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Spoiler The Many Timelines of Majora's Mask

G

Geniasis

Guest
In the course of a playthrough of Majora's Mask, Link will inevitably create hundreds of alternate timelines. Every time he plays the Song of Time, in fact, he creates a new one. If Link kills Odowala and purifies the swamp, but does not repeat his actions on the next cycle, the swamp will remain poisoned for instance. So it stands to reason that whatever Link does not do in that particular cycle doesn't happen.

However, when Link plays the Oath to Order on the Clock Tower, all of the giants that Link has freed in ANY timeline that has been created respond, regardless of whether or not they were freed in that particular iteration. How can this be? Furthermore, at the end of the game there is a montage of all the characters Link has helped throughout the game, even those that were not aided in the particular three-day cycle in which the game was finished. Again, how is this possible? Those cannot be views into the other timelines, because those timelines have been destroyed by a colony drop.

There are only two possible explanations:

  1. In the three-day cycle in which Link defeats Majora's Mask, Link helped EVERY character, and freed every giant.
  2. Something caused all the myriad timelines to merge at the end of the game.

While the former option has some appeal, I suggest that it is the latter that has occurred. But what is it that does this? At first, I suspected that it was the defeat of the Mask itself, but that cannot be right. Because all four giants can be summoned on the Clock Tower, whatever merging event must take place no later than that moment. I have some thoughts, but I would appreciate feedback.

  1. 1. Perhaps it is the Oath to Order itself. Summoning the freed giants from their respective timelines forces the different dimensions to merge.
  2. 2. Perhaps it is the Happy Mask Salesman who does it? He is an enigmatic figure, and the limits of his power (and the very nature of his existence) are unclear.
  3. 3. Perhaps it is simply the Clock Tower on the Final Day that does it. And that as a result of all timelines sharing that exact catastrophic shatterpoint, all timelines naturally fold together at that point in space-time.
 
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Maybe when Link performed the song of time he created rip in time, so the things he did in one time merged with the other.

But it could just be, the creators had to do it to make the game more enjoyable and almost impossible to finish.
 

JuicieJ

SHOW ME YA MOVES!
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I don't think you understand that he just reverses time in Majora's Mask. Everything rewinds and is undone when he plays the Song of Time, which is why he loses his bombs, arrows, and rupees. The Giants would have been there, though, as they're guardian gods (and Link had the Remains Masks).
 

Rytex

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Random house in Texas.
You're suggesting that the many space-time continuum timelines of MM merge together, which is impossible. No, every Termina was utterly destroyed by fire, except the one you actually save Termina in. Time simply continues on in that world because now that Skull Kid/Majora's Mask is gone, everything has been returned to the way it was supposed to be.
 

JerônimoLink

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Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The giants have many powers, maybe they are intemporal beings and travel back in time with Link. And the characters at the end of the game are there because Link saved Termina, they would be grateful even if Link didn't help them at that timeline.
 

Capitaine

Ray of Silver
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May 16, 2011
Maybe the Oath to Order picks and chooses certain things from each temporal possibility and puts them in one single order in such a way that allows the Four Giants to come together and the "happy ending" to occur.
 

Garo

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Yeah, what JJ said - time rewinds. Link doesn't go back in time, time just goes back to the way it was before the three days.

I like the VHS tape analogy - you watch a movie, then rewind it and watch it again, but you've already seen it, so you know what happens.
 

Satsy

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Because timelines would split, but to merge they would have to all be heading toward the same point to become the same continuity. And that isn't the case since all but one continuity would end in Termina's destruction.
 
G

Geniasis

Guest
Because timelines would split, but to merge they would have to all be heading toward the same point to become the same continuity. And that isn't the case since all but one continuity would end in Termina's destruction.

That makes sense if the merge was natural, instead of one forced by an outside party. At any rate, the situation is the same when I'm proposing they merge: The moon is about to crush Termina. Then, when Link forces them together, he proceeds to save Termina.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Maby when he play the song of time the four great giants remains merge to his soul or something and when they are all collected it creats the "merge" effect where all the four corners are saved at once. (after he plays the song of time .)
 
Joined
Mar 3, 2015
I believe it to be the masks that merge the timelines,

Or rather link's actions and healing of the world that was stored in these masks.

If you do not have all the masks by the end of the game certain cutscenes do not play.

I'm not saying that you only see the endings of the masks that you have obtained. If I recall there are only 2 possible ending sequences.

(Not counting if you let the moon crash into the world).

But every major character you save gives you a mask, and these masks are taken from you at the end of the game.

Especially if you give them to the kids as currency at the "meadow in the moon" and complete their mini-dungeons.

I believe that this act forced the timelines you got the masks from to converge.
Also think of this, in ever timeline Link left that timeline before it ended, or the game would have gone game over. Therefor the moon never truely fell. Or at least not before his actions in those timelines were merged into the last cycle.
 
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Jirohnagi

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Okies i can sum this up kinda easily actually. Think of the true timeline as a river this river has many bends too it (this represent each temple link visits in a seperate cycle) when Link plays the Song Of Time the river is reset but it is a faster river allowing it to carve a straighter path instead of following the bend that bend then becomes an Oxbow Lake which over times dries out and everytime Link uses the Song it will create a new Oxbow Lake while forging the river straight, eventually each lake will dry out and the timeline will fail, wether to war, plague, famine, death or heck Entropy (yea the apocalypse), it doesn't matter what happens becuase those timelines have a limited life.

Another way to think of it is Time is a large sheet of rubber you can only push it so far before it snaps back into place each Reset is this sheet snapping back to it's original form but and this an important but, the sheet isn't quite the same this would represent each of links accomplishments as he saves the denizens of Termina.
 

Retro Ganon

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The merging timeline business is inconsistent with how time travel works within the zeldaverse, I kinda agree with what Shironagi said.

There is an inconsistency with MM equipment being retained, or not, once Link travels back in time. He loses some items, but not others. I always deducted that this was more of a game-play factor that would inconvenience the player so he or she would learn the concept of saving money (among other life lessons the game teaches indirectly). With that said, Link in the literal sense goes back in time with all items intact (masks included obviously).

When you return to the temples, the spirit sealed within the masks talk to Link - confirming that their essence transcended time. We have seen in SS that the Goddess Hylia herself transcends time. The pantheon of gods in most western and eastern religious traditions usual view spirits and benevolent beings in much the same way here. It is not too far fetched to believe that when Link meets the Giants after saving them, he is seeing them in spirit form - a state of being akin to SS Link whenever entering the Silent Realm.

Kaepora Gaebora:
Ho-ho-ho-ho-hoot! This is a rare sight. You are a fairy child, correct? What business might you have in this poisoned swamp? If you dare not venture further, I shall pass no judgment. It is better that you hurry back to town.

This swamp you are in has lost its guardian deity. But it was destined to fade anyway. Hoo-hoot...And that destiny is not solely limited to this swamp... If you have the courage and determination to proceed in the face of destiny, then I shall teach you something useful.

Before coming here, had you not seen any of the stone statues that bear close resemblance to me? I have placed those throughout the land to aid the one with the
power to change the destiny of this land... Wherever he may appear. If you have left proof of our encounter on any of those stone statues... Then the song carved at my feet will certainly be of some assistance...

Remember it well and play it wherever the need arises. From the first time you play this song, we shall become eternal friends, transcending time and place! Notes are carved in the stone... Ye who hold the sacred sword, leave proof of our encounter.



If you take into consideration that the owl is but a parallel to someone like Rauru in Hyrule, it is evident that some force outside of time is helping with aiding Links purpose in Termina. Whatever force is at work here, it is trying to ensure that at least one of the timelines in Termina's world is a positive one.

Food for thought.

EDIT: Ok I took it back because it was rude...
 
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Spiritual Mask Salesman

CHIMer Dragonborn
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This thread is old!

I've honestly pondered the possibility of mutiple timelines spreading from MM (of course I didn't really begin pondering it until Hyrule Historia confirmed the hero fails split from OoT). It does seem like with the implementation of the hero fails split it might be possible, but it honestly isn't. Just like Garo said a looooonnnngggggggg time ago:

I like the VHS tape analogy - you watch a movie, then rewind it and watch it again, but you've already seen it, so you know what happens.

Your basically rewinding everything by playing the Song of Time (just like a VHS tape). So it happened for Link, but by playing the Song of Time it technically never happened and must be redone until the moon can be destroyed.

Of course there is the theory in Quantum Physics that changing time is futile, it is like a river. One can try throwing pebbles in to disrupt it's flow - but inevitably the river corrects itself and flows toward the same path no matter what. In MM though Link overcame that theory so it cannot be applied.
 
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