The concept of kings using faith from their citizens

[NotaNuffian]

The first time I saw this concept was weird... it was in an anime (I forgot the name) where the MC acting as the kamen rider fighting against the corrupt prime minister who wore the power armor powered by his approval rating. Of course the PM lost when he said something like "stupid son of a bitch" of sorts and his approval rating drops like someone jumping down the 14 storey building.

Then in CN xianxia, dynasties and now the story Young Master not Cannon Fodder also use the same power set (power of the people), like in xuanhuan (eastern made western works) where religions use the same power as well.

This type of power always fasinates me because it is literally the wet dream of CCP and a representative of how a united nation can be with its power wielded by one man and one man only.

So, is there any other variants to this type? All I can think of is the CEO of a mega corporation becoming the strongest due to how many men are under him.

 

[greyblob]

The first time I saw this concept was weird... it was in an anime (I forgot the name) where the MC acting as the kamen rider fighting against the corrupt prime minister who wore the power armor powered by his approval rating. Of course the PM lost when he said something like "stupid son of a bitch" of sorts and his approval rating drops like someone jumping down the 14 storey building.

Then in CN xianxia, dynasties and now the story Young Master not Cannon Fodder also use the same power set (power of the people), like in xuanhuan (eastern made western works) where religions use the same power as well.

This type of power always fasinates me because it is literally the wet dream of CCP and a representative of how a united nation can be with its power wielded by one man and one man only.

So, is there any other variants to this type? All I can think of is the CEO of a mega corporation becoming the strongest due to how many men are under him.

it's used primarily for gods. more followers equals more power. I think I've also seen it a few times for dungeon master and demon lords

 

[NotaNuffian]

it's used primarily for gods. more followers equals more power. I think I've also seen it a few times for dungeon master and demon lords

Literally a power up for leader positions I guess.

 

[greyblob]

Literally a power up for leader positions I guess.

umm more like a balancing agent. it's a fun mechanic imo. it offers a lot of solutions and has a ton of potential. imagine taking down a god by cucking him out of his followers

 

[NotaNuffian]

Having two brain farts at the moment:
1. We all know there is power in numbers (apes strong together), but which literature was the first that lets the leader to have all the powers?
2. In the past, literatures have gods being omnipotent and all powerful and it is the humans that begged them for their assistance. Nowadays there are stories talking about gods losing powers due to dwindling followers and may have to start an Onlyfans account. When did such a transition that turned from human simping to gods whoring?

 

[greyblob]

Having two brain farts at the moment:
1. We all know there is power in numbers (apes strong together), but which literature was the first that lets the leader to have all the powers?
2. In the past, literatures have gods being omnipotent and all powerful and it is the humans that begged them for their assistance. Nowadays there are stories talking about gods losing powers due to dwindling followers and may have to start an Onlyfans account. When did such a transition that turned from human simping to gods whoring?

I'm not sure actually. the concept is probably very old. it's the same thing as saying beings are born from people believing in them. so less belief = less existence? something along those lines. this is just a modernized version of it.

 

[Zirrboy]

In the past, literatures have gods being omnipotent and all powerful and it is the humans that begged them for their assistance. Nowadays there are stories talking about gods losing powers due to dwindling followers and may have to start an Onlyfans account. When did such a transition that turned from human simping to gods whoring?

Very simple.
More tech = more influence.
By the time your thoughts shifted from "I need to find a path around" to "that mountain is in the way", you're also a lot less reverend towards the forces that allegedly put said mountain there

 

[NotaNuffian]

I'm not sure actually. the concept is probably very old. it's the same thing as saying beings are born from people believing in them. so less belief = less existence? something along those lines. this is just a modernized version of it.

Very simple.
More tech = more influence.
By the time your thoughts shifted from "I need to find a path around" to "that mountain is in the way", you're also a lot less reverend towards the forces that allegedly put said mountain there

You know, this sound kind of sad for those gods and deities.

In the past, all they have to do is show up in front of someone and turn that guy into their fanatic and next thing you know, your existence gets promoted and viola, you got new facebook friends.

Nowadays you need to do a podcast, a face reveal after 100K subscribers and maybe a fist big enough to crush even the MOAB and all the A bombs in the world to say "I am a god, lick my foot." Or at the very least, open dimensional portals to throw the human society into shitholes before revealing yourself with a blue window as a constellation.

All those troubles just to get lapdogs... being a god is tiring...

Kind of the same with all those who dependent on their followers, either you be like the Hero of Fear in that shitty manhwa (the art is nice with copy pasted faces...) and tie everyone's balls together to have power or become Damien the stupid saint who got yeeted because "people fear more than they have faith".

 

[greyblob]

You know, this sound kind of sad for those gods and deities.

In the past, all they have to do is show up in front of someone and turn that guy into their fanatic and next thing you know, your existence gets promoted and viola, you got new facebook friends.

Nowadays you need to do a podcast, a face reveal after 100K subscribers and maybe a fist big enough to crush even the MOAB and all the A bombs in the world to say "I am a god, lick my foot." Or at the very least, open dimensional portals to throw the human society into shitholes before revealing yourself with a blue window as a constellation.

All those troubles just to get lapdogs... being a god is tiring...

Kind of the same with all those who dependent on their followers, either you be like the Hero of Fear in that shitty manhwa (the art is nice with copy pasted faces...) and tie everyone's balls together to have power or become Damien the stupid saint who got yeeted because "people fear more than they have faith".

collect more followers, aggressively expand your religion, annihilate completion, and takeover their market share. it's divine capitalism.

yee I need to sleep. and you should watch american gods. it's a fun show that runs on this concept (the belief one)

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Having two brain farts at the moment:
1. We all know there is power in numbers (apes strong together), but which literature was the first that lets the leader to have all the powers?
2. In the past, literatures have gods being omnipotent and all powerful and it is the humans that begged them for their assistance. Nowadays there are stories talking about gods losing powers due to dwindling followers and may have to start an Onlyfans account. When did such a transition that turned from human simping to gods whoring?

That's pretty much what happens in my story, though it also requires an object to channel the power. Nobody knows the formula to make such an object, but it has to be something that resonates with the user's soul. Finding the right combination is a matter of chance, though it typically involves some crystal and metal, hence why humans have been obsessed with jewelry since ancient times.

 

[Varstark]

In the past, literatures have gods being omnipotent and all powerful and it is the humans that begged them for their assistance. Nowadays there are stories talking about gods losing powers due to dwindling followers and may have to start an Onlyfans account. When did such a transition that turned from human simping to gods whoring?

Modern culture, values of freedom, equality, free will and rights. Abolition of class structure. Intellectual bias. Distrust of higher authority, lust for subversion and rebellion even at the cost of integrity or values. Not inherently good or bad things, but how values have changed so radically from back then.

Divinity implies a solid hierarchy. Gods in those kinds of modern novels are more or less just special people with magical powers to make things fair and systematic.

Actually, you're better off reading Nietzsche or some other (edit)Late Modern philosopher than asking us.

 

[Cipiteca396]

Gods Need Prayer Badly - TV Tropes

In the world of fantasy, it is a largely accepted fact that the power of any given deity is proportional to the amount of belief in them or the amount of worship they are currently receiving. The deity could have been originally conceived and …

tvtropes.org

Clap Your Hands If You Believe - TV Tropes

An old trope, wherein enough belief in something will cause things to happen. Also known as the "Tinker Bell effect", which is itself a subcategory of what is known as "magical thinking", a belief in cause-and-effect relationships between …

tvtropes.org

Tulpa - TV Tropes

A tulpa, also known as a thoughtform, is an independent entity brought into being by the power of belief. It starts out as an Imaginary Friend and gains sentience of its own, carries on a life independent of its creator and, according to some, …

tvtropes.org

Having two brain farts at the moment:
1. We all know there is power in numbers (apes strong together), but which literature was the first that lets the leader to have all the powers?
2. In the past, literatures have gods being omnipotent and all powerful and it is the humans that begged them for their assistance. Nowadays there are stories talking about gods losing powers due to dwindling followers and may have to start an Onlyfans account. When did such a transition that turned from human simping to gods whoring?

First example that comes to mind is Ancient Egypt's Pharaohs. Divine Kings, literally the manifestation of gods or their children. I don't think they lost power from disbelief, but they definitely demanded worship.

All those troubles just to get lapdogs... being a god is tiring...

Do not need pity, only prayer. Besides, it's a labor of love. They get to live, and bully simps? Who needs a real job?

 

[AKnightWithaKnife]

Modern culture, values of freedom, equality, free will and rights. Abolition of class structure. Intellectual bias. Distrust of higher authority, lust for subversion and rebellion even at the cost of integrity or values. Not inherently good or bad things, but how values have changed so radically from back then.

Divinity implies a solid hierarchy. Gods in those kinds of modern novels are more or less just special people with magical powers to make things fair and systematic.

Actually, you're better off reading Nietzsche or some other Renaissance/Early Modern Period philosopher than asking us.

Fuckin Westerns ruining my simple fun

 

[SakeVision]

CCP? You're making a mistake in assuming it's a unitary faction. There are power struggles there. It's not many people's wet dream to have one person wield such power. Even in dictatorships.