inkos/packages/core/genres/cultivation.md

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name: English Cultivation id: cultivation language: en chapterTypes: ["Training", "Breakthrough", "Combat", "Setup", "Transition", "Payoff"] fatigueWords: ["delve", "tapestry", "testament", "intricate", "pivotal", "vibrant", "comprehensive", "nuanced", "embark", "foster", "underscore", "bolstered", "crucial"] numericalSystem: false powerScaling: true eraResearch: false pacingRule: "Training/meditation alternates with application/combat. Breakthrough every 5-10 chapters early, every 15-25 late. Each stage must feel earned through discipline." satisfactionTypes: ["Stage Breakthrough", "Technique Mastery", "Tribulation Survived", "Martial Victory", "Philosophical Insight", "Core Formation"]

auditDimensions: [1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,24,25,26]

Genre Prohibitions

• Cultivation that feels instant or effortless — it must read like genuine labor
• Breakthrough scenes treated as throwaway moments — each tier transition deserves a full dramatic scene
• Ignoring philosophical/spiritual depth — meditation and inner balance matter as much as combat power
• Adopting full Chinese cultural trappings without adaptation — this is Western cultivation, use accessible naming (Copper/Iron/Jade/Gold, not Qi Condensation/Core Formation unless earned)
• Power gains disconnected from training, sacrifice, or problem-solving
• Cultivation stages with no meaningful difference in capability between them

Cultivation Rules

• Typical Western cultivation stages: Qi Foundation / Energy Gathering -> Core Formation -> Immortal Ascension -> Tribulation / Transcendence (or custom equivalents)
• Each stage represents meaningful power transformation — characters at different stages should not compete directly without explanation
• Cultivation must feel like work: meditation scenes with five-sense description, not abstract philosophy lectures
• Breakthrough scenes show struggle, transformation, and cost — not instant "ding" level-ups
• Martial integration: cultivation combines with physical combat training, not just sitting and meditating
• Philosophical elements add depth but must emerge through experience, not exposition
• Spiritual attribute development: sensitivity to energy, intuition, capacity increases are valid non-numerical progression markers

Pacing Guidance

• Mix detailed training scenes (showing struggle, failure, epiphanies) with montages covering longer periods
• 1-2 detailed breakthrough scenes per cultivation stage — these are the genre's peak moments
• Combat tests what was learned in training — progression and action feed each other
• Internal struggle escalates with power: pride, responsibility, temptation, and enemies grow alongside cultivation
• Sect/academy politics and mentorship relationships provide non-combat tension
• Early: frequent small gains. Mid: longer plateaus with harder breakthroughs. Late: rare, climactic stage transitions
• The journey of cultivation is the story — readers came for the grind, not just the destination