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1->''"If at first you don't succeed, you fail."''
2-->-- '''[=GLaDOS=]''', ''VideoGame/Portal1''
3
4There are a lot of tropes about failing. That should probably tell you something.
5
6Contrast IndexedForSuccess.
7----
8!!Tropes:
9[[index]]
10[floatboxright:
11See also:
12+ ArtisticLicense
13+ FinaglesLaw
14+ FridgeLogic
15+ {{Hypocrite}}
16+ ICantFindMyIndex
17+ IndexBackfire
18+ IndexMyopia
19+ LogicalFallacies
20+ PoorCommunicationKills
21+ ThisIndexIsUseless
22+ WritingPitfallIndex
23]
24[[/index]]
25[[index]]
26* AbileneParadox: Failure to manage consensus--when the majority decides to do something that the majority doesn't want.
27* AcquiredErrorAtThePrinter: You fail to print something properly.
28* AesopAmnesia: You fail to remember the moral you learned last episode.
29* AIIsACrapshoot: You fail to make your sentient computer behave.
30* TheAllegedCar: Your car is prone to failure.
31* TheAllegedComputer: Your computer is prone to failure.
32* TheAllegedExpert: You fail to do what you were supposedly trained to do.
33* AmericansHateTingle: Your work fails to gain a large foreign audience.
34* AmnesiaMissedASpot: Your attempt to wipe someone's mind doesn't work as well as you'd expected.
35* AntiClimaxBoss: Your final opponent fails to put up much of a fight.
36* AntiMentor: You fail to be a good teacher.
37* {{Anvilicious}}: Your story fails to deliver its message in a manner that is subtle and doesn't piss off people who may disagree with the message.
38* AssassinOutclassin: You fail at assassination.
39* AssPull: You fail to foreshadow your plot twists.
40* ATeamFiring: You fail to shoot a target.
41* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: You fail to concentrate.
42* AtrociousAlias: You fail to give yourself a good code name.
43* AudienceAlienatingPremise: You fail to attract the audience's interest.
44* AudienceParticipationFailure: You fail to get audience backup in your show or song.
45* AutomaticDoorMalfunction: Automatic doors fail in some way.
46* AwardSnub: You fail to receive an award and/or nomination for your work.
47* AwesomeButImpractical: Your technique or equipment seems amazing, but using it is a bad idea.
48* BadBadActing: You fail to give even a remotely good performance.
49* BadLiar: You fail to tell a lie convincingly.
50* BaseBreakingCharacter: Your character unintentionally fails to appeal to approximately half your audience.
51* BlatantLies: You fail to tell that somebody else is lying.
52* BleepDammit: The censorship fails to effectively censor the content in the work needing to be censored.
53* BlindIdiotTranslation: You fail to translate something.
54* BlunderCorrectingImpulse: Bob fails in such a way as to provoke Alice to demonstrate the correct way without thinking about the consequences.
55* BonusFeatureFailure: You fail to provide good bonus content.
56* BoomInTheHand: You fail to throw the bomb before it explodes.
57* BoxOfficeBomb: Your movie fails to make enough money.
58* BrokenAesop: You fail to convey your message because your characters don't obey it. Bonus points if it was meant to be {{Anvilicious}}.
59* BuffySpeak: You fail to articulate a sentence.
60* BungledSuicide: You fail to commit suicide.
61* ButtDialingMordor: You fail to avoid detection by making unintentional contact with the enemy.
62* ButWeUsedACondom: A condom fails to work effeciently.
63* CaffeineFailure: You fail to stay awake.
64* CallingMeALogarithm: You fail to realize that you weren't just slurred.
65* CannotKeepASecret: You fail to protect a secret.
66* CannotSpitItOut: You fail to say something succinctly.
67* CannotTellAJoke: You [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin fail to tell a joke.]]
68* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: You fail to stay out of trouble.
69* CantGetInTroubleForNuthin: You fail to get into trouble.
70* CantHoldHisLiquor: Your self-control fails when you imbibe alcohol.
71* CantUseStairs: Your locomotion fails to let you use stairs.
72* CaptainObviousAesop: You fail to teach a lesson people don't already know.
73* CaptainObviousReveal: You fail to make your [[TheReveal big revelation]] a surprise.
74* CardboardPrison: Your prison fails to contain its prisoners.
75* CassandraTruth: You tell the facts, but your recipients fail to accept them.
76* CharacterDerailment: You fail to keep characters consistent.
77* ChristmasLightChaos: You fail to rig up Christmas lights.
78* ColorFailure: You fail to keep your color when you lose your cool.
79* ComicallyMissingThePoint: You fail to understand the point another person is trying to get across in a humorous manner.
80* CompletelyOffTopicReport: You fail to write your assignment on a subject relevant to what was assigned.
81* ConceptsAreCheap: You fail to offer intellectual depth for your idealistic rhetoric.
82* ConfidenceSabotage: You are tricked into believing you're a failure.
83* ConflictBall: You fail to set up character conflicts properly.
84* CorrectionBait: You fail ''not'' to correct the mistake you've found.
85* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: You mess up information about a work that was obvious to anyone who is familiar with said work.
86* CrapolaTech: Technology that fails even to be a good prototype.
87* CreatorsPet: You fail to notice the audience's hatred for a character, continuing to endorse her/him.
88* CriticalExistenceFailure: You fail to stay alive, even though you were fine one hit point ago.
89* CriticalFailure: You fail to roll a two or higher, thus leading to more failure.
90* CriticalPsychoanalysisFailure: You fail to psychoanalyze someone.
91* CryonicsFailure: Your freezing system fails, usually with fatal consequences.
92* DangerousKeyFumble: You fail to hold on to your keys.
93* DangerouslyLoadedCargo: You failed to secure cargo.
94* DeafComposer: You can't enjoy something you made because your ability to experience the necessary sense(s) has failed.
95* DeathByGenreSavviness: Your knowledge of how things happen in works of fiction similar to the situation you are currently in fails to keep you alive.
96* DefensiveFailure: You fail to remember the weapon in your hand.
97* DelayedSafetyFeature: A safety feature fails to activate until after it would have been useful.
98* DesignatedHero: You fail to create a good character.
99* DesignatedVillain: You fail to create an evil character.
100* DespairEventHorizon: Your hope has failed and is beyond hope of restoration past this point.
101* DidntSeeThatComing: You fail to consider the consequences of your plan.
102* DidntThinkThisThrough: You fail to plan thoroughly.
103* DiedDuringProduction: You fail to finish your series before you die.
104* DiggingYourselfDeeper: You fail monumentally to fix a faux pas.
105* DisappointingHeritageReveal: Your ancestors fail to impress you.
106* DisappointingLastLevel: The final stretch of a game fails to meet expectations.
107* DisastrousDemonstration: Demonstration of a product or concept goes so horribly wrong that, whether it deserves to be or not, it's discredited.
108* DistractedByTheSexy: You fail to concentrate in the presence of {{Fanservice}}.
109* DIYDisaster: You fail at renovating your house.
110* DontShootTheMessage: Not only do you fail at enlightening others because your delivery was fallacious, vicious, or both, but for like reason(s) you fail at appealing to those on your side.
111* DoppelgangerGetsSameSentiment: You fail to distinguish emotionally between someone you know and a clone/AlternateUniverse duplicate/zombie/shapeshifter that "is" or used to be them.
112* DramaticallyMissingThePoint
113* DreadfulMusician: You fail to make music.
114* DrivesLikeCrazy: You fail to drive safely.
115* DudeNotFunny: You fail to keep your comedy in good taste.
116* DullSurprise: You fail to emote when, logically, you should be.
117* EEqualsMCHammer: You fail to write convincing-looking mathematics.
118* EightDeadlyWords: A FanSpeak phrase said when you fail to get people to be invested in your story.
119* ElevatorFailure: Your elevator fails.
120* EntendreFailure: You fail to make a double entendre.
121* EntertaininglyWrong: Sound though your reasoning is, it nonetheless fails to lead you to an accurate conclusion.
122* EpicFail: You fail ''spectacularly''.
123* EscapedAnimalRampage: When people failed to keep animals locked in their cages.
124* EveryCarIsAPinto: Cars catch on fire and/or explode when badly damaged.
125* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Villains fail due to their inability to see how virtue motivates their adversaries.
126* EvilWillFail: You can pursue a life of evil if you wish, but there'll be severe consequences.
127* ExactTimeToFailure: Initiating failure in three... two... one...
128* ExplosiveResults: The failure of a device/concoction/spell results in a comical explosion, a cloud of smoke, and ash on someone's face.
129* ExplosiveStupidity: You fail to handle a bomb correctly.
130* FMinusMinus: You fail spectacularly at schoolwork.
131* FacialCompositeFailure: You fail to draw an accurate Wanted poster.
132* FailedASpotCheck: You fail to spot something two inches from your face.
133* FailedAttemptAtDrama: You fail to make a dramatic moment.
134* FailedAttemptAtScaring: You fail to scare someone.
135* FailedAuditionPlot: You fail an audition for your dream career, but find a reason to keep trying.
136* FailedDramaticExit: You fail to leave your setting promptly on the note you wanted.
137* FailedExecutionNoSentence: After repeatedly failing to execute a criminal, the judge gives up and pardons the criminal.
138* FailedFutureForecast: You fail to predict the future.
139* FailingATaxi: You fail to hail a taxi.
140* FailsafeFailure: You fail to make a failsafe.
141* FailureGambit: You fail intentionally as part of a grander scheme.
142* FailureHero: You fail to save the day.
143* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: You have no choice but to fail because success would end the story.
144* FailureKnight: Your backstory revolves around some failure.
145* FailureMontage: You are shown failing in various ways.
146* FailuresOnIce: You fail to skate, especially on ice.
147* FalloutShelterFail: You fail at riding out the apocalypse in safety.
148* FemininityFailure: You fail to be ladylike.
149* FetishRetardant: You fail at {{Fanservice}}.
150* FightSceneFailure: You fail to direct an awesome fight scene.
151* FlameBait: You fail to realize the intensity of the mutual ValuesDissonance between you and other people online.
152* FlashbackFail: When someone tries to remember something, but is somehow unable to do so.
153* FlawedPrototype: Something fails because it is an early model and not as good as the final product.
154* FloorboardFailure: The floorboards have failed to support your weight.
155* ForgotAboutHisPowers: You fail to remember that you have a power that can save you.
156* FreudianSlipperySlope: You fail to prevent further {{Freudian Slip}}s.
157* GaveUpTooSoon: You failed because you gave up at the last second when you were about to succeed.
158* GeneralFailure: Your plans fail to prove you earned your rank as General.
159* GiftGivingGaffe: You fail to get someone a suitable present.
160* GlamourFailure: You fail to hide who you really are.
161* AGlitchInTheMatrix: Your otherwise convincing illusion momentarily malfunctions.
162* GoingHomeAgain: Making it to the big leagues, flunking, and returning home in shame or to clear the mind.
163* GoneHorriblyRight: Your plan worked, but you fail to consider its consequences.
164* GoneHorriblyWrong: Not only does your plan not work, it fails to work in disastrous ways.
165* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: Heroes fail due to their inability to see how vice motivates their adversaries.
166* GottaPassTheClass: You're failing at school, so you'd better hit the books.
167* GroupCostumeFail: You fail to coordinate your costuming with others.
168* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: The guards fail to do their jobs.
169* HalfBakedNiceness: Your compliment fails to be what a compliment should be.
170* HandWave: You fail to explain complicated plot points in great detail.
171* HappilyFailedSuicide: You failed to commit suicide, and that's a good thing.
172* HarmlessVillain: You fail to be a credible villain.
173* HeroTrackingFailure: You fail to shoot a moving target with PlotArmor.
174* HeroWithAnFInGood: You fail to be heroic.
175* HeroicBSOD: Your brain fails at a crucial juncture as you are committing your good deeds.
176* HeroicFatigue: A hero suffering the breaking point of being a hero.
177* HoistByHisOwnPetard: You bring your own failure directly upon yourself.
178* HollywoodHeartAttack: Your heart dramatically fails to work.
179* HolodeckMalfunction: Holograms glitch and become deadly.
180* HorsingAround: You fail at getting the steed to do what you want it to.
181* {{Hypocrite}}: You fail to practice what you preach.
182* ICantDance: You admit that you are a failure at dancing.
183* IdiotBall: Your brain temporarily fails to work properly.
184* IgnorantAboutFire: You fail to prevent a fire from starting or spreading due to being too stupid, naive, or clumsy.
185* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: You fail to realize your own ineptitude.
186* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace: You shoot someone due to [[RecklessGunUsage failing to handle a gun properly]].
187* ILetGwenStacyDie: You fail to save your loved ones.
188* IllNeverTellYouWhatImTellingYou: You fail ''epically'' at keeping a secret, even as you insist you'll succeed.
189* ImmunityAttrition: Your immunity to something only protects you in the short run, but prolonged exposure cancels it out.
190* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Your entire army fails to shoot a moving target with PlotArmor.
191* ImposterForgotOneDetail: You fail to convince others you are someone else.
192* IncompetenceInc: Your business fails at everything.
193* IncompetentGuardAnimal: An animal meant to guard, protect or chase away hilariously fails at its job.
194* InconvenientDarkRoomIllumination: You fail to lock the dark room door, and someone barged in and let light ruin the photos you were developing.
195* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Your evil schemes fail so often that the audience feels sorry for you.
196* INeverSaidItWasPoison: You fail because you demonstrated knowledge you shouldn't have had.
197* INeverToldYouMyName: You fail to avoid mentioning a person's name when you're trying to convince them that they never met you before.
198* IneptMage: You fail at magic.
199* InformedAttribute: You fail to demonstrate that a character is what you say s/he is like.
200* InopportuneImpersonationFailure: A character in disguise fails at the last second and is unmasked.
201* InsecurityCamera: A security camera fails to be useful, which is good news for you, the intruder.
202* InsultMisfire: You fail to offend your intended target.
203* InUniverseFactoidFailure: You fail to get a fact right.
204* IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat: You fail to realize everyone else's ineptitude compared to you.
205* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Your previously successful technique fails when used again.
206* ItsAWonderfulFailure: You see the repercussions of your failure before you see Game Over.
207* IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure: You failed, so your pal's got pain coming.
208* JerkSue: You fail to create a JerkassWoobie.
209* JumpRopeBlunders: You fail to skip rope.
210* JustOneLittleMistake: You failed to get away with your crime because of one minor slip-up.
211* KeyConfusion: You fail to find the correct key among a bunch of other keys.
212* LameComeback: You fail to come up with a witty one-liner.
213* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Your memory fails you whenever it's convenient for somebody else.
214* LastSecondPhotoFailure: You ''almost'' maintained order until the picture was taken, but you failed to prevent chaos at the last second.
215* LazyAlias: You fail to come up with a convincing fake name.
216* LethalChef: You fail at cooking.
217* LiteralMinded: You fail to understand metaphors.
218* LogicBomb: Your statement fails to maintain consistency with reality and possibility.
219* LooseLips: You fail to prevent yourself from giving away information at your own and other people's peril.
220* LosingHorns: Brass instruments or some other sound effects mock your failure.
221* LostAesop: You fail to remember the message you were originally trying to send.
222* MacGuffinBlindness: You fail to recognize the object you're looking for when it's right in front of you.
223* MadeOutToBeAJerkass: You lose face when you stand up for yourself.
224* MagicMisfire: You fail to cast your spell on your intended target.
225* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: You fail to react to a serious injury.
226* MakeoverFail: A makeover fails to make a person look better.
227* MatchmakerFailure: Character tries and fails to set two people up together.
228* MaternallyChallenged: A woman fails to be good with children.
229* MayorPain: You fail as a city leader.
230* MeaninglessMeaningfulWords: Your phrase with a "unique" meaning is anything but.
231* MemeticLoser: You are famous for your many and/or spectacular failures.
232* {{Metaphorgotten}}: You fail to convey a metaphor.
233* MindYourStep: A staircase's structural integrity fails.
234* MinionWithAnFInEvil: You fail to be villainous.
235* MissConception: You fail to realize that you need to have sex to get pregnant.
236* MissedTheRecital: You failed to arrive at a special event on time.
237* MisspellingOutLoud: You fail to spell a word out loud.
238* MistakesAreNotTheEndOfTheWorld: As long as you tried your best, it's OK to fail.
239* MoneyIsNotPower: You fail to bribe your way out of facing the consequences of your actions.
240* MookDepletion: You let yourself run out of {{Evil Minion}}s.
241* MoralEventHorizon: You cross the line into villainy for good.
242* MorphicResonance: Your shape-shifting fails to effectively hide your identity because of certain recognizable traits that stick no matter what form you assume.
243* MortonsFork: You fail regardless of the choice you make.
244* TheMountainsOfIllinois: You fail to provide proper geography when filming your show or movie.
245* MuggingTheMonster: You fail to realize that the target of your crime is NotSoHarmless.
246* MuggleBornOfMages: Special talent skips a generation.
247* MyCarHatesMe: Your getaway car fails to start.
248* MyGreatestFailure: You have never failed harder than this.
249* MyGreatestSecondChance: Preventing a a failure of yours from happening again, to you or to others.
250* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: You fail to speak a foreign language.
251* {{Narm}}: You fail to make a scene serious.
252* NearMisses: Peak tension is achieved by a character ''almost'' getting hit by a projectile.
253* NecessaryFail: You failed, but it's going to lead to greater things in the future.
254* NetworkDeath: Your TV network fails to stay on the air.
255* NeverBringAFriendToAnAudition: You fail at landing a role that you're auditioning for yourself; your friend got it instead.
256* NeverMyFault: You fail to realize the responsibilities of your own actions.
257* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Hero fails by trying to solve the problem.
258* NiceJobBreakingItRivals: You and your enemy both fail because neither of you could bear the thought of the other winning.
259* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Villain fails by trying to cause a problem.
260* NoAdequatePunishment: The law has no idea how to punish a specific crime.
261* NoCanOpener: Hoarding canned items for emergencies but forgetting the can opener.
262* NoDeadBodyPoops: You fail to brown your pants when you die.
263* NoJustNoReaction: You reject something while failing to articulate why you refuse to accept it properly.
264* NoListeningSkills: You fail to listen to anything anyone tells you.
265* NonSequiturThud: You fail to say something meaningful after an injury.
266* NoOSHACompliance: You fail to provide a safe workplace.
267* NoSell: Your ploy that usually succeeds fails on this person.
268* NoSocialSkills: You fail to carry on in a social setting.
269* NotDistractedByTheSexy: {{Fanservice}} fails to throw you off your track.
270* NotQuiteSavedEnough: You fail to keep yourself or someone you rescued safe from harm just as the dust clears.
271* NurseWithGoodIntentions: Someone tries to care for their sick or injured friend, but causes more problems than success.
272* ObliviouslyEvil: You fail to realize that you're a villain.
273* ObliviousToHatred: You fail to realize someone else hates you.
274* ObliviousToHints: You fail to take a hint.
275* ObliviousToHisOwnDescription: You fail to realize that someone is talking about you.
276* ObliviousToLove: You fail to realize that someone has romantic feelings for you.
277* ObviousBeta: You fail to program a game.
278* ObviousJudas: You fail to make your [[EvilAllAlong twist villain]] a surprise.
279* ObviouslyEvil: Villains fail at subtlety.
280* ObviousStuntDouble: The stunt double fails to pass as the actor.
281* OfCourseISmoke: You fail to pretend to be a smoker.
282* OffendingTheCreatorsOwn: You fail to appeal to viewers from your own background.
283* OpenFlyGag: You fail to check and adjust your clothes below the waist before anyone else reminds you.
284* OpenRelationshipFailure: A non-monogamous relationship has problems for reasons directly related to it being non-monogamous.
285* OpenSecret: You tell that it is a secret, [[TemptingFate and then everyone goes to it and finds out]].
286* OtherworldlyCommunicationFailure: Supernatural being fails to communicate their message to a human either because they freak them out or because they physically can't interact or talk to non-supernatural beings.
287* OutGambitted: Your plan fails when pitted against someone else's.
288* OvershadowedByControversy: You fail to make your work remembered for its merits, and instead remembered for an uproar.
289* OwnGoal: You fail to score a point in the opponent's goal, but succeed in scoring in your own team's goal.
290* PaperThinDisguise: You fail to recognize someone who is barely concealing his/her identity.
291* PassFail: You fail to be recognized as white, even if you're not.
292* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: You fail to create a good password.
293* PersonalHorror: You fail to follow your own CodeOfHonor.
294* ThePeterPrinciple: You succeeded at your old position, but fail at your new one.
295* PhlebotinumBreakdown: Your fantastic technology or magical item fails right when you need it most.
296* PlanBResolution: Plan A was thought to be the only real plan needed, and with its failure, an emergency Plan B is needed.
297* PlotHole: You fail to maintain your story's internal logic while writing it.
298* PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure: The hero's friends [[ConflictBall suddenly and temporarily fail to be friends]] for the sole reason of adding more drama to the plot.
299* PlumbersCrack: The plumber failed to check whether their pants or jeans wouldn't sag down to expose their butt crack when they bent over.
300* PointyHairedBoss: You fail as a business leader.
301* PokeThePoodle: Your attempt at an evil act fails to be evil.
302* ThePoorlyChosenOne: TheChosenOne fails his job.
303* PopculturalOsmosisFailure: You fail to recognize another demographic's pop-culture references.
304* PottyFailure: You fail to keep your pants clean.
305* PowerfulButIncompetent: A character that has great power or ability, but is too dumb to actually accomplish anything with it.
306* PowerIncontinence: You fail to keep your power under control.
307* ThePresentsWereNeverFromSanta: You fail to recognize the ''true'' source of all those useful things you got.
308* RecognitionFailure: You fail to recognize someone.
309* RecklessGunUsage: You fail to [[UsefulNotes/GunSafety handle a gun properly]].
310* RedemptionFailure: You fail to remain on the side of good.
311* ReliablyUnreliableGuns: Your gun is poorly made, so it [[WheresTheKaboom fails to shoot when it's supposed to]] and/or [[FailsafeFailure shoots when it's not supposed to]].
312* ReminderFailure: You fail to remember why you set up your mnemonics.
313* RepeatedRehearsalFailure: Your rehearsed message [[WordSaladHumor fails to stay coherent]] as you repeat it.
314* RevealingCoverUp: You fail to hide something immoral or incriminating.
315* RockBeatsLaser: Your state-of-the-art technology fails against more primitive weapons.
316* RootingForTheEmpire: You fail to get your audience to root for the hero against the villain.
317* RougeAnglesOfSatin: Yew fell two use wards car wrecked lee (You fail to use words correctly).
318* RummageFail: You fail to find something in a bag of random items.
319* RunningIntoTheWindow: You fail to prevent your collision with a window.
320* SamaritanSyndrome: You fail to rescue everybody when you're try to save a bunch of people.
321* SarcasmBlind: You fail to understand sarcasm.
322* SarcasmFailure: You fail to express sarcasm.
323* SayingTooMuch: You fail to avoid revealing confidential information.
324* ScrappyMechanic: You fail at making a game mechanic fun.
325* TheScrappy: Your character unintentionally fails to garner a {{Fandom}}, instead garnering a {{Hatedom}}.
326* SeekingTheIntangible: You fail to realize that intangible/abstract things can't be sought for.
327* SelfFulfillingProphecy: You failed to ScrewDestiny because you made it happen yourself.
328* SelfOffense: You hurt your buddies because you failed to recognize they weren't your enemies.
329* SelfPunishmentOverFailure: You punish yourself for failing at something.
330* SenselessSacrifice: You fail to accomplish anything with your HeroicSacrifice.
331* ShaggyDogStory: A story's buildup fails to have a payoff.
332* ShallowCannotComprehendTrueLove: A superficial person fails to understand that not everyone else is shallow.
333* ShapeshiftingFailure: Your {{shapeshifting}} is imperfect or falls apart quickly.
334* ShoehornedAcronym: You fail to make an acronym well.
335* ShootTheShaggyDogStory: A story's buildup fails to have a payoff, and the characters shall die for it.
336* ShortLivedAerialEscape: The helicopter sent to rescue you fails to get away after you get on board.
337* TheShowMustGoWrong: You fail to keep disaster from happening during your performance.
338* SickCaptiveScam: A guard fails to realize a captive is faking illness[=/=]injury to get the drop on him.
339* TheSimpleGestureWins: After several grand gestures fail, the one that works is the unimpressive one.
340* SkepticismFailure: You fail to disprove the existence of the supernatural.
341* SkewedPriorities: You fail to notice what is more important.
342* SlipperySwimsuit: Your swimsuit fails to stay on your body.
343* SoMuchForStealth: You managed to sneak this far, but now you've failed to maintain your stealth.
344* SpannerInTheWorks: Your evil plan is thwarted because you failed to anticipate the involvement of the hero who thwarts the plan.
345* SpecialEffectFailure: You failed to fund the SFX department properly.
346* SpringtimeForHitler: A FailureGambit fails by becoming an unexpected, unwanted success.
347* StaircaseTumble: You fail to keep your balance on a staircase, either because of [[MindYourStep a faulty staircase]] or [[CantUseStairs your own body.]]
348* StillbornFranchise: Your work fails to start an intended franchise.
349* StreisandEffect: You fail to suppress knowledge of something, and are making it more widely known, instead.
350* StatusQuoGameShow: You failed to win a game show because StatusQuoIsGod.
351* StockFootageFailure: You fail to realize that was a bad time to use StockFootage.
352* StrawCharacter: You fail to present your opponents' actual arguments.
353* StrawmanHasAPoint: You fail to make your opponents look irrational.
354* SturgeonsLaw: You'll fail nine times out of ten.
355* SucksAtDancing: You fail at dancing.
356* SuckySchool: Your educational institution fails to function.
357* SurveillanceStationSlacker: Whoever watches the security cameras fails to do their job.
358* SuspectExistenceFailure: The suspects for a crime you're investigating fail to stay alive. This hints that you've probably failed to put the perpetrator on your suspect list.
359* SuspectIsHatless: You're asked to describe a person, but fail to make your description specific enough to narrow down who the person could be.
360* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: You fail to avoid suspicion because you denied stuff the other person hasn't even accused you of.
361* SwissCheeseSecurity: Your security fails to keep people out.
362* SymbologyResearchFailure: You fail to remember that cool logo you saw the other day and put into your work actually has religious meanings.
363* TeleporterAccident: You fail at teleportation.
364* TestingRangeMishap: You fail at the testing range and possibly beyond it.
365* ThinksOfSomethingSmartSaysSomethingStupid: You fail to say a smart thing despite thinking of one, and say a stupid thing instead.
366* ThirdPartyDealBreaker: An agreement falls apart because somebody outside the deal interferes with it.
367* ThoughtAversionFailure: You fail ''not'' to think about something when ordered not to.
368* ThreadOfProphecySevered: A prophecy fails to come to pass due to something involved in it breaking.
369* ThrowThePin: You fail to handle a grenade correctly.
370* TimeForPlanB: Your first plan failed; on to the backup.
371* TooBleakStoppedCaring: You fail to give your audience anything to like about your work's setting and characters.
372* TooDumbToLive: Because you failed so badly to think things through, your body fails to keep working.
373* TortureIsIneffective: You fail to torture information out of a prisoner.
374* TotallyRadical: You fail at youth culture forever.
375* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: You failed because you just ''couldn't wait''.
376* TranslationByVolume: You fail to communicate with foreigners.
377* TranslationTrainWreck: You fail ''monumentally'' to translate something.
378* TrapDoorFail: You fail to drop someone down through a trapdoor.
379* TrappedByMountainLions: You fail to make the characters' stories relevant to the greater plotline.
380* TrappedTheWrongTarget: A trap catches someone or something other than the intended target.
381* TrustBuildingBlunder: An exercise meant to improve interpersonal trust increases tensions because someone intentionally or unintentionally messed it up.
382* TutorialFailure: You fail to teach someone how to play a game properly.
383* UnderlingWithAnFInPR: You don't care about the media fallout of your actions.
384* UnexpectedlyRealMagic: You fail to realize what you're doing is magic until it's too late.
385* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: You fail to notice that you designed the character in a way that they look unintentionally risque or offensive.
386* UnfortunateImplications: You fail to notice an accidental {{stereotype}} or other offensive aspect in your work before making it public.
387* UnfortunateItemSwap: You fail to tell those two important objects apart.
388* UnintentionallySympathetic: You fail to create a proper HateSink.
389* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: You fail to create a likeable character.
390* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: The programmer and/or game designer fails, or the player fails by trying too hard or messing around.
391* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: You fail to make a timeless work.
392* {{Unishment}}: You fail to make the punishee rue the consequences.
393* TheUnsmile: You fail to smile properly.
394* UnsuccessfulPetAdoption: You fail to own a pet, either because it runs away or is sent away.
395* {{Unwinnable}}: The game can only end in failure, no matter how much you win.
396* UnwinnableByDesign: The programmer intentionally designs a game that can only end in failure.
397* UpsideDownBlueprints: An architect follows the blueprints they're reading... only to build the project upside down.
398* UselessSecurityCamera: A security camera fails to be useful, which is bad news for you, the police.
399* ValuesDissonance: Your work fails to connect with people outside the intellectual fashions of your time and place.
400* VideoCallFail: A video call which goes off the rails, usually thanks to the user of it.
401* ViewerNameConfusion: Audiences fail to get your name right.
402* VillainousBreakdown: You lose your composure and/or sanity when your EvilPlan fails.
403* VillainousPlanInertia: You defeated the villain, but that alone won't stop his plan.
404* VirtualAssistantBlunder: Your smart device fails to understand what you just asked it.
405* VoodooShark: You fail to cover your plot holes.
406* WalkingTechbane: You fail to prevent your mere presence from causing machinery to fail.
407* WardrobeMalfunction: Your clothes fail to cover you.
408* WatchOutForThatTree: You fail to prevent your collision with a tree.
409* WatchWhereYoureGoing: You fail to prevent your collision with someone else.
410* WeAreStrugglingTogether: You fail to cooperate with someone who shares your objectives.
411* WearingItAllWrong: You fail to put a garment on the right body part.
412* WeaksauceWeakness: Your defences fail against a common and/or feeble attack.
413* WhatDoesThisButtonDo: You fail to exercise restraint around buttons that you shouldn't be pressing.
414* WhatTheFuAreYouDoing: You fail at martial arts.
415* WheresTheKaboom: You fail to make something explode.
416* WhereWhere: You fail to recognize that someone is referring to you.
417* WimpFight: You and your opponent fail at fighting.
418* WithCatlikeTread: Your attempt at stealth [[EpicFail has the complete opposite effect.]]
419* WitlessProtectionProgram: WitnessProtection fails to prevent criminal retaliation.
420* WorfHadTheFlu: You fail because of a temporary disadvantage.
421* WorldLimitedToThePlot: You fail to build context for your story.
422* WrongLineOfWork: Someone gets a job they lack the proper skills for.
423* YouAnsweredYourOwnQuestion: You fail to see the obvious answer contained within your own question.
424* YouAreTooLate: You fail to reach your destination on time.
425* YouCantFightFate: Your attempts to ScrewDestiny will fail every time.
426* YouCantThwartStageOne: You fail to stop a villain's plan even when you ''should'' have succeeded.
427* YouHaveFailedMe: You fail to please your superior, and pay the price for it.
428* YouJustRuinedTheShot: You interrupted the actors because you failed to distinguish acting from reality.
429* YouJustToldMe: You fail to recognize that someone is tricking you into revealing the secret.
430* YouKeepUsingThatWord: You fail to understand the actual definition of a word you use.
431* YourCostumeNeedsWork: You, the genuine article, fail to be recognizable when compared to imitations.
432* YouWereTryingTooHard: You failed because you had to do the job calmly.
433[[/index]]
434----
435''[[AC:Index shutting down…]]''

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