Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (I am that I am) 34/34: Afterword Julio Cesar divad72@prodigy.net.mx Vi Moreau vmoreau@directvinternet.com Vivi's final words Elena Duran website: http://users.erols.com/darkpanther/vmoreau.html There's very little for me to add. Julio Cesar has a vision, and I'm thrilled to share in it. There is a lot to be said for cultural ties-he is Mexican and I am Cuban, and that gives us more in common than the language. There's a whole set of Hispanic ideals we share, and we hope to bring some of them forth in our writings. There is indeed a 'kind of magic' in the Highlander stories about Elena Duran and Corazon Negro-Black Flower and Blackheart. They seemed to belong together just as well as Julio Cesar and I seem to write together, from their original non-romantic meeting in 1642 until the present story, set in the near future. I always try to collaborate with the best HL fanfic writers, among them, of course, Julio Cesar, as well as Janeen Grohsmeyer, RJ Ferrance, Bridget Testa, Mikal Fox, Tanja Kinkel. The best. Corazon Negro is a wonderful character, and as much as he needed a lover to make him human, Elena Duran needed a strong man to match her endless energy; and to share her pain. I think we done good in putting them together. I have no great philosophical comments. Writing Highlander-fanfic has been fun, fun, fun and I'm still enjoying it. If someone else is also enjoying it, so much the better. And if someone else is enjoying it and letting me know, that's the best. My new e-mail address is: vmoreau@directvinternet.com Gracias, amigos y amigas. Vi Moreau ======== Julio Cesar's final words: website: www.prodigyweb.net.mx/divad72 Hey there once again!!! If you've read this far, maybe you'd be willing to read some final notes and considerations. One more time, we have the chance to talk a little. For that, I thank you all. Now, let me start telling you that Corazon Negro's saga represents a work of labor and love. Some of you had asked me about my love for ancient cultures, especially for the Aztec people. What was the magic that drove me toward such civilization in order to place in it most of my Highlander fanfic-tales? There are many reasons, but I think the primary one was emotional and spiritual. For me, the degree of difficulty in writing during all my life-short horror stories, poems or historical narratives-had been always high, but in the particular case of Blackheart's saga, such thing was higher because of the emotional connection I feel with the characters and the legend of Highlander as a whole. So, over a number of years spent ruminating on the distinctive characteristics of the Aztec people, I began to wonder if their legendarily blood thirsty ways arose from an inner need. An involuntary response, rather than a pragmatic one; a blood lust that had its roots in an insatiable need to worship their many Gods. As a result of these judgments, right now, I suspect it was my growing awareness of my own inner thoughts and curiosity that made me conscious of the real sense of connection I feel to every culture in America-and many others throughout the world-before the Europeans arrived. Believe it or not, the Aztec were a great people. Sure, most of us only know about their bloody rituals such as sacrifice. But then again, we are talking about folklore here. Condemn any ancient culture because of their religious beliefs, it's as negligent as to condemn the Catholic Church for its Inquisition. Of course, anyone steeped in the history of America is going to say, 'wait a minute, this is wrong', and maybe they'll be right. But let's not forget that those who won in the end have written history. So, how could anyone be absolutely sure about what really happened if no one of us was there to spread the tale? On the other hand, I never projected to teach a lesson in history about the many tribes, empires, clans or kiwas that used to live as free people in America before the Europeans arrived. In fact, in some of my tales, I've never taken an anthropological point of view. Even when I'm educated myself, in these narratives I chose that the main thing should be the human element. Many times I've been thinking that the origin of Blackheart's chronicles was written to put a human face on these cultures. In an unconscious way if you will, I'm pretty sure that was one of my primary goals. They were people too, just as ourselves. Sure, the Aztecs weren't sweethearts, but they conducted themselves in a way that made more sense. War to them was not about conquest. It was a game, it was about capturing prisoners to sacrifice them at their many Gods, and that was the bravest thing to do back then. There's a hint of something here. Their lives were in some way primitive and brutal, but something worked. People who have read my stories have said they couldn't help 'turning the pages', so to speak, but they didn't want to for fear of what they'd read. I feel I've done my job when I read that. But sadly, in a way, Blackheart's saga is also a contemporary story. It's depressing to see that it's still happening now, in this very century, in this very new millennium-indigenous cultures are being overwhelmed all over the world. So everything that happened more than five-hundred years ago when the Spaniards arrived, was much more than just the vanquish of the Aztecs. It was the beginning of the end of a lot of things. All that led us first, to the labor part. Guys, really you don't want to know. The extensive research about all the cultures, religions, characters-historical or fictional-language and folklore mentioned in these narratives delayed me countless times. But that was because I wanted the stories to be the best they could be. For every single phrase, there were a number of incarnations along the way, and in each one, they just kept getting better. For a time these stories just kept coming back. More changes, more revisions. The chronicle of Corazon Negro vs. Lilitu became the saga that wouldn't die. But finally, here it is. Dozens of drafts, literally thousands of words, countless hours of writing and nineteen stories later, I can rest. By the time you read these final words, I'm going to look years older. But, what is Corazon Negro's saga really? Well, in simple words, I just tried to show you a man's rites of passage-his entrance into my own vision of a savage, dark and exotic world of the Immortals. His loves, his fears, his triumphs and defeats. Of course, this idea isn't mine. In fact, this notion is one of the oldest tales, and every culture around the world has its ways to describe it-the journey out of a child's innocence into the frightening arena of adulthood. In the end, looking at Corazon Negro, I wonder if one of the most important steps in our journey is the one in which we throw away the hate. In jettisoning the grids and brambles of our own preconceptions, perhaps we are better able to find the real secrets of each life; to remember that we are all extensions of our collective history, living in just one world. Since the beginning, my stories had been conceived and assembled like a mosaic, with pieces collected and fitted in one by one. They are also the souvenirs that come of sifting through shards of history and scraping away layers to reveal our past as humankind. My only hope is that Corazon Negro's saga might fuel curiosity in the same way, as do the best stories. From all journeys of the mind, I think the most important souvenirs to be collected are the reminders that people's lives are fortified by family and friends; by our ability to create our lives like creating a piece of art; and by our efforts to reconcile our material needs with the importance of our connections to each other. That's what Blackheart represents for me. However, I feel the research had its reward. Reading the e-mails you readers send, I can honestly say that in the beginning, I expected to generate some interest, but not the amount or intensity I got. At this writing, Corazon Negro is accepted. I don't know if this is a distinction he deserves and I can't argue if his stories prove it. Maybe it's just that his saga is told with wit and imagination in the cadences and contexts of what could happen outside my window; perhaps the narrative is just as fresh as what could happen there tomorrow, but honestly, I don't know. Of course, as always, I can be wrong. But whatever your reasons to read my craziness, I thank you all. And now the love part. Love because I can clearly remember the day I started to write Corazon Negro's chronicles-almost two years ago. Thanks to the magic of imagination, I find myself writing about such an interesting character, and that fascination with the character remains. Thanks to Blackheart, I came to reaffirm my love for our past and the roots of our present. Let me say that I loved Highlander the film. I always thought that the best movies were works of a singular creative vision. Any film's director, like a tale's author, supplied that vision. Of course, a gifted director is a swell start, but without a good script, proper actors, the right cinematographer, and a jillion other contributions, the odds of a masterpiece, or even solid entertainment, get a lot longer. If you don't believe me, you could ask Davis/Panzer about H2-its two versions included-H3 & Endgame. To a certain extent, a similar situation exists in fanfic. Though not an equally visual medium as the movies-and because of that I'm sure-one single person can do fanfic. A singular creative vision is a lot more practical to achieve than in something expensive and technically complex as films. More practical, yes, but still pretty damn difficult to bring all the necessary elements together to pull it off. Consequently-though single creators have produced wonderful material in the Highlander-fanfic universe-it's rare. Of course, I've been lucky. Over the last year and a half I've been working-enjoying the pleasure of writing, actually-with my dearest and irreplaceable Vi Moreau. Right now, I can't imagine Blackheart without his beloved Elena Duran. She has become an invaluable element in his mythos. Both characters formed an amalgam of personalities that made the stories Vivi & I wrote together work; their couple became the heart of what the tales are right now. Since the very beginning, even before I met Vivi, as I went to work on the romantic side of Corazon Negro, I found this to be true. Even though this was new territory for me, ever since the creation of the Aztec warrior, I knew I would write about one great love for him. His first love was New Moon, a Nahuatl Princess. Unfortunately, she died after just one night with my hero. New Moon was gone, but Blackheart needed a new lover. For many months, I thought of creating another woman for him. Fortunately, in the process I found Elena Duran. Since Vivi and I put our characters together, we knew their relationship was there. They both matched each other perfectly. Maybe this was just the reflection of the brotherhood Vivi and I share as fellow Latin Americans, or maybe was just the mutual respect and fraternal love we feel for each other. Either way, our stories seemed to have a flow that was not of our making. For us, this was classic material we were handling. There was a reason why these characters should have adventures together. Love served Blackheart a couple of functions. If he were real and if he were the grim, obsessed loner I often portrayed him, a lover would keep him sane. A man whose every waking hour is focused on keeping his head-literally-who is unable to release the effects of the Game upon him, whose life is an amalgam of sudden violence and lonely alertness, would soon skew into a nasty insanity if he did not have someone to care for, someone to maintain a link with common humanity. On the other hand, Corazon Negro is, of course, not real. But he isn't exactly a fictional character-more on that shortly-but he does not and could not exist as a living, breathing human being. In fact, I think no Immortal could. However, that doesn't make a lover any less useful. Since the beginning of my chronicles I faced this fact: Blackheart, the very essence of his sagas and furtive shadows, needed a symbol of light and hope to counter his somber nature. What better symbol than love? So, right now I can honestly say that without Elena Duran, Corazon Negro would be just a bitter man in a hopeless struggle. The pressure here was in giving both characters all the qualities and defects that would make them the perfect complement to each other-especially because Elena Duran's adventures had been spinning in the web for many years before Vivi and I met-to assure them a place in the Highlander-fanfic mythos. But could we get that across? Would efforts pay off in an Immortal couple you readers could respond to and, more important, like? The answer surprised Vivi and myself. You friends liked the couple. Although the circulation of our tales is relatively modest, these characters have been so enduring and so pervasive over the last two years that they have permeated our consciousness. A lot of you recognized them, and sometimes they mean much more to people than a few minutes' idle amusement. The separation of Elena Duran & Corazon Negro was-to some and myself at least-a vicious attack at the special part of our souls that needs awe, magic, and heroism. In fact, in the end, you readers themselves demanded the characters should remain together. The anecdote is, I suppose, today's fanfic readers are more sophisticated than ever, because you knew something we didn't. Of course, Vivi and I don't always work together. She has created a lot of memorable heroes in her stories, and is one of the best fanfic-writers I ever read. So thanks, Vivi, for all the fun and for the education I received flipping through the pages you scripted. I'm sure you could rest on your laurels of what you've accomplished on your own so far. However, knowing you, I'm sure you won't. Still, to the rest of you, readers, you should know that when Vivi and I collaborate, a special chemistry seems to come into play. Let me assure you that no small amount of such chemistry comes from a shared desire to bring the feeling, scale, and excitement of a well-made motion picture to our modest Highlander-fanfic-realm. So, as you can see, from our point of view, the result seems worthy the work. These stories are our babies, and we love every one of them. Sure, they aren't perfect, just as every child should be. But don't get us wrong. We don't live under the illusion that what we do in Highlander-fanfic is grand literature. We're not producing Ulysses, Don Quixote, Romeo & Juliet, Jason & the Argonauts, the Lord of the Rings or the Odyssey. What we're putting out is mass entertainment. Occasionally something thought-provoking comes down our minds, but that's not our purpose's main goal. Entertainment is. But entertainment or art, it makes no difference. And please! Don't believe for a second that there is a bogeyman-or a bogeywoman in this case-just outside my door! Ha! Allow me to say now that the main problem in this particular story was about some scenes within the plot. As you are now aware, this tale revolves around an attack in the United Nations. That topic flew in my mind for several weeks, and for a while I thought that maybe the last thing we needed in Highlander-fanfic was another horror story about New York. In the end, I decided that sometimes, we are forced to remember that somehow stories of fictional monsters pale beside the atrocities of actual human ones. For all of you who lost loved ones in September 11, 2001, I wish you peace and solace. I know there are folks who don't want to read stories like the one you just did. Too much death. Too much violence. Too much horror. I must confess I couldn't help but inject some of these characteristics into my Lilitu character. Here I had her masquerading as a Goddess, hiding behind legend while she furthered her own private agenda. I'll admit her goals and methods were a hell of a lot more extreme than the ones we watched in the Highlander movies or even in the TV series. But I wanted her to do one thing: bring the world to her knees. If we saw Immortals using the Power of Illusion (Nakano & Kane, film 'Highlander III'), implanting thoughts (John Garrick, season 3, episode 'Shadows'), commanding entire packs of dogs just by mere will (Peter Kanis, season 4, episode 'Leader of the Pack'), and using the Voice (Cassandra & Roland Kantos, season 5, episode 'Prophecy'), then just imagine what a very old and powerful Immortal could do. Ok, I've written too much about it already. So, to finish, let me say the Ancient Gathering's story has been told-almost. Trust me, deep inside me, I'm pretty sure they will return any time one of these nights-there are still many unanswered questions flying on the air. Moreover, I'm required to admit every one of them became good friends of mine during this voyage. So, right now, I'm plotting seven stories about these ancient ones, because I want to know what's going to happen with Zarach Bal-Tagh, Aylon, Myrddin, Heru-sa-aset, Methos and the Game now Lilitu is finally dead. On the other hand, Elena Duran & Corazon Negro's adventures remain for a sooner moment, I think. I'm convinced new challenges are ahead of them. Even as we speak, I'm plotting a couple of tales about the Black Flower and Blackheart. And we do have to get them married, don't we? That will be in an upcoming story still untitled. Of course, I just hope Vivi wants to share this 'kind of magic', as Connor says, with me one more time. Until then, best in life for you all. God bless and kisses. Desde el fondo de mi corazon, Julio Cesar E-mail: divad72@prodigy.net.mx