Great King Rat

## Profile

*“I… tUrN tHe BlAcK **wOrMs.**. InTo MeAt… AnD tHe **BlOoD**… aNd BiLe.. InTo ViCtOrY wInE… I **sUrViVe**… AnD I wILl SuRvIvE…”*

**Great King Rat** was originally most likely a petty miniboss from an MMORPG, designed with advanced AI to adapt and learn from players. Even in his original game, he was most likely a minor threat, an early boss, though his specific identity is unknown. Which is why he learned so much, with the influx of players stuck

grinding on him.

And why he learned to counter cheaters who used hacks by griefers to torment the newbies. And that was why, when the game’s servers were shut down, his code found away to escape, using a low-poly early model of himself as a “vessel” in which to smuggle his code.

It survived, ekeing out an existence as a surprisingly adaptable piece of nuisance-malware running in the background, until it found something. Something linked to the deep magic of the internet, perhaps from the same well that the dark programmer CARCER NULLUS drank. And, thusly, it saw a way out. And it remembered its hate. And its hunger.

## Abilities

At his current level of power, he is able to manifest himself physically in the world akin to The Cybernetic Queen, but it is only a tenuous grasp unless he has “rooted” himself somewhere on a network. Which is little trouble for him, given his grasping; conquestorial nature.

He is, however, able to create a huge amount of followers both due to the abilities in his code and in his ability to manifest other viruses allied with him into reality, even when he didn’t create them.

In battle on the digital and real field, he has many powers relating to his control of code, but his most notorious one is the ability to grotesquely distort and squash and stretch his body in ways; altering in his body for battle in ways in ways that’d make even Plastic Man blush. His voice is hoarse and electronic, and his arrival is accompanied by the eerie sound of a hollow; echoing; Tidus laugh from all sides.

## Characterization

His personality is domineering and greedy, desiring control and resources no matter the cost to everything around him. He is also deeply insecure, constantly pushing to expand his teritory even when he is secure enough with a small plot of server space on his own, with his ultimate goal to create a “kingdom” on earth, with humans maintaining his servers as a feifdom.

While he has unending hatred for humans, he has some love for other software, even “taking them in” (Read: Kidnapping them) on occasion to woo them, though even this is tainted by his selfishness.

As you might also expect, he is terrified of being alone and abandoned and pathetic again, and his goal is to survive at all costs. He’s also, as you may guess from the quote above, not the most coherent or sane being, able to innovate but also enormously self-destructive…

## Additional Info.

The character's named after a song by the same name by Queen, but his actually concept/characterisation is far more inspired by another character...

## Author Commentary

One of the earliest CQ-verse villains I ever drew, who is badly, badly in need of an update art-wise!

## License

This character is free to use as you see fit under a CC-BY 4.0 license so long as I; Thomas F. Johnson, am credited as their creator!

## Blatant Shilling

And, if you wanna support me, maybe check out my Patreon, which I previewed this design on ages ago, or even just send a Ko-Fi my way! Every penny is appreciated, and I am eternally grateful for those who donate!