Line #69 Main/WhatIfGodWasOneOfUs


1	''[[WaxingLyrical ...Just a slob like one of us]]?''
2
3	It's a simple question, really. What if someone were a god? Being GodInHumanForm or DeityOfHumanOrigin would probably be harder than one would think. For starters, there's a good possibility you wouldn't be TheOmnipotent. For another, there's the whole "human psyche" aspect to worry about. What happens when the powers of a god are encased in a mortal shell? Even if only ''perceived'' as such, and not a god in actuality, what would the psychological ramifications be? Would you use this for power?
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5	The ramifications generally break down into one of nine psychological archetypes:
6	* '''[[MessianicArchetype The Savior]]''': You follow the creed of WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility and devote yourself to helping others outwardly, hoping you will have a positive effect on society.
7	* '''[[AGodAmI The Despot]]''': You flaunt your power over others, declaring AGodAmI and using this power for personal gain and satisfaction.
8	* '''[[GoodShepherd The Shepherd]]''': You know the truth, and must show the world the true path, the righteous way; you shall teach men to fish, and they shall be fed for a lifetime.
9	* '''[[KnightTemplar The Prince]]''': You will rule over all you see, for only you are capable of preventing these wretches from drowning themselves in their own filth.
10	* '''[[ResignedToTheCall The Reluctant Messiah]]''': You will do what you must for the greater good, but why you?
11	* '''[[PhlebotinumRebel The Rebel]]''': You are you, god or not; you are flesh and blood, and will decide your fate for yourself. If that means becoming the opposite of what you were intended to be, then so be it.
12	* '''[[AGodIAmNot The Self-Denouncer]]''': You are not a god and you wish people would believe in themselves and others, [[StopWorshippingMe rather than worship you]].
13	* '''[[StrawNihilist The Apathetic]]''': You are a god. Fine. Then how are mortals or their morals and troubles any concern of yours?
14	* '''[[AmnesiacGod The Oblivious]]''': You haven't the faintest idea that you are a god, or even anything other than human. You may not notice all the [[RealityWarper odd things that tend to happen around you]]...
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16	Note that this describes the psychology behind any character and their motivations who possess god-like powers or positions, and not the repercussions or actions taken ''because'' of his status.
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18	Not related to JustForFun/OneOfUs, unless you have a very high opinion of yourself. Often overlaps with AuthorAvatar.
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20	May overlap with TomatoInTheMirror if the character discovers he’s a god.
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22	Given the nature of the trope, examples are likely to be spoiler-heavy. You have been warned.
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24	------
25	!!Examples
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27	[[foldercontrol]]
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29	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
30	* Light Yagami of ''Manga/DeathNote'' is a perfect example of The Prince. He uses godlike powers to kill evildoers and those who stand against him, so as to gain the fear and admiration of the weak populace as a true god, all to ultimately bring order and peace to the world - with him as God Almighty reigning over it, of course.
31	* Lain of ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'' starts out as The Oblivious, but becomes aware of her true nature by the end of the series.
32	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Pain is basically human but possesses godlike powers (or something like that) and tries to use them. The category... he probably thinks of himself along the lines of a savior but is more a prince type. But you can probably argue about that.
33	* ''Anime/{{Kamichu}}'' Yurie fits the bill for Relcutant Messiah.
34	* The premise of the ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' series is that Haruhi is The Oblivious. She's bored with ordinary life, so she regularly goes out of her way [[InHarmsWay looking for interesting things]], or [[WrongGenreSavvy trying to imagine mysteries where none exist]], but she doesn't realize some of her friends are aliens or time travelers, who may or may not exist because she wished them into existence.
35	** One recurring vein of WildMassGuessing suggests that Haruhi is a RedHerring and ''Kyon'' is the oblivious deity.
36	* The first three "seasons" of ''Anime/TenchiMuyoRyoOhki'' effectively deals with this trope: [[spoiler:Tsunami, Washu and Tokimi, three superbeings with godlike power (the Japanese term used for them is ''choushin''), have been in search of the avatar of their universe's God, which automatically makes them The Oblivious. However, they go about it their own ways -- Washu is reborn as a semi-normal person and uses her great intellect to create a being who can handle her power, namely Ryoko; Tokimi decides to mess with history to create that person, leading to Z; Tsunami, however, goes about using TheSlowPath and, in modern times, finds Tenchi. Tenchi proves to be the one they're looking for, especially when Z goes power mad and they decide to hit the ResetButton and focus exclusively on Tenchi, though he shifts into the Self-Denouncer as he and the others treat him as normal as possible]].
37	[[/folder]]
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39	[[folder:Comic Books]]
40	* Jodie in ''American Jesus'' starts out the The Saviour, though later moves towards The Shepherd.
41	* ComicBook/{{Superman}}, pre-ComicBook/{{Crisis\|on Infinite Earths}}, is a clear-cut example of a Savior-type. ComicBook/PostCrisis he is a combination of a Reluctant Messiah and Self-Denouncer type - he hates being called a god, but wishes he were the god people make him out to be.
42	* ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'': Doctor Manhattan is essentially a god, and is explicitly called that by one character. Because he sees everything at its molecular level, and all time exists at the same time for him, though, he's become The Ubermensch. In flashbacks (such as the Vietnam War), he's more of an ExtremeDoormat who doesn't fit any of the archetypes, though he tries to be The Savior.
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45	[[folder:Film]]
46	* Of all people, Jesus of Nazareth is presented as a Reluctant-Messiah-type in ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist''.
47	** Some of the gospels had him showing hints of this also, notably in the garden of Gethsemane. He asks God if they could avoid the whole crucifixion thing, but then says that since it's the big guy's will, that's okay too.
48	* The plot of ''Film/BruceAlmighty''. Starts as The Despot, [[spoiler: tries to be The Savior but isn't up to the task.]]
49	* [[Film/{{Tron}} Tron universe]]: Humans ''accidentally'' created a civilization of [[ServantRace sentient Programs]], and for the most part, they love and worship their human Users. Of the humans who find out?
50	** [[Film/{{Tron}} Kevin]] [[Film/TronLegacy Flynn]] started as Oblivious, went to Self-Denouncer (admitting to Tron and Yori he was totally making things up as he went along), then built The Grid and tried to the The Savior, but it blew up in his face as he ''really'' wasn't up to the task, and more or less ends as The Apathetic, as he cared little about The Grid itself and only about getting Sam and Quorra to safety.
51	** ''[[VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh Tron 2.0]]'': Thorne got shot into {{cyberspace}} and embraced being The Despot whole hog. The people ''behind'' Thorne plan on being even ''worse'' Despots. [=Ma3a=], the BenevolentAI, uploads Jet Bradley [[TakesOneToKillOne in desperation]]. Jet thwarts them, but realizing what being a User ''means'' doesn't do his sanity any favors. He ends up as a cross of Reluctant Messiah, Self-Denouncer, and The Savior, realizing that as much as he hates the idea of being a User, humans have a responsibility to the Programs and that there's always another guy like Thorne waiting in the wings.
52	* ''Film/{{Thor}}'': While living among humans, and even a bit among his own kind, Thor is a Prince (possibly because he literally is one), but becomes a Savior later. Loki is even more twisted, taking delight in killing humans purely because Thor has sworn to protect them, like a bratty kid breaking his brother's favorite toys.
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55	[[folder:Literature]]
56	* "Literature/ItsAGoodLife", and the ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E73ItsAGoodLife episode based on it]], deal with what would happen if a bratty child were given RealityWarper powers akin to God.
57	* [[GodEmperor The Lord Ruler]] of ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' combines elements of the Despot and the Prince [[spoiler: though he probably sees himself as more of a Reluctant Messiah- and despite being the object of the state religion he's not a real god, just a human with immortality and godlike magical powers]].
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60	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
61	* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S4E7Josh Josh]]", Captain Marquez believes that Josh Butler is {{God}}. Josh's amazing abilities support this.
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64	[[folder:Music]]
65	* Joan Osborne's song "One of Us", the {{Trope Namer\|s}}, wonders what type of "one of us" God is, tending somewhat to the "Reluctant" type.
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68	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
69	* One of the central themes of ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' is to explore this question. Given that there are several thousand of them, the titular Exalted tend to run the gamut of archetypes presented here, with the possible exception of Obliviousness--Exaltation is hard to miss.
70	* The GodEmperor of ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer 40000}}'' is a mix of The Self-Denouncer, The Prince, and The Shepherd. He considers himself to be a human and thinks humanity should [[HumansAreSpecial worship themselves]] rather than any deities. While at first he just guided humanity instead of making his presence known, when the [[CrapsackWorld Age of Strife]] happened he decided to make his presence known since if he didn't there wouldn't have been a humanity left to guide.
71	* ''TabletopGame/TheDelversGuideToBeastWorld'': Varasta, god of chance, is the only one of the setting's deities who typically takes physical form, spending most of his nights cruising casinos and dropping the odds sheet for the world's survival in bathrooms. He's not particularly subtle about this, as one pillar made of solid gold will attest, and his temples operate as casinos in hopes of attracting him.
72	* In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Immortals Set'', which describes what happens to player characters who AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence, the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Immortals]] are Apathetic: completely concerned with their own society and personal projects (many of which involve creating life-bearing planets from scratch). With a few exceptions (such as [[spoiler:Rad]]), Immortals are only interested the Prime for three reasons: to use it as a neutral meeting ground, to nab specimens of interesting species for their projects, and to recruit potential new Immortals.
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75	[[folder:Toys]]
76	* [[Toys/{{Bionicle}} Mata Nui]] fits multiple categories during his tenure as the Great Spirit of the Matoran (who wasn't explicitly worshiped, but was revered and had the powers of a god.) It's actually a large part of his CharacterDevelopment over the course of the series.
77	** Initially, he was a combination of The Shepherd and The Apathetic, wishing the best for his people but largely ignoring their existence.
78	** When he was [[GrandTheftMe hijacked from his position]] by [[BigBad Makuta]] he firmly became a mixture of The Shepherd and The Savior as he sought to find a way to free the Matoran. In the process, he helps restore hope to the inhabitants of Bara Magna and reforms their society.
79	** After all was said and done [[spoiler: (read: re-uniting the shattered parts of Spherus Magna and fulfilling his destiny), he then 'left' his friends and people in a Self-Denouncer fashion. Citing his apathetic nature to them earlier, he recognized that since then, they'd mostly grown into their own as a self-determining civilization that no longer needed him. This is especially the case since the thing that enabled his godlike abilities--a HumongousMecha that everyone else lived in--was destroyed. So even if he doesn't ignore them any longer, he can't actually help them beyond using the powers of [[SoulJar the Mask of Life]]. Still, in true Shepherd fashion, he promises to answer them if they should ever require his aid.]]
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82	[[folder:Video Games]]
83	* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', [[spoiler: the PC is The Oblivious for much of the game.]] In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', the ending determines whether he will be The Despot, The Savior with shades of Rebel, or Rebel and leave the mantle on the floor.
84	* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'': [[spoiler: The Main Character in the King of Saints ending is the Prince, with some Shepherd-like characteristics. In the King of Demons ending, he acts like he's The Ubermensch, but this is actually a smokescreen: he's actually The Savior in a somewhat twisted way. In the other endings he gives up or fails to attain the power of Bel, though an argument could be made for him acting as The Shepherd and The Self-Denouncer in Atsuro's route, as he gives power to humanity instead of seizing it for himself. Gin's route is pure Rebel, while Yuzu's is an unusual Rebellion in that the MC [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere simply drops the problem and runs away]] rather than fighting to save the world.]]
85	* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', [[spoiler: Joshua]] shows elements of The Prince and The Shepherd, trying to [[spoiler: erase all of Shibuya, shooting Neku twice, and using him in a pawn in his game.]] On the other hand, [[spoiler: -he-]] also keeps the Game running as a means of judging the dead and refining their Imaginations, and Neku, Shiki and maybe Beat seem to have grown from their experiences in it. [[spoiler: Hanekoma]], meanwhile, seems to be a straight example of The Shepherd.
86	* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' makes [[spoiler:Shulk]] [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt the next god of the world]]. They ultimately become The Rebel and sacrifice their godhood to recreate their world, so that it doesn't need gods to function.
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89	[[folder:Webcomics]]
90	* ''Webcomic/{{Epiphany}}'': One of the Gods who uplifted the animals populating the comic's setting turns out to be working at a Radioshack equivalent, actively trying to avoid notice. [[spoiler:It turns out he and his former partner used to run the world's first city, but when the populace turned on them she made him raze the city and he bailed.]]
91	* ''Webcomic/TheGodsOfArrKelaan'' has examples of all these types. [[HeroicNeutral Ronson]] is the Self-Denouncer, [[TheMedic Aldman]] is the Savior, Salsmen is the Despot, [[TheParagon Mike]] is the shepherd and so on.
92	[[/folder]]
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94	-->Nobody callin' on the phone\

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