Progress! Accountability! Exciting things! Inktober is well underway, every night filled from dusk to dreams with so much drawing.
Life lessons?
In a not-so-shocking twist, I haven’t fallen in love with Substack Notes yet (ever). But the daily post is a solid ritualistic touchstone to keep me accountable to the overall process. On the “shouting into the void” scale, it’s more of a devotional offering to the creativity gods than a lonesome bellow into nothingness.
Dopamine-hit-wise, producing this work daily without much validation actually feels pretty good. Like sippin’ on a green smoothie packed with nutrients rather than scarfing down an entire bag of Ruffles chips. Love the work for the work itself, not the eyeballs and hearts (although those can be nice, mmm Ruffles).
Project Backstory & Structure
As I referenced last time, The Broken episode featured a mysterious Box that Toby keeps hidden away. The Box has a Sicada Labs label on the top, so the SkinFree™ inventor has something to do with it. This project will give you a glimpse inside the Box: a collection of life highlights and lowlights that chiseled away at Toby’s psyche.
Each Inktober panel includes:
(1) a Minor Arcana [Ace through King] Tarot Card reference that connects to…
(2) a past Toby memory,
(3) a tiny piece of dialogue,
(4) and an accompanying song.
If you want a big helping of delicious Deep Cut eggs, Tarot bits, and other bonus references, you can find those buried treasures at the end.
Ok let’s do this already! Enjoy, my sweet friends…
Inktober x Bonesick — 01
Ace of Pentacles: New chapters and promising fresh starts
Soundtrack: “There’s A New Day Coming” — Menahan Street Band, feat. Saundra Williams (Listen on YouTube)
“Hi…? Um, hello! Is there a kid in here? Wanna play outside with me?”
Inktober x Bonesick — 02
Three of Cups: The pure bliss of a good friendship
Soundtrack: “Hot Fun in the Summertime” — Sly & the Family Stone (Listen on YouTube)
“That one’s a beluga whale.”
“Looks like a pork chop to me.”
Inktober x Bonesick — 03
King of Swords (Reversed): Intellectual authority; oppressive, cold and absent
Soundtrack: “Helplessly Hoping” — Crosby Stills & Nash (Listen on YouTube)
“Dad I made another monster, wanna see?”
“Not now, Toby. You know I'm busy with this.”
Inktober x Bonesick — 04
Queen of Pentacles: The ultimate earth-mom, wife, caregiver
Soundtrack: “Nothing But A Heartache” — The Flirtations (Listen on YouTube)
“But he's always having a bad day. You do so much, why won't it help?”
Inktober x Bonesick — 05
Three of Swords: A sudden blow, betrayal, confusion
Soundtrack: “Inner City Blues” — Marvin Gaye (Listen on YouTube)
“Look, mom, there's Ang's dad! Honk louder, I want him to hear us!”
Inktober x Bonesick — 06
Five of Wands: Brewing conflict on the brink of explosion.
Soundtrack: “When the Levee Breaks” — Led Zeppelin (Listen on YouTube)
“I hate this so much. Don’t they know I can hear them?”
Inktober x Bonesick — 07
Two of Swords: Painful impasse in the face of a bitter Truth
Soundtrack: “That’s All I Wanted From You” — Jalen Ngonda (Listen on YouTube)
“Maybe we can just run away.”
“But your mom needs you. And my dad needs me.”
Inktober x Bonesick — 08
Five of Pentacles: Financially down and out
Soundtrack: “Living for the City” — Stevie Wonder (Listen on YouTube)
“Same ol' stew again, but you two should come over anyway. Our heat works at least.”
Inktober x Bonesick — 09
Page of Cups: Introspective romantic, curious about new possibilities
Soundtrack: “A Joyful Sound (Reprise)” — Kelly Finnigan (Listen on YouTube)
“Today I did something weird?...”
Inktober x Bonesick — 10
Two of Pentacles: The work of inevitable change to balance chaos
Soundtrack: “Shooting Star” — Harper Simon (Listen on YouTube)
“Don't say it out loud. Wait til we're grownups and then tell me if it came true.”
References
Minor Arcana Suits
Wands – Flash Light: Ruled by the element of Fire, represents the flash of inspiration and the illumination of internal mindsets led by spiritual guidance.
Cups – Mug: Ruled by Water, represents a warm mug-full of emotion, interpersonal relationships, and matters of the heart.
Swords – Quill Pen: Ruled by Air, represents the quick stroke of constructive (or often destructive) action, analytical intellect, conflict, and power.
Pentacles – Pentagram: Ruled by Earth, represents the two-sided coin of generosity and greed in the material world of home life, vocation, career, money.
Eggs n things
I’ve tucked a handful of eggs in panels, some for fun, some symbolic like the Book of 1 Samuel and a poster that features perhaps the darkest of fathers. One panel references “Black Monday” and the Steel Mill closings in the late ‘70s—the protest signs were inspired by the employee ownership movement that started in Youngstown, Ohio (photos in this article).
I pull some of these illustrative ideas from thin air, but occasionally I get auto-biographical, like the candy cane reindeer. My mega-crush in 3rd grade was sitting next to me in class and made his candy cane reindeer kiss mine. I absolutely died and you’ve been interacting with my ghost this whole time.
Soundtrack
I have a WHOLE lot to say about the magic of a great soundtrack. But this post has already taken up enough of your time, so I’ll save that for later. Just know that—being the card-carrying Gen Xer I am—I 100% agree with Rob Gordon that a good compilation is an art form.
Listen to the Part One soundtrack “If It Keeps On Raining Mix” on Spotify:
Whew! Thanks for your eyeballs and hearts! Ready for Toby’s Middle Years?
These beautiful illustrations even before you add in all the extra goodies and narrative context!
This is such a creative way to help fill in pieces of Toby's history. I feel like I can start seeing it all beginning to be strung together, but simultaneously have no idea what comes next. For someone who can usually predict a book in the first quarter of it, this is so refreshing.