History Manga / ACruelGodReigns

* AmbiguousDisorder: Sandra is, in a word, [[HystericalWoman unstable]], but despite her drastic emotional swings, her only explicitly-stated problems are physical; at most, her family seems to consider her a bit fragile.
* {{Ambiguous Ending}}

* HairContrastDuo: Jeremy and Ian, and the two fall under the symbolic line. Jeremy has very curly, shorter, black hair while Ian has blonde, stick-straight, long hair. Jeremy, who suffers from [[spoiler: post traumatic stress disorder]], [[spoiler: prostitution]] and [[spoiler: drug addiction]] is the darker of the two. Ian, who is free spirited and has trouble accepting the fact that his father abused his stepbrother, is the lighter of the pair. The two also fall under the {{One Head Taller}} rule.
* HatesBeingTouched: Jeremy
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Ian worries that if he [[spoiler: acts on his anger at Jeremy in addition to falling in love with him, he will end up like his ArchnemesisDad]].

* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Jeremy]] has a few different episodes of this. First is [[spoiler: after Greg beats him for the first time]] and then later he borders on it in and out after [[spoiler: he recounts to Ian all the times he was abused.]]

* [[spoiler: HookerWithAHeartOfGold]]: [[spoiler:Cass, the Clara sisters, Daisy, and later on Jeremy.]]
* HopeIsScary: Jeremy fears recovering and feels that he should live out his life in punishment. Lindon is the one to point this out to Ian, using this to explain why Jeremy [[spoiler: [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold became a prostitute]]]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Jeremy considers himself to be DefiledForever [[RapeAsBackstory because of his stepfather]] and as a result his time as a [[spoiler: [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold teenage prostitute]]]], so he constantly tries to push Ian to get back together with Nadia, although Ian [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre refuses to buy into this.]]
* IncestSubtext: [[spoiler: This is played with throughout the series with Jeremy and his mother Sandra. Although mostly {{Played for Laughs}} in the thoughts of the other characters, there were a few quick hints that suggest serious subtext-a few panels that creepily seem to show Sandra kissing a very young Jeremy on the lips after telling him to call her by her first name after the death of his father, and thoughts from Jeremy]] along these lines:
--> [[spoiler:'''Jeremy''']]: I loved [[spoiler: Sandra]]. [[spoiler: She]] was my best friend. No. [[spoiler: She]] was my lover.

* ImaginaryEnemy: [[spoiler: Jeremy and Ian both see Greg, long after his death]]. For Jeremy, this is [[YourMindMakesItReal especially true]], and he is often physically affected by [[spoiler: Greg's "presence."]]

* SexForSolace: Jeremy does this so often that he becomes a [[spoiler: [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold teenaged prostitute]]]]. Even after quitting this, Jeremy still tries to seduce Ian when is [[FreakOut extremely upset]] or [[SanitySlippage having a rough time coping]]. Lindon is the first to realize that Jeremy's actions are a poor method of coping with his [[RapeAsBackStory issues.]]

* {{STD Immunity}}: Despite the fact that Jeremy [[spoiler: [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold worked as a teenaged prostitute]]]], stating himself that he [[spoiler: took on 5 or 6 clients a night]], and [[spoiler:[[FunctionalAddict turned to injecting heroin]]]] to [[DrowningMySorrows avoid having flashbacks]] of his [[BrokenPedestal mother]] and the [[RapeAsBackstory abuse he received from his stepfather]], no one thinks to get him checked for diseases, and he never gets sick from it, although here it seems to be a {{Defied Trope}}: Jeremy also tells Ian that he [[spoiler: carried condoms every time he worked]].

* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Jeremy and Ian do this to themselves a LOT.

* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler: What actually made the car crash?]] We may never know for sure.

* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Matt

* ArchnemesisDad: Greg.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Jeremy and Ian.

* BigBrotherMentor: Lindon for Ian.

* BrattyHalfPint: Matt, Marjorie, and Lulu.
* BreakTheCutie: Most of the main characters, but focused most directly on Jeremy.

* BrokenTears: There's a lot of this, from pretty much everyone.

* BumblingSidekick: Savage to Ian.

** Also, Poppy for Eric

* ComingOfAgeStory
* CommonalityConnection: Jeremy and Cass

* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: Ian helps Jeremy breathe and exchanges liquid medicine via mouth-to-mouth after [[spoiler: [[BungledSuicide tries to drown himself]].]]
** Subverted when [[spoiler: Marjorie tries to drown herself in the bathtub and Lorenzo has to give her CPR. It is also not reliable because she ends up in a coma.]]

* {{Twincest}}: [[spoiler: Eric]] and [[spoiler: Valentine]]. [[spoiler: Eric]] became dangerously dependent on his twin sister after [[spoiler: being molested by their piano teacher as a child]]. Unable to separate comfort from romance, the two [[spoiler: had sex and Valentine had a baby at 13 years old]].

* [[WeAllLiveInAmerica We All Live In Japan]]: A minor example, but some Japanese cultural issues seep into the story, despite the characters and settings being American or British
** Early in the manga, Cass claims he needs to prostitute himself in order to pay the cost of school and books, even though American high schools would be free.

Jeremy is a sensitive teenager who is happy for his mother when she remarries. However, the sweet-talking man who is his new stepfather turns out to be a serpent in disguise — he’s a sadist and a pedophile, and it isn’t long before he makes Jeremy his target. After months of horrific, systematic abuse, Jeremy’s mind becomes unstable and his thoughts turn vicious. He decides to murder his stepfather in order to get rid of him — but the plan goes awry, and when he [[spoiler: sabotages his stepfather’s car, his mother also dies in the crash]].

''A Cruel God Reigns'' (''Zankoku na Kami ga Shihai Suru'' is a {{josei}} [[YaoiGenre Boy's Love]] manga by Creator/MotoHagio, which ran in ''Petit Flower'' from 1993 to 2001.

Also known as ''Zankoku na Kami ga Shihaisuru'' and ''After Us, the Savage God'', this manga by [[Creator/MotoHagio Hagio Moto]] is currently a Japan-only release although translated scans can be found online.

''A Cruel God Reigns'' is a true BL classic written by Hagio Moto, one of the founders of the BL genre. In seventeen intense volumes, ''A Cruel God Reigns'' traces both Jeremy’s and Ian’s journeys towards redemption. The story-telling is rich and unique, and the art is breathtaking. In 1997 Hagio Moto was awarded the Osamu Tezuka Culture Excellence Award for ''A Cruel God Reigns''. To this day, ''A Cruel God Reigns'' remains one of the most powerful BL epics ever written.

* RealityEnsues: This is all over the place throughout the manga but it's especially prominent in the ending. [[spoiler: Jeremy is never "cured" of his trauma and it's strongly implied that he will spend the rest of his life battling his demons. He will never be the same person he was before Greg's abuse and he will always have to fight through his trauma if he wants to be have a normal life. However, there is also hope because Jeremy is moving on with his life, slowly picking up the pieces and coming to terms with the way things are. He has picked himself up and is willing to move forward as best he can. This is unfortunately the reality that real-life victims of trauma and abuse have to deal with.]]

* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler: Valentine and Eric, which is why they had to separated]]

* AssShove: Greg uses [[spoiler: a wooden Easter egg Valentine gave Jeremy against him]] in the worst possible way.

Jeremy is a sensitive teenager who is happy for his mother when she remarries. However, the sweet-talking man who is his new stepfather turns out to be a serpent in disguise — he’s a sadist and a ephebophile, and it isn’t long before he makes Jeremy his target. After months of horrific, systematic abuse, Jeremy’s mind becomes unstable and his thoughts turn vicious. He decides to murder his stepfather in order to get rid of him — but the plan goes awry, and when he [[spoiler: sabotages his stepfather’s car, his mother also dies in the crash]].

* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: Ian]] cheats on [[spoiler: Nadia]] with [[spoiler: Jeremy]].

* TheUn-Favorite: Matt to Greg.

* LadykillerInLove: Ian when he falls for Nadia, and then later on Jeremy.

* BerserkerTears

* {{Cant Live With Them Cant Live Without Them}}

* EarnYourHappyEnding
* EmbarrassingOldPhoto: The photos [[spoiler: Greg took after beating Jeremy.]] These are [[spoiler: Jeremy]]'s {{Berserk Button}}.

* {{Green Eyed Epiphany}}: Jeremy begins to realize he loves Ian just as Nadia is fiercely trying to get Ian back.
* GreyAndGrayMorality

* {{I Want My Beloved To Be Happy}}: Jeremy considers himself to be {{Defiled Forever}} [[RapeAsBackstory because of his stepfather]] and as a result his time as a [[spoiler: [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold teenage prostitute]]]], so he constantly tries to push Ian to get back together with Nadia, although Ian [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre refuses to buy into this.]]
* [[spoiler: {{Incest Subtext}}]]: [[spoiler: This is played with throughout the series with Jeremy and his mother Sandra. Although mostly {{Played for Laughs}} in the thoughts of the other characters, there were a few quick hints that suggest serious subtext-a few panels that creepily seem to show Sandra kissing a very young Jeremy on the lips after telling him to call her by her first name after the death of his father, and thoughts from Jeremy]] along these lines:

* [[spoiler: {{Intimate Psychotherapy}}]]: [[spoiler: Jeremy]] and [[spoiler: Ian]] end up having sex when [[spoiler: Jeremy [[FreakOut is close to an emotional breakdown]] or is close to [[HeroicBSOD becoming comatose]]]].

* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown

* LoveRedeems

* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident

* RapeAsBackstory
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil
* RapeLeadsToInsanity

* [[spoiler: {{Twincest}}]]: [[spoiler: Eric]] and [[spoiler: Valentine]]. [[spoiler: Eric]] became dangerously dependent on his twin sister after [[spoiler: being molested by their piano teacher as a child]]. Unable to separate comfort from romance, the two [[spoiler: had sex and Valentine had a baby at 13 years old]].

* VehicularSabotage
* UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming
* VomitDiscretionShot[=/=]VomitIndiscretionShot: The series has several of these, but they all seem to come from Jeremy. The [[VomitDiscretionShot times off screen]] usually occur after Greg has abused Jeremy and the [[VomitIndiscretionShot times shown in the panels]] are usually when Jeremy gets [[FreakOut really upset]] when Ian tries to talk to him about his [[RapeAsBackStory issues]]. When it's shown, it usually ends up on Ian.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Applies to Jeremy after he [[spoiler: accidentally kills his mother along with Greg by {{Vehicular Sabotage}} in a MakeItLookLikeAnAccident]] .

** Can also apply to Ian when Jeremy [[spoiler: finds the pictures Greg took of him after abusing him that Ian kept]]. Jeremy, as expected, reacts negatively and has a {{Freak Out}} , which leads to Ian's {{What Have I Done}}.

* UsedToBeASweetKid: Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy... At the very beginning of the series, he is sweet to the point of being ridiculous, but he finally snaps and kills Greg via [[spoiler: {{Vehicular Sabotage}}]]. Actually, it is Jeremy's sweetness that causes his {{Trauma Conga Line}} in the first place; He refuses to seek help because [[spoiler: it would mean ruining his mother's happy marriage]]. Although he [[ConflictBall tends to lash out]] and [[FilleFatale attempts to seduce people left and right]], he isn't evil- but he never really snapped back. Arguably, Jeremy still is sweet kid- he just has some issues he needs to work through.

Shocked and wracked by guilt, Jeremy’s reactions seem strange to the average onlooker. His brittle and bizarre behavior isn’t just that of a grieving son’s. This is when Ian, the free-spirited son of Jeremy’s stepfather, begins to suspect Jeremy of murder. He finds several clues that tie Jeremy to the crime, but in unearthing them, Ian also discovers the fact that Jeremy was abused.

* ImaginaryEnemy: [[spoiler: Jeremy and Ian both see Greg, long after his death]]. For Jeremy, this is [[YourMindMakesItReal especially true]], and he is often physically affected by [[spoiler: Greg's "prescence."]]

** Early in the manga, Cass claims he needs to prostitute himself in order to pay the cost of school andbooks, even though American high schools would be free.

* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: This is a literal line from Jeremy when he is standing at Sandra's grave; although Sandra dies in the accident, Greg ironically manages to survive in the hospital for some time afterwards before finally sucumbing to his injuries while still in a coma after Sandra's funeral had already taken place.

* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: Averted.

* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: Averted ''hard.''

[[caption-width-right:350:Jeremy and Ian.]]

* {{Expy}}: Sandra is one of Marie from ''TheHeartOfThomas''; they share flighty personalities and quasi-romantic relationships with their sons, and both (''Heart of Thomas'' spoilers) [[spoiler: burn to death in a car crash]].

* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Eric and Poppy are married with a baby, despite still being teenagers. Of course, [[spoiler: Eric technically became a father at 13, since he fathered Valentine's baby, meaning she also fits this trope]]

* YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: This is a literal line from Jeremy when he is standing at Sandra's grave.

* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale