Archive:Timeline Theories/Split Timeline Disciplines

In the wake of recent developer confirmations regarding the Split Timeline, theorists have branched out in a number of different directions. Though a number of splitists had predicted the now confirmed Twilight Princess placement, and were thus able to retain their tradtional theories, both former linearists and splitists with alternate TP placements were required to mold their theories to fit the new ideals.

This influx of linear thinking combined with the views of long-time splitists caused two major timeline disciplines to emerge: the New Adult Story and New Child Story disciplines.

New Adult Story Order
The “New Adult Story" Timeline is a discipline of the Split Timeline that proposes that all of the older (2D) titles are to be placed in the Child Timeline, along with MM and TP, and that the Adult Timeline serves as a seperate, "new story", apart from the older games and thus free to continue into its own chronology.

Since most splitists placed the 2D games in the Child Timeline anyway, many of them continued to do so after TP's release.

Typical New Adult Story Order
Child: OoT/MM – TP - FS/FSA – ALttP/LA – LoZ/AoL

Adult: OoT – TWW/PH

(NOTE: The Oracles placement is debatable as well as rather irrelevant, and the same is true for the placement of TMC. For reference purposes, most theorists place the Oracles games either after ALttP/LA or after LoZ/AoL, and most place TMC either before OoT or immediately before FS/FSA.)

Strengths of the New Adult Story Order

 * There are significant similarities between TP and ALttP.
 * The resting place of the Master Sword in ALttP is accounted for in TP.
 * Documented existence of a hero's bloodline exists in TP as well as ALttP.
 * The implication of the ending of TWW is that Hyrule is gone, perhaps suggesting that no future games in that timeline (placed after TWW) will or can take place there, which would place the 2D games in the Child line by default.

Weaknesses of the New Adult Story Order

 * No documented existence of a sages' seal on the Sacred Realm in the Child timeline.
 * There is no coherent consistency regarding the state of the Triforce between TP and ALttP.

New Child Story Order
The “New Child Story" Timeline is a discipline of the Split Timeline that proposes that all of the older (2D) titles are to be placed in the Adult Timeline, along with TWW and PH, and that the Child Timeline serves as a seperate, "new story", apart from the older games and thus free to continue into its own chronology.

Since most linearists placed these games after TWW/PH anyway, many linearists decided immediately on this order when they began to adopt Split Timelines after the confirmation.

Typical New Child Story Order
Child: OoT/MM – TP

Adult: OoT – TWW/PH - FS/FSA – ALttP/LA – LoZ/AoL

(NOTE: The Oracles placement is debatable as well as rather irrelevant, and the same is true for the placement of TMC. For reference purposes, most theorists place the Oracles games either after ALttP/LA or after LoZ/AoL, and most place TMC either before OoT or immediately before FS/FSA.)

Strengths of the New Child Story Order

 * There are significant similarities between TWW/PH and the FS trilogy.
 * There is documented existence of a sages' seal on the Sacred Realm in the Adult timeline.
 * There exists coherent consistency regarding the state of the Triforce between TWW and ALttP.
 * There exist plans to restore Hyrule from beneath the Great Sea in TWW.
 * The general novelty of the TP plotline lends itself to branching into its own story, leaving the older games as sequels to TWW/PH.

Weaknesses of the New Child Story Order

 * The resting place of the Master Sword in ALttP is unaccounted for in TWW.
 * There is no documented existence of a bloodline related to the hero in TWW (or OoT).
 * Implications of the TWW ending suggest the possibility that no games that take place in Hyrule will be featured chronologically after TWW.
 * The King in TWW specifically used the power of the Triforce to destroy Hyrule permanently, yet there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that the Hyrule in every Zelda game must be the same (especially with OoT's links to LttP which links to FSA which links to TMC).
 * TWW seems to completely disrupt the idea of the Seal War and the sages' seal between OoT and ALttP, which may prevent OoT from being the Seal War regardless of the timeline. Hence it may be easier to place a new Seal War in the Child Timeline, since there must be a different one anyway.