5 fics that I think you must read:

1. Moving On and its sequel by Cass. Really humourous in parts. The sequel has Andrew-Dawn interactions that'll have you in splits and Spuffy that'll take you back to S5. No it's not a time travel fic.

2. Beloved by spikes_heart. Especially reccommened for tortured_spike members but you may have to wait a bit for the torture. The MOST original plot ever. You'll see Spike in a avatar that you've probably never seen before.

3. In the ARMY now by Im_bloody_English. It's so great that you're probably already reading it. It's an AU/Fantasy.

4. Ain't Love Grand by effection. (complete)Another AU/Fantasy. Tissue warning. Love the writing style. It's perfect for such a fic.

5. My Life Closed Twice by Anaross. (complete)Lots of poetry but not the boring-highschool kind of presentation. You'll actually enjoy poetry and see some poems in a new light. Rating: Teens(15 or above IMO) Warning: Sexual sitiations.

Well that's it for now. Hope you find time to read them.

Oh I LOOOOVE In the Army Now!!!! I'm an Army brat and there was some stuff I giggled about to the Author.... cause hey, I liked some of the MREs my dad brought home *pout* lol

But I'm doing the warning you didn't -- Readers beware, you may want to beat Spike's head in on a few occasions! LoL

why do you want to beat spike's head in?  because if it might be a reason i'd like him.  cause you know how twisted i am.

Not to give too much away, though it says most of this in the summary, but Spike is Buffy's drill sergeant and he just singles her out for the WORST treatment... I mean, really heinous treatment during boot camp. Then later when he's willing to admit he likes her, he's treating her as a conquest - aka a piece of ass - and can't see why she's so angry with him.

But there are a lot of REALLY FUNNY parts!!

I go to a school that's meant for the  children of army, airforce and naval officers and it's located in their neighbourhood. It's just a normal school but outside kids are only allowed if there are extra seats.  I'm surrounded by army brats but really don't know much about the army. But some of the sailors that jog by in the morning...

What's MRE?

um Meals Ready to Eat.... its those packaged foods they eat in the field

some are like chef boyardee to me.... but other stuff is like canned meat *gag* but i liked the oatmeal cookie bars.... then they have cocoa powder and this kool-aid like drink powder... as well as crackers and either cheese or peanut butter with jelly... hated the cheese

Oh, ok. Thanx EAS. And people, it'd be nice to know whether you actualy read anything I recommend. That way I'll know that I'm not shouting in the wind

Hey fa, I'm also reading in the Army and I love it, even though I mostly don't go for all-human AU.  I'm Bloody English is a bloody good writer.  I also adore, adore, adore My Life Closed Twice.  It's one of the most affecting portrayals of Spike (and Buffy) that I've ever seen -- and I second your comments about the poetry stuff.  I really learned a lot reading this fic.  So, since you are dead-on right about the two fics I know, I'm toddling off to have a look at the others you've recommended.  Thanks!

ok i would probably really like spike in that fic.

LoL, yeah I just realized you would, lol

Hey Maggie 2, hope you like those fics. I think we have very similar tastes.

Anything by Anaross or Cass is going to be somewhere between very good and wonderful.  Nice recs, FA.

Hey, thought I should point out that links to SR have to be updated since they're on a new server now. It sucks.....but anyone trying to follow the recs there just get the white screen of death now.

I love In The Army Now, and My Life Closed Twice was fantastic, plus the poetry lessons were really educational!

Thanks for pointing that out. Glad you liked the fics. I'm of the opinion that my English teacher should be fired and Anaross appointed in her palce.

"When She Was Younger" http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2369702/1/ COMPLETED Set S4. Buffy makes a wish to get back to being fifteen and unSlayery. A wish that will have dire consequences, not only for herself. What will this do to the SlayerVamp relationship, one can only wonder.

"Legacy" http://www.thehookupzone.net/SpuffyRealm/viewstory.php?sid=11908

"Beg the Liquid Red" http://vampires-kiss.net/archive/viewstory.php?sid=1223&ageconsent=ok

"The Butterfly Effect" http://buffy.adultfanfiction.net/story.php?no=544197133

Hey! I was going to reccomend Beg the Liquid Red.*pout*

Eurydice rules! She's one of the ultimate best Spuffy writers, and a writer in general. I can't get enough of her fics.

Oh- must reads, though some leave you in WIP hell-

"Castaway" http://ripewickedplum.com/sa/castaway1.htm

"In the Dark with You" Complete! http://www.sinister-attraction.org/poetic/stories/m/darkwith.htm

"The Evil Inside" Complete! http://sinister-attraction.org/stories/l/evil1.htm

"Careful What You Wish For" http://sinister-attraction.org/stories/s/carefulwhat.htm

"Superstar: Revamped" Complete! http://sinister-attraction.org/stories/k/superstar.htm

"Walking After Midnight: Complete! http://sinister-attraction.org/stories/c/walking.htm

"Wet and Wild" Complete! http://sinister-attraction.org/stories/c/wetand.htm

Word on Eurydice. She's freakin' brilliant. Here's my two cents on some current stories I'm following. Most of ya'll are likely on them already.

"Let's Get Lost" by Herself http://community.livejournal.com/herself_nyc_fic/tag/let%27s+get+lost

"A Soul to Seduce" by Eurydice http://eurydice72.livejournal.com/tag/soul

"Family Reunion" by Shapingthelight http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=shapinglight&keyword=Family+Reunion&filter=all

"In All The World" by only_passenger                                                        http://only-passenger.livejournal.com/tag/in_all_the_world

"Schooled" by only_passenger                                                                      http://only-passenger.livejournal.com/tag/schooled

Anyone know what happened to Europanya? I adored "A Dying Dream" and "Shards." So sad they are unfinished.

15 fics to read. Thanx for the recs. Now just have to wait for exams to end.

When Eternity Lies In The Balance by Jericho (Tracey) is a must too:

http://www.nothinglikethesun.com/Other-Fics/When-Eternity-Lies.shtml

It's complete and a nearly perfect story.

I'll have to get out my old lists too because there are so many fics that shouldn't be missed.  Devil Piglet is a wonderful writer and all her stuff is good, so is Treacle Antlers (will find and post links later).  Kantayra has GREAT Spuffy fic as does Ripe Wicked Plum....don't miss Kantayra's Dream Girls it's a treat.  If you can't wait for the links they pop up with google.

Wow, lots  more great recs!  Perhaps, even easier than reccing a particular fic would be to rec certain writers who have produced a lot of wonderful stories?  I'm going to try that route.  Bearing in mind that not everyone hits a home run everytime up (although, these excellent writers at their worst are going to be better than mediocre writers at their best) and that not all the themes/subject matter may appeal to everyone, here are some author recs:

Eurydice (nuff said) Anaross (ditto), Kantayra, The Bear, Cass, Nan Dibble (deceased, alas, but her created world is wonderful), Amyb, jen, Cousin Jean, Annie Sewell-Jennings, Barb Cummings, Mary, Lizerrrbeathn (acquired taste, but worth the effort),  OMG - my brain is going into overload.  Not a good idea, apparently!  I went to my "library" of choice and started down the author list at All About Spike (for reminders and spellings) and realized that there are just too many authors to do it this way - so nevermind! Carry on.  If/when I remember others whose entire body of work  is so good that you could dip into it anywhere, I will make another post.  There are many that I just didn't get to - so if I missed one of your favs, don't be offended! LOL

I will mention that on my LJ every Thursday I give out a "Slay Me" award to a particular story that rocked my world when I first read it and/or one that holds up for me upon multiple rereadings.  You might find something you like there.  I've only been doing it for a couple of months, so not a terribly long list yet, but it grows by one fic a week.

Following slaymesoftly, I'd like to add Theohara and Kallysten- they never miss the mark, IMHO.  Regardless of pairing (even though some I was hesitant to read at first), it just works.

There's someone else, I know it, but I can't remember... Oh! Ripe Wicked Plum- one of her fics nearly brought me to tears, and that's not an easy thing to do (cause I rarely cry, seriously). Nautibitz kicks ass.

One of the first Spuffy authors I ever read was Sabershadowkat. Saddly she stopped writing in the Buffy world some time ago.

I love Anna's season noir, definitely worth reading even though it's incomplete and I doubt she plans to finish it (despite begging). Also, anything written by Herself, but particularly the Bittersweets series and "What She Deserves" and its sequels.