And the vote stands:
Malik- 1
Ryou- 1
Yami Bakura- 4
Jou- 3
Yugi- 1
Yami- 4
Pegasus- 1
Mai- 1
Since Yami Bakura and Yami Yugi are in a dead tie, I decided to combine them into one nifty interview. (Don't worry, if you want I'll interview them one-on-one in later chapters if you ask.) Plus, it would be interesting to have them in the same room discussing this certain subject… fun, ne?
Before we start I need to acknowledge some people's reviews:
Chys Lattes: Yay, my 1st reviewer! Hm… you seem to be pretty educated on the Japanese version of YGO (which I'm ashamed to say I'm not…) Maybe you could fill me in a little more? Well, thanks for reviewing and here's hopping you'll enjoy this chapter.
BlueEyesWhiteDragonTamer: You don't give me much to work with here… Oh well, thanks for the review and I'll keep a slot open for Mai, she's one of the cooler characters in my opinion.
sakuya: Glad you liked it! And like Mai, I'll keep a slot open for Pegasus too. I'm planning to do ALL the YGO characters!
S. A. Bonasi: Wow, you sure know a lot about Yu-Gi-Oh, I'm impressed. BTW, thanks for the links and info, it'll really help me write this and other fics. As for Mary Sue's and yaoi, yes there are exceptions; I'll admit I enjoy some of them. I'm just trying to make a point. The characters (to me) seem like the average persons (Ok, maybe nothing near average) But I'm going with the majority here… Anyway, thanks again for reviewing!
Dragonet: Congrats! Yami Bakura IS next… heh, hope you enjoy this!
Aikenka: Malik's got a few more votes to get, but I promise I'll write an entry for him!
LukeSkywalker'sLady: Well Yami Yugi's going! As for writing your own, I'm totally for it! But if you do post it (which I think you should!) you're setting yourself up for criticism; because some people I know would be really offended with this fic. Tell me if you do post it, I'm eager to know what others think!
Kurai chan: Don't worry, I expected some people to respond the way you did. (I'm glad you didn't go hell bent on me, though!) ^_^; But like I was saying to S. A. Bonasi, there are exceptions and everyone is entitled to their own opinion (mine being portrayed in this fic).
ZENOSYKE EXE: Couldn't have said it any better! As for your vote, yes Yami is next!
Dawn: Thanks for reviewing! As for Jou, well, his time will come.
Sento-Kami: Hi there! Glad you like this fic, and I agree with you completely, some lemons are pretty good… But I'm not a true Mary Sue hatter; there are some good ones out there, but only a slim few. As for your vote, I wasn't sure if you meant Ryou Bakura or Yami Bakura, so I counted them both! But if you did mean Yami Bakura your in luck!
Sia: Ah, yes. If you really want to know why I'm against Shounen-ai, the truth of the matter is it just doesn't appeal to me. But I have no power over other people's points of view and I don't mean to totally diss or try to persuade people from writing it; this fic is simply I little piece of my (and others) opinion of the subject. Mary Sues, as you asked, are simply original characters inserted into the YGO world. They are beautiful, and perfect in most every way; some are naïve and others are as blood thirsty as Yami Bakura. Usually they fall in love with one of the YGO cast or have many of the cast fall in love with them… I think I've said enough for know. Thanks for reviewing and don't worry about the vocab! ^_~
SerenaArythusa: An octagon, eh? I'd say it's a dodecahedron (twelve sided figure) or more. As for close-minded, sorry if I offended you. I have read some of the mentioned subjects and I did enjoy a few. I'm going to try to be liberal in the fic, maybe I'll even show the other point of view… *evil smile*
KingOfHearts NCKRAM: I'm glad you enjoyed this, and I believe Malik will be coming pretty soon. In the mean time Yami Nicole can enjoy a Yami Bakura filled chapter!
~DarkAngel~: Glad you like it, and I apologize if I was to negative on this thing. I'll try to be fair on this thing.
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Under The Wraps
Entry 02: Yami & Yami Bakura
(750 words later, the interview finally starts… Again welcome to "Under the Wraps"! We have an unusual situation here, and since it would be an oh-so interesting experiment, today we'll be talking with BOTH Yami Bakura and Yami Yugi. As you can imagine, the long time enemies will have lots to say to each other and our topic.)
(Our location this time is in the oh so tranquil Domino Park. Across from me, Yami and Yami Bakura, as we'll call them, are seated stiffly. Tempers are high and tensing is radiating through the air. This will be interesting…)
Q: Before we start I want this to be an interview, not a blood bath. Agreed?
Y (Yami): As long as the soul stealer can keep his hands off my Puzzle.
B (Yami Bakura): Such presumption Pharaoh, we're here to speak on a topic both of us agree on. Which is a rare occurrence.
Y: Indeed.
Q: Good, now lets take this from the top: how do you feel about all the roles you play in this "illusion", so to speak?
B: You'll have to be more precise, after all there are roles that I enjoy.
Y: And what might that be Bakura? Mass murder, rape, plundering, world domination, blood baths?
B: Not necessarily in that order, Pharaoh. And I'm sure you enjoy the many of the roles you've played. After all, I know millennia's away from your personal harem would do that to a man like you, wouldn't it?
Y: Bakura…! I… Did… Not… Have… A… Harem…
Q: Please! Let's stay on the subject, okay? Now, Yami what's your take on these yaoi and/or shounen-ai fics?
Y: The idea isn't one of my likings. It seems I'm engaged to almost the entire cast. I do not mean separately, one minute I'm with my aibou, the next I'm in the arms of Kaiba. It's all very confusing.
B: Ah, the perks of being the lead character.
Y: Very funny Bakura, but I'm speaking truly. It seems logical to me, though, since the cast of Yu-Gi-Oh! is mainly consistent of males. And in all fairness, the authors are the ones who choose what to write. We cannot stop them.
(Glancing over at Bakura, we see him seethe at Yami's last statement.)
B: "We can't stop them"! You are a pathetic Pharaoh, if I ever saw one!
Y: Then what do you suggest Bakura? How do you stop someone from playing god? I may have been a Pharaoh, but that means nothing. After all, we don't exist in their world…
B: Then what are we? Yes, we live in this subreality created by Kazuki Takahashi, and this subreality is ever expanding as the minds of millions of authors pour input into our reality, changing it with every fic. Maybe you could say we're puppets - marionettes so to speak - forced into situations and influenced by the thoughts of these authors. We play out their fantasies; we commit their crimes; and yet we can think. We have an opinion. Ages ago I heard a saying: I think therefore I exist. You're wrong Pharaoh we do exist but we are not entirely free.
Q: Perceptive Bakura, but that doesn't answer the question. How do you feel about your roles here on fanfiction?
B: Now where would the fun be in that if I told you?
(Bakura cocks a thin eyebrow and Yami growls at his enemy's remark.)
Y: Admit it, Bakura, you are a sadistic bastard and you enjoy ever minute of this hell!
B: Pharaoh, I have been to Hell and it is nothing compared to this. No it's not the yaoi, lemons, or the Mary Sues, it's the fact I can't decide what to do on my own. I'm being controlled; my will is bent! And as I try to fight it I know every second of my struggling I… will… not… win!
(Birds in the nearby trees scatter as Bakura shouts and slams his fist into his palm. Yami winces slightly and avoids Bakura's crimson glare.)
Q: If I asked you how this makes you feel, I'd sound like a damn psychiatrist. Instead, lets discuss the growing popularity of Mary Sue-ism? What do you have to say?
Y: They don't bother me as much as some of the other themes here. They're predictable. Sometimes the Sue is my adopted daughter, or maybe Kaiba's long lost sister or cousin. When I do end up involved with one, there's always some dramatic climax where I rescue them from the clutches of Malik or another OC. Like I said: predictable.
Q: Bakura?
B: Four words: Very bad soap opera.
Q: Well… that sums up their plots pretty much, but how do you feel?
B: How do I feel? How do you think I feel? Sometimes I'm "in love" and sometimes I'm the evil spirit of the Ring, bent on capturing the poor Sue and using her for my own evil purposes.
Hehe, personally I don't see why I would even want one of them near me. These authors forget I'm here to obtain the Millennium Items, not become involved with some hormone struck teenager. And for Ra's sake, I'm dead!
It's quite irritating really…
Q: Since we're past the Mary Sue stage, Yami, how do you feel about the females you've been paired with?
Y: I can say I feel much more comfortable with them than with other males. I can only really see myself with one though… Mai, Shizuka (Serenity), Ishizu, and Miho (who doesn't appear in the US version)… they're all beautiful in their own way, but I don't find a relationship with them logically possible. Tea and I seem connected some how, if I were to choose one it would be her.
(Bakura chuckles slightly to himself.)
B: The valiant Pharaoh and his bubbly friendship-loving cheerleader… I could choke on the sweetness.
Y: Well then Bakura, whom are you most romantically inclined to?
B: I'm a spirit sharing the body of a clumsy high school loner. I'm hardly seen close to anyone of the opposite sex. I'm "a sadistic bastard and enjoy ever minute of this hell", as you put it. And I'm technically DEAD.
Y: I'm much like you Bakura… You know that.
B: Yes, unfortunately, only the "sadistic bastard" part separates us, doesn't it Pharaoh?
Q: Bakura, you're avoiding the question again. How do you feel about the females you're paired with?
B: Take any female in this damn show and try us out as a couple… it just doesn't work! Somethings just don't. Like this interview your doing, do you actually think you'll stop people from writing yaoi and whatnot?
Q: What? Bakura I'm only –
B: Expressing your opinion? Why? Why even try, no one will stop. No one will care what we feel, no ever does -
Y: Bakura! Get a hold of yourself; this is our chance to speak. She's giving us a voice.
(Bakura looks away, there's a dangerous glint in his eyes.)
B: Yes Pharaoh, that is a nice thought, isn't it? A voice… a voice that comes from mouths of colored paper… how comforting.
Y: Bakura… have hope.
B: Hope…? Hope is a cruel curse placed upon mankind.
(Bakura pulls his coat tighter around him and stands to leave.)
Y: Where are you going?
B: Somewhere out there a depressive little author is writing a suicide fic… for me.
Q: So this is how you deal with your pain, Bakura?
Y: You cannot give up like this grave robber.
(Bakura throws his head back and laughs.)
B: Yami, you know as well as I that I'll be back. As long as we're remembered we'll exist. We're immortal until the last author out there looses interest… Ironic, we know we're slaves for eternity… yet we're powerless to stop it.
(Bakura turned on his heel and walked quietly out of the park. His white hair contrasts sharply with the black coat, as restless eyes scan a horizon of hopeless enslavement.)
Y: I should be going.
(Yami Yugi, former Pharaoh, stands and stretches out a hand.)
Y: I should apologize for Bakura and thank you for this. Bakura cannot see what hope you're giving us.
Q: Don't thank me; I'm not a savior. I'm an author just like them and I write like them. I don't want to change them, I just provide the picture.
Y: And for that picture, we are grateful.
(Yami walks down the lane, opposite of Bakura. I watch them both, glancing back and forth. I slide my finger along the wooden bench I'm seated on, a splinter prickles my skin… but I know it's not real. The trees with the birds… the entire city, all a subreality and I'm a god here…)
(As I watch the children play, cars drive by… I can't help think of the "real world", it and this verse are so are alike… what if…?)
(I shake my head quickly… damn The Matrix!)
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Disclaimer: Someone else owns Yu-Gi-Oh! …Or do they really?
Yes, I'm a Matrix fan and, no, it did not inspire me to write this fic. Well this chapter was more thought provoking than the last. Speaking of the last chapter, I got some reviews from liberal people and thought "hey! Why not make one of the cast actually support some of this stuff…
Ok, I'll admit I'm not a total Mary Sue/Shounen-ai/Yaoi/Yuri/Lemon hater. Hell, I even liked some… but there are others that just disgust me. I'll try to be more moderate with the stuff said here; after all I'm not an oxymoron.
Well, go ahead and vote now, I'm done ranting. Just be specific, I've had some trouble telling the name Bakura apart from the thief and Ryou. BTW, you can vote for someone who has already been interviewed or vote for two or more people to be interviewed together (Just keep it under five… please? I can't work well over that number, my dialogue gets screwed.)
Sayonara!