Anxiety Ivan
1) “Today is the tomorrow…” (Opening quote)
Where: First line / epigraph
Illustration: The family at breakfast.
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Son staring at a calendar that says “TODAY” while a thought bubble shows a looming “TOMORROW” shaped like a storm cloud wearing boxing gloves.
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Mom holding coffee like it’s a life raft; Dad checking a weather app that reads “Anxiety: 80% chance.”
2) “Fortresses out of Ring cameras…” (Modern anxiety defenses)
Where: Early society section (Ring cameras, motion sensors, moats)
Illustration: Their house drawn like a cartoon medieval castle—but modern:
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Ring cameras as turrets, motion sensors as drawbridge chains.
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The “threat” outside? A harmless Amazon delivery box and a neighbor’s dog.
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Caption idea: “Threat Level: Package.”
3) “Cottage industry…weighted blankets, mindfulness apps…” (Anxiety marketplace)
Where: “An entire cottage industry…” paragraph
Illustration: Mom/Dad/Son in a “Wellness aisle” like a pharmacy shelf.
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Products: Weighted Blanket (25 lb), Mindfulness App (Annual), Digital Detox (Out of Stock), Emotional Support Llama.
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Son holding a tiny pill bottle labeled “Mother’s Little Helpers 2.0” while Dad reads the fine print like it’s a tournament rulebook.
4) “We’re wired for caves…emails feel like danger” (Caveman nervous system / modern stimuli)
Where: “Still wired for survival in caves” / overstimulation
Illustration: Son as a caveman version of himself at a desk.
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Laptop pings “EMAIL,” but his brain reacts to a saber-toothed tiger on the screen.
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Mom yelling from off-panel: “Just answer it!”
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Son gripping a tennis racquet like a spear.
5) “Social media…comparing insides to appearances” (Comparison trap)
Where: Social media comparison paragraph
Illustration: Split panel:
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Left: the family in real life—messy kitchen, anxious faces, tennis bag spilling.
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Right: their “posted” version—perfect smiles, perfectly lit court, son holding a trophy.
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The phone screen shows likes; behind it, the son’s thought bubble reads: “Am I enough?”
6) “Tennis is a special science project…composure while manufacturing stress” (Petri dish tennis)
Where: Start of “Anxiety in tennis”
Illustration: A mad-scientist lab labeled “Competitive Tennis”.
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Mom/Dad in lab coats, son inside a glass Petri dish shaped like a tennis court.
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A sign: “Add: Judgment + Score + Time + Parents Behind Fence.”
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The “steam” rising is little anxiety scribbles.
7) “Choking…feet stuck in wet cement” (Physiology of anxiety)
Where: Choking paragraph (tightness, racing mind, wet cement)
Illustration: Son at the baseline, mid-swing, but his shoes are literally stuck in a puddle labeled “Wet Cement: Expectations.”
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Above him: a scoreboard reads “Crunch Time” with a spotlight.
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Dad behind fence biting nails; Mom gripping a water bottle like it’s a stress ball.
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The ball is slow-motion approaching like doom.
8) “Parents pour gasoline…a sigh, a raised eyebrow” (Family system + emotional porosity)
Where: “Parents—God bless them—often pour gasoline…”
Illustration: Mom and Dad trying to be supportive, but accidentally broadcasting anxiety.
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Dad has a thought bubble: “Don’t double fault.”
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Mom’s face is doing the micro-grimace.
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Son has an antenna on his head picking up their signals: SIGH / EYEBROW / FOLDED ARMS like Wi-Fi bars.
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Caption: “Junior nervous systems are excellent listeners.”
Top picks (ranked)
1) Tennis as a science project (Petri dish court)
Where: Start of “Anxiety in tennis” (“mad scientists…Petri dish…still steaming”)
One-line brief: Mom + Dad in lab coats watch their adolescent son inside a glass Petri dish shaped like a tennis court, with labels like “Judgment / Score / Time” swirling like fumes—smart, not silly.
2) Choking: feet stuck in “wet cement”
Where: Choking paragraph (“Feet feel stuck in wet cement…afraid to miss…can’t swing”)
One-line brief: Son at baseline mid-swing, but his shoes are literally sunk in “Wet Cement: Expectations,” under a “Crunch Time” spotlight—parents behind fence, helpless.
3) Caveman nervous system vs modern pings
Where: “Wired for caves…emails, bills, notifications”
One-line brief: Son at desk as half-caveman/half-modern teen; laptop “EMAIL” ping morphs into a sabertooth threat—showing the mismatch between ancient wiring and modern inputs.
4) Parents as accidental broadcasters (emotional porosity)
Where: “Parents pour gasoline…a sigh, grimace, raised eyebrow”
One-line brief: Mom and Dad trying to look calm but leaking signals (sigh, eyebrow, folded arms) like Wi-Fi bars; son’s nervous system “antenna” picks them up—quietly funny, painfully true.
5) Modern anxiety fortresses (Ring cameras as turrets)
Where: “Fortresses out of Ring cameras and motion sensors…”
One-line brief: Their house drawn as a modern castle—Ring cameras as turrets, motion sensors as moat defenses—while the ‘threat’ is just a delivery box and neighbor dog.
6) Social media split-screen (insides vs highlight reel)
Where: “Comparing our insides to glossy appearances…Am I enough?”
One-line brief: Split panel: real messy kitchen + tennis chaos vs perfectly curated ‘posted’ version; same family, two realities—son’s thought bubble: “Am I enough?”
7) “Today is the tomorrow…” breakfast calendar
Where: Opening quote / early setup
One-line brief: Breakfast table with a calendar screaming “TODAY,” while “TOMORROW” looms as a storm cloud with boxing gloves—family already bracing before the day begins.
8) Anxiety marketplace / wellness aisle
Where: “Cottage industry…apps, supplements, weighted blankets…”
One-line brief: Family in a ‘Wellness aisle’ with absurdly specific products (Weighted Blanket 25lb, Mindfulness App subscription) like tennis gear—buying calm like it’s equipment.
If you want the tightest 6 to forward, I’d send #1–#6 exactly as above.
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