The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess/WMG

The Oocca are what occur when person/bird love goes too far in Skyloft.
Just to make an already disturbing race more disturbing. Somehow someway probably better left unexplored the Oocca are the descendants of Skyloftians and their loftwings who refused to go to the surface and build the new kingdom of Hyrule.

The Skull Kid in Twilight Princess Is Actually The Hero of Time
It sounds ridiculous at first, but lets observe the following details. Firstly, he knows and plays Saria's song. This is nothing special, as Saria herself knows the song, as well as the Skull Kid that you befriend in both OoT/MM. What's intriguing, however is he knows Zelda's Lullaby as well, as he appears immediately after you play the song on the howling stone in the Sacred Grove. It's also the only howling stone that doesn't summon the Hero's Shade. What's more interesting, is that this particular howling stone's design differs from the others; it does not have a Sheikah eye but a Triforce marking carved into it, with some very faint, scratchy depictions of OoT's Spirituals stones etched into each Triforce Piece.

Secondly, we are led to believe that he is just playing dangerous games of hide and seek with us for his enjoyment. However, if you chat with Midna during your search, she makes it clear that he's not "playing" with you, but that he's actually trying to lead you somewhere. Further implying that he's actually guarding the ruins to the Temple of TIME, as well as the Master Sword; testing TP Link's strength and wit to see if he's worthy of becoming the next Hero in line.

In terms of looks, he's very different from the skull kids seen in OoT and MM; having a body made of flesh and bone rather then wood and straw, further implying that this Skull Kid is "different" from the others. He also has Hylian ears, and on those ears are a double pair of blue earrings - an accessory that's often associated with Link - the Hero of Time in particular. The base of his straw hat is long and an cylinder-shaped: much like Link's, but with a curve at the end of it's tip. The size and shape of the leaf on his back share's similar proportions to the Hylian and Hero's Shields that Link carried when he's a child in OoT. His lantern emits an eerie glow that's reminiscent to Navi's faded blue color. And lastly, he carries and plays his trumpet in his LEFT hand, it's notes and pitch sounding exactly like the Awakening Pipes that Link used in his Deku Scrub form in MM.

OoT heavily implies that people who become Lost in The Lost Woods eventually turn into monsters. A Kokiri girl known as Fado says that adults turn into Stalfos, claiming that she had seen Grog transform into one during the Biggoron Quest. The Potion Shop Keeper who tried to save Grog comments that "this potion will not work on a monster..." A gossip stone implies that non-fairy folk (non-Kokiri) turn into monsters. Navi states that children who become lost in the woods eventually turn into Skull Kids. At the end of MM, we see Link - who is a child at this point in time - return to The Lost Woods after saving Termina. He is without a fairy and his existence fades into complete obscurity; never to be heard of again. Is it possible that the Hero's Shade was actually a red herring, and that he in fact became a Skull Kid, who felt obliged to guard the Master Sword for the remainder of his now-immortal existence? After all, it seems strange for a skull kid - of all things - to protect such an important place, let alone have some sort of connection with The Royal Family of Hyrule...
 * Fado claims that people lost in the woods (including Grog) become Stalfos, not Skull Kids. Taking this at face value would suggest the Hero's Shade=Hero of Time interpretation is correct.
 * That actually makes a lot of sense. But, if this is true, it leaves one unanswered question: who was the Hero's Shade? Since the howling stones that summon him have the Sheikah eye on them...perhaps he was a Sheikah? Or maybe he was the Hero of Time's father? Or both? Or the Hero of Time from the Adult line communicating across timelines?
 * If the Hero's Shade can take the form of a golden wolf, it's not a stretch to say that he can take the form of a Skull Kid too.
 * When Link sees the golden wolf, it stares at him forlornly, then it pounces on him. Link does not seem hurt (or even touched) by the wolf, but instead the screen fades and Link is now standing in a vast white void with the Hero's Shade. After Link has learned the new move, he simply wakes up and stands. This implies that the Hero's Shade is only communicating to him through his mind, not physically. Maybe the Skull Kid is in his mind as well.
 * Maybe the Hero's Shade is a Link, but not the Hero of Time. Maybe he's actually the Skyward Sword Link, or for the purposes of this theory, the Ancient Hero? First, just look at the Hero's Shade; his design echoes that of a bird, possibly the Loftwings of Skyloft. He also carries a round, wooden shield. Guess what shape the wooden Skyloftian shields were? Secondly, he says to Link "You may be fated to become the hero of legend...but your current power would disgrace the proud green of the hero's tunic you wear''. He seems to hold the Hero's Clothes in high regard, much more than necessary if the clothes that this Link wears are just Kokiri clothes. However, if the tunic and hat that Link wore in TP were actually that of the Skyloftian Knights, it would make much more sense. Thirdly, there are the many possible references in TP to the events of SS and Skyloft in general. The City in the Sky and Impaz speaking of the hero who came from the sky are just two examples. Lastly, compare the Hero's Clothes to the Kokiri uniform worn by the Hero of Time. Now compare it to the Skyloftian uniform worn by the Ancient Hero. Which are more alike? Clearly it's the latter, which leads me to believe that this, coupled with the quote from the Hero's Shade earlier, implies that the Hero's Clothes worn by the Hero of Light are that of the Ancient Hero, and that the Hero's Shade isn't actually the Hero of Time, but the Ancient Hero from Skyward Sword. And yes, I do agree that the Hero of Time is the Skull Kid we see in TP.
 * This is all ultimately Jossed: Hyrule Historia confirms the Hero's Spirit to be the ghost of the Hero of Time.

The Snowpeak Ruins is all that's left of a long-since-forgotten attempt to invade Hyrule.
Consider the setting: it's high in the mountains, surrounded by ravines and nearly impenetrable (thus easily defensible), so it's an excellent forward base for whatever army was planning to take over Hyrule. The only path into Hyrule leads to the Zora River, which could be taken to prevent any attacks from the rear, and is still a nearly unassailable position from which to attack the castle or the lake. The various paintings that can be found depict scenes from around Hyrule such as Ordon Ranch and the Arbiter's Grounds, again to prepare the invasion. Not to mention all the ancient weaponry on the walls, as well as the cannons.

Now for the long-ago part: the ruins are filled with weapons, which were probably used to train new soldiers. When they died for reasons unknown, their raging spirits bound themselves to the ice and wind, becoming the Chilfos, who retain a goose-stepping walk from their military training. The Darkhammer miniboss is either the result of magical experiments to create an army of Lizard Folk, the weaker of which populate the warmer climates or of the surviving soldiers inbreeding to the point of becoming thick-skinned animalistic monsters. In either case, they retained the use of simple (beat it til' it breaks or slash it til' it dies) weaponry by mimicking their elders, even when all semblance to human language had been lost, which is why the cannons are in disuse.
 * How long? The monsters were said to have only shown up recently.
 * Because now they have sufficient numbers, they were all in hiding/hibernating before.
 * Plausibly the monsters were riled up by Ganon's influence. It's happened before.
 * Soooooo they were Nazis?
 * Pretty much.
 * Why does the Dark Hammer have to be anything other than a lizard to begin with? This is a universe where sentient creatures made of rock, and people whose heads look like fish are completely normal. The invaders original species could've been lizard-like. Maybe the Dark Hammer is the Last of His Kind.
 * Or he's just an unusual lizalfos.
 * This troper has always believed this exact same idea. Furthermore, the hidden cave in North Hyrule field decorated in the same style could be an outpost for spying on Hyrule.

The Twilight Princess mailman is an avatar of Farore.
He recognizes Link even in Wolf form, and the plot-centric letters seem to be delivered just when Link needs a new direction to venture. Never mind the letters that help Link obtain new adventuring equipment... Also, he first appears at the exit of Faron Woods, Farore's associated province of Hyrule, and his other manifestations throughout Hyrule are located in:
 * Hyrule Field, which takes courage to venture across what with the monsters...
 * The ranch in the Ordona Province, essentially an extension of Faron Province
 * Zora's Domain (OK, this doesn't fit as well... inter-deity business?)
 * The end of the Cave of Ordeals, a clearly courage-associated area
 * Either that, or he's just really really fast; so fast he doesn't have to worry about monsters.
 * He's a descendant of the running man and thus has the ability to run 1 second faster than anything (even light... somehow). The an army of Darknuts and Redeads is no match for the almightly power of being able to run infinity miles per hour.
 * Given that force equals mass times acceleration, this infinite speed means he can punch with the force of a nuclear weapon and beyond. He could probably beat Ganondorf if Link was smart enough to point him in the right direction.

The meetings with the Golden Wolf/Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess aren't actually happening.
Building on the above theories, the Golden Wolf doesn't actually exist in the physical world. In actuality, the meetings with the wolf are just a visual metaphor for memory. Not once in all the meetings does Midna ever appear, and no matter how long Link takes to learn the new skill, no time ever passes in the real world. The only clear explanation is that he's subconsciously accessing memories from his past life.
 * It follows that the memories are sparked by hearing a familiar bit of a song as the wind whistles through the hollow stones, which he placed there in his previous life's later years for expressly such a purpose.
 * Midna does appear in the Golden Wolf meetings, but she doesn't say anything, so... maybe you have a point.
 * When does Midna appear in these encounters? You can't call upon her when you're learning a Hidden Skill...at least, not that I remember.
 * You can't call upon her and she doesn't talk, but you can see her sitting on Link's back when he howls the duet with the golden wolf. As for when you meet the golden wolf as a human to learn the skill, I would assume she's still there hiding inside Link's shadow as usual.
 * Well, that's because at that point in time, Link's used to having Midna on his back, so therefore that's how he may see it during these duets with what truly may be an imaginary character. Really think about it; if you're having dreams that include yourself in it and you know for a fact what you look like, how likely is it that you are going to be altered?

The Oocca of Twilight Princess aren't actually an advanced race of Pre-Hylians.
There was once such a race long ago, but they're dead now. The Ooccoo are just pets or experiments kept by the original Precursors, who were left behind when their owners died off. After which, the Oocca decided to squat their abandoned flying temple as their own while claiming that they were the original Precursors all along. This would explain why their 'city' looks absolutely nothing like a city at all, why everything there is apparently designed with much different beings in mind (including the contents of the one and only store -- Link is actually only buying the remains of the temple's storage), and why everything there is in such an advanced state of decay. It also explains why Ooccoo (the one Occa to follow Link throughout the game) conveniently 'forgot' all the relevant details in how to return: Having been born there, and ignorant of how her home actually worked, she'd never known how to get back up in the first place. And so she started living in pots.
 * I'd say this is actually confirmed in Skyward Sword.
 * Building on that, possibly the Oocca are the evolved descendants of the Skyloft birds. Once humanity returned to the surface, the birds stayed behind, grew smaller due to no longer needing to transport humans, and... developed speech(?). Also maybe as the generations passed and the Oocca's general intelligence increased, since it's unlikely the birds had cognitive thought at first, their history/memories/etc grew hazier and their connection to humanity was skewed. If anything the Skyloft birds certainly share the Oocca's bug-eyes.
 * The Oocca shopkeeper complains about having ordered items the Oocca can't use, but that in turn raises the question of how the shipments got to the sky. So maybe she was lying about that.

The Oocca of Twilight Princess were a prototype life-form made by the Goddesses
We know from the various mistakes that They are fallible, and that They made all life- creationism, not evolution. Thus, if they are fallible, but we have a "predecessor", both the seeming inconsistency and the Nightmare Fuel-esque nature of the Oocca are explained by them being a failed first try, who eventually were granted the Sky Palace as an appology for, well, being. It was still made for humans, of course, but given to them later on either when they complained or as a gift from the Sky People when they migrated downward and felt like making a nature preserve for the horrible atrocities against all that is right with the world.

The Oocca of Twilight Princess were something the Goddesses came up with after a night of binge-drinking and messing around with the Spore creature generator
Nuff said.
 * Alternate suggestion: The Occca were created by the goddesses on a dare, or perhaps as a prank gone wrong...very wrong.
 * The goddesses made a few of these horrifying creatures to scare someone. But they reproduced...very...very...fast.

The Oocca didn't create the Hylians or Hyrule, they created the Cucco.
I heard this one somewhere. Sounds plausible enough.

The Oocca are an alternate form of the Kokiri.
After the Great Deku tree died, they were incapable of preventing part or all of the forest from being clear-cut to create Ordon Village. They then abandoned the forest in shame and took on new forms to hide their failure.

The Monkeys are an alternate form of the Kokiri.
After humans invaded and took over their beloved woods and killed their Deku Tree, they were forced to take a new form. That female monkey is Saria and Mido is Ook. They are triggered in reaction to Link by their old memories. Speaking of Links, I can see OoT Link dying while trying to help them protect the forest, who didn't recognize him, putting a new spin on the female monkey's "green-clad prince who helped me" remark. (Yes I do believe that OoT Link and Zelda are related.) And if the below WMG is too be believed, it explains why he was there.
 * The female monkey can't be Saria because Saria is a sage. And Kokiri aren't immortal. I don't know if they die of old age (they don't grow up, but everything gets older), but we know of at least one, possible two (Wind Waker Fado for sure, and Saria if you believe that the sages died) who are dead. I'd say that, while it's possible that the monkeys, like the Korok, are descended from the Kokiri, it's unlikely that there are any Kokiri we know among the monkeys.
 * Saria didn't become a Sage in the childhood timeline, which TP follows, but I agree with everything else. Monkeys are monkeys and Kokiri are Kokiri.
 * Alternately, Saria was manifesting as a monkey in the same way that Rauru manifested as Kaepora Gaebora.

The Hero's Spirit that Link (II) encounters throughout Twilight Princess is really Link (I) of Ocarina of Time (The Hero of Time)
After teaching Link (II) the his final technique, the spirit tells him that he was unable to pass on into the afterlife until he handed down his techniques. After Majora's Mask, Link(I)'s fate was never really explained, leaving the possibility that he never returned from Termina. The Hero's Spirit also mentions that he had accepted the call as the Hero. And did we mention that he's left handed (in the unflipped game), a physical trait that seems to be applied only to Link in the Zelda-verse?

Let's not forget that the Spirit himself says, among other things: "Hero's Spirit:"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage...You may be destined to become the hero of legend...but your current power would disgrace the proud green of the hero's tunic you wear...Those are only for one who carries the blood of the hero...the one whose spirit is that of the sublime beast...Seek the sound that calls to the spirit of the beast to awaken me again...forgotten ways that do not leave our bloodline...You are already endowed with the strength required of the hero...Do you wish to master this final hidden skill, which can be earned only by the one true hero?...Go and do not falter, my child!""

Basically stating that he and Link are of the same bloodline, that they both possess the spirit of the sacred beast, that they are both "The Hero", and that Link's green tunic is that of "The Hero". "Hero's Spirit: "Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those that came after. At last, I have eased my regrets.""
 * Further supported by the spirit referring to Link as "my son" after you learn the final technique from him. I do not think that Link is actually his son, but possibly a great grandchild (insert as many greats as needed).
 * He also refers to some techniques as being techniques of "our line." Interestingly, several of the moves taught to Link II are the same moves that Link (WW) has from the beginning of the game. Is he more in tune with his past lives at this point? Why does he not have to relearn the abilities?
 * He does have to relearn the abilities. He just doesn't have to seek out a ghost to do so. Orca teaches them to Link on Outset Island.
 * So does that mean that Link really isn't a Main/Silent Protagonist?
 * No, he's still a silent protagonist. He only learns how to talk once he's the Older and Wiser mentor figure to his reincarnation/son/descendent/sweepstakes winner.
 * So, OoT Link's a viking now?
 * Hero of Twilight and Hero of Time is a lot less confusing than Link (1) and Link (2).
 * You're all somehow missing the most blatant evidence of all:


 * "Anybody who comes into the forest will be lost. Everybody will become a Stalfos. Everybody, Stalfos."
 * And the last we've seen so far of the Hero of Time is Link riding on Epona into what is presumably Hyrule's Lost Woods...
 * Could also be Link from a Link to the past. He also had a secret technique handed down through his bloodline.
 * Except this is supposed to be the Midquel between OoT and ALTTP.
 * Link 1 also carries the Mirror Shield, an item from Majora's Mask.
 * Confirmed in Hyrule Historia.

The Skull Kid from Twilight Princess is the same one from Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask
That he knows how to play Saria's Song, which Link taught to the Skull Kid in OoT, seems to be proof enough. This is made even more plausible by the fact that TP apparently takes place in the same "Hyrule survives" timeline created by MM. Also, he appears in the Sacred Grove, an area that bears a conspicuous resemblance to the Lost Woods (in both background music and terrain), where the original Skull Kid lived. It's even possible that he was drawn to TP's Link because he reminded him of the old Link.
 * Supporting this is the fact that the grandmother's tale implies that said Skull Kid predates the creation of Termina by the four giants, meaning that he's immortal (given that he's a playmate of the local creator deities, one wonders why the witches describe pre-Majora's Mask Skull Kid as a harmless little punk.)
 * Immortality does not equate to power. Just 'cos he doesn't die and hangs with gods doesn't mean he's as powerful as one.
 * The WMG doesn't necessarily say anything about the Majora's Mask Skull Kid being powerful, just that, because he's immortal, it's possible that he could be around during TP.
 * This would be kind of fitting, given how he's been in two games already. Given how he knows the Hero of Time and all, it seems kind of fitting that he'd want / be able to guard the area around the Temple of Time.

Ganon is Midna's Father
Midna's Imp form looks a lot like Ganon from OOT. Midna states that the Twili are descended from prisoners sent to the Twilight Zone, or whatever. Ganon was sent to the Twilight Zone and he is never shown attacking Midna. In the end of the game, he never hurt her, just pretended to, knowing Zelda and Link would turn on Midna. He also didn't grant Zant full powers (which it seems he'd be capable of!), because he suspected he might attempt to usurp her. Ganon is certainly powerful enough to establish himself as leader/king of the Twili, making Midna princess. Of course, for this to work, Midna wouldn't know Ganon is her father.
 * They even wear the same helmet style, and frankly Ganondorf's dialogue to Midna sounded a lot like father-to-teenage-daughter.
 * it's also worth noting that Midna's non-cursed form is very different in appearance from other Twili; her features are much more distinctive and attractive. She and Ganon both have red hair and greenish skin.
 * Alternatively, Ganondorf could have pulled the charm card to get in the then ruler of the Twili's good graces (and maybe her/his or her daughters bed, as we don't know who was in charge before Midna). This is actually more plausible to this troper, as Ganondorf using his power to become the ruler of the Twili would make him a usurper like Zant, and therefore Midna would not be the true princess.
 * So if LinkxMidna happens..... that's gonna be one hell of a meet the parents right there.

Veran was a Twili
Hey, she looks kinda like one. Twinrova summoned her to defeat Link, because they really don't learn.

Majora's Mask was made by the Twili
A tribe, using black magic made it, eh? And it's behaving a LOT like Zant. Oh, and don't forget that OTHER artefact of doom, which Link and Midna had to reasemble, which was said to be just as dangerous and had pretty simmilar markings to the Majoras Mask on it.
 * Except this implies that the Twili made the fused shadow. The way Midna speaks about it seems to indicate that it's older than they are.
 * Of course it is! Didn't you read the part about The Twili being descendants of the makers? They weren't Twili yet!
 * Not only are the markings similar, the Twili seem obsessed with masks in general. So much so that Midna wears link's sheild on her face when trying to figure out how human weapons work(and yes Midna even implies at the time that she thinks the sheild is a weapon). This implies that the Twili think of masks as weapons as essential battle gear. As such if they were to make some ultimate weapon, they would make a mask... IE Majora's mask.
 * The Twili monsters wear armored masks.
 * Alternate thought: Majora's Mask WAS made by the Twili...but not the ones we met. Instead it was made by the alternate Twili from Termina.
 * During the Lanayru cutscene, we see what was supposedly a Twili ancestor make Link disappear and then transform into him. Wait, so they killed people (or took their souls) and transformed into them? Like Majora took and turned Link into a Deku Scrub at the start of MM? Like Link, in a less evil way, laid  to rest and gained their masks so he, too, could transform? ...well, fuck. Of course, the Twili ancestor in question looked like Dark Link, so that brings him into this.

The Fused Shadows either ARE Majora's Mask, or the Fused Shadows were an attempt to rebuild Majora's Mask
To take the above theory to a further level, consider the tale of Majora's Mask; a "mask salesman" traveling with an apocalyptic mask full of black magic... to where? Surely to destroy the thing, no? Nope. I'd be willing to bet that he was a member of the "tribe" who built it... and was bringing a prototype to the rest of them. Of course, things didn't go as planned, and the original Mask was damaged... so, after OoT/MM Link left Termina, the Happy Mask Salesman brought back what was left of the Mask, and the tribe rebuilt it... maybe giving it a new paint job and then some? Or perhaps finishing it? Unfortunately for the tribe, they were defeated by the light spirits, and the rest, as they say, is history.

For proof, there is, of course, the similar markings, the similar purpose, and the similar back stories of the Shadows and the Mask. Also, compare Majora's Wrath to the monstrosity Midna turns into when she wears the Fused Shadows; similar in the tentacle-like body composition and ferocity, but Midna's monster form is clearly much more horrific and powerful... as if the power of Majora was taken Up to Eleven. Furthermore, note that Midna and the HMS have similar demeanors, tactics, and general eeriness about them. If Midna is a descendant of the tribe banished to the Twilight Realm, and subsequently one of the makers of the Fused Shadows, which member, exactly, is her particular ancestor? Perhaps we've met him... which means... wait...

TP Link does not suffer from Parental Abandonment
Considering how affectionate Rusl is with Link, as well as how strong the resemblance is between Link and Colin, it would be easy to draw the conclusion that Link is Rusl and Uli's son. He moved to the tree house outside the village within the last year to establish his own house before marrying Ilia.
 * Then why is Link the only person in Ordon with pointed ears?
 * The pointed-ears could be a phenotype of a recessive diploid genotype; EE and Ee would produce round ears, while only ee would produce pointed ears; Rusl and Uli could easily be human/Hylian hybrids of Ee, with Link getting ee and Colin getting EE or Ee.
 * That doesn't mesh well with the idea that Humans and Hylians are separate races or the variations we see in Hylian ear length throughout the game. Now if Link were a Half-Human Hybrid with either Rusl or Uli as the sibling of Link's human parent, it would explain everything.
 * This one was Jossed by the trading cards. Rusl's age is given as 32, and he regards Link as his adopted younger brother. He's not old enough to have a seventeen-year-old son.
 * Not here to agree with the theory, but, yes, if he's thirty-two, he is certainly old enough to have a seventeen year old son. Reproduction is possible after puberty starts and he'd be well into it at the age of fifteen.
 * Given the time period the series mimics, it wouldn't be unusual to marry and have kids that young.
 * Then why hasn't Link?
 * Chaste Hero?
 * Possibly because he's trying to woo Ilia, who's the mayor's daughter and it would therefore require a little more effort on Link's part. Compare for instance the story of how Jacob got his wives in the book of Genesis.

The Oocca City is actually Elysia from Metroid Prime 3
'nuff said.
 * Guest starring Ridley as the boss. Yeah, I can actually see it now.

TP!Link is Rusl's younger brother.
And, tying in with the "Colin is ALttP!Link" WMG that used to be on the main Zelda WMG page (could someone who saw it reproduce it here or on the series WMG page?), he's the uncle who bites it at the start of ALttP. Further evidence that Link's only mute when he's the player character.
 * Well, the trading cards do say that Rusl thinks of Link as an adopted younger brother...
 * They would have to be half-brothers to account for Link being at least part Hylian while Rusl is clearly not.

Every Hylian has a Twilight counterpart, Midna is Zelda's.
First, she's a princess, second, her Leitmotif is Zelda's Lullaby played reversed. Also, her personality bears some great resemblance to a certain girl who turned out be a Zelda raised by Pirates. Who's counterpart is Zant then? Believe it or not, I think, based on some theories that Zant was actually Midna's lover before Ganon took control of him, that he's actually Link's counterpart. Would explain why she supposedly fell in love with Link over the course of the game. She probably destroyed the mirror out of fear that, now that her beloved Zant was gone for good, she would not be able to resist to go back and see Link. Another reason for that speculation: Midna's name has the same number of letters as "Zelda". And Zant's name has the same number of letter's as "Link". Of course, the Zant part is not very well-grounded, but I'm pretty sure about the Midna part though.
 * Also, check the form of the words. Zelda and Midna are both two syllables, one ending with a "d" sound and one ending with "a". Link and Zant are both sharply terminating syllables. I doubt this is the case, since the Twili are descended from people kicked out of Hyrule via the Twilight Mirror, but it could be like Peirs Anthony's Split Infinity where the worlds aren't perfect mirror worlds, but anyone who has a proper background in one is more likely to have a counterpart in the other. I'm of the faction that thinks Midna looks like she's distantly (or not so distantly) descended from the Gerudo, the likelihood beign increased in that the Gerudo were both one of the few races Hylian law included as well as the most likely to be criminals (or at least considered criminal), so it would be poetic considering Ganondorf's possible motivations from ocarina of Time.

Zant, at one point, lived in the Heian era
I base this on observations of the behavior of Fujiwara-no-Sai: Their... erratic behavior and comparisons of his armor to Sai's clothes (pretty sure Zant used that pose at one point), along with amusingly pointy headgear.

The change between being Bunny!Link in LttP and Wolf!Link in TP is due to the age of the Link being played as.
Bunny!Link is a child, Wolf!Link is a teenager, and so is Darker and Edgier.


 * So Toon Link would be a bunny too?... Well, Aryll would certainly like that.
 * Different personalities. LttP!Link that becomes Bunny!Link is suggested to be a very gentle and sweet soul who picks up the sword because he wants to be a hero and save the princess. TP!Link that becomes Wolf!Link is more family(village) oriented, a non-parent Papa Wolf, and is said by several characters to have a gaze like a beast. The only personality traits that every Link has are valor and hot blood.

Aryll and Ilia are counterparts of each other.
Their roles and personalities are almost the same and they have pretty much the same age difference to Link. Since we don't know who Link's parents are, Ilia could, in theory, even be his little sister (or half-sister), just like Aryll. They are also both associated with animals (Seagulls for Aryll and Horses for Ilia), both have their own Leitmotif and are both blonde. Also, look at the 2 Link's faces, when they "talk" to Aryll or Ilia in cutscenes. They have this special "I'm so happy to see you today" look in their eyes, which differs greatly from their usual, heroic expressions. Both Links only have this look in their faces when they see Ilia or Aryll, on no other occasion.

OOT / MM Link and Stallord killed one another in a fight to the death
Why is Stallord already dead and reduced to a dry, fungi-eaten pile of bones when TP Link arrives at his chamber? For that matter, why is there so much death at the Arbiter's Grounds in the first place? Ghost rats, Redead Knights, the Death Sword, Stalfos, et all. I know the Arbiter's Grounds were used as a maximum-security prison by the Gerudo before the Bulblin overtook the desert, but there could be an additional reason. After Ganondorf managed to foil his execution and kill the Sage of Water (i.e. Ruto), the first Link, now grown into an adult, embarked on a quest for retribution. He made it into the Arbiter's Grounds and mowed down all the mooks inside, but could not handle Stallord, whom he defeated, but not before being mortally wounded himself. Because of this, he could not save Hyrule, and thus returns as the Hero's Shade in this game to train the new Link to carry on the good work.
 * The Arbiter's Grounds was a maximum security prison for people too dangerous to be kept in a regular prison (like Ganondorf). So it's more likely everything there was originally a criminal/monster that was arrested and killed/locked up for life. Death Sword was probably a ghost before and could only be contained with spell cards. Stallord was probably an evil dinosaur in life and was killed (either by the sages or possibly OOT/MM Link). Centuries later the dead creatures were reanimated by Zant/Ganondorf. Also, being that TP takes place in the Child Timeline (where Link DIDN'T open the Sacred Realm and instead warned the king that Ganondorf is an evil prick), it has been assumed that the water sage that was killed wasn't Ruto but the one before her (who was probably killed in the 7 years).

The Arbiter's Grounds belong to / are otherwise related to, Gohdan
You know, Gohdan the Great Arbiter...
 * And/Or the Arbiter's Grounds are the alternate Tower of the Gods.
 * Even though the Arbiter's Grounds is likely the distant future of OoT's Spirit Temple due to location, and the Tower of the Gods has a much closer alternate timeline parallel in the Temple of Time (similar design choices, controlling statues, close connection to the Master Sword)? I don't think so.

Zant is an evil Wizzrobe, Midna and the Twili are good/lawful neutral Wizzrobes.
Zant has all the same powers as the Wizzrobe race (magical energy weapon, teleportation, apparent levitation). Midna, too, shares all these similar powers. Even looking at Zant's helmet, with it's weird googly eyes and pointy head, suggests a Wizzrobe. Not enough? Look at the arms of his robe, and notice that they match identically to the Toucan-Sam-Wizzrobes of Wind Waker.

The Skull kid is actually Saria
It can play Saria's song because it invented it, also note that it forces you to run its little course once to get the Master Sword and again to access the Temple of Time. It isn't just messing with you, she's trying to protect the Master Sword in the first instance and test this Link's skills the other time. Being close to the forest temple and still alive (they never age) it could feasably work out.
 * Saria became a sage, living in the Sacred Realm. If anything, the Skull Kid is the one you teach Saria's Song (which could be the same as the Skull Kid in Termina), although I'd say it's a new Skull Kid.
 * Wrong Timeline. The timeline in which Saria became a sage is the The Wind Waker timeline, as evident by her stainedglass window in ancient Hyrule castle. In the Twilight Princess timeline, Saria presumably never had to fill in her role as a sage, since Ganondorf never got rid of the original ones (which are those freaky old ghost men with the masks).
 * But with the death of the Deku Tree, the Kokiri had nothing to protect them from turning into Stalchildren, except for Saria, whose spirit was strong enough to become a Skull Kid with some vestige of herself left, even if it was just a song and a sense of play. Brr...
 * A new Deku Tree sprouted up to replace the old one, though, and it can be seen in the timeline presented in The Wind Waker. There's no reason why the same couldn't have happened in the Twilight Princess timeline. The only evidence, to my knowledge, that this didn't happen is the absence of the Kokiri, which could be explained by the race becoming extinct or hermetic enough that their existence isn't really common knowledge anymore. Alternately, Link never had to visit the areas of the forest they live in, and so never encountered them.
 * The Deku Tree died before Link ever traveled in time, so presumably the Deku Tree Sprout began growing around then and exists in both timelines.

The legend of the Twilight Princess was originally all about Midna
It first began in what would become the Ordona province, which only joined Hyrule late in its history. In the original legend, Midna, goddess of the night and the underworld, was cast out of power and turned into an imp by her jealous brother, Zant. Midna wandered the land for years, surfacing only occasionally to play pranks on humans as she plotted her revenge.

Eventually, she found a simple young goatherd who, due to a side effect of her latest mischief, had been turned into a blue-eyed wolf. She persuaded him to come along with her so that she could change him back. Together, they stole powerful magic artifacts from the spirits of the land and ventured into the underworld. Once there, Midna used the power she stole to kill Zant and resume her old body and regain control over the underworld.

When Hyrule expanded into Ordona, the priests of the Triforce Goddesses tried to ban this legend, since it was about a foreign goddess and seemed to glorify trickery, deceit, and fratricide. However, they had no luck: the Ordonians liked the legend too much. Thus, Hylian scribes tried a new approach to convert the Ordonians while keeping their traditions alive: Bowdlerisation. Aspects of the Midna Cycle were changed to keep it consistent with the old Legend of Zelda: Midna was the princess of the Twilight Realm, not the underworld/evil realm; the goatherd became Link; Ganondorf was behind Zant, and so on. Having Midna seal the entrance to the Twilight Realm at the end was purposeful: it was a message to the Ordonians to stop including her in their pantheon.
 * If the Midna/Zant ship before the events of TP is correct, then that means that this would be Brother-Sister Incest, too, which is hardly uncommon in mythology. I like.

The Ordonians are descendants of the Kokiri
When the Great Deku tree bit it, they became like ordinary Hylians, eventually grew up, and had chldren, who had children, etc. It might seem strange, but there was never any clarification over whether the "Kokiri die when they leave the forest tale" was literal, or a more metaphorical slow death through aging. Also, in the ending of OOT, we see them outside the forest. Why? Because the Deku Sprout told them the truth. They are eternally children as long as they stay in the forest, but losing that protection by leaving (or their guardian dying) nullifies it.
 * Or they became less like Kokiri and more like the Amish: the new Deku Sprout gave them the choice to decide whether they wanted to stay young and free of time, but without variety, or to grow up and old and die, but with the possibility of love and adventure. Like Peter Pan, but more benevolent. The first step was letting the Kokiri go to the celebration at Lon Lon Ranch to see what the outside world was like. Those who chose to leave went to Lon Lon Ranch to earn their living, and that eventually became its own community, which still loved the forest and the quiet life.

The Hero's Shade is Dark Link
He's got red eyes like Dark Link, knows a lot of fancy moves which Oot Link has never demonstrated and he is Link's (the hero) Shadow (shade). Why is he helping TP Link? Presumably like Phantom Ganon, Dark Link was banished to the gap between dimensions and is reaching out to help Link kill Ganondorf so the curse will be broken and Dark Link can be released and do his own thing.

Queen Rutela will become the new Sage of Water
The evidence fits together. The sages in Ocarina of Time didn't truly awaken until after their untimely deaths. There's a definite gap in the roster after Ganondorf's pre-sealing rampage, and the existence of seven sages (counting Zelda) is a common element of the series as a whole, meaning they'll need a new one sooner or later. She's still around in a ghostly form, so clearly her role in the story isn't over yet. And most noticeably, all of the sages that appear in this game have taken a humanlike form since their inception, and Rutela's ghost looks considerably more like a human than most Zoras. She must have already started the transformation...

Stallord is the result of one long night of Stalchild slaying.
Link used a cheat code to create a prolonged night, and took the opportunity to kill as many Stalchildren as possible, until this behemoth appeared and was taken to the Arbiter's Grounds. Simple enough.
 * Alternative: Prison riot + army of Stalchildren + powerful inmates = numerous dead Stalchildren. I like this one better because the thought of Zelda enemies in prison is funny (seriously, picture a Moblin in an orange jumpsuit with a bandana on its head and prison tats).

Arbiter's Grounds is an abandoned temple of Nayru, and the Mirror was hers.
Nayru is the goddess of wisdom, and according to most creation stories concerning Hyrule, she was the one who gave law to the people. The giant statue inside Arbiter's Grounds is meant to depict her, holding up the Mirror in her hand. The symbolism was that she was wise enough to gaze into her own reflection and see the potential for darkness within, but able to keep that darkness contained.
 * That lends an extremely dark connotation to her... I like it.

When Nintendo finally decides to debut an HD gaming console, then we will see a sequel for Twilight Princess.
Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?
 * No HD. Also, how about not a sequel but a game that relates to it or refers to it?
 * How would that not be a sequel? Wind Waker and even Twilight Princess itself are often considered sequels to Ocarina. And it is inevitable that Nintendo will eventually premiere an HD console. It may not be the next one, or even the one after that, but it WILL happen at some point. And when it does, they will use the technology to make an HD Zelda. Of course, knowing Nintendo, they'll subvert everyone's expectations and make the artstyle something we haven't even seen yet; not TP's hyper-realism, not WW's cartoony cel-shading, not even Skyward Sword's halfway approach.
 * I believe the above troper wants a sequel for... Other reasons. If I'm right, though, she need not worry; Skyward Sword Link should be... sufficient. Of course, if it's for the gameplay, then I'm with ya on that. Well, that as well * blush*

This Link is a descendant of Malon and OOT/MM!Link
This Link has Epona and is a rancher. Hero's Shade, who is most likely the Hero of Time, also refers to him as "my child" a few times, which may be endearment or not. He also said that only those who carry the blood of the hero can use certain moves and he also once said "our bloodline". Malon was also the only female Link knew who he could have copulated with. MM!Link eventually married Malon, had children with her, went to search for Navi and got lost in the forest. TP takes place 100 years before TP so he could be their grandchildren. Malon hasn't been reincarnated yet either.
 * As a Link x Malon shipper I am for this theory. The only problem is that Link went to Termina less than a year after OOT, and he was 10 at the time. We'll just assume he settled down with Malon after getting back.
 * Well actually, one theory on this page makes reference to Fado's lines from OoT: that everyone who gets lost in the Lost Woods becomes either a Skull Kid (if a child) or a Stalfos (if an adult). Link searched Termina as a child and couldn't find Navi, so it's easily possible he went back, had children with Malon, then went into the Lost Woods where Navi might be. Having no fairy rendered him susceptible to the Lost Woods' influence and got, well, lost. Then he became a Stalfos. The Hero's Shade is a skeleton, as are Stalfi, and they wear armour that are similar in appearance. Link was also blessed by the Triforce of Courage, so while he became a Stalfos he kept his humanity and lingered in the world of the living. Make sense? I thought so too.
 * Also, given how The Hero's Shade is clearly more like a Stalfos than a Skull Kid, it means that OOT Link had time to settle down with Malon.

Ganondorf dies at the end because at that same time Ganondorf summoned the Triforce in The Wind Waker.
The reason the Triforce leaves Ganondorf at the end of Twilight Princess is that he simultaneously summoned it in the Alternate Timeline, The Wind Waker. Thus, Ganondorf was truly ended by his own hand. The King then returns it to the Sacred Realm by wishing his Hyrule away and Link ends Ganondorf in The Wind Waker.
 * This actually fits with my theory that: Wind Waker Ganondorf's seal was broken because Twilight Princess's Ganondorf's seal was forcibly broken. And in turn: The seal used in Oot actually sealed both the past and present Ganondorfs away and by effect causing the split timeline.
 * Wouldn't Wind Waker Ganondorf have had the Triforce all along, though? He wouldn't have needed to "summon" it per se if he already had it.

Princess Agitha is either Zelda's little sister or her cousin

 * Usually, a regular Hylian girl probably wouldn't be allowed to call herself Princess without being part of the royal family, especially when she lives in town with the real Princess. She'd be locked up in jail or an asylum, at least in most real-life monarchies, for falsely declaring herself royalty. But she's not locked up: she can leave and play in Hyrule Field without anyone bugging her. And she certainly has the money to be actual royalty. She's not living in the main castle for fear that they'd have to lock her up (something a nice woman like Zelda wouldn't do to her sister or cousin, who is entirely harmless no matter how weird she is), or that she would interrupt vital matters with her oddness (imagine a Golden Stagbeetle in the soup of a royal guest from a culture where bugs are considered filty, a situation like that could lead to war). But she lives in a smaller castle in town, where she plays around and gives out Rupees without hurting anyone.
 * The Hyrule monarchy isn't tyrannical. She's not that old; eight years old, maybe nine. I really don't think they care that a small girl is playing make believe.

Majora's Mask, or alternatively, Majora, was once the leader of the Twili
This goes along with the "Majora's Mask is connected to the Twili" theories. Before the battle with Zant, Midna mentions how one of their tribe's leaders submit themselves to lust for power. This could very well be Majora. During Majora's Mask, there is very little explanation as to why the Moon is falling, why Majora's Mask is controlling it, etc. Majora could have originally been a Twili who, in a fit of power and dissatisfaction with just ruling over the Twili, made his way somehow into Termina, but the journey left him in his most primitive stage: a mask. Enter Skull Kid, who provides the perfect vessel for Majora, who now only desires destruction of the human race, a race who has forsaken his tribe for centuries. This also explains how the Fused Shadows and Majora's Mask look similar in design: The Twili wanted to be able to imitate the power of Majora, so they used their magic to make a copy which wasn't as powerful, but powerful enough.

Midna is the love child of Ganon and Maleficent
Taking an above theory on step further. As for way she's like Maleficent, well they are both the same skin color and have the same laugh and stuff. So way not?

Malo is a cross between Guu and Stewie
He's cynical, sarcastic, stoic and straight-faced; That's the Guu side. He's also a diabolical mastermind who detests his own family and uses words he probably shouldn't know at his age; the Stewie side. My guess is that Stewie used his universe-sliding device and ended up in the Jungle. Realizing Guu was a powerful ally, he offered to take her back to his world to help rid himself of Lois and take over the world. Guu agreed and swallowed Stewie to facilitate the crossing over, but since Stewie used the Slider-device from within Guu it malfunctioned, binded itself to the inside of Guu and binded Stewie and Guu to one physical vessil, which held traits of both Guu and Stewie: The one we know as Malo. Since then he, or rather they, have been lying low in Ordon. Guu's side acts like a normal child and rarely speaks to keep suspisions at bay while Stewie's side tries to rebuild his slider device while trying to kill Pergie (Remember the slingshot/sword. She reminds him of Lois.) Opening up Malo mart was all part of the plan: they need money for supplies, right?(might be a reason why Stewie want's to kill Pergie; low allowance) Plus Stewie figures he can use some Rupees as a power source for his supplies. Guu's side may have caused Chudley to go mad and become Malvar. Once they cross over to the Family Guy universe, Stewie will build a device to separate themselves and carry out their plans.

The Zelda team could bring Midna back, but only in the adult timeline.
Twilight Princess was on the side of the timeline that had a child Link growing up and fighting Majora, just so we're clear. As we saw from the ending of the game, Midna does pass though the Mirror of Twilight and pesumably back into the Twilight realm... except we are given no indication that she made it back ok. All of the cutscenes feature the Hyruleans and their post-adventure lives, but we have no idea as to the fate of the Twili and their leader. Why can't we have a shot of Midna governing the Twili, maybe as a parrallel to Zant's treartment of them? Simple: she isn't there. After Link and Midna returned to the realm of Light the first time Gannon took the oppertunity to curse the mirror of Twilight (Or possibly just move the Twilight part of the Mirror) so that it would dispense anyone or anything that passed though it into another realm: the one with the Adult Timeline (the one with the flood and cel-shading). This would not be much of a problem if the one who traveled though it recognized the mistake and un-cursed (Or moved the mirror) back towards the Twilight Realm; except Midna broke the first half of the mirror, making the other half useless. The following game would take place when Tetra and Link find New Hyrule and their efforts in trying to help Midna rebuild the first half of the mirror would cause or actually be the war of Demons and Spirits. This game would also include constant lampshades(Midna: "You guys look weird, what's wrong with your heads?" Tetra: "WE look weird? Why are you blue?!" Midna:"Whatever, just help me fix this thing" Link: 0_o) Plenty of humor, lots of action and would be the most awsome Legend of Zelda game in existance.

The four adventurers are an alternate version of SG-1.
In Telma’s Bar, Link meets a group of four characters, including: - Auru, a retired soldier. - Ashei, a young woman knight. - Rusl, a warrior with a wife and son, whose face is at first covered in a helmet. - Shad, a bookworm in glasses, with a strong interest in the history of an ancient race he believes to have built a flying city. He later discovers an old buried device that can send people there, but only after Link had to retrieve a series of six symbols. Some puddle jumping later, Link finds himself surrounded by strange little people doing weird sounds. All those events proved to be important in the defeat of some evil guy wearing a retractable mask/helmet thing.
 * This is far and away my favorite WMG theory.

Malo is a midget.
We only think he's a child because of the game's weird art style. He is actually an old and retired warrior (who just happens to be a midget), who was a legend in his own time. He already knows everything about swordplay (pay attention to his dialogue during the tutorial), and if you try to hit him with your sword, he dodges like Neo dodges bullets. The fact that he successfully opens up a chain of retail stores also shows that he is much more intelligent than any toddler. His cynical, sarcastic attitude is a result of his long, gruesome war campaigns. So yah, Malo is a midget. A badass midget.
 * Jossed by the supplemental material. According to Word of God, Malo is four years old. Or at least, that's what they want us to think...alternate theory? Malo is a minor god (something like the Fierce Deity), who disguised himself as a toddler.

The Twili were once Sheikah
"But wait! Weren't they the Royal Family's Protectors?!" The Sheikah are heavily stated to thrive on dark magic. Who's to say that they didn't get Drunk on the Dark Side? Those that were self controlled enough could resist the lure. Not to mention they guarding this family who have connections to this "Golden Power."
 * Some of the markings on the Twili's robes and on the walls you get pulled into are reminiscent of Sheikah designs. At least I thought so.
 * Some of they maybe the Dark Interlopers were most likely an organization that included many races
 * I recall reading that the tear in the Sheikah symbol is to commemorate a great betrayal. Perhaps that event was the rise of the Dark Interlopers, which also could have contributed to the Sheikah's dwindling numbers if enough of them broke away from the tribe and/or were sealed away in the Twilight Realm.

The Twilight Realm consists of more than just the Palace.
Doesn't it seem odd that there were only 5 Twili left other than Midna and Zant? At that point in the game, you had only fought roughly 2 or 3 dozen Shadow Beasts, and I'd imagine that there would be a larger population of Twili over Lord knows how many years since whenever the Interlopers were banished. Also, Midna refers to her "tribe" multiple times, which seems to indicate a sort-of dark ages-style feudal governmental system in the Twilight Realm. So where, you might ask, are the rest of the Twili? There are other floating islands off somewhere in that void, which must be traverse through teleportation or slightly more conventional means, such as airships. (I'm thinking along the lines of Skies of Arcadia here.) Also, when she refers to Zant turning all of the Twili into Shadow Beasts, it could've been hyperbole, meant to emphasize the atrocity of what he was committing, or general unknowingness of the fates of the other tribes of Twili.
 * During some of Midna's flashback cutscenes, shots of solid ground were shown in the Twilight Realm, so Link's assault on the Palace of Twilight was basically a targeted strike, much like visiting the Temple of Time's past or going under the sea in The Wind Waker.

There are other ways between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm besides the Mirror of Twilight.
Think about it: if the Mirror of Twilight had been shattered, and that was the only way to get between the two realms, how did the Shadow Beasts get dropped into the areas where you fight them and why were the portals a different color? Were they being kept in a pen somewhere? It also doesn't really explain how Zant got from Hyrule in the Arbiter's Grounds and resurrecting the boss of that dungeon to being in the Palace of Twilight before you go there yourself.

Twilight Princess is a straw game for games with good graphics.

 * The game is probably so contested because it may have been an attack on games with good graphics but poorly-thought out gameplay or plot. This may be why certain things like the Spinner and Dominion Rod don't serve much purpose than gameplay advancement, and it can also explain Ganondorf's shoehorning into the plot. Shigeru Miyamoto states that he believes graphics are not something that makes the game itself better, so he probably made this game to show that too much thought into the graphics displaces thought into the gameplay or plot.
 * People wanted another OoT, he gave the people what they asked for. As a result, fanbois synthesized an appreciation for the previously loathed TWW. Since it's such a predictably Cyclic Trope, SS will probably accrue arbitrary hatred starting about a year after release, in direct lockstep with TP magically becoming Vindicated by History, All According to Plan.

The Magic Armor is the prototype of Samus's suit
The color scheme is pretty similar and they both can be recharged by killing enemies.

Renado is a Sheikah.
They don't all have to be exceptionally obvious about it, though the symbol on his robe is rather suspicious.

The Twilight Realm is Australia.
They are both lands full of dangerous creatures populated by the descendants of exiled criminals. "'"Light and Shadow are two sides of the same coin, one cannot exist without the other""
 * As an Australian, I like this theory far too much...
 * Link doesn't turn into a wolf. He turns into a Drop Bear.

The Twilight Realm is obviously the "land down under"

Zant is related to Tingle
Based solely on his behavior during his fight. He's what Tingle would be like if he went to the dark side and joined Ganondorf in exchange for power.

The Hero's Shade is female.
The Hero's Shade is never refer to as male IIRC.

The Hero's Shade is Ammy
"Our bloodline" being "protagonist", also the wolf form.

Navi died in (or at the very least never made it out of) the Temple of Time.
The logic behind this comes from looking at both TP and OOT. Navi flies off through a window; the same window that leads into the secret entrance to the Temple from TP. You know, the one full of monsters, confusing puzzles, and elaborate death traps.

Twilight Princess is a game installed on an Encom-GridOS computer and has a Guardian working on the system
This specific computer's MCP program, (likely personified by Ganon) views games as wastes of space and computing capability, not to mention the damage and devastation that game-cubes leave on a system when the User wins, and is sending it's Black Guard-level programs, as the Shadow Beasts, in to corrupt the game's programming, and coerce the User to delete the bad files. However, the system's Guardian opposes this plan, and takes the form of the Hero's Shade in order to train an in-game Sprite, Link, so that he can defeat the shadow creatures/Black Guard. This explains why Link has something of an actual past in Twilight Princess; he's not meant to be a player character in the game. He's just an NPC ranch hand in the User's eyes, and the way the other Ordonians interact with him reflects this. The system's Tron-equivalent program takes a more direct approach, in the form of Midna. Both are doing this in an attempt to remind Ganon that the User, in fact, has final say of what is and isn't allowed on the system. The Plot Coupons in the game are actually bits of programming for nearby areas, perhaps even patch data to fix the broken code. No area of the game is really 'engulfed in Twilight', it's data is just corrupted. The real reason Link turns into a wolf in the twilit places is also due to corrupted data, in this case his own subroutine being interpreted not as a human Sprite, but as an animal one. As the Sprite, Link, goes about the in-game world of Hyrule cracking through twilight and restoring the data, he comes one step closer to letting the User play a favorite game. The User is just that; the guy who wants to play the game, but can't because it's file is too corrupt. This all started because the death of certain monsters looks similar to 'derezzing' in Tron, and that a lot of shadow-related artwork in Twilight Princess looks like lines on a circuit board.

== The reason Twilight Princess Ganondorf's personality is so different from that of Wind Waker Ganondorf is because of the divergent events of the split timeline. == In Wind Waker, Ganondorf is a much more mellow fellow willing to examine the psychological origin of his desire for power, whereas in Twilight Princess, Ganondorf is more flamboyant and straightforwardly megalomaniacal. These divergent personalities can be traced back to what happened in the separate timelines.

In the Adult timeline, Ganondorf had Hyrule firmly within his iron grip, but still ends up vanquished by the holders of the Triforce pieces which he could not obtain. Furthermore, after some time locked in the Sacred Realm, he breaks out and is about to reconquer Hyrule when the gods submerse the entire land to keep it out of his reach. So this Ganondorf is a man whose greatest ambition has been repeatedly snatched away from him (first with the other Triforce pieces, and then twice with the land of Hyrule), and who has probably found his aim to be decidedly less glamorous than he first thought (what with the successful conquest of Hyrule likely leaving him feeling still empty, along with the flooded and ruined Hyrule being a far less desirable prize than it used to be). This Ganondorf is a man who has had the opportunity to reflect on why he is pursuing this increasingly undesirable end and has had sobering realizations about his life and actions; hence, he is far less vindictive toward Link, Zelda, and the rest of Hyrule than he was in Ocarina of Time.

In the Child timeline, however, Ganondorf never had these sobering experiences. In that timeline, a younger, cockier warlord finds his shrewd plans nipped in the bud thanks to two uncannily perceptive kids, ultimately resulting in his banishment to the Twilight Realm. Furthermore, he finds in the Twilight Realm an entire race of beings whose very cultural memory is brimming with bitterness and anger. Whereas Adult timeline Ganondorf was stuffed into a shapeless void which he had to fill himself with soulless monsters, Child timeline Ganondorf was stuffed into a dimension where he could feed his own bitterness and anger on that of the realm's previous occupants. The void of the former provides more room and less noise for meditation than the bitter cesspool of the latter. And the defeat faced by this Ganondorf so soon and suddenly would be more embittering than a soulcrushing and worldview-altering defeat after seven years of uncontested rule. Thus, Ganondorf would emerge from this cockier and more indignant than the solemn Ganondorf of the Adult timeline.

Both men were originally ambitious megalomaniacs who wished to rule over a land more bounteous in blessings than their barren desert home; one would look to his past and puzzle out what made him who he was today, while the other would push such thoughts into the back of his subconscious while still seeking out that bounty.

Midna will return in the near future
Or some variation of her.

The Faron and Ordona provinces are actually the OoT Hyrule.
Everyone assumes that this is the same Hyrule, unchanged from before. But a lot of things are too out of place to account for that. When you look at the position of these two provinces, and the Sacred Grove/Temple of time, it all adds up. Ordona is almost the exact same shape as Hyrule field from Ocarina of Time, and forest overgrowth could account for it being smaller (but only slightly. OoT's field was not that big and Ordona is pretty big, and is bigger when adding Faron to it). The Sacred Grove is Castle Town, and the Temple of Time is the exact same one from Ocarina of Time, location and all.

Due to the cracks in the field in Twilight Princess, one can easily infer that it is tectonically unstable. Couple this with a possible need for conquest further north (probably over taking some other country that was there) and we have Hyrule from Twilight Princess. I believe several locations remain the same, such as Death Mountain (which, being an active volcano, lends more credence to the theory) and the Gerudo Desert, except the tectonic shifts caused them to drift farther apart. I believe that, in OoT, when Link traveled to either location, there was a sort of unseen moment (probably during the brief loading areas) where he traveled quite a large distance, to get to the mountain or the desert.

I believe that this Lake Hylia is a new one. The old one possibly drying up could be another factor into the kingdom's movement northward.

The temple part of the Temple of Time is actually the Temple of Light we never get to see in OoT.
It makes sense. They never got to include said dungeon in OoT, so they included it in this game. "But it's called the Temple of Time" is not a good argument against this guess. Neither is "But you physically enter the Temple of Time, and the Temple of Light exists in a non-physical plane." because it is possible that the name is just Link or Midna guessing as to what it is, and that going up the staircase of light (ding ding, that has to set off some bells) and through the fake stained glass is a physical representation of entering a spiritual realm, in which the Temple of Light exists.

The strongest evidence is that everywhere you look, the Medallion of Light symbol is shown, and the fact that you enter it from the Temple of Time, which in OoT is said to be the only entrance to the Temple of Light.

The Triforce of Power was passed on to Zant.
Sure, his neck snapped, and we saw him die, but in Hyrule it's not uncommon to see the dead rise to do evil, now is it? Ganon was clearly evil, yet he was given the Triforce of Power by the Goddesses. Why? No one knows for sure, but I believe it's because he desired it more than any living thing in Hyrule. With Ganon dead, who's the most power-hungry man around? Zant. Not only that, but Zant will seek a new source of magic power with Ganon dead. His new source of power? Majora. But this time, Zant will not be a mere puppet, but a backstabbing Starscream. And after fully usurping Majora's power, Link will need something really big and bad. Honestly, why not?
 * Really? I always thought Midna got the Triforce of Power.
 * But then Zant wouldn't get to be a proper villain. Besides I can justify my theory by... Magic. *snort snort*

Link and Ilia have had sex
I'm not talking about the vague implications of a possible romantic history. I'm talking about a specific line in-game. When Ilia regains her memory, she says something that struck me as a bit off: "I knew you once...long ago, when we were young..." It doesn't sound so much like "I used to know you but forgot" as it does "I knew you at a specific point in time" (or, for foreign-language speakers, she spoke in the preterite rather than the imperfect). It would be linguistically impossible for her to mean "know" in the normal sense, so it's likely that she instead meant it in the biblical sense.
 * And we're assuming that everyone in the Zelda-verse always speaks with perfect grammar why now...?

Agitha Really Is An Insect Princess
To understand this you need to know a little about how insects work. The queen is usually bigger than the others of her colony, and the workers are all female. When the queen dies, one of the workers becomes a new queen to take her place. The Shadow Insects seem to work the same way, what with how the Twilit Bloat was this huge monstrosity compared to the other "workers". Getting off topic here for a minute, as we know, when something from the Light enters the Twilight, it changes form. What about things that leave the Twilight and go to the Light? We've never seen any of the Shadow Insects in the Light, so what if they get changed into something else too? Now, let's say that whatever queen the insects had before the game started died somehow. One of the workers would have to become a new queen, AKA a Twilit Bloat. So now we have this new queen roaming around. For whatever reason, she wanders off into the Light, where she changes form, and becomes a human, specifically little Agitha. When their leader doesn't come back, the other insects assume that she's dead, and a new queen rises among them, the Twilit Bloat you get to fight in the game. So now, time skip, the newest Twilit Bloat's dead, and Agitha is still in her human form. She sees that all the Twilight is gone. Not knowing where they could be, she decides to invite them all to where she now lives, in other words the "ball" thing she's supposedly hosting for them. Maybe that Shadow Insects look like normal, strangely golden insects when they're in the Light, which is how Agitha recognizes them. Even some physical quirks about her support this. For one, look at Agitha and look at the Twilit Bloat. Their colors are a little bit similar, just that the Bloat's are darker. The almond shaped things near the bottom of her dress might represent the spikes coming from near the bottom of it's body. They both have something hanging from just underneath their chins. (Agitha has a bow tie and the Bloat has these leg things.) The growths coming out of the sides of it's head look a little like the Hylian ears Agitha has.

The scene in Hyrule Castle with the Resistance members coming to Link's "rescue" wasn't Cutscene Incompetence.
Link was perfectly capable of handling all those opponents, and they were fully aware of this fact. It was simply their way of saying "We got your back", and they figured they say it with style.

Agitha is a killer

 * Agitha, a disjointed little girl of wealthy parents, killed both of her parents in her sleep and fed their bodies to bugs.

The Lakebed Temple is a water purification plant.
Tying in with the 'Hyrule is geologically unstable' and the 'Faron and Ordon are Ocarina of Time Hyrule' theories, the Lakebed 'temple' was actually a facility built by the Zora to flush massive impurities out of Hyrule's water so they could live in it. The source of those impurities being, naturally, some kind of massive eruption by Death Mountain plus earthquakes.
 * Morpheel's chamber was originally the area in the facility where the Zora population lived while they worked on detoxifying the rest of the water.

Ganondorf didn't actually die in the end of the game
The one time we've seen Ganondorf properly die (at the end of Wind Waker), it was when the Triforce had already been used, and therefore Ganondorf didn't have it on death. This doesn't happen in Twilight Princess.
 * Jossed. Four Swords Adventures, the next game chronologically, features his reincarnation.

The Light Spirit Lanayru is Faron

 * They both live in a watery realm, both are a sea serpent or have resemblance to one. It seems to click. Maybe the dragon Lanayru was going to control Faron's realm(known then as Lake Floria) but Faron wouldn't have that, and instead, changed his/her name and left the forest for Laynayru(now presiding over Faron, which reminds him of Laynayru Desert centuries ago) and kept power over the lake.

Colin is the future incarnation of Link.
He is the bravest of the kids, he wears clothing similar to Link before he wore his hero garb. He also has the same hair and eye color of Link. Not to mention he admires the hell out of him. Lastly, he is seen in the final cutscene with a wooden shield similar to Links first shield.

Malon's spirit rests in Hyrule field.
Due too the fact that the ranch is not there, it's obvious something happened. Maybe even the ranch's line just died out, and which there being no one too continue on with the business once Talon died, it was abandoned (torn down maybe). Since TP takes place generations after OOT, Malon is obviously dead, so maybe her spirit wanders Hyrule fields?
 * When your in the fields during the night time, the BGM features a voice singing, one which sounds remarkably like Malon from Ocarina of Time singing Epona's Theme. Looking at the fields in the Game Cube version (which had the original map design) there is a huge raised piece of land just west of hyrule castle town, which is where Lon Lon Ranch would be comparing the OOT fields with this games fields. In other words, this raised land is most likely THE REMAINS of the ranch. To back this up, the raised land is around the same size as the ranch was.

The Kokiri are dead.

 * This game takes place in the child timeline split. In the adult timeline split, the Hero of Time cleared through the cursed Forest Temple, destroying Phantom Ganon, and allowing a new Deku Sprout to be planted, which we see as a fully grown Deku Tree in Wind Waker, who had protected the Kokiri, and turned them into the Koroks. In the child timeline split, the forest temple was never cleared (Ganondorf could have corrupted the temple at the same time he cursed the Deku Tree, sealed Dodongo Cavern, and made Jabu-Jabu sick, perhaps knowing about the Sages protecting the Triforce/Being a force which could actually stop him, as they did in the defeat timeline split), since Link never needed to, as Ganondorf was already defeated. At that time he went into the Lost Woods searching for Navi, and Majora's Mask happened. After that, something happened to the Hero of Time, whether he became a Stalfos, stayed in Termina, or went back to Hyrule and settled down with, say, Malon. Since the new Deku Sprout was never planted, the Kokiri lost their guardian spirit, and either faded from existence (if they were simply sprites created by the will of the Deku Tree), or were helpless, and eventually died off. We never see the Kokiri, nor the Deku Tree, again in this timeline split, even though the lost woods feature very prominently in Twilight Princess.