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Basic Trope: A desert is a terrible place to be.

  • Straight: Alice and Bob end up in a desert. Alice groans for water and walks slowly, while Bob is almost unconscious, and both are sweating heavily. Vultures also circle ominously in the sky.
  • Exaggerated: The moment Alice and Bob step foot in the desert, they both instantly pass out and die.
  • Downplayed: In the desert, Bob does the stereotypical walking slowly and groaning for water but he never seems in danger of dying or losing consciousness. Alice, meanwhile, complains a lot, but is just as perky and articulate as normal.
  • Justified: Alice and Bob have no idea how to deal with being in a desert, or someone stole their supplies.
  • Inverted:
    • Alice and Bob have to brave a very dangerous Bubblegloop Swamp.
    • After enduring horribly damp and cold conditions, the desert comes a relief for Alice and Bob.
  • Subverted: "Ugh... water... just kidding."
  • Double Subverted: "I mean, I am severely dehydrated but that's no excuse for such terrible grammar!"
  • Parodied: Alice just treats it like a day at the beach, while Bob does shamble and groan, but, because he speaks in big words, he groans, "Dihydrogen monoxide...".
  • Zig-Zagged: Alice, Bob, Charlie, and Diane end up in the desert. Alice complains but doesn't seem unhealthy, Bob experiences all the stereotypical symptoms, Charlie is semi-conscious, and Diane is perfectly happy.
  • Averted:
    • Alice and Bob don't end up in the desert.
    • Alice and Bob do end up in the desert, but neither of them suffers horribly.
  • Enforced:
  • Lampshaded: "Oh, man, we'd better get outta here before we start walking slowly and speaking in one-word sentences!"
  • Invoked: The villain steals Alice and Bob's supplies before throwing them into the desert.
  • Exploited: "Soon, they'll be so dehydrated that they'll accept water from everyone, so I can poison them! Muahahahaha!"
  • Defied: "Stuff that, I'm bringing a whole tank of water. That way, we can solve the dehydration problem by drinking it, and the heat problem by swimming in it!"
  • Discussed: "How do I survive in a desert, preferably with my dignity?"
  • Conversed: "How do I survive in a desert without ending up like one of those shuffling, bad-grammar-spouting movie characters?"
  • Implied: Alice and Bob stumble onscreen, sweating, gulping, and covered in sand.
  • Deconstructed:
  • Reconstructed:
  • Played for Laughs: Alice and Bob start hallucinating buildings.
  • Played for Drama: Alice must get the unconscious Bob to water before either he dies or she also loses consciousness.
  • Played for Horror: The world is one big, terrible desert because of pollution.

Back to Thirsty Desert, but bring plenty of water first!

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