Line #57 Main/BlessedWithSuck


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10	[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/{{Oglaf}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/laundry_day_0.png]]]]
11	[[caption-width-right:350:BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor... otherwise, you'll wind up like this moron.]]
12
13	->''"And as he drove on, the rain clouds dragged down the sky after him for, though he did not know it, Rob [=McKenna=] was a Rain God. All he knew was that his working days were miserable and he had a succession of lousy holidays. All the clouds knew was that they loved him and wanted to be near him, to cherish him and to water him."''
14	-->-- ''Literature/SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish''
15
16	One way or the other, something you think is going to be useful turns out to be worthless.
17
18	Blessed with Suck is one of those tropes that comes in a few distinct flavors. Generally, it's when a character is given a special ability that seems to cause nothing but trouble:
19
20	# By far, the most common variation is that the writers have seen fit to give you a special power that is, to be frank, [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway stupid]], [[EmbarrassingSuperpower humiliating]] or {{useless\| superpowers}}.
21	# In other, more extreme cases, your power is actually [[PowerAtAPrice too dangerous to use]]. See also ImHavingSoulPains.
22	# Sometimes your power ''sounds'' really, really cool at first, but it turns out to have a [[WeaksauceWeakness lousy limitation or weakness]], [[PowerIncontinence control problem]], lacks the RequiredSecondaryPowers, or (in the worst cases) [[PowerDegeneration has very dangerous]] [[PsychoSerum side-effects]].
23	# Sometimes the blessing ''is'' actually beneficial -- but [[DeusAngstMachina extenuating circumstances]] have ruined the potential fun. For example, AMindIsATerribleThingToRead, AndYourLittleDogToo, PowerUpgradingDeformation or MutantDraftBoard.
24	# If a power grants a character the ability to improve their lives in any way possible, expect it to be unable to do the one particular thing that makes the user truly happy, with usual examples such as curing some permanent injury, [[EverythingButTheGirl getting the girl]], and the like.
25	# Often the original "blessing" turns out to be a curse when you [[FridgeHorror stop to think about it]], thanks to ExactWords, or not taking into account the intrinsic consequences. For example, MidasTouch. This is usually a FantasticAesop.
26	# Another variation is [[SelfHarmInducedSuperpower a power that only activates if the user or owner inflicts damage to themselves]] by biting or stabbing themselves, etc.
27
28	This blessing may take the form of AppliedPhlebotinum, privileges, or special abilities. For artistic cases (real or (self-) imagined), see MuseAbuse.
29
30	May be caused by a LiteralGenie. May also result in WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity either as part of the blessing or a result of its psychological effects.
31
32	Opposite side of the same coin from CursedWithAwesome, in which a "{{curse}}" actually is cool and helps the character, even if they refuse to believe it and [[IJustWantToBeNormal just want to be normal]]. If the "blessing" is somehow removed via [[AnAesop Aesop]] learning, then the CurseIsFoiledAgain. If a character is given a lame power but manages to use it to great effect, you've found that HeartIsAnAwesomePower.
33
34	This is OlderThanFeudalism, and it's a perfect way to teach the [[AnAesop Aesop]] of BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor. Supertrope to DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength, ImmunityDisability, MidasTouch, SoBeautifulItsACurse, and WhoWantsToLiveForever.
35
36	Compare/contrast with AwesomeButImpractical (which it is often mistaken for by the looks of most of the tropes), SuperLoser, SuperZeroes, PowerIncontinence, BadPowersBadPeople. See also {{Curse}}. Contrast a CurseThatCures, when a {{Curse}} cures a character of an illness or disease they already had. For characters blessed with ''awesome'', see WithGreatPowerComesGreatPerks.
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38	----
39	!!Example subpages:
40
41	[[index]]
42	* BlessedWithSuck/AnimeAndManga
43	* BlessedWithSuck/CardGames
44	* BlessedWithSuck/ComicBooks
45	* BlessedWithSuck/FanWorks
46	* [[BlessedWithSuck/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
47	* BlessedWithSuck/{{Literature}}
48	* BlessedWithSuck/LiveActionTV
49	* BlessedWithSuck/{{Mythology}}
50	* BlessedWithSuck/ProWrestling
51	* BlessedWithSuck/TabletopGames
52	* BlessedWithSuck/VideoGames
53	* BlessedWithSuck/{{Webcomics}}
54	* BlessedWithSuck/WebOriginal
55	* BlessedWithSuck/WesternAnimation
56	* BlessedWithSuck/RealLife
57	[[/index]]
58
59	!!Other examples:
60	[[foldercontrol]]
61
62	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
63	* In a ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' [[http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2008-09-13/ strip]], Dilbert's mother is visiting a psychic, but forgot her purse and thus can't pay. The psychic puts "The Curse of Competence" on her firstborn son, prompting Dilbert's mother to wonder why that would be a bad thing. As Dilbert (her firstborn son) finds out, when you're the only competent person in a world full of idiots, [[ThePerilsOfBeingTheBest you'll be the one everyone asks to make things work]].
64	* In ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', Frieda viewed her "naturally curly hair" as a drawback, claiming that [[SoBeautifulItsACurse everyone she met was envious of and generally disliked her for it]]. [[DeadpanSnarker Lucy]] once shut her down with a blunt "Don't kid yourself, sister."
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
68	* Creator/AlexanderAfanasyev's "Literature/TheSoldierAndDeath": The soldier winds up immortal because Death is afraid to come near him. However, he may be immortal but he is not ageless or unable to get sick or ill, and since neither Hell nor Heaven will let him in, he is doomed to wander around Earth forever.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
72	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Charming}}'': Any woman whom Prince Phillipe looks in the eyes falls madly in love with him. Unfortunately for Phillipe this was meant as a curse by his father's [[WomanScorned jealous ex]], and it ''is'' a curse; [[PowerIncontinence he has no control over this power]], and it's made a mess of his life. Ironically, the one woman Phillipe ''is'' interested in, the roguish burglar Lenore, is completely immune to his power, and is only helping him with his quest to break the curse because [[BoxedCrook the king offered her a pardon and a small fortune]].
73	* Just about every Madrigal in ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' (except [[TheTeamNormal Mirabel]]) has a magical gift of some kind. Luisa has SuperStrength, Pepa has mood-based WeatherManipulation, etc. Sounds cool, right? Well, no. Due to the high expectations of family matriarch Alma and the rest of the town, the cons end up outweighing the pros. Luisa is constantly overworking herself keeping up with the town's requests, Pepa is immensely stressed in trying to keep her mood under control to avoid summoning unwanted rain, the list goes on. The worst off is poor Bruno, whose ability to see the future has left him estranged from his family. [[spoiler:It ends up subverted when Alma finally realises the harm that her pressure is causing her family, and the Madrigals become far happier when they aren't trying to be perfect all the time]].
74	* Elsa in ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' considers her powers this [[spoiler:until she learns to control them]]. Having [[AnIcePerson powers over ice and snow]] is cool. Nearly killing your little sister when you are both just children and years later [[spoiler: accidentally putting your whole kingdom in eternal winter]] due to PowerIncontinence is not.
75	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' has this in spades:
76	** Hades has all kinds of incredible powers -- he can [[PlayingWithFire easily control flame]], never ages, and possesses immortality. Unfortunately, he's been assigned a job that he hates -- dealing with dead people all day -- while the other gods get to spend their days on the sunny Mount Olympus. Because of the nature of the job (there's always someone new dying), he's stuck in the Underworld and never gets a break.
77	** Hercules himself has SuperStrength. Yay! But that SuperStrength [[PowerIncontinence never turns off]], and when combined with the natural klutziness of a teenager, it leads to pretty much everyone in his hometown hating him (they outright call him a freak). Plus, he's a god among men and doesn't know it, so he spends his entire childhood/teenage years feeling like he doesn't fit in with other humans.
78	** Meg has apparently been granted immortality and eternal youth by a god. Trouble is, that god is Hades. And she only gained her powers by making a DealWithTheDevil -- she sold her soul to save her boyfriend's life, and he repaid her by running off with another woman. She now has to do whatever Hades tells her, and as a result, doesn't seem to have any friends or people she's close to.
79	* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': Everseer has an extraordinary range of vision which allows him to see things both tiny and far away. Unfortunately for him, he is an OCD germophobe... and he can see those germs and dirty conditions that most people can't.
80	* The baker accuses Joseph of being this in ''WesternAnimation/JosephKingOfDreams'' after being told that he will be executed in three days and birds will feed on his flesh.
81	* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': Jack. He's the King of Halloween, yet it's always about Halloween, every single day, which is problematic when you want something different. Taking a break is not an option, as shown when Jack disappears for only two days (at the start of the slack season, no less) and everyone is in a panic. Jack seems to not be able to give the crown to anyone else if he wanted ("But who here would ever understand/That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin/Would tire of his crown, if they only understood/He'd give it all up if he only could..."), so he's stuck with the job. And if the scenes after "This is Halloween" is any indication, due to being the biggest in-universe celebrity, Jack can't even have a decent conversation with anyone. Who knows how long Jack's been doing the Halloween job? He could be Really700YearsOld for all we know. When you think about it, you can't blame the guy for desperately wanting to try out Christmas.
82	* Moses from ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'' is God's Chosen One, but he is forced to be the instrument of the 10 Plagues of Egypt. This pits him against his once beloved brother and old home, and he's very unhappy to have to bring destruction on God's behalf to a place he once loved and getting entirely innocent people killed in the crossfire.
83	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'': Rémy is gifted with an acute sense of smell and taste as well as an active curiosity towards humanity's ability to create. This leads him to want to become a cook. Unfortunately, he's a rat and his ExtremeOmnivore family thinks he's just being unnecessarily picky and most people just see him as a dirty, filthy rodent that should never be allowed in a proper kitchen.
84	* Rapunzel of ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''. Oh sure, it's awesome to have hair that glows and heals any wound and reverses aging, but when you get kidnapped from your birth parents, and said hair grows 3 times as fast as regular hair, there are problems that can arise. For instance, it apparently takes 3 hours to brush her hair, and 6 hours to wash it. And with 70 feet of it by the time you're 18, it can also be a real drag (literally) to lug around. And yes, you could braid it to make walking easier, but then if it catches on anything, you're stuck.
85	* ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'': Mei's ancestor Sun Yee prayed to the gods for a way to defend her family and village from invaders during wartime, and the gods granted her the ability to turn into a huge and powerful beast at will. This gift was passed down through her descendants, but they gradually found that turning into a giant red panda every time you got too emotional became progressively less useful as times changed and they moved to another country. Mei's mother calls it a blessing that became an inconvenience. By modern times, they'd begun locking the panda spirit inside talismans to keep it from coming out.
86	* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'':
87	** "WHY DO I FIX EVERYTHING I TOUCH?!" MrFixIt powers are cool and all until you're trying to break out of prison and your efforts are simply making the prison ''sturdier''. Like a reverse ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman.
88	** Vanellope has the power to teleport, which is incredibly handy in a racing game like ''Sugar Rush''. But she has it because she's a "glitch" -- that is, the video game code that she's made of is inherently corrupted. Everyone treats her like dirt for her condition, even though it makes her one of the best racers in the game. [[spoiler:It turns out this FantasticRacism is something of an EnforcedTrope: When King Candy/Turbo took over the game, he reprogrammed its code to make everyone forget that Vanellope was actually the princess of the realm. When Turbo's defeated and ''Sugar Rush'' restored to its former state, the population's memories are restored as well, and they welcome Vanellope back with open arms, despite her glitch.]]
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Music]]
92	* Jim's Big Ego's song, the Ballad of Barry Allen, explores the logical consequences of perceiving time as a speedster and the loneliness and boredom that comes with being the fastest man alive.
93	* The narrator of Music/TypeONegative's "Suspended In Dusk". Sure, he's an immortal vampire with who knows what kind of powers, but he can't keep love interests as they all end up succumbing to old age while he lives past their expiration dates.
94	* "[[Music/DashboardConfessional Belle of the Boulevard]]" deconstructs HeadTurningBeauty, implying that the heroine's beauty and seemingly perfect life is masking how unhappy she is, and that she is seen as "easy" by men.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Roleplay]]
98	* ''Roleplay/TVTropesRollToDodge'': One part of a curse put on [=Makuta9999=] is that whenever he gets a [[EpicFail one]] when he isn't attacking something, it immolates, extinguishes, freezes, melts, explodes, implodes, and finally disintegrates.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Web Animation]]
102	%%* ''WebAnimation/ASDFMovie'': "Tree powers, activate!"
103	* ''WebAnimation/FlipnoteWarrior'': Mome makes a pact with Ugo so she could become better at drawing. Being a MagicalGirlWarrior is sure not something she wants to do. She doesn't even get a MagicalGirl costume.
104	* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': Strong Bad got an [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail192.html email]] asking what he would do if he had [[VoluntaryShapeshifting the ability to transform]]. Strong Bad ''immediately'' assumes that he'd have to somehow be Blessed With Suck:
105	-->'''Strong Bad:''' If comic books, cartoons, and Sci-Fi Original Movies have taught me anything, it's that shapeshifting comes with a bunch of boring rules and restrictions that limit its potential Turn-Into-A-Bulldozer-Whenever-I-Wantity. You can turn into a machine gun but not bullets, [[WeaksauceWeakness contemporary jazz]] turns you back to normal, you can only turn into [[WhatKindOfLamePowerisHeartAnyway presents your grandma's knitted for you]]. Crap like that. For example, let's say I could turn into any species... OF '''BALLOON''' ANIMAL!!??
106	* ''WebAnimation/HunterTheParenting'': Being a vampire. Some people, like Pyotr, absolutely love it, but others, like Kevin, absolutely hate their new state for a variety of reasons, like no longer being able to enjoy mundane pleasures like sunlight or their favorite foods, having to drink blood, their lives being completely disrupted, and in Kevin's case, being forced into the insanely toxic Tremere power-structure and subjected to a Blood Bond- something he describes as being [[{{Gaslighting}} gaslit]] by his own mind.
107	* In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', Simmons talks about terrible superpowers: the ability to fly, but only north, being able to teleport only one foot at a time and the power to turn into the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]]... but only when you're asleep.
108	* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', everyone's got a Semblance, a special power that only they can do (super speed, creating illusions, etc). However, it's later established that not all Semblances are cool and useful: your Semblance can be, for instance, to cause misfortune to the people around you. The character in question, [[spoiler:Ruby and Yang's uncle Qrow Branwen]], does note that it can be useful when in a fight because it causes bad luck for their opponent, but it also means that they have to keep away from family and friends.
109	** Later on, in Volume 7, we are introduced to Robyn Hill, a former Huntress and politician whose Semblance makes her a LivingLieDetector. While that utility is nice, it's ultimately not useful in combat, and it causes people who know of her power to keep their distance from her, lest she suss out their secrets.
110	** The repercussions of becoming a [[ElementalPowers Seasonal Maiden]] makes them this. Sure, you're one of the only people in the world who can use magic and are one of the strongest fighters on Remnant. But this means that people will hunt you down and kill you to obtain that power themself. [[BigBad Salem]] needs you to complete her plan, so her various minions will join that list of people hunting you. No wonder the Maidens are kept secret.
111	[[/folder]]
112

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