#encom system

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a headcanon dump and I now think I’m marginally better at in system/grid writing so here we go

“It/it’s” is commonly used interchangeably with gendered pronouns for programs. It’s a way to reflect that they’re not human and gender if anything is more a display/user reflection thing.

Programming languages = literal languages (this is somewhat canon, there’s background characters talking about needed to translate “Don’t speak Fortran”- there was a post a while back)

There’s more gore on the Grid because it’s not running properly, it’s a form of lag! So there’s gore, missing limbs etc instead of a quicker de-resolution and re dispersement of energy. Think of it like how the wall on the game grid stayed unfixed in the original movie- the energy is focused elsewhere.

Not original stated by me but similarly to the gore Grid programs have simpler circuitry as they lack purpose, it got worse as time went on. Started as sleek aesthetic but as the system sat dormant it became less and less. I don’t know I just think this is sad and great to play around with.

Programs will occasionally make/produce noises. Similar to the bleeps and random electronic sound in the world around them, there’s a whole non-language based communication. (Animalistic isn’t the right term, inhuman? Like someone just makes a really angry dial up tone at you)

Pings. Also not mine originally but I fully believe this headcanon.

Counterpart’s are connected via code, also not originally mine. However the idea of being literally apart of someone you love? Able to just look at each other and know what to do/say is so so good. (At least in the Encom system)

There’s multiple forms of transport beams, some of them will have a ship attach and ride it while others a program can step into and is sort of like a tube system.

$ ACCESS *M/MTC/IMIT.GRID/1982

So it’s been a long fandom accepted thing that circuits/light lines are not just a part of the suits but are on programs skin. This is a little thing I absolutely adore in art and fics, and do myself.

But I was never completely sure if there was anything in canon considering light suits are pretty conservative (until legacy). But there is!!

Sarks  Lieutenant(?) Appears to have a shorter neck on his suit than is standard, or extra circuitry on the neck. (It could simply be a coloring error but I don’t think that’s true as we also see it black/uncolored/unilluminated) in multiple shots. When I started to notice it was towards the end of the movie.

Disks are just- their fascinating, especially with how they differ across tron media. In particular today I want to talk about the Encom system as , what can I say besides I’m biased? This all started once I saw a clear image of Trons back…

Disks cause permanent alterations in a programs code, more specifically disrupting the circuitry on their back.

Trons back is beautiful but I don’t believe it is “natural”. All of the more wild shaped ciricitry explodes from and frames where his disk is located. It is much thicker than the circuits on his front, more like they’re pointing towards a block/interruption than would follow. There’s no usual reason they’d do this on his back, opposed to his front with the T.

It’s harder to prove this change with other programs who have disks as Flynn’s back is blocked by the Toga and I don’t recall a good shot of Ram turned around. However we do know programs who never received a disk and what their backs look like. (Keep in mind unlike the legacy grid, disks aren’t built in and are selectively given/identification and punishment.)

Both Yori and Clu have uninterrupted circuitry on their backs, it follows what would be expected from what we see across the rest of their body. Same sort of patterns. I just wanted to appreciate the neat and almost  parasitic way a Disk docks on a Encom program. It’s painful looking, in its own way.

But it’s still there and it’s not EVERYONE but a solid majority, it’s probably because it makes the suits less revealing than the mesh suits but like the discs I don’t think they stopped and thought about the in world implications. In the system very few programs beyond user believers, red elite and memory guard have armor. Why would a civilian need armor? Yori has her leg warmers which I believe are actually hockey shin guards but it’s more aesthetic than for protection. Why would a ordinary program need to cover like that or know how to fight? What happened here? Maybe on the grid it’s similar to the discs where Flynn goes “that looks cool” while not reasoning and maybe it’s like a standing army- Rome show off thing. Oh everyone’s so tough and powerful we’re the best everyone has a metal etc. That’s a stretch but idk