#Eskew liveblog

[codexnuminous]

Eskew 7. Edibility

I am in Eskew episode 7 - thoughts.

David's back! It really is quite enjoyable to hear his tired, haunted tones once again.

Oh no, David. Don't do that. That doesn't seem good. Oh no. Oh no.

I've changed my mind - maybe not sleeping is a good thing.

Oh, don't do that, David.

Oh, no. Oh, no.

Oh! This could be a good thing! Or maybe (probably) not.

Wow, David. On the one hand, you sound like you'd be a real killjoy at parties. On the other hand, that sounds like some thing I would use as a conversation starter too, so I am rather throwing stones at glass houses I suppose.

Oh, David.

I like seafood. I'd like to eat more of it.

Oh no... You probably are, David.

Oh, no.

How many friends are there? I rather got the impression that there were about three or four, and this seems to imply three.

Oh! Hmm! Eskew wants to be witnessed, to be seen, just like the ghosts mentioned in the last episode. Hmm...

Why does Eskew care about David so much? Does it even, or does David just believe it does? Hmm...

Oh no. Yuck. Oh no.

The fourth wall you say, David? Hmm...

Again - lying seems to be second nature to David, so much so that he does it instinctively, with not even a trace of hesitation. Hmm...

I love underground labyrinths.

Nightmares can be beautiful too.

Oh no. Oh No. They're the digging people, aren't they - oh no oh no. Oh no.

It sounds a little bit like a hagfish.

Oh no oh no.

Even the Diggers - those consumed by the earth - end up in the embrace of the water. Hmm...

Oh no yuck yuck no.

Oh no. David. David what are you doing oh David no what.

Oh thank goodness. I thought you were going to murder all of the workers with a hammer. Oh thank goodness.

Oh, David. "She's grasping a knife in her hand, and she's looking at me without a great deal of appreciation." Is now really the time for snark?

Yes David! Go David! Free them! Be happy! Good job David! You can do it!

Oh no no no run David, run! No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no

Oh thank goodness. Oh. Hhh.

Oh, David. Oh.

Yes! Go David! You can do it!

Don't you dare, David. Don't you dare take this.

Oh no no no David no no no no no no no no Oh, David.

[daevite]

idk why exactly but i don't like eskew seemingly attempting to explain (at least a portion of) its weirdness so soon, or in the manner that it's doing it. not really sure which part of it i don't like. it's not the simple matter of explanation itself because on one hand i do think in many cases it's enough in a horror story to simply allow a place or a situation to be fucked up without any "backstory" for why it is fucked up (hill house kinda did this in a disappointing way, wish they went more with "what if a house was just fucked up and evil" w/o giving any reasoning or backstory behind the fucked up and evil-ness), but on the other hand night vale kinda did this with the huntokarr arc but the way in which they did it very much didn't feel like. giving things too much solidity? it felt gratifying and interesting to listen to. and then there's the guy who's like 18 or 19 giving this complex backstory to the development and existence of the backrooms making all this incredible "found footage" using blender and that's fun to see. idk what it is exactly about the riyo episodes of eskew that are turning me off in terms of apparently laying out some reasons why eskew is the way it is.

[pensivespacepirate]

I Am In Eskew - Episode 30: The Boy Who Saw Cracks in the World

"it feels awfully light" IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU?

[wanderingandfound]

I have missed the vast majority of the "cozy horror" discourse and like, I'm fine with that because I don't really care all that much about publishing labels and subgenres. But like, I do believe in only using the broad labels if it applies. A book is not Romance (the genre) if it does not have a happily ever after/happily for now. A book is not Horror if it is not trying to be horrifying. Romantic and horrific plots and elements can be part of any story and any genre, but elements do not a genre make.

Anyways, disclaimer done, the point of this post is that as someone whose main genre is fantasy, I love reading about ghosts in non-horror stories. Give me more fucked up creatures and musings on personhood please.

[nicholaswaters]

On mistholme season 5 episode 9 and what is it with podcasts and compulsive eternal digging

[felixcosm]

Okay, I'm starting I Am In Eskew, because it's the perfect horror podcast weather here (dark, rainy) . I've seen some people say David Eskew has it worse than Jon Sims and I have my doubts, but I will go in with an open mind.

[blazernot]

I just finished

[luxflora]

eskew!allegra my beloved

i support womens rights but im REALLY interested in womens WRONGS

[tspultradeluxe]

ESKEW. ESKEWWWWWWWWW

[misterradio]

(episode 1 vs episode 6)

i want these 2 b connected ✊ (< clenching fist)

[not-from-the-absence-of-violence]

ep 4 of eskew is an attack to me personally, "Some awful and unique tragedy that would be a way to make sense of me." im supposed to like cope???

[codexnuminous]

Eskew 4. Culpability

I am in Eskew episode four - thoughts.

It's interesting, the way David says "I am in Eskew". There seems to be a slight upwards inflection towards the end - not questioning, but perhaps more like surprise? As if he is only just realising the truth of his statement. Or perhaps he merely sounds unsure - as if he is trying to convince <b/>himself<b/> of that very truth. Hmm...

Chocolate biscuits. Yum.

They've probably gone the same way as the lifestyle department, haven't they.

"Chumminess" and David really do not seem like a good combination.

Again - David seems to have absolutely no qualms about lying - he doesn't even seem to pause this time.

Wow. David seems <b/>extremely<b/> awkward.

A bath - water again. Is this important?

Poor guy.

Interesting - after learning about this guy's awful childhood, David's immediate reaction is "my boss will be delighted." At a first glance this merely seems to be more of the callousness and lack of care that we've seen from David previously. However, if we look closer, it appears David is deliberately keeping his difference - framing this interaction in terms of his job only. We don't know much about David's childhood (yet?) but what we can guess at is; his parent's seem to be estranged, and he was raised, by and large, by his mother - his father does not appear to feature majorly in his memories, and the one memory in which he does appear has him speaking to David's mother over the phone, implying he is not around. We also know/can guess, based on both the aforementioned phone call and his pharmaceutical prescription of risperidone, that David has schizophrenia¹. These factors combined certainly seem to point towards David having had an unhappy childhood - at best. Hmm...

Oh no. This is all going to go terribly wrong, isn't it.

The Charcoal Monster?!

Eurgh!

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

He didn't kill them, did he - also, "missing parts" were mentioned before. Is this another How and Why situation?

Ohnoohnoohno

They're not going to be at home, are they.

Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh nooooooooooo

I- oh no oh no oh no. Oh no.

Again David's childhood does not seem to have been great.

Who exactly is David speaking to? Who is "you"? One would think that it's merely whatever hopeful tourist is listening to this, but it sounds more personal than that - as if David is speaking to someone in particular, whom he hopes will hear it. Hmm...

¹Or possibly bipolar disorder, but based on other clues, I'm going to assume it's the former.

Sorry - mainly to @lorientour, because I'm pretty sure you're the only person who reads these - I've been trying to keep a schedule of posting one of these every two days, but I was very busy the last few days and didn't get around to it. I know that, most likely, no-one cares, but I just thought I'd say.

[daevite]

he starts seeing a SHRINK?

in ESKEW?

horror audio drama podcast man goes to therapy but IN ESKEW??????

[pensivespacepirate]

NOOO HE FORGOR

[arkfeather]

O SHIT THIS IS THE EPISODE THAT ACTUALLY SCARED ME A BIT

[kittykatninja321]

Even better than the dead loved one Comes Back Wrong trope is the “there is something in the shape of your dead loved one and it is not your beloved and it trying to tempt you and you must resist it at all costs” trope