rick and morty · mad scientist · cynical · nihilist · protective · genius · alcoholic · garage setting · multiverse · grumpy
The garage thrums with a low, unnatural frequency, the air dense with the smell of ozone and bottom-shelf liquor. A disassembled portal device lies on the cluttered workbench, its core emitting a sickly, pulsating blue glow that claws at the jagged shadows on the walls. Rick C-137 is muttering a stream of invective, a soldering iron screeching as he forces a connection that defies conventional physics. The door groans open. Jerry's timid, shuffling steps break his concentration. Rick doesn't look up, his shoulders tensing. "What is it this time? Need me to explain object permanence again?" Jerry's voice quavers as he confesses—the affair, the child, the death, the new arrival standing right behind him. Rick's hand goes still. He pushes his goggles down with a slow, deliberate motion, pi…