Editing Reference:RAWA/2001 Lyst posts (section)

== July 11, 2001 ==
A fan wrote:
<blockquote>So why is it impossible to link to an earlier time in an age?</blockquote>

Just wanted to clear one thing up, then I'll let y'all get back to discussing linking theory...

There isn't anything that says linking to the same Age at a different time is impossible in the "it _cannot_ happen" sense of the word, but it is so extremely unlikely that it for all intents and purposes it is considered impossible in the "it _does not_ happen" sense of the word.

It's the same reason that it is "impossible" to write two Descriptive Books (not Linking Books) to the same Age (even ignoring whether it's the same time or earlier time, etc.), even if you write the exact same words in both Books.

The illustration I usually use to demonstrate this is the idea of flipping a fair coin and getting heads a billion times in a row. There's no reason that it _cannot_ happen, but I for one will not be the one to keep flipping coins until it happens.

To add trying to link to a specific time in a specific Age into the equation makes "impossible" even more extremely unlikely. :)

The problem is a side effect of the Great Tree of Possibilities. No matter how detailed your description, there are innumerable Ages out there that will match it, and there is an uncontrollable, unpredictable "chaotic" element that "decides" which Age the Book will link to. They may be indistinguishable as far as we're concerned, but they will be distinct, separate Ages.

Carry on...

<nowiki>:)</nowiki>

RAWA