I Know This Never Happened In The Games Or Any Outside Material, But What If Frozen Metroids Just…

Batta, the Culture of the Zebesian Space Pirates

The Metroid Prime series has introduced the internal workings of the Space Pirates and expanded on it in subsequent entries. However, it is largely agreed upon by groups with the Metroid community (myself included) that the Space Pirates are a faction made up of many species. After all, the biology of the different enemy types in the Prime series alone is wildly different from game to game, aside from a bipedal, hunched posture. It can be assumed, therefore, that any discrepancies from game to game when describing the inner workings of the Space Pirates to simply be the culture of those individual species. For instance, the Urtraghians have far more brutal forms of punishment than the forces seen on Tallon IV. Now that then begs the question.

What about the culture of the Zebesians?

This exploration will, admittedly, be full of conjecture and fanons that I enjoy, but I hope you will enjoy either way.

The name Zebesian seems a bit strange to those who know the inner workings of Metroid lore, specifically about the Chozo, who were the residents of planet Zebes before the Space Pirates stormed the planet. The two big schools of thought as to the name from a Watsonian perspective are either that the Zebesians were driven off of Zebes in years past during the Chozo’s warlike past or that the name comes from their settlement upon Zebes that essentially became the way most of the Galaxy thought about the planet.

While I prefer the latter explanation, the former explanation does have some basis to it. Some of Dread’s many murals depict Mawkin soldiers coming into conflict with the Zebesian Space Pirates and defeating them. It is certainly possible that this is how the Chozo first settled the world. There was once a time when the Thoha Chozo were on good terms with the Mawkin.

Still, from both a Watsonian and Doylist perspective, I prefer that the Zebesian name comes from their takeover of Zebes, likely the latest conquest of many. From throughout the series, the Chozo are not seen to have been particularly active in galactic politics during the age of the Galactic Federation, mostly being relegated to advising more public figures. They are rarely mentioned after their demise, outside of their ruins. Therefor, with the Chozo mostly being dead and buried, their world conquered by the feared Space Pirates, the limelight would then be cast onto that world as the source of the Metroid threat, thus leading people to call them the rulers of that world. It’s not exactly how I will be situating things in my own rewrite of the manga, but it does fit better from a purely canonical perspective. Furthermore, from a Doylist perspective, there is evidence to posit this same position. (Special thanks to @sepublic for pointing this out) The internal data for the Zebesian sprite refers to them as Batta, the Japanese word for grasshopper/locust. While this can be attributed to their hopping behavior, it also fits to see them surrounding a planet, consuming its resources, and leaving barren rock behind, with Zebes being their latest, and most successful, operation. The manga displays them descending onto worlds, massacring populations, and enslaving the survivors. The origin of Samus Aran’s adoption into the Chozo comes from them massacring the population of a colony in order to steal its main export wholesale.

The individuals we see in the manga are spiteful, remorseless, and cruel, happy to kill a child for fun. They also show fear and cowardice in the face of armed resistance from Federation officials, and Mother Brain describes them as inclined to capitulate to the highest power present. This cruel, despotic leadership style appears to be an inherent trait to Zebesian culture. Furthermore, the Space Pirates are displayed as having genetically altered themselves to withstand Zebes’s environment very soon after securing the world, suggesting an avid fascination with genetic manipulation, a trait that gets taken to the N’th degree in the Prime series, along with a fascination of mechanical augmentation. From Meta and Proteus Ridley, to the grafted metal implants of the Tallon IV pirates, to the exoskeleton apparatus used by the Urtraghians, the Space Pirates as a whole seem to love cybernetically augmenting themselves and their underlings.

One of my favorite fan interpretations of the Zebesians comes from @dappercritter and the fanfiction piece “No Other”. Quite frankly, I have to include the paragraph wherein the description of the Zebesian race lies.

“The chimeric splice-junkies who had the nerve to call themselves ‘Zebesians’ she wasn’t surprised by. Those ‘settler colonists’-a term which they use to feign altruism and keep the GDF from assaulting their new base, had always been a thorn in Samus’s side since they tried to take her and the Chozo’s old home by force. Of course, they’d come back for more at some point, even if they deserved every other beatdown.”

The Zebesians are described as “chimeric splice-junkies”, a term which I absolutely love for its descriptiveness and color. These guys love to juice themselves up on whatever science team has cooked up. They love genetic modifications, cybernetic implants, and anything to make themselves stronger and give them an edge in combat. The main villain of this story, Ganzer, is the apotheosis of a Zebesian. He has replaced his lobster claws with metal claws, he has wings on his back, chainsaw blades grafted to his arms, a shoulder mounted cannon, a visor in place of his eyes, extra armor over his exoskeleton, and even a reptilian tail. Additionally, there is an explanation here for the name of these Zebesians. These galactic jerks are not just genocidal maniacs, they are something far worse: lawyers. They have lawyered their way into exploiting the Federation’s rules of engagement. After all, orbital bombardment on a colony is illegal. So, as any good lawyer would do, they have designated their most valuable planet as their residential colony world. Doesn’t matter that they breed Metroids, produce weapons, and store their fleets there, cuz that’s where the children grow up, at least on paper.

Furhermore, given their distinctly crustacean design, I can imagine that their “splice-junky” lifestyle comes into play during a specific recurring period of their life; molting. When a crustacean molts, the new shell is soft and malleable for a time, in which time they are extremely vulnerable. Defensive claws and stingers are effectively useless, leaving them defenseless until their body hardens. This time could be perfect for Zebesians to how in the infusion tank to get ‘roided up on whatever DNA infusions they choose/have chosen for them, or to have cybernetic implants grafted into them, where the shell will then solidify and seal the implant on. You can just imagine some excited Zebesian chittering about how they ordered the new model of targeting armature, lamenting that they have to wait until the next molt to get it installed. It honestly opens up some room for a bit of downtime in their culture which I think could be explored further some time.

Hope you all enjoyed this one! I may make a similar post for some of the other Space Pirate varieties. I do have some unique fanons for the Urtraghians that could be cool to share. Let me know if you have any suggestions or fanons of your own!

The Flying Pirates are hardcore

So these Space Pirates in particular are hardcore as fuck. The scans state directly that they have a well known habit of diving into any target once their luck has run out to take the enemy out with them. This kamikaze strategy is not just an occasional occurrence, but standard practice. Furthermore, on Tallon IV, these Pirates can be found in multiple biomes in the game, from the dangerous heat of magmoor caverns to the freezing cold of Phendrana Drifts. They can be encountered in Tallon Overworld, which is to be expected. The underwater variant of them can be found in the sunken frigate Orpheon which doesn’t take a huge leap in environment, just some retooled thrusters and an air tank for breathing. However, their environmental adaptability starts to get put on show in their first proper introduction in Phendrana Drifts. Phendrana is a snow covered wasteland, with almost no flora to speak of. It is a harsh and unforgiving environment covered in snow and ice, and these guys don’t layer up for the weather. Still, given that the Space Pirate labs have buildups of sitting snow, you might assume that Space Pirates just enjoy the colder temperatures. But these guys also show up in MAGMOOR CAVERNS. Samus requires the Varia Suit to step foot in those areas without cooking alive, and the Flying Pirates are in there without any heat protection whatsoever. I think they may be extremophiles.

Can someone explain to me why the first Murder Drones post I make here is a meme about an AU? I did not expect this to be how it goes. Eh. @ddwhaleshark here ya go.

Just a sound design concept for Raven Beak’s Hyper Beam I whipped up in CapCut.

I felt the sound of his primary weapon didn’t fit the sheer power its visuals evoked. To that end, I used the buildup noise of the BFG 10,000 from Doom Eternal plus the firing sound of the Focus Rifle from Halo Reach, pitched down to evoke a massive beam. I love the trail off of the Focus Rifle, and it fits the Hyper Beam so damn good.

I tend to go for a middle ground between the two. Someone with scars from injuries that no human being should be able to survive, but also let her care about eyeshadow and lipgloss because it’s just a fun thing she can do to express herself in a busy life of hunting down criminals and super predators. Give her absolutely chiseled abs and towering height, yes, but let her smile with the people and little critters she’s saved along the way. I’m not saying you can’t have your buff, grizzled veteran of many battles with the scars to prove it, but she’s still human, she still needs to live a little. But yes, give her a massive co-

People who draw Samus Aran as a 5 foot nothing girl with an hourglass figure, flawlessly smooth skin, perfectly applied makeup, absolutely no musculature, and a bubbleheaded smile are cowards. That woman has been put through the ringer and should look like it. Give her towering height. Give her absolutely chiseled abs. Give her terrifying scars snaking across her skin. Give her weird feathers and scales covering her body. Give her a scowl that could shatter glass. Give her a massive co-

People on Reddit absolutely FLAMING Sylux for this one😭

Maytroid… sort of… part 4!

So this will be the last time I explain the premise here. In this little series, instead of drawing images for Maytroid, I will be writing scan visor entries that Samus might have come across regarding each topic, based on my own AU. For the current state of the story, these will all be canon, but some of the characters that have either not fleshed out yet, or am simply unfamiliar with, things may change in the future. As for the final week, since it won’t be a clean seven days, I will be releasing the last of these on the 31st. But without any further delay, onto the scans.

Day 20: Meta Ridley

Space Pirate Journal Entry

“I would never be so foolish to voice any of these concerns out loud, but I cannot help but feel that our cunning leader has fallen victim to his own lust for vengeance. We may all feel the same way. After all, the Hunter destroyed our primary base of operations. But his vengeance has dipped into obsession.

Our campaign here was going extraordinarily well. Communications from the target planet had been jammed to prevent Galactic Federation intervention. The planetary defense fleet had sustained significant losses. They were not yet beaten, but they were weak. And their flagship was already being overrun by our boarding groups. Commander Ridley’s plan was working perfectly. The Fuel Gel shipment would have been our’s for the taking. The Commander’s toothy grin brought us all satisfaction, that there was nothing that could go wrong. Then we received our first report about the Hunter’s arrival. As soon as the report sounded across the command deck, Ridley’s smile disappeared. He stared off into space for several seconds, his expression blank. Then, without a word, he turned and strode out of the command deck. Incoming transmissions requesting orders from the commander were left unanswered, and his combat genius was left out. Even with him personally engaging Samus in combat, our own forces slowly began to be thwarted.

I believe this battle to be lost, but I cannot hold a candle to Ridley’s own battlefield wisdom. If he has not ordered a retreat, we will stay and fight. Though I fear it will be to the death.”

Day 21: Omega Metroid

Incomplete Chozo Script

“Our Ultimate Warriors have grown rampant. In our haste to create something that would subdue a great evil, we created another one, one that was just as ravenous. They have begun to feed on the native life of The Agar Planet, something our empath shamans have forbade of them. Where we had control”-illegible-“worse. Instead of the gelatinous bodies that could even be soothing to the touch, they have developed hardened carapaces, sharp claws, and unchecked aggression. One of our empathy, Light Hand, attempted to stop one of the greatest of these creatures from attacking a Moheek. She naively believed that her physical presence would convince the beast to follow her commands. The creature grabbed”-illegible-“six warriors in order to defeat it with our most powerful weapons. This”-illegible-“Quiet Robe believes that this may be a side effect of the Agar energy. However,”-illegible-“could be a result of their rushed creation. In his own words, ‘we are shepherds of life, not”-illegible-“may have to request aid from the Mawkin Hasana. The Ultimate Warriors are growing move dangerous by the days.”

Day 22: Sylux

Blood Skies computer scan

“Our attempts to hire the Bounty Hunter known as Sylux have failed. Previous reports indicated an intense hatred of the Galactic Federation, though the reasons for this animosity have been fairly unclear. What is clear to see is his penchant for disrupting Galactic Federation military supply lines.

Our own agent met Sylux at a bar he had frequented for three months. The agent asked him about the possibility of both a big score, and to twist the knife in the side of the Galactic Federation. Sylux initially showed interest, and the pair left the bar. Contact with the agent was subsequently lost. Further investigation uncovered an unfortunate discovery. The body of our agent was brutally maimed, and Sylux, presumably, scrawled a message in the agent’s own bodily fluids.

‘You’re no better.’

Further attempts to recruit Sylux have been deemed a waste of resources. Recommend search for other possible contractors.”

Day 23: Arachnus

Incomplete Chozo scrypt

“One of the more corrupted Ultimate Warriors was seen attacking an adult Arachnus. Our”-illegible-“creature was drained of its essence in a matter of seconds. After such a display of force against what was once the dominant natural predator of The Agar Planet, the problem can no longer be sidestepped or responded to a slow and delicate manor. A formal request to the Tanumar of the Mawkin Hasana has been”-illegible-“have been asked to remain indoors for their own safety. Still, the Ultimate Warriors continue to attack us. We can only hope that”-illegible

Day 24: Thardus

Orpheon computer scan

“Project Titan is proceeding with passable results. While creating a living weapon with no genetic signature has been deemed impossible, there has been success. The most successful subject has been nicknamed Thardus by security. Large rock structures have been successfully implemented, meaning that it is only a matter of time before we have a creature that can fit into a rock wall and strike when the enemy least expects it. This will make it perfectly camouflageed and difficult for enemies to detect, and with little to no maintenance, unlike costly sentries. To test safe parameters of subject growth, Thardus is to been transported planetside with the next two days.”

Day 25: Chozo Warrior

Intel Scan

“Artifact appears to be a Chozo spear. Carbon dating appears to place this weapon at being left in the dirt for around nine months. Due to the presence of long abandoned Chozo ruins on the planet, it is likely that one or more Chozo returned to this planet within the last six months. All scans of SR-388 report no non-pirate activity above the planet any sooner.”

Day 26: Gandrayda

Paper Note left on Gate

“Congratulations on Zebes! Always nice to see another Hunter hit it big. After all, you are a hunter, right? I don’t mean to pry or demean. I mean, I’d lose my license if it was known I attacked another Bounty Hunter. And how could I face down a bounty Hunter that fought a terror attack on the capitol of the Federation, captured a pirate king, and left a space pirate stronghold in shambles? I mean, that sort of thing is just unbelievable, don’t you think? I mean, it’s a really tough notion to believe. Ya know, tons of fakers claim these sorts of things all the time. But you’re the real deal. Right?

Our target is trapped within the next building, so we got time. Hopefully we can ‘chat’.

See ya, Sammy

Lady Gandrayda”

Me: I should yap to my girlfriend, @your-local-squip-fanatic

1 hour later

Me, a shivering mess in bed for the third time this week: Father Mawk, this can’t be happening

You like GIRLS? That’s gay 😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨😨

Wait, it is?

Nerdy the Artist’s Metroid fanfic Spotlight!

I have read a fair few excellently written Metroid fanfics in my short time in this fandom, a lot of which gave me many ideas, as well as possible biases, that I have taken into my own fanfic. Still, with the obscene amount of nsfw fics related to Samus (no shame), finding those engrossing stories with plenty of character development, intrigue, and action is a bit of an annoying task. People have different standards of tagging things, and less tags does not necessarily mean less quality. Use to this, for your convenience, I’m going to be sharing a list of some of my favorite Metroid fanfiction stories, in no particular order.

1. Whispers from Beyond the Veil

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56266696/chapters/142947040

Whispers from Beyond the Veil, by AlexRussoStuff, is still in its early stages, and brand new at the time of writing it. Currently, there’s only 1 chapter, but it’s a really promising one. If this fic maintains the tone and quality in this chapter, I’m all for it. It is mainly a retelling of Metroid Prime, interspersed with flashbacks from Samus’s childhood. The tone is far more brutal and gruesome than the original game, with more in the way of gore as Samus steps over the ripped apart remains of Space Pirates aboard the Orpheon. I am excited to watch this fic develop.

2. The Downfall of Ashkar Behek

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42231552/chapters/106034202

I was pointed in the direction of this fic by @molagboop due to some amazing artwork by the Chozo specialist himself. The Downfall of Ashkar Behek, by Acayl, is quite long, following much of the past of Raven Beak, known in Chozo as the titular Ashkar Behek. The story is long, detailing his past as a soldier of the Mawkin, including his maiming by Ridley, known to the Chozo as Balan dosh Nabular, translated to English: Bring to Dread. The story covers many bases in the tragedy of his downfall, and you never feel he is truly evil until he is utterly consumed by madness, and his belief in the innate responsibility of the Chozo to shepard the Galaxy. He goes from a relatively basic villain in Dread to a well fleshed out antagonist whose world view we can understand, and perhaps sympathize with. While it is very lengthy, it is a wonderful read if you have the time and patience for it.

3. Metroid S

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4156530/chapters/9378699

This fic is also incomplete (Metroid works slow, I guess), but the story is oozing with mystery and intrigue. Metroid S, written by Suribot, sees Samus Aran arrive on an icy world following a contract for a scientist’s rescue, and a separate, cryptic message telling of a Metroid’s presence in the derelict laboratories within. The plot is hard to sus out, and the mysteries hiding within are captivating. There is also a fair bit of monologues from Samus Aran about her past (did I mention this is in first person?) where we get to here about many past exploits and relationships. I still am itching to get questions answered with the next chapter. I think you’ll find yourself in the same boat.

4. Inheritance

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11560101/chapters/25965126

Remember when I said less tags doesn’t mean less quality? This is what I mean. Inheritance, by Cuofeng, was written before Dread came out, but there are many coincidental story elements that are interesting to compare and contrast between the two. The story itself is absolutely amazing, especially in the first act, but does have some problems in the third. The sense of mistrust and paranoia that the first act gives off is unrivaled, even by S. The story follows a mission set after Fusion where Samus is tasked with helping in the fight against a reinvigorated Space Pirate faction, with eyes on some advanced Chozo technology. This might be my favorite Metroid story, due to its amazing atmosphere, great personality, and shear rule of cool excellence.

I do have one major issue though: Where Morph Ball?

5. This Time

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34383862/chapters/85563343

For those of you looking for something more lowkey and feels-y, This Time, by CuratorOfFluff, is a wonderful short fic centered around Samus’s relationship with Old Bird, who is now living on Earth by himself with Samus’s pet rabbit-squirrel, Pyonchi. The care the two have for each other is just adorable, and you can tell the author had a lot of fun with this little slice of life.

6: A Swift and Howling Darkness

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42723552

A Swift and Howling Darkness, by Noxshade, is a very different kind of story to most, feeling right at home with Metroid Prime’s method of storytelling. This fic is in an epistolary format, meaning it is told by logs and reports, rather than outright narration. The story centers around Samus Aran, fresh off of her horrifying adventure aboard BSL, encountering a distress beacon sent from deep into the undocumented regions of space, codified as being pre-Federation in make. Driven by her innate curiosity. She decides to investigate this unusual call for help into the dark, unknown regions of the galaxy.

7: We Will Evolve

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54081529/chapters/136920130

We Will Evolve, by Thundamoo, comes hot off the heaps of Metroid Dread, using the loose plot thread of the missing Chozo ships during the escape sequence to tell a story of the X outbreak spreading beyond ZDR’s untamed wilds, and into sentient space. The horrifying idea is compounded on by the realization that what we saw of Samus’s Metroid mutations in Dread were the tip of the iceberg. Furthermore, we get to witness the arrival and spread of the X, known by the Chozo and itself as Eres, from the perspective of a civilian, caught up in the galaxy’s nightmares. The secondary protagonist is a joy to follow along, and Samus’s rage is palpable. Once again, this fic is not yet complete, but it is well worth a read thus far.

Honorable Mention: Confronting Adam (animatic)

Link: https://youtu.be/_hrU1tPZ7R8?si=bkvehOrjTVJsfOfr

This is a wonderful project by a YouTuber known as Galactic Gaming, making an animatic out of the fateful interaction between Samus and Adam where Samus brings out the goodness within the AI recreation of her former CO. The voice acting here is great, and the artwork is nice.

Well, these are some of my favs. I might make a new post with some other good ones, but I think these should be at the top of your reading list. If you have any suggestions for me, let me know in reposts or in the comments. Happy reading!