I need feedback

[BubbaSteamroller]

To everyone who reads this:  I am a brand new member to the forums.  I just recently signed up because I've been getting back into the Zelda series recently, and I've been trying to formulate a solid timeline theory in my head (as many others have done obviously).  After about five drafts, this is the first one that I'm fairly certain about (as far as a lack of holes and inconsistencies).  Please provide as much constructive criticism as possible.  Here goes:

After the creation of Hyrule, King Gustaf starts the royal family, and some time afterwards, the first Zelda and her brother are born, which creates the 'Legend' of Zelda.

MC->OoT->split timeline

Adult (no link) world: Great Flood->WW->PH

Child (link) world: MM->LA->LoZ->AoL->OoX->TP->FS->FSA->LttP

I have some other theories that place MC and LA in different places, but it's not crucial to the overall theory.

For the adult world, it's been stated that WW is supposed to be the continuation of the Link-less world left behind in OoT, and it makes sense with the opening sequence.  I also have an important theory that when Ganondorf invaded the sacred realm in OoT, he killed five of the ancient sages (Raoru excluded), thus necessitating the awakening of the new sages, which appear (in stained glass) in WW.

In the Child world, MM is obviously the sequel.  I placed LA afterwards because I liked the alternate-world similarities between them, though I'm open to the idea that it's a sequel to LttP, and hopefully you can see that either way it would still fit.

Anyway, after that, my story goes that Link returns from his solo quest in MM and LA (or just MM), to find that Ganondorf (having been thwarted by Link and Zelda previously), managed to escape whatever prison he was in, and invade the sacred realm (turning it into the dark world) anyway.  He claims the triforce of power, declares war on Hyrule, and then the events of LoZ take place.  Ganon is more easily destroyed in this one, and the triforce of power is removed from his hand easily because he isn't as strong as he was in OoT (not having had seven years to build strength).  After this the king of Hyrule banishes the dark interlopers who followed Ganon to the Dark World (explained in the backstory of TP), and orders the ancient sages to seal the dark world away (explained in the backstory of LttP).  It's important to note that the ancient sages are all still alive in this timeline, having been prepared for Ganondorf's eventual attack after Link's warning.  AoL is obviously next, which completely restores the triforce.  In this game, Ganon's followers are trying to resurrect him, which leads me to my placement of OoX, which starts with a complete triforce, and Twinrova is attempting to resurrect Ganon.  After these events, I speculate many things happen.  First, Link goes on to live his life, and eventually dies of old age.  After this, Ganon's followers finally use this to resurrect Ganondorf (the man).  Afterwards, Ganondorf either steals the triforce of power again, or (IMO) the triforce returns to his hand by destiny, sensing that that's where it should remain as long as he is alive.  After this, the Ancient Sages try to execute him (in the backstory to TP), but the ancient sage of water gets killed in the process (this sage is later reborn in the body of a noble maiden, and later on, the other sages follow suit).  The remaining sages trap Ganondorf in the twilight realm (or dark world) that he created in LoZ.  After the events of TP with a new Link, the triforce is restored with Ganondorf dead again, although the spirit of the monster Ganon lives on in the Dark World (though significantly weakened).  After many generations the events are forgotten or skewed in time, during which the events of FS and FSA take place which involve the threat of Vaati instead of Ganon.  After FSA, it is revealed that Ganon has gained significant strength, and stolen the trident of power, and is again a threat.  Not being fully powered, Ganon is stopped by this age's Link, and Ganon's spirit is trapped in the four sword.  After FSA, I'm not sure how much time passes, but eventually, Ganon uses Agahnim to help him break the seal on the four sword, and start gaining power again.  In LttP, Ganon is able to use the Triforce to create a Hyrule in despair, but it should be noted that since he no longer really has a physical body, the Triforce of Power never goes to his hand.  Of course Link (likely a new one) defeats Ganon, and Hyrule is saved, which brings me to the end of my theory (unless you consider LA a sequel).

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your comments.

[Hyruleansoldier]

The split timeline is fine, but I don't really know about your child timeline.  There is no real right or wrong, but some things have always made more sense to me.

Check out my reasoning for the child timeline:

OOT > MM > TP > FS > FSA > ALTTP > LA > Oracles > LoZ > AoL

Little has to be said about TP’s placement. It needs to come before all the others because Ganondorf is still his normal self, who has NOT met any Hero of Time garbed in green, holding the Master Sword of Evil’s Bane. I’ve said this time and again: Ganondorf is not a madman suffering from Alzheimer’s, he would KNOW what he was up against. But he doesn’t. The reason he basically ignored Link is because he doesn’t know who the heck he is. Plainly said. Nintendo, in all their effort to make an OOT-inspired Zelda game, would never deliberately have Ganondorf ignore the friggin Hero of the game series for no good reason. That reason I have just offered.
What do you mean why doesn’t Ganondorf know? Well, his being defeated by the Hero, Link, only happened in OOT’s future. This didn’t happen in young Link’s timeline. ‘Nuff said.

Back to the timeline. What is to come after TP?

OOT > MM >TP > FS > FSA > ALTTP > LA > Oracles > LoZ > AoL

I’ve included FS between TP & FSA, since I believe FSA is a direct sequel to FS. I just played the story intro of FSA again and it states that many ages passed since the first imprisonment of Vaati (= TMC), and that Vaati had somehow freed himself and captured Princess Zelda not too long ago, making it possible for FS & FSA’s Link & Zelda to be the same people. And even if a generation has passed, it would be the most logical choice as they even look very much alike (Zelda even has the same red ribbon in her hair), and they are very obviously already friends.

Kaepora Gaebora might prove problematic, but he really isn’t. You could say that FSA has to be not too long after OOT & MM because of the owl, but that’s not a valid argument. It is clear in FSA that the owl and Link have not met before, so I couldn’t have been the same Link & Zelda from OOT & MM. It couldn’t be TP’s either, as Link’s much older there, and only gets to know Zelda when he’s an adult.
Furthermore, Kaepora Gaebora is the incarnation of a Sage, and I suppose he could be around for all eternity if he wanted to. Regardless, even Tingle (or some form or incarnation of him) is in FSA, AND in OOA, and none of those games are close to each other in the timeline. So the appearance of such characters should not be taken as evidence.

OOT > MM > TP > FS > FSA > ALTTP > LA > Oracles > LoZ > AoL

As to why FSA has to come before ALTTP, Ganondorf is still called ‘Ganondorf’ in FSA by the Gerudo’s, who have seen him on his way to the Desert Pyramid. There he gets the Trident of Power, which he uses in ALTTP. So far so good.

LA has been stated to be the direct sequel to ALTTP, so even though it could theoretically fit almost anywhere, I think we should just keep it where it belongs. On any level, the death of Ganon is mentioned, and this only happens in ALTTP [or LoZ, but that wouldn’t be possible as AoL is already the direct sequel to LoZ, causing the statement about Ganon just having died not to add up if you’d want to place LA after LoZ (or after LoZ & AoL)]. And for the record, Link did NOT get lost in his little raft ride from Eastern to Western Hyrule. Biggest BS story out there.

OOT > MM > TP > FS > FSA > ALTTP > LA > Oracles > LoZ > AoL

I’ve placed the Oracles after ALTTP (& LA), because Ganon completely died in ALTTP. And at the end of the Oracles, Twinrova try to resurrect him with some elaborate ritual, which didn’t completely work, causing only Ganon’s power-hungry pig-form to be revived. Link then kills Ganon, but not completely like he did in ALTTP, TP & TWW, since there is no Master Sword. Since he can't truly be destroyed he can be revived.

This is further evidenced by LoZ, where we again see Ganon in his pig-form and it is stated that after Ganon leaves behind his ashes, only the blood of the Hero is needed to spray on Ganon’s ashes for him to be revived. See also AoL, wherein Link’s dying directly causes the return of Ganon.

Did I just succeed in make everything sound easy? I hope so…

[BubbaSteamroller]

Thanks for your opinions Hyruleansoldier.

In an attempt to refute one of your more debatable points:

"Little has to be said about TP’s placement. It needs to come before all the others because Ganondorf is still his normal self, who has NOT met any Hero of Time garbed in green, holding the Master Sword of Evil’s Bane."

In my theory, TP occurs after Ganon has been resurrected by his followers, after the death of Link, as I stated.  This could still work with my theory (without alzheimers, or anything), if Ganondorf is reborn as a baby, and in the 100 or so years, grows to adulthood, where he is seen in TP.  This would be the same Ganondorf, but he wouldn't have the same memories as the one that Link killed in LoZ.  This also makes sense with the OoX story, because at the end of the linked game, Twinrova only manages to resurrect a mindless Ganon, implying that his body can be restored, but his mind can't.  Then in my story, his followers find a better way to resurrect him, using the death of Link, and he is reborn again, and relives his life, eventually becoming Ganon again.

[Hyruleansoldier]

I suppose that could also work, but it's not as satisfying (the alzheimer thing).  It also makes more sense since it's actually Ganondorf and not some half-resurrected pig in the later games in the timeline.

But it's debatable