oh man how to answer this in a way that will do fadelstyle justice? I think @secriden and @bentnotbroken1fanfiction have much better, very in depth analysis of them as a pair and their wonderful dynamic.

but for me personally? simply, it’s a type of love that I’m looking for. my personality is very similar to fadel’s, the way style always goes out of his way to understand him and push back against all of fadels attempts to push him away - it really warms my heart.

they see each other, do you understand? style guesses that fadel could be a hitman, even if it was just a joke - style always saw him for who fadel is and fadel has been in wanting for that devotion, fadel has been aching to just be held and be able to fall apart - when fadel goes to prison style keeps his dream alive. fadel finally found someone who can understand how much he’s had to give, how much he’s always had to put himself second, someone who appreciates fully when fadel does it for him - I think style is the only person who’s ever even attempted to feel the extent of fadel’s sacrifice let alone tell him that he’s deserving of the same and then go out and do it.

joongdunk have so subliminally portrayed that growing trust between them, that lived through all of fadel’s anger at being betrayed, all of style’s fear of fadel’s dangerous life. they’ve just done so well to show what it means to slowly make space for each other, to fall in love through a gradual understanding of each other, I really felt that no matter what happened between them no matter how angry they were or how much distance there was between them every episode fadel and style loved each other more than the last.

fadel and style’s romance is one of my favorite couple dynamics period I’m sorry you didn’t feel it and even though we are allowed to interpret shows differently and like different things its a pity that I have no way to make you experience the beauty with which they touched my heart.

Originally posted by heretherebedork

Oh damn, I haven’t been able to get on tumblr for like 2 weeks+ and I’ve barely even processed Episode 11 let alone 12, but thank you for the shoutout!!

I honestly think this is such a lovely and insightful reply and one of the things I became obsessed with before the show even started is the way Fadel and Style were clearly designed to fit together “like missing puzzle pieces” (<- a phrase I used in my first ever meta post about Style, before episode 1 even dropped and all we had was the character interview video), and I think this reply captures some of the most essential aspects of this.

What you say about Style seeing Fadel is so fucking true, and also so fucking important because Fadel is the one character who does not get anyone’s understanding at the start/early parts of the show. Bison already has Fadel who takes care of him and tries his best to accomodate Bison’s wishes despite the danger to their identity; Kant has Babe as a semi-confident of sorts, who he can talk to even if he can’t fully tell Babe all the details; Style has his dad, Kant, and a whole neighbourhood of aunties and uncles and friends (which we see glimpses/references to throughout the series in dialogue or context); hell even Keen has a boyfriend who doesn’t know about his whole ~side gig as a hitman information gatherer~ but clearly loves and supports and isn’t overly phased even when he’s held at gunpoint. But what does Fadel get?? Fadel has no one but a “mother” who used him, who never really loved him, and an ex who (Fadel thought) left him when he found out about Fadel’s true darkness.

And what I have kept coming back to, over and over and over again, and what I find so incredibly compelling about their relationship is the way Style chooses to love Fadel. There’s something so special about the character who starts out knowing the least, the character who is the most narratively vulnerable and ignorant, and the one most victimised by the context, also being the one who remains unflinchingly loyal, even as each new piece of information about Fadel is revealed. Style chooses to love Fadel and it’s a choice he makes over and over despite Fadel’s early harsh treatment of him, despite Fadel genuinely hurting his feelings after sleeping with Style and tossing him aside, despite Kant revealing Fadel to be a murderer, despite Fadel turning on him and holding him at gunpoint, despite Fadel needing to “finish” his one last job after Style pleads with him to walk away, despite Fadel choosing jail and separation rather than going on the run and dooming Style to five years of loneliness and longing – STYLE FUCKING CHOOSES FADEL. (Like, I’m not saying that Style didn’t have his own hand in their tumultuous relationship; but my point is that loving Fadel was never the easy route and Style walked that path without ever looking back).

And I think there’s something so much more compelling about a love that comes by choice rather than “helpless” and fleeting emotion. Style’s love for Fadel is intentional and we see the evidence of that in the way he sacrifices so much for Fadel in episode 12. (The whole buying the Heart Burger back for Fadel?? The way it’s done?? I could make a whole post about the way Style not only does it but does it RIGHT. *sobs*)

And on a similar vein, the way Fadel dismantles his own walls to let Style in is so fucking incredible. The way he does this in such an intentional way despite his own fears and past hurts when it comes to love. (Nope, still not shutting up about Fadel getting himself drunk to lay himself bare for Style. Sorry not sorry.) The way Fadel continues to be very upfront about where he’s at with Style afterwards, the way he explicitly tells Style all his reservations and reasons for doubting Style once the truth is revealed. The way he so clearly wants Style to know the full extent of his darkness and depression and hopelessness, and hell the way he keeps trying to let Style go. Because love also means wanting better for the person you cherish and Fadel would rent his own heart to shreds again, would return to that darkness if that was what Style wanted.

Their love is so grounded and evidenced in real actions and sacrifice and care and it boggles the mind how anyone could think they don’t love each other.

As characters, they truly, for me, stand out as one of the most intensely interesting and compelling relationships I’ve encountered in a while. They were intentionally designed to be difficult to come together, made to clash and rub up against each other and bring out the worse in each other; but in doing so, found honesty and truth and that makes their love all the more real to me.

As for JoongDunk’s portrayal of these characters – listen, there’s always going to be differences in opinion and preferences, but here are my general thoughts:

There are some instances of Dunk as Style that didn’t fully land for me (eg. the crying scene in the car bed cuz they tried to balance comedy and drama and succeeded at neither; or the kissing in episode 12 when Fadel and Style are in bed and Dunk for some bizarre reason maintains like a foot of distance between their bodies) but others that I think were fucking incredible (eg. Style pressing worshipful hands and kisses on Fadel’s body in his bed in episode 5; the opening scene in episode 6 when Style looks up at Fadel with frank wonder and open invitation; the look of tragic acceptance as Style thinks he’s saying goodbye to Fadel after the rock concert; the look of acceptance and understanding when Fadel turns away from Style’s kiss in the bathtub scenes – I could go on). I think Dunk was incredible when it came to the emotionally fraught moments with Fadel and his breakdown at the end of episode 11 was an undeniable example of how well he can communicate both the intense and subtle emotions of his characters. The comedy aspects were over the top and loud, but that was also an intentional character choice that I have no issues with and never did from the beginning. Style is who he is, unabashedly and without reservation, and I loved that from the beginning.

And I think the transformation Joong went through as Fadel was also very beautiful to watch. We are intentionally shown Fadel as being cold and clinical in the early parts of the show and then as each new aspect of his character is peeled back, Joong allows the softness inside to bleed into the way he holds Fadel too. The harshness comes back when Fadel finds out about Style’s betrayal, but Joong changes how he portrays Fadel and allows the inner agony and vulnerability to bleed through like Fadel’s facade is cracking. I said in another post after episode 9 that I’m so grateful that the show gave Fadel the space to journey into accepting Style back, and this still holds true even until episode 12. Joong was incredibly nuanced as Fadel and ALL OF IT was wrapped up in Style and how being loved by Style and loving him changes Fadel.

But am I surprised that not everyone sees this? Not really. Watching SIMM and then seeing all the hate and low ratings about it online has made me convinced that some people simply don’t watch things the way I do and that’s… disappointing but there’s nothing I can do about it except write posts that hopefully resonate with other people so that I can, at the very least, gather the people who DO appreciate it and love them for what they are good at together into my little corner of the internet. <3