#i want to be under the belief that tetia was the second apprentice

[meringuejellyfish]

tetia is so interesting as right now shes the only apprentice with ultimately no backstory thats been revealed, yet the few moments that are focused on her are very telling of what kind of environment she may have been in before being brought in to the atelier. qifreys atelier and his apprentices have a very prominent theme of being problem children/troubled children (much like qifrey himself) which does have me wondering what tetias background is - im even more curious because of how long we have yet to see anything! also how it seems current arc is weaving tetia in (kind of?)

i love that 42.5 was a bonus chapter but also is one of the few bits of writing that is so telling for why tetia is the way she is and what she values. shes such a special character to me (which to be fair i very much say about all the apprentices) the spectacular thing about the apprentice writing to me is how you can somewhat slot them into specific archetypes (as in, "kind bubbly girl" "rival", etc) but what shines through is all these little things that make these characters feel, to me, very fascinatingly human and unique. people you may have known or been who learn and grow (one of my favorite parts in wha is when the apprentices' have epiphanies. quite wonderful)

but anyway ch 42.5 was crazy to read for the first time like oh this kid most definitely comes from an environment where she could not truly express herself in any way shape or form and cares so so deeply about self expression and making the world a better place. passion is so unbelievably important. she also may be looked down on for creating magic that doesnt seem all that "useful" to most. FOR reference the way that chapter 42.5 goes is tetia being excited about choosing a dress to wear for silver night festival and looking at all the different ones, to which agott is uninterested and says something dismissive - how its stupid, and i really like how tetia immediately goes off on her and talks about how its important to some people, how something small like a bow or a ribbon can change how the world views someone and how they view themself, and i Also really like how agott comes to apologize and takes a moment to form an appreciation for the artistry in her own way. how very sweet. (casual apprentice interaction as in interaction where they arent in a Stressful dangerous situation is something very interesting to me)

and i think agott was also a good choice to clash with tetia in this chapter in how agott has some deeply rooted issues with being perceived and approved of by others, of course contrasted by tetia who tries her best to stand up for herself no matter how unkind the world may want to be.