The Petscop Investigation - Part 8...Case Closed?

[@NightmareMasterclass]

If you like my videos, maybe think about supporting me on a monthly basis at Patreon: www.patreon.com/NightmareMasterclass

[@PLANETSETH2]

2 weeks ago!?!?

[@PLANETSETH2]

also first reply

[@a_doggo]

best series ive watched in i dont know how long, and the best petscop videos on YT - thank you - someone please patreon for me, i cant afford it right now :(

[@robertwyatt3912]

“What, no, I’m not in a car. Why?” - Paul “a fucking dirty liar” Lezkowitz

[@basilleaves4320]

I went to like this comment and realized I had already liked it lmao. Made me snort

[@myrrhee8831]

When you were talking about language and how it relates to the games lexicon it reminded me of how a lot of child abuse victims can’t put a word to the abuse they’ve been receiving. What ends up happening is a lot of kids who are suffering are ignored because they don’t even know how to verbalize it. I don’t know if this even has significance to petscop, but it’s a kinda cool connection! I love your videos and they really remind me to think more deeply about the media I consume. Thank you for this series!

[@caudi8216]

This is exactly why it took so long for me to realize I was being emotionally abused by my father. Something definitely felt "wrong", but since I couldn't articulate exactly what was wrong, I was dismissed as "just being difficult/wanting attention". I wasn't offered any other explanation, so I learned to dismiss my own feelings as well. The neglect and cruelty were just tests, and showing weakness (read: anything close to a negative emotion) meant failure, which meant more tests. Some day, I would be good enough to deserve being loved. Petscop captures those feelings of confusion and helplessness very well, which is why it's so important to me. On the topic of language, it reminds me that my mother tongue (French) is a binary language that lacks accepted gender neutral pronouns, which makes being non-binary or gnc harder in many ways (not that it's always easier in English or other languages that admit neutral pronouns). It's difficult to feel validated when you lack the vocabulary to describe your feelings or your identity. (Sorry for any grammatical mistakes, like I said, I'm not a native speaker)

[@serazvi5387]

I was thinking about this too! Being abused very young, when your emotions and vocabulary are not well developed, is a very unique experience- even in adulthood I couldn't properly articulate what little if the memory I have with accuracy. What first caught my attention was Rainer's description of the Windmill Incident. A photograph being taken, then the disappearance of a girl, the disappearance of the windmill, and only the question of what Marvin did remains. It sounds like the sort of memory gaps that come with traumatic memory. Maybe it isn't Rainer's personal trauma, but the tone adds to the overall theme of the effects if childhood abuse.

[@AgapeForgotten]

This is similar, but thankfully I was not abused. I always had a poor memory and it caught me to develop a fear of ego death at the age of 6. The one way I could even start to ask my parents about it. "What happens when the voice in your head becomes different" made me afraid I would be seen as crazy because I learned that hearing voices was crazy and I didn't have a better way to express that I was afraid the active part of my mind that served as *Me* seemed to change and I was scared by it. Playing Earthbound helped me to heal at the age of 15.. that whole time I was really suffering when I focused on it.

[@IceLaic]

Fuck, this reminds me of two things. One, when my parents would ask me what people did when I was bullied, I could never describe it. And the other, when people ask me how exactly my parents have been abusive towards me related to coming out to them. Again, I can never describe it. Didn’t know that was a common experience

[@MalarkySparky]

Is that true? That might potentially explain a few things.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

As someone who helped an abuse victim get away from her abusive family, I interpret Closing the Loop as ending the cycle of abuse. Abuse in families are often carried down, for years. The sins of the father become the sins of the son, and so forth and so forth. It becomes a part of the family, an ever looming identity,

[@justalittleloser2482]

I took it similarly! But instead, I think "closing the loop" is the cycle of abuse being continued. You don't WANT to close the loop, where Care A would inevitably going to become Care NLM over and over. Instead of looping back to Care A, Care NLM would need to go down a different, more healthy path-- one that Rainer couldn't even conceive of, because of their own trauma.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Well that's a lot darker than my hopeful outlook, but probably more accurate to the story.

[@justalittleloser2482]

@@elvingearmasterirma7241 it is a bit more bleak, but despite that, I think Paul does end up breaking the cycle of abuse at the very end. the last scene with him and Belle seems... hopeful. At least I think so!

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

They do seem less alone. And one of the ways to get away from abuse and heal from it is emotional support and such. I'm holding onto the hope.

[@kick1900]

That's whats so scary the loop was never closed, Paul followed a set path in the end probably the same one as belle, but still a continued cycle that i believe is the "rebirth". The story may not be done untill the abuser is confronted.

[@professionalidiot4485]

Petscop kid has a family now and they can investigate this together, thats what matters

[@NightmareMasterclass]

That's a nice thought.

[@Pink000h]

*CLAP!!!* Footnote: Petscop kid's family is the friends he made along the way and the investigation was in his heart the whole time.

[@zephyrorsomethinh1528]

@@Pink000h are you sure you aren't playing persona 4?

[@prodfife]

when paul replied to belle with "family" my heart melted

[@jackblack5393]

Am I the only one feeling the "family" means no good?

[@casper1377]

i dont know why it didnt occur to me that the sudden shift from comfort and nostalgia to horror by single image is a very very good way to explain childhood trauma, childhood is suppose to be a time for children to feel safe, loved, and blissfully unaware of the horrors of the world, trauma can destroy a childs psyche with a single event. the way petscope [the game] shows horrific imagery/ideas so casually could also represent how being in an abusive situation for long enough makes the abuse start to blend into your day-to-day life to the point where you don't view it as serious as it is, because it's so normal to you.

[@myujmes]

*psyche not "psychy" :) and also you make an excellent point

[@casper1377]

@@myujmes ty fixed the typo

[@anonymousyoutuber1405]

Paul being adopted away from Mrs Mark and Marvin and getting to live as himself with Belle....its a good happy ending I'll accept.

[@itsdripnovababy]

Same. The man can finally move on from Petscop…move on with life…

[@rosevevoswag]

Just almost burst into tears half way thru this.. made the realisation that the player writing "paul" as their name in the counsellor graverobber scene could actually mirror care as a kid advising the counsellor paul is their new name

[@Kibble_Bites]

*CLAP* (footnote)

[@lucacommonjay7894]

I'm going to miss this :(

[@tylerk6206]

Let's start a petition to make the "footnote noise" a common use sound effect for the channel whenever a video is stopped so something can be explained

[@cafeidiom]

Me: Ahhhh Im finally done with my botany lectures for the week, time to relax and listen to some petscop analysis Dave: Lets talk about rhizomes :) Me: w H A T

[@weirdgiraffe7821]

what's funny about the use of the word "casket" as a synonym for the word "coffin" is that that only came about as a result of it being used as a euphemism for coffin in the mid-19th century in north america to the point where they became interchangeable. a "casket" originally was exclusively used to refer to a box that held jewels or other valuable objects. so our modern understanding of the word "casket" to mean "a box for a dead body" is even more an "accident of history" than indicated in this video lol

[@NemFX]

Truly it is a terrible curse. He was bitten by an English Literature professor. Now, when the full moon is out, he becomes one of those beasts. If you're out on the moores and it's a full moon, you can sometimes hear him lecturing.

[@orvilleredenpiller338]

49:49 missed an opportunity to say “that seems dubious to me”. -1 point.

[@oscollective]

"You're the Newmaker. You can turn Care NLM into Care A and close the loop." I think another way to phrase this could be "You can give abused Care love and hope, and in doing so you can teach her how to end the cycle of abuse."

[@xdearlifex]

The game recording people's actions (the demos) isn't as odd as it seems. If you look up old doom speed runs you'll note that the footage is of a high quality much of the time. This is because instead of being old tapes, these are recorded inputs by the game itself, which can be played back on any modern system.

[@twilight-sparkle]

onto a non-rewritable CD?

[@xdearlifex]

@@twilight-sparkle I legit have no idea how it worked

[@SurmenianSoldier]

@@xdearlifex it was a solution to the file size problem when recording a video and uploading it to the internet, since back then upload times were very slow, so instead the doom devs decided to make demos in order to shrink the file size as it is just a text file with a series of inputs and basic information like the map it was played on. at least that's what i think the demo files were for.

[@denkillen]

@@SurmenianSoldier More or less correct. Doom-as an example-originally uses a fixed table of values for its RNG. The demo function merely records player input and the corresponding map name. These fixed values ensure that the gameplay will behave the exact same way as it would have when played during recording (as well as synchronization for multiplayer). This is also why specific ports of Doom must be used to play these demos as they use the same RNG values while more "modern" ports like GZDoom use their own RNG system.

[@torosmoon]

petscop's focus on the fractured nature of memory and painful/nagging confusion as a result of childhood trauma really really resonates with me. I don't think I've ever seen a piece of media capture the latent abstract terror of this experience so perfectly. i hope it gets studied in classes one day. also, off topic, another argument for the paul-is-care/paul-is-trans reading is the inclusion of the name Rainer. if we assume its a reference to Rainer Maria Rilke (which I very much think it is for all the reasons David outlined in a previous analysis video), we can draw a connection to the personal life experiences of Rilke. He was orginally named Rene (which literally means "reborn") and was made to dress as a girl during the early years of his life by his mother in order to "replace" his late sister. This parallels Marvin viewing Care as the "reborn" version of Lina. He grooms his child to fulfill his fantasies both psychologically and literally. remember his joy over the missing eyebrows? Lina apparently did not have eyebrows given her face symbols seen in the windmill. the tweezers seen at one point may apply that Marvin attempts to recreate this trait on the children he victimizes. not to mention that growing facial hair could be seen as masculinazation/puberty, as Paul's room is just Care's with eyebrows. on top of all the other evidence presented (changing names, G I R L photo, same birthdays, same conversations, no memory of care, playing petscop being a metaphor for regaining/sorting these memories, looking in the mirror in quitter's room and seening a "girl" [ie belle], mixed egg colours, being adopted away and creating a "found" family) i think its a pretty strong reading. i wonder how the "birthday girl" signs and the "machine" in the basement could relate to this. perhaps the "machine" would be the playstation? that's why it hurts the tool (or who's speaking through it, most likely Belle) when its on? i need to stop writing so much word vomit on old youtube videos. that or lower my ADHD med prescriptions lmao. that hyperfocus be hittin on a lighter note, i think long form analysis videos that are made entirely for entertainment (especially academia-heavy ones like Nightmare Masterclass) are wonderful examples of how humans do not need monetary or punitive incentives to engage in labourious endeavors. humans will keep creating no matter what! just look at those crazy minecraft builds or those guys that make complex housing structures out of mud and water for fun and put it on, like, tiktok. its in our nature. down with capitalism. anyway im going to go take a nap bye

[@keibetsu2527]

very late response but this is a wonderful comment

[@torosmoon]

@@keibetsu2527 aw thank you! haha

[@royalcrumble2384]

I think the trans theory could also tie well into the overall themes of the game, in the sense of conversion therapy being a very common and traumatizing form of abuse towards trans kids that is regularly ignored or encouraged by society. Wanting your child to be "reborn" in a certain image, to fit into ideals you've already prescribed to them, really fits the abuse marvin seems to perpetrate, and the estrangement Paul has experienced from his family could also link to a transition.

[@victoriaalejandra1397]

you just wrote the perfect explanation for petscop that my brain needed to finally close its mystery, really, thank you. pd; paul being forced to be care/lina may explain why marvin showed them a distorted reflection of themselves while manipulating them into believing they are who he wants them to be, and if they don't see it, 'no-one will ever love them'

[@deviousxen]

'Do you remember being born?' Is a perfect line in relation to trauma AND identity. And trauma does some stuff to your identity and memory and sense of self, so. Chills.

[@California_Doge]

40:46 "Let's now consider the possibility, that I'm a bit of a fucker" Me when I look into the mirror every morning*

[@YouareDEDnotbigSurprise]

I'm quite surprised you didn't mention the series of buttons, when seemingly typing out the word "Boss", actually spell "Lina" in the gamepad language.

[@paultapping9510]

Ooooooooooooh. That's incredibly interesting.

[@agargaragara]

Further evidence that Lina=Boss is the "Lina" in Garalina, as well as the subtitles saying BOSS SOUND when Paul encounters Lina in the windmill. Speaking of which, I am pretty convinced by the theory that Lina died by falling into the gears of the windmill, and was ground into pieces, hence the spinning and shaking Lina model on the gears in the in-game model. No wonder Rainer was disgusted when he saw Care, the likeness of Lina, spinning. The model of Lina, the casket with Care/Lina's face, and the pieces themselves all spin as well. Marvin wants Paul to collect the 1000 pieces of Lina for the machine to rebirth her. Further evidence is that Lina's gravestone is shaped like one of the conical pieces. That said, I'm not sure how this lines up with the soundtrack epilogue which seems to imply that Lina is actually alive, and has apparently smuggled Paul and Belle/Tiara to a new home. Did the rebirthing process actually work? So much to unpack.

[@tokarikure253]

@@agargaragara This is such a good point.

[@pinkraven4402]

@@agargaragara Bruh, that's some strong sick shit, even for Petscop O_o

[@moonjellie8782]

@@agargaragara whoa, incredibly interesting point dude. 😳 I never thought of that

[@raindrop_33]

As I was watching this, I thought back to a tweet I made some time ago about how maybe the game itself is the rebirthing process. I think with the help of your thoughts, I've fleshed out a reading of my own; that is, to put it simply, Petscop is the traumatic experience made tangible for the sake of being able to work through it; that is, a way to distance themselves or put all their baggage into one safe box to work with. I apologize if this has already been said in the video, I may be starting to blur everything with....all the other points presented. Anyway: I initially thought Paul had somehow been "trapped" in Petscop, but I think it's deeper than that. I think like in the real world (from my perspective), a piece of ourselves will always be attached to our trauma, but it's only a piece of ourselves. Raising the dead can be in the way you described, but I think it can also mean a "dead part of ourselves", i.e confronting trauma again or the memories associated with it, confronting the person we were before and during the trauma. When we work through trauma, that /is/ the rebirthing process; not necessarily attached to the incident of Candace Newmarker, per se. Rather I think it's a more positive spin; though we become broken (NLM), it's possible to be reborn, or "close the loop", and find meaning in healthier, human relationships. The multiple iterations and mirroring that Petscop has shown strikes me as analogy for retreading the memories and just the entire process of working things through. Additionally, maybe the reason why Belle's guardian has been active for so long in game is because Belle hasn't quite moved on, but now, they're both working together to process whatever it is that happened to them, and hopefully properly lay their old selves to rest. Anyway, that's just my thoughts. Amazing video as always! I tend to have to rewatch to absorb info, but this is definitely worth the time!

[@TheRedmike87]

,,,

[@Beeyo176]

I come here for info on a videogame creepy pasta and then I leave wanting to read books and shit. STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME BETTER MYSELF, DAVID

[@aes2621]

2 Hours Long Now that’s a conclusion.

[@jtotheroc]

No, that's borderline a fucking movie An epic movie.

[@TheBogdanTV]

Meanwhile, Pyrocynical

[@combustbanx]

i'm at 57:33 and wanted to add that I think petscop's lack of final resolution is true to the story it tells about trauma, and in particular healing from it. a person who experiences childhood trauma might not ever learn the full story, might repress their memories, might be changed forever by what happened. but we're fortunate to not need to know every detail of the past to move forward, and some things are better left in the past. what's important is that there's always a part of us that survives and keeps living, and happiness is always a path open to us. it might take outside help ("the newmaker") but a hurting traumatized person (care NLM) can still heal (be turned into care A or B). I get a message of hope from petscop, that we can connect with our past happy selves by emotional work in the present.

[@SilverlandgmodTV]

Dave, as someone who is currently an English major nearly finished with their undergraduate degree, you have done a better job at explaining the likes of Lacan and Freud than several of my English professors.

[@eniryar1961]

Unless you get a professor whose specialization is postmodern thought, their explanations tend to be terrible. During my undergrad, I had an Intro to Literary Theory professor describe Derridean deconstruction as simply "the practice of demonstrating that all interpretation is meaningless because you can rationally argue for the same thing to have two contradictory meanings at the same time." So close and yet so, so far, lol.

[@pickle9927]

Sounds like your degree is a waste of time

[@Thor-Orion]

@@pickle9927 I wouldn’t go that far. He’s not studying interpretive dance theory, so his degree certainly won’t be bottom of the barrel.

[@Daneh97]

Me: can't wait to learn more about petscop! Nightmare Masterclass: When I die, it will no longer matter how many sandwiches I stole from my coworkers

[@hallmarket]

As a victim of the subjects mentioned; a lot of the time, when victims experience C-PTSD following a traumatic event (often in childhood or repeated traumatic events), it is quite common to feel as though you are different from everyone else, and that nothing will ever be the same. I think that, in the end, the creator is not trying to answer this question, but is trying to offer hope- even if things will never be the same, and you as a victim have been changed forever, there are still people who will take care of you. :) Also, the idea of a childhood-nostalgia feeling being distorted into something unsafe is a perfect expression for child abuse, don't you think? Also also, recordings can raise the dead. When you look at an old recording of someone who's died, it brings them back to life. That's all I think it means.

[@MrFoxInc]

Me: Well, the creator of Petscop has even come forward about his creation but I doubt he will explain everything. Oh, if only there was an in-depth analysis of Petscop so my pea brain could make sense of it all-- * _this feature film length ass analysis drops and goes into linguistics and modern theology and Nietzsche as an analogy to interpreting Petscop before even properly getting started_ * Me: ₒ ₖ ₐ ᵧ

[@culwin]

45:30 - it only recognizes dictionary words and only recognizes them by how they are pronounced. So there is no way to distinguish between homophones. So yes no proper names, but also "too" instead of "to".

[@mattparsons946]

I really really wish I could get the creator of Petscop’s reaction to this Investigation.

[@nbtn]

I’m very late, but in an interview I remember Tony saying that he doesn’t really care for the analytical videos on his work, more so initial reactions. It’s a weird feeling to see your own work hyper analyzed.

[@areallycoolhat5427]

@@nbtn that'd be how I feel if someone tried to connect my spooky ps1 series to the end of capitalism

[@bugjams]

@@nbtn That's kind of... weird? I mean people process things in different ways. What makes initial reactions more valid to Tony than deeper readings? I see both as respectable forms of reacting to media. As much as I love Petscop, Tony's reaction to the end of it felt kind of... jarring? Like I didn't expect it from him. His kind of, "don't analyze it, just react" stance to the whole thing feels a bit... erm, I really don't wanna say pretentious, but...? People have compared him to David Lynch. An author famously known for never explaining anything and saying that the answers are, "whatever you want them to be." Obviously art is subject to many interpretations, but saying so yourself kind of feels disappointing. I think more loose ends in Petscop could've been tied up without narrowing the possibilities for valid interpretations. It feels a bit snobbish, like he somehow thinks deep analyses of Petscop will "miss the point" somehow. Which, if true, reveals that there _is_ an intended point. It brings a bad taste to my mouth (not literally, just figuratively), reminding me of various pretentious ARGs try to make the viewers feel bad for taking part. Using such contrived stories like, "You're hurting the characters by playing," and such (which if you recall, was almost precisely what the Tool said to Paul at one point, so I guess we should've seen it coming). Based on all of this, and Tony's adverse reaction to people reading deep into Petscop, I think the "intended" message might be that Petscop _itself_ is the childhood trauma. The children are trapped inside it, because it is a "snapshot" of the time they were abused, so to speak. They've actually become adults in the real world, but can't let go of their trauma, and so it exists in this "frozen" past, within the game. In this light, Tony is against people obsessing over Petscop, because it's not healthy to dwell on trauma. The only right move... is to not play. Find a healthy way to tackle your trauma (like exploring it with a friend), or a way to move on from it.

[@cirava]

@@bugjamsi don't think he is explicitly against it. he's just stated that he prefers to engage and listen to what people's first reaction is, as it can often be more raw. boiling it down to him being against people analyzing the game is extremely reductive because he clearly isn't, if he was he wouldn't have literally promoted that nexpo was creating a series analyzing petscop

[@Sharpener00]

What perfect timing,.. just finished my graduation project.. this feels like a graduation gift, thanks David! Yay

[@lucacommonjay7894]

Congrats on your graduation!

[@toddhoward841]

i find it funny that i watched they entire investigation and the entire original series yet i still have no idea what's going on

[@Charon.1]

Same. But it's fascinating nonetheless

[@Searonix]

man im gonna miss waiting for new installments of this series.... thank you for all the good content David! :)

[@Daneh97]

This may be the most dense piece of media I have ever consumed. In an ideal world, this type of thinking and analysis will be taught in public schools one day

[@heymemesaucevichaelhere9595]

Ok, now when are we getting SheriffDomestic investigation?

[@myrrhee8831]

Hey Memesauce Vichael Here only petscop related series I actually enjoy tbh

[@makotoyukikinnie]

Soon

[@lemon9.9]

he said he won't do it, he is not interested in making it

[@StellaEFZ]

disk get

[@Nearigami]

Brianna Schutte Have you watched AI Builds? The creator of Petscop acknowledged that one

[@Huseberry]

Finally, we find out that Paul was actually Paul Rudd the whole time!

[@codaboi138]

2 years late, I know, but I wanted to possibly add to the point Dave made about the inscrutability and impressionistic approach Petscop seems to take. It struck me just how abstracted everything in the game is. Yes, occasionally real world objects are represented in the game- cars, houses, roads, windmills, but they all hold significant narrative weight. That's weird, right? Such mundane everyday objects are really put into focus and feel eerily out of place in the world of Petscop. Evencare, possibly one of the most abstracted levels of the game, conspicuously seems to be the most wholesome and upbeat areas we see. So, when we see a car, a realistic ish looking house, a windmill, it's so creepy despite them being something we see every single day. You really get the impression that as the game progresses the world's layers of abstraction slowly get eaten away, and the horrific and unromantic reality of it's world is revealed to us. Eventually, pets become totally irrelevant. Possibly the most iconic and original thing the game has to offer (ostensibly what the game was supposed to be based on) they are probably the most abstract visual and conceptual things we see, with only superficial real world resemblance. It reminds me a lot of how you tend to view the world as a child, through abstracted imagination, because don't have the necessary life experience to give context to such things and to then properly interpret them from your own mind. "Funny stupid blob monster" -is what a bird has been described as in this game. Not to be too personal here, but I have a point. Revisiting this series has brought back memories of being a very small child and crying to my father about the strange wrongness that washed over me as I, for the first time, conceptualized the bleak darkness of the world that adults live in. He was exposing me to media and ideas that, in hind sight, I probably wasn't ready to learn about, and yet, instead of comforting me, he became indignant and accused me of blaming him for upsetting me. The recognition that many adults, even ones supposedly protecting me, didn't care how I felt and couldn't help me ease my pain, because the damage was done, hit me like a truck back then. The stark difference between Evencare and the Newmaker plane feel like crossing that barrier of innocence and safety and into the uncaring world. Its the subsequent shift in mentality that a child gets from that experience that brings these mundane objects to the forefront of your mind, because your childish mind doesn't know where to look for danger. The shift is away from learning simple things like shapes and colours, with fun playful activities, to a pseudo survival mentality, because your mind thinks its trusted guardian is gone or not trustworthy anymore, you have to depend on yourself. We get a synesthetic sense of how it feels to be a child coping with dark truths and navigating through a dark world in Petscop, and I think, talking from partial experience, it's remarkably accurate.

[@SendyTheEndless]

"There are two types of topics. Ones I agree with, and political ones."

[@sashagornostay2188]

"You've apparently been watching Nightmare Masterclass Petscop content nonstop for 81794 seconds, or 23 hours (~22.7205 hours or 22 hours 43 minutes 14 seconds). That looks a little dubious to me. What do you think?"

[@sashagornostay2188]

For reference the entire Petscop with Petscop Soundtrack is 18499 seconds or ~5,13861 hours, 5 hours 8 minutes 19 seconds

[@lilymasters2863]

So. I might not wholeheartedly agree with every interpretation here; but wow, you put in so much analysis and effort into these. Your knowledge of language is impressive and honestly breathtaking at points. Thank you for teaching me so much when i just wanted to know the backstory of a creepypasta~

[@MrQuick927]

I don't have anything eloquent or insightful to say. I just want to thank you for these videos. I really appreciate how you bring up ideas relating to Petscop and organize the events of the series as you see them as opposed to pushing your own interpretation and trying to "solve" the work. You do present your own views and deductions (which is fine!) but I never felt preached to, and I truly value that. On a slightly different note, this video really reminded me of Innuendo Studio's analysis of The Beginner's' Guide, which touches upon subjects like semiotics (the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation, per Google's dictionary) and "death of the author" in a similar way. Both your video and his video present these topics in a way that the uninitiated (read: me) can understand, and I appreciate that. That video can be found here (I'd highly recommend playing The Beginner's Guide before watching, if you haven't): kzbin.info/www/bejne/an-ZqmmCetymgcU I did want to end with a question. What significance do you think the Gravedigger game has to the series? I think that it mirrors a lot of Petscop and goes a long way to making sense of a lot of the symbols of Petscop, though I'm not sure what the exact significance is right now. The elements just seem to make up Petscop in microcosm: graves (implying caskets and people long dead), the windmill, the fact that you're searching through an area and following another person in the board game, and the fact that the meta-situation of the game is a pseudo-family situation, as in a counselor and a child.

[@noviolam2618]

*the two large balls on the players face slap together emitting a clapping sound* “Footnote”

[@dandylions3540]

😶

[@dandylions3540]

🗿

[@keenanberg6169]

What I was expecting: A Petscop theory trying to tie together all the loose ends What I got: An existential thesis about capitalism, language and the purpose of art

[@kaitwospirit]

the guardian with the nietzche mustache tho

[@orvilleredenpiller338]

Cats in Real Life i know right

[@luissandoval9775]

It actually made me giggle out loud. This is the content I subscribed for.

[@trancandy1]

something i've been thinking about the tombstones, is that perhaps the children aren't dead in a literal sense. if the names are truly the names of real people in the petscop universe, the dates could represent the death of a child in the sense that their inner child died due to a traumatic event. "mike was a gift" could mean mike was a particularly positive beacon, before all of the light was drained from him. "they couldn't see her" could mean that the child was abused over a long period of time, and nobody noticed or she was ignored. this isn't something extremely significant, but just something that i've been thinking about.

[@doggoboii]

on the casket thing i’m pretty sure shakespeare in merchant of venice used casket similarly to how rainer has here. although the context is wildly different a set of caskets (made of gold, silver and lead) were presented to potential suitors who were tasked with picking the right one (containing a picture of the queen) to marry her. the casket each man chose indicated their own weaknesses in way of their inherent materialism or their want for some kind of gain in power. this is where “all that glitters isn’t gold” comes from. whilst the narrative and context are not as straight forward as that because of the moral complexity of the play itself and the people they term “heroes” and of shakespeare’s intention and whether the moral ambiguity was entirely constructed or if it was a means of meditation/deconstruction of his own prejudices, views on class and fairness which were shared with the general public. this relates to typology i think but i’m not well versed enough to offer further insight, i just thought that the connection was cool

[@beachtownz]

had a rough day 2day but seeing that uve uploaded , especially the final installment of this series, has def made my day :-) great stuff as always!!!

[@alexsheperd2060]

It’s crazy that petscop started when I was in highschool and ended around the time I was 21. Crazy how long this series ended up running

[@zeroanonymity9736]

So the first of these premiered the day I moved from college to my hometown to look for work lucretive enough to move out. It took me two years to find it, and this one premiered the day I moved into my new apartment. Thank you for putting your all into this, weirdly enough they've helped to keep me going out of curiosity.

[@leninscat6104]

I'm in awe at this. You've done this on your own time and it's a mammoth piece of work. Well done David, this was brilliant to follow from start to end.

[@paultapping9510]

Regarding the signified and signifier, it's interesting that Paul and Belle plan to use their real world to help 'solve' the game in some way. This would imply the entire game itself is a signifier for somewhere geographically distinct. Also, Paul is very clear in that scene that he feels its much more likely they can use the real world to find things in the game NOT the other way round. This is reinforced by Pauls discovery of The Wheel which, though it is not entirely clear how, he appears to be applying real life knowledge (as well as privileged information "now I'm meant to go past this one" regarding the first text box, which is never explained)

[@mikeoxlong676]

Best series I've ever seen on KZbin. Seriously. Stellar work, Dave.

[@NapoleChan]

And since you already said it I don't need to say it myself. I just have to agree with you totally.

[@Jezzared]

Only partway through (I have about 20 minutes left but have to head out and do life stuff) but your decision to not talk after reading our comments has actually made me very glad. Instead of using our words as a jumping off point for your own conclusions, you let them stand on their own, and leave that as interpretation enough. Was also a little surprised when mine was the first comment read. You're one of few who gets the pronunciation of my handle right on the first try (which has always been strange to me, how hard it is). Cheers, and I'm excited to finish the rest of this when I get home.

[@Jacobdalolman]

Maybe instead of people pronouncing it as jezza-red people pronounce it as jezz-ared. Right?

[@LoganEngland]

David, I have an immense respect for the care and thought you put into your analysis of media. Your analysis doesn't just come from a critical standpoint, but has a deep philosophical aspect, and seems to come from that heart of a linguist. I really enjoy how you tie linguistics and philosophy together, especially in this series. I would love to know more about how you prepare for your videos, like a lists of texts you consider essential reading for tackling contemporary media on the level that you do. Thanks for always giving us an immense amount to think about.

[@kamawesome24]

Ughhh i just love this series so much you deserve all the praise for your investigation series! This is my second time watching through the whole thing and i just appreciate the work you put into it even more :)

[@geianimari65]

I DIDN'T F*CKIN KNEW THERE WAS A FINAL SCENE IN THE END OF THE SOUNDTRACK VIDEO *goes to watch it* OK done, you can proceed the investigation.

[@MrWIZ9000]

aight, lets get the Guardian into smash somehow

[@homestuck_official]

For his neutral special, he wields INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA

[@littlemrdoom5997]

@@homestuck_official you live up to your user name

[@QuantumMonkfish]

Hi, Thanks so much for the videos they are really fascinating and got me thinking about other ways to approach certain themes in Petscop. One that always returns for me is that in spite of the disjointed (meta)narrative structure of the Petscop series Paul is generally following very closely to the Hero's Journey, popularized by theorists like Campbell and Vogler. (disclaimer: these are just thoughts I haven't fully formed them yet) There are a number of interesting similarities: - The Hero's Journey involves a cyclical journey through three areas, the known, unknown and abyss. For Petscop this could be the Gift Plane (the most nostalgically knowable), the Newmaker Plane (the vague unknown), and the Abyss (the cynical lower levels). Alternatively the known could be Paul's real world, the Unknown the Petscop game itself, and the Abyss perhaps whatever is occurring in the long gaps between videos. - In the Hero's Journey the hero is guided past the threshold (interestingly often guarded by the threshold "guardians" like the name of the avatar) by a "mentor", who we could assume to be Rainer. - The Hero is usually aided by a "helper", which in this series seems to be Belle/Tiara, who possesses preternatural puzzle skills that seem a perfect fit for Petscop. - The Hero's Journey is a cycle that ends with the hero returning "home", but transformed and reborn by his adventure (here rebirthing could be viewed as a distinct thing that needs to happen for the journey to be "complete). If the car noises in some of Paul's audio indicates he is playing Petscop in his garage, then the game does cycle back to a house garage as the one of the final freeze frames. Though tellingly Paul might not be able to "go home" and is instead stuck in this place. - Will stop here, but many other minor things, such as "meeting the shadow self", seem to have some mirror in the series, like in the shadow monster man. Interestingly, I also view Petscop as a critique of this precise Journey. The Hero's Journey is a well acknowledged structure of many games, and also often critiqued from a number of perspectives. Myths and fairy-tales are often used as justification that the systems of the world are correct and true and any deviation from them involves suffering, thus they can said to "support" systems rather than subversive narratives which challenge them. I think the key to this critique is the themes of real world abuse and the "Care" character. In many of the recordings we see distinctly that Care is not "trapped" in Petscop's ideology at all, she doesn't solve puzzles, explore, collect pieces, or anything. Generally, Care is experiencing things outside Petscop and mainly just playing around in the game. However Care is also supposed to essentially be the "prize" for Paul, or the princess who needs rescuing (her introduction on a pillar crying is almost a classic damsel in distress pose) and by returning her to Care A, Paul can "close the loop" (ie. end the cycle of the Hero's journey). However if Care is outside of Petscop's grasp then there is no way to complete this loop because Care is not in the game/system the way Paul and the others are. Abuse often occurs to kids who don't fit within the normal systems of society, but we also try to fit their abuse into narratives that reinforce the systems of society, so here I feel Rainer's question of "closing the loop" is somewhat malicious, and involves a desire for Care to be integrated into his system so she can be "rescued". At the end of this whole series we know almost nothing about Care, her interests, personality etc. She is only represented by the narrative of her abuse, in the same way Candace Newmaker becomes known for the rebirthing incident etc. and that's why I think the Care dancing video is interesting, because we are seeing that there is a Care that exists outside Petscop that we have no access to and only see her movements (somewhat how Paul's movements in the demos correspond to different worlds). I get the sense then that the Petscop creator might be saying that we tend to frame abuse into certain narratives that often belittle or reduce victims to some token for someone else to save and care for (similar to a Pet) and that this narrative framing may just exist to serve the systems already at work and not the best interests of the victims. It should even be noted that "rebirthing", usually a spiritual/symbolic act in a narrative, here turns out to be a literal machine that people can be inserted into and is controlled by the antagonist character of Marvin. There is no emotion or soul to this rebirthing, just an attempt to mechanize the mythological rebirth by fitting people into system. This was a loooonnnggg reply, sorry! And I'm sorry if touched on these points but I've been binging Petscop and am a bit braindead. Thank you again for all the work you put into these analysis videos!

[@kauswekazilimani3736]

Really proud of the way this channel has grown.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Aw, thank you.

[@thegreatBarbossa]

I honestly love watching this series. The way you explain things, the self made music. Even ignoring the fact that you analyse Petscop, this is just enjoyable.

[@lovelandisle]

I've loved this series from the start, thank you for your insightful and thoughtful words on Petscop, David. Your videos are truly special.

[@eccentriastes6273]

1:39:18 I thought of course Petscop is a portmanteau of "pets" and "cop" but not in the sense of police officer. The relevant definitions of "cop" are "receive or obtain (something welcome)" and "steal." So there's an ambiguity in the title as to whether you're receiving pets as gifts or stealing/abducting them.

[@krowpan799]

if thats not the intention then it has no other meaning

[@dreamemulators]

i know this video is years old at this point, but as a transmasculine person, i really appreciate how this video addresses the "care and paul are one and the same; paul grew up and transitioned" theory/headcanon and the effort that went into incorporating the voices and experiences of trans people on the matter. thank you!

[@gloopsgloops]

This is probably the best analysis of a web series I have ever seen.

[@yumemirai4419]

I know you keep saying that this is only *your* interpretation, and we shouldn't be turned off from coming up with our own, and of course your interpretation isn't the end-all be-all definition of things...but I dunno, I'm pretty dumb, I watched Petscop and was just wrapped up by this mysterious weirdness, and captivated by this feeling of horror and strangeness. I'm too dumb to look into things, dig deep, speculate and ponder... I need someone to explain things to me. And stuff like the timing of the demo stepping on the piano keys matching the timing of him pulling the petals off the daisy... I never would've figured that out. Even with the "your controller inputs will be useful," and the part where he's literally explaining it when he's pushing the bucket into the door. I just see something weird and go, "Wow, art!" I just think it must be "great" or "deep" or something because I don't get it, *but* there's so clearly *something* to it. There was no reason for me to post that or for anyone to read this so thanks if you read it.

[@aki3128]

Just because it's "your" interpretation doesn't mean you have to come up with it all on your own. Watching/reading a thousand explanations is way more benefitial than just trying to read a work on your own (especially something like Petscop). That's the fun of art: to learn other people's views and add to your own over time. You're not dumb just because you can't notice every minute detail or explain the "deep" meaning of a work. Some works require knowledge you don't have. Some works are too abstract to have a cohesive meaning. So just enjoy stuff, and remember to search for understanding in more than a single source.

[@jenjenneration]

Oh what did you write you Language Arts/ Philosophy dissertation on? NM: um... Petscop

[@Naomi-rf1bl]

Whenever somebody mentions a "seedy underbelly" I just think of sesame seed buns

[@BettersonMcgee]

LMAO

[@DerShermanator]

I have to say I am loving the animations and graphics you've been putting together for this one- especially Petscop Nietzsche (29:56)!

[@gallowglass719]

I already loved Petscop. Lacan, Zizek and Deleuze make me love it even more.

[@sweetsummarain]

Such a good series, both Petscop and your investigation. I do think the creator(s) intended their work to reach out to a variety of people from various walks of life and identities, but I certainly get the impression that Paul is meant to be Care. I think the commenter mentioning it being a spiritual transition is onto something , as they make a big deal in the series that you won't find Mike A, Care A, etc, because they're wholly different people now - in this possible case: Care is now Paul. I do like Belle saying "Boss wants to see her son" because it feels incredibly validating if we think about Paul being estranged from his family for possibly being a transman. It feels like a hand reaching out, wanting to reconnect after a lot of mistakes were made in the wake of terrible trauma. You're right on the money I think about the importance of language. Mom and the therapist use powerful "stabilizing" language to try and cement Care in place. They're trying to do it to help the child after intense damage, not realizing how stifling it is as well. There are layers upon layers of various commentaries going on about traumas and the systems that may not be equipped to handle them. So good.

[@rklover13]

While I don't 100% percent agree with all your theories, as I am a simple folk, who refuses to look that deeply into things. I wanted to say that I really admire how much effort you put into them! That does not go unnoticed. I also wanted to say, thank you for being respectful as you talked about Christianity. That was cool

[@rloach067]

my brain doesnt work very well atm so im saving the video for a later more calm date, but leaving a comment for the algorythm and the bits i could watch and process rn were amazing! thank you for your hard work, been really looking forward to this

[@poingupoingu]

Thanks so much for all your work on this series. Now you're finally free!

[@fusonegro9496]

This is just such an amazing essay and video altogether. Thank you so much for putting such an amazing amount of work and care into this investigation series. I seriously loved how you introduced such interesing and sometimes complex topics in such an easy to follow, didactive way. Gonna watch the rst of your stuff later because I'm honestly speechles at the quality of your work. Thank you again and a Ko-Fi goes your way! :)

[@jlinus7251]

I know a lot of trans people like to think of Paul as trans. I think that's because the series resonates with all different kinds of people and their experiences. Personally as someone who was raped as a child, I felt the themes uncomfortably hit me whenever Care was mentioned. So in my interpretation i had assumed that Marvin had raped her, hence why it hit me hard when he said he was going to Paul's room too. I know it may or may not be what happened but by the way petscop sets its questions and mysteries it draws more from a personal perspective than a definitive one

[@AncestralFruitcake]

When it first said something "you [Marvin] thought about it [Care not growing eyebrows] while in the bathtub" I became SO uncomfortable because I immediately made a connection to sexual abuse.

[@AncestralFruitcake]

I suppose I should put a csa tw for the rest of this comment . . . . As someone who was probably getting groomed by a family friend, I suppose the connection I made came from my experiences as that, even though when I first watched Petscop I hadn't realized what had happened to me all those years ago yet. Thinking on it now, it really seems to me that Marvin was possibly grooming Care.

[@jlinus7251]

@@AncestralFruitcake Yeah I agree, because he wanted Care to look like his missing friend. I reckon he loved her, and that's why he married her sister. When they had Care together he probably saw that missing friend in Care, hence why he was plucking her eyebrows. It only makes sense to assume that it was some sick sexual reason why he did that. I'm sorry you had to go through that. People who see kids in a sexual way... It's just abhorent and disturbing.

[@AncestralFruitcake]

@@jlinus7251 Thank you. I'm sorry that you had your experience as well.

[@RelativelyBest]

I dunno. I'm not trans nor have I much experience with trans people, but throughout all this I could never shake this deeply intuitive feeling that Paul and Care are supposed to be the same person. I don't think that's just me projecting.

[@Daneh97]

If we take being reborn to mean; being reborn as the person Marvin wants you to be, it could be a question meant to indicate wether the person being asked has suffered his abuse. Rather than one meant to dredge up the memories of said abuse, or one meant to trigger a memory. If the question is met with confusion, then the answer would be that the person being asked was not abused by Marvin. Just a thought. I don't have any specific head canon anymore.

[@VirtualCrickets]

I'm only 1/4th of the way through, but I will be watching this in chunks to better digest all of the wonderfully put together information (and then I'll probably rewatch all at once afterwards). I'm sure I'll comment more after I complete this final episode, but I just wanted to say congratulations on creating such an awesome and comprehensive analysis. This was a very ambitious undertaking, and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your subjective interpretation of Petscop with the world!

[@mineturte]

I laughed out loud when you said "now lets consider the possibility that i'm a bit of a fucker" LOL 40:43

[@stitchcave]

im quite late to the party, but i think i could listen to you talk about stuff for several hours at a time. ..and i did. i appreciate how you approached the heavier topics in this series and treated them carefully. also, as a trans guy who experiences dissociation due to childhood trauma, i really appreciate you being mindful and giving the warnings when they were applicable, and also, talking about it in the first place and getting the perspective of other people. that really helps a lot. i feel very seen. thank you for providing a safe environment that i can learn about this series in. i think that it means a lot more than you imagine it does. ❤

[@aria5614]

The casket bit got me thinking about "this is not a pipe"

[@Sillynyan-360]

An interesting analysis. At some points I was wondering where you were going but now I think I get what you're trying to say. Moving away from thinking there is just one central mystery to be solved really opened my eyes for all kinds of interpretations.

[@NEACHTWAIN]

When a weird creepy pasta video game explanation suddenly turns into communist lecture

[@xaviergarcia234]

18:40 Reiner's fate in the bathroom? I'm sorry, but I don't remember this coming up at all in either Petscop or the investigation. What is this in reference to?

[@CecilyRenns]

it was strongly implied he committed suicide in Petscop 11, when we see that he wrote "Merry Christmas. Check your bathroom now." there's also an unused track called "bathroom-tomb" in the soundtrack

[@xaviergarcia234]

@@CecilyRennsOh ok. I had just re-watched 11 and I didnt get that implication at all, but that soundtrack title definitely gives the theory some credence

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Yep, I probably should've mentioned that.

[@TOO_RAW]

I was just about to go to bed because I have to be up for work in four hours but I saw you uploaded this! Well worth not getting any sleep. Kudos Nightmare

[@itsjvcob]

just happened to rewatch episodes 1-7 today and now i’m convinced it’s bc i was meant to be ready for THISSSS

[@epicladd6114]

Hey nightmare, not sure if you're going to read this but, I found your channel about 2 years ago, upon the release of the petscop investigation 4, and I have been consistently excited for a new installment for the past few years. You've done great work, and it's a very admirable and inspiring thing you've done. Thank you for giving me, and likely others, something incredible to watch and look forward too

[@londonwick9538]

WHY I DIDN´T FOUND YOU BEFORE, i love petscop is my favorite thing in all the internet, thank you for doing this, it must be hard to recopilate

[@maggieburton5020]

incredible work as always. thanks for putting so much effort into this series, its one of my absolute favorites

[@GravedSanctuary]

Gotta admit, I laughed when I saw "End of Capitalism?" card.

[@jongyon7192p]

It just slowly fades in out of nowhere LOL

[@reemal-misky5850]

I don't understand how that portion relates to Petscop

[@HewaKiku]

@@reemal-misky5850 I know this is a month old, but in my understanding it boils down to: "when you're in a system, specifically one that has many ramifications that shape your identity, it becomes easier to imagine everything ending than to imagine an alternative to that system". In my opinion, this relates to petscop in multiple ways: - what he says in the video - Paul plays into the system of petscop (the game), seemingly without questioning it at all (because of progressively being made to expect the events of the game as normal), which means petscop is a self-replicating system, or "a growing organism". In this way it becomes easier for us, the viewers, to imagine Paul dying (=end of the world) rather than him completing the game, or him not playing anymore (=end of capitalism/the system) - to me the "system" that is being alluded to in petscop (the work) could also very well be the adoption/child care system (note that in petscop (the game) the system is being used in "malicious" ways unbeknownst to Rainer and regardless of their intentions - since Marvin is not the only one playing the game). While the adoption/guardianship system was put in place to be well-meaning (at least in a certain way), within its own framework (capitalist society, I guess - see the point about the commodification of children, in the video) it can be abused and used in negative ways unforeseen by the people who originally came up with it. For a child "trapped" in the system, or at the very least at the mercy of the adults within that system, it would be easier to imagine the end to their world (whatever that may mean) than to imagine a different way of going about it that would be feasible. ...Or something like that. I haven't put nearly as much thought into this as David has put in even one point in his investigation videos. It's just what came to mind when reading your comment. Hope it can help you in some shape or form! :)

[@reemal-misky5850]

@@HewaKiku I see. So its more or so an analogy than the actual meaning of petscop or his political beliefs?

[@HewaKiku]

@@reemal-misky5850 For him it's both an analogy to petscop and a reflection of more political themes that he sees in it. He says at the end something to the effect of "the criticism of elements that are specific to our time period, which for me is characterised by the acceleration of late capitalism, makes it so I interpret the criticism of these elements to be/hint at a broader critique of capitalism". However, he also says he thinks it'd be missing the point to try to ascribe one exclusive definitive meaning to petscop. So yeah, a bit of both. But I understood the specific point about the "end of capitalism" quote to be more of an analogy. And although I really enjoyed all of it, I think where this analysis excels is pointing out systems (of all types - linguistic, political, philosophical, as well as more down-to-earth tangible systems like the rules of a game) and showing how petscop criticises, or rather puts into light, some aspects of the idea of a system that seem natural when you don't think about it. That's just my two cents and my understanding of the video though.

[@Skay.]

29:59 i freaking lost it at the mustache

[@MystiereArts]

Yes! I’ve been waiting for this one for a while, perfect to listen to while I work on art. ❤️

[@elconijo]

Yes! Thank you so much for sticking it out for us, David! This really means a lot.

[@redquoter]

Orthodox Christian bro here - love your work, and really appreciate how you look at numerous perspectives and sources, even if you don't wholly agree with them; I didn't hear about Typology until I was getting into Orthodoxy, so seeing it mentioned here again, in a different context, was neat and good to see - and amazing work on the music as well dude, wishin' all the best.

[@GuildCarver]

Congrats on finishing up this with one hell of a final video! Can't wait to see whats next :D

[@diedfamous]

"Words have their function regardless of intent." Fascinating. Great work on this David, really digging the aesthetic of your illustrations. Takes me back to those Early days of flash animations. Stop stealing lunches!

[@sanst.skeleton7387]

It's my theory the game is supposed to be passed down for 2 reasons. To show Marvin's crimes. But also more importantly to let the reborn versions of lina. Such as care and the most recent one. Paul. Letting Paul know that he is/was care but now he's been 'reborn' but it seems somehow Paul has stopped it. He's stopped the loop somehow he's stopped Marvin from rebirthing these people. And getting his friend back. His 'daughter' back . He wants them back so he needs them to be who he wants them to be. Paul IS care technically but Marvin is convinced he can get her back...

[@patrickholt8782]

Thanks for telling us to come to our own conclusions about the series but I’m not really good at analyzing media so this has been a helpful guide for me

[@terryh.9238]

"let's consider the possibility that i'm a bit of a fucker" that made me laugh so hard aha

[@sambeckettcat]

There is one thing that still catches me on this. so we've basically confirmed that Belle is who Paul was talking to, and if we presume that means Belle was always the person they were talking to, well, at the beginning Paul's statement implies their friend didn't believe them about the game. This could then imply they have not played the game before, and Paul was requesting they lend their expertise at puzzle to help him beat the game... but then, we see older recordings of Belle having played the game? And Belle is in the game too. I have to wonder about the implications of this element. Was Belle pretending to not believe Paul? Or is this something that happens because of the recording mechanic of the game?

[@guccelia2701]

I think through the entirety of Petscop Belle was lying to and manipulating Paul- but not on her own terms. Remember that she was the one who he worked out finding the windmill IRL with and we know at some point afterwards he was inside of a car and was taken to the school where he was put into the ghost room. Belle also desperately asks Paul to find pieces for Marvin, and was in the custody of the family throughout Petscop's run (continuously playing the game, so probably locked in the ghost room)

[@ashrenbel]

The game is Paul's enlightenment made tangible enough to share with others, something that can transcend words (written or spoken) just like shadenfreude. Paul "cares" now, due to his enlightenment, and instead of that making him feel "frazzled" he is comfortable in his own skin, so to say.☺️🤔 He is care "A" now. He cares and due to the enlightenment which the game represents and he uses to make that concept tangible he cares now and is 100% okay with that. I think that is why the death symbolism is used, to signify the death of "the old Paul". What exactly he is ok with is irrelevant. Maybe he himself is searching for a way to describe his State of mind in a postconstructionalist way or deconstructionist way and we the viewers, with our comments about the video are active participants, trying to solve some new type of puzzle, one based on enlightenment and not even realizing we are helping Paul make something that is not tangible, tangible. Like memes....

[@Krizzsek]

The "rebirthing" thing is sticking out to me at 1h10m35s through (super late to the entire Petscop party and I'm depressed about it), but BealeCypher's comment pointing out that Belle/Tiara is never referred to as one definitive gender seems to be the device in which people of all walks of life can insert themselves emotionally into the story. It's assumed female because of the name, sure, but without that definitive reference, affirming so, it's easy for the mind to slip your own self into the equation as that character. Especially for weebs who watch DanMachi where the main character is a boy named Bell (guilty). It almost seems like the spelling was intentionally iterated between Belle (more "feminine") and Bell (more "masculine") when framed in that context. It could also be construed that Belle (girl) wants to be a boy (Bell), and Marvin is trying to rebirth her as "Tiara" to confirm female identity, using the Newmaker reference for the rebirth and the alterations in spelling as subtle cues. The creator has since stated they regret the Newmaker reference and moved away from it, although rebirth seems to be a continuous theme albeit in separate context from Newmaker. The ambiguity between Paul & Care being the same person opens up another potential avenue for LGBTQ+ children whom have been the victim of abuse can insert themselves through subtle cues that most binary+heterosexual people wouldn't necessarily notice. This theory stuck out to me particularly because of Paul's speech in which he has a slight lisp or other impediment, I have a gay friend who has a similar issue with speech due to severe physical abuse received from a step parent after they came out as a child/adolescent. With Paul being "intimidated" of Jill it could be considered likely that Jill was permissive, complicit, or even the aggressor of such a thing. The fight with Jill at the party and Paul's later fear would lend some weight to this possibility. The response from the trans community was fantastic at pointing out things I would've never considered nor thought about along these lines that are more direct with the content provided rather than my anecdotal short there. There's a lot of fantastic subtext included in this story in the regards of abuse suffered by LGBTQ+ people, and the creator leaving things intentionally ambiguous serves to purposefully leave this avenue open which speaks strongly to the message trying to be conveyed IMHO. Puck Bryn pointing out broken memories based on iteration of "their lie to themselves" could also be perceived as a rebirth, which would feed into the "generation" of the rebirth cycle. It seems like "rebirth" was repurposed from the Newmaker reference to a poignant reminder of the cycle not being broken and the rebirth itself being a continuation of trauma and abuse that continues to grow and change in perpetuity, with broad applications regardless of the individual struggle experienced, until the cycle is broken.