#(I still have the 'Troy is doing SO WELL Abed is gonna be SO PROUD' reaction

[pepperf]

Wait, why did none of you tell me that Donald Glover was doing a TV series remake/reboot of Mr & Mrs Smith?!!?!! You are all FIRED omg I have to do this myself unbelievable......

[epicene-humanoid]

some trans Jeff thoughts:

he realized he was trans in elementary school and just went fuck it I'll just start introducing myself as Jeffery and see if anyone decides to stop me (as we know, jeff winger can get away with almost anything)

he got top surgery the second he could afford it (around the same time he started at his law firm), and probably bribed someone to keep it a secret

"I'm jeff winger and i would rather look at myself naked than the women I sleep with" are the words of a man proud of his transition

he's really insecure about his fashion sense, which is why he mostly dresses like the douchey guys at his firm in the start of the show, he thought you can't go wrong with the sleazy lawyer look

he will never admit it but he feels super good about the dean hitting on him, because the dean is a (cis) guy, acknowledging that Jeff is more manly than him

i think he starts out stealth and comes out to everyone one by one, probably starting with abed because he knows abed won't judge him and will probably just see it as an interesting backstory.

abed just says it's cool and maybe worth a prequel exploring Jeff's transition, and jeff asks him to predict how all of the members of the group will react to him coming out.

abed's predictions:

britta will be over-the-top supportive and do a ton of research about trans history, probably put together a slideshow just to prove how progressive she is, and jeff will be a little bit weirded out, but also touched that she did all that for him, though he would never let her know that

shirley will be confused, because she doesn't know how someone she trusts and knows so well could be part of a group she was raised to hate, but ultimately realizes that there's nothing actually against the lgbtq people in the bible, and, as a cool character development arch, starts to advocate against use of the bible to justify bigotry

troy will just think it over and decide that Jeff's physique and coolness are even awesomer knowing how much work he'd had to put in to be like that, and respects Jeff's manliness even more

annie will give him a hug, say something sweet about how she'll always love him, and worry about his health, because even she read somewhere that taking testosterone makes you more likely to have a heart attack, jeff will explain that the risk is still only as high a cis guy, and she'll be the one to always remind him to take his shots

peirce will say at best say "jeff winger used to be a chick?" and at worst call him a slur, either way there's sure to be a lot of misgendering from him, and pestering to know Jeff's deadname (needless to say, Jeff just doesn't tell peirce)

the whole group goes out of their way to keep their beach trips a secret from pierce (the girls don't want him there anyways, he's too liable to be creepy) even though jeff knows that even if pierce saw his scars, all he would have to do is make up a story about some childhood accident and pierce would never question it

sorry this ended up being super long. can I hear some of your headcanons for him?

YES ALL THIS!!! yes yes i’m fully accepting this as canon oh my god

i’m about to type a whole ass ESSAY at midnight because i have been DYING to talk about this for months ajfdksljk,,, this is going to be obscenely long and i might end up adding even more to it as i continue to rewatch the show because there is truly no shortage of trans jeff content (especially when you’re trans and see transness in every little thing ajdkslfkjs)

spoiler warning for literally everything about this show under the cut <3

i 100% agree, i feel like he realized he was trans super young, especially since in the show we see him as a little kid a couple of times. 

like look at little jeff with the oversized sweatshirt and little ponytail!! that’s childhood trans fashion. not to be dramatic but part of me thinks that jeff’s dad left before he fully came out to his family (which gives him even more angst about it, because until that one Thanksgiving episode, he’s never able to prove to his dad that he’s a better man), but part of me thinks that his dad left after he came out (which adds that spicy i-should-have-stayed-in-the-closet guilt that he has to work through). 

either way, because his dad wasn’t there, he had to base his concept of masculinity on something else, which was becoming a lawyer!! there’s some line that’s like “after the dust and divorce papers were settled the only man i looked up to was [the lawyer guy]”. like, replacing your father figure in your mind with the concept of “a job where you can talk your way in and out of anything and distort other people’s concept of reality”? that’s trans.

 and the fucking THANKSGIVING EPISODE... i struggle to watch it without crying hehe <3 yeowch! the dichotomy of willy jr. being the “wrong” kind of man because he’s “too soft” but jeff also not being enough despite adhering to all the social standards of masculinity... fuck!! this whole scene of him telling his dad “i am Not well adjusted” and talking about how he gave himself an “appendix surgery scar” when he was a kid and he still keeps the get-well-soon letters from his classmates under his bed? oh my god. the implication of people loving him not despite his scars but because of them?? trans. i can’t think about this episode for too long or i’ll start yelling.

OH and this scene? where he talks about how his mom got him a girl costume for halloween?? and everyone said “what a cute little girl” and after a few houses he stopped correcting them?? and “once the shame and the fear wore off, i was just glad they thought i was pretty”?? THAT’S TRANS... the man needs validation oh my god... and then in all the halloween episodes we see he has these ultra-masculine costumes (a cowboy, David Beckham, one of the fast and furious guys even though he never watched the movies, a boxer with his DAD’S boxing gloves... god) costumes are about becoming something else and he always chooses to be hypermasculine and that is trans.

THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION EPISODE!!!!!!! being uncomfortable during P.E. is a queer experience. period. but him being specifically uncomfortable in the clothes someone else is assigning to him? trans. “are we gonna talk about clothes like a girl? or use tapered sticks to hit balls around a cushioned mat like a man?” TRANS. and him eventually stripping in public? celebration of transness. and the fact that he eventually becomes comfortable in both the uniform and his own style!! trans!! god i love this episode. 

AND AND AND!!! the gay dean coming out episode!!! where it’s the three of them discussing the best way for the dean to come out as gay despite not entirely identifying with that label!! so we have both frankie and the dean who are sort of ambiguously queer, and jeff who’s a stealth trans man who’s probably only out to only the study group at this point. this scene where the dean and jeff have this like eyebrow communication while frankie is talking is just so cute. queer-to-queer communication. “I am so curious” “oh?” “intellectually.” “oh...” ajfdksljfk this scene just screams high school GSA to me and i love it so much.

and SPEAKING of the dean!! i totally see you on that. i feel like jeff has some internalized homophobia/biphobia (like he’d throw punches over someone else, but when it comes to himself he has a lot of shame). and also seeing the dean so confident in all his different outfits/costumes has a weird affect on him bc it’s like “okay, the dean, a cis guy, can do that, but i as a trans guy could Not because that’s Breaking the Rules”. which, like, throwback to the halloween thing. of course there’s no right way to be masculine, but mr. winger does not know that.

another thing!! the episode where their emails get leaked? that includes his emails with his therapist. fuck!! he was outed to the whole world in that episode!! no wonder he was so fucking angry!! this whole episode (and really any time he mentions his therapist) is so interesting when you think about them as a person he talks to about his transition. OH which adds to the thing with the dean!! “and you told your therapist you wanted to be alone this weekend” and “not you jeff, i know you’ll be visiting your dad” ”I told you to stop reading my emails”. luckily his study group has his back and just makes fun of him for emailing astronauts lmao

and WHO can forget “they’re giving out an award for most handsome young man!!!!” what else is there to say about this line besides: he’s trans. you know he didn’t get awarded enough for being a handsome young man when he was a kid, and no amount of compliments when he’s fully-grown can really make up for that. some people crash a kid’s bar mitzvah to cope with the fact that they struggled to be seen as themselves when they were a teenager <3

also his weird relationship with pierce? where he kind of hates him (understandably lmao) but at times has this almost-friends-almost-father-son relationship with him? especially in this episode where he’s forced to bond with him and ends up having a good time by accident (at a barber shop no less, the perfect place to Be A Man with your Man Friend). idk what to say about him besides the fact that pierce says his mom wanted a girl when he was born and made him dress like a girl (and his middle name is anastasia!) so if they’re gonna do any bonding over transness it’s gonna be that. 

okay one last thing and then i’ll shut up for the night. this episode kills me (and almost kills jeff hahahahelpi’mcrying). it’s a very Trans thing to not be able to visualize your future self, it just is. growing up trans at the time he did? i don’t know what kind of future he saw for himself, but i’m so happy that he ended up with a group of friends who became his family and love him the way they all do. i’m so emotional over this asshole it’s ridiculous. 

in conclusion:

they’re trans, your honor <3

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Quickly Think About Community

Salutations random people on the internet who probably won't read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons. And today, I'm gonna be doing something a little different. You see, I just finished the underrated show called Community (#andamovie), which gained a lot of popularity lately after being on Netflix for a couple months now...even though it's been on Hulu for far longer, but that's neither here nor there. Because I'd like to share my thoughts about it. However, there's really not much to analyze or think about when it comes to a series like Community. Yet, there is quite a bit more I want to talk about rather than write a few paragraphs about it. So, for this review, I'm going to mix formats. I'll list the things that I like and dislike, but I won't overanalyze or discuss my thoughts. So sit back and relax as I explain what I quickly think about Community.

(And don't worry about spoilers. I’ll keep things as spoiler-free as I can.)

WHAT I LIKE

It's funny. Like, really funny. Unfortunately, like most comedy shows, Community loses its magic in later seasons. Luckily, there are still occasionally hilarious jokes, some funnier than ones made when Community was in its prime. So...it's one of those give or take types of deals.

Jeff is a solid protagonist. He's such an a-hole, but rarely ever too far that he's unlikable. Plus, you really feel for him in season six when he has anxieties you never really considered until he makes them open. Jeff is the perfect balance of witty comedy and identifiability, which is what most series protagonists need.

Annie is adorable. 'Nough said.

Shirley is underrated, in my opinion. She has her fans, but not as much as everyone else in the cast. Plus, it's nice to show a character that's a proud Christian that's also willing to accept other people's beliefs...for the most part. Sure, she has slip-ups, but I'd say there's a lot more to love about her than there is to hate.

Abed is a fan-frickin'-tastic character, and I do a full analysis explaining why...on some point. (It's already on my to-do list. Just bear with me.)

Troy is absolutely a himbo, and it's oddly funny seeing him have a nervous breakdown. That may sound awful, but trust me when I say that if you'd seen how he reacts to meeting Levar Burton, you'd be laughing too.

Also, Troy and Abed's bromance is the best thing in this series, as it's equally funny and heartwarming at times seeing them together.

The Dean is un-Dean-iably the funniest character in the show. Don't believe me? Watch his Payday rap.

Chang gets funnier and funnier with each passing season, and I'll leave it to you in figuring out how and why.

Frankie might be the best character shoe-horned into the main cast due to...reasons. Hicky and Elroy are fine, but Frankie offers something the characters needed for a while. She's a straight man that offers sanity to the group's oddball antics. She might not be as funny as everyone else, but her inclusion is definitely appreciated.

There's a realistic way romance is written in this series. There is no endgame relationship or even any long-lasting ones. Instead, the characters date, they sometimes bone, and they eventually break-up when the relationship doesn't work. That's how things work in the real world, especially at college, so why let it work here?

The funniest out-of-context line is, "I didn't just masturbate in the study room. I masturbated everywhere...EEEVVVEEERRRYYYWWWHHHEEERRREEE!" And I will fight you on that.

There's some surprisingly good music in this series. Especially with its cover to "Somewhere Out There." Look it up. It might just be better than the original.

Season three might be my favorite because there are these little arcs building in the background, but the show still remains episodic as it doesn't need to focus on those arcs as much as they have to. The main focus is the characters and their relationships, and that's all there need to develop. Yet seeing all those narratives come together in the final episodes of season three is a spectacle to behold. At least to me, it is.

"Remedial Chaos Theory" is the best half-hour of television, and you can quote me on that.

"Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" is equally parts charming as it is hilarious.

The paintball episodes are easily the best of the series...except for the season four finale.

WHAT I DISLIKE

Also, what season four? There's no season four. It goes from season three to five, and that's it. Season four doesn't exist, and if it did, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT!

Seasons five and six aren't...bad, but they're also not that good either. There are some fantastic episodes in there, but they're easily outmatched by mediocre and just flat-out awful writing. If you feel like season three is a good stopping point, then you might as well do yourself a favor and stop watching.

"Basic Email Security" is the worst episode of the series. Say what you want about the season that doesn't exist. Nothing can get worse than that.

Britta's the human equivalent of 2020. She is the worst. And I'm not just saying that to be on theme. Britta is annoying, she isn't funny, and every time she talks, I have a weird urge to strangle something. If that was the intention, then good job. If not, then what the f**k?

Also, what the f**k is up with Pierce?! He's a racist, homophobic, bigoted old man, yet apparently, he has fans? I mean, sure, he has moments of brilliance and worthwhile speeches that are admirable. But then I remember the episode where he pantsed Shirley, and that is something I will never forgive, no matter the occasional heartwarming moment or funny line he offers.

So that's what I think about Community. If you have a chance, give it a watch for yourself. It might not all be worth it by the end, but neither Community college when you think about it. So really, it's just fine.