If you don’t already know what this post is going to be about, allow me to provide some context:

Today Feminist Frequency (and Anita Sarkeesian by extension) made the following tweets, presumably to clarify her views on Linkle in light of her apparent hypocrisy:

In these three tweets Anita is clarifying her views — not quite backpedaling or moving the goalposts, but I still find her argument weak nonetheless.

What exactly is she saying here? That because Linkle is a separate character, for a spin-off of the Zelda series and not part of the main series itself, she’s simply not good enough? Well first off, isn’t having any kind of new female character in the Zelda universe, no matter how insignificant they may be, a step in the right direction? Is there really any need to dismiss the character out of hand as ‘a kid-sister version of Link in a non-core-Zelda 3DS game’, when hardly any information has been released about her? Sure, it’s not the most original design, but that’s a little harsh.

Besides, what Anita claims to dislike is that because Linkle ‘is so clearly set apart from Link, Linkle only works to reinforce the notion of ‘male as default’’. OK, and how is having a bonafide, analogous female Link in a flagship Zelda game not reinforcing ‘male as default’?

What I’m understanding here is Anita wants a female Link that for all intents and purposes is Link, but simultaneously a separate character to male Link, so as to avoid becoming a Ms. Male character? That’s quite the conundrum. It’s not like Nintendo could do much to distinguish her; Link isn’t exactly a rich well of character depth; how much personality can you add to a mute adventurer who’s pretty much a blank state and whose sole characteristic is being heroic?

Link has always been a male character since the first Zelda, and as long as a female Link took on the mantle of Link, we would only see her as a derivation of the ‘male default’ Link that we have come to know, no matter how different her personality or appearance was.

The only way of truly escaping the ‘male default’ trap would be to create a new default, a new character to build the game around, with no canonical strings attached.

Or better yet, why not have a Zelda game where you actually fucking play as Princess Zelda, and have to save Link? Then you’d actually be doing something fresh and subversive, as opposed to a lazy gender-swap (how would the relationship between female Link and Zelda work, anyway? Would they be lesbians..?).

Long story short: you can’t have your cake and eat it Anita. Either you’re in favour of a female Link that will always be seen as a Ms Male character, or you want what looks like a female version of Link, but is a separate character in her own right like Linkle (yes the name could be better).

And you said you want a female Link, hmm..?

You honestly just can’t win with the likes of Anita. Can you imagine what a conversation between an SJW demanding a female Link and Nintendo would be like?

SJW: Umm so yeah don’t you think it’s about time we had a female Link? Nintendo: *Introduces Linkle to Hyrule Warriors*

SJW: No no, not a second rate female Link that’s a separate character, we want an actual female Link in a Zelda game!

Nintendo: *Makes a Zelda game with female Link, making sure she is just as strong and capable as male Link*

SJW: OMFG, so you just made a female Link that’s exactly the same as male Link?? That’s LITERALLY the definition of a Ms. Male character!!

Nintendo: *Gives female Link distinguishing features and traits to separate her from male Link, sweats profusely*

SJW: Are you fucking kidding me? So you gave her gender normative traits just because she’s a woman?? Fuck you and your female stereotypes!!

Nintendo: *Begs for forgiveness, commits seppuku*