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060 - Smoke and Mirrors

Sep 22, 2010 21:26

Smoke and Mirrors

Synopsis: When Jenny goes back to work at the university, she signs the gang up to participate in a Casino Night fundraiser just as Buffy encounters a new threat that can't be easily killed. Meanwhile, Angel turns up needing help tracking down Ethan Rayne, who's behind the strange new threat, and Giles and Jenny soon learn that ( Read more... )

season: 6, rating: r, !original, 060 - smoke and mirrors

Comments 23

disney_addict September 23 2010, 03:06:18 UTC

I'm just going to dive right in here.

I love the way this started. I KNEW that there had to be something up with Jenny's nervous stomach, I mean, she is just such a put-together woman, it seemed odd that she would be so susceptible to nerves.
And I especially love Giles' reaction. So doting, so loving, and quite the Nervous Nelly about everything. He's a worrier, especially when it comes to Jenny.
Also, good god, when Jenny was talking to Dawn about it being a flu and this happened: Jenny met eyes with her husband as she added quietly, "But it's gone now." my heart cried a little bit. It was that sad.

I simply adored Anya trying to subtly get Giles and Jenny to leave again so she can be in charge. Subtly is not one of her "many talents" :P
She gave him an up-and-down glance. "You might have learned something, Giles."
Without thinking, Jenny smirked and replied, "He knows plenty already."You're darned tootin' he does ( ... )

I talk too much, apparently... disney_addict September 23 2010, 03:06:44 UTC

I also love Buffy:
"Giles, you look very handsome tonight."
Giles furrowed his brows, taken aback at the sudden compliment. "Wh-why... thank you, Buffy. That's so nice of you to say, without any ulterior motive whatsoev--"
"Can I have twenty dollars to go play Pai-Gow Poker?" she cut him off, raising her brows hopefully.
*snorts* You captured their dynamic perfectly with that.
Plus: Jenny's reaction.
Jenny turned back to him with a cheeky, open-mouthed grin. "If I tell you that you look handsome, will you give me twenty bucks too?"
"No," he chuckled, and tugged her close with one arm around her. "If you tell me I look handsome, I may just have to take you back to your office and shag you senseless on the desk."
Jenny, PLEASE tell him he looks handsome!!! :P

And last but not least:
YES! GILES GETS TO SAVE JENNY!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He sagged against her, eyes still open but body limp, and she leaned to the side to face her savior, finding her own husband standing over them, crossbow still aimed at Ethan's back and a murderous ( ... )

Re: I talk too much, apparently... calendar_woman September 26 2010, 03:11:45 UTC

*snorts* You captured their dynamic perfectly with that. Heee, thank you so much! I just love their dynamic; Joss totally wrecked it in the final season, though, which was a bummer.

And last but not least:
YES! GILES GETS TO SAVE JENNY!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D So happy you enjoyed that bit! I knew for this particular tussle, I wanted Giles to sweep in at the last second. Especially because it was Ethan about to harm Jenny. :D

You just manage to outdo yourself every single time I read, it's rather impressive. I just...words fail me.
You rock my socks. And I'm not even wearing socks right now. Awwwww! Thank you so so much, honey. I get such joy out of your enjoyment of the story, it really just makes this whole thing worthwhile. It's definitely a lot of work, but it's readers like you that make it worth it. :D

And I promise I will get on this whole feedback for the bajillion chapters I missed, don't worry. Hehehe! Can't wait to hear from ya! ;)

calendar_woman September 26 2010, 03:03:55 UTC

I KNEW that there had to be something up with Jenny's nervous stomach, I mean, she is just such a put-together woman, it seemed odd that she would be so susceptible to nerves. Hehehe. You guys are way too smart for me now. It's darn-near impossible to keep those aces up my sleeve. Love it!! :D

And yep, Ethan's their villainous little boomerang. :D Or, well... he was. I just absolutely love using him as a villain, he's so much fun. And I got to send him out with a bang, so. That was fun too. :D

And poor Giles! Will they EVER stop bringing up Eyghon! Heee! Well, I actually reference it here and there for a very specific reason. I'm conceptualizing a new original chapter, slated for somewhere in season 7, that will put the whole Eyghon thing to bed. I'm very excited ( ... )

Thread 9

dreamscaperuins September 23 2010, 21:38:28 UTC

Wow. Its so heartbreaking about the miscarriage :( But Jenny held up through it very strong. Especially when she stated that she barely had enough time to grow attached to it. So sad, but so true... :( I knew SOMETHING was going on with her in that sense, because Jenny's not the type of person just to get a sick stomach over nerves. I do love how she didn't spend the entire first half of the chapter depressed by it though ( ... )

calendar_woman September 26 2010, 03:26:57 UTC

I knew SOMETHING was going on with her in that sense, because Jenny's not the type of person just to get a sick stomach over nerves. I do love how she didn't spend the entire first half of the chapter depressed by it though. LOL. Like I said up above, you guys are getting WAY too smart for me to be able to fool ya. Which I love, don't get me wrong. It's awesome. I love having readers who just totally get it. And yep, I definitely didn't want her to be all maudlin over it, because that's the kind of drama that makes me hate baby!fic, lol. I'm making sure to steer clear of that.

(YAAAAAAAY A SMALL TASTE OF SMUT. More. I want more. Its like a drug) LOL! And I am more than happy to be your dealer. :D :D :D

And I'm so happy you enjoyed the dream sequence! I love writing them so much. You add an actual dream-like experience to it, rather than just her seeing exactly whats going to happen. Thanks! That's what I love about dreams -- you can throw in nonsensical, unrealistic stuff, like people around Jenny and Angel moving in slow motion ( ... )

always_a_boom September 23 2010, 21:58:50 UTC

OMFG

LOST A WHOLE HUGE COMMENT

LOL WTF LJ

OK, OK, time to redo my MASTERPIECE of a review ;)

OK, so, I started off saying that I completely did not anticipate the beginning (lol, I fail at reading foreshadowing :P). But their reactions are absolutely spot-on in characterisation - Giles being worried and cautious and fussy, and Jenny being down-to-earth, practical and sensible. <3 These two are such a good match for each other, it's ridiculous. But the way you set up the baby thing in the first place - nice but not crucial - totally fits with their reactions here, how they're melancholic but calm. "But it's gone now." did make me tear up a bit though :'( POOR BABIES *SMUSHES GILES AND JENNY*

(O HI ANYA ILU AND YOUR SEX TALK SFM BB. LOL POOR TRAUMATISED BUFFY XD)

"New library, you say?" I CAN SO EASILY SEE HIM SAYING THIS, LMAO :D Like literally I can just see him in the Magic Box, holding an old dusty book in his hands, his head quirked to one side and his eyebrows all high and hopeful :D ( ... )

always_a_boom September 23 2010, 22:01:08 UTC

(Lol, see, I'm trying to remember my original review but getting distracted by new tangents :P)

Prophecy dreams rock my cotton socks so hard. Is it weird that I kinda see them in my head all bright and kinda fuzzy, interspersed with shots of Jenny tossing and turning in bed? Yes? OK, w/e. I love LA!Angel in this though :D I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANGEL THE SERIES. HOW BAD IS THAT. I REALLY SHOULD.

"Actually, I believe we've had issues due to one very specific shared interest." OOOOOOOOHH. LMAO, I CHEERED OUT LOUD. :D

WHY HELLO THERE ETHAN RAYNE YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD. :D:D:D

OK, so few people can get the Scooby banter right, but Xander + hummus demon + drinking too much soda + confused!Buffy = PERFECT SCOOBINESS <3 I literally (ok not LITERALLY but almost) fell off my chair laughing when that whole conversation culminated in Xander's grumpy "I wish" :D:D:D:D:D:D

(Random: The icon used for Jenny's comment beginning with "Okay, so let's think about this for a sec," Jenny proposed. - IS IT BAD THAT I CAN'T STOP STARING AT HER LEGS. ( ... )

calendar_woman September 26 2010, 03:51:37 UTC

Prophecy dreams rock my cotton socks so hard. Yay, thank you! I just love writing them. And I totally get what you mean about the "look" of them. In my mind, when I write them, they're not really "fuzzy" or anything, but if I was the cinematographer, I'd definitely make the colors a lot brighter. (Not oversaturated like CSI's flashback sequences or anything, but just brighter colors.) I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANGEL THE SERIES. HOW BAD IS THAT. I REALLY SHOULD. DON'T WORRY, I'VE ONLY SEEN UP TO EPISODE 9 OR 10 IN SEASON ONE. LOL. I'm not even positive I got the details right since I just did some quick skimming on Wikipedia, but... heh.

Xander + hummus demon + drinking too much soda + confused!Buffy = PERFECT SCOOBINESS <3 I literally (ok not LITERALLY but almost) fell off my chair laughing when that whole conversation culminated in Xander's grumpy "I wish" :D:D:D:D:D:D Bahahaha! Why thank you! I do so love the Scooby banter. :D

IS IT BAD THAT I CAN'T STOP STARING AT HER LEGS. Literally, it caught my eye and I was like LEGS LEGS LEGS. Damn. ( ... )

calendar_woman September 26 2010, 03:36:29 UTC

LJ fails SO HARD at comments, I swear. If it's not the character limit getting in the way, sometimes it wipes out a comment you spent a lot of time on. *shakes fist at LJ*

Anyway - SO happy you liked this, darling! And I'm glad nobody was upset for how I chose to start this one out, lol - it's a delicate, but fairly universal situation. And I definitely didn't want to approach it in a slap-you-in-the-face-with-drama way. I really think Jenny would be basically okay with it, and Giles would be having a quietly-British panic-fest about it, hehehe.

(O HI ANYA ILU AND YOUR SEX TALK SFM BB. LOL POOR TRAUMATISED BUFFY XD) Bahahaha! Anya seriously is WAY too much fun to write. As are the moments when Giles and/or Jenny inadvertently traumatize poor Buffy. :D

Like literally I can just see him in the Magic Box, holding an old dusty book in his hands, his head quirked to one side and his eyebrows all high and hopeful :D GAH! That is exactly how I pictured him!! You're so dang awesome. But yes, I totally saw those Anthony Head mannerisms in ( ... )

myfidgetball September 24 2010, 00:20:59 UTC

Heeeee! I LOVE original chapters so freaking much!!!! XD ( ... )

Oooops...went a little long... myfidgetball September 24 2010, 00:23:25 UTC

Yup, I babbled a bit. I know you hate reading long-winded feedback, especially ones that run 2 comments long. Sorry. :-)

So, to sum it all up...

Yeah, pretty much this whole chapter was full of win. :-) Seriously. You packed in pretty much everything that I LOVE about this group - sexy dressed up Jenny/Giles, surprise smut, ETHAN A.K.A. the most awesomely amazing bad guy ever, Xander flirting, Anya being so...Anya, intrigue into Jenny's past, KickAss!Giles coming to Jenny's rescue...GAH! There is so much! This whole chapter is just golden! :-D

Fabulous job, as usual! :-) I am so looking forward to the rest of this season!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Oooops...went a little long... calendar_woman September 26 2010, 20:02:42 UTC

I know you hate reading long-winded feedback, especially ones that run 2 comments long. Sorry. :-) LOL. Oh, totally, yeah. Yeah, it doesn't make my entire day, or make me grin like a friggin' idiot or anything. ←sarcasm. :D :D :D ARE YOU KIDDING ME, I love when you guys get so enthusiastic it bleeds into more than one comment!

So to sum up your summation: Thank you SO SO SO SO much as always, my dear! This epically-long fic wouldn't have gone this far without you!!

I'll be starting the Halloween ep today, so stay tuned! :D

calendar_woman September 26 2010, 19:49:33 UTC

HEEEE! Thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoy the originals -- as challenging as it can be sometimes, trying to come up with an original episode plot, it's so rewarding when I see these kinds of reactions to it. So, thank you for that.

I'm glad nobody wanted to grab torches and pitchforks for how I started this episode, lol. I know you guys are all gung-ho about the G/J-babies storyline, but even when I was first toying with this idea, I knew it wasn't gonna be a shmoopy, puppies-and-rainbows kind of situation -- no immediate pregnancy/blissful happiness, I mean. So I'm SO thankful you guys are on board with that, or are at least understanding of it. Glad you guys know that even if I throw the occasional wrench into things, I'll never let ya down. ;)

LOL I have to admit, the though of Jenny-less Giles and Anya is pretty damn HOT. Ummm, YAH IT IS. LOL. Tabula Rasa's gonna be pretty damn difficult for me, I'll just say that right now. Because I know I will desperately want to write Giles/Anya sexings (preferably on the table in The ( ... )

repowoman24 September 25 2010, 00:42:07 UTC

Before I even begin I just want to say (as I have wanted to say in many OTHER previous reviews) that I am terribly sorry that I haven’t been responding to feedback in a timely manner. I am extremely busy with school and this past week was extremely hectic. If you want proof that it was hectic, then I will go into it, but let’s just say that I honest to God saved my sister from death and had to have a few days of down time. So, there you are ( ... )

...Annnd of course the first one was too long.. repowoman24 September 25 2010, 00:42:39 UTC

Again, the relationship between Buffy and Giles is so cute (in a strict father-daughter sense, of course). For some reason I think it was touching that Buffy could tell that there was something more than Giles and Jenny were letting on and then she has to attempt to kill the smoke demon. You don’t get more precious than that ( ... )

Re: ...Annnd of course the first one was too long.. calendar_woman September 26 2010, 20:36:27 UTC

For some reason I think it was touching that Buffy could tell that there was something more than Giles and Jenny were letting on and then she has to attempt to kill the smoke demon. You don’t get more precious than that. : ) Aww, thanks. I adore their relationship. I know there's a pretty big rift coming up in season seven, and I'm not quite sure yet how I'm going to work that -- whether I'm gonna stick with canon, or smooth things out. We shall see.

And LOL, Ethan. Yeah, he's always fun to bring back. And as I had mentioned in an above response (somewhere, IDEK), I just realized I've used him in pretty much every season except season one. Heh!

I was so hoping you would make them have sexy times. <.< Especially since Jenny was all powered up and what not. It was especially hot because of the conversation going on there. LOL. They totally ran away from me there, I'm not even kidding. I wasn't planning on inserting smut in any way, shape, or form. But... there ya have it. And yes, Jenny powered-up from the vamp blood would make things ( ... )

calendar_woman September 26 2010, 20:24:43 UTC

Thanks so very much! I know this chapter didn't start out with the most upbeat subject-matter, but I'm glad you guys weren't all grabbing for the torches and pitchforks ;) And I just kinda figured that's a universal kind of situation -- everybody's either dealt with that situation in their own family, with a friend, or themself so it'd be relatable. And, I figure that neither Giles nor Jenny are all that young (in my mind, Jenny's late-thirties and Giles is early-forties), so it's not like they'd be able to have that instant-pregnancy/instant-bliss thing anyway. :)

And hehehe, I just love writing the Dawn/Jenny thing so much. Anything I can do to make Dawn less annoying, lol.

I freaking love Giles and Anya. Anya’s reactions toward Giles are just priceless. They are also two completely different people at opposite ends of the line, but they are still cute together. I have ALWAYS loved Giles/Anya so much. They're a close-second to Giles/Jenny for me because really, their relationship reminds me very much of early-Giles/Jenny, when ( ... )