I've been admant about it about it since the beginning and even more so since all the new info came out. I'm gonna do a
@Serif in more ways than one here because posting lengthy forum posts on a phone is hell. With only 8 weeks until release, I'm also gonna bounce out of this thread and spoiling myself any further with going all-in one final time writing down my Time Travel Manifesto.
To me the most notable primarily information-based evidence:
a) These are rendered ancient Gerudo soldier NPC models from the time when Ganondorf was alive:
First of all, they wear the same theming of jewelry as Ganondorf:
Notice the exclusively gold and simple ring-shaped jewelery between the two. Most revealing, though, is the use of gold ball chains. Ganondorf has them as seen in the picture hanging off his shoulder and two hanging off his forearm. The Gerudo soldiers themselves have them on their footwear, as finger jewelry and a hairband. This style of jewelry was not worn by any of the Gerudo in BotW.
People say this could be Gerudo that sectioned off to side with Ganondorf after his revival (as they don't clearly don't belong to Riju) but
- that doesn't explain the typical swirl motif present on the heels here which is attached to anything that is ancient in TotK
- there is a type of flute (specifically a reed) in the art book clearly from these Gerudo as the flute has the same tribal markings the Gerudo clothes here have. Not only that, but the flute is seemingly well-worn and scarred from its age. Potential sectioned off Gerudo would not exist long enough (the time skip is only around ±5 years between BotW and TotK) for that to be the case (or develop independent culture in the first place)
- the artbook itself describing that model (and even bothering to name it in the first place) with "general Gerudo soldier"
b) We know there exist multiple Zonai NPCs thanks to the art book. People say they live in the sky but as far as we can see the sky is either abandoned and destroyed Zonai ruins or pieces of land/buildings ripped from present Hyrule itself. The thing that really makes me shoot down this idea is the state of the bird platforms runways:
Not only is something probably so important for them deserted and destroyed like everything else, the bird platforms themselves lay scattered and jumbled on the runways like they got intentionally attacked and destroyed and not just simply abandoned. If the Zonai live in the sky, to me it doesn't seem like they do in the present time. The ruins point more in the direction that something happend to them as in their civilization destroyed in the act of war against Ganondorf.
c) Restored Zonai/ancient architecture in the overworld of Hyrule:
Here I want to mark a differentiator, from the architecture shown off above not only in top-shape but also more advanced, to the below (less so) restored and less advanced architecture and sophisticated inscriptions of the Forgotten Temple:
The top three pictures are advanced Zonai architecture and their society at its peak, while the Forgotten Temple is Zonai architecture that was at their most advanced point of time already forgotten and basically ancient. It is the same point of time, only even at the time depicted here it was already forgotten and deserted.
d) The infamous map room of an ancient Hyrule:
It is definitely an ancient map of Hyrule (or at the least a parralel world of the same map), what makes it most obvious are the far top right and far down right spots on the map being the swirly coastline and half moon-shaped coastline respectively which are too unique of a landmark at the same exact spots as on the BotW Hyrule map.
Like always, I ask myself why this exists. It's like recreating a map in BotW of Hyrule from 10.000 years ago to show off where the Divine Beasts are located, which obviously did not happen. There is no functional reason for this map to exist as they could show off where the glyphs are on a current map of Hyrule just as well. The maps still align more than enough for that. So the only reason for it's existence other than a functional one would be just a visual/lore-related one. I doubt this.
I have more (for both segments) but this is already too long so I will I restrict myself to what I deem as most damning. If you want the less damning stuff just go through my post history in this thread and you would roughly get the gist.
Logical speculation portion
- In trailers, as in the two character art deciptions posted on Twitter, Link is continously shown off as having two main designs. We all know them by now. Why would they advertise between two main character designs for one game? People say it is just to show off different armour, but they never did this with BotW where Link with the Champion's tunic was always the advertisment centerpiece. Since the beginning this has lead me to the believe it is a hint at the game's theming: duality, binarity, yin and yang or whatever you want to call it. Furthermore, the game is litterted with a general yin and yang theme:
- ancient Chinese mythology (which TotK is the most influenced by in addition to Mesoamerican) is of course the originator of yin and yang itself
- Mesoamerican myth speaks of the cyclical rebirth and destruction nature of the world and the duality between earth and the heavens
- in ancient Chinese mythology ginkgo trees relate to the idea of yin and yang
- the double ouroboros of the TotK logo relates to the idea of yin and yang
- to add to my point made in b) above, ginkgo trees also symbolise longevity and survivability even throughout the most apocalyptic event. Relating that to TotK and ginkgo trees exclusive existence on the islands with destroyed and abandoned Zonai architecture, they could be seen as a symbol of surviving even through the destructive event that fell the Zonai empire.
- the reversed water drop into phasing Toga outfit Link from the end of the second trailer was always the most curious and intentionally edited part of that trailer:
As I saw it and still see it, it refers to the reversing of time and how the time travel mechanic works in tandem with the sky. I have no concise explanation for that myself, but the abrupt and random cuts and edit here clearly try to hint at something
- finally, the lore and symbolism they created and pulled from for this game with the Zonai and generally the ancient history of Hyrule is just too much, Sheikah lore in BotW is really small potatoes compared to what we already can gleem here. With that comparison in mind, I have trouble seeing them creating so much lore, with so much thought and work put into it, for it just to be relegated to a rather indirect part of the game (as in flashbacks and ruins/fossils scattered around the world).
Watch this read like nothing more than a conspiracy theory in eight weeks time.
i’m sure I’m going to be saying an awful lot after release,“You know, it seemed so plausible at the time I was making that theory or had that idea.”
