"Individual entity of chaos and big sister-ness"*

^Women post things like this, propositioning childbearing as an inherent flaw and challenge to women's liberation. They claim that it's either women OR children who are deserving of respect, recognition, and protection. They never stop to ask why it is never both who are worthy of it.

The result of such a limited and bigoted mindset is overwhelmingly deplorable. The child, especially before birth, is a hinderance to tolerate at best, even if the child is wanted and chosen. The woman puts up with their existence for the sake of practicality or sentimentality. At worst, children are the problem that leads to more overt forms of patriarchal oppression.

In their eyes, either the woman is destined for great things, or she must give it up entirely to give the great things to the child. Abortion then is used as an equalizer to "protect" women from the evils that would befall them as caused by children.

But what if abortion was never about liberation from oppression, but acceptance of it?

Have you forgotten that proto-feminism and first wave feminism were created and sustained by mothers? Why is it that since the second wave of modern feminism, mothers have been left behind? Abortion was legalized well before maternity leave was enforced. Birth control with horrendous side effects were forced as the only option for avoiding pregnancy, before marital rape was outlawed. Obstetric violence was accepted as the norm by childfree women who fearmonger about birth, at the expense of normalizing midwifery led care and birth justice. Why do "progressive" feminists and red pillers both see women as inferior for their childbearing potential and status? They say the same thing, just with different words and different arguments. Either a woman is liberated/too loose, or she is shackled/dutifully impregnated.

The Madonna/Whore complex is gone, and now replaced by something far more sinister: The Slave Mother/Free Woman complex. It relies on the killing of innocent children for an evil world that they had no part in creating, and on the enslavement of childbearing women who are seen as inferior for daring to utilize their non-male biology.

You cannot expect liberation for women OR children so long as you allow oppressors to pit them against each other. I was not my mother's enemy before, during, and after birth. Neither are you. If you want to know your enemy, look at the ones who immediately open handcuffs for the woman who becomes pregnant, and mocks anyone who says they shouldn't.

So long as children have to die through abortion, infant exposure, child abuse, and trafficking as linked to women's oppression, then we will continue to see women continually shackled by their own biology, by THEIR own offspring. We will continue to see the wage gap for mothers, continue to see birthing women die from medical negligence, continue to watch women be coerced into abortions they didn't want by their community, we will continue to watch as women and children are isolated from society, culture, and political influence.

Only one group benefits from this unnatural system of subjugation, and the children never had a say in that system's formation. YOU know EXACTLY who benefits from this oppression.

My "reply" to the art above is this: Both mother and child were always destined for greatness. The people who deny this equity are the ones who want you browbeaten into subjugation.

And I know damn well feminists can do better than that.

The first paragraph is just so fascinating to me. The idea that Hyrule experienced a period of unrest after the events of ALTTP, and that it was dire enough that Link was called in to help? Oh the implications are so interesting to consider 👀

What was the threat that the people feared? The return of Ganon? Another Agahnim who would betray them? Outside countries threatening war? People seeking the now complete Triforce? Hyrule could be SO vulnerable as far as we know!

And the fact that it's Link who takes it upon himself to assuage the fears of the people. To defend his homeland. There's so many more implications to consider! Did he do it willingly? Did he accept his kingdom's burdens as his own? Did he choose for himself to sail away from Hyrule?

OR, was he possibly forced into it? Did he feel like he had no choice? I can't help but wonder what the political situation is like in Hyrule at this time. Is the King counting on Link? Are they treating the hero as their strongest weapon? Their last line of defense? Did they recruit Link to go and fight this unseen evil?

And the Zelink content. Of course, there's the Zelink content to consider.

Just imagine how Zelda feels about all of this. Her people are restless. Her father feels powerless. Link seems to be the one thing which everyone can safely place their hopes in. He'll stave off the darkness. He'll find the wisdom needed to save their kingdom. But I don't think Zelda wishes for that at all. She'd beg and plead for him not to go. She doesn't want him to be used. To be their weapon. To be endangered by some terrifying, unknown evil lurking on the horizon.

And again, just think of the political possibilities 👀 What if Link wished to marry Zelda, but he couldn't do so while the kingdom is restless. Like the King could never bless their union during such trying times. But if Link were to do this service for Hyrule, then he might reconsider. It's so tragic to think about. But so romantically rich as well. The simple thought that Link sails away to not only save his people, but to fight for the love of his life as well. A love that remains at the shore, worrying endlessly for him. Wow wow WOW.

And then we get to the Marin parallels. I can hardly believe how explicit the text is when it comes to drawing similarities between Zelda and Marin. Sure, Link might be a little delusional when he initially awakens, but the text makes these assertions with such certainty. You hear the voice of Princess Zelda. You find Princess Zelda standing over you. For a moment, however brief, Link is SURE that the girl before him is someone who he is very familiar with 👀

And this makes room for a whole other slew of theories hehe. Is Link's mind helping to shape the Wind Fish's dream? Is the sense of salvation defined by waking up at Zelda's side? Does Link form such a natural friendship with her because Marin seems so familiar to him?

I especially love the detail of Zelda and Marin sharing the same voice. Like, this means that the vocals we hear from Marin in the LA Switch remake are technically Zelda's voice. And Link is hearing this. The voice of a girl he cares for, while he's stranded on an island far from home. Can't you just feel how much his heart is being twisted by stuff like this? 😱😭

(I also just really love the detail that Marin/Zelda's voice was a comfort to Link while he was drowning. ALTTP Zelink is so real yall 💯)

open your draft

stare at the screen

ahsoka doods

Archery x flower arranging

This was actually really fun!

Anyway, don’t forget I’m still raising money to test a bunch of things in a suit of armour:

“Fine, fine,” I grumble. “I have a few options for payment: I could give you paper money, cheap gaudy jewelry, chocolate coins, spiders, some pretty seashells-”

“Spiders????” he repeats, baffled.

“Spiders it is, then,” I agree equitably, and with a wave of my hand the bed I’ve been sleeping in for the last week turns into a writhing mass of various spiders.

Worth it.

—

“Stop right there! You’re under arrest for fraud, destruction of property, and-!”

I yawn. “Didn’t ask, don’t care.” A few gestures, and the guards’ swords are all transmuted into spiders, and then they’re too busy to worry about little ol’ me.

—

“You have insulted my honor and humiliated me in front of my children! I demand satisfaction! I demand a wizard’s duel!”

Shrugging, I say, “Sure, okay, whatever. Right here and now okay?”

The pompous wizard-noble blinks. “I- you don’t want to prepare? Get your wizard’s staff or anything?”

“Nah, I’m pretty good with somatic gestures.”

“Well, if you’re sure… here and now then! Have at you!” He slams his staff down on the ground dramatically, a small shockwave of fire radiating out from the impact.

So of course, I turn his staff into spiders.

“AHHHH WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK”

“So if you’re too busy screaming to cast spells, does that mean I win?”

“AUGH ONE OF THEM BIT ME”

“I’m taking that as a yes.”

—

After that, they start coming at me in waves, with cheap wands and staves and swords and bows bought in bulk, hoping to exhaust my magical reserves so they can get close enough to put a magic inhibitor on me.

They did not expect my reserves to be as vast as they were, not did they expect me to be able to transmute the inhibitors themselves into spiders.

“Didn’t you take Magic Basics in wizard college?” I yell at the panicking mages. “Inhibitors aren’t immune to magic until the moment they activate! Serious weak point in the design, tell your magitechnicians to fix that!”

—

So of course they try assassins next.

Poison fails, because I transmute any food and drink I get into spiders and then transmute them back. Pretty easy way to get rid of poison.

So then they try knives in dark alleys. The knives bruise through my full-body spider-silk outfit, but do not penetrate, and they only get one shot before they have bigger problems.

Next is killing me in my sleep. None live to report back that the human-shaped lump under the blankets is actually a mass of highly venomous spiders.

The kingdom throws everything it has at me, and I continue to walk away, heralded by the chittering of spiders and the screams of everyone else.

—

Finally, I stand before the king himself in his overly opulent throne room, and by now he is a broken shell of a man in the face of my unorthodox tactics.

Good.

“What do you want?” he practically sobs. “You’ve singlehandedly redirected the entire crown’s budget for the next three years into replacing every weapon you’ve turned into spiders. Much more and we’ll be invaded by our neighbors! We wouldn’t be able to resist being annexed! So what can I give you to make you stop doing this?!”

I pause and pretend to consider, tapping a finger against my chin thoughtfully. “You know, you sent my brother off to war a few years back. That conflict with the Yughs up north, I believe. He didn’t want to go, so your guards forced him at spearpoint. I haven’t seen him since.”

He seizes on that, as I expected. “Yes, yes, I’ll have him returned right away! Tell me his name and I’ll honorably release him from duty and have him escorted safely home!”

“Oh?” I raise one sardonic eyebrow. “Are you able to bring back the dead now, oh wise and glorious king?”

He pales, and it’s the most satisfying thing I’ve seen in years.

“You have nothing I want,” I growl, letting the anger slip through for the first time in years. “You cannot bring him back, you cannot make up for my loss with all the riches in your kingdom. The only thing I want is to take everything from you, the way you did to me. Your kingdom will bleed out of resources, one of the neighboring countries you’ve been trying to conquer for decades now will take advantage and annex this place, and you will either be executed or forced to work for a living for the first time in your life.”

I glare at him, and he refuses to meet my eyes. “You will lose everything you ever cared about in your life. One spider at a time.”

I transmute his throne and crown into spiders (non-deadly; he doesn’t get to escape my wrath that easily), then turn and walk away, ignoring his screams and sobs.

—

And that’s why, when the Yughs finally annexed the kingdom I grew up in, they preemptively made Transarachnomancy a forbidden magical art. Not sure how they intend to enforce that, mind, but I’m not looking to challenge that. I’ve gotten what I wanted; if some other aspiring mage wants to try and follow in my footsteps, that’s not my problem.

Besides, in terms of magical skill, I’ve always been an outlier anyway. Most mages would be lucky to turn just one knife into a spider at a time; I can turn ten thousand with a few gestures. I doubt anyone will outdo my legacy.