[-Ben_Wolfe-]

The introduction of Mercati Fu'lant (pronounced mer-katee foo-launt) and his mercenary group the Black Moons Society. As usual I wasn't too sure which edit was better (though I put the 'recommended picture' up and the other in media tags).

Fun fact: Nine layers of tattoos... Took about two hours to get just right.

Mercati Fu'lant and the Black Moons Society

After the Thoopnik War ended soldiers found themselves struggling to return to their normal lives and were constantly eager for a fight. Some became marauders and bandits, others became a type of law enforcement under the Nihilanth's command for the larger cities. One soldier, former Lieutenant to the First Vortigaunt Assault Battalion, Mercati Fu'lant gathered numerous soldiers and formed the Black Moons Society, a supposedly elite group of Vortigaunts who will do numerous odd jobs for well paying clients. From Krovex hunting to marauder conflicts, Mercati and his team have been increasingly successful. The Shamans, and on some occasions, the Nihilanth worry that the Black Moons Society will become too large to control and will attempt a takeover. Others remain optimistic and believe Mercati and his men will remain as soldiers-for-hire, though still point out that many of the Black Moons have become increasingly arrogant as their bravado gets them into more difficult situations. The Black Moons Society has also been believed to accept contracts from the Nihilanth personally, a rare event in any case. Although the Nihilanth denies such claims.
The Black Moons have also been fairly known for their abilities to habilitate the more unorthodox creatures such as some antlion species, houndeyes, and sometimes even Krovex males. People are not sure how they are able to do so, but many suspect that it is related to the larval Extract within the antlion Pit Hives, said to have the ability to unlock all the hidden boundaries of The Vortessence for a short period of time and for a specific task. The Black Moons are well known for their improvised weaponry and protection and the usage of The Vortessence during their battles. Mercati always uses his signature Antlion leg 'flip blade', specially designed to extend at the user's will. One end of the leg has been sharpened for increased damage. Antlion-made weaponry and defences are kept from decaying using a resin found in the Julangnat Tree; a coniferous tree found in Southern Xen Space.

Tattoo Designs

Tattoo designs for Vortigaunts is a symbol of their military position and progress. A tattoo on a Vortigaunt's thigh describes the battle that specific soldier fought and survived through. Tattoos around the legs or arms describe both their military strategy and military discipline. The traditional design for a tattoo around the arms and legs resemble thorny branches, the more pronounced they are describes how the warrior may be lacking discipline, may have ruthless strategies. A tattoo on one side of the chest describes the battalion and under whose command the warrior fought under. Tattoos on the shoulders depict the tribe and settlement in which the warrior was born. A tattoo on the backside of a warrior describes how that warrior disobeyed a command or was dishonorably discharged. Tattoos on the face show that the specific warrior sacrificed something for the well being of his battalion and or civilians, it is also a sign of loyalty and respect. Tattoos on the lower chest are mainly used for the more religiously associated Vortigaunts. Those around the lower chest are a blessing of protection to the warrior, a tattoo on the abdomen is a blessing so that if the warrior is killed in battle their true Vortal selves may reach The Void safely.

[IMG]http://filesmelt.com/downloader/Fulant1.jpg[/IMG]
And for those who haven't followed the story thus far and are curious as to what all this is about, here are my previous threads.

Urulozan's Discovery:
http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=819828

The Epiphany of Celesticu Fortifar and the Discovery of The Vortessence:
http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=813128

Vortigaunt Myrmidont Taming:
http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=811824

Kunetuk Mu'hei:
http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=777296

Colonel Mejshrafir Shi'lutoi:
http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=775721

[5omeone]

seriously? every time i see a vortigaunt i expect to see a giant, flopping cock wave from in between his thighs, fully erect of course. am i gay?

though i'd just share that tidbit of info

i mean i'm not gay as in i think other men are hot. in fact i was doing a photo op and took some SEXY fuckin pics of this babe. like, dude, i'd rate her a 10. that's how good she was (and i have high expectations of women). i was almost ready to whip it out and rape her right there. except she was 9 and it's illegal.


in other news; good writing style. i'm not a fan of the story itself because i don't go for that kind of shit, but i have to say that you're at least competent at writing. thumbs up to that, bro.

[Half-Dead]

5omeone posted:

seriously? every time i see a vortigaunt i expect to see a giant, flopping cock wave from in between his thighs, fully erect of course. am i gay?

though i'd just share that tidbit of info

i mean i'm not gay as in i think other men are hot. in fact i was doing a photo op and took some SEXY fuckin pics of this babe. like, dude, i'd rate her a 10. that's how good she was (and i have high expectations of women). i was almost ready to whip it out and rape her right there. except she was 9 and it's illegal.


in other news; good writing style. i'm not a fan of the story itself because i don't go for that kind of shit, but i have to say that you're at least competent at writing. thumbs up to that, bro.

Rated gay rainbow

[-Ben_Wolfe-]

5omeone posted:

seriously? every time i see a vortigaunt i expect to see a giant, flopping cock wave from in between his thighs, fully erect of course. am i gay?

though i'd just share that tidbit of info

i mean i'm not gay as in i think other men are hot. in fact i was doing a photo op and took some SEXY fuckin pics of this babe. like, dude, i'd rate her a 10. that's how good she was (and i have high expectations of women). i was almost ready to whip it out and rape her right there. except she was 9 and it's illegal.


in other news; good writing style. i'm not a fan of the story itself because i don't go for that kind of shit, but i have to say that you're at least competent at writing. thumbs up to that, bro.

That is the most touching comment I've ever had from you. :allears:

[5omeone]

sorry; i'm a realist.

thanks for your utterly worthless comment, however - thanks for making a post that has absolutely nothing to do with the op

Edited:

-Ben_Wolfe- posted:

That is the most touching comment I've ever had from you. :allears:

i've read so much BULLSHIT in my life to never expect any amateur fiction to be good or captivating in any way. like those text-based japanese ninja roleplayers? they're all illiterate - just like real japanese people. except they're not japanese. they're english speaking. and they fucking talk about eating ramen and drinking sake even though they're not even old enough to drive

it's like, you take lack of common logic out of them completely and they write the blunt facts and add in as much pointless detail to the surroundings rather than any kind of character emotion or activity as possible and completely stray from any plotline, and the way the write it is absolutely horrendous. it's like looking at feces on paper - and then they go and start making anime faces and typing japanese words and EUGHHhhh fuck ben don't be like those faggots - don't.

i don't like you but you're one of the only people here who i've ever seen make a coherent and interesting story along with a decent picture.

[0v3rkill]

5omeone posted:

sorry; i'm a realist.

...and a homosexual furry. Congratulations.



As for the actual edits... They are very artsy, I like them.

[5omeone]

0v3rkill posted:

...and a homosexual furry. Congratulations.



As for the actual edits... They are very artsy, I like them.

"oh hey i'm going to stereotype."

too bad i'm not, 0v3rkill. i bet you're one of those self-loathing furries that has to call everyone out as one simply so you don't direct attention to yourself. i see past your ploy. go jerk off to renamon before you make an idiot of yourself

Edited:

no seriously ben this is pissing me off. DON'T turn your writing style in to shit. you could actually make a best-seller if you continued to write like that. it's natural, seems to flow easy, and keeps the reader entertained. don't let that kind of talent go to waste. you don't have to use it to write fiction, but use it for something

(User was banned for this post ("Flaming" - Benji))

[Carbon Knight]

That looks awesome.

[5omeone]

actually tell me how you did the tattoos

you know you can just turn the picture of the vortigaunts in to a displacement map and use it to displace the tattoo texture/brush/vector/bitmap and it'll pretty much wrap around on its own.

[Uberslug]

How do you do a displacement map and what is it?

[0v3rkill]

5omeone posted:

too bad i'm not, 0v3rkill. i bet you're one of those self-loathing furries that has to call everyone out as one simply so you don't direct attention to yourself. i see past your ploy. go jerk off to renamon before you make an idiot of yourself

I don't know what's funnier... The fact that you're trying to be serious, or that you flamed because I called you a furfag.

[Jayhawker30]

5omeone posted:

seriously? every time i see a vortigaunt i expect to see a giant, flopping cock wave from in between his thighs, fully erect of course. am i gay?

I know what you mean man.

In fact, I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about.

[5omeone]

Uberslug posted:

How do you do a displacement map and what is it?

are you serious? make me mod and i'll teach you


you know what 2.5d is? it's best described in zbrush - it is a 2d picture with a 3d height map on it that extends only on the Z axis. that means that you can create a 2d painting in zbrush and change the lighting to whatever you want and it will apply shadows and highlights and everything based simply on the heightmaps.

displacement maps follow pretty much the same thing, except that instead of having a dynamic light, you have a dynamic wrap around the displaced image. for example; you can take a picture of a wavy silk bed sheet and turn it in to displacement map and then displace a flat, simple-colored flag such as this and it will pretty much texture the silk bed sheet with the flag, and the flag will contort based on the levels of lighting and will perfectly wrap around the sheet. the sheet then looks like a wavy flag.

i'm too lazy to write a tutorial

wow here's one that i found 10 seconds in google and is based on a flag (haha)
http://www.photoshopsupport.com/elem...ement-map.html

Edited:

0v3rkill posted:

I don't know what's funnier... The fact that you're trying to be serious, or that you flamed because I called you a furfag.

i don't know what's funnier; that i'm right or that you continue to try to pretend that you have no idea what i'm talking about even though i'm right

[Uberslug]

oh man that's crazy. I've gotta try that.

[-Ben_Wolfe-]

I appreciate the comments, and at the moment esepecially yours 5omeone.

[5omeone]

let me tell you about this girl while i'm at it.

like i said; she was a perfect fuckin TEN. fat ass, fat tits, fit, brown hair, great teeth and great smile, great facial build. i'd post pictures of her but even though she signed release forms for my school so i can't do shit about it. these are like GLAMOR shots by the way. i don't do amateur photography. not any more. i'm serious - these pictures came out so fucking perfect and it blows my mind. i smile every time i see them like i smile every time i reread my gustave comics

but seriously, not a ten as in bangable - a ten as in as cute as a button. like, holy shit. i didn't even know it was possible. if she was like "let's fuck right now" i'd probably cry or be like "i like you as in like you - i can't" (you don't know what i mean and i don't expect you to). she's the kind of girl that you'd take out to a thirty dollar per person play and then to a fancy dinner before realizing those looks don't mean shit and she's actually a bitch and you cry yourself to sleep because your expectations are shot because being a brief acquaintance proves nothing about a person - especially when you only see them in the viewfinder of a camera laughing about silly jokes with friends around.

Edited:

actually i should probably hit it off with her. i'm god's gift to women in terms of looks so i can pretty much walk up to any woman and be like "hey bitch i'm picking you up tonight." i could just say it like that and WHAM - date. and then i'd take her home, cuddle, and then when she falls asleep i'd tell her how i love her and marry her because i like to pretend that i care about people

i should be an actor.

[professional]

5omeone posted:

let me tell you about this girl while i'm at it.

like i said; she was a perfect fuckin TEN. fat ass, fat tits, fit, brown hair, great teeth and great smile, great facial build. i'd post pictures of her but even though she signed release forms for my school so i can't do shit about it. these are like GLAMOR shots by the way. i don't do amateur photography. not any more. i'm serious - these pictures came out so fucking perfect and it blows my mind. i smile every time i see them like i smile every time i reread my gustave comics

but seriously, not a ten as in bangable - a ten as in as cute as a button. like, holy shit. i didn't even know it was possible. if she was like "let's fuck right now" i'd probably cry or be like "i like you as in like you - i can't" (you don't know what i mean and i don't expect you to). she's the kind of girl that you'd take out to a thirty dollar per person play and then to a fancy dinner before realizing those looks don't mean shit and she's actually a bitch and you cry yourself to sleep because your expectations are shot because being a brief acquaintance proves nothing about a person - especially when you only see them in the viewfinder of a camera laughing about silly jokes with friends around.

Edited:

actually i should probably hit it off with her. i'm god's gift to women in terms of looks so i can pretty much walk up to any woman and be like "hey bitch i'm picking you up tonight." i could just say it like that and WHAM - date. and then i'd take her home, cuddle, and then when she falls asleep i'd tell her how i love her and marry her because i like to pretend that i care about people

i should be an actor.

What the fuck is wrong with you?

You're by far, the biggest psychopath on facepunch. Goddamn.

(User was banned for this post ("Flaming" - Uberslug))

[5omeone]

actually if you watch the movie CHOKE, that's like me. i'm like sam rockwell. except i don't have sex with everyone i meet and i don't purposely choke myself to get attention and money.

it's a tear jerker if you understand what it's like. i swear. i cried like a baby because it pretty much summarized how i felt. not, like, the whole movie obviously because it's irrelevant to my life, but the confession scene between sam and kelly macdonald left me in tears

you haven't seen it so i'll summarize: sam likes likes this girl, kelly (his name is victor and she is paige. that's their stage names. but stage names are for queers. i'm going by their real names) and she seems to ignore him. he thinks that she's the doctor taking care of his ill mother and she offers to have sex with him and he's like AWW FUCK YEAH but totally can't get it up. at all. because he's in genuine love and you can't just fuck someone that you genuinely love, right? exactly. so he can't get it up and she's like AWW WE HAVE TO DO THIS and then later he finds out that she's not actually a doctor but some psych ward patient who told people that he was the messiah and a bunch of psych ward people started worshipping him and he goes batshit insane and pretty much hates her and is confused and she comes out with the truth and says that his mother always talked about him despite having alzheimers or some shit and how even though she was this total bitch that kidnapped him in the first place and lived off of theft and whatnot, he stayed by her side. then she confesses that she didn't believe any of it until sam actually showed up to see his mom and she realized that it was the truth and that right there is what fucking blows my mind.

it's one of those things that you can't really understand unless you have had a prior experience with it. it was pretty good, though. lots of sex scenes and dumb humor that doesn't make you laugh. i'd give it a C except the acting was absolutely wonderful and that's what counts

[ChestyMcGee]

Nice work on the tats.

[5omeone]

oh except i forgot to mention that i totally don't give a shit about her. i'm just stating that she's as cute as a button. totally worthless as a contribute to society.

[Superfrog]

Looks really nice. Next time I want to see a wise vort with a robe and some voodo like earrings. =P

[5omeone]

Superfrog posted:

Looks really nice. Next time I want to see a wise vort with a robe and some voodo like earrings. =P

everyone knows that vortigaunts are nudists and that they aren't allowed to cover their genitalia - this is a vortigaunt ritual that separates the men from the women

[-Ben_Wolfe-]

Superfrog posted:

Looks really nice. Next time I want to see a wise vort with a robe and some voodo like earrings. =P

I'll consider it if I ever show Mejshrafir's father, the High Shaman.

Thanks for all the comments.

[Weißes rose]

yeah thug vorts

[Moonsorrow]

I don't think vorts would be dumbass enough to tattoo themselves with lame tribal signs that are a sign of rebellion against society to 14-19 years old.

Good work still.

[Novangel]

Damn, it looks so damn atmospheric.

[-Ben_Wolfe-]

Moonsorrow posted:

I don't think vorts would be dumbass enough to tattoo themselves with lame tribal signs that are a sign of rebellion against society to 14-19 years old.

Good work still.

Well, I pictured these Vortigaunts as an almost mirror to the native tribes to the Americas; Incans, Aztecs, Mayans, etc. or even African tribes. Just as those had religious and military intimidation meanings to their tattoos or body paints, the Vorts share that trait similarly to how militaries have dog tags.

[The_J_Hat]

Nice. Love those tattoos.

[RobSaintanan]

Ah, another swell installment to the Vortigaunt Chronicles. Is there going to be any chronological order anytime soon? Anyhow, nice work.

[Ekalektik_1]

Looking great! Those tattoos would actually make a good replacement skin. I really do like your writing style there!

[-Ben_Wolfe-]

I may try and make them skins. If I can get a devoted Hexxer but as of this moment nothing is for certain.