Wow! Part 1 was completed successfully and we made it into the TOP 50! My hands are shaking right now with how happy and grateful I am! I am stoked to continue the journey of Penn and Nathan as they battle a system that's intent on destroying their world. 

I would love to see your fanart of your own versions of what each of the monsters of DDD look like to you! Tweet me @sky_lisette and I'll share your works on the next Q&A Review! <3

Voting for the TOP 50 opens up on November 8th, and each user only gets THREE votes. Remember to cast your votes wisely- You only have Until December 2nd!

STORY Q&A:

1. How long will the story be?

Though not definite, I have many things planned. Volume 1 will be split into 2 parts of 25 chapters each - so 50 chapters. I plan for a minimum of 4 volumes (200 chapters).

2. Your chapter titles are quirky, will that continue?

Honestly, yes and no. Not for individual chapters but more for short arcs. Dogmatic Dungeon Dominion is currently planned for a minimum of 200 chapters - which makes naming each one uniquely a bite more difficult. Going forward, the chapters will be named in the following format (here's a spoiler of the titles for the next few chapters): 

(Ch. 26): Root of All Evil, Part 1

(Ch. 27): Root of All Evil, Part 2

(Ch. 28): Root of All Evil, Part 3

(Ch. 29): Game of Lag & Sync, Part 1

PLOT Q&A:

1. Who is Penn Jennson?

Penn is a 27-year-old who recently transferred out of the military to the Hunter's Association. He was a part of the military for almost 10 years, as he joined as soon as he graduated from high school and turned 18. He's 5'10 with pale skin, midnight-black hair with a subtle side part, and ocean-green eyes. His hair is still relatively short since he only just recently left the army, but it is in an awkward state as it starts to grow out. He's quite athletically built, with some good portioned biceps and thighs (a well-trained close-combat fighter). 

Penn was quite cold and strict in the military and was only soft to the people he knew prior (like his best friend Tennant, Tennant's uncle Mark, and Tennant's wife, Hailey). Since he has been in the military for quite some time since his teens, he lacks some more normal social skills and tends to be quite aloof to situations socially. He does have a soft heart, though, especially for people with puppy-like personalities. 

Penn is an A-ranked Guide, who can eventually class-up to an S-rank if he works for it. His esper subskills are Quickdraw, Skilled Marksman, and Team Champion (the only team-based buff skill he has).

2. How does one know if they awaken as a Guide?

When a guide awakens, it starts with hearing subtle whispers of voices - and it amps up to causing headaches. You feel emotions that are not your own, smell scents strongly around certain people, and can be overwhelmed by mana from any nearby awakened. This can cause the Guide to collapse. Guides can go into shock if the ranks between them and the esper they are guiding is too large and they get drained too fast, and when a Guide has reached their limit it is scientifically called Mana Depletion Rebound. The esper-to-guide ratio is around 30:1, but counting only the active working hunters, the ratio is closer to 20:1.

Guides can become dedicated to one specific Hunter, meaning that that Hunter becomes the priority even if they Guide is guiding someone else at the time. Dedicated Guides are usually higher-ranked guides assigned to the highest-ranked Hunters, and they get a boost to their pay to drop anything when needed - including going to dungeons with that assigned hunter. 

Bonded Guides get paid less than the average pay since they have a smaller workload. Bonding means that only that Esper can get help from that specific Guide, and that Guide can't help any other Esper. If they try and force it, it could make them sick. It is usually frowned upon for higher-ranked Espers and Guides to bond due to emergencies, though it is encouraged for lower ranked as it will increase the efficiency and time of the guiding session.

The higher the rank a Guide is, the more they can spatially guide someone - meaning they can just sit beside them without touching them. The larger the gap of the Esper being higher-ranked than the Guide, the Guide needs as much surface area as possible to properly guide. The same goes if the Hunter is close to berserking - where even mucal guiding may be necessary. 

3. Why does scent matter?

Esper's abilities have a certain scent to Guides, and that scent can even evolve into a deeper and more robust scent when their abilities are in use - making it easier for the guide to sense where the esper is. Nathan's scent is sea salt and musk, but when he's actively fighting in the dungeon, a chestnut smell works its way in. Daniel has a more homey smell of milk soap, a forest after rain, and freshly cut jasmine. When he drinks too much, his abilities activate, and the jasmine smell evolves more into a vodka smell, and the forest smell evolves more into an earthy minty dark chocolate. 

4. Who is Nathan Landry?

Nathan is a 31-year-old Esper, a rank-S hunter, and has been awakened since he was a child. He is 6'4 with fluffy sandy-blonde hair that curls at the edges, slightly tanned skin, with cold-brown eyes that turn black the longer he goes without guiding. He has a thin, well-built frame. When he wears comfortable clothes, they are quite baggy so he can look lanky. 

Nathan's awakened ability is classified as a Striker. It is an enhancement class for strength and speed that also puts energy (Force) into weapons. He can also reverse-guide someone, forcing that person to Guide against their will and beyond their capabilities until they collapse. 

5. Who is Daniel Parker?

Daniel is a 29-year-old esper working as the lead receptionist for the Hunter's Association. He's 5'0-5'2 with peachy skin, pale gold-like hair that has a slight perm to it, with hazel eyes. When he smiles, he has deep indian dimples. He is an extroverted, fun-loving, and social person who is very activity-prone, and physical touch is his love language. He's persuasive, easily amused, optimistic, and loves entertaining people. He's a bit awkward with the people he likes, so he'll come off as a bit clingy.

Daniel's awakened ability is classified as a Librarian. They have access to a shared knowledge network, and can read and store memories from dead hunters and monsters.

6. What monsters have we met so far?

The scientific name for the monsters is Adverna, which means aliens/monsters. Boss monster's scientific name is Dominus, which means boss monster, lord, or king of a race of adverna.

- Aneicyon Dirus: These are the direwolf-like monsters we met in the prologue. They are larger than the standard 5-seater car, glowing red eyes, fangs similar to tusks that drip endless drool that contains neurotoxins, sharp spikes along their spines that retract and fully extend like personal body armor, and fur and tails(2-5 depending on their level) that sharpen and shoot out tiny needles.

- Unicornis Lepus: These are what Nathan calls Unniebits (bunnie bitches), but the rest of the Hunters just call them Jackalopes. They are a carnivorous rabbit the size of a bulldog. They have a unicorn horn, with steel-like fur that shoots out like a porcupine. They have a habit of going for the ankles of Hunters. 

- Serpens Caprae: a monster goat the size of a horse, with a split-snake tongue and a tail of three active & independently moving snakes, breaths out poisonous flames from its goats-head mouth. It's hair shifts between black, grey, and white to blend in with the mountain terrain.

7. How do gates work?

Outter Rings: Age of Gate

• Blue: New gate

• Green: Cleared gate

• Purple: Dungeon break eminent 

Inner Rings: Danger Levels

• Yellow: F ranked to D ranked

• Orange: B ranked to A ranked

• Red: A+ ranked

Do you have more questions about the world of Dogmatic Dungeon Dominion? Let me know in the comments and I'll answer it in the next Q&A!

To celebrate making it to the Top 50, I was trying to work on my own pieces of art of Nathan (a realism piece and a vector piece) but they are taking longer than planned. While you are waiting for me to finish those pieces, I won't let you keep your thumbs twiddling. Instead, I'd like to show off a whole new rebrand of the novel cover, art banner, icons & logo: All brought to you by the wonderful, talented, and amazing V.R. Wilde (IG: @its.forevermonday). I am blown away by her wonderful depictions of Nathan and Penn and their tug-of-war relationship. So, without further ado, here is the new illustration she took her time to create for all of you!

Isn't it stunning? WOW! I'll link her socials below, as well as her own story she has here on Tapas (it's seriously one of my favorites - and also a Guideverse!).

Also, below are some sneak peeks at my massively inadequate work-in-progress comparison haha Now these pieces are nowhere near finished and I'm still working on their bases (I'm learning a new program with new tools, and keep getting overzealous with some features, then starting over hehe). I've downloaded over 200 brushes as I test out new things (like hair!). I hope to have these done before the New Year (fingers crossed).

Anyways, thank you for being a part of my journey with Dogmatic Dungeon Dominion and the #Tapas_AF_Tourney. I hope to see you all again when I come back for Volume 1 Part 2. If you haven't already, don't forget to vote for this story for the contest (link below), and be sure to check out the over-contestants (full list below)!

Till next time;

xoxo Schuyler Lisette