Basic Trope: A character needs their caffeine fix.
- Straight: Bob can't function without his morning cup of coffee.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob drinks a whole pot of coffee before he's even remotely functional.
- Bob and all of his coworkers are barely awake before their collective kaffeeklatsch.
- Bob decides to bypass the brewing and just snack on coffee beans.
- Bob names his son after Juan Valdez
, and his daughter after Ishtar (the woman on the Starbucks Logo). - Bob is so non-functional before his coffee that Alice has to bring him the coffee and drip it into his mouth.
- Bob becomes a stockholder in Folgers.
- Downplayed: Bob can sort of function on his own, but the coffee helps.
- Justified:
- Bob is addicted to caffeine—which can be Truth in Television.
- Bob is/has been pulling an all-nighter, and he really needs the stimulants.
- Inverted:
- Drinking coffee makes Bob lethargic.
- Bob hates coffee.
- Bob is very health-conscious and avoids anything with caffeine in it.
- Subverted:
- Someone offers Bob some of the office coffee, but he declines the offer.
- Bob drinks coffee, but not for the caffeine. He drinks it decaffeinated.
- Double Subverted:
- ...Because it doesn't compare to his favorite blend, which he's getting right now.
- But when he accidentally drinks some coffee with caffeine in it, he becomes addicted.
- Parodied:
- Bob carries an IV drip of coffee wherever he goes.
- Bob names his daughter after Juan Valdez.
- Bob names all his children after Juan Valdez.
- Bob starts a religion called "Caffeinism" and treats coffee like it's communion wine.
- Bob cuts himself, and his blood is coffee-brown instead of red.
- Zig-Zagged: Some days, Bob drinks coffee; some days, he doesn't—it all depends on his mood.
- Averted: No coffee drinking is mentioned.
- Enforced: The work is sponsored by a coffee company.
- Lampshaded: "So, Bob, is this your fourth or fifth cup of coffee?"
- Invoked: Alice introduces Bob to coffee, saying that it will help him stay awake and alert.
- Exploited: Alice needs a favor from Bob, so she gets him coffee to make him more likely to grant it.
- Defied: Bob refuses to drink coffee.
- Discussed: "Don't be surprised to see Bob walking around with his favorite coffee mug."
- Conversed: "How much caffeine do these people need, anyway?"
- Implied: Alice mentions running into Bob just outside Starbucks.
- Deconstructed:
- Bob drinks so much coffee that he ends up OD'ing on caffeine, landing him in the hospital.
- Bob has a severe addiction to caffeine, worsening his wellbeing and alienating his friends.
- Reconstructed:
- Because of this, Bob decides to cut back. He still drinks coffee, but not as much.
- Turns out, caffeine only made Bob stronger since he has an absurdly high caffeine tolerance.
- Played for Laughs:
- Charlie helps himself to Bob's coffee while he's gone. When Bob gets back and sees his coffee mug in Charlie's hands...hoo, boy...
- Bob decides to give up coffee. Unfortunately, Cold Turkeys Are Everywhere.
- Alice and Bob is a Whole-Plot Reference to Green Eggs and Ham with Bob standing in for Sam-I-Am.
- Played for Drama:
- When Bob turns down his favorite blend of coffee, Alice realizes that something is terribly wrong.
- Bob is so addicted to coffee that he experience withdrawal symptoms once deprived of it.
- Played for Horror:
- Bob imbibes so much caffeine it fucks with his mind and he sees some seriously disturbing things.
- Bob goes out of his mind and commits atrocities while high on caffeine — and he doesn't even have a My God, What Have I Done? moment.
- Jim drinks the last ounce of coffee in the office. Bob shanks him with a broken coffee mug.
Back to Must Have Caffeine, because I need my fix!
