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☆ Player Information
Name: Sharn
OOC Journal: N/A
Are you over 18?: Y
Preferred Contact Method(s):![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
notglitching, or PM to this journal.
Other characters currently played here: N/A
☆ Character Information
Name: Rinzler
Canon: Tron
OU, AU, OC?: AU—both OAU and CRAU.
Canon point: post-Mirror Event in Grid-Lined.
Setting Info:
The Tron universe functions much like the real world, but with one key difference: computer programs are people too. In this canon, every script, edit, or line of code a programmer writes acts as input to a thriving world inside the computer. Programs are intelligent constructs who wear their creators faces, networks are vast hubs of interlinked domains, and even bits can be shapechanging pets that fly around offering "helpful" advice.
On the human side of things, events are much like our own, only with a few key players added: Encom, a software company, and Kevin Flynn, its eccentric, now-vanished CEO. Encom was one of the first companies to have a prototype AI, the Master Control Program (MCP), and its internal network (Encom 511) was where Alan Bradley first installed Tron in 1982. It should be noted that in the normal course of things, Alan, Flynn, and Tron are all protagonists, fighting against the evil MCP in 1982 and later facing similar struggles against a program of Flynn's own creation (Clu).
This is not the normal course of events. This iteration of Rinzler is from a mirror universe, one that follows a similar sequence, but with the moral compass of the major players flipped. The history section will provide more detail and explain how events unfolded, but the fundamental changes in this universe originate in the temperament of the starting players in 1982. Flynn and Alan are ruthless and amoral, the MCP was a benevolent AI, and Tron's devotion to the users will lead to far worse things in this world than in the original.
Also referenced under history are incidents in Grid-Lined. Grid-Lined was a Tron-fandom journal RP Rinzler was brought into for a mirrorverse event. The game was set in a Grid that followed the normal events of the Tron franchise, with the premise that the Portal began malfunctioning after reintegration and started pulling derezzed programs, users, and alternate copies into the Grid. The system that resulted was a mostly-benevolent conglomeration of characters from different worlds. While accustomed to occasionally bizarre alternates warping in, the characters there were still caught off-guard by the arrival of completely reversed iterations of themselves.
History:
Wiki links here and here cover Tron/Rinzler's history in the normal course of events. For a more complete look at how the world went, the history links here should help. It should be noted that Tron 2.0 and Tron Uprising are considered alternate canon and were not included in either the majority of Grid-Lined's "original" timelines or in Rinzler's mirrored one.
The AU history for Rinzler's mirror!verse is here. If wanted, I can copy-pasta it over here, but given the length, I assumed a link might be preferable.
Rinzler's history in Grid-Lined consists of the following threads and summary:
After the above, repairs were had, Portal settings re-aligned, and the mirror programs began to head home. Since Clu had derezzed in his own system, it was uncertain if he could make it back intact; he and Rinzler talked it over and agreed to send Rinzler back alone. Rinzler departed through the Portal, promising to sort things out at home and find his way back to retrieve Clu once things were stable.
Personality:
Like most programs, Rinzler is largely defined by his function and directive: security, and protect the system. Safeguarding the Grid and the programs in it is a task he would give anything to accomplish. In the absence of his system, Rinzler will find other things and people to protect—particularly other programs and inorganic creatures. That said, he won't lose sight of his true goals, and especially with things in his world left in such a precarious state, he will be very motivated to find a way back to help.
But while Rinzler's directive and plans might be typical of most security programs, his experiences and origins are not. "Rinzler" wasn't coded by any user, and while Clu is responsible for restoring most of his functions and mind, the admin was working first and foremost to let Rinzler choose his own identity. Rinzler generated his own name, decided to reclaim the function of security, and developed a personality as much through interaction and experience as through his user's coded will. Regaining choice and purpose over the course of cycles makes him count them all the more important. While Rinzler has a massive independent streak, he also holds a deep value for his system and his place within it; uniquely among most (sane) Basic programs, he remembers what it was like to be disconnected and empty of any function at all.
To even reach that state, of course, he had to be removed from Tron's directives—or rather, the uncompromising commands Alan had reduced them to. By the time Clu got ahold of him, that forced obedience was literally all Tron was founded on, and therefore impossible to remove. To create Rinzler, Clu set up massive filtration and partitioning within Tron's code, hemming in his source code so as to prevent it from overriding everything else. These blocks are what allow Rinzler to have a mind or personality at all, and as described under Weaknesses, any tampering or damage could be catastrophic.
Unsurprisingly, the person Rinzler did become has no small grudge against humankind. He thinks of the Tron he used to be as a loathsome, repulsive drone, and as far as he's concerned, Alan-one is Tron's user—he doesn't have one. Rinzler is uncompromising in his hatred for users, to the point of trying to kill Sam when the latter first arrived in the Grid despite Sam having given him no cause at all. Events through Mirror!Legacy and with some allied users in Grid-Lined have blunted that edge a little, but if there is a worst to be assumed, he will assume it. Users exist to abuse, enslave, and make use of their creations—it's in the name, for System's sake. User-loyal programs who don't present an active threat frustrate Rinzler to no end; he hates their willingness to submit themselves and others to the whims of beings he considers monsters.
When not working himself into a fit about organics, Rinzler is massively better dispositioned than his OU self. He's competitive and easily amused, and while not particularly social as a rule, the few programs actually close to him are the recipients of a good deal of snark. Socially he's somewhat of a loner, and keeps the mask on at all times—both to stop other programs recognizing the former 'Tron' and because he himself hates sharing Alan's face. While not a pessimist as such, a thousand cycles fighting users have left him extremely cynical, and he can be relied on for brutal honesty about most things. He's even harder on his subordinates than his friends, and while he cares about them a great deal, he tries to keep himself personally removed. Security in the mirror!Grid had a very high turnover rate, and being soft on his people just meant they died faster.
As his admin, reprogrammer, and friend, Clu's involvement has fairly literally defined Rinzler's life. While their early relationship was inherently imbalanced, Rinzler's emerging personality proved more than a match for Clu's own. At this point, the two are genuine friends, and Rinzler is perhaps the only person who regularly calls Clu on his shit. This came to a head during events in Grid-Lined, when Clu revealed he'd held back information about his own expected death. Rinzler is extremely protective of Clu as both the most critical person to keeping his system intact and the friend who he owes literally everything to... so this went over very, very badly. At this point, they've mostly made up, but Rinzler's determination not to leave Clu to die again will be further motivation for him to try and return home.
Other significant relationships include Yori, Rinzler's romantic counterpart, Alan, Tron's creator, and Flynn, the user who wrote most of the Grid and served as Security's enemy for most of a kilocycle. Both of these users are dead by now in his own world, but any versions he encounters on the ship are likely to be met with panic, rage, and murder attempts in short order.
Abilities/Weaknesses:
Rinzler is the most talented combatant in his world. While skilled with nearly any weapon that can be found, he uses his disks in most battles: round weapons (think chakram) that can be activated for melee or ranged attacks, capable of cutting nearly any material. The program is insanely fast, capable of launching and defending multiple attacks at once, and will frequently evade with flips, leaps, or other improbable acrobatics. He's also far stronger than a comparable human.
But unlike his original universe counterpart, this Rinzler is a lot more than just a weapon. Rinzler has spent the better part of the last thousand cycles heading system security, and while he lacks Clu's charisma or diplomatic bent, he's extremely experienced at strategy, tactics, and leadership in battle. Rinzler can command small groups or the whole system's combat forces, and is both intelligent and tactically minded. He also has a lot of experience in training noncombatants—very few of the security programs in his system were really coded for it.
As an actual security program himself, Rinzler has a variety of scanning functions. He can track down potential threats and trace the residual energy individuals leave behind. While not quite as much the energy-efficient ninja as his OU self, he can be stealthy, masking his circuitry and energy signature when he needs to hide. He can operate any number of vehicles from his world (lightjets, lightcycles, recognizers) and will probably be able to handle their user-world analogs without much trouble. Likewise, technology and encryptions will come naturally, both in terms of securing data and hacking others' security. Doing things user-side will take practice, but Rinzler is a quick learner, and far more adaptable than most.
While his outward appearance (sans mask and gridsuit) looks almost entirely human, it should be noted that programs are made of code, not flesh and blood. If injured, Rinzler breaks into "voxels": tiny cubelets that glow faintly with the same red-orange color as his circuit lines. His perception is also somewhat different, partly due to said circuits. In conjunction with the previously mentioned scans, the program can instinctively detect motion and power (and data, in his own world) with something more than typical sight or hearing. Rinzler consumes energy, and will have fun adventures looking for a source he can make use of. Additionally, while minor fractures will repair, he'll need a programmer's help to fix any serious injury.
Physical weaknesses include electrocution and strong magnetic fields. Extreme temperatures won't burn him, but can cause overheat and malfunction. But Rinzler's biggest weakness is internal, written into every line of his base code. Alan deliberately cut out Tron's capacity for sentient choice, and every thought, decision, and fragment of identity Rinzler has is in spite of his original coding, not because of it. His disks contain a complex partitioning system designed to let Rinzler process and act without the compulsion of his true directive overriding everything else.
This is an incredibly delicate balance, and while Clu went to a great deal of effort to secure those disks, any programmer who can bypass Clu's locks has Rinzler's brain on a plate. Even a well-intended effort to remove the "restrictions" in his code could easily destroy the filters protecting his identity, and any amount of tampering carries serious risk. This, as well as his desire to hide his history from those around him, will significantly hamper Rinzler's ability to find repair.
Among the functions Alan stripped from Tron was his voice. As a result, Rinzler's vocal capacity is an entirely reconstructed function, one that takes an active energy expenditure. Clu's work over the cycles has reduced this considerably, and Rinzler will snark, comment, and converse freely, but his speech patterns tend to be extremely terse, and may fail entirely if he's low on power.
RP sample:
Rinzler's encounter with his creator in Grid-Lined.
Name: Sharn
OOC Journal: N/A
Are you over 18?: Y
Preferred Contact Method(s):
Other characters currently played here: N/A
☆ Character Information
Name: Rinzler
Canon: Tron
OU, AU, OC?: AU—both OAU and CRAU.
Canon point: post-Mirror Event in Grid-Lined.
Setting Info:
The Tron universe functions much like the real world, but with one key difference: computer programs are people too. In this canon, every script, edit, or line of code a programmer writes acts as input to a thriving world inside the computer. Programs are intelligent constructs who wear their creators faces, networks are vast hubs of interlinked domains, and even bits can be shapechanging pets that fly around offering "helpful" advice.
On the human side of things, events are much like our own, only with a few key players added: Encom, a software company, and Kevin Flynn, its eccentric, now-vanished CEO. Encom was one of the first companies to have a prototype AI, the Master Control Program (MCP), and its internal network (Encom 511) was where Alan Bradley first installed Tron in 1982. It should be noted that in the normal course of things, Alan, Flynn, and Tron are all protagonists, fighting against the evil MCP in 1982 and later facing similar struggles against a program of Flynn's own creation (Clu).
This is not the normal course of events. This iteration of Rinzler is from a mirror universe, one that follows a similar sequence, but with the moral compass of the major players flipped. The history section will provide more detail and explain how events unfolded, but the fundamental changes in this universe originate in the temperament of the starting players in 1982. Flynn and Alan are ruthless and amoral, the MCP was a benevolent AI, and Tron's devotion to the users will lead to far worse things in this world than in the original.
Also referenced under history are incidents in Grid-Lined. Grid-Lined was a Tron-fandom journal RP Rinzler was brought into for a mirrorverse event. The game was set in a Grid that followed the normal events of the Tron franchise, with the premise that the Portal began malfunctioning after reintegration and started pulling derezzed programs, users, and alternate copies into the Grid. The system that resulted was a mostly-benevolent conglomeration of characters from different worlds. While accustomed to occasionally bizarre alternates warping in, the characters there were still caught off-guard by the arrival of completely reversed iterations of themselves.
History:
Wiki links here and here cover Tron/Rinzler's history in the normal course of events. For a more complete look at how the world went, the history links here should help. It should be noted that Tron 2.0 and Tron Uprising are considered alternate canon and were not included in either the majority of Grid-Lined's "original" timelines or in Rinzler's mirrored one.
The AU history for Rinzler's mirror!verse is here. If wanted, I can copy-pasta it over here, but given the length, I assumed a link might be preferable.
Rinzler's history in Grid-Lined consists of the following threads and summary:
- Rinzler is pulled into Grid-Lined. The malfunctioning Portal takes him from his own universe, when he'd been glitching badly while lost in the Sea. While not unhappy to be out of there, Rinzler is still fighting for control of his code, and less than pleased to find himself in a blue-lit system where, by all evidence, the users won. He encounters an alternate version of himself going by Tron, and despite initial tensions, the two work things out. Tron agrees to help Rinzler find his Clu.
- Rinzler finds Clu. Rinzler's admin had, as expected, managed to get into trouble, and Rinzler and Tron track him down and sort things out. Clu fixes Rinzler's code before reluctantly explaining that he'd reintegrated. This results in a blowup between the two. Tron tags them as bizarre, but probably not a system threat.
- Rinzler goes scouting and runs into a normal-verse Ram. Rinzler doesn't recognize him, but they sit and talk about the different universes, and Rinzler gets an idea just how much an exception his world was.
- Alan arrives. Unknown to everyone else, a third person had arrived from Clu and Rinzler's universe—Alan Bradley, Tron's original creator, and one of the most terrifying users in their world. Rinzler is trapped by Alan and rescued by the Tron he'd met earlier. They take this news first to Clu, then to this Grid's administrator (a different Tron).
- A strategy meeting happens to decide how to handle Alan. Rinzler supplies information while being extremely on edge around the users. One of them throws him for a loop.
- Alan attempts to leave the Grid with a hostage. Rinzler, Clu, and the normal-system peeps unite to try and stop him. Injuries happen all around and crazy user powers come into play, but eventually they punch through. Rinzler mortally injures his own user trying to save Clu, but is too damaged to finish things. The Tron he'd befriended when he first arrived finishes things.
After the above, repairs were had, Portal settings re-aligned, and the mirror programs began to head home. Since Clu had derezzed in his own system, it was uncertain if he could make it back intact; he and Rinzler talked it over and agreed to send Rinzler back alone. Rinzler departed through the Portal, promising to sort things out at home and find his way back to retrieve Clu once things were stable.
Personality:
Like most programs, Rinzler is largely defined by his function and directive: security, and protect the system. Safeguarding the Grid and the programs in it is a task he would give anything to accomplish. In the absence of his system, Rinzler will find other things and people to protect—particularly other programs and inorganic creatures. That said, he won't lose sight of his true goals, and especially with things in his world left in such a precarious state, he will be very motivated to find a way back to help.
But while Rinzler's directive and plans might be typical of most security programs, his experiences and origins are not. "Rinzler" wasn't coded by any user, and while Clu is responsible for restoring most of his functions and mind, the admin was working first and foremost to let Rinzler choose his own identity. Rinzler generated his own name, decided to reclaim the function of security, and developed a personality as much through interaction and experience as through his user's coded will. Regaining choice and purpose over the course of cycles makes him count them all the more important. While Rinzler has a massive independent streak, he also holds a deep value for his system and his place within it; uniquely among most (sane) Basic programs, he remembers what it was like to be disconnected and empty of any function at all.
To even reach that state, of course, he had to be removed from Tron's directives—or rather, the uncompromising commands Alan had reduced them to. By the time Clu got ahold of him, that forced obedience was literally all Tron was founded on, and therefore impossible to remove. To create Rinzler, Clu set up massive filtration and partitioning within Tron's code, hemming in his source code so as to prevent it from overriding everything else. These blocks are what allow Rinzler to have a mind or personality at all, and as described under Weaknesses, any tampering or damage could be catastrophic.
Unsurprisingly, the person Rinzler did become has no small grudge against humankind. He thinks of the Tron he used to be as a loathsome, repulsive drone, and as far as he's concerned, Alan-one is Tron's user—he doesn't have one. Rinzler is uncompromising in his hatred for users, to the point of trying to kill Sam when the latter first arrived in the Grid despite Sam having given him no cause at all. Events through Mirror!Legacy and with some allied users in Grid-Lined have blunted that edge a little, but if there is a worst to be assumed, he will assume it. Users exist to abuse, enslave, and make use of their creations—it's in the name, for System's sake. User-loyal programs who don't present an active threat frustrate Rinzler to no end; he hates their willingness to submit themselves and others to the whims of beings he considers monsters.
When not working himself into a fit about organics, Rinzler is massively better dispositioned than his OU self. He's competitive and easily amused, and while not particularly social as a rule, the few programs actually close to him are the recipients of a good deal of snark. Socially he's somewhat of a loner, and keeps the mask on at all times—both to stop other programs recognizing the former 'Tron' and because he himself hates sharing Alan's face. While not a pessimist as such, a thousand cycles fighting users have left him extremely cynical, and he can be relied on for brutal honesty about most things. He's even harder on his subordinates than his friends, and while he cares about them a great deal, he tries to keep himself personally removed. Security in the mirror!Grid had a very high turnover rate, and being soft on his people just meant they died faster.
As his admin, reprogrammer, and friend, Clu's involvement has fairly literally defined Rinzler's life. While their early relationship was inherently imbalanced, Rinzler's emerging personality proved more than a match for Clu's own. At this point, the two are genuine friends, and Rinzler is perhaps the only person who regularly calls Clu on his shit. This came to a head during events in Grid-Lined, when Clu revealed he'd held back information about his own expected death. Rinzler is extremely protective of Clu as both the most critical person to keeping his system intact and the friend who he owes literally everything to... so this went over very, very badly. At this point, they've mostly made up, but Rinzler's determination not to leave Clu to die again will be further motivation for him to try and return home.
Other significant relationships include Yori, Rinzler's romantic counterpart, Alan, Tron's creator, and Flynn, the user who wrote most of the Grid and served as Security's enemy for most of a kilocycle. Both of these users are dead by now in his own world, but any versions he encounters on the ship are likely to be met with panic, rage, and murder attempts in short order.
Abilities/Weaknesses:
Rinzler is the most talented combatant in his world. While skilled with nearly any weapon that can be found, he uses his disks in most battles: round weapons (think chakram) that can be activated for melee or ranged attacks, capable of cutting nearly any material. The program is insanely fast, capable of launching and defending multiple attacks at once, and will frequently evade with flips, leaps, or other improbable acrobatics. He's also far stronger than a comparable human.
But unlike his original universe counterpart, this Rinzler is a lot more than just a weapon. Rinzler has spent the better part of the last thousand cycles heading system security, and while he lacks Clu's charisma or diplomatic bent, he's extremely experienced at strategy, tactics, and leadership in battle. Rinzler can command small groups or the whole system's combat forces, and is both intelligent and tactically minded. He also has a lot of experience in training noncombatants—very few of the security programs in his system were really coded for it.
As an actual security program himself, Rinzler has a variety of scanning functions. He can track down potential threats and trace the residual energy individuals leave behind. While not quite as much the energy-efficient ninja as his OU self, he can be stealthy, masking his circuitry and energy signature when he needs to hide. He can operate any number of vehicles from his world (lightjets, lightcycles, recognizers) and will probably be able to handle their user-world analogs without much trouble. Likewise, technology and encryptions will come naturally, both in terms of securing data and hacking others' security. Doing things user-side will take practice, but Rinzler is a quick learner, and far more adaptable than most.
While his outward appearance (sans mask and gridsuit) looks almost entirely human, it should be noted that programs are made of code, not flesh and blood. If injured, Rinzler breaks into "voxels": tiny cubelets that glow faintly with the same red-orange color as his circuit lines. His perception is also somewhat different, partly due to said circuits. In conjunction with the previously mentioned scans, the program can instinctively detect motion and power (and data, in his own world) with something more than typical sight or hearing. Rinzler consumes energy, and will have fun adventures looking for a source he can make use of. Additionally, while minor fractures will repair, he'll need a programmer's help to fix any serious injury.
Physical weaknesses include electrocution and strong magnetic fields. Extreme temperatures won't burn him, but can cause overheat and malfunction. But Rinzler's biggest weakness is internal, written into every line of his base code. Alan deliberately cut out Tron's capacity for sentient choice, and every thought, decision, and fragment of identity Rinzler has is in spite of his original coding, not because of it. His disks contain a complex partitioning system designed to let Rinzler process and act without the compulsion of his true directive overriding everything else.
This is an incredibly delicate balance, and while Clu went to a great deal of effort to secure those disks, any programmer who can bypass Clu's locks has Rinzler's brain on a plate. Even a well-intended effort to remove the "restrictions" in his code could easily destroy the filters protecting his identity, and any amount of tampering carries serious risk. This, as well as his desire to hide his history from those around him, will significantly hamper Rinzler's ability to find repair.
Among the functions Alan stripped from Tron was his voice. As a result, Rinzler's vocal capacity is an entirely reconstructed function, one that takes an active energy expenditure. Clu's work over the cycles has reduced this considerably, and Rinzler will snark, comment, and converse freely, but his speech patterns tend to be extremely terse, and may fail entirely if he's low on power.
RP sample:
Rinzler's encounter with his creator in Grid-Lined.
