Friendship = Love ?

That doesn't, but your comments about Zelda treating Link like a child and/or eye candy, and the ones about Link being just this shy of stupid are. Essentially you're saying that Zelda is a shallow bitch and Link is a moron, which is character bashing no matter which way you look at it.

You also claim to like a good debate, but when people offer points of view that run contrary to your beliefs, you have a tendency to completely ignore what they say, or twist their meaning to suit your own views. And when you can't twist or ignore what others say, you will insult them, and generally carry on in a childish manner.

All of that is very trying on one's patience, and like Alantie said, you're alienating people more than you are engaging them in an intelligent debate.

...

Are you insulting me? Why would I be jealous of a bunch of pixels? And the "warm and fuzzy" feelings Link had were from Cremia's HUG, not Cremia herself.

Sheesh, you really know how to annoy people.

He really does. I suggest you don't waste your time with him, Angel Zelda. Feel free to discuss things with the rest of us though, if you have anything to comment on something we've said.

Okay. I'm up for discussing stuff that we have discussed before in this thread. I'll read over it, see if I can dig up something good to talk about.

Well I didn't intend to potray Zelda as a shallow B. IMO she is too good for Link as it is and she would be better suited marrying a nobleman/suitor who can realistically help her co-rule. I don't think Link is stupid, but IMO I can't picture Link wanting to force himself to live a royal lifestyle. Link belongs among the common people/races of Hyrule, not as an outsider among nobility. IMO the royal lifestyle is a bizarre and awkward fit to Link's humble and unassertively gentle personality so there is nothing there for me to believe that he would try to force himself to be like royalty in anyway. I just like the LinkxMalon pairing due to me relating to Link AS ME settling for a commoner/girl next door type like Malon instead of a princess he has absolutely nothing in common with in the first place.

Sure thing, dear. Or if there's any more aspect of the friendship vs love thing you'd like to discuss, that works too.

Eh, harsh thread. All I can say is...:
-I want a horse, a single one, and since I can't stand a sedentary life, it'll have to be boarded: cared for and trained by someone else.
So: many horses, cows, chickens. And to run a business, not as simple pets
...
Nuff said about how much time a hero can give for that.

Plus, OoT Link is, basically, a 10 years old inside a grown body.
A mature 10 years old, but who ''doesn't understand these adult things''. (Not the actual quote, but in MM, during Anju and Kafei's sidequest).
Also, he's a child who's never met his parents, and who was hardly ever truly thanked for everything he did. Of course the hug of a woman would make him feel something.

That said, no matter what the game (well, the ones I've played so far...), Zelda is important for him, that's for sure.
Even in TP, though I don't see any obvious romance, she's still his princess. Kinda the same way someone would feel about.. princess Diana (may she rest in peace).
Except he hapenned to see her total hotnessImeanbeauty up close. And saw how selfless she is with his own eyes. I'm sure he feels some warmth about her.
Then again, TP Link does easily make sweet puppy eyes to the ladies. I actually find that adorable.
In OoT/MM, there are constant hints about their closeness. At the end of OoT, even though he gets sent back, instead of just returning home in the forest or trying to find a new one, he gets through the trouble of avoiding the guards to see her again. Plus, there's that official piece of artwork that represents young Link and young Zelda sitting together, just chilling, relaxed and true to themselves. A princess that can't afford to act like a child and a confident boy who does enjoy company and isn't intimidated by hierarchy.
Since those pictures are essential for the makers in order to rightfully represent the game they're trying to sell, I think the fact that they took the time to draw these two younglins together was to establish that the hero and the princess are not only important characters; they are important to each other.
Though, I remember watching an 1 hour video that had an interview with Miyamoto. It was a japanese interview translated into english, and I remember him saying something about OoT being ''the most romantic Zelda so far'', and he didn't seem too pleased about it. It was a documentary done around the time when they were going to release Wind Waker. I should watch it again sometime...
I know he sees Link as more of an early teen than someone almost grown.
Back on topic, it could easily lead to some romantic interest in the future, but since I myself have problems picturing yours truly in a relationship, I can't imagine Link married to anyone. I'm attached to my so-called ''freedom''.
Still, he's closer to Zelda than Ruto, Malon or Nabooru. Only Saria could compete with Zelda, but then again, she can't grow old.
I even believe she's somehow the one who raised him alongside the Great Deku Tree.
Zelda, on the other hand, can and will grow up. He too, for he is not immortal. And with that, he'll start to know them ''adult things''. Now, if he gets to marry the princess, if he sticks to his total freedom like a lone wolf or if he settles down (because the human body can only handle so much...) is entirely up to the fans. As long a they don't make anyone out of character.

In Wind Waker, I won't even go there. He's ten. I can imagine him ending up with Tetra aka Zelda when he grows older since he 1- started with more a normal life, meaning it would be easier for him to settle down in a family if he had to 2- Won't even need to settle down anyway, since Tetra is also big on travelling and adventures. Heck, if adult WW Link and Zelda had children, they won't have trouble raising them on a boat.
I still stick with my obsession of total freedom.
Even though Link and Zelda look so awesome together.

That's an interesting point. It works too...it seems when you look at the game how the developers wish us to see it, you can't escape Link and Zelda's bond.
I'll always like the ending of OoT simply for how meaningful it was that he came back. You can make the point of them being only friends ( seen so many times ) but it just doesn't have the same force of feeling behind it if you try to then say he wants to end up with another girl. I thought MM communicated it brilliantly, the scene with Link and Zelda was simple, but massive subtext going on there.

I may have seen that as well: in the one I saw he remarked that the game contained romance in that of a child growing up being romantic ( an alternate meaning of the same word )

I've always thought he'd tire of unlimited freedom that may end up aimless wandering. I'd imagine he gets lonely ( a parallel to the Skull Kid covered in MM ) now and then. I've always thought Zelda was best for him because of the depth of the interaction between them. I can totally see him unloading how he feels about everything to her..she's got that feeling of being a good listener. I suppose that would answer the question of how MM's story got to the Royal Family in the future. And it being dear to them? I would think because he was dear to her.

I've always thought he'd end up with Tetra because of the air of inevitability around them. They may be ten, but destiny plays a huge role in bringing them together, despite the situation being so utterly different from the standard Zelda game. I have a hard time seeing them without each other.

Yup, the only argument I have on Link staying a lone adventurer relies on my own dreams. Eh, that's why I play videogames.
If there's really some ''blood of the Hero'' running along, and if we stick to the idea that OoT Link is the first Link as we know them, he's supposed to have ''done it'' at least once in his lifetime to get descendants.
The others need love too. *Nods*
Aww.

It's not uncommon, I've seen that view lots, usually coming from those with no interest in romance. Or who just don't like to picture Link with a girl. I guess it depends on your life situation and preferences in many cases.

You know, I really hate the idea of the Link's having to be related. While it has basis in the games ( ALTTP, OoT ) it takes away from the idea of Link being a chosen nobody. He then has this famous bloodline to live up to...and he'll be in shadow of his famous ancestor. If you consider the Hero's Spirit in TP Link as OoT/MM Link ( I see reason for it ) it's clear. In many cases this character only brings the questions back to OoT/MM Link rather than keeping the new hero in the limelight.
I much prefer WW Link, who's said plainly that he's not related, yet is still chosen.

As for romance, I dislike the bloodline thing again. Mainly because it's used by some fans as an excuse why Link and Zelda can't get together. Because they then claim Link and Zelda are related, and a relationship is incest.
If that was a valid argument I could take it seriously, but it just shows a lack of understanding of science and genetics. Hundreds of years = no meaningful relation, or even common lifestyle.

I guess with the others needing loving it comes down to who should get Link? I'll always think Zelda is best for him, and deserves him the most as well.

Well, before I begin here, I should say that I favor the reincarnation theory for the Zelda games- it's just the way I've always seen it, and it makes perfect sense to me. ^^; I know not everyone agrees with it though, but lets see if I can explain my own feelings on the matter in a way that should be acceptable to everyone.

The only one with who bloodline matters is Zelda, since she's of the royal house and her character has always been associated with that calling. With Link, the bloodline doesn't matter as much because his character isn't as tied to a bloodline as the way Zelda's is. Link is always going to be Hylian, always going to start from a simple begining. His bloodline is always going to be vague and unknown.

Now, for the romance aspect of things, even if Link had to be related by blood to the previous one- which I don't believe he has to-, I don't see the incest thing being a problem for a few reasons. First off, there's a great deal of time between one game and another- we're never given an exact number of years, but long enough that monuments crumble and are forgotten, legends fade, the landscapes completely alter, races die out or evolve, and all sorts of things. That sort of thing takes hundreds of years, if not more. With that in mind, if Zelda and Link did marry, by the time the next game rolls around so much time has passed that their descendends have branched out so far that some are no longer tied as closely by blood or relation, and are no longer considered a part of the same family. If you follow family tree lines, you can see how easy that happens. Really, if you look hard enough everyone is related to everyone else, so it's not a valid argument that Zelink is incest unless they can prove that Link and Zelda are either siblings or 1st/2nd cousins.

There is also the possibility that the various Zelda games do not follow one another at all. The main events and central characters are the same in nearly the entire series, but that doesn't mean that the games have any relevance to the other (except for those that continue certain stories). Impa appears in the original Zelda, so does that mean she's related to the one in Oot? Highly unlikely, since it was quite obvious that Oot emerged without following a preceding version of the game. What I'm trying to say is that the games could be different versions of the same story, like there are different versions of fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Snow White. It's obvious that Oot didn't follow the preceding storyline, so isn't it safe to say that the only sequels are the ones that continue the same storyline (WW fits into following MM)? Thus it can be argued that Link and Zelda are not related at all.

The only Zelda games that have theories of Link and Zelda being related are ALTTP and OOT/MM that I know of. Mainly because of their unusually close bond makes it seem like Link and Zelda might be brother and sister or twins. But they are just theories nonetheless. I know AOL Link and Zelda are not related. I hope not since this is the only Link and Zelda proven to actually have a romantic relationship while the other incarnations are just close friends or formal aquaintances.

But yeah...I agree with the whole generations being far removed between the various Links and Zeldas to be incest. In TP, if Link were to be romantically involved with Zelda and have children with her, then it would not be incest if they were descended from an OOT Link and Zelda marriage. But if OOT Link and Zelda married different people then it wouldn't even matter anyway.

To all these:

Alantie: I've never favoured the reincarnation theory, but I do look at it as each Link regardless of who they are ( some seem very different in personality, OoT vs WW Link for example ) having a common destiny, not only to be a hero, but to end up with Zelda. I think other love interests will appear ( and he might like them ) but in the end, Zelda will always win.

I am glad to see someone else realizes such a simple truth: incest is not incest unless it's within a generation or two. I actually would propose that the chances of Link and Zelda being distantly related are not remote: look at ALTTP ( and WW too among others. ) The Hylian blood ( seen by traits, ears notably ) is said to be thin. But Link and Zelda both have strong traits of it. This could be well because they come from the same gene pool. They'd have to. ( Science is my area of study in real life, btw, so it's a pet peeve. ) Anyways, I'm not advocating for any incest, but saying it's not the big or likely deal that some people make it out to be.

TM: TP is after MM, and WW after Adult OoT ( Link was sent back and didn't exist after that point in that timeline. ) WW Link therefore cannot be a descendant of OoT Link.

So whats up on the statue of OOT Link in WW?? I always wondered why OOT Zelda had that demi-god like statue of Link made for.