When I played Link’s Awakening on the original chonky Game Boy in 1993, I hopped aboard my very first romantic ship. Each encounter between Link and Marin throughout the game utterly enthralled me. Marin’s cute little outfit, her beautiful singing, and the way she teased Link all set the hero’s heart (and mine) aflutter. While Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild feature more clear-cut romances for Link, the blossoming relationship I witnessed on that tiny, sickly green, 8-bit screen that you could only see if you tilted it towards the light has forever captured my heart. No doubt about it, I’m a Marink supporter for life!
In their art piece entitled “Link and Marin”, Torkirby perfectly captures the budding romance between the storm-tossed adventurer and the girl from the village who’s seeking more.
First, let’s take a look at how our lovely Koholint maiden is portrayed in this picture. Marin’s hands and eyes are the elements that stand out to me the most here. Her hands are clasped together in a manner somewhat reminiscent of a prayer. Perhaps the song that she dedicates to the Wind Fish is not just a beautiful ballad, but also a plea that reflects her heart’s desire: to see more of the world.
The fact that Marin’s eyes are closed also caught my attention. While many singers close their eyes during particularly emotional passages in their songs, I think that Marin is also signaling that she trusts Link and feels completely safe around him. If she feared his judgement or felt threatened by him, I’m pretty sure that she would have her eyes wide open. After all, it’s harder to shield yourself from an attack if you can’t see it!
Before examining Link, it’s worth nothing that, while Link and Marin’s bodies are spaced apart a bit, their heads are practically smooshed together. Through this, Torkirby emphasizes the close bond between the singer and the ocarina player.
Link mirrors Marin on the right side of the piece, and like Marin, his adorable eyes tell a story about their relationship. Link is peering at his musical partner with one open eye, which, based on my previous comments, would suggest that Link is wary of the island girl. But there’s something about the look that allows us to quickly dismiss that theory. With his sideways glance, Link makes it clear that he absolutely adores this maiden. It’s almost as if he’s reflecting on how amazing Marin is and mentally crunching the numbers to determine just how far out of his league she is. It’s unfortunate that the Hylian hero will never truly know.
In the background, we see some musical notes swirling up, reminding the audience of the beautiful “Ballad of the Wind Fish” and urging those of us who have played Link’s Awakening to welcome the tune back into our brains indefinitely. The shape of the music is particularly intriguing; it’s narrow at the bottom and widens out at the top, similar to a tornado. This imbues the piece with sadness, for as close as Link and Marin may be, a boy from the waking world and the girl of his dreams could never be together. Just as a tornado rips apart everything in its path, these two lovers are ripped apart by destiny as their respective worlds pull them down different paths.
Though Torkirby’s piece initially seems like just a pretty tribute to the fan-favorite couple, there’s a surprising amount of emotion conveyed through the eyes and in Marin’s tightly clasped, desperately pleading hands. The swirling storm of musical notes also breaks our hearts, because we know that Marink was never meant to be. It lifts us up, gently brings us down, and then leaves us to go wipe the tears from our eyes.
