seen from Austria
seen from Russia
seen from Austria
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Australia
seen from Canada
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from Switzerland
seen from Japan
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Brazil
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Iraq
seen from United States
Ouyang spent his whole life doing awful things to avenge the death of a father who wasn't dead. Baoxiang did awful things to prove something to Esen's ghost, which turned out not to be there at all. Ouyang is devastated by his father's presence, Baoxiang by his brother's absence.
Radiant Emperor Characters on the Barbie-Oppenheimer Scale
Zhu: Oppenheimer
Ma: Watched Oppenheimer with Zhu, then went to watch Barbie on her own
Xu Da: Barbie
Yuchun: Barbie
Ouyang: Oppenheimer
Esen: Oppenheimer. Brushed hands with Ouyang by accident in the darkened theatre. Thought nothing of it. Ouyang thought about it for the rest of the movie.
Baoxiang: Gathered his entire household for a public viewing of Barbie, watched Oppenheimer alone in private, then gathered everyone to watch Barbie again just to really drive the point home.
General Zhang: Watched Oppenheimer and then Barbie with Madame Zhang.
Madame Zhang: Watched Oppenheimer and Barbie with General Zhang. Then felt insecure and watched Oppenheimer again, alone.
Rice Bucket Zhang: Oppenheimer
Chen Youliang: Oppenheimer
Lady Ki: Barbie
Third Prince: Wanted to watch Barbie, but watched Oppenheimer with his friends instead.
Baoxiang looked at Ouyang and hated how Ouyang had 'everything', overlooking that Ouyang's mutilation means he's been treated as subhuman. Ouyang meanwhile is jealous of any unmutilated man.
Baoxiang was jealous of Ouyang's performance of masculinity, Ouyang was jealous of Baoxiang's physical masculinity. Each has what the other lacks.
Oh, Esen. How many times you imagined my betrayal. How willing you were to think the worst of me. Why aren't you happier? I'm just being who you've always thought I was. I'm giving you the ending you believed in.
She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan
Baoxiang coughed, his face reddening, but he maintained his composure. "Oh, you think–? No, brother. This isn't my plot against you." Esen, wrenching himself around in confusion, saw movement within the doors of the great hall. A figure descended the steps, armor covered in blood, his sword in his hand. "No," said Ouyang. "It's mine."
She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan
My brother's an easy person to love. The world loves him, and he loves the world, because everything in it has always gone right for him.
She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan
She who became the sun
This book is an essay on ruthlessness and desire; sometimes they call it fate, but it's clear fate has to be chosen, it doesn't simply exist.
Of all those characters, two will stay in my mind: the Radiant Prince (because what does he think? how much does he know? I wanted more!) and Lord Wang.
But what a delicious wreck is Lord Wang! Hungry for love and acknowledgement, always provoking, annoying, looking for love and disdain, actively seeking punishment from his family, plotting betrayal and revenge, thinking of his country.
