My Inner Life

My Inner Life was published on Fanfiction.Net sometime around 2000-2002 by the author Link's Queen (also known as Jenna). It ran for the equivalent of 20 chapters before LQ became bogged down with blacklash and the growing infamy of the story she treasured. She eventually deleted it and moved on to other interests and fandoms; however, you can still find a copy of it in its entirety right here.

Its spike in popularity has been arguably caused by the manwithoutabody dramatic readings on YouTube that began in January of 2010 and were finished in July of that same year. It has been sporked and criticized since its first appearance, but you can find its most notable 'sporking' here. It also appears on TV Tropes and there is a now-finished reenactment with the Sims 2 on YouTube that uses the audio of the manwithoutabody readings.

Plot
To say that My Inner Life had a plot would not be entirely accurate. The truth is that the fic encounters a number of rising actions, climaxes and denouments, which is not uncommon in fanfictions that are written around a Mary Sue character. It would, perhaps, be more fitting to say that My Inner Life is a series of vingettes strung together with the concept that it is a documentation of Jenna's life with Link. Considering that this is supposedly a record of dreams, it would more or less make sense that it would be a continuation of individual stories rather than one whole plot arc.

The story begins with Jenna's introduction and then primarily focuses on her rather speedy courtship with Link. The two are married within months of knowing each other. They then go on their honeymoon, come home to receive fairies, are bonded, Jenna gets pregnant, Link goes to war for a brief time, and then Link Jr. is born. The first part of the story moves rather slow with no real conflict and it is for this reason that it is often criticized for being boring.

We don't encounter real conflict or tension until Ruto shows up at their door during a snow storm and the two are then compelled back to the Water Temple to defeat Dark Link. It is here that Jenna discovers her power over the elements and her heritage as a Silverlite.

In between these are gratuitiously long (and biologically incorrect) erotic scenes and then we encounter Dalamar and have what is arguably the most intriguing part of the story.

Characters
It must be noted that characters outside of Link and Jenna do not get much of anything regarding development, mentions or dialogue. Any secondary character involvement is typically, in some way, connected to Link and/or Jenna and it does not appear that any of them have lives or existences outside of the two main characters (or if they do, LQ did not feel they were worth mentioning). Much like Link and Jenna, most of the secondary characters are bland and do not have or retain any defining characteristics (with the exception of Dalamar whose surprising amount of depth remains a mystery).

The characters that get the most mentions and appearances are those who were the closest to Link in the canon. Princess Zelda is the most reoccuring, followed by Saria, Ruto , Impa , King Zelda. Dalamar is, again, a remarkable exception to this rule, though it may have something to do with the fact that he is LQ's OC.

Themes
The usage of 'themes' seems like a rather strong way to describe how LQ deals with issues in this story, especially since most of it is unintentional and nothing more than a distraction from a more shallow intention.

Sexuality
Link and Jenna have frequent sex and in scenes that seem to drag on far longer than necessary. These are the instances in which we encounter some of the worst infractions against biology on the part of LQ. For example, Jenna is told at one point that having sex while pregnant will "help make the baby stronger". The female orgasm is depicted as being troublingly abundant in discharge, so much so that at one point they "gushed down Link's legs, the juices dripping down his side and onto the floor".

Misogyny
Despite the fact that LQ undoubtedly wanted to depict Jenna as strong, powerful, and capable, there are a lot of subtextual suggestions to the fact that she held some personally archaic views of a woman's role versus that of a man's. Jenna laments not being able to stay in Hyrule with Link at the beginning of the story, as she has obligations as a merchant in other lands. However, when Link proposes to her all of these obligations are miraculously voided, suggesting that LQ believes once a woman is married she should no longer work. Besides that, Jenna seems to not have any higher aspirations than getting married to Link and bearing his beautiful children. Though Princess Zelda is the person Link and Jenna always seek out whenever they need wisdom and advice, she is characterized as being "almost as powerful as Rauru". The other women characters in the story with established, romantic interests in Link (Malon and Ruto) are never granted other options or seen accomplishing anything or given any suggestion to the fact that they've moved on outside of Ruto's alleged promise and Malon singing at Link's wedding. At one point in the story, Ruto is described as silly, irresponsible, and as never obeying her father's words, thusly, always getting into trouble.

To sum up, it is easy to conclude that LQ believes women, no matter how capable, need a male presence in their life to be sustained. Jenna is always being calmed down or patronized by Link, Ruto, Malon and Zelda are written as depending heavily on their fathers and will never be as powerful as some male figure out there, simply because of the fact that they have uteri.

Plot/Story Outline
I. Author's Notes

II. Prologue

III. The Beginning

IV. The Wedding

V. The Honeymoon

VI. Back In Hyrule

VII. A New Life

VIII. The Bonding(4)

A. The Mental Bonding

B. The Physical Bonding

C. The Spiritual Bonding

D. The Sexual Bonding

E. The Final Stretch

F. A Few Loose Ends

IX. The Separation

X. The Reunion

XI. The Miracle

XII. The Blessing

XIII. Down The Road

XIV. The Encounter

XV. The Final Fight

XVI. A Newfound Power

XVII. Life Resumes (Anniversary Night)

XVIII. A New Friend

XIX. Evading the Shadow

XX. Path of Darkness (Planned Chapters)