Aymeric (SPOILERS)

[Februs]

I'm actually so cynical that it's rolled over into really stubborn optimism, like a reverse of the Nuclear Gandhi glitch in Civilization.

I'm really in the same boat as Fenral. I'm so cynical it looped around into some sort of masochistic optimism.

I know exactly what you guys mean lol.

As for the Thancred thing, I was under the assumption that it was a run on from the 2.3 (ish) days. They basically cock blocked Thancred from any kind of Primal utility based on him being somehow more susceptible to Primal influences than the rest of the group after his run in with Lahabreah. It was always kind of shotty lore, to be honest, because they don't actually explain how one can be more or less susceptible to influence (tempering always kind of came off as an all or nothing kind of deal), but that was the reasoning that they went with to keep Thancred out of the line of fire. I figured that his absence during the Sephirot ordeal was on account of this, and that they just didn't mention it because re-running the same lore points over and over makes for stale dialogue.

His heightened susceptibility is also why I tend to keep Thancred separate from any Ascian dealings as well. Thancred seems to be coming to terms with his loss of Minfilia, so I don't see him running off to charge into the Ascian hands anytime soon, but, even if he was that desperate, it stands to reason that he would avoid them simply because he knows how easy it would be for them to flip his switch (kinky...).

Now, if I were to take the cynical approach to this, on the flip side his heightened susceptibility to influences would, in theory, make it pretty easy for a smooth talker like Elidibus to get under his skin. So, IF, hypothetically, Thancred were to go off of the deep end in his pursuit of saving Minfilia, I don't think that it would be outside of the realm of possibility for him to be coaxed into doing something stupid by an Ascian.

That said, I find this unlikely. The current writing seems to be building up Thancred as the voice of matured enlightenment via the contrasted character dispositions between himself and Emmanellain. So it would be more likely for Thancred to be at his highest guard against such influences at the moment ... of course, that would make any lapses in judgement (or downright manipulations) to be all the more tragic and impactful....