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[center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/49dc0147377be5feded51ae3b72c8b2f/tumblr_pcrqakLiOz1uwl6nzo4_540.gif[/img][/center][center][h2]𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗧 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗢𝗢𝗡[/h2][/center][center]✦   𝗘 𝗔 𝗥 𝗧 𝗛 - 𝟭 𝟵 𝟵 𝟵 𝟴 𝟴   ✦   𝗡 𝗢 𝗠 𝗔 𝗗   ✦
✦   𝗟 𝗔 𝗦 𝗧  𝗚 𝗨 𝗔 𝗥 𝗗 𝗜 𝗔 𝗡  𝗢 𝗙  𝗧 𝗛 𝗘  𝗚 𝗔 𝗟 𝗔 𝗫 𝗬   ✦[/center]
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[b]Character Differences[/b]
[indent]Firstly, the ending of Guardians of the Galaxy happens differently meaning that Groot never sacrificed himself. Secondary, the Guardians never visited Sovereign thus never meeting with Ego and Mantis. It meant that Rocket Raccoon never got confronted by Yondu. He was never taught that it was alright to express feelings, and having empathy was a good thing. Sure, he was still protective of them but afraid of openly expressing it. After the Decimation, Rocket mourned for his friends in the privacy of the Milano. Yet, he was stonecold and emotionless in public. He remained a broken man that lost all of his friends, and I wanted to write it out. 

My primary sources of inspiration are the MCU movies (Guardians Vol 1, Infinity War, and Endgame) while using bits of my interpretations on the aftermath of Decimation.[/indent]
[b]Brief World Background[/b]
[indent]This version of Earth was one of the fourteen million six-hundred and five futures that Doctor Strange saw on Titan. That future depicted Thanos killing Iron Man and Spider-Man with help from the Infinity Stones. While the others fought bravely, it wasn't enough to stop him from retreating the Time Stone. Then, he snapped his universe to achieve perfect balance. Almost all of the Guardians of the Galaxy were the victims, leaving Strange and Rocket the survivors on Titan. The event was called Decimation on Earth, where half of all life vanished into dust. The surviving Avengers and the survivors for Titan grouped up to retrieve the stones from Thanos. Unfortunately, he destroyed them after using them to construct his dream world.

With no hope of reversing the Decimation, the surviving heroes returned back to a chaotic Earth. There was a global economic collapse along with widespread panic and confusion. The Avengers tried their best to restore order all over the world but failed. Then, they tried the states and had the same results. It was when the original five decided to disband the group for good. Thor was already gone after killing Thanos. Captain America went on to become a major source of healing and recovering for America. Black Widow became head of an organization that dealt with orphans caused by the event. Hulk managed to merge with Banner's intelligence while maintaining his strength and became a professor. And rumors surfaced that Hawkeye became a trained assassin, killing mob families and gangs across the planet. While Doctor Strange isolated himself inside his Sanctum Sanctorum in New York City.

Only two years passed since the event and things were still pretty bad.[/indent]
[b]Brief Character Background[/b]
[indent]Rocket Raccoon was the result of genetically enhanced experimentations and cybernetic enhancements. But the scientists on Halfworld never expected him to fight back. The raccoon managed to successfully escape the labs and went on board a shuttle. He tried to live out an honest life, but the years of abuse and genetic rewriting made a living one difficult. That was when he found some comfort in bounty hunting. In a matter of months, he became one of the most ruthless hunters in the galaxy. It caused him to meet up with Groot and eventually allowed him to tag along. 

And then, there was the "legendary" outlaw known as Star-Lord. He had something that a client wanted back: a strange-looking orb. Yet, there was already a target on his back. Rocket and Groot tried to capture him, but Nova Corp surrounded them and placed them inside a supermax prison. That was where they met with Drax and formed a plan to escape in order to sell the orb. Until the Collector revealed that it stored the Power Stone, one of seven Infinity Stones. After some convincing, Rocket joined forces with Groot, Drax, Gamora, and Peter Quill to give the stone to Nova Corp. Surprisingly, things didn't go south while they exchanged the orb for their reward. 

Then, Ronan the Accuser invaded Xandar with his army to retreat the stone. Of course, it was an easy fight with help from the full might of Nova Corp. It was only after the battle that Quill realized that he saw potential in this group. With some persuasion and credits, he got everyone on board to work together as The Guardians of the Galaxy. It remained like that for years until they received a distress signal from Xandar. They arrived on the planet and instead saw a wasteland. The once-mighty Nove Corp was unable to defend the Power Stone and its world. Gamora immediately knew who was behind the attack and went straight for Knowhere. 

Thanos waited for them to arrive at the Collector's Museum before revealing himself. And with the stones of Power, Space, and Reality, he was able to overwhelm the Guardians and took Gamora without breaking a sweat. The other Guardians didn't know where to start their search until they discovered a weak signal near the planet of Titan. Instead of finding Gamora and Thanos, they found Doctor Strange, Iron Man, and Spider-Man onboard one of Thano's spaceship. Together, they crash-landed on Titan and waited for Thanos to appear. He did and tried to justify his actions, saying how his work will bring "balance to the universe."

Of course, they attacked Thano in the hopes of stopping him. Once the dust cleared, however, it was clear that Thanos was the champion. He managed to kill Spider-Man and Iron Man while seriously injuring Strange, Drax, and Groot. He secured the Time Stone and vanished to retrieve the final stone. While the others were recovering and treating to the wounded, Thanos snapped his fingers with all six stones to forever change the universe. And in a matter of seconds, almost all of the Guardians of the Galaxy turned into dust. Rocket watched in horror as his comrades slowly vanished, leaving behind dust. 

Even after he arrived at Earth and witnessed Thor killing Thanos, Rocket wasn't able to move on from losing his friends. With nowhere to go, he stayed on Earth for a while to help out the Avengers until they were disbanded. For two years, he remained on Earth until he disappeared and woke up inside a prison cell.[/indent]
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