This one is my first draft, I'm not sure if we're supposed to put our visual refrences here as well, but I think I'll just add them later. =_= ...
Additionally, it wont let me put files here, so I'm just gonna copy & paste the whole thing.
Additionally, additionally, the dashes indicate names I haven't quite come up with yet. Still working on that one lol
Logline----
Four creative culinary students (and a little sister) travel across a vast, country on a final assignment before graduation. As they make their way across vast lands, they find obscure ingredients, castles and ultimately the future queen.
Four creative culinary students (and a little sister) travel across a vast, country to make magical dishes. As they make their way across vast lands, they find obscure ingredients, castles and ultimately to please future queen.
Overview---- (Adjust to fit new format)
Join four students from vastly different backgrounds as they try to make their way through culinary school. Graduation is near, but when their final assignment is revealed, their simple lives turn into a grand adventure across the country in which they will learn about the history of their lands and the origin of their foods, traditions and dishes in a pleasant slice-of-life series. Their only enemy is nature, and their only goal is to get to the castle in one piece so they can impress a future queen with their mad cooking skills.
Structure----
Strawberry Shortcake meets Bee & Puppycat meets Adventure Time. This series would be categorized as very slice-of-life, with the visual appearance of a kid's show. The series would probably be directed towards a 20-something audience
.
Characters----
Tasha~
Tasha is the first and only princess of the royal family of ____. She has two older siblings, the bacon prince and the pickle prince. Even though she is the youngest of the three siblings, she was chosen to rule the country because of her intelligence, strategic abilities and compassionate, respectful nature. Tasha's only downfall is her shyness. Her white bangs hang over her eyes, and attention from almost anyone makes her blush. While she may be reserved, Tasha is a very gifted politician, and when the time is right, she will speak out passionately against anything she thinks is wrong, and won't stop fighting until the problem is solved.
Benedict~
Benedict is the 3rd oldest of 10 children, all living in the small town of ____. His parents are kind and supportive, helping him to make his way through one of the greatest culinary schools in the land, and overall, he and his family are all bright rays of sunshine. It isn't often that you'll ever find Benedict angry or upset, and he makes a point to always be kind and thoughtful. He's grown up surrounded by chefs but he found his passion with baking. Benny loves creating pastries, biscuits and breads, and while he doesn't like to work outside a recipe too often, he loves to play with new ingredients to spice things up a bit. Ben and all of his other siblings have been homeschooled since they were little, they took tours and field trips, met tons of people, worked many jobs and perfected his signature pastries at his bi-monthly bake sales. The decision to go to ____ was a huge for him, it took a lot of hesitant confidence (and maybe a bit of pressure and encouragement from his parents) to send in his application.
Through culinary school, Benedict has learned that some assignments or obstacles don't allow you to stick to the book, and can be far more uncontrolled. And while he is stubborn about letting go of the rules, he's slowly learning that experimentation and not following a worn down path can be the key to making solutions, learning more about the world we live in and creating new, delicious dishes.
Kiyori~
Growing up on the small, coastal fishing village of ____, Kiyori grew up in a loving home with her mother, father and 3 siblings. As the oldest child, Kiyori took on a lot of responsibility to keep her family comfortable, joining her mother on frequent fishing trips, selling at the fish markets and later accepting a job as a maid at the Duke and Duchess's home in ____. Known to her family and friends as Kiki, she is a spunky, strategic woman who takes no task lightly. Her time out on the sea and working hard at the fish markets since she was young meant that where her food came from was important to her from the beginning. Her father stayed at home when she was young and cooked the fish unfit for sale at the markets, and even though the food they used wasn't always of the highest quality, Kiyori's father somehow always found a way to make the most wonderful, soul-satisfying food, inspiring Kiki from a young age. Only a few years prior to now, Kiki took her savings (with a little help from her parents) and applied to ___. You can only imagine her surprise when she received her letter of acceptance in the mail!
Since attending ____, Kiyori has been brought closer to food in a way she didn't expect. Yes, her knife skills have improved drastically, her sense of flavors have deepened and evolved, and she finds herself finding much enjoyment in working quickly amongst the bright flames, hot oil and bubbling water. But in addition to all of that, she's found that the best food isn't always about the quality of the ingredients, but more about the hands that made them.
Hector~
Hector comes from a cozy farming village by the name of ____ just outside of the city. He lives in a family of three, including his father and his younger sister Isabel, who rarely if ever, leaves his side. Hector's mother left for the sea when he was very young. Her history as a Sea Scout meant that it was almost impossible to stay on land. Hector's mother and father loved each other more than anything, but in the end too many years on land was simply too much. They separated, for Hector's father couldn't leave the land, and his mother couldn't part with the sea. During the years growing up, Hector, Isabel and their father tended to the surrounding farmlands. They grew many different varieties of crops and supported themselves summer, spring and fall. Hector grew up very comfortably, but he couldn't help but want more. Cooking was never a huge part of his life, but when he looked for a path to change, he found foraging and smaller scale gardening. Over the years he grew flowers, exotic plants and herbs, learning more and more about the food that was right under his nose his entire life. While his father was appalled that he wanted to be a chef, with hesitation he allowed his son to go off to college to learn more.
Now nearing the end of his culinary school career, Hector has learned the value of well grown ingredients and when he returns home to take over the family farm, he intends to evolve his farming practices to nurture the spirit of the food along with the soil that grows it.
Oona~
Before moving on campus, Oona lived with her mother and father in the Capitol. Her family moved homes many times over the course of her youth, traveling their way across the county, never staying in one spot for long. Oona loves to plan. If you were to give her a classic friend group label, she would be the mom of the group. She's an innovator, with a calm and collected personality, and she always relishes a good brainstorm. Her parents are both hardworking business owners and encourage their only daughter to reach for the stars and claim what she wants, no matter what it takes. Oona however, doesn't want to aim that high. She doesn't really know what she wants, but she knows she definitely doesn't want to be the next big trendsetter or personality. Oona decided to go to school for herself, but also because she didn't really know what else to do. Despite not knowing what she wants to do with her future, she sent in her application for ___. When Oona told her parents she planned to ship herself off to culinary school, they were certainly surprised, but they admired her gumption and supported her through the whole process.
Now nearing the end of school, Oona has learned more about herself. She loves the slow processes of soups and marinades, and extracting, changing and influencing the magical flavors from simple ingredients. And even though she entered the classroom not really knowing much about cooking, Oona has truly fallen in love with it and plans to never turn back.
Key Locations----
Biomes
The Moutains...
The mountainous ranges span across the majority of the country, home to many different towns, animals and flora. The people of the mountain top are secluded, but work well as a team, pooling resources and helping each other in times of need. For the majority of the year the mountains are caked in snow, sometimes reaching depths of over 20 feet, but during a few short months in the summer, the snow melts away at the base of the mountain and leaves behind fragile flowers and rare root vegetables for harvesting.
Towns and civilizations that reside in the mountains include: ____, _____, _____, _____,
Coasts~
Salt water surrounds the entire country of ____ giving its residents plenty of easy access to the sea. The coasts are littered with fishing villages, the most well populated, being the village of ____, closest to the Capitol and the furthest west. The village has naturally warmer waters compared to other villages on the coast and therefore an overflow of fish during the summer months. As well as having many beautiful and famous beaches, mountain cliffsides also overlook the beautiful blue waters.
Towns and civilizations that reside on the coasts include: ____, _____, _____, _____,
The Desert and the Jungle~
On the eastern most side of the country, jungles and deserts span across the land. Once home to a booming city, the land is now home to the remains of abandoned towns and villages, reclaimed by nature in the past 200 years. Much of the jungle is now overgrown and many of the desert towns buried deep in the coarse sand. Nature has truly taken over in every sense. The last map made of this part of the country was made 90 years ago, and left partially unfinished due to the journey becoming too dangerous. Not many know whats out there, and no one really wants to find out.
The Flatlands~
While the country itself is very diverse from a geological standpoint, the majority of the land is in fact meadows, grasslands, hills and bluffs. When the technological boom came around 250 years ago, many of the people were encouraged to move inwards towards the super cities (the most current being the Capitol city of ____), to congregate around them and to leave nature, back to nature, all in the name of a "sustainable future". Many people of the land moved, taking down their houses and usually leaving nothing behind but the wood used to build their homes. While the majority of people followed this path, it was also inevitable that some stay behind. Those who did are now generational farmers and control massive amounts of land and crops.
In winter, snow blankets the hills as far as you can see, becoming a white desert. But in spring and summer people flock from miles around to see the wildflowers spring up from the soil, bathing the grass at your feet to your view of the horizon in bright, bold splashes of color.
Towns and civilizations that reside in the flatlands include: ____, _____, _____, _____,
Forests~
Trees litter the entire landscape of ____, but the thickest forests are to the south of the country. Civilizations in this area have been around longer than most others in the country and the original people of the land lived amongst the treetops, sometimes never touching the ground once in their lives. The residents of now however, live in the third largest city in the land: ___. This city is home to ____ culinary school, _____, and _____.
Towns and civilizations that reside in the forests include: ____, _____, _____, _____,
Episodes----
Typical episode
The typical episode would start out by showcasing the new land that the characters are in. This would happen by way of exploration, searching for new ingredients or an outside force showing them the surrounding area. Each episode would focus on one of the characters more than the others. The lead character would search out inspiring ingredients found in unexpected places and along the way they will overcome obstacles, interpersonal relationships and meet local people of the lands who will share traditions and legends of the surrounding area and culture. Episodes will end with a final dish being created along with a new recipe discovered.
Episode 1: Let The Questing... COMMENCE!
The episode begins with a normal start to the day; the sun is shining on _____ campus, birds are singing and students are studenting. In one particular classroom though, things are about to get intense. It's the end of the semester, and much to the students's surprise, the professor has changed the final assignment to an ultimate quest: one to impress the future queen with their marvelous cooking skills. The details about the quest are revealed. Four students are grouped. They meet up after class to get to know each other better and discuss their travel plans across the country. They do research on different locations, ingredients and towns, planning their trek to the Capitol city. The group disbands planning to leave in two days time.
Time passes, the group prepares to leave, nervous excitement is in the air as they set off towards the mountains. With final words of wisdom from their professor and a bid farewell to the campus, the students head for the Capitol.
Episode X: Overcast Skies, Soup and SNAKES!
Benedict wakes up to rain over the makeshift campsite. The fire is revived and soon the group splits off to go find ingredients to experiment with. Upon returning they begin to cook. As the dish begins to take shape, Kiki suddenly rushes to the campsite and reveals that she found a river running through the forest that isn't shown on the map. With Hector manning the campsite, the others rush back to meet the river's edge.
When they arrive, Oona points out the land across the river. All are in awe, and can't help but wonder what's on the other side. They return to camp, but later they return and try to find a way across the river. After many failed attempts, the group solves the problem by creating stilts and walking through the river to the other side.
Success! Upon making it, the group continues through the forest. The trees begin to thin, and the land soon opens to a vista. A beautiful view, but such a long way to the capitol... what a drag.
Episode X: That Gas Station Aesthetic & Mystery Seeds
The students are delighted as they spy the entrance to town. Upon entering they see a market and citizens bustling around, trading and selling their goods. With weary eyes, they push through and begin to shop. By the end of the day, they'd collected many ingredients and other treasures, and decide to start heading towards a hotel. As they pass the buildings lining the streets, a storefront captures Hector's eye. the others notice and decide they could return tomorrow.
Morning in the grand town of ____! The group wakes up late, happily sandwiched between clean sheets and fluffy bedding. They depart from the hotel by noon deciding to spend one more night in town before moving on. They pass the strange store on the way to the market. Closed still.
Night begins to fall. Seeing its now open, Hector and Kiki leave the rest of the group behind, venturing into the odd building. (Imagine abandoned gas station) Hector looks at the products. An old man (who resembles someone who is quite deceased) suddenly reveals himself. He leads them further towards the back of the store, where they are met with a room filled with odd plants and shelves lined with unlabeled jars.
Hector is BEYOND delighted, Kiki is shaken after being in the scary store, and the others are very confused when they see Hector holding bags and bags of products and announcing he is officially broke.
Episode 15: The Finale
The students discuss ideas on the floor of their temporary home. Stressed excitement is evident with the entire group. They look through their collected ingredients, deciding what to use and what not to use. A plan is concocted and they begin to experiment with test dishes. The final dish is.. served? They each present their plates to each other to try. None are quite perfect. STRESS ENSUES. They return to the drawing board, feeling quite discouraged.
tOmORroW aRRIvEs✨ it's time to present to the princess. They all have allotted time slots to use the princess's kitchen and one by one, all of the students create their dishes and present them to their professor and the princess.
Later. The door to the flat opens and in walks Kiki, who was the last to present her dish. All of them share their experiences of the presentations, but no one was able to figure out what the princess thought. Tomorrow they'll get an answer.