I Can Finally Feel

The official music video for the Nine Inch Nails song "As Alive As You Need Me To Be" just came out.

It's going to be part of the new Tron: Ares movie, where Jared Leto plays a program soldier rezzed into the User world. I have very, very little interest in this premise.

However, the song also works just fine for the 1982 movie.

So, four hours after their music video came out, here's mine.

Flynn finally learned to feel. Yay.

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Description of video:

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(Opening scene of Tron: 1982 in the arcade. Lightcycle game on arcade screen. The beat of "As Alive As You Need Me To Be" by Nine Inch Nails starts playing.)

(Lyrics begin)

The way it makes me feel

(Scene of Tron fighting in the Disc game)

Infection

(Scene of Flynn being digitized with the laser)

It's almost like a tongue on the back of my neck

(Scene of Tron at the energy pool, hearing Alan-1's call)

I never had a choice, connection

(Visuals of the MCP diagram from Alan-1's transmission in the I/O Tower; scene of Alan typing on his computer)

I never had a chance to catch my breath

(Scene of Tron at the energy pool, drinking)

It's eating up the space between us

(Scene of Sark using the logic-probe to break into the I/O Tower; scene of Tron in the I/O Tower beam )

It's eating up all remaining doubt

(Scene of Tron and Sark fighting; scene of Sark giving the speech about not believing in the Users; scene of Tron killing Sark)

It's filling up the hole inside you

(Tron in the I/O Tower; focus on his disc moving up through the circular opening at the top of it)

It's trying to find a way to let itself out

(Scene of Tron's transmission beam emanating out from the Tower; scene of the lightcycles escaping through the hole in the lightcycle grid)

Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

(Scene of the Bit in the Recognizer with Flynn, repeatedly taking the yellow diamond-shaped Yes form)

Give me something to believe in

(Tron meeting Flynn for the first time; interspersed with clips from the Lightcycle grid scene)

All these hands have got a hold of me

(scene of Alan typing; scene of Dillinger turning off his computer display)

Give me something to believe in

(Scene of Tron at the energy pool, getting up and moving out after hearing Alan-1's call, interspersed with scene of enemy lightcycle derezzing)

As alive as you need me to be

(Scene of Alan at his computer; MCP diagram; cut to Dillinger at his desk watching Alan on the surveillance camera; Dillinger turns away from his desk to face the dark window)

Always going to go this way, there's no turning back

Never any other way, there's no turning back

(Scene of the Solar Sailer traveling along its beam)

Everything for a reason

(Scene of Flynn on the Sailer, revealing that he's a User)

everything for a reason

(Scene of Tron's reaction, saying this must mean Flynn has a plan)

Everything for a reason

(Flynn laughing at him)

everything for a reason

(Zoom in on Tron's shocked face)

Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

(Scene of Clu in his tank, and his Bit repeatedly taking Yes-form)

Give me something to believe in

(Scene of Sark's Carrier; scene of Tron squinting in the intense light of the I/O Tower beam as he raises his disc)

All these hands have got a hold of me (hold on me)

(Scene of Tron and Flynn holding each other when they reunited on the Sailer; scene of Yori holding Tron's face before they approach Dumont's dais)

Give me something to believe in

(Tron in the I/O Tower; Alan-1's MCP diagram again, focusing on where the disc will need to hit it to defeat the MCP)

As alive as you need me to be

(Tron receives the disc as it descends, and holds it for a second to look at it)

Feel

I can finally feel

(Flynn and Yori kiss)

I can finally feel

(Cut to Tron and Yori kissing)

I can finally feel

(Back to Flynn and Yori kissing)

This infection

(Cut to Tron and Yori kissing)

Feel

I can finally feel

(Tron in I/O Tower squinting as he raises his disc)

I can finally feel

This infection

(Clu derezzing on the torture wall)

(Scenes of the System's colors being restored after the MCP was destroyed)

(Flynn being returned to the User world)

Feel

I can finally feel

(Flynn in the chair, adjusting to being back in the world; paper being printed from the computer)

(Scenes of Flynn looking at the printout, fading in and out with scenes of Flynn reuniting with Tron on the Sailer; scene of Flynn kissing Yori, interspersed with scenes of Flynn with Alan and Lora in the User world)

Feel

I can finally feel

Feel

I can finally feel

(Flynn grabs the printout and runs happily down the stairs)

Feel

I can finally feel

(Scene of the group hug at the end, where Flynn comes out of his helicopter and reunites with Alan and Lora on the rooftop. Fade out on the final view of the city.)

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montereygay Fri 05 Sep 2025 01:27AM UTC

aster you have once again outdone yourself 🙌🙌🙌 i especially enjoyed featuring the bit, cutting to clu's deresolution for the scream, and "the space betweeen us" being the i/o tower -- auaugh, so fun. the timing of the cuts is also *very* good, nice work!! always love to see a new music video from you 🫶

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1. AsterControl (tiliquain) Fri 05 Sep 2025 03:03AM UTC
  
  AaaA! Thanks so much!!
  Yeah when I heard the lyrics, a few different themes immediately started up in my head...
  First of course is the program/programmer connection. Alan-1 is Tron's "something to believe in," his "connection," the "us" that the space is between, the "hole" that he's trying to fill up with his transmission
  (okaaay YES I used the same footage as "you let me penetrate you" from "Closer." Tron is totally the sub to Alan's dom... but, well, when it comes to "top and bottom"... that ubiquitous User-world-echo sexual imagery in the I/O Tower *really* seemed to want to show Tron, um, topping from the bottom.)
  and second: Flynn is what Tron initially views as "infection." I included Clu scenes because that was Flynn's first intrusion into the system, essentially as spyware-- a thing that Tron, the system security monitor, would normally have fought against as hard as he could
  and, as it becomes clearer that Flynn is something more than that, Flynn gets more and more meshed with the "something to believe in." Right up until the "everything for a reason!" sequence, where Tron's faith is momentarily shattered. (I just had to zoom in on his face there because it's heartbreaking)
  And then in the ending, they both "can finally feel."
  Tron learns to feel User pleasures, in the form of a kiss from Flynn, which was both 1. for Yori and 2. for Tron, indirectly, through her. (I very much believe he still has his reservations about Flynn even then. And that fits with the reprise of the "infection" lyric, as he experiences the kiss alternating with its origin. For better or for worse, something about Flynn has "infected" his life, and the consequences remain to be seen)
  And finally, Flynn-- processing the experiences he's just had with Lora and Alan's alter-egos-- learns to open up and feel his own feelings for both of them out in the User world. Which is why I had the video end the way it did.
  so yeahhhh. that was my deep and convoluted thought process-- I'm so glad you liked it!!!
  
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2. 1. AsterControl (tiliquain) Fri 05 Sep 2025 03:59AM UTC
    
    Other scenes that I considered including, but didn't for whatever reason
    (might later revise to include)...
    Dillinger and Sark's moments of "oh shit I'm too far into this now," with the lyrics "there's no turning back"
    Various scenes of various characters being "as alive" as someone else, or the narrative, "needs them to be" (Flynn being digitized into the system; Flynn and Tron turning out to be alive when others thought they were dead; Ram being derezzed, Sark being brought back to giant-zombie life)
    various scenes of characters touching each other's upper backs, couldn't quite decide which best fit with "almost like a tongue on the back of my neck" so I ended up not using any of them
    sooo yeah I might go back to editing on this eventually, who knows!
    
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  2. montereygay Fri 05 Sep 2025 09:56PM UTC
    
    flynn highkey DOES infect them both doesnt he 🤭🤭🤭 and the experience really does change both of their relationships with lora and alan/yori and alan, like ok tron was already VERY devoted to alan (and you know i LOVE your thoughts on tron as a submissive top 😉) and to yori but now a) physical pleasure in the manner of users (kissing or perhaps otherwise 👀) is something he's known and that yori has known, and b) tron now knows alan is, well, human, capable of making mistakes and having emotional responses to things -- and of *feeling* things like desire or pleasure......... 😫
    Thank you for sharing the thought process behind this!! Always interesting to hear 🫶
    
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  3. 1. AsterControl (tiliquain) Sat 06 Sep 2025 04:28AM UTC
      
      <3
      
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