THE SURGEON'S STORIES DREAMCAST: PART 1

Med fjärde cykeln av Fältskärns berättelser är handlingen framme i frihetstiden (mitten av 17oo-talet). Topelius såg epoken som ett nationellt förnedringstillstånd p.g.a. de korrumperade politikerna (samt fejderna mellan "förrädiska" mössor och "blodtörstiga" hattar!). Undantaget är övergångsgestalten mellan stormaktstiden och frihetstiden Arvid Horn, som Topelius omfattar närapå lika oreserverat som Gustav Adolf. Borgerskapet och mösspartiet representeras av Lars Larsson den äldre, omutlig och oböjlig riksdagsman för provinsens borgare och ägare till ett Vaasa-baserat handelshus och rederi vars affärer omfattar hela Europa. Den här änklingens älsklingsdotter Ester är »skälmsk och liflig, käck ända till öfverdåd, och ofta långt gången i idrott» och jämförs med sin tids stora drottningar Katarina den Stora och Maria Teresia.
Handlingen i den femte cykeln utspelar sig i universitetsmiljö i Åbo, på familjen Bertelskiölds gods Falkby i Östergötland och under 1772 års riksdag i Stor-Stockholm. Skildringen av såväl den fysiska som den mentala miljön är välgjord och riksdagsintrigerna gör Topelius här liksom i den fjärde cykeln direkt spännande. På det privata planet står familjen Bertelskiölds inflammerade relationer i fokus. Victor Bertelskiöld, som gift om sig med sin Ester efter adliga första frun Malins död, är vänlig och tillmötesgående mot hög som låg, och varmt fäst vid sin familj. Men han saknar i motsats till sin maka viljestyrka och karaktärsfasthet. Huvudperson blir Ester Larsson, nu grevinnan Bertelskiöld (fast styvbarnen ser henne som varken mor eller grevinna). Inom de traditionellt kvinnliga handlingsutrymmena sjukvård och förkunnelse behandlar hon sin cyniske, ståndsmedvetne och allmänt osympatiske styvson Bernhard så framgångsrikt att han överger diplomatin och politiken för en tillvaro som from och filantropisk lantjunkare. Bertelskiöldarna drivs in i en återvändsgränd av präktighet medan Larssönerna p.g.a. girighet och besticklighet diskvalificerar sig för ledarskap. Gustav III lyckas visserligen med statsvälvningen, men i sin iver att visa dels hur illa det går för giriga egoister, dels presentera ett harmoniskt slut på Bertelskiöldarnas familjekris, förbrukar Topelius energin i berättandet.

Det finns dock ljusglimtar, som »det finska universitetet» (där Fritänkaren börjar sina äventyr), och en bättre framtid är att vänta det land som, med borgarkungen Larsson den äldres ord, »har burit sådana bördor och icke dignat». I synnerhet genom borgarkungens födelsedagstal till den samlade larssonska släkten i tolfte berättelsen »Prinsessan av Vaasa» förknippas det finska folkets historia med en providentiell föreställning om den adlige svärsonen som ledsagare till en ljusare framtid och som garant för den:»ty han hafver lust till detta folk, och han skall göra vårt mörker ljust».

49För det andra sammanväver Topelius det nationella temat med ståndsmotsättningen. Klyftan mellan stånden i de fyra första cyklerna skapar bilden av ett folk som är splittrat. Motsättningens upplösning genom Victor Bertelskiölds och Ester Larssons giftermål i , och borgarkungens välsignelse av alliansen, varmed han sägs bryta »stafven öfver den långa strid, som i sekler söndrat adel och folk i Finland», kan tolkas som en återförening av det tudelade finska folket till ett folk, en enhetlig nation. Å ena sidan förefaller Topelius med detta framhålla att allt split måste övervinnas och alla krafter sammanföras inför det gemensamma projektet: nationsbygget.

Den progressiva historiesynen kommer även till uttryck i att Topelius låter romanens ståndsmotsättning tillfälligt upplösas genom att Victor Bertelskiöld och Ester Larsson, med greve Bertelskiölds och »borgarkungen» herr Larssons motsträviga samtycke, gifter sig i fjärde cykeln. Syntesen fullbordas ett par decennier senare i femte cykeln när de bertelskiöldska barnen från Victors tidigare äktenskap med grevinnan Malin överger ståndsfördomarna som har splittrat familjen och accepterar Ester som sin mor och hennes barn som syskon. Även motsättningen mellan adelsmakt och folkmakt upplöses i femte cykeln, i den sista berättelsen, genom att romanen slutar vid Gustav III:s statsvälvning, som resulterade i att den politiska makten temporärt delades mellan kungen och riksdagen.

These little snippets deal with the social milieu of Zachris Topelius' magnum opus Fältskärns berättelser, Englished as the Surgeon's Stories - a generational saga spanning from the 30YW to the Gustavian era... and one that has never ceased to inspire me. To quote the most blatant examples: the Ringstetten Saga is choc-à-bloc with nods, down to the hero of the 30YW installment being a lieutenant whose Carolean grandson Gustav Adolf stars in the GNW installment and is taken prisoner at Poltava! (But then I tweaked it with fairytale, Les Misérables, and Ikuhara and CLAMP elements, leading to a different beast quite unequal to the Topelian source material).
So, covering the last installments (skipping the 30YW and GNW because filming the former would be too costly and difficult, while the latter would be outright depressing!), this will be a trilogy composed of The Count and the Schoolgirl, The Princess of Vaasa, and The Freethinker. But for now let us dreamcast part one, whose premise is basically Romeo and Juliet in eighteenth-century Sweden -- the story of an orphan officer of the courtier nobility and a motherless bourgeois schoolgirl (he's dashing, she's badass; he's an only child, she has a half dozen siblings) who literally crush on one another during a meet cute involving an encounter with an unruly Magyar steed... but whose respective parental figures are obviously at each other's throats for ideological reasons. But there's so much more than just Bertelskiöld-vs-Larsson ie Montague-vs-Capulet squabble here: rather, there's so many discussions about politics and how to face a socioeconomical crisis post-military defeat (rebuild the military and avenge old glories upon the battlefield without any foreign support, risking it all at one turn of pitch-and-toss... or focus on farming, education, and trade, even if that means allying with the enemy that won the war?) that it soon becomes Romeo and Juliet meets Game of Thrones with the counterparts of a Stark girl and a Lannister scion caught in the crossfire while their elders rant and rave when it comes to realpolitik. Also, the Mercutio is the officer's Magyar orderly, who calls him "hadnagy úr", while the Nursemaid is the schoolgirl's older sister, promoted to parent ever since her mum ceased to be... and the Count Paris character is a countess -- oui, the male lover is the betrothed one who has to marry for power...


RELATIONSHIP CHART:

The Bertelskiölds (Montagues):


Count Lieutenant Victor Bertelskiöld: Tom Felton


Count Thorsten Bertelskiöld: Russell Crowe


István: Adorjáni Bálint

...
Malin Bertelskiöld: ??? (thinking of it still)

....................................................................

The Larssons (Capulets):


Ester Larsson: Emma Watson


Herr Lars Larsson Senior: Hugh Jackman


Veronica Larsson: Alicia Vikander


Lars Larsson Junior:



Once more: This will be a trilogy composed of The Count and the Schoolgirl, The Princess of Vaasa, and The Freethinker (the latest installment set in a Bertelskiöld-Larsson patchwork family where the children of the late Countess Malin, ie diplomat Bernhard -cast as Felton once more?- and Prussian diplomat's wife Louise, see Ester as the wicked stepmother and persecute her and her children Paul, the titular freethinker -Marius Pontmercy meets Harry Potter, in fact both their actors are casting choices- and adorable little Véra... while also involving tons of make-up, a punctured lung following a gunfight, a cerebral concussion, and last but not least a delightfully gay Gustavus III -Justin of Home Heist?- in a leading role)!

THE 36 STRATEGIES / STRATAGEMS

Ruses de guerre, gambits, schemes... Anonymous Asian lore from the Warring States era (Sengoku jidai, Zhànguó shídài) gathers thirty-six stratagems that would be great for intrigue and/or military fiction as well as for real life (for instance, entrepreneurship). No matter whether you are an Iago or a Tywin Lannister, make sure that you --as a schemer-- keep them all close to yourself.

1. Fool the Heavens to Cross the Ocean: the more obvious something seems, the more secrets it can conceal, and people pay more attention to the unusual; thus, mask your real goals by using the excuse of a fake goal; when the enemy has taken this pretense for granted and lowered their guard, strike showing your true colours (the open feint: point west/left in public when your real goal, in pectore, is to the east/right. Also "crying wolf" to lull the enemy into taking for granted that it's still a hoax the time you finally strike, like Hitler threatened the UK and France time after time right before the unexpected, not-taken-seriously real invasion).
2. Besiege One State to Rescue Another: To defend against attack by limbs, strike straight for the heart, the throat, or the solar plexus (this is a metaphor); find out and attack your enemy's weak points. (Like the previous one... this one is easy. Iago, or Baelish, always finding and hitting the soft spots of others, may be a perfect example. In warfare, taking a keystone fortress or a ford/pass, or taking advantage of the enemy's flaws -Gustavus Adolphus against the tercios- may be the perfect example)
3. Kill with a Borrowed Sword: have others -third parties- do your dirty work to keep your own hands clean; also use the resources of said third parties in your own benefit (Thus did Tywin employ the Freys as "borrowed swords" at the Red Wedding).
4. Wait at Leisure while the Enemy Toils / is Exhausted: war of attrition; encourage the enemy to burn up their strength in futile quests, starve, thirst, freeze... while your own troops keep their health and strength intact. Then strike when the enemy is exhausted and losing all their morale! Fabian tactics, avoiding open battle until the enemy is exhausted. (Scorched earth tactics: the reason why never to get involved in a land war in Russia -or Dorne-. Wallenstein did the same to the Swedes at the Old Keep in the summer of 1632)
5. Loot a House on Fire at Your Ease: take advantage of internal dissension between factions on the enemy side, of epidemics, revolutions... attack the enemy right when it's weakened the most by crisis/force majeure (the great powers -mainly France and Sweden- taking advantage of the squabble between the Kaiser and electors, and between some electors and others, during the 30 Years' War; Franco similarly defeating the Second Spanish Republic torn from within by schism; the kingdoms around France declaring war on the newborn republic during the Revolution; or Tywin Lannister in the War of Five Kings).
6. Make a Noise in the East, but Strike in the West: the surprise factor. Confuse the enemy with a feint, then strike them down when and where they least expect it (the Wronsky feint, in quidditch, when a seeker makes it look like he's diving for the snitch...).
7. Create Something Out of the Blue: Make them believe there is something when in fact there is nothing (the Swedish scarecrow sentinels on the walls of Poltava). Or that there is nothing when in fact there is something. Or spread rumours until they snowball and, just like in the telephone game, they are taken for granted. Use an illusion (again, Iago is a master of this, for instance in making Cassio appear as the instigator of the brawl, and then as Desdemona's lover).
8. Openly Repair the High Road, but Sneak Through the Secret Passage: deceive the enemy with a very obvious and predictable approach that will take a very long time (making them concentrate on the decoy and lower their guard), then surprise them by taking an unexpected shortcut and a lightning sneak attack. This is an extension of "Noise in the East, but Strike in the West," but using easy-to-see and suspicion-evading physical decoys (a Wronski-feinting seeker, carrying out the feint in broad sunlight, may have a co-conspirator in the nearby audience using a hand mirror or other snitch-looking shining object as the decoy snitch... does that abide by the rules?).
9. Watch the Fires Burn Across the River / Watch the Tigers Fight One Another: Wait at the edge of the battlefield. Delay entering the field of battle until all the other players are exhausted by fighting. Then, storm in at full strength and pick up the pieces, curbstomping them (the dissensions in between the factions of the wavering Second Republic, between those in favour of surrender and those against it, made Franco await the result of the internal schism until he finally attacked).
10. Hide a Knife Behind a Friendly Smile: gain the trust, and maybe even the love, of your enemy, with courteous words and manners -or whatever the victim appreciates in a person-. Again, Iago may be the textbook example in literature, and Wallenstein in real-life history (Hans in Frozen, Petyr Baelish, Sosuke Aizen... follow in Iago's trail).
11. Sacrifice the Plum to Spare the Peach: sacrifice short-term goals in favour of long-term goals. Scapegoating, including the Caiaphas principle (Caiaphas principle: to sacrifice the individual to save the community; for example, Jaime Lannister slitting Aerys's throat to save King's Landing); another example would be sacrificing a forlorn hope used as decoy in order to attain victory, or to save as many resources as possible during retreat.
12. Take Every Chance to Pilfer a Sheep: take every opportunity that presents itself, no matter how small it may be, and avail yourself of any profit, no matter how slight. After all, a sheep is not a cow, yet it may still do as resources. Every mistake the enemy makes must be taken advantage of (Iago taking advantage of the unexpected victory and the celebration thereof -not to mention the faux-pas his victims make-, Wallenstein of the fact that the Swedes will reach Saxony in November...).
13. Stomp the Grass to Scare the Snakes: do something spectacular to provoke an enemy response, to arouse the enemy's suspicions and disrupt their thinking (Wallenstein burning the Old Keep and marching into Saxony to make Gustavus Adolphus react). Also, if stealth is required: Do Not Stomp the Grass to Scare the Snakes: an imprudent act will give your position/intention away to the enemy.
14. Borrow a Corpse to Resurrect the Soul: "resurrect" a technology, a method, an ideology... that has become discarded for being "old-fashioned," reinterpreting said resurrected artifact for your own purposes (the Nazis appropriating the swastika -originally a Sanskrit lucky charm- and some Norse myths, aside from racial biology, to create their lore of the Aryan race).
15. Lure the Tiger Off its Den: lure the opponent away from their position, separating them from their source of strength; one can also lure the tiger into one's own turf (the scorched earth tactics mentioned before also take advantage of the unfamiliar extreme climate -whether of Russia or Dorne-, for which the enemy is not prepared).
16. Let Loose in Order to Capture: to avoid bloodshed, "al enemigo que huye puente de plata"; since a cornered victim will make a desperate strike to win or die, leave the one you have cornered a tiny shred of hope to escape, a hope spot which is actually a ruse. When the "hope" of freedom is proven a falsehood that had hitherto been taken for granted, the broken enemy will surrender without a fight.
17. Toss Out a Brick to Get Jade: bait the enemy; make them believe they gain something, or just make them react to them, and actually gain something more valuable (like information) in exchange. (This was the scheme Bellatrix Lestrange used on the leading cast in The Order of the Phoenix, that led to the demise of Sirius Black -the "brick" bait being the prophecy about the chosen one-). The Trojan Horse ruse also fits this kind of strategy.
18. Defeat the Enemy by Taking the Leader: go straight for the leader, for his demise may throw the whole enemy host into demoralisation. This only works if the men do not love the leader, who holds the disorganised group together as a keystone, controlling them by fear (torture, punishments) or by offering them rewards (soldiers of fortune). If the followers truly love and respect the leader, however, they will retaliate (as Wallenstein found out at Lützen!).
19. Steal the Firewood From Under the Pot: deny your enemy the resources needed to oppose you, sapping their strength to weaken their morale (another staple of scorched-earth tactics, seen in the Russian -burning the crops- as well as Dornish/Wallenstein cases -poisoning the springs-; attacking supply lines and caravans of provisions/ammunition is another example). It can also be a human resource -an advisor, a pathfinder...- This works best when the enemy is already wavering, to weaken them even further.
20. Trouble the Waters to Catch Fish: use confusion to further your own goals. When the enemy is dealing with uncertainty, create more chaos to confuse the enemy even more, using stealth and/or distraction to strike them with their guard down. It's more or less like Looting a House on Fire, only that you have fanned the flames into conflagration in the first place (in the former strategy, the "fire" is completely force majeure and internal schisms). Thus, Richelieu and Wallenstein employed intrigue to develop the schisms within the Habsburg Empire -between the Kaiser and the electors, between the Catholic electors and the Society of Jesus, between Catholic and Protestant electors...- The Cardinal even took advantage of Wallenstein's asking the Crown and the Church for a share of the "Edict of Restitution cake" to orchestrate the cashiering of the Duke of Friedland from his position as the Kaiser's first sword.
21. Shed the Cicada's Golden Shell: disguise as someone/something inconspicuous or masquerade as someone/something else (false flag ruses, such as Gustavus III's Swedish "Cossacks" or Hitler's Operation Himmler to justify invasion of Poland; also the age-old trope of Dressing as the Enemy to infiltrate or escape them -whether Winkies, Stormtroopers, or whatever; it's been also used in real life, by Cervantes breaking Moorish prison dressed as a janissary!-).
22. Lock the Door to Catch the Thief: let the enemy ensnare themselves, let them get hoist by their own petards. Tempt them into situations that lead to a flight forwards, and then cut off their supply lines. Once the prey is trapped, lock the door for good. Set a trap and make it click completely when the enemy has fallen hook, line, and sinker (again, Wallenstein marching into Saxony to attract Gustavus Adolphus, for the latter to give battle in November).
23. Befriend Someone Far and Attack Someone Near: distant allies make good allies for it is unwise for one to invade them, while the easiest lands to attack are those closest to one's own (in the Holy Land, Israel was and is allied with Western powers -the US, the UK, and so forth- while waging war against the Palestine territories).
24. Obtain a Common Enemy: if you have two of your enemies at each others' throats, ally with one of them and borrow the resources of that ally to attack the common enemy, promising them that they'll be rewarded once they've defeated the third party; then, once said common enemy is defeated, use those resources to turn against your temporary ally (Wallenstein surely had this in mind for Sweden, hoping to ally with Gustavus Adolphus against the Kaiser!).
25. Replace the Pillars with Rotten Timbers: Damage the sustaining structures, physical or ideological, on which the enemy depends, and replace them with systems which you control; making them dependent on you, discrediting their allies/friends/advisors and/or gaining monopoly of their resources... This can only work if you have got their trust. (Again, Iago is a master at this, and so is Baelish. Also, in 1631, the Catholic League relied completely on the granaries of Friedland, leading to a debt with Wallenstein that had to be paid... hence the taking of Magdeburg and Leipzig... which led to the League's defeat at Breitenfeld).
26. Point at One to Curse Another: use indirect means of getting your way; use third parties as intermediaries; threaten or punish -physically or emotionally- the weak to keep the strong in awe of you; make an example of those who oppose you by using disproportionate punishment (many cases of scapegoats who had to "drink the hemlock" for their executioners to frighten others into submission, such as Hans Hermann von Katte -beheaded by the Sergeant King of Prussia to shock his son Frederick- or Elia Martell and her children -gruesomely killed on the orders of Tywin Lannister-. Also the Aragonian king Ramiro the Monk and his notorious "bell of Huesca," beheading twelve feudal lords; Charles IX of Sweden also executed the most notorious of his brother John III's partisan lords to keep himself on the throne he had usurped).
27. Wear the Mask of a Fool While Remaining Smart: for who believes the fool, who is never taken seriously? It's the least suspicious person! Pretend you are stupid, or insane, or intoxicated, or physically weak, or not left- or right-handed (as Íñigo Montoya does), but keep your wits about you. Then strike when they least expect it, showing your true wit or strength when it's time to attack! There must be method in the madness (The most vivid example I can come up with is Hamlet feigning insanity during his revenge on a usurper stepfather; "method in the madness" indeed. Tyrion Lannister is also a master at wearing, in his case, the mask of a lush as well as that of a fool. Likewise, Gretel plays stupid to lure the wicked witch into the oven. Used when it applies to physical strength/skill, I would go for Íñigo Montoya switching sword hand and revealing that he is not left-handed! Ryoma, in The Prince of Tennis, usually plays right-handed, but switches racket hand -he's a born lefty- when the going gets tough!).
28. Lure Them Onto the Roof, Then Pull the Ladder Away: ensure there is no going back; employ ruse to lure the enemy into dangerous terrain, then, having cornered them completely, cut off their route of escape, communication, and resources; rendering the enemy isolated, unable to retreat, and bereft of supplies... (Again, scorched earth tactics... trying to get involved in a land war in Russia or Dorne... but also, to coax one's own allies to follow one, the burning of bridges after crossing streams and the burning of ships after having landed ashore to ensure that there's no turning back and that the dice are cast -"quemar las naves", as both Hernán Cortés and Nymeria did upon landing-).
29. Deck the Trees with Artificial Blossoms: appear powerful when you have far less power. Make it appear that you have more resources to keep a stronger enemy at bay (Tordenskiöld's soldiers marching around Carlsten Fortress, ostensibly 20000 strong but actually 500 strong; the Swedish scarecrow "guards" on the walls of Poltava. Another example would be the gruffalo story, in which the mouse and the gruffalo travel together through the woods, the gruffalo frightens the predators, but does not realise he is the dreaded one, and believes that the mouse is the one the predators fear, as the mouse herself had told the gruffalo beforehand when the two of them met), or appear weaker and lacking more resources to dissuade the enemy. Make a trifle appear valuable / something worthless appear useful by the use of ruse.
30. Exchange the Roles of Host and Guest: usurp leadership in a scenario in which you would be subordinate; create dependency, reversing the roles so that the more powerful opponent finds themselves in a subordinate position. Pretend to be the guest to be accepted, but develop and become the owner from within (Here, the Duke of Friedland and Iago give some textbook examples: Wallenstein offering the Count of Tilly Friedland grain to create a debt that Tilly would have to pay, to weaken the Catholic League -as said in Replace the Beams with Rotten Timbers- / Wallenstein offering the Kaiser the money and the provisions to raise "the Empire's own" army; Iago convinces all of his victims, who outrank him, that he is the perfect confidant, then -thanks to their trust- has them over a barrel. In Judges 4, Yael welcomes a fleeing, vanquished General Sisera and caters to his every need -exhaustion, thirst, concealment from the enemy-, then, when he has let his guard down the most, she literally hammers home a point!).
31. Honey Trap: send the enemy irresistible pleasures of the flesh, such as offerings of money, wenches, or drugs (strong drink, opium...) as a gift with pretenses of peace, to distract them and sow confusion among them. The leader and/or the officers, having given in, will neglect their duties and lower their guard; also, suspicious individuals on the enemy side will find themselves at odds with those who have given in to the honey trap, creating internal dissension and even intrigues (This is, in a nutshell, Queen Medb's MO in the Táin: more specifically, she uses the promise of her daughter's hand, mead, and bards to lure new allies. In the Old Testament, Yael's killing of Sisera and Judith's of Holofernes may also count in. In the Gesta Romanorum story 88 this is combined with the Empty Fort when an outnumbered general feigns surrender, retreats, and resigns his castle or campsite, with all the provisions therein, into the hands of the outnumbering enemy: "Now the castles -or campsites- were furnished with casks of wine empoisoned with the seed of a certain herb; insomuch, that whosoever drank of it immediately fell asleep. He knew that his opponents were starved; and that, overjoyed to find such excellent quarters, they would drink to excess, and fall into the half death-like quiet of sleep. They did so, and the general, returning, put them all to death.").
32. Fling Open the Gates to the Empty Fort: when you are vulnerable, make the enemies think twice about attacking you; double bluff the enemies by pretending weakness, as if to entice them to attack. Appear ready to fight, but make the enemy suspect there is a ruse when in fact there is none. When the enemy is superior in numbers and your situation is such that you expect to be overrun at any moment, then drop all pretense of military preparedness, act calmly and taunt the enemy, so that the enemy will think you have a huge ambush hidden for them. It works best by acting calm and at ease when your enemy expects you to be tense. This ploy is only successful if in most cases you do have a powerful hidden force and only sparsely use the empty fort strategy. (The ruse at the storming of the Marienberg Fortress, ostensibly garrisoned by unarmed Jesuits, which Gustavus Adolphus, however, quickly saw through; Tywin Lannister opening the gates of King's Landing to the rebels, ditto Vibhishana in Sri Lanka - In the Gesta Romanorum story 88, this is combined with the Honey Trap when an outnumbered general feigns surrender, retreats, and resigns his castle or campsites, with all the provisions therein, into the hands of the outnumbering enemy: "Now the castles -or campsites- were furnished with casks of wine empoisoned with the seed of a certain herb; insomuch, that whosoever drank of it immediately fell asleep. He knew that his opponents were starved; and that, overjoyed to find such excellent quarters, they would drink to excess, and fall into the half death-like quiet of sleep. They did so, and the general, returning, put them all to death.").
33. Use the Enemy's Own Spies to Sow Dissension: recruit moles, or double agents, or fifth columnists, or turncoat informers (Judas Iscariot); and employ them to "sow weeds among the wheat." When preoccupied with settling internal disputes, the enemy's ability to confront external threats is compromised. Then, after the stratagems have been successfully carried out, reward these expendable moles as a traitor deserves.
34. Injure Yourself to Gain the Enemy's Trust: the Wounded Gazelle Gambit. Win their trust through sympathy, pretending you have been hurt. A variant is to take extreme risks (ie "suicide" risks) to prove yourself to them. On one hand, the enemy is lulled into lowering their guard, since you are not being regarded as an immediate threat. The second application is a way of ingratiating yourself with your enemy by pretending the injury was caused by a mutual enemy (like the stepsisters do in Disney's Cinderella, by accusing her of stealing their accessories; or the twin cats incriminate Lady in front of Aunt Sarah, by making her appear as the real culprit. Iago also employs the Wounded Gazelle Gambit, being injured as he tried to restrain a drunken Cassio, by making it appear that he was overly concerned about the lieutenant's alleged addiction).
35. Chain Multiple Stratagems: pile up two or more of these strategies which have been explained before, either as a cause-and-effect chain or having Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and so forth as backup (Iago, Wallenstein, and Baelish have made such chains of stratagems).
36. If Everything Else Fails, Retreat. Nothing more remains to explain than the same axiom in Swedish: "Bättre fly än illa fäkta" (Better to Flee than Sadly Fighting Be).  Sounds even better than "better safe than sorry" or the "Joestar signature tactic," right? Retreating, unlike surrendering, is temporary -you'll lose the battle, but still be able to win the war-; and everyone learns more from their mistakes.

A SPREAD OF WINGS

Hugtto! Pretty Cure - Episode 44
My Own Review
A SPREAD OF WINGS

Already this is an excellent episode

Saaya finally got the chance to act with her mother in a new epic... With Saaya and Reira both prepared to shoot a scene for the film they are working on, they end up getting sent into the world from the script. Since it is set in a medieval European fantasy world, everyone’s outfits change to be appropriate for the setting.

Since Lulu is now a Wonderland character, ie the Cheshire Cat, now it's Emiru's turn to become Red Riding Hood... or is she a druid of sorts?

Daigan has a brief scene as a pirate or brigand of sorts... (or is he a woodsman?)

He's a lumberjack and he's not okay... he eats all night and he cooks all day!

It was also fun to see Emiru as a little mage or druid spouting out "Cure Up Rapapa" from Maho Tsukai and Lulu as a catgirl saying Mirai Asahina's catchphrase. Her catchphrases are "Did you just say○○?!" (○○っていいました？！ ○○tte iimashita?!^?) and "This is so exciting!" (ワクワクもんだぁ！ Wakuwaku monda~a!). Even Daigan showed up (To everyone's surprise) and tried to protect Saaya from a cute Welsh Green dragon which ran over him 3 seconds flat...

Of course, Saaya is still playing the princess. And Reira appears to be playing her mother in-universe, a warrior queen (since she is armoured, she appears to be the frontline commander type)!

Saaya and Reira may be in a different world, but the show must go on

Saaya and Reira act out their scene. (Maybe this could be a fine AU, with Reira a widowed warrior queen and her daughter as a reluctant crown princess who would rather be a healer - maybe sth of a Henry IV-Lion King retelling?)

As that happens, they are also watched from the shadows by Ranze Ichijou, Saaya’s self-proclaimed rival. She doesn’t feel that her heart was in the scene, and pretty much challenges her to single combat - I DEMAND A TRIAL BY COMBAT!.

Throughout the episode, Saaya was feeling anxious working with her mother Reira and was not giving her all during the scenes with her mother. This annoyed Ranze who also showed up and claimed that Saaya is betraying their rivalry. 

Saaya and Ranze have a fight scene

Saaya and Ranze act out a fight scene, but Saaya doesn’t quite manage it, due to being more of an intellectual and wearing petticoats against a martially-trained and trousered rival, who quite obviously wins the duel. She says she’ll do better next time and offers to shake Ranze’s hand, but Ranze refuses. She believes that only worthy opponents shake hands.

Saaya talks to Doctor-Septa Maki about her aspirations

After an amusing incident caused by Ruru, Saaya has a chance to sit down and talk with Doctor... Septa Maki (who is in the cast as well, obviously playing a healer). She reveals that she gathered all kinds of experience whilst working in various fields of medicine, before eventually discovering the path she is on now, that of obstetrics. Saaya asked Dr-Septa Maki why did she chose to be a obstetrician; and she was touched by the birth of life when she was still an intern and chose this career path. Saaya finally took the courage and told her mother that this will be the first and last film together as she decided to be a doctor after that.

Saaya and Ranze shake hands

Getting back to filming, Saaya is able to flawlessly act out the scene with Reira. Afterwards, however, she says that she will quit acting after filming this epic wraps up. It is not acting that Saaya wants to pursue, but a career in medicine. This comes as a shock to Ranze, who is upset at first but she understands Saaya’s decision in the end. 

And thus... gimme five... Ranko's girl recognises the blue-eyed upstart as the worthy opponent she was all along! Ranze was upset about it but Saaya explained her reasons which she finally admitted defeat. The two of them finally make peace and agreed to be the best in their field. 

(Which in turn also changes Saaya's clothing into a similar get-up as Dr Maki-probably a healer class - and even Saaya taking on the robes of a septa instead of regal petticoats!).

Whilst Ranze accepts it, stage-mum Reira is not quite able to bring herself to do the same, having always wished that her daughter would follow in her footsteps. Reira didn't express her feelings to Saaya and it cause her to become a theender by Ristle. Ristle takes advantage of this, using her toge-power to bring forth a wild theender, who snatches Hugtan, so naturally it is time for PreCures to do their thing.

Reira has to accept that Saaya is becoming her own kind of young woman - you cannot live your children's lives, but accept that they usually branch off when they come of age...

During the battle, Saaya is able to go within the chest of Theender!Reira, where she finds both Reira and Hugtan. Reira is proud that Saaya is growing up, but she can’t bring herself to cheer her on. 

Theender!Reira grabbed Hug-tan and absorbed her into her body. The girls went to battle and Cure Ange realised her mother is the opponent of the week (it maybe helps that she's an armoured warrior queen with long Prussian blue hair, right?). She too entered theender!Reira's body and into Reira's psyche. 

However, Saaya was able to touch Reira’s world, which allowed her to find her own dream. Saaya saw what her mother has gone through for her and even sees Reira giving birth to Saaya which touched her. Reira admitted that she has problems expressing her feelings to Saaya all these years despite knowing that her daughter has looked up to her. 

Leading to his heartwarming, fluffy mother-daughter embrace... awwwwww... 

Saaya thanked her for taking care of her and giving her a chance to express her love for her. The two finally hugged each other and free her from the dark force...

PreCures defeat the monster after that, and everyone returns to the real world. The filming goes smoothly afterwards, with Reira and Saaya improvising a little bit.

With everyone walking home, they realise Christmas is coming up. In her excitement, Hugtan manages to summon Santa Claus (OH, SANTA!). That brings this episode to an end.

After everyone returned to the real world, the girls realised it will be Christmas soon and Hug-tan summoned Santa Claus from above!? Did Hug-tan just drop Santa from above? Maybe this is a veiled allusion to Cornelia Funke's Als der Weihnachtsmann von Himmel fiel (When Santa -literally, the Christmas Man- Fell from the Skies)!

Eh, not as cool as the time as when Hugtan conjured Cure Black and Cure White out of thin air

Well, first of all, it probably won’t come as a surprise that I really like black cat Lulu (thinking of maybe she'd be Cheshire Cat in the Emialice AU - with Masato as the King and Henri-ette crossdressing as his Queen!). But, she’s not the star of the episode.

Saaya’s episodes have been consistently excellent, and this one is no exception. She has been struggling with her future and this episode brings all that to a satisfying conclusion. It’s episodes like this one that make me feel I don’t quite show Saaya enough appreciation. She’s definitely up there as one of my favourite blue Cures, that is for sure.

Still was a very enjoyable episode, though.

Definitely a step up from the previous episode, and just an all round excellent experience that focused on Saaya, her mother, and her career choice. 

This episode is a better episode than the previous episode between Saaya and Reira. Since Reira is always portrayed as a calm and cool mother but yet to see that Saaya has grown up which she finally broke down in her psyche. However being the gentle and understanding daughter, Saaya was able to understand her mother's love and thank her for bringing to this world.

It was also no brainier that Saaya choose to be a doctor (which field of medicine will she choose?) rather than follow the same path as her mother which is too similar to Minami Kaido's arc when she choose to be an ocean veterinarian than taking over her family business. The difference was that the higher-class Minami was worried of her family's rejections while Reira was more repressive, less expressive towards Saaya. 

It also gave closure between Ranze and Saaya which I felt that Ranze was given too little chance in the series so far unlike Ranko and Kirara (anyone else seconds the Ichijo descent theory?) which I enjoyed their banter when the two are around. 

Other than Daigan who actually thanked Saaya for trying to save his soul when he was apparently "killed" and her choosing the path she want to go with in her life. The rest of the girls were just goofing around until the battle.

The fact Saaya’s character has been neglected throughout the entire series and this episode made it all the more apparent. For me, it was just a whole lot of nothing new under the sun, mainly because I already knew the outcome and all this was was wrapping up the so-called “character arc” about Saaya’s dream changing. She is a smart girl, and she understood that when it comes to pursuing a difficult dream such as going into medicine, she need to commit to only one thing at a time. That’s why this film was going to be her last acting project. But breaking the news to her mother made her feel anxious about it. Luckily her mother is the supportive type, and despite having been exploited by Ristle, she has always told Saaya she would support her, no matter what her dream becomes. The heartbreak for her mother was more about her having grown up to the point she is now choosing her own path, pursuing her own dreams outside of the realm of which has been introduced by her mother. But it was only because she was able to experience that, she knew medicine was what she wanted to do.

Other than that, frankly I don’t have anything more to say about this episode, I already knew Saaya’s arc was not going to make up for the lost time. During Homare’s episode (43), I listed my complaints about how Saaya’s character has been severely neglected to the point it has been as though she has been demoted to a background character— and I am not exaggerating, she litterally had no presence for so long! I just don’t really have anything more to add to that, or else I am just going to repeat myself for the 21938197312983rd time. It’s just a shame that both she and Homare got the short-end of the stick.

In other news, I can’t believe Hugtan summoned Santa! Girl, he’s a busy man with Christmas around the corner! Well anyhow, no surprise to see we got a Christmas Episode, which leads us to Episode 45.

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
OH SEVEN GODS WHAT AN EPISODE!
The highlights are not only every Ranze-centric scene (and Lulu's catgirl costume), but also when Ristle took advantage of Reira's stage-mum agenda, and worries that her daughter might defect from showbiz, in order to make her the victim of the week (Reira Yakushiji who was upset that her own daughter is growing up and that one day she won't be acting alongside her; insert Cersei Lannister parallels here). The way Saaya reached out into her mother -just like it happened to Henri in last episode- was heartwarmingly amazing and amazingly heartwarming. Reminds me of my own mum and our relationship ;) !
Speaking of this, I would like to rec a marvellously fluffy book if you live in Spain or any other Hispanic country, and have a relationship with your mum like Yours Truly, or that between Saaya and Reira ;) Para mi hija que ha crecido, by Lidia María Riba, published by V&R Editoras. Nowadays it has been discontinued, but you can keep on looking for it on the second-hand book market! https://www.google.com/search?q=para+mi+hija+que+ha+crecido&rlz=1C1SVEA_esES466ES468&oq=para+mi+hija+que+ha+crecido&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60j69i65l2j69i60j0.10994j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
It can also presently be read on wattpad, although I am worried that they will delete it sooner or later: https://www.wattpad.com/174671885-%E2%80%A2para-mi-hija-que-ha-crecido%E2%80%A2-i 
And by the way, here's another rec for a discontinued Spanish book, an equally fluffy one, I have been looking for in second-hand since childhood: the illustrated poemary Tanto amas, tanto vales, by Gloria Fuertes, published by Susaeta. https://www.casadellibro.com/libro-tanto-amas-tanto-vales/9788430591732/658484 It contains only Gloria's pacifist poems and those that center on loving, cherishing, and warmth. Yes, I know I am a big sweetie and that sensible adults tell me I am already one of them - but still this is a free country and liking fluff is not illegalised... awwww...



NEXT EPISODE (45)
It will be pretty obvious that it will of course be the Christmas Episode of this continuity, right? Seeing it is the obligatory Christmas Episode next week, we are getting closer and closer to the finale, right? Until then, see you in the next post!  

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KILL A CHARACTER

Authors are always being advised to be mean to their characters. Often, that meanness involves killing them off. And even as we may bawl over our beloved characters’ deaths, most of us get a strange sort of fulfillment out of it. We gotta play tough and do whatever best serves the story, right?

But that, of course, begs the question: Is killing off a character really the best way to serve your story?

Before we answer that question, let’s take a look at some reasons that may justify our decision to end a character’s life—along with some not-so-good reasons.

Good Reasons to Kill a Character

We can find many good reasons for snuffing even important characters, including:

• It advances the plot. (Melanie in Gone With the Wind.)
• It fulfills the doomed character’s personal goal. (Obi-Wan in A New Hope, Oberyn Martell, anyone who has mentored Harry Potter, Baron Zeppeli in JoJo, Éponine Thénardier/the original Little Mermaid, Juliet Capulet/Hélène de Chandroz/Shirin...)
• It motivates other characters. (Sirius Black, Mercutio, Ophelia, all of the Amis sans Marius -the sole survivor-, Renly, Drogo, Ygritte...)
• It’s a fitting recompense for the character’s actions up to this point. (Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Oberyn. Cú Chulainn. Also, Éponine Thénardier/the original Little Mermaid, Juliet Capulet/Hélène de Chandroz/Shirin...)
• It emphasizes the theme. (Everybody in Flowers of War, all the dwarves in The Hobbit, and so many star-crossed lovers across cultures and historical periods.)
• It creates realism within the story world. (Everybody in Westeros)
• It removes an extraneous character. (Danny in Pearl Harbor.)

Bad Reasons to Kill a Character

Some less worthy reasons for doing our characters dirty include:

• Shocking readers just for the sake of shocking them. (Shock value isn’t without its, well, value, but not every author is Alfred Hitchcock and not every story is Psycho.)
• Making readers sad just for the sake of making them sad. (An old saw says, “If they cry, they buy.” But readers never appreciate being tortured without good reason.)
• Removing an extraneous character. (I know, I know. I just said that was a good reason. But you have to double-check this one. If the character is extraneous, then you better verify if s/he really belongs in this story in the first place.)

A Final Consideration Before You Kill a Character

Now that we have a grip on what makes a character’s death work within a story—and what’s sure to make it fail—we next have to consider what could end up being a crucial reason not to kill your character.

Every character in a story should be there for a specific reason. He’s there to enact a specific function (as we discussed in recent posts about archetypes and roles). If he doesn’t enact that function, then you have to question his purpose in the story. And if he does fill a role within your story, well, then ask yourself this: Who’s gonna fill that role if you kill him off?

Dramatica authors Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley explain:

Unless the functions represented by the discontinued player reappear in another player, however, part of the story’s argument will disappear at the point the original drops out. In the attempt to surprise an audience by killing off a major player, many an author has doomed an otherwise functional storyform.

How to Kill a Character: A Checklist

Lucky for our sadistic little souls, roles and archetypes can shift from character to character or be shared by several characters. In short: when a character dies off, his death doesn’t have to mean his role will be left vacant for the rest of the story.

With all this knowledge in mind, here’s a quickie checklist for figuring out if you can get away with murder:

• You have scrutinized the list of good reasons to kill off a character.
• You have identified one of the reasons as being present in your plot (or come up with a new good reason).
• You have identified what role and archetype your character fills in your story.
• You have created and positioned another character(s) to fill the hole left in your story by the doomed character’s death.

–or–

• Your story ends in a thematically satisfying way that doesn’t require the character’s role to be perpetuated.

Sometimes the death of a character can raise an ordinary story into something special. If you can justify a character’s death, then go for it! Special may be just around the corner.