It’s been several years since I began this project, and only now did book 1 come to a close. I was hoping I’d be done with book 3 by now, but health issues got in the way. But this isn’t about me and my health issues, this is about the book, so let’s talk about that, shall we?
ahem
This all began as… okay, it began as two separate ideas, the first one I started writing was a Cultivation Chat Group fanfiction titled Cultivation Cat Group, where an ordinary cat somehow got a system whose only function was to allow him to chat in the same group the main story revolves around. It wasn’t going much of anywhere, and I decided I didn’t like being constrained by the worldbuilding of another author, so I scrapped that one midway through chapter 2. But the idea of the main character being a normal everyday housecat who’s suddenly thrust into the world of cultivators could never quite leave my head.
The second idea was EXTREMELY vague, just the thought “every MC in existence has plot armor. Dramatic tension is always described as Will the MC and his friends make it out alive, or will they perish? But everyone knows that the MC will make it out alive, they’re the MC, if they die outside of the prologue, the story ends, barring some time travel/parallel universe/etc shenaniganry, or a trip through the netherworld. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if he could die, but have the story not end?”
Most main characters are basically invincible, they might be able to lose, but they can’t ever lose so badly they’re absolutely fucked and can’t possibly survive, unless you as the author want to have to deus ex machina them out of the corner you yourself painted them into. Some are straight up unbeatable, too strong to the point that even the aforementioned deus (sine machina1without the machine) wouldn’t be able to beat them. But I’ve never seen a main character who starts out immortal but not unbeatable, unless that’s true of just about everyone in the story and immortality-bypassing ways to die are a dime a dozen, ruining the effect of the main character being immortal because even immortals are basically mortals with extra steps.
That thought, the “what if the MC is immortal but not unbeatable” eventually reminded me of cultivation novels, where the (initial) goal of cultivation, with few exceptions, is to achieve immortality. What if the main character started where everyone else wants to be? No, that means they’re at a super high realm and are thus super strong, because the way to be immortal in a cultivation novel is always to, well, cultivate, and what you’re cultivating is some kind of internal energy that, long before it makes you immortal, makes you super strong. Often, the reason you’re immortal is not because you come back to life after dying, but just because you have a limitless lifespan and are so strong you can’t be killed in battle.
I then thought of Cultivation Chat Group’s immortality, which is… relatively unique, I think? Everyone who is immortal has to have their own path to immortality, even if it’s just eternal life, not an undying existence. It’s not always a limitless lifespan either, it can be a periodic rebirth, sometimes literally, as in the case of Cheng Lin, who occasionally gives birth to herself. Another unique point is that it’s not a stage unto itself, it’s a variant of the 9th stage, or perhaps the 2nd half of the 9th stage. If that’s the case, then in a similar cultivation system that’s not exactly the same, where the gained immortality is true immortality, not just limitless lifespan, who could say one can’t step on that path earlier than the final stage of cultivation? Sure, most paths might effectively require one to be there, but maybe not all of them?
Well, I’ll tell you who could say that. Me, the author. And I choose not to say that. I’ll for sure have some characters say that, but they’ll be wrong.
But that thought, about CCG’s system of immortality, reminded me of my fanfic idea. And I couldn’t get that association out of my head, so I decided to make the connection more concrete, with the main character, who is literally fully immortal, undying and eternal, being an average housecat in every other way, at least at first, before he starts cultivating. And the story you all know and love was born. The end… not really.
I still had to come up with a name, both for the main character and for the series itself. The former was hard, I never liked naming characters, and I still don’t. I eventually decided to go with a generic name for a cat, and while the usual ones for the English speaking world (Bob, Chester, Kitty, Shadow, etc) didn’t feel right, I liked the Japanese one, Tama.
As for the name for the series, the first idea was simple and to the point, “The Cat with More than Nine Lives”. Doesn’t sound like a cultivation novel, sounds more like a short story, maybe a miniseries. Next! A while later, I came up with “The Cat’s Tenth Life”. A bit better, I can see that as being some kind of fantasy novel, but the problem is, it doesn’t really convey the immortality concept. It kinda makes the tenth life sound like the last one, a “the MC got one extra chance”, like all the other “reincarnated in a fantasy world” MCs. Doesn’t stand out in that regard.
Well, for those who haven’t figured it out, the final title is a play on the English title of Youjo Senki, AKA “Saga of Tanya the Evil”. Once I got that idea, I couldn’t get rid of it, it was too good to pass up. Saga of Tama the Immortal is, uh, perhaps not the best name, but it’s what I’m sticking with.
So, I mentioned how this has a bit of CCG in it, it has some of Douluo Dalu (Soul Land) in it, with the “everyone has an innate spirit” that affects the path your cultivation takes, and the spirit rings to some extent - though the idea of using other beings, or natural treasures, to gain some ability based on that isn’t unique to Soul Land. The idea to get more than one was, I think, original… wait, no, it’s kinda not. The idea that an empty frame, an empty spirit realm, could be beneficial and able to accept more than normal came from the JP novel “The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time”. The idea that the main character has more than the usual one singular spirit companion came from Soul Land as well.
And now, special thanks to those in my own life:
First of all, my mother, who has been supporting me in everything I do. Without her, none of this would be possible.
My cat, Callie, who has been supporting my laptop and warming my legs as I write much of what you've seen here from me.
My other cat, Tripper, who has been there to provide joy, exercise, white noise, and/or a warm fluffy pillow whenever I needed any one of those things. He's also provided numerous trip hazards, but that's just him living up to his name.
Book 1: Book of Beginnings
Fin
Nice~, cookie
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Congratulations on making it this far. I look forward to the next one.