Dododex
ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion
To: Duke, DiploLover, SangToareGirl, RelatingHen
From: Ben, & KM
Duke, read the prologue of ur new story and it seems great so far! We dont have any advice or criticism at the moment since its so early on in the story. Though if you haven’t already, consider why Jasper abandoned his family/kingdom, and consider what exactly Elm wants to do (though you’ve probably also done that. You might wanna consider what you’ll do with worldbuilding (what ARK/map does it take place on? how does Prince Jasper’s old kingdom run in terms of government? culture for wyverns, how they view and treat other dinosaurs/creatures? important locations?) sounds like a lot, but you can gradually review and add more as you go along. For now just focus on developing what the plot will be like and the main goal of Jasper and Elm.
DiploLover, well, I already view CON as a book and you as an author. If you’re talking about becoming a professional one, its not exactly my expertise. Just look into if you wanna get a publisher or self-publish, and what audience you’re looking to push CON toward. As for whether you should continue working on CON or work on ur other ideas, I highly recommend finishing CON before working on anything else, especially if ur first few stories are difficult making it past the first draft. You’ll be a lot more focused and can finish your stories faster than working on multiple stories at once (unless you have the willpower and stamina like some more seasoned authors here have like Moon, Wyvernian, Apex etc.) Also really dont suggest reading the explorer notes in game… just read them on the Ark wiki. If you want a more visual representation, watch NeddyTheNoodle’s Survivor Stories, which basically turns the Explorer notes into movies ingame. If you want a more auditory audio book-like explanation, watch NeddyTheNoodle’s ARK lore explained.
Sang, I’d still read your GenshinXArk fanfic even tho i dont know the lore for Genshin, but if you want to expose that crossover fanfic to people who actually have knowledge, you could explore other more generalized fanfic sites, since DDEX isnt really designed to be for fanfic. Off the top of my head sites like AO3, WattPad, Fanfiction.net. You could also go the Genshin Wiki Community Discussion and ask if theyd be interested, tho its only a matter if THEY know Ark lore. Up to you, dont stress and lose too much sleep about it. And yes, We do indeed have our own wiki. Theres also a discussion forum on there (theres a button for it) so if you wanna talk there too you can make a Fandom account and all that jazz. Mostly art pieces get sent there, and other stuff too.
Relating, Chapter 14 of JTAC was good, lots of intrigue built and the like. Nice seeing Terad again and also good intrigue built on Denine’s shotgun being normal? No criticism or advice for now, just keep building upon it. Also a possible idea to build more upon characters is to have certain parts of the chapter focused around their POV and thoughts. It’s a good idea to have a good amount of perspectives, because it can create moral dilemnas and force the reader to choose sides (which can be difficult to choose sides if multiple POVs are executed correctly). For example, a POV explaining Terad’s overprotectiveness and his thoughts could make the readers more understanding and accepting of his actions. Yeah thats about it.