#rough outline

Story outline for Half-Baked cause i dont feel like doing the full scenes rn but i do have ideas and this counts as writing so yay. If i do this i think the chapters will be relatively short anyway.

 Chapter 1 > Macaron is alone in the Cookie Kingdom during aftermath of the Infection, specifically living in a small shelter by the Castle. Cherry and Cherry Blossom Cookie are leaving the kingdom like everyone else at this point when CB gets hit by a fallen tree and injures her leg. Cherry blows something up to get the attention of anyone nearby, Macaron hears and they talk and she decides to  take care of them until they’re able to leave

Chapter 2 > The three of them get more acclimated to living with each other. Probably like a short timeskip from the last one. Light lore dropping about the nature of the infection and backstories. Also Macaron centric.

Chapter 3 > We are introduced to Custard Cookie the Third who, while still holding hope that Gingerbrave + Co will recover from current comatose state also leaves the castle and joins them. Chili Pepper is not infected and has been living with Custard iii but feels guilty for not being able to have prevented a lot of this so she’s been distant and decides she’ll just leave now that she knows he has others taking care of him. She does not wake him up to tell him

Chapter 4 > Switches PoVs as they all go exploring ruins basically, we have Custard and Cherry bonding and becoming good friends even with a little fight, they meet Screpe but scare them off by mistake lol. Macaron meets Prune Juice and (infected Cappy and K-A) allows all of them to come as long as the other champs are in a different area and he starts working on the antidote right away

Chapter 5 > Last major character joins cast, it’s Twizzly Gummy who remembered this timeline is a pretty major anomaly and came to shoot zombies and cause chaos outside the shelter which pisses off everyone. We also check up on Chili Pepper who kind of misses being around other Cookies but busies herself with a robbery. She does encounter TG, they already knew each other and have a sort of a rivalry/mutually angry friendship i guess

Chapter 6 > UH i think chili pepper has like some off screen conversation with TGC and decides to come back and Custard iii has mixed feelings. We also see some progress in finding out more about the infection from Prune, Macaron and Cherry Blossom researching. They realize the truth about how it was made by the Witches

Chapter 7 > Twizzly Gummy basically lives with them now and she’s like another sister for Cherry who also likes weapons (twizzly is caught off guard from how violent cherry is) (or something.) We do find out that TG had a brother (String Gummy) who she got separated from. And like Kouign Amann and Capsaicin are getting worse and Prune is angry because none of his potions are working and he can’t use magic.

This will be a longer post compared to the ‘A to Z Ways for Palpatine to Die Before Order 66’ since there’s more information to this as well as some extra thoughts. Plus, this is actually a full-blown continuous A/U rather than 26 stand-alone chapters.

First off…

Soulmates do have Soulmarks somewhere on their bodies. These Soulmarks appear on the skin of sentient creatures roughly the time they reach puberty (or the equivalent to). The Soulmarks are the same designs, colours, and in the same locations between Soulmates and will become brighter when the Soulmate met. The Soulmarks are usually on parts of the body that can be covered up easily enough (which is thankful on the Jedi’s side of things). There is also some sort of link between Soulmates that can be felt by the Pairs that can’t be explained, even by those more in-tuned with The Force. Soulmarks will only vanish when the Soulmate of a Pair dies.

The Jedi Culture in this A/U:

Since Soulmates are a thing, the Jedi Order’s Rule of Attachment is very different in this A/U compared to the canon media. They are allowed, even if they aren’t Soulmates, but the Jedis are still expected to act as peacekeepers and put the needs of the Galaxy before their own, just in more of a healthy way. (Ie, there does need to be a lot of communication, trust, some good emotional support, and emotional regulation between the Soulmate or Partnered pairs).

Springing off of the last point, YES! The Jedi Order makes teaching Healthy Emotional Regulation to all Younglings absolutely mandatory in all the Temples before they even take their Initiate Trials to become Padawans, no exceptions. So all within the Jedi in the Order know how to regulate their emotions in a healthy way (but not everyone follow these lessons because, yah know, there are always exceptions. It is rare, at least).

For the Jedi Order, in order to have the Soulmate Pairs official in their eyes, all members of the Soulmate Pair must undergo what’s called a “Trial of Bonds”. Once the Soulmate Pair pass, they may officially bond. There are two different “Trial of Bonds”, one for those who are Jedi (or those who are Force-Sensitive) and the other for those without Force-Sensitivity. The minimum age allowed to take these “Trial of Bonds” is the legal adult age for their species (For humans, it’s 20 years).

Ofc, there are some understandable rules for Jedi Soulmates/Pairs to follow, and those works for all the pairs in all honesty. Also thanks to these rules, the vast majority of the Galaxy believe that Jedi are the only beings that will never have Soulmates and aren’t allowed to be in relationships, period. None of the Jedi want to correct this thinking/belief because, well, it does protect the Soulmates/Partners of Jedi that aren’t Force-Sensitive or part of the Jedi Order from being targeted. Plus, it is ultimately none the Galaxy’s business.

On that same note… The Sith are completely unaware of the “Real Rule of Attachment” that the Jedi Order has, so… Yeah, the Sith don’t know about the Jedi having Soulmates. And… This is ‘lack of knowing’ will be come into play a few times in this A/U.

Now for some other changes regarding the Jedi Order.

Instead of sending just two Jedi on missions, it’ll be three. Even if one of the Jedi has a Padawan. It’s more for keeping the Jedi balanced and offer up more diverse viewpoints on whatever is involved or needed for the mission. And for the Padawans, while their chosen Jedi Master will be their main teacher during these missions, the other Jedi will more or less act as a supporting role to them (both as teachers and as moral guides). Also, depending on what these missions may entail, the Jedi will either wear their traditional Jedi robes or civilian clothing. Most Jedi prefer the latter, in all honesty.

On the subject of Padawans. While they are given a master to train/guide them, they are encouraged to train, meditate, and hang out with other Padawans when they are in the one of the Jedi Temples. So, Padawans tend to have a lot of friendships with others that last through knighthood and even as Masters.

There are actually individuals that live in the Jedi Temples that aren’t Force-Sensitive (usually Jedi Soulmates/Partners who choose to live with their Jedi pairs, some relative of Jedi that aren’t in-tune with the Force [that have to live there for legitimate reasons], or are children of Jedi Soulmate/Partnered pairs that aren’t in-tune with the Force [it’s rare though, but it does happens]).

The Jedi still use all the Temples on the other planets, because they want to be in locations to help the people of the Galaxy. While the Temple on Coruscant is the biggest of them, it has the least amount of Jedi actually living there full-time and the Main Archive is located on Ahch-To. The Jedi, the Coruscant Temple is more of a convenient location to aid the people of the Republic better because the planet is the centre of it and station Jedi there that would trive better. The Jedi in this A/U aren’t exactly allied with the Republic, but at the same time they have never been able to inform the Galaxy of this for some reason.

Now for some major points in the timeline of this A/U:

The Jedi are still protectors and peacekeepers to the people of the Galaxy. (Yeah, not changing that). They do tend to talk to the reigning Senators, Rulers, or Representatives of a planet regarding what the people need, because, well, they’re supposed to represent the people of their respective planets. Sure, it might make the Jedi seem like lapdogs to the high-class, but as long as the people are given what they need to thrive, the Jedi are fine with it (even if a lot of them don’t particularly like it, for obvious reasons).

Which brings us to our first divergent from the canon in this A/U; When Dooku discovered the senator he was protecting was corrupted and was letting the people suffer. Since Dooku had two other Jedi with him along with his Padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn, they were able to calmly talk him down from murder and remove him from the situation while assuring him that they all inform the Jedi Council of this whole ordeal and make countermeasures so things like this don’t happen again. The other Jedi Knights ‘might have’ forgotten to bring in the assassin with them into custody while they took Dooku and Qui-Gon out of the room, and one of them ‘might have accidentally’ unlocked the cuffs on the assassin’s wrists with the Force before they left, and the other Jedi Knights ‘might have’ closed the doors behind them before they could hear the corrupted senator try to call out to them.

(… Yeah, the Jedi in this A/U will not take any lives themselves unless there is no other choice, but they aren’t going to go out of their way to protect those who don’t deserve it [especially if the people take the higher priority] or try to stop anyone else from doing the deed [unless they are trying to protect the potential killer from a separate threat]).

Once the Jedi Council are told what happened with the corrupted senator, they take it seriously and talk about ways to prevent this sort of thing from happening while trying to make sure the people are their main focus.

Thanks to this, Dooku never has any doubts or becomes disillusioned about the Jedi Order keeping to their original code and remains with them. This also means that Palpatine never gets the chance to manipulate Dooku into siding with the Sith and Yaddle will still be alive in this A/U. On that note, Yaddle will mostly act as a Youngling instructor after stepping down from the Jedi Council. Also, Dooku and Mace remain best friends and both eventually become members of the High Jedi Council when the time comes, together.

And skipping to when Qui-Gon Jinn gets a Padawan of his own, Obi-Wan Kenobi (who is 13 at this point).

Nothing major happens, until a mission to Mandalor with the usual Jedi team that Qui-Gon seemed to usually get paired with. Qui-Gon doesn’t mind this, plus Obi-Wan seems to get along with his fellow Padawan, Quinlan Vos. But this mission takes a rather unexpected turn when it is discovered that young Obi-Wan and the daughter of the ruling leader of Mandalor, Satine, are Soulmates.

And… Yeah, once that happened, there was talk about starting a peace treaty between Mandalor and the Jedi, which, ofc, will become official when Obi-Wan and Satine are married/bonded when they both come of age. After the Mandalorians learn (and somewhat reel) about some of the more ‘hidden culture’ of the Jedi that the rest of the Galaxy was unaware about, ofc (on this note, yes, Mandalor conclude that it would be best to keep the whole “Jedi actually do have Soulmates” thing a secret from the Galaxy as well. Mostly because of ‘who would actually believe it?' And it is still not the Galaxy’s business in the end). At the same time, Obi-Wan and Satine get to know each other, despite some teasing from Quinlan.

Moving forward a few years to when the usual Jedi group Qui-Gon teams up with are sent on an undercover mission on a planet of Tatooine (meaning that they aren’t going to be dressed as Jedi). Obi-Wan and Quinlan are currently 16-17 by this point. (Yes, this is the Episode I: Phantom Menace part of this A/U).

(And going to skip a few things, only stating SOME of the major part of this A/U version of Phantom Menace. Hey! I’m making an outline here! I don’t need note down EVERY little change to the movie for this A/U until actually writing out!).

Plot stuff happens, and… Qui-Gon’s group are quick to learn that slavery is still a thing on Tatooine, despite it being illegal through out the Galaxy. Ofc, they report this to the Jedi Council when they get the chance, and are told to lay low, observe, and report what they see in order to build a solid case against the current leaders of Tatooine. No one likes it, but they can see the reasoning behind it all. So that’s what they do, and it eventually leads them to find a 9-year-old boy by the name of Anakin Skywalker (I don’t think I need to explain in this outline what happens at this point, even with the changes I’ll be making, right?).

More plot stuff happens, and then Maul comes onto the scene. But since Qui-Gon had two other Jedi Knights with him to face the Sith, the battle with Maul goes VERY differently. Btw, during this part, Obi-Wan and Quinlan are making plans to bring young Anakin to the Jedi Order, as discretely as possible. And, Qui-Gon survives with only a missing arm and minimal injuries to the other two Jedi Knights, not to mention they are able to capture Maul, alive. (This also means that the main focus of Maul’s obsessive rage in this A/U is Qui-Gon, not Obi-Wan. For now at least).

Some more plot stuff happens, then when it was time to return to the closest Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan and Quinlan successfully managed to ‘get’ Anakin, his mother, and an android name 3CPO onto the ship that the Jedi group are using. When everyone gets settled and turn on the Tatooine news to see what has happened since they left and… This is when Qui-Gon and his fellow Knights learn WHAT Obi-Wan and Quinlan did to “discreetly” get the Skywalkers off-world with out anyone noticing… None of the three were amused nor happy that the two Padawans made such a plan, but Quinlan cheerfully stated that no one would look for individuals who they believe to be dead while Obi-Wan, uncomfortably, did point out that none of the officials put in much effort into confirming that the ‘bodies in the explosion’ were the Skywalkers, not to mention no one reporting on ‘that’ bothered learning the names of the slaves (or even kept the names consistent through out the report). While none of the three Jedi Knights were pleased with the ‘methods’ the Padawans used, they did have valid points and all the Skywalkers are now technically free.

Although, both Padawans did get a very stern lecture on what ‘discreet’ meant.

Yes, Shmi Skywalker also gets her freedom and get’s to watch her son grow up into an amazing Jedi. Not to mention that she is actually being treated like a person by the Jedi and those who lived in the Temples. She ends up as an Archive librarian in the Jedi Temple she ends up lives in. Shmi ends up loving watching children reading and learning.

Also, there’s going to be a ‘bit’ of a culture shock to the Skywalkers when they start their new lives with the Jedi Order. Not just the whole ‘they’re now free' thing.

Long summery short about this section, The Jedi Order does accept Anakin into their folds (even if he is older than the other Younglings that usually enter the Order). Then after the Skywalkers get settled into their new lives, Anakin starts on his Jedi training.

Sure, Anakin is a bit of the ‘odd one out’ because he’s the oldest of the group of this level (given he’s somewhat twice his peers’ ages), but he does go though the training faster than any of the Younglings before him. Some debate on whether this prodigy level thing was because he’s the Chosen One or if this was the Force’s way of making up for lost time with finding young Anakin so late in the boy’s life. Either or, Qui-Gon is sure it’s the former.

So far, the only lessons that Anakin genuinely struggled with were the Healthy Emotional Regulation lessons (which, is actually a normal thing to happen among the Younglings. They aren’t expected to pass this lesson easily or on the first try. In fact, they’re encouraged to go at their own pace or go slowly with this lesson) and the standard swimming lessons (given that he grew up on a desert planet, that was understandable).

After Anakin finally passes those, he takes his Initiate Trials. Then officially becomes a Padawan. And that is when Young Anakin learns that Jedi do indeed have Soulmates, since it is part of the training for Padawans.

Ofc, the first question he asks the teacher for this class, Plo Koon, if he had a Soulmate. The Kel Dor does make a quip about making a banner saying that he does have a Soulmate so he can get a different ‘first question’ when he teaches these classes, but doesn’t actually say anything more on the subject.

Plo Koon does continue the class, currently focusing on the Soulmate Rules that the Jedi Order follows when in public. Ofc, it was asked why the Rules were in place, which Plo Koon answered in a calm, simple, and direct manner, then adding why Soulmates are kept a secret from the Galaxy (while adding that it honesty wasn’t the Galaxy’s business). Anakin seems to understand this as he wonders if he’ll ever meet his own Soulmate.

When it was time for the class to end, Kit Fisto came in with some treats for the new Padawans and one of Plo Koon’s favourite shakes. Anakin did notice that the two older Jedis were talking about something about a “Trail of Bonds” happening so for a Soulmate Pair. Ofc, Anakin wondered what that was supposed to mean.

And… Going to pause things here because… There’s a lot more information that’s more ‘actual Soulmate Pairs shenanigans’ that happens before Episode II: Attack of the Clones. So look forward to part 2 of “What if the Jedi Order Actually Allowed Relationships Because of Soulmates?” Star Wars A/U. And if you have any questions regarding this, go ahead and ask them!

aka Trainstop Outlining.

Okay, look. I don't know if this is an actual method, with an actual name. But I was just explaining to someone how I outline by working backwards from the end of the book, and I figured it might help someone else too.

So this is what I call my personal outlining method. Reverse Outlining, or Trainstop Outlining.

Now, for context, I used to think I couldn't outline. It didn't work for me at all. It'd either get all confused, and tangled up, or I'd build such a comprehensive outline that by the time I got to the writing part, I was bored of the book.

Then I saw Abbie Emmon's video about "Why does it matter?" It was about why you were worldbuilding things that didn't actually matter to the character, and somehow my brain clicked with that and applied it to outlining.

So, here it is. How I begin to outline a completely new project.

This version of the (in?)famous FNAF 3 attraction did float in my head sometime ago, but looking at spooky attractions on my off-time has made me want to revisit and expand it. This’ll essentially be a concept (maybe for a fan game or fan model? idk), so don’t think I’m working on anything straight away.

With all that preface, let’s kick off Spooky Season properly, shall we? Details will be below the cut, since it’s somewhat lengthy.

Since recent Mortal Kombat stories (both the adaptations and the actual story modes within the games themselves) have been mixed at best, I figure why not detail how I would do a more modern adaptation of the franchise.

I practically have been adapting the franchise for my AU, but this post will be for a more faithful adaptation that adapts the original canon as best as it can.

First and foremost, I would indeed make this a series. MK can still work as a film franchise, but I do feel a series, whether animated or live-action, can explore the world-building and character development far better than a movie could.

The series would run for at least 6-7 seasons with the major games being adapted in some kind of capacity.

Without further ado, here's a rough outline of each season...

Season 1 - The tournament (Old MK1)

The series begins with five episodes detailing the origins of certain groups of characters leading up to the tournament, similar to MK Legacy.

These groups of characters are...

- Liu Kang and Kung Lao

- Johnny Cage

- Sonya Blade, Jax and Kano

- Kitana and Mileena

- Scorpion and Sub-Zero

Episode 6 is the arrival on the island, the proper introduction of Shang Tsung, hints of Goro and Reptile, a showcase of what the characters can do before the big tournament, and the seeds of certain relationships being planted, like Liu Kang x Kitana and Johnny x Sonya.

The tournament begins in episode 7 and takes up about half of the season (6 episodes). It culminates with Liu Kang killing Goro and besting Shang Tsung. The season ends on a cliffhanger with a tease of Shao Kahn.

I honestly feel that 12 episodes is the right amount to establish the main characters without things dragging on too much. With that being said, each of the following seasons are longer due to the constantly growing number of characters.

Season 2 - Into Outworld (MK2)

After Liu Kang's victory in the first tournament, the forces of Outworld, led by Baraka, massacre the Temple of Light, which motivates Liu Kang and his allies into agreeing to fight in another tournament. This time, in Outworld.

This is where we start to see the previously established relationships grow with Johnny and Sonya starting to have feelings for each other, and Liu Kang learning about why Kitana has such an interest in him.

We don't do dedicated episodes for certain characters anymore. They still get told, but in flashbacks. Why? Because much like what The4thSnake said when approaching how he would adapt MK, setting up your main cast is integral enough for the first season that it can work that way, but further characters and follow-ups can't hold the plot advancement back too much once the series has already gotten going.

Kitana ends up killing Mileena, finally allowing herself to align with the Earthrealm heroes. The climax is Liu Kang and Kung Lao vs. Shao Kahn. Why both Liu Kang and Kung Lao? As a way to show just how strong Shao is to the point where the two monks have to combine their strength to take him down.

Shao is left wounded, and the heroes return to Earthrealm with Kitana joining their side. Again, the season ends on a cliffhanger with Shang Tsung and Quan Chi healing Shao as they begin to enact their plan to resurrect Sindel on Earthrealm.

Season 3 - The invasion (MK3)

Shao Kahn resurrects Sindel on Earthrealm, which allows it to merge with Outworld. With Raiden losing his powers as a result of the merger, it's up to Liu Kang to lead the rebellion against Shao and his forces to save Earthrealm one more time.

While all of this is going on, we also have Sub-Zero rebelling against the Cyber Lin Kuei, who set out to capture him alive.

Eventually, the season culminates with Liu Kang facing Shao Kahn on his own after Kung Lao gets injured by the emperor. Liu Kang defeats Shao, who is then killed by the Elder Gods when they arrive shortly after. Sindel is restored to good, and Kitana says goodbye to Liu Kang as she wishes to get back what she lost all of those years.

The season also ends with Johnny and Sonya getting engaged.

Season 4 - Netherrealm war (MK4)

This season potentially opens with a multi-parter based on Mythologies: Sub-Zero where we see the history that Scorpion and Sub-Zero have with Quan Chi and Shinnok. In fact, this season is likely going to be mostly centered around them.

Liu Kang kinda steps down from the focus, but he still gets a huge role in the season with him trying to save Kitana and Edenia. Johnny and Sonya tie the knot sometime between seasons, and Cassie is born by then. The three main heroes lead the forces of Earthrealm against Shinnok during the Netherrealm war.

Eventually, Shinnok is defeated and Quan Chi escapes into a lost tomb where he discovers the ancient undead army of the Dragon King, which no doubt leads to the next season.

Season 5 - Next generation (MKX + Deadly Alliance)

The season takes place about 20 years after the previous one. Raiden has become an Elder God with Fujin replacing him as Earthrealm's protector. Johnny and Sonya as well as other characters like Jax, Kung Lao and Kenshi are much older. However, Liu Kang is still youthful due to his role as champion of Mortal Kombat. He still longs for the day he can get with Kitana, which no doubt will have a great payoff.

The heroes have been training the new generation of fighters like Cassie, Takeda and Kung Jin so that they can defend Earthrealm through Mortal Kombat sometime in the future. While all of this is going on, Quan Chi forms an alliance with Shang Tsung as they plan on resurrecting the Dragon King's army so that they can conquer the realms.

Throughout the season, we also follow side plots with Nitara, Kotal Kahn and his rise to power, Orderrealm vs. Chaosrealm, etc.

The season ends with the Kombat Kids losing to both Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, and being taken prisoners as Onaga makes his return to reclaim his army.

Season 6 - The Dragon King (Deception)

Liu Kang, Sonya and Johnny learn of the Kombat Kids being captured, so they decide to come out of retirement to save them. Liu Kang also reunites with Kitana, who agrees to help the Earthrealm heroes face Onaga and the Deadly Alliance, who are hellbent on reviving The One Being.

At some point, the old heroes face the Kombat Kids, who are being controlled by Onaga. Eventually, they are restored. We also wrap up the rivalry that Liu Kang has with Shang Tsung as well as the one that Scorpion and Sub-Zero have with Quan Chi, which result in the sorcerers getting killed.

The climax is Liu Kang vs. Onaga. Liu Kang finally becomes the Fire God after he and Kitana are mortally wounded, and manages to destroy The Dragon King. Kitana becomes a goddess and finally gets to be with Liu Kang as they become the protectors of the realms (not just Earthrealm, but also Outworld and Edenia).

Bonus season - Timelines kollide (MK11 + Armageddon)

The series officially wraps in Season 6, but there can indeed be a bonus season.

Instead of time travel, it's a multiverse season that brings in different versions of the characters from prior incarnations of the franchise (such as the films) and even the AU I was working on as they team up to thwart a new threat. I thought of having said threat be Titan Shang Tsung, or at least a version of Shang Tsung that is all-powerful (especially since I'm not a fan of Titans in MK).

And...that's very much it. We'd get as faithful of an adaptation as it's possible while still improving on certain shortcomings from the source material. MK gets to be told properly, for once. Plus, we'd get a genuinely good Martial Arts show that delivers on what makes MK so great and iconic.

Young adult AU where Kara is a young delinquent who causes property damage at a local stable/riding school and once caught, is sentenced to serve her community service hours mucking out stalls and doing general handyman work around the grounds. In the process, she witnesses a riding instructor, Lena, teaching groups of young'uns how to ride and care for horses.

She's beautiful, that's what Kara notices first. But then she sees how good she is with the kids, even the rowdy ones who remind Kara of herself. Kara notices that all of the employees ride in their off hours, prepping for competitions or just to pass the time. All but Lena.

One day, the proprietor-- who Kara is friendly with despite the reason for Kara's presence-- notices Kara watching Lena. And when Kara asks for Lena's story, the stable owner gives it. Lena was once a champion rider, until a bad fall nearly left her paralyzed. Kara learns that Lena's beloved horse had also been injured, and couldn't be saved. Lena's been afraid to ride ever since.

Lena has met Kara at this point, and hasn't been rude, but they haven't gotten buddy buddy yet. Not until the stable owner suggests that Kara reach out to Lena for some one on one lessons, if Kara's interested. And despite being wary of horses in general (they're big, okay??), Kara is def interested in getting to know Lena better. Lena agrees to teach Kara, and in the process Kara convinces Lena to ride again, and then to compete with a new horse.