#tfltf

...he caught sight of someone in the crowd, on the far side of the dancing circle. It was Seto, face illuminated by the glow of lanterns. And he was staring right back, with an unnerving intensity. At Yugi’s stiff silence, the spirit followed his gaze. A breath later, the wind whipped up in warning. Dust swirled between their ankles, and the sea of suspended lanterns bobbed and rattled in discord. There were shouts of surprise as signs and papers went flying. Nearby trees shuddered, leaves turning to expose their pale undersides, like dogs in surrender.

The First Leaves that Fall by @c-l-y-d-e

Chapter 11: The Festival

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since the blog for this AU got made, (fellow readers pls go check @the-first-leaves-that-fall heehee) it's just enabling my brainrot yet again. I was doing a comms work, while waiting for the clients' feedback I decided to reread this again (as I always Do...) and it Distracted me so much... I gotta draw it... AGAIN LOL

As Clyde said: Atem and Seto are mutually here to Instigate and Escalate imagined problems. And I love that for them <3

Welcome to @c-l-y-d-e’s sideblog for her puzzleshipping au fanfiction, the First Leaves that Fall. Updates are slow but the brainrot is all-consuming. Come, let’s get lost together 🍃

Summary:

When Yugi arrives in Yubari to settle the last of his grandfather’s affairs, he finds a mountain village in quiet decline. Most people have left for the city, buildings are crumbling, and nature grows dense and wild against its outskirts. But among those who remain, superstition abounds, and they all offer the same advice: Stay out of the forest. Yugi, however, is intrigued. By the puzzle of its shifting paths. The riddle of a wind that speaks, if he listens. And, perhaps most of all, by the stranger who always shows him the way out before dark.

Read on AO3 (locked for registered users only):

https://archiveofourown.org/works/38247871/chapters/95564083

Status:

13/19 chapters posted.

Tags for navigation:

#asks (ask box is always open and anon is on! Come scream at me 💕)

#art (*heavy breathing intensifies*)

#updates (the latest news or my general shouting into the void; sometimes reblogs from my main)

#research (and lore and otherwise pointless brain dumping)

#vibes (reblogs for the aesthetic)

Gotta admit, I haven't written a proper sentence in a minute. Only been combing through my outline/rough draft of future chapters (typically bullet points, or incoherent stream of consciousness), which means I opened my document to this:

Atem: >:( if anything happens to you, I will fucking murder everything

But to be fair, the last actual sentence was this:

Ryou looked like he might actually throw up.

I've been reading The First Leaves That Fall by @c-l-y-d-e and it's so good!! I'm not quite caught up yet but I'm enjoying it so much!

Instrument: RAV Vast B Onoleo

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Time to ramble about the song! I read chapter 5 yesterday and kept thinking about the scene where Yugi gets lost in the forest and asks the spirit to lead him out. So, when playing my RAV Vast I took inspiration for an improv piece that I then tried to replicate to record. :)

I used only 7 of the 9 notes, specifically because I wanted to stick to the notes I can use on my drum to play the traditional Japanese song "Sakura Sakura" (it's in a slight different key but you can certainly recognise the tune!). I thought it would be a nice nod to the story's setting and themes. You can here me go up the scale at a couple points! :) It's certainly not a traditional Japanese scale but it's the closest I can get on my drum. I wanted to have a repeating downwards scale with some mild clashing to show how Yugi was probably feeling a little panicked as the sun went down, even as the spirit leads him out he's probably still quite unsettled. I made some tapping noises to hint towards the sound of the spirit's sandles as he walks.

I tried to mix it as best I could but tongue drums are kinda hard to record. ^^; Overall, I think this piece could use some polishing but I'm just here to have fun. :)

There was something tempestuous in the spirit’s eyes, but Yugi couldn’t decipher the look, and the spirit’s voice was steady when he spoke again. “What do you think you know of me?” Yugi felt like he was walking onto thin ice, but honesty seemed like the least dangerous approach. “That I can trust you.” That made the spirit snort, and someone squealed as their hat went flying. “You are too quick to place your faith in others,” he said as he resumed walking.

The First Leaves that Fall by @c-l-y-d-e (clydeside on AO3) - Chapter 11 FANART

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AUGH MAN OUGH AGHHH THIS FIC HHNNGHHN AGGHHHH You know I just *Feel* you know... every updates of This Fic... I just go HHNNGHHH OKAY... it's sooo... idk how to Explain... maybe it's the Heart of The Forest IDK IT MADE ME FEEL I love it??

this is one of my fave moments... the way Yugi just so Certain that he can **Trust** this... God?? Spirit?? Youkai?? HE STILL DOESN'T EVEN KNOW *WHAT* ATEM TRULY IS BUT THERE HE IS GOING ON A *DATE* WITH HIM jdsbjjdxjjdx ppfftt oh Yugi... Never change you little starfish...

BUT uh- actually my ACTUAL Favorite Scene of this chapter is:

...when Yugi Pushed Atem Away to Save Kaiba JHZDVJNJMHJHDVJ HHHNNGHH UWAAAGHHH YEESSSS IT ISSSSS- This the one I showed you on DM before but I will Add this here too HHHNGHHH

I kinda wish that little injury Kaiba got will scar so Yugi can See it next chapters IDK SORRY YEAH PLEASE INJURE AND BULLY KAIBA AGAIN I LOVE TO SEE IT heh-

in summary, I LOVE this fic and THANK YOU for sending me Sparks to draw again it's been a while HHHHH tbh I can express it better with making these fanarts, to comment with words all I will let out is just "JHJXVDJBVBZMVJBJHDBVMJSZB" 😂😂 so pls don't mind this hhhh

This close, Yugi could see the ink black veins marring the spirit’s neck. “…Does it have something to do with that?” The spirit noticed where Yugi’s eyes had fallen to, and tried to adjust the collar of his haori. “The blight is my penance. There is nothing else left beneath my roots.”

The First Leaves that Fall - Chapter 12 - by @c-l-y-d-e

PLEASE help me as I cannot Stop expressing Things thru Drawing this fic...... Activating my Brains like no other.... PLEASE let it be a much Gentler DATE NIGHT

I'm Very Concerned over the black veins... plEASE PURIFY HIM, RYOU!!!!!!!!

here's Little sapling Atem

THE FACE I MADE