Editing Quest:Ruby Quest/Theories (section)

===Theories Concerning Jay/"Emobird"===

====We've seen Emobird Before====
<strike>VIABLE</strike> <strike>DEBUNKED</strike> '''VIABLE'''

<strike>"Emobird" resembles the figure we saw from the gas room through the window-mirror just before we saw Stitches there, shortly before we were attacked by the Hound abomination.</strike> <strike>Once again, it was Filbert.</strike>  The first face that we saw in the window was Filbert, but there was a shadow resembling Emobird's head in the window just before it became a mirror.

Also note that a glass window [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-way_mirror acts as a mirror when you're looking from a bright room to a dark room], and Emobird makes rooms dark.


====Jay's inflicted darkness is physical blindness====
'''UNLIKELY'''

The dark projection of Jay that Tom and Ruby encounter outside of Upper Lab B inflicts them, after a bit of prodding, with "a familiar and horrible kind of darkness". It's possible that instead of just removing the light from the room, Ruby and Tom are both rendered physically blind for a short time, as they would be very intimately familiar with blindness from their experiences before the Glen. While they are both indicated to have retrograde amnesia, the fact that they are familiar with using their bodies and with the function of many objects in the Glen (keyboards, pneumatic tubes, faucets, etc) it's very likely that they have retained a lot of basic operational knowledge despite their lost memory of learning to use these things. If they can identify the sounds of water sloshing and even speech despite not having heard those sounds since waking up most recently, they could also be able to differentiate between a dark room and being blind (in fact, none of the myriad other dark rooms like UL B, Ruby's locker, maintenance vent, power failure from Red's bomb, etc are described as anything other than dark or dim).

Very important to this theory is identifying Jay's intent with this action. Jay doesn't seem to ''want'' to hurt anything, so he is either accidentally causing the scene by looking at them while distressed or he is intentionally sharing his torment. If he is accidentally causing the infliction due to his distress, it's likely that Jay would be sharing exactly his sensory experience. If he is intentionally inflicting T&R, the illusions are probably the closest his powers can approximate to his torment. Jay's abilities aren't thoroughly explored, but his exact sensory experience is a dark surrounding and loud water noises, but his powers might approximate with the physical blindness he likely had prior to entering the Glen. If we knew more about Jay's history prior to admission to the Metal Glen, this would be more clear. If he was blind but not deaf he could think he is blind again and think that he is deaf (and that deafness is a water sound, like blindness is the familiar type of darkness).

Evidence against this theory is that Jay seems to have inflicted Tom and Ruby with Jay's own sensory information (SO DARK container, water noise screening his senses) instead of causing physically blindness and deafness. This could be explained that, while Jay doesn't seem to be blind, he possibly thinks he is due to constant darkness. Additionally, the lack of tactile water feeling indicates that Jay might only be capable of visual and auditory illusions, not tactile hallucinations. He might not cover the room, but instead ''wrap around'' their heads to screen them, but is unable to actually touch them.

Finally, the "familiar type of darkness" could just refer to being in a room they know is quiet and lit, but being unable to hear or see. It reminds them of the helplessness of blindness which tom reacts to by flailing around and to which Ruby reacts by using the third eye and trusting it "blindly", almost leading to accidentally self-inflicted death (which is a strong fear for the blind, compounding the fear and shock caused by the sudden reoccurrence of blindness). It also makes them feel like they are missing something, that anyone else in the room would be perfectly able to function, and that they are incredibly vulnerable if any of the numerous threats in the Glen find them.

Regardless of the mechanics, intent, and actual specific abilities of Jay, he '''definitely''' terrifies them and shakes them to their cores. Really, it's incredible that Ruby and Tom endanger themselves to such a degree in an effort to extract Jay, so much that they are willing to sacrifice themselves for his sake!