Ink is a sphinx who became the blog’s mascot after I needed to draw something that would reflect how I feel about myself and writing, but also be simple enough to suit as cover art.

Long-time readers of Randitty might have noticed that the blog background has sometimes been, um, insane? Like, me re-drawing something new every month, akin to some unholy instinct to re-paint one’s nails, times a hundred… I’ve gleefully crafted everything from a plaid photoshopped wolf to tiny cobalt losenge menu buttons for a sheer, icy wintertime theme.

But now, for practical purposes, including keeping my sanity, there is just one background. A Black woman with a lion’s paw… Later, I decided she should be a sphinx. Sphinxes connect with Egypt, and of course, Africa. They resonate with ancient myths: that great big gatekeeping moment when the hero must solve the sphinx’s riddle and gain entry to the mysterious tomb. And then, this lovely lion-pawed lady is also covered in a mishmash of darkly beautiful Tokidoki-esque clutter, including one clever tattoo I saw on a woman in Allure magazine…

Maybe there’s a story there. Where did Ink come from? What does she eat? Does she make a living by ‘granting riddles’, genie style, that actually cut into a person’s pride to teach them hilariously painful lessons?

So, my Ink is Black “girl-punk” and she lays across the top of the blog, as lonely as sphinxes must be until the noble adventurer finally comes by to answer her riddle, if he ever comes, and if he can even get it right when his slow butt does finally arrive. Which sounds a lot like dating…

This post started out so well.

Oh well.

Anyway — a round of applause (muted internet applause), for Ink the Sphinx!

…

Anyone know of any stories I can read, to experience sphinxes asking their cool riddles?