What if Zelda never sends Link back in time?

@ OP, here's what would happen.

Originally Posted by The Black Knight

@ OP, here's what would happen.

Didn't I said that I didn't wanted crappy responses?

Originally Posted by The Fanatic of Zelda

Didn't I said that I didn't wanted crappy responses?

While that isn't the best response in the world, that response is still true

Originally Posted by The Doctor

While that isn't the best response in the world, that response is still true

Not necessarily, there are theories that Skull Kid didn't destroy Termina in the Adult Timeline.

Originally Posted by Masky

Um, sure... but unless if you have some in-game evidence for that, that's just random speculation. If you look at what the games actually tell you, the most obvious explanation for why Link doesn't understand Ruto's advances is that he has the mind of a child. In addition, Aonuma said himself that Link did not have the mind of a mature adult.

Sorry, but the onus isn't on me. You're the one who needs to provide evidence, because my entire point is that what we see isn't enough to say that he doesn't understand that Ruto is in love with him. You only have his reaction in the Chamber of Sages, and that's just because he was expecting her to give him a medallion instead.

EDIT: Oh yeah. Considering that the entire point of my argument is that his statement on the matter isn't supported by the evidence, using his statement to justify the evidence isn't valid.

Plus, we know that Link eventually went on to father a child after being given the opportunity to live out his childhood, since TP Link is his descendant. So after living out his childhood, Link apparently grew up to be normal enough to understand the... ways of adults

What does that have to do with anything?

Yeah I fully agree with Darth Yoshi. Saying Link was ever retarded in that adventure is ridiculous. He's just a little behind mentally. I'm sure his journey was enough for him to adapt. Like a big test.

Originally Posted by Masky

"Her most precious possession?
You don't know what she's talking
about, but you've collected two
Spiritual Stones! Only one to go!"

This text appears when you collect the Zora's Sapphire. This quote shows that Link did not understand anything Ruto was talking about in terms of marriage or love while he was a child.

I read that as a narration addressing the players, not Link himself.

Well, to make things short, there probably wouldn't have been a flood in Wind Waker as the HoT would have been there to stop Ganondorf.

No he would have not been there. A descendant maybe but not him. Because when Ganondorf broke free of the seal that was generation after OOT. Probably centuries or even mileniums. By that time the HoT would have been dead.

^ Ah, you raise a good point. I didn't really think about that though wasn't it stated the events of WW happened a century after the events of OOT?

No it was centuries. Also if it is a century that would be 1-2 generation and they would specified a century. Also the story of Link as the HoT was already a legend and in like 2 generations the story would have not became a legend.

All right, that clears things up.

Yep, centuries. King Daphnes said it:

Originally Posted by Masky

"Her most precious possession?
You don't know what she's talking
about, but you've collected two
Spiritual Stones! Only one to go!"

This text appears when you collect the Zora's Sapphire. This quote shows that Link did not understand anything Ruto was talking about in terms of marriage or love while he was a child.

Really? You're going cite an example from his childhood, when we're talking about him not understanding things as an adult? That doesn't strike you as strange at all?

Developer quotes are considered by many to be evidence in themselves, as long as they don't contradict in-game stuff. Hyrule Historia is nothing more than a series of developer quotes.

Your point? I'm saying that it is contradictory, because he doesn't act in any way that suggests a lack of adult comprehension.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by Erikson

Yep, centuries. King Daphnes said it:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...5/hundreds.jpg

Is that talking about the timeframe between OoT and the Flood, or between the Flood and WW? The word "have" suggests the latter.

Link has the same reactions towards Ruto's advances as an adult as he does as a child.

In addition, if Link didn't understand it as a child, there's no way he would understand it as an adult since he was sleeping for 7 years. There was no external input, so he would not have learned about love, marriage, etc.

You've got to be joking. Okay, so Link is mentally and emotionally behind several years. Guess what? There are people just like this in real life who are very much capable in every other way of life.

Plus, just because he doesn't know it yet doesn't mean his brain doesn't have the capacity to know. As I said earlier, all he'd need is a friend to show him the complicated side of things. At worst, Link appears to be an extremely sheltered, naive, shy kid. It doesn't make him mentally challenged.

But if you were not arguing that he is mentally challenged, my response is still the same.

Why is it so hard to people to accept that Link is retarded? Yes, he lacks of adult comprehension, and yes, he is mentally challenged. The only difference between him and any other child you could find in Hyrule is that his body is already grown up, but despite that he is still like any other child.

Because in-game universe he solve almost imposible puzzles that any other adult in the games would not solve.

Originally Posted by tlozbj

Because in-game universe he solve almost imposible puzzles that any other adult in the games would not solve.

How other way the game could be?

I mean in game universe. The universe in the game disconnected completely to the real world. The world by Link's eyes. I know that but you cannot know if Link had the mental ability of todays children. But he did had a mind of a child. He is shocked to see he is a adult so he did not grow mentally because he still was thinking he was a child till Rauru and Navi said he had grown up

Originally Posted by Masky

In any case, the only thing up for debate is whether or not Link had the mind of a child as an adult, not if he was "mentally retarded", I don't know why people keep saying he was mentally retarded.

Link has the mind of a child, end. And "retarded" is pretty much another way to say "mentally delayed".