#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]

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]

How You Age When You're Problematic

vs. When You Mind Your Own Goddamn Business

[stepmarchen]

Theo may be wrong 99% of the time, but he was right about something. Nora really is just a puppy inside

[stepmarchen]

Do you have any headcanons about the story or the couples 👀 I really love your account btw

hehe thank you very much 💖💖💖

Hmmm, I'm not suuuuper creative when it comes to headcanons I'm afraid... I've been mulling this over for SO long it's criminal. I am SO sorry you had to wait so long for my dumb answers.

Here's some of my stupid ideas, they're not really very strong but it's all i got!

I think Shuri likes how big Nora is and she often forgets how much he dwarfs her in comparison

not really a HC but I find it so funny that 1st TL Nora was probably thinking "she's so bad" watching Shuri eat up on the dance floor in her black gowns. LOL

this is a guilty pleasure and people already hate me for this but I DO think that Richelieu does find Shuri at least physically attractive, bcos why is he always imagining her so beautifully, even while planning her death?

I also like to think that Nora adores Shuri's color palette in a poetic artsy way. And it's especially meaningful because while everyone else was attracted to the features that resembled Ludovika, Nora is the one that likes the features that make her different