#askevan

One of the biggest problems I’ve had with HP’s werewolves (aside from it being written by the moldy uber terf) is the case of “good lore/ horrible execution”. HP does have the bones of good lore for its werewolves as victims of a dangerous, life altering curse and discrimination that comes with that. However the execution falls utterly flat to the point of being horribly ableist and having very… disgusting implications! Such as moldy terf stating her version of lycanthropy is a metaphor for HIV… and having a major werewolf villain who loves to purposefully infect children!? Or having our main werewolf character be the only good werewolf in the entire story, with the rest either all joining wizard hitler or having so little screen time they’re basically nonexistent! LG werewolves have a lot of similarities to HP’s werewolves, but does manage to sidestep a lot of these issues in the stories by just… treating lycanthropes as people.

Two big differences I wanna point out as the example between Evan and Remus is how other characters treat their lycanthropy, and their own relationship with their condition.

In HP, a lot of characters focus on how lupin’s lycanthropy affects them, never how it impacts Remus himself. Lupin could be in a completely isolated room and all the other characters would be focusing on “what if he gets out?” Or “ugh why does he have to have this now!” Or having characters using his lycanthropy to put Remus in comprising positions without any care or regard for how it would affect him (such as in a flashback with Sirius trying to lure snape into the abandoned cabin lupin used for his full moon transformations as a “prank”. Fully knowing and not caring how this would ruin lupins life if his werewolf form attacked snape. And the narrative just… never holds Sirius accountable for this!)

Evan meanwhile, both the characters are far more focused on how his lycanthropy affects him. Actually checking in on him and being more scared for him then scared of Big Bad (I love the scene with lukus just sticking his hand in werewolf Evan’s mouth to check his puke, and the crew all helping with the grief after he turns back). It really shows that they actually care for Evan’s wellbeing and realize he’s how his condition affects him.

And also on their personal relationship with their lycanthropy these two characters are also vastly different. Remus is just constantly miserable, the narrative never letting him have any happiness in his condition unless it’s to spite it. A lot of the time almost seeming to apologize for his own existence, a trait that SURE couldn’t mean anything coming from what’s basically a disabled character (what was that about disgusting implications before?). Meanwhile Evan, while his condition does cause him a lot of fear/ stress/ and self loathing, the narrative allowing him to have moments of self acceptance and neutrality with his lycanthropy. That and much of his anxiety and self loathing coming from things outside his lycanthropy (I like Evan but dear fuck is he a mess!)

This is a very interesting comparison, thank you so much for this! I've never read Harry Potter myself, but I have seen lycanthropy (and similar conditions) used as an allegory for different things like illness, sexuality, disability, etc. in other fiction and I think it has to be handled very carefully. I have heard from many people that J.K. Rowling is heavy-handed in her writing and does not do subtlety well, and what you've just told me here confirms that. That sounds...not great. Wow...

Evan is a character with a serious, life-alerting condition. Some of the ways it alters him are beneficial (it's literally the only thing keeping him alive) and some are devastating (the real risk of harming someone under the full moon). I want to highlight both of these facts at the same time throughout the story. It's not a flawless superpower, but it's not constant misery either, because Evan doesn't let it be. He chose this for himself, and he takes responsibility for that decision every day. Doesn't always do a perfect job of it, but his earnestness is what makes him endearing I think.

Connor is sort of meant to be his dark shadow, showing what Evan would be like if he didn't take responsibility, if he shed everything he is and just identified completely with his lycanthropy. The disease rules Connor completely, to the point where Connor is barely Connor anymore, he is just a walking, talking case of lycanthropy. He willingly let this happen to himself because he's convinced that it IS a flawless superpower and sought the disease for greedy, selfish reasons. He did not care how it might affect others.

Evan is a lycanthrope, yes, but above all else he is a person with thoughts, feelings, and impact on the people around him. He is loved by others despite his condition, and sometimes because of it. Not everyone is willing to love him because they fear what he is, and the series doesn't really demonize them for that. The narrative acknowledges that it can be dangerous and the fear is warranted, but also shows that Evan is a pretty good guy who goes to great lengths in order to help people. He has to earn peoples' trust, it isn't just given to him like it's given to most people. He adapts to the position he put himself in.

Connor doesn't get the love and support Evan does, and not just because he's a lycanthrope, but moreso because he's a shitty person who happens to have lycanthropy. Evan is a kind person with lycanthropy, and so his kindness outshines the condition. He remains a multi-faceted human being who does not let one aspect of himself define his whole existence, so he gets treated with more nuance than just "wolf-man scary".

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And that higher power...is me. 😎

From a lore standpoint: Evan has an immense will to survive. He always has, ever since he was a child. I'm not saying will alone can save someone from a serious illness, but anyone who has worked in the medical field or done some form of caretaking will tell you that a patient's attitude can make a huge difference in their lifespan and general health.

A patient who has mentally checked out will not last long, but one who is determined to survive can cling on far longer than expected. I have witnessed this many times in my personal life.

Evan may be sick, but he absolutely loves life and he's not ready to leave it behind. Also, I think just by living with this heart condition for so long, he has probably learned little techniques to cope with the attacks.

As a personal example: I have a condition called POTS, and I used to get horrible tachycardia attacks that would make me pass out. I do still get them, but I have learned a few techniques to stop them early by changing position or holding my breath in a certain way. I imagine Evan has learned maneuvers like this as well.

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Connor: I'm you but shittier

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There's a pretty clear father/son dynamic between Evan and Isaac, but what doesn't get explored enough is how that same dynamic exists (or once existed) between Evan and Glenvar.

Glenvar was pretty young when he joined the crew, and a lot of what he knows had to be taught to him by Evan and Lukas, who were the most stable adults he had in his life since he left his sisters behind. Evan was the more stable of the two, since Lukas always threatened to walk away and abandon them both whenever he got frustrated (and he still does this from time to time...)

It appears like Glenvar has outgrown this dynamic by the time Isaac joins the crew, but I don't think that's entirely true. I think he just tries to hide how much he relies on Evan, because it seems like whenever Evan is doing badly, Glenvar suddenly is too.

Maybe it scares him when he sees the most stable person in his life start falling apart?

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Evan:

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That's a good question, but to explain it properly I have to talk about the history of Uekoro for a second.

In ancient times, the Matuzan cities we know today used to be totally separate kingdoms. Each had their own laws and cultures. Then, when Matuzu Kingdom rose to a Great power, all these little kingdoms were absorbed as cities/holds under its jurisdiction.

This means Uekoro used to be its own kingdom, and slavery was legal there. But when it was absorbed by Matuzu Kingdom, Matuzu said, "We don't like slavery in our great kingdom. You have to abolish it because you're making us look bad".

And Uekoro said "kiss my ass lol".

So in the end, they made a compromise: slavery was abolished for everyone in Uekoro...except the royal family. The Uekoran royal family (in this case, the Fanakas) could continue keeping slaves legally under Matuzan jurisdiction. To abolish slavery or not can only be decided by the Uekoran royal family, with a caveat: once slavery is abolished in Uekoro, it cannot be reinstated. This was part of the terms they agreed to with Matuzu Kingdom.

Slavery is a very longstanding tradition for the Uekoran royal family. Some family members throughout history disagreed with it, but they were not brave enough to be the ones to end it, because the rest of the family would have them by the throat. So, the old tradition continued in the palace while the rest of Uekoro progressed into more modern, sensible ways.

Okay, history lesson over! Now, on to your question...

As the Uekoran King, Jelani could certainly abolish slavery in his palace if he wanted to. Some of his relatives might be pissed, but the most dangerous and volatile of them (his mother) is dead, so it doesn't really matter.

However, Jelani carries a personal grudge against the palace slaves because of the way Itanya chose the Kaconenans over him. This "betrayal" cut him so deeply that it still hurts him decades later. His pain manifests as anger, and he takes his anger out on the rest of the palace slaves so that they may never "betray" him again.

Long story short, the palace still practices slavery because Jelani has emotional issues. See a freakin' therapist, dude...

During the 2 years they were together, Evan tried to convince Jelani to release his slaves many times. But it was a sensitive subject that made Jelani upset very quickly, so he was never able to push it too hard.

Azura, however...She has charisma and intelligence that Evan lacks. She successfully convinced Jelani to abolish slavery in his palace and replace all of his slaves with paid servants. This means that as long as Uekoro is under Matuzan jurisdiction, it can never reinstate slavery again. This was a huge historical event for the city, and Azura is credited for it.

Yes, as a slavekeeper, Jelani was on her shitlist. But Azura is too smart to just assassinate him and watch another slavekeeper take his throne...she went a hundred steps further and married the guy to influence his kingdom instead. Classic Azura move, honestly...

Evan does deserve a little credit though, because Jelani admits that it was his time with Evan that softened him up before he married Azura. Evan showed him what empathy and goodness looks like, Jelani respected him a lot, and wished to be more like him. So, I would say Evan and Azura both contributed. (Dr. Asha deserves some credit as well, because Jelani does mention that she's been counseling him through his grief about Itanya.)

An upcoming story pretty much opens with this scenario, so I don't feel like it's too spoilery. We'll explore this situation more when we get there!

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