#b/c rinzler wants to be carried for and clu wants to be loved but nether of them can or will give the other that for dif reasons

[measlyscrapofseafood]

clu rinzler dynamic hcs that nobody asked for b/c im crazy

tw for brief discussions of abuse

I headcanon that Rinzler's feelings about Clu are Complicated. He thinks of his position as Clu’ right hand man as the greatest honor anyone could possibly have. Rinzler was told it’s a chance to right his past wrongs that he committed before Clu ‘fixed him’ by serving him unquestioningly and in return Rinzler genuinely adores Clu. Would do anything he asked including throw himself to his death in a heartbeat if Clu asked for a type of admiration. He is constantly striving to make Clu happy no matter the personal cost or the cost to others even if his efforts go unacknowledged most of the time knowing he made Clu’ life that much easier is enough for him.

Despite the fact that Rinzler tries his damndest to complete every assignment, sometimes he falls short and the consequences of his failure are dire, which is where the more complicated feelings Rinzler has come from. Because Clu is the only program in the history of the grid who’s able to make Rinzler genuinely afraid. Not wary, not cautious, but afraid. It’s part of what drives him to put his all into every task he’s given, not only to please Clu, but because he is terrified of the consequences of falling short of his expectations. On some level, buried deep deep down in the very depths of Rinzler’s code beneath all the changes, Rinzler hates Clu because he knows that how he’s treated is wrong, but he doesn’t understand why. It’s something intrinsic to him that he’s purposefully kept hidden and ignored in every way he can.

On the Clu side of things despite him always going on and on about how he made Rinzler ‘perfect’ and ‘his champion’ he still sees Rinzler as Tron regardless. No matter what Rinzler does or how hard he tries to please Clu he’ll never be able to make up for his past actions in Clu’s mind which is why he lashes out so harshly at him, because he knows that despite all of his attempts at reprogramming him, parts of Tron still live on in Rinzler. He knows that despite having Rinzler’s complete unconditional loyalty underneath it all the hate from Tron’ final moments is still there. Despite placing himself at the center of Rinzler’s world, Tron will never care for him like he cared for Kevin Flynn. Despite having won Flynn’s favorite toy soldier in their feud and repurposing him to be his attack dog, removing any recollection he had of Flynn, the dynamic isn’t the same and never will be because Rinzler isn’t Tron, not really, and Clu isn’t Flynn and that relationship will never be recreated

#know in your hearts rinzler is my acearospec king #my ver of him isn’t in love w clu he just has hero worship #in which the toy soldier you stole from you dad in your war will never love you in the way he loved your dad #so you brainwash him and start viewing him as an object and a weapon instead of someone who was once your friend #and you used to have a crush on him but he never and will never love you back so you force him to be your minion #b/c at least that way he’ll be at your side #they are so???!!??!!?? #they are so ‘i love you but not in the way you want me too’ both of them fr #b/c rinzler wants to be carried for and clu wants to be loved but nether of them can or will give the other that for dif reasons #not putting this in the main tags #i’ve had this sitting in my drafts for like a week so i’m posing w/o proofreading i’m tired of it being there 😒 #cii speaks