Q/Self Demonstrating

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
My handsome mortal visage. My real form not being comprehensible, this will have to do for your lesser eyes to comprehend my stunning good looks.

Ah, you arrived, mortal, just as I expected. It seems your universe has, wisely I might add, taken an interest in the Q Continuum and especially I, Q. Unlike a certain micro-brained Klingon, I salute you for rising above the limitations of your carbon-based existence to notice. I admit I am amused you believe either the Q Continuum or myself can be described using the devices of the media you call "tropes", but knowledge does have to start somewhere.

You may know me from the Star Trek television program as conceived by Gene Roddenberry, one of the few mortals I can say deserves unalloyed respect for becoming aware of the Q far in advance beyond most of your fellow mortals. While I'm not sure his frail depiction of the Q is adequate, it is likely the best humanity will get to showing our glory and intelligence in a context your species can comprehend. While we've had dealings with other realities, including yours, the multiverse as depicted in Star Trek is where you can find some of the clearest examples of our presence to currently understand myself and the other Q.

Without further ado, let us step forward into the breach, if I may crib from Jean-Luc's love of the work of William Shakespeare and get on to describing myself insofar as this encyclopedia medium you call All The Tropes will allow. And if you wish to contact me by other means, I'll contact you if I need to. Otherwise I think this message from when I bothered to have a phone number will explain why you shouldn't waste your limited lifespan.


Those mortal tropes which this particular esteemed member of the Q Continuum can be roughly described by


  • Above Good and Evil: I'm aware many lesser beings would assign some form of primitive morality to myself and the Continuum, but that's absurd. We operate on a plane of existence and a scale far beyond any mortal conception. What I and the Continuum do thus does not apply to such scales. Admittedly, we do (and yes, that even includes me) have a vested interest in not destroying reality or realities on a whim, but that is not for any mortal conception of "good". I'd try to explain if I were not averse to doing useless things, so let's just suffice to say the mortal conception of morality has no application to our own.
  • Adult Child: I'm often accused of being very in touch with my inner child. Then again, I find it amusing most of those making the accusations tend to be billions of years younger than me. To be fair, many Q older than me feel the same way, so sure, I'll admit to it.
  • Anti-Villain: Yes, I have put Humanity on Trial, but even then I do want humanity to have a fair chance to pass said trial.
  • Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: I already have billions of years ago. I'm just waiting for the mortals to catch up.
  • Author Avatar: I have chosen John De Lancie to be my "guise" to most often represent me when dealing with humanity. One of the few mortals who, had I been born one, I believe I might have been before I ascended to the immortal heights I inhabit now. Hopefully, you can appreciate his efforts to express who I am in a way your mortal mind can comprehend.
  • Awesome Ego: When you have reached the level of being a Q, what would be an unearned ego by a lesser being is indeed "Awesome".
  • Badass: I am a Q, it goes with the territory.
  • Bling of War: I and other Q do so love to poke fun at the mortal love for flashy uniforms by wearing these.
  • Bunny Ears Lawyer: Even by Q standards I tend to be eccentric, but I can be competent anyway. As for the trope name, next time I visit Kathy and/or Jean-Luc, I may just make the trope literal, their reactions would be totally worth it.
  • Deadpan Snarker: I have to put up with the impatience and simple logic of mortals, drily snarking at their idiocy is how I endure it.
  • Debt Detester: I have, very rarely, been indebted to mortals, most notably during that one time the Continuum exiled me to a mortal form once. I do NOT want to make a habit of those instances.
  • Henpecked Husband: I'm a married man and yes, my wife would fit this description in regards to me, but in that regard, I suppose mortal men with wives of their own can relate.
  • Even Chaotic Trickster Gods Have Loved Ones: There is an actual logic to what I do, the title "god" is an oversimplification, and calling me evil is another foolish exercise in applying mortal moral values to a Q, but yes, I do owe some allegiance to my fellow Q, my darling wife and son especially. See the "Papa Wolf" entry above for details.
  • Evil Mentor: I try to avoid this trope, I do believe in fair play for lesser races, believe it or not. However, in my younger years, I did have one of these before I realized how much this trope applied. Ironically, they only reinforced my belief in fair play.
  • A God Am I: By mortal standards, yes, I would be.
  • Great Gazoo: Unlike the being in question, I'm not a small green alien on a cartoon, but I do serve as an advanced intelligence who does bring some magic to the grey lives of mortals. And interesting things do happen when I show up.
  • Jackass Genie: I was one once to Lwaxana Troi as a joke, which unfortunately backfired in such a way I'd rather not belabor it. Needless to say, I keep a wide distance between us since, though I will munch popcorn from a distance as she amusingly drives Jean-Luc crazy with her presence.
  • Jerkass: A right the Q has more than earned. It is rather annoying having to be the smart one compared to most mortals.
    • Jerkass God: I have had some of the more simple mortals worship me, to my amusement. I have also taken advantage of this to smite the particularly annoying ones who were too dense to realize even "gods" have tempers and patience you shouldn't test.
    • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Regardless, the Q, and especially me, we do care about lesser races. Humanity has shown some sparks of true genius that could allow them to reach our level, and I and the Continuum would rather see those sparks become a promising flame. Other species who can do likewise also will receive our approbation.
  • Humanity Ensues: UGH, please do not remind me. The Continuum briefly forced me to live as one after I got on their bad side once. and it was not an experience I want to repeat. It still amazes me that albino android wants to be an actual human.
  • Insufferable Genius: By mortal standards, I would be. They shall have to have to get over it. Besides, to use a human quotation, "Rome was not built in a day", and it took me a few billion years to acquire the intellect I have now. I suppose mortals are simply jealous, but that's both amusing and understandable.
  • It's All About Me: I find it amazing mortals try so hard to argue they have more important things than to devote their undivided attention to a Q, especially me. Alas, mortal priorities are so myopic it's embarrassing (for them).
  • Large Ham: Better to be the life of the party than a wallflower after all.
  • Living Forever Is Awesome: Believe me, it is a nice perk. Mortals and their having physical bodies that die are so depressing.
  • Lovable Rogue: I'm well aware some mortals would greatly contest the first half, but in comparison to my fellow Q, I do deign to take interest in mortals the most, and again, despite some of them not believing it like the primitives they are, I do care, in my own way. I just have my own unorthodox way of showing it. Not that many of the stuffier, boring Q appreciate me either, hence my going "rogue" from their dull expectations.
  • Noble Demon: By mortal standards, I have been called judgmental, cruel, and capricious. At the same time, all but my bitterest enemies will concede I'm ultimately fair when I give others a chance to prove themselves and will honor my word if I explicitly promise to do so in advance.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: As much as Kathy and Jean-Luc complain about it, silly as that is. Besides, I had a hand in making that tangible realm they occupy, I should be charging them rent for the privilege.
  • One-Letter Name: Q. All of the Continuum are all Q. For the convenience of mortals who find it hard to keep track of us as easily as we do ourselves, I shall use descriptors to accommodate the slower-witted who read this page.
  • Reality Warper: One of the many gifts of being a Q. Given we also had a hand in creating that reality to a considerable extent, you could add "Reality Maker" to my resume as well.
  • Really Several Billion Years Old: I forget the exact number, I've lived so long it's somewhat pointless to keep track, but my lifespan is somewhere in the double-digit billions and counting.
  • Serious Business: I do so despise this state of being, it makes me so much like the more insipid and cautious members of my kind. Regardless, even I know some matters even the Q should not trifle with, and mortals would be wise to avoid where we of all beings fear to tread.
  • Sitcom Arch Nemesis: Guinan. While El-Aurians are not Q, they are rather close to comprehending our true nature compared to other mortals, and the disgust she feels for me is very much mutual. Ironically, she's rather more positive on Q who are not myself.
  • Story-Breaker Power: I could easily fix everything around me, it is within my power. I don't because that would be very dull, and the Continuum and I don't intervene in natural entropy taking its course unless we have a reason to.
  • Sufficiently Advanced Alien: By mortal standards, but that's fair enough, they aren't wrong per se. At the same time, that barely begins to describe me, but you know, mortal comprehension is so limited.
  • Super Empowering: I did this for both William Riker (who ultimately turned it down) and Lwaxana Troi as a joke on my part (which backfired, sadly).
  • Trickster Mentor: Admittedly, even when I want to be helpful I like to have some fun with those I help. In my defense, I despise being boring and I find a little bit of humor tends to make delivering a needed lesson to a mortal more bearable, even if they don't seem to appreciate it.
  • Troll: Especially if you happen to be a humorless bald mortal Frenchman who could really stand to loosen up. Some might argue I am this trope to everyone, but as they say, everyone's a critic.
  • Unreliable Narrator: Okay, I do embellish sometimes, but who doesn't spice up a few stories to make them more interesting?



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