How long does it take to select a candidate ? by BrothaJay

Obviously the game has been played for a very long time. We know Richard seems ageless, Jacob and MiB have had beef since before the mid-eighteen hundreds, the Island has structures that obviously date way back before that. How can this search for a replacement take so long. Is it a selection or an elimination process ?

What we know so far about the candidates is that their names are written on a cave wall and they are engraved and assigned to a degree on a wheel in the light house. In both places most of the names were crossed out. The MiB has said that one would replace Jacob. The MiB wasn't sure about candidate 42 Kwon, it could have been Jin or Sun. It wasn't said straight out but it was implied Jacob was viewing them from the island, possibly their entire lives. Did Jacob select these candidates or were they selected by another and assigned to Jacob and MiB ? Just speculating there it doesn't pertain to what I'm suggesting.

What if Jacob has been watching them for their entire lives and their entire ancestreal back ground as well? Candidate 23 Shepard was at one point Ray, Christian and Jack Shepard. Your a candidate until you die or become selected. We've seen some names crossed off that are still alive but maybe they've been removed from the pool for other reasons. If Jack were to have a son he too would be a candidate. To be a serious candidate, you have to make it to the island.

I think one of things MiB has to accomplish is that all viable candidates (the ones on the island) have to choose to not be the protector, side with him or be eliminated by another candidate. With that being said, if Wallace were to show up, Mib would have to alter his plan a bit, but if Wallace were to show up with Aaron, Ji Yeon, Walt, maybe even Clementine and Charlie, the number of candidates would increase again, thus prolonging the game. I think real soon were gonna see MiB get rattled at the arrival someone(s). Right now he's hoping he can wrap things up before anyone else arrives.

Desmond or Penny's mother could have had the last name Wallace before they married their respective husbands. Yeah I said it.

Jacob has been bringing the same family lines to the island for generations, allowing some to leave knowing their great grandchildren will return, keeping the power of the "candidate" in place. That is the last remaining barrier for the MiB to escape the island.

Jacob had a thing for numbers and hard bargains. In order to confuse MiB about the family lines and names, he would go off island to manipulate situations to create volatile family situations for our losties. He made sure Sawyer wrote that letter, he felt it was okay for Dogen's son to grow up with out a father. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that he interfered with events surrounding the losties lives as well. Divorce and seperation are a bitch but let's keep the line alive and give it a new name.


Please notice how my weak theory doesn't mention the alt. That's because when I was going to try to incorporate the kids returning, I realized that we have a new kid in the mix who so far seems to only exist in the sideways flash (David) and Ji Yeon can only have existed in our main time line as Jin was sterile.

I don't care what TPTB have said about no more flash backs, no flash forwards, no more time travel, that doesn't mean those tricksters will play fair. It wouldn't suprise me to see every single one of these narrative devices come into play at least once before the season ends.

btw- If the kids don't make it back to the island by the end of the season, I promise Disney will get them there in the future.