Warning: The below article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

There’s a lot going on in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Peter and Gamora’s reunion, a rescue mission, a truly detestable villain, Rocket’s heartbreaking origin story, and a ton more. But in the midst of all this, a few unlikely stars have emerged: the adorable animal experiments of the High Evolutionary.

We won’t rehash too many details but in short, Rocket befriended a number of fellow lab subjects before his days with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Those are Lylla, a sweet otter voiced by MCU vet Linda Cardellini; Teefs, a dopey but lovable walrus voiced by Asim Chaudhry; and Floor, an excitable bunny voiced by Mikaela Hoover.

And in the brief time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been in theaters, fans have already fallen in love with the lil guys – and the fan art has already started to pour in.

The forever and beautiful sky ~ #GuardianOfTheGalaxyVol3

Tears ran wild for Rocket Lylla Teefs and Floor. 🥲🥲🥲🥲 pic.twitter.com/O5RVRMnfB3

— Shine水彩illustrator (@Shinewaterc) May 7, 2023

— Stephanie Davis (@StephDogMom) May 6, 2023

“Someday I’m going to make great machines that fly and me and my friends are going to go flying together into the forever and beautiful sky… Lylla and Teefs and Floor and me, Rocket” 🦝🚀#fanart #digitalart #RocketGG #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 #SPOILER pic.twitter.com/tT0Z0yLV7A

— Tuan Huynh (@doraemonbasil) May 6, 2023

It really is good to have friends.#GotGVol3 pic.twitter.com/6inruSOiUP

— Dagger-6 Art 🪶Comms Open (@dagger6art) May 5, 2023

But, given the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, fans are also absolutely devastated by the tragic fates of Rocket’s furry friends. As if there weren’t enough friends to cry during the MCU’s latest, the gang of High Evolutionary experiments provides yet another big one.

— It’s Joy 🎲 | SAW GUARDIANS VOL. 3 (@JoyceAsakuraS2) May 4, 2023

me as soon as I start thinking too much about Teefs, Floor and Lylla #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 pic.twitter.com/ZYI9XaTIdR

— becky 🌙 (@bxcondream) May 3, 2023

How I’ll sleep tonight thinking about Lylla, Floor and Teefs: pic.twitter.com/uO8hIqjg5n

— Adam Brogan (@Legohead101) May 6, 2023

I would die for Lylla, Teefs, Floor and little Rocket. #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 pic.twitter.com/Af7KUcyITU

— charms (@kukisncreem) May 6, 2023

Thinking about lylla, floor, teefs and rocket pic.twitter.com/3LGIeMdkKD

— Kendall Roy’s Assistant (@ultrashaila) May 7, 2023

rocket, lylla, floor and teefspic.twitter.com/4X11TI39Kx

— melon lord 🕸️ (@scarletsilverr) May 6, 2023

Writer/director James Gunn has gotten into the conversation too, of course. Even before the movie’s debut, he shared some very cute test footage of baby Rocket and Floor, and on opening day, he posteda selfie while wearing a shirt that reads “Lylla & Rocket & Floor and Teefs.”

Today is the day! #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol3 opens in theaters! At the end of the day, this is a movie about joy & compassion & learning to see beyond the rim of our own worlds & having empathy for all living things. Rocket’s journey is my own & I’m so happy to have had him help… pic.twitter.com/TRtYxLNY0W

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 5, 2023

And, given our limited time with the gang, fans obviously have questions about the characters, which Gunn has been answering here and there. He even declared a favorite (aside from Rocket): Floor.

Floor.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 7, 2023

It opens for her to eat. It’s attached to her face and has a speaker in it which is how she speaks.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 8, 2023

One of the reasons they’ve become so beloved may be the “vivid and speculator” visual effects work done to bring them to life, as IGN’s Joshua Yehl said in his 8/10 review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

“The rendering of young Rocket and his animal friends are top notch – a perfect blend of cartoonishness and realism, with more big sad eyes than one can handle,” he wrote.

Big sad eyes indeed. We’re still a little misty-eyed over here.

If you’ve seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and are looking to dive deeper into spoiler territory, check out our interview with Cosmo voice actress Maria Bakalova and our breakdown on why the small things in Vol. 3 are so important.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.