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aredhel-erinti · 21 days

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Love and Redemption Rewatch: ep. 2

This rewatch could take a little longer than I expected with how time consuming it is, but here we go...

And so we get our first shred of the Mirror... which really should have been better hidden, if they ever hoped thing such as this not to happen.... The Secret Ground isn't all that secure.

From the start, Bai Lin is extremely determined that some things just Must Not Happen!

This whole "we are deciding Xuan Ji's punishment" situation shows very nicely the priorities and motivations of several characters. Ling Long shows up as soon as the whole berating starts, ready to intervene but biding her time. When the punishment is announced, Min Yan reacts immediately and pleads for leniency (on his knees and all). He doesn't think about it at all. I believe his main motivation is (as always) Ling Long, who, he knows, is extremely unhappy by this development and wants to protect her sister. Additionally, Xuan Ji is his friend and he wants to help her, but his main objective is to make Ling Long happy. Ling Long tries her classic crying act but is immediately silenced and quickly realizes that the situation is too dire to save her sister like this (still she tries one more trick - to appeal to aunt Hong - but this also fails). Xuan Ji doesn't fear the cave because she has no point of reference for pain or discomfort (beeing pampered her whole life) and is by far the most chill with the situation. But she also doesn't have any real regard for the rules of her sect and doesn't get the severity of her transgression. And that isn't because of her non-existent emotions, that is herself. She isn't concerned with rules or great ideals, she lives in the moment. Her biggest concern at the moment is Si Feng's wellbeing as she feels a connection with him. (Lets face it - Si Feng is guilty for trespassing in another sect's Secret Ground just because he needed to find his spiritual beast - Xuan Ji isn't protecting an innocent, she protects the boy she had connected with).

Chu Lei's speech to Yuan Lang has strong "who allowed you to go into my bedroom, the door were closed, bitch!" vibe.

So, this happened 16 years ago, approximately when Xuan Ji was born... but what about in her previous lifes, was the Jade Cup always sealed somewhere nearby? Did I just forget this detail?

Such a clever little misdirection and at the same time a hint...

And another clever misdirection: the show keeps showing us Yuan Lang during Xuan Ji's visions (and sometimes even Wu Zhi Qi) giving audience the impression that THIS is Star of Mosha thatwe are battling. My friend was even confused that there seemed to be more of them as the face and the mask keeps changing! Good job confusing the audience! :)

The "Ling Long tries to teach her sister how to cry" scene is very funny... and adorable... I love Ling Long.

The chilli powder plan is genius... :D In my country we use onion - works every time!

Si Feng is getting flogged as a punishment and the justification is that losing the mask puts everyone from Lize palace in danger... and this is probably not untrue...

Also, Si Feng stammers only in the presence of Xuan Ji.

Bai Lin is here for ten (largely uneventful) years already... he must miss his bed...

It's very sweet how sincerely Min Yan cares about Xuan Ji (even if it is a fertile ground for future misconceptions). Actually Xuan Ji is very loved by her sect brothers and sisters...

Is there some hidden meaning to the fact that taste has been the first sense to be recovered?

As expected, Ling Long's cooking is terrible. And as expected, Min Yan eats it all anyway, because she doesn't want her to be sad. I love these two, but Min Yan is the one who truly treasures his beloved person.

Min Yan's reaction to Ling Long's bitching is priceless...

... OR they want to save their own mask (and skin). One of those options. (Just saying. Si Feng isn't motivated by personal feelings just yet.)

Min Yan can be quite sneaky... and his plan actually worked! Good job, even worth Ling Long's slight disappointment.

And... he isn't stammering anymore, yep... That was quick - must have been the shock in the first place.

When you have the luxury of knowing, this is truly heartbreaking... I must look out for the first tears.

The beginning of a beautiful friendship!

#love and redemption meta #love and redemption #cdrama #love and redemption rewatch #琉璃 #xuan ji #chu xuan ji #si feng #yu sifeng #ling long #chu ling long #min yan #sixth senior #bai lin #hao chen #Yuan Lang

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aredhel-erinti · 1 month

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I feel like the internet needs to hear about judas buns.

If you have even a passing knowledge of the New Testament, then you know Judas was the guy who betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 silver and then hanged himself.

So the Czechs asked "Can we make a dish around this?" and didn't wait for an answer.

This soft sweet pastry is traditionally made for Easter Thursday (google tells me it's called Maundy Thursday in English) and usually takes a form of various knots and spirals to symbolize a rope. Some take this metaphor a step further, as shown by my mother, who hands covered in flour asked me "Do you know how to tie a noose?"

When we speak of fucked up Czech traditions, we usually think of whipping girls with willow sticks in exchange for eggs. But I believe baking rope-like buns in "honor" of a guy who hanged himself should be up there as well.

#nádherné... dílo umělcovo... :)#čumblr #Velikonoce

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aredhel-erinti · 1 month

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You are amazing. Seriously, amazing...

posting this very late but i voted for maedhros today at 12 AND i had this sign with me

(sadly i was too scared to take a photo at the polling place) (i had to give up the sign before entering the building, i handed it to someone in the queue and got it back later)

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aredhel-erinti · 2 months

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Love and Redemption Rewatch: ep. 1

I genuinely love and adore this show but with how little content there is for L&R, I had to made some for myself.

Beware of SPOILERS for the whole story! Seriously...

I'm so excited!!! The opening song is still so good and still so full of spoilers. Like really, Si Feng with the wings??? The creators were not afraid... it was a choice.

Who do we have here? Yep, they have shown our bird and our monkey right off the bat.

The whole opening monologue is such a great misdirection! They even say it - one comes after the other! But the viewer expects two players, so this very suspicious setup is completely disregarded.

Wow, they really show everyone, don't they? :)

The concept of soul AND primordial spirit was very hard for me to grasp the first time, but rewatch makes it quite clear.

I swear I have seen this guy somewhere...

Yep, it's this guy from The Journey of Chong Zi.

This is ANOTHER great misdirect because we know that God of War and Star of Mosha are going to be reincarnated at the same time and OF COURSE Si Feng is here... so who could he possibly be, am I right? :)

And another great thing? The demons genuinely don't have the most important information either. :D

I almost forgot that they need Rahu Ketu's weapon to unseal the cup... all these macguffins to keep track of.

And this ist how the story tells us that Xuan Ji and Ling Long are twins... pretty easy to miss.

Ten months?? That's quite post-term!

Ling Long is amazing from the start. Protective older sister is something I need more of... and Ling Long is fierce!

The introduction of Min Yan is also on point: the only one who can keep up with Ling Long and never leaves her, but at the same time is always backed into some corner by her.

He is regretting it already... :D

Ling Long is talking about all these "handsome men" she gets to meet and Min Yan is not amused...

I have questions! Are all of these golden winged birds?? If so, do they really cast out so many potential warriors? To fend for themselves in hostile world without their powers?? That's rough AND wasteful...

I can't decide which picture sums up the Master of Li Ze Palace (does he have a name???) better, but I love him and his terrifying claws.

The bird lantern! There truly is foreshadowing for everything, if you know what to look for!

Yuan Lang's and Wu Zhi Qi's "friendship" is so interesting to me, because sometimes Yuan Lang almost looks like he means it... but the powerplay always comes first.

Wu Tong goes from awestruck to smirking in 0,2 seconds and then proceeds to bully the sister of the girl he likes... it's actually quite realistic.

I honestly can't remember when Si Feng stops stammering... I will have to look out for that.

Ling Long isn't afraid to say it. :D

Min Yan still isn't enjoying the whole "let's look for handsome mysterious guys" vibe, but Ling Long has him figured out.

The relationship between these two is extremely enjoyable right from the start. :)

I think this is the scene that made me definitely fall in love with Ling Long. She is determined, driven, protective and smart, and she is not afraid to use tactics like this - the crying and evocation of their mother is extremely well done and the way she immediately cuts her crying once she gets what she wants is hilarious. No one can mess with her sister, not even their own father!

This is a very specific morning routine. It can't be easy to make your tea from dewdrops fallen from a plum tree... just saying.

This relationship is off to a very bad start.

I already forgot how hostile Si Feng was at the beginning. I would feel bad for Xuan Ji, but she doesn't mind...

Si Feng is repressed and Chuan Ji is absolutely clueless about everything and it's very entertaining to watch. :)

The candle dragon sounds are genuinely scary.

This is a very impulsive decision on Chuan Ji's part and one she should have thought out better. She knows the rules, knows that the mask is important. What is she hoping to achieve by taking it off? It frustrates me a little, this lack of forethought, but the story needs it to get moving.

And here is another clue... wow, that's quite a lot for episode 1.

One episode was enough to rekindle my love for most of these characters... this rewatch could get quite annoying unfortunately . :)

#love and redemption #cdrama #love and redemption rewatch #琉璃 #ling long #chu ling long #xuan ji #chu xuan ji #yu sifeng #min yan #Sixth Senior

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aredhel-erinti · 3 months

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EÄRENDILOVA PLAVBA IS ON YT! THIS IS NOT A DRILL

youtube

(full english subtitles available)

"Eärendil's voyage" is the newest silm musical by the musical group Falešné společenstvo which I was so lucky to see live in Prague this January with friends (let's watch it again soon guys)

#falešné společenstvo #false fellowship #eärendilova plavba

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aredhel-erinti · 3 months

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Kdo ví, třeba jsou na čumbliru nějací zapálení tolkienisté, kteří ještě neznají Falešné společenstvo...

Každopádně, mezinárodní propagace - to je úžasné... :)

It's the last couple of days to donate to the Children of Húrin musical!!

I really encourage people to watch the musical and donate.

Watch the musical

Donate to getting an album made

#čumblr #odvážila jsem se použít tento tag...#tolkien #falešné společenstvo #húrinovy děti

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aredhel-erinti · 3 months

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This really just shows that more than 70 % percent of earth surface is covered by water.

That being said : Cambodia, between Sesan and Mekong river.

go to this random coordinates generator and say in the tags how you would fare if you were dropped where it generates without warning. i’ll go first i’d be dropped in the middle of the fucking south atlantic ocean and perish

#I'm feeling special. :)#geography

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aredhel-erinti · 3 months

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I really want to join in the thanks to all of you (you know who you are ;))!!! It was an incredibly kind and beautiful gesture and trust us, all of Falešné Společenstvo was in awe. It was really amazing and the best possible reward after our performance.

It's quite difficult for me to grasp that someone who doesn't speak czech would be interested in our work, let alone put so much work to the translating of our strange language, so all of this is quite surreal. But it's a great encouragement to keep going. :) Thank you!

Aredhel

As a member of Falešné společenstvo I have to thank all the people from Tolkien musical fan group. You can’t even imagine how much this means to me (and I think it’s the same for other members of FS too). I almost cried when you gave us the flowers and the “letter”… Gosh, It’s so beautiful.

This year was especially challenging. Many of us think we were cursed and our journey is painfully similar to Enchanted Isles. Even a few hours before the Tolkiencon premiere there were so many things that went wrong (e.g. broken car and keyboard stand) and I don’t even talk about cast changes because of illnesses…

After all those years I’m a little bit burnt out (even though compared to some other members I don’t even do a quarter of their work) and I was even feeling like quitting. Of course, I didn’t mainly because well… without a very good reason, you can’t quit a few weeks before the premiere. But the other reason was that there are people outside the traditional visitors of Tolkiencon, who enjoy our work on its own, and who even want to travel from other countries just to see us. You guys are one of the few reasons, why I had a will to continue and a will to try to deliver the best possible performance. (Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best performance. Acting and singing in the gym are very hard because of the people who sit a few meters before you and you can look directly to their faces… I really wish you could see our unofficial performance last week. It is always in a little theatre and probably because of that this, performance is very often better than the premiere one).

So, thank you so so much again. You are really amazing. And I truly hope our play was worth your journey and you have enjoyed your stay at Tolkiencon and Prague…

#falešné společenstvo #false fellowship #czech silm musicals #eärendilova plavba #Tolkiencon 2024 #personal

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aredhel-erinti · 5 months

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#this!#this is me #about me

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aredhel-erinti · 5 months

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Sorry for my slow response. :)

As you know, we are complete amateurs, so we could hardly be called celebrities (actually there are some of us that would oppose it very strongly), but it's still incredibly nice to know that our music means so much to someone outside Czechia.

I must say we are quite proud of our characterizations, especially of the more complex characters like Thingol or Maedhros - the songs really give us the space to give them the depth with which we would like for them to be perceived with. When these characters have a whole song just for their feelings a views it really gives them justice.

Actually I just found the divided songs from Pád Doriathu on your blog, could you direct me to the others, please? :)

As for děti Děti Húrinovy two of the songs are already out as thank you to our sponsors: Země luku a přilby and Pochyby

youtube

There also will be English subtitles for the Voyage of Eärendil as soon as it appears on youtube - one of us is already working on it.

Život a smrt isn't based on another song, or at least not knowingly - the music was composed by Filoména (formerly Bardě), one of the our best composers (the words are actually mine) - it wasn't inspired by anything but you know how music works: almost every theme was already used before so it's not impossible that it reminds you of something else. :)

Hi, I came across your blog recently and I was very surprised that you know our Falešné Společenstvo and that you even seem to be a fan of ours! That's so amazing! I'm very surprised that someone who probably doesn't speak Czech (I am basing this on your bio, sorry if I am wrong) would be so invested in our songs, but as one of the creators I am incredibly flattered! How did you even came across us?

Anyway, we are recording Húrinovy děti right now (but you probably already know that): https://www.donio.cz/album-hurinovy-deti

and there will be new musical this January (if nothing goes wrong): The Voyage of Eärendil

Hi!

I admit this is a bit like a celebrity coming across my nonsense, but yes I am a big fan!

I really enjoy the dedication to the stories, and the characterisations that are presented (especially the characterisation of Maedhros, and of Thingol in Pàd Doriathu, and the relationship of Feanor & Nerdanel in Feanor a jeho synové) and I've found them reasonably ok to understand what is happening so long as you know the story/get google to translate the songs from the sheet music.

I am extremely excited for Húrinovy děti, obviously you've seen that I divided the songs up from the videos so I'm looking forward to hearing them actually recorded (without the inevitable person coughing in the middle of a song....)

And yes I'm excited to see what The Voyage of Earendil covers! I only wish it was remotely possible to see it live, but alas, I live in Australia, so I will be happy with the videos

Also, because it's been nagging at my mind for so long, is "život a smrt" based on a different song? The tune seems familiar to me

#falešné společenstvo #false fellowship #tolkien #Youtube

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aredhel-erinti · 6 months

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Baby manuls!!! My beloved...

I found photos of those Pallas Cat kittens born this year and bye I'm deceased

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aredhel-erinti · 7 months

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Okay, this is pretty incredible. A 3D artist, consulting scholars and archaeologists, worked for a year and a half in Blender to create a reconstruction of pre-Columbian Tenochtitlán, complete with the surrounding landscape. It’s staggeringly beautiful, and—at least to me—gives a wonderful impression of the city as a place where people worked and lived and worshiped

#the most beautiful city!!!

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aredhel-erinti · 8 months

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we are presenting here this silly little meme of ours (@aredhel-erinti)... enjoy

#rong hao #love between fairy and devil #chang heng #xie wan qing #苍兰诀 #Cang Lan Jue #cdrama #长珩仙君 #容昊 #赤地女子

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aredhel-erinti · 10 months

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Love and Redemption – Bailin

Behold! A meta about Bailin from Love and Redemption, if there’s anyone interested. It’s quite long, so be warned...

Many thanks to my dear @nieninque-nyerea for huge help with the translation from my mother tongue - I would never have the mental strength to do it by my self!

Bailin

Bailin is a complicated character... and that's the reason why it's so sad that all opinions about him are so simplified and can be summed up in three words "he's the worst". Because he isn't... and at the same time, yes, he definitely is. As you can see, the situation is complicated. It's honestly quite surprising how much people want to simplify his actions and character, especially considering the complex psyche of the main trio (or quartet, depending on viewer's philosophy) which makes the whole story so interesting, compelling and surprising (with a help of the wonderful secondary characters, but shh :)). I guess human desire for simple, black and white answers is our greatest superpower…

I would like to start with a small polemic about whether Bailin is a villain. I realize I'm being a bit loose with the terminology here, but I'd argue that he is not a villain. "What?" I hear the indignant voice of the internet – as if we didn't have enough evidence that in the end it was all his fault! (And there really is plenty of evidence.) If I may, I would call Bailin more of an antagonist, someone who is in opposition to the hero – if we consider Si Feng the hero of the story, then completely deliberately, if the hero is Xuan Ji/Rahu Ketu, then Bailin is in opposition which he himself is hardly aware of, or at least does not admit to. As horrible as Bailin's actions are (and they are), what's really interesting are his motivations. So, enough of the quibble – what is really Bailin's deal?

The answer is very surprising in its simplicity – it's all about doing good. That's right - Bailin is unable to see his actions as problematic, let alone evil, because he firmly believes that whatever he does, he is acting in the service of what is „right“. Terrible is the surprise at the end of the story for him and his subjects, who got dragged along by the unbreakable strength of his conviction that what they are doing is right. (Flying Snake is the only exception, and even his dilemma it is not about the goodness of Heavenly Realm, but about the choice of duty vs friends.) It is not unusual in stories that even a completely unadulterated villain, let alone an antagonist, is convinced of the rightness of his behavior and the hero is primary someone who ignores his motivations and constantly stands in his way, and is therefore in the villain's/antagonist's interest to get rid of them. (We could include the relationship between Bailin and Si Feng into this category.) It is considerably less common when the antagonist is not aware of his opposition to the hero, and is even convinced on fundemental level that everything he does is only helping the hero - even if it‘s the very disintegration of hero's personality. And that is exactly the relationship between Bailin and Xuan Ji/Rahu Ketu. When one looks back at all of Bailin's actions, crimes, and even wilful acts it's actually surprising that his plan isn't more sinister and his motivations far darker. After all, Bailin really wants victory over the enemy (in his case, the victory of Heavenly Realm over demons), and in doing so he does not stand out from the ranks of other characters on both sides of the conflict. What makes Bailin truly unique is the radicality and disproportionality of his solutions, which often not only worsen the entire problem, but in several cases directly cause a brand new one. And all of this happens while Bailin is fully convinced of his truth, his rationality and the infallibility of his own decisions.

And that brings us to what is Bailin really like. Bailin does not have to be inherently evil to be destructive - both to himself and to others. He only needs two characteristics to do this, and both can be summed up in one problem - the lack of (appropriate) self-reflection.

These two characteristics are paranoia and lying to himself (especially in emotional matters).

Bailin belongs to that group of people who believe there is someone after them. Who? Everyone, anyone. The world is full of tricks and traps, you can't trust anyone, except maybe those you have authority over, and even there you're on a thin ice. You can't rely on anyone - and trusting someone emotionally is out of the question! It is always necessary to count on the worst possibility imaginable and look for the worst conceivable motive in others. Bailin's decisions in their monstrosity unsurprisingly match this mindset. Why wouldn't he decide for the worst possible solution, when he is convinced that only his own alertness and preparedness prevent others from using similar weapon against him?

To paranoia is strongly linked lying to oneself. In the world as Bailin sees it, is no place for weakness, hesitation, trust, let alone feelings. All of these things make Bailin (in his mind) an easy prey. Feelings most of all – for him to have feelings for anyone would be a tragedy indeed! It is necessary to fight against these things, or rather to deny their existence, not only in front of others, but above all in front of yourself. All unpleasant feelings and unexpected emotions can be rationalized! Woe be him who tries to impose feelings and emotions on you while you are working so hard for the good of Heavenly Realm! The problem is that Bailin is a good liar - he manages to manipulate a number of characters throughout the story, but he doesn't manipulate anyone better than himself.

Such relationship with reality can be deadly enough on itself, but the circumstances of Bailin's life take it to a truly terrifying extreme. Bailin is no nobody, he is the king of Heavenly Realm (I don't know the exact title), and the ongoing war with demons directly affects him. The very necessity of winning would justify a lot in Bailin's eyes. And into that comes Rahu Ketu and the much-hated feelings and emotions. Bailin does not understand himself - or, more precisely, does not want to understand himself. He is in a complicated situation and he knows only two things for sure. First: there is a war that is not going well, and he must win it – but it is the demons who hold all the triumphs in the form of their strongest general. In order for Bailin to win, he will have to get rid of this obstacle. Second: It is the same demon general that he must get rid of, without whom he cannot imagine his life. But Bailin doesn't like to think about that.

Bailin's paranoia does not allow him to accept or even imagine any other solution to their situation than victory, preferably an absolute victory – the enemy cannot be trusted, just as one cannot trust any peace designs, even should the enemy party come up with them. If Bailin doesn't attack first, in the fastest and smartest way, they will definitely lose! Of course, he can't even trust that „friend“ who sits and drinks with him so often, Bailin mustn't be fooled! Although he might wish they could sit together like this forever...

The solution Bailin will choose is a truly horrifying display of rationalized paranoia.

He is not committing a war crime, he is just doing what is necessary for Heavenly Realm to win! (Regarding the war crime: I'm sure poisoning a peace messenger would fall in this category. And yes, Bailin didn't know what message Rahu Ketu carried, but he would have known if he had listened to him. But he won't because he convinced himself such thing is not possible – that it will be either his solution or his loss. But even if we give him the benefit if doubt for not knowing, the attack was still made by trickery during friendly negotiation.)

And it's not like he wants to keep Rahu Ketu with him at all times, so he can never leave him, faithful and stripped of any identity that could possibly cause them to become enemies again! No, he is merely providing a weapon for Heavenly Realm which they never had and that will guarantee their victory!

And he doesn't at all take revenge on all the demons (including Rahu Ketu) when he orders God of War to slaughter her own people and her king. No, he's just making sure the rebellion will never happen again! So what – God of War will never even remember who she is, or realize who she killed, so why would it matter???

All altruistic and selfless reasons! In one move Bailin won the war and got rid of all his enemies. How could that be wrong??

In the same way it is later absolutely necessary that Xuan Ji does not regain her senses - not because she could then fall in love and forever leave Bailin for Si Feng, but because she could then become terrible, evil (or rather rightfully pissed off) demon and destroy the whole world! And if that strategy fails, then it's necessary to get rid of Xuan Ji, Si Feng and Jade Cup, because evil demon, war, and the destruction of the world are all serious problems - they don't necessarily have anything to do with the fact that Bailin really does not want to meet Rahu Ketu again and face him after all the things he had done to him.

From Bailin's point of view all of his decisions seem reasonable and sound. Logical. As if there really was nothing else to do. Of course, the problem is that Bailin's perception of the world is anything but reasonable and sound. It's paranoid and distorted – the demons are asking for peace after all, Rahu Ketu's feelings are sincere and he's not plotting any treachery or attack, Si Feng isn't after him... we could go on. Bailin can pass off his paranoia as rationality only by the force of his will and his own lies. But he indeed has a strong will and had believed his own lies a long time ago.

And so finally, Bailin stands before us as we know him - in his own eyes, and in the eyes of many, the paragon of goodness, purity and fighting for the right thing, especially in a world where the enemy could be everywhere, even (or maybe especially?) among one's closest people. Bailin shines so brightly precisely because he firmly believes that what he is doing is right. He relies on his own abilities and his own judgment, because his suspiciousness does not allow him to trust the judgment and motives of others. He is controlling, dominating even , because deep down he fears abandonment (without acknowledging it) and he is not able in front of himself to call love by its real name - he'd rather dress it up in a guise of usefulness and calculation, because what he fears most of all is to be loved only to be betrayed. If that should be the case, isn't it less painful to betray first?

Rahu Ketu is the person Bailin loves in all his complexity, including the potential danger he represents. God of War is the same beloved person, robbed of everything that could threaten Bailin – loyalty to the enemy, knowledge of her past, awareness of her own self; she is ideal because she is Bailin's and she cannot leave or betray him – she would be leaving and betraying her only identity. (Or rather Bailin thinks she can't, but life sucks...) Xuan Ji, on the other hand, is for Bailin the worst possible version of the same person: she's another erasure, a desperate attempt to recreate the person God of War was before her rebellion. But this time she doesn't know or love Bailin and her will is her own. She is not burdened by Rahu Ketu's consciousness, and yet Bailin has to watch her "worst" instincts win for nine lifetimes. When the tenth life comes, Bailin panics and heads down to Earth to get her back under his control before it's too late. But alas, it's too late already – while he wasn't with Xuan Ji, someone else had been... Bailin has hurt all three versions of his beloved person – denying or trying to deny each of them the right to freedom, an independent life and, what is most painfull, their own identity. Rahu Ketu states many times that he is not Xuan Ji and wants nothing to do with her, even though Xuan Ji undoubtedly is a part of him – but it's the part that was forced on him, that he was bound into, and for that Bailin can't be so easily forgiven... And Bailin, high above everyone in his white clouds but unable to admit the truth, says: "I didn't do anything wrong, just what was necessary!"

So what's the conclusion? Is Bailin really "the worst"? As I said in the beginning – he is, as well as he isn't… but for me Bailin is primarily tragic figure. He is definitely the person whose decision will negatively affect the largest number of people. His decisions are some of the worst. But his motivations... are surprisingly pure, although absolutely misguided. Bailin doesn't want to commit evil – he just hasn't realized that he is doing exactly that. What is worse – conscious malice or a mistaken belief in one's own sanctity, is up to everyone. Bailin's actions and their appalling utilitarianism cannot be very well defended, but I would find extenuating circumstances in his motivations.

And it's not only that - perhaps the most telling part is the end of Bailin's story. Because in the end Bailin submits and admits his fault. Yes, a higher up must appear - Bailin is too convinced that the world, as seen through his paranoia, is the real world so it is impossible for anyone but the ultimate authority to open his eyes - the most powerful one and the one with "the patent for the truth", the one in whose interest was Bailin convinced he has been acting. Metaphorically speaking, Bailin must cry out upwards: I did it all for You and for the sake of Heavenly Realm! And he must hear emperor's „no“ to find humility. But Bailin‘s humility is real - such humility can only exist in someone who was not only truly convinced that he was doing the right thing, but who also sincerely wanted to do the right thing. Bailin's humility is beautiful in its tragedy - although Bailin had a habit of listening mostly only to himself, his ego is not what matters the most to him. The prosperity of Heavenly Realm is what matters the most, so the knowledge of his own failure is therefore more painful to him than any punishment.

Simply put, Bailin has a beautiful “Am I a baddie?” moment, and the most tragic part of the whole situation is that this really is a brand new information for him. What should he do with himself now?

All that remains is to drink the offered cup, resigned to his fate.

It's a different punishment than voluntarily giving up one's powers – that was an acknowledgment of incompetence, of mistakes. I surrender that with which I have done much evil in the name of good. I'm giving up my powers because I can't no longer trust myself.

This is a different kind of punishment - it carries hope. It carries within itself a new chance to get it right.

Perhaps at the very end, Rahu Ketu isn't really asking for a punishment, but for a sign of trust - a sign of the biggest change Bailin will have to go through.

Will you drink? Will you relinquish the control, you've clung to, the one for which you've ruined so many lives? Because of which you ruined my life? Will you overcome your fear and walk with me into the unknown? I already know what it's like to lose control, what it's like to be tossed around by forces more powerful than yourself and don't even know your own name - will you dare? Can you surrender yourself to the world and the people in it with the faith that they won't hurt you?

Will you drink with me?

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