YAHF Charazation Challange

[AbyssalDaemon]

We've all seen stories where Xander dresses as something other then a solider for Halloween and keeps something from it. But very few stories bother to either show Xander's journey of growing into the shoes of whoever he dressed as or the downsides of what he might have gained.

Which is where the challenge comes in. Show Xander's growth and struggle to be MORE then just a simple copy of whoever he dresses as and the disadvantages that might come along. Such if dresses as superpowered being how is his humanity holding out, does he feel distanced from his friends, or have to worry about his powers slowly killing him (aka Nate Grey).

In the of a technological character the effort of trying to recreate the technology that his costume knew but using equipment that either subpar or being forced to build the tools to build the tools of whatever it is that he's trying to make.

Or if he went as some type of supersoldier does Xander suffer from nightmares of what the character experienced? Or a dependency on something for his skills.

Also a lot of writers tend to ignore how the characters that Xander dressed up as had their own faults and biases; instead of just Xander getting the good stuff, show him having to work to overcome the darker characteristics of whoever he went as.

 

[zeebee1]

Xander dresses as a famous sonnderkommando.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5117161/1/

 

[blackkyuubi]

Damn that was...... just damn :blue:

 

[trevelyan1983]

That was awesome. Although I'd disagree with the doubts Xander expressed, they're in line with his own issues.

It's the very force of *insert character name here*'s personality and beliefs that cause him to be so consumed by his goal that his means become unethical. Xander, being far more prone to self-doubt, wouldn't be able to go that far off the deep end before he stopped and questioned his actions. Or got put back in line by his friends. He's more like Joseph than Erik, in that regard.

But, hey. I'm probably overthinking the whole idea.

 

[blackkyuubi]

That was awesome. Although I'd disagree with the doubts Xander expressed, they're in line with his own issues.

It's the very force of *insert character name here*'s personality and beliefs that cause him to be so consumed by his goal that his means become unethical. Xander, being far more prone to self-doubt, wouldn't be able to go that far off the deep end before he stopped and questioned his actions. Or got put back in line by his friends. He's more like Joseph than Erik, in that regard.

But, hey. I'm probably overthinking the whole idea.

Thought I should mention that its been updated. I was this ][ close in hopeing that it would be a Xander/Jenny pairing.*sigh* oh well the whole buffy/xander/cordilia threesome thing will, as xander says, keep the nightmares away tonight.

 

[Wakka]

Knights of the Hellmouth

KOTOR cross. There's definitely some blurring of the line, and the enemy calls Xander on it.

The sequel is thematically different. I liked it, YMMV.

 

[GiantMonkeyMan]

Knights of the Hellmouth

KOTOR cross. There's definitely some blurring of the line, and the enemy calls Xander on it.

The sequel is thematically different. I liked it, YMMV.

Does he ever get to be a dude again? Cos I'm not one for random gender-bending. <- (thought it might be spoilers :huh.: )

 

[MyLittlePwnies]

Aye but doesn't since there's physical problems that developed.

 

[Latewave]

Xander dresses as a famous sonnderkommando.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5117161/1/

Echoes of the fallen chapter 2 - 4

 

[Prince Charon]

Xander dresses as a famous sonnderkommando.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5117161/1/

Echoes of the fallen chapter 2 - 4

Interesting. Someone needs to give Willow a spanking.

 

[Deathsheadx]

unfortunately the author falls into the fanfic retread cliche.

basically so far the author is just retreading every buffy plot and dispite the tweaks every plot has basically ended the same.

he goes out of his way to point out that xander has smarts close to stark level, that due to magneto's memories he can see the long game as they say. and yet stuff like jenny and kendra still happens exactly the same way. he comes up with an excuse, to do the soul spell dispite the fact that his hate of vampires is by now legendary and there should be no way xander would except such a plan, he twists willow enough that the spell still gets cast.

 

[trevelyan1983]

How was Willow's character twisted? Secretive studying of magic, inflated opinion of her own power and right to use that power, inability to not use magic to solve any and all problems?

Sounds pretty accurate to me. Perhaps accelerated, compared to canon, but for much the same reasons. Well, at least she didn't wipe any memories this time.

As for the rest, yes, it stuck very closely to canon. Given that the alternative tends to become Xander-Sue Solves Everything, I prefer the lesser evil. Your mileage, et cetera.

 

[Deathsheadx]

How was Willow's character twisted?? Secretive studying of magic, inflated opinion of her own power and right to use that power, inability to not use magic to solve any and all problems?

Sounds pretty accurate to me.? Perhaps accelerated, compared to canon, but for much the same reasons.? Well, at least she didn't wipe any memories this time.?

As for the rest, yes, it stuck very closely to canon.? Given that the alternative tends to become Xander-Sue Solves Everything, I prefer the lesser evil.? Your mileage, et cetera.

oh come on. the one thing willow lacked dispite her skills until season 3/4 was self confidence. i don't deny the issues she may have, but to make his scenario work besides over-emphasising those flaws, he had to push willow's self-confidence up enough that she was willing to lie to her supposed best friend, boy friend, and colleage. lie and go behind xander's back. i could see it happening end season 3 onwards, but in season 2? when she is still dependant on how she is percieved by others?

and the alternate to changing cannon doesn't always end up xandersue. heck to be honest jenny, and kendra could still have died in the story but it shouldn't of been exactly the same way.

 

[Wakka]

Knights of the Hellmouth

KOTOR cross. There's definitely some blurring of the line, and the enemy calls Xander on it.

The sequel is thematically different. I liked it, YMMV.

Does he ever get to be a dude again? Cos I'm not one for random gender-bending. <- (thought it might be spoilers :huh.: )

He turns back I *think* a few chapters before the end of the first. Suffice to say that circumstances screw that right over in the second pretty fast. Like I said, I enjoyed it, but YMMV. Don't expect too much action. He's more of a character writer. What action he does write is done fairly well, though.

 

[AbyssalDaemon]

Two of the best YAHF stories that I've seen so far are:

Earthbound: http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-10168/Metro...+Earthbound.htm
(Summary): YAHF. Xander Harris dresses as a mild mannered reporter with unexpected results.

Jedi Harris: http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-7119/scribb...Jedi+Harris.htm
(Summary): Another Halloween Xander fic - but from a galaxy far, far away.

 

[trevelyan1983]

Y'know that whole Willow topic? I was watching Ted last night, and she seriously kept parts of him. I shit you not, I'd forgotten all about that.

After that, it's kind of hard to see Willow actually respecting boundaries. So the scenario presented in Chilord's fic gets a whole lot more believable, to my mind.

 

[Tom_Badgerlock]

Obviously she did. Willow always had a problem with her self-esteem in the sense that in normal time she was paralized, but she could go beyond that and do the other extreme if a few factors were right (or wrong).

She didn't have enougg self-esteem to balance herself out, so she usually played pendulum between one extreme and another.

Shrugs, every buffyverse characters have *deep* flaws, and that's why i like them.

Something to keep in mind is that for willow, for the longest time (or you could argue always), in order for her to go too far shehad to believe she was working for the best way to help/make things right. It got twisted and perverted at times, especially later on, but she had that motivation for pretty much all the scenes i remember.

As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intension.

Willow is a pretty logical character, given that she is a supposed genius who was repressed and bullied.

Anyway, the whole Willow sustaining a long lie to everyone to please Buffy could be plausible if you maanged to have a continuous pressure on her to believe she has to do it. Willow Sure was dependant on Buffy (and Xanders in other way) at the beginning.

Haven't read chilord's yet, so i wonder/am curious what you people think of how he took it?

What makes me laugh in the Buffy/Xander/Willow relationship is that Willow sees (at the beginning) Buffy as her best friend and Xander as lover interest, Xander sees Buffy as a lover interest and Willow as a best friend, and they both tend to act the same way toward the best friend and love interest (they both tend to put Best Friend > Love interest in quite a few cases)

 

[Deathsheadx]

To me it's a case of taking things a little too far. i don't deny that the scenario is true, that willow is capable of such actions as portrayed in the fic but willow at that point in time lacked the confidence and initiative to pull off the attitude and betrayal he has her pull.

another thing is he's suffering from anti sue overcompensation syndrome.

he's making a concious effort to keep xander normal and not xander sue but he's overdoing it. for instance he goes out of his way to point out xander's intelligence is boosted, that xander is now close to the level of Tony 'Iron Man' Stark, is selling inventions for money, and yet doesn't use that intelligence to aid in the fight against vamps and demons because he's afraid of xandersue.

 

[Prince Charon]

To me it's a case of taking things a little too far. i don't deny that the scenario is true, that willow is capable of such actions as portrayed in the fic but willow at that point in time lacked the confidence and initiative to pull off the attitude and betrayal he has her pull.

another thing is he's suffering from anti sue overcompensation syndrome.

he's making a concious effort to keep xander normal and not xander sue but he's overdoing it. for instance he goes out of his way to point out xander's intelligence is boosted, that xander is now close to the level of Tony 'Iron Man' Stark, is selling inventions for money, and yet doesn't use that intelligence to aid in the fight against vamps and demons because he's afraid of xandersue.

OK, that is both a reasonable and an understandable criticism.