I hate Midna

I'm sure Link would have to get over Midna one day. And Zelda does respect Link for sure but thats the only vibe I got from her. Plus the more mature and womanly TP Zelda seems that she would more likely be attracted to a mentally mature man instead of an unusually shy teenage boy like Link. But like I said LinkxZelda in TP needs time to grow as well as Link growing from an awkward teenager into his own man. And if LinkxZelda in TP did ever become a reality, I would like to think Link would love Zelda for herself instead of loving her because she reminds him of Midna.

I totally agree there, MalonsLover.

He should see more of the world as it is. All he saw until now was his peaceful isolated village, the Twilight, and bits of the open world and the city as he was saving them.
To even stand a chance with Zelda, he should meet her people first.
I do believe Link left Ordon at the end of TP, because his innocence was cracked, and as someone with the heart of a hero, he couldn't just repair it and go back to cuddle in Ilia's arms, knowing there are all kinds of people out there and all kinds of injustices.
There are conflicts to be solved, battles to be fought.
And they are not always caused by monsters.
Zelda wouldn't let herself fall for someone who only knows how to herd goats and handle weapons like no else else. She needs someone who knows a lot, from what kind of problems a merchant faces to how come some people can't afford medical care, and what can be done to solve these problems.
*Sigh* That's what fanfics are for, since I don't believe they'll be adding anything to TP. Just the way they keep saying they want something ''new''.
Loved Midna, but I don't want her back. It'll make the ending officially useless and random in my opinion. Maybe a flashback, MM style.

I'd like to bring one more point to your Zelda & Midna analogy I've noticed long time ago: their music themes. Since I'm a musician myself, I believe I tend to pick up on this matter faster than other game details. Basically, Zelda's Lullaby main melody is composed by a group of three notes repeated twice: a medium one, then a higher one, and finally a lower one. With Midna's Desperate Hour main melody, we have quite the same melody structure (group of three notes repeated twice), however following an inverted pattern from Zelda's Lullaby notes positions: a lower note, then a higher one, and finally a medium one.

To illustrate my point, I'm gonna try to "draw" the notes movements as written in sheet music:

Zelda's Lullaby: - ~ _ - ~ _
Midna's Desperate Hour: _ ~ - _ ~ -

They look like mirrored melodies. If you play them together, you will notice that they form a harmony.

Back on the topic, yes, I completely agree with Twilight Mistress' whole post. In fact, I believe Link and Zelda holding hands was the strongest clue concerning romantic interest shown in the game. You know, Japanese culture has lots of tradition and they are often very cautious and implicit with such matters. But when it comes to taking a step on those sensible grounds, they know exactly how to do it without crossing the boundaries of overacting. Why am I saying that? Simply because we have to remember that the series creators are Japanese, and their beliefs and points of view on the world might as well influence their art. That's why we know ZeLink exists without the need of having more explicit evidences in the first place.

Also, what makes me believe Link ultimately considered Midna as a good friend in the end is the fact that people in general feel attracted (romantically) by their similar. Midna was the "other side of the coin" to Zelda's Light. So she probably would have to find Link's Shadow side of the coin* if she was even looking for a romantic interest, and since Link is from the Light World. Shadow and Light cannot mix; rather, they can live in harmony.

In conclusion, Link is a Hylian and Midna, a Twili. All the affection he might have shown towards the Twilight Princess is not enough for me to call it romantic at all. On the other hand, holding hands is a specific gesture of fondness only lovers usually share.

* I don't believe Link's "Shadow side of the coin" in this case would be Dark Link. First because he's not a Twili, but possibly a Dark Interloper, which is a tribe consisted of true evil deeds (not the case of the Twili people). Second, because I believe there should be a Dark Zelda as well, which leads, of course, to the possibility of a Dark ZeLink.

EDIT: After finishing reading the thread, I realized you guys had already pointed out the reversed music themes issue. I made this post before reading it completely. So, sorry about the repetition, but take it as a reinforcement.

This post has been edited by Cíntia on Apr 11 2011, 05:55 AM