#good conversations

July 29th, 1993 a Thursday

Sprinklers came on already!  It’s 1:11am.

SAO just left—he called about 11:15pm. He had to come over to burn old papers—notes—journal stuff. Letters. 

He feared someone might find them in his apartment.

I said “Steve…tonight, why tonight? Why not tomorrow?

I had plants and a table in front of the fireplace—the summer look.

He insisted.

So, burn they did.

He later Said “I just needed moral support tonight."

We had a good talk.

End of entry

Note:

1/6/2024

What if Steve hadn’t burned the papers, notes and letters. 

He could be typing them into a blog right now to publish to the world. He could have been connecting with his younger selves and the world they knew.

Was the person he feared might read them his future self?

In burning them, he denied himself the ability to lift the veil of forgetfulness. 

Kind of weird, right?

It’s almost as if Morty has know Rick for a long time out of context, while Summer was introduced to him, “Summer, this is your Grandpa Rick.”

So I think Morty always has this imaginary friend growing up, and the whole family brushed him off or shamed him for being too old for that shit. And suddenly Rick shows up on the doorstep and Morty is all, “Hey, Rick,” and Beth flips a lid.

Bonus points that Rick never bothered to tell Morty that they’re related. “Wait, you’re… you’re my grandpa??”

Rick probably drinks something strong and alien. But if we’re talking earth shit, I think that his go-to is probably triple distilled vodka.

We’re pretty familiar with the XXX brand of liquor that Rick drinks directly from the bottle. Decent vodka is usually distilled three times. Super fucking fancy vodka can be distilled up to five times or more, but really, after three you get diminishing returns on the quality for the price you’re paying.

Why vodka?

I would still headcanon vodka even without the XXX branding in the show, just because of all liquor, vodka contains the least congeners - the toxic shit in alcohol that contributes to a hangover. There’s a lot of truth in the supposition that clear stuff is less likely to fuck you over the next day. I think that Rick is likely to approach his drinking scientifically, just like he does everything else in his life. The clear spirits - vodka, gin, sake - go down smoother, are easier to regulate and control, and much less likely to induce world-ending hangovers. Also, Rick is a very high functioning alcoholic. Of the clear spirits, vodka is by far the easiest liquor to maintain a nice, even buzz if you know what you’re doing, and a “nice, even buzz” is crucial for Rick to even be able to stand up straight. In other words, buzzed Rick is baseline Rick, and sustaining a good buzz is easiest with vodka.

We know from the pilot that Jerry is an ableist asshole who probably values the idea of a son a whole lot more than he values Morty, the son he has. Summer is Beth’s favorite child, and also older and more assertive - she would be more likely to push back against Rick, and Beth would be more likely to notice Rick’s abusive behaviors and put a stop to them.

When you consider the Morty of season one, presumably early in their adventures, it’s clear that he really doesn’t put up much of a fight against Rick. He’s stunningly easy to manipulate (even later in the show), and for whatever reason, even through his growing resentment, Morty is loyal to Rick (though I think that is shifting).

As far as valuing Morty over Beth, well, that’s all about control. Beth is smart. Rick has emotional power over her, sure, but she’s a grown ass, intelligent woman. Rick sees her as a threat. Morty isn’t.

At least, not yet.

Rick needs somebody who is young, insecure, dumb enough to pander to his genius, but competent enough to survive the multiverse. Nobody has ever noticed Morty, and nobody notices him now. Too, Rick probably justifies his treatment of Morty by their familial relationship - Morty is Rick’s grandson, and therefore, “his” to groom and corrupt.