I got this on a recommended short and spent 10 mins watching it on loop. Sometimes the 2min feels hit, okayy
https://youtu.be/7uSRxv-A3dI?feature=shared
I don't expect Taemin to be able to keep a serious face or even attempt at delivering the line when you look at the setup 😂 Minho was having fun with it and Key on the side, encouraging it, like the little devil on someone's sholder.
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The other day, an Anon for @reflections-in-a-critical-eye asked about SHINee 2Min lore, and Anon was referred here for further info, lol. Well, I'm not sure there is lore per se, but I can give a mini rear-view mirror take on 2Min.
Spoiler: here's 2023 Minho staring at Taemin.
The early years give a beautiful vibe of dongsaeng/hyung puppy love. They're just absolutely adorable. Minho is Taemin's closest hyung in age, and Minho has mentioned that until Taemin showed up, he was the baby.
Shippers call this moment c. 2010 the "Koala Hug." 2Min were celebrating Minho doing an extreme vaulting challenge. Yes, you read that right.
However, that vibe eventually gets tinged by SM playing with Taemin's gender presentation.
When Taemin is given extensions and suddenly bombarded with men telling him he looks like a woman etc, Minho is one of the people to confidently say that Taemin is "pretty to begin with" so there is nothing to be done about it. I always read that as him almost being prideful over it; Minho definitely likes the idea of Taemin being prettier than girl groups or his work beating out that of girl groups (read into that how you want, lol), but I think he liked Taemin exactly how he was from the get go, which is cry-inducing really.
Here's Taemin wearing Minho's father's scarf c. 2012. Okay, I guess that's pretty "lore" -ish.
If you were to go back and look at shipper blogs and live journals from 2013/2014, you would see some 2Min fans getting upset that their ship has sunk. There was this idea that when Taemin became an adult, he put away childish things (and non cis-het things) and that included Minho (lol). Many perceived Taemin had switched to a more manly look/concept, and/or that he really wanted to shed his gender neutral or ambiguous traits/looks.
Dream Girl was uh, really something.
It's true that in 2013, we see a more boyish Taemin versus Sherlock Taemin. He's also older and filling out and indeed, becoming a young adult. Interestingly, he does We Got Married (let's not go there) and goes on to start his solo career in 2014.
But I think what this "lore," or shipper narrative, reveals is how easy it was for shippers to slot 2Min into a sailing ship because they perceived Taemin to be more feminine to Minho's masculine, thus upholding heteronormative ideas of romance even in a supposedly gay "couple" - a common trait of same-sex shipping that although nuanced by certain cultural factors is still often a staple of same-sex shipping and related fanworks.
Fast-forwarding to mid-2018, we have a clingy if uneven 2Min. By the end of 2019, we have a somewhat wistful 2Min who like to attend each other's events and make grand gestures in front of the crowd.
In late 2020, we have Minho driving for hours on the day of his discharge, in uniform, to head directly to Taemin's taping for Idea at one of the TV networks in Korea. The rest of SHINee are there, and they treat us to an IG live of their reunion. 2Min are cute and a little cuddly - it's clear they missed one another. 🥹
2018 2Min have great hair colors.
What were 2021 2Min like? Friendly, feisty, and in the end, a little romantic/bromantic (pick your poison). 2Min fighting or annoying one another happened, but by the time Taemin enlisted, it was clear Minho was an emotional rock for him to some degree. And when Taemin was unwell, it was Minho who spoke to us first and then began updating us at the 14th anniversary party, with Key and Onew also speaking.
2021 2Min was also this level crazy
So, we reach the present. What are 2Min's vibes these days?
A little hands-on. Rather comfortable. Even Steven. Affectionate.
They're getting along so famously everyone is noticing.
And they're just very very cute.
There's so much more I could say, but I hope this is a good welcome aboard the good ship 2Min. The ship has strong winds and calm waters after 15+ years at sea.😌
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