#taemin analysis

[kil9]

this whole time I guess I've just been assuming the "blonde" taemin is the victim/innocent taem, I guess the silver one looks more evil ? he's the one with the eyepatch and getting arrested and stuff, plus blonde taem has the most significant injury. (the photocards also have blonde taem in the innocent version and silver taem in the suspect version, which basically confirms we should read blonde taem as innocent) but it doesn't completely line up.....

silver taem is the one one we see actually singing, indicating the song is from his point of view (I know you're bad for me, you're a criminal who hurts me, I'm on a leash called you, etc) at least until the end where blonde taem is mouthing along. blonde taem is also the only one we see with a weapon in the whole video, the chainsaw.

the weapon thing I'm more inclined to brush off (they are both affecting each other, after all, the "innocent" one has blood on his own hands in the end) but the singing thing still stands out to me. there are a couple explanations for this I can think of. the first, and simplest, is that it's just intentionally confusing. which might be the most likely case, I think a big part of the concept in general is these two people bleeding into each other and blurring the line. but I think it could also be more interesting than that.

so my first thought was, yes, the silver taem is the criminal and blonde taem is innocent, but the lyrics themselves don't talk about the "criminal" in the literal sense. rather, the crime of "making" him act this way, and pushing the blame of his own actions onto blonde taem (common abuse tactic lol. I'm on a leash called you ie I act this was because you make me crazy, a criminal who hurts me ie it's your fault things are going bad. taemin loves an unhealthy dynamic for sure) this especially lines up in the 2nd verse, "the syndrome called you, you lure me in and shake me. behind your childlike innocent face, a frightening side of you gives me goosebumps." it's easy to read as the criminal luring this dangerous side out of an otherwise innocent guy. this would also line up with the fact that blonde taem starts singing along in the end, when he's become just as bad as him, somewhat accepting this blame, saying fuck it I'll start being bad too. (side note, the fact that "just me and you" is on this album makes me lose my MIND. and reading those lyrics as the criminal & innocent makes me scream)

and the other thing I've thought about is, maybe the blonde taemin is the criminal after all. after all, the two versions aren't called "innocent and criminal" they're called "innocent and suspect," and a suspect isn't always guilty. this, of course, gives the impression of blonde taem (criminal taem) flat out framing silver taem for everything he's done. when you watch the video from this angle, blonde taems innocent and quiet demeanor shifts to cold, and calculated. and while silver taem used to seem violent and unhinged, you now see a man in panic, feeling the effect the criminal has had on him, and finally losing his mind. of course blonde taem will have gotten some scratches, silver taem seems much more hot headed so there's sure to have been some pushback. this interpretation is really, really interesting to me lately, and almost comes across more sinister than the original.

but really, any way you look at it, this shift of blame comes into play. (you made me act like this it's your fault, vs you literally made me do this even though it was your idea, vs I didn't do anything why did you tell them that) and like I said before... i think it's intentionally confusing !! bleeding into each other, blurring the line, blame moving back and forth, I think it all plays into the same dynamic in the end. who is innocent or not, we'll never know, but it's just some fun stuff to think about :] hey, maybe they're not even different people, who's to say !

as he says in just me and you, "we just blend into one color. we are reborn. empty your heart so it gets filled with me." and I think that's the real spirit of criminal. happy 2nd anniversary !!

#taemin #criminal #taemin analysis #taemin meta #i guess ówò #can u tell this started as just me thinking out loud and then..... got really long sjfnsjfjs #i just really like criminal ;w;

[vampyretaemin]

ok no one asked but im gonna talk about this outfit. this entire outfit is very feminine. obviously hes wearing a skirt and that stands out on its own but the hoodie is also incredibly large and loose on him. the way its engulfing him and falling off of him at times is reminiscent of a girlfriend wearing her boyfriends hoodie. its hard to see it in still photos but in this performance you can really see how much it moves. the way they styled his hair in his face gives more of a feminine and kind of “innocent” look, as well. contrasted with the beginning of the mv where he has more of a casual masculine style (the tank and shorts), its stands out to me that the style evolves and the mv ends with a casual feminine style instead.

not to mention, this look is the one associated with abraxis, the god of all gods. the chicken fought its way out of the egg and had to destroy its world to do so, and flew to abraxis. etc. you know. taemin has stated this mv is connected to this concept. but i find it incredibly interesting that taemin has chosen to present abraxis as this masculine but feminine form. the masculine figure from the beginning of the music video fighting his way out of his prison to then become this very feminine figure. fascinating. amazing. im obsessed.

#its also incredibly androgynous!! like look at him in that photo. you cannot tell at first glance what his gender is and i lov eit #im like ‘is anyone gonna analyze the queer themes in taemins mvs?’ and then not wait for an answer #personal #taem analysis

[mrs-monaghan]

I mean IF jK had an issue with the men but not the women he respectfully needs to get a grip unless all the bi coding Jm has been doing means absolutely nothing and he only likes men but either way they're both professionals so I honestly don't think he cares that much

JK probably didn't care.

That being said anon, JK doesn't seem to be bothered by Jimin with women. But I really don't think that means that Jimin can't be bi. Maybe Jimin is bi with a preference for men and so JK just doesn't feel threatened by women? Idk. Idk. We are just speculating here its not like we can read their minds.

If we had seen JK in person at the rehearsals or the performances maybe we'd have been able to tell. Also he only reacted to the challenge and not the choreo itself so again we didn't get to see his reaction.

That would have been so much easier. Like that one time when Jimin and the rest of the Tannies were enjoying Taemin's performance and JK kept looking at Jimin. The way he rolled his eyes so hard at the end was a dead give away about how he felt about that particular situation

JK has no poker face. But unfortunately we will never really know if there was any correlation btwn him and the LC choreo 😔

#No nothing i share is out of context #We all know how jk feels about taemin #ask shaz #bts ask #jikook #bts #jimin and jungkook #jimin #jungkook #park jimin #jeon jungkook #kookmin #minkook #jikook bothered #jikook analysis

[ohmuqueen]

x

#I’m too exhausted to crop the screenshots of this whole thing #but posting here so more can enjoy a great analysis #otherwise I might forget all about it #shinee #taemin #lee taemin #shinee twitter #ltmpyn #Taemin t

[sugar-petals]

Hi!! I loved your post about personal color analysis!! It was just so fascinating and interesting, I was able to learn a lot (I tried to understand it but it was always so difficult but your explanations and examples were very clear!)

So I wanted to ask if you could share some summer Kpop idols (in your opinion ofc), more specifically cool summer and I was curious if there is someone in stray kids that is a summer~ thanks in advance, love and light <3

thank you! key, taemin, jimin, hwasa, baekhyun — they're all beautiful summer palettes.

taemin is the contrasted, cool subtype. there's a reason why he does better with mature blue-based stylings rather than bubblegum concepts which are notoriously warm + bright. see the difference?

cool seasons are easy to type since fiery warm color splashes are misplaced on them.

meanwhile, taemin can walk around with blue hair like it's nobody's biz.

stray kids are heavy on the warm undertones and winter seasons so no summers in sight afaik. that's why you can put them in beige tones (=warm) and they eat it up in one go. especially hyunjin who's an autumn, love this on him.

#cub mail 🐆 #seasonal color analysis #skz #taemin #personal color

[lynnmint8]

continuity in death

#read some analysis of Georges Batailles and u gotta give it to Taemin he really lends himself to the aura of a cult leader with sacrifices #illustration #art blog #shinee #digital illustration #procreate #taemin #digital art #drawing #shinee fanart #digital painting #lee taemin

[rainy-astrology]

Hello 👋🏻 can you do a chart analysis on Shinee Taemin please

It's been awhile since I've caught up with SHINee lol, but sure here's a short general reading of Taemin's since I don't have his time. If there is a confirmed birth time, please let me know

___

Taemin birth chart analysis

Based on my opinion and observations. Not a professional astrologer. May change later.

July 18th, 1993

Seoul, SK

☀️♋️🌙♋️

Cancer sun, moon, and mercury gives him a Cancer stellium. It should give him a heightened emotional and sensitive nature with pretty good intuition. He's generally soft spoken and deeply caring, will do a lot for those he cares for. It makes him really empathetic as well

He may be a bit hard to get to know at first though since Cancers are generally private people

He's likely very moody as well due to the increased sensitivity

It makes him a good listener and understanding though. People may find him naturally comforting and easy to talk to. Speaking as a person with a Cancer stellium as well, I've had all sorts of people tell me deeply personal things (even people I wasn't very close to)...so I wonder if that happens to Taemin too. I wouldn't be surprised if he has had that happen to him several times

Very hardworking, Virgo mars people have great work ethic. I don't think Taemin's taken an actual break (aside from enlistment) during his career

Needs to be around interesting people. Needs to be intellectually stimulated

My guess on his rising: Pisces, as it would give him a 5th house stellium which I think is very fitting for him. Definitely creative and artsy, very expressive in the way he dances and performs. He wants to make an impact with his skills

#taemin #lee taemin #astrology #shinee #shinee taemin #kpop #kpop astrology #birth chart #birth chart analysis #cancer sun #cancer moon #cancer mercury #cancer stellium #virgo mars #gemini venus #shinee astrology #if he's not a pisces rising then my 2nd guess would be Libra in the 1st decan #i wouldn't be surprised if he had a 10th house stellium

[sanstropfremir]

in all honesty,,, why is jype trying lore now.... they just,,,ugh. SM has lore that is both hit AND miss but they just have more to work with in the end. though now that im thinking about it, whats lore vs a strong concept. i feel like taemin would qualify as lore because he ((did)) have a storyline for his earlier works i believe but as for most of their soloists i think its just,,, concept?? theres a bit of a gray area between soloists and groups, groups all have lore, solists??? its iffy...

..................i'm gonna stop you right there because i think we need to define what 'lore' means in a kpop context. when i talk about a group having 'lore', i am refering to groups that have a specific and intentional storyline/narrative arc/characters that appear consistently across all their content, regardless of what the 'concept' is. aespa has lore, ateez has lore, cix has lore. taemin does not have lore. taemin explores a thematic idea through an album and moves on to something different. taemin's only consistent character is himself, and even then it's not even consistent! he's literally labelled all of his different personas as different people with different personality types!!

also i feel like i need to stress this: 'lore' does NOT matter to the structural integrity of a work. these storylines are tacked on to the general framework of a kpop cb and have no active impact on the audience's reading of the work. you can watch any ateez mv and get an entirely complete reading of it without knowing wtf the halateez are. aespa are always just fighting some kind of techno construct. i'm willing to bet that most people don't even know cix had lore in the first place. a concept is something that is intrinsic to the construction and meaning of the work. when taemin makes a work, he takes an idea that he wants to explore and breaks it down through that work. you cannot separate those ideas from the work itself. someone using a repeated motif or thematic idea is not lore. it's just putting intentional meaning into your work.

#i get that kpop is a hobby for a lot of ppl and lore is treated like a fun easter egg hunt #but lore and concept are not interchangeable and lore is also NOT applicable to all groups and idols #ah all critical media analysis really is dead isnt it. nobody knows what a motif is anymore #i feel like im going insane do people actually think TAEMIN OF ALL PEOPLE has lore?????????????? #look. here's my hot take about lore: #its purposefully made up by companies bc they think that fans wont stay engaged with an artist's work #if there isnt something for them to 'theorize' about #and their artists' work doesn't have the thematic depth to do more than surface level analysis of #aka: the whole concept of it is idiotic and would be unnecessary if they would be willing to put in the fucking work to make better art #kpop questions #text #answers

[estelllaa]

#so well explained #taemin mv analysis #taemin #lee taemin

[trolagygirl2022]

My Masterlist

Last Updated: 28/10/2023

Readings I do

BTS

Jungkook's fs potential foreigner?

V's ideal Type

Guessing RM, Jimin and Suga's rising signs

Jungkook's future spouse

Jungkook's Birth Chart

RM future spouse potential foreigner?

Jungkook future spouse apperance

"Beyond the Story" reading

STRAY KIDS

Bang Chan's Birth Chart

Bang Chan's future spouse

Seungmin's ideal type

Bang Chan's future spouse (tarot)

Bang Chan's future spouse's appearance

Felix future spouse

Seungmin's future spouse

Hyunjin's future spouse

NCT (All sub-units)

Johnny's future spouse

Jaehyun's future spouse

Jaehyun's ideal type

BOYS PLANET

Jay Chang's Birth Chart

ZEROBASEONE

Zerobaseone's Debut Chart

Ricky Shen Birth Chart

Zhang Hao's Birth Chart

How do 4th gen boy groups and companies view Zb1?

EXO

Kai's ideal type

RUNEXT

Reading on RUNEXT

Which RUNEXT contestants will debut? (16/06/2023)

How likely will Jiwoo debut from RUNEXT (26/06/2023)

RUNEXT trainee in Baby Monster?

RUNEXT lineup by I and Knetz

Possible RUNEXT scandal?

KEP1ER

Huening Bahiyyih's Birth Chart

NEWJEANS

Danielle Birth Chart

Haerin's Birth Chart

NewJeans birth chart analysis

Guessing Hanni's Rising Sign

Danielle's ideal type

NMIXX

NMIXX Birth Chart

TXT

Yeonjun Ideal type

Beomgyu's future spouse

Soobin's future spouse

2023 Solar Return Chart

How successful will TXT's (ft. the Jonas Brother's) single be?

What do TXT think of fanwars

AESPA

Aespa Birth Chart reading

ENHYPEN

Jay's Ideal Type

Guessing Niki's rising sign

Jay's future spouse

Group Dynamic

Jake future spouse

TWICE

Jeongyeon's future spouse

IVE

Wonyoung's futures spouse

Wonyoung and Sunghoon's dynamic

Male and Female idol's perception of Wonyoung

ATEEZ

Seonghwa's Birth Chart

San's ideal type

SNSD

Yoona's future spouse

Is Jessica Jung in any contanct with SNSD members?

Why did Jessica Jung leave SNSD?

GIDLE

Yuqi's future spouse

CHOI YENA

Yena's thoughts on "Hate Rodrigo"

Olivia's thoughts on "Hate Rodrigo"

Olivia's thoughts on the song "Hate Rodrigo"

ADOR NEW BOY GROUP

Ador new boy group reading

Who will debut first? ADORNBG or ADORNGG?

ADOR NEW GIRL GROUP

Will Ador new girl group's concept be similar to NewJeans?

BABY MONSTER

Possible female trainee joining?

Age of the possible trainee joining Baby Monster

Possible Baby Monster scandal?

Baby Monster debut when?

YG delaying BM debut?

Possible trainee joining Baby Monster?

Will the potential new BM trainee be an ace?

BM's reputation: before and after debut

SHINee

General Taemin reading

BLACKPINK

Will Lisa leave YG?

Jisoo and Anh Bo-hyun synastry

Rose's view on the "Rose curse"

FIFTY FIFTY

What's going on with Fifty Fifty?

2NE1

2NE1 reading

SM NEW GG

SM new gg reading

Others:

Fame indicators in birth chart

Your Venus sign and what looks good on you Pt.1

Your Venus sign and what looks good on you Pt. 2

Appearance observations

Asteroid "Child" in the signs

Classroom and Astrology

Fame indicators in Kpop idols

Who will be more succesful: NEWJEANS, RUNEXT GG, or LE SSERAFIM

Will 2023 be the year of the boy groups?

How will Twitter's mismanagement affect kpop?

#kpop tarot #kpop astrology #kpop birth chart #kpop masterlist #tarot masterlist #kpop tarot masterlist #kpop astrology masterlist

[farcillesbian]

mutual 1: [posting about lesbian sex]

mutual 2: hey have you heard about this OC [posts the third different OC of just today and it is just as unique and cool and interesting as the first two. how does someone have such awesome and distinct character design talent.]

mutual 3: hey did you know my nipples are pierced

mutual 4: [in depth star trek analysis followed by the cutest knitting WIP you ever did see]

mutual 5: ough my hockey boys !!! (said with deep sorrow)

mutual 6: ough my hockey boys !!! (said with great joy, about a different team)

mutual 7: respect lesbians or die by my sword

mutual 1: [pictures of power tools]

mutual 8: I need that old man so bad.

mutual 8: I need that old woman so bad too.

mutual 9: 7 queued posts in a row of zero escape games

mutual 10: [super in depth music analysis post]

mutual 11: [bat crawling gif]

mutual 3: oh hey I sketched this out real quick tonight don't pay too much mind I just wanted to show this fursona idea I had [this quick fursona drawing is one of the coolest most beautiful and well posed things u have ever seen]

mutual 12: anyone else think werewolves are kinda hot

mutual 13: anyone else wanna be a bloodbag for a hot vampire

mutual 14: [yuriposting every day]

mutual 15: I am playing this video game for the 7th time this month

mutual 16: [intricate worldbuilding about a bunch of robots] :]

mutual 17: let me tell you all about this tv show from 1992

mutual 18: jestem polakiem [publikowanie po polsku] [10 taemin gifs in a row]

mutual 19: spiderman :)

#petchyposting #there are more i could do but i am sleepy #pentaphobia

[peppertaemint]

I'm curious about your analysis or even just your take in the meaning of Guilty (both MV and song together as a whole). Along with the teaser/trailer and the mention of Bataille's book, the whole thing seems to be a complicated onion with so many contradicting facets. But if you ignore all of that and just watch the MV, then it is rather a straightforward "hurt people hurt people" and some Lord of the Flies reference. But my head keeps thinking it's more convoluted than that lol. Would you tell me what you think the MV is about? :D

My initial take is pretty straightforward but completely undercooked, lol. This is my unvarnished and un-researched take.

I think that the concept has to do with sin and behaviour outside of expected moral bounds. I think this is where the eroticism comes into play. The dance involves self touching, which can be a hint towards the "sin" of masturbation. His character seems to be held in a place where he is tightly controlled and conditioned, and he experiences physical abuse as a form of behaviour control. It seems like he could be in a place where children are taken to correct "sinful" behaviour, perhaps to correct gender dysphoria, or androgyny, or homosexuality, sins of masturbation, promiscuity, et cetera.

Some of the George Bataille quotes I've seen centre on how eroticism and violence and death are linked. I think the eroticism here is less surface or obvious. People expected this sort of Madonna style sexuality of his previous work, but that's not what we're getting here. It's taking criminal to a whole different level.

There is a link between the sensuality of violence and that of traditional eroticism. This is a bit mindbending. The best example I can think to explain right now is David Cronenberg's Crash. Passion and eroticism are linked literally with the bodily experience of a car crash, its violence and trauma. The violent climax of the car crash is likened to the ecstasy of orgasm. In Taemin's Guilty, the ecstasy of orgasm is linked to a different type of harm to the body and the mind. At the very beginning of the video, how he runs away and has a sort of fit, it's rather orgasmic. I think he's showing us the ecstasy of harm and losing control in many parts.

The video is more complex than it seems on the surface, I think. On first watch, I think it's easy to say okay well he's breaking free of something blah blah blah. I think over the coming days when we actually look at the details closer, we'll see a lot more there.

The entire sequence in this outfit and its setting hasn't been touched upon. The dance that he does in thus setting reminds me of the just me and you contemporary dance performance. I do think there is the struggle of gender underpinning the entire concept, but also a struggle with sexuality and the corporeality of eroticism that so many find sinful.

In quite a few concepts, he has explored the idea of ecstasy through being destroyed or destroying oneself. I think this is another iteration of that. Another exploration. And I think he's done a brilliant job of elucidating that ecstasy in a new way that is really centred on a unique contemporary dance style.  many people have said that he's able to tell a story through his dance and I think this is another great example of that. He's merged cinema and dance into a narrative form to the point where almost feels like it's own language.

I'm not sure where I fall in the Lord of the flies references anymore, but surely there are some present. And we see his character becoming worshipped. But I think there's also a consideration as to what is real and what is not and how many narratives are present in this piece of cinema. Perhaps certain sequences are the daydreams of someone locked up. They could be the fantasies of someone who is not free. Does he escape? Does he get liberated? Those are interesting questions to consider.

#sorry my thoughts are a hot mess #taemin #lee taemin #taemin guilty #guilty MV

[vampyretaemin]

the demon is in chains, acceptance of the situation on their face. they look up, almost as if to heaven, almost as if they are asking God what made them unworthy of His love. they eat their meal of rocks and coal with golden tear stains on their cheeks. they are forever condemned to this place and all they can do is accept it. as is their nature, they draw you in, tempting and corrupting you. what else are they supposed to do? you know they’re a demon. you know they’re evil. you know you’re in danger. and they do hurt you, you’re stabbed once, twice, but it’s not as vicious as you expect. they move slowly, cautiously. it almost feels like they regret it, just little bit.

the angel is free and loved by God. of course, they are good and they are trusted. they can draw you in and you wouldn’t suspect a thing. why would you? they’re an angel, not a demon. they look at you with fascination, as if you are a Thing to be studied and experimented with. but you’re not worried because they’re an angel. you never expect the viciousness within them as you are stabbed. their head tilts as they pull the knife out, as if watching the way your blood pours out of you is interesting. even as they hunch themself over your dying body, you can feel how detached they are. you can feel they couldn’t care less wether you live or die. but it’s okay because they are an angel. imagine if you were with a demon instead.

#was possessed sorry #consider this my taemin x waves concept analysis #personal #my writing #(you) is the apple btw LMAO #taem analysis

[malimaywrite]

about me ✩

hello, hello my name is malika (she/her & an adult). a caregiver and aspiring author. i'm back on tumblr after a decade away (and a few years of burnout) to carve out a tiny, quiet corner here to document my writing journey and follow along with others' own journeys too.

my writing ✩

high fantasy (for teens & adults) remains my first love and i adore the kind that dips its toes into other genres as well (from epic fantasies with just a hint of romance to full blown mysteries that just so happen to take place in a fantastical setting). you're sure to find elements like morally gray characters on all sides of the conflict, enemies-to-[insert anything tbh], twists on classic fantasy tropes, friends-to-lovers, characters fighting like hell for their happy ending (or just a bittersweet one), friends-to-enemies, angsty angst, and analysis on the corruption of power and the pursuit of it in different forms all up in my work at different points as those are the things i love to read about too. i have completed manuscripts and have even queried two of them in the past (ages ago lol). i am currently in the trenches midst of a rewrite for a ya fantasy that i will be pursuing traditional publication with.

misc. interests ✩

i have an intense unfulfilled wanderlust lol and will have pictures of travels to share one day. i looove movies (films, ~the cinema lol) and will ramble at length about them given any chance (started a youtube channel to do so and to eventually discuss books & vlog my writing journey there as well). i will be very annoying during oscar season lol. i am a top chef & masterchef connoisseur despite occasionally burning premade bagels. hozier should be in the acknowledgments of everything i write. i am very much into interactive fiction (which is part of why i came back to tumblr). my favorites rn are wayfarer, infamous, when twilight strikes, and fields of asphodel. i have not been able to completely shake off my years-long kpop appreciation (taemin, nct 127, shinee, twice, nct dream, exo, bts). and i spend too much time on youtube in general (creators i watch the most: author liselle sambury, author lindsay puckett, withcindy, kennie jd, princess weekes, danny gonzalez, redacted audio, toonrifictariq, and j aubrey)

links ✩

about me | writings | youtube (movie talks on hiatus for sag/aftra strike)

#writeblr intro #writeblr introductions #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writing community #author intro

[ohmuqueen]

231031 levinchk instagram update Taemin ‘GUILTY’

So I want to talk about the various reactions I've seen to the people Taemin is interacting with in the MV trailer, MV teasers, and the MV itself.

I'm actually surprised that anyone would be stunned that this moment above in the MV is Taemin touching a man, not a woman. Everything leading up to the MV had Taemin being touched and surrounded by men (to my eyes, younger men or men around his age). As these tags by @jaythajujubae say, everyone Taemin is intimate with in the MV is male, while he mainly dances with women. (very bicon of him I agree)

And in this analysis on twitter (I shared the whole thread here) saying that Guilty is the prequel to Advice, op points out something very telling -

Here op is saying that in MV teaser #1, Taemin is looking at a younger version of himself, which is a view I saw others echo - that this person here is a younger Taemin, and that this scene reflects the innocence he had in his early years in the idol industry - the entire concept of Guilty is heavily focused on corruption of innocence.

But when I first saw MV teaser #1, I had these thoughts that I posted on 10/27:

The person who may be the object of Taemin’s affection in the MV teaser seems to present in a genderless way, and I feel like that’s purposeful… especially based on what we see in the trailer (everyone has short hair, 3 are dressed similarly to Taemin in the beginning shot when they’re playing in the water, and some are petite, making it difficult to say if they’re male or female)

Because to me, this person looks more female than male, and I believe a point is being made here (again I will link to this video about the sexualization and feminization of Taemin, detailing what he went through all through his career as an idol, including when he was a minor - what he did with Move was pivotal to how he perceived himself as an artist, reclaiming what others had tried to dictate for him):

After reflecting a little, and seeing how others took the younger person above as a young Taemin, the phrase "object of affection" lingered in my head. Whether this person represents young Taemin or someone Taemin cares for and later feels guilt about, the meaning is the same. Corruption of innocence. The character Taemin represents in this comeback is both someone who has been corrupted and someone who has ruined others. As we see in the MV trailer and also the MV, he is forced to shoot a gun at someone begging for mercy - from an authority completely indifferent to both their suffering.

Going back to the twitter thread about Guilty prefacing Advice, in MV teaser #1 Taemin could be looking back at a younger self surrounded by older men, whereas when he is forced to commit violence in the MV trailer, he is dressed as if he is younger than he is and surrounded by younger men. To me, the first scenario reflects a view of his younger self in the idol industry, and the second scenario reflects a view of his recent self during his military conscription.

Another speculation, what if the person he is being forced to shoot represents his younger self? We aren't shown that person's face on purpose. They are representative of a bigger concept - loss of innocence, and loss of that self who possessed such innocence. Just like the quote (the first line which is on Taemin's insta), from Hermann Hesse:

"The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas.”

And now theories of this quote being personified by Taemin in the MV (put out on twitter and reddit, which I shared here) have been proven true by the Guilty MV's director - 231030 Guilty MV director Byul Yun instagram update:

credit to @nso-csi for sharing this here!

So ultimately, I think Taemin choosing to be intimate, sometimes manhandled, by men in the MV is a choice that makes a profound point. The moment in the MV that's being shown in the first picture on this post, Taemin sings this line: "Give up, you’re trapped inside me". I believe in parts of this song, Taemin is speaking of himself. Parts of his identity that society used to deny him to express that he gives free reign to now, through this lens of exploring the border between what is provocative and what is disturbing.

I haven't even gone into more imagery the MV provides us plus the lyrics. But the opening scene itself gives a hint that this concept also touches on the idea of forbidden love, i.e. queer relationships.

These are the opening lines of the song:

Poison apple Spellbound, you wanna take a bite Hand outstretched In danger, sinking deeper

During the last line "in danger, sinking deeper", we get this shot:

If you look closely, I am almost sure the person on the left is the same person Taemin is focused on in the pillow fight scene in MV teaser #1. And the person on the right looks female. To me, that person on the left appears genderless, or nonbinary. Taemin himself has said he embraces a genderless expression in his art. Just like with Advice, I think with Guilty he is saying that he embraces an identity that goes against societal expectations for male idols (and male music artists in general). With Guilty I think he's also embracing a love that makes the audience feel guilty (something I also talked about in rambling not-really-an-essay here, after the second MV teaser photos came out).

How exactly Guilty links to queer relationships is a deeper conversation than I can manage (and this post is already very long), but I hope someone does, because I think the potential for such a connection is there.

I do not think Taemin is giving queerness itself negative connotations. I feel that he is drawing a parallel between queer love and a relationship with the (queer) self. I think a lot of concepts are coexisting in Guilty, and the fact that this comeback has resulted in so many theories and interpretations is proof of that.

This verse that Taemin named as his favorite in the song keeps standing out to me:

I want you to lose yourself That’s what’ll make our love easy Just doing things my own way The bigger the pain, the sweeter it remains

~

Edit (November 2, 2023):

I'm just gonna leave these here:

#it should go without saying but please don't be rude or hateful on my post #taemin #lee taemin #taemin guilty #shinee #ltmguilty meta #ltmguilty #guilty behind #im not that smart but i am obsessed #a dangerous combination #tl;dr let it be gay

[sugar-petals]

what do you think is baekhyun's palette?? particularly speaking too hot colors don't seem to flatter him, his orange hair in love me right looks weird but he looks really nice with deep colors, his pink hair looks so good and few idols look good in hot pink

yep, he's cool-toned! baek's beautiful seasonal color palette is LIGHT SUMMER; several korean color stylists type him like this. (jimin also shares his color type, analysis see link)

baekhyun's best hair, make-up & fashion colors look like this! i love the light summer palette 😌 suits him so well.

[seasonal color masterpost for those who missed it]

warm/orange-based colors with lots of contrast look 'off' on all summer types, meanwhile they thrive on berry colors.

it's the reason why light brunette or white hair is so, so good on him. summer types look the best wearing super subtle 'ice prince/ice queen' colors. pastels are great, and if the clothing is dark, it's best when it's as blue-based as possible.

it's the reason white/grey/soft brunette hair is so good on him, light summer men are the 'pastel ice prince' incarnate. dark clothes for them are best when they're as blue-based as possible, they glow in it.

#seasonal color #baekhyun #bbh #exo #seasonal color analysis #taemin is also a summer type