#rocket and groot: the hunt for star-lord

[smashpages]

Out this week: Rocket and Groot: The Hunt for Star-Lord (Graphix, $8.99): 

Marvel’s partnership with Scholastic continues in this new graphic novel by Amanda Deibert and Cam Kendell. When Star-Lord is kidnapped and held for ransom, it’s up to Rocket and Groot — Baby Groot, it looks like — to try and save him.

See what else is arriving at your friendly neighborhood comic shop this week.

[recorder-dude]

Some randos from god knows where

[sunarryn]

DP X Marvel #12

Danny Fenton never meant to end up in space, much less as part of a dysfunctional alien superhero squad led by a tree, a raccoon with PTSD, and a guy whose only qualification is that he’s listened to every 1980s mixtape ever made. But when you accidentally fly through a NASA portal powered by ectoplasm while trying to stop Technus from hijacking the International Space Station, you don’t really get much of a say in where you land. Which, in Danny’s case, was the cockpit of the Milano. Mid-flight. Mid-chase. Mid-explosion.

Rocket screamed. Gamora drew a blade. Star-Lord yelled, “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” And Danny, with his hair floating around his face in zero gravity and a half-melted Fenton Thermos in his hand, went, “Hi. Uh. I’m Danny. Do you have any snacks?”

A lot of things happened after that. For one, Rocket immediately declared Danny a “haunted science gremlin” and demanded he be dissected. Gamora stabbed him (not fatally, but like, “welcome to the crew” levels of stabbing), and Drax attempted to bond by declaring they were both hunted weapons of mass destruction. Groot tried to plant Danny in a flowerpot. Star-Lord, upon learning that Danny was from Earth and had ghost powers, decided he was now the team’s “Spooky Mascot” and handed him a Walkman, which promptly exploded when Danny touched it. Apparently, ghost boy plus alien tech equals “we now need a new comm system.” Danny fixed it in thirty minutes and Rocket reluctantly stopped trying to murder him in his sleep.

The team wasn’t sure if Danny was a ghost or an alien or some weird human mutant until he started phasing through walls and talking to the disembodied soul of a long-dead Xandarian war general haunting their fridge. (Her name was Bev. Danny and Bev played intergalactic chess on Thursdays.) Once the Guardians realized Danny could punch the soul out of people (and then slam-dunk it back in), they promoted him from “weird hitchhiker” to “full member with explosive privileges.” This was a mistake.

Danny was a space nerd, sure. He watched every space documentary, built model rockets, and could name the moons of Jupiter backwards. But what the documentaries didn’t prepare him for was being shot at by a gang of space pirates because Groot accidentally won a planet in a poker game, or Rocket creating a neutron grenade disguised as a cookie (“Don’t eat it, Danny—DANNY THAT’S NOT A REAL COOKIE”), or Star-Lord insisting they stop at an interstellar karaoke bar in the middle of a war. Danny had to fight off a swarm of brain-sucking parasites while singing “Eye of the Tiger” in full ghost mode. He got a standing ovation.

Things got worse when Technus came back, this time infecting Nova Corps servers and announcing himself as “God of Wi-Fi.” Danny had to team up with Rocket, who uploaded himself into a blender for reasons no one fully understood, to create an anti-ghost firewall using a toaster, Gamora’s sword, and Groot’s root clippings. The good news? It worked. The bad news? They accidentally opened a portal to the Ghost Zone mid-fight, unleashing the Box Ghost into the Nova HQ. The Box Ghost was immediately arrested and sent to space prison, where he became king of the vending machines.

Danny tried to explain Earth things to the Guardians. Like taxes. And Target. And what a cow was. Drax was horrified. “You allow milk beasts to rule your society?” Star-Lord cried when he learned Blockbuster was dead. Gamora tried to understand TikTok and ended up nearly assassinating a diplomat during a trend called “smash or pass.” Danny didn’t help by going ghost mid-video and screaming “pass” at the ambassador. They were banned from that planet forever.

But despite the chaos, Danny kind of… fit. He’d never felt truly understood on Earth, where being half-dead meant constant fear of being dissected by the government, but out here? Out here, people didn’t blink when he turned into a glowing, green-eyed wraith who could fly through spaceships and scream in an eldritch tongue. If anything, they applauded. One particularly wild night, Danny exorcised a Kree emperor’s cursed hover-throne live on intergalactic television. Ratings spiked. He was declared a demigod in three sectors. Star-Lord tried to get merchandising rights. Rocket tried to sell his ectoplasm as a weapon. Danny put them both in the Ghost Zone timeout corner.

They kept running into other people. Thor once landed on their ship looking for a beer and a nap, only to get into a flexing contest with Danny. Danny won. Barely. Thor still calls him “the glowing child of sorrow.” Tony Stark tried to recruit Danny for the Avengers. Danny politely declined by phasing through his hologram and turning it into a haunted Tamagotchi. Doctor Strange asked Danny to stop creating micro-rifts in the astral plane every time he hiccuped. Danny said he’d consider it.

The Guardians eventually got wind of a plot involving the Collector trying to obtain Danny’s core to power a ghost-zombie version of Knowhere. Naturally, they handled this in the most reasonable way possible: by launching a full-scale assault while disguised as a musical theater troupe. Danny, dressed as Phantom of the Opera, used his wail to destroy an army of spectral cyborgs, then accidentally set the Collector’s hair on fire. Gamora tackled him out a window. Rocket declared it a success.

Danny missed Earth sometimes. Jazz would call through the interstellar line to check in, often while holding a frying pan and yelling at someone in the background (“NO, TUCKER, YOU CAN’T ORDER CHICK-FIL-A TO SPACE”). Sam once left him a thirty-minute voicemail about ghost gentrification and the ethics of ghost labor unions. But even with all that, Danny knew he wasn’t the same kid from Amity Park. He’d been to star systems no human had seen, danced with sentient nebulae, and accidentally became betrothed to an alien princess after sneezing in her direction. He had battle scars and space memes and an intergalactic criminal record that included the phrase “unauthorized spectral possession of a judge.”

Rocket taught Danny how to rig a ship to explode using only shoelaces and spite. Groot taught him how to grow little plant buddies that helped him cook. Drax taught him the art of standing dramatically in silence, which Danny now did every time someone asked him about his tragic backstory. Star-Lord taught him how to moonwalk in zero gravity. Danny taught them all how to scream “GET BENT, YOU INTERDIMENSIONAL TWERPS” in ghost language, which they used during diplomatic missions. They were banned from another planet.

There were close calls. Danny once got trapped in a black hole and had to phase out by screaming every bad memory he’d ever had at once. He and Rocket were fused for a full day after a teleportation mishap—Danny’s ghost tail merged with Rocket’s back leg, and they had to fight like that. Gamora walked in on Danny watching High School Musical and refused to speak to him for a week. Star-Lord caught Danny crying while watching old Earth footage and tried to cheer him up with mixtapes titled “Sad Boi Vibes Vol. 1-9.”

But for all the wild, unhinged nonsense, Danny had a place. He’d spent so long being hunted, misunderstood, called a freak. But here, with this chaos crew of space weirdos and traumatized murder-huggers, he wasn’t just accepted. He was wanted. He was the team’s go-to for ghost stuff, space stuff, sarcasm, and emotional trauma suppression. He became a Guardian of the Galaxy not because he asked to be—but because he fought a black hole, exorcised a death god, and beat Star-Lord in a dance-off to “Take On Me.”

And when Earth eventually called—when the Avengers requested help with some “small ghost invasion” (Box Ghost had escaped space prison again)—Danny arrived with the Guardians, blazing through the sky like a neon comet. He kicked open a portal, yelled “SUP SLUTS,” and unleashed Groot, Drax, and an emotionally unstable raccoon with a bazooka onto New York.

Nick Fury sighed.

Tony screamed, “Why is there a tree in my penthouse?”

Danny just smiled, green eyes glowing, and said, “I brought friends.”

[raccoonfallsharder]

hiii hello! i main rocket in marvel rivals and got curious if someone wrote fics w him, found yours and now I'm absolutely obsessed🫶 you made me fall in love with rocket and the way you write is incredible, i feel so lucky that i still have lots of your fics to read :'3

is there any particular comics involving rocket that you like and/or you'd recommend? i think I've only read like 3 comics in my life lol but now i want to see more of rocket and know the context of some things i read in your fics.

i hope to see more of your writings 🫶 thank you for sharing them to the world 🫶🫶🫶

oh my GOD, nonnie ♡♡♡ i am so glad you're enjoying marvel rivals ~ and i'm so grateful it brought you to the fandom lol. thank you for the kind words, and for reading my silly stories! it truly means so much that you would come here and let me know, and i really appreciate it ♡♡ also, i love questions in general, but this is one of my favorite kinds of questions. thank you for asking!

a suggestion: if you are gonna binge-read and don't particularly care about having the physical comics in your hands, i highly recommend getting the Marvel Unlimited app (it's about $10 USD a month, i think). it's not always super-intuitive but i do believe all of these comics are on it! that said, i do have a lot of the comics in the first list in hardcopy because the art is ♡♡♡

I am also hoping some of the other folks out here will weigh in with their favorite recs (@mrwolfhare comes to mind as someone who has excellent insight into the best Rocket arcs and i would say like... an encyclopedic knowledge of the comics).

Here are some of my absolute faves though, in order from my most favorite to my least favorite (they are still all my favorites though):

Rocket Raccoon: Grounded. Rocket Raccoon (2016-2017) by Matthew Rosenberg and Jorge Coehlo. Prior to this arc, the Guardians come to Earth to assist with the evil du jour. Their ship ends up getting destroyed and they get into a fight, resulting in all the Guardians going their separate ways. This is Rocket's story of being grounded in New York City.

Rocket: The Blue River Score. Rocket (2017) by Al Ewing , Adam Gorham, etc. During (yet another?) fight amongst the Guardians, Rocket goes off on his own to sulk and runs into an old love interest, who cons him into getting involved in a classic heist.

Rocket Raccoon Vol. 1: A Chasing Tale. Rocket Raccoon (2014-2015) by Skottie Young and Jake Parker Rocket is hunted haunted by his past. This comic has some of the most beautifully-colored art and is just....fucking fun.

Rocket Raccoon Vol. 2: Storytailer. Rocket Raccoon (2014-2015) | by Skottie Young, Filipe Andrade, etc. Groot and Rocket recount some of their old adventures. This collection contains one of my favorite short arcs, The Cold.

Groot Groot (2015) by Jeff Loveness, Declan Shalvey, etc. Obviously, this comic is more Groot-centered than Rocket-centered but it's my favorite comic of all time and I still highly recommend.

Rocket Raccoon and Groot Vol. 1: Tricks of the Trade Rocket Raccoon and Groot (2016) by Skottie Young, Filipe Andrade, etc

Rocket Raccoon and Groot Vol. 2: Civil War II Rocket Raccoon and Groot (2016) by Nick Kocher, Michael Walsh, David Lopez.

in no particular order, i'd also recommend the following comics. (tbh a lot of times the other guardians bore me, and the gotg-ensemble comics below don't focus as heavily on rocket as i might like, but they do contain good rocket moments!)

Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) 1-12 by Donny Cates, Al Ewing, etc.

Guardians of The Galaxy: Then It's Us Guardians Of The Galaxy (2020-2021) by Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, etc.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians of Infinity Guardians of the Galaxy (2015-2016) by Dan Abnett , Carlo Barberi, etc.

Star-Lord: Annihilation - Conquest Annihilation: Conquest (2014) by Keith Giffen, Nic Klein, etc.

Captain Marvel Vol. 2: Stay Fly Captain Marvel (2014-2015) by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Marcia Takara, etc.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1: Grootfall & Vol. 2: Grootrise Guardians Of The Galaxy (2023-2024) by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, etc.

[domquixotedospobresblog]

Gear up for a scary-good new graphic novel starring Marvel fan-favorites Rocket and Groot! Our loveable Guardians find themselves trapped in a forest, and the only way out is to tell a mysterious cloaked figure the scariest story they know. Will zombie aliens or bloodthirsty bugs be enough to save the day? Find out on 9/17/24!

And read Rocket and Groot: The Hunt for Star-Lord, on shelves now. @Marvel

[marcovaleyeah]

13.07.24

#Mira-Marathon | MCU

Film Name: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014); Production Studios: Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios, Marvel Entertainment, Moving Pictures Company, Longcross Studios; Director by: James Gunn; Screenwriter: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman; Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel; Genres: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Comedy; Running Time: 2 hour 1 minutes;

"Guardians of the Galaxy" is a superhero action film in which Chris Pratt plays Star-Lord. He steals an artifact hunted by the villain Ronan and teams up with Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket to save the galaxy. Pros: Fresh take on the genre, Vivid characters, Dynamic plot, Great soundtrack, Impressive visuals. Cons: Some jokes may seem vulgar, the plot is not very original. Overall, this is a fun and exciting movie for fans of the superhero genre.

My rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[docgold13]

365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

Team Supplemental - The Guardian of The Galaxy

The cosmic team of adventurers known as The Guardians of Galaxy is composed of various heroes from different planets, universes and realities, who have come together for the common purpose of guarding the galaxy from threats too large and dire to be taken on by any singular hero.  

There have been many iterations of the Guardians.  The original heralds from Earth  691, where the time-displaced earthly astronaut, Major Vance Astrovik helped to form a group of disparate alien heroes to take on the threat of The Badoon.  A subsequent battle against Korvac resulted in The guardians being transported to the modern era of Earth 616, where they teamed up with the Avengers to ultimately defat Korvac.  

Some years later, Star-Lord created a new version of the Guardians of The Galaxy in the midst of The Annihilation War where they freed the planet Hala from occupation by the villainous Phalanx.  The team has continued on from there, with a regally shifting membership, battling all manner of cosmic threats, from Thanos the Mad Titan to the dreaded Black Vortex.  

Primary member of the Guardians have included:

Star-Lord

Peter Quill, the son of lord J’Son and heir to the throne of the Spartax Empire.  Peter has eschewed his royal title to fight for justice throughout the cosmos as the legendary Star-Lord.  

Gamora

The adopted daughter of Thanos the Mad Titan who trained her from birth to become the most dangerous assassin in the universe.  Although she betrayed her tyrannical father and ended up a member of The Guardians so to take on the so-called Church of The Universal Truth as vengeance for the churches genocide of her native people, the Zen-Whoberians.

Rocket Raccoon

a genetically and cybernetically enhanced raccoon turned freelance mercenary turned member of the Guardians.  He is considered to have one of the best tactical minds in the galaxy.

Groot

A Flora colossi from Planet X, the capital of the branch worlds.  Root was banished from his world for defending the life of a mammal.  It wondered the cosmos for decades until it found itself in the service of Star-Lord first iteration of the Guardians.  Fostering a close friendship with Rocket Raccoon, Groot has remained a staple member of each successive iteration of the squad.  

Drax the Destroyer

The mind of a human named Arthur Douglass who was transplanted into an artificially developed superbly by the Eternals of Titan.  Draw was originally designed as a weapon to bring down Thanos.  He later ended up a member of the Guardians.

Nebula

A cyborg Luphomoid pirate who claimed to be the daughter of Thanos.  More often than not Nebula has proven a frequent adversary of the Guardians and formed her own version of the team (called The Dark Guardians) to hunt down a resurrected Thanos.  Her role as a member of the Guardians is more prominent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  

Mantis

A former Avenger of Earth who was trained by the Priests of Parma to become the Celestial Madonna.  She possesses near peerless fighting skills as well as an enhanced cosmic awareness.  Mantis was part of Star-Lord’s initial band of Guardians and has served on a number of its subsequent iterations.  

Adam Warlock

Designed by the scientists of The Enclave to be the ‘perfect being,’ the man called Warlock severed alongside the Guardians to defeat his future self, a malevolent being called The Magus who leads the Church of The Universal Truth.

Moondragon

The daughter of Arthur Douglas who cultivated powerful telepathic abilities whist care for by the Eternals of Titan.  She has served as both an Avenger and a Defender and joined The Guardians to bring down Thanos.  

Phyla-Vell

The genetically engineered daughter of the Kree hero Mar-Vell.  She has operated under the monikers of Captain Marvel, Quasar and The Martyr.  She and her lover Moondragon have served on multiple iterations of the Guardians.

Bug

A rengade from the Microverse, Bug was among the first recruits of Star-Lord’s initial band of Guardians tasked with taking on The Phalanx.  Bug went on to serve with the Guardians for subsequent mission yet left the team to help form the Knowhere Corps.

Cosmo

An earthly dog who was sent into space as part of the space program of the former Soviet Union.  Passing through a radiational field, Cosmo was bestowed psychic powers.  He has acted as both the Chief of Security for Knowhere as well as a member of the Guardians.

Major Victory

Vance Astrovik, a time-displaced, older version of the earthly hero known as Justice who heralds from Earth 691.  Possessing telekinetic abilities and quipped with a protective suite that bestowed greatly enhanced physical powers, The Major helped to for his realty’s version of The Guardians.

Yondu

A Centauri who can mentally control the arrows he fires.  Yondu joined the Guardians to garner vengeance on the Badoon after the Empire had slaughtered his native peoples.  The 616 version of Yondo became a pirate and was the captor-come-mentor of young Peter Quill.

Starhawk

Stakar of the House of Ogord was rescued from Earth during the Badoon invasion and brought to the monastery planet known as Vesper.  Through his archeological research, Stakar became bonded with he being known as Aleta Ogord and the two became Starhawk.  Often the two shared the body in unison although at times Starhawk would change from man to woman when Aleta’s consciousness gained greater control.  Together they loaned their terrific powers to Major Victory’s iteration of The Guardians of The Galaxy.

Martinex

A sentient crystalline who heralds from the 691 Universe.  He had been part of a scientific and research colony of his kind stationed on the planet Pluto.  The colony was abandoned hen the Badoon Empire was taking over the Sol Solar System and Martinex volunteered to remain behind to destroy their research so that it would not fall into the Badoon’s hands.  He succeeded in this end and afterward ended up joining Major Victory’s version of The Guardians.  

Nikki

Nicholette ‘Nikki’ Gold, a humanoid modified to live on a colony on the planet Mercury.  Her family were slaughter by the Badoon yet she managed to escape and ended up a member of Major Victory’s iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy.  

Charlie 27

A hulking humanoid from a colony on Jupiter who possesses greatly enhanced strength and durability.  When he discovered that his galaxy had been overrun by The Badoon, Charle agreed to join Major Victory’s and Martinex Guardians.  

Captain Universe

Gabriel Vargas was an American army veteran who found himself possessed by the cosmic Uni-Force, transforming him into Captain Universe.  After traversing the stars, Varga found himself recruited into Star-Lord initial team of Guardians sent to free Hala from The Phalanx.  Vargas gave up his powers to help ensure victory and fell in battle soon thereafter.  

Jack Flag

A one time partner to Captain America on Earth, Jack ended up allied with Star-Lord during a break out on the Negative Zone-stationed penitentiary, Prison 42.  Jack escaped with Star-Lord to Knowhere and the young hero stuck around to act as a member of the then current iteration of The Guardians.  He later returned to earth and was sadly killed during the set of the Secret Empire event.

Angela

An Asgardian warrior princess who came to join The Guardians whist scouring the cosmos in search of her lost love, Sera.  

Cammi

A human adolescent who befriended Drax the Destroyer when he was marooned on Earth.  She later joined him as a member of The Guardians in fighting in the Annihilation War.  She later returned to earth and became embroiled in the gristly goings on of the Avengers Arena event.  

Deathcry

A Shi’ar warrior who briefly served as a adjunct member of the Avengers.  She ended up incarcerated by the Kree Empire and was conscripted to serve in Star-Lord’s initial team of Guardians.  She sadly perished early in the adventure when she attacked Captain Universe for ‘robbing her of a kill’ and the Uni-Force reflexively atomized her.    

Additional members of the Guardians of the Galaxy have included Hercules, Marvel Boy, Agent Venom, Captain Marvel, Doctor Doom, Kitty Pryde, Iron Man, Any Man, The Thing, Kl’rt The Super Skrull, Nova, Quasar, Hulkling, Wiccan, Kid Loki and The Cosmic Ghost Rider.

The Earth 691 version of The Guardians of The Galaxy first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (1968); whereas the 616 iteration of the team first appeared in the pages of Annihilation: Conquest - Starlord #1 (2007).

[oriandcate]

CW/GOTG Fusion Prompt:

Cast of Characters:

Anakin as Star-Lord

Hondo Ohnaka as Yondu

Asajj Ventress as Gamora

Savage Opress as Drax

Young Boba Fett as Rocket

Chewbacca as Groot

Aurra Sing as Nebula

Dooku as The Collector

General Grievous as Ronin

Sidious as Thanos

Ahsoka as Mantis

Plagueis as Ego

Jedi Order as the Nova Corps

Locations:

Lehon is Morag

Zygerria is Sovereign

Takodona is Knowhere

Wayland is Ego (the planet)

Coruscant is Xandar

Plot:

Sidious decided to double down after the success of Galidraan, and sent Maul to the Kalee/Yam’rii crisis to frame the Jedi for the murder of Kalee young. It worked a little too well, and Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn (who was dispatched along with a young Obi-Wan) were both hunted down and killed by the Kalee. Obi-Wan survived. Dooku leaves the Order, but does not Fall.

Cue Sidious running around looking for Maul’s replacement, deciding for the moment to have the strongest potential Apprentices fight each other as training. Ventress and Sing are the only two who survive.

Grievous is contacted by Sidious, who tells him that while Qui-Gon Jinn was indeed a Jedi, the other was a Nightbrother of Dathomir...and that Sidious wishes for vengeance as well (for Maul’s failure, not that he’d ever say it aloud). Grievous wipes out Dathomir, leaving Savage Opress as one of the few survivors. Before she dies, Mother Talzin tells Savage about his brother, Maul, and that Grievous was the one to kill him. Savage swears vengeance.

Fast-forward a few years (conveniently skipping all the details yet to be worked out), and when Shmi Skywalker dies, Plagueis senses Anakin’s rage and despair, and realizes who he is. He hires Hondo Ohnaka to retrieve the boy, but Hondo decides to keep him. It’s around this time that Naboo falls to the Trade Federation, Padme barely escaping...and eventually founding the Separatists.

Cue events of the first GOTG movie, right in the middle of the Clone Wars (Jango Fett still dies, but sooner. The Kaminoans take Boba experiment heavily on Boba, trying to see if they can improve his genetic code for future clones. He escapes, and later meets Chewie). A ceasefire is called, something Palpatine doesn’t want, so he goads the Separatist General Grievous, and then gives him the location of the Power Stone.

Only Anakin Skywalker, Ohnaka Gang member, gets there first.

(Second movie goes about the same as the first, just with a switch in characters.)

[blackypanther9]

Part 35 - The Guardians...

No one's POV...

"Who are they ?", Frigga asked.

"These are people. The leader is Peter Quill, he calls himself Star - Lord too. He is from Midgard, but got kidnapped as a little kid from Yondu Udonta. He isn't complete human either. He is half human half Celestial. His father, Ego, is his biological father and the Celestial. ...He is a filthy, dirty butthole. No, worse...he is a Monster."

"Can I ask you 3 questions ?", Thor asked.

"Go ahead.", you said.

"Okay... First: Who is this Yondu ? Second: What's a Celestial ? And third: Why is this Ego a Monster ?"

"Not even Laufey knows that. But I will tell you in short. First: Captain Yondu Udonta was a Centaurian , leader of an exiled faction of the Ravagers and adoptive father to Peter Quill. When Quill betrayed the Ravagers and stole a Orb for himself, Udonta led the hunt for his former ally. He even went in contact with Ego, who wanted Yondu to help him.  

Second: The Celestials are an ancient race of entities that possess vast matter and energy manipulation abilities. They were present long before the dawn of the galactic communities and even the Asgardians. They were notorious for their utilization of the Infinity Stones.    

And third: Ego was a Celestial, a primordial and an extremely powerful being. A ruthless, megalomaniacal entity possessing a god complex, Ego only desired to find some meaning and had attempted to do so by conquering the entire universe via an omnicidal extinction-level event known as the Expansion, which would terraform all life-sustaining planets, via the implanting of alien seedlings, to extensions of himself. This process however, required two Celestials, so Ego traveled through the cosmos, impregnated various extraterrestrial species, and thus siring thousands of children, and then hiring the Yondu Ravanger Clan to abduct and transport his offspring. When his children failed to inherit the Celestial gene, Ego would then kill them all painlessly. And that were thousands ! And he killed the women he made pregnant ! He planted some sickness inside them to kill them. It is sick !"

They all stared at you in pure shock.

"Anyway. The next is one of my friends, he is such a cool guy ! Rocket Raccoon. He really is a Raccoon. He was a lab rat. He isn't really a.....well...I don't know how to explain... He is a robot or something... But works like a human being... Then we have someone...I like because he is brave as hell. His name is Drax the Destroyer. He once was in a war, lost everything and got in prison. He is strong and you never feel him in your presence until he makes a noise.", you giggled.

"Then we have Groot. He is a...What was his kind called again...? .....Ah ! A Flora Colossus ! I believe he is the last of his kind... I am not sure anymore, it's been a while I saw him... And lastly...my last best friend... Gamora... I believe you saw her Loki ? Green skin and long red hair."

Loki froze.

"I did. She hates me.", he mumbled the last part.

"You are wrong. Anyway... I know Gamora and I trust her. We met once or twice by accident and we became friends, but she doesn't know that I was there too."

"Which species are this Drax and Gamora ?", Sif asked a little interested.

"Drax is a....I don't know species.... Gamora is a Zehoberei. I can show you pictures of them also. If you want.", you offered.

They all nodded and you opened some other files. The first one was someone with and then without a mask.

"This is Peter Quill.", you said.

Then some being was in another window. You put your finger on it and said...

"This is Groot."

"This is Rocket."

"This is Drax."

"And this is Gamora."

(All Google)

Part 36

Masterlist with all Chapters of this Story click here !  

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Hypothetical plot outline for Guardians of the Galaxy 3

(spoiler warning for all past MCU movies)

For the sake of this post, let’s say the Guardians leave Thor fifteen minutes into “Love and Thunder”. Thor doesn’t appear in this movie at all. Taking place several months after “Endgame”, the Guardians are nowhere near close to finding Gamora. They’re in a bit of a slump. Not only do they have no leads, they lost their ship, the Benatar, to Wal Rus, an infamous mob boss who took the ship as payment for Rocket’s debt to him.

(there’s a minor subplot about Rocket’s past and how he used to do jobs for Wal Rus)

Without a ship and no leads, Peter Quill starts drinking heavily. The team considers disbanding but, much to everyone’s surprise, it’s Nebula who keeps everyone together by reminding each of them that Gamora is their family. Family doesn’t get left behind, all that jazz.

Their fortune starts to change when Mantis overhears gossip from a group of Ravagers. She learns that a mysterious being created by the Sovereign, known as Adam Warlock, was spotted in some galaxy quadrant hunting a “green-skinned woman”. Mantis relays the news to the team and they immediately make plans to track Adam down. 

However, their plans hit a major snag when Drax sees an advertisement for the Grandmaster’s contest of champions. The Grandmaster has a new champion named Moondragon, who Drax immediately recognizes as his daughter Kamaria. Somehow, she survived Thanos’ rampage but was taken from him and later sold to the Grandmaster. Drax wants to go to Sakaar and save his daughter but Peter says Gamora is more important.

The Guardians steal a Nova Corps ship in a thrilling action sequence and they head off to find their loved ones. Unbeknownst to them, Nova Corps rookie officer Richard Rider is still onboard. The team starts to argue over who they should save, leading to Mantis saying that they should split up. Peter hates the compromise but is forced to go through with it as Drax is headstrong in going after Moondragon.

So for the middle of the movie, the Guardians are split into two groups. Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and Mantis go to Sakaar to find Moondragon. Star Lord and Nebula go their own way to find Adam Warlock and Gamora. However, after splitting with the group, Richard Rider ambushes Peter and Nebula and tries to arrest them. They manage to fight him off but stop short of killing him. Thus, Richard becomes the unwilling third member of their group.

As this is happening, Alternate 2014 Gamora encounters Adam Warlock and they fight, with Adam winning. Before he could kill her, Adam realizes he doesn’t want to and is only fighting her because he was ordered by Ayesha and the Sovereign. Adam goes radio silent and takes Gamora to a remote planet where he nurses her back to health. The two don’t get along at first but as time goes by, they start to bond. 

Gamora teaches Adam about the universe and his purpose in life (since he’s newly born, he still has a child-like curiosity about the universe). At the same time, Adam helps Gamora cope with the fact that she’s time displaced and that another version of her died in this current timeline. There’s hints at their comic book romance but nothing concrete. 

On the other side of the universe, we learn that Kamaria / Moondragon was sold to the Grandmaster after spending years as a mercenary. She was taken from her father at a young age and passed around by several groups (Kree, Skrull, Ravagers, etc.). She became a hardened warrior due to this but longs to be reunited with her father, who she knows is alive due to his popularity as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Grandmaster despises her for not respecting him but no matter who he sends to kill her in the contest of champions, she always emerges victorious to the point where she’s developed a massive following (rivaling even the Hulk and Thor’s). 

Without getting into too much detail, here’s the middle of the movie:

1) Drax’s group lands on Sakaar and Drax willingly turns himself in to the Grandmaster’s forces. He’s placed in the ring with Moondragon and after a tearful reunion, she refuses to fight him. They are taken away to be executed. However, Mantis, Rocket, and Groot, with the help of the Sakaarians, break Drax and Moondragon out. They escape Sakaar but with the Grandmaster chasing after them. 

2) Peter’s group lands on Adam’s planet and after a hostile encounter, Gamora calms both sides down. Peter tries to sway Gamora back into rejoining the Guardians but Gamora says she isn’t the woman he’s looking for and that the Gamora he fell in love with died years ago. We get some nice bonding moments between Gamora, Nebula, Adam, Peter, and even Richard. This peace is ended when Ayesha and the Sovereign arrive, angry that Adam has gone rogue. Adam refuses to kill for the Sovereign and the five escape, with the Sovereign chasing after them.

With the Grandmaster on one side and Ayesha on the other, the Guardians meet at their “super secret rendezvous point which they should only go to in case they are extremely f-word” (Mantis came up with the name). The rendezvous point turns out to be Morag. Both groups arrive and each side introduces their new members. Drax introduces Moondragon while Peter and Gamora introduces Adam. Richard is forced to introduce himself by Nebula. 

The Guardians realize they can’t battle both the Grandmaster and Ayesha at the same time. Fearing that this is where they die, the team drink the night away, letting each other know what they think of each other. Drax is happy that he isn’t alone and that he’ll at least die at his daughter’s side. Peter confesses that he’s deeply in love with Gamora and was planning on marrying her before Thanos’ reign of terror. Adam says that although he lived a short life, at least he found his family before he died. Nebula, much to everyone’s surprise, is sad that she’ll die without knowing what it’s like to be in love. And so on.

To everyone’s surprise, it’s Richard Rider who comes up with a plan to save the group. When Peter asks why he’s helping them, Richard says, “The choice is either help you criminals out and live...or die at the hands of two power-hungry dictators. I think the choice is simple”. Richard tells the group what his plan is but we, the viewers, don’t hear it.

Climax time. The Guardians of the Galaxy confront both the Sovereign and the Grandmaster’s fleets. The fact that they are one ship versus thousands is emphasized. To Ayesha and the Grandmaster’s surprise, Moondragon is holding the Guardians (minus Peter and Gamora) hostage. She says that she wants to return to Sakaar. Grandmaster says he won’t accept her back and is only here to kill her and Drax. That’s when Moondragon says she is willing to turn over Adam Warlock to him.

During this time, Peter and Gamora, who had quietly flown off in an escape pod long before the encounter, stealthily fly into the Grandmaster’s fleet (Rocket made sure that their pod wouldn’t be detected). They sneak onboard one of the ships, leading to a tense sequence where they try avoid detection. 

Moondragon makes a sales pitch, saying that Adam Warlock is a handsome, powerful warrior who would be extremely popular in the contest of champions. He has the potential to surpass the Hulk in sheer popularity. When Grandmaster asks how much she wants, Moondragon says she’ll do it at no cost. Ayesha angrily demands that the Grandmaster refuse her offer and that Adam is her property. She points out that Moondragon is baiting him into attacking the Sovereign. Tensions rise and it’s unclear what one side will do. 

The tension is broken when Grandmaster says that there’ll be no deal and that he could tell that Moondragon was trying to bait him into attacking the Sovereign. Moondragon smirks and says, “What do you mean I was baiting you? We made this deal hours ago. You already said yes”. Ayesha furiously demands to know what she means by this and before the Grandmaster can refute her claims, Peter and Gamora hijack the ship they’re in and fire at the Sovereign fleet. 

All hell breaks loose when both the Grandmaster and the Sovereign fleet go to war with each other, with the Guardians of the Galaxy caught in the middle. Peter and Gamora escape and fly off to their ship, with Richard and Rocket piloting. The Guardians flee the battle scene, hoping that Ayesha and the Grandmaster will kill each other before they could turn their attention to the Guardians. The final battle is primarily a space battle with several awesome moments, such as;

1) Adam Warlock exiting the ship and unlocking his full potential, destroying a great deal of both enemy fleets

2) Mantis manning the turrets and gunning down several enemy ships

3) The ship is boarded by the Grandmaster’s forces, leading to a hallway battle sequence where Nebula, Moondragon, Drax, and Gamora kill all the raiders. 

4) The engine is damaged, leading to Rocket and Groot heroically going in to repair it, even though they’re told that the engine could explode at any minute.

The battle ends with Adam staying behind to make sure the Guardians escape. He leaves the ship and gives them a boost to the nearest jump point, much to Gamora’s horror. We get a tragic farewell as the Guardians escape and Adam crashes headfirst into Ayesha and Grandmaster’s ships, killing Ayesha and sending Grandmaster into a black hole. He is then seen floating aimlessly in space, knocked out from exerting so much energy. 

Several weeks later, Adam wakes up in a Nova Corps hospital with the Guardians by his side. They tell him that they recovered his body minutes after he took Ayesha and Grandmaster down and that he’s been in a coma for weeks. Adam asks why they came back for him and Drax says, “You’re family. Family sticks together”. Adam smiles at that.

As the movie wraps up, it’s revealed that the Guardians bought a new ship with money that Gamora had on her (Gamora says that she was doing a few jobs while she was out on her own). Gamora officially rejoins the group but she and Peter are back to being just friends, although there’s a hint that she’s falling back in love with him. Not wanting to lose his best friend, Adam joins the Guardians to follow Gamora, much to Peter’s chagrin. 

Nebula stays on and asks Richard Rider to stay. Richard says that although he would love to stay on, he has to rejoin the Nova Corps. However, if they ever need him, they know where to find him. How he leaves strongly implies that he’ll star in his own, Nova Corps spin-off movie.

Drax is the only one hesitant to rejoin the team. He wants to stay behind and bond with his daughter until it’s revealed Moondragon also wants to be a Guardian of the Galaxy. The two stay with the team. Movie ends with the Guardians of the Galaxy flying off for their next journey, Drax happy that he found his daughter, and the whole team happy that they found Gamora. 

MID-CREDITS SCENE: The Grandmaster’s ship exits the black hole. As he tries to figure out where he landed, he’s cornered by a different ship. Onboard, a mysterious figure scans the Grandmaster’s ship and discovers that he is from the 2020s. The mysterious figure demands that the Grandmaster be brought onboard his ship and in a dramatic turn to the camera, it’s revealed that he is Kang the Conqueror. The Grandmaster is in the same spot where the showdown with the Guardians took place but in the far future. 

POST-CREDITS SCENE: Drax accidentally walks in on Moondragon and Nebula having sex. He immediately shuts the door and walks away, horrified. 

[raccoonfallsharder]

florescence❀. FINALE!! part two. [new 4/27] ✮✩ year five: part two ⋆˚✿˖°

florescence❀masterlist | read year five: part two on ao3 navigation | fanfiction masterlist | art masterlist

18+ only MDNI | no use of y/n | f!reader | 5+/6 years | word count: pending.

seeds of second chances. part two. see warnings below and on ao3.

“Rocket’s back!” Your eyes collide with the ash-clouds above, and sure enough, a glittering white streak splinters the veil. You’re already on your feet — Progo and Spiders Georg both tumbling rudely to the quilt — and your boots crunch on crystal-covered ground as a new ship — a little bit bigger, and far sleeker than you’re used to — begins to drop over the vacant gap in the meadow. Your heart trips over itself — hope, and confusion, and misgivings. Fear that this isn’t Rocket at all, but some new stranger — and that all your wishes are about to clatter and crack and shatter against the diamonds that sprout out of the soil. Your booted feet skitter as you stagger to a halt at the side of the ship, and both of your hands anchor themselves to your sternum: fingers fanned and clinging to your collarbone like it’s the edge of a cliff.

The hatch hisses. The figure on the ramp — too tall. Too human. A mop of dark-amber hair, wavy and furled. A tired voice, higher than you’d hoped for. Something behind your sternum wilts, shriveling, and your shoulders and spine hunch to try to hold everything inside your ribs. “Hey, folks,” the stranger says, with a sparkling, lopsided smile. Some distant part of you can tell he’s used to charming people, even if his peridot eyes are bruised and haunted. “Sorry to crash the party, but my pilot said it couldn’t wait.” He sketches a bow that reminds you, strangely, of home. “The name’s Star-Lord.” Something in his face crumbles. “But, uh. You probably haven’t heard of me, out this far—” But you have. Years ago. It’s only now you realize who Rocket must have meant. Quill. Quill and— “Star-Lord and Gamora and Drax,” you say softly. The Terran blinks at you, and you can see the flicker of something anguished and hunted before he nods slowly. “Huh. Yeah. I guess he must’ve told you—” “Get outta the frickin’ way, Pete.”

read more on ao3 | florescence❀ masterlist part three ~ the FINAL-final part ✿ coming april 30

WARNINGS: this is an exposition-heavy chapter! angst, grief, pining. storyteller-reader has to resettle into life after another major upheaval.

“The only chance we got is to get to the other side of the universe as fast as we can and maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to live full lives before that whack-job ever gets there.”

rocket & groot leave their friends behind on knowhere, despite the latter’s protests, and end up hiding out on a nothing-planet (with a non-extradition policy) at the edge of the shi’ar galaxy.

flower divider by @/thecutestgrotto • planet divider by @/edensrose • mdni & support banners by @/saradika-graphics • moodboard by me! ♡

[itsnotripe]

Nebula Week - Day 1

It’s late - late! No matter what time zone! I think?? I would have rather spent more time polishing this story, but I only just heard of @nebulaweek and I think it’s important that she get some attention!

I don’t have an AO3 account, yet, so I hope it’s okay that I post it, here!

Day 1 Childhood

It had taken some convincing from Gamora to convince Nebula to stop hunting for her “father” long enough to accompany the Guardians of the Galaxy through a few jobs. Even more persuasion was needed to get her to agree to go shopping with them.

“Dunno why you keep toting her around,” Rocket grumbled at Gamora’s side. Nebula supposed the creature thought she couldn’t hear him, since she had trailed behind with Mantis, but she had better hearing than he suspected. “She’s not having any fun, and it sure ain’t fun for the rest of us.”

Nebula waited for Gamora’s argument, but her sister just swatted in Rocket’s direction.

“What’s wrong?” Mantis chirped, her eyes ever wide with curiosity. Nebula just shook her head. She’d hoped that Gamora would argue that she wanted Nebula around, but, couldn’t really blame her if she thought she was a downer. There probably wasn’t ever a time when anyone enjoyed being around her.

Not that she could remember everything, clearly. Ever since her abduction, she had been changed, both by force and through perseverance, both physically and psychologically. Anything she remembered from before her capture only made her painfully aware of what she’d lost and often distracted her from her survival. It didn’t serve her well to remember, so she allowed the memories to fade and distort until she couldn’t tell what was memory and what was imagination.

Groot, still little more than a foot tall and still a little clumsy with his limbs, stumbled in front of her and fell. Since Rocket was busy bad-mouthing her to her sister, Nebula stooped down to lift him to his feet…

…

Nebula stooped down to lift the boy to his feet. He was a year older than her, though, and she was small even for her age, so it was no easy feat.

“Thanks,” he said. The boy, Yaso, acted like he was fine, but there was a tremble in his voice and a quiver in his cheeks. He was being brave, but Nebula could see that he was moments away from tears.

The boys who had pushed him jeered as they walked away.

“What happened?” Nebula asked. “Did they do that on purpose?”

“Yeah…” Yaso wiped at his eyes.

“That’s just terrible,” she responded, shaking her head. She imitated a tone and vocabulary that she’d been hearing from her mother, lately, whenever she was reading about Luphom’s troops on other planets. “Who were they? We should tell their parents-”

“Don’t!” he interrupted her, “They go to my school. If you tell them, they’ll do even worse things, tomorrow.”

“Then, I’ll make sure they see that I’m the one telling. I don’t care - I don’t start school until next year.”

When Yaso refused to tell her anything more, she rushed forward. She could still catch those jerks if she hurried.

…

Nebula’s past and present collided. Groot looked at her, surprised that she was the one to help him up instead of one of his surrogate parents. And, honestly, so was she. She could have let Mantis deal with the infant. She could have just stepped around him. He wasn’t that badly hurt, after all.

Everything she knew to be true about herself, everything she had heard said about her a countless number of times - that she was sadistic, cruel, unsympathetic - defied the idea that she would trouble herself with a small boy that had fallen because of his own carelessness.

…

She should have just told an adult and let them deal with it, but Yaso seemed so worried that the blame would be traced back to him. She was certain it was better if she were the one to deliver the message. Besides, she told herself as she marched forward, she was going to tell an adult and let them deal with it. She just wasn’t going to tell her parents until after she got back.

It was, she would later learn, this decision to defend the boy that had lead her away from her family’s home.

Behind her, she heard the sound of an eruption. It boomed through her city and was followed by the sound of breaking glass and crumbling rocks. When she turned around to see the source, she could barely recognize the neighborhood she has just fled from. In the sky, a massive ring of black and blue ripped through the atmosphere. A massive figure invaded the air, using the ring as a doorway to Luphom, but she could barely concern herself with that as she screamed and charged towards her home.

This decision, too, she realised, distinguished her from the other residents of her planet. She was so young, so small, and so determined as she heaved and pushed the rubble where she had last heard her mother’s voice. Her screams had died down long before, but what else could she do? She worked until she collapsed, ignoring the ongoing destruction surrounding her.

The figure that picked up her fallen form complimented her determination. The sympathetic tone did not belie the sadistic, cruel, his unsympathetic nature. She would not learn about these traits of his, nor would she learn how to embody them, until later.

…

“Watch where yer goin’, Groot!” Rocket called without even looking behind him.

“Why, what happened?” Star-Lord looked around for the child and accidentally locked eyes with Nebula. When he flinched his gaze away, she wasn’t surprised. She knew she was intimidating.

But something troubled her. This memory, fleeting as it was, what was it trying to tell her? That her decisions were the reason she had been found by Thanos instead of killed by the Chitauri? This was her fault? That can’t be right. She and Gamora had individually gone through periods of blaming themselves and they always convinced the other that Thanos was the only one to blame for Thanos’ decisions.

What, then? What was she trying to remember? Nothing? Should she just push the memory back down to stay with the others?

A hand on her shoulder startled her. Mantis offered to help her back up.

…

Nebula was pleasantly surprised by the end of the day at how much she managed to enjoy herself. When with her “siblings,” she normally showed disdain or indifference to whatever activity they were engaged with. But, with the Guardians, she decided to follow along.

They looked at weapons, together, taking turns to make sure that Groot didn’t touch anything. She, Gamora, and Rocket found a shady business that sold and enhanced body modifications, and Rocket had them both chuckling as he made fun of the impractical or ridiculous ones. She “mediated” an argument between Star-Lord and Kraglin over groceries (rather, she told them that neither of their desired items were healthy and that they should get neither). And she and Mantis, well, Mantis could make even the most trivial of trinkets seem exciting. At the end of the day, they ate together and returned to the ship.

She wouldn’t have called it very productive, since she didn’t get or do anything that would help her defeat Thanos. It wasn’t like her to indulge in a carefree day of doing little. But she wondered if that was a way of taking back that intangible concept that had been stolen from her? Her decisions, that day, showed her the way that she may obtain a time where she could be laid-back and have nice interactions with others.

Just a reminder that I base Nebula off of James Gunn’s rendition of Nebula. I can’t imagine her getting better representation than through his brain, as he focuses on the recovery of adults who suffered abuse as children. See @noonelikegunn for more info on Gunn. Sign the petition to rehire him, here.

[woozletania]

Living with Rocket 6

"It's always something horrible," Peter Quill is prone to mutter when he learns some new awful thing about Rocket's past.  But some things are more horrible than others.  Some just gradually become part of you until you're not sure where they stop and where you begin.

*******************************************************************************************

It was their weekly routine.  Every week, on what Pete called Sunday or thereabouts if 'Sunday' was too busy, Rocket got out his tools and did a thorough scan of Lylla.  He then handed them over and she returned the favor.  Between the checkups on two Uplifts and Gamora, occasional visit from Nebula and running diagnostics on the translation implants they all had, they kept in practice.  Rocket and Lylla didn't get to operate on cyborgs very often so this was the next best thing.

Every week started the same, a shallow scan and a deep scan followed by socketing a probe in the data port each had to the left of their spine.  Lylla's cybernetics were a generation ahead of Rocket's and they got more useful data from her implanted data nodes, so it was their habit to spend extra time going over Rocket's scans for abnormalities. They were experts on each other's bodies and their own, even more than most couples.

Then one Sunday, as Star-Lord detoured around the apparent clutter of tools surrounding the two little Uplifts (the clutter was an illusion. Move a single tool a quarter of an inch and the raccoon would snap at you), Rocket saw something on one of the screens.

He didn't say anything.  He didn't have to.  Lylla, though  engrossed in other scans, felt him tense.  She didn't say anything, either.  Nor did she look as Rocket expanded and rotated a view of his own brain.

Turning a raccoon or otter brain into a human-level intellect took some cheating.  Each of them had numerous subprocessors implanted in their heads, purpose-built organic computers no larger than a peanut.   When an Uplift went well - and theirs had each gone extraordinarily well in the final analysis - these worked together with the animal brain.   You kept the excellent senses while adding intellect and, if desired, nearly superhuman additional attributes.

Rocket was an ace pilot and a crack shot.  He was also a frighteningly adept intuitive mechanic.  Were he not a Guardian and were he to receive the respect he received from the galaxy, he could make a very good living customizing weapons and equipment for anyone smart enough to hire him.  Thus he was the one to spot the anomaly in his own brain scan.  A line, a spot that had no obvious purpose.  Flipping through scans from previous weeks he found it had always been there.   The new scanner he'd picked up just made it more obvious.  What was it? What did the spot and line (wire?) do?

Lylla, though growing into an adept mechanic in her own right, wasn't as quick to spot such things.  He was built as a soldier and pilot who could build and fix his own gear.  Her specialization was quite different.  Lylla was a diplomat.

That meant, among other things, that you never, ever wanted to play cards with her if money was on the line.  Her intuitive grasp of body language, vocal inflection and facial expressions made it virtually impossible to bluff her.  She'd know your cards almost before you did.

So that night, after they'd stripped down to the fur and crawled through the little porthole under Rocket's workbench into their padded sleeping space, Lylla wanted to talk.

"Don't try to distract me," she purred as his talented hands began to roam.  He was very good at a lot of things and his clever little clawed hands were as adept at pleasing her as they were at snapping together bombs.  "You're worried about something you saw on your scan."

Rocket sighed.  "Can't blame a guy for trying." He curled up and the otter, longer bodied, curled around him.  It was their usual position when they were in bed to sleep as opposed to being in bed to do other things.  It put her whiskery muzzle behind his ear and he smiled as she tickled him.

"Now who's distracting who," he said as it was her turn to let her little webby hands wander.  "Do you want to know or not?"

"When you want to tell me," she purred, and as her hands continued to roam his mind turned to anything but talking.  An hour later, when the padded walls no longer echoed their chirps and growls,  he finally spoke up.

"There's something in my head," he said, and touched his forehead.   "A wire so fine I never saw it on a scan before.  It connects to one of my subprocessors."

"A control?" The worry was that there was a kill switch or other trickery buried somewhere in their bodies. It was one of the drawbacks to being a cyborg and one of the reasons Rocket was so adamant about the checkups.  Maybe they'd spot something on the twentieth scan they'd missed on all the others.

Rocket was silent until she nudged him.  Only then did he speak up.   "No.  Nothing like that.  I know what it is.  I've suspected it was there for a long time."

As he explained she nodded.  She had her reservations but Rocket had his reasons.  Afterward they snuggled up together to sleep, and that was the end of it...for a few months.

Three months of adventure, bounty hunting, mercy runs of supplies and medicine to outlying colonies - paid mercy runs, naturally - later came a call from an old friend.

"Call for you, Rocket," Star-Lord said from the pilot's seat. "It's Doc Foster."

Rocket, in the co-pilot position, nodded. They were docked at a   space station set up as a Xandarian outpost. They'd just finished taking on fuel and hypernet reception was good.  He stabbed a claw at a control and a screen popped up with Paul Foster's face.

Lylla nudged Rocket the second she saw the doctor.  Rocket already knew something was up from the badly concealed look of concern on Paul's face.  Rocket had gotten markedly better at reading human expressions since meeting his mate.

"Rocket," Paul said.  He considered the other Guardians for a moment until the raccoon spoke up.

"Pretty sure I know why you're calling, doc," he said.  "If it's something you saw on those scans I sent you a while back.  Lylla and I already know.  No reason the rest of this gang of idiots shouldn't." He gestured amiably at the rest of the crew.

Paul still looked uneasy.  "Are you sure, Rocket?  I swear I didn't know, and I was the backup cyberneticist.  It must have been something Tschu put in without documenting it."

"Yeah." Rocket hovered a claw over a control.  "I'm switching this to the common room.  We'll be there in a minute." His claw descended.   "OK.  You guys deserve to know this. C'mon."

A couple of minutes later, after Gamora and Drax unfolded the table that normally sat racked next to Rocket's work bench, they all took seats.  The faint smell of animal musk filled the room from the curtained-off nook under the bench that led to the Uplift's little sleep spot.  The smell had long since ceased to bother anyone.  The whole ship smelled of their two furry crew mates, just as it smelled of human and alien, but it was stronger here.

"Okay Paul," Rocket said, and leaned back as he looked at the screen. He put a clawed finger up against his skull.  "Wire."

"That's right." Paul looked down for a moment.  Though he was a good friend to the raccoon now, his role in Rocket's creation still wracked him with guilt.  "A wire into your pleasure center."

"Pleasure center," Pete said.  "What, to control you?"

Rocket leaned back further in his chair.  The others didn't miss how Lylla's hand stayed on his forearm.  Relaxed as the raccoon seemed, he was tense.  "This is what happened.  You know the guys that made me weren't the nicest crew around."

"That is why they are dead," Drax said with a typical lack of tact.

"Yeah.  Now, I don't remember much from when I was little.  Sometimes I can kind of remember my mom, just warm fur and safety...most of what I do know I read in their notes.  I was the youngest of a litter of four.  The other three were bigger and stronger and they took them away one by one to try to do with them what they ended up doin' to me.  All those cubs died.  Then they came for me." He paused.

"My mom was just an animal.  But she was a mother. She knew that they they took her cubs away they didn't come back. They had to kill her to get to me.  They cut her up for parts."

He looked up.  A year ago his eyes would be bright with tears.  A year before that, hard with hate.  Rocket was stronger now.  He'd grown. "That's neither here nor there.  Anyway, the first thing I remember for sure was hate.  How much I hated them.  So when they started makin' me do things, put together weapons an' such, I played dumb even when they tortured me.  I didn't start to cooperate until I heard 'em saying they were gonna cut me up to see why the Uplift failed.  And then it was just to stall so I had time to escape."

"An' it wasn't until I got out, after killing every one of 'em 'cept Doc Foster here, that I started to work on stuff.  Tools.  Weapons.   Flyin'.  Shootin'.  And you know what I found?"

Absently, seemingly without input from his brain, his little clawed hands disassembled his data pad to the components, then snapped it back together again.  He didn't need to look.  His hands knew what to do.

"I found I liked workin' on stuff.  And fighting, and flyin'.  Before I met Groot," he looked fondly at the adolescent tree.  "That and drinking was all I had. All that kept me together.  So I did it a lot.   When I met Groot I was five, I guess."

He smiled at the startled expressions.  "Raccoons mature fast.  Good thing they made me so I live longer than one.  Anyway, I was out of the lab for maybe three years when I met Groot and about all I did to make ends meet was fight an' make stuff.  I liked doing it an' I was good at it. It made me Units.  So why worry why I liked it so much?"

"Couple years later I met Pete and the rest a you losers," he said, waving at Mantis, Drax and Gamora.  "An' after that I got better.  Yeah, I know I was a mess.  You guys helped me a lot.  But pretty soon, I noticed something. I'd be workin' on something and just ignoring you.   Even though you were the best thing that ever happened to me."

He leaned his head to the side so his cheek pressed against Lylla's. "And then the real best thing to ever happen to me happened.  And sometimes I ignored even her. That's when I knew."

"You knew there was a control of some sort," Doc Foster said from the screen.

"Yup.  Some compulsion.  You don't make a little brain like mine smart without cheating.  Little organic processors implanted in the meat.  Wires, connections.  So I was always looking for what was going on.  There had to be something in there.  And then a few months ago I bought a better scanner, and there it was.  I saw it first checkup I did."

"That's horrible," Star-Lord said.  "It makes you work and fight?"

"Sorta," Rocket admitted.  "It just made it feel good.  But I grew up like this.  My whole life has been like this. I work, I fight, I fly, I feel good.  For a long time it was all I had. All that kept me alive and sane. And we can't get it out, can we doc?"

"No," Paul Foster said on the screen.  "Not safely.  Your brain grew around it as you matured.  And we can't shut down that processor node because we don't know what else it does.  If we mess with that there's no telling what it would do to you."

"Sooo..." Rocket reached over and stroked Lylla's nape, but he was looking at the other Guardians.  "This is who I am.  You put up with me, so it can't be too awful.  I just want ta say, and don't expect me to say this every time..."

"If you see me workin' and I don't hear you when you talk.  If I'm doing somethin' and ignoring you.  I'm sorry.  I just like to work.   Most of it's real.  Most of it's me.  A little bit of it isn't. Its just the way I am."

Pete could count on the fingers of one hand the times he'd heard the raccoon say 'I'm sorry.' One of them was the time Rocket bit him.  He didn't say it unless he meant it.

"I'm sorry, Rocket," Paul said from the screen.  "I didn't know.  I would have told you if I did.  I called as soon as I figured it out."

"It's not all bad, doc." Rocket leaned over and nuzzled Lylla.  "Its just something I hafta keep track of.  I have things better than that little wire now.  An' there are worse things to be addicted to than work."

And that was the heart of it.  Rocket knew about it now.  He knew what to look for and how to deal with it.  And of all the horrible things they'd learned about him, this was perhaps the least bad.  

Pete smiled.  "And the next time you do something stupid, or lose your temper, you have a ready-made excuse."

"Well," Rocket said, and smiled at Lylla,"There's that too."

[multi-muse-transect]

Since Loki opened the multiverse, I added variants of Genis-Vell (MCU) so here’s their biographies! WARNING: What If spoilers.

Genis-Vell (Captain Marvel): Hails from a timeline where he never left Earth therefore never became a Ravager nor Starforce soldier. Genis learned how to harness his powers and became his mother’s (Mar-Vell) assistant in project PEGASUS where he dated Carol Danvers. When Yon-Rogg and Min-Erva shot down the experimental jet the two were in, Genis destroyed any evidence to keep from any Kree spies then went low working as a blockbuster employee where he reunited with Carol revealing who she is as they worked together to fight off the Starforce leading to Yon-Rogg’s death. 

The two ended up marrying with Carol becoming Ms. Marvel and had a daughter named Maria Danvers. although Genis was sadly killed by Hank Pym as he was an Avengers initiative candidate using a nanotech injector that brought back the disease he had as a child but accelerated it killing him instantly. He was succeeded by Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel.

Genis-Vell (Zombie): In this timeline, Genis never made it to the Peak as it was never made but instead crashed on Earth after fighting Skrull general Kl’rt in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Carol stopped the fight as the two bonded with her revealing the truth of his mother as they helped survivors. Sadly, he was also the victim of the quantum realm virus and it indeed corrupted his body...but not his soul and mind. In his mind he believes he’s still normal resulting in a being that has the shape of a monster but the soul of a hero.

Genis-Vell (Thunderbolts): This Genis’s story began normally but things took a drastic change. Stephen Strange created a secret group called the Illuminati recruiting important figures in the MCU and to decided to create a bomb to destroy military installations in the Kree Homeworld of Hala. But one of the members, Namor, decided to tinker with the bomb resulting in the destruction of the capitol leading to a million deaths and a refugee crisis. Among the victims were Phyla-Vell and Ely-Vell, Genis’s older sister and father. Consumed by grief and hate, Genis went on a one-man revenge quest to hunt down the members of the Illuminati and was pursued by the New Avengers, his plan failed but he killed Namor by throwing him into the sun. 

Starlord Genis: Genis in this timeline’s story is the same but the events diverged with Peter Quill killed by Ronan in Zandar. Because of his death, Genis met with the remaining Guardians Of The Galaxy becoming the new Star Lord and took Thanos head on uniting the Kree, Ravager and Nova Corps to defeat the Mad Titan who made an alliance with the High Evolutionary. The result was a major victory with Thanos killed by Drax albeit at the cost of his life while Rocket sacrificed himself to save his people leaving only Genis, Gamora, and Groot. Genis soon met Tony Stark and he was recruited to the Guardians alongside Carol Danvers, Eros, Mantis, and Yondu with Gamora retiring to join the Nova Corps then was later replaced with Ayesha.

[maximovs]

Where are The Avengers?

Quicky thoughts based on a poster of Avengers: Inifnity War that Marvel have just released inspired me to elaborate this little theory in wich i speculate where the characters of the movie will be, how they will be divided and, in general, what will be their mission.

The poster in question is this one.

As we can see the characters are divided in groups of colors: Green (Nebula, Gamora, Corvus Glaive and Ebony Maw), Blue (War Machine, Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon and Vision), Red (Drax, Star-Lord, Iron Man, Mantis, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Dwarf and Proxima Midnight) and Orange (Rocker, Thor and Teen Groot).

Based on the material we have from the Trailer #1, the Super Bowl’s Tv Spot and the Trailer #2, i will say that these groups are actually the ones we will see in the movie, and how they will be divided. For what we have seen in the trailers, we can also add Wong to the Red Team, and Okoye, M’Baku and Shuri to the Blue Team.

So... Where are they?

I will say that the Green and Orange teams will probably remain in the space (or at least the most part of the movie). 

Red Team will start on Earth (specifically, in New York) and at some point they will move to another place (probably to another planet in space).

Blue Team will stay on Earth, specifically in Wakanda, where they will recive the invasion of the army of Thanos.

Orange Team Pt. 1

We know from the end of Thor: Ragnarok that the spaceship where Thor, Bruce Banner, Loki, Valkyrie, Heimdall, Korg and the Asgardians travel will be attacked by Thanos and the Black Order. Most if not all of the Asgardians will die, but we don’t know what will happen with Valkyrie, Heimdall or Korg (we haven’t seen any of them in the trailers). What we can deduce is about Thor and Loki. Connecting different scenes from the trailers this is what i think will happen: after Thanos arrives and kills the Asgardians (maybe for revenge to Loki, maybe because he is just evil) he will press Loki by hurting Thor (the scene of him crushing his skull) to deliver him the Tesseract (Space Stone), and that’s what Loki will do in order to save his brother. After that, Thanos and the Black Order will blow up the spaceship and go (probably to the Earth in search of the rest of the Infinity Stones). And then is when it happens the famous scene of the SDCC’s Teaser of Thor floating unconscious in the space to be found by the Guardians.

And what happen with Loki?

There’s two strong theories about him. First one: Thanos kills him in revenge for the failure on trying to conquer Earth in The Avengers (2012), and also for losing the Mind Stone that was given to him (the Scepter). Second one: Loki joins him�� in order to survive (maybe as a condition for the forgiveness). It is true that we haven’t seen any scene of Loki beyond those scenes in the spaceship, but Marvel can simply be hiding them, maybe to keep the uncertainty for the spaceship scene in the movie. Or... he just doesn’t have any more scenes at all. I found good arguments for both theories, and with the Russo Brothers saying they want Thanos to be THE villain, showing his power and confirming that there will be deaths, Thanos killing Loki at the beginning of the movie will be... shoking, at least. But i wouldn’t give it for sure, we’ll see.

Orange Team Pt. 2

Once Thor wake up and found who the Guardians are, and that they have the same purpose of stopping Thanos, they will form an alliance. From this photo we know Thor, Rocket and Teen Groot go together somewhere (the machine we see in the minute 0:22 of the first trailer and 1:13 of the second). What is the mission? What is the machine for and what can it do? We don’t know, but surely it will be crucial for the victory of the Infinity War.

Green Team

Maybe i should’ve start with this one, but i didn’t want to start speaking of the Guardians before i mention their role in the storyline of Thor, and also because i found this group a little... strange; but before i start guessing why these are grouped, i will give my theory of how i think the movie will start. For me, the first thing we’ll see will be Thanos attacking Xandar  (or just after) where he will stole the Power Stone, after that is when he attack Thor’s spaceship. Another version of that is that from the eyes of the Guardians we only see the destruction of Xandar, and then is when their pursuit to stop Thanos starts (and then they find Thor). But continuing with the character’s Team, i’m sure we’ll see Nebula from the begining in the hunt of Thanos, as an one-man army (in this case, woman) traveling through the space, but why is Gamora in this Team too? maybe they will reunite at some point (we know Gamora will go with the rest of the Guardians to the Earth, and maybe to the “another planet”) or maybe they have the same color for the story they share (from the second trailer we know we will see flashbacks of when they were little girls), but i will go with the first one, i don’t think Nebula will stand alone the whole film and where they will reunite? i bet it will be in the “another planet” and not the Earth. Finally, what about Corvus Glaive and Ebony Maw? Sicerely, i have no idea, but trying to find the connection in all these and taking for granted that there is a relation between characters-colors... maybe they hunting/trying to stop Nebula from killing Thanos? It’s all i have.

Red Team

This one is more interesting. From the trailers we can say that there’ll be another alien invasion in New York (0:45 to 1:03 of the first trailer) and that Tony Stark/Iron Man, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Bruce Banner, Doctor Strange and Wong will come together to defend it, this will happen in the first act of the movie, and how i already say, they will move to another place for the second act. Why do i say that is in “another planet in the space” well, honestly i cannot be sure, and it makes me doubt this scene of Tony without his armor (breathing), but seeing all that strange structures it makes me think in somewhere out there, certainly it could be just New York with the alien invasion, but the thing is that i don’t see any building in that scene, and also i’m pretty sure there’s some statement from the directors or writer saying that the movie will take place aprox. 50/50 between Earth and space, and that desolation too. Also we know that at some point the rest of the Guardians (Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax and Mantis) will join with the Earth’s Heroes, and i think it will be in the second act, in that “another place” and with Nebula too (see Green Team). Thinking better, maybe it’s just New York. And for the trailers we know that our heroes will not have a good time, in the trailers we see Tony and Peter Parker being beaten by Thanos and ending up bad (this photo again), Doctor Strange being tortured by Ebony Maw, etc. I think they will lose this round.

Blue Team

And finally, the bigest Team (with more members). Captain America, T’Challa, Black Widow, Bruce Banner, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Falcon, War Machine and the Wakandans there (Okoye, M’Baku and Shuri, at least) will all reunited in Wakanda for the final battle. Why there? There’s a theory saying that is because is there where is hiding the last Infinity Stone, the Soul Stone, it makes sense to me, if not why Wakanda in particular? And before i continue, i want to add some data from the Avengers: Infinity War Prelude where it explains what happened with the heroes after the Civil War: Captain America, Black Widow and Falcon where to Syria undercover in a secret mission to intercept Chitauri’s Weapons from terrorist, and Wanda and Vision are hiding together somewhere. So this is what i think will happen: Wanda may have a vision of what is going to happen (the Infinity War), so she and Vision come out and go in search of Steve and the rest of the Team, when they find them and warning them of the upcoming of Thanos, the group go to Wakanda (maybe asking for help, maybe because they know is where Thanos will go) and there is where begins the end.

Doctor Banner, where are you?

He is everywhere. Point.

Have you notice that i avoid in the most part of the text to speak of him? Is because he deserve is own paragraph. He is our guiding thread. Yeah, because at the start he is with Thor in the spaceship, and then he appears in the Sanctom Sanctorum in New York with Tony, Stephen, etc. and theeen he is in Wakanda with the Blue Team. Dude! So this is his storyline: He is in the spaceship with Thor traveling to Earth, when Thanos arrives and attacks the spaceship and kills the Asgardians he probably end up unconsciuos (that’s why he doesn’t help Thor) and when the spaceship explodes he rushes to Earth, and basically falls from the sky (0:08 first trailer) what a lucky coincidence! just in the middle of the Sanctom Sanctorum, and maybe that’s why Tony Stark appears there too, he goes for him. Then is when the invasion begins, Tony and Stephen goes to help, and Bruce is send by Tony to alert Steve and the others, he finds them and together go to Wakanda. Tony gives him the Hulkbuster to fight with it and in that way he doesn’t  need to transforms in Hulk (from Thor: Ragnarok we know it is becoming in a more serious issue than what already was), but at the end he does because the battle is too hard. The end.

Where is Hawkeye? Where is Ant-Man?

I don’t think they will appear to much in this movie. The reason? Their families. In the same comic Avengers: Infinity War Prelude their explain us that Clint Barton/Hawkeye retires himself of his heroic life to spend time with his family. Scott Lang/Ant-Man doesn’t retire from being a superhero, but he also takes a time to go with his daughter, and also the upcoming movie Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018) will take time before Avengers: Infinity War, right after Captain America: Civil War so we cannot see what happends with Ant-Man in Infinity War if we don’t know what happened with him before, and also Marvel wants that Hope Van Dyne debuts as The Wasp in her own movie, and not in another one (same happens with Captain Marvel, we will not see her until her own movie, Captain Marvel, 2019 and then in Avengers 4, 2019). But besides that, the circustances will make them, once again, wear the suit and try to save the world.

Final thoughts...

People, i may have so wrong about everything i’ve just said, Marvel have show us so little about the movie, but also i think i don’t say anything so crazy, honestly i go to the easy, i don’t predict any death (maybe Loki) but if i have to name some: from that photo of Tony/Peter Parker maybe Peter too, and also Steve idk, more (a lot more) could die but i don’t think it will last to much because, big thought here, i think they will make a reboot of the time, changing everything, also i think that Captain Marvel will make the diference to win the war. At the end (Avengers 4) i think Tony will die (he started everything) and Steve and Thor will retire (maybe we will not see them again), not sure if Nebula will die too, or even Thanos, or some more. So hard, i love all these characters. But i’m pretty sure that in Infinity War the bad ones will win, but what comes after? We’ll see babes, we’ll see.

[andrewmoocow]

Clod on the Run chapter 2: Suffragette Beach City (originally posted on May 21, 2017)

The Guardians of the Galaxy were zooming through the galaxy for their newest job. They were hired by Yellow and Blue Diamond of the Gem Homeworld to hunt down a traitorous Peridot on Earth. Star-Lord was flying their ship while jamming out to Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) by Looking Glass, Rocket was preparing his surplus of weapons for an eventual battle, Drax was giving Groot a trim and Gamora was just sitting quietly. “Hey G, what’s up?” Star-Lord said turning around to his emerald crewmate. “You’ve been pretty quiet lately since we met the Diamonds, but I guess that’s pretty normal for you.”

Gamora could only groan as she finally spoke. “Do you really want to know guys?” All of the others were curious. “Come on Gamora, we are your friends.” Drax said. “I am Groot.” Groot added. “Yeah, what they said!” Star-Lord replied.

“Alright, you got me.” Gamora stated. “I’ve actually met one of the Diamonds.” The gang could believe what they just heard. “It was before I met all of you, when I was one of Thanos’ minions.”

“Lord Thanos, we are approaching Earth as we speak.” a grey-skinned alien in a black cloak announced to his master. He was Corvus Glaive, member of the Black Order and right hand man of Thanos the Mad Titan. The titan in question was a muscular, intimidating purple alien clad in blue and gold clothing. “Very good Corvus.” the overlord thanked his minion. “I wish to speak with the Diamond controlling this planet and see if the Authority is willing to ally with me.”

“Thanos came to Earth seeking to gain the Gem Homeworld’s trust, but we all know he would’ve betrayed them.” Gamora narrated. By the Mad Titan’s side were three humanoid alien warriors. One was Gamora herself while the other two were a blue-skinned woman with prominent cybernetics and a dark-skinned man with piercing blue eyes. They were Nebula and Korath, Gamora’s two adopted siblings.

“I want you three on guard in case anyone gets suspicious. In that case, attack and kill anyone who dare try to oppose me.” the Dark Lord ordered to his three assassins. “Yes master.” the trio complied. The aliens then touched down on an ancient cloud arena where they came face to face with many Gems of different shapes, sizes, colors and types. “Do not be alarmed.” Nebula announced. “We are here for Pink Diamond.”

“Allow me visitors.” a Gem stepped forward. She was a tall lanky one with flowing pink hair and her gemstone on her midsection. “I am Pearl, Pink Diamond’s servant.” The Pearl extended her hand forward. “I am Thanos of the Titanians. I request an audience with your superior.” Thanos introduced himself to Pearl. “Yes sir, right this way.”

Pearl led Thanos and his children through a crowd of nervous looking Gems to a large pink palanquin where another Gem clad in pink clothing sat. She was guarded by two other Gems, one with orange skin, white hair & her gemstone for a nose and the other was very humanlike in appearance with pink ringlets. “Salutations visitor.” The larger Gem said from her palanquin. “Who are you and what brings you here?”

“Greetings Pink Diamond, I am Thanos of Titan.” Thanos greeted Pink Diamond as he stepped forward, bowing while his minions kneeled. “I have come to your planet wishing to form an alliance with the Great Diamond Authority.” Pink Diamond rose from her palanquin as her two guard followed behind. “Please state your reasoning.” the Diamond spoke.

“You see, I have been hunting for six ingots of awesome power known as the Infinity Stones.” Thanos explained as he brought up a hologram of the artifacts in question. The Stones were of multiple colors ranging from blue, yellow, red, purple, green and orange. “These stones represent a different part of the universe and when brought together with the Infinity Gauntlet, would grant the user godlike abilities.”

All of the Gems present were intrigued by the visitor’s proposition, except for the orange guard. “I don’t like this.” she said.” “You’ll probably just betray and shatter us all!” She tried to attack Thanos but was stopped by her companion. “Jasper, please don’t provoke him!” she cried. “No Rose, we have to protect Pink Diamond!”

“Silence orange fool,” Thanos ordered Jasper. “Your attitude is like a pouty child! Now remain silent or I will have to end you.” Gamora, Nebula, Korath and Corvus pointed their weapons as she shouted “ATTACK!”

The Gems within the arena followed her orders and summoned their weapons. “Very well.” Thanos answered as he snapped his fingers, summoning his army of Chitauri, Sakaarans & Deviants and unleashed them on the arena. The battle was long and hard, with many Gems poofed or shattered during the conflict. Eventually Thanos won after he poofed both Rose Quartz and Jasper.

“I am appalled at such disrespect coming from a servants of the Diamonds!” Thanos boomed in disgust  as he handed the gemstones to Pearl. “Forget the alliance, I will find the Stones myself.” He motioned his assassins to follow him as he departed the arena. “Mark my words Pink Diamond, when I gain ultimate power you will be the first to fall.”

“Later on, we received news that Pink Diamond was shattered by one of her own Rose Quartz but Thanos took it as a sign of surrender and remains enemies with Homeworld to this day.”

Gamora finished her story as the Guardians sat there completely stunned. “Jesus.” Peter said. “Hey Quill, did you turn on autopilot?” Rocket asked. “I don’t know, I thought you did.”

That’s when they all realized they were going to crash. “What did you do you idiot?!” Rocket exclaimed as the ship fell downward, catching on fire in the process. “I don’t know, I just got distracted by Gamora’s story!”

“Don’t even think about using that excuse!” Rocket shouted back. “My friends, it has been an honor adventuring alongside you.” Drax proclaimed. “If I die here, then I will die with all of you by my side!” He then pulled Rocket and Gamora close, hugging them incredibly tightly much to their chagrin. “Let go of me you moron!” Rocket exclaimed as he tried to wriggle out of the destroyer’s grasp. “Let my muscles be your shield!”

As the Milano dived closer to the ground, Peter took the wheel and tried to steer them away from their grisly fate, but it was too late.

The Milano was reduced to a pile of scrap metal when it crashed, but luckily nobody died. Peter was the first to awaken. “Oh geez what a fall.” He groaned getting up. “Anyone okay? Raise your hand if your head is still attached.” Groot excitedly raised his hand. “I am Groot!” he cheered as he got up. “Yeah, we’re still conscious Quill.” Rocket said as he popped out of Drax’s tight hug. “Looks like Drax’s abs did save us after all.”

“Yes, my abs are heroes!” Drax shouted as he released Gamora from his grasp. “You know, we could’ve survived crashing if Peter turned on the autopilot beforehand!” Gamora shouted. “Hey, don’t go blamin’ me here G!” Peter said trying to avoid getting in trouble. “Rocket was the one who did it!”

Rocket got angry at Quill trying to place the blame on him and pulled out a rocket launcher. “So I’m to blame for your idiocy?” Rocket barked. “Y'know what, screw Peridot! We’re taking you back to the Diamonds so you can get jammed into the human zoo when we get the ship fixed!”

Star-Lord then pulled out his laser pistol in retaliation. “Not if I bring you in first!” The two aimed their weapons at each other when Groot tried to break up the fight. “I am Groot, I am Groot!” The tree exclaimed as he pushed the two away from one another. Rocket sighed. “Groot’s right, kickin’ each others asses wouldn’t help us get rich.” He then put away his rocket launcher and tried to apologize. “Sorry for lashing out Pete, I guess we were both the idiots here.”

“Apology accepted Rocket.” Peter said ruffling his fur. “Now where can we find some new parts for the Milano?” Groot then pointed towards what looked like a barn in the distance. “I am Groot!” he said. “That’ll do.” Star-Lord said.

The group made their way to the barn, which looked much different from the typical barn. There was a silo jutting out the side, a pickup truck above the entrance with a TV in the back and a small pool near it. “Oy, what a dump.” Rocket said looking at it. “I mean, this place looks like a hodgepodge of useless crap!” Everybody else was quick to agree as they went inside when suddenly they were attacked by several armed drones, but Rocket shot them all down.

In the barn, they were met with what seemed to look like art like a broken tape recorded with a bow on it, a simple leaf taped to a rock and a lineup of toilets. “Is anyone here?” Drax asked around.

“Hey guys check it out, it’s a bunch of toilets!” Star-Lord called pointing at the toilets, laughing. “Very cheeky Quill, but we need to find a way to search for our target.” Rocket said examining the silo that was turned into a makeshift aquarium. There weren’t any fish except for a green alien creature with white stuff coming out of a hole in its neck. “Hate to be that guy. Wonder what happened to him.”

“Hey everyone, I found a vehicle that can get us somewhere!” Gamora called from outside. The other Guardians rushed outside to find her driving a tractor and not doing so good. “It may be slow, but it’ll do.” she said.

“I like your idea Gamora, but it’s gonna need a few modifications.” Rocket stated. “Groot, do we have any spare parts from the Milano that haven’t been destroyed in the crash?” Groot immediately saluted and charged towards the wreckage. “Heh, dis gonna be a cakewalk.” the animal smirked as he placed his hands behind his head. “Oh, are we having cake?” Drax asked.

The Guardians were now on their way to their destination on the tractor, which was now souped up with a turbo engine. They were zooming through the highway, past a pizza-themed car with a few teenagers driving it. “What’d I tells ya gang, this gonna be a piece of cake!” Rocket exclaimed as the wind rushed through his fur. “You said there was cake, but I don’t see anything!” Drax shouted. “I’ll explain later Drax, right after we become rich!” Rocket replied.

Suddenly, the engine broke down and the gang were stuck in front of a sign. “I thought the turbo engine was intact when we crashed.” Star-Lord said. “But the good news is the sign here must mean something good.” The crew got off the tractor and walked around the sign to see that it read ‘Welcome to Beach City.’

“Beach City, eh?” Star-Lord said. “Looks like we might have some fun in the sun when we finish our mission.” The Guardians then looked forward at the town. It looked pretty standard for a seaside town with a boardwalk and amusement park, but one feature they took notice of was a large hill with a stone hand sticking out the side. “Well guys, let’s get cracking.”

The Guardians walked through the streets as they got odd looks from the locals wondering why a cowboy was hanging out with a green girl, a shirtless man, a raccoon and a tree. “You think we look out of place here?” Gamora asked. “I don’t know, maybe it’s because we look like a bunch of freaks!” Peter exclaimed. “We might be tracked down by the government or become topics of crazy conspiracy theorists!”

“Yeah, especially people like that one.” Rocket added pointing to a small child with an onion-like head staring blankly at them. “What’re you lookin’ at kid? Scram!” The child continued to stare at them until he turned and ran, dropping a map from his pocket along the way. “Well that was oddly convenient.” Rocket said as he picked the map and opened it, revealing several locations circled with red marker.

“Okay, listen up folks.” Star-Lord announced looking over the map. “We’re gonna comb the town for our target and we won’t stop until the job is done. Also from now on we’ll be using codenames. You can address me as Eagle One.”

He then gestured towards Drax. “Drax, codename Been There Done That.” Then he moved to Gamora. “Gamora is Currently Doing That.” After trying to high-five her and failing, he pointed at Groot. “Groot is It Happened Once in a Dream.” Finally he pointed towards Rocket who was crossing his fingers. “Rocket is…..Eagle Two.”

“Oh thank God.” Rocket sighed in relief. “So where do we go from here Quill?” He started pointing at various locations on the map. “How about this,” Star-Lord stated. “Groot goes to the donut shop here.” Before he could finish, Groot was already charging to the donut shop. “Guess somebody loves donuts.”

“Rocket, you go the amusement park.” Rocket got a bit excited, wondering about how much junk he could get from there. “Drax, you search the boardwalk and Gamora & I will search the boardwalk. As the legendary Fred Jones once said, let’s split up gang!”

They all dispersed as a curly-haired woman wearing glasses and a short black man watching them turned towards each other. “Say, didn’t that cowboy look a bit like Danny from Fields and Relaxation?” the woman asked.

Groot had already made his way to the big donut when he noticed the large donut sign that read “Big Donut.” Walking inside, he met an orange-skinned teenager with a red mohawk-like haircut and rather peculiar earlobes. “Welcome to the Big Donut, how can I…..” the boy began to speak before realizing that he was speaking to a giant tree thing. “I am Groot.” Groot said. “Nice to meet you Groot, I’m Lars.” the boy, now named Lars greeted nervously. “I am Groot.” Groot replied. “I know that, and I am Lars.” Lars answered.

The exchanges of “I am Groot” and “I am Lars” went on for a while until a short girl around Lars’ age came out of the back door.

“Hey Lars, what’s up?” the girl asked. “This guy came in and all he can say is 'I am Groot!'” Lars replied. “Here, let me talk to him.” The girl walked up to Groot and began to introduce herself. “Hi there uh…Groot, I’m Sadie.” she greeted. “I’m pretty sure you already know about Lars here.”

Groot extended his hand to Sadie. “I am Groot.” he said shaking her hand. “Hey buddy, can you move outta the way?” a voice asked. When Groot turned around, it was an old man with a mustache and sunglasses talking to him. “Yeah I’m talking to ya Deku Tree, you’re holdin’ up the line!”

“I am Groot, I am Groot.” Groot apologized to the man as he began to walk out of the building, but not before taking notice of several paper bags with “Sadie” written on them and taking one. “Hey wait, those aren’t for sale!” Sadie called out as Groot exited. “And he’s gone.”

“What a weirdo.” the old man said. “Now where’s my nut dog?” he asked. “Coming right up Mr. Lee.” Lars said.

Rocket meanwhile was digging through trash at the Funland Amusement Park. “So this is what these so called 'raccoons’ do, just dig through useless garbage?” he asked himself before finding a tin can. “This might be useful.” As he lept out of the trash can, he was suddenly hit by a broom. “Get outta my trash varmint!” the man holding the broom shouted. The man was tall, bald and wore a shirt with various shapes on it. “Who you callin’ varmint big boy?” Rocket shouted back.

The man was completely stunned to see a talking raccoon rummaging through his garbage. “Whoa mama!” he shouted. “A talking raccoon?” Rocket was also stunned. “Seriously, the hell’s a raccoon?!”

“You see little guy,” the man said. “It’s what you are. Bushy striped tail, those ears, that mask around your eyes….” Suddenly he was interrupted by the roller coaster beginning to fall apart. “Dang it Onion!” he screamed as he ran towards the ride. “If you hadn’t blown up my phone, I would’ve called your parents by now!”

“Well,” Rocket said to himself. “That was weird.”

Drax was searching across the boardwalk in search of Peridot, asking various people. He went to the pizza place, the arcade, the fry place and the beach but nobody saw her anywhere. He was about ready to give up and report to his teammates when he heard a small voice.

“Excuse me, have you seen my dog?” the voice asked. Drax looked down to discover that voice belonged to a small green child with triangular hair looking up at him. “What did you say?” he asked back. “I said, have you seen my dog?” The child was very persistent when asking him. “What does your dog look like little one?”

“My dog is orange, chubby, has little legs and a green tail.” the child answered. “I’m sorry, but I do not know about a creature like that.” Drax answered much to her dismay. “But if I do find it, I’ll come tell you.” The child beamed at Drax as she hugged his leg. “Thanks mister!” she said as she let go and ran off. Drax smiled back at her, as she reminded him of his late daughter Kamaria.

But that’s when he realized the child looked very much like the Gem they were searching for. “Wait a minute.”

Star-Lord and Gamora were walking through the streets of Beach City looking for someone who might know the Peridot they were hunting. “Are you sure whoever works at this car-wash might know about her?” Gamora asked. “I’m pretty sure.” Peter replied. “I mean, there’s nothing that can distract us now!”

Then ironically enough, he got distracted by the white van that had the words “Mr. Universe” on it and was immediately starstruck. “Are you alright Pete?” his green compatriot inquired. “Of course I’m alright,” Peter shouted. “That’s the van of Mr. Universe, pretty much one of the greatest musicians on Earth!”

The two walked up to the van to find a beach bum strumming his guitar when he stopped to notice them. “Oh hey, didn’t see you there.” he said. “It’s not often we get visitors that don’t want to destroy Earth.” While Peter was still in awe, Gamora on the other hand was very confused. “This is the legendary Mr. Universe?” she wondered pointing to him. “He doesn’t look like a star.”

“I may not look all that cool now, but I’m still a cool guy to be around.” the man said getting up and reaching his hand towards Gamora. “Name’s Greg Universe.” She reluctantly shook it. Greg tried to get Peter to shake his hand but he was too busy fanboying. “HI MY NAME IS PETER I’M ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST FANS I REMEMBER WHEN MY MOM TOOK ME TO ONE OF YOUR CONCERTS IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES OF MY CHILDHOOD!” he blurted out before fainting.

“I’m sorry about your friend sir.” Gamora apologized to Greg. “You see, we came here looking for someone named Peridot. Do you know her?”

“Oh yeah, I do know Peridot.” Greg answered. “She’s one of Steven’s friends who pushed me off a barn roof.” Just then, Peter regained consciousness when hearing about Peridot.

“Wait, who’s Steven?” he asked. “Steven’s my son, a really sweet kid like his mother.” Greg replied as he pulled out a picture of him a picture frame of him and a woman with big pink hair who resembled the Gem from Gamora’s story. “That’s me and her way back when. Her name’s Rose Quartz.”

Star-Lord got quite curious. “What happened to her?” he asked, which made Greg turn quite dour. “She died giving birth to him.” he said. Star-Lord started feeling sorry for him as he already lost his mother when he was a boy. “That’s rough buddy.” he replied. “So anyway, we’re gonna go now.” Gamora interjected grabbing Peter by the shirt collar. “See ya later Greg!” Peter said. “But can you sign my Walkman first?”

Greg was happy to oblige as he pulled out a marker and wrote “To one of my biggest fans, from Mr. Universe” on it. Peter couldn’t help but squee as he was dragged away.

“Anything guys?” Rocket asked as the group reassembled at the shore. “I am Groot!” Groot said happily as he munched on Sadie’s bag. “I met a child looking for her dog who resembled our target quite a bit.” Drax said. “Quill fanboyed over some hopeless bum who used to be a rockstar from his childhood.” Gamora said as Peter continued to stare at his music player.

“I got beaten up by some guy at the park.” Rocket said pawing his face. “Face it, it’s all a lost cause. Might as well give u-” Suddenly he was interrupted by a weird feeling in his tail followed by barking. “Alright, who did that?” he demanded.

“Don’t look at me, it was Drax!” Star-Lord claimed pointing at Drax. “I do not make noises like that, blame Groot!” Drax added. “I am Groot!” Groot exclaimed pointing at Rocket’s tail. There was a small orange creature biting it that looked like a cross between a pumpkin and a puppy. “That’s it!” Drax bellowed pointing at the creature. “That’s the girl’s dog!”

“Wait a minute, what girl?” Rocket said as the child Drax met earlier rushed to Rocket and grabbed the creature. “Pumpkin, I’ve been searching all over for you!” she shouted as she hugged it. “Lapis, I found Pumpkin!”

The Guardians looked up to see a blue figure flying through the sky with wings made of water. When the figure landed, it was actually a blue Gem wearing a blue halter top & skirt with dark blue triangles on them and her teardrop-shaped gemstone on her back.

“Wait, there’s more of them? Star-Lord wondered. “Quiet Quill!” Rocket shushed him. “Thanks for helping us find Pumpkin.” Lapis said to Drax. “Peridot told me you would look for him.” Rocket’s ears started to perk up again. “You’re very welcome miss. I suppose you must be her mother.” Lapis started to look a little sheepish. “No, just her friend.” She then turned around to Peridot. “C'mon Peri, we’re supposed to be visiting Steven today.”

As the two walked away with Pumpkin away from the Guardians, Rocket jumped up and clung to Drax’s chest. “YOU IDIOT!” he screamed in his face. “You had the chance to capture her right then & there and you just let her leave?!” Star-Lord pulled his furry crewmate away from Drax and set him down on the sand. “Hey, no need to start yelling at Drax.” he said. “Besides, we need to follow those two. They said something about visiting someone named Steven.”

“Wasn’t this Steven supposed to be Greg’s child?” Gamora asked. “Yeah, maybe he knows those two.” Peter replied as he glanced toward Peridot and Lapis. “Now how can we follow them without getting caught?” Just then, they noticed a pink lion walking out from behind the Big Donut. “Is that a lion?” he wondered as he and the others watched in confusion. “Why is this animal pink?” Drax asked. “Beats me,” Rocket answered. “Let’s see if it’s friendly.”

The group walked to the lion as it started looking at them. They all stared at each other for a bit until the lion started scratching Groot, which made him giggle. “Yep definitely seems friendly.” Star-Lord said. “I wonder how fluffy his mane is?” He reached out to pet it when it tried to bite him. “Whoa!” he shouted as he pulled his hand out of the way. That’s when he got an idea.

“I have a plan!” he declared. “Oh God no.” Rocket moaned, fearing what he had planned. “We make Rocket pretend he’s roadkill, have the lion bring him to those two and then we break in & attack!” Rocket couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Why do I have to be the bait?” he complained as Gamora picked him up. “Why can’t we just rip off Groot’s arm and pretend it’s a tree branch?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to do this job for 5,000 units?” Gamora asked as she stuck her gun-toting chum into the lion’s mouth. “Yeah but not like this!” he cried. “Alright, I’ll play dead.”

“Alright now go to your home.” Drax ordered the lion. It obeyed the destroyer’s command and raced off, with the Guardians in pursuit.

“I’m really starting to regret stealing those Quartz gems.” Rocket moaned as the lion stopped at a beach house sitting beneath a statue of a giant woman with four pairs of arms. “Hey Lion, what you got there?” the voice of a boy asked as it walked outside to the lion. From what Rocket could see, the boy was roughly around his height with brown curly hair, a pink T-shirt with a star on it, blue jeans and pink sandals. “Is that a raccoon?”

As Rocket was pulled out of the lion’s mouth, he tried his best to play dead. “Is he dead Lion?” The lion quietly shook its head. “I’m not sure either, maybe the Gems can help.” The boy rushed Rocket inside the beach house as the other Guardians spied on him. “That small Earth child is the lion’s master?” Drax questioned. “It would’ve eaten him alive by now!”

“No time for questions Drax.” Quill said as he got out of their hiding spot and moved to the beach house. “We’ve got a job to do.”

The boy went inside the beach house with Rocket in his arms and laid him on a table. “Guys, come quick!” he called and five females ran to his side. Aside from Lapis and Peridot, the first was Garnet, a Gem with shades and a square afro. With her was Amethyst who was short, purple & had long pale lavender hair and Pearl, a thin white Gem with her gemstone on her forehead.

“Steven, why did you bring that animal into the house?” Pearl asked. “I don’t think it’s feeling well.” Steven claimed. “Aw come one Ste-man, it’s a raccoon.” Amethyst said. “They’re bound to play dead.”

“Amethyst has a point.” Garnet agreed. “Well, let’s try my healing spit and see what happens.” Steven licked his hand and tried to touch the raccoon with it before it grabbed his hand. The critter was now awake!

“Get your slimy hands offa me twerp!” Rocket shouted. “Wait, it can talk?” Lapis exclaimed. “Of course I can talk,” the furball proclaimed. “There ain’t anybody in this universe like me except me!”

Just then, Drax burst through the window armed with his daggers, laughing like a maniac along the way. “You fell for our trap!” he shouted as he got up. He continued laughing as Star-Lord opened the door. “You know Drax, you could’ve just kicked down the door.” Peter said as he let himself, Gamora and Groot inside. “I know, but jumping through the window is much cooler.” the destroyer replied.

“Okay, first the talking raccoon, then the beefy guy breaking the window and now this?” Amethyst exclaimed. “Who are you?” Garnet shouted as her hands turned into gauntlets. “We’re the Guardians of the freakin’ Galaxy,” Rocket said dusting himself off and joining his team. “And we’re here for that Peridot of yours!”

The words Rocket said alone were enough to get Peridot freaking out. “I knew it, Yellow Diamond has come for me!” she screamed as she hid under the table.

“We won’t let you take Peridot!” Pearl shouted as she took a spear out of her gemstone, followed by Amethyst summoning a whip and Steven a shield. “Yeah, try and stop us chumps!” Amethyst added. “Who you callin’ chumps shorty? Now it’s war!” Rocket exclaimed as he pulled out his laser cannon with Gamora unsheathing her sword, Star-Lord loading his pistols and Groot putting up his fists.

The great battle between the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Crystal Gems has begun.