Three questions about this circuit

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I've decided to build the CNC Etch-a-Sketch instead of the miniature lathe. Hopefully this will stop people from telling me over and over that I wont be able to make precision cuts etc etc which I am fully aware of. The novelty factor jumps up a full ten points by making a cnc etch-a-sketch versus a tiny machine tool. Plus it frees up a bunch of erector set pieces for other projects, one of which will be a stirling (heat) engine. Anyway, here are my questions.

I'll be driving each axis with an NTE2018 8 channel darlington array IC. Of all the variations of this project found online, this is the only one that can be controlled with standard G-Code via Linux EMC. With such a simple driver cicuit that is. Below is my schematic.
**broken link removed**
Question one. If pin 10 is the common cathode, how come it's connected to VCC? If I understand, this is where electricity flows out of a diode, why then would I attach that to a hot line? Obviously it's because I don't know ****.

Question 2, it calls for a 16V 1000uf capacitor. Actually I got the voltage from the picture, it wasn't specifically asked for. I don't have one, all I have is an assortment of ceramic disc capacitors. They all just have an underlined number written on them and nothing else. No n,u or p...nothing. Can I use a ceramic type instead of the can type if the value is the same? Can I hook up 10 100uf discs in series for the same effect? How impotant is the voltage rating?

Question 3. I would like to add an indication led for each axis. My thinking was just add a resistor and led in series between pin 9 and ground, one for each IC. How do I determine the value of that resitor? Will that even work? If not, what will work and why.

Thanks guys, I can't say thank you enough for taking the time with such simple, trivial ****.

PS The magic smoke analogy is still cracking me up,

 

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Slight change of plans. I just went and bought the capacitor that I need. While I was there I bought a couple bi-directional leds and a couple led bar lights. I would like to use the bi-directional leds to indicate the direction of travel and the bar to act as a load meter. I'm sure the directional indicator will be the simpler of the two. Anyone up to teaching me what I need to know to build this circuit? In the mean time I'm going to finish up the circuit as originally planned and cross my fingers that someone will take the challenge.

Thanks again, guys!