Basic Trope: A character persistently refuses directions or other navigational aid, no matter how necessary.
- Straight: Though they've been lost for hours, Bob ignores Alice when she suggests they ask for directions.
- Exaggerated: Bob and Alice have crossed so many geological barriers that they're probably on the wrong continent by now, but Bob maintains that he doesn't need directions.
- Downplayed: Bob gets lost for fifteen minutes, since the only navigational aid he'll use is a map and the only directions he'll ask for are from Alice.
- Justified:
- Bob is afraid to ask for directions because they're lost in a Town with a Dark Secret.
- Bob and Alice are far away from civilization. No one's around to ask directions from, so Bob doesn't see the point in trying to find someone.
- Bob has No Sense of Direction.
- Bob and Alice secretly stole the car from Bob's dad and Bob fears that asking for directions would increase the risk of his dad finding out.
- Inverted:
- Bob asks for directions, and they end up lost as a result.
- Though they've been lost for hours, Alice ignores Bob when he suggests they ask for directions.
- Bob knows he's going the wrong way and wants to ask for directions. Alice insists that they keep going.
- Subverted:
- Bob refuses to ask for directions, but he knows he needs them, so he makes Alice ask because she's the woman.
- Bob really was taking the scenic route. Alice and Bob arrive at their destination as planned.
- Bob really was lost, but, by dumb luck, Alice and he get to their destination in time.
- Double Subverted:
- Bob receives directions, then deliberately ignores them.
- The scenic route Bob drives on was correct ... five years ago. Due to changes in the roads, the route Bob takes him and Alice on leads them to someplace away from their destination. Since Bob believes he knows where they are, he doesn't ask for directions.
- Parodied: On a trek through the Sahara Desert, Alice and Bob find themselves at the bottom of the ocean. Bob insists that this is the right way.
- Zig Zagged: Bob refuses to ask for directions, so he makes Alice ask. Alice refuses to ask for directions, but a kindly stranger gives them directions anyway. Bob deliberately ignores this and gets even more lost, so he finally asks someone...
- Averted:
- Bob is a navigation robot with an infallible guidance system.
- Or he, y'know, asks for directions when he's lost.
- Bob knows where he's going.
- Enforced: Bob will never ask for directions in order to show that he's a stubborn Jerkass.
- Lampshaded: "I'm a man, I can't ask for directions!"
- Invoked: "He's a man, he can't ask for directions, so he'll be hopelessly lost, ahahahahaha!!"
- Exploited: Bob and Alice are visiting his parents. Alice hates Bob's parents. To arrive at Bob's parents' house as late as possible, Alice intentionally lets Bob drive and navigate.
- Defied: "I'm not going to risk getting us lost for the rest of the day. Where's somebody who can give us directions?"
- Discussed: "I haven't asked for directions since I was three; I'm not going to start now."
- Conversed: "A Bumbling Dad behind the wheel? They're gonna get lost, and he won't ask for directions."
- Implied: Bob says, "Sorry we're late. we got lost." Alice grumbles, "You mean you got lost."
- Deconstructed: Bob arrives too late with a donated organ due to his refusal to ask for directions.
- Reconstructed: Bob triple-checks his route before he starts a trip and brings a GPS or a map just in case.
- Played For Laughs: Bob and Alice bicker comically while driving in circles around the exact place they're trying to go.
- Played For Drama: Bob and Alice get so badly lost they end up at an Old, Dark House, where a murderer is hiding...
Back to Directionless Driver
"I don't need a link! The "Main" button is... Over there! (Heads off to the left)."
