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WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!? WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!? |
| Warning!! Spoilers ahead!! | |
| This page contains major plot spoilers! If you have not seen up to Episode 20 of Neverafter, proceed at your own risk. |
"You are seeing something you absolutely should not see, the face of a divinity you do not worship, the smile of a devil you never believed in." ― Brennan Lee Mulligan
The Stepmother is a formerly human eldritch entity made of shadows. She is the stepmother of both Cinderella and Pinocchio, and is Pinocchio's initial warlock patron.
Featured Episodes[]
| Episodes Featuring The Stepmother |
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Neverafter
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Description[]
The Stepmother is a figure always seen in shadow, in the form of a gowned woman. Interactions with Pinocchio shows that she still has human features such as hands, but have to travel further than they should to reach him.
When the Destiny's Children encounter her, the light cast by the Wicked Fairy's candle and reflected by the Sword of Truth illuminates her, revealing a huge and terrifying visage with constantly shifting, contemptuous faces.
Background[]
From the original fairytale of Cinderella, the Stepmother wanted one of her two daughters to fit into the glass slipper and marry the prince. To ensure their feet fit into the glass slipper, she forced one of them to cut off her toe and the other to cut off her heel. The plan failed, and Cinderella, fitting the glass slipper, went to marry the prince.
The Stepmother later married Pinocchio's ailing father, Geppetto, promising Pinocchio she would look after him, both as a parent and as a patron. However, she often treats him with brutality instead of kindness as an act of leverage. She seems to be occupying a room outside of time and space, resembling a living room in front of a fireplace with a large chair that is only illuminated by the light underneath the entrance way. The Stepmother can manifest this door for Pinocchio to enter at her will.
History[]
The Trials of Baba Yaga[]
While Pinocchio is carrying out his chore for Baba Yaga, he sees a magical door that he remembers is one that is used by the Stepmother. She threatens him, saying that the only reward for seizing one's own destiny is fear, and using his father, Geppetto, as leverage. When Pinocchio opens the door, through which he heard a sickening crush with blood seeping out from underneath, Geppetto is seen being held by the monstrous version of the Stepmother he saw in between worlds. Blood comes from his mouth, one of his arms is broken, and there's an open wound in his chest, and the Stepmother threatens him again, saying she will call the Authors there, and kill them for the fate that they had given her. It is then that Pinocchio gives up his opportunity to be a real boy again. The string that connect the hearts of Geppetto and Pinocchio together glows with a blinding light, causing the Stepmother to fall back, dropping Geppetto. The string turns into a safety net, catching Geppetto which transports him to a different place away from the Stepmother's evil grasp. The light in the door changes, and the Stepmother howls as her bargaining chip to Pinocchio is gone. As she disappears, a piece of paper drops to the ground with a single name, Minerva, written on it. Pinocchio then gives the name to Mother Timothy Goose, who puts it in his book in an attempt to give her (and everyone) ownership over their own story and their own destiny. Once her name is in the book, the previous illustration they had seen of the others within is accompanied by pictures of the Destiny's Children going into battle against the Stepmother outside the village of Hapley. This means that part of the Stepmother is taken out of the Lines Between, and put back in the Neverafter.
The Ending of All Things (Part 2)[]
During the battle in the Canonade, the Stepmother travels through the cutbacks into the Lines Between. She screams at the inky hand construct of the Authors, "Do I strike you as a poor piece of writing?" Their hand construct fires ink at her, but she doesn't seem to be that bothered by it. Cinderella sees her for the first time, and, having seen Gerard suck her Fairy Godmother into a storybook, she asks Ylfa to let her go so she can attack her evil stepmom. Pulling out a glass shard, she leaps towards her old nemesis. On top of that, when she arrives, Pinocchio refers to her by her real name, rattling her for the rest of the fight. When her stepdaughter finally confronts her, the Stepmother replies, "It was my destiny to hurt you." Cinderella shrugs, "Destiny, free will. I didn't like it," and begins to attack her, alongside Tom Thumb and Ylfa, with her spear. She promptly swallows the tiny man.
Soon after, Timothy releases his spell in the inkwell to give the story characters their autonomy from the Authors. She bemoans that he has now stopped her from ending the Authors and their terrible influences in their lives. Timothy simply replies, "Same. They won't be in charge of us anymore." In her distracted dispair, Cinderella is able to stab her stepmother in the heart.
After the battle is done, Pinocchio sees his wailing, defeated stepmother. He toasts to her some of the whiskey stored in his leg a bite of bubble gum, silently thanking her for putting him on the journey he had just gone through. She looks to the puppet, admitting she had treated him very badly. She asks for a hit of the whiskey, and, after drinking, it, Pinocchio offers her some bubblegum. She says, "I don't deserve your kindness, but I will take your bubblegum." Pinocchio then says that sometimes a bad stepmother is needed to show what needs to be done. His stepmother replies, "Nobody needs a bad stepmom." She then tells Pinocchio that she's going to choose something better for her new destiny, and apologizes to him for having him being responsible to make her choose it.
Relationships[]
Baba Yaga[]
During the marriage of her stepdaughter, her own daughters had their eyes pecked out by birds. Asking Cinderella for help, she is promptly rejected. Some time afterwards, she finds the Baba Yaga who reveals to her the nature of stories. When she realizes she doesn't have a story of her own, and was written to be nothing more than Cinderella's villain, the Stepmother goes into a rage, goes through the stories, and eats anyone with a similar storyline. In exchange for this power, she gives the Baba Yaga her name.
Cinderella[]
Cinderella is the Stepmother's stepdaughter. Having spent the majority of her life being mistreated by the woman, Cinderella ultimately rejects her stepmother's request for help when her stepsisters are savagely injured by Cinderella's bird friends at her wedding. Due to anger at this rejection and subsequently realizing she was written to be the villain on Cinderella's story, the Stepmother tries to destroy Cinderella's book, but, thanks to the Baba Yaga, is unable to do so completely.
The Fairy Godmother[]
The Stepmother discovers the involvement of The Fairy Godmother in the story of Cinderella's tale. During No Place for a Prince of Princess, the Stepmother takes an opportunity to insult the Fairy Godmother using Pinocchio as a mouthpiece.
Geppetto[]
The Stepmother marries Geppetto, and tells Pinocchio that he was very ill. She tells Pinocchio when she first meets him that she would keep Geppetto safe. However, she is only using him as leverage to control Pinocchio so he will continue doing her bidding.
Pinocchio[]
Pinocchio has a familial relationship with the Stepmother, as he calls her, "Mom." He also reports to her and lets her tell him what to do. At the end of The Times of Shadow, the Stepmother asks Pinocchio to keep an eye on Rosamund, as she is being "hunted." Specifically, he is to keep her both safe and hidden, as the Stepmother tells him he could not survive what comes for her.
Pinocchio admits to the other Destiny's Children that the Stepmother scares him, as she shows frustration and anger in response to Pinocchio attempting to lie to her or disobey her. Her magic manifests through Pinocchio as though she is an actual puppeteer. Magic strings lead from his hooks to her shadowy form, or she projects her voice through him.
After the Stepmother's true form is revealed, Pinocchio literally severs his ties to her (i.e. cuts his puppet strings) and takes his own destiny as his new patron. He then begins trying to find ways to stop her from consuming all stories. When Destiny's Children go to the Baba Yaga, as part of his personal journey, he ultimately is able to free himself and his father, Geppetto, from her completely. Afterwards, he is able to find out her real name which she had given to the witch in exchange for her other worldly knowledge.
Rosamund du Prix[]
At the end of The Times of Shadow, the Stepmother asks Pinocchio to keep an eye on Rosamund, as she is being, "hunted." Specifically, he is to keep her both safe and hidden, as the Stepmother tells him he could not survive if something bad happens to her.
Unnamed Daughters[]
After finding out about her fate as a villain in Cinderella's story, the Stepmother goes on a rampage, eating anyone that resembles a villian in similar stories. It is implied that she has also brutally eaten her daughters, likely while they were still alive.
Trivia[]
- Her Patron type is Archfey.
- Saying her real name gives the Stepmother disadvantage on all saving throws and ability checks.
- That name, Minerva, is the name of the Roman goddess of wisdom.
- Her mini was sold as part of the Dimension 20 Neverafter Auction for for $1626.