Kuebiko

Cover image for the Kuebiko word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Kuebiko

n.
a state of exhaustion inspired by senseless tragedies and acts of violence, which force you to abruptly revise your expectations of what can happen in this world, trying to prop yourself up like an old scarecrow, who’s bursting at the seams yet powerless to do anything but stand there and watch.

In Japanese mythology, Kuebiko is the name of a kami deity, a scarecrow who stands all day watching the world go by, which has made him very wise but locked in place. Pronounced “koo-web-i-koh.”

Loss Of Backing

Cover image for the Loss Of Backing word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Tillid

Cover image for the Tillid word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Kerisl

piles of old books scattered in an abandoned room

La Cuna

Cover image for the La Cuna word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Nemotia

a city with clouds of smoke

Future-Tense

a person looking at their reflection