#Commander Sark

[mayertis-not-a-user]

Do you really believe your "User" saves you?

[studioswitchum]

1/6 Commander Sark statue that I sculpted 10 years ago. I also painted.

David Warner who played the character signed its base. He passed away last year.

[ribs02]

too bad

[mayertis-not-a-user]

Blasphemy and acting against Users, possibly, is a crime (maybe)...

Like Ram, Sark had no choice - programs do not have any choice, unlike humans. They're supposed to execute their functions even it's hazardous for Users.

Has your #1 comfort character committed a crime?

[fights4users]

We would’ve made a great team-

Sark’s borderline obsession with Tron is so interesting. He both admires and fears him, understands him perfectly but misunderstands him on a fundamental level. Both stand on opposite sides of the extreme, similar to each other in strength and ferocity but departed on a base level. The idea of them teaming up brings a interesting au to mind and several things to explore, however It would never happen unless Encom! Rinzler would become a thing. Teaming up with Red Elite would never be done willingly on Tron’s end while for Sark it might begrudgingly work with Tron.

There has to be a way to break him-

Sark has a morbid fascination with finding Tron’s breaking point. He keeps upping the stakes and throwing him into games more often, unwittingly making the weapon that would be his doom.

While he enjoys testing him there’s almost a jealousy to it, Tron hasn’t died yet and he hasn’t given in. Surely he must give in , toss aside his ridiculous beliefs and take what’s offered. Why isn’t he taking the obvious path for survival? How dare Tron be better than him. “I broke, why won’t he?” Holding on so tightly to morality when you tossed aside everything for power… how dare he be a better person.

Sark treats Tron as a plaything while acknowledging how powerful he is as an adversary. (The match we saw him in was 4-1) He battles with wanting to kill him outright and wanting to face him himself. It took most of his resources to capture Tron- going against him would be a actual challenge, as we see in the beginning of the movie he’s getting bored.

While they share combat prowess their thought process could not be more different. Everything that he’s put Tron through has only succeeded in strengthening his beliefs. Where Sark thinks he should break down , he sees confirmation of the User’s power. It’s fascinating (I really recommend the novelization- that’s my thing at this point lol but it adds a lot).

Chosen warriors-

It’s easy to forget that Sark too is a gods chosen warrior. The MCP is a god to him and on the path to literally becoming one in their world with the power it accumulates. He has been bolstered up and admired by his side, though his position is one built more on fear than equal admiration. We see again they’re on the opposite sides of the two extremes.

The loyalty, drive and sense of justice etc that’s naturally apart of Tron’s code had to be forced into Sark. He had to build upon what was already there, it’s implied that the only reason he’s a command program is the MCP just like Dillinger without it he is nothing. There’s that jealousy when he sees someone else naturally have this sort of power. His belief in the MCP is not inherent , he believed in the Users once and deep down he still does- the new belief comes from where he can gain that power. Like Dillinger he is desperate to get to the top by any means, and he did that. He’d rather die than return to nothingness- a state of unimportance- where as Edward is much more fretful. He doesn’t want to loose what he has but jail still scares him.

He is also physically dependent on the MCP - getting a high from the power and I think now he has to get a constant stream to survive. The amount put into him on a regular basis is far to much for a regular program to take in and keep online… if he stops getting it I can only imagine. He’s being held captive by his god and I think he can resent Tron for that- for still having the “pure” relationship with his.

Power, fear and relevance-

I talked about it above with how Sark has done everything in his want for power tossing away all morality for the sake of being important. It makes me wonder what his original function was, with the way he is I can imagine it being a good position but not enough for him. He relishes in the destruction of User believers and finds crushing them on the game grid entertaining, again to parallel Dillinger taking others work, crushing and absorbing smaller companies into Encom with glee.

Tron is a direct threat to that importance, that position and acclaim he had destroyed so many for. He was loyal! He did all that he was asked and here struts in a program naturally strong and exacting— he knows if Tron ever chose to join them he is done for yet his pride and curiosity keep him from outright killing him to save his own skin (how unlike him in any other circumstance).

This fear doesn’t extend to Alan as Ed is well aware… good guys rarely win in the real world. He’s cocky, he knows a guy like that is a straight shooter, he follows the rules and wouldn’t dare stoop to his level to stop him. What he didn’t count on was Kevin Flynn.

[princessbrunette]

dbf!rafe thought he was doing a pretty good job at pretending he didn’t care too much about you. but it was coming to the late afternoon, and he’d driven past you wandering around town on your own wearing one of those stupid little mini skirts you’re crazy about and he had to do his duty and command you come with him. for your safety of course. he’d hate if some sick older guy got his hands on you.

“get in. c’mon.” he’s already acting irritable with you and it only spurs you on to act mischievous.

“why so glum, hm?” you pout, letting a small giggle slip through as you fasten your belt — the friend of your fathers glancing around the area briefly to see if anyone had seen his bosses daughter climb into his car before zipping off.

“what’d i tell you last time i saw you just— just walking around asking for trouble?” he berates and he’s not even sure why he’s so wound up. you just got him so pent up and touchy that he always found himself being this way with you.

“asking for trouble? mr cameron i was just hanging out.” you laugh, stretching your legs and going to rest your feet on his dashboard. he shoves your legs off, sending you a scalding glare.

“in that little skirt? yeah i wasn’t born yesterday, alright— you were probably off meeting guys.” he grumbles and you turn your head to him, heart fluttering at the jealous tone he had failed to conceal.

“oh no, not hanging out with guys my own age… that would be the most awful thing in the world, right?” you sark, and he resents the way he can hear the pretty smile in your voice without even turning his attention away from the road. he huffs out a scoff, shaking his head as he pulls up to the traffic light.

“told your old man i’d look out for you, right so — so i am just telling you that you shouldn’t be wandering around meeting guys dressed like a hooker. i know how guys brains work, okay — i am a guy. s’why i’m taking your ass home where you can’t get into any of that shit.” he rants, and before you can complain about him calling you a hooker your attention is caught by his promise to bring you home and you shoot up in your seat.

“no, please. just— anywhere else. not home.” you suddenly sound serious, and he nearly misses the stoplight turning green to glance at you in confusion.

“and why the hell not?” he drawls and suddenly you’re a lot more quiet. he raises his eyebrows waiting for a response.

“i’m fighting with my parents. i just… i don’t want to see them yet.” you sigh, staring at your manicure in your lap. as much as he wanted to teach you a lesson and drag you back into the house to your father, he knew what it was like to have a rocky relationship with his parents. because of this he sighs after his slight hesitation and turns in the direction away from your house.

“ah… shit, alright fine. the fuck do you wanna go then? gotta drop you somewhere, alright?” he relents and you beam.

“really? thanks mr cameron.” your elated expression calms itself into a pur as you lean across the gear stick and press a kiss to his cheek. he clenches his jaw.

“watch it.”

to this you respond with a giggle and he relaxes a little, knowing he had a little more time with you.

“where do you wanna go then? haven’t got all day, kid m’not a fuckin’ taxi.”

“hmm, your place?” you’re quick with your answer, almost like you had it planned. he’d given in a few times, let you have your way with him even though he knew it put his career on the line — and he told himself and you that this could go on no longer.

he huffs out a laugh, scratching at his cheek and shaking his head, choosing to ignore the suggestion. your bottom lip curls over at this, frowning a little.

“raaafe.” you whine and he resists an eye roll.

“what you’re — you’re serious about that shit?”

“mhm… i missed you…” you coo, and he feels your warm body lean across the centre console again, a clawed hand finding his thigh as you speak into his ear. “c’mon dad.” you groan and he feels a hot rush of blood fly through him at the nickname. god you were sick.

“don’t fuckin’ call me that.” he turns into his driveway at tannyhill, parking up infront of the house haphazardly before turning off the car and not making any move to get out.

“just wanna play a little bit.” you complain, kissing down his white shirt leaving lipgloss prints that he’d soon complain about down the expensive material as he watches you with parted lips, feeling your hot breath fan over his hardening crotch.

“well if you’re gonna suck me off just fuckin’ do it alright. don’t wanna hear that shrill ass little voice unless you’re tellin’ me how good that shit tastes. c’mon.”

you couldn’t help but obey.

[astercontrol]

A little more exploration on a topic I've mentioned before.

In the beginning of the 1982 TRON movie, it's shown that the games in Flynn's arcade are --somehow-- a real-world manifestation of the deadly games that the MCP forces Programs to play within the arenas of the ENCOM computer system.

It's even clearer in the beginning of the novelization, although this version shows a different game:

How that would work, I'm not sure. The mystical magic of User Spirits? Or some bizarre proto-internet connection?

TRON's storyline does mention some of the early precursors to the Internet-- the "contacts between our System and other Systems," the lines of communication that Tron himself was designed to guard.

But in real life, arcade machines are self-contained-- not connected in any way to the computers in the building that manufactured them. If there are any exceptions to that, I'm certain they weren't around in 1982.

Then again… the storyline of TRON does make it clear that ENCOM had some technology well beyond what was publicly known to exist in the 1980's.

They had the MCP, after all.

And the digitizing laser.

So I would not put it past them to be "ahead of their time" in terms of "videogames that require an internet connection to function," as well.

(Which would, in my opinion, approximately triple their evilness as the villains of the story.)

(But that's another rant.)

...

Anyway. It's tempting just to ignore this detail, because it's so different from how 80's arcade games worked in the real world.

But… I think I actually want to explore it further.

Because I would argue that it ties in to the MCP's motivations throughout the story-- and actually makes them all make a lot more sense than they would otherwise.

...

I've explored part of this in my other post about how Tron is a master escape artist. And he's also a vicious fighter, who very clearly did not want to be there.

It's undeniable that a program like Tron would have caused the MCP a whole lot of trouble during his imprisonment.

And the MCP clearly has the ability to kill programs outright. In fact, according to Ram, it seems that the MCP's first preference when capturing User-Believers is to absorb them into himself, take over their functions, and "get bigger."

This seems to be what he did with Clu.

The Games were the fate of programs that the MCP "can't use" in that way.

Now... it's unclear why Ram and Tron were in the Games.

It would mean that their functions weren't considered useful enough for the MCP to absorb them.

This seems odd, since their described functions (security protection from Tron, actuarial math from Ram) would seem to be very useful for a wide range of purposes.

Personally, I would speculate that there's something else in them that the MCP didn't want to absorb.

We know they're both unusually good fighters (especially surprising for Ram). So, maybe their code was just as combative-- full of functions that would keep fighting the MCP if he tried to absorb them, and wouldn't stop unless he broke them down into bits too small to be useful anyway.

...

Which brings up the next question:

…why not just do that from the start?

Why not just derezz them entirely, and not try to use them for anything? Surely this would have saved the MCP a lot of hassle.

And of course that goes for all the rebellious programs like Tron and Ram, but also definitely for Flynn.

Yet, we see the MCP keeping them alive.

We see Ram and Tron still there, after what must have been many microcycles of their troublemaking and escape attempts. We see the MCP forbidding Sark to kill Flynn for disobeying commands.

We see what seems like a prepared announcement especially aimed at programs that are trying to run away, warning them to "return to the game grid."

We see no one even trying to use lethal force on these escapees until they pass a certain point.

...We even see a hint that maybe some combatants are derezzed into a sort of cut-paste buffer and reused, instead of being outright killed. The blue-circuited Lightcyclist who duels Sark in the opening scene appears to come back later as a red-circuited Lightcyclist to fight Flynn and Tron and Ram.

(Yes, this was probably just due to limited budget for actors. But, hey-- I will find meaning where I can.)

(And I happen to find it very intriguing to imagine that Sark sometimes rerezzed his foes from the buffer, and gave them the option to convert to his side and live another day.)

All in all, we see the MCP treating death as an absolute last resort. We see him putting a lot of effort into not letting his Video Warriors die in any other way except to "die playing"-- to "finish the game."

Which, to me, only makes sense if they are a necessary resource. If the ENCOM arcade games require a constant supply of cannon fodder, in order to keep working.

Of course, this would raise a whole lot of strange questions. Just how much do the Users and the Programs playing their avatars share control over the game?

Are we supposed to imagine that getting assigned an unskilled program like Crom-- or a super-skilled program like Tron-- equates to a gamer's feeling of having had "bad luck" or "good luck" in a game?

And would the User's skill, or lack therof, have a similar effect on the Program's experience?

And would the extent of that effect depend on... something about the individual programs or users themselves?

It's a whole messy world of implications here! And I can see why some of us would rather not think about it!

...

But… I like messes. I like to search for things in them, and create my own kind of order.

Now, even if the games do require Programs to play them, this may not have always been deadly.

When the MCP says "I can arrange more lethal matches," the specifying of "lethal" suggests that it's possible for these games to be as harmless as any sport.

Perhaps the MCP chooses to make them lethal, as part of his display of power. The threat of death in the games serves as a warning... an incentive for Blues to convert to Red, and a punishment dangled over the heads of Reds who might think of disobeying. (The Reds still have a risk of dying in the Games, of course, but they get "elite" training instead of "standard substandard" training, so they get better odds-- unless they get pitted against someone like Tron, of course.)

MCP seems to think these deaths, and the control they give him, are a worthwhile sacrifice.

But he has his limits on how many he'll allow to die.

Which makes sense, if he knows that every death is a waste of this valuable ENCOM resource-- the cannon fodder without which the Arcades would stop working and stop bringing in money.

That's both colors of cannon fodder. It's pretty clear from the opening scene, in both the film and the novel, that the computer side of the game is played by Red warriors and the player side is played by Blue warriors.

The Blue conscripts are the player avatars, and they literally fight for the Users.

The Reds are the NPCs, and they… fight for the MCP.

...Hey. It makes sense to me.

[quorras]

Tronblr is not ready to hear about Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom of Ice (1983) show that had a Tron segment in it. i cant believe this. wow

The Tron segment shows up at about 0:20, ft. a recogniser set piece and a guard? I can't find any specifics about what the Tron part of the show actually looked/sounded like, but I found this blurb on the Disney Wiki:

Later, as Mickey and Minnie go off to get Mr. Lito's ticket, Mr. Lito went to the video arcade. However, he gets sucked into the supercomputer TRON, where he meets the beautiful Computer Guardian and Commander Sark, who seeks to deprogram Mr. Lito, who manages to escape, as the Computer Knight engages Sark in a laser disc duel. Meanwhile, Mickey arrives in the world of TRON to explain what is going on, and the Computer Guardian explains that Mr. Lito went off to the Haunted Graveyard.

(Funny how Sark is in the Tron show, but Tron isn't! Tron, always being benched from his own franchise since only a year into it's existence.)

Some places I've seen this show mentioned online—

[ Tweet by @ bioreconstruct on May 1, 2020 ]

[ Listing for 'VINTAGE 3'' DISNEY MAGIC KINGDOM ON ICE 1983 TRON PINBACK FLASHER BUTTON D87' on WorthPoint ] ~ Look at the skates edited onto Tron's boots!!

[ Tweet by @ bioreconstruct on May 1, 2020 ]

[ Tweet by @ exmsmalcolm on May 5, 2024 ]

[ Tweet by @ FakeEyes22 on Dec 30, 2022 ] ~ The lightcycle, oh my god...

If anyone finds anything else from the Tron segment of this show, feel free to add it to this post! Any and all sleuthing is appreciated! :D

[twistedtummies2]

Top 6 Epic Mickey Characters

Today is the release of the new “Rebrushed” Edition of a game I loved a ton growing up: “Epic Mickey.” I was OBSESSED with this game when it came out way back in 2010, and at the time it came out, it was treated as a big deal! There was a ton of merchandising and advertisement for this title, more so than you would get for most Disney games, and it’s not hard to see why: the game promised to provide a different kind of adventure for Mickey Mouse, with a darker tone and a focus on more obscure Disney characters and old cartoons. Nowadays, in hindsight, I feel the game could have gone even further than it did (and, apparently, the creators WANTED it to go further than it did, but either due to budget constraints, corporate meddling, or a bit of both, they couldn’t), but I still have a huge soft spot for it. It’s probably my favorite thing to feature Mickey Mouse as a heroic character, and it still has a notable cult following. Ironically for a game that focused on the obscure and the forgotten, the game itself sort of faded into obscurity for a while; despite the release of two sequels (namely a console follow-up called “Power of Two,” and a portable spin-off called “Power of Illusion”), the franchise sort of fizzled out pretty quickly, and for a long time it was seen as naught but an unusual footnote in the history of Disney and its presence in gaming. To celebrate the return of this game to store shelves (and, I believe, online distribution), I decided to do a quick rundown of my Top 6 characters from the games. Why Top 6, you may ask? Simple: because after six, it all gets kerbobbled. It’s harder for me to choose and rank characters beyond that point, simply because who I favor among them changes depending on my mood and how recently I’ve revisited portions of the game. My Top 6, however, have consistently been my Top 6 - both in terms of choices and ranking - pretty much from day one, and I don’t think will ever change, so they’re the ones I feel most comfortable discussing. Also, I’m going to attempt to avoid spoilers with this list, so I’m going to keep focused as much as possible on the first game, with less emphasis on the sequels. (Fortunately, all six characters appear in the first game, though some of the Honorable Mentions are from later titles.) I'll also try to avoid giving away too many of the twists in the plot, for those who will be playing Epic Mickey for the first time via this Rebrushed Edition. With that said, let’s dive into the Wasteland! These are My Top 6 Favorite Characters from Epic Mickey!

6. Pete.

What many people may not realize about Mickey’s famed arch-enemy is that Pete is actually the single longest-lasting recurring Disney character in history. Pete doesn’t just predate Mickey himself, he even predates Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: the character first showed up as a recurring villain in the silent animation/live-action hybrid “Alice Comedies,” with his first appearance dating back to 1925. That’s a whole three years before Mickey, and two years before Oswald! It’s therefore not entirely surprising to see Pete in the Wasteland, especially since the character has had so many different guises and roles throughout his long history…a fact that Epic Mickey takes humorous advantage of. You see, there isn’t just ONE Pete in the Epic Mickey universe. Oh, no. There are no less than FOUR. “Pete Prime” (the one picture here) is Big Bad Pete, who appears to be the town sheriff of Mean Street. Next there’s Small Pete, who lives in the Gremlin Village and is comically dressed up like a little Dutch girl doll. Then there’s Petetronic, who is basically what you’d get if Pete cosplayed as Commander Sark and is the head of Tomorrow City. Finally, there’s Pete Pan: a parody of Peter Pan who flies around Ventureland, mostly spending his time annoying the Wasteland’s version of Captain Hook. Interestingly, most of these Petes seem to be relatively nice characters, rather than real menaces to toon society…but be careful: a character with such a long and checkered past may not always be trustworthy.

5. Gremlin Gus.

Of all the characters left stranded and forgotten in the Wasteland, the Gremlins are easily the most obscure of the bunch. The characters were conceived in the mind of Roald Dahl - the author best known for his works of children’s literature, such as “The BFG” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Dahl wrote a story simply called “The Gremlins” that was going to be transformed into a Disney movie…but for various reasons, the film never came to pass. The book itself has fallen into utter obscurity, and the scrapped project is largely unknown by even the most ardent Disney fans: I, myself, only knew of the Gremlins prior to Epic Mickey because of a paper ad for a re-release of the book in the early 2000s. In “Epic Mickey,” however, the Gremlins are a major part of the universe: since the movie was never really a thing, and the book is so little-known nowadays, the creators of the game were able to create their own twist on the Gremlins unique to this world. They are essentially the custodians of the Wasteland, performing a variety of jobs and services to keep the place ship-shape. The most prominent of them all is their leader, Gus. Gremlin Gus is a sort of “Papa Smurf” figure for the Gremlins, and acts as Mickey’s guide through the games, providing bits of advice and various hints along the rodent’s journey. Think of him along the lines of the Cheshire Cat from the American McGee’s Alice games, or one of Link’s many companions (such as Navi, Midna, or Fi) from The Legend of Zelda. In the first game, the vocal effects for Gremlin Gus were provided by veteran voice actor Bob Joles. In “Power of Two,” Gus was given a proper speaking voice, provided by none other than the Dread Pirate Roberts himself, Cary Elwes…and I can’t help but think such casting is why they perhaps gave Gus a few TOO MANY lines in the sequel, buuut that’s another story for another time.

4. Mickey Mouse.

I debated whether or not to give Mickey a place in the ranks of his own, for various reasons, but after some deliberation…yeah. I think he’s earned it in this case. As I said in the preamble, this is probably my favorite thing made to feature Mickey himself, and Mickey is part of that. This is one of those rare occasions where the premise of the story largely results from Mickey’s own actions and inactions, rather than the machinations of some other scoundrel: it is due to Mickey’s own foolery that the Phantom Blot and the Thinner Disaster are created. It is due to Mickey’s popularity that Oswald and several other characters in the Wasteland are forgotten to begin with. Now, Mickey has to essentially remember and salvage the very things that are in ruin because of him. The game plays around with this idea of saving and destroying through its chief mechanic: the magic paintbrush Mickey uses can destroy things by shooting streams of hyper-acidic thinner, or create through use of an enchanted paint. Different obstacles can be overcome by different uses of the two tools, and some can be dealt with in multiple ways: choice is a key factor of Mickey’s story, as well as the player. Originally, the game makers wanted to go even further with this idea, with the player’s decisions making Mickey more good or more evil throughout the story, but while the final result may be toned down from their initial schemes, I think it still works brilliantly. Mickey is still the fun-loving hero we all recognize, but there’s that little bit of mischief and extra depth to the character present because of this idea of choice and the way he’s depicted. The sequels continued these ideas, with choice remaining a major part of the story in “Power of Two” once more, and paint and thinner still being equally useful in “Power of Illusion.” Bottom line: move over, Kingdom Hearts. THIS is how you make Disney’s most recognizable rodent into an action-ready gaming star.

3. The Phantom Blot.

This character is the main antagonist of the original Epic Mickey, and has been referred to by multiple names: Shadow Blot, Storm Blot, King Blot, or simply “The Blot.” Whatever you call this character, I’ll always refer to him as “The Phantom Blot,” since that is who the character basically is meant to be. In Disney comics and cartoons, the Blot has been an enemy of Mickey Mouse for many years - dating back to the 1940s, in fact. Typically, he’s depicted as a campy supervillain; a costumed criminal mastermind garbed in an inky cloak and cowl. However, in “Epic Mickey,” the Blot is reimagined as something far more monstrous: a creature made of ink, accidentally formed by Mickey when he meddled with some magic in Yen Sid’s workshop, the Blot is the cause of all the misery going on in the Wasteland. This Blot eventually turns out to be bigger than a castle, and able to send out swarms of “bloticles” to literally drain the life from the Wasteland. The Blot is intelligent, but not complex: he has no purpose other than to destroy, and longs to take Mickey’s heart, since only toons with hearts can leave the Wasteland. With that power, he can venture forth and continue to devour other worlds of their energy and life. I had heard of the Phantom Blot before Epic Mickey, but I really didn’t know much about the character: this radical reinvention, for a kid, was quite the introduction. And while I’ve since looked into the ACTUAL Phantom Blot and found great joy in his exploits, I still enjoy this reimagining. In my opinion, the Blot is one of the best video game villains of all time; more a force of cruel nature than anything else, he is a terrifying beast few players will ever forget.

2. The Mad Doctor.

So, here’s something interesting to note: out of all the “forgotten” characters featured in Epic Mickey, I actually knew almost all of them when the game came out. Some of them I knew pretty well, others I didn’t but I had at least heard of before the game’s release. The one exception to this rule was this guy: the Mad Doctor. The Doc was the titular antagonist of the Mickey Mouse cartoon “The Mad Doctor” from 1933 - one of the few Disney cartoons that’s actually managed to fall into the public domain. Many consider it to be one of the darkest Mickey cartoons ever made, and in “Epic Mickey,” the infamous mad scientist has not mellowed much with age. It’s explained that the Mad Doctor, when he first came to the Wasteland, was seemingly a friendly figure, and became an ally to Oswald. He was considered one of Oswald’s best friends, in fact. However, it’s ultimately revealed that the Mad Doctor was always just as wicked as he was in the cartoon; biding his time till he could make a grab for power. When the Blot came to the Wasteland, in the wake of the Thinner Disaster, the Mad Doctor turned on the good people of the kingdom, creating an army of cartoon cyborgs called “Beetleworx” (part toon, part machine) to help conquer everything. There’s a lot more I could say about the Mad Doctor that makes him interesting - especially in regards to the sequel games and a few twists in the launch title - but since I’m trying to avoid spoilers, I think it’s best I save a lot of that for another time. Suffice it to say, this was a great introduction to a great villain and a great cartoon, and I’m glad that Epic Mickey was able to give a little bit more attention to the Mad Doctor for modern audiences.

1. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Oswald was the main reason I got so interested in Epic Mickey so long ago, and was, in fact, more or less the reason the game happened to begin with. One of Walt Disney’s earliest creations, Oswald - who was the inspiration for not only Mickey himself, but also Bugs Bunny of WB fame in real-life - was the world’s first major cartoon star. After copyright issues led to Walt Disney breaking away from Universal Studios, and forming his own company, Oswald rapidly declined in popularity, and eventually pretty much vanished off the face of the Earth. In the real world, when Disney bought the rights to Oswald back from Universal many years later, this immediately transitioned into using him in a big (marketable) way, which led to the idea of Epic Mickey. Warren Spector (head of the team behind the game) became interested the instant Oswald was mentioned, being a huge animation buff, and as production went on, Oswald became a richer and richer character. In early concepts of the game’s story, he was actually going to be one of the main villains of the story, but by the time the game came out, he had transformed into the secondary protagonist. In the fictional story of the games, Oswald is the ruler of the Wasteland…but unlike others who are more or less happy with their existence, Oswald’s feelings of dejection have steadily consumed him. He is portrayed as Mickey Mouse’s long-lost brother; he resents the fame and fortune Mickey got, while he was basically left to rot. He is so obsessed that he creates a place called Mickeyjunk Mountain, where he spends countless hours brooding over his failures and his lost family, surrounded by remnants of Mickey’s fame that span decades; everything from bubble gum machines to NES game cartridges. The adventure in the Wasteland gives Mickey a chance to not only connect with his past and save the world, but to reconnect with and save Oswald, too. It’s the relationship between Oswald and Mickey, beyond all else, that makes the games so powerful, and Frank Welker - who provided Oswald’s vocal effects/voice in all the games - gives probably one of my favorite performances in his entire career. And keep in mind, this is the guy who played characters like Megatron, Garfield, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Fred AND Scooby from various takes on Scooby-Doo, and more “creature voices” than you can shake a stick at. To call this among his best is saying a LOT. For both his fictional prominence and historical significance, it’s no surprise that I name Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as My Favorite Epic Mickey Character. Case closed.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

The Three Little Pigs.

Horace Horsecollar.

Gremlin Prescott.

Clarabelle Cow.

Captain Hook.

[dizzymudskipper]

Something I really find interesting about Sark is how he acts/ talks. He's a pretty direct guy (being a commander and all), and almost all his scenes are him talking down other programs, except with MCP.

When he talks to MCP, there's the obvious power dynamic with MCP in control, and Sark underneath him. However, Sark is both comfortable and distressed around him. He knows how powerful he is under him, enjoying the control he has over others with MCPs influence, but he doesn't fully have the same mindset at MCP. When he first talks to MCP, it's pretty casual. Sark even gloats about wanting more challenging programs when MCP tells Sark about a new recruit for Sark to torment.

When he is told about Flynn, there's a change in ego. When he knows about Flynn being a user, he's practically astonished by MCPs power and the thought of a user even existing in the Grid. He knows the power of a user, since he says that users created him and MCP and hesitates. "What if I can't?" He asks, but he is given an order, not a choice. He's threatened by MCP.

If you ask me, Sark being MCPs Second in Comand makes him very arrogant, especially when he knows he because of how good he has it compared to other programs. But when talking to MCP, he's constantly reminded of what his place his constantly reminding him to only be MCPs puppet. It's in a way mimicking Sarks user counterpart.

But I don't feel Sark really wanted that kind of responsibility, kinda like his own user. They are both underneath MCP, except Ed Dillinger (Sarks user) had a choice, but was blackmailed into staying and was far too deep to stop. Sark, however, was pretty much made to be under MCPs control. His only choices were either follow his commands, or derez

I feel like the one line that most showed his true self was when he told Tron how they could have made a good team because, yeah he could have. They are both essentially protection programs, Sark being a commanding program made to protect only MCP, and Tron being made to protect other programs and users. I feel that's why Tron sees Sark as a less than, since he was made to protect so much more compared to Sark protecting MCP when the MCP never needed protection in the first place.

Anyway ramble over

[iorepairs]

Greetings Programs,

I'm Ximonica (@aristaresident) and I've spent far too much time recently thinking about Tron '82, so I decided to make a side blog to ponder such questions as "where do Identity Discs come from anyway?", "what even is a command Program?", and "is this inconsistency just an error or did they Mean Something by this?".

I'm also making this blog to hopefully make friends w/ other ppl in the Tron community, so feel free to say hi and hit me with your lore ideas. My friend who introduced me to Tron is probably sick of me talking her ear off every time I have a new worldbuilding idea lmao.

I haven't watched Legacy yet so don't expect much of that content. I have a general idea of what happens in it and I'll get to it eventually but for right now 82 is priority one.

And yes I'm extremely normal abt Sark (lying). Not like I created a whole AU spanning 30+ years with extended lore and original characters originating from me wanting to romance him like character in Baldur's Gate III. Very normal way to be about a character, right? You agree.

End of Line.

[mayertis-not-a-user]

[evecolourshock]

For the Impression ask game (your choice, any/all of):

Ed

Flynn

Eos and/or Clarke (If you'll do OCs)

Mercury

Sark

Character of your choice from any media that is not Tron (not sure what other media you're into)

Oooo, many choices!!!

Hmm

I'll do Ed (both canon and your version), Flynn (Canon only), Sark... and Jake Kesey (from The Wraith - bonus non-Tron character). I haven't interacted with Mercury, your version of Flynn, or Eos and Clarke, enough to form opinions of them.

Now, I saw Legacy first, and then the original film, so my initial thoughts on the Tron characters are biased that way.

First impressions:

Ed (canon) : Sassy smug kid. Why's he there.

Ed (yours) : All The Therapy for this one. Someone hug him.

Flynn : Old man with good intentions in his past that have come back to bite him. Interesting but where's the substance?

Sark : I don't know if you're an actual threat, or comedic relief.

Jake : Huh. (Literally just huh. Was more focused on the cool car and ignored the people).

Impression now:

Ed (canon) : so many missed opportunities. Also wouldn't it be neat if there was a symmetry in him helping Sam, with his father not defining him, to save the Grid and Encom instead of... we had less than a minute of a throwaway Dillinger, and two hours of Sam making himself a damsel in distress by trying to be the hero and failing.

Ed (yours) : ...I will fistfight the universe if that's what it takes for him to experience happiness without a spectre hanging over him.

Flynn : WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU going from the wildcard in the original film to... that. In Legacy. There's age and stupid decisions, and then there's somehow becoming the most oblivious bastard known to man and Program. I hate the Legacy version SO MUCH.

Sark : oh buddy you're in far too much over your head here. Still not an actual threat.

Jake : ....yesss gettem you funky undead gremlin.

Favourite moment:

Ed (canon) : the miniscule bit of screentime we're given, because that's all we have.

Ed (yours) : him and Sam doodling flowers on Eve and each other. So cute.

Flynn : "that's a really big door" (goofy dork). Also the part where he philosophises at Tron when Tron's figured out he's a User.

Sark : his "oh shit" face during one of the chats he has with the MCP. Blink and you'll miss it, but so funny.

Jake : blowing holes in cars with a supernaturally-powered shotgun while in a really cool full-body-leather suit and blank helmet (hey that's familiar...). I could not make this up if I tried.

Idea for a story:

Ed (canon) : what does he get up to outside of work. Literally anything.

Ed (yours) : Ed Finds Happiness And Nothing Goes Wrong. I don't care how this happens.

Flynn : exploration of why he ends up Like That in Legacy - as far as I know and remember, Uprising didn't give us any of this and neither did Betrayal, as they both focus more on the Program characters than the human ones.

Sark : what was he like when he was new? What would he be like without the MCP commanding him? (Wanting to explore both of these in Serendipity, but haven't got there yet.)

Jake : no story ideas as such, just wanting him to go to other places in the States and... dealing with... their gang problems because he died because of one psychopath ringleader and he's not about to let others suffer the same fate.

Unpopular Opinions:

Ed (canon) : none, mostly because we don't see enough of him to form an opinion.

Ed (yours) : I don't... know if I can have an unpopular opinion about him? I love him too much. Maybe... idk, he needs a "guard dog friend" who's stuck by him for incomprehensible reasons to all (including him). I know he has everyone in our RPs (and others in other RPs!) but... yeah. That's the only thing I can think of.

Flynn : I've seen it around a lot, so it's probably not an unpopular opinion, but his character in Legacy is a disservice to the one he played in the original. I have no idea how he got from point A to point B, and it annoys me.

Sark : probably the whole comedic relief thing. He's just... kind of a non-issue, typical evil-character's mostly incompetent SIC character.

Jake : Why, of all people, did Charlie Sheen have to be the actor for this guy. Also the whole romance subplot was very 80's, and unnecessary.

Favourite relationship:

Ed (canon) : we never see one. However, I like imagining he's head over heels for a tiny barista who looked a would-be mugger dead in the eye when he threatened her with a switchblade and pulled out a Bowie knife in retaliation.

Ed (yours) : all the sibling relationships he's accumulated. Buddy you have a family now.

Flynn : whatever he has with Alan. Also the bit we see of him and Ram.

Sark : he has none we can see aside from the whatever with the MCP. I like imagining he has an "admire from afar" kind of relationship with Yori, because she scares him.

Jake : he has a brother, and goes out of his way even as a vengeful undead to spend time with said brother. Very cute sibling bond.

Favourite headcanon:

Ed (canon) : see the relationships point above.

Ed (yours) : ooh, so many... probably the crochet. I like thinking of him making things.

Flynn : can't keep a shirt for 5 minutes without damaging it or spilling something on it. Ranges from "spilled my water" to "how the fuck is this thing rags now, I bought it yesterday and have worn it for ten minutes". Only affects shirts he's bought himself.

Sark : those horn-things double as handles, and it's possible to pick him up by them and carry him around like a disgruntled kitten.

Jake : can't sing. Loves to sing. The spooky car he was gifted when he came back for revenge has thrown him out more than once because it can't take any more of his yowling.

[viewer-of-many]

Hey @highway-35, I saw your HWLR/BF5 crossover ideas, and I offer my own: The Sark aren't done yet. From what I can gather from the wikis, at the end of the Full Revolution movie, Zemerik says that there's a lot of work to do before driving off. For all we know, he could be building his forces up again. Once he discovers the Let's Race universe, all it takes is some Phase Metal to get a racer under his command(assuming it works fully on things that are only partially mechanical).

[scotianostra]

On 22nd November 1869 the clipper “Cutty Sark” was launched at Dumbarton on the River Clyde.

Built on the River Leven that  flows out of Loch Lomond and joins the Clyde at Dumbarton at a cost of £16,150.  Many people will tell you it was a Clyde built ship, but that’s not entirely true

The Cutty Sark was commissioned by John Willis, a Scots born businessman, in the late 1860s. Scott and Linton  were contracted to build the Cutty Sark for a price of £17 per ton, a very low price even in those days. 

1869 Scott and Linton were bankrupted due to the low contract price but not before they had completed and launched the hull and named it Cutty Sark.

The hull was towed across the river Leven to William Denny and Brothers on the Clyde for fitting out; she was rigged ready to sail in only 12 weeks. Cutty Sark set sail from London on her maiden voyage to Shanghai on the 16th February 1870 under the command of Captain George Moodie. 

It had a dedicated service to the tea and wool trades, until being sold to a Portuguese cargo company in 1895, whereupon it was renamed the Ferreira.

These extremely fast clippers were able to cover long distances without the need of getting to port to reload coal. However, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 shortened trade routes and made them lose their advantage over steam ships.

The ship’s name comes from Nannie, the witch in the Robert Burns poem Tam O’Shanter, who was dressed in only a “cutty sark” – an old Scottish term for a short nightie. The ship's figurehead, the original of which has been attributed to carver Fredrick Hellyer of Blackwall, is a stark white carving of a bare-breasted Nannie Dee with long hair holding a grey horse's tail in her han

In 1922, retired captain Wilfred Dowman bought the clipper for his personal use before, in 1938, his widow donated it to the training academy at Greenhithe, Kent to be used as a school ship by young cadets. At Greenhithe Cutty Sark acted as an auxiliary vessel to HMS Worcester for sail training drill, but by 1950 she had become surplus to requirements.

In 1953 Cutty Sark was given to the Cutty Sark Preservation Society and in 1954 she was moved to a custom-built dry dock at Greenwich.  Cutty Sark was preserved as a museum ship, and has since become a popular tourist attraction.

In 2007 a devastating fire broke out aboard the Cutty Sark, and it appeared that the ship might be completely destroyed. Thankfully total disaster was avoided, but the subsequent restoration lasted until 2012.  On 19th October 2014 she was damaged in a smaller fire.

Cutty Sark whisky derives its name from the ship. An image of the clipper appears on the label, and the maker formerly sponsored the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race. The ship also inspired the name of the Saunders Roe Cutty Sark flying boat.

[fights4users]

Where’s the “you have no memory if you loose your disk” come from?

I’m assuming it is in uprising and the fandom just ran with it because in the movies it’s blatantly false.

Greetings. The Master Control Program has chosen you to serve your system on the Game Grid. Those of you who continue to profess a belief in the Users will receive the standard substandard training which will result in your eventual elimination. Those of you who renounce this superstitious and hysterical belief will be eligible to join the warrior elite of the MCP. You will each receive an identity disc.

Everything you do or learn will be imprinted on this disc. If you lose your disc, or fail to follow commands, you will be subject to immediate de-resolution. That will be all.

Once again how Flynn was there for the speech “huh they’re giving this thing to a very specific few and no one seems happy about it” and then went “I liked the frisbees I’m going to put them in my world :)” is so wild to me. I know it was probably actually Disney higher ups who just…. Didn’t think about the implications of making it mandatory for all.

Classic-

In the classic grid it was assigned spesifically by the MCP to the video warriors, gladiators, combatants etc (whatever you want to call them).  Essentially it makes  eradication easier. If you were in the game grid you were one of three things:

1.) Religious

2.) rebellious/just want to do your function

3.) “useless”

Keep in mind the MCP was different from Clu, he wasn’t reprogramming he was assimilating. Took control of all your functions, made it so you wouldn’t want to complete them or talk to your user. You are apart of him now. Apart of one. If he found you useful. If not your in the games to eventually die there. The disks just make it easier to pick up what useful information a program may have while  simultaneously getting rid of the body.

You don’t loose your memory when you loose the disk. It’s a memory backup! Basically it’s a hardwired flash drive in your back!! If you loose it they just kill you (this is to prevent rebellious programs from destroying theirs or refusing it).

Legacy-

Ok well then is it different In the other grid? Slightly. Flynn didn’t intend it as a oppressive tool but it canonically serves similar functions later on, we here the later part of Sarks speech as a safety speel in the armory before Sam is sent to the games. “Take it off and well fucking kill you”. This is under clu. Under Flynn I’m imagining it was mainly memory back up and so he could have quick access to code/be able to code from inside.

If you still want to use the memory loss trope that’s fine. I’m just, really curious where it started because it’s not exactly the case?