[ SECRET POST #5984 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #5984 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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[Criminal Minds]



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[Harry Chapin]



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[Harry Potter]



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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 11 secrets from Secret Submission Post #855.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I feel the same. I think canon gender swapping is a slippery slope and the results are usually pretty bad (though there are times it makes sense, like Doctor Who). Link has a very distinct personality to me that just doesn’t translate. The character would have to be completely rewritten and at that point it isn’t the same character, it’s a replacement.
I think for me part of the disconnect with that section of the fandom is that I don’t understand why Link needs to be gender swapped in the first place. It isn’t like us girls aren’t allowed to play the game or something; I’ve been playing Zelda games since the first one came out around 30~ years ago. And the character IS a character, not merely an avatar; he has some consistent traits across incarnations but isn’t really fleshed out which makes it easier to project onto him. But I’ve never known anyone who projects themselves to that extent, it’s pretty specifically role-playing. Which, heh, it does happen to be a role-playing game. If fans don’t like playing the role, then why are they fans?

[(Anonymous)]

I haven't played the game, so this is a genuinely curious question: what qualities does Link have that couldn't be translated into a female character?

(On the face of it, a lightweight, delicately framed character is v. easy to read as female. So is all the high-jumping Link seems to do.)

[(Anonymous)]

This ^^

[(Anonymous)]

I think for me part of the disconnect with that section of the fandom is that I don’t understand why Link needs to be gender swapped in the first place.

Same, honestly. Not to mention that, hello, Zelda? Zelda is awesome. We have so many different Zeldas who are all awesome! Sometimes Zelda is even more awesome and plot-relevant than Link, and she's definitely way more developed as an actual character. Link has always been just sort of bland to me, it's Zelda who is the interesting one.

[(Anonymous)]

Zelda is almost always removed from the story with little to no agency, though. Like, how many fucking times does she end up the damsel in distress? All of them?

[(Anonymous)]

It’s not a slippery slope.

Link has a very distinct personality to me that just doesn’t translate.

Doesn’t translate to what? His distinct personality isn’t his gender. That’s intentional on the creator’s part.

The character would have to be completely rewritten and at that point it isn’t the same character, it’s a replacement.

Untrue. The character would not have to be completely rewritten. It’s weird to suggest otherwise, especially because you’ve provided no examples of what about being male is so essential to the character or his personality. A female Link would not be a “replacement” any more than the different Links we already get in almost every game.

It isn’t like us girls aren’t allowed to play the game or something; I’ve been playing Zelda games since the first one came out around 30~ years ago.

So have I, and many others who would love to see a female Link. We’re just as valid as fans.

And the character IS a character, not merely an avatar;

Very true. And nothing about that is tied into his gender.

If fans don’t like playing the role, then why are they fans?

Fans love playing the role. They love playing all the different Links, exploring all the distinctions between them, but also what ties them all together as a legacy. We’re fans because we’re fans. It’s absurd to ask why someone is a fan just for wanting a character that already changes constantly to have one specific change. It wouldn’t “ruin” the character. And you’re completely ignoring that there’s entire games beyond just the player character of Link. Not only are people that want a female Link just as valid of a fan as you are, but they also can appreciate the whole experience without acting like one small difference would make a game unplayable, a world unraveled. They honestly sound like they’re even bigger fans because of how they love to explore the canon, explore the possibilities, and don’t treat the whole thing like “role-play” like you

[(Anonymous)]

The character would not have to be completely rewritten.

They would, though? Because being raised and socialized as male is completely different from being raised and socialized as female. That's just a fact.

[(Anonymous)]

... You, er, understand that some women like to wear trousers, right? Do their own handyman tasks? Run around and get muddy? Learn fencing or martial arts? These are not unwomanly behaviours.

[(Anonymous)]

It's way more than just that. Ask any trans woman, they'll tell you what a shock it is to go from being perceived as male to being perceived as female in terms of how you're treated by others.

[(Anonymous)]

Buddy, I'm talking as someone who wears trousers, does my own handymanning, and once learned martial arts.

There is nothing about what Link wears, or the adventures the character goes on, that makes me think, 'a girl couldn't do that'.

I'm not talking about trans people. They're valid, but that's not the point. I'm talking about the range of things girls do. It's like you're blanking on a large swathe of humanity because they don't like to wear frills. (Again, people who like frills are valid.) 'Girl' isn't a ghetto. Okay?

[(Anonymous)]

LMAO you couldn't be missing the point harder if you tried.

It has nothing to do with how you dress or what you like to do or anything like that. Women are perceived by society differently and treated differently than men, which informs their worldview and personality and how they react to things. Societal gender roles and perceptions are a thing. How many times do little boys get told to "man up and stop crying" whereas we let little girls go ahead and cry?

A girl Link would not be the same as a boy Link. Which isn't to say that there's anything wrong with the idea of a girl Link, but to say it would be the same character as a boy Link simply isn't true.