09/11/2012 [TDA #35] DOOOOR!

[AmigaDragon]

Recognize the camera? My first thought glancing past it was "hammer".

I don't know, panels seem a bit disjointed to me, out of order. Maybe I'm just not getting it.

[Tapewolf]

Recognize the camera? My first thought glancing past it was "hammer".

I don't know, panels seem a bit disjointed to me, out of order. Maybe I'm just not getting it.

I was never quite happy with the flow of the middle section.  Perhaps it could have been handled a little more smoothly with more panels, but what would be the point?  The last page laid out exactly what they were going to do, and in this page they do it.  Dragging it out over an entire month strikes me as being kind of boring.

[AmberCross]

I don't understand, how are they invisible?!? O_o As far as I know, that is not a cubi power and 'active camoflage' seems like it would be stupid hard to do. Otherwise, great comic! Although I don't know what's with the guy in the last panel. I swear I read the text versions but it was a while ago so things are fuzzy.

[Tapewolf]

I don't understand, how are they invisible?!?
O_o As far as I know, that is not a cubi power and 'active camoflage' seems like it would be stupid hard to do.

Soul-stealing isn't a 'Cubi power either, and it's stupid hard to do, but they can still do it.

The invisibility spell they're using actually works by photon tunnelling.  This has the drawback that it would leave you blind, so they're only partially invisible like in Doom.  You may recall that Jakob did this in the forest when Fairwater was sneaking up on them, and also in 'A Walk in the Woods'.

Otherwise, great comic! Although I don't know what's with the guy in the last panel. I swear I read the text versions but it was a while ago so things are fuzzy.

Oh, he'll explain himself next page.  Sort of.

[AmberCross]

I figured the last guy would explain himself. Unexplained things in the last panel of a page have a tendency to do that. I remember the time from 'Walk in the Woods' but honestly had thought he just teleported to behind the guy. As for Fairweather, I didn't actually notice that one. Thanks for explaining!

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

The invisibility spell they're using actually works by photon tunnelling.  This has the drawback that it would leave you blind, so they're only partially invisible like in Doom.  You may recall that Jakob did this in the forest when Fairwater was sneaking up on them, and also in 'A Walk in the Woods'.

You'd think it'd be fairly easy to make it totally invisible, except for the eyes. But hey, maybe there's something that means the entire shield has to be the same pattern.

[Lurkie]

You'd think it'd be fairly easy to make it totally invisible, except for the eyes. But hey, maybe there's something that means the entire shield has to be the same pattern.

My first reaction to that was "eyeballs floating in mid-air are not unobtrusive."    (Shades of H. G. Wells!)  Then I realized that if it was just the light entering the pupils that didn't tunnel, that might work.  They'd still be visible, in a way, but pupils are only a few millimeters in diameter, so they should be fairly unobtrusive.  As you say though, setting up an effect like that is probably difficult and time consuming.

[Merlin]

You'd think it'd be fairly easy to make it totally invisible, except for the eyes. But hey, maybe there's something that means the entire shield has to be the same pattern.

My first reaction to that was "eyeballs floating in mid-air are not unobtrusive."

[Tapewolf]

Well it occurred to me that you might just have floating retinas or something, but that would be gross

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

You'd think it'd be fairly easy to make it totally invisible, except for the eyes. But hey, maybe there's something that means the entire shield has to be the same pattern.

My first reaction to that was "eyeballs floating in mid-air are not unobtrusive."    (Shades of H. G. Wells!)  Then I realized that if it was just the light entering the pupils that didn't tunnel, that might work.  They'd still be visible, in a way, but pupils are only a few millimeters in diameter, so they should be fairly unobtrusive.  As you say though, setting up an effect like that is probably difficult and time consuming.

Here's the thing. The eyeballs are not totally visible - they're doing the same greyed out thing that we see in the comic - ie, they're see-through, but not totally.

And, as Tapewolf says, it's only the retina - or, if you want to allow the eye to cope with brightness changes naturally, the pupil and iris - that needs the light. The rest of the eyeball can be totally dark, and it won't impact your vision at all.

Of course, making it so that the moving (in comparison to the rest of the body) eyeball focal point is visible is a complex challenge in and of itself, so it's entirely possible that the reason it hasn't been done is "most people don't pay enough attention to see me when partially visible anyway, so it's easier to do it this way and just be done with it" - which also leaves open the option for the author to have someone notice them, if it seems suitable for the storyline.

[Lurkie]

My first reaction to that was "eyeballs floating in mid-air are not unobtrusive."

AAAAHHHHHHHH!!

Merlin, you just about made me snort my tea through my nose!    Thank you for the picture, it gave me a good laugh. 

Here's the thing. The eyeballs are not totally visible - they're doing the same greyed out thing that we see in the comic - ie, they're see-through, but not totally.

And, as Tapewolf says, it's only the retina - or, if you want to allow the eye to cope with brightness changes naturally, the pupil and iris - that needs the light. The rest of the eyeball can be totally dark, and it won't impact your vision at all.

Right.  My thought at the time was that if the invisibility field wasn't set up correctly, Our Heroes would have ambient light hitting their retinas from all sides.  This would wash out any coherent image on the retinas.  Which would make getting around difficult, and probably lead to major headaches.  The only place that light should enter the eye is through the pupils.  Of course, the sclera of the eye may block external light, as would the eye sockets.  Which might be enough right there.  Hrmmm...  Ah well, probably best to leave it to the tender mercies of The Plot, and say that a wizard did it. 

Of course, making it so that the moving (in comparison to the rest of the body) eyeball focal point is visible is a complex challenge in and of itself, so it's entirely possible that the reason it hasn't been done is "most people don't pay enough attention to see me when partially visible anyway, so it's easier to do it this way and just be done with it" - which also leaves open the option for the author to have someone notice them, if it seems suitable for the storyline.

Very true, all of it.

[AmberCross]

Ah well, probably best to leave it to the tender mercies of The Plot, and say that a wizard did it. 

But... but this is an invisibility spell. O_o A wizard DID do it...

[Lurkie]

Ah well, probably best to leave it to the tender mercies of The Plot, and say that a wizard did it. 

But... but this is an invisibility spell. O_o A wizard DID do it...

Well, then, I'm not wrong, am I?