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Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts [pg. 5]

By
1ore
Published:
701 Views
Character  Naomi Munemori

Description

[Image: Naomi shoots up in bed, eyes bugging out of her skull. “Wh–”

The musher is equally shocked. “You can see us? But you’re still alive!”

At this point, Naomi emits a keening noise that turns into an inarticulate “aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” The gaggle of ghosts is taken by surprise. The huskies start barking, elbows are thrown and shoulders are jostled as Naomi tears out of bed. Even the monarch butterfly takes off. The musher continues: “That means you’ve spent so long acting like a ghost…”]

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[Pg. 1] [Pg. 2] [Pg. 3] [Pg. 4] [Pg. 5] [Pg. 6] [Pg. 7] [Pg. 8] [Pg. 9] [Pg. 10]

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My comic for “Queer Compassion in 15 Comics,” a collaborative anthology that blends social science and art to illustrate LGBTQ+ experiences of compassion. You can read it online for free, or purchase a physical copy at that link (:

I was asked to write a statement about this piece, which I will share here:

❝There are some difficult feelings in the comic about estrangement, belonging, and cultural longing. The story didn’t click for me, though, until I started reading the stories of others in the community from the research. There’s a lot of beauty in there, but there’s also a lot of hurt. I wanted to squeeze everyone’s hands and somehow find the perfect words of comfort— and isn’t that all that anyone wants to do when they see family going through it? So I started thinking of it as a call-and- response between you, at your lowest point, and the ghosts of your ancestors. If they could talk to you, what would they say? “Look—you’re safe and fed.” “You’re alive.” “How magnificent!” “You can cry, but wouldn’t it feel better if you did it in the shower?” “Now hold my hand and walk with me.” “Take care of yourself.” “Brush your teeth.” “Text her back.” “We love you.”


It’s surreal to share this. I began working with the anthology crew in 2021, towards the beginning of my undergrad. In just under a week, I’ll be graduating. This project has been living in the back of my brain for the past three years, a source of comfort and catharsis. Now we get to inflict it on all of you, hahahaha…!! Sincerely, I feel so lucky to have been able to participate in it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who leaves their touch on this anthology— scientists, artists, interviewees, readers, and beyond.

Image size
1200x1655px 1.13 MB
Mature
© 2024 1ore
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