king zhou yu + zhuge liang and the isolating nature of genius
zhuge liang is a kingmaker, but zhou yu has the temperament of a king. and not just a king, but a good one. (anger issues aside.) but the anger issues can be tempered, his fiery temper would become tempered by wisdom and maturity and time. the anger comes from inadequacy and the fear of letting others down when he is a position of power, just an extreme terror of a failure with lives on the line.
he is angry bc he hates himself that he lacks the natural brilliance and supernova talent for politicking that zhuge liang has, and if he had that much talent in his hands then he would be able to do so much MORE and he would be able to shield his people so much better and defend his territory and their interests
but he doesn't have the vision (too close to the trees to see the forest) to understand that he just needs to put aside his pride and ask for help, to delegate to zhuge liang, and humble himself to acknowledge zhuge liang as being able to do things he can't
and part of that is age, because he is young coming into power, at 19 zhuge liang is not just more brilliant, but a bit older, at 25-27ish
but he is ultimately angry Because He Cares and loves and is loyal to his subjects, meanwhile zhuge liang can only reach such distant heights of greatness in terms of talent because he doesn't care if he wins/loses so he can gamble it all and win big
there is natural aptitude in there, but part of it is that zhuge liang doesn't care and isn't afraid of losing
but zhou yu can be overly cautious. and risk averse
and he is wary of failure / risks because he cares very deeply about his friends and his people, but zhuge liang is like. a soloist and completely isolated genius, isolated both BY and BECAUSE of ability but also via upbringing as someone who was abandoned.
the age difference between zhou yu and zhuge liang is more than 5 years but less than 10, so less than a full generation apart, but distant enough to have difficulty seeing eye to eye.
zhuge liang wasn't raised by "parents" or even by like anyone resembling "a family structure" but in a type of facility where even the staff were terrified of him because nothing is scarier than a child whose eyes are a Little too wise
genius is rarely a situation of heroism or grand glory. ultimately genius is a form of extreme psychiatric abnormality.
genius also has to do with...just imagine being the object of envy by everyone you will ever know or have ever met. unless you hide your true ability.
some of the dilemma of genius comes from the social reception of it among a societal situation of "ordinary people" in the center of the bell curve, unlike a societal situation where you (a genius) is with other elites in a pure meritocracy where everyone is hyperclassed up into their own area of expertise
but just among like, ordinary average people, zhuge liang after some point in adolescence elects to be alone and to engage in pursuits of skill as someone who outclasses everyone else in calibre without even trying, and if he is honest about his ability, people rush to smear him and drag him down for lying or cheating.
because they have to defame him to feel better about their own inferiority.
(zhuge liang himself looks at zhou yu and sees an unparalleled genius on the cusp of blooming, but he also thinks to himself about whether he should nip zhou yu in the bud so zhuge liang can hold him in her hands all to herself. her own possession. a rosebud. zhou yu is the rose prince, after all.)