I've been recently working on actually connecting the characters I draw to their surroundings. It is something I certainly am working hard on.

Seriously? xD
Well, it looks like you already have a good grasp of it, if it means anything. >->
But really, it's something I've seen people of my skill level just start realizing they need to do more (myself included); I figured you'd have already dabbled quite a lot in that, seeing how far ahead you are. :3 --And looking at your pictures; really the characters seem well-connected when there 'is' a background~