How to best determine a person's age

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Ranma's age, aging and growth is an aspect of Ranma's curse that has been explored often enough within stories and without. "Girl" can easily be seen as being different from "woman" (seeing as it's a comparatively younger state for someone who is female), but including "young" to "girl" has been known to be interpreted in several ways. Rather than get into a debate over the latter, what I'm interested in is the fact that Ranma's female body is still shown to be at an age to experience growth (at least in some respects). However, let's say that there isn't a birth record to go by, and thus we can't assume that Ranma is sixteen when he's a girl. Since people vary regarding exactly when and how much they grow and change during puberty, what's the best way to determine someone's age at that time of their development?

The reason why I ask this is because I'd like to see how young Ranma can realistically be portrayed as being when he's a girl. While the bust might suggest a more mature age, I don't think that's a good indicator because Ranma's breasts were already bigger than Akane's and they still grew more than hers did. (Seeing as Ranma had to ask whether Akane's breasts had gotten smaller, that suggests that he had learned the difference in their breast sizes at some point. Considering that his breasts had grown significantly enough to conclude that Akane's breasts might have actually shrunk, despite her own breast growth, it might be indicative of a younger age. The problem with that idea, however, concerns the breast size of Ranma's mother: I couldn't find a single instance that gives us a good idea of what her breast size is, and thus a good idea of what we could expect of Ranma's breast size. Not even the story where she's bathing in the hot springs reveals anything.) I figure that height is a better way to find out how young he might be as a girl. However, if my memory serves me right, the impression I got in other topics where this has come up, is that expecting much more growth at sixteen is unlikely.

Okay, my experience up to this point is telling me to clarify all of my blathering (for I'm sure that the last paragraph was exactly that, at the very least) into something that can be properly focused on, so people don't make issues of irrelevant things. Basically: I want Ranma's female body to be fourteen in a story, and I want it to be backed up clinically. I know that teeth can be used to determine age, but not how accurate it is. I also can't think of anything else that might give a good idea of someone's age, or if there are a number of different indicators that could be used to pinpoint someone's age to within a few months.

[mondu_the_fat]

Length of long bones (the table on the other thread regarding feet would give you age to height spread), fusion of epiphyseal plates, and ossification. However, you will only get a range for this ("not over 20" or "20 to 35" or "likely 14 to 18", or worse "child/adult"). Sometimes in TV you'll get ridiculously accurate MEs (CSI and the like, I'm looking at you) that can pinpoint, but, really, its guesstimates and hollywood geniuses rather than having any solid foundation on reality. Teeth work for the much younger (baby teeth) and a bit older (wisdom teeth), but that will give you an even wider range (wisdom teeth can start at 18, but quite a lot get them when they're 25+ or so).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_age
http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/forensics ... ksheet.htm

This is made more difficult by the fact that bone is not necessarily the same as the person's real age. Bone age 8, real age 9? That happens.


Don't use secondary sexual characteristics as determinants for age. Little Lupe's case was a recent example of how ridiculous that can get. And we're talking about asians here, as well as a comedy/Takahashi not doing her research. Canonically, Ranma claims that here breasts grew, and she's 16 to 17... but Tanner's scale would say that the "final adult size" is reached at age 15.

[three headed dog]

Tanner's scale would say that the "final adult size" is reached at age 15.

That's only the average (if you were to check most places that describe the Tanner scale say 15+). Girls usually complete puberty by ages 15–17. Due to natural variation though, individuals pass through the Tanner stages at different rates, depending in particular on the timing of puberty. Race also has to be taken into account since the earliest average onset of puberty is for African-American girls and the latest average onset for high altitude subsistence populations in Asia.

[Makoto]

Yeah, I haven't heard of any actual, proven (non-CSI ) ways to honestly get an accurate reading of someone's age, at least within a few weeks/months. Usually, the TV shows will just run a records check for the birth certificates, I believe. (If they know who the person in question is, of course.)

I probably should rule out the "cut Ranma in half, and count the rings" method (joke) before anyone else suggests it, too.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Hmmmm... So I could probably get away with, "she looked young in face and stature, and some tests and other observations placed her as a fourteen-year-old?" It's not ideal, but if there are to many variables that makes one's age an educated guess at best...

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

Or you could have Ranma-chan saying, "The girl who drowned in the spring reached 14, but so far I'm only a year old this time around."

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Nodoka stares at Ranma-chan's bosom. "With those two one-year-olds on your chest?"

XD

[mondu_the_fat]

Hmmmm... So I could probably get away with, "she looked young in face and stature, and some tests and other observations placed her as a fourteen-year-old?" It's not ideal, but if there are to many variables that makes one's age an educated guess at best...

Why is it important to be EXACTLY 14?

Would 13 do? Would 15 do? Or is it ABSOLUTELY imperative that Ranma has to be 14 and no other age range? Will other characters challenge the assertion that she is other than 14?

I mean, if the story can accept Ranma being 13.9 or 15.1 rather than 14, it isn't really necessary to that precise. The passage will do. I'd rather see a range ("some tests placed her in her early to mid teens, maybe 13 or 14").

[Crescent Pulsar R]

It doesn't have to be exactly fourteen, no. Even if the size of Ranma's breasts were to draw doubt, it shouldn't be enough to keep her from attending the second year of junior high. I'm just looking for enough technical evidence to have the year of her birth changed officially, so I can avoid making it look like a change that should encounter problems yet doesn't. I'd prefer that to trying to pass a sixteen or seventeen-year-old as a thirteen or fourteen-year-old without the documentation to prove it.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

There's always the age of consent. That's a big'un.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Age of consent? *Looks confused* Isn't that working in the opposite direction?

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

Age of consent? *Looks confused* Isn't that working in the opposite direction?

Whatever age Ranko is registered as, sooner or later the age of consent will be an important subject. I've seen fanfics where "Spring of Young Girl" is the Spring of Eternally Young Girl. Eventually you'll hit the "Onegai Teacher" scenario, where the kid looks too young to marry, but the records say otherwise. After that you reach the Lazarus Long situation, where people flat-out don't believe the records and the body belong to the same person. Ranko has to disappear, go elsewhere, and create a new identity and life. Coming back as a distant relative is customary.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Ah, no, that won't be an issue. I'm just aiming for the cursed body starting out a bit younger, is all.

[ckosacranoid]

in thery you could even have ranma-chan as yourg as 11 years old also. there have been some girls that youg or even yougner that raced though pubity and grew very fast. jerry springer has had many cases of that happneing where the girl i slike 10 or 11 and can pass as a 20 something for how far along they are. i know a few years ago that there was a model in japan that was 11 also that was noted for having a very large chest also that made the news around 2004 in think.
there is also a known problem with girls as young as 2 or 3 going though pubity also and by the age of 5 could have a child which did happen in one case in south amica somewhere in the 1920's i think...have to check wiki again to find that page.
i know there is anime i just watched that dealt with a 3rd grader having a very large rack also....the anime was delaing with a student flalling for the new teacher and the teacher kinda falling in love with her and all the trouble that she causes him with the help of her 2 best friends....the said larged busted but very shy girl with glasses and the other stalker yuri addict that is into cosplaying and hating guys.....