#chooseboth

[flaming-o-has-no-dough]

The Chainsaw Man Chooseboth Video Post

For a while now I've been trying to get started making YouTube videos so that I can externalize some of my least absurd thoughts and neuroses in a way which could profitably be added to my "Cool Creative Person Résumé"... but, uh, I've been having a hell of a month and a half. So, add to that the facts that a key component of my microphone setup has been cleft in twain and I'm uncomfortable with my voice as it is now, and I think YouTube is officially going on the backburner.

But I have all sorts of thoughts and feelings about the narrative pieces Chainsaw Man Part 2 has been moving around, and I'm so out of touch with the CSM community that for all I know, my thoughts and feelings might even be uncommon. So I didn't want to just completely abandon my plans to externalize them, so... here, you're getting This. Or you can just ignore the button which says

Chainsaw Man is one of my favorite stories of all time. In fact, even if it were just Part 1 alone, I'd put it in my S-Tier of media, alongside Deltarune (presuming future chapters don't disappoint), Everything Everywhere All At Once, Little Miss Sunshine, Picture of Dorian Grey (unless I ever reread it and it's not as good as I remember it being), and, presuming the third movie doesn't disappoint, Spider-Verse.

you can tell i'm a filthy zillennial because only two of the things on that list are from before the 2010s and only one of those is from before the 2000s

Speaking of Spider-Man, I don't read comics because I'm not a nerd.

But I have seen the original three movies, which is a large part of why the first part of CSM Part 2 which really hooked me was Denji's introduction (and I'm saying that as a massive fan of Asa who DOES like her more than I like Denji). And I do consider CSM Part 2 to have a Denji introduction, even though we already know who Denji is, because it immediately sets itself up as separate enough from Part 1 that I think it's worth analyzing as a separate work within the same franchise. And taking the first sequence in Part 2 which contains Denji as a character introduction makes it very interesting if I do say so myself.

For you see, I have watched that one Spider-Man movie which was just called Spider-Man because there weren't a million other ones yet so it didn't need any differentiators. And in that movie, Enemy Of Spider-Man called Green Person, says “Okie dokie now Spider-Man, choose which one to save, hot lady or whatever this is”.

Spider-Man, rather famously, doesn’t do it. Spider-Man chooses both.

Which brings us to Denji's Part 2 Introduction. In Chapter 102 Save the Cat, his enemy whose name I think is also Green Person says “You are a superhero now. That’s what you are now. Okie dokie now choose which one to save, hot dude or whatever this is”.

Denji doesn’t do it, but he doesn’t do it in the wrong way and chooses neither. He titularly saves a cat, hot dude and whatever this is both die.

Then we get a cut directly from a blood-and-gore-covered Denji saying "That choice was stupid, I did the correct thing rather than accepting either option" to a monolithic wall of televisions talking about how great and heroic Denji is. That’s not Spider-Man, that’s like, Homelander or some shit. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised at this point if Denji were a blonde horny manchild.

Basically, that's not how stories introduce their heroes. It's how stories introduce their villains.

So, extrapolating "Denji is the villain of CSM Part 2" to its logical conclusion, I came up with what I'll call the Unbreakable Cycles Theory. I don't want to spend too long explaining that theory because I no longer even think it's correct, so let's just hope you can understand what I mean when I say this:

Part 1: Denji is introduced, and a bizarre and unfortunate inciting incident gives him Devil Powers. -> He saves a girl from the Bat Devil -> He really likes the Control Devil [Makima], but even he can't ignore the fact that she has obvious flaws, too. -> Due to the Eternity Devil being enlisted by one of the major Big Bads, he must break an unbreakable cycle -> A lot of terrible things happen, and in the end, he has no choice but to kill his problematic fave the Control Devil

Part 2: Asa is introduced, and a bizarre and unfortunate inciting incident gives her Devil Powers. -> She saves a girl from the Bat Devil -> She really likes Denji, but even she can't ignore the fact that he has obvious flaws, too. -> Due to the Eternity Devil being enlisted by one of the major Big Bads, she must break an unbreakable cycle -> A lot of terrible things happen, and in the end, she has no choice but to kill her problematic fave Denji

Part 3: The Control Devil [Nayuta? Or a third incarnation?] is introduced, and a bizarre and unfortunate inciting incident occurs, although they already have Devil Powers. -> They save a girl from the Bat Devil -> They really like Asa [possibly non-romantic this time?], but even they can't ignore the fact that she has obvious flaws, too. -> Due to the Eternity Devil being enlisted by one of the major Big Bads, they must break an unbreakable cycle -> A lot of terrible things happen, and in the end, they have no choice to kill their problematic fave Asa (unless they can break the cycle FOR REAL this time, and put an end to the game of Rock-Paper-Scissors/Fire Emblem)

(bolded section is things which have already happened, non-bolded section is a potential extrapolation)

I do think the Unbreakable Cycles Theory is probably wrong, because CSM Part 2 has been playing with so many big moving narrative pieces and thematic ideas, while telling the story from Denji's POV a lot more often than I would have anticipated when making the theory.

Recently, in Chapters 133 and 135 (which, uh, WERE a lot more recent when I was initially making the YouTube version of this post, which was my fifth attempt at making my first YouTube video, if you want an idea of how much fruitless work I've been doing behind the scenes) the thematic relevance of a Spider-Man style Chooseboth moment has resurfaced.

(A direct link is even drawn between choosing both and the peace sign that Denji throws up all the time!)

In a lot of ways, it's become clear that choosing both is a major idea CSM Part 2 is interested in, as well as kind of an intersection between two other major ideas it's interested in, those being Western-comics-style superheroics and duality. Most notable as of right now are the duality between Asa and Yoru, the duality between Chainsaw Man and Chainsaw Man, and the duality between the Asa-Yoru-continuum and Denji.

So, with that third duality in mind, let's revisit Denji's introduction and see what it could be saying which is more complex than just "Denji is a villain this time".

Because Chapter 102 Save the Cat ISN'T just about Denji, it IS about that third duality. It doesn't just establish a worrying lack of empathy on Denji's part, but it in fact does the same for Asa.

And Denji isn’t the only one who condemns a nonzero amount of humans to death by titularly saving a cat in that chapter, either. Nor is he even the only one who immediately gets praised for it. The only reason it didn’t strike me nearly as villainously with Asa is, well… just look at her face. She might as well be saying “That was horrible”.

So, thinking about Chapter 102 Save the Cat as establishing a dynamic between the Asa-Yoru continuum and Denji made me wonder where that dynamic occurs in Chapter 127 Save the Asa. Because in that chapter, it really is only Denji who titularly saves an Asa, as far as I can tell. Even keeping the double meaning in mind where "asa" is also the word for "day" doesn't seem to change this.

There is, to be sure, a parallel to be found in this chapter, however.

As you can see in these unedited images, the dynamic has been established.

Asa saves a cat, people die, and she gets praised for it. Denji saves a cat, people die, and he gets praised for it. Denji: :D Asa: that was horrible

Asa doesn't have anything she considers worth living for other than sex. Denji doesn't have anything he considers worth living for other than sex. Denji: :D Asa: that was horrible

Yoru injures Asa to combat despair. Denji injures himself to combat despair (also take a note how blatant it is that he gleefully targets his own brain and remember that for something I'm going to talk about later). Denji: :D Asa: that was horrible

Asa and Denji are really, really similar. But something which has been made clear about Denji as early as In Content Already Adapted By The Anime is that... while he's not as stupid as he seems, he hates thinking. Introspection makes him deeply uncomfortable, so he avoids it by always acting on impulse. This is rarely successful, and he kind of ends up being quite introspective in spite of himself, but it's really not something he wants or enjoys.

Asa, meanwhile, is established as "a goody-two-shoes" in her very first chapter. But it's not long afterwards that she's just as lacking in empathy as Denji is when it comes to complete strangers (so not actually including her mom or what's-her-name). So it's clear that her being "a goody-two-shoes" isn't actually particularly tied to her moral fiber. So then, what is it tied to? Well, the way I see it is, she's striving for societal acceptance. Denji and Asa are both striving for happiness and human connection, but Denji grew up outside of society, and disregards societal norms entirely, but Asa grew up within society, and sees societal norms as the threshold she needs to cross through in order to gain that happiness. She sees widespread acceptance as a fundamental requirement for forming meaningful relationships, and "staying in line", morally speaking, as the way to achieve that acceptance.

Another way of putting it is through this diagram:

okay analysis over. you can stop reading now

#chainsaw man #csm #csm part 2 #asa mitaka #csm denji #talkyposts von goosebag #talkyvideos von goosebag #<-tags i will never use again

[brenheiraaaa]

                     ❛        i   would   give   up    on   trying   to   teach   me   how   basketball   works.   my   boyfriend’s   being   trying   for     ,   like   ,   years   now.     it’s   just   not   going   to   happen   ,   like   ,   at   all.     sorry    ,    pal.             ❜

@choosesboth​   liked  for  a  starter.

#carol doesnt care abt basketball lmao she only goes to games to see tommy #and steve #chooseboth

[williamprice]

My fav coffee or my fav gelato?! #lifechoices #chooseboth #coffeelove #gelato #icecream https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Q1ZBIJsey/?igshid=i1v2mt3ka9as

#lifechoices #chooseboth #coffeelove #gelato #icecream

[themasterofcider]

Norkus November Day 4

Kiss or Touch

Why not both?

#otp #dbh markus #dbh north #markus x north #north x markus #norkusnovember #norkus #marth #detroit become human #Detroit: BH #dbh #chooseboth #neverdecide #toolazytowritetheficfordaythreesohereweare

[withoutapprcval]

@chooseboth said: coffee SYRUP???

Unfollow me right now.

#chooseboth #;out of curses #I SUPPLY YOU WITH LINKS

[shecruel]

my url?

send me a url ! // status: accepting // @chooseboth

ruby deserves more love! and the fact that you give that to her is amazing. you’re so in depth in ways the show was not, and i love when people are like that. when they take a character that became more of a background one and bring them to a whole new level. your writing is wonderful and i love that i’m able to interact with you and that you give me the time of day. cause you’re amazing and you’re quality. i hope that we can figure something out for cru and ruby just my mind is always mush and it’s my fault we haven’t done anything on this blog i’M SORRY but you’re great okay.

#chooseboth

[princesircastic-archive]

☕ - Do you prefer coffee or tea? Perhaps neither, or both?

Munday Meme Extraordinaire | Accepting

☕ - Do you prefer coffee or tea? Perhaps neither, or both?

Neither.

Yes, yes, I know. I’m an Englishman who… doesn’t like tea?????? I should be shunned.

honestly, I don’t like any hot drinks at all. I don’t even really know why I just ?? don’t ?? like I was given hot peppermint water to drink in hospital once after an operation and I couldn’t even force myself to touch it

#chooseboth #ooc: out of charm #;report signed off (answered) #( thank you!! )

[crownedbandit]

@chooseboth gets a plotted starter

to say that the last few weeks had been an emotional roller coaster would be putting it lightly, mary margaret had not only been exposed by the town, isolated and shamed for an affair she had with a married man. she deserved that part at least, she knew that she was in the wrong and that she shouldn’t have entered the relationship in the first place. but this, new situation she was currently in, was taking the absolute cake. she was being framed for being a murderer, to have killed another human being. 

she was a self deprecating person, but she never in her wildest imaginations could have ever thought that she nor anyone else deserved this. she turned away from the bars, and looked at the bunk that she had been sleeping on. sitting down trying not to get lost in the thoughts that were crowding her head, while mindlessly turning the ring that was placed on her finger. emma was out on sheriff business and she was all alone. it was the perfect time to crumble, to break down but truthfully she couldn’t, the whole situation was too unnerving and mind numbing. 

she didn’t know how much time had gone by when she heard the door close and someone walking in the hall. but it didn’t sound like emma walking the halls. fearing it might be the murderer coming after her, this time.

#for the ruby/mm plot we talked about! #hope this is okay! #and may kindness kindess kindess abound / starters. #it takes courage to be gentle and kind / dark curse verse. #chooseboth

[despxratesouls]

plotted starter  |  @chooseboth

“It’s good to see you, Ruby, you’re looking well...” Gentle words were accompanied with a soft smile as Snow slid into the seat opposite her once girlfriend, glad to see her looking so well. Travelling had suited her as well as she had hoped, and for a wistful feeling of what could have been filled Snow, making her think of how this whole situation had come about. Young and in love they had found the paths they had desired had diverged and separate wants had drawn her to finding herself a partner in David, a wonderful man who she had found part of what she had wanted in. 

But settled life had not proved to be all she had hoped in the end and while she cared greatly for David, she had found herself missing the adventure that Ruby had brought to her life, the free spirited nature of the other woman something that had enriched her life to a point she had not realised until they had drifted apart. 

“Have you settled back well enough?” he asked, washing away her wistfulness to ask the other of her life, taking happiness in seeing Ruby looking happy. “I imagine after travelling being in a house might seem a little strange...” 

#chooseboth #muse; snow white #verse; fight like a girl #thread; chooseboth (3) #It doesn't mean I'm not going to miss you (snow & ruby) #RedSnow; #(I figured starting gently would work leading into Snow admitting she misses Ruby ) #I know how to recognise a desperate queue

[redleathr-a]

“ am i a fucking furry? ” (i had to omg)

“   …   ”

“   i   mean..   ” she trailed off, words failing her for a moment. “   you   are   furry   when   you   are   a   wolf,   but   i   wouldn’t   call   you   a   furry. ” 

#she's just alsdjf #i'm crying #chooseboth

[goodxinstincts]

@chooseboth continued from ( X ) 

He was trying the best he could. They were both trying the best they could. All the flirting, secret kisses, subtle glances they threw each other’s way wasn’t enough for her. And it wasn’t enough for him either. If she wanted to stop all of it, he wouldn’t blame her but it helped Graham feel a bit more whole. Like she was some sort of missing piece he didn’t know he needed.

Love might have been the right word and if it was, he just wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet.

“What made you jump to that conclusion?” His voice softened and a hand settled in one of the pockets of his leather jacket.

#chooseboth #pre season 1 verse tag pending #(( hi rose !! are you trying to kill us? ))

[archive-tobemoved]

          he’s been in the town for roughly a few hours, observing the locals, noticing that there’s something strange about them, even if he can’t quite tell what it is.  he’s never heard of that town before ; he’s quite intrigued to learn about it.  at the lovely diner next to the b&b he’s staying, dean got the chance to meet and talk to one of them: the hot waitress.     ‘  you know, storybrooke is such an interesting name ... where did it come from?  ’         /  @chooseboth

#VERSE: TIMELINE — [ when the levee breaks / season four ] #chooseboth / 002 #chooseboth #here u go :')

[evcrafter]

@chooseboth

It was oddly peaceful on nights like this - odd, she thought, because she knew that Ruby had spent the night in a whole other form, literally running half-wild. But when she came to Belle’s apartment afterward, to regain her strength, to rest, or maybe just to calm back down - Belle was never really sure why she came; she was still working up the courage to ask - the air between them felt so peaceful. Or maybe that was just Belle herself who felt calm in the other woman’s presence, especially during moments like this, when they were lying together in Belle’s bed. It felt good, and calm, and right, and Belle wished with all her might that they could stay like this forever... if only she could work up the courage to say something about her feelings. 

Only... maybe she could say it in such a way that it didn’t have to mean what she wanted it to if Ruby didn’t react the right way...

She drew up her courage, feeling for Ruby’s hand and lacing their fingers together as she muttered into the stillness, “You know I love you, don’t you?”

#chooseboth #(belle; thread) more than they've got planned #(sorry this took me forever) #(belle's surprisingly terrified rn tbh)

[andcinnarch-blog]

➳

                painted  lips  curl  into  a  trademark  smirk;   one  worn  by  dark  ones  for  centuries  before  her  time  and  no  doubt  continuing  after  she  had  gone.   there’s   no  hesitation   in  her  step.  her  movements  are  not  hindered  by    FEAR    of  what  her  magic  can  do .      it’s  a    freedom   she’ll   never   experience  again.  and  when  she  leans  in ,  her  voice  offers  a  sense  of  pride  at  the  mess she’s  created.    “  you  look  delectable  in  red,   my  dear.  you  should  bleed  more  often,   i  think.  ”

@chooseboth     meme.    accepting.

#chooseboth #♠. giving in to destruction . › answered .

[withoutapprcval]

@@

For every @ I get, I have to tag someone I love/look up to!

@pysclone / @ichorson is a darling child who i genuinely want to protect and adopt (i’ve got the papers ready, dont tell me otherwise I HAVE DIBS AND LEGALITY) and he just writes so damn well???? and i know you’ve been having a rough time and just please please feel free to talk to me or just babble about your gay furry and lego sons

@chooseboth SPEAKING OF FURRIES! jkjkjk no but reALLY i love you so much??? you’ve taken a character the writers totally forget about and you made her your own while still making us remember why we fell in love with ruby in the first place and i genuinely wanna kiss your head

#anon #pysclone #chooseboth #;out of curses

[thescvior]

@chooseboth

Being back in Boston was something Emma hadn’t imagined would happen any time soon. Since being brought to Storybrooke by Henry, she’d adopted the small little town as her home. For the first time since she could remember, she had decided to stay in one place for longer than just completing a job, and it had all been because of a little boy who had worked his way into her heart. Her son had found her, and when she’d finally allowed herself to let her walls down around the kid, Emma had found a reason to stay. And after a lifetime of running, it had felt nice.

Things had been easy for a bit, but just as it seemed to always be her life, it never stayed that way. Though she hadn’t believed him at first, Henry had been right all along, about everything. The curse that had brought Storybrooke into existence, Regina truly being the Evil Queen from the fairytales, and even about Emma being the daughter of Snow White. The curse had broken when she’d finally allowed herself to believe in him, that everything he’d said held at least some bit of truth, if only because he believed it. And just like that, everything changed; the other shoe dropped, and suddenly she had a whole new set of problems. It was overwhelming, to say the least, though after finally finding the family she had wished for for so long long, Emma could hardly bring herself to complain. She saw how everyone in the town reacted to the curse being broken, too, how happy everyone seemed to be. At least, she had thought they were.

Her parents had been thrilled to receive their memories back, and be reunited with their friends. Emma had thought everyone else had been too, even if they were now stuck in Storybrooke without the ability to cross the line without losing all their memories. She had thought they all been happy to have their memories, but somehow in the chaos of all the sudden new burdens that came with being the savior and finding how she fit into these new lives of everyone in town, she had completely missed the fact that not everyone was as happy as the rest seemed.

Truthfully, it hadn’t even crossed Emma’s mind that anyone would be overwhelmed by suddenly having two lives, from everything that Henry had told her, she would have thought they’d all be happy to be able to remember their lives before coming to the modern world. But when she realized Ruby had left town without much more than a note to her grandmother and Snow, she realized her mistake. Though it wasn’t the same, Emma knew what it was like to find out that there were two lives you had to suddenly lead, and just how overwhelming it could be. And that was just with her own memories in her mind, nothing from a previous lifetime in a land far away. She couldn’t blame Ruby for wanting to forget, but she also couldn’t help but feel responsible. Whether it was because she was the savior, or simply because she had come to care for everyone in town, Emma couldn’t say. But whatever it was, it had led her to drive her bug over the town line, her breath held tight in her chest as she felt the magic ripple around her before she was off towards Boston. The road was familiar, and in more than a few ways, it felt like driving home.

It hadn’t taken long to find Ruby, the other woman somehow managing to stand out in a crowd as only someone who had never been to a big city could. Finding her had been the easy part. Now Emma had to figure out how to get her back to Storybrooke without any of her memories. If it turned out the wolf even wanted to come back. Now that she was just Ruby, not Little Red Riding Hood anymore, she wasn’t actually sure what would happen.

Still, she promised herself she’d keep an eye out for her, just in case. For either however long it took to figure out how to get back to Storybrooke, or at least until Ruby settled into Boston, if that’s what she chose.

Taking advantage of the fact that she had gotten to know this city like the back of her hand during her time living here, Emma had suggested meeting Ruby for drinks at one of the few bars that had become one of her favorites during her time there, one that was conveniently located right around the corner from her old apartment building. She arrived before Ruby, and ordered a beer for herself, green eyes scanning the crowd until she spotted the familiar mass of dark hair, the red streak making it so Emma could pick her out almost immediately. Waving the woman over, she pushed the open bar stool next to her out, inviting the woman to join her. She waited until she had ordered her own drink, nursing a couple sips of her own before turning so she could glance at Ruby out of her corner of her eye. So far, it seemed Boston agreed with her, if the wide eyes and excitement on her face was anything to go by.

“So, you decided to come to Boston after all, huh? I’m surprised your grandmother let you go without a fight.” Her words were chosen tentatively, and she kept a close eye on the women to gauge her reaction.

#&. ruby #chooseboth