The CD Dias are based on the anime series, Yu-Gi-Oh!. It is important to note that these Dias follow the show's storyline up to the end of Battle City, where the story then splits off from the show (i.e., no Dartz and on). It is also assumed that Marik did not return to Egypt with his sister and Rishid. Any other story differences are fully explained as you read.

If you've never read a Dialogue before, its format is similar to a play, where every character's actions and spoken words are started on a line of their own. Dialogues come in different formats; here is an explanation of how the Castle Dreamer Dialogues are set up:

CD Dias begin with a "Setting" line. The Setting describes where the characters in the dialogue are, and sometimes explains why they are there. Sometimes the Setting will remind you of things that have happened before if it's been a while since those things have been brought up.

Next, some of the Dias will have a "Note" line. The Note lines can be anything: a reminder of a format rule, an explanation of how a character looks... anything. Note lines can also show up in various places in a dialogue, to offer explanations or reminders. Note lines will always be preceded by three stars (***) and the word "NOTE-".

After any Note lines and the Setting, the dialogue itself will start. To better explain the format, here is an excerpt from a dia:

<Mai> *sweatdrop* Right Jou…
<Seto> *is looking off at a duel that's going on* There's a big crowd over there… I wonder if some rare cards are being used…
<Yugi> Is that all you ever think about? Getting rare cards?
<Seto> Don't you want good cards too? I'm simply checking out the competition before I waste time on some amateur duelist with weak cards!
*over at the duel*

First, the name of who is speaking/performing an action is stated inside two brackets (<Name>). Then, what that character says or does follows. Each character's comments and actions will continue until the next person speaks or does an action. The difference between speech and actions is simple. When there are words surrounded by stars (*), that is the action a character is doing. Words outside of the stars are what a character is saying. However, a line that starts with stars is a mid-dia Setting or Note. A line that is only stars, and no person specified, is going to explain what is going on. It is basically a Note and Setting line in one. Sometimes it will explain that the focus is changing to a different area, sometimes it will do something else. It is always self explanatory. The line is simply there to better clarify what is going on.

A type of line that is not shown is a line that starts with a character's name in brackets, but also surrounded by stars (<*Name*>). When this occurs, the character specified is talking only through the mind to another character or to their other selves. Commonly, it will be between a spirit of an Item and the owner of the Item, but there are other instances when this will come up. It is important to note that there will be some times when a character is talking through telepathy, but is also talking normally. In this instance, the name will appear as normal, but an action that begins "*thinks to (Name)- *". When this happens, the character is using telepathy to talk to another character.

There are a few terms to know:

• RW- Abbreviation used for "Real World".
• SR- Abbreviation used for "Shadow Realm".
• Hikari- This is the word used to indicate the owners/holders of the Millennium Items. The hikaris are the characters who are currently on earth, and alive.
• Yukikureru- This is the word used to indicate the first spirits of the Millennium Items. The yukikurerus are the characters who lived in Ancient Egypt and are no longer living beings.
• Kage- This is the word used to indicate the second spirits of the Millennium Items. The kages are the characters who lived a few thousand years before the yukikurerus. They are the creators of the Millennium Items, according to the dias. In order to learn more, read!

A few unique traits of the CD Dias:

When I began writing these dias, I was watching the American dub of the show, and this screwed up some of the names of people and places and such. The biggest difference that most people are more familiar with that you should realize is that "Bakura" and "Ryou" are switched around. Most people call the bandit king from Egypt Bakura, and the shy little boy from the present Ryou. In the dias, it's actually the other way around. Ryou is the spirit, Bakura is the person.

Also, There is the Marik issue. The theory behind the dias is that when the Millennium Rod was used to carve the secret of the tomb keepers into the boy's back, the evil in the Rod actually spun into two beings. The evil side of him kept the name "Marik" while the innocent side took on "Namu." Those who know the dub version will recognize this name as the one given to Jou and Tea when they first met.

Finally, the dias currently on the website are rated somewhere between a PG-13 and R. Read at your own risk. However, if/when writing of the dias picks back up again, there will be a disclaimer on Season 4, as the dialogues in that season contain some explicit content. It is not my intention to supply pornographic stories. What you do while reading my dias is your own problem. My intention is to provide a story to the people who enjoy a good fanfic. If you begin to read something you don't like, don't complain to me. Just click that "x" and save us all the hassle.

Please enjoy the dias!

~Setsuna