Chapter Six of "Imaginary Playmate" by Melinda-chan

I am not going to waste much time here. Onward with the final chapter!

"Man, what a bastard," Jonouchi said. "We just wanted to visit him." He and his friends were outside the mansion, looking at the gate.

"Now that I think about it, why did we went here?" Anzu asked.

"That's a good question," Honda said. "I don't remember a thing."

"I think we went here to see what happened to Seto and Mokuba," Yugi replied. "At least what's what I believe."

"They look fine to me," Jonouchi said, still looking at the gate with a murderous stare.

"Well I should be going now," Bakura said. "See you tomorrow." At that, he quickly left.

"He sure was in a hurry," Anzu noted.

"I think we should do the same," Jonouchi said. "There is no point staying here any longer. Seto'll probably get us arrested for loitering or something." Yugi nodded.

"I don't remember anything at all," Yugi said. "But we turned out alright."

"Something always bad happens when we go there," Jonouchi said. "Let's just forget it." They started walking.

"So what do we do now?" Anzu asked them.

"I don't know" Yugi replied. "But I do feel thirsty."

Mokuba knocked on the door.

"Come in," he heard his big brother say. Mokuba opened the door and saw him pounding furiously on the keyboard.

"I received an e-mail," Seto said. "I am two days overdue. I have not gotten a word from my board of directors yet but I know that I have to really rush it now." He then sighed. "Even if I forgo eating and sleeping, I doubt that I would be able to finish in time."

"Why don't you just extend the deadline?" Mokuba suggested.

"I need the approval of everyone involved" Seto replied. "But since I don't remember what happened in the past two days, I can tell them that I have been very sick the past two days and couldn't get out of bed."

"You better take it easy or you will get sick" Mokuba told him.

"Mokuba, do you remember your last memory before now?" Seto asked him.

"I remember you telling me to go find something to do" Mokuba replied, trying not to sound angry.

"Just what I thought. I want to apologize for that," Seto said. Mokuba looked surprised. "I told you that you can always depend on me, and I failed. I want to make up for that. Plus I do need a break after this."

"So what are you planning to do?" Mokuba asked him.

"I can't do anything right now, but where would you want to go for the next long school vacation?" Seto asked.

"You mean it?" Mokuba asked him, delighted.

"Yes" Seto replied. He clicked a few times at the mouse and typed on the keyboard. "It has been such a long, long time since we went anywhere that was not business-related. So where would you like to go?"

"Disneyland!" Mokuba replied right away.

"Which one?" Seto questioned.

"Um, the one in Florida?" Mokuba suggested.

"Orlando, then," Seto said. He typed on the keyboard, and then clicked a few times on the mouse. "Done. I have to get back to the project. Call the manager and tell him or his secretary or anyone else that picks up the phone about me being sick. And if he asked why he not been called sooner, tell him that you have been sick too and you couldn't get out of bed. Since we don't remember about the past two days, no one can accuse us of lying. I'll give you the phone number to his office. If you get the answering machine, hang up. I want you to talk to a person."

"Okay," Mokuba said. He accepted the piece of paper that Seto gave him. Mokuba turned to the door but stopped. "Can I go on the tea cup ride?"

"No! You're too young Mokuba!" Seto replied.

"Awww…" Mokuba said before he left. Seto resumed typing.

"That was a good playmate," Mabel said. She was reading her journal. "Mo-ku-ba and his friends were good playmates, well except for the mean Ba-kur-a. I didn't know that other people had playmates too!" She then shut the journal. "I am getting bored. I wonder if I'll ever see Mo-ku-ba again. I do hope that he and his big brother are doing alright."

Just then a bright light appeared.

"Alright! I got another playmate! I hope it's another good one!" Mabel said. "I just hope it's a girl this time!" At that Mabel went into the light. Another adventure had begun for her.

The End (how I longed to write that word!)

Welcome to the party!

I had invited all my readers to a party celebrating my last chapter. I hope everyone will have a good time! And yes, I did invite Mabel, like I said I would.

Mabel: Is there any ice cream or tea?

Melinda-chan: Of course! displays an ice cream cart and tea stand

Mabel: Yay! goes to both of them and help herself

Well now that she is occupied, let me introduce myself:

Name: Melinda-chan (you'll know my real name if I sent you an e-mail; the sender's name is my actual name).

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada (I have lived in Toronto for almost ten years too).

Birthdate: April 1980 (I'll be a quarter of a century soon!)

Occupation: Distance-education student in Library Clerk with the Granton Institute of Technology based from Toronto, also an on-and-off volunteer as a cataloguer with a small non-profit organization.

Relevant Hobbies and Interests: Reading, writing, watching TV (not a lot mind you) and computer-related stuff.

Favourite Food: Pizza! I also can't live without root beer.

Favourite Animes: Digimon Tamers, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Zero Two, Digimon Frontier, Inu-Yasha, Gundam Wing, DBZ, Cardcaptors, Beyblade, Yu-Gi-Oh and Astro Boy (the original version).

Favourite Mangas: Fruits Basket, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh, Ranma 1/2, Oh My Goddess, Inu-Yasha, D N Angel, Lum Urusei Yatsura, Fullmetal Alchemist, Slayers, Lost Universe and Kimagure Orange Road.

Favourite Characters: Jonouchi, Bakura, Mokuba and Mai (Yu-Gi-Oh), Matt, Ken, Koji, Koichi, Gatomon, Wormmon and Impmon (Digimon series), Kai and Ray (Beyblade), Inu-Yasha, Shippo and Rin (Inu-Yasha), Duo Maxwell (Gundam Wing), Kero (Cardcaptors), Roronoa Zoro (One Piece), Kurama (Yu Yu Hakusho), Kyo, Momiji, Hatsuharu and Ayame (Fruits Basket), Ryoga and Mousse (Ranma 1/2), Daisuke and With (D N Angel) and Alphonse (Fullmetal Alchemist).

Well, that's it for me, as much as I can tell you on the Internet at least. However, you may want to know about my work schedule as well as a few other things. So here it goes:

My work schedule is not organized. I write first on paper, and depending on the number of fics I am doing at once, it could take a few weeks to a few months to finish one chapter. One time I lost a chapter from most of my fics and had to redo them. That was not a fun thing to do. Also, a chapter of "Imaginary Playmate" got wet. While this did not affect my ability to read it, I did want a better manuscript, so I redid it. However, most of the time, the lapse was due to not only writing, but also editing (which I believe is very important- nothing turns me off a story than sloppy editing), typing and then finding a computer with Internet access in it (my phone line couldn't support even dial-up), and uploading it to my account. I take great pride in my work, and after I finished a chapter, I would staple it, put it in a paper protector, and then place it in a big black binder. It makes it easier for me to edit, and I can see how long each chapter is. (I highly recommend that if you do not write on paper, to print it out or save it in another disk for backup).

As for tools and supplies, I take advantage of the annual school sale that occurs every August and buy lots of paper, mechanical pencils, erasers and a few other things. I use mechanical pencils because they are much easier to use and I do not have to worry about them when sharpening. I also use vinyl erasers because they are cleaner than original erasers. I use a Dell computer with Word '97, which works very well. However, before I upload on another computer, I check it with its own word processor (usually Word 2000) in case I miss something. However, because I do all my fics in HTLM format, it all comes back in HTML format in my computer. groans

My first fanfiction work was "The Dark Ocean of My Mind", a Digimon poem that was partly based on an actual moment of my life. It was published in 2001. "Imaginary Playmate" was first published in 2002.

Now that you know something about myself and my fanfiction career, I'll get Mabel to respond to all questions and/or comments that I feel need an answer.

Melinda-chan: Mabel!

Mabel: Yes?

Melinda-chan: Let's answer peoples' comments and questions for this story!

Mabel: Yay! I always wanted to know what people thought about us!

Melinda-chan: picks up first review This is from 'chibibaka1.' It asks, 'I wonder who Mabel is.' That's a good question. Mabel, do you know what you are?

Mabel: I'm a playmate!

Melinda-chan: Maybe I should elaborate on that for my readers.

What Mabel says is true. She is a playmate, but she's more than that. When I first thought of making a Yu-Gi-Oh fic way back in 2002, I was thinking of making an original other self and creating the Millennium Pen (which makes sense since I'm a writer). However, by that time, original yamis and extra Millennium Items were already being cliches, so I discarded that idea. However, one day, I was in my adult education class when we had to do a presentation, and one of my classmates decided to do hers on her son's imaginary playmate. It was not until I decided to make another Yu-Gi-Oh fic when I realized that with a few changes, I could revisit my original yami idea.

Mabel is NOT a yami, but a separate being in her own right. All she needs is a form, not a body to exist in the real world, and thus able to be independent (for example, if something happened to her partner, she will not be affected). However, because her main objective is to play with kids and find her own playmate, her plans themselves are not dangerous. It's when things go wrong with her playmate when her lack of maturity manifests itself. She tries to get rid of them, turns them into something useful like a toy, or just leaves. Fortunately, Mabel will hopefully apply what Mokuba told her about respecting and understanding other people.

Melinda-chan: Now that is done with, I'll get the next question. What does this one says, Mabel?

Mabel: Mystical Sand and Lily of the Shadow want to know whether people are conscious when I turned them into toys.

Melinda-chan: That should be easy for you to answer.

Mabel: Well it's not like I kill them or make them sleep.

Melinda-chan: Let me explain further.

I try to be as canon as possible to the concepts in the original anime and manga. Certainly Yugi and his friends were conscious when they were made into game pieces during the Monster World series and when Dark Bakura sealed them into cards during the Duelist Kingdom series of the anime. So I figured people turned into toys would be conscious in the real world. I have hinted at this from time to time in my story, and as far as I know, there is no thing to contradict this.

Melinda-chan: Okay, I know that I got a question from Alan Wilkinson.

Mabel: Yeah, he wants to know why you called the card game "Magic and Wizards" after Duelist Kingdom.

Melinda-chan: That's easy. I forgot.

Mabel: You did make Mo-ku-ba say "Duellist Monsters" in the first chapter.

Melinda-chan: I didn't know the original name of the card game back then.

Mabel: What do you say about that?

Melinda-chan: I'm sorry?

Mabel: You don't have to apologize for not knowing something.

Melinda-chan: Um, well now I know next time if I decided to write another Yu-Gi-Oh fic. It is a big 'if' though. And now for the comments. You have read them right, Mabel?

Mabel: Yeah. Chikorita-Trainer1 called me a bitch.

Melinda-chan: Yeah that is rude. Did you do anything in response?

Mabel: I turned her into a doll.

Melinda-chan: You turned her into a doll? disbelieving look

Mabel: Yep. But she wasn't good even as that, so I let go.

Melinda-chan: That explains why I have not seen the person review again. You should not turn my reviewers into dolls. Reviews are the bread and butter of fanfiction writers.

Mabel: What does that mean?

Melinda-chan: I'll explain later. Are there any more comments?

Mabel: Curtis Zidane Ziraa says that this makes a great horror story. I didn't know this was supposed to be a horror story.

Melinda-chan: Well you did some horrifying stuff.

Mabel: I didn't kill anyone.

Melinda-chan: Let me explain to the readers.

I didn't intend it to be a horror story. It's just a dark-themed drama. If you want to know what happened to Miss Oshi and the men, once Mabel puts a toy into the black toy chest, it stays there. It is the garbage toy chest.

Melinda-chan: Okay, now that is over with, there must be more comments.

Mabel: Jen says that the mean Ba-kur-a's humiliation was fun.

Melinda-chan: Yeah, the whole chapter was fun to write. But, yeah, I did poke fun at a few other characters too. Dark Bakura was just the prime target. I never liked him anyway, but I do like Jonouchi. Oh well. Any more comments?

Mabel: Just one from Terrin. She says that I care about Mo-ku-ba.

Melinda-chan: Well, do you?

Mabel: Of course!

Melinda-chan: Now that is over with, I can go to my author's notes.

When Mokuba tried to give Mabel a new name, he suggested three (male) names to her. All of them were based on real people: 'Kazuki' of course is from Kazuki Takahashi himself, 'Shoji' is from Shoji Kawamori, the director of "The Vision of Escaflowne" and 'Hajime' is from Hajime Kansaka, one of the creators of the "Slayers" works. I was either watching the anime or reading parts of the manga then. Mabel was in fact inspired by Phibrizzo of Slayers though Mabel is a lot nicer than he was.

I made Mabel say most of the names syllable by syllable because as she herself had said from time to time in the story, the names are strange. The only exception I made was 'Honda' since it's the name of a well-known company (the company makes cars and motorcycles in case you forgot). Since the company's so well known, I figured that Mabel would have heard about it.

The part where Mokuba was teaching Mabel how to use chopsticks came from a magazine article. Interestingly, hashi or o-hashi (as they're called in Japan) are known as "quick ones" in China, where they originated. I practiced using thick straws. Though I wasn't good at it, I managed to pick up a few pieces of popcorn with them.

On the third chapter, you may have noticed that at the end of a paragraph in parentheses: (Note: Line Error). Before established a double-space rule, I typed all my chapters in single space. However, my word processor would make line errors once in a while. So I had to put a notice every time this happens so I can change it in another word processor. I usually delete them after I corrected the line error, but this time I forgot. Oh well. It's not a biggie, since nobody else seem to notice it.

Dealing with Bakura was difficult. How can I show that it's Dark Bakura when he doesn't want to reveal himself yet? I decided to put quotation marks around Bakura's name to show it's not really Ryo Bakura but his deceptive dark half.

Jonouchi, Honda and Anzu or Joey, Tristan or Tea? It doesn't really matter to me but by the time I was writing the third chapter, I was already reading Shonen Jump and by reading fanfiction I knew the original names were already well-known, so why not? In any case, Honda's actually his last name, like Bakura's. His first name is Hiroto, but nobody calls him that.

Here's the disclaimer for all the dolls in the fourth chapter when Mabel got all the characters to look like story and movie characters:

Seto & Mokuba: Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit are from "A Christmas Carol" written by Charles Dickens. Since I have not read the book or seen the original movie, I based Seto and Mokuba's appearances from the Disney movie and Scrooge McDuck (without the hat or kilt mind you).

The Bakuras: Tweedledee and Tweedledum are from "The Looking Glass And What Alice Found There" written by Lewis Carroll (pen name of Charles Dodgson). It is better known as "Alice of Wonderland."

Jonouchi: There is a real series of books about a dog named Spot written by Eric Hill. However, Mabel preferred that Jonouchi looked more like a normal dog. (I have seen the books though). Interestingly enough, the "Spot" books are known in Japan, where he's called Korochan!

Honda: Robin Hood is a legendary figure in England and his tales was first written during the 14th century in a long poem. Since then, books, movies, TV shows and cartoons have helped popularize the sympathetic outlaw and his adventures. Mabel did not allow Honda to have any arrows since she didn't want Honda to hurt himself with them, not because she was afraid of him!

Anzu: Scarlett O'Hara is from "Gone With The Wind", written by Margaret Mitchell, which later became an award-winning movie. Since I haven't read the book or seen the movie, I based Anzu's ballgown from a magazine article about a woman that is a big fan of "Gone With The Wind." She wore a dress similar to the one that Anzu wore, including the fan.

Yugi: Pinocchio was actually written by an Italian man named Carlo Lorenzini (pen name Collodi) in the 19th century. I actually read the first part of the original story in a book and it's really good. Of course I know about the Disney movie version too.

Additional information on most of the doll characters are from the "Larousse Dictionary of Literary Characters", 1994, and "Benet's Readers' Encyclopedia"- 3rd edition: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1987. Information on Spot can be found at you have any more questions about my story, please either e-mail me or put it in the review box. I'll either e-mail you back or put it in a review of my own.

Melinda-chan: Mabel, do you have the list of recommended fics?

Mabel: Yes I do! gives her the list

Melinda-chan: Now that my story's done, here are some fics that you should read. I either read them myself or were contributed.

"If Only You Smile" by Chibi Vv. Rating: G. Genre(s): General/Angst. Chapter(s): 1 (one shot). It's a cute and sweet Mokuba/Seto fic.

"Run" by The Inspector. Rating: PG. Genre(s): Drama/General. Chapter(s): 1 (one shot). Another sweet Mokuba/Seto fic.

"Storm Spell" by The Otherworlder. Rating: PG. Genre(s): Fantasy/Romance. Chapter(s): 7. Inspired from the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" (didn't see the movie but know what it's about). A beautiful story. Seto/Isis. (No I'm not a fan of the coupling).

"Is This Normal?" by Lizeth. Rating: PG. Genre(s): General/Drama. Chapter(s): 9 (unfinished). The best Ryo Bakura story I have read so far. Lizeth even draws so I know what her original characters look like. I really envy fanfiction writers that can also draw. Sadly, the story seemed to be in a hiatus. It's still worth reading. Lizeth also has a very good Yu-Gi-Oh website.

"One-Sided Polygon" by Chibizoo. Rating: PG. Genre(s): Parody. Chapter(s): 1 (one shot).

"Club 0013" by Chibizoo. Rating: R. Genre(s): Supernatural/Angst. Chapter(s): 14.

"I Am Evil" by Chibizoo. Rating: G. Genre(s): General. Chapter(s): 1 (one shot).

Chibizoo writes stories that are humourous and light, dark and gory, or that explore an aspect of human nature. "One-Sided Polygon", "Club 0013," and "I Am Evil" are the best examples (in my opinion) of these three types. "One-Sided Polygon" is a Yu-Gi-Oh adaptation of the Frederik Pohl classic story "Day Million", which itself is a parody of SF. "Club 0013" is loosely based on the book "The Giver", but soon turns into horror and angst. The ending is quite confusing though. "I Am Evil" has Ryo Bakura trying to find the true nature of evil. (Good luck Ryo). It has a nice twist in the ending. Chibizoo is a fabulous writer but her stories tend to be dark and gory. Just be cautious.

"Memory Box" by Britani Gael. Rating: PG. Genre(s): General. Chapter(s): 1 (one shot).

"Change of Heart" by Britani Gael. Rating: PG. Genre(s): General. Chapter(s): 13.

"Memory Box" is a story about Joey and his younger sister. A touching story on the childhood of the two siblings before their parents screwed things up for them. "Change of Heart" is of course a story about the two Bakuras. Britani Gael was one of the first Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction writers I noticed and liked.

"From Darkness to Light" by Asher Tye. Rating: PG. Genre(s): Action/Adventure/Drama. Chapter(s): 16 (so far). Recommended by Mystical Sand. I haven't had the time to read it yet, but the summary's interesting. Why don't the rest of my readers read it and see it for yourself?

All of these stories are still available on of course I can't miss the opportunity to recommend my other Yu-Gi-Oh works:

"Best Friends Forever"- Rating: G. Genre: Poetry.

"For My Sister Serenity (Though You're Far Away)"- Rating: G. Genre: Poetry.

"Big Brother"- Rating: G. Genre: Poetry.

"Best Friends Forever"- Joey talks about Yugi. A well-reviewed poem. "For My Sister Serenity (Though You're Far Away)" is actually a Yu-Gi-Oh adaptation of an original poem I made for my younger sister (available at under my account name "Melinda-chan"). It is a very emotional poem and the best of the three in my opinion. "Big Brother" is about Mokuba when he was captured by Pegasus. Many reviewers said it is very sad. Still getting reviews, believe it or not.

Also, if you like Digimon, DBZ, Inu-Yasha and Beyblade, you can read those works as well. Please do not forget to review!

Melinda-chan: Now to thank the people that reviewed!

Mabel: You really don't have a lot, do you?

Melinda-chan: I got a few loyal reviewers. Also, I got to thank the people that made it possible for me to read and watch Yu-Gi-Oh.

Mabel: I guess that's right.

Melinda-chan: Okay, let's begin with the reviewers.

Mystical Sand: I always feel happy when someone I previously didn't know keep on reviewing. But may I ask how is it that you know when I update?

Alan Wilkinson: Thank you for reviewing this story! I hope you keep on reviewing my other stories as well!

Terrin and Jen: Ah! New reviewers! Hope you like this chapter as well if you are still reading this! Do you have a fanfiction account of your own? I would like to get to know your interests and maybe read and review your works.

Lily of the Shadow, Dawnatella, Carter Tachikawa, Chikorita-Trainer1, Curtis Zidane Ziraa, chibibaka1, Raven K, Hot Shot14, OracleVortex, Lobo Kendo and meskup: Where have you all gone? I hope you review again!

Of course, I got to thank the people and companies responsible for me to read and watch Yu-Gi-Oh:

Manga: Jenniyah and Janime for the scanlations and Shonen Jump for the official manga. However, I wished Shonen Jump had retained the original names of the Battle City characters. It's SUPPOSED to be Malik, Isis and Rishid, dammit!

Anime: As much as I hate it now, I got to thank 4Kids Productions and YTV for producing and bringing the anime dub to Canada. I prefer the manga anyway, and the anime was a marketing ploy even in Japan. Still, I wished that the rating was at least PG. It would have made a few things make more sense (how did Bakura get a bandage around his arm, huh, guys?)

And of course I have to thank Kazuki Takahashi for making such memorable characters and for being so appreciative of the fanbase, both in Japan and elsewhere. Arigato, Takahashi-sensei!

If any of my readers want to know about the possibility of future Yu-Gi-Oh works, all I can say is "maybe." I already have enough fanfiction to work on now and I am planning to add another story soon to my account. However, I can do one shots and poems, and every once in a while I may have inspiration to write one. But for now, you could read my poems if you want to.

Melinda-chan: Now that's over with, I can say this to you Mabel: I'm letting you go.

Mabel: What! Who is going to play with me?

Melinda-chan: Maybe someone else would. I got no use for you anymore.

Mabel: I'm off then! disappears

As I said, I got no use for Mabel now. So you can use her if you wish. This is finally the end. I wish all of you a good year and remember, happy writing!

Melinda-chan- March 15, 2005- 12:06 AM (Time of writing)