This is Marble Cake. One of the future Strawberryland kids. She's a curious and adventurous girl, and also one of the very few girls who can match Peach Streusel's endurance.

Requested by Prudie, though maybe I took too much liberty in designing her?

Any show-centered forum must have this kind of thread, right? Let's begin.

1. Strawberry Shortcake
The title character of course. She's just so cute and charming, not to mention that her attitude is nearly... perfect. She can be too trusting at times, which makes her pretty gullible, but this trait is what makes her have many friends.

2. Peppermint Fizz
The anti hero of the show. Cunning, manipulative, and has difficult times accepting something new, yet she has the charm to deeply draw my interest. Her rather simple clothing and hairstyle also makes her look modest compared to some other characters.

3. Raspberry Torte
I like her mainly because of her sporty clothing and incredibly long hair. Her similar attitude with Peppermint can also be an additional factor.

4. Sour Grapes
Opposite of Peppermint. She's the anti villain of the show. Her looks and attitude was nothing special at first for me, but thanks to someone in this forum I learned about the depths of this character and I started to like her more. Now here she is, within the top 5 of my list.

5. Ginger Snap
Throughout my life of reading comics or watching shows, I always like characters with invention abilities. Compared to other inventor characters from other shows/comics, Ginger Snap is pretty inferior, but she has shown more than enough for me to like her.


As for the other side of the list, there are indeed a few I don't really like.

3. The Dog Catcher
This minor character who appears only in one episode, two if you count his 'twin brother' appearing in another episode, actually does not have anything which annoys me. It's just that I have a bad experience in real life which left a bad taste in the mouth, and ever since then I always grow some hatred towards anyone who is fat and grows thick moustache.

2. Angel Cake
Her attitude is kinda annoying. Pretty ironic to her name. I know she has her good side, but her annoying side quite overpowers the other.

1. Licorice Whip
True villain. Enough said.


This isn't really related, but I'd like to mention fan characters as well here (Each name can be clicked to see a picture of him/her):

1. Peach Streusel
She's as active and unable to sit still as Huck, and she's unique in a way that she's the only Strawberryland kid who wears shorts as regular outfit even in winter.

2. Blackberry Bun
Yeah, that's me lol. I like him because... he's me and I'm him. :mrgreen:

3. Pomegranate Parfait
She's pretty much the Peppermint Fizz of the future, and I like her for quite the same reason.

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As described there, this is the female protagonist of a manga/anime titled "Pygmalion"
I made this just to get used to using graphics tablet instead of PC tablet.

Quote:Chapter 8: Blackberry's Slow Journey


"I hate you!" I shouted.

"Fine. Then don't expect me to help you anymore," Albatross said.

"I don't need your help!" I said, turning away and leaving him alone. I then walked through the forest between my house and Huck's fort, full of anger in my heart. That's right, I had a fight with Albatross.

It all started when he accidentally crashed with Falcon and Blackbird while landing, rendering them wrecked and unusable. If he had apologized this would had not happened, however...



"You don't need them anymore anyway," Albatross said.

"What did you just say?" I asked.

"You don't need them anymore anyway," he repeated. "I'm much better than them combined."

"Don't say that!" I said. "There are sweet memories around them!"

"Memories? You should learn to put your past behind you and move forward," he said.

"And leave them like they're garbage? No way!" I said.

"They already are now anyway," he said.



Then our quarrel continued until what had just happened. I really couldn't believe Albatross was that arrogant, narrow-minded, and rude. I had been thinking that he was a very nice, helpful, and dependable friend, but it turned out I was really wrong. However, I then remembered that the future me seemed to get along with his Albatross well, which meant that I would eventually get along with Albatross again.

"Getting along with that no good thing? Yeah, right!" I said to myself, still filled with anger.

I kept walking without knowing where to go until I heard something which seemed like girls chatting while passing by Strawberry's house. Out of curiosity, I went to the back of her house and saw four girls of the main group and Tangerina Torta around the picnic table.

"Of course, there are other ways to get there," Strawberry said, seeming to be thinking. I then approached them.

"Hi, all," I said.

"Blackberry! And just at the right time!" Ginger said.

"That's right! He will be a big help!" Angel said.

"Umm, am I missing things here?" I asked. Strawberry then explained about going to Tangerina's place to see Gladiolus giganticus, a special flower which bloomed only once every 10 years in autumn, but Tangerina had the last train ticket and there would be no other train for a week. "Autumn? But today is Spring, right?"

"I forgot to tell you that every 30 years the flower blooms in Spring instead of Autumn, and this year is the special year," Tangerina said.

"Honestly, that makes me wonder how long that flower has lived," I said.

"So, could you help us to get there?" Strawberry asked.

"Well, I'd gladly take you there but..." I said.

"But what?" Orange asked.

"I refuse! Nope, no way," suddenly a voice we could easily recognize said. We looked at the source and saw Albatross floating above Strawberry's garden. Without giving us chance to speak, he left the place.

"Err, could you tell us what happened, Blackberry?" Strawberry asked. I then told everyone there that I had a quarrel with Albatross because he wrecked Falcon and Blackbird and spoke insulting words about them.

"Whoa, I really have never expected to know that he's so rude! Nope, not ever!" Ginger said.

"You better scrap that thing immediately," Angel said.

"Angel Cake!" Strawberry said, and at the same time we heard a surprisingly loud lightning bolt. Looking at the sunny weather, I could easily guess that it was Albatross' lightning cannon.

"Remember that he can hear everything I hear. You've just made him angry enough to fire his lightning cannon," I said.

"Uh, sorry..." Angel said.

"What are you going to do about him?" Orange asked.

"As much as I hate him, I won't scrap him or such," I said. "I made him over the course of 4 years, too many memories. Moreover, if I really want to do that, can I really do it? I mean, I will get fried by his lightning cannon and flamethrowers before I can even get close."

"Whoa, that sounds creepy! Or should I say crispy?" Ginger said with a giggle, but nobody else giggled and she became embarassed. "Sorry..."

"In any case, all my vehicles are out of the options," I said.

"Well..." Strawberry said, thinking again. "I could get a car."

"Why not? It will take a couple of days to drive there, but you should arrive right on time," Tangerina said. "You all should come too!"

"We could get a trailer too, to haul our camping stuff," Orange said.

"Let's do it!" Angel said.

"Let's go for it!" Strawberry said.

"I... I don't know if I can go," Ginger said.

"Why not, Ginger Snap?" Orange asked.

"It's a long way to be, you know, in a car, sitting," Ginger replied. "I bet Blackberry feels quite the same, am I right?"

"If you ask me, pretty much yes," I said. "But many says that getting there is already half the fun. I'd like to experience that for once."

"As for me, I don't know. Maybe," Ginger said.

"Come on, Ginger Snap!" Orange said, trying to encourage Ginger.

"Yeah, come on!" Angel followed.

"Hmm... yeah okay. I guess I could give it a try," Ginger said, settling everything.

At the next day, all of us were sitting in Strawberry's car which was parked right in front of her house, ready to go. Peppermint and Huck stood near the front gate to send us farewell. I sat next to Strawberry, who was the driver, while the other three girls sat on the back.

"Have a good trip! Goodbye! Don't forget to write!" Peppermint said, waving her hand.

"Okay, so we're going to have to hurry if we want to see that flower bloom," Angel said, writing on her notepad. "The way I figure it, we have to make 400 miles a day with 20 minutes for lunch and two 10 minute stretch breaks."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Orange said in excitement.

"Bye! See you soon!" Everybody in the car said to Peppermint and Huck, and then we left the place.

"Bye!" Peppermint shouted from behind us.

The trip went really... slow and boring. Orange Blossom kept singing the same song of John Jacob whatishisname, to the point that Angel Cake got annoyed.

"One more time!" Orange said.

"Orange Blossom, don't you know any other songs?" Angel asked with annoyed face.

"Not really," Orange said. "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. His name is my name too!"

"No more! Please!" Angel said.

"You all have sung countless different songs before. How about we retrace our memories and sing one of those?" I suggested.

"That's a berry great idea, Blackberry!" Strawberry said. "Do you have any suggestion about which song?"

"Well," I said, thinking. "I remember this song. Candy is sweet, ice cream is too..."

"Oh yeah, that song was a beautiful one!" Angel said.

"Sweet Dreams? I don't think it's a good idea to sing that," Ginger said.

"Why not?" Orange asked.

"The song is about, you know, sweet dreams. It makes you sleepy," Ginger said. "We don't want our driver to fall asleep on the wheel, am I right?"

"Oh yeah, you're right," I said. "We have to look for a merrier song then."

"Wait a second!" Angel said. "How did you know about that song? You weren't there that night!"

"Eh... Umm..." I said, panicking because I realized that I had just revealed something they should not know.

"Were you... stalking us?" Orange asked.

"I... Uh... I..." I said, still having no idea what to say.

"Calm down, everyone!" Strawberry said. "Blackberry, take a deep breath and then you can start explaining."

"Alright," I said, taking a deep breath. "You see, the sleepover in Strawberry's house was an attempt to get everyone back together, right?"

"Yeah, I remember that," Angel said. "Hey, how did you know about that too?"

"I met Strawberry when she was throwing the butterfly letters and I asked about it," I said. "So, that night I was wondering if the attempt was a success or not, so I sent my Eagle Eye to go there and find out. That was how I heard the song."

"I see," Orange said.

"If that was the case, then I'm fine with it," Angel said. "Anyway, any other suggestion?"

"Let's see..." I said. "How about this one? Back together, ain't it fun? Back together again."

"Isn't that the song we sung when Honey Pie Pony returned?" Orange asked.

"Yep, it definitely is," Ginger said.

"I saw her in the talent show, but I still don't know how she has been doing when we were away," I said.

"She couldn't get along really well with others without us, so she moved back to Ice Cream Island," Strawberry said. "She returned to Strawberryland when she heard that we have returned."

"Hey, by the time we sang that song, we didn't know you yet, am I right? Huck introduced you to us three days later, am I right again?" Ginger asked.

"I happened to be there, but none of you saw me," I said.

The trip then continued with all of us singing songs we had sung in the past. It didn't last very long, though. We eventually exhausted our throat, so Strawberry suggested an 'I Spy' game. That didn't last long either because it got boring pretty fast.

"Hmm, according to my calculations we are not making very good time," Angel said, writing something on her notepad.

"Oh, I think we'll make it!" Strawberry said. "You just got to remember, getting there is half the fun! Just think of all the amazing sights we've already seen!"

"But it's cramped in here and the ride's too bumpy!" Ginger said.

"I know it hasn't always been easy, but you can't let the little bumps in the road bother you," Strawberry said, and then everyone started singing a song about a little bump in the road.

Some time later, all of a sudden the car had a problem. Smokes came out from the hood and then the engine stopped working.

"What happened?" Ginger asked.

"I don't know," Strawberry said.

"I'll check," I said, going to the hood and opening it. "Busted isolating, vacillating, variable-speed witchet."

"No, couldn't be that. It has to be something else. You must be wrong. You can't be right," Ginger said in disbelief, checking the engine herself. "He's right."

"Can you fix that?" Strawberry asked.

"Easily, in 20 minutes," I said, taking my tools which I kept in my pocket. However, when I was about to start fixing the car, suddenly Albatross flew quickly right above us, and with his gravity field he stole all my tools and escaped.

"Albatross! You...! I hate you!" I shouted.

"Why did he do that?" Orange said.

"Man, I can't believe that he can be so mean!" Ginger said.

"What are we gonna do?" Angel asked.

"I guess..." Strawberry said.

Not long later, we were pushing the car with Custard on the steering wheel. We were fortunate that there was a gas station nearby so we didn't have to push very far. When we arrived we were greeted by a girl of our age. She had brown curly hair and wore mechanic suits.

"Car trouble? New in town, huh?" she greeted as the car stopped. Strawberry approached her and we followed.

"Hello, I'm Strawberry Shortcake! This is Angel Cake, Ginger Snap, Orange Blossom, Blackberry Bun, Custard, and Pupcake!" Strawberry said.

"How do you do? Name's Candy! Banana Candy! Welcome to Banana Boro!" she said.

"Thanks!" Strawberry said. "Do you think you can fix this car? It has busted isolating, what was it, Blackberry?"

"Busted isolating, vacillating, variable-speed witchet," I said.

"Really? Let's see," Banana said, checking the engine. "You're right. This is gonna take a while."

"No, you don't have to fix it," I said. "I actually can do it, but my tools aren't with me right now. So I think you can lend me your tools."

"If you say so, then let's put this car into the garage first," Banana said. We then detached the trailer from the car and then we pushed the car into the garage. Once the car was put in place, Banana gave me her toolbox.

"Well," I said, opening the toolbox and taking the tools inside. "These tools feel kinda different than mine. It might take longer than I said."

"How long do you think it will take?" Strawberry asked.

"Maybe an hour or so," I said.

"Well, that's not so bad. It'll give us time to eat lunch," Strawberry said, looking at other friends. "Is there a restaurant around here, Banana Candy?"

"Sure thing! Right down the road. Great place, fantastic food. Let me get you a cab," Banana said, and she left the garage.

"We're berry sorry for troubling you, Blackberry. We'll order a takeout for you," Strawberry said.

"Don't worry about me," I said, and soon a car horn could be heard from outside. "Sounds like your cab."

"See you soon, Blackberry!" Ginger said, and everyone left the place leaving me alone.

Fixing the car turned to be harder than I thought. The tools I had borrowed from Banana Candy felt so different that it slowed me down significantly. Even after everyone else came back, I hadn't made much progress.

"Sorry, I don't know what's happening, but I had a lot of difficulties fixing this," I said.

"Don't worry, Blackberry," Strawbery said, giving me a packed food. "Here, take a break and have your lunch."

"Thanks," I said, taking the food. All of us then sat on the floor near the door of the garage, talking to each other while I had lunch.

"Really? You're all going to see the Gladiolus giganticus?" Banana said when we told her about our trip.

"That's right," Orange said.

"It's always been Strawberry's dream to see it," Angel said.

"Yeah, I always wanted to see it myself too," Banana said. She then looked at me.

"Err, something wrong?" I said before taking the last bite of the food.

"Can you come with me into the garage?" she asked. I only nodded because I was still chewing food in my mouth. Both of us then walked into the garage. In there Banana took something which turned out to be another toolbox from the shelves and gave it to me.

"Another toolbox?" I asked.

"These are my real tools," Banana said. "The ones I gave you were just toys."

"No wonder..." I said. "But why?"

"It... it was so nice to have you here. I didn't want you to leave," she said.

"You should know that we can't stay here forever," I said.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry. It was an awful thing to do," she said. "I was... lonely."

"Hey, how about this? You can come with us to see the flower bloom. That way you can stay together with us for a while longer," I suggested.

"No, I couldn't," she said.

"Why not?" I asked

"You see, I've never left this place," she said.

"Never thought of exploring outside?" I asked.

"Kind of, I guess," she said. "Maybe I'm scared."

"You won't be alone. There's no need to be scared," I said.

"Well, I guess... I could, couldn't I?" she said. "And I will! Thank you, Blackberry!"

"All right then, I'll fix the car and then we'll leave immediately. You better tell everyone else and start packing," I said. She nodded and left the garage.

Not long later, while I was still working on the car, Strawberry and Angel came.

"Blackberry?" Angel said.

"Yes?" I replied without looking at them, still continuing my work.

"We heard from Banana that you offered her to come with us," she said.

"Yeah, the more the merrier, right?" I said.

"That's berry right," Strawberry said. "But..."

"Let me guess. Not enough seats in the car?" I said, still working.

"You know already?" Angel said.

"I will just sit in the trailer with Custard and Pupcake. Problem solved," I said, still continuing the work.

"That doesn't feel berry right," Strawberry said.

"Yeah, it is gonna feel like we just... dump you, after all you have done for us," Angel said, which made me stopped working.

"Dump?" I asked, then I giggled. "Don't be silly! Just because I sit in the trailer doesn't mean I'm dumped. Then you might as well say Custard and Pupcake are dumped too!"

"No, that's not what we meant," Angel said.

"I will sit on the trailer. No more questions. Okay?" I said, and I continued fixing the car.

"Okay, if you say so," Strawberry said. "Thank you berry much, Blackberry!"

"Don't mention it," I said, and the two girls left the garage.

Slightly less than one hour later, the car was fixed and ready to go. I drove it to the front of the trailer for Strawberry to attach the car to the trailer, and then I went inside the trailer. Soon, all of us were onboard and we left the place. Inside the trailer I couldn't see much scenery, but it didn't matter because I felt pretty tired after fixing the car. It didn't take long until I fell asleep there.

I didn't know how long I had been asleep when Strawberry woke me up.

"Eh, have we arrived?" I asked, still half asleep.

"No, we're at Calico Falls!" she said. "The view is berry beautiful and I thought you might want to see this."

"Why not?" I replied, getting up. We then walked out from the trailer. The next thing I saw was huge beautiful pink waterfalls, viewed from fairly close distance. Words couldn't describe how beautiful the view was.

"You see, this trip is full of berry wonderful new things!" Strawberry said. "Aren't you glad you came, Ginger Snap?"

"Well, I guess it hasn't been all bad," Ginger said.

Soon, the trip continued until the sky got dark.

"It's kinda hard reading this map now," Angel said. "But I know that where we want to be is just over those mountains!"

"Let's get some sleep here first!" Strawberry said, and the car stopped. We then spent the night there.

In the following morning, we continued the trip. I still stayed inside the trailer, but of course this time I didn't fall asleep. I could feel the car climbing a pretty steep slope, so steep that it could barely reach the top of the slope. After that, the road ahead was a winding downward slope. I could feel the car speeding up, but then I heard everybody screaming.

"Strawberry, I think you should slow down!" I shouted.

"Yeah, we should!" Strawberry replied. "But we kinda can't!"

The car kept speeding up through the winding road. The movements made everything inside the trailer including me thrown all over the place. Custard and Pupcake were lucky because they could hold onto the curtain of the trailer's front window.

"Hey hey hey! Take it easy, will ya!" Custard shouted while still dangling on the curtain.

Suddenly, there was a sharp turn to the right. The car didn't manage to turn well so the trailer ended up dangling over the cliff.

"Hold on tight!" Strawberry shouted. However, the weight of the trailer defeated the power of the engine. Both the trailer and the car fell down to the bottom of the cliff, along with all the passengers. I could hear everybody screaming, while I was too shocked and frightened to scream. All I had in mind was that it was definitely the end of everything.

However, suddenly the fall stopped. I slowly got up and walked towards the nearest window to look through it. I was surprised to see that we were floating over the cliffs. I then remembered something and looked upwards. Just as I thought, Albatross were flying right above us. He had just saved us with his gravity field.

"Heh, what a bunch of bothersome kids," he said. He then brought us to the bottom of the winding road and put us on the ground there. Everybody got off from the car and the trailer, looking at Albatross, who was still floating near us.

"Thank you berry much, Albatross," Strawberry said. The rest of us were speechless, probably because we couldn't believe the arrogant and rude Albatross had just saved our lives.

"Albatross," I finally began to speak. "As much as I hate you, I still have to thank you... And I think I know what you are."

"Just stop right there," Albatross said, opening his canopy. "You better go see the flower you want to see first. Come, I'll take you there."

All of us then looked at each other, thinking whether we should accept his offer or not. Nobody said anything, but everybody gave a nod, which implied that we agreed to take his offer. Seeming to know, Albatross pulled us into the cockpit with his gravity field.

"So this is the spaceship you told me about last night?" Banana asked after we all stepped on the cockpit.

"Yeah," I said. "Albatross, meet Banana Candy. Banana Candy, meet Albatross."

"Nice to meet you," Albatross said.

"Nice to meet you too," Banana said.

"Alright, we're just above the house of your friend. Go meet her," Albatross said, opening the canopy and dropping all of us with his gravity field. Tangerina saw us from her tree house and went down to greet us.

"The flower just bloomed this morning!" Tangerina said. "Let's go see it!"

All of us then followed Tangerina towards the place where the flower was located. When we arrived, all of us were amazed seeing the blooming flower. A lot of hummingbirds were flying around the flower, seeming attracted to it. The journey was slow, tiresome, and boring at times, but seeing the blooming flower made everything worth all the effort.

"Isn't it the most beautiful thing you ever saw?" Strawberry said.

"Yep, it sure is!" Ginger said.

"I'm glad that we made it here in time," Angel said.

"Very beautiful," Orange said.

"Definitely worth everything," Banana said.

"Albatross," I said, looking at Albatross who had landed on a nearby open ground. "I think I know who you really are."

"Speak your guess, then," he said.

"You can read my mind or hear everything I hear, but you actually can't. You actually remember everything," I said.

"Uh-huh?" Albatross said.

"You started our fight on purpose, because you knew that if we haven't had a fight and if Falcon and Blackbird haven't been wrecked then we would have never met Banana Candy," I said.

"So?" he said.

"You are me, aren't you? The future me," I said. "I think the future me controls you with a remote or something and speaks through there. I don't know exactly how, but in any case you are me, and I am you."

"Well, you guessed it," he said, which made me happy for a moment. "Wrong again. I'm not you or whatever you just said."

His last line made me disappointed again.

"You're not all wrong, though," he said. "You were right about wrecking your other ships and starting the fight so you could meet Banana. But just that point."

"Oh..." I said, still pretty disappointed.

"Relax, take your time," he said. "But I still feel really sorry about Falcon and Blackbird."

"Ah, don't worry. I know just the way," I said, smiling towards him.

"Eh?" he asked.

Two days later, in the afternoon, I looked at Albatross with satisfaction expressed on my face. I had salvaged parts of Falcon and Blackbird and merged them with Albatross. As the result, he gained Falcon's harpoon, invisibility, and the ability to dive underwater. From Blackbird he gained an extra thruster right underneath the engine.

"There! Now all of you are one!" I said.

"Heh, whatever you want," he said. "But, I sorta like it."

"Now, you need a new name!" I said.

"Huh?" he said.

"How about... Alby?" I said while holding myself from laughing.

"That's not a new name! That's just cutting my name short!" he said, and both of us burst into laughter.


--End of Chapter 8--

After a long stressful struggle, finally:

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Do I need to say anything more?

Quote:Chapter 7: It Takes Talent, or Not?


Two days have passed since my travel to the future, and Albatross was still as mysterious as ever. It had somehow gained the ability to talk, and my friends were so excited about it after I had told them. Every few hours there was always at least one friend visiting Albatross just to try talking with it, or maybe I should mention Albatross as 'him' from now on. Albatross always responded to everyone talking to him with his unique robotic voice, and I noticed that day by day the way he talked became more alike to a human instead of a machine like he had used to do the first time he could talk. Still, the mystery of his origin kept giving me headaches. My future self had told me that he had figured it out, so I had faith that I would figure it out. However, not knowing when had made me a bit impatient.

"Still thinking hard?" he suddenly asked. I was lying down in muse on the ground next to him, and I realized that I almost had fallen asleep because of the cozy afternoon spring weather.

"Why ask that if you can always read my mind?" I asked back, getting up to sitting position.

"I don't do that anymore," he replied. "Your mind is your privacy."

"Eh? Then how should I call you when I need you someday?" I asked.

"I don't read your mind anymore, but I still hear all words you say and hear," he said.

"Alright..." I said, lying down again. "I still wonder why you won't make everything easy for me and tell me what you really are."

"Because it's already easy enough," he said. "I'm the one wondering why you still cannot figure it out."

"Easy enough? I don't think so," I said.

"You're thinking too hard," he said. "Why don't you relax for a while?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right," I said. "I think I'll visit Strawberry now. On foot."

"Take your time," he said as I got up and went away. While walking, I recalled a conversation which had happened in the clubhouse at the day of our return from Oz.



"Spring? What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's now March 21. The first day of spring!" Blueberry said. "What's the matter?"

"Where was the mistake? I remember the calendar from Sour.. eh, Stella Grapes showing that it's summer..." I said in low voice. Everyone else only heard me mumbling unclear words.

"What are you saying?" Raspberry said, but I didn't respond.

"Hey, Blackberry! Do you hear me?!" Peppermint said a bit loudly, which caught me surprised.

"Eh?" I asked.

"Everybody is confused and needs your explanation!" Peppermint said.

"Well..." I said, thinking for a moment. "Alright..."

"So, what's the matter?" Rainbow asked.

"We're not supposed to return today," I said, which obviously confused everyone else.

"Care to explain?" Apricot said.

"We left Strawberryland four years ago in the middle of summer, and then we spent almost exactly four years in Oz," I said.

"So?" Peppermint said.

"That means we should have returned in the middle of summer too!" I said. "It seems that something went wrong in the time travel. We ended up arriving four months earlier than our supposed time."

"Does that mean we have to travel four months forward now?" Huck asked.

"I want to say yes, but..." I said, looking at our friends who had not traveled to Oz. "We have been separated for three years and eight months, four years for us who were away. It doesn't feel right, having to add four more months to you right after we are reunited."

"Is there anything bad going to happen if we stay?" Strawberry asked.

"Well, I don't know," I replied. "It's like traveling four months to the past, but never returning to the present. The difference is that there are no our past selves because we are still in Oz by now."

"Argh, just cut it out!" Peppermint said. "Everything you said confused me, and maybe everyone else! All I care is that we're here, back in Strawberryland, safe and sound! No need to think about those complicated things!"

"Well..." I said. "I'm not sure about many things, but if everyone agrees, we can forget all I have said. Raise hand if you agree to stay."

After I said the line, one by one all kids raised their hand.

"We're staying then," I said.



I was glad that everybody had made that decision. I had no idea what would have happened to Coco and Seaberry, and also the mermaids if we had decided to travel to our supposed time. I still didn't know how we could have landed on the wrong time, but I decided to let it by because all had ended well.

Soon, I arrived at Huck's fort. I had no intention to visit him, but suddenly it rained. I then quickly entered his fort through the front gate to cover myself from the rain. There was nobody home, so I sat down on the nearby sofa and waited. Soon enough, I fell asleep on the sofa. I didn't know how long, but when I woke up there was a blanket covering me.

"Hey there, Blackberry," a voice which I could easily recognize greeted from my left.

"Eh, hey Huck. Sorry, I fell asleep here," I said, getting up from the chair and folding the blanket.

"No worries. You don't even need to fold that," he said as I put the folded blanket on the sofa. "What brought you here?"

"That," I replied, pointing at the front door behind me with my thumb. It was still raining outside. Not as hard as before, but it was still a bad idea to go out without umbrella and rain coat. "I actually wanted to visit Strawberry, but it rained when I was by your fort so I took cover here."

"I see. I was just relaxing under a tree when it rain fell. I then hurried home and found you sleeping there," he said.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked.

"Not long, maybe less than one hour," he replied.

"I see," I said. "So, what are we going to do now? Can't go anywhere in this rain."

"Well, I have a board game around here..." he replied, searching on his shelf. "It's honestly not too exciting with only two players, but at least better than nothing."

So, the two of us played a board game which indeed became boring pretty quickly because there were not enough players. By the next hour, we had already stopped playing but the rain did not show any sign of stopping.

"I think I'll just go home," I said.

"Want to borrow my raincoat?" he asked.

"You only have one, don't you? Don't worry about me. I'll have him to pick me up," I said.

"Him?" he asked.

"He's not my ship anymore," I said. "I now consider him as my close friend."

"Oh yeah. Albatross," he said. "I agree with you. Now he can not only fly by itself, but also talk like us. I still wonder how he can do that, though."

"I'm wondering about that too," I said. "He just won't tell me because he said that it was already easy enough to figure out."

"That's right," a robotic voice said from outside the fort. Both of us approached the front gate and saw Albatross parked right outside with opened canopy. The rain somehow stopped dropping only at the space between the front gate and Albatross himself.

"Thanks for coming, Albatross," I said. "And a very nice way of using the internal gravity field to repel the rain."

"I can do this all day, but are you really going to have me do that?" he asked.

"Of course not," I said, walking to him. "See you later, Huck."

"See ya!" Huck said, waving his hand as I climbed into the cockpit. I then arrived home within seconds.

The rain somehow lasted for days. Sometimes it stopped during bedtime, but that meant it always rained when we were awake. During the rainy days, I spent time doing nearly nothing to the point that I got really bored.

"Now I wonder how bored my friends are," I said to myself while lying down on a sofa. Suddenly the doorbell rang and I went to open the main door. Once I opened the door I saw Blueberry in her rain coat down below.

"Hey, Blackberry!" she said, looking upwards and waving her hand to me.

"Hi, Blueberry," I said, lowering the ladder. "Come in!"

Before she could grab the ladder, she suddenly floated up into the entrance of my house and stepped on the floor smoothly. I easily understood what had just happened, but she looked surprised and confused.

"What was that?" she asked.

"It was Albatross' doing," I said. "He can control the gravity around him."

"Really? It's absoloooo-tely cool!" she said. "I have to say thanks to him for that."

"He can hear everything I hear, so you can say it to me," I said.

"Alright. Thank you, Albatross," She said.

"So, what brought you here?" I asked.

"Strawberry just visited me telling about her 'berry amazing idea'," she replied.

"Really? What is it? I'll gladly take any idea to get out of this boredom," I said.

"A talent show," Blueberry said. "First ever, almost annual, nearly yearly Strawberryland Talent Show"

"First ever? I actually think it has been done before... Oh wait, it was a pet show," I said.

"Everyone is welcome to come and participate, or just to become an audience," she said. "And it was just at the right time!"

"Right time? Why?" I asked.

"Friends from outside Strawberryland are coming tomorrow!" she replied in excitement.

"You mean... Frosty Puff, Crepes Suzette, and others too?" I asked.

"Absoloooo-tely!" she replied.

"Sounds promising! So, what can I do for you?" I said.

"We're going to use the stage in my house for the show, so I thought you could help me with decorations," she replied.

"Got it. Let's go then," I said, taking a capsule-like thing from my shelf and going to the main door.

"Don't you need a rain coat?" she asked, seeing me going down the ladder without wearing any kind of cover from the rain. When I stepped on the ground, I threw the capsule upwards and a dome of light just wide enough to cover my body appeared and protected me from the rain. The dome followed me as I walked.

"I made this during the boring days. Better than the one I had before because now I can walk around and it will follow me," I said as she went down the ladder.

"As always, you're absoloooo-tely full of surprises with your devices," she said.

"And as always, your way to say the word 'absolutely' is what makes you unique," I said, and we had a little laugh together. We then started walking towards Blueberry Valley.

"By the way, is it fine to leave him there alone at your house?" she asked on the way.

"Well, to be honest I'm not sure how he feels about that," I said, shrugging. "But I don't think he will feel lonely at all. He hears what I hear, or at least that's what he had told me, though I still don't know how he can do that."

"I just thought that we might need his help as well," she said.

"Really? For what?" I asked.

"Let's ask him to come with us first," she said. Before I could say anything more, Albatross came to us and used his gravity field to carry us all the way to Blueberry's house.

"There you have his answer," I said as we finally stepped on the ground again. Albatross kept floating above the house waiting for further instructions.

"Thank you for coming, Albatross," Blueberry said.

"How can I help you?" Albatross asked.

So, the three of us worked together to decorate the stage inside Blueberry's house. Blueberry was right about needing Albatross' help. With his ability to control gravity, he was very helpful in moving heavier things. When we needed to decorate higher parts of the stage, he lifted us up so we didn't have to use any ladder or such. In no time, everything we assumed necessary for the contest was ready.

"Stage, check! Audience seats, check! Judges' table, Check! Everything else, check! We're ready!" Blueberry said, examining her checklist.

"That's nice to hear," I said, still floating near the last piece of decoration I had put. "And we finished everything before dark."

"It was absolooo-tely thanks to you, Albatross!" Blueberry said.

"No problem," Albatross said.

"By the way, what are you going to do in the show?" Blueberry asked.

"Eh, I still haven't decided," I said. "But I probably will just watch. I have nothing to show."

"Nothing? You absoloooo-tely have something to show!" she said.

"What is it?" I asked, wondering.

"Look at what you are doing now!" she said. I looked at myself for a few seconds, and then I realized what she had been talking about.

"You mean, floating?" I asked and she nodded. "No way, this is Albatross' doing, not my talent."

"Let me ask you this: Who made Albatross?" she asked as I stepped on the floor.

"Uh... me," I said.

"You made Albatross with your talent! That alone qualifies you!" she said.

"But for me that's kinda like... cheating," I said.

"Hey, there's no prize to get in this show. The whole show is just for fun! We won't care if you fly on your own or someone else control gravity for you, as long as you give us a good show nobody will complain!" she said, convincing me.

"Well, if you say so..." I said, pausing to think for a moment. "Okay, I'll do it."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said.

"Alright, I think I'll go home now. See you again tomorrow," I said.

"Bye," she said, waving her hand as I left her house with Albatross.

At the next day, I came to Blueberry's house not long before the audition round began. Albatross parked itself at an open field behind the house, ready to lift me up when my turn came. I sat on a chair in the backstage, waiting for my turn along with many other participants. I was really nervous that I didn't say anything to other participants when their turn came, while they always said 'Good luck!' to anyone called by Blueberry, who played as the MC.

"Our next contestant today is the bespectacled Strawberryland inventor we all know and love," Blueberry's voice was heard from the loudspeaker in the backstage.

"Hey, that's the sign for you, Blackberry!" Strawberry said, but I didn't hear her. I was too focused on thinking what to do on stage.

"Whoa, it seems our bespectacled inventor is very nervous he didn't hear anything! Yep, he sure is!" Ginger said.

"Blackberry!" Orange said loudly, which surprised me.

"Eh? What happened?" I asked.

"It's your turn!" Angel said.

"Eh, really? Okay..." I said, standing up and walking towards the stage.

"Now let's watch... Blackberry Bun!" Blueberry said, and I came out to the stage. Everybody at the audience seats and the judges' table clapped their hands briefly and then they fell into silence, waiting for me to put something to show.

"Alright, lift me up now," I whispered, but nothing happened. "Albatross?"

I whispered calling Albatross to use his gravity field to lift me up, but nothing happened. The audiences and judges were staring at me, still waiting for me to show something, but without Albatross responding to my call, I had nothing to show. I was so panicked that I didn't know what to do, so I ended up standing there doing nothing at all other than dripping sweat all over my face.

"Blackberry? Are you okay?" Peppermint, who was one of the three judges, asked. I didn't answer at all.

"We are waiting for anything you're going to show," Huck, the second judge, said.

"If you have nothing to show, then get out of that stage," Custard, the third judge, cynically said. "We don't need a statue to obstruct other contestants."

"Hold on! What did you just say?" Peppermint suddenly asked.

"Uhh, we don't need a statue...?" Custard replied. She was a bit surprised.

"Ohh, I get it..." Huck said. "That's his show! He's pretending to be a statue!"

"That's right, Huck!" Peppermint said. "I was just about to say that."

"It's really perfect! Standing there not moving at all. I can't even see if he's breathing!" Huck said.

"You really have fooled us there, Blackberry," Peppermint said. "I thought something went wrong and you lost whatever you wanted to show."

"Yea, I thought just like that too!" Huck said. "You definitely passed!"

"I fully agree! You passed!" Peppermint said. The two judges then looked at Custard.

"Well, if it is really the case, then I will reconsider..." Custard said. "Actually, I still think that something really went wrong and these two made up that excuse to 'save' you. But, if you could make me think like that then you have played your show well. You passed."

After Custard finished her speech, everybody else gave me a huge applause. I really couldn't believe that other participants had to do preparations to make their show while I passed just by standing around doing nothing. That really didn't feel right, but I was still very nervous that I only could bow to the audiences and walked back into the backstage. Other participants there applauded me as I entered.

"Congratulations, matey!" Rainbow said.

"You really have fooled us all!" Frosty said.

"Yea, I t'ought zomet'ing went really wrong!" Crepes said.

"Sorry, I... I'm a bit tired. I... I need to sit down," I said, walking to a chair and sitting there. Soon after, I decided to go out and check why Albatross had not given any response to my calling. I went out using the back door without having rain protection, and when I came close to Albatross I saw someone standing leaning to him. The person was juggling a shiny spherical thing with one hand. It didn't take me long to recognize everything I saw.

"Pomegranate," I said.

"Hi there, Blackberry," she said, looking at me with her mischievous smile.

"You came and stole the Sun Stone just at the worst time possible," I said, and she giggled a bit.

"But thanks to that I learned something about the past," she said. "The friends here are really good friends. Except that cat."

"Custard is usually not like that. She just put herself too much into her role as a judge," I said.

"Really, huh?" she said. "Whatever."

"But I still don't like you stealing the Sun Stone again even though you know it means a lot for me," I said.

"Again? I have never taken this thing from your ship before," she said.

"Come on, don't pretend that you haven't done it. It was just two days ago in the afternoon, at my house!" I said.

"Two days ago?" she said. "Heh, whatever. Here!"

As Pomegranate said the last word, she threw the Sun Stone to me. I caught the stone, but at the same time she made a dimension door flat on the ground and jumped into it. After she entered, the dimension door disappeared immediately. Without second thought, I entered Albatross' passenger space and inserted the Sun Stone back into the insertion.

"She did it again," Albatross said as he came back to life.

"Maybe I should just nail this lid," I said. "But I thought you could capture her with your gravity field."

"Sorry about that," he said. "She appeared inside me and took the Sun Stone right away. Everything happened so fast I couldn't react."

"For real? Was it coincidence or..." I said. "In any case, I think I know what you really are."

"Really? What is your guess?" he asked.

"You are the Sun Stone itself, right?" I said. Immediately, I heard something from the inside of Blueberry's house. It was a very badly played music, so bad that I thought it was a joke.

"I think that sound answers your guess," he said.

"Eh?" I asked.

"You guessed it wrong. I'm not the Sun Stone," he said. "I'm still here no matter how far the stone is taken away, but indeed I can't do anything without its energy."

"Oh..." I said, rather disappointed. At the same time the bad music stopped.

"Relax, you can take your time," he said.

"Oh well..." I said. "I'll just go inside and see what's happening. You can go home if you want."

"I'll wait here," he said, and I went back inside the house.

"Hey, everyone. What was that sound?" I asked as I entered. In there I saw Strawberry, Angel, Orange, and Ginger looking very depressed. Other contestants there seemed to be trying to comfort them to no avail. "What happened? Don't tell me..."

"We didn't pass..." Strawberry said, and then the four of them left the place without saying any more words. I wanted to ask more about the matter, but Blueberry's speech heard from the speaker in the room prevented me from doing it.

"Our next contestant is the owner of a boutique in Pearis," her voice was heard. I knew right away that it was the sign for Crepes Suzette.

"Let's go, Eclair," Crepes said, with tall hat and magic stick ready on her hands. However, Eclair stood still with sad face. "Eclair?"

"What's wrong with Eclair?" Tangerina asked. "Is she sick?"

"Don't worry," Crepes said, approaching Eclair and put her in her hug. "Zee iz just 'omezick."

"Homesick? But that means..." Watermelon said.

"Yea, I 'ave to go 'ome," Crepes said. "Zorry, but could any of you tell t'em t'at I muzt leave?"

"Alright, I'll do it," I said, and I ran to the stage. In there I immediately went to Blueberry and whispered the news to her. She nodded after hearing it.

"I regret to inform that Crepes Suzette is unable to participate because her partner Eclair is homesick so she has to leave," Blueberry announced, and some disappointed sighs could be heard from the audiences.

"She's the last one, right? So I guess that wraps everything up," Custard said.

"No, this doesn't feel right," Peppermint said. "Now we have an unexpected opening."

"Hey, how about we give the Strawberry Jam another chance?" Huck asked.

"Another chance? Are you kidding?" Custard said. "They couldn't sing, they couldn't play their music. What do you want me to say?"

"Let me ask you this," Peppermint said. "What is the purpose of this contest?"

"Err... For fun?" Custard said.

"Do you think this was fun for them?" Peppermint asked again.

"Well, don't blame me for their lack of talent to show," Custard replied.

"There are things that don't take talent. These things take a lot of practice instead. So why don't we give them a chance to practice more so they can try again tomorrow and have fun like the rest of us?" Peppermint said. "And don't tell me you didn't have fun playing strict judge."

"Uh... If you say so..." Custard said. "I'll leave the decision to the audiences."

"Alright, everyone who agree to give Strawberry Jam another chance, raise your hand!" Huck said, standing up and raising his hand. Without taking any second thought, everyone else in the room including me and Blueberry raised their hands. Immediately, every other contestants who were at the backstage came out to the stage raising their hands. I was amazed by everything I saw. Indeed everyone here were really good friends like Pomegranate had said.

"I suppose that settles everything," Huck said. "I'll go to tell them the good news!"

Huck immediately left the place after saying his last sentence. Not long afterwards everyone else went home to come again at the next day. At the backstage, I saw Crepes Suzette packing her things.

"So, you're going back to Pearis?" I asked.

"Yea, I just 'ave to. But don't worry! I 'ad my fun 'ere!" she said, smiling.

"How are you going to go home?" I asked, wondering.

"I 'ave an 'ot air balloon," she replied.

"It will take too long to go home using that," I said. "I'll take you home."

"Really? T'ankz! But 'ow?" she asked, finishing her packing.

"That," I said, opening the back door. Albatross was still parked there with his engines roaring. "Meet Albatross."

"Wooow! That iz amazing!" Crepes said. Soon, all of us were boarded in Albatross and he flew fast towards Pearis. We couldn't talk much because we arrived in Pearis two minutes later. After she got off at her home, we parted waving hands to each other and I flew back to Strawberryland.

In the afternoon of the next day, at the time when Strawberry Jam was given another chance, I sat on the audience seat waiting and hoping that I would not have to hear the badly played music again. Soon, with Blueberry's announcement, the stage curtain opened revealing Strawberry Jam members ready to play.

"Let's go!" Strawberry shouted, and then the band started playing their music. This time, they played the music and sang their song about working together really well. I was very pleased with their performance, and I could bet that everybody else were pleased too. After the song was finished, every audience applauded cheerfully.

After the band performance, there were more shows by other participants for the finals. I took part there, and this time I really floated and flew around the stage. Everyone were amazed and gave me big applause once I stepped back on the stage.

"Now, Strawberry Jam is going to play a different song. So without further words, Strawberry Jam!" Blueberry announced, and once again Strawberry Jam were back on stage welcomed by applause.

"Thank you berry much, everyone!" Strawberry said. "This time, we're going to play a song about how berry hard we trained but we couldn't make it come together. I'm berry glad that now we have! Anyway, hope you enjoy!"

Immediately, the band started playing a song which sounded a bit depressing at start, but became more cheerful towards the end. I didn't know the title of the song, but the line 'I'll keep on hoping' in the song got stuck in my head and I started to believe it as the title. Like before, everyone applauded as the song finished.

All in all, I must say that the talent show was a complete success.


--End of Chapter 7--

Just remembered that I haven't made any repost of my old pictures. Now I'm walking down the memory lane from the beginning.

My very first attempt of drawing with my stylus. Made with ms Paint.
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An attempt to make a more complex drawing. Again, made with ms Paint.
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A "Comic" of alternate story if Angel Cake wasn't there to "bribe". At this time I was starting to use a graphics freeware which I still use until now.
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A sequence of images which form a Christmas Tale. At that time I still didn't know that Frosty Puff's home is called Niceland.
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Rest And Relax:
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Purple Pie Man and Sour Grapes. Coloring and lines are messy because at that time the only reference I had was Sweet Dreams Movie.
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Strawberella and Prince Charming
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Licorice Whip and Raven
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Huckleberry Briar
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Orange Blossom Acres
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Cakewalk
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Cookie Corners
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Peppermint Place
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Blueberry Valley
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The Costume Play Tale. Tried my hands on giving Strawberry an original outfit. Now I kinda feel "defeated" seeing Strawberry's "real" pirate outfit in one episode.
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A lovable scene I like, but I messed everything up here.
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Strawberry's love towards Custard is so high that she was willing to become a slave...? lol
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Conversion Experiment 1:
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Coco Calypso:
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Conversion Experiment 2:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/TeaBlossom.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... lossom.png</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/TeaBlossom2.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... ossom2.png</a><!-- m -->

Conversion Experiment 3 (truly messed up):
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/HoneyLove.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... eyLove.png</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/HoneyLove2.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... yLove2.png</a><!-- m -->

Peppermint Fizz and Cola Chameleon:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/PeppermintLove.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... ntLove.png</a><!-- m -->

Ginger Snap and Chocolate Chipmunk:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/GingerLove.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... erLove.png</a><!-- m -->

A True Friend:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/ATrueFriend.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... Friend.png</a><!-- m -->

A random Christmas scene:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/SanjarisRequest.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... equest.png</a><!-- m -->

Bride Grapes:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/BrideGrapes.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... Grapes.png</a><!-- m -->

Some stances of Strawberry when I was making Angel's request:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Stance5.jpg">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... tance5.jpg</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Stance4.jpg">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... tance4.jpg</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Stance3.jpg">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... tance3.jpg</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Stance2.jpg">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... tance2.jpg</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Stance1.jpg">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... tance1.jpg</a><!-- m -->

Angel's request:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/AngelRequest.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... equest.png</a><!-- m -->

I was a bit bored so I made a similar one with Strawberry's regular outfit:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Dream.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... /Dream.png</a><!-- m -->

Old version of Blackberry Bun:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/BlackberryBun-1.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... yBun-1.png</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/BlackberryBunatHome.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... atHome.png</a><!-- m -->

Young Sour Grapes. Forgot why there are three of them in my album:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/YoungGrapes.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... Grapes.png</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/YoungGrapes-1.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... apes-1.png</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/YoungGrapes2.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... rapes2.png</a><!-- m -->

Young Sour Grapes and Purple Pie Man:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Siblings.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... blings.png</a><!-- m -->

Blackberry Bun in his winter clothing, based on my own winter clothing:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/WinterGingerBlackberry.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... kberry.png</a><!-- m -->

Mermaid Grapes
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/MermaidGrapes2.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... rapes2.png</a><!-- m -->

Project Somnus:

• Earlier concept of Peach Streusel:
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/PeachStreusel.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... reusel.png</a><!-- m -->
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/PeachStreusel2.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... eusel2.png</a><!-- m -->
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/PeachStreusel5.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... eusel5.png</a><!-- m -->
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/PeachStreusel4.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... eusel4.png</a><!-- m -->
  
  Until:
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/PeachStreuselFinal.jpg">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... lFinal.jpg</a><!-- m -->
  
  Earlier concept of the twins Mango Jubilee and Persimmons:
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/MangoJubilee.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... ubilee.png</a><!-- m -->
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/Persimmons.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... immons.png</a><!-- m -->
  
  Until:
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/Persimmons2.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... mmons2.png</a><!-- m -->
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/MangoJubilee2.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... bilee2.png</a><!-- m -->
  
  Somnus:
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/00m_SS_DtE/Project%20Somnus/Somnus.png">http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t37/ ... Somnus.png</a><!-- m -->
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs28/f/2009/251/4/7/Husband_And_Wife_by_00m.png">http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs28/f/2009/ ... by_00m.png</a><!-- m -->
  
  Put them all together and:
  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs51/f/2009/266/8/b/The_Grapes___Family_by_00m.png">http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs51/f/2009/ ... by_00m.png</a><!-- m -->

Hello, new here. Found the forum while doing research on SBSC. We recently purchased a massive collection of vintage SBC. We are in the process of sorting and arranging it all. We have found MANY prototypes and variants. Hope to have some photos up soon and get your thoughts on them.

Let's imagine that you have a chance to completely remove one negative human personality trait from existence in the whole world. However, there's a catch that one positive trait will be removed as well. What negative trait will you choose to remove, and what positive trait will you choose to sacrifice?

I will provide my answer once I have replies.