Squall of SeeD and his plot analysis (regarding Quina)

[Uncle Sporky]

I've come from GameFAQs, just read your analysis. Good stuff, I like how it draws from many FF sources including the much maligned movie! I suggest you add some contact information, however. I only found you here through the acknowledgements.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know about an observation that convinced me personally of Quina's gender. It's simple and probably too obvious, but seeing that Zidane's "Protect Girls" does not apply to Quina, I'd say that solidifies him as a male. Of course, there are a lot of ways to argue this point as well, that Zidane doesn't consider Quina a girl or something along those lines, but I just thought it should be included for the sake of completeness. At the least, I'd say it means Quina is not female in any way, shape or form, which rules out the ridiculous wedding argument.

[Squall of SeeD]

I've come from GameFAQs, just read your analysis. Good stuff, I like how it draws from many FF sources including the much maligned movie! I suggest you add some contact information, however. I only found you here through the acknowledgements.

Thanks for the compliments and the advice. ^^ I'll be sure to add contact information with the next update.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know about an observation that convinced me personally of Quina's gender. It's simple and probably too obvious, but seeing that Zidane's "Protect Girls" does not apply to Quina, I'd say that solidifies him as a male. Of course, there are a lot of ways to argue this point as well, that Zidane doesn't consider Quina a girl or something along those lines, but I just thought it should be included for the sake of completeness. At the least, I'd say it means Quina is not female in any way, shape or form, which rules out the ridiculous wedding argument.

I could add that. I suppose I should just because it gets brought up. I didn't really want to at the time of writing it simply because that's an aspect of game mechanics, which -- by nature -- has no bearing on actual physics or storyline reality (Freya can get hit by Fire 20 times and live in a battle, whereas a Cleyran can get nailed by one Fire Spell during a storyline scene and die instantly).

But, yeah, I'll go ahead and mention it just because it's often brought up. Thanks. Sorry you had to go about contacting me this way.

[Flying Mullet]

It's also possible that "Protect Girls" doesn't apply to Quina because Square thought that that would be a dead give-away as to Qunia's sex and left Qunia off so that we would ponder it some more.

[Destai]

I think you're expecting a bit much of Square. I dont think they put that much thought into Quinas sex. Besides. He isnt either sex if Im not mistaken.

[Uncle Sporky]

I could add that. I suppose I should just because it gets brought up. I didn't really want to at the time of writing it simply because that's an aspect of game mechanics, which -- by nature -- has no bearing on actual physics or storyline reality (Freya can get hit by Fire 20 times and live in a battle, whereas a Cleyran can get nailed by one Fire Spell during a storyline scene and die instantly).

Heh, I thought it might've been left out for such a reason, but the seperation of game mechanics and storyline is sort of a fuzzy area. I do agree with you, but using Protect Girls as an example...it at least has a connection to the storyline, being a part of Zidane's nature. The same thing goes for Steiner's sword magic as a result of his respect for Vivi.

If you can accept the skill's results as story canon, then as I said earlier, it at least rules out one of the three possibilities of Quina's gender. Personally, I like male, because it freaks me out less.

But, yeah, I'll go ahead and mention it just because it's often brought up. Thanks. Sorry you had to go about contacting me this way.

No problem, I could've PM'ed you anyway, but I wondered if anybody else here might have any more ideas on the subject (though I suspect it's already been discussed to death).

[Squall of SeeD]

(Final Fantasy VIII Spoilers in this Post; highlight the text below.)
(SPOILER)What Flying Mullet said is a good point, I think, and another reason that this couldn't really be looked to for anything conclusive about Quina's gender. Consider also in Final Fantasy VIII that the battle mechanics designers gave no indication that Edea no longer had the Sorceress Power, even though she had already passed it on. She could still use Magic in her Limit Break without drawing on any other source. For that matter, so could Selphie, who had the most powerful Magicks in the game in her Limit Break from the very beginning of the game. However, she wasn't a Sorceress.

Taking away Edea's ability to use any Magic unaided would have, perhaps, given away that she no longer had the Sorceress Power, just as having Zidane's Protect Girls ability apply to Quina would give the indication that Quina is Female. I doubt that they considered trying to implement the ability to randomly work in regard to Quina and randomly fail so as to confuse anyone who was trying to use that to determine Quina's gender. It was far more simple just to have it not work. Besides, Zidane also refers to Quina with "She/he," so if one wanted to look to the story for a reason why Protect Girls doesn't apply to Quina, it would be because Zidane himself doesn't know what gender Quina might be.

[TheSpoonyBard]

You say that by being exempt from Protect Girls that Quina isn't female - how then do you explain Quina's ability to equip Lamia's Tiara, a headgear specifically for women?

[Uncle Sporky]

Haha, good one, I hadn't noticed. And with those two conflicting pieces of evidence, we have to conclude that Quina is exactly what the game had been saying all along. From a gaming mechanics perspective, at least, that should clinch it.

[Squall of SeeD]

Thanks for that, Forest.

[fire_of_avalon]

I just decided that Qu's were asexual and somehow spawned other Qu's.

[Big D]

I just decided that Qu's were asexual and somehow spawned other Qu's.

Yeah, the game makes it pretty clear that Qu are andrognynous. I don't understand the constant bickering and debate over Quina's gender... all Qu are referred to using gender-neutral pronouns (s/he, etc), except for Quan who Vivi call's "grandfather". However, Quan raised Vivi in a paternal way, so that is understandable, especially since Vivi is a gendered being.

If Qu had genders, that'd be made clear in the game. They don't, so it's not. Why is that so hard to accept?

[Uncle Sporky]

That's easy enough to answer: people don't like thinking of things as unclassified or without gender, as the idea's a little disgusting to most. Even though we're supposed to think of Quina that way, a lot of people refuse to, if for no other reason than to be able to say he or she. We're not trained to call a sentient creature an "it." I wish Quina was a he, I know it's neither gender, but I usually call it a she when talking about the game. I have no idea why.

[Flying Mullet]

What else is left in life for us if we can't debate Quina's gender?