OOC Note: The following news stories are fictional. Any similarities to reality are purely coincidental and unintentional.
IC: The call has gone out for the monthly gathering to take place in a nearby suburb to mull over the events of the gathering in Vancouver as well as to discuss the impending decision by Prince Blackburn regarding the direction of the city.
While these issues are mulled over and discussed, the world beyond Kindred affairs continues to speed by and broil with increasing heat. The following news stories are of note to Kindred watchers.
Reported on 8/31/18 in The Stranger: “Witch Burning Video a Hoax?” by Samantha Prichard – A video appeared briefly on Youtube last night, uploaded to a “WeRWatch1ng” account that is now deleted, and was quickly taken down two hours later by which showed five figures in masks around a gagged woman in a black robe, tied to an upside down cross, who appeared to be screaming under a gag. One of the masked figures takes a red plastic gas can and appears to spray her with the liquid, before setting her on fire. The video appears to be shot outside the UW Roosevelt Medical Center, though UW has issued a blanket denial. The flames are blue and green, and the screaming is immediately immolated in a dazzle of sparks and flame. The video has appeared on TOR browsers on the Dark Web, and sites throughout the web, and has been reportedly SnapChatted repeatedly. Media critics are saying that the incident was staged, with special effects digitally added later, warning that the video is likely part of some sort of viral marketing campaign. Not all critics agree though, Gordon Handel, a self-described local Occult Expert/Legal Expert submitted his own analysis, saying “This is a sign of trouble to come, this is just a warning not to interfere”. Addison Hargrove, a professor of Theology at Seattle University describes the symbols present in the video to be “A mishmash of Christian and pagan symbols, the whole thing is a reach”, and that “Mr. Handel is a known crank”. Youtube declined to comment when asked for comment.
Reported in The Seattle Times on September 1st, 2018: “Violence Against the Homeless Increasing and Being Filmed” by Harold Clark – As the heat begins to dissipate and the smoke fades from the Seattle landscape, a new threat is on the horizon, primarily men and women filming themselves in masks, taking phone videos while they beat up the homeless. Seven incidents in the past week have caught Seattle PD by surprise. These videos are being uploaded to blogs, passed through social media and the Dark Web as well. The videos start with men and women holding signs, telling the viewer where they are. One video that was shown to this reporter showed an alley in Downtown Seattle where a local bar was named in a handwritten sign, a piece of posterboard with the location written with a marker. Below the sign was the hashtag “#CleantheStreetsofSeattle”, which was reported to authorities immediately after the video was shown. The person holding the sign appeared to be a young woman wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a red bandana masking her face. Her skin is olive and her hair black and pulled into a ponytail. After a few moments, she drops to the sign to reveal that she’s holding a wooden baseball bat. She then moves to a sleeping figure and proceeds to savagely beat the man. She’s joined by a male and another female with a similar appearance, and the beating lasts for a horrifying few moments until they turn again to face the camera, picking up the sign and laughing.
Anthony Lopez, a spokesperson for the Seattle PD issued a blanket condemnation and reminded citizens who are engaged in this behavior that they will be hunted down and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law He also stated that police are looking into those posting the hashtag and will be investigating those who post videos.
For some experts, this isn’t enough, as Marina Bogdanavic stated in a Facebook post which has gone viral, being re-shared over twenty thousand times: “The police aren’t doing enough, we need more cops on the streets, we need another task force, and we need our City Council to act, we need the Mayor to pull her head out of her ___!”. The post was shared, and when reached for comment, Alvin Garcia commented to the Times that “The City Council is looking into all of our options at this time, and we both condemn and deplore the actions of a few select citizens. We do not encourage vigilantism or terrorism on our disadvantaged citizens”. A Town Hall meeting is being set for Saturday the 8th at 8 PM with representatives from the Mayor’s Office, City Council and Seattle PD.
Reported on the “Antiques Today!” blog as well as “Occult Northwest” which boasts a readership of 25: “Calvin Juniper Estate Sale: The Sale of the Season!” by Francis Dowd – Ever since the death of noted collector and antiquarian Calvin Juniper at the age of 94 in late July, the question on every antiquarian’s mind has been ‘What about the estate?!’. Today, Marvin Juniper, the eldest son of Calvin, announced that Beechwood Manor, the ancestral home of the Junipers since 1893, and the vast collection of Calvin Juniper will be for sale at a private estate sale. Calvin Juniper was born here in Seattle in 1924 to the lumber magnates Albert and Constance Juniper, and soon left the lumber industry after serving in the Second World War. In 1954, he opened his first antiques store in Ballard, The Juniper, which hosted a bar of the same name next door. Business did so well, that over the next forty years, he developed his business into a chain of Juniper Antiques with a location in First Hill, Downtown Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, and Queen Anne. The Ballard location was closed in 1988 after owners of the building claimed it was haunted. What nonsense right?
Outside of these articles, there are more reasons to be a careful Kindred in the big city than not.
OOC: Be sure you get your downtimes to me by Friday evening if you haven’t already done so at seattle.masquerade.vst@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Aaron Gomez
US2002021788
VST Masquerade – Seattle
