#relying a lot on cognitive empathy to navigate friendships is a different ballgame. it has pros and cons too.

[furby-organist]

// Pepe Silvia memes at you about how local Alastor is pretty emotionally detached & has low intuitive/emotional empathy, so he relies a lot on cognitive empathy to navigate his social interactions. It has its cons but also it has its pros; I think it makes him v observant and good negotiator and pretty utilitarian?

He gets to be like "what is my end goal. What is the best way to achieve this. I want something from this person; what sort of things would prompt a positive or negative response" and game-theorying his way through interactions is a much more sustainable alternative than solely relying force. Force, or the threat of it, is useful, but it requires maintenance. He has thoughts on this.