Yet Another Halloween Fic

Yet Another Halloween Fic (YAHF) is a trope in the Buffy fandom, stemming from a challenge in the XanderZone mailing list. These fics, usually Xander-centric, are episode tags set during the season 2 Halloween episode where characters "became" their Halloween costumes and were so common in the fandom at one point that they started being referred to as "yet another Halloween fic" or YAHF for short. YAHFs were often some level of crossover, due to the nature of the episode they originate from, but the fandom questioned on whether or not these fics truly counted as a crossover as they often only involved characters temporarily becoming characters from other canons.
This genre of fic was sometimes considered to be badfic because many of the early works in the genre were overly reliant on the events and dialogue of canon and weren't particularly well-constructed. Some fans also accused these fics making Xander into a Gary Stu, due to the tendency to focus on Xander or make him the "special" character when the original episode had more focus on Cordelia Chase (this was probably due to the genre's origin on a Xander mailing list).
==The Trope==
In "Halloween," the episode that this trope originates from, Ethan Rayne casts a spell that causes everyone to transform into their costumes. In the show these costumes were generic (vampires, werewolves, and the like), but YAHFs often feature the Buffy cast in different costumes such as superheroes and specific characters. This makes the trope very popular as a vehicle for crossover fics.
The spell was designed to last until Ethan ended it, but it was eventually broken by breaking the statue of Janus used in the ritual. The characters retained various levels of the skills they displayed during their costume transformations. They also appeared to have differing levels of memories of the event. In some YAHFs, however, the spell is never broken and the transformations become permanent. In other YAHF, the spell may be more powerful than in canon and cause elements of the canon related to the costume to appear, such as a spaceship or a building. Ship of the Line, an extremely popular challenge on Twisting the Hellmouth that requires Xander to be dressed as "an important character associated with a specific space ship" and "said ship [being] created in orbit above Sunnydale at the same time as Ethan’s spell is invoked,". Posted 22 Jun 12. Accessed 11 Apr 2023. is a progenitor of many YAHFs of this type.
Because of the trope's origins on XanderZone, many YAHFs featured Xander-specific tropes. In particular, many of them fell into the Xander is Special category of fics in which he gains some sort of plot-significant specialness, such as being the key to saving the world. For many fans, this fell into Gary Stu territory. People also considered YAHFs to be badfic because early works featuring the trope were overly reliant on the events of the episode and dialogue from it, not diverging much from canon except to place more importance on Xander. More modern examples of this trope, however, tend to be less tied to the episode itself.
==Fan Comments==
On the original challenge (2004):
One 2005 discussion on Twisting the Hellmouth questioned whether YAHF really qualified as crossovers. This was important because Twisting the Hellmouth centered on crossover fic, with restrictions on how many non-crossover works could be posted by users.
On the standard of fics using this trope (2013):
On the enduring appeal of YAHF (2020):
On the enjoyability of YAHFs, even without canon knowledge (2021):
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfic===
* [Archive.org mirror] by Ed Scott, a possibly early drabble from the XanderZone (exact date unknown) 
* by Cyclone, Xander wears an anime-inspired costume on that fateful Halloween. On hold. (2003 - 2005)
* by Crown87, This idea wouldn't leave me alone. What if Xander hadn't dressed like a soldier for Halloween. What if he had gone as one of the Dragoon, and ended up with all seven in his head? COMPLETE (2004)
* by Greywizard, an early example of a YAHF. They were already close to being called that, as evidenced by the summary: Yet another fascinating alternate Halloween episode. How could have things been changed if everyone had chosen different costumes that night? (2004 - 2005)
* I Am What I Am by M. McGregor, (2005 or earlier)
* by Cyclone. Clearly from after the fandom had become saturated with this type of fic, as the summary is simply: Yet another Halloween 'fic. (2005)
* by Bob Regent, which must come after "YAHF" had been coin as the summary reads YAHF Watch as a new version of the halloween fic appears Guess who the second cast member is. (2005)
* by Vathara, Ethan's Halloween costume chaos... backfires. Multiple crossover, Rurouni Kenshin, Inuyasha, and Pet Shop of Horrors among others. Many others. Be afraid... (2005, posted to AO3 in 2018)
* by speakerforthesilent, a response to a issued by Weaver (2007) and a rare Buffy-centric YAHF
* by spaceman, Halloween Fic. The Halloween spell goes too far. It doesn't change a town for a night, it changed the entire world forever. Includes a huge amount of crossovers particularly with anime fandoms, and went on to inspire fic. See all (2007 - 2008)
* by Speakertocustomers, Xander dresses as a superhero of matchless physical power but somewhat less brainpower; Seasons 3, 4, and 5 go differently as a result. Comedic fluff featuring an oddball pairing. Crossover with The Incredible Hulk (2009)
* by HollyDB, a rare example of a non-Xander YAHF. (originally posted in 2009, edited and posted to AO3 in 2019)
* by acs, What if Buffy had dressed as an elf for that infamous Halloween episode in Season 2? How would that have worked? And what about Willow and Xander? Crossover with Stargate SG-1 and The Lord of the Rings. Much more focus on Willow and Buffy in the fic than Xander. (2010) 
* by Silentbobfoley, an early entry for Ship of the Line (2012)
* by Mnemorath, Xander gets a rather LARGE new toy. Another early Ship of the Line entry. (2012)
* by worldmaker, Halloween ends, and Xander finds himself in a place he never thought was real, under circumstances he never saw coming. Crossover with Avengers and other fandoms (2013-21)
* by Scorpio71, Xander doesn’t go as a generic soldier…he ends up going as a specific character from a specific comic series that’s being made into a movie. Then things get weird. Crossover with The Losers. (2014)
* by jace, Ship of the line response what would happen when Xander get his Very own Titan and his Fleet of alts from Eve: Online (2016 - 2022)
* by GraeFoxx, Xander's in prison with just enough hope of escape, that it's torture every time he fails. The prison, the curse, is a vicious time loop, and he'll have no choice but to adapt and evolve if he ever wants to be free again. This is the unforgiving journey of discovery Xander Harris never got. Xander/multi. Xander/OTP (2021 - current)
* by TheDivineDemon, A cop, a jungle girl, a witch, a paleontologist, and an astronaut all sat in a spaceship. No, this is not the setup for a joke. It is the situation Buffy and her friends found themselves in late on Halloween night.(BtVS/Power Rangers/Star Wars/Marvel). (2022- current)
===Challenges===
* on Twisting the Hellmouth
===Fanart===
* (2007-2012) by Methos, containing fanart for and discussion of several YAHF fics (images are lost)
* (2009) by christytrekkie, manip for by TwistedSlinky -- which is more of a sequel or elaboration on the Halloween episode than a played-straight YAHF.
* (2012) and (2013) by vampirecow for their own YAHF stories
* and (2018), manips by christietrekkie for a by Darth Tenebrus
* (2019) manip by christytrekkie for 
===Meta===
* : debate on Twisting the Hellmouth forums regarding how far these fics could be considered crossovers, and debating the nature of a "true" crossover
* : discussion on TTH forums regarding how much characters retained from their Halloween costume selves, both in canon and in YAHF fanon
* by TroyGuffey, 2009
==Archives & Fannish Links==
* Yet Another Halloween Fic (BtVS) at Ao3
* Buffy Halloween fics community on FanFiction.net
* "YAHF" Search Results on FanFiction.net
* Theme: Halloween under "Xander-Centered" on Twisting the Hellmouth
** YAHFs can also be found by entering "YAHF" into the search at Twisting the Hellmouth, which will return all stories with term used in text or summary, or by ticking the "Halloween" box near the bottom of the "Narrow Your Search" section on the Advanced Story Search.
==References==
Category:Buffyverse Tropes & Genres