diff --git a/.github/build.sh b/.github/build.sh
index ddd42a9cc..6ea2ec925 100755
--- a/.github/build.sh
+++ b/.github/build.sh
@@ -138,24 +138,32 @@ if [[ -d build ]]; then
 	rm -r build
 fi
 
+c_args=
+c_link_args=
+if [[ $BSH_HOST_PLATFORM-$BSH_HOST_LIBC != windows-msvc ]]; then
+	c_args+=\'-ffunction-sections\',
+	c_args+=\'-fdata-sections\',
+	if [[ $BSH_HOST_PLATFORM == darwin ]]; then
+		c_link_args+=\'-Wl,-dead_strip\',
+	else
+		c_link_args+=\'-Wl,--gc-sections\',
+	fi
+fi
+if [[ $BSH_HOST_PLATFORM == darwin ]]; then
+	if [[ $BSH_HOST_ARCH == aarch64 ]]; then
+		c_args+=\'-mmacosx-version-min=11.0\',
+		c_link_args+=\'-mmacosx-version-min=11.0\',
+	else
+		c_args+=\'-mmacosx-version-min=10.9\',
+		c_link_args+=\'-mmacosx-version-min=10.9\',
+	fi
+fi
+
 meson_configure=meson
 if [[ $BSH_DEBUG_RELEASE == release ]]; then
 	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dbuildtype=debugoptimized
 fi
 meson_configure+=$'\t'-Db_strip=false
-meson_configure+=$'\t'-Db_pie=false
-if [[ $BSH_HOST_PLATFORM-$BSH_HOST_LIBC != windows-msvc ]]; then
-	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dc_args=[\'-ffunction-sections\',\'-fdata-sections\']
-	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dcpp_args=[\'-ffunction-sections\',\'-fdata-sections\']
-	if [[ $BSH_HOST_PLATFORM == darwin ]]; then
-		meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dc_link_args=[\'-Wl,-dead_strip\']
-		meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dcpp_link_args=[\'-Wl,-dead_strip\']
-	else
-		meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dc_link_args=[\'-Wl,--gc-sections\']
-		meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dcpp_link_args=[\'-Wl,--gc-sections\']
-	fi
-fi
-meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dworkaround_gcc_no_pie=true
 meson_configure+=$'\t'-Db_staticpic=false
 meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dinstall_check=true
 meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dmod_id=$MOD_ID
@@ -166,9 +174,23 @@ fi
 if [[ $BSH_STATIC_DYNAMIC == static ]]; then
 	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dstatic=prebuilt
 	if [[ $BSH_HOST_PLATFORM == windows ]]; then
-		meson_configure+=$'\t'-Db_vscrt=static_from_buildtype
+		if [[ $BSH_HOST_LIBC == msvc ]]; then
+			meson_configure+=$'\t'-Db_vscrt=static_from_buildtype
+		else
+			c_link_args+=\'-static\',
+			c_link_args+=\'-static-libgcc\',
+			c_link_args+=\'-static-libstdc++\',
+		fi
+	elif [[ $BSH_HOST_PLATFORM == linux ]]; then
+		c_link_args+=\'-static-libgcc\',
+		c_link_args+=\'-static-libstdc++\',
 	fi
 fi
+if [[ $BSH_HOST_PLATFORM == linux ]] && [[ $BSH_HOST_ARCH != aarch64 ]]; then
+	# certain file managers can't run PIEs https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=737849
+	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Db_pie=false
+	c_link_args+=\'-no-pie\',
+fi
 stable_or_beta=no
 if [[ $RELEASE_TYPE == beta ]]; then
 	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dbeta=true
@@ -274,6 +296,10 @@ ANDROID_INI
 	meson_configure+=$'\t'--cross-file=.github/android-ghactions.ini
 	meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dhttp=false
 fi
+meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dc_args=[$c_args]
+meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dcpp_args=[$c_args]
+meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dc_link_args=[$c_link_args]
+meson_configure+=$'\t'-Dcpp_link_args=[$c_link_args]
 $meson_configure build
 cd build
 if [[ $BSH_BUILD_PLATFORM == windows ]]; then
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 6930aefb5..c2cc196db 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -208,9 +208,6 @@ else
 			'-DUNICODE',
 			'-D_UNICODE',
 		]
-		if is_static and host_platform != 'android'
-			project_link_args += [ '-static', '-static-libgcc', '-static-libstdc++' ]
-		endif
 	endif
 	if not is_debug
 		args_ccomp += [
@@ -220,30 +217,14 @@ else
 			'-fomit-frame-pointer',
 		]
 	endif
-	if host_platform == 'darwin'
-		if host_arch == 'aarch64'
-			macosx_version_min = [ '-mmacosx-version-min=11.0' ]
-		else
-			macosx_version_min = [ '-mmacosx-version-min=10.9' ]
-		endif
-		args_ccomp += macosx_version_min
-		project_link_args += macosx_version_min
-	endif
 	if host_platform == 'android'
 		if not is_64bit
 			args_ccomp += [ '-U_FILE_OFFSET_BITS' ]
 		endif
+		# android doesn't ship libc++_shared.so, so we might as well link it statically;
+		# the alternative would be to grab libc++_shared.so from the NDK and ship it with
+		# the app alongside libpowder.so, and possibly add it to SDL's list of libraries to load
 		project_link_args += [ '-static-libstdc++' ]
-	else
-		if not get_option('b_pie') and get_option('workaround_gcc_no_pie') # nice one, meson
-			if host_arch != 'aarch64' # no position independent executable for aarch64
-				if c_compiler.get_id() in [ 'clang' ]
-					project_link_args += [ '-Wl,-no_pie' ]
-				else
-					project_link_args += [ '-no-pie' ]
-				endif
-			endif
-		endif
 	endif
 	project_c_args += args_ccomp + [
 		'-Wno-implicit-fallthrough',
@@ -285,10 +266,6 @@ if host_platform == 'windows'
 			endif
 		endforeach
 	endif
-elif host_platform == 'linux'
-	if is_static
-		project_link_args += [ '-static-libgcc', '-static-libstdc++' ]
-	endif
 endif
 
 if host_platform == 'darwin' and lua_variant == 'luajit' and host_arch != 'aarch64'