C o n c e p t s

This is recurring ideas I often think about. I don't think they would ever become full-fledged stories, but it's nice having documentation of all of them.

Concept 1: Mountain Story

Two people trapped under a mountain that they were intially exploring. Takes place in some sort of national park, I believe.

Variations:

Unnamed Story

Divorced hitman runs into a girl (probably late teens, early 20s at the most) in the middle of finishing his latest hit. While about to kill her, he changes his mind (seemingly arbitrarily) and decides to take her in as an "apprentice." She is unwilling and hostile at first, but becomes number and more acquiescent as he keeps on forcing her to kill. Thinking of themes along the lines of the loss of childhood/youth and the corrosion the nuclear family can have on an individual.

The hitman wanted to have a family with his wife, but she would only do so if they settled down, as they kept on moving because of his job. After much back-and-forth, he finally caved and admitted his true career, causing her to panic and run away. She sent him divorce papers while in another country, and is currently quietly living under a fake identity. The hitman chose not to try and find her, sadly respecting her wishes, and turned to his work instead. Deep down, he still longs for a family.

The girl was very volatile as a teenager, even more-so than usual teenage angst. As a result, she now has a semi-distant relationship with both her parents, which she regrets sorely. While she has matured quite a bit since then, she is still not fully emotionally ready to cross the bridge. In truth, a part of her worries that she was "too much" as a child to warrant a fresh start. It is important to note that her parents weren't the best on the other side of this relationship. They were not actively malicious, and truly do love her, but they, like many other parents, were not prepared for the amount of authority they would have over a child.

A final character, the "femme fatale." I don't think she truly is one, but she plays off the stereotypes. She is very callous, although she hides it (badly) behind a playful demeanor. She has a large smile, and short, bright red hair, styled in a pixie cut. She keeps her nails short as well and usually has them painted red. She and the hitman are hooking up casually, although that's only really true for her. She gets reeled into the story near the beginning, when the hitman needs somebody to watch over the girl. This is when he first kidnaps her, and he does not trust the girl by herself while he still needs to go out and about on some errands. She is not an antagonist in the same way the hitman is, but she finds the girl's situation hilarious and does not help her, as she wants to see how this will play out.

The story ends with the girl deciding she needs to kill the hitman, the first (and only) kill she decides to create on her own. They fight, and they realize at the same moment that she can't kill him. In the end, the hitman kills himself for her, and she walks away, finally free.