Sapphire & Steel recs post
I finished this weeks ago, but I'm continuing to try and post and not hide things, so, again, finally...
Check out sapphirensteel, AO3, ff.net and element_flash for more. sapphirensteel is the central place - most things are linked there, even if posted elsewhere (although you will find one or two only linked via element_flash instead).
By and large, spoilers are few, save for post-Assignment 6 fics. Also: this post became epic, so apologises for any (rather appropriate) time-stealing. (I left out my Yuletide gift-fics, as I'd recced them before.) It's also worth noting that most S&S fic tends to be good, anyway.
Crossovers - Doctor Who
The Glade by wiccagirl24
(All ages/PG, 5807 words. Sapphire, Steel, Seventh Doctor, Ace.) Sapphire and Steel are assigned to investigate a snow covered glade where something has gone wrong with time. The Doctor and Ace are drawn to the same place but for them it's spring and the flowers are in bloom. An angry man, a sobbing woman, a mystery. It's not just a brilliant crossover fic; it's one of the best S&S fics around - and one of the best Seven & Ace stories, too.
Out of the Vortex, Rifling the Air it Came by eleanorb
(All ages, 998 words. Sapphire, Steel, Gerald Carter, Harriet Derbyshire, Douglas Caldwell.) A broadcast through time and space. Excellently done - a neat Edwardian TW crossover ficlet that fits impeccably with both fandoms.
Interlude in Cafe-Space by Annariel
(All ages, 665 words. Sapphire, Steel, Romana II, K9.) Note: Spoilers for Assignment Six - it's a post-series fixit, courtesy of Romana. Which is awesome, of course.
Blue by Lurky McLurklurk
(All ages, 1181 words. Sapphire, Steel, TARDIS.) Sapphire/TARDIS. This is just beautiful.
pets by hearts_blood
(PG, 683 words. Steel, Fourth Doctor, TARDIS.) After a draining assignment, Steel seeks out a pair of old friends for a little comfort. (Note: Spoilers for Assignment 3.) Clever, well-characterised ficlet that makes good use of Assignment 3's themes.
***
Crossovers - Other
Elemental by Morgan
(Teen, 7224 words. Sapphire, Steel, Fox Mulder, Dana Scully. The X-Files crossover.) While investigating a series of disappearances in an old hotel, Mulder and Scully encounter two very different detectives. Very well done cross that's acessible for newbies to either fandom, but fits both well, and the voices are spot on. (Scully, to Mulder: "I'm not questioning your logic, just your grip on reality.")
Dead Man Walking by jaxomsride
(PG, 1090 words. Sapphire, Kerr Avon. Crossover with Blake's 7.) Post Gauda Prime, Avon meets Sapphire. Nicely bleak and inconclusive, as you might expect. (Spoilers for B7's finale.)
The Potter's Field by annariel
(All ages/PG, 4215 words. Silver, Claudia Brown. Crossover with Primeval.) I don't know a thing about Primeval, but this worked very well as a missing assignment with Silver and another operator. (I don't know whether that makes it an AU or fusion, or something else, but it's very good.)
Irregularity by Russ Massey
(Teen/PG, c.10,000?? words, Sapphire, Steel, Blake, Avon, Cally, Jenna, Gan, Vila. Crossover with Blake's 7.) This is brilliant. Set S1/S2 for B7 (and goes AU) and (obviously) long post-series for S&S. Warning for major character death. (Given the list of characters that's not too spoilery for the story.)
***
General
Fanfic
Lieder Ohne Worte by eponymous_rose
(All ages, 1365 words. Sapphire, Steel.) He and she and an abandoned music hall: a solitary performer plays for an empty audience, keeping Time. Beautifully written short missing-assignment fic.
Turning, Turning, Letting Go by amaresu
(Teen, 908 words. Sapphire, Steel, OCs.) How do you let go when all you want is to hang on? Short missing-assignment type ficlet that is exactly the right type of weird and sad.
Now You See It by Thia
(All ages, 6400 words. Sapphire, Steel, OCs.) The delight of stage magic is that it isn't real. Classic missing assignment fic based around stage magic - it's excellent.
Shattered Reflections by amaresu
(Teen/Adult, 1122 words. Sapphire, Steel, OCs.) Can you make somebody stay when they want to leave? This is so perfectly weird for S&S fic. (And I'd rate it as no more than Teen, even though the author has listed it as 'explicit'. It's not ship fic, anyway.)
Lost Lives by mab_browne
(Teen/PG, 2125 words. Sapphire, Steel.) Sapphire and Steel fight a foe who steals children. Lovely, creepy, missing-assignment fic.
Something New by eponymous_rose
(All ages, 702 words. Sapphire, Steel.) Before and after the work, the duty, the cold. Eerie, well-written between-times ficlet.
Days Go By And Still I Think Of You by kittenmommy
(All ages, 681 words. Sapphire, Steel.) Sometimes, things just seem to slip through our fingers. Nicely non-linear & moving missing assignment ficlet.
Left Behind by mab_browne
(All ages/PG, 836 words. Sapphire, Rob. Slight Rob/Sapphire.) Sapphire comes to see Rob for the last time. A fic that interestingly picks up & explores some lose ends from Assignment 1. (Note: therefore spoilers for Assignment 1.)
Things Are Not When They Appear by Aris Merquoni
(PG/Teen, 2127 words, Sapphire, Steel.) Sapphire and Steel are sent to investigate a breach--but they arrive to find that they may have already failed. Great missing assignment fic with a problem and solution that so fits the series. (Written for Yuletide 2009).
The Green Girl by mab_browne
(PG/Teen, 2696 words, Sapphire, Steel.) Set pre-series. Beautifully done missing assignment fic with an interesting setting and premise.
***
General - Post-A6
Please note: ALL of the below will contain spoilers for the ending of the series.
Fanvids
Ground Beneath Her Feet by Thebigbluemeany
(Steel, Sapphire, Silver, Lead.) This has to be the best edited S&S fanvid out there - almost a cross between a fanvid and an Assignment 7.
Fanfic
Sea Changes by raven
(PG, 2229 words. Steel, Sapphire.) What happened next - this is so beautifully written, capturing all of their 'otherness', and chilling and lovely.
Time in a Bottle by astrogirl2
(Teen, 1000 words. Sapphire, Steel.) It's difficult to pass the time, when neither you nor time are moving. In the end, all you can do is wait. I think the summary says it all, except that this is excellent and eerie, and them in all the right ways.
After the Assignment, Us by Nope
(Teen, 2200 words. Sapphire, Steel. Sapphire/Steel; Silver/Sapphire/Steel). There's three, even when there's two. Anyway, I loved this solution (and especially - being me - how a very Sapphire/Steel fic without Silver can also be completely OT3).
Quiet and Peace by deejay
(All ages, 1789 words. Sapphire, Steel, Silver.) A more light-hearted fixit, in dialogue, but fun, with lots of mentions of other Elements.
***
General - Silver, Lead & Other Elements
Fanvids
One Clear Call by kwksylvr80
(Sapphire, Silver, Steel, Lead). This is low key but captures something of the elusive nature of elements. (Excuse me while I go watch it again.)
Dandy by SabbathaBlood
Lighthearted Silver tribute.
Fanfic
Refuse to Change by estirose
(All ages, 258 words. Silver, Sapphire, Steel.) A team in balance. Lovely little Silver POV look at the three together.
The Curious Incident by hearts_blood
(PG/Teen, 2672 words. Sapphire/Steel, Silver/Copper (OC).) Silver gets to find out a bit more about what Operators actually do than he ever wanted to know. Post-series. The style & the characterisation is gorgeous throughout (ditto for the other fics by this author; I haven't included them all).
And This Gray Spirit by Nemo the Everbeing
(All ages, 630 words. Steel, Silver.) Steel doesn't envy Silver for any of the obvious reasons. Nice Steel vignette.
Mirrors by eponymous_rose
(All ages, Drabble. Silver, Steel.) Mid Assignment 3. A drabble for the same moment as above.
A Warrior Knows by Uncle Charlie
(All ages, 4500 words, Sapphire, Steel, 'Silver'.) It's a good gen fic, with an unusual setting (China), and an interesting glimpse of one of the Transuranic elements. (The author has written quite a few other similar S&S fics, so there's more there if you follow the link.)
Complicated by mab_browne
(All ages, 300 words, Steel, Lead.) Steel has complicated feelings about Lead
. An interesting look at Steel and Lead; slight Steel/Lead.
***
Sapphire/Steel
Fanvids
A Million Kisses by uniapit2
Nicely done shippy vid for the two of them.
Rhiannon by dreamybluemeany
Steel, and Sapphire.
Dilaudid by cenanyel
It's an odd song & vid, but a reminder of how very weird the show is - and how scary Sapphire & Steel themselves can be sometimes. (With a bonus Big Finish audio clip at the end.)
Not A Simple Thing by kwksylvr80
Beautiful, haunting fanvid for the two.
Loreley by uniapit2
It's lovely and with great timing.
Fanfic
Transgressive Sight by incandescens
(All ages, 413 words. Sapphire/Steel.) How much does Sapphire really see? Sharply-observed vignette of the two.
something lifts towards a light by raven
(Adult, 944 words. Sapphire/Steel.) Three times they tried it the human way. The summary says it all, but raven has such an amazing way of capturing their inhumanity and eerieness at the same time as the shippiness.
Be Here by girlintheglen
(All ages, 594 words. Sapphire/Steel.) A moment in time. Can Steel simply be? Lovely little shippy vignette; Steel exploring the nature of his more mortal form.
Insensitive by Curuchamion
(All ages, Drabble. Steel, Sapphire.) Why was Steel partnered with Sapphire? A sharp little look at Sapphire and Steel.
Snowflakes by hearts_blood
(All ages, 439 words, Sapphire/Steel.) Sapphire and Steel enjoy a stolen moment in the snow. Lovely bit of Sapphire/Steel fluff.
***
Silver/Sapphire/Steel
Fanvids
Amor Tenet Omnia by kwksylr80
(Silver/Sapphire/Steel). I may have mentioned this one before. That's because it's great & sums up about all the reasons I'm a flaily OT3 shipper.
Fanfic
Safe by silver_sandals
(All ages, 534 words. Silver/Sapphire/Steel.) After the conclusion of a dangerous case, Sapphire and Steel are glad that Silver is safe. It's shameless fluff, but it's lovely (especially what it was Silver was rescued from, and his reaction to it). Anyway, it is the only real OT3 fic for these three I can find, so... there could be more. (I'm just saying.)
***
Other
Chibi fanart of Silver and D84 by kilinka (There are also a couple of other amazing drawings of Silver in this post, but I love the D84 and Silver one. It's probably to blame for why I immediately went and wrote D84/Silver instead of D84/Poul when I saw that prompt a while back.)
A Beginner's Guide to Sapphire & Steel by eponymous_rose
I've linked to this before, but it's the by far the best intro I know of and a great post to direct people to try and explain what on earth S&S is. And why you should watch it, and write fic. Obviously.
Big Finish - Sapphire and Steel Trailer by Bargie57
Fanmade trailer for the audios, for those who are curious. (I think I might have chosen different clips, but it's well put together & does give a reasonable taster for the Big Finish stories.)
***
Check out sapphirensteel, AO3, ff.net and element_flash for more. sapphirensteel is the central place - most things are linked there, even if posted elsewhere (although you will find one or two only linked via element_flash instead).
By and large, spoilers are few, save for post-Assignment 6 fics. Also: this post became epic, so apologises for any (rather appropriate) time-stealing. (I left out my Yuletide gift-fics, as I'd recced them before.) It's also worth noting that most S&S fic tends to be good, anyway.
Crossovers - Doctor Who
The Glade by wiccagirl24
(All ages/PG, 5807 words. Sapphire, Steel, Seventh Doctor, Ace.) Sapphire and Steel are assigned to investigate a snow covered glade where something has gone wrong with time. The Doctor and Ace are drawn to the same place but for them it's spring and the flowers are in bloom. An angry man, a sobbing woman, a mystery. It's not just a brilliant crossover fic; it's one of the best S&S fics around - and one of the best Seven & Ace stories, too.
Out of the Vortex, Rifling the Air it Came by eleanorb
(All ages, 998 words. Sapphire, Steel, Gerald Carter, Harriet Derbyshire, Douglas Caldwell.) A broadcast through time and space. Excellently done - a neat Edwardian TW crossover ficlet that fits impeccably with both fandoms.
Interlude in Cafe-Space by Annariel
(All ages, 665 words. Sapphire, Steel, Romana II, K9.) Note: Spoilers for Assignment Six - it's a post-series fixit, courtesy of Romana. Which is awesome, of course.
Blue by Lurky McLurklurk
(All ages, 1181 words. Sapphire, Steel, TARDIS.) Sapphire/TARDIS. This is just beautiful.
pets by hearts_blood
(PG, 683 words. Steel, Fourth Doctor, TARDIS.) After a draining assignment, Steel seeks out a pair of old friends for a little comfort. (Note: Spoilers for Assignment 3.) Clever, well-characterised ficlet that makes good use of Assignment 3's themes.
***
Crossovers - Other
Elemental by Morgan
(Teen, 7224 words. Sapphire, Steel, Fox Mulder, Dana Scully. The X-Files crossover.) While investigating a series of disappearances in an old hotel, Mulder and Scully encounter two very different detectives. Very well done cross that's acessible for newbies to either fandom, but fits both well, and the voices are spot on. (Scully, to Mulder: "I'm not questioning your logic, just your grip on reality.")
Dead Man Walking by jaxomsride
(PG, 1090 words. Sapphire, Kerr Avon. Crossover with Blake's 7.) Post Gauda Prime, Avon meets Sapphire. Nicely bleak and inconclusive, as you might expect. (Spoilers for B7's finale.)
The Potter's Field by annariel
(All ages/PG, 4215 words. Silver, Claudia Brown. Crossover with Primeval.) I don't know a thing about Primeval, but this worked very well as a missing assignment with Silver and another operator. (I don't know whether that makes it an AU or fusion, or something else, but it's very good.)
Irregularity by Russ Massey
(Teen/PG, c.10,000?? words, Sapphire, Steel, Blake, Avon, Cally, Jenna, Gan, Vila. Crossover with Blake's 7.) This is brilliant. Set S1/S2 for B7 (and goes AU) and (obviously) long post-series for S&S. Warning for major character death. (Given the list of characters that's not too spoilery for the story.)
***
General
Fanfic
Lieder Ohne Worte by eponymous_rose
(All ages, 1365 words. Sapphire, Steel.) He and she and an abandoned music hall: a solitary performer plays for an empty audience, keeping Time. Beautifully written short missing-assignment fic.
Turning, Turning, Letting Go by amaresu
(Teen, 908 words. Sapphire, Steel, OCs.) How do you let go when all you want is to hang on? Short missing-assignment type ficlet that is exactly the right type of weird and sad.
Now You See It by Thia
(All ages, 6400 words. Sapphire, Steel, OCs.) The delight of stage magic is that it isn't real. Classic missing assignment fic based around stage magic - it's excellent.
Shattered Reflections by amaresu
(Teen/Adult, 1122 words. Sapphire, Steel, OCs.) Can you make somebody stay when they want to leave? This is so perfectly weird for S&S fic. (And I'd rate it as no more than Teen, even though the author has listed it as 'explicit'. It's not ship fic, anyway.)
Lost Lives by mab_browne
(Teen/PG, 2125 words. Sapphire, Steel.) Sapphire and Steel fight a foe who steals children. Lovely, creepy, missing-assignment fic.
Something New by eponymous_rose
(All ages, 702 words. Sapphire, Steel.) Before and after the work, the duty, the cold. Eerie, well-written between-times ficlet.
Days Go By And Still I Think Of You by kittenmommy
(All ages, 681 words. Sapphire, Steel.) Sometimes, things just seem to slip through our fingers. Nicely non-linear & moving missing assignment ficlet.
Left Behind by mab_browne
(All ages/PG, 836 words. Sapphire, Rob. Slight Rob/Sapphire.) Sapphire comes to see Rob for the last time. A fic that interestingly picks up & explores some lose ends from Assignment 1. (Note: therefore spoilers for Assignment 1.)
Things Are Not When They Appear by Aris Merquoni
(PG/Teen, 2127 words, Sapphire, Steel.) Sapphire and Steel are sent to investigate a breach--but they arrive to find that they may have already failed. Great missing assignment fic with a problem and solution that so fits the series. (Written for Yuletide 2009).
The Green Girl by mab_browne
(PG/Teen, 2696 words, Sapphire, Steel.) Set pre-series. Beautifully done missing assignment fic with an interesting setting and premise.
***
General - Post-A6
Please note: ALL of the below will contain spoilers for the ending of the series.
Fanvids
Ground Beneath Her Feet by Thebigbluemeany
(Steel, Sapphire, Silver, Lead.) This has to be the best edited S&S fanvid out there - almost a cross between a fanvid and an Assignment 7.
Fanfic
Sea Changes by raven
(PG, 2229 words. Steel, Sapphire.) What happened next - this is so beautifully written, capturing all of their 'otherness', and chilling and lovely.
Time in a Bottle by astrogirl2
(Teen, 1000 words. Sapphire, Steel.) It's difficult to pass the time, when neither you nor time are moving. In the end, all you can do is wait. I think the summary says it all, except that this is excellent and eerie, and them in all the right ways.
After the Assignment, Us by Nope
(Teen, 2200 words. Sapphire, Steel. Sapphire/Steel; Silver/Sapphire/Steel). There's three, even when there's two. Anyway, I loved this solution (and especially - being me - how a very Sapphire/Steel fic without Silver can also be completely OT3).
Quiet and Peace by deejay
(All ages, 1789 words. Sapphire, Steel, Silver.) A more light-hearted fixit, in dialogue, but fun, with lots of mentions of other Elements.
***
General - Silver, Lead & Other Elements
Fanvids
One Clear Call by kwksylvr80
(Sapphire, Silver, Steel, Lead). This is low key but captures something of the elusive nature of elements. (Excuse me while I go watch it again.)
Dandy by SabbathaBlood
Lighthearted Silver tribute.
Fanfic
Refuse to Change by estirose
(All ages, 258 words. Silver, Sapphire, Steel.) A team in balance. Lovely little Silver POV look at the three together.
The Curious Incident by hearts_blood
(PG/Teen, 2672 words. Sapphire/Steel, Silver/Copper (OC).) Silver gets to find out a bit more about what Operators actually do than he ever wanted to know. Post-series. The style & the characterisation is gorgeous throughout (ditto for the other fics by this author; I haven't included them all).
And This Gray Spirit by Nemo the Everbeing
(All ages, 630 words. Steel, Silver.) Steel doesn't envy Silver for any of the obvious reasons. Nice Steel vignette.
Mirrors by eponymous_rose
(All ages, Drabble. Silver, Steel.) Mid Assignment 3. A drabble for the same moment as above.
A Warrior Knows by Uncle Charlie
(All ages, 4500 words, Sapphire, Steel, 'Silver'.) It's a good gen fic, with an unusual setting (China), and an interesting glimpse of one of the Transuranic elements. (The author has written quite a few other similar S&S fics, so there's more there if you follow the link.)
Complicated by mab_browne
(All ages, 300 words, Steel, Lead.) Steel has complicated feelings about Lead
. An interesting look at Steel and Lead; slight Steel/Lead.
***
Sapphire/Steel
Fanvids
A Million Kisses by uniapit2
Nicely done shippy vid for the two of them.
Rhiannon by dreamybluemeany
Steel, and Sapphire.
Dilaudid by cenanyel
It's an odd song & vid, but a reminder of how very weird the show is - and how scary Sapphire & Steel themselves can be sometimes. (With a bonus Big Finish audio clip at the end.)
Not A Simple Thing by kwksylvr80
Beautiful, haunting fanvid for the two.
Loreley by uniapit2
It's lovely and with great timing.
Fanfic
Transgressive Sight by incandescens
(All ages, 413 words. Sapphire/Steel.) How much does Sapphire really see? Sharply-observed vignette of the two.
something lifts towards a light by raven
(Adult, 944 words. Sapphire/Steel.) Three times they tried it the human way. The summary says it all, but raven has such an amazing way of capturing their inhumanity and eerieness at the same time as the shippiness.
Be Here by girlintheglen
(All ages, 594 words. Sapphire/Steel.) A moment in time. Can Steel simply be? Lovely little shippy vignette; Steel exploring the nature of his more mortal form.
Insensitive by Curuchamion
(All ages, Drabble. Steel, Sapphire.) Why was Steel partnered with Sapphire? A sharp little look at Sapphire and Steel.
Snowflakes by hearts_blood
(All ages, 439 words, Sapphire/Steel.) Sapphire and Steel enjoy a stolen moment in the snow. Lovely bit of Sapphire/Steel fluff.
***
Silver/Sapphire/Steel
Fanvids
Amor Tenet Omnia by kwksylr80
(Silver/Sapphire/Steel). I may have mentioned this one before. That's because it's great & sums up about all the reasons I'm a flaily OT3 shipper.
Fanfic
Safe by silver_sandals
(All ages, 534 words. Silver/Sapphire/Steel.) After the conclusion of a dangerous case, Sapphire and Steel are glad that Silver is safe. It's shameless fluff, but it's lovely (especially what it was Silver was rescued from, and his reaction to it). Anyway, it is the only real OT3 fic for these three I can find, so... there could be more. (I'm just saying.)
***
Other
Chibi fanart of Silver and D84 by kilinka (There are also a couple of other amazing drawings of Silver in this post, but I love the D84 and Silver one. It's probably to blame for why I immediately went and wrote D84/Silver instead of D84/Poul when I saw that prompt a while back.)
A Beginner's Guide to Sapphire & Steel by eponymous_rose
I've linked to this before, but it's the by far the best intro I know of and a great post to direct people to try and explain what on earth S&S is. And why you should watch it, and write fic. Obviously.
Big Finish - Sapphire and Steel Trailer by Bargie57
Fanmade trailer for the audios, for those who are curious. (I think I might have chosen different clips, but it's well put together & does give a reasonable taster for the Big Finish stories.)
***