#calamarain

[stellarred]

WAS PICARD DISAPPOINTED?

In Deja Q during the Conference Room scene, Picard says to Q that line, "You must have so many enemies....Some of them might look you up."

"It had occurred to me."

Then, Picard declares "And for all your protestations of friendship, your real reason for being here (on the Enterprise), is for protection."

What protestations--plural--is he talking about?

Except for Q's iconic line to Picard from earlier, "In all the Universe, you're the closest thing I have to a friend, Jean-Luc," Q hasn't declared himself a friend of anyone else, or offered friendship to anyone else other than Picard.

So, in terms of "protestations of friendship", what is Picard referring to other than what Q said on the Bridge?

Was Picard disappointed in a way?

Was he in a REALLY small way-- as in a "Blink and you'll miss it" kind of way, let down at the possibility that Q really did not regard him as "the closest thing he had to a friend"?

Did Q unintentionally hurt Picard?

Q's insistence that he could still be a part of the team trying to move the moon around Bre'El IV, falls on deaf ears with Picard.

"Human or not, I want no part of you. (Q)"

Picard hides his feelings for Q very deeply, lest he loses control and his rigid Starfleet image cracks.

But, I think maybe for a second, Picard felt Q's desire for protection, which motivated him to say that Picard was the closest he had to a friend, was proof that Q really wasn't sincere. 😢

The unfortunate reality is that even though he wanted protection from the Calamarain, Q was sincere in what he said to Picard with his "protestations of friendship."

It was a letdown for both of them.

He wanted to believe you, Q!

Anyone else agree with my take?

[c0smic-coral]

Deja Q Rewatch: Qcard Analysis

I am rewatching every Q episode of TNG (which means Qpid is next! Yippee!) and I thought I’d like to write a bit about this…

First of all, MY POOR BOY IS A HUMAN AND EVEN HIS LOVE INTEREST DOESN’T BELIEVE HIM. He literally requested to be sent to the Enterprise. Why? Because Picard is “the closest thing [he] has to a friend”. I posted this in the Qcard Fic Discord server, but I have a theory that yes, Q has been attracted to Picard for some time, especially during Q Who. Bro nearly kissed JLP’s ear. But he wasn’t fully aware of it. He enjoys Jean-Luc’s company. He wants affection. Now here he is, experiencing human emotions. Along with all of that fear and anxiety of feeling pain and such, and maybe a little bit of butterflies in his stomach?? I had a theory of an off-screen moment that might have gone something like this, perhaps in the few moments it must have taken to replicate 10 chocolate sundaes, right before Guinan shows up:

Q: Data… I may have felt a different sensation in my stomach earlier, when I first was dumped here by the Continuum.

Data: I’m listening.

Q: Sort of… fluttery. I-I’m not sure. It didn’t feel like… hunger.

Data: It could be possible it was a sort of nervousness.

Q: I’ve been feeling nervousness all day. I only felt this way near Jean-Luc. Maybe even a bit while I was omnipotent.

Data: It could be possible you feel some form of romantic or sexual attraction to Captain Picard.

Q: Sex with… Jean-Luc? For a robot, you have a sense of humor!

Data: …I am an android.

Q: Whatever!

Even if that didn’t happen, Q may have figured it out himself that fluttery feeling he got around Picard was love because after Deja Q, he was flirting even more!!! “Mon capitaine” starts to stick!!! Qpid, the way he was on the couch!!! Tapestry, flowers for John-Luck Pickerd!!!

THE IMMORTAL BED SCENE.

Now, I am going to discuss “Red alert” below the cut but a few other things first:

It was so hard for him to manage. My boy full of fear. Yet it’s that thing he has for Picard that keeps him forgiving him even when he’s pushed out of the way. Also, Q is not interested in “human interpersonal relationships”. In truth? As he sorts through his feelings for Picard, he’s still the only human he cares for. Riker was just for the Continuum. He could care less about Riker now that he knows for sure Riker could care less for the Continuum’s abilities. It’s all Picard. Definitely could care less about Geordi. Worf’s a Klingon, but he could care less about Microbrain as well.

And now to discuss Q’s sacrifice. Obviously he did some thinking after Data saved him. It is possible in this moment he realized he loved Picard and would do anything to protect him. So he takes the shuttlecraft. He would die for him. And he’s teased by Q2. “Selfless”. He knows the Calamarain would destroy the Enterprise to get to him, which means the death of everyone on the ship, including Jean-Luc. And of course he was growing depressed in that human form. But as Q2 said, there was a selfless aspect to this.

That selfless aspect? Q’s feelings for Picard.

Alright, on “Red alert”…

He’s naked in front of Picard. He can’t control the smirk that shows up on his face when he lands there. This is definitely Q’s more sexual emotions for JLP, and what if…

What if, he got a, yknow, a 🦴?

Just saying. He doesn’t know what happened. He might have had a guess. Why is it doing that?

Well, Q…

And that’s all I’ll discuss that. If you made it this far, thank you for reading my thoughts on this episode and how it sets up Qpid and Tapestry, and ultimately All Good Things… Now I didn’t mention True Q, and I believe @stellarred mentioned this in one of their posts at some point, but the reason we barely got any Qcard there is because Continuum business. But wait, Hide and Q was similar in nature. Well, Riker was closer to Picard so it was different. Besides, he was more of a free-range carefree Q then, before the fear of being a human set in. Okay that’s the real end of the essay.

[lordlexion]

Star Trek TNG S03E13

Calamarain and their effects on Q... I felt so bad for Q when he started screaming.

[startrekreviews]

TNG Novels #47-9: The Q Continuum

TNG #47-9: The Q Continuum trilogy by Greg Cox Book Jacket’s Summary:      “The unpredictable cosmic entity known only as Q has plagued Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise since their very first voyage together. But little is known of Q's mysterious past or that of the unearthly realm from which he hails. Now Picard must learn Q's secrets – or all of reality may perish!      Ever since its discovery, the great galactic barrier has impeded humanity's exploration of the universe beyond the Milky Way. Now a brilliant Federation scientist may have found a way to breach the barrier, and the Enterprise is going to put it to the test. The last thing the crew needs is a visit from an omnipotent troublemaker so, naturally, Q appears.      Q has more in mind than his usual pranks, and while the Enterprise struggles to defeat a powerful inhuman foe, Picard must embark on a fantastic odyssey into the Q Continuum itself, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance.” Yeaka’s Notes:     I read this trilogy individually, but as you couldn’t really read them without each other, I’m reviewing them all in one. And frankly, I think they could’ve all been condensed into one book anyway.     Long story short, all three of these carry the continuing, singular plot of the Enterprise (mid-DS9/VOY era) carrying a Betazoid scientist to the barrier that surrounds the edge of the galaxy, where he intends to open up a wormhole to the other side. When they arrive, Q, as well as Q’s wife and baby from Voyager, tell them not to. Picard asks why. Q won’t tell him why. If Q had, this series would’ve been about 600 pages shorter. Instead, Q takes Picard away to show him the long, drawn out story of how teenage-Q royally messed up (including a depressing, detailed tale of mass slaughter) and breaching the barrier will only make it worse. Meanwhile, the visiting scientist is a gratingly terrible father, Beverly, Deanna, Geordi, and Data pick up loose ends, a few other OCs and minor characters try to survive, and Riker tries to keep the Calamarain (TNG: “Deja Q”) from killing them all.     This is a well-written adventure. Some of the OCs are enjoyable, while others are appropriately awful. Q is as sometimes-likeable, sometimes-irritating as ever, and all the worse for having three consecutive books worth. If you’re a Q/Picard fan, this is a must have. There’s a ridiculous amount of references touching on everything from Kirk to Janeway, books, shows, and movies alike, including the history of the godlike being Kirk faced down in The Final Frontier. During those and several thrilling moments, this is a great ride—while during other moments, particularly those with Q needlessly adding a couple hundred pages, it’s almost unbearable.     So... pretty much Q. Noteworthy moments: (below cut)

Q-Space: Ch1/p3 Picard and Troi are relieved Lwaxana isn’t on Betazed to gree them 

p5 Troi recalls crashing the Enterprise D on Veridian III (TNG: Generations); Troi can sense Data’s emotions during a meeting

p8 Troi thinks: “Worf married a Trill, she remembered with only the slightest twinge of jealousy. Then she took her own advice and put that reaction behind her. I wish him only the best, she thought.”

p21 Barclay messes up and a scientist goes off on him

Ch3/p39 Picard notes Sisko punched Q in the face and Q didn’t return to bother him, thus maybe Picard should try it; Picard wonders if Sisko would trade the Jem’Hadar for Q

Ch5/p57 Data puzzles to Geordi over Spot only eating from round plates now

Ch5/p54 Q’s lover and baby show up

Ch7/p92 Beverly tells the female Q about the Traveler choosing Wesley, Deanna mentions Ian, the Q’s impressed

p108 Female Q comes to Beverly about the weight of motherhood

Ch11/p160 Picard sees Q as a teenager, Q hints that Riker was born because of a Q

Ch12/p189 Riker mentally helps Deanna through a crisis

Ch14/p212 Picard witnesses a Q date

p228 Q and Picard visit the Guardian of Forever

Ch20/p266 Organians aren’t allowed in the Q Continuum

p269 Someone else suggests testing lesser species to young Q

Q-Zone: Ch5/p116 EMH

Q-Strike: Ch4/p42 Quinn (VOY: “Death Wish”)

p45 Ruk (TOS: “What Are Little Girls Made Of”)

p47 Sargon, Thalassa, and Henoch (TOS: “Return to Tomorrow”)

p52 Bajor watching a phenomenon

p54 Organians

p70 Q killed the dinosaurs (Picard does not accept it)

Ch5/p77 The “god” from the center of the universe in The Final Frontier

p79 The creation of the galactic barrier

Ch5/p83 Q is officially assigned to oversee Earth

Ch11/p164 Q to Picard: “You’re the one who specialize in triumphing against over-whelming odds. Have Data whip up some technobabble. Tell Counselor Troi to get in touch with her feelings. Let Riker punch someone.”

[theboardwalkbody]

Q: [The Calamarain] simply have no sense of humor - a character flaw with which you can personally identify. Riker: I say we turn him over to them. (Star Trek: The Next Generation S03, E13 "Deja Q")

[essence-stealer]

Q2 The Rescue

Main Masterlist | AO3

Pairing: None

Word Count: 5,517

Warnings: Depression, Angst, Attempted Suicide (by trying to give himself up to his enemies, unsuccessful)

"Please, don't fall back on your tired cliché of charging to the rescue just in the nick of time." he replied, trying to distract them and buy himself some more time for the Calamarain to catch him "I don't want to be rescued." Lies, he thought to himself. He wanted nothing more than to run back to the relative safety of the Enterprise, fall on his knees, and plead with Picard to keep him alive.

But he didn't have the luxury of being selfish anymore.

Whatever happened next, he was going to die, and while he had cultivated a reputation as a capricious trickster who had very little regard for the lives of others, that wasn't strictly true.

Given the choice between dying to save the lives of people who's company he was reasonably fond of, who he even respected in his own way, or cowering behind inadequate shields while everyone around him died needlessly to try and protect him, there really wasn't an option.

--

✨ Read on AO3 here ✨

--

AN: When I was at school, our teacher set us an exercise where she played a scene from a film, and then asked us to pick a character and rewrite that scene - keeping all the details and dialog the same - but from our chosen characters point of view; including things like thought, feelings, and internal dialog. I actually really enjoyed doing it and decided that since I’m getting back into writing again, it would be a good way to practice while not having to worry too much about coming up with an original plot line.

This story is a rewrite of the ending of the episode Deja Q, as told from Qs point of view. I was originally going to do the whole episode, but that ended up being way too much with everything else I've got going on at the moment, so I scaled things back a bit and just decided to write the final act instead; hopefully I'll be able to do the rest of the episode one day.

I know that since it’s not an “original” story in the usual sense some people might not want to read this, but I really enjoyed writing it and thought I’d still share it on the off chance someone else would enjoy reading it too!

[teeth-go-clink]

The surreal life (Qcard oneshot)

What if in Qpid, when Q offered to help Picard with his speech, he hadn't declined? What would have gone differently?

Link to the AO3 version: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34899781

“…. I would have taken my own life but for you.”

Picard stares at Q blankly.

Of course he is glad deep down, glad the being (which has brought infinite seas of trouble every single time he showed up on his ship) is still alive and well, just waiting to cause more problems on purpose.

But that doesn’t mean he has to know about that.

We all make mistakes.”

He isn’t quite sure whether the impish smile of humanities judge is a genuine one. Sometimes his face is so expressive, sometimes it’s nothing but a mask for the god-like alien to hide behind.

“Your good deed made possible my reinstatement in the Continuum, and I resent owing you anything. So, I'm here to pay up. Tell me, what is it you wish and I'll be gone.”

Pay up? What for? For not refusing a sentient entity refuge, not leaving them to die in a time of need? For not even noticing he was about to take his life to save them all? For unsuccessfully trying to save him from the calamarain? They did try, but they didn’t accomplish anything.

He has nothing to be indebted for. So why is he really here?

Q doesn’t seem like the sort of person to talk about “debt” easily, but he does follow his word in a twisted sense of the word, so he must have some kind of plan.

“Just be gone. That'll do nicely.”

He does seem sort of agitated now. But surely he must have anticipated him to react like that? When has he ever been willing to accept one of Qs “gifts“, when they were usually either a temptation or brought more problems than good?

“No, no, no, no, no. It has to be something more, more constructive. That's my new word for the day.”

He really doesn’t have the time to fix an egocentric gods ego, he has to get his speech ready. Not only will there be the leading archaeologists of the decade, there will also be Vash. But to his surprise he notices that he isn’t as excited about her presence aboard anymore. Somehow it’s just not the same as on Risa..

“Some other time, Q. Right now I have other matters to attend to.”

“Yes, your speech. I read it. It's dull, plodding, pedantic, much like yourself.”

Now he has Picards attention. He knows he shouldn’t listen to Q, who is probably only trying to get a rise out of him. But dull? What if Q is speaking the truth? He did not say this about other speeches of his… granted, he was on trial back then (and technically speaking still is) but still… the words gnaw at him somehow.

Sensing victory, Q grins.

“I could help you with it.“

So he’s serious about settling this “debt” he keeps speaking about…

It doesn’t seems like he is willing to drop the matter either. Perhaps it would be best to accept his “help“ and get it over with, before he starts throwing a temper tantrum.

It’s only a speech after all. What could go wrong?

What could go wrong. If that isn’t under the top ten of sentences spoken seconds before disaster.

But it does seem safer than letting Q find a more creative way to settle his debt. What if he decides to dig around his head instead, ultimately choosing to fulfill some silly wish like he haphazardly thinks about once upon a blue moon, like cookies with raisins being illegal? The sheer chaos he could accidentally create, trying to “help”….

“Alright Q, help me with my speech if it makes you happy, but afterwards you’re leaving.“

“Splendid!”

The being beams down at him.

“Now, where shall we begin then?”

“Normally I would ask you to read the speech, but since you find it so dull and pedantic, I suppose you’re already familiar with it?”

Annoying how Q can just instantly know everything he has so carefully planned to talk about, simply by wanting to know.

“Of course Jean-Luc! I never decide on a verdict without being familiar with all the facts first. What kind of judge do you take me for?”

Picard tries not to glare at Q, but his diplomatic side looses to his annoyance.

“Am I supposed to answer truthfully? You might not like the answer very much.”

Thankfully Q only laughs, obviously delighted by their little exchange of blows. He genuinely seems to enjoy their little quarrels, and he supposes that’s probably better than the alternative.

“Why so rude, mon capitaine? Your manners are always so impeccable with other people, even with Troi’s mother, who I know for sure you despise conversing with! You must really like me, to make an exception…“

Picard sighs ignoring Qs highly suggestive wink. Why must he be so damn irritating?

“Either you make yourself useful or leave me alone. I have to hold this speech tomorrow, and I would like it to be perfect”

Q narrows his eyes.

“Before you do anything, I should probably point out to you that that was merely an exaggeration. I don’t require it to literally be “perfect“, so don’t get too excited..”

“Oh, you were using a hyperbola then! How fancy!”

“I suppose stylistic devices are as good as any place to start. How much do you know about them?”

“Well, since exactly now…” (Q snaps his fingers dramatically,) “..absolutely everything. Wow Jean-Luc, this is incredibly boring and tedious.”

“No one is forcing you to stay, you know. I will do just fine without you.”

“You wound me! I have a debt to-“

“Yeah yeah,” Picard interrupts, his patience finally running out.

“I get it. Now can we please concentrate on the matter at hand? Oh great, magnificent Q, share your infinite knowledge about pedantic speeches with me, and I shall surely be eternally grateful.”

The way Qs dark eyes glint at that statement immediately make Picard regret his outbreak.

“What a truly dangerous thing to say to a Q, mon capitaine, you’re truly lucky it’s just good old me.”

“I don’t feel very lucky yet.”

He is playing a dangerous game, he knows that. But first the problems with Vash, now Q being aboard solely to criticise his speech. It’s just too much.

“You will in time, believe me.“

After a moment of silence, he adds:

“I think you should add more metaphors, they will liven it up a bit. Break the boring flow of facts.”

Picard considers this for a moment.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to come across as unprofessional.”

“Just trust me. Add one… hmmm…” he points at one of the longer paragraphs

“Right here.”

Picard makes a mental note to review that idea later. Of course he’d rather do this alone, but why not take the offered help if he has to bother with Q one way or another?

“Alright, anything else?”

The entities smile widens.

“I’m so glad you asked! Do you want my suggestions for improvement in alphabetical order, or rated by the percentage of probability of you accepting them?”

Alright, he is already regretting this whole arrangement.

“I really don’t care. Let’s just get this over with.“

Q dramatically unrolls an ancient looking pell, which comically keeps on getting longer, rolling across the floor of the ready room.

This bastard is really using cartoon logic just to make fun of me.

His presumably very rude reply to Qs antics is interrupted by the chime of the door.

“Enter.“

It’s Riker, whose confident stride abruptly comes to a halt once he sees Q.

“Captain, what is Q doing here? Should I alert security?”

He opens his mouth to answer, immediately being interrupted by Q.

“What could one of your puny security teams possibly do against me? Think before you speak, Riker”

Deciding to ignore Q just as Riker is currently doing (petty but effective) he answers his first officers question.

“This is his version of doing “something nice” for me. He’s trying to help me with my lecture about Tagus three.”

Riker nods, his gaze conveying nothing but empathy and understanding for his situation.

“I’ll alert the crew.”

Q rolls his eyes as the door swishes shut.

“Our dear Riker, always so charming.”

“I do believe that there are quite a few individuals out there that would agree with your sentiment.”

He almost laughs at Qs scandalized expression.

“Jean-Luc! I never thought you to be so profane!”

His scandalized expression then turns into a devious smirk.

“I like it though.”

Ignoring this last quip, he scans the unending list of ideas Q has for spicing up his lecture. Most of which are no doubt completely counterproductive, but he still can’t help his curiosity.

“I’m curious. Out of your suggestions, which is the one I’m least likely to accept?”

“Suggestive background dancers in the traditional gowns of Tagus three.”

He can’t suppress the chuckle this time.

“I can’t even come close to explaining to you how disrespectful that would be to their culture.“

“But it would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“Is that a yes?“

“It’s a strict no.“

T I M E S K I P

“Well, your lecture is certainly better now, but… it still lacks a certain something. Hmmm……”

Now if only Q wasn’t looking like the exact real life replica of a scheming cartoon villain right now…

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re about to suggest something I don’t like.“

The alien’s impish grin is decidedly not a good sign.

“I know! Your speeches are always impeccable when you have to defend something! So, for the sake of the lectures quality you are hereby on trial to defend the ruins of Tagus three. To win them the right of continuing their existence, you must only convince your cherished audience, me, of how interesting and historically important they are.”

Picard stares at him incredulously.

“Surely you must be joking.”

Q snaps his fingers, changing his captains uniform to his red judge robes, blue lipstick and all.

“Am I really, Jean-Luc? Do you really want to find out?”

Picard is like 80% sure he wouldn’t actually make the ruins disappear.

Okay, maybe 50%, you never know with Q.

Better safe then sorry, he supposes. I wanted to practice one more time anyway

T I M E S K I P

As soon as he has said his last words, the room is filled with roaring applause. The nervous weight in his chest is finally replaced by a feeling of accomplishment and pride.

As much as it pains him to admit it, Q did prove helpful in spicing up his lecture after all.

As soon as he has left the podium, someone hands him a glass of champagne, while others are already complimenting him, shaking his hands and asking for his opinion on their own theories.

A young blonde archeologist brings him back to reality by staring at him questioningly.

“Sorry?“

She smiles sheepishly.

“I asked how you managed to prepare such a good speech on such a short notice. It’s certainly an impressive feat.“

“Well, I must admit, I did have a bit of divine help, if you can call it that.“

She cocks her head, curious.

“How curious, I'd never have taken you to be a religious man.“

He chuckles lightly.

“Sometimes you just don’t have a choice.“

[alarajrogers]

Untitled Picard/Q-ish fic

This is very rough -- no beta, we die like women -- and I don’t even have a title for it yet, but I wanted to get it out there because it’s late. It was supposed to be for Tapestry Day, Feb. 15th.

It is very subtle Picard/Q, and could be interpreted as friendship rather than romantic feelings, because that is how I roll. It’s set in the current Star Trek: Picard series (up through episode 5), and explains why Q hasn’t been around to help Picard with things like supernovas killing billions of people (and for that matter other things that are spoilers so I won’t mention them but would affect his son.)

There was someone sitting in his study.

There was someone sitting in his study, and Laris and Zhaban were nowhere to be found. Quietly Picard edged toward where one of the various hidden phasers that Laris and Zhaban insisted on hiding in his study, dining room, bedroom and pretty much everywhere was stashed.

“You’re not very stealthy in your old age, mon amiral,” a voice said. A voice that was familiar, but that he hadn’t heard in… had it been decades? At least twelve years, to be sure.

“Q!” Picard stepped forward into the study, unable to control the joyful smile on his face. As soon as he was close, though, he took half a step back, literally taken aback by what he saw.

Q looked old.

Not as old as Picard himself, perhaps, but his face was lined and worn, his dark hair shot through with silver. He also had facial hair, a mustache and a brushing of beard on his chin and jawline.

“You look almost happy to see me,” Q said. “Well, you did. Now you just look shocked.”

“I never expected to see you age,” Picard said. “But I suppose you can take the form of an old man as easily as you took the form of a young one.”

Q smiled wryly. “I can, yes, but… there’s always been an element of truth in how I appear to you. I’m not doing this to make some sort of commentary on the fact that you’ve aged… a terrible mortal habit, there, but I don’t imagine I’ll break you of it any time soon.”

“No, I think not,” Picard agreed, nodding. “Are you saying you feel old?” He sat down in the chair that faced Q. “I remember when you told me of your new responsibilities in the Continuum, you said they’d age you prematurely, but I took it for a joke.”

“It was a joke. That’s not… why.” Q closed his eyes. “I know you called for me. You asked me for my help, didn’t you? And I didn’t come.”

“I… assumed that your responsibilities had become too onerous to spend time in the company of mortals anymore,” Picard said, carefully.

It had hurt. When Starfleet had refused to help the Romulans, when there were so many stranded and desperate and Picard had no resources to save them… he had called out to Q. Better to owe his omnipotent sometime-nemesis, sometime-companion something than to cling to his human pride and let billions die.

Q hadn’t come. Picard hadn’t seen him since… since several months before the supernova. Q had said nothing, then, to imply that he wasn’t going to come back.

Picard had spent a long time convincing himself not to feel betrayed by that.

“No, no,” Q said. “I’d have made time for you, if not…” He shook his head. “The one time you break down and spontaneously call for my help, and it had to be for this.”

“So there was a reason for it.”

“A very good reason.” Q snapped his fingers, and a glass of something alcoholic appeared in his hand. Another one appeared on the end table next to Picard.  “Not the house brand, but I imagine occasionally you indulge in something you didn’t grow yourself?”

“Occasionally,” Picard said. Q would get to the point, eventually, and he had learned patience. He picked up the glass and breathed deeply of the aroma. “This is… actually from Betazed, if I don’t mistake it?”

Q nodded. “Adwana wine. Not particularly strong as alcohol goes, not to humans, but it interferes with telepathy.”

“Are we worried about telepaths?”

“Not… exactly.” Q took a sip. “When I’m in human form, the same brain centers that mediate telepathy in humanoids allow me to connect back to the Continuum. I’m not, currently, an extradimensional being driving a puppet around. This is me, mostly.”

The wine tasted rather like sake, but with a sweet undertone that was distinctly fruity and yet wholly un-grape-like. Almost like… blackberries, he thought. But not quite. “You’re shutting down your powers. Why?”

“I don’t want to have them right now,” Q said. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, the Calamarain’s not going to show up on your doorstep. I can’t possibly fully shut myself down with a drink or two. I just… I don’t want to be so aware of it.”

“I suppose you have your reasons.” Picard set the drink down. It really wasn’t to his taste.

“And you’re just waiting with bated breath for me to tell you what they are, aren’t you?”

“That is why you’re dropping hints, I think.”

“You know me so well.” He twirled the drink in his hand. “Tell me, Picard. You had hypotheses, I’m sure. What did you guess was the reason I didn’t come when you called?”

“I’ve said. I thought your responsibilities—”

“There were other things you thought, though.”

“So I see the adwana isn’t interfering with your telepathy that much.”

Q shook his head. “I’m not reading your mind, but I know you.” He leaned closer to Picard. “Jean-Luc, there has never been a day in your life when you haven’t been considering multiple possibilities for everything that happens.”

“Well, I thought perhaps you were forbidden to interfere. Or—”

“Or?”

“Or that… well, why would you care about humans? You have your own life in the Continuum. You have a son. Perhaps your… interest in me was… a passing thing. Something you have no need for, anymore.”

“Mon amiral. Sometimes you don’t know me at all.” Q sounded mock-hurt. “But then, I imagine the truth would be… impossible for you to guess at.” He leaned forward. “I didn’t abandon you willingly, Jean-Luc. Yes, I had more going on in the Continuum than I’ve had in billions of years, but… in the Continuum, I’m a leader now. People look up to me. I’m not sure I have friends there even now. Allies, comrades-in-arms, but… no Q sees me as myself.”

“Well, by definition I don’t see you as yourself, since you have to take a different form to interact with me.”

“Yes. Ironic, isn’t it? I can most be me with a creature who literally can’t even see me. Worthy of being included in a stand-up comedy routine.” He took another deep sip, and then set the glass down with emphasis. “I was dead, Picard.”

Picard raised both eyebrows, head going back. “Dead? How?”

“Did you ever wonder… how could a supernova of one star, however large, start triggering an instability in space that blows up other stars?”

“Neither Federation nor Romulan science was ever able to explain that,” Picard admitted. He remembered something, then. When the Q killed each other with the weapons they’d used in the civil war… it had caused supernovas. “Good God. Did the war break out again?”

“In a sense.” Q looked down at his hands, folded in his lap in uncharacteristic stillness. “There was a bomb.”

“I assume you mean some sort of metaphorical something that best translates to my perceptions as a bomb?”

“Oh, no. An actual bomb. Made of Continuum-substance, of course, you wouldn’t have perceived it except through analogy, but… something that explosively releases raw energy of a form that disrupts the pattern of anything made of Continuum energy and tears it to shreds? Sounds to me like a bomb.”

“By any other name,” Picard said quietly. “But – you were dead? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean I was dead. Someone set off a bomb in the Convocation and… a dozen Q died. Which is actually a very large number. I realize it sounds like a trivial number to you—”

“No. You’ve told me that the Q number in the thousands, if that, and even if there were trillions of you, a dozen deaths are never trivial.”

“Thank you for that.” Q took a deep breath. “I was one of the casualties. The others… didn’t have a son. No Q was willing to spend the time and energy needed to put a dead Q back together, no Q had a pattern to follow they could use for reference to do so anyway… except my son. He used himself as the pattern and he spent the past… I don’t actually know how many years putting me back together and I don’t even know if I’m the same me anymore—”

“Stop.” Picard put his hands on one of Q’s. “You’re alive. That’s what’s important.”

“I don’t know if I am,” Q whispered. “I mean, yes, I’m alive, but am I me? I spent billions of years trying to preserve my identity, so many other Q trying to influence me, and now…”

“Listen to me, Q. Life changes us all. Being what you are, I imagine you don’t have much experience with the concept of scars, but even you changed over time, just from the demands of life.”

“This is a rather large change, Picard.”

“Yes. It is. But what’s the alternative? You can’t go back to what you were before, can you?”

“I suppose not.” He stood up and went to the window, looking out. “You know I would have come if I could, Jean-Luc, right?”

“I know.”

“And there’s nothing – I can’t fix it. I can’t fix any of it.” He looked back at Picard. “Do you know – of course you don’t. I changed things. We were – having an argument. You and I. Not important what it was about. But the point is… I altered the past.”

“Wait. What did you do?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He walked back toward Picard. “It’s all gone. All the changes I made. Retroactively. Because we can’t do anything in the region of space affected by the bomb.”

Picard stood up. “Tell me what you did that doesn’t matter anymore.”

Q sighed. “We were arguing about whether I actually care about you mortals. You were very upset. You pointed out that Data died and I did nothing, and he saved my life one of the few times I was vulnerable. You said that I live on the scale of a god and I can’t relate to mortals enough to be friends with one. So, I fixed it.”

“You fixed what?”

“I arranged for Shinzon to be adopted by a human scientist and taken off Remus in his childhood. Never grew up with the hatred and resentment of humanity. Resented you, but he ended up going into Starfleet anyway. No attempt to destroy Earth. So Data didn’t die, you didn’t suffer clone angst, Charlie – that was what his name got changed to – had a happier life and didn’t run around telepathically raping half-human women. Everything was wonderful.” He leaned his forehead on the wall. “And then there was the bomb. And every change made by any Q, ever, in that region of space, was reverted to whatever it had been before it was changed. And I was dead.” He swallowed. “And now – I’m back, but I can’t bring him back. I mean, I could, he died in Earth orbit, but how am I supposed to bring him back in a world where you idiots would declare him illegal and there’d be assassins trying to kill him?”

“Q. It’s all right.” Picard walked around a chair,  and reached up to his shoulder. “No one expects it of you. Data wouldn’t have expected it of you.”

“You did, once.”

“Apparently that was in an alternate universe. I don’t think you can hold that against me.”

“But you were right.” Q closed his eyes. “I wanted him to live.”

“So did I.”

Q sat down on a sofa that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Picard sat next to him. “Listen,” he said. “I’ve… wanted to tell you, for some time. I never realized, back in the days when you came to visit me frequently… that I’d miss you, as much as I did, if you didn’t come back.” He held Q’s hand clasped in both of his. “I… did consider the possibility that the Romulan supernova represented your civil war resuming, and that I hadn’t seen you because… you’d become a casualty. To be honest, when there were no further supernovae, of course I was relieved because unexpected supernovae are horrible, but it also occurred to me that, if there’d been a conflict among your people, you’d resolved it. And if it was resolved so quickly…” He swallowed. “I thought that meant you were alive.”

Q raised an eyebrow. “What part of me suggests to you that I’m good at resolving conflicts quickly, Picard?”

“The fact that you did. The first time.”

“Obviously not well enough, or no one would have planted a bomb.” He took a deep breath. “So. You missed me?”

“I did. Although I wasn’t going to tell you, if you came back and it turned out your reasons for not coming to see me in so long were trivial.” Picard smiled.

Q laughed. “I suppose you don’t consider death all that trivial?”

“Not at all.” He let go of Q’s hand. “I’m glad you’re alive now.”

“I… suppose I am as well.”

“You suppose?”

“So many died, Jean-Luc. So many. And I’m alive.”

“That’s survivor’s guilt. It’s normal.” He smiled wryly. “There are times when I’m still miserable with guilt that I’m alive and Data isn’t. Or Jack Crusher.”

“Was he as boring as his wife?”

Picard raised a finger and shook his head. “None of that. We’re past the stage where you insult my friends, now. I expect you to keep a somewhat civil tongue in your head.”

Q rolled his eyes. “Oh, how will I ever live up to this overbearing expectations?” He looked at Picard. “It’s like you think I’m a good person.”

“Now that I know something of the culture of the Q Continuum? I do think you’re a good person. About half your flaws are species-or-culture specific, and the other half don’t outweigh the ways in which you try to do what you see as the right thing even when you have to fight your culture to do so.”

Q smiled slightly. “I think you’ve finally gone senile, Picard.” Picard stiffened slightly. “Wait. Did… you get a diagnosis?”

“Assuming that the thing you showed me was a real possible future at the time… I’ve managed to put it off for some years, based on the warning you gave me, but it’s not curable. Yes. I have Irumodic Syndrome. Thank you for the extra years, by the way. I wouldn’t have known to take the treatments that can slow it down or put it off, if not for you.”

“And you’re just going to let this happen?” Q stood up and started to pace, angrily gesticulating with his hands. “You’re all right with just losing your mind? Your intellect, your memories? You’re going to let all that disappear in a haze of confusion and end up in a nursing home drooling applesauce onto your bib?”

Picard turned his hands out and up in his lap, a shrug without shoulders. “I don’t see where I have an alternative. I suppose I could die in the course of this quest, and then I’d avoid it…”

“No.” Q spun on his heel and faced Picard. “There’s another way. Come with me.”

“Come… with you?”

“To the Continuum,” Q clarified.

Picard stood. “Q. You know I have no desire to become something other than human.”

“It isn’t about what you desire.” Q started pacing again. “I know what you want, Picard. If I was making this offer because I care about you and I don’t want to see everything that made you you slowly evaporate before you finally shuffle off this mortal coil and I never see you again, I know you’d say no. ‘I have no desire to be anything other than human, Q’, like being human is the ultimate achievement.”

“It may not be the ultimate achievement, but it is what I am. And if you’re not making this offer because you don’t want me to die—”

“I don’t want any more Q to die,” Q said, walking toward Picard, his eyes completely focused on Picard’s. “You’re a diplomat. You’ve stopped countless wars, talked species who were torn apart by civil war into negotiating with each other. And my war isn’t over, not if someone is planting bombs. And the next one could be my son. Or Amanda. Or my ex. Irritating as she is, I don’t want her to die. I don’t want any of them to die, even my enemies.” He knelt in front of Picard, looking up at him. “Please, Jean-Luc. I’m not asking because I want to make you a god and gloat about how you misuse power – in the Continuum we’re not omnipotent, anyway. I’m not asking because I don’t want you to die – I don’t, but I know you won’t accept a reason like that, and I accepted your eventual death as the consequence of caring about a mortal back when I first figured out that you were more to me than a project. I’m asking because the Q don’t have anyone like you, someone who can compromise but who has the kind of iron will and courage of convictions needed to demand that everyone around you compromise too.”

“My ability to compromise didn’t help the people of the Cardassian Demilitarized Zone, in the end,” Picard said softly. “It didn’t save the Romulans.”

“Yes, yes, are you sure you don’t already think you’re a god? You certainly take the blame like you think you’re omnipotent.” Q stood up. “I know you’ve failed at things. But you’re better at this than me. You’re better at this than any Q in the Continuum. And they won’t listen to you if you’re a mere mortal.”

“But they’ll listen to me if I’m a brand new Q?”

“Yes. Because you’ll make them listen. And because my faction will support you.” He paced again. “You’re worried about misusing your power? We can keep you from coming back to this plane of existence until everyone you cared about is dead, so you’re not tempted to intervene. You’re worried about not being human? Well, when you’re dead you’re not a human being because you’re not being anything at all. If you can contemplate ceasing to exist, how can you refuse to contemplate ceasing to exist as you are, transforming rather than dying?”

Picard took a deep breath. “If you’d come to me a few weeks ago, I might have said yes, but… I have obligations, now. I have to find Data’s other daughter, and protect her.”

Q took a deep breath. “I know where she is, but she’s beyond my reach.”

“So she’s in the Beta Quadrant, somewhere near the area of space affected by the Romulan supernova.”

“Yes.”

“And you can’t save her or help her because she’s in a place where Q power doesn’t work.”

“Yes.”

“I already know where she is, Q. She’s on the Artifact. Bruce Maddox told me, a short while ago.”

Q nodded. “Of course you do. But are you aware that when you came in and found me, you thought you were actually back home with your Romulan bodyguards?”

Cold washed over Picard. Q was right. When he’d sensed that someone was in his holographic study, the one that had been programmed to look exactly like home… he’d thought he was home. He’d thought that Laris and Zhaban were around somewhere and that the phasers they’d hidden about the room were also here. “I… yes. You’re right. I can’t deny it.” Picard took a deep breath. “But it doesn’t change anything. As long as I have enough of my mind here in the present that I can keep fighting, I need to find Soji and protect her. She’s all I have left of Data, and… I couldn’t save her sister. I owe it to Data, I owe it to Dahj to find Soji before the Zhat Vash do.”

“And that’s more important than preventing a war. A war that will cause supernovae and kill trillions of mortals as collateral damage, if it breaks out again.”

“I don’t have long to live, Q. Do I? By Q standards?”

“You could live another sixty years and it would be an eyeblink by Q standards, but… no. No, I think you have less time than that, and you know why.”

Picard nodded. “And you told me that you could, in theory, still resurrect Data, but you don’t want to bring him into a world that has banned his species. Which implies that if I died, you could, in theory, resurrect me.”

“Not if you’re in the dead zone when you die.”

“Yes, true. But if a transporter can create copies of people or hold a pattern in a buffer for 80 years, I’m fairly sure you can copy a pattern and hold it in a buffer as insurance against my death in a place you cannot reach.”

“Are you giving me permission to do that?”

“I’m saying yes. To your request. But not now. I’m still alive now, and I have obligations here. I’m not ready to give up my human existence and leave behind everyone I’ve ever known or cared for… yet. But you’re quite right. The nature of mortality says that sooner or later… I will, whether I want to or not.”

“You’re saying yes?” Q looked stunned.

Picard smiled. “I realize that my saying yes to you is an unusual occurrence, but it’s hardly unheard of.”

“I just…” Q shook his head. “I should have known. I picked you for the ability to think outside the constraints of the human condition. I’ve known all along that I could take you at the moment of your death, assuming you’re not inside the dead zone, but I didn’t realize you knew, and I didn’t think you’d give me permission.”

“There’s nothing about death, per se, that’s particularly marvelous,” Picard said dryly. “As a species, mortality gives us a reason to strive, while we live. As an individual… I can’t live forever as a human, and I shouldn’t, and I don’t want to. But from the perspective of everyone I care for, there’s no difference whether I die and cease to exist, or whether I become a new form of life but break my ties with my former existence. And…” He swallowed. “If there is any chance, any chance at all, that I can prevent what happened to Romulus from happening to other worlds… yes. Yes, very few sacrifices are too great for that. I’m willing to give up my death, and my humanity upon my death, to try to prevent war in the Q Continuum.”

“But you’re not willing to give up what remains of your life.”

“No. Soji is beyond your reach, you’ve said so. I presume the Zhat Vash are mostly beyond your reach as well. And I don’t want you stepping in to solve my problems, anyway.”

“Don’t friends help each other?”

“Yes. But friends also don’t demand godlike exercises of power from friends. You thought I’d be upset with you because you tried to save Data, and you failed, because of the bomb. Data wouldn’t have expected that of you and neither would I… alternate timelines regardless. Perhaps my grief was more raw when I said what I said in that other timeline, or perhaps you made me so angry I lashed out. Here and now, though… I want you to understand. You are not my friend because of what you can do for me, with your powers. I’ve never wanted you to do anything for me with your powers; the only time I ever called on you it was because billions of lives were at stake, and that was worth more than my pride as a human.”

“But Soji isn’t?”

Picard closed his eyes. “If you had the power to snap your fingers and ensure her safety, I might say yes, but you’ve told me you don’t. And I don’t want the Zhat Vash deciding to target the Q, not in your people’s weakened state… yes, I know, I know, you’re still omnipotent, we mere mortals can’t possibly hope to harm you, et cetera… but I know the Borg were attempting to work on a means of capturing and assimilating one of you, and that was before you had a war and invented weapons that work on your kind. I can’t rule out that the Zhat Vash could find a way to harm you if you turned your power on them as a blunt force instrument but didn’t have the power to find and stop them all.”

“I think that’s a silly thing to be afraid of, but I’m touched by your concern.” He said it as if it was sarcastic, but the expression on his face was tender. “But very well. I’ll stay out of your quest. I’ll let you live out however long you have, in your human life. I won’t do anything either to hasten or to prevent your death. And when you die, I’ll repair your mind if I have to, if Irumodic Syndrome has taken too much of it away, and I’ll make you a Q, and you’ll come to the Continuum with me to save my people, and your galaxy.”

“To try my best, at the very least,” Picard said.

Q smiled like a man who didn’t want to smile but couldn’t help himself. “You have no idea how delighted I am to hear that.” He spread his arms. “Hug?”

Picard chuckled. “I don’t do hugs, Q, I’m far too emotionally repressed for that. You know better.”

“I do, yes.” Q laughed… and then leaned in and kissed Picard on the cheek before Picard could stop him or back away. “Is that better? I understand you Frenchmen kiss each other like that all the time.”

“Two hundred years ago. Cultures change. We also don’t use expressions like ‘mon petit chou’ anymore.”

“I can’t call you my little cabbage?”

“Not without sounding hopelessly out of date and archaic.”

“You didn’t seem to mind the kiss, though.”

“I’m too old to let myself get riled up by your pranks,” Picard said, smiling broadly.

“What if it wasn’t a prank?”

“Then I’m too old to let myself get riled up by that, either.” He gripped Q’s arms by the elbows. “But don’t wait to come visit until I’m dead and it’s time for our bargain to come due. I’m going to worry about you if I don’t see you.”

Q shook his head. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

Picard released him. “And if you want to propose to me, you have to wait until we’re on the same form of existence. The stress of trying to arrange a wedding at my age really could kill me.”

Q choked on laughter for a moment. “Well, in English, ‘commitment’ is another term for being locked up in the funny farm, and that about sums up how I feel about marriage. But I’ll be absolutely sure to take you out on a few dates while you’re still human. Wine and dine you while it matters.”

“I look forward to it.” Picard glanced at the holographic replica of a clock. It wasn’t moving. Of course not. “Well, whether you have stopped time or not, apparently I am still growing tired, and the hour was late when you came to visit. I need to return to bed.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to deprive you of your beauty sleep, mon amiral.”

“I think I liked ‘mon capitaine’ better.”

“I did too. You never should have let them promote you.”

Picard shrugged. “Time moves forward. We can’t desperately cling to the past, even if it made us happier. Life gives us no choice but to keep growing and changing. Even you, I think.”

“Yes.” Q nodded in agreement. “Even me.”

“Take care of yourself, Q.”

“I’d tell you to do the same, Jean-Luc, but I know you won’t. Not while there are still swashes to buckle and fair maidens to save.”

“Well. I’ll charge into danger without much regard for the odds against me, but I promise to take care of my health, at least.”

“That’s the best I’ll get out of you, I suppose.” Q grinned, and manufactured a hat, obviously so he could tip it. “Until next time, then.”

And he was gone.

[q-card]

Okay, but imagine Picard has not seen Q since Farpoint (or sometime shortly after) and thinks that Q has moved on. But in S2 of Picard (shut up there will be S2) he discovers that Q had lost his powers & made human 20 something years ago and was stranded somewhere far more hostile/isolated and only now managed to escape.

This actually makes a lot of sense because ST: Picard is set 20 years after Nemesis, and if Q was made human back then that would explain why he aged. Anon, you should be part of the writing team on this show. 

 ALSO let’s not forget that he helped Jean-Luc save humanity in All Good Things (and like, he got into trouble with the Q Junior incident and all that but I hate what they did to him in Voyager so let’s not talk about that lmao) So Q was already on thin freaking ice. I can easily see him being punished by the Continuum for like pestering the Calamarain again or something

Imagine human!Q, dark and bitter and completely worn-out, and Jean-Luc isn’t quite sure if he should trust him: after all, this feels like déjà Q (pun intend- okay okay sorry) But Q is lost and injured and asking Jean-Luc for help (imagine him saying the “because in all the universe, you're the closest thing I have to a friend, Jean-Luc” line again, but this time it’s desperate and pleading) 

And Jean-Luc feels that this isn’t the Q he used to know, but it’s been over 20 years and he has no idea what this means. Through space adventures they learn to trust each other and work together to Fight Evil or whatever plot the writers have in mind

 (and at the end when Q sacrifices himself for Jean-Luc they realize they have feelings for each other and the Continuum thinks this is enough to redeem Q so they bring him back to life and give him back his powers, except Q doesn’t want them anymore, he wants to be human with Jean-Luc okay shut me up now)

[jimintomystery]

TNG: “Déjà Q”

Q returns while the Enterprise tries to stop a moon from colliding into Bre’el IV.  He claims that his people have turned him into a mortal, powerless human being, and requests sanctuary from the various alien races he has annoyed over the years.  The crew is loathe to admit Q might be telling the truth, even as they struggle to protect him from the vengeful Calamarain.

If you’re not paying attention you might think this story is playing off of “Hide and Q.”  In that episode, Q’s antics are obnoxious but relatively harmless--teasing the crew with mortal danger but always bluffing--and then he gets whisked away in the end for disciplinary action.  Here, we find the Q Continuum has punished Q for “spreading chaos” by stripping him of his powers, and the crew’s biggest concern is that it’s some sort of prank.  It feels to me like the two episodes fit together back to back.

Except, of course, Q’s punishment from “Hide and Q” was addressed in “Q Who,” where we found him in exile, powers and all.  That episode interrupts the motif of Q as a godlike pest by having him throw a genuinely dangerous tantrum, with lives lost so that he can win a petty argument with Captain Picard.  And it ends without any obvious reason that Q would be brought back before the Continuum for a harsher sentencing.  Well, no reason beyond inciting years of conflict between the Federation and the Borg.  I wonder if the Continuum would have a problem with that...

There are two ways to play this sort of plot--the crew can either refuse to entertain Q’s claims, or they can derive amusement from his sudden reversal of fortune.  Unfortunately “ Déjà Q” tries to have it both ways, with moments like Picard demanding that Q drop the act but also patiently explaining how falling asleep works.  Realistically, the crew shouldn’t want to let on that they buy Q’s story for a second, but then we’d miss out on all the classic gags, so I can see why just picking one or the other was a tough choice.

As usual Q gets to deliver some snarky zingers, but his line about “your tired cliché of charging to the rescue just in the nick of time” marks a significant change.  Up to that point, he’s simply been an trickster god making wry observations about humanity, but now he’s making wry observations about the television show he appears in.  “Omnipotent being” characters indulge in this shtick fairly often, but it’s not a requirement.  Q had managed to get along without it...until now.

Consider his line about Commander Riker’s beard (and the look Riker shoots at him for saying it).  It’s a cute gag, but it only works as a “gag” by depending on fans sitting at home knowing the show’s style has changed a lot since Jonathan Frakes grew the beard, and that the beard has curiously never been directly acknowledged in dialogue.  For better or worse, Q will become the character who gets away with the things wiseass Trekkies wish they could say and do on the starship Enterprise, adding a whole new dimension of navel-gazing metahumor to the Star Trek franchise.

[qstionableanswers]

Feeling festive

Deck the halls with Captain’s trousers, falalalala Kiss Jean-Luc and tease the officers, falalalala Now I wear my gay apparel, falalalala Troll the whole Enterprise, falalalala

See the blazing Calamarain before us, falalalala Strike the lightning and join the chorus, falalalala Follow me in merry measure, trrrralalalala While I tell of my big treasure ‘,:), falalalala

[trumpet solo]

Fast away the system passes, falalalala (how many falalas are there even?) Fail it all, ye lads and lasses, falanevermind Kiss the Captain all again, hehehe Needless to say, I am better (at kissing than anyone else), falalalala

[stellarred]

THE HUMAN CONDITION

Let's all take a moment to remember that in Deja Q, poor Q, who was scared upon experiencing for the first time in millions of aeons what it's like to have a mortal body that falls asleep for example, told Picard that he needed guidance, and Picard just brushed him off.

Q told Picard, whom he trusted out of ALL beings in the Universe, that he needed support in learning what it was to be human, and Picard just came back with, "If you want to continue with this charade, you can do it alone."

I felt bad for Q. The anxiety at being in a fragile, human body, and cut off from his home, The Universe, and all that he had ever known in his existence, and not a single person could be bothered to give him at least some sort of orientation into having a human body. Come ON! It didn't even have to be a good orientation. A few explanations of what it's like to be tired, what it feels like when you have to go to the bathroom, feel hunger, etc.

We know the anxiety and even FEAR when something unexpected happens in our bodies (a sudden pain, bleeding, etc). We know this to be true.

Granted, Q is feeling normal sensations, but DAMN!

He must've been so scared.

And he STILL loved Picard enough to throw a party at the end and give him ALL the credit for saving him from the Calamarain when Q2 did it! 🥲🥲😭😭😭

I just...can't.

[theempressar]

Q/Picard OTP 4, 11, 36, 42, 50

4. When they can’t sleep, what do they do?

Q: Goes and gives Picard a hard time.  He likes appearing at any place and any time.  Mainly when Picard is at his most vulnerable. Q doesn’t need sleep of course...but when he was human for a time, he dreamed of Picard. 

Picard:  Picard lives in denial about his feelings for Q.  But he really obsesses over the Omnipotent Being.  Sad thing is he’s told Q not to get inside his head or read his thoughts but Q does anyway and knows when Picard is having a hard time sleeping over him.  Picard plays his flute...or reads Shakespeare but he seldom concentrates and wonders what Q is up to 24-7.  

11. Who rearranges the bookshelf/DVD shelf in alphabetical order?

Q will wait until Picard has it all organized just the way he wants it...he still believes in some of those archaic relics called books but no DVDs exist in that time...but just when Picard gets it all ordered (because he’s a fussy pants and wants everything in it’s place) Q will snap his fingers and Picard will have to go on a wild goose chase all over the ship looking for his books.  They could be anywhere!

36. Which one is the secret snuggler?

Q is...he’s very handsy-feely....He has no qualms about touching and getting close much to the discomfort of Picard.  Jean Luc likes to be snuggled no doubt but, Q is always testing his limits and Picard’s patience by trying to get a snuggle or cuddle in situations where the Captain needs to be the Captain and handle his duties.  He’d much rather be snuggling with Q but there is a time and place for everything!

42. What is their favorite feature of their partner?

Oh well...of course, Q loves Picard’s bald head. In the 24th century you’d think they’d have that cure for baldness...but Picard always goes against the grain...he loves his uniqueness.  Q has even shown him what it’s like to live with hair...all lengths, colors, textures and feels when they role play....but Picard always wants to go back to the way he is. 

Picard loves Q’s sensual lips.  He has some of the best lips in the galaxy and he’s a REALLY good kisser.  He can kiss Picard into other worlds he doesn’t do it often because it overwhelms him...but when it happens....planets implode.

50. Who gets overwhelmed by small acts of kindness?

Q is not a very kind being.  However he’s shown The Enterprise the existence of  The Borg and has warned them to be prepared.  Picard is constantly on his guard for whatever Q may teach a lesson to humanity and it wears on his nerves because it’s seldom a kind experience.  The one time Picard was overwhelmed by a sheer act of unadulterated kindness from Q was when he turned into a human for a time and Data sacrificed himself to save Q from the Calamaraine who had come looking for Q to make him pay for all of the torture he gave them.  

Q bestowed a special thank you gift to Data of a moment of laughter...which Data said it was a wonderful feeling.

Thank you for the ASKS!!!  @dream-beyond-the-fantasy  It’s fun going down my “Failing Memory Lane” 

[lacetrekmusings]

TNG liveblog: Deja Q (WOOOO)

uh-oh deadly deadly moon

I’m digging the look of these aliens though

I love LeVar Burton’s voice. I just love it. I could listen to it all day. maybe it’s from all the reading rainbow as a child but it’s just the best.

OMG Naked Q hahahaha. he’s trying a new tactic to get picards attention, literally throwing himself naked at the enterprise.

Lol they think its his fault the moon is falling.

Q’s fascination with the human race continues in choosing to become one

OMG THE LOOK ON JEAN-LUC’S FACE WHEN HE SAYS ‘THE CLOSEST THING I HAVE TO A FRIEND’

“What must I do to convince you?” “Die” AHAHA WORF YOU ARE PERFECT

I like how they just had clothes for him almost immediately.

Q you’re not making any friends here

BRIGHT LIGHT

I should read more PicardQ lol

lol Q being terrified of falling asleep awwww

I feel like there’s no way a Q’s knowledge could be contained in a human mind lol

lol Data is the Q-sitter. “It means that you have achieved in disgrace what I have always desired to be.” DATA I LOVE YOU

Q they can’t change the gravitational constant of the universe haha.

AHAHAHA BEVERLY “you’ve been a pain in out backside often enough.”

GUINAN!!!

MORE Q-GUINAN STANDING OFF. SHE FUCKING STABBED HIM

“The only way you’re gonna survive is on the charity of others” hahaha yes

Whoop The weird Blue cloud has come for Q

Guinan is so enjoying him suffering and I love it

Picard sees right through you Q

Q and Data make a charming odd pair

GEORDI IS TAKING NONE OF YOUR SHIT Q

not NOW Calamarain, we just got the moon moving

Oh no Data!

I love when Geordi and Beverly work in tandem to help Data

Picard listens to Q pour his heart out, just looks at him and sips his tea. that’s just too delightful

does no one watch the shuttles? can people just open the shuttlebay doors without permission?

Aww Q is attempting to sacrifice himself. ‘as a human i would have died of boredom’ hahah, yeah probably.

Picard feeling the need to justify himself to riker to try to save him HAHAHA yes good

another Q! that’s up to 3 (counting the one from TOS)

Q’s back!

omg with a mariachi band and everything, while Picard suffers.

Q letting Data laugh is the sweetest damn thing. IT WAS A WONDERFUL FEELING *sobs*

aw Q put the moon back. awwwww

i loved thatttttttt 10/10 lovely episode

[weepylucifer]

Déjà Q au where Q talks to Picard alone and admits that he's scared and Picard awkwardly comforts him and Q just lets himself be held by Picard because he honestly can't remember the last time he was touched and wow this hugging thing is pretty great. Picard's still not sure if he trusts Q, but he can't help but feel sympathy for him.

Can I just pounce on “Deja Q AU” real quick and??? just imagine an AU where Q never really gets his powers back and just???

the continuum still saves his ass from the calamarain but they just dump his ass back on the enterprise like “don’t try that shit again” and he still has to live as a human and like

his Human Shenanigans entail getting his ass landed in sickbay and almost dying bc he accidentally starved himself bc he still has no idea what food is and didn’t anticipate humans need to eat THAT MUCH…. trying and failing to live off coffee bc “it makes him sleep less”… figuring out that Being Touch-Starved is very much a thing…. Depression….

edit: and of course he’s still pining for Picard, but now he won’t say anything abt it bc he thinks that without his powers he has nothing to offer

[theboardwalkbody]

Star Trek confession:

Despite how hard I try I can never remember the name for the Calamarain until I watch Deja Q. I always end up calling them the Calamari in my head and then I get angry because I KNOW that's not their name but I can never remember what it ACTUALLY IS without looking it up.