Your thoughts on these ideas? - had no replies, any opinions are needed and welcomed

[Amoeba]

I have two ideas but only really want to work on one. Thing is I want to decide now before I continue any further rather than later and parhaps some input might make deciding a bit easier.

I was kind of writing aimlessly when I made the first one. I didn't really know which direction it was going but then thought it could be the start of something. I shaped it out a bit and added a character, then made notes on the passage (in italics).

Young stantler bucks sized each other up, ears and tails twitching from the flies that thrived in the warmth of spring. Their glossy coats gleamed in the sunshine; much like the new grass shoots that reached above last year’s withered brown compost. Change in the season once again brought the herds together bringing about new life and energy to the plains that had been eerily tranquil over the cold winter months. Now the plains echoed with the grunts, snorts and clashing of antlers that the stantler brought with them year after year.

The herds were large this year. Individuals spilled out into the woodlands, pushed to the outskirts of the herd by sheer numbers. While the trees brought welcome shade from the midday sun, it also sheltered droves of biting insects. As annoying as they were, insects were the least of the stantler’s worries.

Ears were raised, pointing forward, eyes bulging. The posture of a stantler pushed into the woodland was much more rigid and alert than those who enjoyed the safety of the grassland. Paranoid jumps and twitches travelled in waves between individuals, some panicked by the sound of their own footsteps. The constant feeling of predatory eyes staring them down from behind never allowed the poor deer pokemon to rest.

Their paranoia was not unreasonable, either, for in fact they were being watched very closely. Every muscle twitch was observed and evaluated. The hiding observer didn’t dare make a sound for fear of losing this rare opportunity. At this time of year, stantler rarely left the safety of the plains.

A loud rustle and snapping of twigs scattered the stantler in all directions. Loud sharp alarm calls travelled out onto the plains, triggering a miniature stampede. That edge of the woodlands was suddenly empty of stantler.

“Aww...! What now?!” An irritated growl emerged from a shrub.

A black dog approached the shrub, tail wagging. He was greeted by an unusual sight. Decked out in camouflage gear, a young girl sat messily with her notes. Her eyebrows crumpled as she attempted to shoo the dog away with her hand.

“Thanks very much pal!” She growled to the owner, who came to retrieve her dog.

The middle-aged woman stared the girl down silently with contempt. Without a word, she leashed her pet before firing a glare at the girl and moving off.

This could be the opening for a story about someone who wants to research wild pokemon, rather than train them. The main character could come in to conflict with trainers, the public, big corporations or even criminal organisations (e.g. Team Rocket) being very passionate about wildlife - pokemon in particular. Or she may find that she needs to train a companion pokemon for her safety after a few run-ins with danger, or prove that she doesn’t need a pokemon for her safety showing her stubbornness. She could be studying for a pokemon-orientated degree or she may be a professor’s apprentice. Her personality seems rather hostile and it is apparent that she doesn’t get along well with people (though the dog walker could have been less of a bitch about it), perhaps preferring the company of pokemon and animals and preferring solitary work. If however she goes down the solitary path it could be more difficult to make the story interesting. Pokemon and animals live side by side.

The second one is a bit longer and is actually the same idea as a fanfic I tried to write a few years ago. There aren't any notes for this one, so I'll just explain the idea here. This is kind of a poke at society in the sort of area I was brought up in, how it was monotonous, gray, and the obscene or horrific is treated as the norm. People don't stand up to wrong being caused upon others, instead they turn a blind eye and pretend it never happened. Kind of how compassion is degraded. I'll let you disect it for yourself though, I'd be rambling about it here all night. As for the main character, I have ideas for him as a tariner. Having abandoned his childhood dreams as a result of
adulthood he re-kindles them and breaks free from his monotony as a travelling pokemon trainer, and it is this event in the following passage (incomplete) that triggers this in him.

Gray, concrete blocks made up the street that had been standing for many decades. Family after family piled one on top of the other, crammed into pitiful apartments. Wild, shocking graffiti provided the only colour this evening. The sky was overcast and the streetlamps drained any other colour from the scenery, leaving an eerie yellow to brown glow on any surface the light touched.

The clopping of shoes on the sidewalk was the only sound to be heard echoing off the lifeless concrete buildings. The figure appeared to vanish between lamp posts only to reappear underneath the next one, made visible by the light source. The figure made a sudden pause, mist from his breath catching up with him. Looking to his right, the old buildings that surrounded him appeared to have many eyes. Each window seemed to stare at him, the door appearing like the mouth of some nightmarish monster.

The sleep deprived retail worker shook his head and rested his fingers on his temples. He needed a coffee. After regaining some sense, he continued to his own apartment block. Each step was lazy and slightly scuffed. Weakness and lack of sleep made his stomach feel like it was being squeezed from the inside.

He nearly jumped a foot in the air at the sound of the most horrific screech. It faded into a growl, before repeating again. He froze. His legs stiffened, and no matter how much he willed it, they wouldn’t move. Each pulse from his heartbeat pounded through his ears. For a few moments, he just stood there staring, eyes wide. He really, really needed a coffee.

Just as he was relaxed enough to move again, the sound returned. Fright had its icy grip on his muscles once again, this time his mind was urging him to run the opposite way.

“This is so stupid...” He whispered to himself, not even acknowledging the fact that he wasn’t actually talking to anyone.

After a few deep breaths it was time to take a more rational approach. Whatever the sound was, it probably had a perfectly normal explanation. He set off with a quicker pace than before, knowing the sooner he can get home, the sooner he can get is precious coffee.

He was unprepared for what he was about to see.

He had turned the corner in to a narrow street just in time to see a fully grown man swing a weapon. A small, furry lump skidded across the path, before coming to a stop. The heap twitched slightly, as the man began to examine his arm.

“The little bastard bit me!” He called out down the path to his chum.

The young sleep deprived man was frozen in shock once again. As he watched the little heap his mouth became dry. Disbelief and doubt tried to override the horror he had just witnessed. Everything in his weary mind tried to convince him he wasn’t seeing what he was seeing. He knew the area he lived in was bad, but he was strangely unprepared for this.

The armed man staggered over to the heap, swaying slightly as he tried to keep his balance to pick up the heap on the ground. As it was lifted up, it took a more obvious form. He gripped the long ears tightly, leaving the rest of the small furry animal’s body just to dangle as it twitched violently.

“It’s dead.” He groaned, despite the animal’s convulsions.

The onlooker could feel bile rising in his throat. Like some unseen force, his muscles felt like they were being tugged away from the situation. They shivered wildly to get out of sight, and out of mind. Feeling helpless, he wanted to turn around and pretend he had seen nothing. He had no pokemon of his own, after all.

“Look what you did to it!” Another voice hissed. This one sounded a lot more sober. “You’re a bloody idiot, you know that?!”

“Look!” The drunk steamed as he pointed to his bite wound.

The creature’s convulsions had died down. The younger blond haired man waved at his friend dismissively as he inspected the animal. It suddenly burst out into kicks and screams in the drunk’s grasp, causing the two to lean back in alarm.

From the onlooker’s distance it was difficult to see exactly what the younger man was doing. He pulled some shiny objects out of his pocket. The creature’s kicks and growls grew more vicious, as if these objects frightened it or caused it pain. As its body began to glow with a white aura, its features became visible. Its mane was soaked in blood, and its tail curled and shook. Then it clicked. This was an eevee, and that man had more than one evolution stone in his hands. Any intelligent person would guess that the sight he was about to witness was not going to be pretty, as any intelligent person living around in Melatown knew using any more than one evolution stone on an eevee had fatal results.

So, with that I'm not sure what I should work on. The first could be difficult to make interesting, but it's a pretty tame setting at the start so I can gradually improve my skills, and involves things that are familiar to me (biology) so I don't have to worry about inaccuracies. On the other hand, the second one could make for a much more interesting story but I'm not sure if I can keep up that kind of pace before my work begins to slip... so I'm not sure.

EDIT: .... nobody?