This is mainly focused on TP's placement. The way I have it, starting from OoT, is:
Child OoT --> MM --> TP
Just a partial timeline focusing on these three games.
Notice that I placed TP after MM. I think this makes the most sense - Ganondorf wasn't sent to the Sacred Realm, and there was no mention of Ganondorf escaping there in the first place, so I'd like to assume that he's been alive all this time.
In other words, I had actually assumed that the Ganondorf in TP is the same Ganondorf from Child OoT's timeline.
The sages are.. well.. different, yes. I can't explain this too well, but if it does indeed follow Child OoT's, then the sages haven't even been discovered yet - the sages of this timeline may very well be different from the sages of Adult OoT's timeline. It might even be that there were sages from the beginning of OoT's story in the first place, and they were killed off before Adult OoT's story started. A little sketchy, I know.
The following is pure conjecture, but this is what I want to believe:
During the events of the beginning of OoT, there have been already 7 sages. If we were to assume that the Imprisoning War IS OoT, then we know this to be true, since the sages have been looking for the chosen one to wield the blade of evil's bane, and the temples obviously have existed since back then. Following Adult OoT's timeline, I believe that the sages were killed off in those 7 years, which can help explain how the temples might have gotten cursed. This is why I believe Adult Link had to search for the new sages - it reminds me of how Wind Waker played it off that the sages were killed by Ganondorf, and new ones had to be found. It also leads me to believe that all the sages might be related by blood one way or another. They obviously aren't immortal since Ganondorf has the power to kill them.
Now, back to the topic at hand - if we go back to Child OoT's timeline, we can assume that the sages were never killed off - I believe the sages in TP were the same sages that were in OoT before being killed off by Ganondorf during those 7 dark years. This time, however, Ganondorf had finally been captured and punished for his crimes. 6 sages were part of Ganondorf's punishment in TP, one of them killed off.
With that in mind, and to support my theory, I have to assume that Child OoT's Ganondorf, before he became the King of Evil, is the same Ganondorf that was sent to the Twilight Realm. It also helps explain why no one in TP knows about the story of the Hero of Time, while it was known fairly well in WW - the events of OoT's Adult timeline never happened.
About the Triforce being in possession of the chosen ones... this is the chink in my theory. There's no good explanation that I can really come with, and it's the only part that makes this theory fairly invalid. I don't like the explanation I'm about to present, but here it is anyway.
Now, as for the Triforce of Power being given to Ganondorf, I also have to assume that Ganondorf didn't recieve the power of the gods until he was impaled by the sage's sword. It was, as mentioned, a divine prank, but nonetheless, Ganondorf is a chosen wielder for the ToP, opposed to stealer. Actually, I don't like this idea at all, but for the sake of tying my arguement together, I have to assume this. In any case, I refer back to the word chosen. Even if the Triforce is in the Sacred Realm, there are the chosen ones in the game that are meant to wield the power of the gods. Even if Link never received his in Child OoT's timeline, he definitely had the potential to do so, and so I believe that potential is passed down his bloodline. It's quite the same for Zelda, but it's harder to explain in Ganondorf's case. As far as I can explain it, Ganondorf had the largest desire for power to be able to conquer Hyrule - it was because of the nature of his heart that he was given just that part of the Triforce, according to OoT. Being now a chosen wielder of the Triforce, it might have been just as it was - a divine prank - that helped save Ganondorf from disaster by somehow being granted the power of the gods.
Eh. I didn't like that at all.
As for Ganondorf not recognizing Link, Zelda, and the Master Sword in the end:
Ganondorf in the Child OoT timeline never fought with Link, and so has never faced the Master Sword. That takes care of why Ganondorf doesn't even acknowledge who he is and what the Master Sword truly was. I'm quite surprised by this reaction if it is indeed following Adult OoT's timeline, where he swore to destroy their descendents. I doubt a maniacal and power hungry man like him could ever forget those who imprisoned him. As for Zelda, Ganondorf always seems interested in her, perhaps mainly because she is the princess of Hyrule, but also because he knows she's the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom? That always seems to be the case - he kidnaps her and you end up needing to save her in the end in almost all the games.
About the Skeletal Knight - this is an important item I need to bring up.
Here's the big assumption we have to make in order to help support this theory:
The Golden Skeletal Knight is OoT Link.
Things that help support this is that the techniques can only be passed in the bloodline, and only a true hero can wield them. That means TP Link is related to this knight, and that the Golden Skeletal Knight must have been a hero in his day - he even says so himself.
How does this support my theory?
Keep in mind, at the end of Adult OoT's ending, Link is sent back in time. He's disappeared - he does not exist in that timeline anymore. Where does he exist? Back in the child OoT Timeline, the only timeline where he could grow up and have a family - in other words, off spring.
If we are to assume that this is true, then it must be that the events of Child Timeline must have occurred with TP following after MM 100 years later.
Lastly, just the mild analysis of the creator's statements. Miyamoto and Aonuma never actually state that TP is between OoT and WW - they were vague and simply said it was after OoT, and omitted any statements saying it was before WW. This actually helps support my theory in the case that WW didn't happen in child's OoT, or as far as we know anyway, and leaves open the possibility that TP could have happened in that timeline.
Well there we go. Lots of reading, to be sure, but I hope you take it into consideration. Please give me any comments and arguements - I expect my own theory to have holes in them that people will point out, and I'll be happy to debate them with you.
