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Tron Lines: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:tron_lines_upgrade.jpg|link=Tron Two Point Oh (Video Game)|
When your technology isn't just bleeding-edge, but laser-edged, disruption-fielded-with-motorized-teeth high-tech. [[Power Glows]], and now so does your tech. A common design scheme used for this glow is a series of lines along the edges or between panels of the machine. Others will have flat surfaces crossed by circuit-like lines that glow when activated, or have occasional pulses of light race down their length in tandem. Others have glowing components such as engines, weapon barrels, forcefield projectors and the like.
"Tron Lines" are strongly influenced from the [
If taking place in a physical world, this is all pretty inefficient. A big waste of power to maintain the glow (assuming this was electricity and not some power source that glowed on its own), and impossible to conceal, but damn, [[Rule of Cool|it looks cool]]. When your tech uses this, [[Hard Light]] systems and [[Holographic Terminal|Holographic Terminals]] are pretty much prerequisites. It's implied that Tron Lines indicate some non-electrical (or "differently electrical") form of technology; and those lines are the visible "power" veins.
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* It shouldn't seem surprising that ''[[Tron Legacy (Film)|Tron Legacy]]'', the movie sequel, uses this. What is surprising is how controlled this effect is.
* Based on the [http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/07/15/green-lantern-ryan-reynolds/ first image], it seems Ryan Reynolds will sport lines that look a bit like muscle striations on his uniform in the ''[[Green Lantern (Film)|Green Lantern]]'' film.
* The Fallen from ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Film)|Transformers Revenge of the Fallen]]''.
* [[Busby Berkeley]] used an early version of this aesthetic during the "Shadow Waltz" sequence in ''[[Gold Diggers of 1933]]'', by outlining a few dozen violins with neon lights; unfortunately, the visible electrical cords coming from each violin (which apparently shocked more than a couple dancers, who were wearing dresses that were lined with metal wire) undermines the effect.
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== Video Games ==
* The Ur-example would be [
* All over the place in the video game sequel to the ''[[Tron (Film)|Tron]]'' movie, ''[[Tron Two Point Oh (Video Game)|TRON 2.0]]''.
* Naturally, "Space Paranoids", the ''TRON''-themed world of ''[[Kingdom Hearts II (Video Game)|Kingdom Hearts II]]'', has them as well.
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* ''[[The Legend of Zelda (Franchise)|The Legend of Zelda]]''
** The Tower of the Gods boss in ''[[The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker]]'', as well as the controllable statues from the same dungeon.
** And in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Video Game)|Twilight Princess]]'', everything remotely associated with Twilight has a sort of Lovecraft+''TRON'' thing going on. The Dominion Rod imparts Tron Lines to statues, similar to the ones from ''Wind Waker'', when you take control of them.
* A common puzzle design in many games, such as ''[[Final Fantasy X (Video Game)|Final Fantasy X]]'' and Simon Tatham's port of ''Net'', involves rearranging blocks and switches to connect glowing Tron Lines from point A to point B, where point B is often the exit door.
* The Prince in ''[[Prince of Persia (Video Game)|Prince of Persia]]: The Two Thrones'' has a magical version of this running down his wounded/partially transformed arm. The "Dark Prince" persona has this all over his body.
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* Baldur in ''[[Too Human]]''.
* The tutorial and final levels of ''[[System Shock (Video Game)|System Shock]] 2''.
* Digital Circuit and Mad Matrix in ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog (Video Game)|Shadow the Hedgehog]]'', both cyberspace levels which aesthetics are pretty much [[Shout
* In ''[[Eve Online]]'', turning on an armor repair unit causes this.
* The main character in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne (Video Game)|Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne]]'' gets as version that looks like ordinary full-body tattoos, but then they start glowing in the dark! Apparently becoming mostly-demon does that to ya.
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* The Virtual theme in the ''[[Time Splitters 2]]'' mapmaker has Tron Lines as decorations.
* Most of the armor in ''[[Global Agenda (Video Game)|Global Agenda]]''.
* ''[[Epic Battle Fantasy]]'' has Cosmic Monoliths, an [[Demonic Spiders|enemy from the "monolith" line.]] It is black and has red Tron Lines on it. Those also have really high Evasion and drop an immensely damaging attack every three turns. [[Shout
* Althena's Tower in ''[[Lunar Silver Star Story Complete]]'' sports these.
* Shows up a lot on ancient [[Magitek]] manipulated by the heroes in ''[[Golden Sun (Video Game)|Golden Sun]]'' games.
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* ''[[Danny Phantom]]''. Valerie Grey gets ''loads'' of these, color-coded red, when Technus upgrades her battle suit.
* ''[[Generator Rex (Animation)|Generator Rex]]'', whenever Rex uses his [[Nanomachines|nanites]] to interface with machines or cure E.V.O.s and while changing his limbs into mechanical devices. His new transformations in season two have blue-white lines and black coverings not unlike ''[[Tron Legacy (Film)|Tron Legacy]]''.
* ''[[Kim Possible (Animation)|Kim Possible]]'''s battlesuit from season 3 finale, ''[[The Movie|So the Drama]]'', throughout season 4 is pure white, with glowing light blue stitching and padding. As a Disney property it's probably an intentional [[Shout
* ''[[South Park (Animation)|South Park]]'', when Stan is sucked into [[Face Book]].
* The kids' fluorescent costumes give off this effect in the dark.
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* The Luxor casino/hotel in Las Vegas was designed as a huge black glass pyramid with Tron Lines flowing to and from the giant column of light at the peak.
* The [http://bradley.csail.mit.edu/~bradley/cm5/ Connection Machine], a supercomputer which was never as amazing as its price would indicate, but which looked damn cool.
** Though those are more [
** The Connection Machine is one of the most beautiful computers ever made, but pretty much every supercomputer made after the '70s looks pretty awesome. After all, if a machine's going to cost over a million dollars, why not throw a few thousand into the case?
** It looks like someone [[Pimp My Ride|Pimped]] [[A Space Odyssey|the monolith...]]
* [[Truth in Television]]: Try looking at your feet next time you ride an escalator. They are actually there to warn you not to put your feet there as you may fall, but still pretty cool.
* The [
* The Wii console: the disc slot has a steady blue glow around the edge when powered on, and will pulse when a system upgrade is availible or a new message is in your inbox. Possible connection of [[Everything Is an iPod In The Future]].
* This trope is practically the reason EL-wire exists.
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[[Category:Spectacle]]
[[Category:Tron Lines]]
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