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tehamelie · 1 month

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Garp isn't a funny man (Community 1.3)

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It's taking a lot of energy to restrain myself from just plowing through the show at this point. Writing about it is so much more challenging than watching it. I hope at least somebody appreciates my sacrifice. (Hi @pink-squirrel ) Why didn't I become a reactor Youtuber?

Community S1E3: Introduction to film

See, people get worried about Abed cause he watches so much TV, but here's professor Whitman who's EXCLUSIVELY watching Dead Poets Society on a loop. Yeah I figure it's playing in his brain constantly. But only the happy fun parts with the unconventional teacher encouraging students to act on an impulse for once in their lives, of course not the sad parts when the boys go too far outside of the bonds of conformity and the world punishes them, or even the great but serious parts with poetry reading at night in the woods.

But let's not get too far ahead of the plots. Next we encounter Pierce catastrophically failing to use voice command on his phone and driving the whole study group up the wall with this relentless effort to adapt to new, useless technology. I don't want to be a Luddite (and the Luddites had a good cause that's been twisted around by their critics anyway) but I'm entirely on Britta's side here. Because Big Tech is not on our side, not because it's just really irritating to have to listen to someone loudly producing the same error on their device ten times in a row. Well, not only that.

Jeff enters to spread the good word of Whitman's easy A grades. Annie is against it, and it feels like it's more about how it's making a mockery of academia than a question of how much time she'd have to waste on not learning anything in this class. Except when Troy wants in she immediately sees the educational value. And Shirley joins in cause loves Robin Williams.

But Abed does not, in a shocking twist. Well, it's not that shocking. He values good filmmaking and novel stories and he correctly points out there's an element of cheap drama at the cost of credulity that fuels most of Williams' movies. But come on, suspend your disbelief a little and enjoy the tremendous force of his performance.

Rest well, Robin.

And we find out how Abed's life and education plans are restricted by the struggles of his father. "9/11 was pretty much the 9/11 of the falafel business." Britta, of course, immediately rallies to help him rebel by paying for a $70 filmmaking class. I have no idea if that's unusually cheap or expensive for community college, and it's a different joke depending on which, but both are funny so whatever.

Shirley worries Mr Nadir is going to cut Britta's head off with a "salami sword" for, I don't know, talking to Abed while being a woman? It's such an outrageously racist thing to worry about based on just the vague impression she has that the man might be fanatically Muslim, I think the group is focusing on the entirely wrong thing when they just seem to object to the term "salami sword".

But then, it does set up the great joke of Jeff setting a timer and betting Pierce will top her racism within one minute. Which he does.

"Are we going to study Spanish or keep getting involved in each other's personal lives? Hey, Troy sneezes like a girl!" Kind of an uncharacteristic tone for Jeff - caring about what other people say and do and all that - but maybe it's just to remind us he'll do anything to not have to actually study.

I started organizing a thought that these spots of marginally weak writing that seems focused on delivering jokes above all else, could be how Community has its sophomore slump in the third episode. But then the intro played and I realized I'd spent an hour picking apart just the cold open.

Next in Dead Poets Society class we learn more about Shirley. She says she's at the school "To get a degree in business to sell [her] baked goods and whatnot on the Internet," which, what does any of that mean? A highly unspecific "degree in business"? That you'll need to run an online bakery because? And wait a minute, who the heck is going to order a chocolate cake from the Internet? Are you going to send them in the mail?

As it turns out, she's really here to start her life after 15 wasted years. That story she had to tell herself to get out of the house and go to school evaporates. She really does become fully alive, alive with intention and earnestness, and she deserves her A for that moment of truth.

Only when we stop stopping our lives can we begin to start starting them, indeed. Okay, I'd fail Whitman here for that tremendously uncreative line. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping couldn't do it worse.

Cue the standing on desks and accidents with collapsing desks. Ah, impulsivity is fun.

I like that Whitman sees right through Jeff. For being a word class lawyer, he's consistently terrible at being convincing. But it's nice Whitman wants to give him a chance anyway. He believes in Jeff, he wants him to have a genuine emotional moment in his life.

And the reveal, that the class is actually supposed to be accounting. That's comedy.

Over to Abed shooting a documentary. "It's like a movie but with ugly people." His dad shows up but doesn't talk to him, rather focusing on having a ridiculous argument with Britta, Could it be he has trouble speaking plainly with his son? No no there's never been a dad with that problem.

He seems to jump at the chance to disown him, in fact, and leave the mess of Abed for someone else to take care of. I guess he may just be speaking in anger.

Britta crying "They day I cut myself loose of my father was the day I finally started being *choke* happy" makes me feel such mixed emotions. One, great joke, II, I just want to hold her close, and C, also kind of just want to squeeze her.

The next day, I'm guessing, finds Jeff going into overdrive with his carefully calculated efforts to demonstrate his spontaneity. A Christmas tie with flashing lights, rainbow suspenders and bunny face slippers with bells on? The only thing matching his obnoxious tryhardness here is Whitman, who shows up to complain about Jeff drinking boring normal coffee before ordering a wedding cake. Yeah the act is getting pretty worn out. I'd like it if we saw at least a moment of him like, trying to listen to people, or just being sad, instead of giving the impression he spends every moment of every day relentlessly pursuing the most whimsical impulse.

And we get a whole scene of Pierce teaching Troy about deliberate sneezing. He wants to know more. This can't end well.

Back to Jeff flying a rainbow pattern kite and running through a finely choreographed scene of children playing. I think he'd actually have fun doing these things if he wasn't so desperately, overtly looking for Whitman's approval. And as Whitman continues to see right through him, wouldn't it be time to rethink this approach? Maybe Jeff genuinely doesn't know how to let his guard down and let the world in, even for a moment.

Cut to the study room where Abed gets everyone pizza. There's a whole subplot with Abed acting suspicious and spending too much money that's going to come together in a moment when he finishes the movie so I'm not worrying too much about relating it here, but in a vacuum this is a super weird scene where Abed seems to have fully disconnected from reality, barely interacting with people as they (well, Britta) desperately beg him to explain himself. Love the coffee delivery guy who has to stand there for what seems to him like an impossibly cruel, far too intimate family argument.

At last, everyone's there to see Six Candles just as Abed finishes rendering it. It's like he directed the whole series of events. Get it, because he's a movie director, and he spent the whole time directing his unwitting actors into giving the exact performances he needed to put together this movie to tell his dad he makes him feel neglected, unloved and guilty about his mom leaving them.

That would be a difficult thing to say in words, but it had to be said, and the men are now able to reach each other in a way that maybe neither thought they ever could, and they establish a level of trust, of compromise. That all happens immediately after the end of the film, before the tears dry, while the bright colors and snappy high-energy jingle of the COOL ABED FILMS logo still echoes in the room. Ah, the contrasts.

Cut to Troy sneezing like a big man, making Shirley jump while Pierce looks upon him with approval. Wait a minute, wasn't this episode about learning not to fake spontaneity? Yeah I realized that parallel just now.

But as this corruption of the innocent plot goes, I think the story of Troy's sneezes has the lowest stakes of any piece of dramatic storytelling ever written. I completely forgot how the show does that. Like, I remember the fun of all the extremely low stakes conflicts ("The stakes have never been higher" "Shut up Leonard"), but not how they make it work.

Like Jeff and Britta's kiss here. It's funny because Whitman is completely correct in his assessment that it's a turning point for their relationship (which is why he takes it as an acceptable act of day-seizing and gives Jeff the A), it does feel unexpectedly important for both of them, but where are the stakes? We may be led to believe this will be a Significant Romance, but that never actually happens. Their relationship gets more emotional involvement from Annie than from either of them. It's aggressively medium stakes drama all the way and it's beautiful.

The stinger, with Jeff teaching Troy and Abed about krumping, also beautiful.

#community rewatch

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abbatoirablaze · 7 months

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Down The Rabbit Hole, Chapter 19

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: mentions of death and sperm. also slight smidgen of angst/and feels

“Well that was a weird afternoon.”

“Yeah, I guess that I knew Pierce was part of a weird, futuristic cult, but I wasn’t prepared for a funeral with so much beeping!” Annie confirmed, as she removed her blue jacket; one that was identical to the ones that were required to be worn during Pierce’s funeral.

“Well, let’s not judge!” Shirley added in as she sat down, and everyone joined her, while removing their own jackets, and blue hats, “Everyone has a right to whatever fake religion they delusionally choose.”

“Abed, you were by the coffin for a really long time,” Annie noted, “are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” he confirmed, “although…”

“Troy and Abed are in mourning!” Troy and Abed sang in harmony.

Jeff crossed his arms, “would you guys please stop doing that?”

“I can’t believe that you did it during your eulogy,” Annie announced, shaking her head in disapproval, “it was so uncomfortable.”

“I don’t think that the audience got that we were singing mourning with a ‘u’ in it!” Abed frowned.

“We were singing mourning with a ‘u’ in it?” Troy asked, his eyes going wide in realization, “oh no!”

“I still don’t fully understand the Laser Lotus theology!” Annie frowned, “so Pierce’s body is in the coffin and we buried it, but his energy is in this energon pod and it contains his life vapor?”

“Yeah, it’s all right here in this incredibly persuasive literature that they passed out!” Troy nodded, pulling out a pamphlet from the church, “once you reach a level 16, you can see the color blurple.”

“Of all the ridiculous cartoon nonsense,” Shirley grumbled, pointing at what was little more than a lava lamp, “if there really is a blurple, the lord keeps it hidden for a reason.”

“What up n bombs?” Chang asked, coming in, “how was the funeral? Awesome!”

“BEN!”

“No Chang, our friend’s funeral was not awesome!” Jeff growled, “it was deeply sad. You know. Funeral style!”

“Excuse me, I thought you guys hated Pierce!”

Everyone’s eyes went wide and they started arguing over one another, about how they really didn’t hate Pierce, but that he was merely an annoyance.

“We did not hate Pierce.”

“Craziness!”

“Alright, are you sure you guys aren’t just doing the ‘respect the dead’ jig a lig?” he asked.

Everyone started to talk about how they didn’t really hate him yet again, and you felt yourself going into a little bit of a trance, staring at the lava lamp. You couldn’t help but to reach for Jeff’s hand as the tears worked their way up into your eyes.

You were broken from your thoughts about how fragile life was when a lawyer burst into the room, saying something about Jeff being right.

“Who the hell are you?”

“My name is Mr. Stone!”

“That’s easy for you to say!” Troy remarked, “and for us to say!”

“I work for Mr. Hawthorne,” Stone commented dryly, “he stated in his will that no matter how natural the appearance of the circumstances of his death, a private inquest should be conducted to determine whether any one of you, his former study group, has murdered him!”

The group began to gasp, as a few scientists walked in with some technology.

“To be cleared, each of you will submit to a polygraph test!”

“Jeff, what’s going on?” you asked, confusion crossing your features.

“I don’t know…but it will be okay, Tawney.”

“Tawney…did you know that I always looked at you like a daughter?” Stone asked, “Annie may have been my favorite, but you were beyond that. You were like family! Even after the rest of the group broke up the only people that kept in touch with me were you and Troy. The two of you cared. And that’s why I’m including you in my estate. While I’m leaving Troy my shares of Hawthorne Wipes, I’m leaving you with what Gilbert had chosen to share with me. My estate is worth an additional fourteen point three million dollars.”

You looked at Jeff, and he seemed even more speechless than when Stone told him about Troy’s bequeathment.

“Jeff?”

“What the hell just happened?”

“I think Pierce just made me and Troy millionaires…”

“Oh my god…”

“There’s just one thing you have to do!” Stone commented. Your brow went up as you looked at him, “Pierce had stated in his letter, that you and Jeff were in a relationship with one another.”

“We are…” you said slowly, not knowing at all where the line of questioning was going, “What of it?”

“Pierce noted that after the Christmas party, which he missed last year, you seemed different…”

You paled.

You knew where it was going.

“Something’s different about you!”

“It’s not,” you lied, giving Pierce a fake smile, “I just haven’t seen you since break…that’s all.”

“No…I know it’s not your hair…and you didn’t do anything drastic like get new boobs…”

“Well, gee. Thanks Pierce.”

“Your glowing, Tawney. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

You felt a little bit of pride growing in the pit of your stomach as you looked at him, “really?”

He nodded, “yes. So what is it? What happened?”

You bit your lip and pulled your ring from the pocket of your jeans, before slipping it over your finger, “Jeff proposed to me Christmas eve…”

His eyes went wide, before he wrapped you up in a hug, “oh Tawney, that’s great news. But you know Jeff’s gay, right?”

“He’s not gay, Pierce…” you laughed, gently shoving the older man away from you, “and you can’t tell anyone.”

“You and him didn’t tell the group?”

“No…and we don’t plan on it until things are more settled,” you admitted, “Jeff and I talked about it, and we’re not going to announce anything until after he’s graduated and settled in at the firm he wants to set up. We’re thinking about announcing it next Christmas, and then setting a date then.”

“Well I’m proud of you…I’m proud of the both of you.”

“Thank you, Pierce.”

“And I’m even prouder that I’m the only one that knows."

"About that...I was wondering,” you said slowly, "would-would you be the one to walk me down the aisle when we do set a date? I mean, if you don't want to, it's fine. It's just-my dad died a few years agao and-"

"I would be honored!" he smiled, holding his arm out to you.

“Tawney?”

“What’s Stone talking about?”

“Nothing,” you lied, trying to cover your tracks, “I-“

“She’s lying!”

“Thanks, lab coat!” you grumbled, turning your attention back towards the lawyer, “What about it?”

“Mr. Hawthorne wanted to let you know that you and Mr. Winger shouldn’t be ashamed of your relationship.”

“We’re not. We just-“

“He wanted you, for your inheritance, to tell the group…”

"Tell us what?"

"What did Pierce know?" Annie asked, leaning forward.

“He wants it to be a very particular gift…” he hinted.

You bit your lip as Stone slid you an envelope. On the front of it was your name. The rest of the group looked at you curiously while you opened it. Inside, was a small note from Pierce.

Tawney,

If you’re reading this, then I’m gone, and you’ve met my lawyer, Stone. But what you didn’t know, is that I’m planning on leaving you my estate that’s worth the same amount that I’m going to be leaving Troy with my share of the Hawthorne Wipes Company.

But I wanted to leave you this, because you mean something to me. While Troy has the heart of a hero, you have the heart of someone who was very dear to me. A daughter...if you're reading this before you and Jeff got married, I'm sorry I couldn't walk you down the aisle. But I wanted to remind you of something.

You’re kind. Always looking out for the group. And you are always willing to help any of us…regardless of whatever we’ve done.

For that, I want to leave you my estate, as a gift of sorts.

A wedding gift.

I know that you grew up very poor once your mom got out of the military, and she raised you and your brothers in a cabin in the woods. I know that your father had a hard time getting work because of the language barrier and when he passed, it was hard on you. But I know, more than anything, that despite your families struggles, you always stuck together.

And that carried over through your friendship with me.

I want you to never have to worry again. At least about money.

I’m not leaving you sperm like I left the others.

Like I have said, you’re like a daughter to me. And that would be incest. That’s gross! Please make sure that Jeff doesn’t drink his, and that Britta uses hers responsibly.

Pierce Hawthorne

You laughed at the last few lines, though the tears were running down your face. From beside you, Jeff put a hand on your arm, “hey…you okay?”

“It’s a wedding gift!” you whimpered, sniffling as you looked at your fiancé, “he doesn’t want us to have to worry!”

Jeff’s jaw dropped.

“A wedding gift?”

You turned to look at a very shocked study group. Reaching into your pocket, you slipped your engagement ring on your finger and held it up to them, “we were going to wait to tell everyone…but Jeff proposed to me last Christmas…only Pierce knew. I'd asked him to walk me down the aisle when we set a date...”

Chapter 20

Tag List: @lohnes16, @mckeeee-1

#down the rabbit hole #greendale community college #greendale #pierce hawthorne #jeff winger #troy community #troy and abed #troy barnes #annie edison #britta perry #shirley bennett

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greenandhazy · 4 years

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ppl in the Trobed discord asked if I had more future headcanons for Rickie and Leon (Troy and Abed’s kids from my Nadir-Barnes Canon verse) when they grow up and I was THRILLED because idk if I’m going to write more in that verse (writing too far into the future makes me wary for some reason? like how can I just pretend I have ANY concept of what the 2030s will be like) but YES I HAVE THOUGHTS:

Rickie grows up to be a confident, outgoing person, the life of the party and everyone’s de facto big brother, although he does struggle a bit more with those early traumas and is more self-conscious about identity issues, so that confidence is the result of intermittent therapy and mindfulness

Such as, for example, morning prayer with Abed, which leads to him expressing more of an interest in Islam--sometime in late elementary/early middle school he transfers to a mainstream school that’s close enough for him to walk to a nearby after school program, and eventually formally converts. (Leon doesn’t feel the need for that and Abed doesn’t feel the need to push.) so yeah, another trilingual in the family heyyyyy.

Neither of the kids are fluent in Polish, although they hear it occasionally from Abed around the home.

He likes to dance as a hobby, although not so much modern--he likes jazz and hip-hop, things that are more high-energy. He and Troy have a LOT of spontaneous dance parties around the house. But starting in middle school, spoken word poetry and rap become his real big things and he eventually goes on to have a music career--think early Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper vibes. (Leon achieves minor TikTok stardom for his ASL covers at one point.) He likes to run them by Troy first, and Troy and Abed are the ultimate hype men.

Abed is always really careful to seek out opportunities to connect with both kids, and they’re both written into Voyage of the Starship Legacy in some way... but it’s Leon’s. He thinks of it like a personal bedtime story that happens to have been made into a feature film, and it’s his comfort rewatch. In general he’s more of a fan of Abed’s stuff because he likes the meta aspects, and while Rickie enjoys them too, that’s not really his style as much, you know?

(I mentioned in one of the fics, Rickie is Abed’s ego-shrinker. If people find out Rickie and Leon are Abed’s kids they’ll be like “omg that’s so cool!” and Leon will be like “haha yeah” awkwardly and Rickie will say “cool? lol right, it’s the nerdiest thing about me.”)

Subsequently, Leon is always really excited when Troy suggests they go sailing. Rickie is enthusiastic in theory but usually gets bored once they’re out on the open sea, so this becomes Troy and Leon’s Thing, especially as he gets older and is less easily entertained by funny voices and faces. He just finds the open ocean very soothing and, yknow, parallels between sailing and space exploration or whatever. He really loves hearing Troy’s stories about his trip.

He’s more of a shy person, especially around people his own age--definitely not an entertainer the way the rest of the family is, and has a bit of a dryer sense of humor. One of his hobbies growing up is drawing, and there’s a running joke in the extended (found) family that someday Abed is going to produce an animated film illustrated by Leon modeled on Troy’s dance troupe with a soundtrack by Rickie. Cut to Leon’s sophomore year of college, when he announces that....... his major is astrophysics and he has a summer internship at NASA

(you can’t prove I was rewatching The Martian when I came up with this) (I just love the idea of Abed’s kids being just as phenomenally successful but one in in a Very different way, also I think the study group’s reaction would be very funny for some reason) (come on guys, he’s been very into space for a long time, this shouldn’t be a surprise, right?

Sometime around middle school, Leon starts not only not putting his hearing aids in, but leaving them at home when he goes out. Troy and Abed always prefer he have them as a backup, and a very common dad joke in their household is “You’d lose your ears if they weren’t attached to your head--oh, wait.” Eventually he admits that yeah, he’s “forgetting” them on purpose, partly because he’s getting tired of Questions and Looks, partly as an act of defiance because he dislikes the expectation that he wants to hear all the time, partly because it makes him feel Some Kind of Way that he doesn’t actually need them--that between his family, his school, his community, and even the cashier at the bodega across the street who taught himself a few signs, he really can get plenty of social interaction and communication just using ASL and he likes that feeling. (Troy is especially touched by that, given that he does not have Abed’s gift for languages and learning ASL took more effort for him.)

They both really enjoy traveling. The family makes semi-regular trips to Arizona and wherever Annie ends up with the FBI, but spend the most time in Colorado--especially in the summers. Gobi is still grumpy but spoils the kids rotten, and they like being the cool older cousins of Jeff and Britta’s kid. the Bennett boys are a little older but Rick and Leon are always trying to convince them to get into Shenanigans, and when they do, they reach a whole new level of shenanigans. Shirley is Tired.

They come back from Colorado with more complimentary Greendale merch than you could ever imagine. the Dean knows they’re not going to go there but..... he can try. Rickie gets his first taste of alcohol from Britta. Leon goes to Annie for girl advice when he gets his first crush because he figures his dads are way too gay to be helpful. Jeff takes them out to play paintball all the time (in like... actual, legit paintball--fields? idek what they’re called) and regales them with tales of Greendale paintball, which they had been 100% sure their dads were exaggerating until Jeff stepped in. They think Chang is putting on a hilarious act for like their entire childhoods and are solely responsible for portions of Chang’s “I Never Die” song becoming a meme among LA schoolchildren.

oh and I don’t have, like, faceclaims for them or anything but I picture Rickie wearing lots of bright colors and being ultimately like an inch or two shorter than his little brother, which offends him deeply, and Leon tends to wear his hair a little longer, like..... Power Rangers-era Eka Darville.

ANYWAY those are the things that have been milling around in my head the last couple of weeks. I have very strong feelings about this children I made up <3 <3 <3

#trobed

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torishasupremacy · 3 years

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doin that ck ask thingie that’s been going around!

It's the year 2021 and you're obsessed with The Karate Kid. How are you feeling?

I’m just vibing. Excited for the summer because I’m too busy and stressed with school stuff atm to dedicate any time/energy toward it but I want to get back to writing fics when I have more free time.

Did you grow up with TKK or are you new to the series?

Hmm, I remember vaguely watching the first movie when I was younger but I think it was before I started doing karate (when I was 8) so it didn’t really stick with me. Remembered nothing when I first started watching Cobra Kai. So I guess I’m new?

We gotta do the basics. Favorite character:

It’s sooo hard to choose between my main five (Miguel, Sam, Aisha, Robby, and Tory) but I gotta say Aisha with the other four tying for second.

Favorite ship:

Big torisha fan!! Legitimately thought Tory’s introduction was for Aisha to have a girlfriend, very bummed when that wasn't the case :(

Underrated character:

AISHA ROBINSONNNNNNNN

Underrated ship (don’t say therapy, lol):

Kiaz, mostly saying this because I created the ship name and I don’t consider myself very active or popular. I’m honestly surprised it stuck, but grateful, as it feels nice to have made a little bit of an impact on the fandom.

Wax On, Wax Off or Sweep the Leg?

As someone who’s actually been taught leg sweeps, they’ve much more fun and twirly than blocking (except when you have to actually do them on someone) but they’re not as easy.

Which of Daniel’s dumb little outfits is your favorite?

I think he has a lot of great looks in TKK but all his Cobra Kai looks are bland af and I can’t remember any of them.

Character from the films you most want to return, who’s not Terry Silver:

No one, mostly because I think returns can be very hit or miss, like with Ali the chemistry and acting was amazing but Johnny lowkey cheating on Carmen was not it. If it’s not the unhinged energy of Terry Silver then I’d like them to keep developing current characters.

Scene that lives in your head rent-free:

The end of Robby and Miguel’s match in the All-Valley where Johnny is looking back at Robby and Daniel and then Miguel pulls him away to celebrate. God I love that episode.

Will Anthony LaRusso ever be relevant?

Only if he teams up with Terry Silver and makes Daniel have a heart attack.

You live in The Valley and are forced into the karate gang war. Which dojo do you join?

Cobra Kai. Miyagi Do has to train on grass with shoes which I hate hate hate for karate. Put me in a dojo barefoot and give me someone to spar with any day of the week. This is probably influenced by how I haven’t been able to train indoors or spar for over a year but I don’t care I miss it so much. Weirdly enough, I feel like Johnny would respect me more than Daniel after some time.

What’s your training montage song?

This is pretty weird, but Almost There from the Princess and the Frog soundtrack. I always feel like I’m working up to something but not there yet.

It’s the crossover event of the century! Which TV show are you combining with Cobra Kai for an hour-long Saturday night special?

I think there would be soooo many hijinks if Cobra Kai got crossed with Community, and I’m not just saying this because I’ve been recently obsessed with Community. Okay, I am, but seriously, imagine Jeff trying to deal with Johnny? Shirley facing with her moral stance on fighting in the middle of a karate war? Britta bonding with Yaya and Troy and Abed assigning themselves as a very confused Miguel’s honorary older brothers. Annie chilling with Sam and Aisha and Tory beating up Pierce. I think the Dean and Daniel could have some really funny scenes. Robby would watch all this go down, baffled. It’s the All Valley mixed with paintball. So much could happen. I think Chang could take down Kreese if he wanted to.

that was fun!! tagging anybody who wants to do it!!

#cobra kai

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ilthit · 4 years

Note

Annie

Britta

Troy

Ooh lessee

Annie -

OTP: my favourite pairing for her is probably Trobedison, even though I actually only ever write Annie/Britta

BROTP: still Trobedison

NOTP: Jeff but also, I am sorry for even making your head go there, Pierce

Britta -

OTP: I love the idea of Britta/Frankie but have yet to write it, big gay energy

BROTP: weirdly Jeff, they are both cynical as shit and just react to their cynicism differently, they Complete Each Other but it is a good thing they stopped boning

NOTP: also Jeff

Troy -

OTP: Abed

BROTP: also Abed

NOTP: sailing away forever

#community #meme reply #Thank you!

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catty-words · 7 years

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lose your heart and your head (1/?)

summary: Now that they've both graduated, Annie convinces Jeff to join her on a cross-country road trip. Word Count: ~4,500 Author’s Note: Shout out to @bethanyactually for being the best beta any writer could ask for, always helping me create better, more IC scenes. I was hoping to post this all at once for the classic trope day, but the idea has already gotten away from me. I hope the story carries you away, too.

(ao3)

~~~

“I’m not going to take no for an answer.”

Apparently, in their time apart, Annie’s lost her ability to hold a conversation because Jeff doesn’t understand what the hell she’s talking about.

“First of all, yes, please come in. So glad you could stop by.” She’s not fazed by his sarcasm even a little, too busy unfolding a map across his kitchen counter. “Secondly, no for an answer to what?”

She waves him closer with a grin, and despite the warning signals going off in his head—it’s a trap and giving the inch it’ll take to hear her out will have her snagging a whole damn mile out from under your feet—he takes a seat on the barstool next to her.

“We’re going on a road trip.”

Jeff raises his eyebrows, waiting for further explanation.

Annie lets out an exasperated sigh, like she can’t believe he isn’t caught up yet, and fixes her bright, manic-with-the-promise-of-a-big-project eyes on him. “You know! A cross-country road trip to celebrate the fact that we’re both college grads now. A final adventure before we have to put our whimsy aside in the face of adulthood and corporate America!”

“Okay, Britta. You know I’m thirty-five, right? I’ve pretty much already faced adulthood.”

“That doesn’t mean you’ve outgrown the need for an adventure! Come on, I’ve already planned the route and booked the first couple hotels. All you have to do is pack, show up, and drive some of the way.”

His eyes drift to the map. Annie has circled several cities in red pen, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she had a twenty-page itinerary all typed up and ready.

He has to admit, it’s an appealing proposal. But…

“We’re both broke. How would we afford this?”

When she doesn’t jump at the chance to talk away all his worries, he looks back up at her curiously.

The expression on her face is a complicated mix of guilt, determination, and some other emotion that he can’t discern.

“What?” he asks. “What is it?”

She hesitates for a second, then says, “My mother sent me a check. A gift for graduation.” She pauses, swallowing hard before squaring her shoulders. “But I don’t need or want her money.”

“So? You’re…what? Trying to burn it all up as fast as you can? I can think of more productive ways to do that.”

She frowns at him. “I already made my choice. And I’m going with or without you. I’d just happen to prefer having a travel companion.”

At the same time a new set of warning bells go off in Jeff’s head, he feels a delighted tug in his heart.

“What about the rest of the group?” he asks.

She ticks them off on her fingers. “I could never ask Shirley to leave her kids for that long, Troy and Abed have already decided their summer is going to be dedicated to developing some app, Britta already has travel plans, and can you even imagine what Pierce would be like on a road trip? I love him, but…he can barely sit through a single Star Wars movie.”

“So you asked everyone else already?” Jeff checks, feeling ridiculous for the way his stomach flops over at the thought.

Annie picks at the curling edge of her map, diverting her gaze. “Well they were actually around to ask.”

“I’ve been busy,” Jeff says evasively.

“Well then you’re probably ready for a bit of a break, huh?” She fixes a smile back on her face and raises her eyebrows expectantly. When he hesitates, she says, “Not gonna take a no, remember?”

Jeff glances around his apartment. It’s not like he’s got anything going on that he can’t walk away from for a couple weeks. And he’s never been out of the state before….

Annie’s smile brightens when she sees that she’s winning him over.

“Fine,” he says, rolling his eyes when she squeals.

“Great! We leave on Saturday at eight in the morning. I’ll pick you up here.”

~~~

The sound of the car door banging shut startles Jeff awake. It takes him several disoriented moments to remember where he is and what he’s doing, but as soon as he does, he glances around in worry, looking for Annie.

He catches sight of the messy bun sitting lopsided on the top of her head through the back window, realizes she’s pumping gas, and lets out a relieved breath. He can’t even begin to imagine what the group would do to him if he brought Annie home in less than pristine condition.

She must feel his eyes on her because she looks up, then waves and flashes him a dazzling smile.

Heat pools in Jeff’s cheeks for some reason and he salutes her before ducking his head. They’ve only been on the road for—Jeff checks his watch—four hours, and he’s already coming face-to-face with all the reasons this trip is a bad idea.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Annie says, sliding back into her seat. “I hope you got enough rest because we’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

He groans and rubs at his stiff neck. “Yeah, it was great. Your decrepit hatchback is basically a five-star hotel.”

She shoots him a dirty look and then pats the dashboard of her car. “Don’t make her angry. She’s all we’ve got for the next couple weeks.”

Ignoring that comment, Jeff says, “If you wanna trade seats, you too could experience the resort-style lumpy upholstery.”

“Nuh-uh, I’m not letting you behind the wheel until you’re ready to be nice.”

“You might wanna rethink your punishment. That lacks punch.”

Instead of answering him, Annie tilts her chin up and puts the car in gear. As soon as they’re merging back onto the highway, she hits the power on the stereo and hums along to a Barenaked Ladies song.

Jeff narrows his eyes at her profile. “Seriously?”

Without taking her eyes off the road, she swats his arm. “You were asleep. Consider it part of your punishment. The driver gets to pick the music.”

“Oh, you are so going to eat those words later.”

Annie shrugs, clearly unthreatened.

They ride in quiet for a couple songs, till Jeff, antsy with nap energy, pulls out the map. “Albuquerque’s our first stop, right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And what fun activities do you have planned for us there?”

“I have a list in one of my bags of places I’d like to visit,” she says.

“Of course you do,” Jeff replies.

“It’s mostly the usual kinds of touristy things. A couple parks. The natural history museum.”

“Why am I not surprised that a road trip with you is basically an extended high-school field trip?”

She scoffs. “Well, excuse me for wanting to complete this trip as a more cultured person than when I began.”

“All I’m saying is we’d better have some fun, too.”

“You’re welcome to pick some of our activities,” she says haughtily.

“I’m glad that you’re acknowledging I’m the only one here who knows how to have fun.”

In response, Annie turns up the music and sings along.

~~~

They make it to Albuquerque around 4:00. So far, Annie hasn’t relinquished the wheel, so Jeff suggests they stop at the hotel before sightseeing. She insists that they stop by the Albuquerque Museum first, since they only have an hour before it closes.

Visiting a museum with Annie, Jeff quickly realizes, is boring. She spends her time carefully reading every plaque and taking occasional notes in a five-subject notebook she apparently bought specifically for their trip.

Jeff’s approach is much quicker—get in, spend a few seconds looking at whatever catches his eye, get out. He spends most of his time trailing behind Annie and playing Tetris on his phone.

Still, even though they’ve barely done anything, he feels the fatigue of travel weighing him down as they finally exit the museum.

“Should we grab dinner before or after we check in?” Annie asks as they cut through the crowded parking lot toward the car.

“After,” Jeff answers, already craving a hot shower.

Their reservation is at a Comfort Inn. They arrive after a short fifteen-minute drive, and take their time stretching when they step out of the car.

After grabbing their suitcases from the trunk, they make their way inside. The wave of air conditioning that hits them as soon as they step through the sliding doors is very much welcome.

“Can I help you two?” the front desk attendant asks.

“Yes, I have a reservation under Edison,” Annie says. While the attendant looks it up, Annie turns to grin at Jeff.

Though he shakes his head at her nerdy excitement, he can’t help but grin back.

After Annie hands the clerk her ID and a credit card, and signs some paperwork, he slides a small paper envelope across the counter. “Here are your keys. You’re in room 236. Please enjoy your stay.”

Jeff doesn’t think much of the exchange until they get to the second floor and Annie’s unlocking the door.

“We’re sharing a room?” he asks, and suddenly his palms feel kind of itchy.

“Well, yeah,” she says. “It’s the most economic use of our money.”

“I’ll bet you double-checked the math,” he teases, mustering a tight smile.

She continues as if he hadn’t spoken, pulling her big suitcase through the doorway. “As it is, I think we’ll have to stay at more basic motels in a couple cities to come in under budget. Don’t worry, though. We don’t have to share everything.” She nods at the two full beds on the far side of the room.

“Right,�� is the only response Jeff can come up with.

The space isn’t cramped, exactly. But Jeff does feel a little too warm, like the room is too crowded.

In addition to the two beds, there’s a modest desk, a television, a large window overlooking the stretch of patchy grass behind the building, and a bathroom.

Annie claims the bed closest to the door, flopping her luggage down on the bed. He watches for a moment as she methodically checks the mattress for signs of bed bugs. (He can tell that’s what she’s doing because she sent him an email about conducting inspections that morning before they left.) When he starts to feel a tingling under his skin, he clears his throat. “I’m, uh, gonna shower…unless you need the bathroom?”

“It’s all yours,” she says, not even looking at him.

He lingers a second longer before grabbing his kit and retreating.

It’s not until after he’s finished showering that he realizes he never picked any clothes to change into. Shaking his head at his foggy reflection, Jeff ties the towel—which is probably a normal size for an average person, but which seems way too small to him—as securely as he can around his waist and steps out into the room.

The cool air outside the bathroom feels nice, but it’s also a shock to his skin, raising goosebumps along his arms and bare torso.

Annie’s sprawled out on the bed—which must be bed bug-free—with two notebooks in front of her. She’s already in pajamas and she’s let her hair down.

Jeff gulps.

“Even more notes?” he asks, using one hand to hold his towel in place while unzipping his suitcase with the other.

“Mm-hmm. I thought it would be worthwhile to journal about this experience,” she replies, way too chipper about this self-imposed assignment, and then glances up. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of him, gaze crawling slowly from his shower-messy hair to the sliver of his thigh that’s peeking out from the towel. Jeff smirks inwardly at how long it takes her to recover. “I…um, I ordered a pizza.”

Jeff tugs on a blue t-shirt and awkwardly tries to put on pajama pants without flashing Annie. “What kind?”

“One half without cheese, just for you,” she says, turning her attention back to her notebooks as Jeff settles down on his own bed.

He grins at her before turning on the television. “You know what I like.”

Annie goes downstairs to retrieve the food when it arrives, and she climbs right onto Jeff’s bed when she gets back, setting the pizza box down in front of them and leaning against the headboard.

They watch a rerun of Friends in contented silence, her knee resting on his thigh. He’s hyperaware of the contact, his brain full of nothing else but that gentle pressure. Too full, in fact, to come up with the appropriate reaction. Does he put his arm around her? That seems too forward. Maybe something more casual, like a palm resting on her thigh?

By the time the first episode is over, they’ve eaten most of the pizza and Jeff’s still waffling over what to do. So he doesn’t completely freak her out and do something unacceptable, like kiss the top of her head in his panic, he stands up, grabs the pizza box, and walks it over to the desk.

He ends up settling in a little closer to her when he sits back down, chance making the decision for him, and then waits to see how she’ll shift to get comfortable.

When she snuggles in, letting her head droop against his shoulder, Jeff sighs in relief and, in turn, lets one of his hands casually fall onto the her cool skin of her knee.

“I think it’s finally starting to sink in,” she says during a commercial break, startling him.

“What is?” he asks, taking and deep breath and watching as she idly traces the curve of his wrist with her pointer finger.

“That we’re really doing this. Traveling the country. Going through with this adventure.”

He nods. “I don’t know that I’m there yet. It still all feels a little strange, like I’m only imagining myself here.”

Annie hums in understanding and then sits up. “Well, imaginary Jeff is good company.”

“Even when he sleeps through the first leg of the trip and makes fun of your car?”

She grins, and her eyes have this sleepy droop to them that makes her look extra cute. “Even then. It feels…I mean, I’m glad that you could be here. Thanks.”

Jeff forces himself not to look away from her as he says, “I’m glad I could be here, too.”

She sucks on her lower lip as if to keep a wide smile from blooming on her face, but she doesn’t quite stop it.

“Okay, good.”

Guilt twists in Jeff’s stomach when he realizes she really needed the reassurance that he wanted to do this.

“I’m gonna…” she says after a moment of prolonged silence and gestures to her own bed.

“Of course. Good night.”

She gets up to move to her bed. “Sweet dreams.”

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” he says as he turns off the lamp on his nightstand.

“That’s not funny.” Annie’s reproving voice comes from across the darkened room.

He falls asleep with a grin on his face.

~~~

He’s woken up the next morning by the sound of Annie bustling about the room.

“Oh, good, you’re up,” she says when she notices him stirring. “They’re going to clean up the complimentary breakfast any minute, and you really should eat something before we head out for the day.”

He sits up, rubbing at his bleary eyes, and watches as she folds her pajamas neatly and packs them back into her suitcase. Since they’re staying in the city for another night, she’s wearing a much nicer outfit than her tank top and worn capris from their day of travel. Her hair is damp from an early morning shower and falls in waves around her shoulders.

He swallows down the comment about how pretty her dress looks and slips out of bed. “I knew you’d be way too perky in the mornings,” he says instead.

“It’s barely morning anymore,” she says, nodding pointedly at the clock on his nightstand that displays a bright green 10:12. “You’re burning daylight, Winger.”

As he grabs his toiletries and heads for the bathroom, he grumbles under his breath about how they’re supposed to be having fun. He just manages to close the door before the paperback book she’s thrown slaps him in the face.

After grabbing a banana and a cereal bar for breakfast, they head to—surprise, surprise—another museum. Or cultural center or whatever.

Jeff complains the entire walkthrough, pestering Annie to promise him that their next stop is cooler. She purses her lips and pointedly ignores his comments, but he can’t decide if it’s because he’s offended her and her love of museums or because she knows he’ll hate the next item on her itinerary.

“Come on, Annie,” he says as they make their way through the last room. “You can’t keep me in the dark forever.”

With a sigh, she finishes making a note and looks up at him sheepishly. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to think it’s lame.”

“If the plan is to spend another three hours doing nothing but reading, then you’re right. This is only marginally cooler than school because of the visual aids.”

She turns her attention back to her notebook with a frown. When she speaks again, it’s so quiet that Jeff has to lean in to catch it. “We’re going to a zoo.”

“Huh,” he says, raising his eyebrows.

“Go ahead, judge me,” she says, already pushing past him and moving for a large tapestry hanging on the wall. “But I’m really excited, and I promise I don’t have anything scheduled after that.”

“A zoo would be agreeable,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets and leaning next to the informational plaque Annie’s reading.

Her eyes immediately shift to his face, her brow furrowed with suspicion. “You wanna go to the zoo?”

“I’m not heartless, Annie, and looking at cute animals is way more fun than reading about the history of some random pot.”

“Pottery is an essential part of the—”

Jeff shakes his head. “You’re not going to convince me it was interesting. You’re just not.”

She harrumphs and turns her attention back to the art. He watches her face as she takes it in, her eyes sliding carefully over the details, alert and engrossed. She’s clearly getting something out of it, but her concentration is baffling to him, and makes him feel kind of jittery in response.

“The only time I’ve ever been, my dad ended up leaving me there,” he blurts out without making the conscious decision to speak.

She gives him a questioning yet patient look.

“At the zoo,” he clarifies.

“Oh.” A beat. “That’s horrible”

He nods his head. “If I remember correctly, he was following around some poor woman, trying to get her to go home with him, and forgot all about me.”

She processes that, making a soft, almost pitying noise in the back of her throat. “I can’t believe…we have to go.”

“Good thing we were already planning on it,” Jeff says, cocking his head at her.

“No, now. We have to go now.”

“But what if you miss learning something totally interesting about local whittling or something?”

“That’s not as important,” she says, earnest despite his sarcasm. “C’mon.”

~~~

“So?” Annie asks as they sit down at a patio table at the Cottonwood Café. To their left is a stunning view of the Rio Grande, but the lingering stench of animals helps balance out what would otherwise feel like a too-romantic setting. “What did you think?”

“It was…probably something I would have enjoyed more as a kid.”

She nods, accepting this. “Admit it, though, you still had fun.”

He narrows his eyes at her, but when her smile doesn’t waver, he says, “The polar bears were cool.”

Her smile widens. “What about getting to see them feed the seals?”

Jeff tries, and immediately fails, not to grin back. “Fine, it was all disgustingly adorable and good, wholesome fun. But I’m not gonna write about it in my diary.”

She clucks her tongue. “I guess this means I shouldn’t save a spot for you in today’s journal entry as I’d planned. Darn.”

He picks a slice of pickle off his bun-less burger and tosses it at her. She dodges it, but lets out a squeak loud enough that they attract a couple of judgmental stares from the people at surrounding tables.

“Gross, Jeff!”

He only shrugs in response.

After lunch, they make their way over to the botanic gardens, and Annie chooses the Japanese trail for them, which apparently features a waterfall-inspired fountain and plenty of pretty foliage. They’ve only just started out when Jeff realizes that most of the other people walking the path are holding hands or pausing by blooming trees to nuzzle up to each other for pictures.

Judging by her ramrod straight posture and sudden stiffness, Annie’s noticed all the couples, too.

They walk in tense silence for a while, and he can’t help but sneak regular glances at her profile. Her skin somehow looks extra soft in the dappled light, and a gentle breeze keeps sending tendrils of her hair fluttering around her face.

Jeff clenches his fists by his sides, and takes a deep breath.

The pleasant smell of flowers is thick in the air, but it does little to calm his spiking heart rate.

When the atmosphere between them becomes too thick to breathe, Jeff says, “So.”

At the same moment, Annie offers a forced-cheerful, “Well!” and they both laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

The next second, a butterfly lands on Jeff’s temple, tickling him with its fluttering wings.

“Oh my god,” Annie whispers excitedly. “Jeff, don’t move.”

His brows pull together, wrinkling his forehead as he gives her a disbelieving look, and the butterfly shifts. She purses her lips in warning and pulls out her phone.

“Smile!” She instructs, but Jeff rolls his eyes as she takes the picture. The butterfly’s gone a second later. She frowns at him, but says, “I guess that’s a more authentic way to remember the moment.”

He snatches her phone from her. “Your turn. For every goofy picture of me, there’d better be one of you, too.”

“That picture’s not goofy!”

“Whatever. We’re still taking one of you.”

Annie acquiesces easily and steps in front of the picturesque pond before flashing a bright grin at the camera.

He lines up the shot but doesn’t take it.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“There’s something missing,” he says, glancing around. “Ah-ha!”

He plucks a cluster of pink cherry blossoms from a nearby tree.

“Jeff! I don’t think you’re supposed to do that,” she protests, but he hears the way her breath catches in her throat when he steps into her personal space and tucks it into her hair.

“What? It matches your dress,” he says, smiling down at her as warmth starts to pool in his chest.

She licks her lips and nods ever-so-slightly.

“Right, um, I think that’s better,” he says, hurriedly turning away and lining up the shot again.

There’s a soft, pleased smile on her face when he finally takes the picture.

They continue along the trail without a word—the silence is still tense, but it’s a familiar tension that Jeff has come to associate with being alone with Annie, so it’s nothing he can’t handle—and seconds later, Jeff feels his phone buzz in his pocket.

Annie sent the photos to their friends’ group message, and the responses are already rolling in.

Shirley: Oh, that’s nice!

Abed sends a thumbs-up emoji.

Pierce: Gay butterfly, man.

Britta: where r u guys?? u better not be wasting this trip at tourist traps. in my experience, it’s better to converse with locals to really get a feel for the town and find out what places are worth visiting.

Troy: aw, annie, you look pretty.

Troy: so does jeff

Jeff ignores the twist of his stomach when he reads Troy’s message, and types out: thanks, britta, we’ll be sure to take your advice the next time we want to get arrested in a strange place.

After hitting send, he saves the picture of Annie.

~~~

They get up before sunrise the next morning. Since their next stop is San Antonio, they’ll spend most of the day driving, but Annie insisted they get an early start anyway.

After checking out, they load their luggage into the car.

The parking lot is quiet, the world still all around them. Jeff takes a deep breath of crisp, early morning air and laughs.

“What?” Annie asks, slamming her trunk closed to make sure it sticks.

“It’s finally hitting me,” he says.

“Your morning coffee?” she guesses.

“No,” Jeff says. “That we’re doing this. A real road trip.”

A slow smile spreads across her face, and they both take a second to appreciate the periwinkle-colored dawn sky.

“Let’s get a move on, then,” she says, clapping her hands together. “We’ve got more adventure ahead of us.”

#communityaw17 #jeff x annie #my fic #communityaw17*

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