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2
_site/blog/posts/2024-04-27-lesbian-visibility-day1-year-anniversary-of-cassette-beasts/index.html
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@ -410,7 +410,7 @@
<p><a href="https://postimg.cc/N2DV9LRt"><img src="https://i.postimg.cc/hhRqYdjX/leilukin-s-hub-lesbian-visibility-day.png" alt="Leilukin's Hub header displaying lesbian pride flag and a top blurb about Lesbian Visibility Day"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://postimg.cc/sMbVD0Vc"><img src="https://i.postimg.cc/7LZb9pdp/leilukin-s-hub-cassette-beasts-anniversary.png" alt="Cassette Beasts shrine displaying a top blurb about the 1-year anniversary of Cassette Beasts' release"></a></p>
<p>In conclusion, this had been an exciting day for me as a lesbian gaymer.</p>
<p>On a somewhat related note, I love the fact that this week is not only <a href="https://www.lesbianvisibilityweek.com/">Lesbian Visibility Week</a>, but also has two of my all-time favourite games, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> and <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> (which I had also created a <a href="/shrines/asummersend">shrine</a> for), both of which happen to feature lesbian representation, celebrating their release anniversaries.</p>
<p>On a somewhat related note, I love the fact that this week is not only <a href="https://www.lesbianvisibilityweek.com/">Lesbian Visibility Week</a>, but also has two of my all-time favourite games, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> and <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> (which I had also created a <a href="/shrines/asummersend">shrine</a> for), both of which happen to feature lesbian representation, celebrating their release anniversaries.</p>
<p><strong>Happy Lesbian Visibility Day and Happy Birthday to <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>!</strong></p>
<ul class="blog__post--nextprev"><li>Previous Post: <a href="/blog/posts/2024-04-21-april-2024-leilukins-hub-overhaul-with-eleventy/">April 2024 Leilukin&#39;s Hub Overhaul with Eleventy</a></li>

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_site/feed.xml
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@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
<subtitle>Leilukin&#39;s personal website.</subtitle>
<link href="https://leilukin.neocities.org/feed.xml" rel="self"/>
<link href="https://leilukin.neocities.org"/>
<updated>2024-05-06T14:07:16Z</updated>
<updated>2024-05-06T14:43:30Z</updated>
<id>https://leilukin.neocities.org</id>
<author>
<name>Leilukin</name>
@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://postimg.cc/N2DV9LRt&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.postimg.cc/hhRqYdjX/leilukin-s-hub-lesbian-visibility-day.png&quot; alt=&quot;Leilukin&#39;s Hub header displaying lesbian pride flag and a top blurb about Lesbian Visibility Day&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://postimg.cc/sMbVD0Vc&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://i.postimg.cc/7LZb9pdp/leilukin-s-hub-cassette-beasts-anniversary.png&quot; alt=&quot;Cassette Beasts shrine displaying a top blurb about the 1-year anniversary of Cassette Beasts&#39; release&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In conclusion, this had been an exciting day for me as a lesbian gaymer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On a somewhat related note, I love the fact that this week is not only &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lesbianvisibilityweek.com/&quot;&gt;Lesbian Visibility Week&lt;/a&gt;, but also has two of my all-time favourite games, &lt;cite&gt;Cassette Beasts&lt;/cite&gt; and &lt;cite&gt;A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986&lt;/cite&gt; (which I had also created a &lt;a href=&quot;https://leilukin.neocities.org/shrines/asummersend&quot;&gt;shrine&lt;/a&gt; for), both of which happen to feature lesbian representation, celebrating their release anniversaries.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On a somewhat related note, I love the fact that this week is not only &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lesbianvisibilityweek.com/&quot;&gt;Lesbian Visibility Week&lt;/a&gt;, but also has two of my all-time favourite games, &lt;cite&gt;Cassette Beasts&lt;/cite&gt; and &lt;cite&gt;A Summer&#39;s End — Hong Kong 1986&lt;/cite&gt; (which I had also created a &lt;a href=&quot;https://leilukin.neocities.org/shrines/asummersend&quot;&gt;shrine&lt;/a&gt; for), both of which happen to feature lesbian representation, celebrating their release anniversaries.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Happy Lesbian Visibility Day and Happy Birthday to &lt;cite&gt;Cassette Beasts&lt;/cite&gt;!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</content>
</entry>
@ -640,7 +640,7 @@
&lt;h3 id=&quot;level-system&quot;&gt;Level System&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;a class=&quot;heading-anchor&quot; href=&quot;https://leilukin.neocities.org/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/cassette-beasts-more-than-a-pokemon-clone/#level-system&quot; aria-labelledby=&quot;level-system&quot;&gt;&lt;span hidden=&quot;&quot;&gt;#&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In both &lt;cite&gt;Pokémon&lt;/cite&gt; and &lt;cite&gt;Cassette Beasts&lt;/cite&gt;, gaining experience to level up is a core part of the games&#39; progression. However, there are differences in their level systems.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In &lt;cite&gt;Pokémon&lt;/cite&gt;, from Generation 1 to 5, only the Pokémon you send out in battle and optionally the Pokémon that holds the Exp. Share item will gain experience after winning a battle. This means that if you want to add a Pokémon you just caught to your party, you often have to grind for experience points for the newly-caught Pokémon to catch up with the levels of other members in your party. The games starting from Generation 6 solve the grinding issue by making Exp. Share becomes an optional item that will reward the experience points you earned to all non-fainted members in your party. Starting from &lt;cite&gt;Let&#39;s Go! Pikachu&lt;/cite&gt; and&lt;cite&gt; Let&#39;s Go! Eevee&lt;/cite&gt;, the effects Exp. Share are present from the start of the game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In &lt;cite&gt;Pokémon&lt;/cite&gt;, from Generation 1 to 5, only the Pokémon you send out in battle and optionally the Pokémon that holds the Exp. Share item will gain experience after winning a battle. This means that if you want to add a Pokémon you just caught to your party, you often have to grind for experience points for the newly-caught Pokémon to catch up with the levels of other members in your party. The games starting from Generation 6 solve the grinding issue by making Exp. Share becomes an optional item that will reward the experience points you earned to all non-fainted members in your party. Starting from &lt;cite&gt;Let&#39;s Go! Pikachu&lt;/cite&gt; and &lt;cite&gt;Let&#39;s Go! Eevee&lt;/cite&gt;, the effects Exp. Share are present from the start of the game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In &lt;cite&gt;Cassette Beasts&lt;/cite&gt;, levels are instead tied to your human and your companion characters, which means that in addition to base stats, the strength of the monsters you recorded are tied to your human character&#39;s level. This means that unlike &lt;cite&gt;Pokémon&lt;/cite&gt;, after you record a low-level monster and add them to your party, you do not have to spend time in grinding the levels of your monsters just to make them catch up with the rest of your party.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Monster tapes have their own level system in the form of the star system. When you upgrade a monster&#39;s star level, they gain new stickers. When you upgrade a monster to 5 stars, the monster will gain an additional biography entry in the bestiary, and some monsters can be remastered (the &lt;cite&gt;Pokémon&lt;/cite&gt; equivalent is evolution) into stronger forms.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Earning experience points means not only levelling up your human player and companion characters, but also upgrading the star levels of your monster tapes. Some monsters can be remastered when being upgraded to 5 stars. It is worth noting that experience points are shared between all your monster tapes as well, including ones that have been broken (or &amp;quot;fainted&amp;quot;) in battle, unlike &lt;cite&gt;Pokémon&lt;/cite&gt; where fainted Pokémon cannot gain any experience points at all.&lt;/p&gt;
@ -683,7 +683,7 @@
&lt;div class=&quot;heading-wrapper h3&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 id=&quot;character-creator-with-pronouns-options&quot;&gt;Character Creator with Pronouns Options&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;a class=&quot;heading-anchor&quot; href=&quot;https://leilukin.neocities.org/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/cassette-beasts-more-than-a-pokemon-clone/#character-creator-with-pronouns-options&quot; aria-labelledby=&quot;character-creator-with-pronouns-options&quot;&gt;&lt;span hidden=&quot;&quot;&gt;#&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Character customisation has existed in &lt;cite&gt;Pokémon&lt;/cite&gt; games since &lt;cite&gt;X&lt;/cite&gt; and &lt;cite&gt;Y&lt;/cite&gt;, but to date, none of the games provide options to choose your character&#39;s pronouns. However, &lt;cite&gt;Cassette Beasts &lt;/cite&gt;allows you to choose they/them pronouns in addition to he/him and she/her, and your pronouns options will be reflected in-game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Character customisation has existed in &lt;cite&gt;Pokémon&lt;/cite&gt; games since &lt;cite&gt;X&lt;/cite&gt; and &lt;cite&gt;Y&lt;/cite&gt;, but to date, none of the games provide options to choose your character&#39;s pronouns. However, &lt;cite&gt;Cassette Beasts&lt;/cite&gt; allows you to choose they/them pronouns in addition to he/him and she/her, and your pronouns options will be reflected in-game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I use they/them pronouns myself, so pronouns options are a welcome addition.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;heading-wrapper h3&quot;&gt;
@ -1903,8 +1903,8 @@ After discovering the static site generator &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.11ty.de
When installing your &lt;cite&gt;KotOR 2&lt;/cite&gt; mod, I got &quot;Destination file &lt;i&gt;&quot;Modules&#92;[____].mod&quot; does not exist at the specified location! Skipping section... [Error]&quot;&lt;/i&gt; and other similar errors, even though I had installed the installer (.exe) version of The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod.
&lt;/summary&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;qna-accordion__answer&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First, go to the folder where your &lt;cite&gt;KotOR 2 game&lt;/cite&gt; is installed, and go to the Modules folder, then &lt;strong&gt;check if the .mod files mentioned in the error messages are in your Modules folder&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For example, for Handmaiden and Female Exile – Disciple and Male Exile Romance mod, you need to check if these .mod files are in your Modules folder:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First, go to the folder where your &lt;cite&gt;KotOR 2&lt;/cite&gt; game is installed, and go to the Modules folder, then &lt;strong&gt;check if the .mod files mentioned in the error messages are in your Modules folder&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For example, for Handmaiden and Female Exile – Disciple and Male Exile Romance mod, you need to check if these .mod files are in your Modules folder:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;003EBO.mod&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;006EBO.mod&lt;/li&gt;
@ -1973,7 +1973,7 @@ After discovering the static site generator &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.11ty.de
&lt;/details&gt;
&lt;details class=&quot;qna-accordion&quot;&gt;
&lt;summary class=&quot;qna-accordion__question&quot;&gt;
Can I use your mods with non-English localizations of the &lt;cite&gt;KOtOR&lt;/cite&gt; games and The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)?
Can I use your mods with non-English localizations of the &lt;cite&gt;KotOR&lt;/cite&gt; games and The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)?
&lt;/summary&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;qna-accordion__answer&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;No. I play and mod the &lt;cite&gt;KotOR&lt;/cite&gt; game in English exclusively. Some of my mods in particular will cause your game to crash if you are playing a non-English localization of the &lt;cite&gt;KotOR&lt;/cite&gt; games and TSLRCM, because those mods add custom dialogues that do not exist in the vanilla game in order to prevent characters from referring to the player character as the wrong gender. The only solution to crashes caused by you playing on a non-English localization is to play the &lt;cite&gt;KotOR&lt;/cite&gt; games and TSLRCM in English.&lt;/p&gt;

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_site/shrines/asummersend/gallery/index.html
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@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
`;
else if (month === 4 && day === 23)
return `
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
`;
else if (month === 8 && day === 9)
return `
@ -276,7 +276,7 @@
<div class="content ">
<p>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986 was lovingly crafted by its developer Oracle and Bone with gorgeous art, so i want to make a page dedicated to my appreciation for the visual novel’s art.</p>
<p><cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> was lovingly crafted by its developer Oracle and Bone with gorgeous art, so i want to make a page dedicated to my appreciation for the visual novel’s art.</p>
<p>The game has an in-game gallery that gradually unlocks as you progress the story, though certain scene art only unlocks if you pick certain dialogue options. Check out <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2072736837">Dialog Choices Guide (AKA Lesbianism 101)</a> on Steam for how to unlock all scenes, and thus the entire in-game gallery.</p>
<p>I also highly recommend checking out the <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/">official site</a> of A Summer's End and the social media accounts of Oracle and Bone's for more beauriful art about the visual novel!</p>
<div class="heading-wrapper h2">
@ -301,7 +301,7 @@
<div class="shrine__info sidebar--sticky">
<h2>About</h2>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<h3>Links</h3>
<ul>

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_site/shrines/asummersend/index.html
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@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
`;
else if (month === 4 && day === 23)
return `
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
`;
else if (month === 8 && day === 9)
return `
@ -326,7 +326,7 @@
<div class="shrine__info sidebar--sticky">
<h2>About</h2>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<h3>Links</h3>
<ul>

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_site/shrines/asummersend/playlists/index.html
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@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
`;
else if (month === 4 && day === 23)
return `
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
`;
else if (month === 8 && day === 9)
return `
@ -352,8 +352,8 @@
<div class="content ">
<p>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986 is a gold mine of music. Not only that the visual novel has a great soundtrack (its <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/original-soundtrack">official soundtrack</a> was released on August 21, 2020), but the developer Oracle and Bone has also compiled playlists related to the game.</p>
<p>As a tribute to A Summer's End, I have also created a fanmix myself.</p>
<p><cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> is a gold mine of music. Not only that the visual novel has a great soundtrack (its <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/original-soundtrack">official soundtrack</a> was released on August 21, 2020), but the developer Oracle and Bone has also compiled playlists related to the game.</p>
<p>As a tribute to <cite>A Summer's End</cite>, I have also created a fanmix myself.</p>
<div class="heading-wrapper h2">
<h2 id="sams-mixtape">Sam's Mixtape</h2>
<a class="heading-anchor" href="#sams-mixtape" aria-labelledby="sams-mixtape"><span hidden>#</span></a></div>
@ -399,7 +399,7 @@
<div class="shrine__info sidebar--sticky">
<h2>About</h2>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<h3>Links</h3>
<ul>

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_site/shrines/asummersend/trivia/index.html
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@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
`;
else if (month === 4 && day === 23)
return `
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
`;
else if (month === 8 && day === 9)
return `
@ -358,7 +358,7 @@
<div class="content ">
<p>Here is a collection of trivia about the characters from A Summer’s End provided by the developer Oracle and Bone on their social media pages, especially <a href="https://oracleandbone.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>.</p>
<p>Here is a collection of trivia about the characters from <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> provided by the developer Oracle and Bone on their social media pages, especially <a href="https://oracleandbone.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>.</p>
<hr>
<div class="heading-wrapper h2">
<h2 id="movies-and-music-references">Movies and Music References</h2>
@ -417,7 +417,7 @@
<div class="shrine__info sidebar--sticky">
<h2>About</h2>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<h3>Links</h3>
<ul>

4
_site/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/cassette-beasts-more-than-a-pokemon-clone/index.html
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@ -465,7 +465,7 @@
<h3 id="level-system">Level System</h3>
<a class="heading-anchor" href="#level-system" aria-labelledby="level-system"><span hidden>#</span></a></div>
<p>In both <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, gaining experience to level up is a core part of the games' progression. However, there are differences in their level systems.</p>
<p>In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, from Generation 1 to 5, only the Pokémon you send out in battle and optionally the Pokémon that holds the Exp. Share item will gain experience after winning a battle. This means that if you want to add a Pokémon you just caught to your party, you often have to grind for experience points for the newly-caught Pokémon to catch up with the levels of other members in your party. The games starting from Generation 6 solve the grinding issue by making Exp. Share becomes an optional item that will reward the experience points you earned to all non-fainted members in your party. Starting from <cite>Let's Go! Pikachu</cite> and<cite> Let's Go! Eevee</cite>, the effects Exp. Share are present from the start of the game.</p>
<p>In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, from Generation 1 to 5, only the Pokémon you send out in battle and optionally the Pokémon that holds the Exp. Share item will gain experience after winning a battle. This means that if you want to add a Pokémon you just caught to your party, you often have to grind for experience points for the newly-caught Pokémon to catch up with the levels of other members in your party. The games starting from Generation 6 solve the grinding issue by making Exp. Share becomes an optional item that will reward the experience points you earned to all non-fainted members in your party. Starting from <cite>Let's Go! Pikachu</cite> and <cite>Let's Go! Eevee</cite>, the effects Exp. Share are present from the start of the game.</p>
<p>In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, levels are instead tied to your human and your companion characters, which means that in addition to base stats, the strength of the monsters you recorded are tied to your human character's level. This means that unlike <cite>Pokémon</cite>, after you record a low-level monster and add them to your party, you do not have to spend time in grinding the levels of your monsters just to make them catch up with the rest of your party.</p>
<p>Monster tapes have their own level system in the form of the star system. When you upgrade a monster's star level, they gain new stickers. When you upgrade a monster to 5 stars, the monster will gain an additional biography entry in the bestiary, and some monsters can be remastered (the <cite>Pokémon</cite> equivalent is evolution) into stronger forms.</p>
<p>Earning experience points means not only levelling up your human player and companion characters, but also upgrading the star levels of your monster tapes. Some monsters can be remastered when being upgraded to 5 stars. It is worth noting that experience points are shared between all your monster tapes as well, including ones that have been broken (or &quot;fainted&quot;) in battle, unlike <cite>Pokémon</cite> where fainted Pokémon cannot gain any experience points at all.</p>
@ -508,7 +508,7 @@
<div class="heading-wrapper h3">
<h3 id="character-creator-with-pronouns-options">Character Creator with Pronouns Options</h3>
<a class="heading-anchor" href="#character-creator-with-pronouns-options" aria-labelledby="character-creator-with-pronouns-options"><span hidden>#</span></a></div>
<p>Character customisation has existed in <cite>Pokémon</cite> games since <cite>X</cite> and <cite>Y</cite>, but to date, none of the games provide options to choose your character's pronouns. However, <cite>Cassette Beasts </cite>allows you to choose they/them pronouns in addition to he/him and she/her, and your pronouns options will be reflected in-game.</p>
<p>Character customisation has existed in <cite>Pokémon</cite> games since <cite>X</cite> and <cite>Y</cite>, but to date, none of the games provide options to choose your character's pronouns. However, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> allows you to choose they/them pronouns in addition to he/him and she/her, and your pronouns options will be reflected in-game.</p>
<p>I use they/them pronouns myself, so pronouns options are a welcome addition.</p>
<p><strong>They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 1</strong></p>
<div class="heading-wrapper h3">

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_site/shrines/starwarskotor/articles/faq-same-gender-romance-mods/index.html
View File

@ -420,8 +420,8 @@
When installing your <cite>KotOR 2</cite> mod, I got "Destination file <i>"Modules\[____].mod" does not exist at the specified location! Skipping section... [Error]"</i> and other similar errors, even though I had installed the installer (.exe) version of The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod.
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>First, go to the folder where your <cite>KotOR 2 game</cite> is installed, and go to the Modules folder, then <strong>check if the .mod files mentioned in the error messages are in your Modules folder</strong>.</p>
<p>For example, for Handmaiden and Female Exile – Disciple and Male Exile Romance mod, you need to check if these .mod files are in your Modules folder:</p>
<p>First, go to the folder where your <cite>KotOR 2</cite> game is installed, and go to the Modules folder, then <strong>check if the .mod files mentioned in the error messages are in your Modules folder</strong>.</p>
<p>For example, for Handmaiden and Female Exile – Disciple and Male Exile Romance mod, you need to check if these .mod files are in your Modules folder:</p>
<ul>
<li>003EBO.mod</li>
<li>006EBO.mod</li>
@ -490,7 +490,7 @@
</details>
<details class="qna-accordion">
<summary class="qna-accordion__question">
Can I use your mods with non-English localizations of the <cite>KOtOR</cite> games and The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)?
Can I use your mods with non-English localizations of the <cite>KotOR</cite> games and The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)?
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>No. I play and mod the <cite>KotOR</cite> game in English exclusively. Some of my mods in particular will cause your game to crash if you are playing a non-English localization of the <cite>KotOR</cite> games and TSLRCM, because those mods add custom dialogues that do not exist in the vanilla game in order to prevent characters from referring to the player character as the wrong gender. The only solution to crashes caused by you playing on a non-English localization is to play the <cite>KotOR</cite> games and TSLRCM in English.</p>

2
_site/shrines/starwarskotor/index.html
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@ -278,7 +278,7 @@
<h2>Welcome to Leilukin's <cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> Shrine!</h2>
<img src="/assets/shrines/starwarskotor/images/swkotor-header.jpg" alt="Cover arts of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series">
<p><cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> (<cite>KotOR</cite>) is a space opera role-playing video game series. The series takes place in the fictional universe of <cite>Star Wars</cite>, with the story taking place approximately 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire.</p>
<p>The first title was developed by BioWare while the second (<cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords</cite>) was done by Obsidian Entertainmenr. Both games were published by LucasArts. The <cite>KOTOR</cite> series also includes a subsequent new comic book series. Both comic series were published by Dark Horse Comics and act as prequels to the video games.</p>
<p>The first title was developed by BioWare while the second (<cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords</cite>) was done by Obsidian Entertainmenr. Both games were published by LucasArts. The <cite>KotOR</cite> series also includes a subsequent new comic book series. Both comic series were published by Dark Horse Comics and act as prequels to the video games.</p>
<p>To learn more about the <cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> series, you can check out the <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/" target="blank">KotOR Community Portal</a>.</p>
</section>

10
_site/sitemap/index.html
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@ -400,10 +400,7 @@
<li><a href="/projects/">Projects</a><ul><li><a href="/projects/kotor1mods/">My Mods for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</a></li>
<li><a href="/projects/kotor2mods/">My Mods for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords</a></li>
<li><a href="/projects/playlists/">My Music Playlists</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/">Shrines</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/asummersend/">A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986 Shrine</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/asummersend/playlists/">Playlists</a></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/asummersend/trivia/">Trivia</a></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/asummersend/gallery/">Gallery</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/">Cassette Beasts Shrine</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/">Articles</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/cassette-beasts-more-than-a-pokemon-clone/">How Cassette Beasts is Much More than a Pokémon Clone</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/">Shrines</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/">Cassette Beasts Shrine</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/">Articles</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/cassette-beasts-more-than-a-pokemon-clone/">How Cassette Beasts is Much More than a Pokémon Clone</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/gamelog/">Game Log</a></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/featured/">Featured</a></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/trivia/">Trivia</a></li>
@ -422,7 +419,10 @@
<li><a href="/shrines/starwarskotor/resources/">Resources</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/starwarskotor/resources/kotor-same-gender-romance-mods/">List of Same-Gender Romance Mods for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Series</a></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/starwarskotor/resources/kotor2-female-exile-recruit-handmaiden-mods/">List of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II Mods that Allow Female Exiles to Recruit the Handmaiden as a Party Member</a></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/starwarskotor/resources/tslrcm-m478ep-modules-music/">The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod + M4-78 Enhancement Project Modules, Warp Codes & Music Overview</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/starwarskotor/universes/">Universes</a></li></ul></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/starwarskotor/universes/">Universes</a></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/asummersend/">A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986 Shrine</a><ul><li><a href="/shrines/asummersend/playlists/">Playlists</a></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/asummersend/trivia/">Trivia</a></li>
<li><a href="/shrines/asummersend/gallery/">Gallery</a></li></ul></li></ul></li>
<li><a href="/links/">Links</a></li>
<li><a href="/changelogs/">Changelogs</a><ul><li><a href="/changelogs/layouts/">Website Layouts</a></li>
<li><a href="/changelogs/2022/">2022</a></li>

3
eleventy.config.js
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@ -124,6 +124,9 @@ module.exports = function (eleventyConfig) {
return array.slice(0, itemLimit);
});
// Shortcode: <cite> tag
eleventyConfig.addShortcode('cite', (str) => `<cite>${str}</cite>`);
return {
dir: {
input: "src"

2
src/_includes/asummersend/hero.njk
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@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
`;
else if (month === 4 && day === 23)
return `
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>!
Today is the ${aseAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %}!
`;
else if (month === 8 && day === 9)
return `

2
src/_includes/asummersend/shrineinfo.njk
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@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
{% extends "global/shrineinfo.njk" %}
{% block shrineAbout %}
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %}, an indie visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone. Set in 1980s Hong Kong, it tells of a love story between two women.</p>
{% endblock %}
{% block shrineLinks %}

4
src/_includes/cassettebeasts/hero.njk
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@ -28,11 +28,11 @@
if (month === 4 && day === 26)
return `
Today is the ${cbAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>!
Today is the ${cbAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}!
`;
else if (month === 10 && day === 4)
return `
Today is the ${pierAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>Pier of the Unknown</cite>, the first DLC expansion of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>!
Today is the ${pierAnniversary}-year anniversary of the release of <cite>Pier of the Unknown</cite>, the first DLC expansion of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}!
`;
else
return null;

2
src/_includes/cassettebeasts/shrineinfo.njk
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@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
{% extends "global/shrineinfo.njk" %}
{% block shrineAbout %}
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, an indie monster collecting turn-based open-world role-playing video game developed by Bytten Studio and published by Raw Fury.</p>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, an indie monster collecting turn-based open-world role-playing video game developed by Bytten Studio and published by Raw Fury.</p>
{% endblock %}
{% block shrineLinks %}

2
src/_includes/starwarskotor/shrineinfo.njk
View File

@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
{% extends "global/shrineinfo.njk" %}
{% block shrineAbout %}
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for <cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite>, a series of role-playing video games set in the <cite>Star Wars</cite> universe, taking place almost 4,000 years before the events of the Skywalker film saga.</p>
<p>Welcome to Leilukin's shrine for {% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" %}, a series of role-playing video games set in the {% cite "Star Wars" %} universe, taking place almost 4,000 years before the events of the Skywalker film saga.</p>
{% endblock %}
{% block shrineLinks %}

2
src/articles/featured/kotor2-modder-interview-ars-technica.md
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@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ desc: Ars Technica's article on the KotOR 2's modding community to celebrate the
categories: ["my interviews"]
---
On 6 December 2019, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of <cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2</cite>, Ars Technica has published [an article about the modding community of KotOR 2](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/12/the-modders-that-spent-15-years-fixing-knights-of-the-old-republic-2/). I was interviewed by the author of this article, Austin Taylor, for my same-gender romance mods for <cite>KotOR 2</cite>.
On 6 December 2019, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of {% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2" %}, Ars Technica has published [an article about the modding community of KotOR 2](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/12/the-modders-that-spent-15-years-fixing-knights-of-the-old-republic-2/). I was interviewed by the author of this article, Austin Taylor, for my same-gender romance mods for {% cite "KotOR 2" %}.
> ### Romance? Yes, Please
>

8
src/articles/myarticles/anti-harry-potter-jk-rowling-masterlist.md
View File

@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ toc: true
(Credit to Tumblr user [comradesaucegay](https://comradesaucegay.tumblr.com/post/621403039459426304){target="_blank"} for this Harry Potter-free website banner){.center-text}
Like many millennials, I grew up with the <cite>Harry Potter</cite> series and was a major fan of the series. I had read the original 7 books and watched their film adaptations. The series was a passion of mine during my early- to mid-teen years. While the Harry Potter novels were far from the first books I read, they were the first fantasy novels I read, and the series’ concept of a magical world set in a contemporary setting fascinated teenage me.
Like many millennials, I grew up with the {% cite "Harry Potter" %} series and was a major fan of the series. I had read the original 7 books and watched their film adaptations. The series was a passion of mine during my early- to mid-teen years. While the Harry Potter novels were far from the first books I read, they were the first fantasy novels I read, and the series’ concept of a magical world set in a contemporary setting fascinated teenage me.
However, even during my <cite>Harry Potter</cite> fixation years, there were things from the series that bothered me, from the idea of house elves being a slave race that naturally love being slaves, to Snape’s unconvincing “redemption” arc. As I got older and became more aware of social issues, I started to notice more problems with the series. In addition, reading more books has also made me realise that even on a technical writing level, the Harry Potter series was mediocre at best. As a result, I had stopped becoming a Harry Potter fan even before J. K. Rowling’s transphobia got mainstream attention.
However, even during my {% cite "Harry Potter" %} fixation years, there were things from the series that bothered me, from the idea of house elves being a slave race that naturally love being slaves, to Snape’s unconvincing “redemption” arc. As I got older and became more aware of social issues, I started to notice more problems with the series. In addition, reading more books has also made me realise that even on a technical writing level, the Harry Potter series was mediocre at best. As a result, I had stopped becoming a Harry Potter fan even before J. K. Rowling’s transphobia got mainstream attention.
Unfortunately, many adults with nostalgia goggles still refuse to let go of <cite>Harry Potter</cite>, and they believe <cite>Harry Potter</cite> can be separated or “reclaimed” by J. K. Rowling, despite how much Rowling’s worldview and prejudice are inextricably linked to her writing.
Unfortunately, many adults with nostalgia goggles still refuse to let go of {% cite "Harry Potter" %}, and they believe {% cite "Harry Potter" %} can be separated or “reclaimed” by J. K. Rowling, despite how much Rowling’s worldview and prejudice are inextricably linked to her writing.
Therefore, I am compiling this masterlist by curating various materials that are critical of the <cite>Harry Potter</cite> series and J. K. Rowling. Items are ordered in chronological order. This is far from a comprehensive list of all the pieces that criticise <cite>Harry Potter</cite> and Rowling; this list is my curated list of ones that I have read, watched or listened to, and I personally endorse.
Therefore, I am compiling this masterlist by curating various materials that are critical of the {% cite "Harry Potter" %} series and J. K. Rowling. Items are ordered in chronological order. This is far from a comprehensive list of all the pieces that criticise {% cite "Harry Potter" %} and Rowling; this list is my curated list of ones that I have read, watched or listened to, and I personally endorse.
## Articles

14
src/blog/posts/2024-04-27-lesbian-visibility-day1-year-anniversary-of-cassette-beasts.md
View File

@ -5,19 +5,19 @@ date: 2024-04-27
categories: ["lesbian", "cassette beasts"]
---
26 April 2024 was a day of celebration for me, as it was both Lesbian Visibility Day and the [first anniversary of the release of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1321440/view/4179979397366287532), my all-time favourite video game.
26 April 2024 was a day of celebration for me, as it was both Lesbian Visibility Day and the [first anniversary of the release of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1321440/view/4179979397366287532), my all-time favourite video game.
As a lesbian, [Lesbian Visibility Day and Lesbian Visibility Week](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbian_Visibility_Week) are an important annual event, as there can never be enough lesbians nor love for lesbians. It had been about 8 years ago when I finally realised I was a lesbian, and I am still happy and proud to be a lesbian.
Meanwhile, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has become my all-time favourite video game ever since I started playing it in July 2023, to the extent I had created a [shrine](/shrines/cassettebeasts/) for the game on my own website. There are no words adequate to describe the depth of my love for <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.
Meanwhile, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} has become my all-time favourite video game ever since I started playing it in July 2023, to the extent I had created a [shrine](/shrines/cassettebeasts/) for the game on my own website. There are no words adequate to describe the depth of my love for {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}.
As a lesbian fan of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, I am also absolutely delighted by the fact that the initial release date of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> coincided with Lesbian Visibility Day on April 26. For bonus points, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> features not only LGBTQ+ representation in both the main and supporting cast, but also an actual canon old married lesbian couple in the supporting characters Ianthe and Wilma.
As a lesbian fan of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, I am also absolutely delighted by the fact that the initial release date of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} coincided with Lesbian Visibility Day on April 26. For bonus points, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} features not only LGBTQ+ representation in both the main and supporting cast, but also an actual canon old married lesbian couple in the supporting characters Ianthe and Wilma.
To celebrate both Lesbian Visibility Day and the 1-year anniversary of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>' release, I made lesbian pride icons featuring the <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> logo as well as Ianthe and Wilma both individually and together, and shared them on social media accounts, including [Tumblr](https://lesbiannova.tumblr.com/post/748826429723148288), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Leilukin/status/1783736715641024828), [Mastodon](https://elekk.xyz/@leilukin/112336010189257467) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/leilukin.bsky.social/post/3kqzahri66x2x). I had also shared them in the [official Bytten Studio Discord server](https://discord.gg/byttenstudio).
To celebrate both Lesbian Visibility Day and the 1-year anniversary of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}' release, I made lesbian pride icons featuring the {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} logo as well as Ianthe and Wilma both individually and together, and shared them on social media accounts, including [Tumblr](https://lesbiannova.tumblr.com/post/748826429723148288), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Leilukin/status/1783736715641024828), [Mastodon](https://elekk.xyz/@leilukin/112336010189257467) and [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/leilukin.bsky.social/post/3kqzahri66x2x). I had also shared them in the [official Bytten Studio Discord server](https://discord.gg/byttenstudio).
<div class="tumblr-post" data-href="https://embed.tumblr.com/embed/post/t:7iNKXlbr-xwxyjZTq8C8hQ/748826429723148288/v2" data-did="6dbdfd5b616fdd82f7aabd63e6a1aae35b467d73" ><a href="https://www.tumblr.com/lesbiannova/748826429723148288/happy-lesbian-visibility-day-and-happy-birthday">https://www.tumblr.com/lesbiannova/748826429723148288/happy-lesbian-visibility-day-and-happy-birthday</a></div><script async src="https://assets.tumblr.com/post.js?_v=38df9a6ca7436e6ca1b851b0543b9f51"></script>
My <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> lesbian pride icons have been well-received, by not only other fans of the game, but also the developer Bytten Studio themselves. On Twitter, Bytten Studio not only retweeted, but also replied to my icons.
My {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} lesbian pride icons have been well-received, by not only other fans of the game, but also the developer Bytten Studio themselves. On Twitter, Bytten Studio not only retweeted, but also replied to my icons.
[![Bytten Studio's Twitter account retweeted Leilukin's lesbian pride Cassette Beasts icons](https://i.postimg.cc/x1RcK0xv/1-year-cassette-beasts-anniversary-twitter-repost.png)](https://postimg.cc/gxxzpPPj)
@ -35,6 +35,6 @@ Furthermore, I had set up my website's header to display the lesbian pride flag
In conclusion, this had been an exciting day for me as a lesbian gaymer.
On a somewhat related note, I love the fact that this week is not only [Lesbian Visibility Week](https://www.lesbianvisibilityweek.com/), but also has two of my all-time favourite games, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> and <cite>A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> (which I had also created a [shrine](/shrines/asummersend) for), both of which happen to feature lesbian representation, celebrating their release anniversaries.
On a somewhat related note, I love the fact that this week is not only [Lesbian Visibility Week](https://www.lesbianvisibilityweek.com/), but also has two of my all-time favourite games, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} and {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} (which I had also created a [shrine](/shrines/asummersend) for), both of which happen to feature lesbian representation, celebrating their release anniversaries.
**Happy Lesbian Visibility Day and Happy Birthday to <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>!**
**Happy Lesbian Visibility Day and Happy Birthday to {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}!**

2
src/changelogs/logs/2023/2023-06-11.md
View File

@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ date: 2023-06-11
---
* Widened the website content layout.
* Changed the header image of my [<cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> shrine](/shrines/starwarskotor/).
* Changed the header image of my [{% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" %} shrine](/shrines/starwarskotor/).

4
src/pages/articles.md
View File

@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ Articles I have written.
</ul>
## My Articles for Video Games with Their Own Pages
* My <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> shrine [Articles](/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/) page
* My <cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> shrine [Articles](/shrines/starwarskotor/articles/) page
* My {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} shrine [Articles](/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/) page
* My {% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" %} shrine [Articles](/shrines/starwarskotor/articles/) page
{.content-list}
## Featured Articles

4
src/pages/now.md
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@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ Recently, I spent a whole week in overhauling this website with the static site
### 23 April 2024
4-year anniversary of the release of [<cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite>](/shrines/asummersend/).
4-year anniversary of the release of [{% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %}](/shrines/asummersend/).
### 26 April 2024
[Lesbian Visibility Day and the 1-year anniversary of the release of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>](/blog/posts/2024-04-27-lesbian-visibility-day1-year-anniversary-of-cassette-beasts/)
[Lesbian Visibility Day and the 1-year anniversary of the release of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}](/blog/posts/2024-04-27-lesbian-visibility-day1-year-anniversary-of-cassette-beasts/)

2
src/projects/kotor2mods.md
View File

@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ The sheer amount of mod compatibility issues the Steam Workshop can cause to Kot
## Same-Gender Romances
<h3 class="center-text" style="color: inherit;">Before you ask any questions about my same-gender romance mods for the <cite>KotOR</cite> series, <a href="/shrines/starwarskotor/articles/faq-same-gender-romance-mods" target="_blank">read the FAQ article</a> first!</h3>
<h3 class="center-text" style="color: inherit;">Before you ask any questions about my same-gender romance mods for the {% cite "KotOR" %} series, <a href="/shrines/starwarskotor/articles/faq-same-gender-romance-mods" target="_blank">read the FAQ article</a> first!</h3>
{{ modEntry({
title: "Atton Rand and Male Exile Romance",

24
src/shrines/asummersend.njk
View File

@ -11,41 +11,41 @@ eleventyNavigation:
---
<section class="content__section">
<h2>Welcome to Leilukin's <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> Shrine!</h2>
<h2>Welcome to Leilukin's {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} Shrine!</h2>
<img src="/assets/shrines/asummersend/images/ASE_Key_art_intro.png" alt="Promotional image of A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986">
<p><cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> is a visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone, a Canada-based independent studio consists of two Asian queer women, Charissa So and Tida Kietsungden. The visual novel tells of a lesbian romance story between Michelle Cheung, an office worker, and Sam Wong, a video store owner, that takes place in Hong Kong in the year of 1986.</p>
<p>{% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} is a visual novel developed by Oracle and Bone, a Canada-based independent studio consists of two Asian queer women, Charissa So and Tida Kietsungden. The visual novel tells of a lesbian romance story between Michelle Cheung, an office worker, and Sam Wong, a video store owner, that takes place in Hong Kong in the year of 1986.</p>
<p>Initially released in English on 23 April 2020, <cite>A Summer's End</cite> has also been translated into Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Korean. The Chinese translations were released on 9 July 2021, while the Korean translation was released on 21 December 2023.</p>
<p>Initially released in English on 23 April 2020, {% cite "A Summer's End" %} has also been translated into Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Korean. The Chinese translations were released on 9 July 2021, while the Korean translation was released on 21 December 2023.</p>
<p><cite>A Summer's End</cite> is available on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1111370/A_Summers_End__Hong_Kong_1986/" target="_blank">Steam</a> and <a href="https://oracleandbone.itch.io/a-summers-end" target="_blank">itch.io</a>. It also has an <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/" target="_blank">official website</a>.</p>
<p>{% cite "A Summer's End" %} is available on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1111370/A_Summers_End__Hong_Kong_1986/" target="_blank">Steam</a> and <a href="https://oracleandbone.itch.io/a-summers-end" target="_blank">itch.io</a>. It also has an <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/" target="_blank">official website</a>.</p>
<p>On 22 April 2023, a day before <cite>A Summer's End</cite>'s third year anniversary, Oracle and Bone <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/blog-intheocean/a-message-from-oracle-and-bone" target="blank">announced</a> a spiritual sequel: <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/about-intheocean" target="blank"><cite>In the Ocean I Learned to Float</cite></a>, which takes place in the winter of 1988, two years after the events of <cite>A Summer's End</cite>.</p>
<p>On 22 April 2023, a day before {% cite "A Summer's End" %}'s third year anniversary, Oracle and Bone <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/blog-intheocean/a-message-from-oracle-and-bone" target="blank">announced</a> a spiritual sequel: <a href="https://www.asummersend.com/about-intheocean" target="blank">{% cite "In the Ocean I Learned to Float" %}</a>, which takes place in the winter of 1988, two years after the events of {% cite "A Summer's End" %}.</p>
</section>
<section class="content__section">
<h2>How I Discovered <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite></h2>
<h2>How I Discovered {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %}</h2>
<img src="/assets/shrines/asummersend/images/ASE_Key_art_main.png" alt="Key art of A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986">
<p>I first learned about <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> through <a href="https://linuxgameconsortium.com/a-summers-end-hong-kong-1986-just-announced/" target="_blank">Linux Game Consortium</a>, a Linux gaming news website. There was a period where I set up my gaming laptop to dual boot Windows 10 and Linux, so I ended up following Linux gaming news for a while. While Windows is still my main platform for gaming, the discovery of <cite>A Summer's End</cite> was the biggest unexpected benefit and surprise when I tried out Linux.</p>
<p>I first learned about {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} through <a href="https://linuxgameconsortium.com/a-summers-end-hong-kong-1986-just-announced/" target="_blank">Linux Game Consortium</a>, a Linux gaming news website. There was a period where I set up my gaming laptop to dual boot Windows 10 and Linux, so I ended up following Linux gaming news for a while. While Windows is still my main platform for gaming, the discovery of {% cite "A Summer's End" %} was the biggest unexpected benefit and surprise when I tried out Linux.</p>
<p>As a lesbian, the premise of a visual novel about a sapphic romance already caught my interest, but what urged me to play it even more was the Hong Kong setting, which made my interest in the game personal, since I am a Cantonese-speaking Chinese lesbian who grew up with Hong Kong media. Not to mention, it is rare to see a fiction that tells of a sapphic love story that takes place in Hong Kong.</p>
</section>
<section class="content__section">
<h2>Why <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> Means a Great Deal to Me</h2>
<h2>Why {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} Means a Great Deal to Me</h2>
<img src="/assets/shrines/asummersend/screenshots/ASE-Screenshot-05.png" alt="Screenshot of A Summer's End with Sam and Michelle kissing">
<p>As a Chinese lesbian who speaks Cantonese and had engaged with a lot of Hong Kong media during my teenage years, <cite>A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986</cite> is the lesbian story that I relate to and feel represented the most.</p>
<p>As a Chinese lesbian who speaks Cantonese and had engaged with a lot of Hong Kong media during my teenage years, {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} is the lesbian story that I relate to and feel represented the most.</p>
<p>I relate to both the protagonists, Michelle and Sam, as their characters represent different parts of my life as a Chinese lesbian. I also relate to the story's theme of hoping for the future of our homeland despite the political uncertainties.</p>
<p>My standards for lesbian representation in media has also become much higher because of this visual novel, since <cite>A Summer's End</cite> is also a perfect example of how some of the best representations of minority groups are actually found in media made by indie creators, especially those who are part of those minority groups, so we shouldn't rely on mainstream media for representation especially when big name media companies are going to just give us scraps.</p>
<p>My standards for lesbian representation in media has also become much higher because of this visual novel, since {% cite "A Summer's End" %} is also a perfect example of how some of the best representations of minority groups are actually found in media made by indie creators, especially those who are part of those minority groups, so we shouldn't rely on mainstream media for representation especially when big name media companies are going to just give us scraps.</p>
<p>If you ask me to list just one piece of queer art that means everything to me, that gives me comfort, inspiration, and strength the most, <cite>A Summer's End</cite> would be it.</p>
<p>If you ask me to list just one piece of queer art that means everything to me, that gives me comfort, inspiration, and strength the most, {% cite "A Summer's End" %} would be it.</p>
<p>I seriously cannot recommend <cite>A Summer's End</cite> enough, especially for Asian sapphic women.</p>
<p>I seriously cannot recommend {% cite "A Summer's End" %} enough, especially for Asian sapphic women.</p>
</section>

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A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986 was lovingly crafted by its developer Oracle and Bone with gorgeous art, so i want to make a page dedicated to my appreciation for the visual novel’s art.
{% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} was lovingly crafted by its developer Oracle and Bone with gorgeous art, so i want to make a page dedicated to my appreciation for the visual novel’s art.
The game has an in-game gallery that gradually unlocks as you progress the story, though certain scene art only unlocks if you pick certain dialogue options. Check out [Dialog Choices Guide (AKA Lesbianism 101)](https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2072736837) on Steam for how to unlock all scenes, and thus the entire in-game gallery.

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A Summer’s End — Hong Kong 1986 is a gold mine of music. Not only that the visual novel has a great soundtrack (its [official soundtrack](https://www.asummersend.com/original-soundtrack) was released on August 21, 2020), but the developer Oracle and Bone has also compiled playlists related to the game.
{% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} is a gold mine of music. Not only that the visual novel has a great soundtrack (its [official soundtrack](https://www.asummersend.com/original-soundtrack) was released on August 21, 2020), but the developer Oracle and Bone has also compiled playlists related to the game.
As a tribute to A Summer's End, I have also created a fanmix myself.
As a tribute to {% cite "A Summer's End" %}, I have also created a fanmix myself.
## Sam's Mixtape

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Here is a collection of trivia about the characters from A Summer’s End provided by the developer Oracle and Bone on their social media pages, especially [Tumblr](https://oracleandbone.tumblr.com/).
Here is a collection of trivia about the characters from {% cite "A Summer's End — Hong Kong 1986" %} provided by the developer Oracle and Bone on their social media pages, especially [Tumblr](https://oracleandbone.tumblr.com/).
---

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{% set imageAssetBaseUrl = '/assets/shrines/cassettebeasts/images/' %}
<section class="content__section">
<h2>Welcome to Leilukin's <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> Shrine!</h2>
<h2>Welcome to Leilukin's {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} Shrine!</h2>
<img src="{{ imageAssetBaseUrl }}CassetteBeasts_keyart_16_9.png" alt="Promotional image of Cassette Beasts">
<p><cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is a 2D/3D hybrid monster collecting open-world role-playing video game developed by Bytten Studio, an indie team based in Brighton, United Kingdom, co-founded by Jay Baylis and Tom Coxon, and published by Raw Fury.</p>
<p>{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is a 2D/3D hybrid monster collecting open-world role-playing video game developed by Bytten Studio, an indie team based in Brighton, United Kingdom, co-founded by Jay Baylis and Tom Coxon, and published by Raw Fury.</p>
<p>First released on Steam and Windows on 26 April 2023, later on console on 25 May 2023, <cite>Casette Beasts</cite> is available on Windows, Linux, Steam, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Gamepass and Nintendo Switch.</p>
<p>First released on Steam and Windows on 26 April 2023, later on console on 25 May 2023, {% cite "Casette Beasts" %} is available on Windows, Linux, Steam, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Gamepass and Nintendo Switch.</p>
<p><cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> also has an <a href="https://www.cassettebeasts.com/" target="_blank">official website</a> and <a href="https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="blank">official wiki</a>.</p>
<p>{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} also has an <a href="https://www.cassettebeasts.com/" target="_blank">official website</a> and <a href="https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Main_Page" target="blank">official wiki</a>.</p>
<p>You can buy <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> from below links:</p>
<p>You can buy {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} from below links:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1321440/Cassette_Beasts/" target="_blank">Steam</a>
</li>
@ -29,50 +29,50 @@ eleventyNavigation:
</section>
<section class="content__section">
<h2>Why You Should Play <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite></h2>
<h2>Why You Should Play {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}</h2>
<img src="{{ imageAssetBaseUrl }}cassettebeasts-website-header-bg.jpg" alt="Header of the Cassette Beasts official website">
<p><cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is a masterpiece of a monster collecting game, rivalling if not even surpassing <cite>Pokémon</cite> at its best, because while it is obvious that Cassette Beasts is inspired by <cite>Pokémon</cite>, it executes various aspects of <cite>Pokémon</cite> games with its own unique takes that are sometimes even better than <cite>Pokémon</cite>, from monster collecting mechanic, battle system, elemental type match ups, story, characters, lore, world building, map design, etc, with an amazing soundtrack that goes along with the game. As a result, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is perfectly capable of standing on its own.</p>
<p>{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is a masterpiece of a monster collecting game, rivalling if not even surpassing {% cite "Pokémon" %} at its best, because while it is obvious that Cassette Beasts is inspired by {% cite "Pokémon" %}, it executes various aspects of {% cite "Pokémon" %} games with its own unique takes that are sometimes even better than {% cite "Pokémon" %}, from monster collecting mechanic, battle system, elemental type match ups, story, characters, lore, world building, map design, etc, with an amazing soundtrack that goes along with the game. As a result, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is perfectly capable of standing on its own.</p>
<p>I cannot recommend <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> enough if you like monster collecting games, including, if not especially, if you like <cite>Pokémon</cite> but want an indie alternative, or something different after finding <cite>Pokémon</cite> games getting stale, or becoming jaded by the direction of the <cite>Pokémon</cite> games.</p>
<p>I cannot recommend {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} enough if you like monster collecting games, including, if not especially, if you like {% cite "Pokémon" %} but want an indie alternative, or something different after finding {% cite "Pokémon" %} games getting stale, or becoming jaded by the direction of the {% cite "Pokémon" %} games.</p>
<p>Indie monster collecting games in particular need all the support they can get to let more people know that <cite>Pokémon</cite> is not the only monster collecting game worth your attention, and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is one of those indie games that prove indie games can be more creative than AAA games.</p>
<p>Indie monster collecting games in particular need all the support they can get to let more people know that {% cite "Pokémon" %} is not the only monster collecting game worth your attention, and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is one of those indie games that prove indie games can be more creative than AAA games.</p>
<p>If you need more convincing on how <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is much more than a <cite>Pokémon</cite> clone, <a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/cassette-beasts-more-than-a-pokemon-clone">I have written a huge essay on this shrine</a>.</p>
<p>If you need more convincing on how {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is much more than a {% cite "Pokémon" %} clone, <a href="/shrines/cassettebeasts/articles/cassette-beasts-more-than-a-pokemon-clone">I have written a huge essay on this shrine</a>.</p>
</section>
<section class="content__section">
<h2>My Interest In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite></h2>
<h2>My Interest In {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}</h2>
<img src="{{ imageAssetBaseUrl }}cassettebeasts-website_screenshot_02.png" alt="Official screenshot of Harbourtown in Cassette Beasts">
<p>On 30 June 2023, when the Steam Summer Sale 2023 just started, I received <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> as a Steam gift from a generous friend, who knew that I had been looking for independant monster collecting games, since I mostly play indie games instead of AAA games nowadays.</p>
<p>On 30 June 2023, when the Steam Summer Sale 2023 just started, I received {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} as a Steam gift from a generous friend, who knew that I had been looking for independant monster collecting games, since I mostly play indie games instead of AAA games nowadays.</p>
<p>I started my first playthrough of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> on 18 July 2023, and I was immediately hooked. I could already feel this game has everything I could ask for in an indie alternative to <cite>Pokémon</cite>.</p>
<p>I started my first playthrough of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} on 18 July 2023, and I was immediately hooked. I could already feel this game has everything I could ask for in an indie alternative to {% cite "Pokémon" %}.</p>
<p>I ended up spending around 34 hours to beat the main campaign, and that was because I made the deliberate decision to max out the companion characters' relationship level before advancing to the final portion of the main story, since this game has more focus on human characters and relationships than what you may expect in a monster-collecting game.</p>
<p>I love <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> so much that I also purchased its Deluxe Edition, which includes the soundtrack, the art book and the Cosplay Pack as a birthday present for myself on 28 July 2023. In addition, I also <a href="/blog/posts/2023-10-13-My-Cassette-Beasts-Pombomb-Plushie-Arrived" target="blank">bought the official plushie of Pombomb</a>, my favourite monster from the game.</p>
<p>I love {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} so much that I also purchased its Deluxe Edition, which includes the soundtrack, the art book and the Cosplay Pack as a birthday present for myself on 28 July 2023. In addition, I also <a href="/blog/posts/2023-10-13-My-Cassette-Beasts-Pombomb-Plushie-Arrived" target="blank">bought the official plushie of Pombomb</a>, my favourite monster from the game.</p>
<p>Moreover, I ended up unlocking all 123 achievements on Steam on 13 March 2024. Very few RPGs make me want to unlock all the achievements, so it is telling how much I love <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> that I am willing to spend time and effort to work for all the achievements.</p>
<p>Moreover, I ended up unlocking all 123 achievements on Steam on 13 March 2024. Very few RPGs make me want to unlock all the achievements, so it is telling how much I love {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} that I am willing to spend time and effort to work for all the achievements.</p>
<p><cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> not only is my Game of the Year of 2023, but also it has become my absolute favourite monster collecting game, and even my all-time favourite video game ever.</p>
<p>{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} not only is my Game of the Year of 2023, but also it has become my absolute favourite monster collecting game, and even my all-time favourite video game ever.</p>
</section>
<section class="content__section">
<h2>My Contributions to the <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> Community</h2>
<h2>My Contributions to the {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} Community</h2>
<img src="{{ imageAssetBaseUrl }}cassettebeasts-website_screenshot_07.png" alt="Pre-release artwork of Kayleigh, Meredith and Eugene from Cassette Beasts">
<p>Since I got into <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, I have been making a great deal of effort in promoting the game online, by talking about and recommending the game on my online spaces, including this shrine on my website, as well as social media platforms such as Tumblr and Twitter.</p>
<p>Since I got into {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, I have been making a great deal of effort in promoting the game online, by talking about and recommending the game on my online spaces, including this shrine on my website, as well as social media platforms such as Tumblr and Twitter.</p>
<p>I am involved in the <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> community by joining and participating in the <a href="https://discord.gg/byttenstudio" target="blank">official Bytten Studio Discord server</a>.</p>
<p>I am involved in the {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} community by joining and participating in the <a href="https://discord.gg/byttenstudio" target="blank">official Bytten Studio Discord server</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, my passion for <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> drives me to contribute to the effort of documenting information about the game. I have recorded footages, made compilation videos and shared them on my YouTube channel for archival and reference purposes. I am also a contributor to the <a href="https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Main_Page" taregt="blank">official <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> wiki</a>. You can check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQr78DF60PrBsgh8rQnzBWg/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=5" target="blank">my <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> video playlists on YouTube</a> and <a href="https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/User:Leilukin" target="blank">my user page on the <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> wiki</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, my passion for {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} drives me to contribute to the effort of documenting information about the game. I have recorded footages, made compilation videos and shared them on my YouTube channel for archival and reference purposes. I am also a contributor to the <a href="https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Main_Page" taregt="blank">official {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} wiki</a>. You can check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQr78DF60PrBsgh8rQnzBWg/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=5" target="blank">my {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} video playlists on YouTube</a> and <a href="https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/User:Leilukin" target="blank">my user page on the {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} wiki</a>.</p>
<p>On Tumblr, I run the <a href="https://cassettebeastssource.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Cassette Beasts Source</a> blog, an unofficial <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> fan site blog that I founded on 25 February 2024. I created a fan site blog on Tumblr due to the fact that Bytten Studio does not have an official Tumblr account, and I want a Tumblr blog dedicated to sharing and archiving <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> news and fan works.</p>
<p>On Tumblr, I run the <a href="https://cassettebeastssource.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Cassette Beasts Source</a> blog, an unofficial {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} fan site blog that I founded on 25 February 2024. I created a fan site blog on Tumblr due to the fact that Bytten Studio does not have an official Tumblr account, and I want a Tumblr blog dedicated to sharing and archiving {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} news and fan works.</p>
<p>I have also contributed to <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/CassetteBeasts" target="_blank"><cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> TVTropes pages</a> (I have had a TVTRopes account since 18 February 2012), by editing the pages to add information about the game. I was the one who created the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/CassetteBeasts" target="_blank">Trivia page</a> for the game on TVTropes.</p>
<p>I have also contributed to <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/CassetteBeasts" target="_blank">{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} TVTropes pages</a> (I have had a TVTRopes account since 18 February 2012), by editing the pages to add information about the game. I was the one who created the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/CassetteBeasts" target="_blank">Trivia page</a> for the game on TVTropes.</p>
</section>

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---
## My <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> Articles
## My {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} Articles
<ul class="content-list">
{%- for article in collections["cassette beasts articles"] -%}
<li>
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{%- endfor -%}
</ul>
## <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> Articles I Recommend
## {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} Articles I Recommend
<ul class="content-list">
<li><a href="https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/3642949" target="_blank">Cassette Beasts Level-Up Dialogue Summaries (Meredith)</a> by ArgentDandelion on Pillowfort — An analysis of Meredith's character.</li>

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## Introduction
There is no denying that <cite>Pokémon</cite> is one of the largest entertainment franchises in the world and the most influential series in the monster collector genre of video games, and thus inspiring many games in the genre. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, an indie monster collecting role-playing game developed by the England-based indie studio Bytten Studio, is not an exception, as it does share similarities to <cite>Pokémon</cite>.
There is no denying that {% cite "Pokémon" %} is one of the largest entertainment franchises in the world and the most influential series in the monster collector genre of video games, and thus inspiring many games in the genre. {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, an indie monster collecting role-playing game developed by the England-based indie studio Bytten Studio, is not an exception, as it does share similarities to {% cite "Pokémon" %}.
However, calling <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> a <cite>Pokémon</cite> clone is doing it a massive disservice, because <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> executes many mechanics and aspects of <cite>Pokémon</cite> games in different, and sometimes arguably better ways.
However, calling {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} a {% cite "Pokémon" %} clone is doing it a massive disservice, because {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} executes many mechanics and aspects of {% cite "Pokémon" %} games in different, and sometimes arguably better ways.
Furthermore, there are things in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> that you would not find in <cite>Pokémon</cite> games, at least in the main series games, thanks to Bytten Studio's creativity and passion that a gigantic corporate-owned franchise like <cite>Pokémon</cite> can only dream of.
Furthermore, there are things in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} that you would not find in {% cite "Pokémon" %} games, at least in the main series games, thanks to Bytten Studio's creativity and passion that a gigantic corporate-owned franchise like {% cite "Pokémon" %} can only dream of.
## Features that Exist in <cite>Pokémon</cite> that are Done Differently in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>
## Features that Exist in {% cite "Pokémon" %} that are Done Differently in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}
By the time Cassette Beasts was released on 26 April 2023, the main video game series of Pokémon had reached its ninth generation with the release of Scarlet and Violet. Pokémon had existed for 27 years since the release of Red and Green versions in Japan in February 1996.
@ -24,98 +24,98 @@ However, despite remaining one of the best-selling video game series in the worl
### Monster Capture Mechanic
By the time <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> was released on 26 April 2023, the main video game series of <cite>Pokémon</cite> had reached its ninth generation with the release of <cite>Scarlet</cite> and <cite>Violet</cite>. <cite>Pokémon</cite> had existed for 27 years since the release of <cite>Red</cite> and <cite>Green</cite> versions in Japan in February 1996.
By the time {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} was released on 26 April 2023, the main video game series of {% cite "Pokémon" %} had reached its ninth generation with the release of {% cite "Scarlet" %} and {% cite "Violet" %}. {% cite "Pokémon" %} had existed for 27 years since the release of {% cite "Red" %} and {% cite "Green" %} versions in Japan in February 1996.
However, despite remaining one of the best-selling video game series in the world, <cite>Pokémon</cite> has got the reputation of repeating the same formula in their games over and over. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, on the other hand, executes some features and mechanics that exist in the <cite>Pokémon</cite> game series with their own unique spin on them. Therefore, even the similarities between <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> and <cite>Pokémon</cite> are not as straightforward as you may think.
However, despite remaining one of the best-selling video game series in the world, {% cite "Pokémon" %} has got the reputation of repeating the same formula in their games over and over. {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, on the other hand, executes some features and mechanics that exist in the {% cite "Pokémon" %} game series with their own unique spin on them. Therefore, even the similarities between {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} and {% cite "Pokémon" %} are not as straightforward as you may think.
<h3>Monster Capture Mechanic</h3>
One of the most notable differences between <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is their mechanics to capture monsters. In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, you catch the creatures by using Poké Balls, but in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, you do not actually catch the monsters, but you record the essence of the monsters into a cassette tape.
One of the most notable differences between {% cite "Pokémon" %} and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is their mechanics to capture monsters. In {% cite "Pokémon" %}, you catch the creatures by using Poké Balls, but in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, you do not actually catch the monsters, but you record the essence of the monsters into a cassette tape.
A common criticism of the monster collector genre is the ethical question of essentially enslaving creatures by capturing and subjugating them into obeying you, as well as enganging in dog fighting by making the creatures fight each other, to the extent that even <cite>Pokémon</cite> tries to tackle it as the main theme of the story of <cite>Black</cite> and <cite>White</cite>, though whether the execution is effective or not is debatable. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>' method of recording monsters solves this moral dilemma of the genre from the get-go, because you are not actually catching the monsters in the traditional sense. In fact, Jay Baylis, artist and writer of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> had stated in [a Shacknews interview](https://youtu.be/P0L-5LLT9uw?feature=shared&t=106) that their idea of recording monsters is intended to avert the issue of basically enslaving creatures in the monster collecting genre.
A common criticism of the monster collector genre is the ethical question of essentially enslaving creatures by capturing and subjugating them into obeying you, as well as enganging in dog fighting by making the creatures fight each other, to the extent that even {% cite "Pokémon" %} tries to tackle it as the main theme of the story of {% cite "Black" %} and {% cite "White" %}, though whether the execution is effective or not is debatable. {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}' method of recording monsters solves this moral dilemma of the genre from the get-go, because you are not actually catching the monsters in the traditional sense. In fact, Jay Baylis, artist and writer of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} had stated in [a Shacknews interview](https://youtu.be/P0L-5LLT9uw?feature=shared&t=106) that their idea of recording monsters is intended to avert the issue of basically enslaving creatures in the monster collecting genre.
Gameplay-wise, a notable improvement <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has over <cite>Pokémon</cite> when it comes to monster capture mechanics is that in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, when you are recording a monster, the percentage of success rate is displayed on screen. Furthermore, a monster that is in the process of being recorded cannot be knocked out, so you can deal more damage to the monster to improve your odds of successfully recording the monster. In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, you have to be extra careful about not knocking out the Pokémon you want to catch, and when you try to catch one, you can only hope that the RNG is in your favour.
Gameplay-wise, a notable improvement {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} has over {% cite "Pokémon" %} when it comes to monster capture mechanics is that in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, when you are recording a monster, the percentage of success rate is displayed on screen. Furthermore, a monster that is in the process of being recorded cannot be knocked out, so you can deal more damage to the monster to improve your odds of successfully recording the monster. In {% cite "Pokémon" %}, you have to be extra careful about not knocking out the Pokémon you want to catch, and when you try to catch one, you can only hope that the RNG is in your favour.
### Battle System
The battle system in both <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> and <cite>Pokémon</cite> involves fights between monsters. However, while in <cite>Pokémon</cite> you send out the monsters you captured to fight, in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> you transform into monsters to battle by using the cassette tapes you have used to record the monsters.
The battle system in both {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} and {% cite "Pokémon" %} involves fights between monsters. However, while in {% cite "Pokémon" %} you send out the monsters you captured to fight, in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} you transform into monsters to battle by using the cassette tapes you have used to record the monsters.
Furthermore, most of the battles in the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games take place in one-on-one formats, also known as single battles. In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, you almost always battle alongside a partner, making two-on-two the format of most battles in the game, which in <cite>Pokémon</cite> is also known as double battles, which are underutilised in the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games. Two-on-two battles require more nuanced strategies than brute-forcing a single opponent in one-on-one battles.
Furthermore, most of the battles in the main series {% cite "Pokémon" %} games take place in one-on-one formats, also known as single battles. In {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, you almost always battle alongside a partner, making two-on-two the format of most battles in the game, which in {% cite "Pokémon" %} is also known as double battles, which are underutilised in the main series {% cite "Pokémon" %} games. Two-on-two battles require more nuanced strategies than brute-forcing a single opponent in one-on-one battles.
The move system in battles is also different in <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>. In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, every Pokémon is limited to having four move slots, meaning each can only use up to four moves in battle. In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, battle moves come in the form of stickers on monster cassette tapes; the base number of sticker slots varies between monsters, with 4 being the minimum, and can be increased by upgrading the star level of the monster tapes, up to a maximum of 8 natural slots. Some stickers have the bonus of adding sticker slots.
The move system in battles is also different in {% cite "Pokémon" %} and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}. In {% cite "Pokémon" %}, every Pokémon is limited to having four move slots, meaning each can only use up to four moves in battle. In {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, battle moves come in the form of stickers on monster cassette tapes; the base number of sticker slots varies between monsters, with 4 being the minimum, and can be increased by upgrading the star level of the monster tapes, up to a maximum of 8 natural slots. Some stickers have the bonus of adding sticker slots.
<cite>Pokémon</cite> uses Power Points (PP) to restrict how many times each move can be, while <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> uses Action Points (AP), which is generated for every turn during battle, even after you switch into a different monster tape. Different moves cost varying amounts of AP or none at all, with stronger moves require more AP to use, while some moves require no AP.
{% cite "Pokémon" %} uses Power Points (PP) to restrict how many times each move can be, while {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} uses Action Points (AP), which is generated for every turn during battle, even after you switch into a different monster tape. Different moves cost varying amounts of AP or none at all, with stronger moves require more AP to use, while some moves require no AP.
### Type Match-Ups
Both <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> have elemental types on every monster, and how these types interact with each other is a core element in their battle systems. However, how said interactions play out in <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> are different.
Both {% cite "Pokémon" %} and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} have elemental types on every monster, and how these types interact with each other is a core element in their battle systems. However, how said interactions play out in {% cite "Pokémon" %} and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} are different.
In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, type advantage simply means dealing extra damage to your opponent, while type disadvantage simply means dealing less damage, and certain types are immune to damage from another type.
In {% cite "Pokémon" %}, type advantage simply means dealing extra damage to your opponent, while type disadvantage simply means dealing less damage, and certain types are immune to damage from another type.
In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, type match-ups are based on chemical reactions, so type advantage gives your opponent a debuff, while type disadvantage gives your opponent a buff, and certain types and temporary change the type of the opponent in battle. For example, Water-type moves reduce the melee and ranged attacks of Fire-type monsters; Fire-type moves giving a healing buff to Water-type monsters; Fire-type moves turn Plastic-type monsters into Poison-types. While type advantage means more damage in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, it is not as drastic as in <cite>Pokémon</cite>.
In {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, type match-ups are based on chemical reactions, so type advantage gives your opponent a debuff, while type disadvantage gives your opponent a buff, and certain types and temporary change the type of the opponent in battle. For example, Water-type moves reduce the melee and ranged attacks of Fire-type monsters; Fire-type moves giving a healing buff to Water-type monsters; Fire-type moves turn Plastic-type monsters into Poison-types. While type advantage means more damage in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, it is not as drastic as in {% cite "Pokémon" %}.
<cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> actually provides an in-game type chart in the game itself. You can obtain the chart by opening the Ranger Guidebook, and the type chart can be accessed during your battles. In addition, when you are choosing your moves during battles, you can see the icons that hint on the effects of your moves against your opponent.
{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} actually provides an in-game type chart in the game itself. You can obtain the chart by opening the Ranger Guidebook, and the type chart can be accessed during your battles. In addition, when you are choosing your moves during battles, you can see the icons that hint on the effects of your moves against your opponent.
### Level System
In both <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, gaining experience to level up is a core part of the games' progression. However, there are differences in their level systems.
In both {% cite "Pokémon" %} and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, gaining experience to level up is a core part of the games' progression. However, there are differences in their level systems.
In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, from Generation 1 to 5, only the Pokémon you send out in battle and optionally the Pokémon that holds the Exp. Share item will gain experience after winning a battle. This means that if you want to add a Pokémon you just caught to your party, you often have to grind for experience points for the newly-caught Pokémon to catch up with the levels of other members in your party. The games starting from Generation 6 solve the grinding issue by making Exp. Share becomes an optional item that will reward the experience points you earned to all non-fainted members in your party. Starting from <cite>Let's Go! Pikachu</cite> and<cite> Let's Go! Eevee</cite>, the effects Exp. Share are present from the start of the game.
In {% cite "Pokémon" %}, from Generation 1 to 5, only the Pokémon you send out in battle and optionally the Pokémon that holds the Exp. Share item will gain experience after winning a battle. This means that if you want to add a Pokémon you just caught to your party, you often have to grind for experience points for the newly-caught Pokémon to catch up with the levels of other members in your party. The games starting from Generation 6 solve the grinding issue by making Exp. Share becomes an optional item that will reward the experience points you earned to all non-fainted members in your party. Starting from {% cite "Let's Go! Pikachu" %} and {% cite "Let's Go! Eevee" %}, the effects Exp. Share are present from the start of the game.
In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, levels are instead tied to your human and your companion characters, which means that in addition to base stats, the strength of the monsters you recorded are tied to your human character's level. This means that unlike <cite>Pokémon</cite>, after you record a low-level monster and add them to your party, you do not have to spend time in grinding the levels of your monsters just to make them catch up with the rest of your party.
In {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, levels are instead tied to your human and your companion characters, which means that in addition to base stats, the strength of the monsters you recorded are tied to your human character's level. This means that unlike {% cite "Pokémon" %}, after you record a low-level monster and add them to your party, you do not have to spend time in grinding the levels of your monsters just to make them catch up with the rest of your party.
Monster tapes have their own level system in the form of the star system. When you upgrade a monster's star level, they gain new stickers. When you upgrade a monster to 5 stars, the monster will gain an additional biography entry in the bestiary, and some monsters can be remastered (the <cite>Pokémon</cite> equivalent is evolution) into stronger forms.
Monster tapes have their own level system in the form of the star system. When you upgrade a monster's star level, they gain new stickers. When you upgrade a monster to 5 stars, the monster will gain an additional biography entry in the bestiary, and some monsters can be remastered (the {% cite "Pokémon" %} equivalent is evolution) into stronger forms.
Earning experience points means not only levelling up your human player and companion characters, but also upgrading the star levels of your monster tapes. Some monsters can be remastered when being upgraded to 5 stars. It is worth noting that experience points are shared between all your monster tapes as well, including ones that have been broken (or "fainted") in battle, unlike <cite>Pokémon</cite> where fainted Pokémon cannot gain any experience points at all.
Earning experience points means not only levelling up your human player and companion characters, but also upgrading the star levels of your monster tapes. Some monsters can be remastered when being upgraded to 5 stars. It is worth noting that experience points are shared between all your monster tapes as well, including ones that have been broken (or "fainted") in battle, unlike {% cite "Pokémon" %} where fainted Pokémon cannot gain any experience points at all.
### Field Moves
Both <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> have field moves — moves that are used outside of battles and often required to access new areas of the map and explore every nook and cranny.
Both {% cite "Pokémon" %} and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} have field moves — moves that are used outside of battles and often required to access new areas of the map and explore every nook and cranny.
From Generation 1 to 6 of the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games, field moves usually take the form of HMs, though some TMs also have uses outside battles. Both HMs and TMs are items to teach Pokémon moves, and these moves take up move slots. From Generation 7 onwards, <cite>Pokémon</cite> games remove HMs, and assign field moves to certain Pokémon that you can use outside battles, so you longer need to worry about wasting move slots of Pokémon in your party.
From Generation 1 to 6 of the main series {% cite "Pokémon" %} games, field moves usually take the form of HMs, though some TMs also have uses outside battles. Both HMs and TMs are items to teach Pokémon moves, and these moves take up move slots. From Generation 7 onwards, {% cite "Pokémon" %} games remove HMs, and assign field moves to certain Pokémon that you can use outside battles, so you longer need to worry about wasting move slots of Pokémon in your party.
In Cassette Beats, it is your human character that learn these field moves by recording certain monsters. The game will provide hints to which monsters can give you these field moves through townsfolk gossips. Since it is your human character that uses these field moves, you do not need to worry about wasting any move slots in your monster cassette tapes.
### Monsters with Alternate Colour Schemes
In both <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, there is a rare chance you may encounter monsters with different colour schemes than their regular counterparts. In <cite>Pokémon</cite>, they are referred to as Shiny Pokémon, while in Cassette Beasts, they are called bootlegs.
In both {% cite "Pokémon" %} and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, there is a rare chance you may encounter monsters with different colour schemes than their regular counterparts. In {% cite "Pokémon" %}, they are referred to as Shiny Pokémon, while in Cassette Beasts, they are called bootlegs.
Shiny Pokémon do not provide additional benefits in gameplay, but bootlegs do, since bootlegs can be of any type, and have a higher chance of getting moves (or stickers) with additional effects and enhancements, referred to as [sticker attributes](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Sticker_Attributes).
### Music
Both <cite>Pokémon</cite> and <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> are notable for their soundtracks, and music is among the most praised (which is well-deserved, in my opinions) aspects in both, though <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> does it differently in that it includes music with vocal lyrics: for the music of the main hub, Habourtown, the vocals play when you are indoor; for battle music, the vocals play when you and your partner fuse, which heightens the dynamic of the battles.
Both {% cite "Pokémon" %} and {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} are notable for their soundtracks, and music is among the most praised (which is well-deserved, in my opinions) aspects in both, though {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} does it differently in that it includes music with vocal lyrics: for the music of the main hub, Habourtown, the vocals play when you are indoor; for battle music, the vocals play when you and your partner fuse, which heightens the dynamic of the battles.
### Story and Plot
The core plot of the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games, except for <cite>Legends: Arceus</cite>, is about a child going on a journey and become the best Pokémon Trainer in their region by claiming the Champion title. However, the main plot of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is about the protagonist finding their way back home after bring transported to New Wirral, an island that exists in a different dimension from Earth and where humans from various dimensions are also transported and strended on.
The core plot of the main series {% cite "Pokémon" %} games, except for {% cite "Legends: Arceus" %}, is about a child going on a journey and become the best Pokémon Trainer in their region by claiming the Champion title. However, the main plot of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is about the protagonist finding their way back home after bring transported to New Wirral, an island that exists in a different dimension from Earth and where humans from various dimensions are also transported and strended on.
The protagonists of <cite>Pokémon</cite> games become the new Champion of their region by defeating Gym Leaders or Trial Captains, then the Elite Four and the current standing Champion. In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, the closest thing to an equivalent to Gym Leaders is the Ranger Captains, and one of the main quests involves defeating all the Captains across the map, but even then, you do not beat the Ranger Captains and become a Captain yourself for the glory of becoming the best monster battler, but to prove your ability to help the Rangers Guild to protect New Wirral and support the island's community.
The protagonists of {% cite "Pokémon" %} games become the new Champion of their region by defeating Gym Leaders or Trial Captains, then the Elite Four and the current standing Champion. In {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, the closest thing to an equivalent to Gym Leaders is the Ranger Captains, and one of the main quests involves defeating all the Captains across the map, but even then, you do not beat the Ranger Captains and become a Captain yourself for the glory of becoming the best monster battler, but to prove your ability to help the Rangers Guild to protect New Wirral and support the island's community.
<cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has a more mature and adult story than <cite>Pokémon</cite>. As a franchise primarily targetted at children, the main human characters in <cite>Pokémon</cite> are children, so the stories of <cite>Pokémon</cite> games are mainly about children's fantasy adventures to be the best Pokémon Trainer. On the flip side, the main characters in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, including your human companions, are adults, and the game is not afraid to discuss topics and issues relevant to adulthood, particularly through the stories of your companion characters. The story of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is also unabashedly left-wing with anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist messages, which I frankly doubt will get explored with such authenticity in a corporate-owned mega franchise like <cite>Pokémon</cite>.
{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} has a more mature and adult story than {% cite "Pokémon" %}. As a franchise primarily targetted at children, the main human characters in {% cite "Pokémon" %} are children, so the stories of {% cite "Pokémon" %} games are mainly about children's fantasy adventures to be the best Pokémon Trainer. On the flip side, the main characters in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, including your human companions, are adults, and the game is not afraid to discuss topics and issues relevant to adulthood, particularly through the stories of your companion characters. The story of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is also unabashedly left-wing with anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist messages, which I frankly doubt will get explored with such authenticity in a corporate-owned mega franchise like {% cite "Pokémon" %}.
In addition, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>' story can get genuinely dark at times, most notably in the cosmic horror presented by the Archangels, the eldritch entities that you need to defeat in boss battles to gather clues about a way out of New Wirral and return home.
In addition, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}' story can get genuinely dark at times, most notably in the cosmic horror presented by the Archangels, the eldritch entities that you need to defeat in boss battles to gather clues about a way out of New Wirral and return home.
<details class="spoiler-accordion">
<summary class="spoiler-accordion__hint">Major Story Spoilers for <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite></summary>
<summary class="spoiler-accordion__hint">Major Story Spoilers for {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}</summary>
<div class="spoiler-accordion__spoiler">
<p>Towards the end of the main quest, it is revealed that Archangels are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egregore" target="_blank">egregores</a> created from humanity's desires and ideas. Aleph, the main antagonist and final boss of the main story, is an Archangel that is an incarnation of conquest, and his goal is to leave New Wirral and cause chaos across reality.</p>
<p>While <cite>Pokémon</cite> has its own fair share of sinister villains, the threat the main villain of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> poses is even greater in scope than any <cite>Pokémon</cite> villain, maybe except for Rainbow Rocket Giovanni from <cite>Ultra Sun</cite> and <cite>Ultra Moon</cite>, who shares the goal of ruling the multiverse.</p>
<p>While {% cite "Pokémon" %} has its own fair share of sinister villains, the threat the main villain of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} poses is even greater in scope than any {% cite "Pokémon" %} villain, maybe except for Rainbow Rocket Giovanni from {% cite "Ultra Sun" %} and {% cite "Ultra Moon" %}, who shares the goal of ruling the multiverse.</p>
<p>Moreover, even though the player character and their party are able to defeat the main villain in the end, the game makes it clear that since Archangels are not flesh and blood and born from human ideas, as long as humans are interested in conquest Aleph will return at some point. This reflects our world in that defeating a tyrant does not magically solve everything, especially when the system that enables tyrants' rise to power still exists.</p>
</div>
</details>
## Features <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> Has But <cite>Pokémon</cite> Lacks
## Features {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} Has But {% cite "Pokémon" %} Lacks
<cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is not satisfied with just doing <cite>Pokémon</cite>'s core mechanics in different ways, but it also adds features that do not exist in the <cite>Pokémon</cite> games, at least in the main series games as of <cite>Scarlet</cite> and <cite>Violet</cite>.
{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is not satisfied with just doing {% cite "Pokémon" %}'s core mechanics in different ways, but it also adds features that do not exist in the {% cite "Pokémon" %} games, at least in the main series games as of {% cite "Scarlet" %} and {% cite "Violet" %}.
In this section, I am adding a counter for the things <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has that <cite>Pokémon</cite> lacks, to further prove that <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is perfectly capable of standing on its own apart from <cite>Pokémon</cite>. If Bytten Studios only want to make a <cite>Pokémon</cite> clone, they did not need to do these additional things at all, but they did it anyway. If this is still not evidence of Bytten Studio's passion for their game to build its own identity, I do not know what is.
In this section, I am adding a counter for the things {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} has that {% cite "Pokémon" %} lacks, to further prove that {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is perfectly capable of standing on its own apart from {% cite "Pokémon" %}. If Bytten Studios only want to make a {% cite "Pokémon" %} clone, they did not need to do these additional things at all, but they did it anyway. If this is still not evidence of Bytten Studio's passion for their game to build its own identity, I do not know what is.
Even if one day the <cite>Pokémon</cite> games decide to add any of the below features, it would still not change the fact that <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> had done them earlier.
Even if one day the {% cite "Pokémon" %} games decide to add any of the below features, it would still not change the fact that {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} had done them earlier.
### Character Creator with Pronouns Options
Character customisation has existed in <cite>Pokémon</cite> games since <cite>X</cite> and <cite>Y</cite>, but to date, none of the games provide options to choose your character's pronouns. However, <cite>Cassette Beasts </cite>allows you to choose they/them pronouns in addition to he/him and she/her, and your pronouns options will be reflected in-game.
Character customisation has existed in {% cite "Pokémon" %} games since {% cite "X" %} and {% cite "Y" %}, but to date, none of the games provide options to choose your character's pronouns. However, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} allows you to choose they/them pronouns in addition to he/him and she/her, and your pronouns options will be reflected in-game.
I use they/them pronouns myself, so pronouns options are a welcome addition.
@ -123,72 +123,72 @@ I use they/them pronouns myself, so pronouns options are a welcome addition.
### Fusions of Every Monster
The concept of monster fusions by combining the designs of two monsters together are popular in the <cite>Pokémon</cite> fandom, showing up in fan art and dedicated websites such as web developer Alex Onsager's [Pokemon Fusion website](https://pokemon.alexonsager.net/). However, in the official <cite>Pokémon</cite> franchise, fusions are exclusive to very few Pokémon to create alternate forms, namely Kyurem, Necrozma and Calyrex, all Legendary Pokémon, and they can only fuse with a specific few Legendary Pokémon.
The concept of monster fusions by combining the designs of two monsters together are popular in the {% cite "Pokémon" %} fandom, showing up in fan art and dedicated websites such as web developer Alex Onsager's [Pokemon Fusion website](https://pokemon.alexonsager.net/). However, in the official {% cite "Pokémon" %} franchise, fusions are exclusive to very few Pokémon to create alternate forms, namely Kyurem, Necrozma and Calyrex, all Legendary Pokémon, and they can only fuse with a specific few Legendary Pokémon.
In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, monster fusions are a defining feature both in gameplay and the lore. Any two of the 141 monsters in-game can fuse together, thus there are 19,881 fusion combination in total. The nature and origins of fusion is also explored in the game's story and lore.
In {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, monster fusions are a defining feature both in gameplay and the lore. Any two of the 141 monsters in-game can fuse together, thus there are 19,881 fusion combination in total. The nature and origins of fusion is also explored in the game's story and lore.
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 2**
### Companion and Relationship System with Human Characters
While the primary draw of the <cite>Pokémon</cite> franchise has always been the monster creatures, like other media in the mons genre, human characters do play a notable role in the <cite>Pokémon</cite> franchise from the beginning: in the main series games, you play as a human trainer of Pokémon, battling other human NPC trainers including your rivals, Gym Leaders/Trial Captains, Elite Four, Champions and villains. In some games, you also occasionally team up with other human NPC trainers in battles. However, the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games do not have any dedicated companion and relationship mechanic with human characters.
While the primary draw of the {% cite "Pokémon" %} franchise has always been the monster creatures, like other media in the mons genre, human characters do play a notable role in the {% cite "Pokémon" %} franchise from the beginning: in the main series games, you play as a human trainer of Pokémon, battling other human NPC trainers including your rivals, Gym Leaders/Trial Captains, Elite Four, Champions and villains. In some games, you also occasionally team up with other human NPC trainers in battles. However, the main series {% cite "Pokémon" %} games do not have any dedicated companion and relationship mechanic with human characters.
Conversely, human relationships are a major focus in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> both in story and game mechanics: you are accompanied by a companion character throughout your adventures in New Wirral, with 5 out of 6 of the potential partners being humans; each companion character has their own story and quest for you to explore; each have a relationship level that can be raised by gaining experience points with them, and higher relationship levels make you stronger when you fuse in battle.
Conversely, human relationships are a major focus in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} both in story and game mechanics: you are accompanied by a companion character throughout your adventures in New Wirral, with 5 out of 6 of the potential partners being humans; each companion character has their own story and quest for you to explore; each have a relationship level that can be raised by gaining experience points with them, and higher relationship levels make you stronger when you fuse in battle.
Human characters in <cite>Pokémon</cite> interest me as much as the creatures themselves, because the Pokémon world is populated by both Pokémon and humans, thus I find the humans' relationships with the creatures and each other also an important element of the Pokémon world. Unfortunately, I often feel that human characters are an aspect of the <cite>Pokémon</cite> games that are underappreciated by the Western Pokémon fandom, who tend to focus more on the creatures themselves. Therefore, seeing a <cite>Pokémon</cite>-inspired game, especially one that is developed by a Western studio like <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, actually make the effort in fleshing out human characters and relationships was the biggest pleasant surprise for me when I started playing <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> for the first time.
Human characters in {% cite "Pokémon" %} interest me as much as the creatures themselves, because the Pokémon world is populated by both Pokémon and humans, thus I find the humans' relationships with the creatures and each other also an important element of the Pokémon world. Unfortunately, I often feel that human characters are an aspect of the {% cite "Pokémon" %} games that are underappreciated by the Western Pokémon fandom, who tend to focus more on the creatures themselves. Therefore, seeing a {% cite "Pokémon" %}-inspired game, especially one that is developed by a Western studio like {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, actually make the effort in fleshing out human characters and relationships was the biggest pleasant surprise for me when I started playing {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} for the first time.
<cite>Pokémon</cite> has a spin-off game that focus more on human characters: <cite>Pokémon Masters EX</cite>, but the fact that it is a gacha game means it is a glorified gambling game that wants you to spend real-world money to gamble to collect the human trainers. However, that is not the case at all in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, since it does not have any in-app purchases whatsovever. In fact, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>' companion and relationship systems prove that <cite>Pokémon</cite> can do more with their human characters without predatory monetisation tactics.
{% cite "Pokémon" %} has a spin-off game that focus more on human characters: {% cite "Pokémon Masters EX" %}, but the fact that it is a gacha game means it is a glorified gambling game that wants you to spend real-world money to gamble to collect the human trainers. However, that is not the case at all in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, since it does not have any in-app purchases whatsovever. In fact, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}' companion and relationship systems prove that {% cite "Pokémon" %} can do more with their human characters without predatory monetisation tactics.
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 3**
### Romance Options
Related to the above point about the companion system and relationship mechanic with human characters, the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games do not have any option for the player to pursue a romance with another character. The closest the main series games attempted a romance arc for the player character is <cite>Omega Ruby</cite> and <cite>Alpha Sapphire</cite>, where the protagonist and their neighbour rival are implied to become a couple in the post-game story by going on a date, as well as <cite>Black 2</cite> and <cite>White 2</cite>, where the protagonist can pursue an optional subplot with a different-gender NPC who eventually develops a crush on the protagonist.
Related to the above point about the companion system and relationship mechanic with human characters, the main series {% cite "Pokémon" %} games do not have any option for the player to pursue a romance with another character. The closest the main series games attempted a romance arc for the player character is {% cite "Omega Ruby" %} and {% cite "Alpha Sapphire" %}, where the protagonist and their neighbour rival are implied to become a couple in the post-game story by going on a date, as well as {% cite "Black 2" %} and {% cite "White 2" %}, where the protagonist can pursue an optional subplot with a different-gender NPC who eventually develops a crush on the protagonist.
<cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, on the other hand, as an addition to its companion system and relationship mechanic, provides players the option to pursue a romance with one of their human companions after raising their relationship level to 5, the highest without romance, with unambiguously romantic dialogue and scenes.
{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, on the other hand, as an addition to its companion system and relationship mechanic, provides players the option to pursue a romance with one of their human companions after raising their relationship level to 5, the highest without romance, with unambiguously romantic dialogue and scenes.
Even though I do not play monster collecting games for romances, nor am I asking for <cite>Pokémon</cite> to add romance options to their games because I am too old to be invested in romances involving fictional children, romance options are a nice addition to a game that is made with adult players in mind like <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.
Even though I do not play monster collecting games for romances, nor am I asking for {% cite "Pokémon" %} to add romance options to their games because I am too old to be invested in romances involving fictional children, romance options are a nice addition to a game that is made with adult players in mind like {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}.
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 4**
If the existence of the option to romance your human companion is not enough, in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> you can romance any of the human companions regardless of your player character's gender. In other words, all the human companions in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> are available as same-gender romance options, which is a blessing for LGBTQ+ players like me.
If the existence of the option to romance your human companion is not enough, in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} you can romance any of the human companions regardless of your player character's gender. In other words, all the human companions in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} are available as same-gender romance options, which is a blessing for LGBTQ+ players like me.
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 5**
### Canon LGBTQ+ Characters and Representation
<cite>Pokémon</cite> is not known for explicitly canon LGBTQ+ representation. The franchise does not have a single confirmed canon same-gender couple. In the shipping side of the <cite>Pokémon</cite> fandom, particularly among LGBTQ+ fans, some same-gender pairings are popular, but it does not change the fact that there is no character in the <cite>Pokémon</cite> franchise who is officially confirmed to be attracted to the same-gender.
{% cite "Pokémon" %} is not known for explicitly canon LGBTQ+ representation. The franchise does not have a single confirmed canon same-gender couple. In the shipping side of the {% cite "Pokémon" %} fandom, particularly among LGBTQ+ fans, some same-gender pairings are popular, but it does not change the fact that there is no character in the {% cite "Pokémon" %} franchise who is officially confirmed to be attracted to the same-gender.
On the flip side, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has canon LGBTQ+ characters. For characters who are attracted to the samge gender, the most notable ones are the human companions, who can be romanced by the player character regardless of gender, meaning they are canonically bisexual. Furthermore, the game also has a pair of NPCs who are revealed in-game to be a gay married couple.
On the flip side, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} has canon LGBTQ+ characters. For characters who are attracted to the samge gender, the most notable ones are the human companions, who can be romanced by the player character regardless of gender, meaning they are canonically bisexual. Furthermore, the game also has a pair of NPCs who are revealed in-game to be a gay married couple.
<details class="spoiler-accordion">
<summary class="spoiler-accordion__hint">Minor Quest Spoilers for <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite></summary>
<summary class="spoiler-accordion__hint">Minor Quest Spoilers for {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}</summary>
<div class="spoiler-accordion__spoiler">
<p>To be specific, this pair of NPCs in question are Leader Ianthe and Ranger Wilma, members of the Ranger Guild. After you defeat all 12 Ranger Captains, and you challenge Ianthe to a battle, Ianthe will reveal that she will fight alongside her wife, who is none other than Ranger Wilma, the woman in charge of the Ranger Guild store. Yes, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has a canon married lesbian couple.</p>
<p>To be specific, this pair of NPCs in question are Leader Ianthe and Ranger Wilma, members of the Ranger Guild. After you defeat all 12 Ranger Captains, and you challenge Ianthe to a battle, Ianthe will reveal that she will fight alongside her wife, who is none other than Ranger Wilma, the woman in charge of the Ranger Guild store. Yes, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} has a canon married lesbian couple.</p>
</div>
</details>
As for transgender and non-binary representation, <cite>Pokémon</cite> has a few ambiguously canon ones, namely [Beauty Nova](https://lgbtqgamearchive.com/2016/05/25/beauty-nova-in-pokemon-xy/), a minor female NPC Trainer from <cite>X</cite> and <cite>Y</cite> who is heavily implied to be a trans woman, and [Blanche](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blanche) from <cite>Pokémon GO</cite>, who is not referred to by gendered pronouns in the English version of the game and official social media accounts. Some other human characters are also commonly interpreted or headcanonned as trans by LGBTQ+ fans, but none of them are officially confirmed to be trans or non-binary.
As for transgender and non-binary representation, {% cite "Pokémon" %} has a few ambiguously canon ones, namely [Beauty Nova](https://lgbtqgamearchive.com/2016/05/25/beauty-nova-in-pokemon-xy/), a minor female NPC Trainer from {% cite "X" %} and {% cite "Y" %} who is heavily implied to be a trans woman, and [Blanche](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blanche) from {% cite "Pokémon GO" %}, who is not referred to by gendered pronouns in the English version of the game and official social media accounts. Some other human characters are also commonly interpreted or headcanonned as trans by LGBTQ+ fans, but none of them are officially confirmed to be trans or non-binary.
>In <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, not only that the player can chose to go by they/them pronouns via the character creator, but there is also a Ranger Captain named <a href="https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Skip" target="blank">Skip</a> who is canonically non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.
>In {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, not only that the player can chose to go by they/them pronouns via the character creator, but there is also a Ranger Captain named <a href="https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Skip" target="blank">Skip</a> who is canonically non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.
In addition to having canon LGBTQ+ characters, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>'s voice cast also includes multiple openly LGBTQ+ voice actors, such as Allegra Clark, J. Michael Tatum, Kayleigh McKee, Liz Morey, Marin M. Miller and Risa Mei. In fact, both Captain Skip and their voice actor Marin M. Miller are non-binary and go by they/them pronouns.
In addition to having canon LGBTQ+ characters, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}'s voice cast also includes multiple openly LGBTQ+ voice actors, such as Allegra Clark, J. Michael Tatum, Kayleigh McKee, Liz Morey, Marin M. Miller and Risa Mei. In fact, both Captain Skip and their voice actor Marin M. Miller are non-binary and go by they/them pronouns.
Looking for LGBTQ+ representation in monster collecting games? Instead of waiting for corporate franchises like <cite>Pokémon</cite> to give you scraps, how about looking at indie titles that actually has canon LGBTQ+ characters like <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> instead?
Looking for LGBTQ+ representation in monster collecting games? Instead of waiting for corporate franchises like {% cite "Pokémon" %} to give you scraps, how about looking at indie titles that actually has canon LGBTQ+ characters like {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} instead?
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 6**
### Voice Acting
Despite some attempts to tell more developed stories with more dialogue and cinematic cutscenes, as of <cite>Scarlet</cite> and <cite>Violet</cite>, none of the main series <cite>Pokémon</cite> games have any voice acting in their dialogue.
Despite some attempts to tell more developed stories with more dialogue and cinematic cutscenes, as of {% cite "Scarlet" %} and {% cite "Violet" %}, none of the main series {% cite "Pokémon" %} games have any voice acting in their dialogue.
On the other hand, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has voiced dialogue. Even though the amount of voiced dialogue in <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is limited, voice acting helps to bring the characters to life and add more character to the game.
On the other hand, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} has voiced dialogue. Even though the amount of voiced dialogue in {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is limited, voice acting helps to bring the characters to life and add more character to the game.
It is more notable when you remember that being an indie game, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> could have completely avoid adding voice acting to save development budget, but the developers added it anyway.
It is more notable when you remember that being an indie game, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} could have completely avoid adding voice acting to save development budget, but the developers added it anyway.
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 7**
Oh, and there is more! <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> actually has an impressive voice cast, especially for an indie game, featuring established, well-known voice actors including Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Allegra Clark, Aleks Le, Sean Chiplock, J. Michael Tatum, Jennifer Losi, Kayleigh McKee, Risa Mei, Marin M. Miller, Cindy Robinson, Edwyn Tiong, etc.
Oh, and there is more! {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} actually has an impressive voice cast, especially for an indie game, featuring established, well-known voice actors including Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Allegra Clark, Aleks Le, Sean Chiplock, J. Michael Tatum, Jennifer Losi, Kayleigh McKee, Risa Mei, Marin M. Miller, Cindy Robinson, Edwyn Tiong, etc.
Bytten Studio and Raw Fury could have just hire unknowns to save budget, but nope, they achieved the remarkable feat of getting multiple famous voice actors for an indie game.
@ -196,34 +196,34 @@ Bytten Studio and Raw Fury could have just hire unknowns to save budget, but nop
### Custom Game Modes
The <cite>Pokémon</cite> player base has various methods of changing up ways of playing the games for fun or for a self-imposed challenge, with the most popular including the [Nuzlocke Challenge](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Nuzlocke_Challenge) and randomizers. These modes of playing <cite>Pokémon</cite> games are never part of the official games.
The {% cite "Pokémon" %} player base has various methods of changing up ways of playing the games for fun or for a self-imposed challenge, with the most popular including the [Nuzlocke Challenge](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Nuzlocke_Challenge) and randomizers. These modes of playing {% cite "Pokémon" %} games are never part of the official games.
<cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> include custom game modes that serve similar purposes as these fan-made game mods for <cite>Pokémon</cite>: permadeath mode, similar to Pokémon's Nuzlocke Challenge, and randomisation mode. These custom game modes can be unlocked by completing the main story or through the [cheats](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Cheats#Unlocking_Custom_Modes).
{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} include custom game modes that serve similar purposes as these fan-made game mods for {% cite "Pokémon" %}: permadeath mode, similar to Pokémon's Nuzlocke Challenge, and randomisation mode. These custom game modes can be unlocked by completing the main story or through the [cheats](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Cheats#Unlocking_Custom_Modes).
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 9**
### Level Scaling and Enemy AI Adjustment Options
A common criticism of the <cite>Pokémon</cite> games from long-time players is the lack of difficulty settings, and even the only pair of games that actually have it, <cite>Black 2</cite> and <cite>White 2</cite>, require you to complete the main campaign to unlock. Moreover, the open-world design of <cite>Scarlet</cite> and <cite>Violet</cite> has been criticised for the lack of level scaling in opponents' Pokémon.
A common criticism of the {% cite "Pokémon" %} games from long-time players is the lack of difficulty settings, and even the only pair of games that actually have it, {% cite "Black 2" %} and {% cite "White 2" %}, require you to complete the main campaign to unlock. Moreover, the open-world design of {% cite "Scarlet" %} and {% cite "Violet" %} has been criticised for the lack of level scaling in opponents' Pokémon.
However, the settings menu of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> already includes sliders to adjust the game's difficulty through the level scaling and enemy AI options from the get go, and does not require you to perform extra steps to unlock, so you are free to make the game easier or more difficult as you wish.
However, the settings menu of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} already includes sliders to adjust the game's difficulty through the level scaling and enemy AI options from the get go, and does not require you to perform extra steps to unlock, so you are free to make the game easier or more difficult as you wish.
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 10**
### Built-In Mod Support
<cite>Pokémon</cite> modding and ROM hacks have existed in the Pokémon player community since the beginning of the series, but modding Pokémon games is never officially supported by Nintendo, Game Freak or The Pokémon Company.
{% cite "Pokémon" %} modding and ROM hacks have existed in the Pokémon player community since the beginning of the series, but modding Pokémon games is never officially supported by Nintendo, Game Freak or The Pokémon Company.
<cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, on the other hand, has built-in support for mods. In fact, the [official Cassette Beasts wiki](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Main_Page) has [modding guides](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Modding:Modding), and the [official Bytten Studio Discord server](https://discord.gg/byttenstudio) has a dedicated <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> modding channel.
{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, on the other hand, has built-in support for mods. In fact, the [official Cassette Beasts wiki](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Main_Page) has [modding guides](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/Modding:Modding), and the [official Bytten Studio Discord server](https://discord.gg/byttenstudio) has a dedicated {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} modding channel.
**They Did Not Need To But They Did It Anyway counter: 11**
## Conclusion
While it is understandable to compare <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> to <cite>Pokémon</cite>, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> has countless claims to forge its own identity apart from the pioneer of the monster collecting role-playing game genre, as explained throughout this essay. As someone who has played <cite>Pokémon</cite> games since the <cite>Red Version</cite> from Generation 1, but has become jaded with the state of the series since <cite>Sword</cite> and <cite>Shield</cite> from Generation 8 and is losing interest in playing their recent titles, <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> provides a perfect indie alternative for something different.
While it is understandable to compare {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} to {% cite "Pokémon" %}, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} has countless claims to forge its own identity apart from the pioneer of the monster collecting role-playing game genre, as explained throughout this essay. As someone who has played {% cite "Pokémon" %} games since the {% cite "Red Version" %} from Generation 1, but has become jaded with the state of the series since {% cite "Sword" %} and {% cite "Shield" %} from Generation 8 and is losing interest in playing their recent titles, {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} provides a perfect indie alternative for something different.
Frequent releases and rushed development schedules have taken their toll on the quality of recent <cite>Pokémon</cite> titles, resulting in cutting corners like empty maps, removal of National PokéDex, etc., and in the case of <cite>Scarlet</cite> and <cite>Violet</cite>, glitches and performance issues. Furthermore, as a multi-billion dollar corporate-owned franchise, <cite>Pokémon</cite> is primarily targeted at children and meant to be able to be enjoyed by everyone, so despite a few attempts to do something new, maximising profit is still prioritised over innovation.
Frequent releases and rushed development schedules have taken their toll on the quality of recent {% cite "Pokémon" %} titles, resulting in cutting corners like empty maps, removal of National PokéDex, etc., and in the case of {% cite "Scarlet" %} and {% cite "Violet" %}, glitches and performance issues. Furthermore, as a multi-billion dollar corporate-owned franchise, {% cite "Pokémon" %} is primarily targeted at children and meant to be able to be enjoyed by everyone, so despite a few attempts to do something new, maximising profit is still prioritised over innovation.
Art that tries to appeal to everyone, even if not bad, tends to be bland and reluctant to take creative risks. <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> is another evidence that indie games can be much more creative than AAA games.
Art that tries to appeal to everyone, even if not bad, tends to be bland and reluctant to take creative risks. {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} is another evidence that indie games can be much more creative than AAA games.
Therefore, if you think you have outgrown <cite>Pokémon</cite> and looking for a more sophisticated and mature monster collector game that actually treats the player like an adult, go play <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.
Therefore, if you think you have outgrown {% cite "Pokémon" %} and looking for a more sophisticated and mature monster collector game that actually treats the player like an adult, go play {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}.

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---
Here is a collection of reviews, articles and commentary videos from other people about <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>. If you need more convincing than my words about why you should play <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, check these links out. 😎
Here is a collection of reviews, articles and commentary videos from other people about {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}. If you need more convincing than my words about why you should play {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, check these links out. 😎
## Reviews
<ul class="content-list">
<li><a href="https://techraptor.net/gaming/reviews/cassette-beasts-review" target="blank">Cassette Beasts Review</a> by Brittany Alva at TechRaptor (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-cassette-beasts/439840/" target="blank">Review: Cassette Beasts</a> by Jeremy Peeples at Hardcore Gamer (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2023/04/26/cassette-beasts-review-pc/" target="_blank"><cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> Review: Where <cite>Pokémon</cite>, <cite>Persona</cite> and <cite>Breath of the Wild</cite> Collide</a> by Josh Speer at Hey Poor Player (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2023/04/26/cassette-beasts-review-pc/" target="_blank">{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} Review: Where {% cite "Pokémon" %}, {% cite "Persona" %} and {% cite "Breath of the Wild" %} Collide</a> by Josh Speer at Hey Poor Player (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/cassette-beasts-review" target="_blank">Cassette Beasts review: dropping the mic on the Pokémon-like</a> by Katharine Castle at Rock Paper Shotgun (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://ladiesgamers.com/cassette-beasts-review/" target="_blank"><cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> Review: Where <cite>Pokémon</cite>, <cite>Persona</cite> and <cite>Breath of the Wild</cite> Collide</a> by Lottie Childs at LadiesGamers (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://ladiesgamers.com/cassette-beasts-review/" target="_blank">{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} Review: Where {% cite "Pokémon" %}, {% cite "Persona" %} and {% cite "Breath of the Wild" %} Collide</a> by Lottie Childs at LadiesGamers (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.godisageek.com/reviews/cassette-beasts-review/" target="_blank">Cassette Beasts review</a> by Lyle Carr at GodisaGeek (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2023/04/26/cassette-beasts-review/" target="blank">Cassette Beasts Review</a> by Nic Bunce at TheSixthAxis (26 April 2023)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.escapistmagazine.com/cassette-beasts-review-in-3-minutes/" target="blank">Cassette Beasts Review in 3 Minutes – An Excellent, Imaginative Monster-Catcher Game</a> by Amy Campbell at The Escapist (27 April 2023)</li>

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## Discussions
<ul class="content-list">
<li><a href="https://discord.gg/byttenstudio" target="blank">Bytten Studio Discord server</a> — The official Discord server of the developer of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>, including channels for <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.</li>
<li><a href="https://discord.gg/byttenstudio" target="blank">Bytten Studio Discord server</a> — The official Discord server of the developer of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}, including channels for {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/cassettebeasts/" target="_blank">Cassette Beasts subreddit</a></li>
</ul>

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## Where to Find <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> Trivia
## Where to Find {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} Trivia
You can find trivia about the game from:
@ -24,9 +24,9 @@ You can find trivia about the game from:
* [Reddit AMA on r/NintendoSwitch](https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/14nvsiu/ama_we_are_bytten_studio_the_developers_of/) on 1 July 2023
* [Reddit AMA on r/JRPG](https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/1bniroh/we_are_bytten_studio_developers_of_the/) on 25 March 2024
[Here is a list of interviews](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/List_of_Interviews) that staff who worked on Cassette Beasts participated in and discussed <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>.
[Here is a list of interviews](https://wiki.cassettebeasts.com/wiki/List_of_Interviews) that staff who worked on Cassette Beasts participated in and discussed {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}.
Bytten Studio has written a blog post on [their design philosophy of <cite>Cassette Beasts</cite>](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1321440/view/6349565145235433772).
Bytten Studio has written a blog post on [their design philosophy of {% cite "Cassette Beasts" %}](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1321440/view/6349565145235433772).
## Development History
@ -76,13 +76,13 @@ Late 2019
: Android and iOS versions [confirmed](https://twitter.com/ByttenStudio/status/1782442549552017482) to be released on 4 June 2024 with a [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqcDR6-sRVw).
## Accolades
<cite>Cassette Beasts</cite> was [nominated for The British Game](https://twitter.com/ByttenStudio/status/1765742782700782040) at the 20th British Academy (BAFTA) Games Awards.
{% cite "Cassette Beasts" %} was [nominated for The British Game](https://twitter.com/ByttenStudio/status/1765742782700782040) at the 20th British Academy (BAFTA) Games Awards.
## Influences and Inspirations
The YouTube channel Lockstin & Gnoggin has a video that explains the names and designs of the monsters and Archangels: [EVERY Cassette Beast EXPLAINED! 🖭](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlKQzL6gpxc). The video was [retweeted](https://i.postimg.cc/tRdtkBSF/Screenshot-2023-10-05-at-14-27-39-Lockstin-on-X.png) by Bytten Studio.
The idea of copying monster forms to transform into came from Tom Coxon's dream. Jay Baylis, inspired by <cite>Kamen Rider</cite>, later suggested doing the copying and transforming with physical cassette tapes. [\[Source\]](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1321440/view/3669908058337516561)
The idea of copying monster forms to transform into came from Tom Coxon's dream. Jay Baylis, inspired by {% cite "Kamen Rider" %}, later suggested doing the copying and transforming with physical cassette tapes. [\[Source\]](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1321440/view/3669908058337516561)
Another oddball source of inspiration for Tom the story [“The Beatles Never Broke Up”](https://thebeatlesneverbrokeup.com/story/), about a man who in 2009 hit his head and woke up in another world where the Beatles still exist, where people still use analogue technology, and where parallel universe travel is commonplace. [\[Source\]](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1321440/view/3669908058337516561)

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---
<section class="content__section">
<h2>Welcome to Leilukin's <cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> Shrine!</h2>
<h2>Welcome to Leilukin's {% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" %} Shrine!</h2>
<img src="/assets/shrines/starwarskotor/images/swkotor-header.jpg" alt="Cover arts of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series">
<p><cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> (<cite>KotOR</cite>) is a space opera role-playing video game series. The series takes place in the fictional universe of <cite>Star Wars</cite>, with the story taking place approximately 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire.</p>
<p>The first title was developed by BioWare while the second (<cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords</cite>) was done by Obsidian Entertainmenr. Both games were published by LucasArts. The <cite>KOTOR</cite> series also includes a subsequent new comic book series. Both comic series were published by Dark Horse Comics and act as prequels to the video games.</p>
<p>To learn more about the <cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> series, you can check out the <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/" target="blank">KotOR Community Portal</a>.</p>
<p>{% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" %} ({% cite "KotOR" %}) is a space opera role-playing video game series. The series takes place in the fictional universe of {% cite "Star Wars" %}, with the story taking place approximately 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire.</p>
<p>The first title was developed by BioWare while the second ({% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords" %}) was done by Obsidian Entertainmenr. Both games were published by LucasArts. The {% cite "KotOR" %} series also includes a subsequent new comic book series. Both comic series were published by Dark Horse Comics and act as prequels to the video games.</p>
<p>To learn more about the {% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" %} series, you can check out the <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/" target="blank">KotOR Community Portal</a>.</p>
</section>
<section class="content__section">
<h2>My History with the <cite>KotOR</cite> Series</h2>
<p>I had been a <cite>Star Wars</cite> fan since I was 13 in 2005 after watching <cite>Revenge of the Sith</cite> in cinema. However, I was not aware of the existence of the <cite>Knights of the Old Republic</cite> video game series until around 2010, after seeing other <cite>Star Wars</cite> fans on Baidu Tieba talked about those games. I started playing the first <cite>KotOR</cite> game in early 2011, immediately followed by <cite>KotOR 2</cite>, and the series has been one of my special interests ever since.</p>
<h2>My History with the {% cite "KotOR" %} Series</h2>
<p>I had been a {% cite "Star Wars" %} fan since I was 13 in 2005 after watching {% cite "Revenge of the Sith" %} in cinema. However, I was not aware of the existence of the {% cite "Knights of the Old Republic" %} video game series until around 2010, after seeing other {% cite "Star Wars" %} fans on Baidu Tieba talked about those games. I started playing the first {% cite "KotOR" %} game in early 2011, immediately followed by {% cite "KotOR 2" %}, and the series has been one of my special interests ever since.</p>
<p>I was hooked immediately to the <cite>KotOR</cite> series when I played them. The first <cite>KotOR</cite> game was the first Western RPG I had played. I was drawn to the games' story and characters and the games' focus on them, since the <cite>KotOR</cite> series was also the most story-heavy games I played at the time. KotOR was also the first video game I played where you can pursue a romance with a character, which was a concept that blew my young mind at the time., because before <cite>KotOR</cite>, I thought a romance between your player character and an NPC you like can only exist in imagination via shipping or fanfiction.</p>
<p>I was hooked immediately to the {% cite "KotOR" %} series when I played them. The first {% cite "KotOR" %} game was the first Western RPG I had played. I was drawn to the games' story and characters and the games' focus on them, since the {% cite "KotOR" %} series was also the most story-heavy games I played at the time. KotOR was also the first video game I played where you can pursue a romance with a character, which was a concept that blew my young mind at the time., because before {% cite "KotOR" %}, I thought a romance between your player character and an NPC you like can only exist in imagination via shipping or fanfiction.</p>
<p>My investment in the <cite>KotOR</cite> series has evolved over time, leading to me learning to mod the games and become a modder.</p>
<p>My investment in the {% cite "KotOR" %} series has evolved over time, leading to me learning to mod the games and become a modder.</p>
</section>
<section class="content__section">
<h2>My History with <cite>KotOR</cite> Modding</h2>
<p>I began to use and get interested in <cite>KotOR</cite> mods since the mid-2010s, in no small part thanks to <a href="https://deadlystream.com/files/file/578-tsl-restored-content-mod/" target="_blank">The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)</a>, which is widely regarded as an essential mod for the best experience with <cite>KotOR 2</cite>, as the game's rushed development led to many contents being cut from the game. This led me to discover more <cite>KotOR</cite> mods hosted on <a href="https://deadlystream.com/" target="_blank">Deadly Stream</a>, which include the developers of TSLRCM, and <a href="https://www.gamefront.com/" target="_blank">GameFront</a>.</p>
<h2>My History with {% cite "KotOR" %} Modding</h2>
<p>I began to use and get interested in {% cite "KotOR" %} mods since the mid-2010s, in no small part thanks to <a href="https://deadlystream.com/files/file/578-tsl-restored-content-mod/" target="_blank">The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)</a>, which is widely regarded as an essential mod for the best experience with {% cite "KotOR 2" %}, as the game's rushed development led to many contents being cut from the game. This led me to discover more {% cite "KotOR" %} mods hosted on <a href="https://deadlystream.com/" target="_blank">Deadly Stream</a>, which include the developers of TSLRCM, and <a href="https://www.gamefront.com/" target="_blank">GameFront</a>.</p>
<p>In mid-2010s, the <cite>KotOR</cite> fan circle I was involved in on Tumblr also included modders, who inspired me to learn to create mods myself. I did not have any programming exprience when I started learning modding <cite>KotOR</cite>, so it took practice to learn and understand the modding tutorials on Deadly Stream and the now-defunct LucasForums (R.I.P.).</p>
<p>In mid-2010s, the {% cite "KotOR" %} fan circle I was involved in on Tumblr also included modders, who inspired me to learn to create mods myself. I did not have any programming exprience when I started learning modding {% cite "KotOR" %}, so it took practice to learn and understand the modding tutorials on Deadly Stream and the now-defunct LucasForums (R.I.P.).</p>
<p>The very first <cite>KotOR</cite> mod I created was <a href="https://deadlystream.com/files/file/1012-tsl-improved-party-outfits/" target="_blank">TSL Improved Party Outfits</a> in 2015, though initially I only meant it for personal use, until I released it to the public on 4 February 2017. The first <cite>KotOR</cite> mod I released to the public was <a href="https://deadlystream.com/files/file/968-visas-marr-and-female-exile-romance/" target="_blank">Visas Marr and Female Exile Romance</a> on 15 December 2016.</p>
<p>The very first {% cite "KotOR" %} mod I created was <a href="https://deadlystream.com/files/file/1012-tsl-improved-party-outfits/" target="_blank">TSL Improved Party Outfits</a> in 2015, though initially I only meant it for personal use, until I released it to the public on 4 February 2017. The first {% cite "KotOR" %} mod I released to the public was <a href="https://deadlystream.com/files/file/968-visas-marr-and-female-exile-romance/" target="_blank">Visas Marr and Female Exile Romance</a> on 15 December 2016.</p>
<p>Making same-gender romance mods for <cite>KotOR 2</cite> was the primary motivation for me to make and release <cite>KotOR</cite> mods myself. I was immensely frustrated by the total lack of same-gender romance mods for any of the <cite>KotOR 2</cite> characters, and every other LGBTQ+ <cite>KotOR</cite> fans I have interacted with on Tumblr share the same sentiment. Therefore, I decided to stop waiting for <cite>KotOR 2</cite> same-gender romance mods to happen, and be the change myself. To my great satisfication, my same-gender romance mods have been well-received, with fellow LGBTQ+ players expressing gratitude for their existence. My <a href="https://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/977-handmaiden-and-female-exile-disciple-and-male-exile-romance/" target="_blank">Handmaiden and Female Exile - Disciple and Male Exile Romance</a> mod would go on to win the <a href="https://deadlystream.com/topic/5983-mod-of-the-year-results/" target="_blank">Mod of the Year 2017</a> award on Deadly Stream.</p>
<p>Making same-gender romance mods for {% cite "KotOR 2" %} was the primary motivation for me to make and release {% cite "KotOR" %} mods myself. I was immensely frustrated by the total lack of same-gender romance mods for any of the {% cite "KotOR 2" %} characters, and every other LGBTQ+ {% cite "KotOR" %} fans I have interacted with on Tumblr share the same sentiment. Therefore, I decided to stop waiting for {% cite "KotOR 2" %} same-gender romance mods to happen, and be the change myself. To my great satisfication, my same-gender romance mods have been well-received, with fellow LGBTQ+ players expressing gratitude for their existence. My <a href="https://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/977-handmaiden-and-female-exile-disciple-and-male-exile-romance/" target="_blank">Handmaiden and Female Exile - Disciple and Male Exile Romance</a> mod would go on to win the <a href="https://deadlystream.com/topic/5983-mod-of-the-year-results/" target="_blank">Mod of the Year 2017</a> award on Deadly Stream.</p>
<p>I love modding the <cite>KotOR</cite> games, not only because the games are a special interest of mine, but also I love creating things for my interests. Modifying the games made me feel like I have the power to change the game to make them better and more enjoyable, and thus improve my experience with playing the games.</p>
<p>I love modding the {% cite "KotOR" %} games, not only because the games are a special interest of mine, but also I love creating things for my interests. Modifying the games made me feel like I have the power to change the game to make them better and more enjoyable, and thus improve my experience with playing the games.</p>
</section>

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@ -46,5 +46,5 @@ eleventyNavigation:
## KotOR Articles I Recommend
<ul class="content-list">
<li><a href="https://somblog.tumblr.com/post/175466502069/this-isnt-a-star-wars-fandom-blog-but-ive-been" target="_blank">This essay about Juhani</a> by Tumblr user somblog is an excellent analysis of Juhani's character.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/kotor/comments/129co74/in_defense_of_peragus_its_not_just_welldesigned/" target="_blank">In Defense of Peragus: it’s not just well-designed, it’s a uniquely good level too</a> by Snigaroo on the KotOR Subreddit — An excellent essay that goes into detail in explaining why some of us actually find Peragus a good level. I am among the minority that genuinely enjoy Peragus, to the extent that I never even considered using any mod to skip the level, and I replay all the hologram recordings throughout Peragus and the Harbinger every time I replay <cite>KotOR 2</cite>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/kotor/comments/129co74/in_defense_of_peragus_its_not_just_welldesigned/" target="_blank">In Defense of Peragus: it’s not just well-designed, it’s a uniquely good level too</a> by Snigaroo on the KotOR Subreddit — An excellent essay that goes into detail in explaining why some of us actually find Peragus a good level. I am among the minority that genuinely enjoy Peragus, to the extent that I never even considered using any mod to skip the level, and I replay all the hologram recordings throughout Peragus and the Harbinger every time I replay {% cite "KotOR 2" %}.</li>
</ul>

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@ -47,17 +47,17 @@ I have also compiled a [list of all the same-gender romance mods](/shrines/starw
When I installed your mod, I got the error message: <i>"[ERROR] Unhandled exception: Access violation at address [a bunch of numbers]. Write of address [a bunch of numbers] (0)"</i>.
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>Try to right-click your <cite>KotOR 2</cite> folder or subfolders, go to Properties and uncheck the "Read-only", then try to install my mod again to see if it works.</p>
<p>Try to right-click your {% cite "KotOR 2" %} folder or subfolders, go to Properties and uncheck the "Read-only", then try to install my mod again to see if it works.</p>
</div>
</details>
<details class="qna-accordion">
<summary class="qna-accordion__question">
When installing your <cite>KotOR 2</cite> mod, I got "Destination file <i>"Modules\[____].mod" does not exist at the specified location! Skipping section... [Error]"</i> and other similar errors, even though I had installed the installer (.exe) version of The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod.
When installing your {% cite "KotOR 2" %} mod, I got "Destination file <i>"Modules\[____].mod" does not exist at the specified location! Skipping section... [Error]"</i> and other similar errors, even though I had installed the installer (.exe) version of The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod.
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>First, go to the folder where your <cite>KotOR 2 game</cite> is installed, and go to the Modules folder, then <strong>check if the .mod files mentioned in the error messages are in your Modules folder</strong>.</p>
<p>For example, for Handmaiden and Female Exile – Disciple and Male Exile Romance mod, you need to check if these .mod files are in your Modules folder:</p>
<p>First, go to the folder where your <cite>KotOR 2</cite> game is installed, and go to the Modules folder, then <strong>check if the .mod files mentioned in the error messages are in your Modules folder</strong>.</p>
<p>For example, for Handmaiden and Female Exile – Disciple and Male Exile Romance mod, you need to check if these .mod files are in your Modules folder:</p>
<ul>
<li>003EBO.mod</li>
<li>006EBO.mod</li>
@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ I have also compiled a [list of all the same-gender romance mods](/shrines/starw
<li>909MAL.mod</li>
<li>950COR.mod</li>
</ul>
<p>If you cannot find those .mod files in your Modules folder, your issue might be caused by your computer registering two different installation locations for <cite>KotOR 2</cite>. I suggest you check out <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=779622644" target="_blank">this guide on how to make sure your computer recognize the version of <cite>KotOR 2</cite> game where you want to install KotOR 2 mods on</a>. While the guide focuses on Steam version of KotOR 2, you could edit the registry to make your computer properly recognise the installation location of your KotOR 2 game.</p>
<p>Here are the default installation locations of <cite>KotOR 2</cite> depending on the game version:</p>
<p>If you cannot find those .mod files in your Modules folder, your issue might be caused by your computer registering two different installation locations for {% cite "KotOR 2" %}. I suggest you check out <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=779622644" target="_blank">this guide on how to make sure your computer recognize the version of {% cite "KotOR 2" %} game where you want to install KotOR 2 mods on</a>. While the guide focuses on Steam version of KotOR 2, you could edit the registry to make your computer properly recognise the installation location of your KotOR 2 game.</p>
<p>Here are the default installation locations of {% cite "KotOR 2" %} depending on the game version:</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="bold-text">Steam (32-bit Windows):</span> C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Knights of the Old Republic II</li>
<li><span class="bold-text">Steam (64-bit Windows):</span> C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Knights of the Old Republic II</li>
@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ I have also compiled a [list of all the same-gender romance mods](/shrines/starw
Will you upload your mods to Steam Workshop?
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p><strong>NO.</strong> I do not use Steam Workshop, and frankly, I hate the Steam Workshop for how terrible it is for modding <cite>KotOR 2</cite> and how much mod compatibility issues it causes. I suggest you read <a href="https://deadlystream.com/topic/7321-why-not-to-use-the-steam-workshop/" target="_blank">this post on why using Steam Workshop is NOT recommend for modding <cite>KotOR 2</cite></a>. Therefore, I DO NOT want any of my mods to be added to the Steam Workshop.</p>
<p><strong>NO.</strong> I do not use Steam Workshop, and frankly, I hate the Steam Workshop for how terrible it is for modding {% cite "KotOR 2" %} and how much mod compatibility issues it causes. I suggest you read <a href="https://deadlystream.com/topic/7321-why-not-to-use-the-steam-workshop/" target="_blank">this post on why using Steam Workshop is NOT recommend for modding {% cite "KotOR 2" %}</a>. Therefore, I DO NOT want any of my mods to be added to the Steam Workshop.</p>
<p><strong>STOP ASKING FOR ANY OF MY MODS TO BE ADDED THE STEAM WORKHOP. MY ASNWER WILL ALWAYS BE A FIRM <em>NO</em>, FULL STOP. NO EXCEPTIONS.</strong></p>
</div>
</details>
@ -131,32 +131,32 @@ I have also compiled a [list of all the same-gender romance mods](/shrines/starw
<details class="qna-accordion">
<summary class="qna-accordion__question">
Can I use your mods with non-English localizations of the <cite>KOtOR</cite> games and The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)?
Can I use your mods with non-English localizations of the {% cite "KotOR" %} games and The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)?
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>No. I play and mod the <cite>KotOR</cite> game in English exclusively. Some of my mods in particular will cause your game to crash if you are playing a non-English localization of the <cite>KotOR</cite> games and TSLRCM, because those mods add custom dialogues that do not exist in the vanilla game in order to prevent characters from referring to the player character as the wrong gender. The only solution to crashes caused by you playing on a non-English localization is to play the <cite>KotOR</cite> games and TSLRCM in English.</p>
<p>If you are interested in making a non-English translation or localization of my mods yourself, you may contact me to ask for my permission to do so. However, since I am not familiar with any of the non-English languages officially supported by the <cite>KotOR</cite> games, I am unable to provide support for any issues players may have with using your non-English translation or localization of my mod.</p>
<p>No. I play and mod the {% cite "KotOR" %} game in English exclusively. Some of my mods in particular will cause your game to crash if you are playing a non-English localization of the {% cite "KotOR" %} games and TSLRCM, because those mods add custom dialogues that do not exist in the vanilla game in order to prevent characters from referring to the player character as the wrong gender. The only solution to crashes caused by you playing on a non-English localization is to play the {% cite "KotOR" %} games and TSLRCM in English.</p>
<p>If you are interested in making a non-English translation or localization of my mods yourself, you may contact me to ask for my permission to do so. However, since I am not familiar with any of the non-English languages officially supported by the {% cite "KotOR" %} games, I am unable to provide support for any issues players may have with using your non-English translation or localization of my mod.</p>
</div>
</details>
<details class="qna-accordion">
<summary class="qna-accordion__question">
For your <cite>KotOR 2</cite> mods that require The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM) to work, will you make an alternate version that does not require TSLRCM?
For your {% cite "KotOR 2" %} mods that require The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM) to work, will you make an alternate version that does not require TSLRCM?
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>No, I will not make a no-TSLRCM version of my mods that require TSLRCM to function. TSLRCM is widely agreed by players, including KotOR modders, to be an essential mod for the best experience with <cite>KotOR 2</cite>. Making a non-TSLRCM version of content mod like this would require me to spend extra time to replay <cite>KotOR 2</cite> without TSLRCM, and therefore subjecting myself to a lesser experience with the game, which I consider a massive waste of my time. In general, if you see any <cite>KotOR 2</cite> mod that requires TSLRCM to work (not just my mods), do not expect to see a non-TSLRCM version.</p>
<p>No, I will not make a no-TSLRCM version of my mods that require TSLRCM to function. TSLRCM is widely agreed by players, including KotOR modders, to be an essential mod for the best experience with {% cite "KotOR 2" %}. Making a non-TSLRCM version of content mod like this would require me to spend extra time to replay {% cite "KotOR 2" %} without TSLRCM, and therefore subjecting myself to a lesser experience with the game, which I consider a massive waste of my time. In general, if you see any {% cite "KotOR 2" %} mod that requires TSLRCM to work (not just my mods), do not expect to see a non-TSLRCM version.</p>
<p>If you are having issues with using TSLRCM, I suggest you report the bugs you encountered and ask for help for solving your issues on the <a href="https://deadlystream.com/forum/4-tslrcm/" target="_blank">TSLRCM forum on Deadly Stream</a>.</p>
</div>
</details>
<details class="qna-accordion">
<summary class="qna-accordion__question">
How to install your mods on the Xbox/Android/iOS/Nintendo Switch/any other non-PC version of <cite>KotOR</cite> or <cite>KotOR 2</cite>?
How to install your mods on the Xbox/Android/iOS/Nintendo Switch/any other non-PC version of {% cite "KotOR" %} or {% cite "KotOR 2" %}?
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>Sorry, <strong>I cannot help directly with modding the KotOR games on any console or mobile devices, because I only own the PC version of the <cite>KotOR</cite> games</strong>. I make no promises that I will port my KotOR mods for those platforms specifically either.</p>
<p>Some of my mods require TSLPatcher to install to make the mod work properly, especially if you also want to use other mods in addition to my mods and for <cite>KotOR 2</cite>, The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod. Simply copying and pasting files from my mod to your game's directory does NOT guarantee my mod will work as intended, and you may encounter bugs that could possibly game-breaking.</p>
<p>For Android and iOS users, I suggest referring to the <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/modding/" target="blank">KotOR Community Portal's modding guide</a>, specifically their general instructions in their mobile mod builds. See <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/modding/mod_builds/k1/full_mobile#General_Instructions" target="_blank">this page for <cite>KotOR 1</cite></a> and <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/modding/mod_builds/k2/full_mobile#General_Instructions" target="_blank">this page for <cite>KotOR 2</cite></a>.</p>
<p>Sorry, <strong>I cannot help directly with modding the KotOR games on any console or mobile devices, because I only own the PC version of the {% cite "KotOR" %} games</strong>. I make no promises that I will port my KotOR mods for those platforms specifically either.</p>
<p>Some of my mods require TSLPatcher to install to make the mod work properly, especially if you also want to use other mods in addition to my mods and for {% cite "KotOR 2" %}, The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod. Simply copying and pasting files from my mod to your game's directory does NOT guarantee my mod will work as intended, and you may encounter bugs that could possibly game-breaking.</p>
<p>For Android and iOS users, I suggest referring to the <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/modding/" target="blank">KotOR Community Portal's modding guide</a>, specifically their general instructions in their mobile mod builds. See <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/modding/mod_builds/k1/full_mobile#General_Instructions" target="_blank">this page for {% cite "KotOR 1" %}</a> and <a href="https://kotor.neocities.org/modding/mod_builds/k2/full_mobile#General_Instructions" target="_blank">this page for {% cite "KotOR 2" %}</a>.</p>
<p>For Nintendo Switch users, in order to mod the KotOR game on Switch, first you need to hack your Switch or install a modchip in your Switch, then use the <a href="https://deadlystream.com/files/file/2102-kotor-switch-modding-framework/" target="_blank">KotOR Switch Modding Framework</a> and <a href="https://deadlystream.com/files/file/2106-kotor-ii-switch-modding-framework/" target="_blank">KotOR II Switch Modding Framework</a> to install mods. According to JacqylFrost, the creator of these frameworks, both TSLRCM and my Handmaiden same-geneder romance mod work with the KotOR 2 version of the framework. I suggest you ask JacqylFrost directly if you need help with modding the KotOR games on Switch.</p>
<p>For Steam Deck users, you may refer to JacqylFrost's <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/kotor/comments/10horqp/steam_deck_modding_including_modbuild/" target="_blank">Steam Deck modding guide</a> on the KotOR subreddit.</p>
</div>
@ -169,8 +169,8 @@ I have also compiled a [list of all the same-gender romance mods](/shrines/starw
Will you add kissing scenes to your romance mods?
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>No. The goal of my same-gender romance mods is not necessary to add new content, but to allow players to experience the pre-existing romance content in the <cite>KotOR</cite> series without the heterosexual gender restrictions. Kissing scenes are beyond the scope of my mods, and I do not necessary have the skills required (such as modelling, animations, etc.) to create them either, especially given how limited the animations in these old games are.</p>
<p>For Carth Onasi and Male PC Romance mod for <cite>KotOR 1</cite>, if you want your male PC to kiss Carth, you may install cjt0202's <a href="http://www.cjt0202.net/carth_romance.php" target="_blank">Carth Romance Fix</a> mod, then install the compatibility patch provided in my mod.</p>
<p>No. The goal of my same-gender romance mods is not necessary to add new content, but to allow players to experience the pre-existing romance content in the {% cite "KotOR" %} series without the heterosexual gender restrictions. Kissing scenes are beyond the scope of my mods, and I do not necessary have the skills required (such as modelling, animations, etc.) to create them either, especially given how limited the animations in these old games are.</p>
<p>For Carth Onasi and Male PC Romance mod for {% cite "KotOR 1" %}, if you want your male PC to kiss Carth, you may install cjt0202's <a href="http://www.cjt0202.net/carth_romance.php" target="_blank">Carth Romance Fix</a> mod, then install the compatibility patch provided in my mod.</p>
</div>
</details>
@ -188,8 +188,8 @@ I have also compiled a [list of all the same-gender romance mods](/shrines/starw
Why do you make everyone gay?
</summary>
<div class="qna-accordion__answer">
<p>I am a lesbian who would like to see more representation of LGBTQ+ people and relationships in media, including <cite>Star Wars</cite>, and I am not the only one who feels this way. I made these same-gender romance mods for fellow LGBTQ+ players who want more gay content in <cite>KotOR</cite> as well. I find <cite>KotOR 2</cite>'s complete lack of same-gender romance options especially disaappointing, since the first <cite>KotOR</cite> at least has Juhani as a canon lesbian romance option, so I made these mods to fill the void. In fact, after releasing my same-gender romance mods, many other LGBTQ+ players have expressed gratitute for the existence of these mods, and consider these mods a huge improvement to their <cite>KotOR</cite> experience.</p>
<p>Cisgender heterosexual people already get countless representations in media, including <cite>Star Wars</cite>, bcause cishet people are considered the default and the norm. If the idea that everyone in your favorite piece of media could be gay makes you uncomfortable, perhaps you meed to examine why you feel that way. Keep in mind that <strong>LGBTQ+ people already have to see countless pieces of mainstream media filled with cisgender heterosexual characters without a single LGBTQ+ character even existing</strong>.
<p>I am a lesbian who would like to see more representation of LGBTQ+ people and relationships in media, including {% cite "Star Wars" %}, and I am not the only one who feels this way. I made these same-gender romance mods for fellow LGBTQ+ players who want more gay content in {% cite "KotOR" %} as well. I find {% cite "KotOR 2" %}'s complete lack of same-gender romance options especially disaappointing, since the first {% cite "KotOR" %} at least has Juhani as a canon lesbian romance option, so I made these mods to fill the void. In fact, after releasing my same-gender romance mods, many other LGBTQ+ players have expressed gratitute for the existence of these mods, and consider these mods a huge improvement to their {% cite "KotOR" %} experience.</p>
<p>Cisgender heterosexual people already get countless representations in media, including {% cite "Star Wars" %}, bcause cishet people are considered the default and the norm. If the idea that everyone in your favorite piece of media could be gay makes you uncomfortable, perhaps you meed to examine why you feel that way. Keep in mind that <strong>LGBTQ+ people already have to see countless pieces of mainstream media filled with cisgender heterosexual characters without a single LGBTQ+ character even existing</strong>.
<p>Frankly, opposing the concept of same-gender romance mods for video games for any reason is homophobic. As a gay person, this is a stance I will not change my mind on. Any comment or message that tries to argue with me otherwise will be ignored or deleted without response.</p>
</div>
</details>
@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ I have also compiled a [list of all the same-gender romance mods](/shrines/starw
<li><strong>You did not install my mod correctly</strong>. Either you get errors when installing the “Default Installation” option, or you did not install DarthTyren's PartySwap mod first before installing the “PartySwap Compatible” option of my mod.</li>
<li><strong>You have a <code class="inline-code">holorec.dlg</code> file in the Override folder</strong>, either from a mod you are using or a mod you previously used. If there is a <code class="inline-code">holorec.dlg</code> in your Override folder, delete it.</li>
<li><strong>You may have some leftover Steam Workshop folders in your Steam directory</strong> that overrides the portion where Handmaiden is supposed to join your party. To solve this, go to the Steam Workshop folder in your Steam directory (/\Steam\SteamApps\Workshop\), and delete all the sub-folders in the Steam Workshop folder.</li>
<li>Similar to the above, <strong>you may have some leftover files from a mod you used in your previous playthrough</strong> in your <cite>KotOR 2</cite> game directory that interferes the portion where Handmaiden is supposed to join your party. The best way to solve this is to uninstall your game, delete your <cite>KotOR 2</cite> game folder entirely, and then re-install the game and the mods you want to use.</li>
<li>Similar to the above, <strong>you may have some leftover files from a mod you used in your previous playthrough</strong> in your {% cite "KotOR 2" %} game directory that interferes the portion where Handmaiden is supposed to join your party. The best way to solve this is to uninstall your game, delete your {% cite "KotOR 2" %} game folder entirely, and then re-install the game and the mods you want to use.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</details>

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@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ eleventyNavigation:
## KotOR 1 Guides by Others
<ul class="content-list">
<li><a href="https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Knights_of_the_Old_Republic" target="_blank"><cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite> section</a> on StrategyWiki</li>
<li><a href="https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Knights_of_the_Old_Republic" target="_blank">{% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" %} section</a> on StrategyWiki</li>
</ul>
## KotOR 2: TSL Guides by Others

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@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ eleventyNavigation:
Here are the modifications for the KotOR series I have created.
<ul class="content-list">
<li><a href="/projects/kotor1mods/" target="_blank"><cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</cite></a></li>
<li><a href="/projects/kotor2mods/" target="_blank"><cite>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords</cite></a></li>
<li><a href="/projects/kotor1mods/" target="_blank">{% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" %}</a></li>
<li><a href="/projects/kotor2mods/" target="_blank">{% cite "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords" %}</a></li>
</ul>
## My Modder's Resource
@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ Here are the modifications for the KotOR series I have created.
## My Mod Lists
<ul class="content-list">
<li><a href="./kotor-same-gender-romance-mods">List of Same-Gender Romance Mods for the <cite>KotOR</cite> Series</a></li>
<li><a href="./kotor2-female-exile-recruit-handmaiden-mods">List of <cite>KotOR 2</cite> Mods that Allow Female Exiles to Recruit the Handmaiden as a Party Member</a></li>
<li><a href="./kotor-same-gender-romance-mods">List of Same-Gender Romance Mods for the {% cite "KotOR" %} Series</a></li>
<li><a href="./kotor2-female-exile-recruit-handmaiden-mods">List of {% cite "KotOR 2" %} Mods that Allow Female Exiles to Recruit the Handmaiden as a Party Member</a></li>
</ul>
## References