Sofie’s Reviews > Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 3 > Status Update

maybe i'm totally off here but i think qifrey is commenting on tartah's sharp eyes here as a subtle and completely innocent way to give him some encouragement and praise after seeing coco so upset about his silverwash. but since tartah is suspicious of him and it seems like we're looking up at him from his pov, it sounds more like an accusation to his ears. very curious to see how qifrey will handle this (charm)

oh agott my love. yes. yes that's exactly what she's saying. YOU feel guilty, and for good reason, but coco has held no grudge towards you this entire time (that's also just been you). she thinks the whole world is out to trip her up, probably because her own mother cast her aside and spoke to and about her like she was worthless. i see why she's the fan favorite, mommy issues galore in this fandom huh

THE KIDS CALL HIM OLLY TOO???????? oh they definitely picked it up from qifrey and maybe also (definitely) teased him for it at first

the transformation comment is a little one-off joke from tetia but clearly there's some truth to it if it's in play about the pre-pact witches. did they used to be able to turn themselves into creatures before drawing on the body was forbidden????? do brimmed cap witches still do it????

so the brimmed caps took something from qifrey.....memories? a loved one? something i can't even begin to predict? but at least we have confirmation that it is in fact personal

(cont.)
and coco is the only one who is awake, hugging her pillow and looking wistfully down at the candle as a pillow shaped like an eye watches her back. she is stuck at a perpetual crossroads. haunted by the weight of what she has lost and yearns to get back

this illustration seems rife with meaning so lemme overthink for a sec
richeh has bundled herself up in a blanket, she wants to hide from adulthood. tetia has her arms flung open, she wants to give to the world and receive thanks in return. agott has one hand clutched by her heart and the other clinging to the pillow beneath her, she is full of angst and insecurity and desperately wants to prove herself (cont.)

....hey qifrey
hey bud
you're starting to freak me out a little bit, just a tad
my heart is genuinely racing i know we're still so early on so it could take several volumes before we get the extent of his backstory but GOD is this riveting. the not knowing is killing me, WHAT IS HIS PLAN WHY IS HE SO OBSESSED HAVE I FALLEN IN LOVE WITH ANOTHER DOOMED WHITE HAIRED CHARACTER JUST TELL ME NOW

the brimmed cap telling coco in her nightmare that when the world falls apart, it'll be her fault, AND THEN THE PANEL ITSELF SHATTERS??? i eat that shit up every time

okay so not ALL of witch society comes from a long line of nepotism, but it is still significant that the most prominent and well respected families are those that are descended from the original 3. so it's more likely that it's a mix of nepotism and intellectual elitism, with disciples being chosen to pass on the secret, and then their children and students, and so on and so on