Rollercoaster

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Fate conspired differently. Death passed Tasha by. Given the time to evolve, a relationship she'd dismissed as a one night stand became the most complicated love affair she'd know. Series of stories spanning the show & movies.

Rollercoaster by Mistress Scribbles is a Star Trek: The Next Generation Alternate Universe Fic in which Tasha Yar never had the bridge dropped on her, and her evolving relationship with Data.

The sequel is in progress here.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Tropes used in Rollercoaster include:
  • Action Girl: Tasha.
  • Aliens Made Them Do It: Instead of showing Data what it is like to go slap-happy, Q decides to show him lust. Data refuses to do much more than kiss Tasha.
  • All Take and No Give: Tasha sees herself as the Taker and Data as the Giver.
  • Alternate Universe: Several. Tasha appears to be sensitive to appearances of this trope, quoting Guinan when in that particular universe, she doesn't even exist and realizing that something happened when the Enterprise-C showed up, even though no one else except Guinan remembers.
    • Besides the one featured in the fic, the Worf native to the Rollercoaster-verse travels to the canon TNG-verse, a universe where Data died on Vagra III, one where Data was never invented and Dr. Pulaski serves as CMO, and another where Q turned Data human after the events of Deja Q, Picard, Shelby, and Wesley at least have been assimilated by the Borg, and Data and Tasha are married. In the last two, Worf and Deanna are married.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: Once Data gets his emotion chip installed, there's quite a bit of it.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Tasha displays traits of this archetype more than once.
  • The Collector: Kivas Fajo.
  • Crazy Jealous Guy: After Data installs his emotion chip, he goes through a phase of possessiveness and jealousy.
  • Crowning Moment of Funny: Surprisingly, there are.
    • Chapter 27 has this exchange:

Tasha: Yeah, what is this; Hooray For Will's Penis Day?
Riker: Ladies, please. Every day is Hooray For Will's Penis Day.
Picard: Could everybody stop repeatedly saying the word "penis", please? Some of us are trying to make a nice cup of tea.

    • And Chapter 43 has this line:

Riker: Well, now that the Yar marriage has been saved, perhaps we could turn our attentions to the less pressing issue of the destruction of all life on Earth.

    • Chapter 2 in general. Have to recalibrate the wurly wurdles!
  • Downer Ending: Tasha proposes to Data, everything is wonderful and perfect and they've finally gotten their act together...and then he goes and gets himself blown up on the Scimitar.
  • Do You Want to Copulate?: Data, several times.
  • First Time Feeling: After Data installs his emotion chip, he has severe mood swings.
  • For Want of a Nail: Deanna gets sick, so she misses her conference, so her shuttle never crashes on Vagra III, so Tasha never dies.
  • I Can't Dance: Tasha makes an utter fool of herself every time she tries.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: During the altered version of 'Conundrum', Data and Tasha lose their memories while in the Holodeck. They believe they are married, and make out. And then Worf walks in.
  • Love Epiphany: It only took Data about 4 years to figure it out after the emotion chip was installed.
  • Rant-Inducing Slight: Data goes on a rather long, angry, rant when he realizes that Tasha might actually have another boyfriend after two years of them not dating.
  • Robosexual: Well, duh.
  • Robo Ship: Duh again.
  • Slap Slap Kiss: Tasha to Data.
  • Timey-Wimey Ball: Data and Tasha each get hit by one: Data's head came back from 1890 San Francisco the long way, and Tasha, due to the events of Yesterday's Enterprise, has a half-Romulan daughter nearly her own age.
  • Torture Technician: Poklar.
  • Unresolved Sexual Tension: In spades.
  • Unusual Euphemism: Q makes up a whole slew of them when he realizes that Data and Tasha are in a sexual relationship