Hi Manedza! ☺️ Thank you so much!! Thanks for checking out One Last Goodbye! I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the story and actually checked out both routes! 🌸 Haha, yes, William is very sweet! 🥰
Spoilers
I just have to speak in Haorang / the young master’s defence as the author! 🤣 Their story is actually quite touching too. The YM loved Pei-er a lot despite differences in social status, and he never saw her as someone beneath him. He believed in her potential and wanted to help her rise above the identity / beliefs / self-image that society imposed on her. Their story only became a tragedy because they were not confident in each other’s affections and feelings. Despite misunderstanding Pei-er, the YM forgave her and accepted the possibility of her being with another man, but still carried strong feelings for her even in another lifetime (though of course, him as Haorang also suffered feelings of jealousy). What I wanted to illustrate through their story is the freedom that they gave each other to choose and love. If their world had not been so turbulent, they could have enjoyed a life together, though of course, as hinted in the story, it would not have been easy or perfect either due to the prevalent social norms of the time.I have plans to add in an extended ending for both routes, but I am not sure how much I can do! Hopefully this can show that their stories will never end! 😊
The suffix “-er” is just pronounced “err”, but with a shorter “r” sound so it is more like “er”.
Thanks for letting me know how you felt about the historical parts! The story is set in Hong Kong, during the British colonial rule, near the end of the Qing dynasty in China. I didn’t include any information on the historical background because I didn’t want to make these details more important than the personal feelings, experiences, and journeys of the characters, and the bonds that they developed with each other in the story.
And thank you for letting me know that parts of the game spooked you! I did add a content advisory at the start of the game, but I will elaborate on the details in future updates, such as loud noises, and potentially sensitive situations such as being held at gunpoint. I hope you weren’t too spooked or affected! 😣
On some of the themes in the story
As for the religious aspect of the story, the game is not advocating any religion, so I didn’t think that any advisory regarding this would be needed. William’s route does involve a priest, but it is more to illustrate a cultural aspect associated with him as a Western coloniser, the same way as how in Haorang’s route moving on is associated less with established religious beliefs, than with a personal journey towards self-enlightenment. If religious/spiritual symbols are present, they are only there to serve as cultural juxtapositions to each other, and to show how our experiences and perspectives can be so subjective and dependent on the beliefs and systems we grew up with. And the pervasive presence of the Church in the modern day world in the story simply is an example of how remnants of colonial rule continue to shape society at the very basic level and how they have integrated into society, creating a unique fusion of cultures. More importantly though, it is simply a “photograph”, a descriptive background, with no extra commentary on what the “true religion” should be. (Though if there is anything about this that you still feel could be potentially sensitive, please let me know!)And about what the truth of the situation truly was, there is no one truth because all the characters experienced their lives differently. William is as subjective as Pei-er, and as subjective as any other character in the story. There is truth in Pei-er’s experience, as much as there is truth in the experiences of other characters such as the housekeeper, the nanny, Pei-er’s employer etc.. I wanted to show how bonds can be developed even between characters from such disparate backgrounds and the two of them are supposed to meet each other halfway. William’s truth is not more reliable (though he certainly is able to affect/influence Pei-er to a certain extent, for better or for worse), and this has been the case in many instances in the story. But yes, through their interaction with each other they were able to change their attitudes and understanding, and of course, like you have said, there is also change caused by the passage of time. And Pei-er’s view and the way she saw herself was not only changed by her interaction with William, but also by her interaction with the YM (through Haorang). As much as she loved the YM, she also put him on a pedestal when she was alive and didn’t believe in her own worthiness, no matter how much he tried to show her that she was important and can be his equal.
Lastly, thank you so much for reading through the story so thoroughly and listing out everything so clearly!!! 🙏🏻😣 This is so helpful! 💖 I swear I read through the script so many times… I can’t believe I actually missed all of these!! 😵💫 They will be corrected in the next update! Thank you again Manedza! I really appreciate your help, and for sharing your thoughts and comments!! 😊🌷