Fandom: TRON
Pairing: gen (ref to Sam/Tron)
Length: ~900 words
Author on LJ: crystalshard
Author Website: crystalfic
Warnings: Per the author, “Step away from the drinks. This is crack.”
Why this must be read:

This story, in which San and Tron run across an old project of Kevin’s, riffs on a drawing by Pilots!verse creator shirozora:

"I remember these from the early days," Tron says when he finishes laughing. "Some sort of game design that Flynn was planning on, but it never got past the prototype stage. I think he preferred lightcycles to – oh, what did he call them?"

"Unicorns?" Sam suggests, sounding slightly strangled.

"That was it." Tron sounds pleased, and he walks forward to the unicorn. "I wonder if this one still works?"

It just goes to show that Kevin Flynn was a true visionary.

“Harmony, Harmony, Oh Love”

---

Congratulations, you’ve reached the TRON rec set version 1.0 kill screen! I hope you feel like you got your quarter’s worth.

END OF LINE

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Alan/Kevin/Lora
Length: ~250 words
Author on LJ: serafina20
Author Website: Piek Ric
Warnings: “Lack of pants.”
Why this must be read:

Lora presents Alan with a convincing case for a threesome, capped by a dramatic entrance:

The door flew open suddenly revealing a beaming Kevin Flynn. "Greetings, Programs!"

Slow, lust-rattled, Alan blinked his eyes. "Kevin," he said. "Where are your pants?"

“Greetings, Programs!”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Quorra/Sam
Length: ~800 words
Author on LJ: wickedorin
Author Website: Reign of Angels
Warnings: Spoiler for Legacy. “HUMOR. CRACK. SEX. Absolutely no plot at all.”
Why this must be read:

In this sweet, funny, sexy story, Sam makes some surprising discoveries concerning his new girlfriend.

( Sam had just kind of assumed that Quorra was way too innocent for him to be corrupting. It wasn't until they were sitting there having a two-player FPS match one night when he was forced to think otherwise--right around the time when she slid her hand down his pants. He had just enough sense to hit pause before dropping the controller. )

Woody Allen once called sex “the most fun I’ve ever had without laughing.” This fic combines the two, with hot and hilarious results.

“Late Night Gaming Session”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Clu/Rinzler, Clu/Jarvis/Rinzler
Length: ~73K words in 15 chapters
Author on LJ: aldhibah
Author Website:
Warnings: Dubcon; threesome; torture enhanced interrogation; graphic violence.
Why this must be read:

This story was inspired by a prompt titled “Clu's plans go horribly right” on the tronkinkmeme, which proposes that if Clu had managed to reach the User world, he and his forces would have been speedily defeated ... and then, once the military authorities realized the possibilities and implications of “rectification,” things would have gotten ugly.

In this nightmarish scenario, Clu, Jarvis, and Rinzler are incarcerated, questioned, and finally compelled to obey their captors. Each of them copes in his own way. Jarvis proves unexpectedly observant and resilient, while Rinzler, though as deadly as ever, develops some quirks that particularly affect Clu:

( Clu bit down on Rinzler’s shoulder as retaliation for the near throat-crushing )

Ah, Clu: battered, humiliated, horrified by the chaotic User world, furious over the loss of his authority and his autonomy, he never gives up his pride or impatience, yet becomes a more heroic character in spite of himself. Partly, this is in contrast to his nemeses: the arrogant OCs General Jacob Montag and Dr. Howard Hellard, who oversee the rectification research, and greedy ENCOM CEO Kurt Hardington (a character borrowed from the ARG), who is brought in to discuss how the project’s applications can be extended from the military to the commercial sector. However, Clu does evolve, even though he finds the very concept repellent — as he struggles for freedom, he is forced to re-evaluate the nature of his reign on the Grid, his attitudes and expectations, and his relationship with Kevin Flynn ... who, ironically, may now be Clu’s last hope.

“Rectify” on the author’s journal (tagged entries) and AO3

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Quorra/Sam
Length: ~30K words in 8 parts
Author on LJ: seriousfic
Author Website: http://fuckyeahmelancholy.tumblr.com/
Warnings: Fluff, angst
Why this must be read:

IMHO, most modern “romantic comedies” are neither funny, nor convincing love stories. This fic, however, is both. The author writes Quorra as a quirky naif and Sam as a smartass with issues, and manages to do so in a way that doesn’t make me want to claw my eyes out. In fact, I was charmed from the beginning, when Sam takes Quorra to her first fair:

( This was ridiculous. He had won in gladiatorial combat with a light disc, why was he having this much trouble knocking over a bunch of cans with a ball? )

It’s a treat watching these two crazy kids flirt; learn about each other; deal with paparazzi, online commentators (“What does he see in this basic bitch? Does she even know how to color-coordinate? She looks like she's auditioning to play the first female Doctor Who”) and real person slash (“Why would anyone think Alan and I are having sex? Is it because I tweeted I'd go gay for Nathan Fillion? That's it, isn't it? It's not my fault, he's an amazing actor, and he seems like a very tender lover”); fall out; reconcile; go on the best date ever; and fend off assassins.

Seriously, Hollywood, take notes.

“Dear Wired Magazine, I Never Thought This Would Happen to Me But...” (link to first chapter)

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Rinzler/repurposed Yori
Length: ~5,300 words
Author on LJ: allronix1
Author Website: Allronix at Fanfiction.net
Warnings: Spoilers for Legacy. Dubcon. Angst.
Why this must be read:

Sometimes, you want something dark.

The implications of Clu’s ability to repurpose Programs are chilling enough if you consider him a misguided but fundamentally well-meaning idealist; in this story he’s a ruthless bastard whose view of existence, judging from Rinzler’s interior monologue as he struggles with their newest recruit and his own reactions to her, is terribly bleak:

He fights back that glitch. There has never been freedom. Programs serve. They know their place and carry out their functions. There has always been Clu and the unceasing war against the Creator's imperfection... Curse that glitch! Curse her!

She barely has the time to utter a cry of protest before he yanks her away from the wall and all but throws her onto his narrow, thin cot. Once again, her eyes are wide with fear, the triangle at her chest pulsing orange and blue.

Fear is right. Anger is familiar. Anger and fear are perfect.

He pulls her narrow wrists above her head with one arm and balances himself with the other. Hate and the desire to punish war with the glitch and its persistent weakness. Who is she and how can she do this to him?

Sometimes, memory is a curse, and oblivion is a mercy.

“Obsidian”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: OFC/OFC, Rinzler/OMC, Sam/Tron
Length: ~5,300 words
Author on LJ: ekala_sy_eph
Author Website:
Warnings: Spoilers for Legacy. Violence, rough sex.
Why this must be read:

This is a sharp change of pace from the other fic I recced from this writer. During his visits to a post-Legacy Grid where the Games have been reinstated on a non-lethal basis, Sam is troubled by reports of lucrative, illicit bouts — and puzzled that, contrary to his fears, they are not death matches. But if the audiences aren’t paying to see deresolutions, then what is the appeal? Obviously, he has to go undercover to find out.

( Sam is almost ready to get up and leave when a disc is knocked out of the one program's hand, the crowd roaring. He expects a normal slam, perhaps a smash to overload her circuits, the normal overload procedure, but then she's flipping up again and-- and he gapes as she is suddenly all over the other program, half wrestling and half groping, the other disc forgotten easily. )

ekala_sy_eph mixes vivid action scenes, thrumming sexual tension, and comedy as User and Program come to terms with what the investigation reveals.

“Ready, Fight!”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Clu/Tron, Clu/Rinzler
Length: ~6,000 words
Author on LJ: camesawconquerd
Author Website:
Warnings: Per the author, “Dubcon like nobody's business. Abusing Asimov's laws of robotics. Some not-nice touching. Program abuse. Cherry popping. Circuit sexing. Maybe some Stockholm Syndrome.”
Why this must be read:

Where does free choice stop and compulsion begin? What would consent mean for entities whose thoughts and feelings can be input by others? These are some of the questions raised in this sad, unsettling story, which is constructed around a series of conversations between Clu and the Program he is remaking into Rinzler.

( Rinzler approached him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and drawing their bodies together. Clu grew stiff, anticipating a fight but instead it was Rinzler's mouth close to his ear and his hand tracing the circuit down his chest. “Like this, Clu. Did he touch you like this?” )

This is the only fic about Rinzler’s repurposing that has made me feel bad for Clu, too. He is an undeniably tragic figure here, though, as discovers that his pursuit of perfection has unexpected costs, and that refusing to follow Users’ orders doesn’t mean he’s free of them.

“Pretty When You’re Mine”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Clu/Tron
Length: ~1,200 words
Author on LJ: brightdreamer
Author Website: dreamers_lair
Warnings: Bondage, noncon, spoiler for Legacy
Why this must be read:

As rm said in a blog post on Legacy, “if you’ve got a thing for power-differentials ... or mind control porn, this film will find your buttons and then sit on them for two hours, all without giving us so much as a kiss.” This fic, another run at the question of how Rinzler came to be, also does its share of button-mashing.

He didn't know how much longer he could hold out; the code was battering relentlessly at his system, finding every small crack in his tight defense to slip through. It would have been better if it only caused pain, he thought... pain he could handle, pain he could brace himself against, pain he could withstand. But these small waves of pleasure... these were breaking him faster than any torture.

“Resist”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Gen (implied Kevin/Tron, Clu/Rinzler)
Length: 1,147 words
Author on LJ: igrab
Author Website: the_grrrrid
Warnings: Spoiler for Legacy
Why this must be read:

Rinzler is an extremely popular character, and I think it’s due in no small part to his mystery. We can’t help but wonder what’s under the mask, what he’s thinking about (can he think?), what he would say if given the opportunity. The little we do learn about him raises more questions, the major ones being: What exactly is Rinzler, and how did Clu shape him? igrab presents a clever theory in her vivid sketch of the aftermath of Clu’s coup.

He throws the disk and screams his frustration, bending his head to cradle in his arms because it isn't fair. It isn't fair at all. He just wants what should, rightfully, be his.

He hears a clatter and a woom like a disc engaging, so he looks up. Turns his head. Sees.

They lie in a small pile, one covering the other half-way and that one, the red one, all lit up and glowing. Like it's calling to him. Like it knows.

Then, in a post-Legacy coda, she offers an equally elegant solution for the Users as they try to undo Clu’s work.

“Appropriation”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Clu/Kevin
Length: 765 words
Author on LJ: aeon_entwined
Author Website: thegarrison
Warnings: AU of Legacy.
Why this must be read:

Inspired by a gorgeous piece of fanart (visible at the head of the entry), this story is set at what may be the last possible moment when things could have played out differently: the showdown at the portal. All it might have taken is a split second in which long dormant feelings could revive...

When he wants to be, the sys admin is extraordinarily gentle. And Kevin marvels at every second of it, reaching up to touch Clu’s face as softly as he dares.

“Missed you,” he whispers, blue eyes bright with regret and thinly veiled pain.

Clu tilts his head slightly, then slants their lips together again, the sensation closer to a benediction than a kiss.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, reaching up to drag careful fingers through his User’s hair. “Me too.”

They sure as hell might not be perfect, but they’re doing the best they can with the time they have. And that’s all Kevin could ask for.

“Reach Out for the Sky Above”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: gen
Length: 1,607 words
Author on LJ: cephy (has moved to Dreamwidth)
Author Website: http://cephy.dreamwidth.org
Warnings: AU of Legacy, with major spoiler.
Why this must be read:

Here’s another variation on the flight over the Sea of Simulation. Amusingly, Cephy pokes holes in what is probably the most popular Legacy AU trope:

"Sam," Flynn cuts in, "think about it for a second. If I go back with you, come back from the dead, there'll be investigations, all sorts of legal procedures, questions we can't really answer-- and come on, man. I've been away for how long? I don't know how to live in your world anymore."

"You can learn," Sam starts desperately, but Flynn is shaking his head.

Don’t worry, there’s more to the story: a long-overdue reunion, some badly needed apologies, and a quiet optimism.

“Reboot” at Dreamwidth and AO3

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Sam/Tron
Length: 27,828 words in 11 chapters
Author on LJ: smiley_anon
Author Website: Index post
Warnings: AU of Legacy. Spoilers
Why this must be read:

In honor of Hurricane Irene, and whatever lepidopteran bastard flapped at the wrong time, I thought I’d rec some stories that apply the butterfly effect to Legacy. First up is this suspenseful novella, which splits off from canon over the Sea of Simulation — and separates Sam from Kevin and Quorra in the process.

( A shattering crash and a roar broke Sam's world and he was falling, flying, knocked back in a rushing surge of chaos. )

From that slambang opening, smiley_anon keeps the stakes high as events play out in ways that sometimes parallel canon, and in other places diverge in a very satisfying fashion, like when Quorra and Sam square off against Clu:

( “You’re done.” Quorra’s voice, from the right, cold animosity expressed infinitely more articulately than his own hot rage. )

And then there’s the wild card, a certain Program who gets to play a much larger role this time around...

“Hold On” master post

ETA: Ooh, just found fanart by Salioka from FF.net. Click here and scroll down.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: gen, Quorra-centric
Length: 1,424 words
Author on LJ: mochisquish
Warnings: Spoilers for Legacy. Multiple derezzings.
Why this must be read:

Fanfic tends to focus on the “Little Mermaid” aspects of Quorra’s personality: her curiosity about the Users’ world, her guilelessness, her cheerfulness. This one doesn’t.

( She threw her weight to the side and her foot went down, scraping against the road like fire as the lightcycle turned on a dime. Her disc flew from her hand, decapitated the first unlucky soul, ripped through the shoulder of another before returning safely. )

Here is the Quorra who “intervened” on the Lightcycle Grid, who sprang between Sam and the Black Guards, who was willing to face Rinzler alone if it bought her friends some time; who studied patience under Kevin Flynn, but never fully absorbed the lesson; who may be a little too ready to die for her cause.

This story is an excellent character study and an exciting action sequence. mochisquish writes a hell of chase scene, and her fight descriptions are sharp and clear.

“The Rabbit”

Fandom: TRON
Vidder: Aislynn
Music: “I’m Too Sexy,” by Right Said Fred
Pairing: refs to canon pairings
Vidder on LJ: ageless_aislynn
Vidder’s website: http://community.livejournal.com/signed_aislynn
Warnings:
Why this vid kicks ass:

Okay, I’m shamelessly cheating by making a second vid rec, but I had to share the joy. Drawing footage from the ’82 movie (including the deleted love scene), this is a very funny celebration of hot boys in spandex. The clip selections are spot on (“I'm too sexy for my shirt...”), the editing is tight (watch for the handclaps!), and the coda is perfect.

“TRON Is Too Sexy” (links to streaming and downloadable versions)

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: DJs/Rinzler
Length: ~1K words
Author on LJ: naopao
Author Website: http://www.naopao.tumblr.com/
Warnings: AU for Legacy, involving a major spoiler. Dubcon. Songfic. Sorta RPS.
Why this must be read:

There’s a freaking hurricane bearing down on me, so what better time for shameless songfic helmet!OT3 PWP? In this story, it turns out the DJs or “mp3s” are none other than Daft Punk themselves, on the Grid and s3xx1n’ up Rinzler, because why the hell not.

( The song thrummed along his body, and the wandering hands followed, slipping lower. Kneading and massaging his thighs, curling and cupping his hips and back with a tenderness that left a slow, agonizing burn where their hands passed. Rinzler could hardly keep still with these gentle ministrations, soft, hot, needy touches so unknown to him. )

“Untitled”

Fandom: TRON
Vidder: humansrsuperior
Music: “Da Funk/Daftendirekt” by Daft Punk*
Pairing: refs to canon pairings
Vidder on LJ: humansrsuperior
Vidder’s website: http://www.neuralcluster.net/
Warnings: Spoilers for entire franchise
Why this vid kicks ass:

This video could be titled “Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose,” or “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Built around a thumping track from Daft Punk’s amazing Alive 2007 album, humansrsuperior uses brisk and witty edits between clips from TRON, the 2009 teaser trailer, Daft Punk concert footage, the “Derezzed” video, and Legacy to demonstrate that the effects and the fight choreography may have evolved, but the TRON ’verse has always been and still is a full-throttle ride.

“Da Tron Funk” (links for streaming and downloadable versions)

* Back in 2010 I made an untranscribable noise when I learned that Daft Punk were providing the soundtrack for Legacy. Has there ever been a more perfect film/composer pairing? I mean, who better to score our return to the Electronic World than a duo that, judging from their previous releases and stage shows, are from there? No disrespect to Wendy Carlos and her beautiful blend of choral, symphonic, and electronic elements for the ’82 film, but come on — look at those shiny GQ motherf—ers.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Alan/Sam, Junior/Sam, Sam/various, Alan/Kevin (mostly past)
Length: currently ~20K words
Author on LJ: nhpw
Author Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/~nhpw
Warnings (consolidated from all chapters): Post-Legacy AU. BDSM lifestyle - established relationship; dubcon; BDSM play party; fisting; gangbang; orgasm control; voyeurism; non-traditional collaring ceremony; “the original prompt was ‘Flynn holds Sam down while Alan has his way with him.’ So... that.”
Why this must be read:

Canonically, Sam Flynn is an adrenaline junkie who has problems with authority; it’s no surprise that some ficcers think he needs a healthy dose of discipline, and who better to dispense it than his father’s best friend — and in this ’verse, former Dom — Alan Bradley? I have to admit, the premise of the first chapter (see “Warnings,” above) gave me pause, but I’m glad I took a chance on this series. nhpw uses the characters’ interrelationships to examine the different power dynamics at work, explore dominance and submission from both sides, and lay out what she considers the rights, responsibilities, and rewards of those who engage in BDSM. Above all, this is a love story, albeit an unconventional and exceedingly kinky one.

( Sam, though he thrashed and cried, loved every minute of it. )

The Re-Education of Sam Flynn

1. “Collared”: Kevin makes Alan a proposition
   
2. “Break Down/Rebuild”: Alan and Sam come to terms
   
3. “Well Done”: Alan and Sam host a dinner party
   
4. “Transformation”: Junior looks after Sam while Alan is away

Note: “Collared,” “Break Down/Rebuild,” and “Well Done” are chapters one to three of the first part; the second part, “Transformation,” is in two chapters.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: gen (implied Alan/Kevin)
Length: 1,060 words
Author on LJ: inkmage
Author Website: Inkmage on Fanfiction.net
Warnings: Extreme cuteness, slight angst
Why this must be read:

(I thought Sam could use a breather after my lest rec — and before my next one, mwahaha...)

This is an adorable story in which Alan Bradley picks up Sam from grade school and finds himself with a heartbroken six-year-old riding shotgun.

( “He said boys couldn't like boys, only girls could, and that I was gross. And he kicked me,” Sam added, pulling up his pant leg to reveal a not-unimpressive bruise on his shin. Henry must have played soccer. “Am I gross?” )

I have a soft spot for Alan-as-Good-Dad stories, and this one is charmingly bittersweet...with a hilarious coda for a tart finish.

“Hope for the Best”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Clu/Rinzler/Sam
Length: 12,550 words
Author on LJ: dreamlittleyo
Author Website: Fic sticky post
Warnings: Non-con, DP. Spoilers for Legacy. Image-heavy.
Why this must be read:

Sometimes you just want some dirtywronghot, and this alternate take on Sam and Clu’s first encounter has it in spades.

( “Tell me,” Clu murmurs idly, already stroking higher with the hand he never quite took off of Sam's body. “Do you dislike the things I'm doing to you? Are you disgusted? Horrified? Indifferent?” Sam whimpers when Clu traces the circle of circuitry on his hip, and Clu smiles and says, “Do you really want me to stop touching you, Sam?” )

In addition to being scorching smut (with excellent illustrations by dauntdraws), this is an impressive character study. Here is Clu the unrepentant, remorseless conqueror, driven by the obsession to claim everything his creator loved; and Sam, stricken by the realization of what is being done to him, by whom, and why, and above all the awareness that for all his defiance he can’t resist.

As if this weren’t enough, there are two sequels: “Night on Night”, a post-Legacy Alan/Sam fic, and “Who's Wrong Baby Who’s Right,” an AU in which Clu has kept Sam prisoner for cycles.

“Another Battle in Our Dirty Little War” on Livejournal and AO3

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: gen
Length: ~7,200 words
Author on LJ: tenshi_no_korin
Author Website: Odessa Castle
Warnings: Spoilers for TRON and Legacy.
Why this must be read:

Roy Kleinberg is a patient man — he had to be, to conduct a twenty-year hunt for Kevin Flynn — but when he suspects that (a) there’s been a breakthrough and (b) longtime ally Alan Bradley and new boss Sam Flynn are keeping him out of the loop, he decides a little B&E is in order.

( No. It couldn't be. For the love of God, those Loch Ness Monster autopsy photos he'd stumbled on in '96 were more believable than this. )

Alorian does a wonderful job of extrapolating from what we learned about Roy in “The Next Day” (the Legacy bonus feature which summarizes the in-universe history of Flynn Lives). He doesn’t have Kevin’s charisma, and he’s more highly strung than Alan, but he’s as clever and determined as either of them, and it’s wonderful to see him finally get some answers — not to mention meet his cheerfully gung ho search program, Ram 6.

“Illegal Entry” on Livejournal, Tumblr, and the author’s website. (There is an equally good five-part prequel, “Location Query,” about Alan’s first trip to the Grid, his introduction to Ram, and their search for Tron and Kevin, but I think this also works as a standalone story.)

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Sam/Tron
Length: Currently one 15-chapter novella and several related short stories
Author on LJ: shirozora
Author Website: http://shirozora.dreamwidth.org/profile
Warnings: Spoilers for Legacy. Violence against Users and Programs. Circuit sex.
Why this must be read:

Legacy left its audience with a lot of questions, chiefly, what next? What has become of the Grid? How will Sam realize Kevin’s vision? We may get some canonical answers from a third film as early as 2013; in the meantime, there’s this burgeoning epic (34 entries and counting under the ’verse tag in the author’s journal). In “whoami”, a Program navigates a system succumbing to chaos while searching for his identity, only to find another quest waiting at the end of his path. That story dovetails with “We Are Pilots”, in which Sam, distracted from his responsibilities at ENCOM by the rest of his father’s bequest, returns to the Grid; hoping to learn exactly how Kevin planned to reshape the human condition, he finds a whole new set of problems ... and opportunities.

shirozora originally posted “whoami” and “We Are Pilots” in response to a tronkinkmeme prompt. She is currently revising the chapters and posting them in her journal and the Archive of Our Own, a process that involves frequent repetitions of the question, “What the hell am I doing?!?” Well, the answer is making magic. She has envisioned a post-Clu Grid populated by a cast of vivid characters (some familiar, many new) fighting for survival, power, or the restoration of the system envisioned by the Creator. And when I say fighting, I mean fighting — “whoami” and “Pilots” are packed with crisp, gripping action scenes.

There are also quieter moments in which our heroes grapple with past hurts, present dangers, and fear of what’s to come. Sam in particular has a lot of cope with, floundering under an onslaught of new abilities and new sensations even as his relationship with Tron rapidly evolves from Program/User and Childhood Idol/Fan to something more complicated.

( The MP3s are creating and mixing with crowd-pleasing fervor, heads bobbing in sync with the beat and each other. While Sam watches one of them looks up and straight at him, then elbows its companion; the other program turns its cracked helmet to Sam as well, and then they nod as one. Abruptly the beat changes, becomes louder and heavier until it pulses in the air and the spaces between bodies. It drums in his head like a second heartbeat, throbs under his skin and makes loud the presence of the hand on his elbow. It disorients him, makes his circuits pulse hotly while something in his chest both expands and contracts, and Sam thinks distantly that something is really off about the music. The hold on his elbow tightens and he looks at Tron; the program is tense and his circuits are starting to intensify, as are those on the programs around them. )

The Pilots & Poison ’verse:

• “whoami” on Livejournal and AO3
  
• “We Are Pilots”
  
  • As posted on tronkinkmeme
    
  • On the author’s journal (click the link for “1” to continue reading)
    
  • On AO3

ETA: shirozora’s fanart includes drawings of Sam, Tron, and various Pilots!verse OCs.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Alan/Tron (hint of Gem/Zuse)
Length: 9,992 words
Author on LJ: ad00absurdum
Author Website: Ad Absurdum on Fanfiction.net
Warnings: Mild spoilers for Legacy. AU.
Why this must be read:

Apparently, the twin fetish transcends multiple planes of reality. Kevin introduces Alan to the Grid and finds the experience even more entertaining than he’d anticipated, if not quite for the reasons he expected. He’s not the only one enjoying the situation, either...

( Alan noticed she kept shifting her eyes from him to Tron and back again. There was something about that look that was vaguely familiar. )

ad00absurdum manages to work in a couple of twists. First, it turns out that under their circuit suits, Alan and Tron aren’t identical; fortunately, it doesn’t prevent them from enjoying each other. Then there’s what happens afterward, which has intriguing (sequel-worthy?) results for both Program and User...

“Three Times Alan and Tron Flaunted Their Twincest (and Two Times They Didn't)” on Livejournal and AO3.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: gen
Length: ~1,200 words
Author on LJ: infiniteviking
Author Website: fanfiction masterlist
Warnings: Mild spoilers for Legacy. Angst.
Why this must be read:

Because every fandom needs a Figwit, and since Legacy came out the leading contender for that position in the TRONverse is Vint, the Program who briefly talks to Sam on the recognizer (“Be quiet if you want to live!”) and teams up with him in the lightcycle match. This story uses Vint as a way to present an elegant, if horrific, solution to a question raised by fans — if the Games are to the death, and they’ve been running for a thousand cycles, how is the population of the Grid still so large?

( His jacket was tight again, new, like him )

It’s illuminating and entertaining to approach canon from a supporting character’s point of view. Vint doesn’t know what’s happening, but he knows something is happening.

"It'll be all right." The words were innocuous, a simple plaintext that Vint had repeated less and less often over the cycles, but they felt strange this time. The guards led the next batch of programs through the gate, and he closed his eyes briefly as he realized it was because this time, somehow, he meant them.

“loop while answer”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Tron/OC
Length: ~600 words
Author on LJ: ekala_sy_eph
Author Website:
Warnings: MAJOR spoiler for Legacy. Also, per the author, “tentacle porn, introspective what the hell”.
Why this must be read:

I’m biased because I posted the tronkinkmeme prompt that inspired this story. (Own your kinks, that's my motto.) But come on — TENTACLES! Every fandom needs tentacles!

( It wraps around him, gentle and warm... )

A lot of tentacle porn is about violation; this story is about sex as mystery, communion, and overwhelming pleasure.

“Falling”

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Rinzler/Sam
Length: 3,195 words
Author on LJ: noctaval
Author Website: noctaval_ficcy
Warnings: Dubcon, bloodplay, Program sex. Spoilers for Legacy
Why this must be read:

There are certain moments of canon that you just know are going to ping fandom’s Smut Radar. One of these is when Rinzler notices that Sam is bleeding and rumbles, “User.” Sure enough, round one, page one of the tronkinkmeme: “Any Program/Sam, anything to do with Users being able to bleed in the Grid. Because blood kink like whoa...” noctaval responded with this “missing scene”, in which Rinzler pays a visit to Sam’s cell during their trip aboard Clu’s ship to the lightcycle arena.

( <i>:Do not struggle:</i> came the mechanical voice, and before he could think to do so he was flipped over roughly, Rinzler's disc coming to rest at his throat. )

noctaval does a great conveying Sam’s tumultuous mental state: confusion, exhilaration at surviving the disc wars, a moment of wry pragmatism (“at least they hadn't discovered he didn't belong here by witnessing his messy decapitation”), his defiance even in the face of the frankly terrifying Rinzler. This is not a comfortable read, but it is a gripping one.

“Bloodsport” on Livejournal.

ETA: And there’s fanart! A comic book page by winzler, and another comic book page (and other art; scroll down) by basalt.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Alan/Kevin, refs to Alan/Lora and Kevin/Lora
Length: 3,087 words
Author on LJ: blue_crow
Author Website: blue_crow on AO3
Why this must be read:

After a breakthrough in the laser lab scotches Alan’s plans for a romantic dinner with Lora, he gets an unexpected visitor.

"So, this works out pretty well. When I'm busy, she's with you, and when you're busy, she's with me."

Alan shrugs. It was a way to put it, as much as he'd rather not discuss things.

"But what about when she's busy? We never talked about that part."

This is a fantastic look into Alan’s head as he gradually acknowledges the third side of his triad with Lora and Kevin. The pacing is spot-on, as his feelings go from from an unacknowledged simmer (“he wasn't a jealous man, he wasn't driven mad picturing Lora sweaty and naked on Kevin's sheets”) to a remorseless roil (“He takes his glasses off and rubs the bridge of his nose, trying to stop picturing his best friend's well-shaped body, his chest and stomach mostly (and he's surely seen enough of that, Kevin can hardly keep his shirt on sometimes) but can't seem to stop himself from picturing his cock”), finally boiling over with a little help from Kevin.

( “Alan. My hero,” he purrs, against his ear. “Tron,” he says, and Alan's lost. )

“Agreement” on Livejournal and AO3.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Alan/Kevin
Length: 1,609 words
Author on LJ: llwyden
Author Website: Shadows and Light
Why this must be read:

This story, like my earlier rec “Raised Up,” is about Kevin cleaning house at ENCOM, but this time the POV is Alan Bradley’s.

( Alan would catch him peering into their faces as if looking right through them, an odd expression on his face. When he gave him a quizzical look, Flynn just shook himself out of it and laughed it off. He barely looked at the files in his hands for most of them, just asked a few questions and sent them on their way. )

Sometimes, the way to move forward is to look back. This proves true for the company, as Alan and Kevin rekindle the enthusiasm and innovation that characterized ENCOM when it was based in a garage, and for the men on a more intimate level.

( Alan sighed. “Look, Flynn, I don't know. We're not kids anymore.” )

llwyden really captures both characters. She nails Kevin’s joie de vivre, his habit of playing his cards close to his vest, and the way he uses flippancy to hide vulnerability; Alan, meanwhile, is quieter and warier, but just as dedicated to making things better, and when he commits he goes all the way. Given what happens later in canon this story can’t escape being bittersweet, but the sweetness predominates.

“Set (Me&You) = The Result of (Try (Get Things Right))” on AO3.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Clu/Kevin, refs to Clu/Kevin/Tron
Length: 3 chapters, ~16K words total
Author on LJ: grey_sw
Author Website:
Warnings: Spoilers for Legacy
Why this must be read:

(To celebrate the fact that last night I got two autographs from Jeff Bridges, have some ontological JB² porn. You’re welcome.)

There is a moment in Legacy when Sam comments that the Grid “must have been something before Clu screwed it up,” and Kevin replies, “He’s me. I screwed it up.” This story explores the implications of that statement as User and Program attempt a reconciliation. It is not an easy or comfortable conversation, but it is enlightening.

( YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I DID FOR SUMMER VACATION? his own voice boomed, louder than loud. VERY WELL. YOU WILL SEE. )

What I find especially impressive is the way grey_sw reveals that Clu shares his maker’s best features and worst flaws — and how in places the line between the two categories is not just blurred, but nonexistent. In so doing, she treats the characters fairly: neither is demonized, yet both are forced to acknowledge and accept their culpability for the tragedies they engendered. What’s more, she offers some very interesting theories on what makes Clu different from his fellow Basics and the ISOs.

Finally, this story is fantastic smut. The emotions are deep and raw; the power dynamic is fascinatingly tangled; and the action is scorching hot. All in all, a masterpiece of characterization through sex.

“Reintegration Moon” on Livejournal and at AO3.

Fandom: TRON
Pairing: Alan/Lora
Length: 1,240 words
Author on LJ: lynstraine
Author Website: Oscillating Wildly between Boredom and Terror
Why this must be read:

Here’s another workplace fic, this one focusing on Lora and set at ENCOM before Kevin Flynn’s dismissal, but after he and she have ended their relationship. Lora is intrigued by a certain bespectacled, oh-so-serious programmer, but doesn’t see an opening until she works late during a rash of car thefts and hold-ups:

( Lora considered him as they walked together; he was so thoroughly focused on threat assessment that he didn’t seem to notice her glancing back at him. )

Thornmallow gives Lora depth in this story, as her scientist’s mind juggles awareness of her vulnerability, irritation with same, and appreciation of Alan (whose description, evoking Tron as it does, also serves as a sly wink to the audience).

“Initiative” at AO3 and on Tumblr.