#also this isnt to say seeing yaz as a thrill seeker isnt completely wrong

[zagreuses-toast]

I've been noticing that, in like fic and analysis and stuff, sometimes people paint yaz as an adrenaline junkie who loves travelling with the doctor for the thrill and danger of it, and that she will throw caution to the wind or take risky gambles for the rush of it paying off. I don't 100% agree with that interpretation of her, but I think I know why it happens.

Number one: she's very much a mirror to the doctor, and the doctor is often painted as an adrenaline junkie who can't stand boringness and is sorta hooked to the danger of her lifestyle (which, yeah, she is, especially 13 with her tendency to taunt villains)

And number two: the other big doctor mirror, Clara, was 100% painted as an adrenaline junkie who gambled with her own life (and lost). And it's easy to portray yaz similarly, because they go through similar (but very different) arcs of becoming more doctor like.

Imo Yaz is much more into the travelling and saving the day for the responsibility of it all, for feeling useful and capable and good. Her complaining about not having more interesting jobs as a cop wasn't her wanting more danger, it was her wanting more responsibility, she wanted to be important and helpful (that's the entire reason she became a cop, to help people like she was helped). And that's reflected in her arc, what she wants out of travelling with the doctor and what she gets out of becoming The Doctor. She learns to fly the TARDIS, she becomes capable and confident, able to hold her own in the past and lead her own companions. and in the end she rescues the Doctor herself with a plan SHE came up with, and she can help bystanders too (I love the blink and you'll miss it moment in potd where she's helping injured people on the space train).

To bring back the Clara parallel, because I like looking at our two big "become the doctor" arcs next to each other. Clara also got what she wanted/idolized in The Doctor out of her arc, she got the bravery and the boldness, and the ability to bluff and cheat and gamble. And the rush of the freedom of time travel. But I don't think she ever learned how to fly the doctors tardis, because that wasn't what she needed.

Tbh I think their different approaches to being/travelling with The Doctor can be summarized with Clara's "I do have a hobby, it's you by the way" vs yaz introducing herself via her title to dan and vinder (former pc with hallamshire police)

To Clara it's a game, a hobby, a thrilling way to live. To yaz its a calling, a profession, a life's mission. (Although, she definitely has issues with losing herself in that job at her mental/physical expense. Ex: her self neglect over that ten months trying to learn how to use the TARDIS and save the doctor )