Our Interest In Their Hand Sanitizer Was Purely For The Betterment Of Mankind. Everything Has Clearly

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.

Space Pirate Design Ranking Part 2

2nd place: 2D Sprite/classic Zebesian

I’m grouping all of the original game sprites from the OG all the way up to Zero Mission together as they have very little differences, and with how pixelated they are, those differences really don’t amount to anything more than a slight change in position or fidelity. The Zebesian Space Pirate design is a classic. I had seen the 2D cosplay of a Zebesian before I was even a Metroid fan and always thought it looked cool. There’s an intimidating factor to it with its hunched posture and agility. The “big snappy lobster claws”, as FatBrett so eloquently put it, make them instantly recognizable. The heads also feel very serious and intimidating, with the downward curve and alert gaze. You get the sense that these guys take their role seriously. They are good at what they do, no nonsense professionals.

And for the winner!

1st place: Metroid Prime

These guys are just fantastic. Sure, it can be argued that they’re a bit generic, but I think the sense of identity and visual storytelling that these guys bring to the table just takes the cake for me. Firstly, the addition of the arm mounted energy blades is really cool, and giving a standardized “tool of the trade”, so to speak, does a good bit to make them more unified. In previous entries, unless you looked at a manual, you couldn’t really tell where the fauna stopped and the Space Pirate menace you were sent to eradicate began. Metroid Prime, however, makes that distinction exceedingly clear. In addition, the inclusion of the metal crudely grafted into their bodies really does a good bit to sell the portrayal of the Space Pirates’s modus operandi of going as far as possible with scientific advancement with zero ethical limitations, all in the name of gaining a combat advantage over all that would seek to stop their conquests. The storytelling here is really a thing of wonder. For more on that, I recommend FatBrett’s video on the Space Pirates in Metroid Prime. It goes into more detail here than I will here.

Regardless, all of these designs are, at the very least, good. They all have things going for them that I truly dig. From the immense storytelling of Metroid Prime’s Space Pirates, to the intimidating skeletal appearance of the Echoes Pirates, to the back pointing spines of Other M’s Zebesians, there is always something to like about the designs of the core infantry of the Space Pirates.

Space Pirate Design Ranking

The Metroid series has a boatload of different designs, completely changing between every game except the 2D iterations. Some think it’s simple design inconsistency, others think that they’re different genetic manipulations of the same species, while others (including myself) are of the opinion that the Space Pirates are a collective made up of various species. Today, I’ll be ranking these designs based on what they convey and, simply, what I think is cool and aesthetically pleasing. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only be ranking the standard Space Pirate variant of each game, the “core enemy type” if you will. And yes, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is here, though its place in the ranking is subject to change as we get more closer looks.

7. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes

Some people may consider this a sin to put so low on the list but, to me, this really just doesn’t fit the whole vibe of the Space Pirates, especially in the Prime series. In the Metroid Prime saga, the Space Pirates are an authoritarian empire who recklessly abuse technological advancement for the sake of domination. This just… doesn’t say that. It’s a good design, don’t get me wrong, but this really looks like some weird skeleton knight. I could see this crawling out of some crypt to seek vengeance, not descending from a space ship to plunder. For that reason, I gotta put this guy in last place.

6th place: Metroid Prime Federation Force

For many of the problems Metroid Prime 2’s design has, I think Federation Force remedies… and then makes the opposite mistakes. Federation Force’s Space Pirate design is, canonically, around the same height as Metroid Prime’s Omega Pirate. Why make mechs for your game if you’re just gonna scale the enemies up anyway is anyone’s guess. With that in mind, I kinda like this as a heavy unit for the Space Pirates, but the center of this design just is a bit hard to look at. I love the limbs and the inclusion of the iconic Prime Pirate energy blade. There’s a mix of fleshy joints and tough, metal plating that I enjoy, I actually like the bright red eyes as well, especially for a heavy unit. But the carapace around it just feels… it’s kinda hard to look at. That mouth, as well, is just a bit too buggy and lacks expressiveness. Really, that’s my edict on this thing. Good extremities, but lacks expression and is generally tough to look at. Still, I imagine someone could retool/retexture this thing to be a real banger of a design.

5th place: Metroid Other M

From here on, these designs are ones I truly like as Space Pirates. Metroid Other M’s Space Pirate design was a tough one to find a good image of. This was about the best one I could find in a cursory search. As far as official designs go, I think this is the best translation of the iconic Zebesian Space Pirate to 3D we’ve ever gotten. There was a small effort made in Prime 2 to bring the claws back, but here there are on full display and they look great. The whole design is, honestly, fantastic. You can see the smooth bands around the limbs and torso, downward pointed jaw, and the big, smooth, blank eyes of the old sprite. The spines on the back and head really add some personal flare to these guys as well, and the whole design has a delightfully cheesy color scheme that I simply adore. I think the series has designs that evoke certain feelings and themes better, but this is certainly a fun looking guy.

4th place: Metroid Prime 3 Corruption

Unlike every other type but the Zebesians, the Space Pirates of Corruption have a distinct name based on the Homeworld we explore, Urtraghians. There is a distinctly pseudo organic bend to these guys, with the textures on the armor plating feeling almost Xenomorphic. However, where I think this design stands out is, of course, the head. The long, pointed teeth clearly visible under the rows of eyes really makes this eel-like head intimidating. You can really imagine the Urtraghians descending from their ships in a city, gunning down innocents and plundering whatever they choose. These animalistic terrors will smell where you’re hiding and drag you out kicking and screaming. It really fits the Space Pirates’ role in the story. From day one, they really have just been a bogeyman for the Federation. We rarely actually see them doing… ya know… pirating. The rampant technological obsession was a concept introduced by the Prime trilogy. As a design for the Bogeyman of the Galaxy, I think the Urtraghians work great.

3. Metroid Prime 4 Beyond

Haha, 3 is for 4 and 4 is for 3. This will be subject to change and many people might not rank them until we get clearer images, but uh… I’m doin it. Beyond’s pirates have a very buggy design, but in a way that’s parallel, not identical, to the Zebesian designs from the 2d games. Their mouth is split into mandibles, they have a hard carapace, and their movements can be jittery and unsettling. The large size of them compared to the Federation personnel seen in the trailer really evokes power and control. Their armor has outward pointed edges and defined pectorals. These are conquerors, proud, undefeatable warriors. The sparseness of it also evokes a sense of confidence, as if they don’t need a full covering when their hardened shell is so superior to weak flesh. It’s almost ornamental in a way. (Though someone should remind them they lost in every previous fight against Samus). Their mandibular maws, hunched backs, double thumbed hands, and digitigrade stance (standing on their toes with their heels off the ground) also evokes a certain other core enemy type in a sci fi shooter.

I’m going to leave it here for now as I have some other stuff to get to at the moment and I Forgor the image limit on Tumblr posts. I’ll get the ranking for the final (first?) two designs by the end of today. Then, I might make a post about what roles I’d fit these different species into for my own storytelling purposes.

Given how much we roll with Samus having a ton of self-loathing due to the deaths of so many loved ones by the time of Fusion... Let's do even more with that.

The SA-X is terrifying, and part of that comes from it being a soulless, unspeaking, automaton; Samus without any of the soul. But we also know the X can copy memories, and granted it's possible the X never got to access Samus' brain, and wouldn't have those as the SA-X.

But what if they still somehow did? We know there's more than one SA-X; About ten, Adam calculates. So maybe one of them is cold and unfeeling... But what if another is Samus' own self-loathing personified, externalized?

The X are clever; What if this SA-X voices all of Samus' doubts towards her. Tortures her psychologically to throw Samus off her game, because the X know that self-doubt can cause more intelligent creatures to underperform. What if we have an SA-X that asks aloud all the questions that Samus hates about herself; If she's such a hero, why are so many of her friends and family dead? Why does she destroy everything she touches?

This plays into Samus' self-destructive action in blowing up the BSL with herself aboard, because she's convinced herself she can't do anything right, so it doesn't matter if this doesn't actually eradicate the X on SR388. And then Adam, this computerized copy who is supposed to be cold logic, actually speaks through to Samus by acting more objective and reminding her; There are other ways to do this, and you don't need to die. And then he begins to rediscover himself.

And it's like a parallel because computer Adam is also a clone copying the memories and personality of an original, albeit a manmade, digital mimic. And Adam and the SA-X start off as cold and unfeeling, but then rediscover emotions; In the SA-X's case, they're cruel and ultimately meant more as a parroted echo of Samus' self-hatred, for an ulterior, practical motive of defeating the enemy at any cost. For Adam, it's him learning to live and love again, and save a friend from the fate he technically already went through, and can't truly come back from.

But yeah, imagine the SA-X constantly guilt-tripping Samus... Bringing up her parents, and then Gray Voice. Not to mention Rundas, Ghor, and Gandrayda. The Metroids, especially the Infant. Zebes. Adam Malkovich. Belittling, dismissing, undermining Samus' achievements, insisting those she did help and save, like the Luminoth or Old Bird, will follow suit eventually. She became Ridley when she eradicated the Ing, who just wanted to survive, and left only one baby Metroid alive.

It gaslights Samus, which adds to the paranoia of not knowing what to believe, what's real, with the X mimicking things and the Federation lying to Samus; Plus her projecting Adam onto what she believed was just a computer. She's really going through it, and for a while it's actually working in throwing Samus off of her game, and she already lost all her upgrades!

It's basically Samus fighting her inner demons; Not just this caricature of her as something that is only a weapon and destroyer, but her own feelings of inadequacy, the guilt, the loneliness, the tendency to push others away for fear of hurting them too. And the suicidal ideation. And eventually she conquers both of these takes on her that actually go hand in hand, and comes out stronger with her identity rediscovered and reclaimed, hence the removal of the helmet to reveal Samus within, and her Fusion suit resembling the classic Varia color scheme now.

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.

Decided to draw V today. I still haven’t quite cracked the code on her hair, but I’m getting there.

As an unabashed lesbian and Samus x Gandrayda shipper, I knew I had to make this. Thanks to @Hoshizoralone for allowing me to use these adorable art pieces.

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

Kraid-soh

Haruna, anamahar hasana. Dara esen mir, muk atamis. Ana maril banta dosh sahar.

[Translated from Chozo]

-Live, my tribe. More than that, be yourself. I will try to help.

Happy Trans Day of Visibility to my tribe, anamahar hasana. We have tough times ahead. We’re living in them now. But we must fight. We must protest. And yet, we must never let the gloom poison our sense of self. We are transgender. Never let any voice, inside or out, pry that from your grasp. Hold on to your sense of self.