Small multiverses in fiction.

[Millstone85]

I, uh, recognize most of the individual words there (minus specific nouns, which are clearly person and place names).

Some are also game titles.

Ocarina of Time was the first TLoZ game on a 3D console, the Nintendo 64. Midway through that game, the Hero of Time is sent 7 years into the future. Then, at the end of the game, he is sent back to his original time period.

Majora's Mask was the second TLoZ game on the Nintendo 64. It takes place right after the events of Ocarina of Time, with the same main protagonist, but makes it clear that things are no longer headed toward the future that the Hero of Time witnessed.

Then there was The Wind Waker, on a new console called the Nintendo GameCube. This game takes place several generations after Ocarina of Time, with a new protagonist called the Hero of the Wind. But here is the kick: It is further into the future that the Hero of Time witnessed!

Phantom Hourglass was a game on the handheld Nintendo DS. It is a direct sequel to The Wind Waker, again featuring the Hero of the Wind.

Twilight Princess was released on both the Nintendo GameCube and its successor the Nintendo Wii. It features a new protagonist, the Hero of Twilight, and is harder to place in the TLoZ multiverse but is most likely taking place after Majora's Mask.

So there you have it: two timelines, each getting its own sequels. And that was just an example. There are other forks in the timelines.

Also, yes, all the heroes end up dressed in green and, while you choose their names when creating a save file, all are considered to be "Link" on some mystical level that may involve reincarnation or being the mortal avatars of some ancient heroic spirit.

Spoiler: And then there is Super Smash Bros.

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[GloatingSwine]

One of the great pastimes of the TLoZ fandom is trying to figure out the branching timelines. This notably involves the MM/WW split:

Ocarina of Time	--->	Majora's Mask	--->	Twilight Princess
	--->	The Wind Waker	--->	Phantom Hourglass

And that's again before going into worlds that just exist in their own spaces, like Termina, Lorule or the Twilight.

And then it turns out they faked us out and there were three timelines, with Link to the Past, the Oracle games, Link Between Worlds, and Zelda 1 and 2 following on from the Game Over screen of Ocarina of Time.

The only game that isn't explicitly placed on one of them is Breath of the Wild.

[Rynjin]

And then it turns out they faked us out and there were three timelines, with Link to the Past, the Oracle games, Link Between Worlds, and Zelda 1 and 2 following on from the Game Over screen of Ocarina of Time.

The only game that isn't explicitly placed on one of them is Breath of the Wild.

Isn't Breath of the Wild part of a fourth timeline in continuity with the Hyrule Warriors games?

[GloatingSwine]

Isn't Breath of the Wild part of a fourth timeline in continuity with the Hyrule Warriors games?

There isn't anything to suggest where Breath of the Wild lives on the timelines. But obviously now it has two of its own (because Age of Calamity you win the war 100 years ago instead of losing it).

OG Hyrule Warriors is its own separate timeline.

[Prime32]

Isn't Breath of the Wild part of a fourth timeline in continuity with the Hyrule Warriors games?

There isn't anything to suggest where Breath of the Wild lives on the timelines.

BotW has a sidequest where you help three archaeologists with different theories of Hyrule's ancient past, each of which sounds like one of the official timelines. In the end you find evidence for all of them, and they agree that they may never know for sure.

[Millstone85]

And then it turns out they faked us out and there were three timelines, with Link to the Past, the Oracle games, Link Between Worlds, and Zelda 1 and 2 following on from the Game Over screen of Ocarina of Time.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that!

BotW has a sidequest where you help three archaeologists with different theories of Hyrule's ancient past, each of which sounds like one of the official timelines. In the end you find evidence for all of them, and they agree that they may never know for sure.

Also, a plot point of WW is that the fish-like zoras were transformed into the bird-like rito so they would stay away from the great evil now lying on the bottom of the ocean. But in BotW, the rito are somehow coexisting with the zoras.

[jayem]

This web-comics technically kind of an example, although one that's not explored other universes.
You could possibly count Jasper Ffordes work, though there the different Universes are connected in various ways.

As said above, it requires interest and competence in at least two genres, plus puts quite a constraint on both works, plus the fans will have contradictory demands... (and demand ownership of the meta-universe).
So most people are probably only going to come into it for a novelty 'holodeck' episode and then spin off (or alternatively it blends into their main work).

[gomipile]

This web-comics technically kind of an example, although one that's not explored other universes.
You could possibly count Jasper Ffordes work, though there the different Universes are connected in various ways.

As said above, it requires interest and competence in at least two genres, plus puts quite a constraint on both works, plus the fans will have contradictory demands... (and demand ownership of the meta-universe).
So most people are probably only going to come into it for a novelty 'holodeck' episode and then spin off (or alternatively it blends into their main work).

Is there something missing from your first paragraph?

[Delicious Taffy]

Also, a plot point of WW is that the fish-like zoras were transformed into the bird-like rito so they would stay away from the great evil now lying on the bottom of the ocean.

I always thought the explanation was something like "they evolved into birds to better survive in the flooded world", which obviously makes zero sense. Still a little weird that they didn't just kill the evil thing, but I guess the writers were hellbent on connecting the two races. Zelda lore is weird.

[jayem]

Is there something missing from your first paragraph?

"As said above" was references all the other comments with same themes.

I think that the Giant has made the "D&D based, Order of the stick" World/Universe one of a number of small Worlds/Universes the 'Gods' have made that each follow very different rules. And functionally that sounds like the sort of thing the OP described. Except that we as readers have basically next to no engagement apart from knowing that they 'exist', and the tiniest of tasters and that the 'Gods' take the appropriate form for the World, and lose their fight against the snarl.
(it appears they are embedded in the same time, you could argue the metaphysical nature)

Jasper Ffordes Nursery Crimes series takes place in the Town of Reading (which runs on crime fiction rules) which exists as a Book in Bookworld (which has it's own rules) which Thursday next jumps into from the 'real world' (there's also time travel etc... in this). The series definitely gets it's worth from the different worlds. On the other hand it doesn't have the clean structure of the OP (and is probably now confusing).

[KillianHawkeye]

I think that the Giant has made the "D&D based, Order of the stick" World/Universe one of a number of small Worlds/Universes the 'Gods' have made that each follow very different rules. And functionally that sounds like the sort of thing the OP described. Except that we as readers have basically next to no engagement apart from knowing that they 'exist', and the tiniest of tasters and that the 'Gods' take the appropriate form for the World, and lose their fight against the snarl.
(it appears they are embedded in the same time, you could argue the metaphysical nature)

Except the other worlds in OOTS lore are past worlds, each of which existed sequentially. It's nothing like what the OP suggested of multiple universes through which a character could travel over the course of a story to get from Point A to Point B. The current OOTS world only exists because all the previous worlds have been destroyed. There is only one world in existence in the comic that anyone knows about (mysterious world within the Snarl's rift notwithstanding).

[snowblizz]

Except the other worlds in OOTS lore are past worlds, each of which existed sequentially. It's nothing like what the OP suggested of multiple universes through which a character could travel over the course of a story to get from Point A to Point B. The current OOTS world only exists because all the previous worlds have been destroyed. There is only one world in existence in the comic that anyone knows about (mysterious world within the Snarl's rift notwithstanding).

That said the fiend cooperation council had souls to splice, one of whom was "a powerful [wizard?] who transported armies across worlds". Which would imply at some point there were more of them or something.

[brionl]

To answer the OPs question, Philip Jose Farmer had separate realities, IIRC referred to as pocket universes, in World of Tiers series. I only read five of them, in the 70's, and until I did a search today had not realized that he released a sixth one in 1993.

There's actually seven of them now. But I don't know when the last one was released. I read Red Orc's Rage back when it came out and wasn't too impressed. I read the latest one, More than Fire, a year or two ago, and hardly remember anything about it.
In case anybody is interested, the first five are really good. You can get all seven in ebook form from Barnes & Noble.