I’m not super well versed in the world of tarot, so forgive me if any of my interpretations of these themes is slightly off in some way! But I hope you enjoy😄❤️
If someone were to date Rocket, I can't help but wonder if they'd worry about being compared to Lyla. What would he do if he had both his humie and Lyla in his life? Would he give up one for the other?
fair question, nonnie baby! ♡ you’ve made me go down a bit of a rabbithole and opened my eyes to some new possibilities so thank you for that!! i suspect this isn’t quite what you were looking for but i hope you can enjoy it anyway.
so first of all, this isn’t really something i have to grapple with very often because tbh, i do not read mcu-lylla as a love-interest. (it actually took a lot of mental-energy for me to envision her as the monster’s bride in cicatrix). to me, she seems distinctly oldest-sister-coded — almost maternal, really. and in the comics, i lean pretty heavily into the canon (SPOILERS!):
rocket often doesn’t recall his past life, which apparently happens fairly often because
he submitted to a memory-wipe to protect halfworld, which means
he already left lylla, and
she then ended up marrying blackjack anyway. lylla ain’t sitting around waiting for her prince charming to remember her — and good for her. i hear rabbit refractory periods are short as hell. get it, girl.
but IF lylla was still in the picture and IF she was a romantic interest, i don’t think rocket would set her aside. my guy is loyal.
that said…
raccoons aren’t naturally monogamous. they’re actually really promiscuous (which i’m pretty sure is part of the joke with him having five thousand exes in the comics). that doesn’t mean he’s a cheater, of course. like anyone, rocket makes choices, and he’s in control of his own behavior. i think he considers trust a pretty sacred thing, and while he would absolutely break up with someone if the relationship had come to a natural conclusion, i don’t think he’d lie to them or try to deceive them while sleeping around. (i also don’t think he minds being monogamous — it’s just not something he tends toward without a reason).
so why is this relevant? well, not all otter-species are monogamous either. some only partner for a season. north american river otters, in particular, are known to be one-and-done partners, much like raccoons — and i’m pretty sure that’s lylla’s species.
which all leads me to the conclusion that a romantic lylla-and-rocket pair are a very loving, adoring, nonmonogamous pair, and they’re more than happy to form a lil polycule (opened or closed, depending on everyones’ needs) if you’re okay with it.
if you were trying to get me to have to pick between you and lylla, i’m not sorry (ꈍᴗꈍ) ur girl reads way too many why-choose novels to fall into that trap. like honestly i don’t feel much by way of attraction for lylla, but the potential for mean!rocket x reader x nice!lylla where lylla and rocket are already in an established power-couple is… ahh… hmm. yeah. worth thinking about i guess ahem
anyway thank you for giving me that particular daydream to ponder over ( ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)*.ﾟ please drink some water and may all your moments be good moments today ♡
After watching GOTG vol 3 for a second time, I wanna take a minute to talk about Rocket and Lylla’s relationship. I believe Lylla is Rocket’s mother figure. Hear me out, because I know a lot of you will disagree, especially since their relationship was romantic in the comics.
But as with the rest of mcu, there can be big changes from the source material and Lylla going from a love interest to a mother figure can totally be one of them. Hell, it actually wouldn’t be the first time either considering Alexi was Natasha’s husband in the comics and now father in the mcu.
Back to Lylla and Rocket though, I really think they made this change intentionally and wanted the audience to see her in that motherly light. Her dialogue, her tone, all of her mannerisms actually are incredibly nurturing. I mean, just their first interaction itself sets up this mother figure idea. Lylla is introduced to a frightened, literal baby and immediately starts to soothe him, almost cooing, in a way that a mom would for a crying baby. Lylla then essentially licks his wounds and cleans Rocket up.
Of course Teefs and Floor were also welcoming and sweet but not in the same way as Lylla; they were excited for a new friend and were ready to accept him as their own (they also had more childlike personalities themselves), but Lylla was more calm and tried to help Rocket adjust to the situation emotionally. From there on, she literally raises Rocket. As Lylla said herself, there are hands that guide you, and for all of Rocket’s time growing up, she was the one guiding him. She was his biggest comfort and source of love, and she was his biggest supporter too.
She taught him, not in the ways the High Evolutionary did, but rather socially and emotionally. Lylla is the one who lifted him up, encouraged him, and was beyond proud of him. The scene where they hug right after Rocket breaks them out, reminds me of a mother who is so proud of what her baby grew up to accomplish. Even in the after life scene, Lylla’s physical affection was platonic and once again, her showing she’s proud of him. Even the words, “my beloved raccoon” sounded like a mother’s love and admiration for her child.
And to me, once you realize what Lylla really was to Rocket, her murder is infinitely worse. Because not only she die right before his eyes, but he spent the rest of his life blaming himself for his mother’s death.
