Flashchimp is an author with works on Fanfiction.net (check out her profile here!) Flashchimp’s favorite pairing is Seto x Anzu (Téa Gardner), but Flashchimp is also a fan of pretty much any pairing featuring Téa and “any cool guy,” whether that cool guy is Yami Bakura, Yami Malik, Jounouchi (Joey), or Otogi (Duke)! However, Flashchimp is not a fan of Shizuka (Serenity) x Seto or Shizuka x Mokuba.
Flashchimp’s written 13 other stories besides “Along The Way” for the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom in a variety of genres, so be sure to check them out!
And now, an exclusive interview with the author behind “Along the Way”!
AZURITE: What got you into Yu-Gi-Oh!?
FLASHCHIMP: I watched the show and really got interested in the game of dueling. I bought a deck and used to duel. It was pretty much like a feedback loop where I watched the show to learn new moves/strategies, and get info on the cards, and this caused me to buy more cards and duel more, and with more cards, I watched the show more to learn more.
A: What got you interested in the Azureshipping pairing?
FC: I was fascinated by Seto Kaiba’s character. I wasn’t very interested in Téa at that point. In fact, when Serenity was introduced as a new character, I thought it would be fascinating if she was paired with Kaiba because of their respective relationships with Joey Wheeler.
But the more I watched Serenity’s character, the more annoyed I got with it. She seemed very dependent and weak to me and I could not see someone like Kaiba being interested in her. Her weak character contrasted with Téa’s and made Téa’s character stand out more as an independent, strong, and determined person. I thought her pairing with Kaiba would be interesting because of her relationship with Yugi.
I guess in the end, Azureshipping seemed like it had a lot more potential as a plausible couple. There was more creative room to come up with scenarios and situations which might span different genres. Also, I was surprised and confused at all the Téa-bashing, and saw this pairing as a challenge.
A: What got you started in writing?
FC: I started writing because I really liked the show and the characters. I wanted to know more about them. I am somewhat imaginative and wondered how the characters would be portrayed outside the dueling arena. I wanted to imagine/know how would they be in “real” life, so I started reading fanfiction. I started writing because (1) I thought that there weren’t many Azureshipping stories on [Fanfiction.net], and (2) many Azureshipping stories were not to my liking. So I decided that instead of criticizing others, I should see what I could do. And so “Flashchimp” was born.
A: Who are your inspirations?
FC: Anything and anyone. I get an idea from a random topic of conversation, news, advertisement, or even my own feelings/views. Basically, whatever intrigues me.
A: What are you up to now?
FC: I am currently in school.
A: What was the most difficult part about writing “Along the Way”?
FC: To keep the characters from being too Out-of-Character (OOC). I was most concerned about Yami and Téa. In the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, Yami is a positive character, and Téa is strong and independent. In my story, Yami is portrayed as a somewhat negative character, as selfish instead of selfless, and as arrogant, stubborn, and spoiled. I was worried that Yami would appear as too OOC. I had the same concerns with Téa because she was dependent and weak, lacking the power and will to do as she pleased. I knew my characters were very different from the anime characters, but I tried to keep as many of their original anime qualities as best as I could.
A: What was the easiest thing about writing “Along the Way”?
FC: I was a co-writer. Want2BFree co-wrote the story with me, so it was somewhat easier to finish such a long and complex story. Besides that, the whole story was easy to write. I had a pretty good idea about the plot and where I wanted the story to go. I always had ideas for the next chapter, and didn’t suffer from writer’s block (which I was very thankful for). And I founnd that the setting of Ancient Egypt allowed sufficient room to be very creative.
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