Player Information
Name: Nes
Age: Older than 18
Contact: NextStep
Current characters: None

Character Information
Name: Ram
Series: Tron
Appearance: Icons
Age: Made in the image of his User, Roy Kleinberg, Ram has the permanent appearance of being in his mid twenties. It isn't made clear in canon when he was written, but it is assumed he has been active for a few years, giving him the human equivalent of about sixty years experience due to time differences in and out of the computer.
Canon Point: Immediately following his deresolution.
Transferring From: Savrou.
Canon History: Wiki history (Minimal)

Ram was written by Roy Kleinberg in Encom in the early 1980s or late 70s. Once complete, he was transported to an insurance company where he carried out his function as an actuarial program.

Back in Encom, the Master Control Program (MCP) was growing in power and gradually expanded his reach beyond the Encom system, appropriating corporations in the belief that he could run them better than the humans. As part of this take over, the programs working in these corporations were rounded up and either taken to be assimilated by the MCP, or forced into the Game Grid.

Ram fell into the second group, and soon found himself playing endless computer games where the only escape seemed to be losing a match and subsequent deresolution. But despite being an actuary and very much not built for combat, Ram survived thanks to quickly figuring out how to use what he had to his advantage. He could calculate the trajectory and angle of his and an opponent's disk, and quickly learn an opponent's moves so he could calculate their reactions and how to beat them. As the microcycles (rough equivalent of days) wore on, it began to weigh on him, but hope came in the form of a newly captured security program. Tron. Despite the horrors of the Game Grid, the two became unlikely but firm friends, keeping each other's spirits up through the hard times.

Then a new program arrived who seemed different from the others called Flynn. Like the others before him, Ram didn't expect him to last long and was pleasantly surprised when Flynn was teamed with him and Tron in a lightcycle game. He was even more pleasantly surprised when they managed to break out of the Game Grid via a crack in the wall formed by one of their opponents crashing hard. The three of them escaped and evaded tanks until they hid in a canyon and planned their next move. Ram was skeptical about their odds against the MCP, but stayed with them regardless. After drinking from an energy spring, they took off again for the I/O tower, but were spotted by a tank who's blast caught both Ram and Flynn's lightcycles.

Flynn, less hurt due to his User status, carried a badly injured Ram to a crashed recogniser where they rested and Flynn inadvertently restarted and rebuilt the recogniser. They started off to find Tron, but Ram, still suffering from his injuries, was losing power quickly. Putting together what he had seen and experienced, he was able to figure out that Flynn was a User, which Flynn confirmed. Ram rejoiced at this news, knowing there was a better chance of success and the Users hadn't abandoned them. In his last moments, Ram asked Flynn to help Tron, then, overcome by his injuries, he derezzed.

CRAU: thisavrou

Following his deresolution, everything went white and for a brief moment, Ram was part of the Encom system. Then something dragged his scattered pieces together and he found himself reassembled on the Avagi station. Very surprised to be alive and equally confused as to where he was, Ram ventured out and began to explore.

Over the course of his explorations, Ram ran into some very familiar faces which lead to a number of conversations and confrontations. His first encounter was Rinzler, and after the enforcer initially helped him when the floor gave out, Ram figured out his true identity as his friend Tron. Confused and distressed, Ram tried to talk with him, but Ram's realisation had not pleased Rinzler and the two fought, with Ram only barely escaping when the floor gave out again, dropping Rinzler several metres down.

While running, he encountered Yori, a program he had never met but whom he had heard abundant stories about from Tron back in the Encom cells. Delighted to meet her, the two got talking, but were interrupted by Clu, who Yori quickly lead them away from. Back in her quarters, she explained the situation with Rinzler and Ram tried to take it all in, a feat made more difficult when the program in question showed up. The conversation was tense to say the least, but everyone survived and Ram crashed with Yori for the night.

Over the next few days and weeks, Ram continued exploring the station, enjoying learning about it and the User world. He also met Flynn while following a defecting delivery droid and there was much celebration as the two friends were reunited, though also initial confusion on why Flynn seemed significantly older than when Ram had last seen him, though this was soon explained. Ram also had the delight of meeting Alan_1, Tron's User and the two quickly made friends, finding comforting similarities in their known counterparts of Tron and Roy.

Throughout his time on Avagi, Ram began to move on from his ordeal on the Game Grid and became eager to be useful again. He met others and learned about the station's system, and was present and quick to help during multiple incidents on the station, which seemed to be becoming more numerous. He also met and welcomed Anon, a program from the Grid Flynn had created.

When the Mother began attacking the station again, Ram helped fend off her creatures with Rinzler, who he had a mildly improved relationship with after multiple crossings, though things were still tense and complicated between them. During this time he also struggled as the randomness of the events occurring made it difficult for him to calculate the likelihood of potential future outcomes, making him stressed and overheated. However, eventually the Mother was defeated and things settled.

Ram voted to release Ingress, deeming it only fair as the energy had given him a second chance at life, to see his friends again and make new ones. Following the decision and knowing they would all be sent back to their worlds, he spent most of his time around said friends, quietly assuming that he would be returned to his derezzed state upon being sent back to the Encom system. He wanted to make the most of what time he had left.

Canon Personality: A first impression of Ram is usually one of a cheery young man who is quick to say hello and easy to talk to. This is not a front. Ram genuinely likes people, is fond of good company, and enjoys his job. While he may be a little blunt at times, he's laid back and open under the right circumstances, and will happily chat for a while about just about anything. People find him easy to talk to due to his genuine nature, and as an actuarial program, he would have needed Users to be open about their situation so he could help them.

However, it would be a mistake to underestimate this program, though from his demeanor, function and slight stature, it is easy to do so. Ram survived over 200 microcycles on the Game Grid, a place where losing a game meant derezzing in a shower of pixels. During this time, Ram not only learned how to fight, defeat and derezz his opponents in the many ways presented by the games, he also gained the mentality to be able to do so. If confronted, he will fight back, something he is good at, and is willing to kill if necessary, though will avoid it if possible.

During his time on the Game Grid, Ram lost more than a bit of his cheerfulness and became notably quieter. He stopped befriending his fellow conscripts, not knowing if they'd be his opponent in the next round. If they were, it would be easier to defeat them if he didn't know them, and even if they weren't, chances were they wouldn't be around long anyway. Indeed, it's a testament to his stubbornness and determination that he's managed to maintain any sense of cheerfulness at all, but hope and defiance are powerful things.

Despite everything, and though he's loathe to admit it, some part of him enjoyed the games when he was against the Red Elite. He reveled in the rush of calculations, the adrenaline, the puzzle that was the game and how to win it. If they hadn't been to the death, he would have actually rather liked them. He grew more confident and experienced as he expanded and developed his abilities as a whole and would test out new tactics when there was less risk of possible failure being exploited. And hey, if the MCP lost a few mooks to him, that was a bonus. But against his fellow User believers, Ram was quick and efficient as possible, not wanting to prolong the suffering for either of them. It was the only mercy he could give them without being defeated, something he'd rather avoid. Those microcycles were never good ones.

Tron's arrival and subsequent friendship with Ram was what helped pull the actuary out of growing depression. Having a friend in such a hopeless place boosted Ram's confidence and energy. This was someone who reliably came back from the games, who talked strongly about the Users Ram was beginning to lose faith in, who spoke on equal terms with Ram and helped him improve. This was stability and Ram was soon talking more and opening up again. He never got fully back to his old self, but the games were still going, and even if they weren't, he'd seen and done things he couldn't and wouldn't forget. But he's stronger this way, and far more prepared for danger than when he was first taken. It's a balance, and one he'll need to carefully maintain if he doesn't want to risk tipping back into that dark corner.

Ram was written as an actuarial program, and the functions he possesses from this define a lot of what he is and how he acts. He's very realistic. As his function is to calculate the risks and probabilities of future events, it wouldn't do well if he then sugar-coated or even omitted possible events, however unfavourable they might be. As a result, he tells it as it is. Sure, he'll often put a positive spin on it to try and keep spirits up, but he's not going to withhold bad news, including from himself. He knows what he can and can't do, and for all his cheer and smiles, Ram is not an optimist.

Although Ram is very aware of the odds, he will sometimes act regardless due to an unwavering sense of loyalty. Ram is not a leader, but he is an excellent friend and follower due to being laid back, cheerful and honest. But he is not blindly loyal. He will follow someone he believes in, but if he thinks they're making a bad decision, or their course of action will get them hurt or worse, he will absolutely let them know this and will not be easily brushed aside. He calculates the odds and his friends deserve to know what they're getting into. But he will still go with them if they choose to not change plans. The chances of success are worse if he leaves, and besides, he wants to stay and help. They're his friends and they stick together.

Personality Shifts: Little of Ram's personality changed during his time in Savrou, the majority of his growth coming through his interactions with others and how he is around them. The most notable of this, of course, in Rinzler. Initially at high odds, with the enforcer becoming violent nigh on sight of Ram and Ram hoping to get Tron back, the two have since discovered that they can cooperate in the face of a mutual enemy. Ram has also acknowledged Rinzler's autonomy, though he is still very conflicted about where he stands on the Tron/Rinzler divide.

Ram's views were also tested following the gradual revelation of exactly what had happened on the Grid that put Flynn in exile and Clu in power. Although he has long since known that Users are not infallible and capable of mistakes, this was perhaps the first time he so vehemently believed that a User was wrong. Not, of course, that Clu was right. This shook him somewhat, and though it didn't weaken his view of the Users, it certainly gave him more ground to stand up and face Users and tell them they're wrong if necessary. The events in general have made him more wary and on the lookout for whoever might be the next MCP or Clu. He won't see that happen again.

Getting a second chance of life was something Ram never anticipated and he tried to make the best of it. The station offered opportunities to learn about the User world, to meet old friends and make new ones, and he delighted in the opportunity. He still had to deal with the sudden shift and it took a while to adjust to a free life, especially when faced with those who had lived on many cycles from what he considered to be just days or even hours ago. He adapted, as he always does, and while his ordeal on the Game Grid still haunts him, he's at last stopped pacing in the dimensions of his cell.

One thing that Ram struggled with on Savrou was finding something socially or systematically constructive to do. On the Game Grid, he had been forced away from his purpose as an actuary, but there he was hardly given a say in the matter. On Savrou, the initial joy of freedom was marred by feeling somewhat purposeless, one of the reasons he threw himself so readily at any situation that needed his help. He never did find a set job and felt a little lost for it.

Abilities:

Ram has all the main abilities expected of an actuarial program. He has excellent maths skills, capable of very fast, very complex calculations, even in the heat of battle. These calculations can be made for a wide variety of uses, particularly involving the likelihood of future events, and he utilises the skills effectively. His ability to swiftly assess a situation, figure out the possible ways it could go and act in favour of the one that best suits him is also a valuable one. He is clever, not only in terms of calculations, but noticing things around him and putting fragments of information together. The calculations though, are where he is truly in his element.

Ram is very adaptable and has learned, through necessity, how to work with what he has in order to succeed. He's quick to work out solutions to problems, be they as big as using his functions to his advantage in potentially deadly games, or as small as using his Identity Disk as a better drinking cup than his hands.

Outside his programmed actuarial skills comes a slew of abilities that he's learned from his time on the Game Grid. He is very competent at handling his disk, from performing tricks to being able to hold his own during battle. He is also an excellent lightcycle rider, particularly on the Game Grid, though when he escaped with Flynn and Tron, he quickly became capable of handling the bike off-grid as well.

A rather useless skill, but one he enjoys anyway, is his ability to whistle. Why R_Kleinberg programmed this into him, or if it's just a harmless glitch as a result of something else, he doesn't know. But he enjoys whistling tunes to pass the time, and he can make a very satisfyingly loud whistle.

Inventory:

Identity disk: A round, frisbee-like object that is vital to any program due to being a key to their code. Loss or damage to the disk can cause significant malfunctions in the program including loss of memory, sanity and an inability to fix any errors. The disk is also capable of being utilised as a weapon. If this is going to be damaged by the water, I would like to discuss it.

Grid armor: Ram was provided a set of grid armor when he was taken and forced into the Game Grid in Encom. The initial suit was quite bulky on the slight actuary, but during his time at Avagi, Flynn upgraded the armor to make it better fitting and improve its protection. This armor is more a part of him, coded for and to him. Following Ram's admission that he was paranoid to take it off due to potential danger at short notice, Flynn made it possible to derez and store the armor and re-rez it again in a couple of seconds.

Sample

Thread Sample: A conversation with Yori, with a chance of Rinzler.