History Main / TemptingFate

->''"What a nice day. Just walkin' out in the sun, talkin' into my ECHO recorder, hoping [[GoddamnedBats skags]] won't ambush me and break my gun into [[TwentyBearAsses four separate pieces]] before eating them. OH GOD! THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING! AHHHHH!"''
-->-- An ApocalypticLog that starts a MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest in ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}''

-->-- An ApocalypticLog that starts a MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest in ''[[{{Borderlands2}} Borderlands 2]]''

-->-- An ApocalypticLog in ''[[{{Borderlands2}} Borderlands 2]]''

-->-- An ApocalypticLog in ''[[Borderlands2 Borderlands 2]]''

-->''"What a nice day. Just walkin' out in the sun, talkin' into my ECHO recorder, hoping [[GoddamnedBats skags]] won't ambush me and break my gun into [[TwentyBearAsses four separate pieces]] before eating them. OH GOD! THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING! AHHHHH!"''
-->-- An ApocalypticLog in ''{{Borderlands2}}''

-->''"What a nice day. Just walkin' out in the sun, talkin' into my ECHO recorder, hoping [[GoddamnedBats skags]] won't ambush me and break my gun into [[TwentyBareAsses four separate pieces]] before eating them. OH GOD! THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING! AHHHHH!"''
-->-- An ApocalypticLog in ''Borderlands2''

->In ''{{Heat}},'' our characters screw up a "perfectly-planned" heist ([[DiscussedTrope does that really surprise you anymore]]?)
-->- [[http://www.cracked.com/article_16630_6-baffling-mistakes-every-movie-criminal-makes_p2.html This]] article from ''Website/{{Cracked}}.''

* "You're gonna pay for that..." - The most common response to ''this'' one is, [[ObligatoryJoke "Just send me the bill."]] DeadpanSnarker heroes ''never'' get tired of ''that'' one.

* "At least it isn't raining." — CueTheRain.

* "Who's gonna make me?" -- This treat usually makes someone even ''more'' likely to make him.
* [[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough "There's no way anyone would be stupid enough to try that..."]] -- That would be the IdiotHero or IneffectualSympatheticVillain's cue.

->''"[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSvdDe-bpuU&t=0m45s And He shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!]]"''
-->-- '''[[BigBad Minister Frollo]]''' just before his KarmicDeath, ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''

* "But that's just a legend, right?" -- No, it isn't. [[AllMythsAreTrue It is very real.]] Oh, and it's [[RightBehindMe right behind you]], about to eat you.

* "There is no such thing as X!" -- Actually, [[SkepticismFailure there]] ''[[SkepticismFailure is]]'' [[SkepticismFailure such a thing as X]]. And it's [[RightBehindMe right behind you]], about to eat you.

TemptingFate is when a character says something that dares the universe into making things miserable for them, and the universe takes them up on the challenge. Oftentimes, the character is commenting on how they've hit RockBottom and how things couldn't possibly get any worse — right before things ''do'' turn FromBadToWorse. Conversely, they may talk about how things are absolutely perfect, only for their world to come crashing down five seconds later.

And sometimes tempting fate can get downright ''lethal''. For example, that guy in every horror movie who tells his friends "I'll be right back" before wandering off by himself is most assuredly ''not'' going to be back. Or that guy in every war movie who shows [[FatalFamilyPhoto that picture of his family]] to the others and expresses his hope to get through this and make it back home to them, which all but ensures that he will ''not'' make it. Or that veteran cop in every action movie who's just several days away from {{Retir|ony}}ement, and thus doomed to be gunned down in his final case. This particular variant of TemptingFate is known as a DeathFlag.

* "WhatDoesThisButtonDo?" — Screw up ''everything'', that's what! DontTouchItYouIdiot!

* TemptingFate/ProWrestling

If you have time, please take time to put examples in alphabetical order. This page Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings should help you with that.

[[quoteright:298:[[Webcomic/{{Buttersafe}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Buttersafe_Tempting_Fate_8090.png]]]]

And sometimes tempting fate can get downright ''lethal''. For example, that guy in every horror movie who tells his friends "I'll be right back" before wandering off by himself is most assuredly ''not'' going to be back. Or that guy in every war movie who shows [[FatalFamilyPhoto that picture of his family]] to the others and expresses his hope to get through this and make it back home to them, which all but ensures that he will ''not'' make it. Or that veteran cop in every action movie who's just several days away from {{Retir|ony}}ement, and thus doomed to be gunned down in his final case. This particular variant of TemptingFate is known as a Death Flag.

Compare SchmuckBait. For the supertrope to this, see TropeTelegraphing. Contrast the GodzillaThreshold for where things really ''can't'' get any worse.

** "ThisIsGoingToBeHuge." -- [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. It will not normally, unless someone subsequently says the above.

* "YouHaveNoChanceToSurvive!" -- Strange how you use the second person plural when the first person singular is more accurate.

And sometimes tempting fate can get downright ''lethal''. For example, that guy in every horror movie who tells his friends "I'll be right back" before wandering off by himself is most assuredly ''not'' going to be back. Or that guy in every war movie who shows [[FatalFamilyPhoto that picture of his family]] to the others and expresses his hope to get through this and make it back home to them, which all but ensures that he will ''not'' make it. Or that veteran cop in every action movie who's just several days away from {{Retir|ony}}ement, and thus doomed to be gunned down in his final case. FinaglesLaw can be a ''bitch''.