Zachariah

"When it feels like the world's gone mad And there's nothing you can do about it" - Bastille Zachariah (agender, he/him), 35 years old, activist, Manchester-born, human

[zach-bastiaans]

theofawn​:

it was actually something that theo tried not to talk about too much. while her parent’s deaths had obviously been a pivotal moment of her life, it made people uncomfortable or so she had come to learn. it was easier to just keep it to herself. theo never wanted to burden anyone else with her own tragedy. like zach had said ‘we all carry our past’. she was certainly not the only person around with a sad tale to tell, and she wanted to be more focused on helping others than her own deeply buried issues. “thanks.” she smiled. while she hated that phrase sorry for your loss, they had meant it with compassion. “sorry to be a killjoy. these sort of things just really remind me, and I’ve already been thinking about it a lot lately because of the wolves. I guess I got overwhelmed and didn’t realize it. thanks for coming out here with me, though. you don’t have to stay if you won’t wanna.” she offered.

“I think I just run cold, like a lizard.” she shrugged. “but I promise that if I feel faint at all, I’ll go find my actual coat. deal?”

“Usually I’m the killjoy, so this is a nice change of pace,” Zach said in reply. Not a lie, his activistic intent and love for having arguments did kill a lot of conversations with fellow activists. “Why because of the wolves?” he asked curiously. He shook his head. “I don’t mind, really. I have nowhere else to be or anyone else to help,” he added. “So that means you’re stuck with me.” He offered her a kind smile. He had never minded, helping others - despite not always understanding what they needed - was core to who he wanted to be. 

“That’s a deal, miss lizard,” he replied. “I personally don’t do too well in the cold. Rain, no problem, freezing cold, not my favourite.”

[zach-bastiaans]

Under the weight of living || Zach & Avery

avery-sinclair​:

The scene felt surreal, as if all of the pieces were being pushed together but they didn’t quite fit right, the puzzle forever incomplete. Saying goodbye to Jacob wasn’t something personal for Avery for she hadn’t known the boy, but more of a mystery still waiting to be solved. The town had brushed it off as if it were just some freak accident - which, all things considered, it very well could be. But children didn’t just go missing. And bodies didn’t just turn up dead without an explanation. 

She was staring off into the middle distance when Zach approached and shook her from her thoughts. She gave the other a brief nod, shoulders lifting in a shrug. “As good as can be expected I suppose. Did you light a candle?” 

He nodded. She seemed lost in thought, and he couldn’t blame her. This was not... not a normal occasion. A child had died and he knew it wasn’t an accident, knew it in his bones, something he would normally not admit to, but this wasn’t normal. Not with this many people going missing. “Yes, did you?” he asked. “How have you been holding up? Did the police give you any access to Addisons’ belonging yet?” he asked. He was going somewhere with that. He had met Will that morning, and since then he had seen almost all the others from that house at the vigil. The cops weren’t going to help Avery, and he knew she had every right to Addison’s stuff. 

[zach-bastiaans]

theofawn​:

winter had always been theo’s favorite. most people didn’t expect that. they anticipated her to lean more towards spring or summer, but there was something indefinable about winter in blackrock that always kept her very grounded. her nose stung with the chill of the air as her breathing returned to it’s natural cadence. zach was nice, but he was a rare exception that didn’t already know about her parents. everyone in town had heard through the rumor mill by the time she was out of the hospital. unless it was someone new to town or a particularly nosy neighbor, theo had never much had to talk about it. “I think I am so uncomfortable, because of how comfortable it became. my parents passed away when I was younger.” this sort of thing always drudged up memories of her family. “not that I’m trying to be a sob story of anything. it’s been a long time since then. I just figured that you should know.” zach could very easily be her friend. “hm?” theo looked around to realize that her sweater was not much protection against the elements. however, she shook her head. “no thank you. I don’t think a blanket would do that much for me. I’m cold almost all of the time anyway.”

Zach had grown used to people mentioning parental death or death in general. People died all the time, and while he had lost some family, he had grown rather used to the practice. Death was part of life. Usually... murder and accidents caused by others - that were technically murder - did make him feel angry and uncomfortable. But Zach did not know how Theo’s parents had died, he was impressed that she was willing to share that with him so casually. Perhaps she did that normally, maybe it wasn’t a notable thing, but he decided it meant she trusted him. “I am sorry for your loss, no matter how long ago it has been, we all carry our past with us,” he said. His mother had left when he was four, but he didn’t feel like it was appropriate to say that here. 

“That can’t be healthy,” he smiled a little. “But as long as you don’t pass out on me, I think I can manage not to want to offer you a blanket every five seconds,” he added. 

[zach-bastiaans]

I just keep talking about it, But I'll do nothing about it || Celeste & Zach

Location: Whitegrass property Time: 7th of December 2019 @celestewilliams

Zach was handing out candles for the vigil and offering small words of comfort, he had helped set it up and felt responsible for the organisation as it went on. It was the beginning of the vigil, not many people had gathered yet, so he ensured welcoming those who walked towards the barn with a candle. He held one out to the individual who had come by herself. “Can I offer you a candle?” he asked. He recognised her as the woman who had driven him into town, and felt even more responsible to welcome her. “Long time no see.” 

[zach-bastiaans]

Under the weight of living || Zach & Avery

Location: Whitegrass property Time: 7th of December 2019 @avery-sinclair

Zach hadn’t thought about what the situation might be like for Avery until he saw her walk around near the edge of the vigil. It was packed, Jacob had been a young boy, a native to Blackrock. He wondered if such a vigil would ever be arranged for Addison. He walked up to her and reached out his hand, a thought came to mind, that he didn’t right away voice, instead he tried to get her attention. “Hey Avery,” he said, offering her a sad smile. “Are you okay?” It was a rhetorical question, of course she wouldn’t be. 

[zach-bastiaans]

Now you carry it with you || Kenny & Zach

Location: Whitegrass property Time: 7th of December, 2019 @kennyholloway

Zach was glad for the amount of people who had come to the vigil, he really didn’t care much for the party that would follow, and he figured some rather came for the party than that they were interested in listening to the family of the young boy speak. He knew nothing could be done to ease the pain the family must be feeling. The police might promise they would fine the person responsible, offer what in Zach’s eyes were empty words. They would find the murderer. But even that wouldn’t be enough to make the family feel better. All they would want was their child back. And nobody could give them that, but Zach did believe a vigil would show that all these others would be there for the family if they needed support. Any mass gathering of people in support of others, was in Zach’s eyes a win and important - however, not every single mass gathering of course, not those that supported a cause that Zach did not. He was deep in thought, staring at the crowd, when he noticed a familiar face. 

Smiling, Zach walked up to Kenny almost instantly. There were few people Zach felt comfortable enough with, and it was only when he started seeing people more and more, that started to see them as more than sources of information. “Hey Kenny,” he said to them, his smile wavering as he remembered why he was there. “How are you holding up?” 

[zach-bastiaans]

The space you used to fill is now || Theo & Zach

theofawn​:

theo hadn’t really known jacob either. no more than anyone else in town. they definitely hadn’t been a regular around the shop or anything. still, they’d been so young. she shuddered. “yeah.” theo nodded and began to walk towards the nearest exit. “yeah, I do.” the cold air was bracing. she felt better almost immediately after stepping outside the closed in walls. theo took a deep breath. her lungs burned. “sorry about that. I just- I hate these sort of things. they make me so uncomfortable.”

Emotions ran high at these kind of places, especially if the victim had been so young. He could understand why people felt unable to deal with something like this, because it was unnatural. Children should never out-life their parents. They also made him feel more sympathetic. He followed her out of the crowd, and into the cold of the nearing evening. The cold in Blackrock was nothing like the cold in Manchester. “That’s okay. You don’t have to apologise,” he said gently. “I can’t think of a single human being who would feel comfortable in that situation.” He was wearing his warm sweater and a light fest Hutch had borrowed him, but he still felt cold. “Are you cold? I saw someone stack some blankets out here for if people ventured outside for a smoke.” 

[zach-bastiaans]

willofoak​:

TIMESTAMP: Saturday, December 7th, pre-party DIRECTED TO: Anyone!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝. For any party, or funeral, or event, she is the first to put her name down for the potluck. She does not plan, and she does not decorate. She does not volunteer to set up decorations, and she most certainly does not stay after to clean up. Frankly, she didn’t want to volunteer at all, but she ultimately decided that to not do so would look more suspicious than anything. Everyone was going to be here. She made her pack promise to wear triple layers and heartily encouraged them to go back home after the temperature dropped, but she couldn’t shake the fear in her gut that one of them would change tonight. 

Will parked her truck outside of the barn, noting and deciding to ignore the eyes the thundering of her engine received. Her truck was a piece of crap but she loved it and they would pry the keys out of her cold, dead hands. She hopped out, slid her keys into her pocket, and popped open the back. She stared at her equipment; food pans, chafing dishes, heat lamps, etc. She bit her lip, and glanced around. “Hey!” She called, waving her arm, a warm smile on her lips. “Can I borrow you? To help carry some of these stuff in?”

Zach had been helping around as much as he could. Like he normally would, because helping was easy, and people always needed help. He was very good at taking orders as well, someone needed a lightbulb installed, he could do it. Someone had a few candles that needed to be distributed, he would do it. Someone needed things to be carried?

Zach smiled and walked up to the individual, who he recognised as the cook at Buckshot - a fact that only stayed with him because he was known to be very observant. “Sure, I would gladly help, where do they need to go?” he asked. 

[zach-bastiaans]

The space you used to fill is now || Theo & Zach

theofawn​:

it was going to start soon, and theo hadn’t been able to tell anyone no long enough to get out of there. she was beginning to get nervous that she would end up trapped amongst all the weighted sadness. theo nearly jumped out of her skin when zach spoke up. she’d been about 89% of the way through sneaking a drink away when he caught her. thankfully, she managed not to make too much noise at the surprise. “me?” she asked, raising her brows. “oh, yeah. yeah, I’m fine. thank you for asking.” it came out a bit rehearsed, but then again, theo had been asked that question at this sort of thing more than she was comfortable with. “how are you? did you know-” she gestured toward one of the images which had been brought in for the vigil.

Zach had spend almost all his years in school studying other people, learning how they reacted, why they reacted, trying to understand something about them that he felt he was missing. He didn’t do it knowingly, not at first at least. He was interested in people because he wanted to make connections to them, it only later turned into a skill he could use. But people had tells, you just had to pay enough attention to find out. So that’s what Zach did. He payed attention, he observed. And he observed that she was not fine. But that wasn’t hard to determine, given the situation. “No, I didn’t,” he said in return. “Do you need some air?” he asked, gently putting one hand on her shoulder. 

[zach-bastiaans]

The space you used to fill is now || Theo & Zach

Location: The Vigil Time: 6th of December, 2019 @theofawn​

It wasn’t his first vigil, he would be lying to say he had grown used to them. They weren’t a big thing in the UK, so almost all the ones he had visited had been on American soil. People disappeared a lot more in this country, and despite everything, Zach did feel a sort of dread whenever he visited one. Now he had helped, because he knew he needed to further cement his place in the town. He walked around handing out candles and offering a kind word or gesture to people, when he spotted the cashier from the bookstore. He walked up to her and tried to catch her eye. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, as his brain worked on her name. Didn’t take long however, Zach had a good memory when it came to names and faces. 

[zach-bastiaans]

milosmonsters​:

“The…killing of wolves, huh?” Milo said, his eyes following the man as he sat down. “You know we’re not, like, hunting them for sport. Right?” he asked. From what he had heard about PETA, they always went to extremes. But he seemed harmless enough. “Maybe if the wolves weren’t, uh, biting people, it wouldn’t be a problem?” Not even he knew if that’s exactly what was happening. 

“It was only one wolf, anyway,” he said, feeling some sort of need to defend his town. “But, yeah. Keeps things interesting, though, right?” he said with a bit of a laugh. Not that things were ever boring around Blackrock, but they were due for a change. Weren’t they?

“I know,” Zach said in response, he kept his face straight even though the argument that was thrown back at him really annoyed him. People liked to compare animals to humans, but animals rarely attacked for sport either. “But you are aware that wolves don’t attack people without reason, right? Animals usually attack if they feel threatened. Plus, why should all wolves suffer because a few were challenged?” he asked in return, there was no opinion in his words, just curiosity, trying to figure out where the other stood. 

“Interesting is a word for it,” he said, smiling since the other had laughed. “Do you believe the wolves killed the two missing kids?” he asked. 

[zach-bastiaans]

avery-sinclair​:

She let out an impressed noise, something like an oooooh, as Zach handed over his reusable cup to be filled with his drink. “Fancy, fancy,” she praised, giving him a smile. Something from home; she could appreciate such a sentiment. Especially something that came across oceans. “Just your favorite cup, or is it special?” She couldn’t imagine it was just for the purpose of reusable, planet saving goodness. Or was he just that kind of guy? 

Her shoulders lifted in a shrug to his comments about espresso. “Small doses, man. A little bit of a good thing is better than none at all.” She watched as he took his piece of the muffin and she broke off another piece, studying him as she savored the bite. “Research. Research on what, securing a house to weather?” It seemed like an interesting thing to be researching, but hey. Zach seemed like an interesting guy. “What’re you then, some sort of handy man or somethin’?” 

He smiled in return. Zach wasn’t a person who did a whole lot of material things, he didn’t think they were important. But the reusable cup was not just a material thing that happened to be bought in his homeland, it was also a statement. And he knew he would express his very activist-centric mind if he confessed to it, but he didn’t mind. “Besides that it’s one of the few things that has survived the last six years, it’s good for the environment. Saving the planet at all,” he said, his smile not faltering for even a second. 

“Fair,” he answered. He liked Avery. He wasn’t sure why, probably because she was much more down to earth than most people he met, maybe also because she was much more useful to his cause, but that wasn’t a thought that came to mind. Zach simply figured he enjoyed Avery’s company because it was one of the few who didn’t fault him for being an activist. “Research on the town mostly, the forest, the amount of wolves, if there have been more cases like this,” he admitted, he wasn’t sure if he had admitted to being an activist, he didn’t constantly walk around wearing his PETA shirt. “Not technically. I’m mostly an unemployed foreigner who needs quick cash, and I’m sad to say handy man is when they ask the fewest questions,” he admitted. “It’s not really a good vocation, but it works.” 

[zach-bastiaans]

avery-sinclair​:

It wasn’t that Avery thought she couldn’t do digging on her own - that was why she was here after all. But there was an expected process to all of this, right? The detectives had their jobs for a reason, they were supposed to know what they were doing following the leads…But it seemed like they were missing some obvious steps. Then again - what did Avery know, really? Maybe this was the way things worked and the cop shows on TV were overly hyped. She knew they were a little hyped, of course, otherwise it wouldn’t make any good TV. But still…

Did it make sense for her to interfere with the investigation, like he said? That only seemed like a step back, though she was sure he didn’t mean it that way. “Well yeah. Surprisingly, the one detective seems rather difficult to track down himself…” She muttered, shaking her head. When they volunteered to help she raised an eyebrow. “What are you proposing? Going to the house ourselves?” Well sure, she supposed that was an option, though a stranger walking up and knocking on your door and asking to take a look around was a little…odd at best.

What was he proposing? He wasn’t sure about that. Zach believed in action, not inaction. Doing something was always better than doing nothing. And he wished to help, wished to show that he cared by doing something about the situation. What little he could. He didn’t kid himself, he didn’t think he was more powerful than anyone else, but it was important that he tried to empower others. “That sounds... surprisingly not surprising. I’m sorry, my opinion about the Blackrock police is not a very helpful one,” he added. And it probably wouldn’t get much better. 

“I don’t want to put words in your mouth or put you in a situation you do not wish to be in, so I’m not proposing anything,” he admitted. “But if going to the house is something you wish to do and you don’t want to go alone, I would gladly join you. I don’t think going to the house will do any harm,” he added. 

[cinematicbits]

Into the Wild (2007)

[zach-bastiaans]

Poster Boy || Eric & Zach

ericmoralez‌:

Eric didn’t expect the person that the group sent to hang up anti-gun and anti-hunting posters at a shooting range would back down easily, but silently he’d hoped they would. What he wanted to do was leave his job behind him for the day, head to the Last Drop, get a strong drink, spend some time talking with someone he didn’t find annoying, and then go home. None of those plans included ripping down posters one by one. Slowly. Painfully slowly. Threatening was always an option on the table but the police department was already on edge and Eric wasn’t stupid enough to get himself in serious trouble with everything else going on that had left the town on edge.

“Great. I’ve got all night.” If Eric backed down now more of them would show up at the shooting range, he knew it. The place would be swarming with PETA if they sensed weakness. So instead of rolling his eyes and leaving to have the night off, he planted himself in place. He watched, waiting until Zach had finished his work and got the poster up completely before ripping it down. “I thought you were the save the environment and waste no resources type. This is pretty wasteful. Think of all the trees that wouldn’t need to be cut down to replace all these posters if you just went somewhere else. How do you sleep at night? A baby polar bear is crying somewhere.”

There was a sense to fighting with an individual over something, there was a sense to having a difficult situation with someone, to argue about the way of the world and give the other the chance to speak to. But there was also a point where those conversations were useless. Zach didn’t believe in showing weakness or strength, in the thought of good versus evil, bad versus good. He believed in humans and humanity, in kindness and understanding, in the idea that to see opposites was such a flawed image that it only brought more disaster. He watched the posted fall down to the ground and looked back up to the man who produced such an understandable argument - no matter how it was brought - that it gave Zach pause. 

He looked at the other man without putting up another poster. “I think neither of us really wants to be here,” he said in response. “It is a pretty obvious waste of resource, and clearly I’m not getting anywhere with it either,” he added. He wanted to say something terrible, something that would be a jab right back at the man, but Zach wasn’t petty. He studied him for a second, tried to think of a way in. “Yet I wonder if the two of us could ever have a decent conversation about the subject, or if we would have too much assumptions of our own,” he said. Perhaps he could unbalance the other as he had done with his comment, give him pause. 

[zach-bastiaans]

Now we’re faced with two wrongs || Andrew & Zach

andrewsbrewer‌:

         two missing people , one dead. 

as far as small towns go , blackrock wasn’t the smallest he’d ever seen or visited. things were quieting down some for the winter , but there were still plenty of people. the allure of a small town to visit after skiing or snowboarding brought them in from thistle hill. blackrock national park spoke for itself. together , the two resulted in year-round tourism for the town. with what was happening , however , it made andrew curious about how the events could impact tourism. would it steer people to other towns , avoiding blackrock , and wound the economy? would that cause people to turn on each other? let loose things better left unsaid? 

he’d seen it happen before. he’d , in so many ways in his military career , aided in it overseas. these were times that would either make or break blackrock and its citizens. he’d test their mettle , see what it was made of. see where it would bend and break like an overloaded tree branch or rooftop beneath snow. 

and that brought him to the activist himself. finding him in the library was a coincidence ; andrew spent plenty of time here. had gotten to know the staff and some locals while pouring over old public records. thundered rolled outside as andrew plucked a few books from the shelves before making his way over to the table where zach was sitting.     “  you mind if i sit here?  ”      he asked , books in one hand and the other lingering on the back of the chair. it faced the library , and the door , allowing him to see everything. old habits died hard.

Zach took a moment to get out of his focus, reading the last sentence before looking up and smiling at the stranger. Though he did recognise the face, and could place it, he hadn’t before met him. So he nodded at the seat. “Of course, feel free,” he said in response, moving back to this notepad to write down a new finding, then shifting his focus back to the newcomer, studying him quickly. Zach hated to make assumptions about people before having had the chance to properly meet them, so he tried to study other things about them, because being observant was something that came natural to him, and judging was something he had to force himself to stop doing. 

“You also waiting out the storm in here?” he asked, trying to make idle conversation, because the man seemed interesting to him, and Zach always was easily impressed by people who were either intelligent, kind, or interesting. His mind simply raced at the idea of knowledge, it felt calmer in the presence of kindness, and it got excited when faced with a sort of tension. He didn’t like to describe it, for worries it might become apparent and thus no longer intoxicating. 

[zach-bastiaans]

avery-sinclair‌:

“You know, there is an easy solution,” Avery offered, pointing to the stack of to go cups behind the counter. “Exclusively to-go quality for you, even if you’re staying in. Safety first and all that.”

“Alright, fine. Deal.” She gave in, though she still had no idea why Zach would be offering in the first place. They barely knew each other, after all. But it was sweet of him. After fighting for answers and being surrounded by strangers, it was nice to see a friendly face. As she pulled out her wallet and offered up a handful of bills to match Zach’s contribution for the cashier she nodded. “Espresso isn’t so great for focus - it’s more of a quick wake up drug than something that helps one’s attention span.” For the most part Avery tended to have enough adrenaline and exuberance to fill more than her container. But a pick me up from time to time never hurt. Especially with the way things were going around here. 

As their drinks and muffin were passed Avery led the way over to a table in the corner, setting up shop at least for the time being. “So tell me,” she remarked as she ripped off a piece of muffin and popped it in her mouth before scooting it towards them. “What do you need the caffeine for today? Any big plans?” 

Zach, maybe needing the win, or perhaps feeling a little proud that he could produce it, took out his own reusable bamboo cup, and handed it to the barista. “You are right, I should use this one more, even if my life would probably be over if I break it,” he admitted. “It’s one of the few things that I brought with me from the UK.” 

He was glad she didn’t fight him any further, but instead accepted it. Perhaps it would make her more suspicious of him, but he would try to give her no reason to be. He was glad to make a friend as well, and it was easier with someone who wasn’t from Blackrock, who was just as new to the place as he was. 

“Which is why I try to avoid it, though I do like the taste,” he said, as he took back his bamboo cup and followed Avery to the table. It was nice to just share a bit of time with someone and not have to try and win the trust of someone he had never met before, second conversations were always easier. 

He took half of the muffin that was extended to him, a luxury he would rarely taste, and now planned to eat very slowly to savour it. Or at least lessen the sugar overdose. “Doing some research in the library, I got a job this afternoon to help someone secure their property against the coming winter, so I figured I could use the caffeine to help my focus the first few hours. And you?”