Author's notes:

After just over two years without an update, I have finally come to the conclusion that I can't finish this story, at least, not in the way I would have wanted to- and please hear me out before I get mails asking me to reconsider.

I love "Those That Drown", or at least, I love the initial concept I conceived for it, but I'll be the first to admit that as soon as I started writing, I quickly forgot that original idea. I guess you could say that the first chapter is the story in its purest form. I had always meant it as a one-shot and I had never really thought of the events in that universe truly having an ending. It was supposed to open up questions and not solve them and make you wonder if maybe, just maybe...

Of course, with "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" we all know the scenario I played with- even without me even having to give out spoilers- wasn't what SquareEnix had in mind. (A pity, eh?)

I haven't re-read "Those That Drown" in a long time. I find it hard to. Just like a lot of people I know of, I quickly don't like anything I write or draw soon after I originally created it, and feel as if I could have done better. (I could. I know I could.) That was the reason I wanted to rewrite this before I continued... but I couldn't.

I can't write what I don't want to write, and the third chapter... it wasn't what I wanted. I think that's the danger with reviews sometimes, it's so easy to be influenced by the wants of others without even realising it, and I think that's part of what happened, I wanted to write something for all of you, and made a spectacular mess for myself in the process. "Those That Drown" couldn't have had a happy ending. Things couldn't just have suddenly become right the way I'd tried to force them, and I knew that, but did it anyway-

And got horribly horribly stuck.

I formed an ending to fit what I was left with, one that would have worked (I think) and made most of you happy, but I couldn't write it. I'm sorry for that. Usually I'm not a person who holds a very firm belief in "the almighty-ness artistic vision". I know well that to make something work you sometimes have to sacrifice what you want to do for something that is practical... but I didn't want to. I think I came to realise some time ago (and I even gave this advice to someone else before I could finally realise it myself) that I couldn't do what everyone wanted, only what I wanted, and unfortunately "Those That Drown", as it is now, is not something I want to write.

In a while I'll put up a brief synopsis of the ending I have for this version of "Those That Drown" for anyone who is interested in it. I know it's not much, but after all this time and this very long winded excuse I do feel I owe all of you something, and particularly for those of who have been waiting a very long time for an update. (I'm very sorry I disappointed again.)

I also think, if I ever come back to looking at this story again, I'm going to have to write it differently, and that many of you won't be pleased with the changes I'll have to make. It will, essentially, be a very different story, even if it has the same beginnings as the original. I can't tell you now if that will happen or not, I've been so uncertain about this story for so long that I'm afraid to approach it again, but as I said before, I do love the idea still and I hate the thought of not writing it the way I would like to.

That's all I have to say really. Sad isn't it? But I hope at least some of you will be able to understand my reasoning? And yes, maybe it's really just an elaborate excuse for myself, to be honest, I don't even know anymore, but it's all I have guys.

Again, I'm sorry, and I hope to have that synopsis written in a few days (though knowing me that will end up being months).

Thank all of you who have read, reviewed and send emails of encouragement, bribery and threats. I appreciated every one of them.

Until later.

Caroltrue