Overbaked ideas
Jun. 4th, 2022 05:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deemoyzaDid I need to add something else to my WIP pile? No. Resoundingly, NO. But guess who decided to fool around yesterday afternoon making e-books of her fics? I've gotten three done so far, and they look so professional! I am ridiculously, inordinately proud of these things and can't wait to show them off.
But! In thinking of stories that would look very nice in e-book form, I came around to "Special Order," my FF8 bakery AU, and my scrapped "Baker's Dozen" project of stories set in that universe. From the little blurbs I wrote for some of them, they didn't sound half bad! I just ran out of time and motivation (let's face it, the FF8 fandom is kinda flighty, and not particularly communicative outside of Discord). I might never get back around to it, but I'd like to share what I have of the project outline, with some commentary sprinkled here and there, just for kicks. :)
Baker's Dozen ficlet list
1. Dunk (Rinoa, Squall, between Ch. 6 and 7) – (Something something Rinoa and Squall take turns dunking each other in the dunk tank at a community event. The only story in this collection that I actually finished, and I can't even remember the details. This project was not off to a strong start!)
2. Community (Selphie, post-Ch. 13) – Released from jail, Selphie heads to Qake and decides to break in as a way to get Quistis' attention. She thinks over what it means that she doesn't even have Quistis' personal phone number, and in the chaos she makes of the bakery, she finds a New Year's flyer from the business district, and realizes that she has to be a member of the community, as well. (Alternate title: "Jailbird")
3. Restructuring (Seifer, between Ch. 14 and 15) – after failing to shut down Qake, and losing Selphie as a client, Seifer, Raijin and Fujin brainstorm a new direction for the Hyperion, ultimately settling on removing the retail section and replacing it with a massive club.
The following stories are post-"Special Order":
4. Sharpshooter (Irvine) – Irvine arrives in Dollet, hot off the heels of his victory at the Trabia nationals, and is dismayed he didn't see Selphie at the tournament. He asks her whether she's even still interested in shooting. She replies that she is, but her priorities have changed—she's a businesswoman now! She assures him that they'll stay good friends nonetheless, and that they don't have to do everything together to stay that way. Irvine goes off to the competition circuit, feeling a bit better, and the next time he returns to Dollet, he's surprised to see a collection of framed newspaper clippings behind Selphie's desk, all talking about his victories. She greets him, flips the sign on her door and grabs a gun—"let's go shootin'!"
5. Picnic (Squall/Rinoa) – The springtime weather is beautiful, but Rinoa has been glum lately and Squall wonders why. Nida tells him that she needs to feel noticed, needs to feel wanted, and that he should do something nice for her. So, he works up the courage to ask her out on a picnic in the park. Rinoa is delighted, and insists they shop for the picnic together. Squall agrees, but when he sees the odd assortment Rinoa is throwing into the cart—white chocolate, yogurt, sushi—he can't help but worry about their GI tracts. When he finds out that's all for Angelo, he wonders about Rinoa's stability. But she whips together a pretty good menu for them both, and he wows her with his sandwich-making skills, and they have a lovely time. (I already used my "sandwich virtuoso" angle with Mr. Transistor; Squall will need to find some other way to impress Rinnie.)
6. Celebrity (Ellone, Rinoa) – Rinoa has landed her biggest guest speaker yet, the mononymous author Ellone. Part interior decorator, part lifestyle coach (think Marie Kondo + Oprah), Ellone has built an empire of magazines and book deals on helping people—predominantly women—get their lives in order. Too bad she can't rein in her critical tendencies even when she's not on the job. Her suggestions for Sant'Angelo Books begin to grate on Rinoa's nerves, and a rift seems inevitable, until Rinoa discovers Ellone's mischievous side, and her insatiable sweet tooth.
7. Guru (Ellone, Flo, Edea, Seifer) – Continuing her tour of Dollet for an upcoming feature in her magazine, Ellone visits the shops in the Downtown Business District, where she ends up being "wooed" by some of the owners in exchange for a positive mention. In particular, Flo (organic foods) and Edea (esoteric materials), who haul her back and forth between their shops, loading her down with gifts and each bad-mouthing the other, until Fujin comes to collect her for her tour of Hyperion. At Hyperion, Ellone meets with Seifer, and the two hit it off, with Ellone's playful side coming to the fore. She promises to visit again, whenever she's in the area, and the two make plans for dinner. (I don't necessarily ship them, but I couldn't resist getting these two businesspeople with very different approaches together, at least for a while.)
8. Date? (Zell & Emmy) – Tessa, one of Emmy's old school chums, is getting married, and has asked Qake to supply the cake. She's also invited Emmy to the wedding. The only problem is, Emmy doesn't have a plus-one. Rosalie has already snagged Watts, Nida's already taken, and Zone is … Zone. Zell, being the gentleman he is, offers to go with her, unaware of her feelings for him. What begins as an awkward evening between them soon becomes enjoyable as Emmy learns to stop worrying about where they might be headed and just enjoy the now. At the end of the night, inspired by Tessa's story of how she met her husband, Emmy takes a chance and kisses Zell, and is pleasantly surprised by his reaction.
9. Tourist (Raijin & Fujin) – (I don't really remember what my plans were for this, other than Raijin and Fujin actually enjoying their time in Dollet, possibly while Seifer is distracted by Ellone.)
10. Fundraiser (Quistis/Argider) – (You remember Argider, right? The super-hot Estharian hunk that wandered into Qake in the last part of the last chapter of the story? XD He was also the super-duper-wish-fulfillment-vehicle in "Curious as a Cat," if anyone cares to know. Anyway, lots of silly relationship development in this story.)
11. Journalist (Laguna) – (This one was going to be Sad.)
12. Tournament (Ensemble) – (Something about the Triple Triad Championships being held in Dollet? I think???)
13. Birthday (Ensemble) – (Quisty's birthday! Everyone's gonna help her celebrate, whether she wants that help or not!)
Also, have a peek at the covers of Ellone's book and magazine! She's an expert on making the most of small spaces, having grown up on a ship in this universe, too (but only because her parents were incorrigible adventurers).
I really had a lot of fun thinking these ideas up, and even if they never become fics of their own, I hope they helped to flesh out the Special Order universe a little bit more!
But! In thinking of stories that would look very nice in e-book form, I came around to "Special Order," my FF8 bakery AU, and my scrapped "Baker's Dozen" project of stories set in that universe. From the little blurbs I wrote for some of them, they didn't sound half bad! I just ran out of time and motivation (let's face it, the FF8 fandom is kinda flighty, and not particularly communicative outside of Discord). I might never get back around to it, but I'd like to share what I have of the project outline, with some commentary sprinkled here and there, just for kicks. :)
Baker's Dozen ficlet list
1. Dunk (Rinoa, Squall, between Ch. 6 and 7) – (Something something Rinoa and Squall take turns dunking each other in the dunk tank at a community event. The only story in this collection that I actually finished, and I can't even remember the details. This project was not off to a strong start!)
2. Community (Selphie, post-Ch. 13) – Released from jail, Selphie heads to Qake and decides to break in as a way to get Quistis' attention. She thinks over what it means that she doesn't even have Quistis' personal phone number, and in the chaos she makes of the bakery, she finds a New Year's flyer from the business district, and realizes that she has to be a member of the community, as well. (Alternate title: "Jailbird")
3. Restructuring (Seifer, between Ch. 14 and 15) – after failing to shut down Qake, and losing Selphie as a client, Seifer, Raijin and Fujin brainstorm a new direction for the Hyperion, ultimately settling on removing the retail section and replacing it with a massive club.
The following stories are post-"Special Order":
4. Sharpshooter (Irvine) – Irvine arrives in Dollet, hot off the heels of his victory at the Trabia nationals, and is dismayed he didn't see Selphie at the tournament. He asks her whether she's even still interested in shooting. She replies that she is, but her priorities have changed—she's a businesswoman now! She assures him that they'll stay good friends nonetheless, and that they don't have to do everything together to stay that way. Irvine goes off to the competition circuit, feeling a bit better, and the next time he returns to Dollet, he's surprised to see a collection of framed newspaper clippings behind Selphie's desk, all talking about his victories. She greets him, flips the sign on her door and grabs a gun—"let's go shootin'!"
5. Picnic (Squall/Rinoa) – The springtime weather is beautiful, but Rinoa has been glum lately and Squall wonders why. Nida tells him that she needs to feel noticed, needs to feel wanted, and that he should do something nice for her. So, he works up the courage to ask her out on a picnic in the park. Rinoa is delighted, and insists they shop for the picnic together. Squall agrees, but when he sees the odd assortment Rinoa is throwing into the cart—white chocolate, yogurt, sushi—he can't help but worry about their GI tracts. When he finds out that's all for Angelo, he wonders about Rinoa's stability. But she whips together a pretty good menu for them both, and he wows her with his sandwich-making skills, and they have a lovely time. (I already used my "sandwich virtuoso" angle with Mr. Transistor; Squall will need to find some other way to impress Rinnie.)
6. Celebrity (Ellone, Rinoa) – Rinoa has landed her biggest guest speaker yet, the mononymous author Ellone. Part interior decorator, part lifestyle coach (think Marie Kondo + Oprah), Ellone has built an empire of magazines and book deals on helping people—predominantly women—get their lives in order. Too bad she can't rein in her critical tendencies even when she's not on the job. Her suggestions for Sant'Angelo Books begin to grate on Rinoa's nerves, and a rift seems inevitable, until Rinoa discovers Ellone's mischievous side, and her insatiable sweet tooth.
7. Guru (Ellone, Flo, Edea, Seifer) – Continuing her tour of Dollet for an upcoming feature in her magazine, Ellone visits the shops in the Downtown Business District, where she ends up being "wooed" by some of the owners in exchange for a positive mention. In particular, Flo (organic foods) and Edea (esoteric materials), who haul her back and forth between their shops, loading her down with gifts and each bad-mouthing the other, until Fujin comes to collect her for her tour of Hyperion. At Hyperion, Ellone meets with Seifer, and the two hit it off, with Ellone's playful side coming to the fore. She promises to visit again, whenever she's in the area, and the two make plans for dinner. (I don't necessarily ship them, but I couldn't resist getting these two businesspeople with very different approaches together, at least for a while.)
8. Date? (Zell & Emmy) – Tessa, one of Emmy's old school chums, is getting married, and has asked Qake to supply the cake. She's also invited Emmy to the wedding. The only problem is, Emmy doesn't have a plus-one. Rosalie has already snagged Watts, Nida's already taken, and Zone is … Zone. Zell, being the gentleman he is, offers to go with her, unaware of her feelings for him. What begins as an awkward evening between them soon becomes enjoyable as Emmy learns to stop worrying about where they might be headed and just enjoy the now. At the end of the night, inspired by Tessa's story of how she met her husband, Emmy takes a chance and kisses Zell, and is pleasantly surprised by his reaction.
9. Tourist (Raijin & Fujin) – (I don't really remember what my plans were for this, other than Raijin and Fujin actually enjoying their time in Dollet, possibly while Seifer is distracted by Ellone.)
10. Fundraiser (Quistis/Argider) – (You remember Argider, right? The super-hot Estharian hunk that wandered into Qake in the last part of the last chapter of the story? XD He was also the super-duper-wish-fulfillment-vehicle in "Curious as a Cat," if anyone cares to know. Anyway, lots of silly relationship development in this story.)
11. Journalist (Laguna) – (This one was going to be Sad.)
12. Tournament (Ensemble) – (Something about the Triple Triad Championships being held in Dollet? I think???)
13. Birthday (Ensemble) – (Quisty's birthday! Everyone's gonna help her celebrate, whether she wants that help or not!)
Also, have a peek at the covers of Ellone's book and magazine! She's an expert on making the most of small spaces, having grown up on a ship in this universe, too (but only because her parents were incorrigible adventurers).
I really had a lot of fun thinking these ideas up, and even if they never become fics of their own, I hope they helped to flesh out the Special Order universe a little bit more!
