Cool. I’m not sure how gritty I usually get honestly (it’s hard for me to tell), but I often torture my characters, and they occasionally get in situations they could never have won, no matter what.
I can deal with modern stuff, but it tends to be brief with me, as it usually turns into fantasy or sci-fi. That, and most of my creatures have medieval technology by default (I rarely use actual humans).
A good example of how I automatically transition genres is my villainous character, Malcolm. He’s a human scientist based somewhere around the late 2020’s-early 2030’s, ends up becoming a cyborg, of sorts, with an army of machines. He causes a nuclear holocaust, creating a post apocalyptic world, and later creates a robot/android race that becomes highly advanced in technology. So, yeah, I drift around a bit.
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(Here’s the writing sample. This was part of a much longer post, so yeah)
Phalakros glanced out the window of his cottage. He was at the edge of the city, and on the edge of the floating island. It didn’t bother him though, he was actually quite fond of heights.
As he admired the distant green land below, pondering what hid within it, a knock sounded on the door. He jumped up with a gasp, looking to the door.
Cautiously moving to the window next to the door, he peeked out. He didn’t recognize the woman waiting for him.
She knocked again, and he jumped once more. Phalakros took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Yes?”
“Are you Phalakros, an initiate in the Guild of Exploration?”the woman asked.
“Y… yes.”
“Good. Here is a letter from the Guildmasters. Read it and reply within a day’s time,”the woman said, handing him a sealed note.
Phalakros took the letter and nodded. The woman left without another word.
He gently shut the door and breathed deeply again, trying hard to avoid thinking about his shaking hands. He slowly calmed down, then sat down and opened the letter.
It was indeed from the Guildmasters. They were offering him his first expedition. The expedition would be searching for a legendary treasure hidden on the surface, a lost relic from ages ago.
Phalakros breathed deeply once again, but this time to contain his excitement. He had done it! He had finally earned a place on an expedition! He wondered if Lucitius, wherever he was, would be proud.
Phalakros quickly packed his supplies, which honestly wasn’t much, and headed for the Guild’s headquarters.
