Maytroid… Sort Of… Part 3!

Hanging an led screen with this on it as I dip into the hotel room with my girlfriend.

To add a little fine detail to this, I like to think that Gandrayda’s whole shapeshifting ability needs a not insignificant amount of sourced energy. She would need to, say, tap into a ship’s power grid and siphon some energy out before transforming.

So imagine that scene aboard the Mothership where she reveals herself to Samus happening soon after a power flicker that cuts the lights out for a second, then it happens again as she leaves. Could be a really interesting tell for when she’s present, having a mini power outage.

Of course, with the PED equipped, that energy can be sourced from the Phazon growing inside of her, making her all the more deadly and capable. There’s no tell any more, no indication that she’s in your midst.

Headcanon that Gandrayda's been employed by the Federation as a spy for a long while; Specifically, to keep tabs on the Space Pirates. She was the one who reported that Mother Brain was responsible for controlling the Metroids, and with her destruction, the Metroids would turn on the Space Pirates, hence why they're used and prioritized a lot less in Prime and Echoes, and have a tendency to turn on their 'owners'.

(As for why we see Metroids feeding on Space Pirates in Zero Mission, it's because Mother Brain is a cruel entity who rules through fear and needs to feed her bioweapons; She doesn't mind disposing of lesser pawns, especially if some of them doubt her authority.)

If Metroid were to have a story adaptation... During the Zero Suit portion of the first game, Samus would find herself cornered at one point by Space Pirates; Only for one of their own to turn on them, shooting them down. Said Space Pirate reveals themselves as the spy the Galactic Federation alluded to, the one who dropped all of this key intel regarding the Space Pirates' Metroid operation.

Gandrayda isn't explicitly identified, not yet; But her wink, the way she calls Samus 'Sammy' and her leitmotif at the end; These hint to that. Plus, maybe she can take the form of an Urtraghus Space Pirate, adding to the implication and to allude to how Gandrayda debuted in Corruption and did take such an appearance there. Maybe the Space Pirates would have a more mixed army pulling from all the species we've seen, or they'd operate separately and in their own sectors, requiring Gandrayda to imitate a Zebesian idk.

The main reason why the Federation didn't notify Samus of Gandrayda is that she wasn't supposed to be on Zebes during the Zero Mission; She was stationed on the Space Pirate Mothership, which was locked in battle with Adam's fleet elsewhere (as shown in the manga). But when Ridley received news of Samus' infiltration of Zebes, he immediately flew the mothership back to that planet; Hence why in-game, he arrives about halfway through. Gandrayda stayed with the Space Pirates she'd infiltrated.

Otherwise, the Federation would've notified Samus of their spy on Zebes; Because they wouldn't want her to accidentally kill such a key asset. Plus they'd explain to Samus that the spy will introduce themselves as Gandrayda, since the Space Pirates don't know about her yet, but may suspect a spy; This is to play it safe so Samus knows she can trust whoever she comes across, because communications with the Federation are cut off on Zebes due to Mother Brain's monitoring and ability to intercept (This required Gandrayda to get off-planet to report intel).

But Gandrayda was supposed to be on the Mothership, which Adam was supposed to destroy after she fled through an escape pod, so none of these instructions were required at the time. So after saving Samus, Gandrayda leaves to maintain her cover, not bothering to elaborate on her exact identity. It's only in a future episode, somewhere between the games and before Corruption, that this Space Pirate spy is elaborated on to be a shapeshifting bounty hunter.

Gandrayda ends up playing a key role in saving the galaxy, acting as a turning point for the Federation's victory, much in the same way Samus herself did; Unlike other hunters like Rundas or Ghor (no offense), Gandrayda and Samus were both responsible for key, specific actions that nobody else could've done. And these actions shifted the tide drastically, changed the playing field definitively.

As a result, Gandrayda considers herself just as much the Hero of Zebes as Samus is to the rest of the galaxy; She can literally be the 'Hero of Zebes' herself by turning into Samus. And this helps drive her one-sided rivalry with Samus, especially since... Gandrayda can't take credit the way Samus does.

Not that Samus tries to; But in the end she's recognizable, she's a unique bounty hunter with iconic armor that anyone can see at a distance. She CAN be stealthy but she's also just as capable at blasting her way through an entire planet. Being well-known helps her career, it creates a bogeyman to terrify the Space Pirates, and a symbol of hope for the galaxy that the Federation can always remember if they're out of all other options.

Gandrayda can't be that; She's best suited as a spy, an infiltrator. Someone people don't notice, someone most of the galaxy, and even the Space Pirates, don't know about; So they can't suspect that someone they know they can trust has actually been impersonated by Gandrayda. She's meant to lurk in the shadows, she doesn't go the big and explosive, glamorous work. Her entire gimmick is being unrecognized, what is she without that?

And this feeds into this deep-down inferiority complex and resentment, including towards Samus. Not that she ever externalized it... Until Corruption, when Dark Samus took control and brought out the worst of Gandrayda through Phazon. That was when she actually revealed herself to the Space Pirates, many of whom still feared Gandrayda as secretly fooling their god into believing she was on their side; Not that they'd ever openly doubt Dark Samus' own evaluation of using Gandrayda. And it turned out they had nothing to worry about, alas... But the fear was in a way a form of recognition, validation even, for Gandrayda. She was otherwise a secret even to most of the Federation military, with only the upper echelons knowing of her.

As a trans girl, I want two types of DDs

1.DD cups

2.Destructive Devices

My Personal Art Refs for the Galactic Federation’s Soldiers

So I’m in my early 20’s these days, but one thing I remember from back when I was a kid was my obsession with Mega Bloks. Mainly I was a Halo fan, but I also fell into liking a thing called Dragons Universe. It had these wacky spaceships, sci-fi dragons, spring loaded launchers, all the stuff a kid like me would love.

These days, I’m into Metroid, and am trying to flesh out a story I’m working on. The Galactic Federation’s own military forces don’t get fleshed out a lot, but we do at least have designs for their soldiers. Now, remembering back to Dragons Universe, I’m realizing the designs for the human soldiers are actually rather similar in some ways. I think I’ll likely use them as inspiration for some more specialized units in the Federation. So for anyone else who wants to do the same, I’m gonna toss you a couple images.

“Better to put an idea to the page and draw it badly than never set it free.”

Raven Beak is an individual of science. He's also a sentimental warrior poet who is not immune to superstition. How will his daughter learn to gut her enemies if he doesn't pass down the family heirloom? Also grandma will be disappointed if the sword doesn't go to Raven Beak's first-hatched.

Started late 2023.

Extras:

Our interest in their hand sanitizer was purely for the betterment of mankind. Everything has clearly gotten out of hand now, yes, but it was worth the risk.

Him again…

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. Granted, that may be in part due to my birthday also falling on October, but nevertheless, I still love it. It’s a holiday of pure fun and celebrating the macabre. Alas, I haven’t been feeling it this year. Between politics (blech), quitting my current job, searching for a way forward in life, and a lack of new spooky content, I’ve just not felt drawn into the Halloween spirit. I’m also waist deep into the process of writing for my Metroid rewrite, and have very little to show at the moment. Still, Halloween is calling my name and I must not deny it, plus I really wanna get some more of my ideas out there. So here’s a quick post to at least get the ball rolling on some ideas for a rewritten Metroid Fusion, the game the cemented Metroid in the minds of many as suspenseful and horror adjacent.

1. Waking up

As opposed to the drawn out process of “go to SR-388, get infected, fly off, go comatose and crash into an asteroid field, get taken in and healed by the BSL station, leave the BSL, head BACK to BSL”, I’m simplifying it down. Instead of being called back to the BSL station due to an explosion on board, Samus wakes up on the operating table in the middle of the X-Parasite outbreak, similar in part to Doom 2016’s opening. However, she’s not thrust into action immediately from the onset, having some time to wake up and get a feel for the new/post surgery suit.

2. X-Parasites Science

I want to dive a little deeper into the details of the X-Parasites. Firstly, their scientific nomenclature is Anomalomimus Volans, roughly translating to “Strange Mimic which Flies”. Furthermore, I want to play more into the fact that it is an intelligent hivemind. Perhaps not Gravemind levels of intellect, but still enough to strategize and make complex decisions. However, their mimicry has a catch. They can only repeat phrases they’ve already stated. They can form new sentences, but it is difficult, and strains the limited mental capacity of each individual X.

3. X-Parasite life cycle

There is a variety of different levels of mimicry the X take on in the Metroid games. We have heard of them blending in with their prey, utilize the unaltered bodies of their prey, and even mutate into hideous new forms in order to gain an edge in combat. I have been able to come up with a few stages for a hypothetical Anomalomimus life cycle. First is the amoeboid stage, where we see their multi colored, amorphous forms floating through the air, searching for a creature to consume. This stage is temporary and, without food in time, they will disintegrate and die. Second is the mimic stage, where the X will attempt to blend in and retain its form, assessing the safety and viability of spreading in a given situation. The assessment is not exactly clinical, but it does take into account obvious factors like weaponry and escape routes… and, ya know, Metroids. If their cover is blown, they will react violently, killing all witnesses, and find a safe location to move onto their third stage. This stage can also be used in combat to aid in overwhelming and consuming a resisting population such as the Chozo. Lastly in their standard life cycle is the budding form, where their visage breaks down into amorphous slop as they begin to reproduce more X parasite offspring. I don’t have full details on this, or how the Core X fit into this, but this is where I’m at currently.

4. Scan Logs

Prime time, baby. We doing scan logs. In addition to the typical written logs and notices, I am going to be employing the Doom 2016 style holograms to relay events from the past. While I understand why they are not present in any of the Prime games, I do think they are a tool that make for some interesting storytelling opportunities, (especially in a show or movie, but that’s a discussion for another time). I will try to keep extensive scans sparse as it can be easy to oversaturate the inclusion of logs in a written story when the format already allows a window into how Samus deciphers situations around her.

5. Stakes

I will freely admit to not knowing a great deal about Metroid Fusion’s plot beyond the general outline of things. Some people may then find my reworking to be a bit dishonest in some ways to the source material. With that said, the stakes will be laid out from near the start, and the clock will start ticking. The X parasites have overrun the BSL Station, with near free rein over all of its systems. There are still some guard rails, but it’s only a matter of time until they find a way to send the station toward a well populated planet and spread. Samus, in addition to finding the truth of what was happening on board this station of doom, must ensure the X Parasites can never travel to another star system. If they do, all life in the galaxy is at risk.

6. The SA-X

The SA-X has been an extremely iconic villain due to its stalking behavior and sheer advantage in power over our recovering hero, in addition to being a demented, dark reflection of her. That being said, I think the mutated design for the SA-X feels a bit… uninspired? I simply feel that it just doesn’t add much to the design in its current form. However, the idea of the SA-X mutating is one I’ll keep. Instead of… whatever we have in canon, these mutations will come in the form of the SA-X attempting to keep cohesion with Samus’s spliced DNA and growing more Chozo traits, but deformed and uneven. Half a beak here, a featherless wing there, some mismatched eyes. It will exceptionally uncanny for Samus, given her relationship to both humanity and the Chozo.

7. Neo Ridley

There will be no Neo-Ridley… kind of. I feel like the years have really dulled the effect of having another clone of Ridley, so I will not be including one. Instead, BSL station will house the only other member of Ridley’s species known to the Galactic Federation, an individual named Neo, who provides insight into Ridley’s origins. His copy, Neo-X, will also feature some inspirations from Dread, including a ranged attack of black muck instead of fire, and mutating his wings into additional arms, alongside twisting its head 180°, allowing it to crawl along the walls and high speeds.

Hopefully, this turned out to be an interesting view into how I plan to bring my own spin on Metroid through a different storytelling format. My first project for this rewritten Metroid series is going to be a modified version of the Metroid Zero Mission manga. Stay tuned for updates on that! (If I ever get around to them>.<)

Ya girl is sick and bedridden, so I’m doing some gameplay theorizing. Something I’m curious about for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is how Sylux’s boss battle will actually function. For how cool Sylux is from his design and mystery, Metroid Prime Hunters’s gameplay loop did few favors in making an intriguing combatant. Sylux had the Shock Coil, an electrical weapon which could drain Samus’s energy to replenish his own, and a secondary form that left trip mines in its wake. This is all well and good, but how does you defeat him? You uh… you shoot him. You just shoot him. In Metroid Prime Hunters, the gameplay loop revolves around precise aiming against moving targets, a mechanic that worked well enough for a DS game with a somewhat limited control scheme. However, Metroid Prime 4 is a very different game. Lock on alone makes this approach tedious, especially with the Shock Coil allowing Sylux to regenerate health. Given his intro cutscene, it appears he will have some allies backing him up, at least in the initial encounter. I wonder if it’s possible that the Shock Coil’s siphoning function could be tied to the Metroids-ahem, Mochtroids he has, tethering the electrical arcs to the Mochtroids in order to actually make the attack replenish his own health. There could also be certain environmental hazards to use to your advantage. I could also imagine some sort of evolving state, requiring different beam types to deal damage, similar to the Metroid Prime in the first game. Alternatively, there could be specific timing windows to exploit, utilizing specific opening to rain hell during. Imagine having a narrow window during his energy siphoning attack where you could stun lock him, prevent the attack, and deal significant damage, but getting the timing wrong could punish you with even greater damage and siphoned health.

I feel like this more sympathetic tone towards them could have made Ridley’s appearance in Metroid: Samus Returns a bit more impactful by having him be a sort of narrative symbolism for the use and abuse of the Metroids by higher powers who wanted to play god. Maybe start the game with Samus delving into the desolate, barren husk of a landscape that is SR388. The planet is cold and dead on the outside, dust fluttering about in the wind, harkening back to all the dry, lifeless bodies left behind in the wake of the rampaging Metroids we’ve seen throughout the series. As she delves deeper into the underground cave networks, it becomes clear that, while many have become terrifying, dangerous predators, there is an ecosystem that some that aren’t Ridley may call beautiful. There are creatures that take on different roles in the food chain, with different mutations of Metroids having many different roles in this natural, albeit highly competitive, web of life.

Maybe have some monologues about the tragedy of it all. The capabilities of these creatures are sure to be exploited if ill-intentioned people acquire them, and moving an entire, dangerous ecosystem off world simply not be feasible for a simple Bounty Hunter, even one of such renown as Samus Aran. It’s a very unique dilemma to explore. Either kill an entire ecosystem of innocent creatures, or let them live and possibly end up with your inaction causing hundreds, even thousands of deaths in the long run, all passing on in incredible agony.

Then, all is said and done. An entire biological order has been wiped from existence. The Queen Metroid, which spawned all this blooming life like a goddess of creation, has been slain. With her gone, the possibility of an ecosystem of this type is gone forever. But one Metroid remains. A single, lone hatchling, oblivious to all of Samus’s terrible deeds on this world, innocent and friendly. The possibility still remains. The Space Pirates have already succeeded in asexually multiplying Metroids to orders of magnitude of their original supplies in the past. This one single specimen could make a legion if it falls into the wrong hands.

But this is a child. A lone child, without its mother, sitting in an afterglow of ash and death, with none of its kind left for hundreds of light years. It looks up hopefully to a stoic, alien figure, sigils in its technology baring the mark of the Chozo. Quite familiar, no?

As Samus and the last child of the Metroids leave this barren waste behind, she believes that maybe some good can come of this. If nothing else, she has done some small favor for this weary conscience of her’s.

Then, who else should show to complete the metaphor but the Cunning God of Death himself? Contrasting Samus’s gentle approach with the baby Metroid, Ridley is brutal, shrieking alien obscenities at this frightened child, beating it into submission as it fights back against his taloned grasp. This is the face of heartless control and abuse, this is the face of those who made the Metroids an enemy to life in the galaxy. They used these animals to commit atrocities, like throwing the condemned to a pack of starved wolves. This is what playing god looks like. And now the Hunter must cut him down to size.

Really nice thing about Metroid as a series? The Metroids themselves are both presented as incredibly terrifying creatures with the after-effects of their lifeforce draining being showcased disturbingly, particularly in Super Metroid and Prime 3 (GFS Valhalla, anyone?) yet the overall narrative framing of them still makes it pretty clear that nothing in the series is really their fault, the danger they pose is entirely due to outside factors like the Space Pirates and Phazon. Even though them starting to show up in any given game is usually a sign that you're entering The Hard Part, they're still just creatures at the end of the day and treated very sympathetically; Space Pirates abusing them is specifically called out in some of the Prime 2 scan entries.

Pride month is ending and I never got to kiss my girlfriend once :(