To steel-man the argument some more, if you have variable-rate electricity, it could turn on when electricity is cheap.

I don’t think the light “knew” from the beginning. The light started in a state of superposition, right? Both unholy and holy. Once it hits the vampire, only the unholy light is reflected, acting like a sort of filter similar to a polarizing lens.

Well, if we treat incoming light as a quantum superposition:

|light⟩ = α|holy⟩ + β|unholy⟩

…and assume that vampires reflect only unholy light and absorb holy light, then anything directly part of the vampire’s “system” filters light this way.

So I guess the question becomes, “How does the filtering happen?” Is it by physical surface, or is there some kind of quantum holiness field that absorbs holy light nearby?

You have added The Unholy Spectroscope to your inventory.

The concept of unholy light seems to imply vampires can be detected through unholy spectroscopy.

Would this work? I think the light stops at the mirror because it’s silver.

Normally

1. Light hits the vampire.
2. It bounces off their body.
3. It hits the mirror
4. It reflects from the mirror into your eyes.

Silver mirror

1. Light hits the vampire.
2. It bounces off their body (now unholy light)
3. It hits the mirror and gets absorbed
4. Light doesn’t make it to your eyes

So, technically, there really should be a vampire-shaped hole in the mirror where the vampire was.

Oh that’s a good series, he has a mastodon account, too.

https://mastodon.social/@CrustaceanSingles

It’s only half spinning too.

I find it easy to blame everyone else for the state of the world. So in my book, everyone else is in trouble.