Copy and pasting a little analysis I did on the inFAMOUS Discussion Thread for anyone interested. Would love to hear your thoughts:
Hey guys, I'm back on my bullshit.
I've decided to combine my obsession with inFAMOUS with my obsession with Homestuck by asking "what if Cole played SBURB?" which I then expanded by asking "what if all three Coles played SBURB?"
Now, context. SBURB is a video game that, when played, ends the world and has its players become the gods of the next one. To this end, it basically assigns them a Class and Aspect, gives them a Land, and makes them solve the local problem of said Land, allowing them to become Gods in the process if they so choose. Then they, along with the other players in their session, all get teleported to the Battlefield to defeat the Black King and create the next universe.
Now, this analysis will only cover Evil Cole. I'll get to Kessler, Cole, and their experiences on the Battlefield at a later date. I've been kinda rushing to get this done so I can share it, so if anything is poorly explained, I apologize. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Evil Cole MacGrath
Lord of Rage
A lord is typically defined as someone who commands their Aspect or commands with their Aspect. Cole doesn't just spread chaos and anarchy, he is chaos and anarchy. "In a world with no law, the strong take what they want and the weak are their slaves. And no one is stronger than me." Anarchy, confusion, war, fear. He commands it and commands through it. Chaos spreads where ever he wants it too. He controls Empire City through fear, he commands the resistance through keeping them confused and terrified. He keeps Kuo and Nix loyal to him through fear and "truth" respectively. Kuo simply doesn't want to die from the RFI and Nix buys what Cole's selling. Human civilization is built on faulty premises, the premise that all are born equal and that all deserve rights. So, burn it down. Rage includes a loyalty to truth and there is only one truth in Cole's mind. Survival of the fittest. And if this doesn't place him on top immediately, it eventually will. He demands it.
Furthermore, Lords often gain their power through a series of long and arduous trials often thought to be impossible. Only through sheer willpower and an unrelenting desire to survive, and eventually conquer, do Lords overcome the impossible odds and gain domination over their aspect. The chaos of Empire City, the Fear pervading New Marias sought to crush him. He fought it, defied it, survived it, and now he commands it. Lords are ambitious, determined, and unrelentingly powerful, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their ends. And that practically defines Evil Cole. Also works on a meta level, Lords are on of the most powerful classes in Homestuck, and you'd be hard pressed to find a Conduit stronger than Evil Cole. The way you tell the difference between the two most powerful classes, a Muse and a Lord? One sacrifices themselves to stop an ultimate evil, the other forgoes that to gain ultimate power, becoming the aforementioned evil. Case closed.
Land
The Land of Power and War
Imagine if you will, a planet ripping itself to shreds at the very seems. A world plagued by constant storms, tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Why? Quiet simple. In the heart of this world, their exists an ancient power. A mighty force of unimaginable strength sealed inside the planet core, soon to tear the planet apart. This power, whatever it is, can only be wielded by one.
The planet has constantly drowned itself in war over this power. Endless battles waged back and forth with no clear victor. A war that seemed like it would never end. But that was still a better fate than what awaited them. A new empire, ruled by a being known only as The Denizen, appeared and rose to prominence. This Empire's only goal seemed to be to wipe out all life on LOPAW. The only way the other empires could possibly survive is if they band together, but their hatred for each other keeps them apart. They will only bend to force. All hope seems lost.
But rumors soon begin to emerge. Legends of a Hero who would crush the Empire. A being whose will, rage, and command over chaos would bring all others to their knees before him. The leaders will only compromise before unrelenting power. So it is power that the Hero will show them. The chaos would burn anew, smoldering into whatever shape the Lord sees fit. If LOPAW was to be saved, it would only be under the reign of the Lord of Rage, He Who Commands Chaos.
Lands are suppose to reflect their Players, show them their hopes, fears, desires, flaws. On a surface level, something corrupted and twisted by strong internal power so deeply that it's completely unrecognizable from what it used to be. It's both what he is and what he's afraid he'll be. "A warped body, a twisted mind. Is that my future?" Setting that aside, the leaders would likely be motivated by stuff Cole himself was motivated by. Trying to save a loved one, trying to save the world, attempting to avenge a loved one, attempting to protect their friends, trying to gain more power, trying to spread chaos and abuse their power, simply trying to survive even at the cost of other people. The Denizen could even vaguely represent "the next rung of the ladder" Cole's always trying to reach. The next Kessler, the next Beast, the next looming threat he wants to crush in his efforts to become stronger.
Some players love their Land, some despise it. Evil Cole would thrive in it. People to intimidate, armies to dominate, and god-like power waiting for him at the end of the road. Sounds a little like paradise…
God-Tier
Hoo boy. Let me paint you a canvas.
"I could feel it, the graying of the world around me as I lay back on that stone slab. The lights dimming, the world fading, everything failing as I died. From the outside, my world was ending. But inside, inside me, something was beginning. My body glowed and the planet cracked a little more, my body rose and with it, the storms intensified. The power at the heart of this world flowed into and around me like electricity, seething from my every pore. A tornado stirred up, to protect me as my heart began to beat again. Thunder turned a crimson red and a sickly black as it excitedly waited for me. Lave thrummed and pulsed, wars and battles escalated, fear and confusion swept into every faction as they realized what was happening. I opened my eyes, and everything stopped. The storm vanished, the wars paused. I could feel all of it. Rage itself had stopped, awaiting my command.
First order of business. The Denizen is still alive, his empire is still strong. He knows I'm coming, he's waiting for me now. It doesn't matter. All my life I'd been aiming to reach the next rung of the ladder. I'm passed that now. There is no ladder, not anymore. There is only me. I'm ready."
God-Tier Evil Cole, a fully realized Lord of Rage, will be a force to behold. Evil Cole will no longer manipulate Rage as he does in canon, he will now literally command it. He has the power to start wars in any universe he pleases, to instill fear in planets he's never stepped foot on. He need only ask. Rage serves him fully and completely. Any war started in the multiverse, any kind of fear, chaos, confusion, or truth will somehow work to serve him, often without his knowledge. Wars will start in his name on planets he's never heard off, Rage itself will bend over to serve him. Cole is no mere god now, he is a Lord