triangle-strategy-notes

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What do you think happens to Frederica long term after the Utility ending?

That's an awesome question! Thanks so much for the ask <3

My first instinct is that Frederica honestly would struggle to achieve much political change on her own. In the Utility ending's epilogue, we hear that she's got a few ardent followers, but that overall her situation isn't looking super good.

She's got the truth of the salt mines on her side, but Hyzante is actively working to suppress any information that might support Frederica's claim via actions like ordering Exharme to burn down the Aesfrosti Archives.

If nothing changes, Idore could potentially stay in power indefinitely—he alludes to powers of immortality in his golden route boss fight, and if he just takes on the role that the hierophant puppet currently occupies, he's already set up to "die" and then rule without showing his face.

HOWEVER. Here's how Frederica can still win!!!!!! (once again there's an essay under the cut. sorry)

The nice thing about the Utility ending is that there are a TON of characters who'd be at least marginally pissed with the Saintly Seven (and/or Roland in particular). These include:

The surviving Aesfrosti (including Avlora) who would likely resent Hyzante for their role in their home's destruction

Merchants and members of the Consortium who benefited from free trade

Any rebel factions from within Hyzante (similar to Plinius's group)

Anyone else who would sympathize personally with Frederica or the Roselle, such as Geela, Groma, Archibald, or Maxwell

The surviving Royalists who were exiled by Roland

The rest of the Saintly Seven themselves tbh. Exharme definitely intends to oust/kill Idore at some point, and Lyla and Kamsell I think would turn a blind eye to that after what happened with Tenebris getting arbitrarily zapped into oblivion. Roland and Serenoa seem on board with Exharme's intent to change the world as well, so I'd loosely count them in with any rebellion he starts up.

In any case, if Frederica can convince even just two or three of those groups to join her, she'll be at about the same strength as the Wolffort army was during a good portion of the war.

But the big caveat with this is that those alliances do depend on Frederica seeking out those connections and actively choosing to work with others and prioritize their goals alongside her own—for example, with the remaining Aesfrosti, they might want her to take Gustadolph's place and assume a leadership position, which would mean she has to balance that responsibility to Aesfrost's people alongside her desire to help the Roselle. Given how dedicated she is to the Roselle's cause, that might not be a sacrifice she's willing to make.

But if she does manage to put together a force, I think she'd have a pretty good shot at achieving something similar to the Morality ending! We know that the last hierophant's death provided Orlaea an opportunity to lead some of the Roselle to freedom, and Frederica will likely have a similar opportunity whenever Exharme inevitably takes his shot at Idore.

Depending on how that power struggle goes, Exharme might even be open to negotiation with Frederica and the Roselle. He's stated outright that he wants a peaceful world, and especially if the choice is between "admitting he just let Hyzante's entire force of slaves escape" and "striking a deal with Frederica to welcome the Roselle into Hyzantian society, thus painting himself as a benevolent savior (and the rightful successor to Idore who was clearly a heretic)," I could see him choosing the latter. Frederica and the Roselle might not accept that offer after everything Hyzante has done to them, but given that trying to find Centralia is a gamble, they might be tempted to stay and try to make it work.

Alternatively, a less flashy but still happy-ish end to it all is that some combination of Frederica, Serenoa, Roland and/or Exharme work together to gradually, systematically improve the lives of the Roselle. With Roland being the Minister of Salt, he should theoretically have control over the Source, and I assume that despite everything he'd still try to improve the Roselle's living conditions at the soonest opportunity. Over time, I think there's a pretty solid chance that they could enact reform to the point that the Roselle are about as "free" as any other Hyzantian might be, though it seems likely they'd still face some discrimination similar to the Liberty ending.

In a world where the Roselle do have the support of Exharme, Roland, and Serenoa, I could definitely see Frederica reclaiming her identity as Frederica Aesfrost and becoming a public religious/political leader for the Roselle. And if Exharme really does radically change things and brand Idore as a heretic, inviting Frederica or a different Rosellan to become one of the Saintly Seven would kinda make sense as a political gesture, especially since Serenoa and Roland were both brought in under similar circumstances. Again, it's not really clear if Frederica would accept a position like that after everything Hyzante has done, but she might be tempted if it would give her more leverage to help the liberated Roselle.

And you know, one thing I love about Frederica during Roland's ending is that, even if she doesn't achieve anything, I think it's great that the story ends on that note of "she keeps fighting anyways." She might not manage to get anyone to join her. She might not ever save the Roselle! But her character is such that she keeps pushing toward that goal anyways because it's the right thing to do, and that's very cool in and of itself :)

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Also!!! That last post reminded me that I had these old screenshots from the first anniversary stream that I never posted. The Asano team made some stamps/stickers (for sending over SMS) that had little quotes from Triangle Strategy characters. Below are the stamps, as well as the original survey that was sent out where Japanese players were allowed to submit quotes for consideration.

(I'll copy and paste the text below as usual, sorry it's all so small lol)

Translation notes and transcriptions:

Quotes [Note: a lot of these aren't direct translations, they're instead the English translation of the equivalent Japanese line. Some of them I couldn't find or didn't quite make sense in the English version so those ones are more 1:1 with the Japanese lines]

Serenoa: The way forward is decided!

Decimal: CLANK CLANK CLAAAAANK

Serenoa: I'll see us all through safely!

Serenoa: Consult the Scales of Conviction!

Serenoa: We choose as best we're able, and strive to ensure we chose wisely.

Serenoa: I would hear everyone's mind.

Serenoa: Then we've no need for the Scales.

Roland: Wha… What!?

Lionel: You!

Benedict: … It's nothing but a fairy tale. [in English the line was "Centralia is a myth."]

Milo: Life must be hard for you, being so ugly inside and out.

Young Benedict: I followed you into this hell of my own will.

Benedict: Yes, that's me. [in Japanese the line is lit. "Yes, that's me," in response to Serenoa's question, "You live in the past, don't you?". In English, Serenoa's question is, "You are shackled to the past, Benedict." and "I would call it loyalty." I went with "Yes, that's me," because it seemed more appropriate as a stamp.]

Benedict: I will not—I cannot—endorse such betrayal!

Narve: My studies have paid off!

Piccoletta: I feel great!

Medina: Feel better!

Serenoa: The way forward is decided!

Frederica: Flames consume you! (lit. "burn it down", though the word they use for "burn" seems like it might specifically be a word for cooking/grilling)

Frederica: A stew to tickle the tongue and sate the stomach! (lit. something more mimetic in Japanese)

Benedict: Pray try to remain calm.

Benedict: Compassion can only exist so long as it has an army at its back!

Julio: I must serve as best I can.

Decimal: CLANK CLANK CLAAAAANK

Trish: Heh, heh, heh

Erika: Silence!

Avlora: I will be your sword.

Gustadolph: Then it seems your death is at hand! (lit. "I'm not asking permission," the quote comes from the Liberty ending as he orders his men to take down Kamsell and the rest of Hyzante's troops.)

Avlora: So long as you must look to others, you do not deserve freedom.

Svarog: You'll understand when you too grow old.

Thalas: Bwahaha!

Roland: I will not have you lecture me on feelings! [Lit. "You know nothing of my pain!"]

Roland: Have you no shame!?

Anna: Time to work.

Hughette: You're finished! [lit. "It's over"]

Geela: Keep going! [lit. "Recover!"]

Dragan: The future rests in the hands of the ardent youth!

Rudolph: You're in for a world of hurt. [lit. You're in for a treat.]

Maxwell: Prepare to face the Dawnspear! [lit. something like "Maxwell is here!"]

Exharme: This was destined to occur! [lit. "My path is certain!"]

Idore: For fools, thinking is tiresome.

Travis: I had to, you were beggin' for it!

Results

Serenoa: 91

Benedict: 50

Roland: 34

Avlora: 30

Frederica: 21

Anna: 15

Maxwell: 14

Gustadolph: 13

Milo: 13

Exharme: 12

Decimal: 11

Erador: 9

Lionel: 8

Dragan: 8

Idore: 8

Corentin: 7

Piccoletta: 7

Travis: 7

Erika: 7

Geela: 6

Archibald: 6

Svarog: 6

Hughette: 5

Symon: 5

Trish: 4

Flanagan: 3

Silvio: 3

Narve: 3

Julio: 3

Medina: 3

Cordelia: 2

Groma: 2

Ezana: 2

Rudolph: 2

Landroi: 2

Frani: 2

Sorsley: 2

Cat: 2

Hossabara: 1

Jens: 1

Giovanna: 1

Patriatte: 1

Sycras: 1

Regna: 1

Lyla: 1

Unknown (lit. "Enigma"): 1

Hierophant: 1

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since you run the triangle strategy quote bot, are there any quotes you particularly like or find memorable/funny/interesting?

Oooh that's a great question, thanks for asking! <3 A lot of my favorites predictably come from Avlora —I'm a big fan of her Whiteholm Bridge "But today your sun sets and a new age begins" speech and her "You've every right to doubt me when I say Lady Cordelia has touched me" dialogue later on when she surrenders to House Wolffort.

BUT if I had to pick one bit of dialogue that makes me go OOOOOOH every time, I think it'd have to be this exchange from the first part of Roland's ending where Frederica breaks off from House Wolffort:

Frederica: ...Serenoa, you are an honest man. One who wants to do the right thing. Truth be told, it was those very qualities that I fell in love with... Serenoa: Frederica, please... Frederica: But now I find it loathsome. What you would claim as righteous will destroy the lives of those who have no voice. So allow me to speak on their behalf: The Roselle do not recognize the judgment rendered by the Scales of Conviction! I will defend my people's right to live, and so challenge you to a duel! Serenoa: You what!? Geela: Do you hear yourself, Frederica!? Think about what you're doing! Frederica: I haven't the luxury of thinking about anything else. Stand back, all of you.

Frederica reaching that breaking point of "you can go to hell actually" is SO good to me!!! It's so thematically fitting for her character arc as someone who's learning to stand up for herself after a lifetime of abuse, as well as an excellent first blow to the kneecaps as far as illustrating the tragedy of Roland's route.

And that last line in particular about "I haven't the luxury of thinking about anything else" is such an excellent dig at Serenoa + everyone else in the room who's willing to stand by as others are subjugated for their benefit. And such an excellent point about the personal injustice it is for Frederica as well, because it's not just the Roselle at the Source that they're condemning!!! Frederica is absolutely going to suffer under Hyzante's rule, even if she herself can theoretically be spared from outright slavery. Like have they stopped to think about what they're doing? Have they stopped to think about whether Frederica will ever be able to live a happy life under Idore's thumb? If she'll ever honestly be accepted as an equal to all the non-Rosellans around her? In deciding to follow Roland's path, everyone in that room was very vocally, very explicitly saying that Frederica's happiness and safety was a sacrifice they were willing to make. She has every right to be furious and to say what she says to Serenoa, and it's all just very sexy of her <3

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May I offer thee one last Avlora? The countdown to TriStrat's release had countdown art of TriStrat characters with characters from other Team Asano games (this is where the Roland and Oersted fr9m LaL official art came from), but there was also one of Avlora (with a character from a now dead bravely mobile spinoff)

Oh dang that's so cool, thanks so much!!!!! I'll add that to the post <3

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Compilation of official art for Avlora

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Missed this on the anniversary itself, but we got new art from Rina Yoshiura of Avlora and Cordelia! (and Exharme and Kamsell in the background)

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Lady Destra Concept Art

Happy 3rd anniversary! Destra's page was one of the first character pages I ever translated, so here's a cleaner, more accurately translated version. Translation notes and image ids under the cut.

Translation notes:

"Tavern" could have also been translated as "bar."

"pg 7" was weird, since the actual page 7 in the book is some of the title art for Triangle Strategy (so no characters, just typography), so I'm not sure what it's referring to either way. Possibly some other reference material not included in the book?

I noted this on the first version of this post as well, but one thing of particular interest that came up was that note next to Benedict. The first line reads as “Secretly” and the second + third seems to be this phrase:

It seems like it has a variety of meanings, including potentially romantic ones, but I’m not sure contextually how to read it. I went with “caring for” as a hopefully middle-of-the-road sort of option.

Image IDs:

[image id: A single page of concept art from the Triangle Strategy artbook, posted once in Japanese, and then in English. This page centers around Destra and her design and backstory. It shows several images including several of Destra while she's pregnant with Serenoa, as well as one where she's meeting Regna while serving him at a tavern (labeled, "Image of how their relationship began at a tavern"). Another set of images shows Serenoa between Destra and Regna's profiles, indicating the resemblance between them. Toward the bottom half of the page, there are several additional drawings. Under one label, "When she was poor", there is a drawing of her in peasant's clothing, with some details pointed out of her kerchief she wears tied around her hair, captioned "Clever and energetic, she did her best in all circumstances." There's also a drawing of her as a child, sitting down and holding her stomach as if hungry, captioned, "As a child she may have been starving...". Another drawing shows her in a barmaid's dress, labeled, "When she worked in a tavern." Another drawing is labeled, "As a mother," and shows her pregnant while Benedict is visible at a desk behind her. A caption reads, "Benedict in his youth, caring for her in secret." A last label reads, "As a mother and lady of region A," where she's pregnant but wearing much finer clothing with a mantle reminiscent of Serenoa's own. A note toward the bottom reads, "This is reference material concerning the protagonist's mother, even in her younger days. It explores the question of 'To what extent is it useful to focus on her appearance?'" The last illustrator's note reads, "When designing Serenoa, I first drew his mother and then tried to figure out what characteristics he would have based on his genetics. (Naoki Ikushima)" /end id]

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Man, after seeing Conclave (excellent film) - the film's narrative framework is how would a live-action Triangle Strategy TV show should be like: uncovering secrets, conversations and plotting in discreet spaces.

Plus, how Cardinal Lawrence is burdened with responsibilities and goes out of his way to make hard choices is masterfully portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, IMO, his performance is close to how Benedict would be depicted in live-action.

Ooooooh I haven't watched Conclave yet but that DOES sound like a great film. I would kill for a Triangle Strategy TV show in any case lol, but I do really like the idea of it being centered around the political intrigue in the game vs. it being a more standard action/fantasy genre, that would be super fun

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Peeking at the results and:

OH GOD OH NO to the person who got Silvio who least wanted to get Silvio I'm so sorry

Made a "Which Triangle Strategy character are you?" uquiz for fun!

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Made a "Which Triangle Strategy character are you?" uquiz for fun!

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Giovanna Concept Art

Giovanna's concept art! Translation notes and image ids below the cut.

Translation Notes:

"Mineral Maniac" could also have been "Mineral Mania".

"Pre-game, fatigued" was a little ambiguous because the kanji at the end wasn't really a word, but the character had a potential meaning of "to become fatigued", so I just went with that.

"100% bedhead" was literally "all bedhead" or "complete bedhead."

All the sound effects were swapped out for more English-sounding ones. The "YAAAWN" was "Fwahh", the "SHING" was "PAAA", and the "Mnn" was "Naa".

"For the sake of research, the chosen dyes were applied..." was a little hard to parse and I feel like I might have missed some of the meaning. Literally it seemed something more like "for the good of research, the right/right-hand dyes were used on..."

"Boots from school for ease of mining" was also kind of weird, might have been saying something more like "cheap school mining boots [to be used for mining]"

The "Gal Who Studies the Playing Field" heading was literally something like "Game-Board Studying Guy [gender neutral]".

The "Gal Who Studies the Playing Field" heading and the same heading but with "Alternate" attached seem to kind of be swapped, but that was how it was on the original page, so I left it.

Image Id:

[id: Two pages of concept art from the Triangle Strategy artbook centered around Giovanna. The first page has a colored and uncolored version of her canon portrait, as well as a designer's note that reads, "The contrast between Giovanna's soft, fluffy design and the sharpness of the rock is really an appealing point of contrast, isn't it? (Rina Yoshiura)".

The second page has several drawings of Giovanna, most of which highlight her sleepiness or her messy outfit. She's labeled "Mineral Maniac", and her necklace has a note that reads, "The stone around her neck is the first one she ever found." She holds a shining gem with a "SHING…" sound effect. One sleepy drawing is labeled "Pre-game, fatigued". By her hair on another drawing is a note that says, "True color is blonde, messy parts are dyed sections." A note pointing to her lab coat reads, "For the sake of research, the chosen dyes are applied to the clothes and hair". She is noted to have large gloves and large boots as well as a pair of magnifying glasses with lenses that can be lifted and lowered. Another note explains that she "wears a lab coat over her underclothes". Next to a sleepy and disgruntled drawing there is some dialogue that reads, "Mnn… What a hassle… I'll just put off whatever I don't want to do". Another drawing of her yawning has the caption "Always sleeping" and "100% bedhead".

The second half of the page is labeled "Gal Who Studies the Playing Field (Geologist?)" and "Gal Who Studies the Playing Field (Geologist) Alternate". There is a drawing of a much more severe version of Giovanna with dark hair and a scholar's outfit. Some details are pointed out, including some suspenders on the back of the outfit and a small ice axe and case of mining accessories that she wears on her hip. There is also a caption that reads, "Uses the first gemstone she found on her own as a brooch." Another note points to her boots and reads, "Boots from school for ease of mining". An illustrator's note at the bottom of the page reads, "Using the uptight-looking young woman on the lower half as a springboard, she eventually became an eccentric character who's completely absorbed in researching stones and wears a lab coat over her underthings. The colorful paints on her clothes are pigments extracted from the stones. (Urushihara Tatsuaki) /end id]

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Some thoughts about Elegy of Battle

(there are spoilers)

So it took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize Elegy of Battle is the game over theme. I thought it was just for cutscenes. I wasn't sure about it at first but I really like that tristrat uses its tracks flexibly because even realizing things like this feels like finding a hidden secret. I also noticed that the track plays several times during ch7-9 in scenes where Symon is shown ill, and that in hindsight feels like such an evident foreshadowing. It also plays right when Symon is about to die in ch15 so... I mean, I think it's not a surprise that Symon eventually passes, but the fact that the song of death played as early as chapter 7 hurts. Symon's death always felt impactful in the way the war finally took someone closest to Serenoa and this just makes it even more painful.

Another fun thing about Elegy of Battle is that it also plays in Morality final chapter when Frederica and others are searching for Serenoa. Or more exactly when she finds her pendant. So... like father, like son, I guess....

Addendum: I was going to post this but I just remembered that the track also plays in the scene after the Morality duel when Benedict is leaving. In this scene I feel like it could both be a reference to Symon's death or a foreshadowing of Serenoa's. I think that's neat. Man I love this game.

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Decimal Concept Art

Decimal's concept art (a whole 4 pages)! Translation notes and image ids under the cut.

Translation notes:

The Japanese word for "doll" that's used for Decimal could also be translated as "puppet" (which is the same word that was often used to describe the Hierophant). I went with doll because Decimal's a little less puppet-looking, but "puppet" or even "automaton" would probably have also worked.

The name "Gwilym" was a little bit of a guess. "Appling" is one I'm more sure about because I found someone who had online translated the name from Japanese to English, but I couldn't find any direct translation for ゴアメル (Goameru/Goamelu), so I just looked for a similar name that belonged to a dragon. If someone who's played the Bravely series has more accurate info, feel free to leave a comment and let me know.

"This is what we privately call 'playing fast and loose with the design framework'" was a weird one. The first part was something along the lines of "So-called" or "this is called", and the second part was "secret" or "hidden" or "concealed", the third part was "amusement" or "play" or "game", and the fourth part was like "frame(work)" or "zone" or "slot" (generally referring to an area within a set of boundaries). There were a lot of different ways to interpret this, like maybe he was referring to Decimal itself as a "secret playerbox/toybox" or possibly referring to the creative process for Decimal as "a place to secretly play around with the rules". In the end I just tried to put in something that made sense contextually to me.

"Metal bands" was literally something more like "metal chocks" or "metal wedges". I changed it to "bands" for clarity.

The text didn't initially have the explanation for the different types of clay figurines, I added those in for context. The initial translation looked like "I like clay figurines, clay figurines, and golems," so I felt like being more specific was necessary.

The word I translated as "analytical/analyzing" is literally 見極め, which means ascertainment, or as a verb, "to ascertain; to make sure of; to determine; to probe; to get to the bottom (of something)". I went with "analyzing" because "ascertaining" sounded a little awkward, though it admittedly loses out on some of the original meaning.

"Haywire" from "Haywire Mode" is a word that primarily seems to mean something along the lines of "reckless" or "rampage", but it also had another meaning of "runaway" as in a "runaway rocket" (i.e. an engineering project that becomes out of control). I went with "haywire" which leans more toward the second meaning, but (I hope) still retains the "reckless" vibes.

"Gotta love cost-effective manufacturing" was literally something more like "Love keeping costs low".

"Wind-up toy" was literally "self-propelled toy".

"External calculator bag" could have also been translated as "external computer bag".

Image ids:

[id: Four pages of concept art from the Triangle Strategy artbook centered around Decimal. The first page has a colored and uncolored version of its canon portrait, as well as a designer's note that reads, "The barrel robot Decimal is a character that we were aiming to make into a mascot, like 'Appling' from Bravely Second or 'Gwilym the Dragon' from Bravely Default II. I hope it becomes a character that everyone will love! (Ikushima Naoki)" and another that reads, "This is what we privately call 'playing fast and loose with the design framework'. Although it was difficult for Mr. Ikushima, he tackled it with great enthusiasm. (Asano Tomoya)".

On the second page there's another uncolored portrait of Decimal with different parts labeled, notably that the clockwork key on top of its head is made of aged brass (with the caption "Does the barrel turn it on its own!?"), the majority of its body is made of wood, and the metal joints and accents are made of "black-ish metal". There's a note that specifically asks the game artists to make sure the black metal bands around the barrel have high-contrast white highlights. Another small drawing shows a tankard merch design based off of Decimal. Some close ups of its hands show that the majority of them are wood, but the fingertips are metal. The bottom of Decimal's barrel is shown, and it's shown that its feet retract into its body during "standby mode", and the soles become part of the bottom of the barrel. Another diagram shows that the back of Decimal's hands cover the hole left behind by the shoulders when the arms are retracted. An illustrator's note at the bottom reads, "Now that I think about it, ever since I was a child I've liked dogū (clay figurines from the late Jōmon period), haniwa (hollow unglazed terracotta figures from the Kofun period), and golems, all of which have a simple, vacant 'huh, I wonder what they're thinking' kind of look. That might have unconsciously been reflected in my work…… it feels that way, at least. (Naoki Ikushima)".

On the third page, there are different iterations on Decimal's design, titled, "Analytical Doll (with Haywire Mode) Rough Draft". Some bullet points read, "Doll" and "Explore appropriate shapes that convey the ability to analyze". There's a collection of robots with large lens "eyes" that are labeled "Analyzing". The next collection of sketches are labeled "Adding charm while pondering the meaning of existence" and "Toy Knight". The sketches show a small nutcracker-esque doll with a wind-up key on the top. There are captions that read, "Originally a wind-up toy" and "Knight Automaton (Mechanical Puppet)". In one of the sketches the knight toy has a spyglass, labeled, "Analyzing Mode", and in another sketch it has a sword, labeled "Haywire Mode." The next collection of sketches feature a robot that resembles a maid, labeled, "Considering the role it plays and why it was made as a self-propelled system" and "Mechanical Serving Doll (Maid Robot)". Like the knight toy, it has a drawing where it's using a pair of binoculars, labeled, "Analyzing Mode", and another where it has red eyes and claws, labeled, "Haywire Mode." Next to the haywire drawing is the note, "As a waiter or maid, the ability to analyze was necessary to support and serve the master. The "haywire" function was an intensification of some of the functions for emergencies." The bottom portion of the page has many different sketches of vaguely computer-looking devices, labeled, "Collection of rough sketches for an arithmetic doll". At the bottom there are two illustrator's notes. One reads, "Initially I was given the theme of 'a doll that can analyze', and from that point on I was excited and started drawing. I also liked the 'Toy Knight' type on the top left of the page! (Naoki Ikushima)". The second reads, "This was us trying to find out how far we can deviate from the norm. (Tomoya Asano)".

On the fourth page, there are drawings that are more finalized rough drafts of Decimal's design. It's titled, "Analytical Arithmetic Doll - Design Proposal". At the top there's a note that reads, "A barrel-shaped doll that would fit in with a traveling merchant's wares". There are several drawings grouped together labeled "Basic Form", including a drawing of Decimal with a typewriter that folds out of its body which is labeled, "Keys on body for arithmetic". There are many sound effects to the effect of "click clack" around it. Another drawing of Decimal using a spyglass that folds out of its head is labeled "Analyzing" and has a slide whistle and "PLONK" sound effect, as well as a note that reads, "Uses scanner on head for analyzing". A drawing of Decimal with an arrow pointed to its foot reads, "The bottom of the barrel is a foot" (as opposed to a wheel which is used further down on the page). A cartoony drawing of Decimal going going berserk with flaming eyes and its body extended is labeled, "Haywire." Next to it is a drawing of Decimal with its arms and legs retracted, labeled "Standby Mode". There is also a short man who's placing a hat on Decimal's head, labeled "With the old man..." and "Receiving a hat". A section titled "Basic Ability Proposal" shows another earlier prototype Decimal with a pair of telescopic goggles than can be pulled down over its eyes, as well as a drawing of Decimal performing with a guitar in front of a crowd, with a peddler behind it laughing and saying "Bring customers to the market!" Another section titled "Barrel Idea Brainstorming" has a version of Decimal called "Crowd-Puller Costume Version" where it has a wheel instead of feet, the key is placed on the back, and in some drawings it has a calculator bag, a waistcoat, and a hat. There is a closeup of the wheel that shows that the wheel housing is a horseshoe. Another small drawing shows that Decimal's different segments should slide in the direction of whatever way it's headed. The last section shows a "Low-cost version" of Decimal which looks similar to its canon form. There are notes that read, "Gotta love cost-effective manufacturing!"; "Since the parts are separate, you can move them just by sliding"; "If you're going to rotate a turning key, it's more cost-effective to put it on top."; and "Equipped with built-in electronics". At the bottom are two more illustrator's notes. The first reads, "And here you can see, the barrel-shaped robot was the one where I went "yes, this is it!" In terms of the setting, it was a prototype of a movable doll, so it was supposed to represent the stage of experimentation when it finally moved after repeated tests using the various materials that were available. The appearance based on barrels, which are easily available in medieval cities, was an attempt to express "developing technology" that was not yet complete, but was charming. (Ikushima Naoki)" and "You know, I think it's appropriate that design and function be considered two of a set. (Asano Tomoya)" /end id]

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The Hierophant and Automatons Concept Art

Concept art for the Hierophant and the other puppets/automatons you face in the final battle! Translation notes and image id under the cut.

Translation notes:

Japanese doesn't usually include gendered pronouns, so when I use "it" and/or "her" for the Hierophant, I'm inserting those based on my best guess given the context—it's not anything the designers intended to include.

The word I translate as puppet/doll/automaton is in most cases the same word, but I use the different English translations interchangeably depending on the context.

"Homunculus" on the first page is literally "nculus". I'm assuming it's shorthand for homunculus so that's what I put for clarity, but I might be wrong about that. On the second page, the actual word for homunculus is used explicitly.

"The threads are manufactured using a special growth process" seemed to have a typo or two. I tried to account for that and I think I got the translation more or less accurate, but I still feel a little bit uncertain about it. Notably there might be something about 2 strands being woven together.

"Do not defy" might have also been translated as "do not betray [me]".

Image Ids:

[Image id: Two pages from the Triangle Strategy artbook centered around the Hierophant and the automatons. The first page is titled, "C Hierophant (puppet) Rough Draft". There are several drawings of the hierophant and her doll-like construction. One note reads, "Sought after and made a human". Another reads, "A. Puppet — Ball-jointed doll". There is a subheading labeled, "B. Flesh" with some text that reads, "Even though it comes from a desert country, the skin is white and pure to the point that it looks bloodless." Another note reads, "Lifeless eyes" and another says "Do not defy". One note that points to the Hierophant's clothing says, "The garment is modeled after the Goddess of Salt's." Another reference drawing has the note, "The most complete one at the moment (Hierophant Puppet)". Another note says, "I call it 'homunculus', but it's in fact only an extraordinary puppet that has the appearance of being alive. That said, it was indeed given some human body parts during its creation… The human 'hair' is not only the doll's puppet strings, but also its internal parts, which enable the puppet to circulate magic efficiently and to manifest a level of power beyond that of a mere puppet." Another note gesturing to the puppet strings says, "The threads are manufactured using a special growth process." Another says, "Countless unfinished things." One drawing has the puppets attacking and grabbing onto a man with a sword. A nearby note reads, "If they get a hold of you, it's pretty dangerous!" An illustrator's note at the bottom reads, "The request for this included a surprise: 'the hierophant is a puppet!' I remember having a lot of back and forth about what puppets are in the context of the world, and Mr. Ikushima's ideas concerning the setting also helped. (Yasuaki Arai)".

The second page has several images, including one large one of a smoky purple room with automatons crawling down from the ceiling with Idore in the center pulling the strings. To the side there is another illustration of the puppets hanging up near the throne room's domed ceiling. At the top is a note that says, "From a distance, it looks like there is a painting on the ceiling, but in fact there are count- less unfinished puppets hanging in the shadows, and the puppeteer can control them all at once to attack." Another nearby note reads, "In the shadow of heaven, countless unfinished puppets are hanging." Next to Idore is the note, "His Excellency, The Puller of Strings. Controls countless homunculi at the same time and causes them to attack. Similar to spellcraft, it is a highly refined technique." There are some additional drawings of the automatons and hierophants showing some of their more inhuman traits, as well as some conceptual drawings of internal organs including a brain. A note reads, "If they really are just puppets, then there's no need to bother with brains or internal organs." At the bottom is a designer's note that reads, "This is a rough idea of the final boss Idore, the Hierophant, and the other puppets. I believe we also make good use of Mr. Ikushima's ideas in the battle planning. (Arai Yasuaki)" /end id]

[triangle-strategy-notes]

Trish Concept Art

Trish's concept art! Translation notes and image ids under the cut.

Translation notes:

Full disclosure that I did this page a few months ago and forgot to write down notes as I did it, so I can't actually remember all the hiccups I ran into. So take these page's translations with even more skepticism than normal haha.

"Comes back swinging every time" was more literally "Gets up/comes back many times without getting discouraged."

"Leave it to me" might have also been "don't leave it to me". It has a negative particle so I was leaning towards translating it as "don't," but every auto-translator I ran it through ignored the "don't," which leads me to believe it might be an idiom of some sort, so I left the "don't" off. "Leave it to me" also seems to make more sense contextually.

The whole "mother supports the father's weak points" read pretty ambiguously to me. I'm not sure if they're talking about Travis (who's labeled "Father") or if they're referring to that faintly-pictured guy to the right of the family sketch. Since the arrow is there pointing towards the faintly-pictured guy, I'm inclined to say it's talking about him, but I'm not certain.

Image ids:

[id: Two pages of concept art from the Triangle Strategy artbook centered around Trish. The first page has a colored and uncolored version of her canon portrait, as well as a designer's note that reads, "In the beginning, I requested this character be drawn as someone who fights in a yet-peaceful setting (i.e., a character who isn't introduced as a fighter on any one side of the war). I remember that Mr. Ikushima was very excited to complete it. (Yasuaki Arai)". The second page is labeled, "Bandit Girl", and has several additional sketches of her. On the top half there's a note that reads, "Thief clan color test, picturing their hideout somewhere in Country A." There's a large color drawing of Trish next to it, with a label to her hair that reads, "Red hair." There's a smaller sketch of Trish spinning a bolas weapon around that's labeled "Weapon idea", as well as "Special Weapon 'Bolas'" and "Tangles around an animal's legs and immobilizes it." The second half of the page is labeled just "Bandit". There is a large sketch of Trish in what appears to be a bar fight. There are a list of bullet points beside her reading, "Hard to dislike, Tomboy, Comes back swinging every time, Short-tempered". There's another sketch of her family and herself as a young child, with her mother and father labeled. There's also another man drawn faintly to their right who appears to be Trish's grandfather. A note reads, "The father organized and led the previous generation of thugs and was well-respected for it. The mother supported the father's weak points." Another sketch of Trish has the dialogue, "Leave it to me," as well as a caption that reads, "I grew up carefree, surrounded by thugs!" Another drawing of Trish standing with some of her father's band has the note, "She has a pop/mascot type of look in this pose." There are two illustrator's notes at the bottom. The first reads, "She's so cute with her flashy grin and arms folded like her father. She even got her curly hair from him…….! (Rina Yoshiura)" The second reads, "I like the bandit girl Trish as a set with her father! I like lively and easy-to-understand characters, so they were easy to come up with. (Naoki Ikushima)" /end id]

[triangle-strategy-notes]

what do you think happens with Avlora in the non conviction endings?

Words cannot describe how excited I got when I saw this ask!! I think SO MUCH about what Avlora does in all of the different endings hahaha. Thanks for the question! <3

In general, my personal thoughts are that the Liberty/Benedict ending would eventually play out similarly to the Golden/Serenoa ending, Morality/Frederica would involve Avlora getting involved in Svarog's civil war, and Utility/Roland would probably have Avlora considering a rebellion of some type for a while but ultimately putting her sword away to focus on rebuilding the Aesfrosti community.

But if you're interested in more details/reasoning, I wrote up some of that as well! Don't worry about the readmore I wrote a normal amount about it :) it's a normal amount I promise. I only wrote a normal amount. I promise it's just a norma

Liberty/Benedict Ending

With Liberty ending, tbh I feel like story-wise it really feels weird that Avlora doesn't come back, given how it's essentially the Golden/Serenoa route except Aesfrost and Glenbrook are on good terms, which seems like it'd be a point in Avlora's favor.

But as far as looking at her reasons for staying away, here are a few possibilities:

— She didn't feel Cordelia needed her as badly since Glenbrook was now fighting a war on only one front (vs. the three in the Golden/Serenoa route) and she wasn't willing to risk her life by returning to face Glenbrook's judgment.

— She felt betrayed/demoralized by how Cordelia handed over her throne and went along with the whole alliance to Gustadolph. (Some reasoning along the lines of "Why exactly was I risking my life to stage a coup d'etat if Cordelia was just going to hand her power over as soon as things got inconvenient?")

— She didn't trust Serenoa and Benedict after they suddenly usurped Roland and allied with Aesfrost. She also canonically isn't a fan of Benedict's morals to begin with, so there's that.

— Or, (most likely explanation in my mind) she saw that Glenbrook was trying to secure an alliance with Aesfrost and felt that publicly swearing fealty to Cordelia would aggravate tensions between the two.

Depending on what you think her reasons were, there are a lot of different explanations for what she's up to during the time period between the Chapter 17 decision and the end of the game. Theoretically she might just be hiding out somewhere, or if you want to imagine her doing something more interesting it's possible that she'd quietly reach out to Cordelia and/or would try to track down Roland in order to make sure he's safe for Cordelia's sake.

Either way, I do think Avlora would eventually come around and rejoin Glenbrook once the war cools down and the alliance becomes less strategically important.

Benedict's treatment of Cordelia does kinda suck, and I think Avlora's worry for her would outweigh any other doubts she might have. Roland's absence from the castle would probably make the decision easier too, since Avlora a) doesn't have to worry about Roland's grudge against her and b) knows that Cordelia doesn't have Roland to protect her.

Morality/Frederica Ending

I like thinking about this one a lot :) I take a lot of my headcanons from Little Queen of All Things Forsaken on Ao3. I don't want to spoil the fic a ton for anyone who hasn't read it and wants to, but the basic premise centers around the question of "what if Cordelia stayed behind to rule Glenbrook when Roland and everyone else ran off to Centralia?" Which if that's the case, I would definitely assume Avlora would eventually decide to return and serve at Cordelia's side.

I'd imagine Avlora would essentially become the Dawnspear of Cordelia's reign, where she serves as both a political figure and the head of Cordelia's Kingsguard.

(^^ also this conversation would be really funny to me in the context of her literally taking his job)

BUT, if we're assuming Cordelia is recruited and goes along to Centralia with everyone, I think Avlora would wander around for a long while trying to figure out what she should do. Tracking down where Cordelia went is technically an option, but Avlora was never directly informed about Centralia. To add to that, rumors for sure would slowly filter in from Hyzante about the explosion that killed Idore, and it'd be easy to assume others died in the blast as well.

And even if Cordelia did manage to survive the escape, how much time is Avlora willing to spend looking? How far might the Roselle have fled? Since Avlora's not currently serving as Aesfrost's general, she doesn't have a boat, or supplies, or really any resources whatsoever. Is she really willing to throw her life away to search for someone who might very well already be dead?

I think eventually she'd catch wind of Svarog starting a civil war against Gustadolph and would join Svarog in that effort. Given Benedict serving as an advisor to Gustadolph, it seems possible-to-likely she'd lose the fight like she lost against Wolffort, and at that point would either be killed or would run off again and just try to live a normal life somewhere.

Or maybe she'd finally go "welp. guess I've officially got nothing to lose!" and go try and track down Cordelia. Another fic I really love is somewhere, beyond the sea which is Serenoa/Frederica-focused but also has a really cool bit about Avlora coming to Centralia.

Utility/Roland Ending

I think Avlora would be absolutely horrified at what Glenbrook + Hyzante do to Aesfrost. Like her entire nation is just. Gone. She was willing to oust Gustadolph, willing to join Cordelia, willing to take up a sword against people she once knew and worked with, but I don't think she ever expected the consequences to be the literal destruction of Aesfrost in its entirety.

The image of Avlora (or really ANY Aesfrosti) going back to Ironstone and finding the entire city buried beneath an impenetrable layer of blackened slag is haunting.

And given the history of conflict between Hyzante and Aesfrost, watching Hyzante take over all of Norzelia has gotta be. a whole thing for Avlora. However she felt about the Saintly Seven before, she definitely hates them now. I also can't see her ever wanting to associate again with Roland or Serenoa after hearing about their role in what happened.

(Though honestly I think the person she'd be the most furious toward would be Svarog. His duty, like hers, was to protect Aesfrost, and instead he completely destroyed what little they might have had left.)

I feel like she'd spend a good while thinking about revenge against Hyzante in a "as the last semblance of anything like a leader that Aesfrost has, I'm obligated to avenge that which was destroyed" type of way. Possibly even to the point of actually trying to put together a resistance. But with the way Hyzante crushes people's spirits and manipulates resources to encourage 100% obedience, I feel like she would really struggle to gain ground in that respect.

You could also imagine that she runs into Frederica at some point in all this, since both of them would likely be on the outskirts of society and/or wanted criminals. I don't know for sure whether I could see them fully joining forces (mostly just think they'd butt heads over specific goals and methods for fighting back against Hyzante), but they'd for sure have a lot to talk about.

As far as Cordelia goes, I think Avlora wouldn't really want to blame her for everything that happened. Like Avlora would be aware that Cordelia wasn't innocent in it, but on some level I think she would just sort of mentally go "it cannot be Cordelia's fault because if it was her fault then it was also my fault. We were both just following orders. We were both doing what our nations demanded of us." And also I think she likely would consider Cordelia to be the closest thing to a friend she has left, and as a result would have a hard time giving that relationship up.

Their dynamic in the Wolffort Wedding extra story cracks me up and I also think it would be in-character for Cordelia to hunt Avlora down as soon as she hears rumors that Avlora is still alive. If that happens then I wholeheartedly believe Cordelia would take one look at Avlora (wearing the same clothing she had on when she fell into the Norzelia River more than a year ago) (hasn't eaten in a week because she's avoiding the Hyzantian ration handouts and won't accept any from other displaced Aesfrosti) (generally stressed out of her mind and regularly daydreams about throwing her life away on an assassination attempt on Idore) and Cordelia would just go "okay yeah no I'm going to nurse you back to health and you're going to like it."

Roland would probably catch onto this at some point and I do imagine he'd try to attack or otherwise apprehend Avlora (he might feel a little bad about it because Cordelia obviously cares about her, but he's also tied himself inexorably to Hyzante at this point and not apprehending the last bastion of the Aesfrosti army would go against everything he's committed himself to). But assuming Cordelia's a little older and has had time to recover from the war, I think she'd put up a fight to the point that he'd back off and turn a blind eye to Avlora so long as she doesn't try anything too aggressive.

Getting deeper into "this is just me writing fanfiction" territory, I'm a sucker for "veteran gets to lay down their sword" arcs and I think it'd be nice to see Avlora eventually distance herself from plans of revenge and instead focus her energy on supporting the remaining people of Aesfrost as a sort of community leader, possibly with Cordelia's help.

I also really love the idea that Avlora would run an orphanage at some point. Working with orphans would be a good way of satisfying Avlora's desire to protect those who are otherwise alone, and it's also just funny/sweet to imagine General "There is nothing more agonizing than a child glaring at you through tears" Avlora trying to, for example, get a three-year-old to do something they don't want to do. Her personality and values as a character lend to her being a pretty big pushover with kids while simultaneously not having any frame of reference for "how to gently coax a child to do something" and I think it'd be a good and humbling experience for her :)

[triangle-strategy-notes]

hello. have YOU been looking for all the sprites and textures in ot2 but found nothing but character/npc sprites?

well look no further! as i hinted at in my last post, i went through all the texture files in the game and i exported all of them as pngs bc viewing them in the program was terribly annoying.

so! obviously i'm also gonna share them bc all the sprite uploads i've seen are only of npc/character/a few object/weapon sprites.

so here's the link! yes, with ALL of the textures and sprites (or rather about 99.9% of it, i left out some generic textures), including:

every enemy sprite (unfortunately i really don't have the energy to look up and rename all the files to the enemy names so you'll kinda have to guess based on the shortened names)

ui elements (did you know the speech bubbles are chopped up into many small pieces!)

that one folder with the old screenshots

building and ground textures

a folder with prototype textures/sprites!

doesn't include any 3d models of anything tho. textures only. that thing's already 3.1 gb large and i don't want it to take up more of my google drive space.