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* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Towards the end, Aiden gets one about how being in the army finally gives him a reason to live.
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* FriendsRentControl: Aiden says the family lived in a small apartment in the city. Flashbacks show their home being quite nice and spacious, with an upstairs. Of course he could mean that he and his mother moved to a smaller place after Rory's death.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wisf.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Hope isn't a strategy!"[[note]]"But it's the best one we've got."[[/note]]]]
''What I Stand For'' is a 2019 Irish ShortFilm written and directed by Zac Goold.
We follow an Irish soldier called Aiden Daniels - who is the sole survivor of a particularly nasty battle. He meets up with three other survivors - [[ActionGirl Stephanie Byrne]], [[HotBlooded Ed Kinney]] and [[AlmostDeadGuy Charlie McNamara]]. Also a TagAlongKid called Jack. While waiting for a chance to escape, the survivors [[ContemplateOurNavels contemplate their navels]] and why they enlisted in the first place.
''What I Stand For'' is something of a remake of a previous short with a different script but under the same title, and with some of the same crew members (Zac Goold directed both times, but only wrote the second script). The original's TroubledProduction meant it was never finished and will likely never see the light of day. The completed remake however can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g8tXcUFbwM here]].
!!Tropes:
* AbandonedWarChild: Jack is a civilian separated from his parents.
* ActionGirl: Stephanie Byrne, who has achieved the rank of corporal, and kicks Aiden's ass in a fight.
* ArtisticLicenseMilitary:
** Aiden and Charlie sport very noticeable facial hair. The Irish military is known for rarely allowing it when someone is in uniform.
** Aiden's hair is also a bit on the long side.
** The soldiers can be seen wearing non-camouflage pants in wider shots.
* BigBrotherInstinct: From the flashbacks, we can see that Aiden was a very doting brother to Rory.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Ed Kinney (blond), Stephanie Byrne (brunette), Aiden Daniels (strawberry blonde substituting redhead).
* BraidsOfAction: Stephanie keeps hers in a French braid, as is military regulation.
* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: Ain't no one old and ugly in this short!
* ComfortTheDying: Aiden does so to Charlie, who clearly won't be alive that much longer.
* ComfortingComforter: Stephanie gives Jack her coat when he gets sick.
* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: Stephanie attempts to revive Charlie with this, and of course it doesn't work. It had little chance of doing anything without noticeable medical equipment, but you can forgive her for trying to save her childhood friend.
* DeathOfAChild: Rory who appears to be under eighteen at the oldest.
* DisappearedDad: Aiden and Rory's isn't in the picture. It's just said that he "left", with it being unclear if it was before or after Rory's death.
* DistractedFromDeath: Stephanie doesn't notice Charlie's passing because she's helping Jack.
* FallenOnHardTimesJob: As Aiden puts it, "it was this or homelessness". Subverted in that he loves being in the military.
* AFatherToHisMen: Aiden seems to become this, despite not being that much older (his actor Corey Patton is in fact three years younger than Stephanie's actress Laura Flynn).
* FireForgedFriends: Stephanie, Charlie and Ed were already this. They end up welcoming Aiden and by extension Jack into the circle.
* FirstNameBasis: Stephanie calls Ed and Charlie by their first names since she's known them a long time.
* FriendOrFoe: Aiden and Stephanie get into a fist fight before they both realise they're on the same side.
* GreatOffscreenWar: The opening has Aiden escaping the remains of a battle, and everything else is ContemplateOurNavels until they think of a strategy.
* IHaveBrothers: Stephanie had five, so she's known "nothing but fighting".
* InformedPoverty: Aiden refers to his mother living in an apartment where space was tight. Presumably this was after Rory died, as they're shown having a rather nice looking house.
* KnightKnaveAndSquire: Aiden is the idealistic Knight, Stephanie the pragmatic Knave and Ed the inexperienced Squire.
* TheLancer: As the other corporal (but who still defers to Aiden), Stephanie fills this role.
* LittleHeroBigWar: The protagonists are survivors of a big war that are just trying to escape.
* MatchCut: Aiden looking off into the distance during his brother's wake is matched with his decisive look into the territory they've got to cover before the film ends.
* NoNameGiven: Mrs Daniels doesn't get a first name.
* NonActionGuy: Jack is the only non-soldier in the group.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Ed Kinney joined because he thought the army would be an "easy wage".
* ReplacementGoldfish: Jack fills this role for Rory, as someone who Aiden needs to help.
* SacrificialLamb: Charlie [=McNamara=], who dies halfway through.
* SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers: Aiden responds to "hope isn't a strategy" with "it's the best we've got".
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/HighAndTight'', which is also about misplaced Irish young people joining the army (the lead character is also a mid-twenties male partly motivated by a dead family member). Zac Goold and Bobby Calloway have joked that they take place in the same universe.
* ThousandYardStare: Aiden has one while at his brother's wake.
* TroubledBackStoryFlashback: The film intercuts with flashbacks of Aiden's brother dying of an illness.
* {{Tsundere}}: Ed is introduced as very fiery and mouthy (if he were under eighteen he'd qualify for MouthyKid), but once things settle down he's shown to be much friendlier.
* VomitIndiscretionShot: Both Rory and Jack get their upchucking detailed in icky fashion.
* WithAFriendAndAStranger: The protagonist is the stranger Aiden, who meets up with Stephanie and her two friends Charlie and Ed.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Towards the end, Aiden gets one about how being in the army finally gives him a reason to live.
* WorthLivingFor: This is what the army is for Aiden.
* YouAreInCommandNow: Aiden assumes the role of leader once he runs into the others.
[[caption-width-right:350:"Hope isn't a strategy!"[[note]]"But it's the best one we've got."[[/note]]]]
''What I Stand For'' is a 2019 Irish ShortFilm written and directed by Zac Goold.
We follow an Irish soldier called Aiden Daniels - who is the sole survivor of a particularly nasty battle. He meets up with three other survivors - [[ActionGirl Stephanie Byrne]], [[HotBlooded Ed Kinney]] and [[AlmostDeadGuy Charlie McNamara]]. Also a TagAlongKid called Jack. While waiting for a chance to escape, the survivors [[ContemplateOurNavels contemplate their navels]] and why they enlisted in the first place.
''What I Stand For'' is something of a remake of a previous short with a different script but under the same title, and with some of the same crew members (Zac Goold directed both times, but only wrote the second script). The original's TroubledProduction meant it was never finished and will likely never see the light of day. The completed remake however can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g8tXcUFbwM here]].
!!Tropes:
* AbandonedWarChild: Jack is a civilian separated from his parents.
* ActionGirl: Stephanie Byrne, who has achieved the rank of corporal, and kicks Aiden's ass in a fight.
* ArtisticLicenseMilitary:
** Aiden and Charlie sport very noticeable facial hair. The Irish military is known for rarely allowing it when someone is in uniform.
** Aiden's hair is also a bit on the long side.
** The soldiers can be seen wearing non-camouflage pants in wider shots.
* BigBrotherInstinct: From the flashbacks, we can see that Aiden was a very doting brother to Rory.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Ed Kinney (blond), Stephanie Byrne (brunette), Aiden Daniels (strawberry blonde substituting redhead).
* BraidsOfAction: Stephanie keeps hers in a French braid, as is military regulation.
* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: Ain't no one old and ugly in this short!
* ComfortTheDying: Aiden does so to Charlie, who clearly won't be alive that much longer.
* ComfortingComforter: Stephanie gives Jack her coat when he gets sick.
* CPRCleanPrettyReliable: Stephanie attempts to revive Charlie with this, and of course it doesn't work. It had little chance of doing anything without noticeable medical equipment, but you can forgive her for trying to save her childhood friend.
* DeathOfAChild: Rory who appears to be under eighteen at the oldest.
* DisappearedDad: Aiden and Rory's isn't in the picture. It's just said that he "left", with it being unclear if it was before or after Rory's death.
* DistractedFromDeath: Stephanie doesn't notice Charlie's passing because she's helping Jack.
* FallenOnHardTimesJob: As Aiden puts it, "it was this or homelessness". Subverted in that he loves being in the military.
* AFatherToHisMen: Aiden seems to become this, despite not being that much older (his actor Corey Patton is in fact three years younger than Stephanie's actress Laura Flynn).
* FireForgedFriends: Stephanie, Charlie and Ed were already this. They end up welcoming Aiden and by extension Jack into the circle.
* FirstNameBasis: Stephanie calls Ed and Charlie by their first names since she's known them a long time.
* FriendOrFoe: Aiden and Stephanie get into a fist fight before they both realise they're on the same side.
* GreatOffscreenWar: The opening has Aiden escaping the remains of a battle, and everything else is ContemplateOurNavels until they think of a strategy.
* IHaveBrothers: Stephanie had five, so she's known "nothing but fighting".
* InformedPoverty: Aiden refers to his mother living in an apartment where space was tight. Presumably this was after Rory died, as they're shown having a rather nice looking house.
* KnightKnaveAndSquire: Aiden is the idealistic Knight, Stephanie the pragmatic Knave and Ed the inexperienced Squire.
* TheLancer: As the other corporal (but who still defers to Aiden), Stephanie fills this role.
* LittleHeroBigWar: The protagonists are survivors of a big war that are just trying to escape.
* MatchCut: Aiden looking off into the distance during his brother's wake is matched with his decisive look into the territory they've got to cover before the film ends.
* NoNameGiven: Mrs Daniels doesn't get a first name.
* NonActionGuy: Jack is the only non-soldier in the group.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Ed Kinney joined because he thought the army would be an "easy wage".
* ReplacementGoldfish: Jack fills this role for Rory, as someone who Aiden needs to help.
* SacrificialLamb: Charlie [=McNamara=], who dies halfway through.
* SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers: Aiden responds to "hope isn't a strategy" with "it's the best we've got".
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/HighAndTight'', which is also about misplaced Irish young people joining the army (the lead character is also a mid-twenties male partly motivated by a dead family member). Zac Goold and Bobby Calloway have joked that they take place in the same universe.
* ThousandYardStare: Aiden has one while at his brother's wake.
* TroubledBackStoryFlashback: The film intercuts with flashbacks of Aiden's brother dying of an illness.
* {{Tsundere}}: Ed is introduced as very fiery and mouthy (if he were under eighteen he'd qualify for MouthyKid), but once things settle down he's shown to be much friendlier.
* VomitIndiscretionShot: Both Rory and Jack get their upchucking detailed in icky fashion.
* WithAFriendAndAStranger: The protagonist is the stranger Aiden, who meets up with Stephanie and her two friends Charlie and Ed.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Towards the end, Aiden gets one about how being in the army finally gives him a reason to live.
* WorthLivingFor: This is what the army is for Aiden.
* YouAreInCommandNow: Aiden assumes the role of leader once he runs into the others.
