Needs Help: Stood Up

I would like the definition of Stood Up broadened so it can include any example of someone waiting for someone else who doesn't show up. Stood Up sometimes includes the restaurant scene mentioned, but the waiting doesn't always HAVE to be at a restaurant, nor is it Always Female.

Male examples include:

• Ben from Under The Lemon Tree (it doesn't show up in Goblin Hollow), who is asked out on a date, and ends up standing in the rain (it's a Prank Date).
• From Archie Comics, Veronica realizes she was supposed to meet Archie at a spot hours ago. He's still there, covered in snow.
• From Fur Piled, Husky is supposed to meet Saetto. Something comes up, and Saetto doesn't show, and Husky goes home.
• The Pearl Hotel is a song by Mocking Shadows about a guy waiting for a date outside the titular hotel, but it's clear she isn't going to show.

Non-restaurant examples include...

• All of the above.
• In Simply Panda Jenn, Jenn's friend is supposed to help her with house-hunting. Her friend is playing video games and loses all track of time, and ends up realizing it hours after he was supposed to meet her.

Well, I don't see a point in it specifically being at a restaurant, nor claiming it's Always Female. My general feeling is that the romance is more connected to the trope than it being a restaurant (though that is a very common place to set up a meeting).

But more importantly, Type Labels Are Not Examples.

Edit: Oh, and I edited the thread title. You need to write the trope name as a Wiki Word in CamelCase so that it links properly.

edited 8th Aug '12 3:36:34 AM by AnotherDuck

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My vote is for expansion. The cases set in other locations isn't used in a different way.

Rule of fanworks reviews: The amount of constructive criticism a work receives is in inverse proportion to the amount it needs.

Another vote for expansion, unless the restaurant and gender somehow matter. It doesn't fit the name either.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

I was also thinking that Stood Up could also refer someone who wants to meet up with a group of people, but s/he is the only one there.

Agree that location and gender have no effect on the way the trope plays out. It's the same thing regardless. I actually don't think it's intended to depend on those elements. It's just a poorly written description using Example As Thesis.

Speaking words of fandom: let it squee, let it squee.

Certainly, the Always Female tag could be removed.

That, or what's being described is a Sub-Trope of being Stood Up.

Should I just go ahead and change the description?

We seem to be unanimous, and as I mentioned before, it may simply be a case of runaway Example As Thesis. I say go for it.

Speaking words of fandom: let it squee, let it squee.

Do we need to separate this into types? Aside from Type Labels Are Not Examples, the types themselves, even with this narrow definition, are ambiguously written and allow for several variations.

Also removed the Always Female bit.

edited 10th Sep '12 10:32:13 PM by AnotherDuck

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I'm not impressed with the types. How it plays out is not really central to the trope itself. Plus, I think it's missing a few. (And I think type four is really two unrelated types.) I'd rather replace that whole section with a brief discussion of ways it can play out. Something like "This may turn out to be deliberate, or the result of a mistake or unforeseen circumstances. The cause can have a great effect on how this eventually plays out." I don't think we need much more than that.

Speaking words of fandom: let it squee, let it squee.

Also, the current type structure there is awful to read.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

So, change the description to something like below, and rewrite the examples to remove the labels?

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Stood Up is a Love Trope that extends over several genres. Two characters make plans to get together, but once the time arrives, one of them never show up. This is almost always about a romantic date (or what one or both of the characters hope it is), but can be about a platonic couple, such as family.

The outcome varies a lot, depending on genre, setting, what kind of characters are involved, etc. On the more idealistic side, there may be a good reason for not showing up, and the character may be forgiven. On the more cynical or tragic side, there often isn't a good reason, and the relationship ends there. Sometimes it's also set up from the beginning.

edited 12th Sep '12 8:25:12 PM by AnotherDuck

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With some editing for grammar, something along those lines seems ok to me.

eta: maybe a little more focus on the fact that the experience itself tends to be traumatic, since I think that's the core of the trope part of this.

edited 12th Sep '12 8:38:25 PM by Xtifr

Speaking words of fandom: let it squee, let it squee.

How about this?

---

Stood Up is a Love Trope that extends over several genres. Two (or more) characters plan to get together, but once the time arrives, one of them never shows up. This is almost always about a romantic date (or what one or both of the characters hope it is), but can be about a platonic couple, such as family (an example of this is Daddy Didn't Show).

The outcome varies a lot, depending on genre, setting, what kind of characters are involved, etc. On the more idealistic side, there may be a good reason for not showing up, and the character may be forgiven. On the more cynical or tragic side, there is no good reason, and the relationship may end there. If it's set up from the beginning, it's a type of Prank Date.

edited 17th Sep '12 2:36:14 AM by MrInitialMan

Well, that was awful. I revised it according to your descriptions, since they're much better. Time to lock this.

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