The Romance Thread IV: The Debate Continues

Originally Posted by Severian

well its only a poll. i just cast my vote and commented. i didnt think it was that big a deal. i just thought link would want someone to actually settle down with. thats the only reason i chose her. link normaly lives a simple life before he gets summoned to action, right? maybe he'd like to return to that life after he defeats the bad guy.

^ Well we aren't even sure of that. Link could always be a hero until the day he dies. I always think that Zelda is the best lady for Link. She and him share the same values and goals for their people and land. And for Malon to be introduced to his world of blood and battle, I don't think that she could take it.
Zelda however, has her whole life around the issue of battle and protecting her people. She and Link can easily support each other in times of need when Hyrule is in trouble.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

^ Well we aren't even sure of that. Link could always be a hero until the day he dies. I always think that Zelda is the best lady for Link. She and him share the same values and goals for their people and land. And for Malon to be introduced to his world of blood and battle, I don't think that she could take it.
Zelda however, has her whole life around the issue of battle and protecting her people. She and Link can easily support each other in times of need when Hyrule is in trouble.

ok. i can believe that. but thats assuming that link doesnt settle down and wants to continue fighting and such. if he choses to do that [which seems more like link] then yeah sure. zelda all the way. but look at it the other way. before link is a hero, he often works with his hands. my way of thinking is that if link [for some reason] wanted to return to a simple life then malon would be the way to go. OTHERWISE sure zelda would be a great match for him.

Originally Posted by Severian

ok. i can believe that. but thats assuming that link doesnt settle down and wants to continue fighting and such. if he choses to do that [which seems more like link] then yeah sure. zelda all the way. but look at it the other way. before link is a hero, he often works with his hands. my way of thinking is that if link [for some reason] wanted to return to a simple life then malon would be the way to go. OTHERWISE sure zelda would be a great match for him.

^ I guess you could say that too. And that might also apply for Ilia in TP. Some heroes do settle down, but with Link holding the Triforce of Courage in his hands for however long, he could be a hero for life.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

^ I guess you could say that too. And that might also apply for Ilia in TP. Some heroes do settle down, but with Link holding the Triforce of Courage in his hands for however long, he could be a hero for life.

ill agree with that. i guess what im trying to say here, (and with much difficulty, though i dont know why) is that there are two lives that link could chose from after having defeated the bad guy. he could settle down or he could go on fighting.

Originally Posted by Severian

ill agree with that. i guess what im trying to say here, (and with much difficulty, though i dont know why) is that there are two lives that link could chose from after having defeated the bad guy. he could settle down or he could go on fighting.

Much difficulty? You seem to get the point across fine. I agree, there are two distinct paths for Link to choose for his life. Personally, I think the option to return to his roots ( settling down into a peaceful and unremarkable life ) is killed by the game itself. The whole point of the adventure it seems is for Link to become more..to shift the focus from "me" to "everyone". I can't see him returning to what he was. Malon ( and Ilia ) pretty much personify the "me lifestyle"...whereas Zelda is "everyone". IMO, in the end, Malon and Ilia are incompatible with him because of that.

Originally Posted by Severian

ill agree with that. i guess what im trying to say here, (and with much difficulty, though i dont know why) is that there are two lives that link could chose from after having defeated the bad guy. he could settle down or he could go on fighting.

^ That's basically it. Even if he does stop fighting, I'm sure that he would be closer to Zelda's side to keep a watch on what is happening in the world of late. I'm not really too sure. It feels like there is a balance of either Malon or Zelda to which Link can choose to stay with.

I suppose you right as well.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

^ That's basically it. Even if he does stop fighting, I'm sure that he would be closer to Zelda's side to keep a watch on what is happening in the world of late. I'm not really too sure. It feels like there is a balance of either Malon or Zelda to which Link can choose to stay with.

I suppose you right as well.

yeah. its not a matter of right or wrong. just a matter of opinion. either one could work out, i think.

Originally Posted by gliderpilotgirl

Much difficulty? You seem to get the point across fine. I agree, there are two distinct paths for Link to choose for his life. Personally, I think the option to return to his roots ( settling down into a peaceful and unremarkable life ) is killed by the game itself. The whole point of the adventure it seems is for Link to become more..to shift the focus from "me" to "everyone". I can't see him returning to what he was. Malon ( and Ilia ) pretty much personify the "me lifestyle"...whereas Zelda is "everyone". IMO, in the end, Malon and Ilia are incompatible with him because of that.

The thing is that we are talking about a subject where "me" is more important than "everyone". This is romance here, the only person who really needs to think about everyone in romance is Zelda, because she's a princess, but Link is free to think about himself in this subject, so, as you have kindly pointed out for me, Malon and Ilia would be better for Link, though I would hope that he would not choose Ilia over Zelda in TP, since I would probably jump into the game and stick a shiv in him for being such a retard.

"Jump into the game" , huh? Sounds fun! I'd much rather live in a game that reality. Maybe get Links' autograph XD.

I get the strangest feeling we've pointed out about as much as we/you guys can it terms of evidence favoring a certain romance. What's left to say??? But hey, don't let that stop you! You post are all interesting to read !

Originally Posted by firsttsurugi

The thing is that we are talking about a subject where "me" is more important than "everyone". This is romance here, the only person who really needs to think about everyone in romance is Zelda, because she's a princess, but Link is free to think about himself in this subject, so, as you have kindly pointed out for me, Malon and Ilia would be better for Link, though I would hope that he would not choose Ilia over Zelda in TP, since I would probably jump into the game and stick a shiv in him for being such a retard.

But IS Link truly free to think about himself at all? What makes him different from Zelda in this regard? She has to be selfless and accept her life, but he's free to go afterwards? I thought the gist of the Hero's Spirit was that being Hyrule's Hero IS a lifetime commitment. A lonely one yes, but one that the world needs.

I hate to say it, but the message of duty comes across stronger from this series than a message of romance does for me. A love for others rather than just one person. The only way out I can see for Link ( and Zelda ) is someone who also lives by this. He will find this in Zelda alone. ( Midna's gone )

And speaking of Ilia vs Malon...I hate to say it, but if Link did have to choose one or the other, I see Ilia being the better choice. She actually knows him for one, and she made this little statement in TP: " Go to those who need you." While I'm not sure this would be for a lifetime, she still saw a bigger picture than herself in that moment. I know people will disagree with me here, but I see very little to commend Malon to Link in general.

Originally Posted by gliderpilotgirl

But IS Link truly free to think about himself at all? What makes him different from Zelda in this regard? She has to be selfless and accept her life, but he's free to go afterwards? I thought the gist of the Hero's Spirit was that being Hyrule's Hero IS a lifetime commitment. A lonely one yes, but one that the world needs.

I hate to say it, but the message of duty comes across stronger from this series than a message of romance does for me. A love for others rather than just one person. The only way out I can see for Link ( and Zelda ) is someone who also lives by this. He will find this in Zelda alone. ( Midna's gone )

And speaking of Ilia vs Malon...I hate to say it, but if Link did have to choose one or the other, I see Ilia being the better choice. She actually knows him for one, and she made this little statement in TP: " Go to those who need you." While I'm not sure this would be for a lifetime, she still saw a bigger picture than herself in that moment. I know people will disagree with me here, but I see very little to commend Malon to Link in general.

couldnt link still fight once he'd settled down with which ever girl? say he picked malon/ilia he'd live his simple life on the ranch and if ever a bad guy threatened that life he'd go fight for whats his and if that threat grew he'd take care of business. he could do the same with zelda only with zelda he'd have a sweet castle to live in and have to master etiquette and all other sorts of formal things.

Well, thankfully Ilia and Malon are in different games, and in TP I don't see a problem with LinkxZelda. The thing is that you seem to be assuming that he needs to be a hero 24/7/365 and 1/4. Yes, whenever he is needed, he'll need to drop whatever he's doing and save the day, but he does not need to do crap during times of peace and quiet. He is free to think for himself whenever he isn't needed, and that would only be a problem when he is needed, which, I'll admit, will happen because, as the execution scene showed, Ganondorf came back, probably because they only dealt with him in the future, but any time outside of that, he is free to think for himself. Yes, the Hero's Spirit did imply that he had to choose the life of a hero, but that really only means that when a hero was needed, he was there. And again, he only said Hero. If he chose Zelda in the end, wouldn't that mean that he would have to be more than a hero? If he chose Zelda, you would think that the Hero's Spirit would at least hint towards being a King. Basically, the life of the hero is being a hero when a hero is needed. This seems like a busy life because of all the times we see hero's deal with problems due to their hero lives being more important than their personal lives, but Link is a hero who has only been seen interfering with regular criminals if he is either helping a friend (Anju/Kafei sidequest) or if the crime is committed right in front of him (Bomb Shop Lady), while always coming to the rescue when someone of diabolical intent appears, so the only way his personal life could ever be cut off so frequently that he barely even has one is if Hyrule is in danger on a weekly-daily basis, maybe monthly if he is slow. This leaves time for a relationship with anyone other than Zelda. Plus, as an added bonus, people are not going to see him as this huge hero in OoT because his heroics only occured in the future. I would imagine that when he rose up as the Hero of Time again to redefeat Ganondorf, he would have been old enough that, if a relationship had sparked between him and Malon, I would imagine that they would be at least having sex, so there is a chance the line that would ultimately create TP Link would have already been conceived by then. There would be the problem that commoners would want their hero in a position of power, such as King, but, if this theory is correct, he would probably stay with Malon simply because 1. He is now a parent and doesn't want his kids to hate him for leaving and 2. He probably would care for Malon to at least an acceptable extent to be conceiving children with her (unless it was a complete accident).

Edit: I probably should have quoted Glider, but that long post was in response to her's.

wow. i saw that essay and said to myself, "sweet jesus" then i read it.

i personally think that once ganondorf or whoever has been defeated link settles down because his destiny has been fulfilled. the whole reason he has the triforce of courage is because its his destiny to defeat the greatest threat to hyrule of that age. once thats done he doesnt have much else to do. i mean sure hyrule is going to have problems following ganondorf but for the most part the hyrulian soldiers have to earn their money some way. they could handle the small stuff. link, I THINK, settles down with a girl and lives a happy little simple life, probably working with his hands.

also i would love to see link and malons babies.

Originally Posted by firsttsurugi

Well, thankfully Ilia and Malon are in different games, and in TP I don't see a problem with LinkxZelda.

It's funny: I'd think from the relationship between the two incarnations of Hero and Princess that OoT/MM would be a better bet. He actually knew Zelda and was close to her, vs in TP Link pretty much had a girlfriend filling that role. Anything else was taken up by Midna.

Originally Posted by firsttsurugi

The thing is that you seem to be assuming that he needs to be a hero 24/7/365 and 1/4. Yes, whenever he is needed, he'll need to drop whatever he's doing and save the day, but he does not need to do crap during times of peace and quiet. He is free to think for himself whenever he isn't needed, and that would only be a problem when he is needed, which, I'll admit, will happen because, as the execution scene showed, Ganondorf came back, probably because they only dealt with him in the future, but any time outside of that, he is free to think for himself.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. What it comes down to is it seems you think of Link's role as merely a job, whereas I think of it as a calling. As in he was meant to spend his life serving others, not just when he is immediately needed. And being a Hero can mean many things..not just taking a sword and defending things.

Originally Posted by firsttsurugi

Yes, the Hero's Spirit did imply that he had to choose the life of a hero, but that really only means that when a hero was needed, he was there.
And again, he only said Hero. If he chose Zelda in the end, wouldn't that mean that he would have to be more than a hero? If he chose Zelda, you would think that the Hero's Spirit would at least hint towards being a King.

In your interpretation maybe. To me, saying he "accepted the life of the hero" means exactly that. The life. As in his chosen occupation.

Two things: first off, Link will always be "the Hero" before anything else. Including the King. He'd be famous for his adventures more likely than for co-administering a peaceful Hyrule afterwards.
Also, they would never call him King. Why? Because it would confirm his fate and upset people who favoured Ruto, Malon, Saria etc. The only time we've seen this is where pretty much no competition existed. ( AoL )
In terms of hints, he's wearing golden armor, hanging around the castle and speaks with great authority. And the Magic Armor pre-exists TP Link: I'd say that constitutes solid hints.

Originally Posted by firsttsurugi

Basically, the life of the hero is being a hero when a hero is needed. This seems like a busy life because of all the times we see hero's deal with problems due to their hero lives being more important than their personal lives, but Link is a hero who has only been seen interfering with regular criminals if he is either helping a friend (Anju/Kafei sidequest) or if the crime is committed right in front of him (Bomb Shop Lady), while always coming to the rescue when someone of diabolical intent appears, so the only way his personal life could ever be cut off so frequently that he barely even has one is if Hyrule is in danger on a weekly-daily basis, maybe monthly if he is slow. This leaves time for a relationship with anyone other than Zelda.

How do you know he won't find things to do to keep this up? MM is a bad example: the guy was out of sorts and had embarked on a new quest as part of this. I see him becoming Zelda's right hand man ( like in WW ) and advising, defending and generally supporting her. He could be a knight etc. At the very least the Hero's Shade appeared as that.

Originally Posted by firsttsurugi

Plus, as an added bonus, people are not going to see him as this huge hero in OoT because his heroics only occured in the future.

He's referred to as legendary in TP, inferring he was a hero in the child timeline. He's spoken of by the Gorons, Zora, and the Hyrulian people.

Originally Posted by firsttsurugi

I would imagine that when he rose up as the Hero of Time again to redefeat Ganondorf, he would have been old enough that, if a relationship had sparked between him and Malon, I would imagine that they would be at least having sex, so there is a chance the line that would ultimately create TP Link would have already been conceived by then. There would be the problem that commoners would want their hero in a position of power, such as King, but, if this theory is correct, he would probably stay with Malon simply because 1. He is now a parent and doesn't want his kids to hate him for leaving and 2. He probably would care for Malon to at least an acceptable extent to be conceiving children with her (unless it was a complete accident).

Once again the theoretical possibility of Link hooking up with Malon comes up: the question I really have is: why does everyone think he wants Malon? I never saw an inkling of real affection come from him towards her in OoT or MM. ( Or any of the other appearances she makes. ) Actions speak louder than words, IMO, and Zelda was the one he went to when he was done in OoT. She was also the one he didn't leave Hyrule without seeing in MM. If we are talking "We are Link" and it's "we want Malon" there's reason, but we seem to be talking about him as third person.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

^ Link was strange. Even though he obviously hasn't had any love in the past with someone else, I didn't understand why he would grin back when Telma or such winked at him. It was a really weird reaction. Perhaps Link percieved it wrong and thought that it was something 'friendly.' Whatever the case, I think both he and Zelda are timid with love.

Lol,remember that part. I dunno but If I were Link I would basically do the same thing. I felt like he ignored Telmas wink with a smile, that´s what I got in my head. But I also got in my head that Link really wasn´t the timid one among him and Zelda. He gives her his hand, making the first step and she more than gladly take it. I will never forget that cutscene. And I know from the deep of my heart that it really is ZeldaxLink. And also, we can also state this with the standard fairytales stuff.
The hero saves the kingdom and the princess and get her in the end! ^_^

I'd have to go with Midna, after all, she spent the most time with Link out of all those girls. After her I'd say Tetra

Originally Posted by KPGirl

In TP I didn´t see Link that timid. The Handholding cutscene still haunts me with this. He took the first step there. I saw Zelda more timid than Link in TP.

Link taking the initiative to hold Zelda's hand in that scene was more to the effect that he was more than willing and ready to join with Zelda with the goal of defeating Ganondorf. Nothing to the effect of romance in that scene IMO

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

^ Link was strange. Even though he obviously hasn't had any love in the past with someone else, I didn't understand why he would grin back when Telma or such winked at him. It was a really weird reaction. Perhaps Link percieved it wrong and thought that it was something 'friendly.' Whatever the case, I think both he and Zelda are timid with love.

Maybe TP Link prefers older women with more meat on their bones.

Originally Posted by Bit

Plausable?

LOL!! Yeah...its plausible.

Link needs to get laid. Instead of him saving the girls, the girls should save him from his virginity.

True, but maybe Link wants to give the gift of his virginity to a guy. Fado perhaps??

Originally Posted by Ganonslayer2000

True, but maybe Link wants to give the gift of his virginity to a guy. Fado perhaps??

And this is where the whole theory of "is link gay?" fits in...