Unpopular Opinion- Qum is extremely annoying.

Jenningsbryan1896

I'm probably going to get significant disagreement with this one, but the more I play the more I am utterly convinced that Qum is irritating. The biggest point I noticed is, on one playthrough, entering the first Gathering with 89 (1 below the most important threshold) RP. And as such, she's really frustrating. "But... but Qum belongs to..." etc.

Let's put this in perspective. Your master, who you're mindlessly devoted to, is working on a plan to save the world and (as far as Qum knows) is currently suffering greatly for it. You have an opportunity to help him and your other hardworking allies by fucking some orcs or another succubus (as a species that craves and lives off of sex) and instead, you tell Yarra, your closest friend, to deal with it all herself. That's a shocking lack of commitment.

I'll also mention her "research," which asks Simon to take important resources from the previously mentioned world-saving journey to do nothing but create a drug that makes the afflicted follow her ridiculous speech patterns. How productive.

In addition, I haven't been able to get the vision out of my head of being in a life and death battle while Qum stands at the back occasionally casting buffing spells while exclaiming "Oh no! The Simon is getting his eyes gouged out!"

Fulminato

Jenningsbryan1896 who you're mindlessly devoted to

this is your error. qum is everything but mindless
dominated varia is mindless devoted to simon.

Grim8P

Jenningsbryan1896

To try and actually engage with you on this topic, here are some of my thoughts:

but the more I play the more I am utterly convinced that Qum is irritating

I had the exact opposite reaction to Qum. Initially I found her extremely troubling. As time goes on, you can see she is brilliant in her own way. She helps Robin dismantle a seal in the cave system between Stineford and Yhilin, by casting a highly complex spell perfectly on her first try, something two other mages failed spectacularly at. It is very possible that they would all have died in that cave if Qum was unable to assist Robin in dismantling the seal. Everyone has their own strengths. This scene shows this perfectly, and was the moment Qum turned around for me personally.

Let's put this in perspective.

Qum's mind does not work in a way that this is a helpful way to approach her as a character. If you can only view her this way, you won't ever see her, or anyone with her sort of unique strengths, in a positive light.

I'll also mention her "research," which asks Simon to take important resources from the previously mentioned world-saving journey to do nothing but create a drug that makes the afflicted follow her ridiculous speech patterns. How productive.

It is actually productive though? It helps attain the best results for this event IIRC.

And please don't try to sell me on how "she's smart in her own way," she has lines in game where she claims she's stupid.

This is countered elsewhere, but I'll add that "I don't like this argument so don't use it with me" is a bad argument.

Jenningsbryan1896

Fulminato Maybe the emotional connection exists more than Varia, but the lack of intellect makes it so difficult for me as there's no good reasoning or explanation behind it like for most everyone else, it's just that she craves it, even before he becomes an incubi.

And please don't try to sell me on how "she's smart in her own way," she has lines in game where she claims she's stupid.

Fulminato

Jenningsbryan1896 i often say i'm stupid, i have a physics degree too.
do you think i'm stupid?

qum brain don't works in the same ways all other brain do. this is an hinderance for somethings, but let her exceptional in others. she is able to sense the existence of the tower, and all magic conneted to it, a thing most high skilled mage don't even know it exist, and she can do that without any traning at all.

dude123nice

Fulminato I mean, you might say that you're stupid, but I doubt you actually act like Qum IRL. Ppl who act like that are called mentally handicapped for a reason.

LOLtohru

Qum says she's stupid in part because people have always told her she's stupid. The characters and even that one comic pretty much say she's an idiot-savant. One subplot of the whole story is her developing self-worth as the harem is kind to her.

The Gathering is back when she's at her most insecure and she just saw Simon taken away. And she CAN get over this if you have her affection high. Why expect her undying devotion in the game scenario where it hasn't been earned?

Jenningsbryan1896

LOLtohru Her devotion seems undying enough when the going is easy.

And everyone's just seen Simon taken away, but everyone else gets over it enough to get their part of the plan done. She needs to be feeling good about it. That's not having a unique brain, that's a lack of resilience and emotional maturity. Not even related to her intellect, which is debatable, I admit. The emotional weakness is not.

ColinHunt

Jenningsbryan1896 If you don't like the characterizations in the game, why are you playing it and wasting everyone's time by whining about it?

Raiker

Jenningsbryan1896 And everyone's just seen Simon taken away, but everyone else gets over it enough to get their part of the plan done.

Perhaps, but to what extent everyone work for the plan (and many of the future plans) is dependant on their RP. Qum isn't unique here. Yarra's affection also influence her performance at the Gathering, though to a lesser degree. Or how far Aka will go to stop airship in the Yhilin Battle. So Qum also gets over it and work for the plan, but only if she is truly at the level of complete devotion.

Jenningsbryan1896 That's not having a unique brain, that's a lack of resilience and emotional maturity.

Well, to me it looks like she is insecure about her relationship with Simon unless she is maxed. That's understandable. And I think it's unreasonable to expect resilience of a hardened war veteran from, apparently, the young person on autism spectre. At the very least so early in the story.

ColinHunt If you don't like the characterizations in the game, why are you playing it and wasting everyone's time by whining about it?

Maybe because he doesn't like one character out of several dozens in what he considers a good game overall? I may disagree with his criticism, but, unless it's offered in the explicitly offensive manner, I don't see how it should be met with a suggestion to shut up.

Named

I like Qum, but can see where the OP is coming from. She is emotionally fragile at this point unless you have done a lot to assure her that she's important to Simon (IE, maxed her RP).

ColinHunt

Raiker what part about " If you don't like the characterizations in the game, why are you playing it" did you not understand? If one doesn't like it, don't play. That doesn't say "shut up". It says "go away if you don't like it."

Raiker

ColinHunt That doesn't say "shut up".

The part about "whining about it" (which you, curiously, didn't include in your self-quotation) sends that exact message.

ColinHunt

Raiker Too bad. Don't like the game's characters? Don't play instead of whining about it and wasting everyone's time moaning.

Grim8P

The purpose of this forum is covered by the first sentence in the post under Guidelines:

This forum may discuss any works by the developer of The Last Sovereign, Sierra Lee.

Starting a discussion around not liking a given character is fine. I don't agree with basically anything posted in the OP. Other people are allowed to have opinions I disagree with.

ColinHunt

Raiker Too bad. Don't like the game's characters? Don't play instead of whining about it and wasting everyone's time moaning.

Your posts are not helpful in any capacity. They add no value to this discussion. They're also countered by your own logic:

If you do not like OP's take on the character, why are you posting about it in this thread instead of ignoring it? It seems to me that you're doing the same thing you dislike about the OP's post, wasting people's time by whining about it.

Battlewarrior

My additional two cents: how far characters are willing to go to help Simon is based on RP--I dare say RP is the indicator as to that. There has been quite literally dozens if not hundreds of occasions of this: Sarai's RP indicating how much influence she has in Gawnfall (A.K.A how much she'll help Simon); Altina, Varia, and Hilstara's RP adds extra score in the Aramite Front during 3AW (representing, I think, that they fight harder for Simon). Almost every single RP lock scene is something around the lines of, "I'll support you to death in spite of any bullshit that may happen". Prime example is Carina's RP lock, where she finally realized Simon has always been there for her, and so pledges eternal loyalty to Simon.

So a gameplay where Qum isn't above 90 (or RP locked, for that matter) represents a gameplay where Simon had not done enough to earn Qum's trust and loyalty, so it seems quite logical that Qum wouldn't go very far to help Simon's cause if she has low RP.

Fulminato

dude123nice as someone in the autism specturm [asperger] some of my behaviour patterns are way, way worse of qum.

you don't even know the definition of "handicapped" at least as modern medicine define it and sadly my skin know it to well. if you cannot see beyond strange talking pattern and anomalous behaviour schemes, well, it isn't my job to force you to do. but that exist nonetheless. the best proof is during the first gathering the party talk with 'glasses' in fucklord room.

Johnbowethejoker

You have such a deep misunderstanding of the characters, their motivations, and the meta context of the games mechanics that I have to wonder how you were even able to get up to the part of the game you reference. Yeah, she has some issues with communication that caused her to be ostracized, developing issues with self worth and dependency. But she is demonstrated from very early on as having an understanding of the world and how the primary mechanism of civilization functions (that is to say Magic) that outstrips most other characters in the setting. She's an object lesson in how just because someone's behavior and/or speech doesn't match one's mental image of what a competent person is, does not mean they are not competent or without value.

Also it was a magic BOMB you cretin, and it was goddamn adorable.