Skinwalkers: Why You Should NEVER Say Their Real Name After Dark!

It’s finally happening, Weirdos! 🌌 This week, Jacklynn and Stevie are diving deep into a topic they’ve been putting off for months, not out of procrastination, but out of absolute respect for the culture it comes from. We are breaking down the sacred and taboo Navajo history of the Skinwalker.

Forget what you’ve seen on Supernatural or spooky TikTok trends. We are separating modern internet creepypasta from the devastating historical realities of the American Southwest. 

• The Shocking Reality: Why these entities are actually human beings practicing malevolent magic, not monster cryptids. 
• The Dark Initiation: The harrowing, unspeakable acts required to gain shape-shifting abilities. 
• Corpse Powder 101: The grim composition and terrifying symptoms of "witch sickness". 
• The Real vs. The Reel: A side-by-side comparison of traditional Navajo beliefs vs. modern internet lore. 
• Historical Deep-Dive: How the existential trauma of the Long Walk of 1864 forever cemented this legacy. 
• Bonus Whimsy: A chaotic sidebar about Stevie's terrifying throat-slitting habits in our latest tabletop RPG session 🎲⚔️. 

Put on your protection amulets, practice safe storytelling, and let's get weird! 

Want more Weirdos of Whimsy? Check out https://bio.site/weirdosofwhimsy to find everything in one place! From there, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel, grab some official merch, or follow us on Instagram to chat!

Have a bone-chilling story of your own? We want to hear it! Send your scary encounters to weirdosofwhimsy@gmail.com or DM us. Your story might just make it onto a future episode! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Walk up to her, I stroke her hair, I move her hair out of her eyes, I caress her face, and a single tear comes welling up in her eye and it gently falls down her cheek. I gently and softly move the tear away from her face.

SPEAKER_05 0:17

And then I slid her throat. We are just like listen. Whoa, whoa, we are going crazy.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Everyone went crazy.

SPEAKER_05 0:25

I was like, come on.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

I made a horrible escape.

SPEAKER_05 0:29

It was just like absolute chaos. And we're like, we are screaming. We are screaming. We are laughing.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

We are like, listen, I didn't want her to see it coming.

SPEAKER_02 1:13

You guessed it. Whimsical.

SPEAKER_03 1:16

Hi, my name is Jaclyn. And I'm Stevie. And Stevie, I think you should be the one to kick off this episode with the topic that we're discussing because you've wanted to talk about it for so long. I have. It's an interesting one. It's an interesting one. Interesting one. I uh don't know why I was procrastinating on it. I think I w because I wanted to do it right.

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Which is fair. I still don't know if I have. I think you have. I think you've done it great.

SPEAKER_03 1:44

Thanks. So over to you, Stevie, with what we're talking about today.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

So today we are talking about. They would be classified as a cryptid. Well, it's interesting that you say that. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:54

We get into that. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

So no, but Ooh, okay. I'm learning something new then. So we're talking about skinwalkers.

SPEAKER_03 2:01

Yes, it's finally happening. It's happening. If you're new here, hi, welcome. Um. Yeah. If this is going to be your first one, I might suggest pausing, going back, okay, and listening to a few of the earlier ones first. Um, although that's just really to get more downloads. Like you're certainly welcome to stick around.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Yeah. We will never turn anyone away.

SPEAKER_03 2:24

We will never turn anyone away. But seriously, um, go back, listen to all of our episodes, please. Yeah. We are very exciting. We're closing in on our soon-to-be 50.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

We are, and it's gonna be a good one. I'm excited. You wait till you see what we're wearing, what we're talking about. It's gonna be fantastic.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

Tune in. I think in a couple weeks, couple weeks, you'll you'll experience it with us.

SPEAKER_02 2:45

But for today, it's Skinwalkers. Skinwalkers. All things, you know, kind of creepy and interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:53

Yeah, it's a journey. So let's dive in. Yeah. So yes, it's finally time to talk about this legend from the Navajo people.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:00

Um, to be clear, this is a real legend that is still considered sacred and even taboo within their culture.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

I think that's also why we were kind of putting it off for a bit. Because it we it is a legit thing.

SPEAKER_03 3:13

It is a legit culture, like um actual legend, yeah. Walking real history for this particular culture. So I guess it goes without saying, like, we are not of Navajo descent.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

No, no.

SPEAKER_03 3:26

Um, we also can't speak for everyone in their culture. Um, but in my research, I found also I don't know why I say research, research differently every time.

SPEAKER_02 3:33

You do.

SPEAKER_03 3:34

I don't know why I toggle back and forth.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

I'm here for it. In Madison. Because I don't say words weird ever.

SPEAKER_03 3:41

So in my research, um, I found a lot of statements from the Navajo people um that essentially said everything, like even saying their name is sacred and also elicits a lot of fear.

SPEAKER_04 3:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

Um and also read that it can give, well, we also knew this though, um, it can give power to one if it's nearby. So like saying the phrase out loud.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

Let's hope there aren't any in my neighborhood.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

Yeah. Yeah. Specifically in the suburban metropolis that is this area. Yep. Um, it could also even potentially draw them in closer, though. So with that, maybe let's just call them what we first talked about a few months ago, flesh pedestrians. Flesh pedestrians.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Um, my favorite word.

SPEAKER_03 4:24

It's pretty good. It's pretty good. Yeah. It's great. We've heard other podcasters use that term.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Yeah, it's not we have not coined that. We didn't create it. That is not ours, but it is great.

SPEAKER_03 4:33

Yep, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

So props to whoever came up with it.

SPEAKER_03 4:35

100%. Genius. Um, so we will be calling. I mean, you're listening I say that. I also typed skinwalkers.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

Oh god. Well, if it's typed in here, I'm gonna read it.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

So feel free to call them plus if you want to switch it to plus pedestrians, you go right ahead. Okay. Um or FPs. FPs. Whatever. Um, but yeah, so having said that, let's let's go.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

Let's do it. So, what exactly are flush pedestrians? Flush pedestrians? Yeah, skinwalkers is easier to say with my specially in Buseline, yeah. Which I haven't said anything yet, but what what day are we at?

SPEAKER_03 5:09

This will technically be the second week of June that we're launching.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Almost done. June 19th. I will get these out. If all goes well and my dentist agrees, they will be fucking gone.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

So great. I cannot wait. I don't hear it anymore. Like I've spent enough time with you while you've had them in that I don't hear it, but I'm really excited to hear what you sound like.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

What I sound like without them.

SPEAKER_03 5:30

And your teeth are looking great.

SPEAKER_02 5:31

They they you there's a difference for sure. Um, but I noticed them, and I thought after eight months I would be less aware and like annoyed by them, but no.

unknown 5:43

No.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

No. This is not an ad for amazing.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

No, no, no, no. Uh anyway, okay. So a flesh pedestrian is not a cryptid. So, okay, I was wrong. I will eat that one. It's not a cryptid or an animal spirit. It is a human being.

SPEAKER_03 6:01

Oh yeah, baby.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

Did you know that?

SPEAKER_03 6:03

Oh yeah. I didn't know the level of what needs to happen in order for it to transform, but we'll get it.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Okay, okay, okay. So specifically, a high-ranking medicine person or witch who has actively chosen to turn away from the community to practice malevolent magic. I actually didn't know that.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

It gets better.

SPEAKER_02 6:23

Wow, I'm so excited. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:26

You're really right along this journey with us.

SPEAKER_02 6:28

Yeah. Okay. So to gain the dark power to shape shift, traditional lore dictates a harrowing initiation, an unspeakable act. The individual must commit an unforgivable act of evil. Typically, the murder of a close relative or sibling. Yeah. This act completely severs their connection to humanity and their community.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

Yeah, not great. Wow. Yeah, not great. That's intense. It's very intense. Very also speaks to why it's so taboo and the community of the Navajo people, right? It is nothing to joke around about. Um, so once initiated, they gain the ability to transform into or possess animals by wearing their pelts. Yeah. Um, they most commonly take form of animals associated with witchcraft and death, such as coyotes, wolves, owls, foxes, or crows.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

Yes, indeed.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

Right. Um, so according to traditional beliefs, they use these forms of travel at supernatural speeds. Um they curse enemies, they steal graves, and inflict sickness or madness upon people who uh upon people through corpse powder. Didn't didn't know about corpse powder. You ready to learn? Yes. What is corpse powder? Well, let me tell you. It's considered the ultimate most lethal weapon of a skinwalker. Okay. Um, it is not just a physical poison, it is a vehicle for dark magic meant to inflict severe illness, paralysis, or even death.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

Yikes. Yeah.

unknown 7:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Corpse powder. We don't want to mess with that. Uh no.

SPEAKER_03 7:57

Let's understand it a little bit more.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

Yeah, okay. So here's how it is understood within the traditional folklore. So the composition of corpse powder. According to traditional accounts, the creation of corpse powder is a deeply sacrilegious process. It is made by raiding graves to collect dried human remains. Corpse powder. Corpse powder. I mean, that's what I was thinking. Um Laura states that the most potent powder is made from the bones of children.

SPEAKER_03 8:25

Not good.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Particularly twins. Which twins have their own power to begin with, right? So that kind of makes sense. Uh focusing on specific areas like the fingertips and the back of the skull.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

Isn't that wild?

SPEAKER_02 8:38

I wonder why the back of the skull. Fingertips I can kind of see. Sure.

SPEAKER_03 8:42

Um, I don't know why, but maybe because like that's your like, you know, where your your main computer, your power, if you will.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

Who knows? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:49

Who knows?

SPEAKER_02 8:50

Uh these remains are meticulously grounded into a fine charcoal like dust or pale powder.

SPEAKER_03 8:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 8:58

Pretty grim. Pretty grim. Again, sacred, scary, nothing to mess around with. Um, so how is it used? A flush pedestrian relies on stealth and psychological terror to administer the powder. Um, they don't just typically slip it into food or your drink. Instead, they use the elements or physical entry to deploy it. So the chimney trick. A common legend involves the flush pedestrian climbing onto the roof of a Hogan, which actually is a traditional Navajo dwelling that was created specifically to like protect them from skinwalkers.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

I've heard of these.

SPEAKER_03 9:30

Yes. Um, and they they essentially just drop the powder down into the smoke hole or chimney. So the sleeping family inhales it. Yikes. Another version of um this story included the use of blow guns. So they are said to use hollow reeds or small blow guns to puff the dust directly into a victim's face or onto their skin while they sleep. Or, of course, through direct contact, simply having the dust just dropped onto an exposed patch of skin or introduced through a small wound is believed to uh be enough to infect somebody.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

Wow. Yeah. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Uh so the symptoms of corpse powder, also called corpse sickness.

SPEAKER_03 10:08

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

Uh, when someone is exposed to the powder, the physical and magical reaction is swift. It induces a condition often referred to in folklore as copes poison poisoning or witch sickness.

SPEAKER_03 10:21

Yeah, not great.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

The classic progression of symptoms includes immediate swelling and blackening of the tongue, sudden lockjaw or a feeling of suffocation, violent convulsions and full body paralysis, and rapidly failing health culminating in heart failure or death within a short period if left untreated.

SPEAKER_03 10:42

Not ideal.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

Not ideal.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

Not a way you want to go.

SPEAKER_02 10:46

Holy crap.

SPEAKER_03 10:46

Yeah, yeah. Um, okay, so today there is a massive divide between how flush pedestrians are viewed within native communities versus how they are perceived by the rest of the world.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Within the Navajo Nation, of course, um, among traditional and modern uh Navajo people, the belief remains deeply serious. It's not something discussed lightly, especially with outsiders and absolutely never after dark, which like there are rules. There are rules when speaking about thing.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

It's like noon.

SPEAKER_03 11:13

It is almost noon. We're good to go. So let's kind of take a look at the power of speech. So in Navajo culture, words hold literal power.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Which I do believe in.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

I completely agree. Speaking the name of it or discussing them is believed to draw their attention, which we mentioned, invite misfortune or even manifest them into your life, which we don't want to do, we're not doing, we've done protection stuff, we are protected in this space.

SPEAKER_02 11:39

This this house is very protected.

SPEAKER_03 11:41

Very protected. Um, when it comes to the cultural secrecy of it, um, when outsiders do ask about them, they're almost always met with silence. This isn't just because it's frightening, it's an act of cultural preservation and spiritual safety on um everybody's accounts. So not just an Avo person, but for us, yeah, you know, we're always getting into stupid shit we shouldn't be asking what we're talking about. And we're doing an entire episode on it. Yeah. True. But we're doing it with respect and so much respect.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 12:09

Yeah. So, but yeah, just again goes back to the point of like this is we are not messing around. This is this is a real thing.

SPEAKER_02 12:15

100%. Uh so over the last decade, internet lore via Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, you know, all the all the major ones uh has fundamentally altered the public's perception of the flesh pedestrian. Yeah. Here are a few ways that we found our interpreted between the Navajo people and the modern internet lore. Yeah. However, of course, we are not of Navajo descent. So while we are not speaking on their behalf, this is just what we have found.

SPEAKER_03 12:43

Right. I feel like we're gonna say that a lot here because we just want to be so clear.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

We do.

SPEAKER_03 12:48

All right. So let's go over the attribute, the traditional Navajo belief, and then the modern internet lore, sort of in that order, right? Perfect. So feel free to kick us off.

SPEAKER_02 12:57

So uh basically, what is it? It's a living human witch practicing dark magic, which we went over.

SPEAKER_03 13:02

Exactly. That's under the traditional Navajo belief.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

Yeah. And then the modern internet lore, which is kind of what I thought at the beginning before all this.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:11

A monster cryptid or distorted forest entity. Right.

SPEAKER_03 13:15

Which um our f well, my favorite program, one of them anyway, um, supernatural, doesn't like that's that. Like they speak of it as they write it into their scripted show of it being like a monster that they have to take down. It's like an actual supernatural being that which while it is a supernatural being, um it's not a cryptid or monster.

SPEAKER_02 13:35

Right.

SPEAKER_03 13:35

It was a human being that has shifted into this after committing like a the unspeakable act. Yeah. Um appearance. So under traditional Navajo belief, the appearance includes a person wearing an animal hide or normal-looking animal with unsettling human eyes. Whereas the modern internet lore um has it as a pale, gaunt, elongated humanoid, often confused with with the Wendigo, which we'll get into, I'm sure, in another.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

I love the Wendigo. And this is actually what I I thought they were very similar.

SPEAKER_03 14:09

Yeah, different. Yeah. A lot of people make that mistake. And again, that was very prevalent in the research that I was doing.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

A lot of people think Wendigo as opposed to flush pedestrians.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

100%. Yeah. Uh so we have the location. Um, these flush pedestrians are strictly tied to Navajo lands and the American Southwest. Right. It's found in uh oh, sorry. Right. So the modern internet lore, it's found in any random forest across North America.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Which is typically not the case.

SPEAKER_02 14:42

Because it makes sense. If it was like a Navajo person that, you know, did the unspeakable acts, it would make sense that they would stick to Navajo Land. Yeah, exactly. Uh geography for a moment. Does not Navajo land is Appalachia.

SPEAKER_03 15:00

American Southwest, yeah. American Southwest. Yeah, it's a lot of the Appalachian.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

So that's why that whole area would be very creepy, flesh pedestrian moments. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:09

I would I would say that's in fact true.

SPEAKER_02 15:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

Um if memory south well, Southwest, let's just let's.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

I'm trying to we did an episode. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:18

Well, here's the thing. Appalachian the Appalachian lore could be bastardized. You know what I mean? True. Um, part of Navajo Territory. Now, this is Google with no no Appalachia is not part of the Navajo territory. Okay. There you go. They're two completely different and geographical. Yeah, of course, because oh my gosh, what are we saying? We know this. Appalachian is more east. We know this. It's more east.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Of course it is. Um so no, the large again is crazy because in my mind, Appalachia skinwalk or flesh pedestrians.

SPEAKER_03 15:48

It's and we're gonna get into that further. It's because of I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna jump into it. But um, the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. and the homeland of the Navajo or Dine people uh is located in southwestern United States, spanning the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

There we are.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

There you go. Um and behavior, I didn't this is sorry, go ahead. No, but it's all good. So when it comes to behavior, um, traditionally, of course, it uses curses, psychological terror, and poison. Um, and the sort of more modern, if you will, twist on it is it mimics human voices to lure people into the woods to eat them. Yeah. We hear that a lot. We do. We hear that a lot. So the internet culture frequently conflates the skinwalker again, as we mentioned with the Wendigo. Oh, I said it wrong. Do you know why I say Wendigo like that? Why? It's Wendigo. Wendigo is the proper pronunciation.

SPEAKER_04 16:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:46

Wendigo is because of supernatural. They say it wrong the entire time.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Which is crazy.

SPEAKER_02 16:51

You would think they would have researched all that.

SPEAKER_03 16:53

Yeah, it is definitely Wendigo.

SPEAKER_02 16:55

Um, I just noticed I don't have my earrings on. I feel naked. Oh. No, it's part of your butch look. True.

SPEAKER_05 17:02

Did you guys notice? Did you notice that TV is so much more? And I'm gonna dress. It's so weird.

SPEAKER_02 17:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 17:12

You're always so feminine.

SPEAKER_02 17:14

We're we're leaning into our actual genders. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Weird. What? Who would have thought? So to clarify, and again, I think we will do an episode on um Wendigo's. Yeah, okay. But that is a malevolent spirit of insatiable greed and cannibalism, typically from the Algonquin folklore, actually. So we'll get into this again about how we're probably masterizing it too. Um, so traditional practiser, uh sorry, two traditional practitioners mixing up these distinct tribal histories ships some of their actual cultural content. So that's also why I thought it was important to kind of talk about like the real versus what we think. 100%. So there we go. And here's exactly why we think that, Steven. Are you ready?

SPEAKER_02 17:56

Let's do it. Let's dive in. So the modern fascination with locations like Skinwalker Ranch in Utah has only fueled this sci-fi horror blend. Right. Turning a deeply feared, culturally specific human taboo into a catch all term for anything weird that happens in the wilderness. Yeah. It really has. It really truly has. It's become a catch-all.

SPEAKER_03 18:16

Yeah. Yeah. Which sucks. Yeah. Like there are, I don't mean to interject, but I mean I have banter for later on. Guess what? It's my show and we can do what we want. I'm going to banter now. Um, I listen to a lot of stories, like, you know, the listener email stories that we're, by the way, trying to do. We have two.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

Uh I think we have two or three. Two or three. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:37

I want like six.

SPEAKER_02 18:39

At least.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

So to everyone who keeps saying, I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it, please do it. Please send in your listener emails. Um anyway, there are a lot of stories of people who will see like something moving. Um, like a really popular um story that I keep hearing over and over again is someone will see an animal that they they know should be, let's say, a cat, but its legs are on backwards and it's walking like you know when uh remember uh strobe lights?

SPEAKER_06 19:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:13

You know the feel like the look of like strobe light?

SPEAKER_05 19:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:17

Um people report seeing this thing moving like it's in a strobe light, but it's like the middle of the day.

SPEAKER_04 19:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:24

And then their eyes are either like yellow or human or whatever. And like a lot of people kind of just call that a skinwalker, which maybe who knows, maybe it is. Yeah. But again, there are differences when it comes to the appearances and the characteristics. So there we go.

SPEAKER_02 19:43

Um, so yeah, let's review some of these characteristics. We have uh so shape shifting. Yep. Uh they can transform into various animals such as wolves or coyotes. They'll change forms depending on their needs. For example, if they need immense strength, they might become a bear. Skinwalkers assume those roles voluntarily. It's not a curse like being a werewolf. Okay. They are choosing to shape shift into these animals for whatever needs they have. So cool. Yeah. I would be cool with that power.

SPEAKER_05 20:16

But not doing the things that we're doing.

SPEAKER_03 20:21

Supernatural speed, which we kind of touched on earlier. They move at incredibly fast speeds like no other being on the planet. Um, they also practice mimicry, so they can uh imitate human voices or animal sounds to deceive others. Did I pronounce that correctly? Mimicry? I think mimicry, yeah. Right. Um mind control, they influence or control the thoughts of others. Wild did not know that.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

Did not know that.

SPEAKER_03 20:47

Right? And of course, curses. They can cast harmful spells or curses on anyone or even families or lands.

SPEAKER_02 20:55

Yes, I think.

SPEAKER_03 20:56

Full blown land curses.

SPEAKER_02 20:58

Land curses are a thing. Um, then we have physical strength. So they do have superhuman strength.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

Got it.

SPEAKER_02 21:05

Um, according to legend, you can tell if you're in the presence of a skinwalker by their eyes. So they have glowing eyes. If you shine a light on one when they're in the animal animal form, their eyes glow bright red. But in their human form, their eyes will seem animal-like.

SPEAKER_03 21:24

Oh, so it's like reverse.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

It's kind of reverse. So, as human form, they'll have animal-looking eyes, and in animal form, the bright red glowing eyes.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

We're creepy and cool.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

That's so which like all those those videos of like the glowing eyes in the dark when they're all there's so many.

SPEAKER_03 21:41

Yeah, yeah. So, how do you spot one in with within the lore? How do you find out if you're getting at one, right? Let's let's go over Enlighten us, please. Yeah, sure. I'm I'm gonna give it a go. So, in traditional Navajo stories, flush pedestrians don't just perfectly mimic animals, they are fundamentally distorted by their choice. To abandon their humanity. Um, this of course creates subtle, unsettling tells that exposes their true nature. So, unlike, you know, quote unquote regular human beings, we just talked about it, the eyes. The eyes are kind of the dead giveaway. So when the skinwalker is in animal form, they don't actually reflect the light the way a normal animal would. Yeah. Instead, their eyes glow with an unnatural dull red hue, as Steven mentioned. Um, and of course, conversely, if a person encounters a skinwalker in its human form, they're said to look entirely wild, animalistic, and predatory. So look out. Look out for the eyes.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

Uh so then they also have an unnatural gait. So because they are humans pretending to be quadrup quadrupedal. You got it, quadrupedal creatures, their movements are often described as uncanny or wrong, which you had mentioned about the kind of strobe light effect. Yeah. Uh they might run at terrifying speeds, pacing a vehicle going 60 miles per hour. Quick. But their limbs move in a disjoint disjointed, jerky, or asymmetric fashion.

SPEAKER_03 23:04

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Creepy. Really creepy. When you see things moving like that, even in like movies or sh or like stuff, um it's just so unsettling and really unsettling.

SPEAKER_03 23:14

Yeah. Also, uh interjection, yeah. Another topic. So we're playing off offline with our dear friends.

SPEAKER_02 23:21

I I was thinking of this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:23

We were playing this wonderful, I don't want to say role-playing. It's like a live-action role-playing game.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

We're not LARPing, but it's a tabletop role-playing game. So T T R P G is that actually what it's called?

SPEAKER_03 23:33

Yeah. I'm learning so much.

SPEAKER_02 23:34

So it's basically a Dungeons and Dragons type game.

SPEAKER_03 23:37

But it is um more paranormal-based. We're like we create our own characters.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Yeah, it's cosmic horror. Cosmic horror term.

SPEAKER_03 23:44

Super, super fun. I'm having a great time learning so much. Um, but they're the specific kind of story or game that we're in has a plot regarding like bones being all broken and crazy, and that's very similar to like how kind of what I'm ambitioning.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

Side note, podcast people, all of you out there, it's based off the Magnus Archive. Okay, which is a podcast that I'm on season three currently. Amazing. But it's a great um fictional kind of storytelling podcast. Um, it's fantastic. But they created this uh TGRP, this game based off of it. See, I didn't even know that.

SPEAKER_03 24:18

That's so cool. So um we're, you know, we have uh our friends over yesterday. We had a great time, it was wonderful. This girl.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

Oh, are you telling us right? Oh god, okay.

SPEAKER_03 24:31

So if you want I mean, I suppose I don't want to see you find out more about your friends because like we're all characters, right? So we're not playing ourselves in the game. We're like, what would my character do? We we did extensive character work before we even started playing.

SPEAKER_02 24:45

Oh my god, I fixed stated on my character development.

SPEAKER_03 24:48

You did a really good job.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 24:49

So I won't out anybody or or specific characteristics. However, Steven's character, there was this one situation where we had to decide what to do with this busted, broken down uh woman who was under essentially like a ritualistic spell.

SPEAKER_02 25:05

Let's say we decided she looked like one of Vecna's victims. She looked like one of Vecna's victims.

SPEAKER_03 25:10

Yeah, with like the broken bones all like messed up with the jaw and everything. Anyways, so I had to do I I I'm gonna say, like, I thought that what I was doing to this person was messed up. So her her mouth was not there. It was like it was open closed.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:28

So I was like, I think we should try and like cut her mouth open to see if she can talk or explain what's going on. So I just like explained that my character grabbed her knife, her little medical knife that she had in her medical kit. I like slammed my hand on her face and I just like quickly, like, boom, like cut where I thought her mouth would be. And everyone was like, wow, that's pretty vicious terrible. I'm like, listen, like, do you want to just be like, yeah, hold, I'm gonna cut this slowly. No, make it happen quick. And in the moment, I'm like, that was pretty vicious, Jacqueline. Like, I can't believe your character did that. Then some time had passed, and we kind of all just uh decided as a party, like, this person's too far gone.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

We also asked her because she was coherent enough. Stephen wants everyone to know. I must clarify that we we she was coherent enough that we're like blink once for yes, twice for no. Yes. Do you want us to put you out of your misery? Because there's no coming back from what had happened. Yeah. And the ritual is too far gone. We needed blood on the altar to open the altar. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Again, this is a game, people. This is a game. It's a game. And she blinked once for yes to put her out of her misery. Continue.

SPEAKER_05 26:37

He just really wants everyone to know.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

I must let everyone know.

SPEAKER_03 26:41

So we're all kind of standing there in like shock and dismay, and we're like, like, oh, I almost said your character name. Sorry. Um, we're like, yeah. I was like, Milo. Like, he's been this timid, yeah, quiet, meek, very smart and helpful character.

SPEAKER_02 27:02

And we're like, But he's an occultist. He's an occultist. We're now in a in an altar dungeon ritual. So he's kind of in his element now.

SPEAKER_03 27:08

He's in his element. He's like taking the reins of what needs to happen.

SPEAKER_02 27:11

He's also an aspiring horror author.

SPEAKER_03 27:13

Yeah, fair enough. I didn't think about that. Ulterior motives. Um so we're all just kind of like, oh my God, this is shocking. You know, like this is so sad. We're kind of like standing around this woman, and we're like, we're getting ready to just be like, oh, it's okay. Like, we're here, we're with you. Steven starts to describe it.

SPEAKER_05 27:32

Do you want me to do it? Or are you okay?

SPEAKER_03 27:35

He's like, I walk up to her, I put my hand, I'm sorry, I'm ruining it because I have a hair. Okay. Um, I put I walk up to her, I stroke her hair, I move her hair out of her eyes, I caress her face, and a single tear comes welling up in her eye, and it gently falls down her cheek. And I gently and softly move the tear away from her face.

SPEAKER_06 27:59

And then I slit her throat. I just like listen. Whoa, whoa, we are going crazy.

SPEAKER_00 28:11

Everyone went crazy.

SPEAKER_05 28:12

I was like, come out.

SPEAKER_00 28:13

I made a horrible say.

SPEAKER_05 28:18

We are screaming. We are screaming, we are laughing, we are like, what is listen?

SPEAKER_01 28:23

I didn't want her to see it coming.

SPEAKER_05 28:25

Sure she's gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_01 28:26

But then everyone is like, why would you slider through? There's better ways of doing it. I was like, I don't know how to kill a person.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

I started acting it out like covered in covered in blood.

SPEAKER_05 28:39

And our game master's like, blood is flying everywhere. You are covered in blood.

SPEAKER_02 28:47

And then and then our our game master Tony, shout out to Tony, great game. He's like, Do you want like a redo? And everyone's like, no, he gives you one go and we're in it now.

SPEAKER_06 29:02

Nowhere.

SPEAKER_03 29:02

I thought you were just gonna like, you know, plunge it into her heart. I thought you were gonna maybe like suffocate her nose.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

I guess that would have been no like no, just I I thought that was gonna be a quick and easy way to kill her, but terrible. God damn it.

SPEAKER_05 29:20

It's so bad.

SPEAKER_02 29:22

Made for a shocking moment in the game.

SPEAKER_05 29:25

Truthfully, we all lost stress because of it. Or had stress because of it. We all lost points. So thanks for that. Here I am being like, wow, cutting her mouth open was vicious.

SPEAKER_03 29:35

This one, just like go blammy, cablammy. God damn it.

SPEAKER_02 29:40

Anyway, so then I didn't want to kill the taxidermy animal.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

And then you didn't want to kill the taxidermy animal. Poor animal. Which was, by the way, trying to kill us and full of fluff. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:51

That's just a look into Milo's mind.

SPEAKER_05 29:54

My favorite part is that you like hit it with your purse to go.

SPEAKER_06 29:59

I'm like, pervert. That's my purse. I don't know you.

SPEAKER_05 30:04

We are smirling.

SPEAKER_02 30:06

Maybe I shouldn't have told that story. Well, how did that come up?

SPEAKER_05 30:09

Because you're talking about how it's like the herky jointed jerk.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

The disjointed jerky. Yeah, fair.

SPEAKER_03 30:15

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 30:15

Oh, so funny.

SPEAKER_03 30:16

Get back on track.

SPEAKER_02 30:17

Anyway, flush pedestrians.

SPEAKER_03 30:19

Yeah. God damn it. Oh, so funny. Okay. So back to the show. Um, the tracking rule. Just so you know, we're talking about characteristics, sorry, how to spot this in in lore. Okay. I know we went on a tangent and I'm sorry, but I'm also not because that was so funny. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:36

What else are you here for?

SPEAKER_03 30:37

Oh, God. And Ranja. Exactly, which we need to do more of. Um, so the tracking rule. If a hunter shoots a flash pedestrian while it's in animal form, it won't track like a normal animal.

SPEAKER_02 30:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 30:49

Traditional lore says that if you follow the blood trail, the tracks will suddenly transition from one animal paw into another, let's say a hoof or something different, and then into human footprints.

SPEAKER_02 30:59

Humans. Humans.

SPEAKER_03 31:02

So I thought it'd be interesting to bring up sort of a another historical element.

SPEAKER_02 31:07

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 31:08

So this is something called the long walk of 1864. I just wanted to kind of wrap it up by like really impressing upon people that this is legit part of the Navajo culture. Yes. Um so if I may, um many cultural anthropologists believe that the intense secrecy and fear surrounding these flesh pedestrians amplified significantly during one of the darkest periods of Navajo history, which was, of course, the long walk of 1864. Um the US military the US military forced nearly 10,000 Navajo people to walk over 300 miles from their homeland in Arizona to a brutal internment camp at Bosque Redondo, New Mexico.

SPEAKER_06 31:53

Hundreds gross.

SPEAKER_03 31:55

Gross, disgusting. Hundreds died of starvation, exposure, and disease.

SPEAKER_06 32:01

I hate it.

SPEAKER_03 32:02

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Um during this time of existential trauma, yeah, and extreme scarcity, the social fabric of the community was pushed to its absolute limit. Which, of course, traditional stories suggest that some medicine people turn to dark magic out of desperation. Sure. Which again makes complete sense. Um either to survive, to fight back against the military, or to prey on their own people for resources. When you're pushed to the brink, right? You make weird, horrible choices. This historical trauma cemented the flesh pedestrian as the ultimate symbol of community betrayal and cultural corruption.

SPEAKER_03 32:43

Yeah. Like this is actually like again, this is real cultural. Um I don't even want to say legend. Like this is so real to this group of people.

SPEAKER_04 32:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:53

Um, so I thought that was fascinating. I did not know about the long walk of 1964. I didn't know that that's potentially where I don't want to say the origin story, that's not true at all, but like where it was born out of fear and destitution. Right. And like just absolute, um, just a terrible, yeah, terrible thing happening. Wow. Um, so again, like we've kind of talked about how there are a lot of stories that are um not mistrewed, but kind of bleeding the lines of the traditional plus the modern day lore. Um again, I've seen, yeah, like a lot of shows and movies that talk about it. Um, there are a lot of real life accounts of seeing these kinds of creatures in and around um these lands. Have you like what's one of your the one that it's I don't want to say specific, but the one where it is moving all weird and crazy. That's wild. Like, how do you explain what is that? What is that in real life? That what could it be in real life?

SPEAKER_02 33:50

If we were to see something like that, you know? What could it be? Yeah, I don't like I know a lot of the um things people will say it is is like, you know, like rabid animals that act weird.

SPEAKER_03 34:02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

And it makes them act weird and crazy, but like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 34:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:08

Or like um animals that have been hit by cars and haven't quite died yet. Oh my gosh. Like stuff like that.

SPEAKER_03 34:15

Yeah, but unreal scary. Scary stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So um that is what we have for you on Flush Pedestrians. Um, again, if you want to learn more about the Navajo culture, I encourage it.

SPEAKER_04 34:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:30

Um remember, uh, practice safe storytelling.

SPEAKER_00 34:34

100%.

SPEAKER_03 34:35

Um keep yourselves protected at all times because you never know.

SPEAKER_02 34:40

You never know.

SPEAKER_03 34:40

You never know. Well, anything else to add there, Stevie?

SPEAKER_02 34:44

No, I actually learned quite a bit this episode.

SPEAKER_03 34:46

Wasn't it great? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I for as much as long as I was holding off for it, I'm I think we covered a lot of positive, you know, a lot of good ground. Yeah. Um, so if you, of course, if you have a story, you can write in. I already mentioned that too. Um, if there's a topic that you want us to cover, yeah, please also feel free to write in. We always love suggestions. We got a lot. We had a lot that we want to talk about. Um, but we are always open for uh more suggestions. 100%. Um, so thank you so much for listening and watching the Weirdos of Whimsy. We will be back again soon with another episode that guides you through uh the weird and whimsical journey that is our brains. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and YouTube and tiki talkie um at Weirdos of Whimsy Pod. Watch that space for updates, release dates, and other treats and delectable morsels. Say goodbye, Stevie. Goodbye, everybody. And as always, big gulps, eh?

SPEAKER_04 35:45

Well, see ya later.