Veerrrrry interesting. Though Diana was toting the idiot ball around. If it's that important and that kind of renowned, why was she wearing it in a visible location?

Still, what's done is done, and now we see what they can do.

The thing is, it's pretty much the equivalent of a locket with pictures of your loved ones in it. To most it's just a red jewel on a necklace, no more or less valuable than any other piece of casually worn jewelry. The stone and those like it only took on significance after Aldris disappeared from this dimension. Afterwards it's only real function is to find Diana's home, which has only one gateway there that constantly moves.

Most don't believe Aldris exists anymore other than treasure hunters, aristocrats with the desire to collect rare things, the White Order, and so on. There's a good population that does, but the average person would not think anything of it.

Unlike Diana's crystal tipped arrows and other similar items that are more readily traded and recognized as useful, only serious collectors would try to get the necklace. Everyone else would see it as just a plain stone around her neck. Does that explain it a little more?

So... it was only a -little- idiot ball.

Chalk it up to a little bit of pride in her homeland and her need to have a connection to it, though she probably could have worn something over it, but we all have our failings.

A small part of her probably doubted anyone would steal from a female archer either, where she comes from your gender isn't a basis for evaluation. Out here, men might be a little bit more stupid from time to time.

You never think anyone will steal your wallet, but...

Actually, I've always been paranoid that might happen, particularly when I have to be in a city. As a result, I've never had it happen.

In any event, most folks, even our main characters, did not know what the choker was until Diana told them. As risks go, her arrows that she got during her last return home would be more revealing, which is why she uses steel tipped in most cases or what have you.

This sounds good!

I decided it would be a good idea to fill in the gap between comic 1 and 2, which is still being written and of course comic 1 will be finished this year.

That said, the stories will be 'season 2'.

A very interesting story. I think I'm going to have to go back and do some catching up, but I really liked what you've done so far. I love the sense of mystery that surrounds both Aldris and Diana herself, and there's a really nice sense of connection between the characters such that I think it would be clear how deeply they care about each other even if they never said it outright. I loved the detail you put into everything, too. I've always enjoyed stories set in market towns like this, and you did a really nice job of lettings us explore the town and see what it had to offer. The fight outside the weapons merchant felt nicely spontaneous, such that it didn't feel like a set-up until the theft was revealed, which was a nice touch. And I really liked Diana's focus on scents and how sensitive she was to all the different smells of the market, and even to her own while tracking the necklace. It was a really nice touch, and I can imagine it's an ability that will come in quite handy for the plot as well. Very nicely done all around!

As for Diana's wearing her choker so openly, as was mentioned above, I kind of took it as indicative of her status as an outworlder, and that she still isn't quite used to how different the world she's in is from the world she grew up in. So I thought it fit the character quite nicely.

You always leave the best comments. When I had started the idea for the project that eventually became the first comic when I was unable to write prose, I had first tried it in novel form. I knew that I needed a reason for the story to get going, so I asked myself what starts this story, and it's when Ethan meets Diana. From there, the mystery of her home emerged and provided both a goal for her and a reason for people to be chasing her. The mythology kind of grew from there, and Diana and Aldris are both highly sought after by the people who know of their existence.

I'm glad their closeness comes across. Ethan and Rhodes I originally envisioned as the two best friends so when Diana shows up Rhodes can already tell what Ethan takes a while to figure out, that he loves her. In the comic it becomes pretty clear that everyone notices except Ethan, and it also gave me a good way to elaborate on Lydia's role in the story. After their first adventure together (Season 1), they form a family of sorts. Most of my characters often do, since family isn't just blood.

A good number of the stories in this part of the universe are set in towns like this, though in 8-10 you'll get to see a large city and a bit of Rhodes's past. My intention is with season 2 to explore all of the main characters backstories if I can. I love when you get the chance to step back and see 'how we got to now'.

That was the hardest part to write, how to get the choker away from Diana. She would never take it off, and how to set that up... After losing version one it was the part I feared rewriting the most. I had contemplated different ways to run this scene, and finally settled on this, introducing the recurring characters of Daniel and Finn.

The scents was my effort to make this a truly 'furry' fantasy story, since dobermans and canines in general are very scent oriented, and you could never do that in a 'human' story, so it was a nice aid to the story and helped remind us Diana is a canine. ;) I imagine for canines scent is important.

I would think that as well. Maybe 5-10% of people would know what it was on sight, and no doubt Diana is used to everyone wearing one where she comes from. To Ethan and Rhodes, they didn't know what it was until she told them. To most it'd just be a stone. :)

By the way.... Did you catch the easter egg?

Aw, thanks. It's easy, when you write such engaging stories! I really am glad you like them, even if I'm not always as fast as I should be. It's pretty neat that this story went from comic form to prose. I've always kind of wanted to try doing at least a brief comic with one of my stories, but besides the money issues I wouldn't really know how best to plan a more visual story. So the fact that you can work in various forms is really quite impressive!

I can certainly appreciate a group of characters becoming a family through their adventures. A lot of mine tend to do the same, as I've always found that having a group of characters who genuinely care about each other helps motivate them to support each other and sometimes to do things for each other that they might never do for anyone else. I think that's part of why so many of my characters have ended up kin to each other by blood or marriage, though I definitely agree that those aren't necessary for someone to be family, either.

I can understand the concern over the fight scene. Setting something like that up requires a really delicate touch, and just the right balance, and it can be so easy to mess things up if you have to go back and re-do things. But I was really impressed by how well it worked. I flatter myself that I'm usually pretty good at picking up plot hooks like that, but that one actually took me by surprise!

I think I've said so before, but I've always tried to add little details like relying on scent, or particular mannerisms, to remind people that my characters aren't just humans in funny clothes. That's something else that can take a delicate touch, sometimes, I think. But a little reminder that a character is a dog, or a horse, or whatever species, can add a lot personality to them and make your overall world feel more exotic and memorable. Plus I really liked the detail about her finding the spice market overwhelming, and that this later returned to obscure her hunt for the choker. I liked that it was a helpful ability, but not a super power.

As for the Easter egg, I'm not sure. I did notice what sounded an awful lot like a Talwyn crystal in the panda's possession, and I had actually meant to mention that. If so, it makes you wonder just how far these collectors go!

I never expect instant comments, especially since I often take a while to read things myself. Look at how long it's taken me to work through Oseille, and I still have a ways to go. :) Originally all of my comics were intended to be prose, but when I was at my lowest I couldn't even think of writing so I had to come up with a plan B. Now that I'm back, I can call it a multiplatform series. Maybe it'll encourage more readers. I could help you with that, but due to the obvious cost the key with a comic story even more so than writing is necessity. Think of the story you can really only tell visually and the bare minimum you need to tell it. If you have more space you can expand to include wants, but you can't be verbose, you have to say what you need to say and show what you need to show. I was lucky to find an artist I can afford and one that can do what I want. ;)

The nice part about doing stories that fit between the comics is that I can dip back into areas that I couldn't cover in the comics due to time or flow issues. Ethan and Rhodes are friends, but soon you'll find out why and get glimpses into their past. After all, we don't just appear. For good or ill our pasts are a part of who we are. You can't take the good without the bad. I've always been a fan of ensemble casts, because the flow is on the story and the group, not on just one character. Say you hate the lead, the series is a wash for you. If you like most of them, you can often overlook things like that. Family and friendship can also be extremely strong motivators. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

I was nervous when I wrote that scene if it would feel too predictable, but I had to get the necklace away from Diana knowing she'd never let it go voluntarily and yet... Because her attempt to reacquire it drives the next six or seven stories... :)

I say that if you're going to just write them as humans, stick to normal fiction. Furry fiction lets you do some things humans can't, like tracking by scent. People would find that weird, but in an anthro dog its expected. It's like how you can explore racial differences in scifi by making them aliens and people can think about it objectively. For Diana, I imagined if I had a canine nose I wouldn't want to walk through that spice market. Of couse, all things have their drawbacks.

BINGO! We have a winner. :) When I decided to make their two universes one and the same, I thought, what a perfect time to put in the first indications that they share the same universe. During the war, a lot of Talwyn crystals left their homeland, but where did they go? That gets explored in episode 10. :)

Really looking forward to the continuation of this story. I've got to see how it ends! I also need to learn more about our heroes and the White Order that causes so much trouble for them.

Also, I wonder: I got the feeling that the drunken fox who started the fateful brawl was a White Order agent who deliberately started the fight as a distraction. Am I right, or did the thief just take advantage of the brawl once it started?

I'm glad to hear that! I've got plans to do a 13 episode arc, the first ten will be posted here. Still trying to figure out the plot for the last three. The White Order was planned for the second comic, but this gives me a chance to flesh them out. :)

At this time, not yet, but you never know... :)

I know you're a Topaz fan, you might enjoy the two stories featuring her. ;)

"At this time, not yet, but you never know... :)"

I assume this is the answer to my White Order question. Is this true?

"I know you're a Topaz fan, you might enjoy the two stories featuring her. ;)"

Cool! I'm so glad she's a part of this world.

Yes, that's the case, I'm always looking for ways to link my work together but at the moment the fox is a random individual. Will that stay that way, we will see. :)

Journeys and Iridescence now both share the same universe, but if you haven't read them you might enjoy The First Lesson and Effective Measures.

I've read "Effective Measures" and will soon get to "The First Lesson". Thanks for the links!

Awesome!

And now I've read both stores plus "redemption". Impressive work all around.

Thank you very much! ;)

I've always enjoyed the strength of your dialogue, and this piece is no exception. It helped the narrative flow quite well, and expanded the characters in numerous ways. Very believable in that regard. The world-building was solid. The use of sights and scents was an especially nice touch. All in all an enjoyable piece

Aw, thanks! *hugs*

I'm definitely looking forward to expanding the universe in this story set, not to mention it will eventually join up with Lauren's since they now share a universe. ;)

I pride myself on my world building. :) It was fun making use of Diana's sense of smell to help tell the story, after all, she is a canine. ;)