u/Jefcat

FYI because this is an all ages Subreddit I am no longer linking my fanfiction on this subreddit because the majority of my stories contain adult themes.

I’ll continue to link on the r/GivenManga subreddit because it is an NSFW subreddit. Of course, you can also find my stories linked to my AO3 account.

Thanks for your support to all my readers

I like Akihiko and Haruki but calling their situations “adult” in comparison to Mafuyu’s (and by extension the others…especially Hiiragi) is a bit of a stretch.

Mafuyu deals with being beaten as a child for SPEAKING. And the suicide of his best friend/first love, whose hanging body he found. His journey is the spine of Kizu’s story and it’s a classic hero’s journey.

The complexities of his journey create all manner and sort of confusion. He’s an airhead. He’s an introvert. He’s indecisive. He’s not in love with Ritsuka. He never loved Yuki. One could get whiplash from all the hairpin turns in his story.

The thing is none of those things are exactly true about him. The defining elements of Mafuyu’s life at sixteen are grief and abandonment. And they have tamped down his spirit. He’s not an airhead. He proves it over and over. If anything he overthinks a lot of the issues he faces because he’s anxious about giving voice to them.

Speaking was what got him beaten by his father. And speaking was, in his mind, what he did that drove him to say the thing that he blames himself for. He believes his words drove Yuki to suicide.

But Ritsuka, who for all his relative naïveté is a genuinely kind person (Mafuyu even mentions that himself), gave Mafuyu a platform to feel more confident and a forum to express himself with music. And Mafuyu flourishes. Even in the anime (which unfortunately is a bit fragmented in telling the story compared to the manga) underscores the fact that Mafuyu is pretty expressive once he sings the first time and starts finding his voice.

He confesses to Ritsuka, he talks pretty openly about his dead boyfriend, he maintains very deep and expressive friendships (his friendships with Hiiragi, Ugetsu, Akihiko and Shizusumi are very well defined. And, rather ironically, it’s Mafuyu, the youngest character in Given who drives several of his seniors (especially Ugetsu and Akihiko) to greater self reflection and growth.

Sensei has crafted a story that is not merely a “BL”. It’s in many ways a very well told story (far from perfect, but we’ll save that discussion for another day…). It is a slice of life story with BL elements and to some extent I think that is one reason why Given has had such widespread popularity.

There are certainly more traditional BL elements in Given. Akihiko, as the emotionally damaged seme hurting his long suffering uke is a classic BL trope. But right there alongside the traditional elements is, as Kizu says in the chapter title page to chapter 30, the story of once lonely kids on their way to adulthood

Centimillimental with Yuki Shin, YukiYoshida’s voice actor at Canadian otakuthon

I love the picture of him bending down for the little Kedama

Here’s chapter 35 of The Weight We Carry, “Echo” he latest in my Winter’s Holly Given AU

Just a short rant. I’m getting tired of titles that I want to see disappearing from streaming platforms. If it is a series or movie I particularly love, I will probably want to be able to watch it from time to time.

In this case it is Given the Movie that is not available on Crunchyroll any longer due to an expired license

Just a short rant. I’m getting tired of titles that I want to see disappearing from streaming platforms. If it is a series or movie I particularly love, I will probably want to be able to watch it from time to time.

Because of expiring licenses some titles are almost impossible to find. Really frustrating

Taisuke Suzuki and Haruki Nakayama — Dad and Mom — worry about the boys.

Here is Chapter 31 “Partners” of *The Weight We Carry* as Hiiragi and Ritsuka vow to protect Mafuyu

Since this topic continues to come up over and over. in music, the solfège syllable La corresponds to the note A in the standard alphabetical naming system. So Mafuyu is simply vocalizing on A when he sings La La La.

Far from being “cringe”, it is a standard musical practice that even as a musical novice Mafuyu is using (correctly) to express a melody without actual lyrics.

This was my contribution to the Matsuri no Hanashi Given zine. A story of the Childhood Friends

I hadn’t linked to my current Winter’s Holly story, The Weight We Carry in some tone. So here is the directory. AU slice of life, Mafuyu struggles in the aftermath of his near fatal accident.
But those who love him are with him all the way.

Warning: Medical trauma

I want to do a custom figure of Hiiragi Kashima from Given. I have a good base for the conversion but I need a faceplate and hair. Any suggestions on where I can go to customize those parts?

TIA

Here’s chapter 12 of TWWC entitled *Blue*

Here’s the latest chapter of my ongoing Winter’s Holly AU, entitled *Rupture*

Mafuyu crashes, the group fractures, and old wounds rip open as they wait for IR to decide his fate.