He’s laser targeted at you

laser targeted to nuke me from orbit

godddddd, the prequel manga is such a fascinating exploration of Avan's psychology

Avan was raised by his grandfather, who was such a wise and studied scholar that he could predict disaster, an ability that made him respected, but also feared and envied and isolated

and so when Avan joins a group of his peers in the form of the knights of Carl, he goes all in on hiding how clever and skilled he is, becoming as disarming and non-threatening as he possibly can

and I wouldn't call it fake, because Avan is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy at heart, he wants to have fun and cook and make friends, but it is also so guarded and calculated

He’s a Str/Int build through and through, which isn’t the normal build for his character archetype

because deep down he's convinced that if he's 100% his true self, it'll distance people from him

The wise hero from the previous generation isn’t usually stupid but their strength doesn’t usually come from constantly analyzing their environment and thinking

and it's a fascinating contrast with Roka (Maam's dad), who is 100% himself at all times and deeply sincere as a person, and it's Roka who keeps attracting allies to them

Leira and Makoriv might admire and get along well with Avan, but ultimately they both join the party because they like Roka.

Overbringer: yeah! Avan is so analytical, it's his real strength as a fighter, and that's really interesting

the Avan and Matoriv dynamic is really good

I bet Himmel and Avan would get along

Holly: if you gave Avan a Pokemon partner it would have to be Dragapult because his most important act is throwing children into combat

omg... I didn't realize there was an Avan prequel manga

it's not done but it's good