Having shippy Tron fic thoughts today, and find myself a bit stuck on why there is so very little written of the Alan/Roy ship.

Like virtually none, as far as I can see.

I mean…. okay, I get that Roy barely even appears in any of the Tron source material. Which is probably most of why.

‘Cause in 82 he’s just Popcorn Coworker, and the only hint of him being Ram’s User is that he’s played by the same actor and he’s cubicle neighbors with Alan just like their programs are cellmates. Which… blink and you’ll miss it. I wonder what headcanons anyone even had about him before Legacy and The Next Day short came out.

Now, being the devoted 82 fan that I am, I’m happy to disregard any later canon that I don’t like. But I will readily accept that The Next Day happened, and that Roy Kleinberg is the same guy as Popcorn Coworker, and is the programmer who wrote Ram.

And there is… well, I’m not gonna say “tons” or “a lot” or “no shortage” of Tron/Ram fic, because I very deeply feel there should be MORE…

But, considering the amount of Tron/Ram there IS… and considering the supposed echo between worlds, and the influence it has on relationships on both sides…

I dunno.

Maybe it’s just that the few glimpses we get at Roy are enough to convince a fair number of fans into the headcanon that he’s ace/aro

…while his program, in contrast, is a slinky seductive twink who’s easy to headcanon as the guy who got nicknamed “Random Access” even before anyone in that prison compound knew what his initials stood for.

And, this could all just be a sign that not everything mirrors on both sides.

BUT it could also be a sign of the “Programs are a manifestation of the Programmer’s ideal self/ inner desires” headcanon, and…. That could be Fascinating to Explore…