At Arm's Length

At Arm's Length is a furry webcomic by Darkwing Dork and Brooke Scovil concerning three sorceresses living incognito on Earth, keeping their status as magical beings hidden from their mortal husbands and society at large while also defending the planet from malicious magical threats.

The comic deals frequently with multifurry and transformation themes.

Plot summary
Ally, Sheila and Reece are members of a naturally four-armed magical race named Enchanters, who came to Earth and have come to love and embrace the culture that their magical civilization shuns. They have taken it upon themselves to try to bridge the gap between both societies. However, it's too soon to share their true origin with the rest of the world, including their mortal husbands. For the time being, they must keep their background and even true appearances under wraps.

Unfortunately, there are malevolent magical beings who threaten mortals, and Ally, Sheila and Reece have vowed to defend their new home world from non-mundane threats. They must balance their self-appointed role as defenders of Earth against magical threats while also maintaining their relationships with their mortal husbands. Just how long they can juggle these two tasks remains to be seen.

Along with typical adventures in the mundane setting, Ally, Sheila and Reece frequently meet social outcasts such as the inhabitants of the Haven, a refuge center for victims of magic and socially undesirable magical beings hidden on Earth and run by an Enchanter named Selinda, herself an exile. Due to their adventuring hobbies, they also make acquaintances with member other magical races like dragons, kitsunes and naga.

The tone of the stories alternate between action, sitcom-like home events and fantasy.

Settings

 * Houston: The main setting of the comic and the main characters' home. Houston is a major portal for magical activity on Earth, seemingly providing the main characters with lots of reasons to stay on their toes. As such, they've become de facto protectors of the city along with the rest of the Earth. The main three live in various suburban districts in the city limits with their husbands.


 * Selinda's Haven: A large hidden sanctuary in the Himalayas run by Selinda, a banished Enchanter. The shelter provides a home and support center for both various mortals who are victims of magic as well as magical beings who are outcasts from their societies.


 * Aurelia: The capital city on the Enchanter homeworld, it has a distinctly ancient Greco-Roman design and atmosphere. The Enchanter Council is headquartered here, and the main character's family homes.


 * Gygax: A magical world with the atmosphere of a medieval frontier settlement. Numerous magical species have set up colonies and settlements on the planet, ranging from small villages to vast fiefdoms ruled by warlords. No one species rules the planet so as such peace and social stability differ from following general polite codes of conduct in some communities to "might makes right" in others. A central market town named Galileo is a place for various species to gather, socialize and conduct commerce.


 * Charlotte's Auction House: A large auction clearinghouse run by Charlotte, a naga businesswoman. The building functions as a gallery to display items coming up for auction or for sale on consignment, as well as providing a place for social gatherings. Because of Charlotte's knowledge of a variety of magical issues, the auction house serves as a place for the our heroes to discuss magical threats of obscure origin.

Main characters



 * Allison "Ally" Mancer: Every team needs a level-headed leader, and that's Ally to a T. Friendly, goofy and steadfast in her duties, it's her job to keep her two friends reined in and on duty. She has to keep an eye on her husband Peter, who needs a woman's touch on occasion. She is not without a sense of humor; after all, how many rabbits like to wear a magician's outfit?
 * Sheila "Rumble" Spellman: Not just your garden-variety punk kangaroo, Sheila is always up for a fight or at least a decent clothing sale. A natural fighter, she's the team's muscle and most aggressive member. Sheila also has a soft spot for cooking, and tolerates her husband's music as best she can.
 * Reece "Vixy" Craft: How can a fox be so ditsy and so good at forming strategies at the same time? Reece is a little bubble-headed from time-to-time, but she proves her worth in combat. The fashionable one of the trio, she'd be the first to tell Sheila her tail cuff clashes with her clothes.
 * Peter Mancer: Ally's husband, and a poor office drone who works for a magazine. Peter is dependent on Ally for fashion decisions, but is reliable at his job and a good provider. Plus, he's good at elbowing Ally when she needs to lighten up.
 * William Spellman: Sheila's husband, and a rock star wannabe. A great guitar player with a questionable singing voice, he is chivalrous to no end. Even Sheila melts when he comes to her rescue, either in public or just with a well-timed pizza.
 * Nick Craft: Reece's husband, and manager at the local McDunlaps. He's slowly being worn down by annoying customers, questionable corporate marketing and his fast-paced wife. Still, Nick is resilient, and his sarcastic demeanor thinly masks his deeper love of humanity.

Recurring characters

 * Kaige and Kiley: Two dragon bounty hunters/mercenaries, they're allies of the girls who pop up on occasion. Kaige is a little cocky and self-promoting, Kiley is demure and playful. Both of them have standards and only enter conflicts against deserving targets, offering protection from evil to any species at reasonable rates.
 * Selinda: A lioness Enchanter who runs Haven, a shelter for both magical beings who are on the run from their home worlds for political or social reasons and mortals who have been the victims of magic. A caring soul with an open heart, she's one of the few Enchanters besides the main characters to take an interest in non-magical beings. Selinda herself is an outcast, exiled from the Enchanter main world and as such is sympathetic to others who have nowhere to turn.
 * Tazel: A half-mortal, half-demoness fox who handles security and maintenance duties at Selinda's Haven. Due to having a father who was a six-armed demon and a mortal mother, she has a four-armed appearance. Her powers include the ability to make duplicates of herself. She is very protective of her home and charges, and suspicious of outsiders.
 * Ian: A mutated deer who is one of the residents at Selinda's Haven. Transformed into a monster resembling a naga by Ceryn, Ian has a cautious outlook, yet still manages to remain friendly and helpful to others.
 * Echo: A bat from an alien world, hiding out at Selinda's Haven from her brother, a criminal on her home planet. Echo is a textbook example of a perky goth; she's a cheerful necromancer who can 'resurrect' zombie-like followers and normally has a good relationship with her undead minions.
 * Greg: A mouse college student who has been transformed by accident into a fairy, complete with an emasculating set of pink wings. Deeply resentful of any comments on his appearance, he is gradually starting to acclimate to his powers.
 * Britt and 2Q: Two small pixies that inhabit forests and often are the first response team for magical encounters on Earth. Britt is a white cat with butterfly wings and 2Q resembles a griffin with feathery wings. As fellow fae, they are usually Greg's closest confidants regarding his fairy powers, much to his chagrin.
 * Kevin: An annoying human nerd from another dimension, Kevin mysteriously showed up one night and has been been a thorn in everyone's side since. Narcissistic to no end, he thinks nothing of rambling on for hours on sci-fi/fantasy topics, even as those around him threaten bodily harm if he doesn't shut up. A fan of epic quest stories, he's naturally excited about this turn of event in his life, seeing it as a sign he destined for greatness.
 * Charlotte: A friendly goth naga auctioneer who owns an auction and consignment house and is friends with Kaige and Kiley. Along with acting as a broker for selling Kaige and Kiley's treasures, she also provides information on exotic magical issues for the Enchanters. Her high tolerance for weirdness leads her to offer taking Kevin off Ally, Sheila and Reece's hands.
 * Linda and Elsa: A wolfess and bobcat who were merged together while trying to steal the same magic artifact. Formerly rival thieves, they now reluctantly work together as assistants for Charlotte. Sharing a body has not stopped their bickering, in fact it probably made it worse.
 * Ixod Istanbul: Angry, antisocial hyena gonzo journalist who investigates supernatural events in Houston. A cross between Spider Jerusalem and Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Ixod is obsessed with discovering the truth about all the strange goings on in the community, regardless of what it does to his reputation or pocket book.

Villains

 * Temujin: A villainous winged reptile, Temujin is part of a larger conspiracy with as-yet unrevealed plans for the Earth. Although evil, Temujin is incredibly polite and friendly, so much that she would want to be the Enchanter's friends if she wasn't so determined to do them in.
 * Ceryn: A deer witch in Temujin's employ, she carries out her bosses' whims on Earth while the evil conspiracy is focused elsewhere. Crafty and devious, she is eager to please Temujin. Unfortunately for her, this put her in the crosshairs of Ally, Sheila and Reece, who made short work of her plans. Recently changed into a deertaur, she seeks revenge against the girls.
 * Krassus: A dragon warlord operating on the planet Gygax, he works with Temujin in collecting mysterious artifacts while pocketing several treasures for himself as well. Shrewd, narcissistic and malevolent, he has no qualms about brutally murdering anyone who stands in his way.
 * Dr. Eternium: A frog mad scientist with designs on ruling the universe, his schemes are often comical yet still dangerous.
 * Cornelius: An arrogant weasel Enchanter who is one of the top council members for his race. He is secretly in cahoots with Temujin and plots to undermine the reputation and actions of Ally, Reece and Sheila to keep them from interfering with the draconid's plans.