Introduction to Networking and Efficient Role Management (Or: The Secret Origins of the Study Group)

Author: Palgrave

Fandom: Community

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Dan Harmon, NBC and the like claim the pleasure, not I.

Warnings: Some bad language and hinted drug use / addiction. Also, while it's not incredibly shippy, some Jeff/Britta and Annie/Troy appears (although no more than was really shown on screen during Season 1), along with a few mild hints at Jeff/Annie.

Author's Notes: This was supposed to be a series of drabbles. DRABBLES, PEOPLE. Clearly, my muse does not know when to shut up. Feedback and constructive criticism welcome and greatfully appreciated; enjoy!

Summary: Because a study group does not just form by accident, you know.

How Abed Joined The Study Group

The role of campus oddball is a bit more challenging at Greendale than Abed Nadir presumes it would be at other schools, given the competition. As a result, he's had to compensate and make his character a bit more extreme than normal; he's had to exaggerate the various symptoms from the tests his parents ran him through a child (the results were always inconclusive, granted, but a big part of forming a memorable character is verisimilitude). But he's pretty sure he's got it nailed.

He's already pegged Jeffrey Winger as the lead character, and Britta Perry as the love interest, and made sure to seek them both out and introduce himself, make sure he gets his scene in this week's episode. It's the role he was made for, really; he's pretty sure he's the oddball extra who gets a few scenes and a line of speaking dialogue every couple of episodes, maybe even ramped up to a recurring character part a few seasons in. Not ideal, but then again, he's not exactly lead-man material.

He's in the cafeteria, sitting alone at a table and mentally sketching out potential routines - the space in here would be perfect for a food fight; it's a bit Animal House, but you have to do the college classics at some point - when Britta slides into seat opposite him. Abed's a bit surprised, because he hasn't had time to prepare, and he's already had his one scene with her today, but improvisation is a skill, after all.

"Hey, Abed. I'm Britta, from Spanish. You remember me, right?"

"Sure do. You're sorry if you seem cold."

"... I did say that, yes. Hey, you mind doing me a favour?" She nods over to someone at the other side of the room. "See that guy? From our Spanish class?"

Abed turns. Jeff Winger is looking into the reflective surface of the ice-cream machine, frowning and adjusting his hair. Evidently he's missed the Meet Cute scene. "Jeff Winger. He sees my value now," he adds helpfully.

"That's... great, Abed. Anyway, listen, he says he's a board-certified tutor, and has a Spanish study group. You hear anything about it?"

"No."

"No," Britta repeats triumphantly, as if she's made some kind of deduction. Abed's not sure what the link is, but then, he's kind of not sure about Britta, period. He's already cast her as the closer-to-earth love interest, and she is on first glance, but there's the potential there for zany hijinks which isn't quite fitting for the character. She doesn't fit into the mould as well as she should. It's unsettling. "That's kind of weird, isn't it? You'd think he'd advertise it or something."

"I guess."

"Well anyway, I'm meeting him in the library in an hour. But I think he's just trying to get into my pants."

"Well, it's not surprising. You are his Manic Pixie Dream Girl, after all. His study group's probably part of the Xanatos Gambit he's got going."

Britta stares at him with her eyes narrowed and her mouth open for a few, bewildered seconds.

"... Okay. But anyway, you wanna come along?"

Abed blinks. This is unexpected.

"Me?"

Britta grins. "Yeah. He says it's a study group; study group should have more than two members, after all. What d'you say?"

If the premise revolves around Jeff and Britta being in a study group, then that means more than one regular character. Means ensemble piece, to a degree at least. It's certainly a promotion. He'll still likely be the oddball outcast, but an oddball outcast who's one of the main characters from the start, not having to work his way up, is an improvement. He might have to tone down his character, have to make sure it doesn't get too annoying on a regular basis - it was okay for an infrequent recurring character, but it might grate for a series regular - but since he was pretty sure this was the pilot there's room for improvement anyway.

If it is an ensemble piece, however, it also requires the right combination of characters to ensure an entertaining dynamic. And he's not sure he fully trusts Britta to know what to look for.

"Have you cast the other roles, yet?"

Britta blinks, hard. "I... haven't asked anyone else, if that's what you mean."

"Cool. Cool cool cool." He nods. "I'm in. Don't worry about the others; leave that to me."

Britta beams, and scribbles something on a page torn from her notebook. "Great. Here's the details he gave me. See you there in about an hour? And, yeah, you know, ask a few other people," she waves her hand vaguely, "see how he copes when he's got an audience."

Abed nods, and memorizes the details with a glance as Britta hurries off. He tears a page from his notebook, begins to divide it into quarters, and jots down the meeting details separately on each one. As he does so, he runs through the other members of their shared Spanish class in his mind, already deciding the necessary roles and selecting possible candidates with the most dramatic and entertainment potential. Granted, he knows little about any of them except for their brief introductions and contributions in class earlier , which was not the best audition they could have hoped for (although the teacher certainly had potential as a recurring nemesis), but he managed to gleam enough from that plus his independent observations to gain a rough sense of who would be most fitting for what role.

He looks down at four pieces of paper, the details neatly imprinted on each Now, this would work better in a dramatic sense if he had business cards, or even better, ornately printed letters sealed in expensive envelopes which he could deliver anonymously to them, creating a sense of mystery as they independently discovered each letter and made their way to the study room, their curiosity peaked by the mysterious summoning and the adventures it promised. But he doesn't have the time, or the funds, and so the direct approach will have to do.

He's in charge of casting. And he knows just what and who to look for.