Deity

Deities are spiritual beings who may have power over aspects of reality, and who may be worshipped for this power. Some alterhumans have deific identities. They may be otherkin, or they may relate to a deity as a godshard. Regardless of their nature, people with deific identities have historically congregated with each other rather than with otherkin or other label groups. This is in part because of the prejudice they have experienced from otherkin.

Experiences

A person with a deific identity may be connected a god from a recognized religion on earth, one from a fictional culture, or one only known to the person themself. They might identify as the god, or consider themself connected in another way. Some people consider their relationship to be familial, and see themselves as a spiritual child or sibling of the god.

People with deific identities frequently have strong religious ideas which do not match anything they have been taught, even from a young age. They may have experiences, noemata and memories of things beyond comprehension, which cannot be interpreted by their mortal senses. Most people state that they only have a limited connection to the power and knowledge of their source deity. However, if they practise magic, they might find that they are more proficient with the same types of work as their source. They may also be drawn to careers and hobbies that relate to their source's dominion.

Some people experience dysphoria regarding the limitations of their mortal body. They may experience a strong desire to return to their source, or look forward to doing so upon their death. They may feel a desire to be worshipped, which some people satisfy through power play with a consenting partner.

A few have stated that they consider the experience a burden. This is partly because of the prejudice against this type of identity, and the struggles they may have with the appropriateness of their desires. It is also because they feel it to be a great responsibility. Many people feel that they have been incarnated with a purpose. They may be compelled to further their source deity's objectives in the world. Even if they do not have a specific divine mission, many consider it a priority to live their lives in a way that honors their source.

Because of these issues, many people spend a long period in denial. They may only relent when they experience multiple communications from the deity themself confirming their relatedness. Regardless, many people advocate for extra scrutiny when questioning a deific identity.

Godshards

Godshards are a group with a specific understanding of how they are related to their source deity. They believe they are a small piece of the god which has separated, usually deliberately. This piece may come into a mortal body at birth, it may replace the original soul later in life, or it may join existing souls as part of a collective. In this scenario the whole, original god continues to exist and attend to their metaphysical responsbilities. Shards often report being able to communicate with their source deity as a separate entity.

Some people have stated that the difference between godshards and godkin is that godkin are the deity in their entirety. Some shards are skeptical of such a thing being possible, or believe it is only possible for minor deities.

History and community

People have pointed to historical examples of proclaimed incarnate divinities as precedent for their identities. A commonly cited example is the belief that the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt posessed a fragment of the soul of Horus, called the "kingly ka". Other figures mentioned include the Dalai Lama, Jesus Christ, and the emperors of Japan.

On November 4th, 2014, tumblr user constellationcanid proposed the #actuallydivine hashtag. The intent of the tag was to provide a way for "all the gods, the prophets, the angels and demons and exalted beings without a name" to share their experiences in a space free from the judgement of other alterhuman spaces.

Controversy

People with deific identities have been maligned by trolls, pagans, and even other alterhumans. The concept has been described as offensive, and people have been accused of having god complexes or attempting to dictate the religious practises of other people. Some people have in fact acted as if they are the subject of people's worship, inserting themselves into religious relationships where they do not belong.

However, people have been quick to argue that it is not the experience itself which is harmful, but these particular ways of acting on it. Shezep, a shard of Horus, wrote a three part series discussing the issue and advising people on how to behave. He advocated for not losing sight of one's humanity, and acting in a way that would make one's source spirit proud. He noted that worshippers are frequently more likely to know more about the god through research than a shard would through memories or noemata, which are often incomplete and difficult to process. He suggested learning about and potentially joining their religious communities, or otherwise acting as an ally to people of the faith.