I love when the queerbait is ample and abundant
This is a guide for a love detector Arelyn acquires ^^ I believe Mehen and Valer are the only ones who get the bond between /them/ checked in addition to their affection values for Arelyn and vice versa. (Though Valer /does/ pick a fight with the godfather figure and throws out something about mutual -100 between them. but like. I don't think they actually used the detector, just the extremely hostile vibes.)
Valer is so full of love.. he similarly had 100 towards Arelyn while she only had like. 45 or something for him—poor thing LOL. it hammers in his devotion a lot, and I'm a little curious how much impact Valer's regressions could have had on these scores. but he reads as someone who feels strongly from the start anyways. Arelyn scored 99 (mama's girl <3) towards Mehen and Mehen scored 92 (girl mom!!!!) the other way around by the way!!
It's pretty impressive Mehen's score for Valer is still so high despite having such a blatantly negative definition attached—Arelyn later checks with /her ML/ and hits in the 70 range as well, for reference.
I also! appreciate the last sentence in the 1st pic, since it's such a clear assertion for Valer's characterization. And it's funny to think about in regards to his teasing—in particular! this scene:
"my Mehen" is crazy. he'd be so easy to slot into omegaverse as a possessive over-scenter whenever he's Actually Present in the duchy. Anyways.
He's being sincere about calling Mehen family I know it in my heart!! And they are! To Me they go from friends -> family -> family 2.0 (because in my delusions they Do get married eventually but in a queerplatonic way under some absurd, comedic circumstance) while their weird sense of distance fluctuates and follows them the whole way through as they juggle all their duties.
I mentioned two (2) people over on twitter making fics and one of them was taking prompts and and. this scene IN the novel fulfilled one of them. the skinship from their childhood as adults. I win.
Mehen.. is a check and comfort in one for Valer.
The content of the 3rd pic just makes me think of. that meme format where it's a duo and one of them, upon returning after using the bathroom in the middle of the night, the other has abyss crazy eyes "why did u leave me". this too could be them. Valer brushing back his own hair makes me wish he'd play w/ Mehen's, the classic rofan ML kisses-a-lock-of-the-FL's. they already have the trope of Mehen being the only one able to calm Valer.
Argfdhdjff. this mirrors Valer's sentiment of "if there's no Arelyn, Mehen, or sister, the duchy means nothing". I can't help but fall for the theme of people make the home over and over..
-> off note. Mehen doing city management during this 15 year time skip/compression is rather reminiscient of Candy Crush moms. he got a lot of gratification out of building up the new city (that was one of Arelyn's birthday gifts by the way), apparently.
