Introducing... The Wild Wild West Side Story?
So, I had a very random story/blurb idea come to my mind last night just before I fell asleep, and I am certain that insaneladybug's recent posts on a Final Fantasy VII Western AU are responsible for this, but now I have a crazy idea for a West Side Story Western AU, which would likely be more of a very weird dream by Lt. Schrank rather than an actual AU. If I ever do anything with it, I will call it "The Wild Wild West Side Story."
Basically, my idea would be that after a series of nights on the midnight patrol, living off of pizza, Schrank ends up dreaming that he is Sheriff Schrank of the Old West, and Krupke is his loyal deputy. Maria is the beautiful schoolteacher (the characters would be slightly older than their real selves), and Tony is the cheerful bartender of a saloon (owned by Doc, of course). Riff and Bernardo are rival ranchers, with the other Jets and Sharks being their ranch hands.
It's not going to be a retelling of the story; I want to try something different, like maybe Riff and Bernardo are competing over who buys some new livestock arriving from the Ponderosa (a Cartwright or two might make an appearance). And Schrank has to desperately try to keep the peace between them. And I really want that to be just a subplot--I actually want there to be a villain that causes the Jets and the Sharks to temporarily join forces (perhaps temporarily agreeing to work with Schrank) to run the villain out of town. My immediate thought is for the villain to be either William Poole or Mel Barnes (or maybe even Mandee from Gunsmoke), with everyone then commenting on how he and Schrank look alike, and Schrank being very unamused. But I probably should make it an OC villain or non-Simon villain, at least... Hmm... But, at any rate, after the villain is run out of town/dealt with/whatever, Schrank hopes that's enough to prove that the Jets and the Sharks are better off when they work together. Of course, it doesn't, and they immediately start feuding again, much to Schrank's utter exasperation.
At any rate, Schrank wakes up from this dream and tries to write it off as his tired mind just trying to blow off some steam. He heads back to the precinct and ends up telling Krupke about it as he grabs a quick brunch of something that one of the other sergeants left for him. Krupke hesitates before informing Schrank that he just had calamari for brunch. And Schrank, through a mouthful of squid, resigns himself to the fact that tonight, he will likely have another weird dream--probably about him being a lawman in Atlantis this time, given the squid.
Basically, my idea would be that after a series of nights on the midnight patrol, living off of pizza, Schrank ends up dreaming that he is Sheriff Schrank of the Old West, and Krupke is his loyal deputy. Maria is the beautiful schoolteacher (the characters would be slightly older than their real selves), and Tony is the cheerful bartender of a saloon (owned by Doc, of course). Riff and Bernardo are rival ranchers, with the other Jets and Sharks being their ranch hands.
It's not going to be a retelling of the story; I want to try something different, like maybe Riff and Bernardo are competing over who buys some new livestock arriving from the Ponderosa (a Cartwright or two might make an appearance). And Schrank has to desperately try to keep the peace between them. And I really want that to be just a subplot--I actually want there to be a villain that causes the Jets and the Sharks to temporarily join forces (perhaps temporarily agreeing to work with Schrank) to run the villain out of town. My immediate thought is for the villain to be either William Poole or Mel Barnes (or maybe even Mandee from Gunsmoke), with everyone then commenting on how he and Schrank look alike, and Schrank being very unamused. But I probably should make it an OC villain or non-Simon villain, at least... Hmm... But, at any rate, after the villain is run out of town/dealt with/whatever, Schrank hopes that's enough to prove that the Jets and the Sharks are better off when they work together. Of course, it doesn't, and they immediately start feuding again, much to Schrank's utter exasperation.
At any rate, Schrank wakes up from this dream and tries to write it off as his tired mind just trying to blow off some steam. He heads back to the precinct and ends up telling Krupke about it as he grabs a quick brunch of something that one of the other sergeants left for him. Krupke hesitates before informing Schrank that he just had calamari for brunch. And Schrank, through a mouthful of squid, resigns himself to the fact that tonight, he will likely have another weird dream--probably about him being a lawman in Atlantis this time, given the squid.