#stepyapping

[stepmarchen]

Did anyone else laugh at this part?

Like Theo is simmering with anger and bitterness because his plan to capture Shuri in a moment of weakness was RUINED by Nora lmao

and you know, Nora's stare up at Theo was intentional like "that's right, I just swooped in on 'your' girl. You thought lmao"

[stepmarchen]

Couple Coding in ASM

So there's an interesting thing I noticed about Orka's color coding in ASM and the way it changes between different interactions.

For example, JerShu moments are commonly set during early dawn. There's a cool blue from the moonlight that shades the two, adding a sense of quiet mystique to their interactions.

Maybe it's to invoke a dream-like state where Shuri is stripped bare of her responsibilities and Jeremy is just a boy who misses his parents oh, so much. During the day, there's so much commotion and stress but when they're together at night, it's quiet and lonely, with only the moon watching over them. Because when morning comes, they're forced to return back to their normal lives like a Cinderella story.

On the other hand, NoShu moments are bright like a burning sun. It's a passionate watercolor of orange, pinks, and reds that bloom as they stare into each other's eyes.

It's pure romance the way you couldn't be sure whether the burn on their cheeks was because of the warm heat of the sun or because of something else. For a couple individually driven towards death, Nora and Shuri are experiencing living for the first time, when they're together. The way the light gleams on each other like they're always discovering new things about one another is just so perfectly lovely.

And then there's TheoShu. Theo and Shuri often interact in the morning, like a icy shock to the system. For a man plagued with too much guilt to sleep and a woman trapped in her nightmares, what's a more eerie wake-up call?

TheoShu as a morning motif is so interesting because we're faced with Theo who acts like he's still stuck in a dream where he's fated to be with Shuri and Shuri, who is trying to run away from those dreams and move on with her day. They're never quite on the same page, like the feeling you get when you're debating on getting up on a Monday morning.

Finally. RiShu. I find that Richelieu and Shuri are always in a strange state of limbo when they stumble upon each other. A space that only they know, where the light doesn't shine until Shuri walks in.

Richelieu is a man that exists in the shadows, lurking around in the dark underbrush. But he can't help but be drawn to that woman intruding upon that dark forest he lives in. She glows like a holy light piercing the black darkness. Shuri knows what it's like to die in that forest and Richelieu wants to know what path she took to get there.

[stepmarchen]

Hi! I was wondering if you knew if this drawing from ORKA exists or if I just made it up in my head. I swear there was a school au that was drawn by ORKA and Shuri was wearing a white top with like a green skirt.. I wanted to see it again but I couldn’t find it IS THIS REAL?!

Hi!!! I know exactly what you're talking about!

It's this image from the Official A Stepmother's Marchen Limited Edition Collector's Set! The special edition artbook has a section called "What if 'A Stepmother's Marchen' was set in modern times?"

Here's what we know about the AU (note: Translations are from what little I could find online. Translations may not be 100% accurate. If anyone has real scans of this book, I can offer more accurate details!)

Shuri: A 3rd year student at Gold Highschool with excellent grades, outstanding athletics, and in the advanced class. She lives in the city with her aunt and she's neighbors with Jeremy.

Nora: A 1st year student at Silver Highschool in the art club. He has outstanding athletics and while quiet, he gets along with his peers. He seems to be attracted to Shuri, who he met by chance.

Jeremy: A 1st year student at Gold Highschool. He is great at sports, but doesn't have a lot of hobbies outside school. He just floats around because he doesn't have any goals. He bickers a lot with Shuri.

Theo: A 3rd year student at Infinite Highschool and the student body president. He has excellent grades and plays the violin. His nickname is "the Prince of Infinite High" and he has a secret fanclub.

Ohara: A 1st year student at Infinite Highschool and the student body vice president. She has excellent grades and plays the violin. She strives to go to the top college in the U.S.

Elias: A 2nd year student at Gold Middleschool whose hobbies include gaming, going to arcades or computer cafes. He dreams to become a pro-gamer. He's going through puberty and he has a mother-complex.

Leon and Rachel: They are 4th year students at Gold Elementary School. They have a cat named Cherry. They are strong and healthy kids and Leon, who loves books, wears glasses due to poor sight. The two attend Alberon's Taekwondo gym.

Maximillian: Chairman of a large corporation and a self-made businessman. He is a perfectionist and often argues with Elizabeth, who has an opinion against all of his matters.

Elizabeth: A politician with a fiery personality. Her skill is wrestling and her hobby is wrestling. She is great at her job.

Richelieu: Part of the legal team at a large corporation. He graduated school early and as soon as he did, he joined Maximillian's company's legal team.

Wolffe: A senior year college student in the law department. He's overwhelmed with assignments, applications, and essays. He dreams of joining Richelieu's legal team after graduation.

Albert: A diplomat that deals with internationally famous politicians and often travels to different countries. He's sad that he can't see his family due to his overseas business trips.

Heidi: A traditional tea shop owner located in a small alley. She's very shy and quiet, but passionate about her tea.

Everette: An interior designer that focuses on giving people a warm and comfortable home and accommodating to their customer's needs. She is a hard working interior designer in Shinchang.

Alberon: A Taekwondo instructor that's large in size and blunt in personality. He practiced consistently and refined his skills to become a national representative, achieving great results. Children often fear his large size, but the twins take him aback with their fearless attitude. He opens up to them and becomes very popular.

Johannes: A resourceful businessman. He spends more time abroad than he does at home. He sponsors Alicia's creative activities. They got married for their mutual beneficial business relationship.

Alicia: She is an artist that works as an art museum curator and a writer. Thanks to Johannes' sponsorships, she's become a well known creator.

Shuri's Family: They own a noodle shop in Shuri's hometown. They work somewhat diligently and business seems to be going well.

[stepmarchen]

ORKA Interview (Part 2/4) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Hello! I'm working on archiving and translating an interview starring ORKA of "A Stepmother's Marchen." If you've ever been interested in the behind the scenes info on the webtoon, look no further!

(Interview starts below the Keep Reading line)

[About A Stepmother's Marchen]

Q. Before you started working on the webtoon, what aspect of the original web novel appealed to you the most and how did that influence your artistic style/direction?

A. I was drawn to the warm and harmonious life Shuri and the other characters' built together through their combined efforts. Like the original novel, I toned down the opulent characteristics of the backgrounds, costumes, and overall world-building and instead, went for designs that felt more grounded to reality.

Q. When you were adapting the original web novel's vast story into a webtoon, what was the core essence that you wanted to capture?

A. I wanted to convey the messages that I felt while reading the original work. It's a work that first and foremost, explores the bonds between people and the belief that even when fate plays tricks on our lives, we can still overcome any hardship if we have a support system to rely on and a strong inner sense of strength. It highlights the satisfaction that's found in the small joys in life, rather than being consumed by the pursuit of grand accomplishments or glory.

Q. Are there any special features you feel that can only be felt in the webtoon, unlike in the original novel?

A. We try to maintain the overall framework from the original novel as much as possible, but if I were to point out an element that's unique to the webtoon's appeal, it would be the subplots and extra characters that we introduced to to add more layers to the story.

Q. I'm curious how you visualized the characters from their descriptions in the novel using your unique art style. How did you create their first impressions and appeal? Are there any behind the scenes moments you can share about designing main characters like Shuri or Nora?

A. For the protagonists like Shuri, Nora, and Jeremy, the novel provided plenty of details and descriptions, so naturally, as I read the work, their appearances formed spontaneously in my mind. They came to me without much thought. Additionally, each family had a designated color and symbolic animal which greatly helped define each character's first impression. Jeremy was definitely inspired by a lion and Shuri's hair design was themes around bird wings and sweeping tail feathers. (cont. under image)

(cont.) There was a moment when I felt overwhelmed because of the sheer amount of characters, with over 30 main characters and supporting characters. Fortunately, I had designed family members to share similar physical traits, so I could quickly establish how the supporting characters looked. (For example, Elias naturally inherited the looks of his mother Alice and his uncle Hermann.) (cont. under image)

(cont.) Shuri is a free spirit (trapped in circumstances that limit her), and even though she appears to be a delicate young girl at first glance, I wanted to create an image where she hides her inner strength and an unbreakable resilience in the face of hardship. I paid close attention to make sure that while her face is identical to Ludovika's, there are still subtle differences (like the angle of her eyebrows or the way she smiles) that clearly distinguish their personalities. (cont. under image)

Q. The dreamy and beautiful colors as well as lighting throughout the work evoke admiration from your readers. How did you plan on a color palette for the overall mood of the webtoon?

A. Ironically, the only regret I still have is that I didn't consider the color scheme before launching the series. I was so focused on creating an engaging story, that I didn't consider how I should've done the visuals. When I realized the need for a theme later, I built a basic framework, adding variations to each chapter based on the scenes. (cont. under image)

(cont.) We took the environment, season and weather surrounding the subject into great consideration for each chapter. We established a consistent post-processing style that we used repeatedly, enhancing our workflow efficiency. Though we often make corrective adjustment groups to alter a scene that doesn't match the desired mood.

Q. While your dreamlike colors and atmosphere are striking, your signature dark contrast in the weighty scenes also stand out. In most works, when illustrating stark light-dark contrast, extreme backlighting or rim lighting is often used, but you sometimes create compositions where the subjects seem to face the light directly. The sharp shadows that fall on the face evoke an even heavier atmosphere. Do you have any specific know-how for creating such shadows?

A. When it comes to lighting, I visualize 2-3 options in my mind before applying the one that best suits the scene. (cont. under image)

(cont.) When utilizing bold lighting, it's typically used to illuminate a character's face exceptionally brightly or to highlight a key scene in a chapter. The intent is to distinguish it from other shots with strong shadows, drawing the readers' attention to focus on that scene. It can also be used in instances where long shadows guide a viewer's gaze. (cont. under image)

(cont.) I've said a lot of things, but in most cases, I try out different methods here and there and end up choosing whatever evokes the feeling of "This is it!" So if that's considered a secret, then I guess it's a secret.

TN: The interview will continue in Part 3! HERE

[stepmarchen]

The End of A Nightmare

"It finally feels like I really slept deeply for the first time in ages."

-Shuri, Ch. 157

After five long years of restless sleep, Shuri has finally gotten her rightful rest. Plagued with suppressed memories and emotions, she's finally able to sleep unguarded and in peace.

but there's still another hurdle left to cross.

Will Shuri be able to open up to her family over what happened that night? I hope so, but I'm not prepared for the children to wake up to what kind of man their father truly was.

[stepmarchen]

Heide.... I'm crying rn

Oh, Heide... how much anxiety have she suffered in the past few days. With her husband basically driving out her precious son, who she's been trying to slowly mend a relationship with. And Nora missing for DAYS, only to return to volunteer his LIFE against the Holy Church of all people...

And as much as she wants to support her child, how can a mother support her son when he's putting his own life in danger? It's breaking my heart fr

not to mention the inner politics of the Nuremberg elders forcing their rule on Nora, like they did to Heidi when she was struggling to give birth to Nora.

[stepmarchen]

Hello! Can I have a little request? I wanna see what THEY ALL look like the modern era I was hoping you can post some pictures of it :>!

yes of course! (this account may look inactive, but i'm still very much a hardcore stepmarchen fan!)

also I am assuming they are all still VERY rich in this world. it may not be the modern version you were looking for... but here we go!

Shuri von Neuschwanstein

In a modern world, I think we would see a lot of similar elements from Shuri's romantic style! Things like softer, lightweight fabrics and lots and lots of ruffles!

She definitely has a spring color palette, so I think she would wear bright and natural tones- lots of greens, pinks, and yellow! Feminine, ethereal, and whimsical!

Don't forget the chokers too! I think she'd collect a lot of fun jewelry and whimsical pieces like ribbons.

Nora von Nuremberg

Nora is an interesting case because he wears a pretty wide range of clothes from super simple and practical to literal prince. I think this would also apply to his modern self!

Out with friends, I think he's the type to throw on a worn out tee and some jeans. Not thinking too hard, you feel me?

But when he's trying to impress... that's when he puts a little more thought into it. A crisp clean top, slacks, but nothing that's too outrageous.

Jeremy von Neuschwanstein

Given his personality, Jeremy would be pretty similar to Nora in that he usually doesn't think too much about fashion, but I do think his closet would be VERY influenced by Shuri's sense of style (she probably does a lot of shopping for him)

You would totally see a lot of old money styles, like Ralph Lauren. Tons of fine details. Like an embroidered collar, a pop of an accent color, some subtle jewelry.

With his sense of growing responsibility, I think Jeremy would stay away from overly "grunge" fashion. So tees might not be common for him.

Ohara von Heinrich

Ohara would absolutely be a faux old money girl, pressured by her father to always look sophisticated and worth their status

However! I also think she really suits that "cool girl" aesthetic. Especially on outings with Elias, I think she'd be able to let loose a bit.

With the Neuschwansteins, I think Ohara would be able to finally dress a little closer to her age (but not completely!), letting her hair down and such!

Theo von Bismark

OK so Theo! Our canonical fashionista. He's typically only seen in his royal garb, but I think with that amount of money, he'd be sporting a lot of designer clothing in the modern world.

And I feel like he'd wear a lot of bright and uncommon combinations. Like white-on-white because he loves to attract attention.

I'm also intrigued by the little ways his "feminine" or non-conforming style would translate into modern days. I think we'd see items like a clutch, ribbons, and silk accessories.

That's it for now! I was a little stumped on how I'd style the twins because they're so young... as well as Richelieu who's literally a priest! but lmk if anyone is interested in a part 2 (and who would you like to see!)

[stepmarchen]

How You Age When You're Problematic

vs. When You Mind Your Own Goddamn Business