The State of Zelda's Canon

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I'd even say Majora's Mask made things a bit rocky, b/c prior the timeline was simply OoT>LttP>LA>LoZ>AoL, and like you mentioned OoT was showing certain backstory elements for Past, but then we get MM where it shows us Young Link after having gone back in time from the future he left behind, so....did the split already happen? B/c if the events were undone then LttP couldn't follow up MM unless I'm missing something. And of course Wind Waker added it's own continuity, so the question was always where did the 2d games fit? Especially at this time where it feels like they were in some weird limbo on their own since they couldn't follow up either MM or WW

This is true, Majora's Mask was a sequel to OoT although ALttP was already a sequel to the game, and this may have caused issues to older theorists. I want they say they had some hunch about the timeline splitting because Ocarina of Time's ending makes it kind of obvious. However, to my knowledge the split timeline theory didn't gain popularity until after The Wind Waker.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

This is true, Majora's Mask was a sequel to OoT although ALttP was already a sequel to the game, and this may have caused issues to older theorists. I want they say they had some hunch about the timeline splitting because Ocarina of Time's ending makes it kind of obvious. However, to my knowledge the split timeline theory didn't gain popularity until after The Wind Waker.

For sure, and it's probably safe to say that Nintendo wasn't concerned w/ how MM would fit relative to LttP onward, they just made the game regardless

 

[DekuNut]

I've been an avid denier of the idiotic three-split timeline since the release of Hyrule Historia. I just feel like the fact that OoT as a game has no actual "bad" ending possible just renders that idea null. As such, I'm more than happy to come up with my own timeline theories rather than blindly read the book that may as well have been published by Prima.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Its a hot mess, I don't give a hoot about it, and its fans are obnoxious and obsessive. I tend to flee in utmost irritation whenever they pop up in a conversation.