Are Spren Vampires?

[Kurkistan he/him]

Now that I've reeled you in with a ridiculous (yet intriguing) title, I will clarify my meaning.

Can Spren be captured (figuratively) on film? Do mirrors reflect their images? Do they cast shadows? Or is it instead the case that only other living, Cognitively-present beings can perceive them--thta they are not fully "present" in the world?

On that note, is stormlight actually light in the normal sense of the word, or is it some kind of Cognitive/Spiritual radiance that hacks into the "seeing" portion of human perception? (okay, that one's a stretch).

While I'm basically betraying myself at this point, I'm tempted to think that Count Sylcula would be visible on a camera. But the question might merit some discussion, so I wanted to bring it out in the open in case anyone was secretly inclined towards being able to reveal Syl's evil nature with a well-placed mirror.

Discuss!

Edited April 16, 2013 by Kurkistan

[lil_literalist he/him]

For that matter, do flamespren give off light?

It's an interesting thought. My gut reaction is... nothing. But Elkohar sees the truthspren in a mirror, doesn't he? That's the only instance that I can think of.

[Kurkistan he/him]

Nice question. I also hadn't recalled that Elokhar saw spren in the mirror.

After some reflection, I think I'll have to betray my betrayal of myself. We know for a fact that Syl and the symbolhead spren can choose who they reveal themselves to, as well as how creepily they do it, in the case of the symbolheads. So obviously a Polaroid isn't going to catch Syl. Or will it...?

But then we have Rock seeing Syl without her willing it, so she probably more so "mutes" or "turns up" her presence to various people in the normal course of things, but can never just disappear.

Elokhar seeing spren in a mirror is very odd, then, given that the perception of Spren doesn't seem to be based on photons of light. Either this non-visual perception is still constrained by some measure of Cognitive reflectivity when it encounters an object with a Mirror aspect or Spren hide/appear using "perception filters," but could be captured by a non-intelligent camera or light sensor.

Edited February 11, 2013 by Kurkistan