The first part of Storm Wolf has successfully concluded. Thank you to all the readers for your support and for sticking with me through this journey. You are the greatest source of motivation that keeps me writing!

The design of Me series is essentially about Luther and his merry companions fighting against evil forces to save the solar system. Although I’ve realized that I can’t simply write a traditional heroic adventure story, this still marks a significant stylistic shift.

The unique nature of the anthropomorphic makes this type of story particularly suitable for exploring themes of identity and belonging. However, I think it’s time we see a story where the focus isn’t “I chose this character to tell my story,” but rather “this is a story that happens to this character.” Besides, I believe that anthropomorphic stories deserve a long narrative, rather than just being filled with pwp.

It’s a bit strange, I must say. I fully support and even encourage erotic anthropomorphic creations (including all kinds of fetishes), so I’m not the kind of person who’d say, “Why does it always have to involve eroticism?” But still, I find it odd that I can hardly find a non-pwp work with significant length in the traditional Chinese community.

Of course, there are many reasons for this, a small market being a major one. But I don’t think that’s a reason not to write.

The world of Me series isn’t overly complex, but the rules of psychic powers and the entanglements between the various factions would take up too much space to explain fully, and it might slow down the pacing. So, in a way, it’s unfair to Richter, but basically, Storm Wolf was written as groundwork for Me series. As a result, the narrative contains a lot of explanatory sections, which I’ve tried to make as smooth as possible, but these are sacrifices made for the main story.

Storm Wolf: Tranquil Waters is mostly an "introduction," so it feels quite mellow overall. I had considered creating a scene where Qana and Richter part ways with a “defeat me and I’ll let you go” type of drama, but honestly, they aren’t the type of characters who would do that. They live in a society governed by the rational Scientific Council, so emotional outbursts aren’t very common.

There’s also a coming-of-age vibe to the story, which I’ve found myself less comfortable writing as I’ve grown older. However, due to the way the story is set up, both Tranquil Waters and Gathering Clouds will have a school-like, coming-of-age tone. Since that’s the case, I might as well dive into the troubles Richter faced as a teenager.

Richter, being a scholar, is a challenging character to write because it’s difficult to make him seem “interesting.” His curiosity about the world around him and his attempts to observe and understand can feel like a sudden detachment or immersion when written in the first person. If readers aren’t used to this mindset, it could feel a bit jarring and potentially boring. But that’s just who he is, and the choices he made led him on this journey. Additionally, he inherited the emotional thinking of both Gray and Snow, making him calm and unfazed by most things, which can make his emotions feel rather subdued.

At the same time, there’s a bit of a contradiction. As a psychic, he’s incredibly sensitive. On a physical level, he can sense subtle changes, including emotions, but he struggles to fully comprehend their meaning. These abstract, hard-to-quantify things will continue to trouble him for a long time. The lack of interaction with peers his age doesn’t help either.

His heightened physical awareness gives him significant advantages, allowing him to do extraordinary things even though he’s physically weaker. I’m not entirely sure how skilled someone should be after six years of sword training, but as a psychic who can read an opponent’s intentions and sense airflow changes, Richter will have a significant advantage. Still, he has yet to win a single match against Qana, which makes sense since this isn’t a hot-blooded YA story.

In the prequel, I spent a lot of time researching space physics, including giant structures (like Dyson Swarm and Space Elevators), the possibilities of space warfare (like neutron spears and ablative armor), and celestial anomalies (like black holes and wormholes). It was fascinating, but once Storm Wolf moved to Gaia, where Richter remains within underground facilities, the broader planetary environment couldn’t really be showcased.

This series is rooted in a world we are familiar with, but in the first part, readers only glimpse the rising sea levels and the colloid used to reduce albedo and cool the planet. I ended up spending more time researching swords and swordsmanship. With all the psychic power explanations, it almost feels like a fantasy novel. But honestly, can you call it science fiction without psychic powers?

The basic principles of psychic abilities are finally explained in the first part, but I apologize because the second part will still need some advanced application lessons. Like command gestures, the highest rule of psychic powers is understanding, and the core always returns to the concept of “self.” It may sound a bit mystical, but I hope it becomes clearer as the journey progresses.

Like, why the rapier? Well, as we see, the Sunflare’s adamantine weapons are spears, so the form isn't limited, but it also can’t be just a shape for show. Otherwise, you get situations like what Richter experienced during his evaluation. Long-handled weapons are cumbersome to carry, and the potential for throwing them makes it harder for them to be seen as part of oneself. In the prequel Curtain Up, Luther simply crushed a pulse spear into ball. For powerful psychics or those with a compatible physique, this isn’t a problem, hence the Sunflare and other dragons’ weapons are spear. And most of all, adamantine weapons are not primarily intended for use as melee weapons.

Additionally, there are many little details in the chapter titles, and I hope readers can catch my sense of humor! These wolves are essentially “Romans in spirit,” so most references are tied to Rome.

The first part, “The Beginning,” introduces the mysteries of Richter’s background and his early environment. The second part, “The Continuation,” will reveal these truths, showing how the hidden undercurrents and intrigues beneath the surface ripple through to the timeline of the main story. That said, dividing the beginning, continuation, twist, and conclusion into 200,000 words each isn’t exactly wise, but like Richter, the Storm Wolf has its mission.

From a more cynical perspective, Richter’s life purpose is to pave the way for Luther, and this is reflected throughout Storm Wolf. This Spin-off exists to save Me series from needing to spend time explaining the complex world and its systems, so although it’s unfair to Richter, that’s how things had to be arranged.

But it’s not just that. My stories always emphasize “legacy.” The encounters and decisions made during the journey shape the characters and who they become. In Tranquil Waters, there are many moments that show who taught Richter what, and how these lessons made him who he is today. Similarly, it’s just as important to see how Richter entrusts his legacy to Luther. Even though we already know the fate of most of these characters… the journey’s sights are just as important as the destination.

Oh, and guess who’s coming to the academy?

Some characters will have their own spin-offs, so certain events will be split into separate stories. From Richter’s perspective, there will always be things he never learns about, which might make some parts of the story feel abruptly cut off. I’m not a fan of this approach, but readers seemed to struggle with the first-person shifts in my previous ensemble-style work. So, this time, I’m trying a different approach. Although reading Storm Wolf alone might leave some mysteries unresolved, answers can be found in other characters’ spin-offs.

So, while we already know how the story ends, let’s continue to watch how Richter makes friends, establishes rivals, and learns how to love and be loved.

Lastly, who was Me written for?

I believe the answer lies in the journey itself.

I might take some time to write a short story about Sigma Squad, explaining what happened between “The Dance” and “Time Crystals.” As I mentioned before, I don’t like leaving things unresolved or dragging them out—it feels odd.

Sigma Squad will cover the backstories of Ian, Abel, Jose, and Luther, and explain how Luther got the scar on his back. Since the setting will be in Gaia’s cities and wilderness, readers will finally get a real look at what Gaia is like today.

Also, here are the confirmed characters who will have their own spin-offs: Qana (Falling Snow), Arthur (Honor and Glory), Piqsirpoq (Accumulated Snow), Tadao (The Strong and the Weak), Kotetsu (Crown), and Luther (Lost Time).

If readers want to see spin-offs about other characters, feel free to leave a comment, including the character, time, and event. As long as it doesn’t involve major spoilers, I’ll consider it.

And, uh, if you’re really keen on seeing R-18 intimate interactions (or solo scenes), that’s also possible. Just leave a comment with the character or scenario, and I’ll see if it can be written as an alternate timeline or within the same canon.

If you’re too shy to comment here, feel free to send it to my inbox.

Once again, thank you for all your support, and let’s meet again in the summer (Tomorrow for sofurry)!

Any comments or discussions are welcome. All feedback and thoughts are incredibly helpful!

*There’s something interesting about translation that I’ve noticed: for some reason, "adamantine" is always translated as mithril or orichalcum, and even few times as electrum or platinum. However, in the first hundred trying, not once was it correctly translated as adamantine, even after countless corrections with software.

Adamantine, mithril, and orichalcum could roughly correspond to refined gold, mysterious silver, and mountain copper in direct translations, so it’s strange that they get mixed up. What’s more, translations for fantasy works were standardized pretty early on.

Just sharing an interesting phenomenon.