Carpe Momentum (an SCS Fanfic)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Plant-based aliens have been spreading over the galaxy, and now it’s Earth’s turn. But we aren’t alone: others have resisted and continue to resist the Antithesis. They banded together to form the Protectors. To help Earth survive, the Protectors have selected a few people, called Samurai, to both defend Earth, and to teach the world how to defend itself. The child of a military family, Marcus is a skilled marksman, and at least has a clue how to fight.Not much of one, and he’s going to make mistakes, but this is what he has been training for since adolescence. If only he were as prepared for how the sudden shift of fame would affect the rest of his life. Carpe Momentum is set in Portland, Oregon. Follow Marcus as he tackles alien invasions and the instant fandom of being a Samurai, while still juggling his needs and looking for how to save the planet. _________________ This is a fanfiction of RavenDagger’s Stray Cat Strut, which can be found here:https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/33600/stray-cat-strut-stubbing-never-lolYou probably won’t need to read the original to understand this work, but it's worth reading on its own. I’m a learning author with big aspirations, so feedback is welcome as long as it is actionable and constructive. I’m not a fast writer, however. Expect weekly updates to start, and we’ll see if I can keep up with that. _________________ What to expect: - Violence and combat with periods of normal life in between - Cyberpunk with a bio-enhancement emphasis - Skilled main character who thinks ahead, but still finds himself over his head and making mistakes. - Ecological subtheme that is mostly understated - New toys that change subtly and have slow burn effects on the character’s abilities _________________ --Note: The fanfiction flag has been removed from this work with the written permission of Ravensdagger

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: Hughman

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 452
Views: 188,026

Chapters(91 total)

What readers say about Carpe Momentum (an SCS Fanfic)

“The story revolves around a Man whom is allergic to cyberware in an Alien Newman Invasion. The Alien biomass churns out plant/animal monsters that are aggressive, at low levels, using wave attacks. They get more sophisticated as they get stronger. Thing is…”
Steven W WhitfieldRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I always appreciate when details are given with some of the more technical things, even if it might leave me scratching my head trying to work out the details not shared. This starts on focus, delivers more than expected, and I'm loving the progression. Som…”
FaultblockRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

Steven W WhitfieldRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story revolves around a Man whom is allergic to cyberware in an Alien Newman Invasion. The Alien biomass churns out plant/animal monsters that are aggressive, at low levels, using wave attacks. They get more sophisticated as they get stronger. Thing is the MC was trained very well as an Infantryman.... Very well trained to shoot a rifle, not to reach into the technomagic lot the AI bonded to him. He uses tools modern army has, guns, drones, supporting the grunts around him. He literally cannot seem to reach for weapons that would sweep the battlefield clear. Thae really the charm here, a man gifted with all the technomagic of an insanely advanced civilization, and he uses a variable caliber rifle with an under barrel firing flechettes....
FaultblockRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I always appreciate when details are given with some of the more technical things, even if it might leave me scratching my head trying to work out the details not shared. This starts on focus, delivers more than expected, and I'm loving the progression. Some solutions are clever, and there's nothing wrong with the classics.
I'm looking forward to what's next.
GhostwoodsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Earth has been under attack by invading aliens for decades, and has avoided being overrun only because another alien species has been helping humanity help itself. When Marcus rushes to the defence of a bus full of school children, he is selected to join the ranks of humanity's uplifted protectors, the Vanguard. Complete with a new voice in his head courtesy of a hyper-advanced alien AI, he wades straight in. Little does he know that he's about to get emboiled in a significant outbreak involving alien hives, stealth attackers, deranged cultists, other Vanguards, predatory corporations, and more.
It's going to be a long day.
There's enough stories set in the Stray Cat Strut universe out there now that it's practically a subgenre. You don't need to have read any of the original SCS or other related stories to fully understand and enjoy this one. It's a great tale filled with charm, strangeness, action, snark, and lots of other goodness.
If any of this sounds even vaguely interesting then go on, dive in. You won't regret it.
GlitchedRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The author is new but clearly puts effort into his editing. Well above average for RR. I personally really appreciate that.
The story is just starting so I don't really want to be overly critical about anything in particular. It's quite good so far, but is less, I guess, fun than than most SCS fanfics. This feels mostly due to the MC being a very practical (and, uh, less batshit) person as compared to the average Vanguard character.
I'm looking forward to see where this story goes.
Golden TigerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Well written SCS fan fiction, a good helping of character development interspersed with Vanguard/Samurai action and character adaptations to sudden life changes. Slow team building and a good take on building a solid backstory for the MC. The story stands on it's own without previous knowledge of Stray Cat, but it doesn't hurt if the reader has some but the pacing is of course unique. Good story overall.
KahunabobRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
OK, so I 've been following Hughman's work since the start, but haven't posted a review yet.
Overall, I'm enjoying the story and the pace Hughman sets a lot. Out of all the fanfics from the SCS universe, his character Marcus is probably the most grounded, the most believable.
Maybe that's because Marcus comes across as a more mature, more settled person, someone who's more comfortable with who he is than a lot of the other Samurai's stories we have the pleasure to read about.
Maybe that's because Hughman takes the time to develop Marcus little corner of Cascadia, the fictional "country" comprising of basically everything from the Cascadia mountain range west towards the coast on the Northern American continent.
I like the way how Marcus approaches the Samurai "job". Plans out his progression path, makes informed choices by consulting his friends and more importantly, his Protector A.I. guardian. He doesn't rush into things, doesn't go all gung-ho action movie. This is a character that has prior military training and works at a shooting range. He's a bit of a loner, has some mountain man self sufficientness in him, but is fiercely loyal to his family and friends.
Stuff I don't like, but can fully understand. The posting schedule 😉 Hughman posts weekly, which for me falls on a Wednesday (GMT+1). I'd love to see updates twice or thrice a week, but I fully understand writers write at their own pace and that this is a labour of love, so real life takes precedence.
At the moment of writing this, we're two Arcs in, about to start the 3rd one. Slight spoilers, but only for timeline: First Arc is the action packed start. How did Marcus get to be a Samurai, how did he survive the first Incursion and so on. The second Arc is more slice of life. What does a Samurai have to deal with when they're not fighting the Antithesis? I like the balance between the two, but it probably isn't something everyone enjoys.
On a personal note - I was going to give it 4 stars, but bumped it to 5
Ren_The_TURKRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A high octane gunfight so far! One where every moment seized is another victory. Already developing a number of characters that aren't Vanguard but seem to be queued up to be present for a good long time. I feel like in the future, after the initial save, there's going to be a lot of juicy character interaction. Not necessarily of the lewd kind, but genuine and honest people making connections and helping each other. I look forward to seeing how the story progresses, both in and out of combat.
RogerERoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Nice start to the story.
As something of a gun person, I appreciate when small arms are used appropriately, including tactical reloading, using single fire and full auto when appropriate. I also appreciate including an unfamiliar weapon not working right off the bat showing how things can go wrong.
Still a bit early to say anything about character development but a casual read not spotting any grammatical or spelling errors jarring me out of the reading.
One minor suggestion: Might put something in the title to indicate a Stray Cat Strut fanfic. Occasionally I do search specifically for that since I know they are out there. I only found this link because Teddy Bears On Brigade linked it. I have seen others put "SCS fanfic" in the title line to aid searching.
Again, nice start.
BlenheimRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Take the magical and the girl out of a magical girl story and you are left with a boy scout that really likes his guns, hates waste, and thinks grenades are best left to the girls.
Cat would fight alongside him, but would definitely not want to spend time with him.
[email protected]Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This isn’t super deep or complicated so far but the quality is pretty good and it keeps to the concept well. I’ve seen of Stray cat spin-offs and a lot get very deep into character drama very fast. This keeps to a more action vibe. That said it keeps it engaging and well executed so far. Would recommend.