Yang and the sacrifices that make her
God, this fucking episode highlighting the most painful shit about one Yang Xiao Long.
Yang is a character who is defined by sacrifice. We see it time and time again. Yang throws herself into harms way for others every time. Even when she’s little, and her mom’s disappear, her father is destroyed and barely there. Yang, a child at the time, steps up and becomes the mother figure to Ruby. She puts aside her chance at a childhood to take care of her sister. And it all flows from there.
Yang is shown super early on to be a jokey character, someone who doesn’t take themselves seriously. She makes jokes and she plays the role that everyone expects her to. People see Yang and they assume she’s airheaded, and that she’s all humor and no substance, and Yang plays on that. She validates their assumptions by playing the role early on. But we see that’s not true, the rest of her team realizes it’s not true. Because when things go south, Yang gets up and stands as a pillar of support for those around her. When Blake is falling apart at beacon, we see Yang notice, we see her support Blake in the way she needs, because what Yang really is, is incredibly emotionally intelligent. And we see it again with how she cares for her friends and team, how she reacts to Blake being scared of her buring the vytal festival. How she supports Ruby even after being maimed at beacon. How she supports Weiss when she finds her with Raven. Every step, she immediately supports those around her.
Speaking of beacon. The thing about Yang’s support is that it’s rooted in sacrifice. She sacrifices her child, she sacrifices her arm, she doesn’t give herself time to process her own pain and grief because she always puts others first. and this last episode she sacrifices herself for Ruby.
And all of this is incredible, but, it highlights something we see Yang herself indirectly admit. That she doesn’t value herself. Back at beacon, we see Yang identify her team for the incredible people they are. We see her go on a tangent about how her teammates have aspirations and how they are capable enough to achieve them. Blake’s bravery, Ruby’s leadership and ability to spread hope, Weiss’s intelligence and care for the people who matter to her.
But when it comes back to her. She’s just says that she doesn’t have anything like that, that she’s just looking around for adventure. AS IF Yang didn’t throw away her chances for that the moment she decided to be the mother she wished she had, for Ruby. AS IF she didn’t give up her chance at that right from the start. Her admission is a non answer, it’s a generic cop out. Because to herself, unlike her team who are all incredible in their own ways, she’s just Yang, and that’s never been enough, has it?
I think this is the crux of her character, the beauty and the problem of Yang. Is that she gives every bit of herself to those who need it, because she doesn’t view herself as nearly as important. And I think so far, almost everyone has been blind to that. Ruby has, because Yang was always there, strong, and funny, and kind, and supportive. Yang was always there, like a mountain. Like the sun. Post beacon was the first time Ruby lost Yang and it of course wavered that image, but then Yang bounced back, and she resumed that role, and it seemed like everything was fine. Weiss, she sees Yang partially, she sees someone who is caring and kind, and supportive, and she doesn’t know the deeply painful thing that lead her to be that way, she just thinks that’s Yang, and you can’t fault her, because Yang doesn’t show more. Blake on the other hand, Blake is a little different.
Blake, like everyone else, fell for Yang’s trick, but unlike everyone else, she saw past it. She saw something more in Yang, and that’s why she picked her in the forest. Because in their brief interaction, she saw the love and care that make Yang who she is, under the mask. And then burning the candle, and the dance, and Yang listening to her at the vytal festival when everything went to shit. Every time, it just confirmed who Yang was, to Blake. And the fall of beacon happened, and she sees how far that care goes, she sees Yang willing to die for her. And she runs.
Yang relives her worst fear, that everyone leaves. All she has after beacon is that misery, and we finally see the cracks in Yang more clearly. Because it shatters her so hard. And look, Tai tries, but ultimately he’s not that helpful, because Tai never overcame his grief, and neither does Yang. Yang once again, puts herself on the backburner, and steps up for her sister, for her friends, for the world at large. Because she’s Yang. Because no matter how painful, she turns that pain into strength, one way or another.
When Blake comes back, it’s painful. Because it chips away at Yang’s pretense of being okay again. It cracks open the same wounds that she never really healed. The ones she slapped a bandage on and said “good enough.”
We see how it breaks her open, and we see how her and Blake patch things up, and for once she gets closure, for once she gets peace about something. But, the core problem is still there. Because of all the other emotional pain, Blake also misses that vital point. Yang does not value herself, not like she values others. And I can’t blame Blake for missing that.
I think that this situation forces them to see Yang as, well, just as human as the rest of them. Because she is, she’s someone who’s been deeply hurt so much, since she was so little, and it’s destroyed her self worth, and how does the rest of the team look at her now and think she’s invincible? How can they justify that any more after watching Yang throw herself away so readily, again.
I think, and hope, that this situation points the rest of the team to the problem at the center of Yang Xiao Long. I hope that when push comes to shove, that they choose to go after Yang. Because Yang matters. Because she’s not some invincible pillar. She’s not unbreakable, She’s a fire, warm and bright, but every fire needs to be tended. I really hope they go after her. Because someone needs to grab Yang and tell her, show her. “You’re Yang Xiao Long, you’re worth more than your sacrifice, you’re worth everything, because you’re you.” I really think that Yang needs to see that, to hear that. And I hope she gets that, from her team, and from Blake, who I think would get it across the most.
Anyway, i think i had a point when I started, and it’s probably lost, somewhere in this rambling. But this episode has ruined me. So, idk.
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