Ascillia, Minfillia and Thancred

[Anonymoose]

I think this may be being overthought quite a bit. Yes, those scenes took place in an Echo (every scene involving Thancred in Ul'dah took place in an Echo until the Rise of the Seventh Umbral Era story arc). Yes, at the time, Thancred was 17 and Ascilia was 12. Yes, Thancred is now 32. (And yes, you can tell Echos by the whoosh).

However, you can make Thancred's NPC entirely - out - of - character - creation - options, which are more or less standardized. If they visibly aged Thancred's character creation options, they'd have visibly aged every player character who used his features, too - or had to have started from scratch to give him a unique version (in that famous 1.0 to 2.0 time crunch).

Saves a lot of time if you just imagine that Thancred ages pretty slow and maintains his boyfish features - that he's the Rick Astley of Hydaelyn.

If you look at Thancred in the opening of A Realm Reborn, he's clearly older, even if it's subtle.

[WhiteArchmage]

Did...did Moose just Rick Roll us...?

[WellFooled]

Did...did Moose just Rick Roll us...?

Rick rolling, an elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.

[Cilia]

It's not just Thancred, though - you can actually make all the ex-Circle members in their 1.x - 2.x incarnations with the right options, save the tattoos. 1.x Minfilia can also be made, but 2.x Minfilia has a unique model (unique hairstyle, larger bust than is available to Midlander female PCs, unique outfit) - the others' outfits can be mostly put together with some effort. (You can't be an actual THM / BLM with Papalymo's metal gauntlets though.)

The "magically stop their aging" clause for ex-Circle members is, indeed, just a lore justification for a design limitation.

[Dorander]

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Circle_of_Knowing

◾Some believe the Archons either caused or rectified the Sixth Umbral Era 1,500 years before the game.

So, with the ability to magically halt/slow aging, they could easily be 1500+ years old. Plus, if you look at all of them, they all have blonde/silver hair. Maybe that's due to age. who knows, it's just my personal theory.

[Belhi]

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Circle_of_Knowing

◾Some believe the Archons either caused or rectified the Sixth Umbral Era 1,500 years before the game.

So, with the ability to magically halt/slow aging, they could easily be 1500+ years old. Plus, if you look at all of them, they all have blonde/silver hair. Maybe that's due to age. who knows, it's just my personal theory.

The Sixth Umbral Era was caused by the Elementals. Archon is a default title given to individuals who attempt to warn of and mitigate approaching calamities. They earned the name Archon for their efforts in trying to stop the fall of Dalamud.

On top of that Y'shtola states in HW that she was born in the now abandoned city of Shalayan which wasn't around 1,500 years ago and Thancred grew up in Limsa. Plus there is Matoya, Y'shtola's teacher.

Strictly speaking you don't age a great deal in appearance between the ages of 20 and 30. Personally I suspect the reality is that they just didn't have time to revamp the Scion models beyond Minfilia's while working on ARR. After all time would have been tight. Its probably why we don't see much character development or fleshing out of a lot of those characters either. You'll note that in HW we have seen a change to that. I wouldn't be surprised if all the Scions get some background development and a facelift on their models and outfits when we see them next.

[Kaiser-Ace]

Strictly speaking you don't age a great deal in appearance between the ages of 20 and 30. Personally I suspect the reality is that they just didn't have time to revamp the Scion models beyond Minfilia's while working on ARR. After all time would have been tight. Its probably why we don't see much character development or fleshing out of a lot of those characters either. You'll note that in HW we have seen a change to that. I wouldn't be surprised if all the Scions get some background development and a facelift on their models and outfits when we see them next.

I bet when Thancred comes back he'll have a limp. Poor guy got Memed when he literally got shot in the knee by that brass blade archer.

Thancred's quote to new recruits
"I was a Scion once, like you. Then I took an arrow to the knee."

[Belhi]

I bet when Thancred comes back he'll have a limp. Poor guy got Memed when he literally got shot in the knee by that brass blade archer.

Thancred's quote to new recruits
"I was a Scion once, like you. Then I took an arrow to the knee."

Techically I think it was Crystal Brave archer but I could be wrong.

Still I think it very unlikely they would put Thancred in a position where he would be put on the bench. Certainly his fighting style doesn't really lend itself to those lacking manoeuvrability.

[DarthSanguine]

Can't really use anime as a benchmark for what age people hit puberty, and how they develop during that timeframe. (When people hit puberty, especially women, is largely dependent on their daily stress, among other factors.)

If Ascilia is ~10-12, then 1.x Minfilia would be ~15-17, which would make 2.x Minfilia ~20-22. She hit a massive growth spurt between 1.x and 2.0, while none of the other Scions aged from their 1.x appearance - because they know magic to halt their aging process (and apparently don't feel like sharing with Minfilia. Either that, or she's as magically inept as she is physically).

The City-State storylines take place 10 years before the Path of the 12 arc. So Minfillia is 22 in 1.x, and 27 in 2.x.

[Rannie]

Omg moose is sooooo right I get compared to thancred all the time and I created this character during 1.0 closed beta >_< . He stole MY looks *fumes*