Aonuma confirms split timeline? (again)

As some of you may know, I wrote the Twilight Princess Game Script, and I am a rather large proponent of the split timeline. I get all sorts of emails from people who have information or who want to debate the timeline. Well it's sort of been quiet on all fronts lately, but this morning I got a very interesting message. This guy linked me to this webpage: http://www.nindori.com/interview/154...154int_02.html. He told me that the first two questions read like this:

– About when is the Twilight Princess timeline set?

Aonuma: In a world some hundred years after 'Ocarina of Time.'

— And 'Wind Waker'?　

Aonuma: 'Wind Waker' is parallel. In 'Ocarina of Time,' Link jumps to
a world seven years ahead, defeats Ganon, and returns to the time of
his childhood, right? 'Twilight Princess' is a world a hundred some
years after that pacified childhood time.

Well this is rather sensational, and I really believed him since no one in their right mind would make something up and then tell you to check it with other people, but I saw this interview weeks ago, and I was wondering why no one was talking about it. And if they were, I certainly missed the discussion. So since my Japanese is rusty, hell, non existant, I frantically searched around AIM for a second opinion. What I got was much like the first.

"It's a parallel (refering to Wind Waker). After Link defeats Ganon in the future of OoT, he's returned to the time he was a child. TP is the world several hundred years after the time where Link was a child and peace had returned. But in the last scene of OoT, Link, as a child again, goes to meet Princess Zelda. As a result of this discussion, the three related people, including Ganon, are dragged in a different direction to make this story. So in the middle of this one, we can have the scene of Ganon being executed. Therefore, that scene is a story several years after OoT. And so, the executed Ganon is sent to another world, and this time that power will be obtained by...

Nintendo Dream: For what happens next, you'll have to look forward to the game. (laugh)"

Some other interesting stuff:

says something about there being photos at the fishpond which seem like the events of OoT were past events
the response says that with the things that have a relationship to OoT, there was a "is it okay to do this" feeling but it's a part where the staff's playful side showed through
question: even several hundred years later are the connections conscious with places like Lake Hylia and Kakariko Village and others that have the same names?
"clearly we didn't design it to be the same kakariko village several hundred years later"
"we had this village, and there was an event happening there, and we decided 'okay let's make this kakariko village'"
"in this game places with new names like firoone forest and orudin have appeared, but we took those from the names of the three major gods in OoT"
"those place names didn't exist in the era of OoT, but as the long years passed, the people living there became familiar with the names" (or something)

I don't know if that's the entire thing. I basically had someone dictate it to me from someone else while I was in the middle of a discussion with him. But both translations are clear. Wind Waker is a parallel to Twilight Princess. I didn't know where to post it, but this seems to be one of the larger Zelda communities on the internet, so I thought I'd bring it here and see what kind of reaction it got. Thoughts?

I'm not sure if it's all that credible, but I am a believer in the split timeline actually, and I've always put TP in the Child Timeline after MM.

I never did see how it fit after OOT's Adult ending, or ever led up to WW.

Hm... This is rather interesting... However, I shall choose not to believe it. Why? Because, for all we know, the person who translated it may have mixed up his Japanese, the whole thing could be a hoax, and maybe I don't see why Nintendo would need to create a split timeline to explain what perfectly fits in a single, linear arrangement.

I won't believe this either! In Japanese you can say Begining by saying End, and She by saying He. You can also say Dad by saying milk.

Originally Posted by Slur.exe

I won't believe this either! In Japanese you can say Begining by saying End, and She by saying He. You can also say Dad by saying milk.

Exactly. We do not know if this is a proper translation or not, and what you have said about it seems to suggest to me that it was rather hastily done. It's bound to contain errors.

Alright, alright. I won't consider it cannon either until I see a solid translation...as much as I want to believe it, being a splitist myself.

Although, Aonuma's words work perfeclty with the way my theory is laid out...

I have nothing to say that has not already be said. Mgoblue201, if you know of another who can translate the script to confirm this report, then we'll take this interview into account.

Considering that Nintendo Dream is often read by internet media people for the sake of Nintendo news from Japan, I'm surprised that this wasn't revealed earlier, if it was genuine.

Originally Posted by Master of ALttP

I don't see why Nintendo would need to create a split timeline to explain what perfectly fits in a single, linear arrangement.

Master...lol...your choice of words are all but right. Nothing fits 'perfectly' in any time line but both the splittists and linearists are getting closer. Just because a linear time line is easier, doesn't mean that that's what Nintendo is doing. In one interview they said that what they had created had become quite hard to explain....and putting them all in a line doesn't seem all that confusing lol.

Very interesting. I'll run through this myself and see what I can get out of this. Hopefully it'll tie all loose ends within the timeline.

Originally Posted by Cloaked Mystery

Master...lol...your choice of words are all but right. Nothing fits 'perfectly' in any time line but both the splittists and linearists are getting closer. Just because a linear time line is easier, doesn't mean that that's what Nintendo is doing. In one interview they said that what they had created had become quite hard to explain....and putting them all in a line doesn't seem all that confusing lol.

I wasn't saying that it fits perfectly now. I was saying that it has the potential to fit together perfectly.

I'm not kidding when I say this, but the thought of a slip timeline want to make me shot my computer screen. Let me take a look at the interview. THis will be a lot easier, KANJI!!!!

TP absolutely does NOT work after TWW. I'm almost 100% certain that it's impossible due to certain evidences. However, TP does work before WW if it's accepted that there is no way to explain Links absence just before the flood. Even that seems like a critical error to me, thus the reason why I really prefer split theory.

I'm trying to confirm, but I don't know many people who have a grasp on Japanese. "Wind Waker is parallel" should be rather simple, but it all hinges on the word parallel. The person I got the second opinion from, I tried to IM her to ask how certain she was of this and how she translated it, but she literally signed off right before I was going to message her. I fired off an email to the original person who brought this to my attention, but I don't know when he'll get back to me. I'm sure others could pick up the slack and translate it. It just strikes me as odd that they both used the word parallel. I don't know what else it could be in terms of context and such. And the oddest thing is why this is just now coming up.

I'm going to send this to TSA. Maybe he can clear this up.

EDIT: Just sent it.

Here is the explanation I got (I have no idea if the Japanese will show up for anybody else, but it does for me):

Let's break down just this part:
─　『風のタクト』とは…？
"Kaze no Takuto" towa…?

As you may already know, Kaze no Takuto is the Japanese name for Wind Waker. "Towa" doesn't have an exact equivalent in English, but basically means "as for."

青沼　『風のタクト』はパラレルなんですよ。
Aonuma: "Kaze no Takuto" wa parareru nan desu yo.

"Aonuma" is Aonuma. (Incidentally, his name means "blue swamp." Pretty much all Japanese names mean something lame like that. Miyamoto is "shrine grove.") "Kaze-no-takuto wa" means "Wind Waker is the topic of this sentence." "Parareru" is written in extra angular characters because it's using the "katakana" alphabet, which is like the Japanese version of italics. In this case, parareru is italicized because it's a direct transliteration of the English word "parallel." (The Japanese don't have a letter L, and end up putting extra vowels everywhere when they transliterate.) "Nan" is tricky to explain in English, but it means, "take what I just said and make it into a clause that modifies a generic pronoun." "Desu" is the mildly polite present tense verb "to be." "Yo" is a Japanese particle with a meaning similar to the English word "yo" as in "He's my dog, yo!" It gives the mood that the preceding was new, emphatic information. Japanese "yo" isn't colloquial slang though, of course. It's just ordinary grammar. Sooooo…

"As for 'Wind Waker,' it is that it's parallel, you see." Or more colloquially, "'Wind Waker' is parallel."

From what I can tell, it really depends what the focus on "parallel" is in the interview.

Aonuma doesn't really reference TP connecting to WW though

Anyway, thanks very much for bringing this to our attention, Mgoblue201. Fingers crossed that it is genuine.

thank you you have helped my timeline so much its stupid that people dont believe the split timeline when even the creator and one of the directors says its true

Originally Posted by dukunut92

thank you you have helped my timeline so much its stupid that people dont believe the split timeline when even the creator and one of the directors says its true

No they're not....ugh....(twitches)....the linear time line that we have here at ZU is quite nice actually. Developer quotes can be mistranslated but i'm sure they weren't regardless the UWM have formulated a linear time line that is stable so I wouldn't call them stupid. The developers also never stated that it is indeed a split time line, they just said something that the wise men choose to interpret differently. Nothing wrong with that of course as there is plenty of stuff in zelda that is open for interpretation.

Originally Posted by Mgoblue201

Here is the explanation I got (I have no idea if the Japanese will show up for anybody else, but it does for me):

Let's break down just this part:
─　『風のタクト』とは…？
"Kaze no Takuto" towa…?

As you may already know, Kaze no Takuto is the Japanese name for Wind Waker. "Towa" doesn't have an exact equivalent in English, but basically means "as for."

青沼　『風のタクト』はパラレルなんですよ。
Aonuma: "Kaze no Takuto" wa parareru nan desu yo.

"Aonuma" is Aonuma. (Incidentally, his name means "blue swamp." Pretty much all Japanese names mean something lame like that. Miyamoto is "shrine grove.") "Kaze-no-takuto wa" means "Wind Waker is the topic of this sentence." "Parareru" is written in extra angular characters because it's using the "katakana" alphabet, which is like the Japanese version of italics. In this case, parareru is italicized because it's a direct transliteration of the English word "parallel." (The Japanese don't have a letter L, and end up putting extra vowels everywhere when they transliterate.) "Nan" is tricky to explain in English, but it means, "take what I just said and make it into a clause that modifies a generic pronoun." "Desu" is the mildly polite present tense verb "to be." "Yo" is a Japanese particle with a meaning similar to the English word "yo" as in "He's my dog, yo!" It gives the mood that the preceding was new, emphatic information. Japanese "yo" isn't colloquial slang though, of course. It's just ordinary grammar. Sooooo…

"As for 'Wind Waker,' it is that it's parallel, you see." Or more colloquially, "'Wind Waker' is parallel."

I used babelfish, and got this rough translation, similiar to your own.

The ─ ' twilight princess ', are age when becoming setting of time, the る are? It is the world after ocarina ' empty over hundred years of blue swamp ' time. Takt of ─ ' wind ' with...? The takt of the blue swamp ' wind ' it is parallel. ' The ocarina of the time ' with link flying to the world of 7 years later, when the moth non it pushes down, it returns to child age it is not, is? ' The twilight princess ', it is the world of over hundred years later from the child times which have become peace. ' The ocarina of the time ' with the rust scene, becoming the child link and ゼルダ princess who return converse, don't you think?. With the result of the story, the fact that the fact that just a little is being dragged the moth non it faces to the direction where relationship of 3 people who are added differs, is the latest story. Now with the medium board of the work, the moth non the scene which is executed comes out, don't you think?. When the cheek っ て you put him, with the notion that where, it is person what which does outrageous thing afterwards and accomplishes it is the case that it comes to the point of executing. Therefore, that scene is ' story after ocarina ' empty several years of time. With that, the moth which is executed being sent by the non certain world, this time, that the power will be obtained.... After as for story of that of the ─, doing the game, with the pleasure (laughing). The blue swamp well, it has become such flow, (laughing). It is designed in such a way that you can feel that even with the ─, キングゾーラ (Note 5) subject comes up in conversation, the old boy of the fishpond (Note 6) the photograph decorating, is and/or with, here and there ' the ocarina of the time ' age are former times, don't you think?. That side of the blue swamp, with the notion that where, "such a thing fog っ ちゃ っ て is good ' it is the story which is the ocarina of the time ' and relationship, is?", don't you think? we would like to see with feeling, it is the part where it expands steadily with play heart of the staff. It has been conscious, that it becomes the same straw raincoat name, of such as ─ カカリコ village over hundred years later and high rear lake it is? Being conscious of the blue swamp clearly over hundred years later of カカリコ village, is not the case that you designed, it is. There being such a village, there such an event happens, when becoming a story that, it is, being decided with the feeling that ", it will designate here that way as カカリコ village", don't you think? once is. However the new place name now with the work, such as forest or オルディン of フィローネ has appeared, ' the ocarina of the time ' you took this from name of three large God. Don't you think? ' the ocarina of the time ' as for such a place name however it was not, long years passing, the people who have lived including the familiarity, it is the case that it does to the thing where have succeeded the name, in age.