Pathetic.

[qcontinuum]

So this is his latest obsession. He stages a revolution in the Continuum, wins it, has a child, and he's *still* completely besotted with ridiculous mortals, to the point where he's got nothing better to do than send them letters. Using this ludicrously primitive network, no less.

If you're going to play at being a mortal, do it. Immerse yourself in it. Don't take to yourself the privileges of omnipotence and yet obsess over communicating with mortals. I can't believe how absurd he is. And talking to them as if they could actually give him insight? Whining endlessly about his problems with the child? (Which, frankly, don't surprise me. The child is spoiled rotten. I might have expected Q to have no concept of discipline.)

How completely ridiculous. Also, completely expected. I knew he'd be up to something stupid, although I boggle at quite how stupid.

Comments

Re: *Everything* is a contest in the Q Continuum.

[kathrynjaneway.livejournal.com]

Well, apparently your method works quite well for the Continuum, though as a 'limited' Human I marvel that you ever manage to get anything done and aren't constantly in a state of Civil War.

But, since having a child was a new and radical departure from the Q way of doing things up to now, don't you think perhaps it might be wise to consider trying new methods of dealing with him, and with each other as far as his welfare is concerned?

Re: *Everything* is a contest in the Q Continuum.

[qcontinuum.livejournal.com]

Well, apparently your method works quite well for the Continuum, though as a 'limited' Human I marvel that you ever manage to get anything done and aren't constantly in a state of Civil War.

I'll admit it worked much better before we invented a means of killing each other one-on-one.

But, since having a child was a new and radical departure from the Q way of doing things up to now, don't you think perhaps it might be wise to consider trying new methods of dealing with him, and with each other as far as his welfare is concerned?

We *do* try new methods of dealing with him. I mean, we have to. I may have mentioned that Q instinct (well, not literally instinct, we don't *have* any literal instincts, but you know what I mean) is to psychologically attack any Q that demonstrates weakness or lack of self-control. When everyone is even in their level of abilities that works, but we found out with Amanda that it doesn't work with new Q, so we were able to *mostly* avoid making that mistake with q. We're more or less inventing the concept of child rearing in the Continuum from scratch. Even Amanda was far more advanced when she joined us than q is.

As far as dealing with each other... you say it like it's so easy. We've had a particular means of interacting with each other for longer than your species has existed. And besides, she's completely wrong. Imposing mortal military-style discipline on a Q is either going to create a creature with no ability to engage in independent thought, which will destroy him as a Q, or it'll create a creature who takes the first chance to rebel as soon as he's old enough to stand up against us, and I don't want to see the Continuum do to *him* what it did to me to keep me in line. Or do what it did to Amanda's parents. He has to be allowed to make his own mistakes and *understand* why they're a bad idea. And I do so say no to him.

Re: *Everything* is a contest in the Q Continuum.

[kathrynjaneway.livejournal.com]

And besides, she's completely wrong

It's absolutist statements like this that I really can't see being helpful. Especially as you contradict yourself later on by pointing out that you *do* say no to your son, as Q insists is necessary.

Imposing mortal military-style discipline on a Q is either going to create a creature with no ability to engage in independent thought, which will destroy him as a Q, or it'll create a creature who takes the first chance to rebel as soon as he's old enough to stand up against us

Not necessarily. Again, wasn't your purpose in having a child to create a new kind of Q that hadn't existed before? Perhaps you will manage to raise him to be a self-disciplined being, based on the example and patterns you've set for him. That *both* of you have set for him. It doesn't have to be an 'all or nothing' proposition, that either he's an automaton with no mind of his own or else an out-of-control rebel. Even for the Continuum, there has got to be a happy medium.

My mother uses to say that raising a child was like handling a wind-up toy. You can prepare him and point him in the direction you wish him to go, but where he actually ends up is ultimately his choice. But that doesn't mean that all the preparation is futile. You just have to hope you've given him a solid enough foundation that when he *can* make his own decisions, he makes them wisely.