W2O: The Glory Guards #5

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waezi2

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#1  Edited By waezi2

"I will burn you till there is nothing left of you, corpse! Do you hear me?! I WILL BU-"

And then Lady Ignis was sealed inside the element capsule, ready to be transported to her science-cell.

She was one of two most powerful beings on the planet, as well as one of the oldest. Lady Ignis had once been an ordinary woman who lived in the 18th century. Unfortunately, she had been a victim of one a band of witch-hunters. Though she did not have a drop of magic in her blood, nor any knowledge on how to cast spells, she had been burned alive for witch craft. But it didn't end her life... or, well, it did, her human life, anyway. If you believed that kind of things, then she had been chosen to be a spirit of justice, and then fused with the very element that killed her. It was ironic, really. It was because of her death that she became exactly what the townspeople had feared; a witch. One who had power over the element of fire. With her new-found power, she freed the other women who were to share her fate, and punished the executioners.

But apparently, that was not enough.

Ignis was not interested in justice. What she really wanted was revenge. She wanted to hunt down every wife, every son and daughter, anyone who shared blood with the witch-hunters who had "killed" her, and make them suffer for a crime they had no part in.

Before she could spread too much destruction, another human was selected to become a spirit of justice as well. One who had been hanged for a murder he did not commit. After making the true murderer confess his crime and turn himself to the authorities, the new spirit of justice then took the task of stopping the mad firewitch. She was sealed away into an object known as the Book Of Redemption, since she still had potential of becoming a force of good.

But doing the Elf Crisis in 1973, Ignis was released from her prison and gladly helped the fair folk in their war since she believed that man of the humans who lived in this time period was somehow related to witch-hunters, making them all guilty. Because of that, the Hanged Man had to face her once more, and this ended his status as myth. After sealing her away once more, the Hanged Man decide to take the appearance of a costumed hero in order to make himself less frighting to the public.

Johnson thanked god that Ignis was NOT the next recruit.

"And you know what the worst art of it all is?" the guard said to the Hanged Man, apparently unaffected by his gloomy aura. "She weren't freed by her followers, but by those crazy Deflammo jerks! They freed her so that they could kill her, those idiots!"

The Hanged Man didn't say anything. He just listened while hovering above the floor.

The Hanged Man had an old sack over his head and a rope tied around his neck. The rope pointed upward, held up by an unnatural force. He was wearing a light-brown cape and on his chest was a H. It was suppose to help him look like superhero, making those who had no need of fearing him relax when he was near them.

It didn't help. Yes, they realized that he wished to serve and make sure that no one would be unjustly punished like he once was, but that didn't change the fact that he was a dead among the living. If you looked close enough, you would notice that he didn't levitate... he dangled from the end of the rope he had been hanged with 300 years ago.

Once the guard was done talking to the Hanged Man(not with, since that would imply that the Hanged Man responded), he than took the capsule that held Ignis inside and left. Johnson had watched, mostly because it was the first time he had ever seen the Hanged Man in person. And, well... he was kind of creepy, he had to admit that. But he wasn't here to look at super-types, he was here in order to...

.... Oh god...

The Hangman, he was staring at him. Johnson didn't know how he knew, since there was no holes in the sack that covered the Hanged Man's head, but he could just... feel it.

William Johnson.

Holy crap!

The Hanged Man rarely spoke, and this was the first time Johnson had heard him speak. It was a hollow and peculiar voice that send shivers down his spine. In a split second, the Hanged Man was now in front of him. He levitated with his feet still hanging lifelessly down. Johnson gulped. Did he know about what... happened in Iraq?

I know why you have come to this prison.

The Hanged Man went on.

And I know that you do not have much faith in this assignment that has been given to you. But know this; with the group that you have gathered, you will do much good. There will be betrayal and disasters, but much good will come out of it as well.

"... Are you reading my mind or something like that?"

Your fate. Now go talk with the final member of your group. And one last thing.

"... Yeah?"

You must learn to forgive yourself. What happened in Iraq was not your fault.

And like that, he was gone. He just disappeared. Johnson sighed in relief and almost forgot why he had come to Monster Island.

Monster Island real name was actually Quadrate Isle, a small island that once had once been inhabited by fishermen and their families. Now, it had been made into a prison for superhumans and creatures who were too powerful to be allowed to stay in normal prisons. It was the prison for alien invaders, evil doppelgangers, and those who had powers so great that they could destroy cities if they wished to. Because of all these powerful and often inhuman creatures who had been placed in specific designed cells, the island had been dubbed Monster Island.

As Johnson was being escorted to the specific prisoner he needed to see, he got a glimpse of some of the other inmates. Like the less than pleasant-looking Mort Parear, a mad scientist who had turned himself into a zombie in his quest to become a true immortal, and Hmpf the Genius Dinosaur, a tiny reptilian with a brilliant mind and one goal; to destroy humanity. He also passed the cell where a very angry Lady Ignis tried to melt the cell's glass-frame, but without much success. Johnson couldn't help it but stare. He knew she was a fire-element creature, that her humanity was long gone, but... her form... not only did the flames have the shape of a woman, but an attractive one as-

What the hell was WRONG with me?! Johnson thought for himself while biting his lower lip. She is a murderous psychopath!

Finally, Johnson reached his destination. The guard opened the door to the cell, allowing him access the the creature inside, but not before informing him that the guard would be outside, ready to save him if the prisoner tried anything funny.

Johnson was now in a cell with a creature that very much looked like a woman. She was tall, had pale skin and almost white hair. She had a pair of green eyes that looked like they could look into your soul.

She was an elf. Her name was Fesoj Anid. And she was a traitor.

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cbishop

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@waezi2: Cool as always, waezi'! I'm not completely in love with The Hanged Man character, because it reminds me of the Astro City Hanged Man, the Archie/ Dark Circle Comics Hangman, and a little bit of Atlas' Grim Ghost (which was basically a copy of the Archie character [or vice versa]). Mostly though, it's the Astro City character. Still The Hanged Man from tarot cards is apparently public domain, although that character apparently hangs by his foot. Public domain characters are up for grabs, and multiple people can use them at once, but Version A can't be too much like Version B. So be careful of the Astro City version. Beyond that, I've been very curious about your version, so keep on! :)

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waezi2

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ImpurestCheese

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Cool will read later

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cbishop

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@waezi2 said:

@cbishop: I thought this guy up when I was 15, long before I knew about any of those things. Never heard about the Grim Ghost.

I get that. The problem with copyrights is that if someone beats you to the copyright, it doesn't matter when you came up with it. Fortunately, this particular name has a Public Domain counterpart. I'm just saying be wary, because other than the "H" on his chest, your guy is very similar to the Astro City guy. Idon't care about that, but if you should ever go to print with this (and I think you should eventually) the similarities will get pointed out, because Astro City is a popular title (or was when it was out).

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waezi2

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@cbishop: Hmm... I must think of a new name then...

Also, Astro City is still an active series. Reminds me that I better get some of the recent issues one of these days.

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cbishop

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#7  Edited By cbishop

@waezi2: I only wanted to point out that there is a similar character out there. With the Public Domain character name out there though, I really don't think you need to change the name. Just make sure the history and workings of your Hanged Man are different enough from the Astro City version, that it doesn't cause any trouble when you get around to publishing.

Edit: Actually, now that I've googled the AC Hanged Man, it appears that his history has roots in the Public Domain character. So your version should be safe. Copyright and Public Domain is weird, because you and I can both have Hanged Man characters, because HM is Public Domain, but my HM can't be like your HM. The weird part is that both HM's are drawing on the same root history (the public domain history) so in some respects, they can't help being similar. I don't know for certain how it works, but I think as long as your HM doesn't guard a place called Shadow Hill, or mention anything to do with the AC HM, then you're okay. Don't sweat it. ;)

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waezi2

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@cbishop: And once again, you make me feel like an unknowing simpleton who lives underneath a rock :P

Still, better change the name... what about Hangman? He could be named that by one of the human soldiers during the Elf Crisis because the soldier played the game(Hangman) with his fellow troopers

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FicOPedia

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@waezi2: (cbishop here) There have been 7 characters named Hangman, and a few more names that pop up in the CV search that may have had the name in the past (compared to the 4 Hanged Man names you can find listed on CV). Again, The Hanged Man is public domain, which means you can use it. Just don't copy the AC version and you're golden.

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waezi2

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@ficopedia: Okay, I need to ask before I do ANYTHING... Has anyone already done a miniature dinosaur with high intellect who wish to destroy/enslave humanity(depending on mood)?

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#11  Edited By HeroUp2112

The Hanged, Hanging Man, The Hanged One, Hung Justice, Hang (not a huge fan of this one, but still, it's out there), Living Corpse, Dead Justice, Grave Justice,

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HeroUp2112

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Gibbet, Slung, The Slung Man, The Swinging Man, The Swinging One, The Slung One, that's all I have for now (sorry, my browser screwed up and I couldn't type anymore so I had to close it and restart in this new window.

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waezi2

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@heroup2112: I kinda like The Swinging Man :)

Hope you enjoyed the chap and that you will like the upcoming origin story about the Gun Bunny.

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#14  Edited By HeroUp2112

Wooo hooo, something actually stuck to the wall! And yeah, ready for her origin.

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BumpInTheNight

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#15  Edited By BumpInTheNight

@waezi2 said:

@ficopedia: Okay, I need to ask before I do ANYTHING... Has anyone already done a miniature dinosaur with high intellect who wish to destroy/enslave humanity(depending on mood)?

Kid Dinosaur was a Wild Cards character- a teenager that could turn into a human sized T-Rex. He was not of high intellect or wanting to destroy/enslave humanity.

Invincible has a villain named Dinosaurus that wants to destroy humanity, but I don't know that he's a high intellect type. He talks, uses weapons, and coincidentally comes into our world through an unwitting teenager (so may have been inspired by the earlier Kid Dinosaur, but that's just me guessing).

@heroup2112 said:

The Hanged, Hanging Man, The Hanged One, Hung Justice, Hang (not a huge fan of this one, but still, it's out there), Living Corpse, Dead Justice, Grave Justice,

@heroup2112 said:

Gibbet, Slung, The Slung Man, The Swinging Man, The Swinging One, The Slung One, that's all I have for now (sorry, my browser screwed up and I couldn't type anymore so I had to close it and restart in this new window.

@waezi2 said:

@heroup2112: I kinda like The Swinging Man :)

(cbishop/ficopedia here) Living Corpse is a zombie hero (and cool comic). I think "The Swinging Man" sounds too much like "swinger," and that's a whole different picture. The rest of the names I'm just kind of meh on (sorry HeroUP').

If you're really set on changing the name, I have only one suggestion: The Hanging Judge. From the wikipedia snippet that popped up on the Google search page:

"Hanging judge" is a colloquial phrase for a judge who has gained notoriety for handing down punishment by sentencing convicted persons to death by hanging, or imposing unusually harsh sentences in jurisdictions where the death penalty has been abolished.

It's not listed on CV as an actual character name, but Isaac Parker came up in association with it. He's a real life judge that sentenced 160 people to hang, and many others to other forms of death. Feel free to use the name if so inclined. ;)

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HeroUp2112

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No insult taken @bumpinthenight. I actually steered clear of The Hanging Judge because it didn't quite marry up with the character concept. HOWEVER, if you like that better Waezi go for it. It does SOUND better.

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BumpInTheNight

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...I actually steered clear of The Hanging Judge because it didn't quite marry up with the character concept. HOWEVER, if you like that better Waezi go for it. It does SOUND better.

Yeah, I don't think it quire marries up either, but I too thought it sounded better lol.

Which is why I still say leaving it as The Hanged Man would be best. It's what the character was designed to be, it has a basis in mythology/folklore which makes it public domain, and Public Domain makes it OKAY to still use the name. I truly appreciate wanting to have characters with original names, but if a public domain name suits it best, I would use the public domain name.

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#18  Edited By HeroUp2112

@bumpinthenight:

It's probably the way I'D go, but I can see why Waez would go with the Hanging Judge too...

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BumpInTheNight

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@bumpinthenight: It's probably the way I'D go, but I can see why Waez would go with the Hanging Judge too...

Hanging Judge kind of works, because that's sort of what he does- looks into your soul and judges whether you should be punished. It's what he did with William Johnson, and he found him innocent. So it kind of works if you only view the name with the character. When you look at it in its historical context, it's not quite right.

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HeroUp2112

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@bumpinthenight: Hmmmm...I've got it. Someone ELSE could have seen what he does and coined the name Hanging Judge and it stuck. That's why he kept the name. Striking fear into the hearts of...

And all that.

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@bumpinthenight:

Wooo hooo...you made a name and we made an excuse for it. We'll see how Weaz feels about it.