I'd like to add that we do actually get quite excited and are very passionate about our interests. Varying by individual, however, we may come across as either silently engrossed in or loudly obsessed with these passions. As such, by adulthood, it's not uncommon to have begun hiding this passion entirely around other people, having been put down for simply enjoying something a bit more than others might see as "normal". And, as a side note: To me, social interaction is very much a "theory vs. practice" concept. In theory, if you take the human mind itself and patterns shown across a variety of individuals into account, it's not too difficult to piece some things together. However, putting this knowledge into practice takes a great deal of effort, and can be extremely exhausting to keep up for extended periods of time. Even more so when many people take a flat tone and/or neutral expression to mean anger, even though it's... literally just my voice and face.

Bular is archenemy of Steve in PAST and first enemy of Jim lake in PRESENT

Not to break your analysis and closeness for the character, but I want to point out... you cannot make labels of Teyvat world based on the world and thinking of common materialistically practical ways. Alhaitham is not a neurodivergent. He is of higher nature and his thinking would be more so linked to Divine thinking/thinking of archons based on the lore deep structure.

Amazing meme

(side note from future me: pls read this on a computer for your eyes' sake, I didn't mean for this to be soo long and in case you don't want to read this (understandable) TL;DR: Kaveh has untreated ADHD (and needs help), and Alhaitham has ASD. They fight, but don't truly hate each other. All are important info, and idk how to reduce without losing too much context, but I tried to divide this a lil better so that it's easier to read. Okay, idk if you have done Kaveh's hangout or the events/quests where he is featured since then, but I can confidentially guess that Kaveh has undiagnosed, untreated ADHD from having a diagnosis myself to hours of research I spent on the topic (as well as autism, caus I'm pretty sure I have both). I think it's easy to miss the more complex nuances of Kaveh (and Alhaitham honestly) because most people are too focused on "Kaveh is Alhaitham's secret roommate haha " rather than their individual characters. In a way, he is a complete opposite of Alhaitham, even in their portrayed neurodivergence. He is impulsive to the point of putting himself in massive debt after spending all his savings and taking a loan from Dori to rebuild the palace of alcazarzaray after the first one had failed, to buying keychains which raised money for children in need which turned out to be a scam, forgetting that even healthcare in Sumeru is free. He can be seen as overly sensitive or easily offended but that can be a display of having a hard time regulating his emotions and a sense of just believing he is simply right, especially when discussing his own field of expertise. He is often inclined to drop projects or commissions out of disagreement or discontent with the resulting proposals, when the passion is lost after feeling that the amount of changes made no longer feels like his own work or interesting to work on. He also has huge substance abuse issues from often wanting to drown in alcohol instead of facing his own problems whenever he gets the chance (addiction being also a highly common issue in those with ADHD). Similarly to Venti, this can be seen as a gag of "haha alcohol addict lmaoo", however the problem stems deeper than avoidance and is more so a side symptom to executive dysfunction. RSD (Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria) and PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) are both conditions that deeply relate to ADHD (and ASD as well), the first being an increase sensitivity to perceived rejection which can come in the form of criticism, disagreement, roundabout phrasing or subtext, etc. (i.e.: "You can come to the party, if you want" translating to "We are just being polite, we don't actually want you there" in their minds, while it really was just a friendly invitation.) PDA is having an intense avoidance of perceived demand, from other or even from yourself, making you physically unable to complete the task at hand due to the feeling of losing independence and the choice of doing that task. Kaveh also sacrifices too much for others at the expense of this own happiness and well being (such as using some of the one million he earned from the competition to treat his friends to a meal because feels indebted to them, rather than spending it on himself and paying his debt). He also threw away an entire fortune that would've set him free for life, however he declined all of it due to him not agreed with the sage's philosophies and actions and instead donated all of it because he would rather not live with the guilt of using the money that took advantage of others (I forget what exactly, but it had to do with the sage's unethical practices). This can be attributed to just his personality, however more acute emotional empathy, not wanting to be a burden and sticking true to your values and your own sense of justice can be heightened with ADHD. My brain is getting too tired (it's late lmao) and I'll have to review their character stories to confirm what I'm saying, but I feel like Kaveh does understand Alhaitham to an extent, perhaps even subconsciously. His defensiveness towards Alhaitham could be because he was right on the money about Kaveh's own shortcomings and inner thinkings and he doesn't want to admit or come to terms with Alhaitham's observations. He also doesn't want people to find out about them being roommates (out of embarrassment and not wanting others to know he is basically homeless) nor that he is struggling, so he may subconsciously or deliberately play up his annoyance towards him so that they think "they hate each other so much, no way they can be roommates". There is a reason why he came to Alhaitham's place at his most desperate time and why he chose to stay with him until today despite hating Alhaitham on the surface. There's also a reason why Alhaitham chose to help Kaveh, as someone who doesn't seem to offer his hand unless it puts his own status quo at risk (whether anyone wants to interpret this romantically or not is up to them, however diminishing their relationship to just being boyfriends is mischaracterizing them in my opinion). Kaveh could also be projecting his own dissatisfaction towards his own life towards Alhaitham in a sort of jealousy that he seems to know everything and have his own life together while he, despite also being a genius, doesn't seem to be able to gain such stability. He may also resent himself for not listening to Alhaitham sooner, which could've prevented his massive debt and the predicament that he is now. Alhaitham may know the most about Kaveh and his circumstances, whereas Kaveh struggles to read Alhaitham and what he is thinking which can cause him to feel insecure that Alhaitham does know so much (also may I add that Kaveh did overshare and basically broke down in front of Alhaitham, and oversharing is a common symptom of ADHD as well). They also have different opinions academically, but ultimately I don't think Kaveh truly hates Alhaitham, and I don't think Alhaitham hates Kaveh either. They are opposites in almost every shape or form, which explains how abrasive they are towards each other at times, but opposites also balance each other out. Kaveh has the emotional sensitiveness that Alhaitham lacks, and Alhaitham has the rationality that Kaveh lacks. I believe both can learn from each other's best qualities to support their worst. Both have their "bad sides" which are often surfacely interpreted as being "unreasonable" or a "selfish jerk", however those sides we see stem from a much more complex background and psychology. They are beautifully written complex characters that portray neurodivergence in a subtle and realistic way (whether or not it was intended for them to be coded this way), and reducing one or the other to some of these descriptives doesn't do them justice. Kaveh isn't just an Al-hater and Alhaitham isn't just a jerk either. Both are incredibly misunderstood characters, in game and in the community and I don't mean this as a personal attack to your video, but I really wanted to clear things up on Kaveh's side mostly (this also isn't a defense of Kaveh's behaviors either (he needs to get his sh!t tgt lmaoo) but more so an analysis of why he is the way he is). I think Kaveh's character is especially tragic and complex, and more credit towards his writing should be given, though Alhaitham's ASD is a lot more subtle and easy to miss for a lot of people in my opinion, due to him not being stereotypically autistic, like a lot of other characters depicted in media (such as Woo Young Woo and Shawn Murphy, both of which portray the Savant Syndrome spectrum of autism, which is quite rare and doesn't represent a majority of autistic individuals). Alhaitham could also fall into the category of a "savant autistic" though much more subtly, and there isn't a direct causality that is emphasised compared to some other depictions (for example, Shawn's medical prowess is often directly associated to him being autistic (and almost having super powers because of that). It's the difference between "he's a genius and he is autistic" and "he's a genius because he is autistic" if that makes sense.) Anyways, I could say more, but this went on longer than planned and I doubt anyone would want to read this or anything longer than that, but TL;DR: Kaveh has untreated ADHD (and needs help), and Alhaitham has ASD. They fight, but don't truly hate each other. (oh and final note, Asperger's is now a defunct term caus the dude the condition is named after did horrible things, so the whole spectrum is now just ASD) That's all :D

not sure if you've seen already but in cynos Sq 2 kaveh and alhaitham have less hostile conversations!! I think it's really interesting

A very interesting take! I think that this makes a lot of sense.

Bro skipped gym day and got his own spark punched out and crushed by Optimus

isn't nahida also autistic

I understand your take on Kaveh. I am neurodivergent(not on the autism spectrum, probably ADHD or something). I am very emotional, so I understand Kaveh up to a certain point. But Kaveh takes Alhaitham comments too personally. Like he claims to know Alhaitham the best and yet he hasn't concluded that while Alhaitham does sounds harsh, he doesn't mean to hurt. Kaveh should just not take alhaitham critics to heart. My bestfriend is similar to Alhaitham and I'm never offended by her, because I see her comments as they are: constructive criticism. Yes I have feelings and it hurt but I won't lash out like Kaveh does. If Kaveh cannot take Alhaitham I think they should just part ways. Or find a middle ground. They're both adults, surely there is a way. Also Alhaitham has subtle ways to show his affection (brings kaveh home when he drunk, actually thinks about tidying his books -you hear his thoughts with Nahida- and a bunch of details I can't remember). They remind me of my bestfriend and I so much. We are roomates as well. It is a bit sad for me to see them bicker so much.

Who cooked the ratatouille, i demand to know!

Something I personally enjoy about Al-haitham is that the game actually gives him friends, usually when i see autistic-coded characters in shows or games they’re seen as people that can’t form bonds or are seen as annoying, blunt, and rude. It’s nice to see a character have people that don’t constantly hate his presence. Even Kaveh, though he gets annoyed and they bicker, does not hate Al-haitham for his autistic traits but for the fact that Al-haitham purposely messes and bothers him.

I love you

I was saying ever since Maul showed up in Twilight of the Apprentice that I hoped his rivalry with Obi-Wan was finished, because the idea of Maul joining the Rebellion as a Dark Force-user sounded so much more interesting. Besides, before then, Mail didn't even have any reason to think Kenobi was still alive. So I was fully invested in the potential and the suspense that Maul brought to the story. 1. Maul wants to join Rebellion, and could be a powerful asset. But at the same time, once Maul is in, he plots with a few of the more extremist rebels to stage a coup to take over the Rebellion. 2. On one hand, Maul wants to bring down Palpatine; but on the other, he wants to take his place too. 3. With Kanan blinded and recovering, Maul can fill Kanan's role as backup and as a mentor to Ezra; and yet Maul wants to kill Kanan and make Ezra his apprentice. There's at the very least a premise for 3 really interesting and suspenseful episodes right there, all focused on Maul. But it's as if Filoni and the writers completely overlooked his potential and went straight back to nostalgia.

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Excellent video! Keep up the good work. And I agree, properly written “strong” female characters are such a scarcity. You may have just convinced me to give the show a watch just for this character, despite knowing next to nothing about Transformers lol

Why is bular actually my favorite character?

Aligned Optimus: “We do not harm unless all other options have been exhausted.” Bayverse Optimus: Goes on a mad killing spree, punches a hole in Shockwave’s torso, and shouts “YOU DIE!” as he rips his eyeball out.

"Give me your face!" -Optimus Crime.

How dare you show such a scene i grind your bones into paste

Optimus prime: we do not kill our enemies Also Optimus prime:

i'm a Sound-sensitive person, and this was very silent for me, even tho i had max volume

*"He... will... avenge us"* I'd say Maul overall knew that Sidious was the root cause of both their problems. A moment of understanding between the two, in its own tragic way.

General Grevious: Crush them!

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Al Haitham IS autistic and no one can convince me otherwise

Luca and Alberto are probably scarred for decades. 🎣🐟

You take the words out of my mouth. It's quite cool to find out that my vision is shared by some people. My hypothesis is that having Alhaitham showing such a consistant Asperger personality might not be an "accident" but made on purpose by miHoYo. It's quite obvious to me that everything in the story is quite very thoughtful and documented. The game mechanics (like playing solo with minimal interaction) might bring into the game some ASD people and miHoYo would then taking them into account by having a character they can identify with. Thanks for sharing this.

Bayverse optimus clears

Being autistic doesn't mean being completely oblivious to social cues, and to how minds work. We just can't feel ya neurotypicals on an instinctual level, but we can make out social cues on a cognitive level. In Aaru Village, when that one woman didn't tell everything to the main character, Paimon and Cyno, Alhaitham points all the cues towards her not having told everything that are visible on a cognitive level. He wasn't like "You should have known that she didn't say everything, it was obvious" , he pointed out the cues visible on a cognitive and rational level. Being able to read social cues on a cognitive level and then acting neurotypical despite not being neurotypical is called masking btw.

Honestly I'd love to see tfp arcee come back in any new media she was my favorite autobot in the show and that was hardly because she was the only female transformer besides airachnid she was so interesting and well written she stole the attention for me, tfp offered new versions of original charecters like tfp arcee, starscreams new design, wheeljack being a wrecker instead of a scientist they are new fun ideas that I'd so love to see happen again

In the Phantom Menace Darth Maul was my favourite character then Obi Wan kills Maul with half his body but Maul is returned in Clone Wars also Maul and his brother Savage fighting Emperor Palpatine but Obi Wan/Ben saw Maul about he was last word before died in Rebels and that was good story.

:-D

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Great video essay! I've heard from numerous viewers to start watching Ninjago!

Great video essay! As a kid I just remember Darth Maul being cool cause he was red and had the double sided light saber lol.

I think the comedic bits in the flashback make it even sadder since they make you realize this is not just a warrior. He's a fun friend who never asked for a fate like this. Great video btw!

Optimus "Autobots do not inflict harm, unless all other options have been exhausted. It is what seperate us from the decepticons". 0:09 : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mpyeldyVu9a4XZ8.html

Yes, I’m aware that killing evil madmen is excusable in context. I’m just pointing out the irony of how graphically the idealistic good guy dishes out carnage ok?

柯博文，你得來地球改變什麼了！

Bro thinks he doom slayer: 🗿 💪

Optimum pride

Optimus Bayvers 🛐>>>>G1