Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

God for a Day

 God for a Day
type
FeatureClass
 God for a Day
label
God for a Day
 God for a Day
page
GodForADay
 God for a Day
comment
A character can be tested and taught to learn their weaknesses and strengths not just by making them suffer burdens and limitations but by giving them all the power and ease in the world. A trope for teaching characters a lesson can be making them God for a day.
The character may love it at first, indulge in several whims, fulfill some wishes but then they may find themselves getting Drunk with Power or finding that Being God Is Hard and they can't handle all the responsibilities associated with the power so well, each well meaning move being a blunder that leads to more to fix. These difficulties may cause a Sudden Humility. If things turn disastrous, expect an Aesop about how Reality Warping Is Not a Toy.
If the character can handle the responsibility but becomes bored with having everything at his beck and call, being a god for a day can become similar to Victory Is Boring in that things are now easy for the character and he wonders how best to use his powers when everything comes so easily to him with his omnipotence. The character's newfound power might also lead to isolation and emptiness resulting in a case of being Lonely at the Top. Sometimes, in such a situation, the character may end up giving half of his/her powers to someone else so that he could have an equal.
The difficulty for the writer lies in figuring out how to make being in charge difficult. The story can fail if the powers given don't match up properly to the original owner in an overcontrived manner that forces a failure or if the character is being too limited by their own Idiot Ball and not something genuinely inherent to the power.
Compare: Subbing for Santa. Also see God Guise and A God Am I.
 God for a Day
fetched
2023-09-25T12:16:12Z
 God for a Day
parsed
2023-09-25T12:16:12Z
 God for a Day
processingComment
Dropped link to TropeMaker: Not an Item - UNKNOWN
 God for a Day
processingUnknown
TropeMaker
 God for a Day
isPartOf
DBTropes
 God for a Day / int_222efbd1
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_222efbd1
comment
In the cartoon Dungeons & Dragons (1983) episode "Day of the Dungeon Master," Eric the Cavalier is given the practically limitless power of the Dungeon Master. He screws up a lot by being rather pompous but he actually ends up becoming very sagelike himself and even gets the capability to send everyone back to the real world but they stay because it would require him being left behind on his own.
 God for a Day / int_222efbd1
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_222efbd1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dungeons & Dragons (1983)
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_222efbd1
 God for a Day / int_2f4271ed
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_2f4271ed
comment
Joshua Culvert is given this in the The Night's Dawn Trilogy.
 God for a Day / int_2f4271ed
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_2f4271ed
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Night's Dawn Trilogy
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_2f4271ed
 God for a Day / int_43576f5
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_43576f5
comment
In the Supernatural episode "Appointment in Samarra", Dean is given the job of being Death for one day. He tries to let a little girl with a heart condition live, only to discover that letting someone live "against the natural order" sets off a cascade of other deaths, and he has to give up before the day is over, admitting that it's harder than it looks.
 God for a Day / int_43576f5
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_43576f5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Supernatural
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_43576f5
 God for a Day / int_553051f
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_553051f
comment
When Green Lantern Kyle Rayner became Ion, a being with all the power of the entire Green Lantern Corps, he tried to use his new might to feed starving children in Africa, heal his friend's back-injury, restore his girlfriend Jade's powers, etc, until Superman advises him to back down because people around the world have started to worship him as a god. Soon after, he sacrifices the power so that the Guardians of the Universe and the Corps can live again.
 God for a Day / int_553051f
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_553051f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Green Lantern (Comic Book)
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_553051f
 God for a Day / int_90c73dda
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_90c73dda
comment
Another wager with godlike entities: Rachel of the Animorphs was given the chance to become the ultimate fighting machine by Crayak. However such things are not much fun for a Blood Knight and it leaves only the satisfaction of sadistically snuffing out your enemies which is a road she doesn't feel comfortably going down when Crayak starts saying she isn't so different. It doesn't help that she would have to kill her cousin in exchange for getting the powers.
 God for a Day / int_90c73dda
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_90c73dda
featureConfidence
1.0
 Animorphs
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_90c73dda
 God for a Day / int_99c0e061
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_99c0e061
comment
Subverted with Thanos of Titan. Whenever Thanos becomes omnipotent (whether by the Infinity Gauntlet, Cosmic Cube or the Heart of the Universe), he is typically able to handle the responsibility, at least initially. However, this is nearly always bad for everyone else as Thanos as a tendency to try conquering or destroying the universe whenever he can. When he loses the power, Thanos often wonders if he was worthy of it in the first place before going off to find something even stronger.
 God for a Day / int_99c0e061
featureApplicability
-0.3
 God for a Day / int_99c0e061
featureConfidence
1.0
 Thanos (Comic Book)
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_99c0e061
 God for a Day / int_a183d57f
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_a183d57f
comment
Futurama: Happens to Bender in the episode "Godfellas". He first exploits the shrimpkins to make him alcohol, but then tries to be benevolent and when he finds he can't solve all their problems, a faction turn against him and they all eventually destroy themselves. Eventually, he meets a being that may or may not be God himself, and they have a discussion on how divine lords should work, with the entity saying that they should act In Mysterious Ways.
 God for a Day / int_a183d57f
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_a183d57f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Futurama
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_a183d57f
 God for a Day / int_a63b23da
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_a63b23da
comment
The plot of Bruce Almighty: Bruce thinks that God does a rubbish job because...he was passed up for promotion in favour of his jerkass rival, he got fired after a breakdown, a gang of thugs beat him up and vandalised his car and his dog wasn't toilet trained. Rather than smiting him like a mighty smiter, God gives Bruce the job. Bruce gives himself some frivolities, screws over a few people who annoy him, gets laid and has some really good coffee, but alas, God-like powers don't get you love, and answering yes to every prayer just makes things worse.
 God for a Day / int_a63b23da
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_a63b23da
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bruce Almighty
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_a63b23da
 God for a Day / int_a895e9d3
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_a895e9d3
comment
Wheatley from Portal 2 gets put into GLaDOS's chassis in a last-ditch attempt to help Chell escape from the facility. He goes Drunk with Power within minutes and betrays you, taking up the role as Big Bad for the rest of the game, and even functioning as the Final Boss.
 God for a Day / int_a895e9d3
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_a895e9d3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Portal 2 (Video Game)
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_a895e9d3
 God for a Day / int_dd5ec97a
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_dd5ec97a
comment
Lex Luthor is granted divine powers in The Black Ring to make the universe a paradise. There's only one catch: the overwhelming positivity of these powers means that he can't use them to fulfill negative desires. He remains a god only so long as he doesn't use his ultimate power to, say, just picking an example at random, screw with Superman. Guess what happens.
 God for a Day / int_dd5ec97a
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_dd5ec97a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Black Ring (Comic Book)
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_dd5ec97a
 God for a Day / int_e3763059
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_e3763059
comment
Noire considers offering this opportunity in one of her blog entries in Hyperdimension Neptunia. Keeping with her being the PS3 rep, she says you'd "only have to do everything".
 God for a Day / int_e3763059
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_e3763059
featureConfidence
1.0
 Hyperdimension Neptunia (Video Game)
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_e3763059
 God for a Day / int_ff9ab17f
type
God for a Day
 God for a Day / int_ff9ab17f
comment
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Hide and Q", Q gives such powers to Riker and makes, unknown to Riker, a bet with Picard: Picard thinks that Riker will reject Q's offer and bets the Enterprise herself on him against Q offering to never bother them again. Picard wins after Riker finds that every gift he tries to give to his friends rings hollow:
 God for a Day / int_ff9ab17f
featureApplicability
1.0
 God for a Day / int_ff9ab17f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Star Trek: The Next Generation
hasFeature
God for a Day / int_ff9ab17f

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 God for a Day
processingCategory2
Plots
 God for a Day
processingCategory2
Sour Grapes Tropes
 Animat Planet Show (Animation) / int_ce7bd36d
type
God for a Day
 Green Lantern (1990) (Comic Book) / int_ce7bd36d
type
God for a Day
 Green Lantern (Comic Book) / int_ce7bd36d
type
God for a Day
 Absolutely Anything / int_ce7bd36d
type
God for a Day
 Bruce Almighty / int_ce7bd36d
type
God for a Day
 Dungeons & Dragons / int_ce7bd36d
type
God for a Day
 Dungeons & Dragons (1983) / int_ce7bd36d
type
God for a Day
 The Flintstones / int_ce7bd36d
type
God for a Day