Hostile Weather: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

This is a trope for when the characters are explicitly beset by hostile, driving rain, tornadoes, dust storms, or other oppressively inconvenient weather, which only lets up at sudden, inconvenient increments, often to indicate they are in a [[Hungry Jungle]] or other hostile environment. The characters will spend their time asking "when will this ever let up?" When it ''does'' let up, it will start back up again the minute they comment on it. Related to [[When It Rains, It Pours]].

 

Contrast [[Empathic Environment]] tropes, where the weather merely sets the mood rather than actually influencing events. Compare [[Weather of War]].

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

 

 

* The blizzard in ''Alive'' manages to come along just in time to kill as many passengers as starvation and cold, although this could again be chalked up to inexperienced rugby players deciding to [[Idiot Ball|wait out the winter]]. Then an ''avalanche!'' makes a beeline for the open end of the plane, wiping out most of the passengers.

** [[Truth in Television]]. The passengers did have these things happen to them in the real life event this movie covers.

* The weather in ''[[Aliens]]'' and ''[[Alien|Alien3]]'' is permanently extreme, although it mostly serves to set the mood.

* ''[[Hard Rain]]'', where bank robbers are tracked amidst a heavy torrent and flood.

* ''[[Young Frankenstein]]''. <small>(Frederick and Igor are exhuming a dead criminal)</small>

* ''[[Die Hard 2]]'' depends on this trope for its plot to function.

 

== Literature ==

* The snow on Caradhras in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' is explicitly hostile to the Fellowship. In the book, it even dumps an avalanche behind them after they leave, in case they change their mind.

* Ray Bradbury's short story "[[wikipedia:The Long Rain|The Long Rain]]". The crew of a crashed rocket ship must trek [[Science Marches On|across the surface of Venus]], where the rain literally never stops.

 

 

* An early episode of ''[[The Pacific]]'' is only the most recent example. While everyone else contracts tropical diseases, it finally comes a clear blue day. The [[Drill Sergeant Nasty|Gunnery Sergeant]] tells everyone to wait for the rain to start and shower in it. He gets undressed in the middle of the camp and lathers up, loudly reciting the Marine Rules of Conduct regarding cleanliness. Then the rain stops immediately. Gunny looks up at the sky and shouts ''"Is '''that''' all?"''

* Inverted in the pilot of ''[[Lost]]''. Michael promises to look for Vincent as soon as the rain stops. No sooner does he say this than the rain stops.

 

 

** Fully endorsed in game-master advice for the [[Ravenloft]] campaign setting, where Nature's hostility is an important tool for creating an [[Incredibly Lame Pun|oppressive atmosphere]].

** Many extraplanar locations have such things as constant acidic snow and unrelenting tiny meteorite showers to ensure that low-level travelers are slain on arrival.

** The 3rd Edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' had a variety of nasty weather to throw at players, including hurricanes, tornadoes, dust storms, blizzards and thunderstorms.

* ''[[Traveller]]'' Double Adventure "Mission on Mithril". Weather on the planet Mithril was determined randomly. It included both mild and severe storms on a regular basis, with the temperature almost always below freezing.

* ''[[Mouse Guard]]''. Members of the title organization have to worry about this all the time. The Territories have bad weather on a regular basis in every season of the year, including snow storms (late Fall through early Spring), blizzards and ice storms (Winter), heat waves (Summer), rain (all year long), thunderstorms with possible lightning strikes and flash floods (late Spring and late Summer) and autumn storms (late Fall). Nasty weather is one of the four hazards that the GM uses to create obstacles on a mission.

 

 

* [[Left 4 Dead 2]] has this as a gameplay mechanic in one campaign, appropriately called "Heavy Rain". After reaching the end of the level, you must then fight your way back to the starting point, through cornfields, an abandoned mill and a deserted town...all in the constant, obscuring rain and flooding of a southern hurricane. [[Beyond the Impossible|Good luck not hitting any witches when you can barely see them.]]

* The beginning of the second [[Spyro the Dragon]] game has Spyro in the middle of the rain season in the dragon lands. In his own words...

 

 

== Web Comics ==

 

 

== Western Animation ==

* Happened in an episode of ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' when Mojo Jojo kidnapped the narrator and took his place. If I remember correctly, he at one point forces the girls to walk somewhere rather than fly, leading to this:

'''Mojo Jojo:''' Hm...Good idea! ''(It starts raining)'' }}

* Played with in ''[[Family Guy]]'' in "Brian Writes a Best Seller."

** Later on, the same gag is repeated,[[Double Subversion|and ''then'' it starts raining]]

 

== Real Life ==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Narrative Devices]]

[[Category:Weather and Environment]]

[[Category:Thunderbolts and Lightning]]

[[Category:This Index Blows]]