Kacey

😭😭😭

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This is shown in his treatment of Metamorpho. He could’ve blackmailed Metamorpho to learn how to synthesize Kryptonite. Rex clearly knows what elements create others (based on him creating essentially a star on command). Lex could’ve forced him to make synthetic kryptonite and use that to build a whole ass Kryptonite cell or some other Kryptonite torture. (Kryptonite collar anyone 👀)

(Side note, Lex also could’ve also just used what no doubt would’ve been in the Fortress of Solitude bc I’m sure there would’ve been SOMETHING there from Krypton, but I digress.)

And yet. Lex still decides to imprison him too. He blackmails Rex, holds his son captive in front of him like a carrot, and forces him to permanently extend energy towards maintaining a Kryptonite form in a cell with another meta.

This is so telling about Lex’s true feelings. He HATES metas so much that he’d rather torture two birds with one stone than utilize them UNLESS they’re extensions of himself. So long as meta existence comes from him and his mind and makes him look good it’s okay. Engineer is fine because she was a human who chose to become more for the greater good *cough Lex’s plans cough*. Ultraman is a clone Lex created and doesn’t consider anything more than a tool. Those meta existences are fine!

Any other forms of metas?

They should all be tortured and killed for merely existing.

but to add on to the rex vs engineer thing: it feels like how much lex could use them was definitely the primary reason, but also how much he was willing to humanize each of them. i saw someone point out that in one of the tv interviews lex says "he's an it" in reference to superman and how that shows that no matter how hard lex tries to paint superman as inhuman and alien, he ultimately sees him as a PERSON.

visually, engineer is somewhat similar in that she looks very human while rex did not get that luxury. rex very notably looks more "alien" than superman does, to the point where i've seen movie watchers who don't know rex's backstory think that very thing. lex can very easily think of metamorpho as a tool alone because he doesn't look human even if he thinks and acts like one. of the other humanoid "tools" he uses, ultraman doesn't seem to think like a person, and Mr. handsome doesn't look OR think like one, so it seems like lex has a very narrow view on what he has subconsciously deemed as "human", and his jealousy towards superman has him fighting that instinct to call him a person so badly.

I just think it would be funny if they crossed over

bonus under the cut

the fact that it's not a single chosen one but a group of three

the fact that the honmoon is not powered by the hunters themselves but by the energy and love of the fans

the fact that gwi-ma turns people into demons by promising that he is the only one who can help them when he is in fact reliant on his army of demons to collect souls for him

the fact that "your idol" is about surrendering yourself to a single higher power while "golden" is about soaring to new heights together

the fact that gwi-ma preys on people's individual insecurities and shame to get inside their heads while rumi, mira, and zoey set them free in the end by encouraging them to embrace their differences and reminding them that they're not alone

the fact that you can see the audience cheering individually and even pushing into each other to get closer to the stage during "your idol"

while they're linking arms and cheering together and hugging during "what it feels like"

i have not seen the live action lilo and stitch but it feels like that movie sits on the opposite end of the spectrum from kpop demon hunters as a case study for how to tell a story in way that is culturally authentic and still resonates with a broader audience

and i think given that the core theme of the movie is all about community over individualism, the ending, particularly as it relates to rumi and jinu's budding romance, is really the perfect culmination of that broader theme

rumi and jinu's connection has all the hallmarks of that all-encompassing, all-consuming, borderline co-dependent first love where you keep your relationship a secret and sneak out of the house to meet up and feel like the other person is the ONLY person who really gets you

i'm the only one who can understand you, i'm the only one who will love you is the kind of thing that sounds romantic when you're 16 until you get older and realize how toxic it actually is and i love that the movie counters that in "what it feels like" with rumi realizing that she had that love and support all along from her girls, and later, from the fans who continue to cheer them on through their comeback

it's about connection and sisterhood and love and sharing your fears and lifting each other up and becoming stronger and better together

and as compelling as i found rumi/jinu and as much as i would like to see their relationship explored more in a sequel/series, i just really love that this movie, which is clearly targeted at young women, ends on the message that romantic love is not the end all be all, that friendship is just as important if not more so than a romantic partner, that single women can lead successful, fulfilling lives, that true happiness and freedom start from within

tomorrow's not coming

i can't hold onto angst for too long bc ella ashmore should never be sad ever again so consider this as well