Tron

Tron is a computer program from the Grid system developed by Kevin Flynn. He was originally designed as a security program.

age: In human years, about 28.

origins: TRON.

app link: Here!

hmd: Hit me up!

played by: Mel, aka Brightdreamer

contact: AIM: fight4theusers, Plurk, rp@brightdreamer.net

Setting
"The Grid. A digital frontier. I tried to picture clusters of information as they moved through the computer. What did they look like? Ships? Motorcycles? Were the circuits like freeways? I kept dreaming of the world I thought I'd never see. And then... one day..." (Kevin Flynn, opening of Tron: Legacy. The world of Tron is set inside a computer system, which, although it bears many similarities to the human world, is very different from ours. Programs are the entities which exist within this digital world, living out their lives in the glowing cities and rough outlands. Kevin Flynn designed the Grid, a system where all programs could live freely, what he wanted to be the "perfect system." Inside the main city, there are such entertainments as an arena for games (Disc Wars, Light-Cycle Races, etc.), and nightclubs like the End of Line, which towers over much of the city. Recognizers--giant flying arches--roam over the city, a symbol of enforcment by Clu, and light-cycles and light-runners are the preferred method of transport in the city streets.

Much of the Grid consists of a flat, dark platform with glowing blue, cyan, or white, ribbons of light covering it in a vast latticework. Within the Grid itself lies TRON City, a metropolis modeled on a real world city, which plays host to a diverse range of programs. The programs in turn carry out all the day-to-day running of the system. Every program bears an identity disc on their back, carrying everything they do or learn. Their coding can be accessed through this disc, and behavior can be modified by one who posesses such power. (A User, an admin program, etc.) Programs are beings of light as well, showing glowing circuit lines on all of their clothing, dimming and brightening with emotion and power.

On the periphery of the Grid lies the Outlands, an inhospitable region where most programs never venture. The Outlands is a vast wasteland in the TRON system that is located outside the boundaries of the Grid. It has a craggy, treacherous terrain full of sheer rock walls and deep ravines. According to Quorra, very few programs venture into the Outlands, save for those few desperate to go there to escape Clu's grasp. Kevin Flynn fled into the Outlands after Clu's betrayal in 1989 and established a home there.

Tron City is the main city in the Tron system. It is built on the Grid, Kevin Flynn's master creation, and the pinnacle of his "digital frontier". It is constructed in a hexagonal shape, with a deep chasm surrounding its perimeter. Bridges connect it to the surrounding area and form highly defensible choke points against any surface-based aggression. The city, like the Grid around it, matches the darkened environment of the rest of the TRON system. The gloom is offset by brilliant white illumination, meandering throughout the city like circuits on on a printed circuit board.

The first beginnings of Tron City were in 1983 after the establishment of the Grid. It was expanded to accommodate a multitude of diverse programs and beyond the purely functional streets and buildings it eventually gained some of the less essential trappings of a society, such as a vast entertainment arena and nightclubs, such as the End of Line. One building in particular provides a significant point of interest; Flynn's Arcade in the real world has it's very own digital simulation in Tron City and this modest structure in the heart of the city provides the entry point into the system for users rezzing in from the real arcade.

Tron City was at one time a thriving metropolis of digital freedom where all types of programs functioned and intermingled. But ever since Clu 2 took over the control of the TRON system from Kevin Flynn, it has become a dark, oppressed place of strict, regulated functions.

Of interesting note, while there is weather in the Grid system (rain, lightning) there is no sun, nor any apparent natural light aside what is given off by the programs and the buildings themselves. There is also no plant life.

Tron was originally brought into the Grid by Flynn, to be the security force for the new system. He and Flynn had met in the old ENCOM system when Flynn had been pulled into it by the malicious MCP. Later, after Clu's betrayal, Tron/Rinzler becomes the gladiator champion of the Grid and Clu's right-hand enforcer. As the security force in the Grid and mainly in Tron City, Tron himself was tasked with keeping the system running smoothly, protecting it against threats such as Gridbugs (which literally eat the system) and malicious virus attacks. He also was a huge draw to the Games (enough to cause a traffic problem around the Arena), a seemingly unbeatable champion of the people. He appeared to love playing in the Games, using them as a training ground for himself and other progams, once they held no danger to the loser. When Clu began to take more control, however, Clu mandated that losers would be derezzed (killed), which made Tron furious. Later, Tron is forced to fight in the Games as Rinzler, derezzing programs at Clu's command. Once Clu is gone, and Tron's programming is restored, he will attempt to return to his old purpose and secure the unstable Grid..

Personality
Though Tron is technically a program, he still exhibits a human-like personality and emotions. He is usually serious and focused on the task ahead of him, sometimes to the point of single-mindedness. On occasion, he can seem to be something of a wet blanket; in the first movie, right after he, Flynn, and another program escape from the Light Cycles game, he exclaims, "We made it!", then turns seriously to the others and adds, "...this far."

One over-arching theme in both movies is a religious connection between the programs and their users. Tron is a devout believer in the Users, despite being threatened by deresolution (death) for that belief. His mantra is "I fight for the Users" and he is a source of inspiration and strength for other programs as they watch him compete in the games. When he finally meets a User, Flynn, he says, "You must have had a plan for this, all along." He is amazed to find out that Users are not all that different than programs, and that they "just keep doing what you think you're supposed to be doing." Tron responds to this by shaking his head and saying "stranger and stranger," but he still seems to be in awe of being in the presence of a User. During a relaxed moment with other programs, he pauses, and says with a smile, "I can feel it... Alan-One!" (Alan-One was the name of his programmer, his User.) He seems to have a real connection with the Users and will fight to the end to defend his belief.

Tron still holds much of his reverence for the Users even after being moved to the new system. The whole reason he is able to overcome his reprogramming as Rinzler is seeing Flynn again, and remembering his mantra that "I fight for the Users!" Even in the Arena, when he fought Sam, he recognizes him as a User when he sees him bleed, and his voice sounds awed as he says "User...?" He immediately pulls back and does not kill him, even though that was the obvious end to the fight. During Clu's betrayal, Tron is willing to fight and lay down his life so that Flynn can escape. Even in the comic book when Clu is beginning to act as ruler, Tron becomes angry, saying "Now you're trying to talk like him?" as if it's blasphemy to try to emulate a User. (That may be reading slightly too much into it, but I think that Tron was at the very least angry with Clu for trying to act like Flynn.) He doesn't so much worship them as he did in the first movie, but he does still hold a deep awe and reverence for them. Knowing Flynn personally as a friend and as a fallible being, not some mysterious overlord that only gave orders and directed from above helped to facilitate this slight shift; his "God" is now a person, not just a voice in an I/O tower. As for other Users, he treats them basically as he does Flynn, though without the familiarity. He still shows deference and a sense that they are a superior being, but does not act like a servant to them.

Tron was designed to be a security program, but has expanded beyond that capacity in both his old system and the new. He has become Flynn's friend, someone he confides in, and someone he trusts to help run the place. When Clu begins his descent into corruption, Tron does his best to stop it, but can do nothing, in the end. During Clu's betrayal, Tron does not think twice to defend his friend and User, Flynn, and seems to fully expect to be derezzed in the fight.

Tron never shows a sign of blaming Flynn for the way the Grid fell. He understands that Flynn has to be in two worlds at once, something that Clu never seemed to get. Tron shows increasing signs of agitation and frustration with Clu's methods, yelling at him when he changes the rules of the Games, and subverting his bombing plans. Everything he does is frustration with Clu's taking things the wrong direction.

Side note: as Rinzler, Tron's personality changes drastically. He rarely speaks, only emitting a low-frequency growling sound most of the time. He is passive and obedient, following Clu's orders immediately and without question. It is unknown how much of this programming will remain, though it is assumed that when his circuits returned to their neutral white, his corruption was undone. Rinzler is considered to be a separate entity/personality. Tron does remember everything he did as Rinzler, and feels incredible guilt over it. He often feels as though he must atone for what he's done, despite the fact that he was under another's control for those actions. Clu no longer has any direct control over him, however, as Tron has completely overcome the reprogramming through the reboot in the Sea of Simulation. Tron may still worry that there will be control problems, but that's another issue altogether. Clu has no control over him other than psychological, which, knowing Clu, he'll probably use to full extent. None of Rinzler's coding remains, though. Tron is Tron, from here forth.

Abilities & Weaknesses
Strengths: Physical: Tron has a high level of physical prowess, and is shown to be extremely athletic in both the original and Legacy movies. He is skilled in identity disk combat, and as Rinzler (and briefly as himself, Tron), he uses two disks, an ability that has not been seen or duplicated. He also excells in light-cycle racing/combat and light-jet fighting. He also easily lifted Kevin over a railing with one arm in the original movie.

Mental: Tron's faith in the Users is very strong, and he refuses to denounce it even under threat of death. In the original movie, he was known as the one who "fights for the Users," despite repeated attempts by those over him and the other programs to tell them that it was primitive and wrong. Near the end of Legacy, Tron is able to overcome his brainwashing/reprogramming into Rinzler when he sees his User friend Flynn, whom he had fought to defend. As his memories return, he crashes his light-jet into the enemy's, calling out "I fight for the Users!"

Emotional: Though Tron has strong emotions, he does not let them overcome him. When he thought that Flynn and Ram were dead, he showed a brief moment of anguish, then moved on with his mission to defeat the MCP. He shows righteous anger at the treatment of other programs, but does not allow himself to be rattled by it or flustered by it.

Weaknesses: Physical: Although Tron is an excellent athlete and fighter, he is not invincible. Clu easily overpowered him when he fought to defend Kevin Flynn, which led to his eventual "repurposing" as Rinzler. Again, after overcoming his reprogramming, Tron and Clu had a brief struggle in free-fall, in which Clu again physically overpowered and defeated Tron. Sam and Quorra were also able to trick and defeat Rinzler/Tron by using two disks to surprise him in their fight to escape, allowing Quorra to kick him over the edge of a ledge.

Mental: As Tron is a program, a mental weakness could be his ability to be reprogrammed, as seen when he is transformed into Rinzler. He is unable to fight against that type of brainwashing for twenty years, and it takes seeing Flynn, his User friend and the Creator of the System to break through. (Also, at this point, Tron was missing his identity disks, which may have weakened the programming, but that is mere speculation.)

Emotional: Tron can become too focused on the mission in front of him, causing him to seem emotionally cut off from others. His reactions to Yori in the classic movie, especially in their deleted "love scene" are a good example of this; Yori seems to be trying to get him to open up and "relax" a bit, and he only seems interested in talking about where they are going next and how they're getting there. It's awkward.

Power Limitation Suggestions Outside of the Grid, Tron will most likely be no stronger than any normal human. He may be slightly more athletic, but any of the extra strength he may have had in the computer system should be gone. His discs and transport batons will work approximately the same.

Character Relationships
CLU - Just a bit of History between these two. Almost immediately upon arriving, Tron fought Clu in the recreated Arena in order to rescue Kevin Flynn. He defeated him, but was unable to derez him.

Ed Dillinger, Jr - Tron does not know of Dillinger's User world connections yet, but he followed him immediately upon hearing that Sam and Kevin Flynn were in danger and had been captured.

Kevin Flynn - Tron is living in the same house as Flynn, and still has to be reminded from time to time that it's his home too, and he's not just staying with Flynn! Flynn is his closest friend, and is helping him to recover from the trauma of what he experienced under Clu's brainwashing.

Rinzler - Tron is unsure of how he feels about Rinzler. On one hand, he pities him, knowing what he went through. On the other, he can barely stand to be around him, knowing that this version of himself is still under Clu's control... and even follows him willingly, right now.

Major Motoko Kusanagi - One of the first Tron communicated with upon arrival. He at first thought her another program, and feared he had offended her when she corrected him. She told him of Clu and Rinzler's existence in the world.

Fenris - Tron does not like this elf. Despite Fenris' friendship with Ram, Tron only knows that Fenris threatened Flynn during the housewarming party. After much posturing on both sides, they both backed down, but Tron still does not trust him.