Candy Is Dandy, But Liquor Is Ricker

Update: I made it into the top 30!!!! TTwTT

I had loads of fun and learned a lot participating in this contest, and the knowledge that Justin Roiland looked at my drawing!? -that's my prize right there!



My entry for the "Rick and Morty Interdimensionally Dysfunctional" season two kick off contest!
I'm sorta nervously typing this as fast as I can as the deadline is in a little less than 3 hours, but I had an absolute blast doing this! I normally work traditionally, and I've done little digital things here and there, but this was my first time really trying to cram a lot of different techniques I've picked up over time into something more dynamic with a lot of different textures and things going on.

When I started brainstorming I found that no matter which way I went, a little story couldn't help but emerge, which was pretty funny to imagine, especially in the characters voices with their personalities XDD - so here's the story:

One day Beth goes into the garage where Rick is busy tinkering with one of his crazy inventions at his workstation, and proceeds to totally yell his ear off about the piles of beer bottles all over the place, in his ship, in the garage, you name it. He painfully agrees to clean up and Beth skeptically leaves. Conflicted with how into his project he is, and how much he doesn't want to interrupt his flow to clean, to he enlists the help of a Mr. Meseeks to do the job for him. He opens a portal with his portal gun and tells the Meseeks to just start cleaning up the pile in the corner of the garage - and not to ask any questions. Meseeks hops right to it enthusiastically as Meseeks do.
Meanwhile in the driveway, skeptical Beth doesn't even give Rick a chance to clean at his own pace, in an impatient rage, she enlists the whole family to help her clear out Ricks ship.
Back in the garage, Mr. Meseeks is on it, picking up the bottles in arm-fulls and tossing them in the portal, when suddenly the load he throws in just bounces right back out of the portal. Curious, he peeks inside, pushing a mound of clanky bottles out of his way. They tumble down a steep mountain of glass and empty bottles. As he looks up, Meseeks looks out on an alternate reality version of Earth that has been nuked to near desolation - other than the mountains and mountains of liquor bottles as far as the eye can see.
Many years ago the Council of Alternate Ricks got together and came to an agreement, (after the collective bitching of all the alternate Beth's became too much to bear) that they would use this no longer habitable version of Earth as a mutual dumping ground. Over time an irradiated slime mold, using the tiny amounts of remaining alcohol at the bottom of the bottles as a food source, merge with the collective Rick's backwash DNA to form mountainous structures resembling Rick, and forming their own biological network of Rick/radioactive slime-mold/bottle monsters.
After a moment of hesitation as to whether he should just leave the Meseeks to die, or rescue him, he remembers that Meseeks can only disappear when their purpose has been fulfilled, and in a rare moment of overwhelming guilt at the thought of little Meseeks having to live an eternity in a radioactive Rick-monster hellhole, he rushes to his ship.
Seeing the whole family already in the ship and not having time to wait, as every second that goes by, Mr Meseeks is absorbing more and more radiation, Rick blasts a portal and goes in to save him with the whole family.
Shenanigans ensue. There is a radioactivity shield - don't ask me how it works yet. XD I need say no more as this already embarrassingly long X3
but yeah,
Me and my husband have been big fans of Rick and Morty since pretty early into season 1. It's a phenomenal show with absolutely brilliant writing and creative execution, and never ceases to get a good laugh out of us!! That damn chunk of time between season 1 and 2 was long as fawk (but totally worth it.) and we had a hard time finding any shows that filled the same space in out hearts that were anywhere near as funny, so I'm glad season 2 is here!!

Disclaimer#1: For any of my younger watchers under 18, I do not recommend you to watch this show, it is definitely intended for mature adults and deals with a lot of pretty heavy stuff not quite suitable for school age folk - just wait till you're older, it will be okay. :]
Disclaimer#2: This is only a potential alternate Earth, not our good Earth. Through the cycles, the spirals, the loops, the ups and the downs, when we choose love and life, we keep on movin'

With love,
Silent Shout