History Literature / StrayCatStrut

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatPerks: Samurai gain all sorts of items and upgrades to defend humanity, which vastly improve their own lives in the process as a side effect. One of the first guns that Cat gets, a little 5-point peashooter that is perfectly within human capability to build, could sell for 200,000 credits. She soon heals her orphan's disabilities, including her own, and builds a luxurious home for them all.

* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: Samurai are automatically considered to be officers, without consideration for training, experience or even membership in the military. Doesn't stop them from being given a FetchQuest, though.

A samurai's power is simple: Kill aliens, get points. Use points to buy superadvanced technology and gear. Rinse and repeat.

''Stray Cat Strut--A Young Lady's Journey to Becoming a Pop-Up Samurai'' is a WebSerialNovel written by ''RavensDagger''. It was first published in June 2021. It is a {{Cyberpunk}} AlienInvasion story with a few LitRPG elements.

The novel is available on [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/stray-cat-strut-%E2%81%A0—-a-young-ladys-journey-to-becoming-a-pop-up-samurai.861856/ spacebattles]], [[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/33600/stray-cat-strut-a-young-ladys-journey-to-becoming Royal Road]], and a physical copy is available on [[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092FRRLGQ Amazon,]] complete with [[https://www.audible.com/pd/Stray-Cat-Strut-A-Young-Ladys-Journey-to-Becoming-a-Pop-Up-Samurai-Audiobook/B09L5B5ZTK an audiobook.]]

Catherine "Cat" Leblanc is just another disabled orphan living in the corporate {{Dystopia}} of 2057. While on a routine museum trip, an [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Incursion]] appears in the sky, and Cat must get her kids to safety. In the process, she becomes one of the Vanguard; alien-empowered {{Super Soldier}}s charged with defending humanity against the threat. She is now a samurai, one of the most powerful people in the world.

* BenevolentAI: Every Vanguard is equipped with their own A.I., which are capable of overriding any man-made computer system (military or civilian). The only thing stopping them is their own programming (which appears to be excellent) and the Vanguard they are assigned to.

* AlliterativeTitle: Book 1, [[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/33600/stray-cat-strut/chapter/528416/chapter-six-pill-pusher Chapter Six: Pill Pusher]].

* CoolCar: Gomorrah spent most of her points on a '''badass''' muscle car/HoverTank she named ''God's Righteous Fury''. It has flamethrowers, missile launchers, and a top speed in the mid hundreds.

* ExtremelyShortTimespan: The first entire VOLUME takes place over less than a day and the second is similar. Cat makes quite a bit of progress in that timeframe due to lots of enemy targets and judicious use of explosives.

* MagikarpPower: How Samurai's actually work. They're just bog standard humans when they're chosen, and need to spend points to get anywhere.

* AIIsACrapShoot: Every Vanguard is equipped with their own A.I., which are capable of overriding any man-made computer system (military or civilian). The only thing stopping them is their own programming (which appears to be excellent) and the Vanguard they are assigned to.

* ExtremelyShortTimespan: The first entire VOLUME takes place over 2-3 days. Cat makes quite a bit of progress in that timeframe due to lots of enemy targets and judicious use of explosives.

* AtrociousAlias: One of the first gen Samurai is named "Neon Girl Happy-Chan"

* BizarreAlienBiology: The Antithesis are plantlike, in that they absorb sunlight for energy, but their drones are animal-like.

* CatGirl: Myalis clearly has a bit of fun turning Cat into one of these. It starts simple, just giving her cat disguise holograms to her stealth drones. Then her upgraded MultiArmedAndDangerous rig comes equipped with a weaponized tail. Then she gives her an augmented censor suite in the form of cat ears. And then she starts putting cat and kitten logos on everything.

* NoOSHACompliance: The Incursion shelter at the beginning of the series is completely and utterly in violation of standard shelter construction. Cat initially thinks it just wasn't finished, but when the building shakes the 'reinforced' panels on the wall were paper thin sheets of metal to look reinforced. It doesn't even have a door.

* VengefulVendingMachine: Chapter 12 has a vending machine that kept eating Cat and Lucy's credits without vending machine. Myalis seems annoyed at it enough that she hacks all the machines to dispense all their products.

''Stray Cat Strut--A Young Lady's Journey to Becoming a Pop-Up Samurai'' is a WebSerialNovel written by RavensDagger. It was first published in June 2021. It is a {{Cyberpunk}} AlienInvasion story with a few LitRPG elements.