Ngl, I don't get why some see Xie Lian being submissive towards Hua Cheng as a bad thing. Without delving into the bedroom stuff, which is their business and idm about what y'all think they do in there, but, in general, why is his 'submission' towards him sometimes seen in a negative light?
What is so wrong with being devoted or even 'submitting' to a person ?
Why is him submitting to the person who devoted himself to him, yes, taken as something negative?
lt's okay when Hua Cheng does it. lt's okay when he gives himself a name that implies he is the home to the Flower Crowned Martial God. lt's okay when his title itself represents that he 'seeks' him. It's okay when he says he will forever be his most 'devoted' believer. In fact, that line is hailed as one of the most beautiful and romantic lines in all of danmei. It is okay when he does all this, but when Xie Lian is 'submissive' towards him, it is taken as a weakness and a negative aspect that we must rectify.
Hua Cheng is Xie Lian's believer, the person to whom he devoted himself to when he was at his lowest. The person in front of whom he bowed when he was a Supreme.
Even the mighty ghost king that defeated 33 gods bowed in front of a small white flower because he it was an offering to his God. He saw his God in it. In an inconspicuous lonesome flower stained by blood rain and he left his umbrella there.
That's the extent of his devotion. It isn't just about him making those giant statues, but him seeing his "God" in a small flower. It's him showing his devotion not just by burning incense in lavish temples or by lighting 3000 lanterns, but also by bowing to and protecting a flower that probably nobody would spare a second glance at.
Xie Lian's 'devotion' and the act of submiting himself to Hua Cheng, if you could call it that, is also a reward for that undying loyalty and devotion that Hua Cheng offered to him for 800 years.
It's his reward. lt's what he got in return to selflessly devoting himself to him without expecting anything in return.
And Xie Lian, by doing so, is not 'lowering'himself down. lt is not a character assassination by any means. Hua Cheng isn't just a random man. He is the one who saw and stayed by his side when he was at his lowest. He is the one who believed in him when everybody saw him as naught but a source of mockery and a laughingstock. And he did all this without expecting him to return his affections. Without ever forcing him to accept his feelings or implying that he is obligated to do so.
What is wrong with submitting and devoting yourself to such a person?
