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.”

Ochisia

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

Chrysalism

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

Ellipsism

a hand clawing at a wall

Etterath

a graduation cap and gown on a chair

Lackout

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

Blinkback

a wall full of pictures and objects