Fanfiction: Framed of Four Elements

[nebroadwe]

Title: Framed of Four Elements
Fandom: FMA (anime or manga version)
Character(s): Izumi, Sig
Pairing(s): Izumi/Sig
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 400 (i.e. 4 drabbles)
Warnings: Implied spoilers for Izumi's backstory.
A/N: This has been on the drawing board since "The Four Last Things", but I was a lot more nervous about dealing with the central tragedy of Izumi's life than I was Hohenheim's. I'm still not completely convinced this isn't a ghastly act of hubris, but like Odysseus, I can't resist claiming my work in public once it's complete. Concrit welcomed with something better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Crossposted from nebroadwe to Höllenbeck (i.e. hagaren_manga, fm_alchemist, fullservicefma, fma_het, fma_writers and fma_fiction).
Dedication: For fractured_chaos as an early birthday present. Many happy returns!

---

Fire

      Wrapped in groundsheet and blanket under the fallen spruce, she watches a small pyramid of deadwood burn itself to embers at the mouth of her den. Fire is a chancy friend, her teacher said. Kept too close, it smothers; too distant, it pleases only itself -- treated too generously, it gossips, but too stingily, and it writes its discontent in smoke for all the world to see.

      A proper fire is the size of your fist, her teacher said. Twice, before and after rapping her knuckles for inattention (will she never learn stray kittens can keep?). The size of your heart.

*
Water

      She sits in the tub, breasts half-covered by liquid even her numb flesh can tell has gone tepid. It's the first time she's bathed since -- she pulls her knees toward her chin -- since the last time, when she wallowed from side to side while Sig washed her back, mimicking the movements she felt beneath her heart ...

      Her skin drags against the side of the bath as she sinks lower. Water fills her ears without stopping them, just as grief does her mind, and she drums her fingers on the wooden slats in time to the litany of her failure.

*
Air

      She walks with Sig to the lakeshore at dusk and looks across at Yock Island. When the wind is in the right quarter, it may bring the sounds of battle to her quick ears: the commotion in the brush that presages a flock of birds taking indignant flight, or even the high-pitched war cries of her two would-be apprentices.

      But tonight, all is quiet. The air is sullen, threatening rain, and uncooperative. Frowning, she ponders convection and potential vorticity while heat lightning silhouettes the island's canopy.

      "They all right?" Sig asks.

      "Of course!" she answers, and turns away.

*
Earth

      The long road home is dry as well as lonely; each step raises enough dust to coat her feet to the ankles. She coughs carefully to avoid overstimulating her lungs. If she must faint into the ditch, she'd rather her husband were at hand to haul her out again.

      Or, better, join her.

      She grins, bending to brush her shoes momentarily clean. One day earth will have her in a bed two paces long and half as wide, but till then she'll keep her favors for a lover whose embrace sweeps her off her feet, not the other way around.

---

[Acknowledgments: Fullmetal Alchemist (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi) was created by Arakawa Hiromu and is serialized monthly in Shonen Gangan (Square Enix); the anime of the same title was directed by Mizushima Seiji and story-edited by Aikawa Sho. Copyright for these properties is held by Arakawa Hiromu, Square Enix, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Aniplex, Bones, and dentsu. All rights reserved.]

Comments

[artemisrae.livejournal.com]

Water killed me. Oh man. I don't have much to say, just... deep envy of your ability to convey a lot in very very few words. Like I said, Water was my favorite, just the picture you put in my head ("mimicking the movements she felt beneath her heart") with that little line, oh gosh, so sad. I also really loved that last line - Sig/Izumi is another favorite pairing of mine, and the fact that so few attempt Izumi fic just makes me appreciate this even more.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Water killed me. Oh man. I don't have much to say, just... deep envy of your ability to convey a lot in very very few words.

"Water" is the aforementioned act of hubris -- I'm not of the opinion that you can only write what you know (or else why is it called creative writing, eh?), but the imaginative leap into some experiences needs to be treated with greater care than others. Twenty years from now I may be able to do this one better (or not). I built it up line by line, trying to keep the clichés out and the overt expressions of emotional content to a minimum -- better to show reactions and let the reader infer motive. I'm still not completely satisfied with it (though I do like the comparison of water in the ears to the grip of grief on the mind -- one doesn't stop hearing or thinking despite the profound change in one's apprehension of the world).

Sig/Izumi is another favorite pairing of mine, and the fact that so few attempt Izumi fic just makes me appreciate this even more.

Izumi's oddly underused in 'fic given her status in canon -- I've seen more stories from Pinako's POV, and she's arguably more marginal and incontrovertibly less angsty (angst is to 'ficcers as soda is to bees :-). I wonder: has anyone done training stories about her? I haven't seen any, but I haven't done a thorough search.

[artemisrae.livejournal.com]

I can understand "Water" being one you struggled with - like you said, it's not the sort of subject you really just jump into. I think you did a great job with it. It's very... raw feeling.

I wonder: has anyone done training stories about her? I haven't seen any, but I haven't done a thorough search.

Believe it or not, my own juxtaposie has one that's set anime-verse: The Teacher (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2633163/1/The_Teacher), and a sequel to that that's actually Sig/Izumi fluff, but still pre-series: Overreaction (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2853067/1/Overreaction).

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Aha! Must read ...

[juxtaposie.livejournal.com]

I cannot tell you how incredibly happy it makes me that you write Izumi-fic. And not just any Izumi-fic. In-character, well-written, thought out, emotional, painful, moving Izumi-fic. She is, hands down, the character I find the most intriguing and you always do her a great justice. I have yet to find anyone who can write her quite like you do, and I've searched extensively. Of course, that could be because you're just brilliant when it comes to FMA. ;)

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I love the smell of positive reviews in the morning. :-)

I've been mulling these for over a year and it's such a relief to release them into the wild at last (not to mention having people like them :-). "Water" was the one that really had me stopped; I had the first line for ages, but nothing to follow it with. "Fire" and "Air" -- particularly "Air" -- wrote themselves, but "Earth" originally had a completely different punch-line and I spent quite a while trying to bend its divergent front end around to get there. I had to give up and let the front dictate its own rear, but I'm rather bummed -- it would have dovetailed so nicely with the end of "Moonlight" (http://nebroadwe.livejournal.com/5687.html). Oh, well. Maybe I can use it somewhere else ...

[dreamer1789.livejournal.com]

What juxtaposie said, idem dito. ^^
All of these drabbles are just wonderful. Fire & Earth take the gold medal.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"Fire" is my favorite of the bunch -- it's the one that comes closest to doing all the things I want it to do in terms of scene-setting, characterization and closing zinger, without straining the language too hard. It was finished first, of course, which was intimidating. And then I realized that these logically should be in chronological order, which meant that "Earth" had to match it for a strong closing. Which is another reason I was disappointed when my original ending for "Earth" went the way of the dodo; the current one's okay, but I'm still mourning the other, which might have been cuter. (Or not; who can tell now?)

[dreamer1789.livejournal.com]

^^ You can always try CPR on the dodo, post the 'cuter' version as well and see what people think? Empirical comparison and all that?

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Nah, the original ending is completely orphaned now; I can only file it for recyclage in future 'fic. Reducing my literary footprint, as it were. :-)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

As always, you do amazing work. Fire is my favorite of the bunch (and my favorite of the elements, go fig). Her teacher's commentary on fire suits Izumi in so many ways.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Fire is my favorite of the bunch (and my favorite of the elements, go fig).

No wonder you and Ed get on so well. :-)

Her teacher's commentary on fire suits Izumi in so many ways.

Heh. It's intended to be both monitory and (just slightly) missing the point.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

No wonder you and Ed get on so well. :-)

Yup, Ed's very fiery to me. *grins*

It's intended to be both monitory and (just slightly) missing the point.

HEE. Yesh, understood.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Yup, Ed's very fiery to me. *grins*

Ooh, that gives me an idea ... that is, if the dogs ever decide who's winning the play fight/dominance game they're having loudly all over the living room and let me think again. The smaller dog keeps going for the bigger dog's neck, which is protected by a ruff of fur. He gets a noseful and starts sneezing, so the bigger dog chivalrously calls a time-out. The little dog does not appreciate this. Then the big dog sits on him for a bit ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

the bigger dog chivalrously calls a time-out.

*points at icon* Something like that, you mean? Only less Ed kicking and aerial maneuvering? *laughs*

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Slightly slower and more ground-based, but yeah, that's about the size of it. The little dog hasn't mastered my friend's mother's dog's ability to launch itself two feet straight up into the air. (Usually employed in front of doors. You can tell that it knows something goes on at human waist-level to permit the door to open, but it hasn't figured out what.)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

My dog Vinnie can do that. Though he doesn't bounce in front of doors, he likes to bounce behind you and hit your backside with his paws, the brat.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

The difference between a dog owned by scientists and a dog owned by a fanfiction writer? :-)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Possibly. Or perhaps, "the difference between a dog raised by scientists and one found on the street, huddled under a parked truck."

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Though, despite that, Vinnie's good boy. So is Pewter, who was found by my neighbor, running down the street, and considering I was the only person in town with Schnauzers, brought to me in thought that she was my dog.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

I wish people would do that to me with books. :-)

The little dog seems to have relaxed sufficiently to show his true colors as an underwear fetishist. He excavated the laundry basket last night and strewed my unmentionables across the bedroom floor. Sigh. Have now locked unmentionables in suitcase.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

People do that with books for me. *laughs* Books, dogs, model horses....

Awwww. I wanna see pictures of evil little underwear snatching dog (I had one who used to do much worse, though underwear snatching is awfully close to what she did....).

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Awwww. I wanna see pictures of evil little underwear snatching dog (I had one who used to do much worse, though underwear snatching is awfully close to what she did....).

Do I even wanna ask? (Of course I do -- I'm a writer!)

Pictures, hmm. This (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nateprentice/381258188/in/set-72157594265803775/) is the best I can do for the little dog, who has trouble sitting still long enough for a decent picture. There's a better one of the big dog here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nateprentice/226453393/in/set-72157594265803775/). And this one (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nateprentice/381257490/in/set-72157594265803775/) is desperately in need of a LOLCATting. :-)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

D'awwwww! *wuffs doggies*

While I can't do the Catmacross language at all, the last one just made me think immediately, "Did the Invisible Man fart?" I'm not sure why....

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

While I can't do the Catmacross language at all, the last one just made me think immediately, "Did the Invisible Man fart?" I'm not sure why....

Snortle. I want it to be about the hat somehow. Or the sunglasses. "I CAN HAZ RAY-BAN?"

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

bwahahahah. Yesh, that's good.

[syolen.livejournal.com]

Your ability to tell so much in just a few words is amazing. All the drabbles are great, although "Water" killed me.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. If I keep killing my readership, my works won't be very popular. [worries]

[citharadraconis.livejournal.com]

Oh. Oh, this is wonderful. I think "Fire" is my favorite, but all of them are perfect little glimpses of Izumi's character.

...also, is that a Marlowe reference I spy in the title? Props! :D

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

I'm beginning to wonder whether I can separate the yin-oriented members of my readership from the yang-oriented ones by their drabble-preferences here. :-) The data set is still too small, though.

...also, is that a Marlowe reference I spy in the title? Props! :D

Yep! Marlowe and FMA: perfect together. :-) I bricolaged bits of Faust into "The Four Last Things" (http://nebroadwe.livejournal.com/9585.html) like mad on that account.

[fractured-chaos.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh! What a lovely birthday gift. Thank you so much!

I wish I knew how you manage to pack so much into so few words. It's something you do that I admire greatly. I think you outdid yourself this time, though. 'Water' actually made me cry!

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh! What a lovely birthday gift. Thank you so much!

You're welcome! My, but April is full of birthdays, online and off: must be that whole spring/new life thing going on. (Though that doesn't necessarily explain why my other birthday bump is in July.)

I wish I knew how you manage to pack so much into so few words. It's something you do that I admire greatly. I think you outdid yourself this time, though. 'Water' actually made me cry!

Staring at "Water" from this remove (you know, the point at which the Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius begins to look more like BlahBlahBlah ;-), I suspect it gets more of its power from its topic than my prose -- though I guess if my prose is sufficiently transparent to allow the topic to affect people, I must be doing something right.

I haven't forgotten that I owe you some comments on your stuff, btw. Maybe I'll actually get around to it this week, when the dogs' heads on my lap prevent me from getting up and doing laundry and such.

[fractured-chaos.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope you enjoy ch 28. You were certainly there in spirit, if not in actuality. ;)

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's sitting on my hard drive this very minute, waiting for Japanese class/work/dogsitting/writing/life to let up so's I can actually read it.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

very intresting. I particularlly liked fire

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Thanks. That looks like the best of the bunch to me now. I'm kind of bummed -- at this remove, it looks like the set got weaker and weaker instead of stronger, which is a pain. Unfortunately, I can't just rearrange them to put the strongest drabble last, because that would muck with the temporal sequence. Oh, well.