Line #7 Manga/ACruelGodReigns


1	[[quoteright:348:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_cruel_god_reigns_16_2302.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:348:Jeremy and Ian.]]
3
4	''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.
5
6	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.
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8	Shocked and wracked by guilt, Jeremy reacts in a way that seems strange to the average onlooker. His brittle and bizarre behavior isn’t just that of a grieving son. 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.
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10	What should Ian do with his evidence? Caught in a moral dilemma — between punishing a criminal and atoning for his father’s sins — Ian begins to be haunted by lust for Jeremy. Is it lust, or is it love? Ian wonders whether he shares his father’s proclivities, and despite his best efforts, he is drawn into a passionate and painful relationship with Jeremy.
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12	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 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.
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14	----
15	!!Tropes for this Manga include:
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17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder: A-F]]
20	* AbusiveParents: Greg, and less obviously, [[spoiler: Sandra]].
21	* AdultsAreUseless: All of the adults except for Lindon and Dr. Orson.
22	* AmbiguouslyBi: Ian, Jeremy, and probably Jeremy's roommate William. Lindon [[LampshadedTrope asks Ian about it and receives a mixed answer.]]
23	* 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.
24	* {{Ambiguous Ending}}
25	* AmbiguousSituation:
26	** [[spoiler: What actually made the car crash?]] We may never know for sure.
27	** [[spoiler: Was Sandra ''really'' aware of what was going on between Greg and Jeremy, or was she just in total denial of the thought of him being with a man? Jeremy certainly seems to think it's the former, but as Lindon points out, her diary (and the letter that told her) never mentions the name of the man Jeremy was with at the hotel.]]
28	* {{Anger Born of Worry}}: Ian has several instances of this after bringing Jeremy back to England. They usually occur after Jeremy has [[spoiler: done drugs]] or [[spoiler: prostituted himself]], although sometimes they are in reaction to Jeremy's flippant behavior toward both and his [[RapeAsBackStory original problems]].
29	--> '''Ian''': "You were beat until you passed out! Don't act as if it happened to someone else!"
30	%%* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Matt
31	* AnythingButThat: This is Jeremy's response to the laundry rope line that Greg uses to tie him up. In his defense, [[spoiler: that is the rope with which Greg's first wife Lilya used to hang herself]].
32	--> '''Jeremy''' : Anything but that rope! [[spoiler: You strangled Lilya with that rope!]]
33	%%* ArchnemesisDad: Greg.
34	* AssShove: Greg uses [[spoiler: a wooden Easter egg Valentine from Jeremy against him]] in the worst possible way.
35	* TheAtoner: Jeremy and Ian. And '''how'''.
36	* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: [[spoiler: Jeremy, by becoming constantly angry like Greg, and Ian by his enjoying seeing Jeremy in pain, like Greg]]. Both [[HeWhoFightsMonsters try to fight these emotions]].
37	%%* BelligerentSexualTension: Jeremy and Ian.
38	* BerserkButton: Don't show Jeremy [[spoiler: those {{Embarrassing Old Photo}}s. Or accuse him of having a lover.]]
39	%%* BigBrotherMentor: Lindon for Ian.
40	* BloodFromTheMouth: [[spoiler: Ian]] coughs/throws up quite a bit of blood from stomach ulcers after a long stint of stress over [[spoiler: his relationship with Jeremy and Jeremy's emotional state]].
41	%%* BrattyHalfPint: Matt, Marjorie, and Lulu.
42	%%* BreakTheCutie: Most of the main characters, but focused most directly on Jeremy.
43	* BrokenBird: All of the girls, and Jeremy. Vivi [[spoiler: gets her heart broken when Jeremy tells her he slept with a man]] Sandra's first husband dies, [[spoiler: her next boyfriend abandons her, Greg cancels their engagement, she has a miscarriage, and she suspects Greg is abusing Jeremy.]] Valentine [[spoiler: smothered her baby during a nervous breakdown]], resulting in her {{Dumbstruck}} status. Nadia's heart is broken when [[spoiler: Ian cheats on her with Jeremy and then breaks up with her]], and of course Jeremy, whose case is the point of the whole series.
44	* BrokenPedestal: Greg for Ian. You feel really bad for the poor guy when he finds out what his father was doing to his stepbrother. Especially considering this revelation leads to Ian's massive [[spoiler: {{My God What Have I Done}} moment]].
45	** [[spoiler: Sandra]] for Jeremy when he finds out [[spoiler: that she knew the whole time.]] [[DrivenToSuicide Big time]].
46	%%* BrokenTears: There's a lot of this, from pretty much everyone.
47	* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler: Valentine and Eric, which is why they had to separate]]
48	%%* BumblingSidekick: Savage to Ian.
49	* BungledSuicide: [[spoiler: Jeremy]] tries to throw himself into a lake after [[spoiler: finding out his mother knew he was being raped by his stepfather.]] [[spoiler: Jeremy]] also has two failed suicide attempts after [[spoiler: returning to Boston while he is living with his aunt.]]
50	** [[spoiler: Sandra, Marjorie, and Valentine also have a few each]].
51	* CallingTheOldManOut: Ian does this a couple times, although it is long after Greg has died.
52	--> '''Ian''': Have you never cried for longing? Why did you do such a thing to Jeremy? [[spoiler: Lilia, whom you loved, Lilia, who hanged herself in front of you- How could you laugh while she killed herself?]]
53	* CannotSpitItOut: Jeremy encounters this a lot. He can't tell his step-brother Ian about Greg's abuse after [[spoiler: Ian tells him that he vows to make their new family a happy one.]] He can't tell his mother Sandra about it out of fear that she will be {{Driven to Suicide}}. He tries to tell William about it via metaphoric stories, but William doesn't get it. All in all, {{Poor Communication Kills}}. Literally.
54	** Subverted slightly after Ian breaks Jeremy out of his {{Dumbstruck}} state.
55	* TheCasanova: Ian. He gets around with pretty much all the girls, and eventually Jeremy. He is also a classic example of {{Even the Guys Want Him}}.
56	* CatchYourDeathOfCold: Jeremy immediately catches a cold after he [[spoiler: [[BungledSuicide attempts to throw himself in the lake during a freezing rain]] but is pulled out by Ian]]. The trope is lampshaded by Lindon, who says he's more worried about Jeremy catching a cold than he is about water in his lungs or the possibility of an irregular heartbeat.
57	* CatsAreSnarkers: Nadia's cat, Octavian.
58	* CensorShadow: The manga pans away and when it does show anything, it is blanked out.
59	* ChronicSelfDeprecation: Jeremy and Ian do this to themselves a LOT. Jeremy often asserts that he "smells rotten" and that he makes those around him (particularly Ian) "dirty." Ian, likewise, regrets and agonizes over the fact that he did not notice that Jeremy was being abused and that when he confessed, he did not at first believe him.
60	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Marjorie, [[spoiler: Eric]], and sometimes Jeremy.
61	* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Pascal usually ends up being this for Marjorie, although the job also often falls upon Nadia.
62	%%** Also, Poppy for Eric
63	* ColdBloodedTorture: Most of what Greg does to Jeremy, along with a lot of {{Mind Rape}}.
64	%%* ComingOfAgeStory
65	%%* CommonalityConnection: Jeremy and Cass
66	* ConflictBall: Jeremy tends to do this often to Ian, picking fights with him for seemingly no reason and attempting to seduce him, but considering Jeremy's SanitySlippage, it makes sense.
67	* ConflictingLoyalty: Ian goes through a period of conflict where he has to decide whose honor he wants to save- the good memory of his father or his step-brother's innocence in his reasoning for [[spoiler:{{Vehicular Sabotage}}]].
68	* CPRCleanPrettyReliable:
69	** Ian helps Jeremy breathe and exchanges liquid medicine via mouth-to-mouth after [[spoiler: [[BungledSuicide tries to drown himself]].]]
70	** 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.]]
71	* CreatorsCultureCarryover:
72	** A minor example, but some Japanese cultural issues seep into the story, despite the characters and settings being American or British.
73	** 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.
74	* CruelToBeKind: Ian keeps the [[spoiler: [[EmbarrassingOldPhoto photos Greg took after abusing]] Jeremy]] in case anyone found out Jeremy [[spoiler: [[VehicularSabotage messed with the brakes]] on Greg's car]]. When Jeremy accidentally finds them he [[FreakOut doesn't react well]], shouting that [[spoiler: [[FateWorseThanDeath he will kill himself if anyone else finds out what was done to him]]]].
75	* CryIntoChest: Jeremy sobs into Ian's chest during many {{Freak Out}} moments.
76	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Most of the main characters. If they don't have one, they are well on their way to getting one.
77	* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Jeremy's dead father seemed like a pretty cool, incredibly sweet guy. If he hadn't died Jeremy would have been [[TraumaCongaLine saved a lot of grief.]]
78	* DefiledForever: Jeremy INSISTS that his body is rotting and that he gives off a bad smell as a result of the sexual abuse. In a slight inversion of the trope, it is Ian who tries to convince him otherwise.
79	--> '''Jeremy''': It hurts to talk about my rotten smell with the person I like.
80	--> '''Ian''': You don't smell strange. You don't smell rotten, Jeremy.
81	--> '''Jeremy''': Did I make you dirty?
82	* DepravedBisexual: Lorenzo, but he proves himself to [[JerkwithaHeartofGold not always be that bad]].
83	** Greg. In addition to what he does to Jeremy, Greg has also practiced his type of sadism on several prostitutes, as well as his sister-in-law Natasha, AND tried to rape the new maid, Sharon, when she attempted to blackmail him.
84	* {{Deprogramming}}: The main plot of the second half of the series. Ian tries (often in vain) to help Jeremy to recover from the trauma of sexual abuse received from their father/step-father. Using group counseling, several vacations, housing and schooling changes, [[LoveRedeems trying to convince him he cares about him]], [[spoiler: {{Intimate Psychotherapy}}]], and showing Jeremy those {{Embarrassing Old Photo}}s, Ian attempts to help him feel emotions as he did before the abuse.
85	* DeusAngstMachina
86	* DidTheyOrDidntThey: The issue of whether Lilya really cheated or not is never fully resolved.
87	* TheDogBitesBack: Jeremy to Greg.
88	* DontYouDarePityMe: Jeremy uses this several times against Ian. He also uses the "I don't need love" and "I don't deserve love" versions.
89	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Jeremy]] throws himself into the lake in Lynn Forest after finding out that [[spoiler: his mother knew that he was being raped by Greg, but did nothing]]. He also attempts to asphyxiate himself with a [[spoiler: gas oven after returning to Boston to live with his Aunt Karen]].
90	** [[spoiler: Sandra]] has two of these episodes.
91	** [[spoiler: Valentine]] mentions to Jeremy that she attempted suicide twice.
92	** [[spoiler: Lilya]] hung herself at [[spoiler: Greg's]] urging.
93	** [[spoiler: Marjorie]] attempts to drown herself in the bathtub when [[spoiler: Pascal beats Jeremy in a drug induced rage.]]
94	* DrowningMySorrows: [[spoiler: Jeremy]] falls into this. He buys [[spoiler: drugs (they appear to be LSD) from his classmate Pansy to help alleviate the pain from being beaten by his stepfather]]. Later on in the series, [[spoiler: Jeremy]] is driven to [[spoiler: heroin use to help him cope with the flashbacks he experiences and with the guilt from accidentally killing Sandra]].
95	* DrugsAreBad: [[spoiler: Ian]] flips out on [[spoiler: Jeremy]] either because he thinks he has been buying/taking drugs or [[spoiler: Jeremy]] actually has been taking drugs, though in both cases [[spoiler: Ian reacts perhaps a little too extremely]].
96	* DudeShesLikeInAComa: Applies when Jeremy accompanies Pansy to a party.
97	* DumbStruck: Valentine and [[spoiler: Jeremy]] until [[spoiler: Ian]] snaps him out of it.
98	* TheDutifulSon: Jeremy endures abuse from his step-father so that his mother can be happy in her new marriage. In fact, if he hadn't done that, [[spoiler: Sandra and Greg would not have gotten married in the first place]]. His role of being The Dutiful Son is what causes Jeremy's {{Trauma Conga Line}} and {{Deus Angst Machina}}.
99	* EmbarrassingOldPhoto: The photos [[spoiler: Greg took after beating Jeremy.]] These are [[spoiler: Jeremy]]'s BerserkButton.
100	* EvenTheGuysWantHim: This is often played for laughs with Ian, and is played straight for Jeremy several times.
101	* {{Expy}}: Sandra is one of Marie from ''Manga/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]].
102	* FalseInnocenceTrick: Greg does this ALL THE TIME to poor Jeremy and to a lesser degree Sandra.
103	* FanDisservice: This series is full of it. Almost anything involving sex is either rape, torture, or a result of (usually Jeremy's) {{Freak Out}}s. And then of course every time you see Jeremy's back, it is covered in scars.
104	* FateWorseThanDeath: Ian tells Jeremy that in order to be punished for [[VehicularSabotage sabotaging Greg's car]] he must live with his guilt. The night before Jeremy [[spoiler: [[BungledSuicide attempted to drown himself in the lake]] but was pulled out by Ian after confessing that he killed Greg because he was abusing him.]]
105	** Jeremy later invokes this trope after [[spoiler: [[EmbarrassingOldPhoto finding the photos Greg took of him after each time he assaulted him]]]], which Ian [[CruelToBeKind kept in case anyone else ever found out Jeremy committed murder]].
106	--> '''Ian''': If you [[spoiler: have these photos]], with a good lawyer you can be declared innocent under reasons of legitimate self defense. It's in the American trial records.
107	--> '''Jeremy''': You-you said since I confessed to you about what happened to me- If someone else finds out I will kill myself! I will never let that happen!
108	* FilleFatale: Jeremy is one of the rare "real life" examples in fiction. As a psychological reaction to the abuse, Jeremy begins to develop a fetish for drinking Ian's blood and [[spoiler: [[SexForSolace forces himself on William]] while [[CannotSpitItOut trying to tell him what is going on]]]]. In the present day half of the story, Jeremy constantly makes advances toward Ian to punish him for [[spoiler:not believing or helping him when he first confessed that he was being raped by their father]]. He [[spoiler: trades sex]] for things like [[spoiler: drugs from his older classmate Pansy]] or [[SexForSolace comfort]] when he is [[BerserkerTears extremely upset]]. Although he is on the older side at 16, Jeremy's flirtations are [[FanDisservice uncomfortable to read]] and are far more adult than they should be.
109	* FlowerMotifs: Flowers and other foliage are used for a variety of purposes; When Jeremy dreams of his mother Sandra, she is usually in a field of flowers [[spoiler: until Jeremy finds out she knew he was being abused by her new husband]]. When Jeremy is being sexually abused, the scenes in which it happens often switch to Jeremy being ensnared in vines and trees, as well as the thorns and flowers growing out of him (usually his head). Later on in the series, Ian compares Jeremy's mental state to being trapped and lost in a forest, unable to reach wide fields and flower gardens.
110	* ForbiddenFruit: Ian falls for Jeremy, and seems to love him in a deeper way than anyone else he's been with over the course of the series, but not only is he his stepbrother, but he also killed his father and albeit accidentally, his stepmother.
111	* FourthDateMarriage: Greg and Sandra get engaged after only knowing each other for about two weeks. They get married soon afterwards.
112	* FreakOut: Jeremy has almost too many of these to keep track of.
113	* AFriendInNeed: William is this for Jeremy. He continues to be Jeremy's friend even when Jeremy [[spoiler: [[CannotSpitItOut tells him strange stories about why he is bleeding]], [[SanitySlippage acts bizarrely]], and [[SexForSolace makes moves on him]]]]. He is the first one to notice Jeremy's strange behavior, have suspicions about what is [[RapeAsBackStory really going on with him]], and actively try to help him. William is also the one who convinces Jeremy to come back to school, help him change his negative views on love, and is the first to openly accept that Jeremy is gay, or at least {{Ambiguously Bi}} and not chastise Jeremy when he confessed to working as a [[spoiler: {{Hooker With A Heart Of Gold}}]].
114	* FunctionalAddict: [[spoiler: Jeremy]] and Cass.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder: G-O]]
118	* {{Gayngst}}: Jeremy and Ian both go through a bit of this, although a lot of their cases could be chalked up to other reasons. To start off with, Jeremy and Ian are both {{Ambiguously Bi}}, or [[IfItsYouItsOkay have each fallen for each other]]. Jeremy, who seems to be going through {{Rape and Switch}} anyway often [[spoiler: refers to himself as the "male prostitute of Lynn Forest" and later agonizes over developing a fascination with Ian]]. Ian, on the other hand, is trying to figure out whether he is in love with Jeremy or if he is like his [[ArchnemesisDad father]] and only lusts after his stepbrother, coupled with the fact that Jeremy is the first boy he's ever been seriously interested in having a long term relationship with.
119	* GenerationXerox: Jeremy looks EXACTLY like his [[DeceasedParentsAretheBest dead father]]. And they share the same name. And it is creepily hinted at in just a couple of panels that [[spoiler: Jeremy's mother Sandra asked him to call her by her first name when he was a child to replace her husband.]] It doesn't help that she then [[spoiler: appears to kiss him on the lips.]]
120	* GetAholdOfYourselfMan: William does this to Jeremy after Jeremy goes {{Laughing Mad}} when he is [[spoiler: moved to another dorm for kissing William.]]
121	* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Happens to Jeremy after he finds [[spoiler: Sandra's diary and reads that she knew he was being abused.]]
122	* GreenEyedEpiphany: Jeremy begins to realize he loves Ian just as Nadia is fiercely trying to get Ian back.
123	* 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.
124	* HatesBeingTouched: Jeremy, due to his traumatic upbringing.
125	* 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]].
126	* TheHedonist: Greg. He is convinced that what he is doing to Jeremy is fine, because "love is about taking what you want." Yeah...
127	* 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.]]
128	* HiddenDepths: Cass deserves a special mention.
129	* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:Cass, the Clara sisters, Daisy, and later on Jeremy.]]
130	* 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]]]].
131	* 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.]]
132	* 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:
133	--> [[spoiler:'''Jeremy''']]: I loved [[spoiler:Sandra]]. [[spoiler:She]] was my best friend. No. [[spoiler:She]] was my lover.
134	* IfItsYouItsOkay: Jeremy and Ian seem to fall into this.
135	* 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."]]
136	* ImNotHungry: As result of Greg's abuse, Jeremy hardly eats anything, even when he is at boarding school during the week. Every time the family is eating a meal or he is seen eating with his roommates at school they comment that he needs to eat more, or asks if he's sick because he's picking at what little food he has on his plate. When not brought up directly, the reader is reminded by how sickly skinny Jeremy appears as the story goes on.
137	--> '''Ian''': Has he always been this thin? Here and there... Thin body, as if he'd fall apart. The bedside lamp seems to shine through, as if he'd disappear.
138	* InLoveWithTheGangstersGirl: [[spoiler: Ian]] recounts to Jeremy when he ran off with [[spoiler: a mob boss's wife.]]
139	* InnocentlyInsensitive: Ian does this to Jeremy when he actively tries to make their new step-family a happy one. What he doesn't know is that his father is abusing Jeremy.
140	--> '''Ian''': The plan is to make this a loving household of Lynn Forest, aiming to create a peaceful family.
141	--> '''Jeremy''': Will it all...work...out?
142	--> '''Ian''': We'll make it work Jeremy! And in the end we'll all be happy.
143	* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: Greg seems to really get off on the fact that before he rapes him, he usually beats Jeremy bloody. When Jeremy tries to not come home from boarding school over the weekends, [[spoiler: Greg lashes out and says that since he hasn't come home to be his {{Sex Slave}}, he's had to physically restrain himself from hitting Sandra- significant in that this is the first time Greg beats Jeremy]]. Jeremy also fantasizes about seducing and drinking Ian's blood while watching his boxing match. Later on, Jeremy tells Ian during a moment of [[spoiler: {{Intimate Psychotherapy}} that he wants Ian to hurt him while he is doing it]].
144	--> '''Jeremy''': I'm breaking into pieces! Destroy me more, more! Break me! Kill me!
145	* IntimatePsychotherapy: [[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]]]].
146	* ItsAllAboutMe: Greg.
147	* IWishedYouWereDead: Jeremy often thinks, and straight up tells, this to Greg.
148	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Lorenzo. To the point that he tends to Pascal's appartment while he is hospitalized and holds Jeremy until he falls asleep when he [[FreakOut turns up shaking and sobbing]] at Pascal's place.
149	* JustInTime: [[spoiler: Ian]] finds [[spoiler: Jeremy]] not a minute too late when he tries to drown himself in the lake.
150	* KarmicDeath: Greg is killed from a car accident in the car that he [[spoiler: once assaulted Jeremy in while taking him to school]].
151	* KindheartedCatLover: Lindon has seven cats, and there is always one stretched out on him.
152	** Nadia, who has Octavian.
153	* {{Kissing Cousins}}: William has a fling with his second cousin, and it is implied that [[spoiler: Lilia may have cheated on Greg with her second cousin]].
154	* LadykillerInLove: Ian when he falls for Nadia, and then later for Jeremy.
155	* LaughingMad: Jeremy after he is [[spoiler: moved dorms because he kissed his roommate Willaim]]. Also happens when [[spoiler: the police come to say that Greg's car caught fire.]]
156	* LecherousStepparent: Greg. And HOW!
157	* LoveHungry: Greg tells Jeremy that he needs to admiration of everyone he meets.
158	* LoveHurts: AND '''HOW'''.
159	* LoveMartyr: Although not in a romantic way, Jeremy qualifies as this almost perfectly. He allows himself to be assaulted by his stepfather for months on end, even '''before''' Greg and his mother, Sandra, got married. He did all of this because he wants his mother to be happy and fears that [[spoiler: if she finds out her lover and dream marriage are ruined by his confession of the the abuse, that she will either hate him, commit suicide, or both]].
160	--> '''Ian''': Why is Sandra that important to you?
161	--> '''Jeremy''': Because she's my blood relative, the only one! I love her! It was for her sake!
162	--> '''Ian''': Love? Weren't you just a live sacrifice for her? ...Why do you go to such lengths to make excuses for Sandra? Would you take two or three bullets so that she wouldn't be hurt?
163	** Nadia is also a good example of this. She relentless pursues and loves Ian despite the fact that [[spoiler: he cheats on her with Jeremy.]]
164	* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: Somehow, Greg thinks that Jeremy screaming is a pleasant sound.
165	* MadnessMantra: Jeremy repeats "hallelujah" while Greg beats him around Christmas time.
166	* MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal: Jeremy fears that Sandra will hate him if she finds out about what Greg is doing to him.
167	* {{The Masochism Tango}}: Ian and Jeremy do this constantly. Sometimes it is [[AmbiguousSituation really hard to tell]] if Jeremy actually consents to having sex with Ian, in addition to Ian sometimes striking Jeremy out of anger. And Jeremy, while [[spoiler: eventually admits to liking Ian and realizing he loves him]], is almost always cold and callous towards Ian, telling him often outright that he hates him.
168	* MentalHealthRecoveryArc: Averted especially prominently 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.]]
169	* MistakenForCheating: [[spoiler: Vivi]] thinks that Jeremy willing cheated on her.
170	** [[spoiler: Lilya]] is mistaken for this by Greg.
171	** [[spoiler: Sandra]] thinks that [[spoiler: Greg]] is cheating on her [[spoiler: with his secretary because she looks like Jeremy]]. Subverted in that [[spoiler: Greg really was sleeping with Jeremy, although against Jeremy's will.]]
172	* MistakenForMasturbating: In an early chapter, Jeremy insists on washing his own bedding, despite the servants in Lynn Forest being more than willing to do it for him. One of the butlers assumes it is because "boys in puberty keep many secrets". In reality, [[spoiler: he's hiding his repeated rape.]]
173	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Applies to Jeremy after he [[spoiler: accidentally kills his mother along with Greg by {{Vehicular Sabotage}} in a MakeItLookLikeAnAccident]].
174	** Ian when he realizes Jeremy really was abused.
175	** 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}}.
176	* NotIfTheyEnjoyedItRationalization: Greg uses this a LOT to justify his actions, and Ian tries to rationalize what happened to Jeremy with this at first. Heck, even Jeremy almost falls into this thinking because he becomes aroused when Greg assaults him, until Dr. Orson sets him straight. The trope is PAINFULLY deconstructed, however, as we see the psychological (and sometimes physical) consequences that the abuse has on Jeremy.
177	--> '''Jeremy''': That bastard tells me that he loves me. He says that I'm actually in love with him and that my mother is the only thing holding me back. He tells me to be honest with myself. Should I just give in? I despise him, but I can't stop my body and impulses which are responding to his dirty methods! When I think of him coming into my room, I start sweating. After he's finished the headaches appear and I feel like vomiting, but just like he says, will I one day end up desiring him? Do I have no choice to but to let my body rot as it fills his desires?!
178	--> '''Dr. Orson''': "Abby!" That isn't right!
179	--> '''Greg''': Don't you feel it, Jeremy? You love me.
180	* OneGenderSchool: Modeen, Jeremy and Ian's boarding school.
181	* OneHeadTaller: Ian is over 6 ft while Jeremy is somewhere around 5'5"-5'7". Also Ian, while thin, is muscular as he is a boxer. Jeremy is stick thin from [[ImNotHungry not eating much]].
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder: P-Z]]
185	* ParentalObliviousness: Sandra, [[spoiler: but this is later subverted when Jeremy finds out she knew the whole time.]]
186	* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Ian [[spoiler: repeatedly begs Jeremy not to leave England]]
187	** Sandra and Nadia also pull this.
188	* PoorCommunicationKills: One of the reasons Jeremy ends up committing the murder is because he can't tell anyone to get any help.
189	* PoweredByAForsakenChild: When Greg discovers that [[spoiler: Natasha]] has witnessed him beating and raping Jeremy, he threatens to destroy the family and begin beating his youngest son instead if [[spoiler: Natasha]] doesn't keep his secret. The threat works and Jeremy is abandoned to his fate.
190	* PromotionToParent: Ian gets this after Greg and Sandra die.
191	* ProperLady: All of the girls except for Marjorie.
192	* RaisedByGrandparents: [[spoiler: Sandra]] was raised by her maternal grandmother after her mother ran off with her boyfriend.
193	* RapeAndRevenge: Jeremy eventually gets revenge on Greg by [[spoiler: [[VehicularSabotage wrecking the breaks on his car.]]]] Unfortunately, it also [[spoiler: kills his mother]] and turns his life into a living hell.
194	* RapeAndSwitch: This seems to be the case with Jeremy. At the beginning of the series, he has a girlfriend and has no interest in other men that he shows, but the longer Greg abuses him, the more interested in men (or more specifically, Ian), he becomes, although he does have feelings for Nadia for a short period.
195	* RavenHairIvorySkin: Jeremy. And Ian and Greg comment on it. A lot.
196	* RealMenCook: Ian is shown cooking a variety of things when he and Jeremy are living in London, and they all look pretty well made. Jeremy, on the other hand, is a terrible cook, and burns/over-seasons everything.
197	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Jeremy gives these to Ian constantly.
198	* RenownedSelectiveMentor: Dr. Orson for Jeremy. He is retired and has cancer, but he counsels Jeremy for free anyway.
199	* TheResenter: [[spoiler: Jeremy toward Sandra]].
200	* SanitySlippage: Jeremy.
201	* SarcasticConfession: After he and Ian accidentally kiss and Ian says he must be a virgin, Jeremy spits out that Greg kisses him every week. Ian takes it as a YourMom style lashing out rather than an attempt to share his trauma.
202	* ScarsAreForever: Jeremy has scars covering his back from being whipped by Greg. As the series progresses, the scars do not fade and Jeremy refuses to remove his shirt when he is [[spoiler: working as a prostitute]], changing clothes in front of others, and swimming. He even refuses to let Ian see his back despite the fact that Ian knows that the scars are there.
203	** Natasha has similar scars from her affair with Greg.
204	** Ian has his "second belly button" from when Madeline, a former girlfriend who was also a mob boss's wife, shot him in the stomach.
205	* SelectiveObliviousness: Ian refuses to believe Jeremy when he confesses to the murder, but also the abuse.
206	** Sandra also falls into this trope when she refuses to believe that [[spoiler: Greg has been raping Jeremy.]]
207	* SelfHarm: Around a year after Sandra and Greg's deaths, Jeremy begins slamming his head and body into walls and door frames when he [[FreakOut becomes too distressed]] or during [[HeroicBSOD moments of confusion]].
208	* SelfMadeOrphan: Jeremy intends to kill Greg, but not Sandra.
209	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Jeremy and Ian respectively.
210	* 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.]]
211	* SlapSlapKiss: Happens quite a bit with in the latter half of the story.
212	* ShrinkingViolet: Valentine
213	* {{STD Immunity}}:
214	** 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]].
215	** Not to mention Ian- he [[TheCasanova gets around pretty damn well]].
216	* SympatheticMurderBackstory: Jeremy may have killed Greg and accidentally Sandra, but you feel really, really bad for him.
217	* TeenPregnancy: 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]]
218	* ThatOldTimePrescription: Whenever Jeremy [[FreakOut gets upset]], usually to the point that he [[BerserkerTears sobs hysterically]] or [[VomitIndiscretionShot throws up]], Ian makes him ginger tea with honey to calm him down and ease his nausea.
219	* TheseHandsHaveKilled: Jeremy, after he kills Greg via {{Vehicular Sabotage}}. He doesn't care so much about that as he does about the fact that Sandra was also in the car. Oops. He spends the second half of the series trying to recover from a massive guilt complex.
220	* ThouShaltNotKill: [[spoiler: Dr. Orson]] stresses this to Jeremy.
221	* ThousandYardStare: Jeremy displays this very often, every morning after Greg abuses him. As the series progresses, his gaze becomes like this most of the time, especially when he is close to one of his several instances of {{Heroic BSOD}}.
222	* TinMan: Jeremy is this with an element of the {{Stoic Woobie}}. Jeremy actively denies feeling any towards sex, pain, love, or really any emotional attachment. Luckily though he seems to be on the [[BecomeARealBoy path to recovery]].
223	* TraumaCongaLine
224	* TraumaticHaircut: Jeremy's hair is partially cut off by some of the other students at an alternative school he attempts to attend while he is [[spoiler: working as a prostitute with Cass after returning to Boston]]. This is particularly traumatizing because the other students cut it off while attempting to [[spoiler: sexually assault him]], which Jeremy does NOT handle well, considering [[RapeAsBackStory what caused him to fear being man-handled]] and its understandable [[HatesBeingTouched consequences]].
225	* TroubledBackstoryFlashback: The first six volumes of the manga are actually a flashback to before the accident.
226	* {{Twincest}}: [[spoiler: Eric and 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]].
227	* TheUnFavorite: Matt to Greg.
228	* 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 a sweet kid -- he just has some issues he needs to work through.
229	* VomitDiscretionShot: 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.
230	* {{Workaholic}}: Cass, although he has a [[AbusiveParents very specific reason why]].
231	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: At the conclusion of the climactic {{Deprogramming}} scene, Ian reaffirms this to Jeremy.
232	--> '''Jeremy''' (crying): [[spoiler: I smell, don't I? I smell like I'm rotting, right?]]
233	--> '''Ian''': [[spoiler: Even though he raped you, and you prostituted yourself, you don't smell rotten. What happened to you was an incident. It doesn't change you into something else.]]
234	* 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 hospital for some time afterwards before finally succumbing to his injuries while still in a coma after Sandra's funeral had already taken place.
235	[[/folder]]
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Context Manga / ACruelGodReigns