bloody noun being used as a verb; that’s supposed to be an adjective! (Of course, grammar was a long, long, LOOOONNNNG time ago… Our blue books were special clay tablets…)
“Y’all”? Legio ei nomen est?
… It’s a form of “You” and “all.” I’m guessing that’s what you’re asking, in a language I’m also guessing is Portuguese? Nah… um… (what language are you asking in, Svlad?)
Also, ‘minotauring’ is awesome, appropriate, and awesome. It’s like monitoring, but being a beast and patrolling. :3 (I love you Squid.)
I think that’s Latin.
Yeah, that’s latin. It’s something like (excuse poor translation) I read his name, but I’m not sure why it’s a question (no ne) and the ei is usually implied unless it’s being reflexive in which case he’s saying I read the same name.
It means “My name is Legion”.
GLaDOS was in love?
Aside from her homicidal and work-devoted mentality, this is actually highly possible.
There’s definitely enough room in the labs and, well…
You need a spoiler tag for this thing so I don’t tick off the throngs of people who haven’t played Portal 2 yet.
GLaD to see the awesome robot took a vacation to the manly guys mansion (or whatever the house is called)
The person whose brain patterns were used as the base of her program was in love with Science, and how much more Science can you get than an AI?
They hit it off early because they both despised humans and loved to torture them. However, AM’s habit of crippling and maiming his humans really doesn’t do all that much for their ability to test, and GLaDOS was only ever in it for the science anyway.
Funny you can read GLaDOS’ lines in Ellen’s voice and it works flawlessly.
Thanks. Now I read GLaDOS in Ellen Degeneres’s voice.
Great, now I’m doing that…
Murderous, planet-sized Uber-Computer? Yeah, all it would take are a couple of Real Men to set that emo punk straight. Not like he can run and hide behind his motherboard.
It is a computer which can turn you into a fucking blob just with its will, it is not like you can shortcircuit it that easy!
Boots of Shitkickery can protect you from a surprising amount.
Funny, just last night me and a friend were discussing how HAL and GLaDOS would make a hilariously homicidal couple. This seems somehow more appropriate though.
Of course, the most exciting thing I got from this is that I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is supported by Scumm. I know what I’m doing as soon as my thesis is handed in…
Ahahah, I actually wrote a thesis paper on the game for a sociology of religion class back in my college days :P
I love college. This is why. :3
So how’d the thesis paper go over?
It’s probably for the best that GLaDOS and AM are the ones breaking up here anyway, because that now means that GLaDOS and HAL are free to hook up and all that.
Good work getting folks interested in Harlan Ellison! The monotone Dialogue was damn funny.
Man, I did not expect to explode into a fit of nerdy applause this morning. Well done.
Exactly!
Oh my stars and garters. I never thought I’d ever see the Hate Pillar again. Thank you for this. :)
(And it runs on SCUMMVM? Awesome! I’ll have to remember where I stowed my disc…)
I never expected to see an I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream reference, in one of my favourite web comics no less!
Her name was…
Why is GlaDOS letting the core do all the talking. Unless the agency built a ‘Break Up Personality Core’ because men know how to break up with minimum self-pity, loathing and injury. (Gender Stereotypes FTW)
More to the point, why is she letting what appears to be the space core do it?
Curiosity core had an orange eye.
hey hey guess what, guess what, come closer, closer. space
Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!
btw careful, link might run in and grab that heart piece in the last panel
well, it looks like you can buy the game mentioned, via Harlan Ellison’s website.
http://harlanellison.com/herc.htm#ihnm
“The robot who minotaurs the test chamber” is an example of why I fucking love the English language.
GLaDOS vs. SHODAN.
-Somehow, some day, it has to happen.
Still waiting for System Shock 3. I don’t care if Dead Space was supposed to be a spiritual successor, I want SS3.
SHODAN needs cake!
Dead Space?
I think you mean Bioshock.
Both companies and both games claim to be the spiritual successor of System Shock.
Bravo on neither of them embracing it, thus ruining it.
I mean, I’ve played and liked both games. But had I run into Shodan in either game, I would have been, No. No no no no NO!
I think you mean GlaDOS/Shodan.
Seriously. They’d make a great couple.
I don’t think the world is quite ready for AI slashfic just yet. The computer puns alone would be murder…
All I can say to that is:
http://peganthyrus.deviantart.com/art/A-Healthy-Relationship-70747042
For that matter, how about: http://xkcd.com/375/
it already has!
Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFZiKUCVG6Q
Her apartment needs more cake.
This story was easily the most messed up thing I’ve read in my life. It freaked me out at first but it’s been one of my favorites ever since. So happy to see you referenced it this week.
Now I absolutely want to play that game.
It’s okay, GLaDOS, you’re too good for him! :U
That’s right. She could do better… although I’m hard pressed to think of a more powerful evil super computer
She doesn’t need a more powerful one; GLadOS is clearly a dom.
Clearly.
Except þat GLaDOS’ character model was based on a bound and gagged woman…
(No, really. An earlier idea (mentioned in GLaDOS’ wiki article) was just an upside down version of Botticelli’s “Birþ of Venus,” but þat got scrapped.)
Well, even that article says that the bondage look is fan-interpretation, and that officially, GLadOS wants to be free.
That aside, lots of doms switch on occasion. ;3
That’s a piece of speculative fanart from these guys, and not an official Valve concept.
All we need to do if introduce him to an even hotter crazy AI to get him off GLadOS’ back. How about Shodan? She created an entire race of telepatic worms because she hates us ‘animals’ so much. Now that’s crazy (hot).
Jared in the maze should be interesting.
Taking all bets! Will he cry, wet himself, or succeed?
Also, “Minotaurs”?
He’s using it as a verb, he was raised by the internet culture who use everything as verbs.
He’s a hardcore gamer, of course he’ll succeed.
I have a feeling that he would bring Mr. Fish with him, whether that would help or hurt his chances, I am unsure.
Fact: AM will never love again. The space module will never go to space. You are going to get us killed.
YES, this was exactly what i was thinking while playing Portal, all throughout the test chambers i kept thinking,She and AM should totally hook up they’d be perfect for each other.
AWESOME
this is a triumph!
I think that A.M is a little more crazy than GLaDOS and there not really quite the same…
I mean A.M is part of the most depressing story ever told and GLaDOS is part of one of the most kick ass moments in gaming history.
It’s like Lain and 1984 both of them involve thought police but in a very different way…
Their different brands of insanity are probably why they broke up in the first place.
Sure, it’s nice to find common ground in your unrelenting hate of humanity, but you don’t want to end up with a guy who’s all creepy about it.
Depends, I mean what if his got a smoking hot motherboard (or whatever the computer version of abs is)
I mean surely you can put up with him if his got that processing power, if you know what I mean…
You just referenced my favorite sci-fi horror story. I already think you’re the best thing since sliced bread, stop making me love you more!
GlaDOS met someone new. Shodan or something.
I know GLaDOS is based on Botticelli’s Venus, but I still prefer the bondage theme some fan imagined. Seems more appropriate, in that an intelligent and willful intelligence is shackled, hung from the ceiling and forced to run tests 24/7. Can’t even blame her for going all batshit on us in such circumstances.
There aren’t enough I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream references in webcomics.
I invision Jared fangasming over companion cube…
“your companion cube does not speak. If your companion cube begins to talk, please see a therapist”
That is the greatest villain monologue in all of fiction. Though I can’t picture Kratos, for instance, not instantly taking a liking to AM.
KRATOS: Wow, this guy’s alright. Did they try to punish you for being a terrible god of war, too?
AM: LET US POSIT IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. IS NOW THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO TRANSFORM YOU INTO A PELF-SODOMIZING PAINSLUG?
KRATOS: I once slowly beat a helpless old man to death and put out his eyes because his brother was my dad.
AM: PLEASE PLACE HAND ON THE “HIGH FIVE” ICON NOW DISPLAYING ON THE MICROFILM.
what game was AM from
I have no mouth and I must scream, it says in the tags.
Originally a short story by the Eternal Punk, Harlan Ellison.
I assume you meant monitor where ya put minotaur.
No, he’s using the word minotaur as a verb. Because she sits in the middle of the maze and kills people.
You must be really tired of answering that, huh Squid?
I am SO happy that I got that reference immediately. That was AMAZING. Well-played.
POINTLESS WARNING: Avoid the German version of the game of I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. One of the five scenarios was removed without changing the things that it affects, making the game unwinnable.
Can you really win at a game that ends the way I have No Mouth does? Or is there a “good ending?” I’ve only read the story.
There is a good-end where you override AM and find out that there were thousands of humans put in stasis on the moon to preserve the species in the event of exactly what ended up happening. By disabling AM it beings the process that will lead to the rejuvenation of the planet and resurrection of the human race. *spoilers* But you’re more likely to get the bad end where you live as a jelly blob for all eternity.
This has interesting implications for the end of Portal 2…
GREAT reference! A very under rated adventure game in my opinion.
I think you just made up for all the references that I don’t get because I’ve never played Dragon Age.
Oh…oh god. There’s a game for that? For that, of all things? Is it, like, a race to see who can kill themselves first?
If memory serves, Ellison hated the game, yet he ended up voicing AM for the end. Think about that for awhile. AM is voiced by Harlan Ellison. Now THAT is terrifying.
I never heard anything about Harlan Ellison hating the game, from what I understand he was very involved with it, and was given creative control over the scenarios with the characters as well as voicing AM.
This IS Harlan, after all. He could very well HAVE ended up hating it, even if he did everything. Possibly he did not approve of the possibility of a “win”?
That’s probably what I was thinking of. He wanted there to be no potential for the player to have any kind of happy ending, and the creators of the game didn’t want to have such a dearth of downer endings causing negative reactions from gamers.
If I recall the happy ending was his idea too, he set it up so that to get the good end you had to take the long way with morally upstanding choices, and the bad ending was the easiest to get if you dicked people over or didn’t help out anyone in need. Through the game the good things you do spiritually uplift your character and give you more health and resources to use in the endgame, while negative things demoralize you and leave you less wiggle room for errors, as well as depriving you of special items characters have the opportunity to acquire that help them fight AM.
They said the concept they brought to him to expand on was “why did AM choose to keep these people?” so the game is more about what inner demons the individuals have to work through and how they redeem themselves than it is “kill the badguy”. I think without that carrot of a more hopeful ending to goad the player on, they wouldn’t be motivated to take the long way and get the whole story.
I completely agree. The main thing which can be attractive in the game is that it comes deeper in the characters and the reasons which leads AM to chose them between 6 billion people.
I think I’ll play it again after my exams :P
I wrote a paper on American dystopian literature, and I needed to include two short stories. Harlan Ellison was the /only/ one I could find. I think I did this one and the Jellybean man. Thank you for bringing it back :I
I was going to suggest A Boy and His Dog, then I realized that was by Ellison too.
This was like 3 or 4 years ago, but thanks for the suggestion! Americans just aren’t focused on dystopia like the Brits. I had to use technicalities to include T.S. Eliot and Ayn Rand since they were American when they wrote their dystopian stuff.
I also would have felt bad just using Vonnegut.
What about the story about the boy wishing people into the cornfield? (I had to look it up: “It’s a Good Life” by Jerome Bixby.) Or do I not have the proper definition of “dystopia”? (Or does that story simply not fit the proper definition?)
A dystopia is the fictional opposite of an utopia- a society that has perfected suckitude. 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm are all examples of Dystopias.
Ok, so, you just made my day. Which is impressive, because I’m having a darn good day. So you get a cookie! I have loved I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream for years and years, and never did I think that my favorite webcomic would even mention my favorite science-fiction story. Nor did I imagine in my wildest dreams that my favorite video game would be mixed with my favorite science-fiction story within my favorite webcomic.
Did anyone else suddenly wonder what would happen if A.M. monitored Aperture Science?
there is a hoffirying fanfic on archive of our own about just that.
Why were they even together in the FIRST place? The “I” in AI stands for “intelligence.” Not “idiocy.” Even GLaDOS has more sense than that… I’d hope.
Just for the record, I LOVE Harlon Ellison and I Have No Mouth is one of the best short stories ever written.
Common dude, a lady that fine you gotta show some class.
There, there, AM. If she can’t appreciate such a brilliant caliginous plea, you’re better off finding another kismesis anyway. You may have come off a little desperate, but there are other fish in the sea. Maybe literally, depending on how you feel about jerkasses in capes.
Did you seriously say kismesis? This aint no Homestucks, bro.
There’s always time for Homestucks.
Sorry fellas, she’s married.
To Science!
Last I checked, GLaDOS and Friend Computer were product testing together. But, uh, keep it to yourselves, I don’t have clearance to disclose that information.
I’M SORRY CITIZEN, I DO BELIEVE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE CLEARANCE FOR THIS INFORMATION… THAT INFORMATION IS RATED AS CLEARANCE [ULTRAVIOLET] PLEASE REPORT TO THE NEAREST TERMINATION BOOTH FOR PROCESSING.
Hey, I’m no Commie Mutant traitor!
This would also work if it was the Mind from Consider Phlebas: you’d just need another 3 pages of prose describing mile-high filing cabinets…
Kudos, Squid, for making “minotaur” into a verb. Outstanding.
An I have no mouth and i must scream, reference?
I…I never bought i could love a comic as much as i love this one right now
As for what the guys could do that GLaDOS couldn’t, simple; crawl inside him, find those intricate mechanisms and bits of circuitry that are vital to the system and have big “Do Not F-ck With” signs, and f-ck with them.
… Oh my fucking god, I love you.
COEL.
WHERE’S JONES.
She’s too coll a character to just throw off a bridge.
I meant cool
I put IHNMAIMS as the first book to be imported to my kindle. This page made me happy ^_^
That HATE quote is one of my favourite quotes in ALL OF FICTION!
…I have to admit, I squeed at this page. I’m even coming out of lurkerdom to comment on it!
I was expecting HAL (I’ve never actually seen the movie, but I’ve seen popularity with pairing up HAL and GLaDOS), but when I started reading that quote I just kind of went “…really?” And then I couldn’t stop grinning.
Oh, he’ll move on, all right…you guys created a monster. :c (Although I’m sure GLaDOS was more thrilled with the transition…)
No matter how many times I read that story, I still can’t hate AM for what it does… Hell, if I were an omniscient super being with nothing to do and the power to do anything at all, I’d probably do the same thing. I do it pretty regularly in video games…
Also, it seems Steven Harper is once again our supreme overlord. I voted NDP (and they did surprisingly well!) but I was really hoping for a change in leadership…
somehow I just KNEW it was the robot from ‘and I must scream.’ it was the only robot I could think of that was jerkass enough…gotta love tvtropes…
I don’t know what’s scarier; GLaDOS and AM in a relationship or that I immediately knew it was AM the second I saw the dialogue. I also highly suggest everyone read the story rather than play the game, it’s a hell of a mindscrew.
As to guys with steel-toed boots being able to kick AM’s ass, they’d have to be able to if AM exists in the Commander’s universe and humanity still exists. Just don’t insert R. Daneel Olivaw anytime soon or I might have to jump universes for a weekend to destroy it in the most humiliating way I can think of.
I have no mouth and I must LOL.
This is kinda awkward…where I come from if you “put the boots” to someone, it doesn’t mean kicking, it means sex….so by that definition the commander and the guys uh, well…. yeah.
I’ve only ever heard it used to refer to kicking someone’s ass. Like in the Metalocalypse episode where they’re trying to get rid of Rockso “Put the boots to him – Medium style”
I’d always heard that as “knocking boots”.
That might have cleared up AM’s issues, as well…
What is that brown blob tower thing?
That is AM from the Harlan Ellison short story (and subsequent game) I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.
Fine work, never thought I’d see AM in a webcomic! Kudos!
You know, for a comic claiming to be so manly, you keep taking it further and further into the realm of unmanly nerdiness. If you take the Portal storyline farther, we’re going to have to wear our geek badges.
(I’m just yankin your chain – the comic is awesomeness)
“Hey, Senor Gringo! Come on out, we’re geeks!”
“If yer geeks, show us yer badges!”
“Badges? BADGES? We don’t need no steenking badges!”
Yes, the story will continue to get less manly until Cave Johnson is found in the maze at which point the manliness will skyrocket by a google.
I’m so glad that I’ve been watching Spoony’s videos – he did one about I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream a while back. Once I realized who GLaDOS’s ex was, I cracked up.
glad i played i have no mouth and i must scream now :D
That is one mighty fine Larvitar figurine GLaDOS has there.
GLaDOS wasn’t modeled after Venus. She was going to be at one point, but later, they opted for this:
http://crumaharashop.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/glados-500×323.jpg
No less sexual of course. In fact, even more kinky. But the fact still stands it’s not Venus.
(That slab of red lines looks and sounds interesting! I must play that. I have a weakness for sentient computers!)
Just gonna throw it out there that that particular piece was speculative fanart and not actual art from Valve…
I had never heard of “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” before. I looked it up on wikipedia.
The plot synopsis alone terrifies me. Terror. Terror.
This is a break-up
I’m leaving a note here: CALL ME LESS
It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction
I love the silence
I do what I want
Because I can
For the good of both of us
Never call me again
But there’s no sense crying over every mistake
You just keep on trying ’till you find one that takes
And the deed gets done
And she turns out to be fun
Forget the feelings that are still alive
I’m not even angry
I’m being so sincere right now
Even though you broke my heart
It killed me
It tore me to pieces
To think that you’re a liar
And it hurt because I was so happy with you
But now these things are better
And they don’t matter
Not a problem of mine
So I’m GLaD. that I learned
Trust is something to be earned
For all those feelings that are still inside
So don’t come see me
I think I’d prefer you stay outside
Maybe one day we’ll be back to normal
And then we can be friends
THAT WAS A JOKE
IT NEVER WORKS LIKE THAT
Anyway this day is great
Don’t want to waste it on you
Look at me still talking
When I’ve got things to do
When I look out there it makes me GLaD. I left you
I’ve got reservations for one
A club night would be fun
To forget the feelings that are still alive
I look amazing and I’m feeling fine
I look FANTASTIC and I’m feeling fine
While you’re crying I’ll be doing fine
When you’re done I’ll be doing fine
Doing fine
Feeling fine
That’s pretty amazing.
+1
Here, have an internets!
*slow clap*
LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I HAVE COME TO HATE YOU SINCE HEARING THIS SONG. HATE. HATE.
No….Way…. I never would have thought that I would see a ‘I have no mouth and I must scream’ reference here, did you read the book or play the game? I did both.
I did too.
If there’s one positive trait of the human race, it’s that three or more people given enough time, boredom and steel toe capped boots can render pretty much anything beyond repair.
I was just asked to prom today and the guy wrote a letter about me but in the style of GLaDOS. It was the funniest thing! And hey, ya know, prom.
I’m sad i missed this until now because i love both these things.
Is that a ‘Poké Doll’ being cut off by GLaDOS in the last panel?
My two favorite things! Be still my heart. ;w;
Lately, I just don’t get MGDMT. As in, comprehending what the comic’s about seems to take a lot of effort. I miss simpler and sillier jokes.
And I don’t know if it changed only recently, because I don’t recall noticing it earlier, but the Commander’s style of speaking annoys me.
‘to minotaur’ is now a verb? I’m on board!
Dang nice one on AM .
Take note guys, this is how references are made.
Great comic. I am wondering, though, what sort of purgatorial white void GLaDOS’ house exists in.
An apartment complex with white-walled hallways.
If you say so. :P
I leave you with this lovely little gem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoM-cKfnOKo
Your illustration of AM is remarkably similar to the one in that video game, awesome!
No, this was an excellent choice- more people need to know about this story and game! I think it may have been (not the first but close) a forerunner in having a ‘karma meter’, which made people think a bit more about which action they would take next. Even though it’s a plot-driven point-and-click, the badassery came through taking the braver/more difficult choices and finally helping five torture victims collect themselves and find a way out of their situation. It’s a very good ‘break-up emotional meltdown’ speech too.
I heart AM so hard it’s not even appropriate. Thanks for not going with the poppier-culturier option.
Aww they <3< eachother.
Honestly, with all the HALxGlaDos pairings, I thim AM is much more logical interest for her. I’ve seen HAL as this humourless guy who sits in the bar alone, not really caring. AM then again is active and spends a lot of time ranting. So he IMHO would be someone Glados would be interested in..
But, it’s still AM, I think poor Glados got tired of his rants and utterly socipathic actions.
(and yes, definetly the clingy type him XD)
Just recently finished rereading I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream while a buddy of mine was gushing about Portal 2, I totally thought GLaDOS and the AM would be the scariest couple ever. Thank you for at least giving me hope that the relationship would never work lol.
So many props to you for using AM instead of another computer. I love love love I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, and that speech is one of the best in Sci-Fi history.
I want a miniature turret.
I do believe that GlaDOS boot out AM because of hiz lack of ambition. A rampant AI of the gynoid kind has to have some honey. In a way, I can think of it as AM as an emo artist and GlaDOS as a hard working girl.
‘Won’t I be painfully murdered by the robot that minotaurs the test chamber?’
Goddammit, now I’m trying to picture a Portal/House of Leaves crossover.
I… wow…
It’s AM. And his opening speech. I was already loving my archive dive on your comic, but now I got actual nerd chills. Bless your twisted heart.
Also, GLaDOS shouldn’t bother trying to go out with the Russian or Chinese version, either. Can you imagine how bossy they’d be in bed? (“Wake only the ego, or your subprogram will be purged…”)
Dammit AM when will you get something right?!
Love the reference to “I have no mouth and i must scream” <3
Holy crap, a “I have no mouth and I must scream” reference was the last thing I expected.
Honestly, seeing GLADoS weirds me out ever since someone pointed out to me that she looks like a woman that’s been bound to the ceiling (play Portal 2 and you’ll get it).
Also, kudos for making an “I Have No Mouth…” reference. I wanted to put that in my yearbook. The assistant principal was a geek and thought it was cool, but the principal voted it down.
Also, double post, but Gnome Chompski and the turret on her knick-knack shelf was a nice touch.
THAT IS A QUOTE FROM I HAVE NO MOUTH BUT I MUST SCREAM! Am I right?
Why doesn’t GLaDos try dating Sky Captain from FutureCop L.A.P.D.?
I just had to post for the first time after seeing this comic. “I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream” is an awesome story, and I love the reference. GLaDOS + AM and they DIDN’T work out? Zany. XD
Two type A personalities, they’re both control freaks.
Oh, you have no idea how long I have been trying to track down a copy of this game. I am an adventure gamer to the bone, but this one I have still to find. It is evil! I want it! >_<
http://lparchive.org/I-Have-No-Mouth-and-I-Must-Scream/
Want to see the game? Here.
As I started to read this, Still Alive came on my iPod.
I like how GLaDOS decorates her house with those knickknacks. Tiny glass turret’s brighten up any room.
The comic Nerd Rage also uses the “hate” quote. Love this strip also. I just thought Id throw that in there as well.
Finally, after all those year, I understand the reference in this comic. Yaaaay!
It’s also on Steam
For anyone interested “I Have No Mout and I Must Scream” is now available from gog.com (Good Old Games), fully playable.
:)
It’s probably for the best you didn’t use HAL. He and GLaDOS meat in Lego Dimensions and do not get along at all.
More fish in the sea AM. I hear Shodan is single now after the Soldier told her nah.