Hien Pham draws in a lush style that alternates between realistic illustrations and simplified cartoons in textured pencil lines. Use the entire spectrum of colors. This comic is populated with anthropomorphic characters.
Page 1
Naked furry bodies casually hang out in a group setting, with an exhausted-looking werebear named Hien sitting nervously and fiddling with a closed fan in his hands. He wears glasses and sports a mustache and bun on top of his head.
Narration: Yes! That’s me. You’re probably wondering how I found myself surrounded by naked men in a cabin in the woods…
In a flashback (fully clothed), a bunny with glasses tells Hien, “I’m going to the beach this weekend.”
Excitedly, Hien leans in and asks, “Ooh! Can I come?”
Narration: You see, earlier this year, I became part of a local nudist group by complete accident.
Arriving naked on the busy beach with his bunny friend, Hien is shocked to realize, “I didn’t realize this was a group-wide thing!!!”
“Join us!” A capybara calls jovially.
Narration: When this overnight retreat came up, I felt quite hesitant as it is quite beyond my comfort zone…
Hien nervously fans himself once the group (still naked) gathers inside his cabin.
Narration: Still, I wanted to understand social nudism better, so I prepared myself and committed to the agenda!
Page 2
“I feel weird being left out of conversations…” Hien thinks as he moves awkwardly around the room with his towel in hand. “Let’s try a different place…”
He meets a capybara and a meerkat in the kitchen, next to a table full of snacks.
“That was better,” he thinks, moving again and fanning himself. “But my anxiety is still through the roof… Maybe I’ll hide in the search corner for a while.”
He sits drawing on his sketchpad at a long dining room table with an assortment of board game boxes.
Worried as you draw, you anxiously think, “Hey, it’s okay if you’re not in the mood to socialize today… Maybe you could go for a walk? Or find your friends to hang out with?”
The naked capybara looks over his shoulder and asks, “What are you drawing?”
“NOTHING INTROSPECTIVE OR SAD HAHAHA!” Hien jumps in embarrassed surprise and slams the book shut.
Sitting across from Hien at the table, the capybara asks, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I feel a little bad, so I’m trying to figure it out in my journal.” Hien explains as a small naked group sits at the other end of the table to play.
Page 3
Narration: Despite struggling with social anxiety, I was still able to appreciate social nudism.
Like Hien and the capybara cat, he begins to seem calm while listening and drawing.
Narration: In my experience, conversations in spaces dominated by gay men can often feel like a step toward getting someone to take off their clothes.
Across the room, a meerkat, a rabbit, and a water buffalo talk energetically.
Narration: In this space, that natural curiosity was satisfied as soon as we walked through the doors. There is an emphasis on having conversations for the sake of conversations.
The Doberman excitedly holds up a game box while the lion tries (and seems to fail) to read the instructions.
Narration: The specifically non-sexual environment of this group was selected to go one step further. Encourage everyone to find intimacy in platonic friendships and social connections.
Hien joins the players as his body begins to dissolve upward into a nice lava lamp-like goo.
Narration: There is also a notable element of body image. Without my clothes constantly rustling against my skin, at some point I began to forget the shape of my body.
Page 4
A montage flashes across the page, showing a variety of different bodies, all melting into happy, floating goo just as Hien’s did. The group sits around the table, happily playing their game and melting happily into the air.
Narration: The voice in my head that constantly compiles tier lists of who looks better than me and how I should feel bad about it never gives up. But around that table for a moment… There was silence.
Later, fully dressed to stay warm in the night air, the bunny and Hien take a walk outside with their phone flashlight.
“So, how are you doing with the group?” The bunny asks.
Shrugging, Hien replies, “It’s not that bad…” He scratches his neck nervously as he continues, “My brain isn’t in tip-top shape today, so I’m not connecting with people as much as I’d like… But I can’t be a social butterfly all the time. I’m not going to beat myself up about that.”
“That’s good.” His friend answers.
Page 5
Hien laughs nervously and responds, “I’m grateful to be able to experience social nudism in a safe and inclusive space. Even if there are things I struggle with. Like physical contact is often where I find comfort… But I’m afraid that if I ask for hugs he’ll get too affectionate, I might get a boner and make everyone uncomfortable…”
“It’s no big deal, you can cover yourself until it goes away.” The bunny says nonchalantly.
“I know… I just want to err on the side of caution…” Hien grimaces nervously, squeezing his partner’s arm to calm himself. “It’s something I can work on next time.” He seems calm again when he says, “Ultimately, I’m glad there’s a space for me here. And there are friends I’ve made that I hope to get to know better when my anxiety isn’t in the way.”
Hien embraces himself fully and exclaims, “For now, though, I’m going to need at least several clothed hugs!”
“Alright.” Accept the bunny, giving it a squeeze.
Transcribed by Erika Moen on June 29, 2026