s2l’s Dark ST:TNG Fic Recs 1/?
Hi, I’m servetolive. In honor of fellow fanfic writers, I’m reccing stories from my favorite authors who boldly went to the darkest sides of Trek, fearlessly exploring themes that some would recoil from. Most of these will be slash and involve TNG and Data, although I’ll probably end up doing a DS9 post later, since I wrote quite a bit for it back in the day. Warning: some of the subject matter of the fics in this post are potentially triggering.
Author Spotlight: Erua
Erua is–and I don’t say this lightly–the best fanfiction author I have ever had the pleasure of reading and writing with. Her admiration for old-world architecture and her deep understanding and familiarity with the Star Trek characters make reading her work akin to not just watching an episode, but experiencing the anguish, pleasure and sometimes sheer horror alongside your most beloved. Unfortunately, she is not active, but maybe we can bring her out of retirement…
Veils Falling Data/Lore, dub-con, bondage, violence. ”Lore becomes the leader of a naive but powerful alien race, who help him sort out certain troubling emotions. An alternative to ‘Descent’.“ My absolute favorite TNG story ever. There are tons of Descent rewrites out there (lord knows, they’re necessary), but this strikes me as one of the most plausible. The way Erua addresses Data and Lore’s most troubling emotions drags you through the glass with them, and Picard and Data’s talk, directly reminiscent of the many such had on the show, echoes with you for days.
If you read nothing else on this list, read this. Chain of Acquisition Data/Lore, Data/OMC x 2, AU, non-con, slavery, violence, sadism. Mature. “Written for Dark Fest 2011. Prompts: “Star trek TNG, Data/Lore, The two brothers end up on a trade ship/Garbage scow etc and are being sold off as property” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data/anyone, reprogramming, sexual slavery”. One of the crown jewels of dark!Trek fanfiction, this masterpiece gives Star Trek a bit of a fantasy-erotica feel, what with how detailed Erua describes alien architecture, and imaginative inclusion of some strange alien races. A Universal Force Data/Lore, PWP, AU, Omricon Theta. Explicit “Data and Lore pass the time experimenting with each other’s bodies.” Beautiful, darkly sensuous, with the bros using the unique aspects of their android forms to experience heightened forms of pleasure. Includes an adorable cameo by Noonien as well. Blind Data/Lore, human!AU. Explicit. “A young writer and his criminal brother struggle to give shape to their unusual relationship.” Very interesting, moody, noir-ish study of how Data and Lore’s near-antipathic relationship would take form if they were flesh and blood, in a modern setting. The “human” part makes the pseudo-cest concept quite real, and it adds so many nuanced layers to the boys. Hollow Data/Lore, PWP, human!AU, gun play. Explicit. “David (Data) receives an unexpected visitor.” This was a birthday present to me written in 2011, and one of my absolute favorites. Follows the same human!AU concept as “Blind,” but noticeably grittier. My girl got Lore’s character on POINT here. I Have a Complete Memory Record of That Day Data/Lore, Data/self. Mature. ”Data recalls a moment spent in his brother’s company.” Self-explanatory, short, angsty, and pretty. Fourteen Pairs of Open Eyes Data/Picard, non-con, public sex, forced voyeurism. Explicit. Written for Dark Fest 2011. Prompt: “Star Trek: TNG, Picard/Data, "Power Play.” Picard has been intimate with Data and the entity who takes over Data’s body finds those memories, mocks Picard with them in front of everyone, maybe non-con so Picard will always have those memories when he looks at Data in the future.“ This one is absolutely NOT for the faint-hearted, and not for those that can’t handle the Captain being brutally–and believably–subjugated by The Galaxy’s Friendliest Android. This. Is. Gutwrenching. And it’s GOOD. It’s so well written that you imagine every second as it would happen on TV. I remember reading it for the first time and having to take breaks. And those are my favorite by Erua. :D If you like them, be sure to leave kudos or a comment for her on AO3! PSST: If you’re of the #daforge persuasion (of which I am not), click the author’s name to find some lovely, not-dark Data/Geordi pieces. :)