Archive:Timeline Theories/Split Timeline Disciplines
| Part of a series of articles on the Zelda Timeline | |
|
History of the Zelda Timeline Research: Interpretation: | |
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 change their theories to fit with what is now accepted as fact.
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 many split timeline theorists placed the 2D games in the Child Timeline prior to the split's confirmation, 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 and irrelevant to this issue, and the same is true for the placement of TMC. For reference purposes, most theorists place the Oracle 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.
- In FSA, Ganondorf's name is only by the sages as a thief from the desert, but after OoT and TWW they would know exactly who Ganon is.
- The resting place of the Master Sword in ALttP is accounted for in TP, and TP appears to bridge OoT and ALttP's Master Sword locations.
- 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, and this must be speculated as a separate event.
- There is no cohesiveness 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 and irrelevant to this issue, and the same is true for the placement of TMC. For reference purposes, most theorists place the Oracle 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 some similarities between TWW/PH and the FS trilogy.
- There is documented existence of a sages' seal on the Sacred Realm in the Adult timeline.
- The state of the Triforce appears to be consistent between TWW and ALttP, assuming the Triforce returns to the Sacred Realm.
- The Deku Tree says that he is trying to connect the islands with forests, which could potentially form a new land that will become Hyrule.
Weaknesses of the New Child Story Order
- The resting place of the Master Sword in ALttP is unaccounted for in TWW, and difficult to explain.
- The sages' seal on the Sacred Realm in OoT may be difficult to connect to ALttP as it once was, because that Ganon from OoT breaks free and is defeated in TWW.
- Implications of TWW's ending suggest that no games that take place in Hyrule will be featured chronologically after TWW, due to the King destroying Hyrule.
