Got into WHA a short while ago, and i can't help but wonder,
Where are the children's parents???
(MILD SPOILERS FOR THE WITCH HAT ATELIER MANGA)
I mean, I get that some parents might take on their own children as apprentices (Adina rejected Agott as an apprentice, and it seems that in higher-born/noble witch families that apprenticeships pass on between generations), but for the children and families who don't do this, do they ever keep in touch??
Nobody at Qifrey's atelier seem to keep in touch with their parents. Sure, Coco petrified her mother and Agott isn't on the best terms with hers, but what about Tetia and Richeh??
I guess it can be assumed that Richeh and Riliphin might not keep as much contact with their parents, considering that nobody tried to keep them together or inquire about their welfare much when they left their old master/atelier (on that note, did anyone report their old master for abuse?? Does he still take in students?? I sure hope not).
But Tetia??? That bundle of joy?? Where are her parents??? Unless she's an orphan...
It's interesting the different family dynamics there are between the Witch and unknowing societies. I assume that children in the unknowing society generally/are expected to stay with their families, whereas witch families are more lenient in sending their children off to what's essentially boarding school, and I guess they just have to trust and hope that they'll be well taken care of.
And yeah, I guess there are Watchful Eyes that are meant to ensure safety, but the manga points out that they're not always the best. Olruggio is an example of a 'good' WE in that he actively looks out for the wellbeing of the students (even if he doesn't necessarily report everything to the Great Hall). Luluci and Ellien, Richeh and Riliphin, and Euini could all be used as examples of a poor Watchful Eye, or at least the poor regulations and safety measures when it comes to the policing of Masters. I feel like there would need to be an impartial third party to check in on the welfare of an atelier, as opposed to just a Master and the WE.
Do the parents ever inquire about their children? Do they just let them go like how mother seals have to leave their babies behind?? I'm gonna guess it takes years to complete the 4 tests at least (5 seems more optional), are the families just waiting around for their children to come home?? What about the children who never do come home? Or the children who for whatever reason no longer have a home to go home to? What do the children even consider 'home' as, eventually?
Too any questions in that last para, sorry for that.
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
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