#friendship is the heart of this series

[color-beyond-lines]

I love that even as the romantic relationships progress in We Are, the friendships remain a focal point as well.

When Toey was telling Q about how he made it through the end of high school, he mentioned that Matt helped him a lot. Matt wasn’t physically present, but the value of his and Toey’s friendship was still highlighted.

And beyond the close circle of friends that the story revolves around, Toey has his skateboarding friends and Fang has his fellow architecture friends.

There is an authenticity in the way university life is portrayed in We Are (besides the fact they’re rarely ever in class), with friendships formed from shared courses of study, people already known from high school, with the friends of a s/o, and so on. There’s teasing and banter and heartfelt conversations. They argue and have awkward moments, but at the end of the day they support each other and encourage each other. They notice when someone isn’t behaving like themselves and ask what’s wrong. They notice when someone is in a better mood and tease about the reasons why.

The end of episode 11 had Phum admitting his feelings for Peem in front of all their friends. There’s so much trust and comfort embedded into these relationships, I can relax knowing that they all have someone to lean on. These friends know how to communicate, have fun, and be flirty to get their man. Watching their stories unfold is a highlight of my week.

[ruporas]

captain's warm hugs! (id in alt)

[glazedcroissant]

I've been reading @post-it-notes7 heart and soul series once again, and I wanted to make some more fanart! As such, doodles:

Read their fic here!

[secriden]

Style in episode 4 made me soft in a way that I truly did not expect. I’ve used the word “guileless” (def: innocent and without deception) before to describe him but I don't think that has been shown more clearly then in this episode.

He tries to be manipulative and lasts for all of one single morning and then comes running to Fadel the second he hears about Fadel asking about him. He's so excited, so exuberant at the thought that Fadel misses him, so happy that his little (terribly obvious and juvenile) plan worked.

Which is why I think he was genuinely taken aback when Fadel only had harsh words for him as a reply (this is not a criticism of Fadel; in this he has been consistent. Doesn't mean they weren't hurtful though). Look at the way Style's grin slowly dies. Watch the way he straightens and backs away a bit, like he wasn't expecting the clawed swipe of Fadel's dismissal.

But Style is resilient. He's tenacious. We see him rally and steel himself to resume his pursuit: because Style is nothing if not determined to hold on to the thinnest thread of hope that he's breaking through Fadel's shell. And can I just take a moment to get emotional about Style offering forgiveness even when Fadel hasn't asked for it?

This, though. I do think this was uncalled for (this is a criticism of Fadel). You can make the argument that Fadel has tried honesty and blunt rejection and it hasn't worked, but I would have respected Fadel more if he'd stuck to his guns and kept rejecting Style in the same manner. Especially when everything else about his character shows he's actually very up front and direct. With Bison, with Kant, hell even with himself.

Fadel is mocking Style's clear and wanton desire for him. Look at the sardonic little grin Fadel gets right before he says, "You won't ever get what you want." Consider the way he was touching Style with that gentle, focused intensity; how he cuts up his shirt and tears it open and leans in close in a way that suggests purposefulness while having zero intention of seeing it through. Fadel knew what he was doing and he did it on purpose, to hurt.

And you can see that Style is genuinely hurt here. I think he has always been prepared for Fadel's rejection, but not his cruelty. Not Fadel making sport of him and his very real emotions and desires. Because Fadel has been rude and condescending before, but he's never been contemptuous like he is here.

And I wonder, partly, if this is because both times we see Style and his dad, his dad is scolding/chiding/correcting him to some extent. Perhaps that's just how they interact. Or perhaps, as implied by the way Style sarcastically said "Thanks, dad" as Fadel drives away in episode 1, Style doesn't enjoy the way his father scolds him and always has criticisms or corrections for him. Perhaps Style just wants to be accepted for who he is, especially by the man he is starting to have real feelings for.

Edit (after Ep 5): I'm so sorry, Papa Style, I did you so wrong. ;u;

@lazzarella made a post recently about Dunk's phenomenal acting in this scene (among others) and I concur so hard about how intense and scorching and "both fiery and steely" Style's anger feels in this scene. He's furious and wounded and you can see it in his gaze, the tension in his jaw, the way he bares his teeth up at Fadel when he says "...punch me in the face? Go on!"

And honestly, he is justified. Fadel's incredulity has no basis here: he stooped back to using public humiliation, something which Style very pointedly has not engaged with since his conversation with Bison in episode 2. Every instance of approaching Fadel since then has clearly been aimed to involve himself in Fadel's private life*.

*Yes even or maybe especially the support group in episode 3. Because while Style may have been treating the whole thing too lightly, all of it is directed privately to Fadel with his secret looks and winks. As far as the other support group members are concerned, Style was a somewhat overdramatic new member that had no connection to Fadel.

But what Fadel did by cutting up his shirt and sending him out in shame regressed them back to their early dynamic, which was far more antagonistic.

This is why Style lashes out at the support group again. Look at the anger simmering in his eyes. The way he makes direct, insistent eye contact with Fadel as he speaks, returning again when he talks about feeling used. Style, overall, is a character that doesn't take anything too seriously so it's almost shocking to see him this visibly angry and so pointedly challenging Fadel in a space where Fadel cannot easily brush him off.

But even now, even in all his rage and hurt, Style is true to himself and his heart. He doesn't want revenge or an apology, he wants Fadel to acknowledge that the thing between them, fragile as it is, matters; that what they did meant something to the both of them.

And this is why I was so broken about Style offering forgiveness without Fadel asking for it earlier: because all it took was Fadel admitting that he missed Style for him to unreservedly offer reassurance and safety for Fadel's heart. There is nothing ambiguous about what Style says at the jeep: he makes his own intentions clear by offering certainty, taking responsibility, promising the very commitment he was asking Fadel for.

He makes himself vulnerable to and for the man who literally just mocked and humiliated him that morning. Style really just let all his anger go immediately like that.

And no, I don't think he was doing all that for the car. This is just how Style talks. He has a flair for the dramatic, and this was the perfect way to reveal his news to Kant. But look at how delighted, how filled with boyish glee he is while he tells Kant the news about Fadel agreeing to be his boyfriend. Consider the way he reacted in the moment: the joy in his voice and the wonder in his eyes when he said "Really? We're dating now?", the way he covers Fadel's cheeks in a hundred butterfly kisses.

Also, a thought that occurred to me - could this be Style's first relationship? We know from episode 1 that he sleeps around, but there's seemingly no mention of a previous serious/committed relationship so far. His dad seems surprised to hear Style is seriously pursing someone. Could Fadel be the first person to capture his interest for long enough that Style developed actual feelings?

Which is also why his fear is now so visceral. He is genuinely terrified of Fadel, but I don't think it's just because he's realised how dangerous Fadel is (after all, he's known that to some extent since he watched Fadel break a man's arm with his thighs). No, his fear stems from the fact that Fadel now has reason to hurt Style.

In the face of the betrayal of his own trust, Style answers Kant's plea to friendship and entangles himself with Kant's lie willingly... and thereby forfeits all rights to the safety he was so confident of in the middle of the woods by an abandoned factory. Because now Style knows that if Kant gets found out, it won't matter that Style didn't intentionally mislead and take advantage of Fadel's vulnerability in the forest. Because he still chose Kant over Fadel here, and that makes him undeserving of the open door he asked Fadel to give him.

Style is incredibly transparent in all his thoughts and emotions and this is why I say that Style is guileless: he is incapable of true deception. His heart is too close to the surface, his desires too obvious, his thoughts too clearly broadcasted on his face.

He is the perfect foil; not only to Fadel (who until this episode held everything so buried inside his chest that we only understand his true feelings in snatches of memories or moments when Fadel is certain that he is truely alone) but also Kant (whose deception, whilst cracking under pressure, is intentional and calculated - thinking about that bowling alley accomplice right now - in a way Style never could be).

And this means that any success on his part in the upcoming episode(s) in deceiving Fadel is going to fall on either Fadel's own willful blindness or the suspension of disbelief the genre requires of the viewer -- but it won't be because Style is actually any good at playing the role now that he knows the full truth.

This is why my heart breaks for Style. Because Kant forced a burden on him that he was in no way prepared to bear. And eventually Style will have to choose between his loyalty to Kant and his burgeoning feelings for Fadel and, regardless of his choice, the narrative demands that Style sacrifice a piece of his own heart in the process.

[talistheintrovert]

The Heart Killers Crack 9/?

fadel & kant's dynamic is everything to me

[purplelilies]

thk textpost bc I have to

t h i s

[aprilblossomgirl]

If you like him, stop avoiding me already. Others are already worried that we’re having a conflict. But I think I know you’re not that type of person. Really?

ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat | Ep.08

[fandomfairyuniverse]

I love how the show reinforces Kant and style’s friendship by having them just completely fall apart in each other’s arms. Like yeah this whole thing sucks but at the very least, they still have each other

[scrumptiousstuffs]

That’s quite callous of you Mr Kant 🤸‍♀️…..

Also….

Really??? Really boys? (Style probably had a better chance of NOT being caught when he was in the dark)

The Heart Killers EP 4

[this-blog-needs-a-new-name]

They literally make me weak 😭 how sweet of Film to give Namtan the heart of Pluto ❤️

[joongdunking]

The Fadewww disease 😆

I really love the friendship that blossomed through this series.. 🥹

[a-littlebitof-nonsense]

Percy and Annabeth’s friendship is literally everything

Don’t get me wrong i’m a huge percabeth shipper but their FRIENDSHIP!?!? I will go feral for it always

I absolutely adore how the show is laying out the grounds for their relationship and the journey they will take and how deep friends they are becoming. And the actors are doing so well portraying this too!

JUST UGH THEYRE BEST FRIENDS AND IM SO HERE FOR IT

[hiddenonigiri]

I just like it. I feel at ease being with you guys. I can do whatever I want, I can be silly if I want to, I can act like a kid if I want to.

[butterflysonnets]

(this might be dream drop distance erasure but) i still think kingdom hearts II was the gayest kingdom hearts game. no exaggeration whatsoever it's basically soriku: the game.

sora literally woke up from a fucking cosmic coma and was like "where's riku" and just went around to a dozen fucking worlds screaming "RIKU WHERE ARE YOU" at the top of his lungs and bothering everyone in the vicinity about riku's whereabouts (when they had no ever-loving clue who tf riku was) and then he kept getting bummed when he was roped into helping these people but it didn't help him find riku and then he was mad as hell shouting at donald and goofy in front of mulan and li shang's salads "SEE!!! i should've been with riku" because he felt guilty about being separated from riku and then eventually he reunites with the girl he's in love with (citation needed) and was like "oh cool! nice to see you! glad you made it! *gentle hug*" but then finds out riku has been physically turned into some scary-looking old guy but it's still riku and so he falls to his knees sobbing and holding riku's hand and crying about he looked everywhere for riku and how he's gonna find a way to save him and turn him back into himself and that riku's heart is still riku's so it's all good with him and then him and riku fight the big bad guy together and end up on some dark ass lonely ass beach apparently for eternity but they're both like "yeah this is fine because we're together :)" and they just keep fucking smiling and chilling but then kairi saves them and sora's like "we'll go together ♥︎" and pulls riku up out of the darkness that plagued him (!!!) and into the light (!!!!!!!) and they go home together. also that's just the obvious as hell surface level basic gameplay stuff. i didn't even talk nuance.

all this and you're like wow it really can't get gayer!! but then in kingdom hearts III they combine keyblades for a special edition pride month collab complete with rainbows and the paopu aka soulmate fruit. but sora is in love with kairi allegedly so what gives

[almayver]

In We Are, Peem playing with his friends with the water, and later him playing with Phum in the pool. Here, Thame playing with Pepper, and the boys later when Pepper is chasing Jun, and then him playfully running after Po.

You see my vision?

[kxkomo]

Same

Saw this thought of them

I miss Pandora hearts