#also just fyi i am a trans person thats experience csa. so like im literally the target demographic for this discussion

[hexcorazon]

i also understand what you are saying for sure and i thank you for being polite; im about to spit a lot of rebuttals but i mean it all politely and in the interest of fair discussion about nuanced topics lol

i think if a youtuber or creator is discussing the blanket concepts of petscop, getting into fan theories and the range of topics that can be pulled from petscop, then absolutely they should address the trans allegory because it IS so popular a headcanon/interpretation, and to not do so would be a disservice.

but on the other hand, i think if someone is just giving a run through of the plot and their PERSONAL interpretation doesnt include the trans allegory, due to them not being trans or simply getting something else out of the narrative, that doesnt mean theyre "invalidating" the trans allegory. thats kinda what im talking about in the original text; nexpo (whose video and some fan reactions is what prompted my post so thats what im talking about) is not dismissing trans experiences or invalidating a trans reading because his takeaway was about ai learning or whatever. to assume malicious intent against queer identities over something as vague and personal as a horror arg that wants the reader to come to their own conclusion is Weird. and it can be mean. like i said i was really only talking about nexpo here, idk about other creators that have ever discussed petscop other than purocynical whose video ive never seen and i think matpat did a game theory all about the real life true crime case the game initially referenced early on. idk if either of them talked about the trans allegory, how they treated it, or if theres other creators out there that do deserve criticism for how they handle the trans interpretation; but simply not coming to that conclusion isn't inherently against queer identities as a whole

and on a side note, i dont think you have to talk explicitly about csa bc that is also a personal inference about what happens in petscop; child abuse is of course the central theme. csa is a very specific type of child abuse that, like the trans allegory, is up to the individual consuming the media to interpret. themes of csa ARE harmful both to a creator and potentially the audience and you shouldnt force or critique someone for not wanting to go so dark with their interpretation.

petscop is at the end of the day, a fictional horror arg about a fake video game and i think its fine to not assume csa to protect ur own mental health or simply bc u aren't comfortable with discussing that. i lts also fine to not discuss a trans reading if thats not what they get or they dont personally see it. i also see how "martin forced paul/care to transition" is a fucked up thing, but to play devils advocate here, that is a completely real form of child abuse which often goes hand in hand with csa which is just as valid form of horror to interpret. u cant critique someone for exploring one aspect of horror bc it's uncomfortable and fucked up and then be upset that others dont discuss another aspect of horror that is also uncomfortable and fucked up. idk i think its a really nuanced topic that could have its own two hour long video essay made on it LOL

i really strongly dislike when arg fans specifically horror arg fans say that one interpretation is the only valid interpretation. like its perfectly acceptable to view petscop as a trans story but its not the ONLY VALID INTERPRETATION just bc its yours. stop being weird and mean to other fans bc they dont subscribe to your headcanons or interpretations full stop