![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
OVERVIEW: Community
Hi! I'm ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ishie and I'm driving the Community fried chicken space simulator this month. Since this is the first time for this particular fandom on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
crack_van, we'll get some of the basics out of the way first. So man the biscuit thrusters and let's get going!
OVERVIEW IMDB says Community is about "a smarmy lawyer whose education is deemed void by the bar [and] is forced to attend a local community college with an extremely eclectic staff and student body." In a spectacularly backfiring attempt to impress and hit on a fellow student, that smarmy lawyer pretends to form a Spanish study group, which turns into an actual Spanish study group when word spreads. All of a sudden, he's hanging out with these people even when he doesn't have to. What's worse: he likes it.
That's pretty much the pilot in a nutshell, and you really don't even need that much to start watching! More importantly, the show is about people trying to better themselves or their resumés, people searching for purpose, the friendships you make as an adult, and accidental families. All of the characters come from totally different backgrounds, are in different places in their lives, are stumbling to find their way, yet once a week or day or hour they somehow find a way connect with the other members of the study group (now Anthropology instead of Spanish). Rumor has it they sometimes also go to classes!
It's not a straight-ahead sitcom, either. No rapid-fire set-em-up-and-knock-em-down punchlines here... Okay, there's some of that. But mostly what Community's known for is an insane willingness to turn itself on its head. Some critics and fans call it a meta-sitcom, poking at its own innards and reforming itself to whatever structure it thinks suits the story: action movies; Westerns; self-aware bottle episodes; a send-up of the flashback show, once a staple of the network comedy; Scooby-Doo; even My Dinner with Andre.
It's kind of like the weather. Don't like it? Wait five minutes; it'll change.
THE STUDY GROUP
EVERYBODY ELSE
My favorite part about Community and one of its strengths as a fannish universe is the supporting and recurring cast. Greendale feels like a real place, peopled with the kinds of students you would probably rather hang out with and a faculty you really, really don't. Or maybe it's the other way around?
SHIPPING
The one pairing that's almost universal is Troy/Abed, but whether you mean that in a slashy way or a BFFy way, they're pretty much soulmates. The two big pairings are Jeff/Annie and Jeff/Britta, both in canon and in fanon. But with a group this size, and this attractive, it really is anything goes. And we mean anything: Jeff/Shirley, Troy/Annie, Annie/Abed, Vicki/Fat Neil, Leonard/Starburns, Garrett/Ice Cream, Britta/Annie, Shirley/Troy, Abed/Jeff, Troy/Jeff, Abed/Troy/Annie/Jeff/Britta/Shirley(/Duncan will watch)... You name it, we've got it!
Just leave Pierce out of it.
FANDOM
LIVEJOURNAL:
The main Community community on LJ iscommunity_tv, where you'll find a host of activities to usher you through the summer hiatus! During the season, it's a great place for episode discussions, picspams, spoilers, speculation, and, of course, fic and fanart of all stripes.
Some other comms of note (feel free to leave more in comments!):
abed_annie
agiantcookie
anniebritta
annietroy
britta_troy
community_fic
community_land
greendale_daily
jeff_britta
milady_milord
TUMBLR:
There is a hugely active Community fandom on Tumblr. Try some of these on for size:
community101 // communitygifs // communitythings // communitytropes
TWITTER:
Most of the writers, including Dan Harmon, and almost all the cast are pretty active on Twitter. You can find most of them listed on @community_tv's Twitter lists.
ishie and I'm driving the Community fried chicken space simulator this month. Since this is the first time for this particular fandom on crack_van, we'll get some of the basics out of the way first. So man the biscuit thrusters and let's get going!That's pretty much the pilot in a nutshell, and you really don't even need that much to start watching! More importantly, the show is about people trying to better themselves or their resumés, people searching for purpose, the friendships you make as an adult, and accidental families. All of the characters come from totally different backgrounds, are in different places in their lives, are stumbling to find their way, yet once a week or day or hour they somehow find a way connect with the other members of the study group (now Anthropology instead of Spanish). Rumor has it they sometimes also go to classes!
It's not a straight-ahead sitcom, either. No rapid-fire set-em-up-and-knock-em-down punchlines here... Okay, there's some of that. But mostly what Community's known for is an insane willingness to turn itself on its head. Some critics and fans call it a meta-sitcom, poking at its own innards and reforming itself to whatever structure it thinks suits the story: action movies; Westerns; self-aware bottle episodes; a send-up of the flashback show, once a staple of the network comedy; Scooby-Doo; even My Dinner with Andre.
It's kind of like the weather. Don't like it? Wait five minutes; it'll change.
 I don't step up to being leader, Troy. I reluctantly accept it when it's thrust upon me. Jeff Winger, smarmy lawyer extraordinaire, was disbarred after someone reported him for, ahem, misrepresenting his academic record. In order to be reinstated, he needs to earn a bachelor's degree. From America. And to earn that bachelor's degree, he needs to go to Greendale Community College. Not for its fine reputation or affordable credit hours, but because a former client works on the faculty and can get him whatever test answers he needs. There's just one small problem with that plan... |
 I'm not that cool. I'm not Juno, homeslice.Britta Perry dropped out of high school to impress Radiohead and recently returned to her Colorado hometown after a stint in the Peace Corps. She's opinionated, a passable friend once she figures out what you mean by that, and a total buzzkill. Unlike Jeff, she recognizes the real value of a good education (or a Greendale one if you can't afford good) and it's not to buy hand-crafted Italian faucets. Britta is the only member of the group willing to call Jeff out on his bad behavior, and she lives with her cats, who enjoy dressing up for holidays. |
 Am I a bird? No, I'm a bat. I am Batman. Or am I? Yes, I am Batman. Abed Nadir came to Greendale so that one day he could run his father's falafel restaurant. He soon switched his major to Film and his projects are highly anticipated on campus. With his best friend, Troy, he can often be found hosting movie nights and blanket forts in the dorms. Abed's favorite movie is a tie between Ghostbusters, An American Werewolf in London, Back to The Future, Blade Runner, Stand By Me, Stripes, Star Wars IV through VI, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Jaws, Raising Arizona, Jurassic Park, Seven, The Matrix, Goonies, Breakfast Club, Real Genius, Better Off Dead, and The Fog of War. |
 I'll make your ass sense!Shirley Bennett is a recently divorced Christian housewife taking business classes so she can open her own bakery. Her husband left her with two kids and some anger issues but nothing she can't handle. She missed out on the whole college experience once already, so she's making up for lost time. In totally respectable and responsible ways, of course. You'll recognize her by the blinding smile and the irresistible call of "That's nice!" |
 Oh, and for the record, there was an episode of "Happy Days" where a guy literally jumped over a shark. And it was the best one!Troy Barnes was the king of Riverside High. He's even got the letter jacket to prove it. But an unfortunate kegflip accident torpedoed his scholarship and his shot at the big time. At Greendale he studies dance and acting, plays football for the Human Beings, hangs out with Abed, and discovers a hidden gift for plumbing. He might not be the smartest bulb but you can try butt stuff on him if you want. Wait, hold up... |
 It’s called a stress headache, I got my first one when I was 4.The resident overachiever, Annie Edison's at Greendale after a ... stress breakdown derailed her academic path. Okay, it was an Adderall freakout. A Riverside alum like Troy, she's trying to make the most out of a college experience that's nothing like she expected. If there's a club or activity doing something on campus, Annie's likely to be somewhere in the middle of its organizing committee. Or decorating committee. Or judging. Or liaising with the Dean's office. Or asking for extra credit. |
 Ay-bed, your social skills aren't exactly "streets ahead."Pierce Hawthorne, local sanitary wipes mogul. He's old, loud, a little deaf, rude, offensive, prejudiced, hypocritical, many times married and divorced and married again, maybe not a complete waste of space, definitely not a playwright, and clueless. Did we mention offensive? And rude? He's also desperately craving approval and trying to reclaim some kind of semblance of youth. We think. He could actually just think he's young again. Ironic! |
My favorite part about Community and one of its strengths as a fannish universe is the supporting and recurring cast. Greendale feels like a real place, peopled with the kinds of students you would probably rather hang out with and a faculty you really, really don't. Or maybe it's the other way around?
 Now you're speaking my changuage!Señor Ben Chang. The less said about Ben Chang, the better. He will bite your face off, okay? YA BIT. Chang enjoys salsa eating, salsa dancing, playing the keytar, and turning in circles. |
 Would that this hoodie were a time hoodie!Dean Pelton is on a never-ending quest to elevate Greendale above its rival, City College. To no avail, sadly. If you're looking for help with your schedule or tuition, probably best to steer clear. But if you're an aficionado of holiday-specific or dalmatian cosplay, come on down! |
 Throw paper balls at her head 'til she sits down.Ian Duncan teaches psychology and anthropology, and was responsible for Greendale's recent Green Initiative, which saw the cafeteria painted a much more soothing shade of green. He supports Liverpool FC and provides student counseling, though we recommend you don't take him up on that. He's a bit of a blabbermouth. |
| You can also find current students Vicki, Fat Neil, Garrett, Leonard, Starburns, Pavel, and Magnitude (Pop pop!) pretty much everywhere the study group isn't. |
When you guys first came in, we were as wholesome as the family in the Brady Bunch. Now we're as dysfunctional and incestuous as the cast of the Brady Bunch.
-- Abed Nadir
The one pairing that's almost universal is Troy/Abed, but whether you mean that in a slashy way or a BFFy way, they're pretty much soulmates. The two big pairings are Jeff/Annie and Jeff/Britta, both in canon and in fanon. But with a group this size, and this attractive, it really is anything goes. And we mean anything: Jeff/Shirley, Troy/Annie, Annie/Abed, Vicki/Fat Neil, Leonard/Starburns, Garrett/Ice Cream, Britta/Annie, Shirley/Troy, Abed/Jeff, Troy/Jeff, Abed/Troy/Annie/Jeff/Britta/Shirley(/Duncan will watch)... You name it, we've got it!
LIVEJOURNAL:
The main Community community on LJ is
community_tv, where you'll find a host of activities to usher you through the summer hiatus! During the season, it's a great place for episode discussions, picspams, spoilers, speculation, and, of course, fic and fanart of all stripes.Some other comms of note (feel free to leave more in comments!):
abed_annieagiantcookieanniebrittaannietroybritta_troycommunity_ficcommunity_landgreendale_dailyjeff_brittamilady_milordTUMBLR:
There is a hugely active Community fandom on Tumblr. Try some of these on for size:
community101 // communitygifs // communitythings // communitytropes
TWITTER:
Most of the writers, including Dan Harmon, and almost all the cast are pretty active on Twitter. You can find most of them listed on @community_tv's Twitter lists.
no subject
no subject
no subject