As An Unabashed Lesbian And Samus X Gandrayda Shipper, I Knew I Had To Make This. Thanks To @Hoshizoralone

Metroid Prime 4: Ruins looking niiice.

Had this sped up audio of my friend ranting about Lunchly for a while now. Someone brought up the idea of this being Uzi ranting about JCJenson and I just had to draw it. She went a little obsessive in the bunker. Also N likes his oil drippy, brah.

Dim tar Ili Metroid

This is just a short fic I made to flex my voice acting and narrating muscles again. I am transgender, and have been voice training for a good couple of months now. I have bigger plans, but I’d like to do something small before jumping into the really good stuff that I wanna really get right.

To those who do not know, this story utilizes the actual Chozo language! Sparingly, at least. The title, Dim tar Ili Metroid, translates to DNA of the Metroid. Tanumar, is the Chozo word for leader, one which I have taken to using as an official designation of rank. Hasana, as well, is the Chozo word for tribe, which I have used as the actual term of their societal groupings. Has means yes, and ulu means no. Raven Beak’s voice is a doozy to get right, largely due to the large amount of voice modulation. I have dumbed it down to be more in line with some of the effort/chuckling sounds in his boss fight, both for ease of editing and ease of understanding. Lastly, as for the voices themselves, I tried going for an accent based on how Raven Beak and Quiet Robe speak within Metroid Dread, with the rolled R sound, for example.

Hope you all enjoy! Sol ata (thank you)!

Made a little edit of basically all of the footage we have of Sylux himself (song is “Psycho” by DHeusta)

And now for part 3! I have finally learned how to collapse text (is that the right word?) so that this will be much less cluttered. I love seeing all the tags in reblogs mulling over the specifics here. It’s always great to see these ideas leaving an impact.

Day 15: Nemesis

System Stress Alert

“Warning: Cortisol at dangerously high levels. Continued use of Power Suit can result in endocrine-

Warning: Stress levels continuing to rise. Please cease use of this Power Suit to avoid systemic-

Warning: Power Suit Emergency shutdown initiated. Due to critically high stress levels, wielding of weapons grade force multipliers has been deemed unsafe for you and anyone in your vicinity. Reactivation can be initiated once stress levels have subsided to stable levels.”

Day 16: Hatchling

Recommendation on Adaptation Procedure on Human Child

“The life readings of the child, Samus Aran, have stabilized for the fourth time. However, according to various shamans, spiritual harmonics remains an issue. This is likely due to her traumatic past before arriving in our care. In spite of being sedated too heavily to dream, and being supplied air filtered for human consumption, she can still, somehow, feel the pain of her past. This is an issue that must be resolved once she leaves sedation. As it stands, this is an area of healing which I can only offer minimal assistance in.

Nevertheless, preparations are being initiated for gene tailoring and conjoining. A problem still remains. Much of the Chozo bloodline on Zebes has become too old and frail to provide samples not liable to produce genetic defects. The only individual on Zebes who is not in too great a state of atrophy is Grey Voice. However, without multiple donors, genetic aberrations are likely to occur unpredictably. Without a second donor, regular genetic tailoring procedures will be required in order to stabilize any potentially hazardous mutations or cancers. To solve this issue will require political discussions with another Hasana.”

Day 17: Proteus

Administrator Command Log of Aurora Unit 059

“System Plugin initiated.

Please input credentials

Response: System Admin Proteus

Administrator Identity Confirmed. All functions available.

Command: Initiate Self Destruct Sequence

Initiating Self Destruct. Alerts placed to all personnel onboard. Evacuation Procedure Underway.

Command: Expedite

Timer reduced to thirty seconds.

Command: Quarantine

All access to exits now blocked without valid confirmation.”

Day 18: Thief

Space Pirate Archeological Report

“We have successfully located and secured one of the three artifacts needed to unlock the seal around the meteorite. The so called ‘Artifact of Study’ appears to be a miniature display of a solar system. Studies have begun on the artifact by science team to discern what its functionality may be in the seal’s mechanism. With sufficient study, we may be able to unlock the seal without locating the other two artifacts. This will be very beneficial to our time table and personnel resources. It took expenditures of 17 teams in order to obtain our first artifact, due to both the physical traps and defenses surrounding the artifact as well as the presence of one or more spectral entities. Regardless of if opening the seal takes study of the first artifact, or capture of the other two, we are closer than ever before to gaining access to the crater.”

Day 19: Sinewy

Combat Scan of Meta Ridley

“Various armor plates have been damaged, revealing fleshy layer beneath. Ridley is still undergoing a healing process from the confrontation on Zebes. Various areas destroyed during the battle have begun to regenerate, such as the eyes, tongue, internal organs, wings, and arms. This regeneration is not fast enough to overcome direct arms fire. Recommend targeting these weak points.”

Day 20: Tail

Scan of Space Pirate Carcass

“Unlike many other corpses on the Orpheon, this does not appear to be the work of Space Pirate bioweapons. The lacerations have severe heat trauma within the wounds. The killing blow dealt to the torso has begun to melt the internal organs through excessive burning. Whatever was in the blade that pierced this individual’s chest was at least 475°F.”

Day 21: Deceptive

Last Words of a Lone Chozo

“To any who may read this message, Mother Brain has betrayed us. Even as the battle raged on Zebes’s surface, she refused to call for aid. Little did we know she was communicating to find some arrangement with the Space Pirate commander, the demon. I have retreated into Norfair, separated from my kin. I have no food or water. I do not expect to live for long. The demon and his minions come for me, aided by the betrayer. Safe havens have become kill houses. Security doors have become open halls. I have no protection, no weapons, no armor. But I will ensure that the world knows this. The Chozo did not sit idle as we were slaughtered. A great betrayal cut us down. The one we relied on turned our own world against us. I am Onyx Vow, and Mother Brain is not one of us.”

Maytroid 2024 is here!

I am so excited to get to work on these new prompts. Last year, my entries for each day were fairly sloppy, and I was new to the series, so I was lacking a fair bit of information. Now, I’m armed with more knowledge and am eager to use it.

For those who haven’t seen what I did for Maytroid last year, what I’m going to be doing instead of art is something more writing focused. These little text entries are mostly styled after the scans from the Metroid Prime series. Matter of fact, this new set of prompts actually lends itself much better than last year’s, as I have a lot more leeway to play to my own strengths than last year (I still don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do with Gorea). These are all canon to my own Metroid AU currently, though as things change in development, these may become out of date. They will give the vibe my stories are going for, but these shouldn’t be held to as the absolute canon for them. I’ll be posting these week by week, around 7 at a time, starting today.

Day 1: Ridley

Transcript of Security Footage

Several individuals in this footage cannot be identified at this time. They shall be identified as Pirate 1, Pirate 2, and Pirate Major.

Ridley: What I want to know… is why he is not in custody.

Pirate Major: I gave them their orders, they knew he was to be brought in alive, and instead they killed him.

Pirate 1: You told us to take care of him! We thought you meant an execution, not milk and cookies!

Pirate Major: Insolent Wretch! You say such things about your orders in front of our Commander?! You know how we handle that sort of insubordination!

Pirate 2: Cool it, we’re already in hot water.

Pirate 1: We’re in hot water because of the life of some winy little nobody that begged for his life with money he didn’t even have.

Ridley: While your insolence is… aggravating… I am willing to forgive this misstep.

Pirate Major: What?

Ridley: He was an insignificant pawn. We can always find another. As I was saying, I am willing to forgive this on one condition. Did he die in pain?

Pirate 2: Yes. He did suffer before he died.

Ridley: What methods or torture did you employ?

Pirate 1: Waterboarding. Works wonders on humans. I always liked how they sound when they cough and gasp for air.

Ridley:Mmmmm… was blood shed before his end?

Pirate 2: Yeah. My partner here has… quite the way with knives.

Ridley: Do tell.

Pirate 1: Slashed his wrists. Those arteries gush lots of blood from humans. And we started pulling teeth when he lied.

Ridley: Delicious. You have escaped capital punishment, but you will still be serving as guards for the Metroid containment units. For further forgiveness, you will need to be more creative with your implements. I find Revine’s death, by your account, to be quite dull. Your are dismissed, unless you wish to enlighten me further.

Day 2: Fiery

Scan of Pipe System in Norfair

“These pipes appear be delivering superheated magma into the Norfair region. Given the proximity to Ridley’s personal quarters, likely explanations include terraforming the area for Ridley’s own comfortability, additional protective measures, or the intentional destruction of Chozo artifacts not deemed useful. The latter is most likely, as the immediate area was once a Chozo burial tomb. It is now completely submerged in magma, disintegrating much of the artifacts within.”

Day 3: Winged

Scan of SA-X Mutations

“This X-Parasite copy has suffered some form of destabilization of its copying abilities. Abnormalities include a malformed, beak like structure around the mouth, several atrophied fingers, several hypertrophied fingers, small patches of feathers, and an extraneous structure protruding from its back resembling a Chozo wing bereft of feathers. These unusual deformities could be the result of DNA infusions during childhood complicating the process of anatomical replication within X-Parasite offspring. This individual seems to suffer great stress from its predicament, but it is unsafe to assume that its combat functionality is greatly hampered. Adaptation is this species’s main trait.”

Day 4: Pirate

Scan of Space Pirate Elite

“Subject is a member of an unknown species known only from individuals working within Ridley’s special operations group, The Revenants. This group acts as Ridley’s personal enforcers and assassins, fanatically worshipping their commander as a literal God of Death. They wield melee weapons personalized to their unique fighting styles. Each weapon is charged with electricity, giving them an additional ranged attack capability. They have operated since before the Galactic Federation, making a name for themselves in fighting Chozo warriors. Their endurance, agility, and strength cannot be overstated, in spite of their gaunt appearance.”

Day 5: Mecha

Scan of automaton codenamed Mecha Ridley

“Subject is a battle ready drone, seemingly created by Ridley’s fanatical special forces, the Revenants. Mecha Ridley is heavily weaponized, as there could be no altar to the God of Death without the ability to take a life. Weapons include flamethrowers, guided munition launchers, and superheated claws. Mecha Ridley’s armor is highly durable, but greatly hampers mobility compared to its inspiration. Additionally, as a cult idol of worship, advanced artificial intelligence was not prioritized during production. Mecha Ridley displays average combat intellect for a war drone. Recommend staying moving and outsmarting the automaton.”

Day 6: Fang

Scan of Rundas’s Necklace

“Rundas appears to have begun collecting Metroid Fangs as trophies since last he was approached. Assuming one fang was taken from each Metroid he has eliminated, he has defeated 15 Metroids in the two months since he was last seen. Unfortunately, his ego has grown with his kill count.”

Day 7: Cunning

Scan of Abandoned Home

“Old Bird and Grey Voice’s abandoned home has been left mostly in tact, minus the usual signs of neglect. However, there appear to be a plethora of traps lain around the home. Various grapple snares have been detected, alongside explosive charges, beam emitters, and microphones. Much of these systems appear to be inert, and once reported directly to Mother Brain. It is clear she anticipated you might return here before confronting her. Given her destruction, several trap systems remain completely dormant. Still, any approach must be made with great caution.”

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.

Don't ever hesitate. Reblog this. This should be in the tumblr laws. When you see it, REBLOG IT.

Depression Hotline: 1-630-482-9696

Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-8433

LifeLine: 1-800-273-8255

Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

Sexuality Support: 1-800-246-7743

Eating Disorders Hotline: 1-847-831-3438

Rape and Sexual Assault: 1-800-656-4673

Grief Support: 1-650-321-5272

Runaway: 1-800-843-5200, 1-800-843-5678, 1-800-621-4000

Exhale: After Abortion Hotline/Pro-Voice: 1-866-4394253

If you ever want to talk: My tumblr ask is always open.

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

Maytroid… sort of… part 5!

Now, we come to the end of my little Maytroid series. If you want to understand what’s going on with these, I’d recommend glancing at the previous posts in this little series in order to understand what’s going on with this. In hindsight, I sort of wish I had put a little more time and effort into these, but I suppose it cannot be helped now. I do still enjoy the world building these have allowed me to do, and in many case have laid out the groundwork for some very interesting storytelling going forward, from the cult like worship of Phaaze, to the mysteries of SR-388. I hope to flesh these things out in future stories, but something I’ve learned from some prior experiences is to hold myself to a standard of passion over consistency. I can’t give any promises on when any of these story arcs will be properly written and posted. For now, though, onto the finale of his little series.

Day 27: Golden Torizo

Zebes Rebuilt Archive Scan

“The process to control the Torizo guardians has been a long and arduous process, with much trial and error. The Torizo are sentient, containing the souls of long deceased warriors of the Chozo. Many of my archives on Chozo spiritual studies have been lost due to the destruction of the initial archive made by my creators, so I am unable to ascertain the exact process of imbuing the soul into one of these guardian statues. Current efforts to convert the Torizo to our side have centered around continuous logic routines and straining the mental faculties of the guardians. Their on control over themselves is absolute, and they will never make a move to harm a member of the Thoha Hasana. This has had no hope of change. However, this should not pose an issue.

Ridley has personally taken one of the Torizo to convert by way of immense emotional trauma. He has regularly destroyed artifacts of great spiritual significance to the Chozo in front of the Torizo. Once a week, he has commissioned for me to create a biologically perfect Chozo egg, which he proceeds to consume in front of the Torizo. The fact that the egg is infertile has not been acknowledged. Other acts to emotionally torment the Torizo include footage of violence against animals and civilians during his raids on Galactic Federation Space and during recreational hunts, and playing footage of the massacre of the Chozo during his attack on Zebes. Such methods have shown only minor success in breaking the Torizo’s will. However, I believe he simply seeking personal pleasure from the guardian’s suffering.”

Day 28: Metroid Prime

Promise to the Entrusted One

“We have failed. While the great poison has been sealed away at its source, our population is all but dead. Only seven of us remain. We cannot hope to finish this, nor rebuild the society we once knew. Our creations are insufficient to end this. We are scientists, not the great warriors who fell to protect our world. Still, we toil, in hopes that you, the entrusted one that greatest of us foresaw, can succeed where we have not. We gift to you the armor perfected for your use, utilizing the one organism the Phazon does not infect. Go forth, hatchling of the Chozo, and save this world. You cannot save us, but this world of beautiful creatures can live on. From the trees to the fish to the very fungus that protects you in this armor, you can save this vast, wonderful world. Go forth, and free this world.”

Day 29: EMMI

Report from GFS Sunset Homage

“EMMI unit S-11 has infiltrated SR-166. Preliminary readings show minimum atmospheric Phazon contamination in general planetary range. However, creatures around the crash site have already undergone Phazon induced transfiguration. Several carcasses within a 45 mile radius of the crash sight have been found with no signs of predation and have shown definitive signs of Phazon Induced Cell Death (PICD). While exacerbating preexisting ailments has not been ruled out, current evidence points to death due solely to PICD. One herbivorous creature seen displaying erratic behavior was euthanized by S-11, and was found to have PICD in several areas of the brain.

It is this researcher’s opinion that the entire north western continent of SR-166 be put under strict quarantine. We have seen in other cases how the Phazon infestation of a planet can begin slowly but escalate exponentially. We cannot risk the Phazon crisis reach the Galactic Federation’s proverbial flank.”

Day 30: Mother Brain

Secret Agreement

“Your purpose will not be to enforce order. You will not bend the Galactic Federation to my will or push politics from the shadows. You are not an agent of peace. You are my monster. You will have your fill of blood and sadism. You will be my agent of evil to sic on those who fall astray from cooperation. You will be nothing more or less than yourself, but only where I choose. This war will last forever, and you will be the wolf for the sheep to fear. You will be the enemy.”

Day 31: Mission Completed

Mission Report

“Mission was successful. Metroid presence on SR-388 has been eradicated. Signal coming from the cavern was created by highly mutated Metroid, which was put down as well. However, I have saved and catalogued data on all Metroid permutations encountered for future reference. Glaxamore presence on the planet was low, but I did face a brief encounter with Ridley. He was beaten, but due to the arrival of the planetary super storm, I cannot confirm the kill. Additionally, I have disobeyed orders slightly. I discovered a Metroid hatchling during its hatching process. It has since imprinted on me, and has shown no signs of aggression. I have taken in the Metroid for study by the Galactic Federation. I already have drafted paperwork to ensure that it will not be tampered with for purposes of bioweapons research, and hope that the energy they metabolize can be used for something positive. Against my better judgement, I have given the hatchling a name. It’s the name of a pet I used to have before the Chozo took me in, Pyonchi… Computer, strike the last two sentences from the record.”

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