Behind Lan Zhan’s Love: a meta
I want to talk about why Lan Zhan fell for Wei Wuxian. I’ve constantly thought about it and because no rendition of MDZS ever offers a clear explanation. We are able to infer how much Lan Zhan loves him but it’s hard to understand why.
Let’s talk a little about Lan Zhan’s history with love, mired with tragedy. Firstly, Lan Zhan is depicted to have been very attached to his mom, kneeling in the snow in front of her house even long after she passed. Similarly, the only time we see Lan Zhan cry is when he reveals that his father is dying and his brother is missing. From these reactions, we can tell that Lan Zhan is fiercely loving and loyal. But interestingly, we’ve never seen anyone (other than Lan Xichen) who really matches or even reciprocates Lan Zhan’s devotion in his family. His parents abandoned him and self-isolated like every day was the fucking COVID-19 pandemic and Lan Qiren more or less measured his worth based on his ability as a disciple. Lan Zhan didn’t grow up with people in his life that truly loved him unconditionally.
Lan Zhan, in my opinion, was someone who is naturally capable of immense love, but was born into an environment that never allowed him to practice it. This is probably why Lan Zhan develops his front of austerity and discipline (高冷, in other words), which eventually comes to define him to the point where no one dares to get too close to him. While Lan Zhan is revered and admired by all, he is also feared by all and therefore, lonely and isolated.
In the same sentence that they praise his abilities, Nie Huaisang and Jiang Chen also warn Wei Wuxian about Lan Zhan’s icy demeanor and general unfriendliness. I can’t imagine the damaging consequences of this perception must be to Lan Zhan, a person who has been consistently characterized by his capability to love. Therefore, this leads me to believe that Lan Zhan isn’t unaffectionate out of choice, he is unaffectionate out of circumstance. He is cold because he has never found a reason to be warm.
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