PERSONALITY — He's like the sound that water makes when it boils over; outwardly, he can be brash, abrupt, cold, and distant but internally, much like the water in the pot, he fears that he will BURN everything he touches if he doesn't keep the sensitive, anxious, and empathetic person inside — intimates get a softer, more authentic side while everyone else might never get a personal detail out of him. Zeke keeps people at a distance on purpose. He's a quiet study of how childhood trauma shapes adult lives. THREAD DIRECTORY | ALL CONNECTIONS | PLAYLIST | PINTEREST
THE BASICS
Name: Zekeriya BEDRI Emiroğlu
Nicknames: Zeke/Zak/Riya
Age / D.O.B.: 36 / October 31st (Scorpio)
Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: Cis-male (He/Him). pansexuall/biromantic.
Hometown: Cihadiye, Turkey / Portland, Maine
Current: Downtown, Merrock, Maine (since 2013)
Job position: Paramedic (Retired TSK Medic)
Education: High School, E.M.T Training (Turkey), Special Military Training (Turkey), Advanced Paramedicine (U.S)
Relationship status: Single
Family: Namik Emiroğlu (Father - deceased), Remziye Emiroğlu (Mother - deceased), Meryem Emiroğlu (Older Sister - deceased), Perihan ‘Peri’ Demir (Aunt).
Languages Spoken: Turkish (Native), Arabic (Fluent), English (Fluent).
Positive traits: Loyal, Analytical, Well-connected, Merciful, Organized.
Negative traits: Reserved, Secretive, Cunning, Dismissive.
Health: Undiagnosed Autism & Complex PTSD.
Tattoos: A '2' on the back of his neck (his fallen comrade had '1'), many others hidden by his clothes.
BIOGRAPHY child abuse, family death, insinuated murder tw
From the moment of his birth, Bedri felt HAUNTED — by parental expectations, by familial circumstances; by death. At a young age, born into a modest family in a small town an hour outside of Adana, Turkey, people around them often asked his parents if there was something ’wrong’ with him. His eyes were distant, he barely played with other children, and only spoke when spoken to. Bedri found it odd, how the adults around him would ask if something was wrong with him before they would ask if there was something crooked about his FAMILY.
With a heavy handed father and a mother, terrorized into silence by tradition, everything seemed as it should be. Respectful children; a doting wife; a quiet home in a tiny town — wealth. And with wealth in a small town came jealousy.
Bedri was six when he came home, placed his backpack on the hook and went in search of his mother. He found her and his father deceased in the living room.
The telephone operator told him how to help his sister but despite the six year old’s efforts, when paramedics arrived there was nothing they could do for any of them. He was the only survivor.
Portland, Maine — three months after, Bedri was being shipped off to live with his aunt in Maine. She was a kind woman, interesting in that she didn’t scream at him when he misbehaved or chastise him for being a kid. He blossomed under her guidance but never quite opened up to her about that day. He went to school, made friends, learned a language that up until then, he’d had almost no experience with, and eventually everything faded into the background of his life, except for one thing; GUILT.
Guilt was the reason he moved back to Turkey after high school; the reason that he went into the medical profession — it was the reason he didn’t think twice or feel fear when he was conscripted; it was the reason that Bedri took too many risks, found himself in messy relationships, beneficial friendships; and eventually, two years after being discharged from the Turkish Military, the reason why he found himself in a new town back in the U.S. It was an oddity then that someone so fast moving and non-committal decided to STAY in Merrock, isn't it?
SPECIFICS alcohol & child abuse tw, death tw
Bedri was born into an abusive, chaotic household that left him with internal and external scars. His father was an alcoholic, his mother was apathetic, and with the age gap between him and his older sister, he was left on his own a lot.
He didn’t walk until he was two, didn’t speak until he was four, but despite that he was academically praised under his aunt’s hand. As an adult, he understands that his delays were based on environment and not nature; a child can’t grow if the house he lives in won’t allow for it.
He lived in Portland, Maine from the ages of 6-18 and left to further his studies in pre-hospital care in Izmir where he worked until his conscription at the age of 20.
After his year was up, Bedri decided to stay in the military once offered to attend further officer training. He became a military medic and thought that he’d found his life’s purpose until an injured comrade, who passed under his care, turned his service into a personal hell.
Unable to adjust, Bedri decided to travel, never staying in one place for too long. Through the middle east, into Africa, and Asia, he always felt out of place, an oddity; like he was running from death once again. In some ways, he was — just not his own.
A man without connections became well-connected; a boy without parents found family; and a person chased by death finally faced it head on. Settling in Merrock had been a decision against his better judgement but it turned out profitable in the end — for him and for others. For once, he supposed that his quiet, secretive nature benefitted him in a small town where everyone knew everyone and things weren't always what they seemed.
If he trusts you, he’s charming, funny, and cares perhaps more than he allows himself to. If he doesn’t, he’s quiet and standoffish, despite being overly observant.
WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS
EXTENDED FAMILY — cousins; aunts; uncles; the people who are legally family but who he has no interest in getting to know.
ROMANCE — they’ve rarely ended well; Bedri is reserved, distrustful, and believes everything he touches withers - it creates conflict. There could’ve been someone special, but most of them are shallow and one-dimensional, some he doesn’t remember the names of; some he’s gotten close to and then left quickly.
BEST FRIEND(S) (0/2) — these people are the two people that Bedri can be himself around. They know everything about him, from his childhood to his deepest ambitions and Bedri knows them in the same way.
THE ONE — this is the person who will break down all of his walls; the person who naturally draws out his empathy and compassion despite it being shown in different ways. Will probably be a bit challenging in the beginning but once he unravels, it’ll slowly get easier for your character. Perhaps this person is the reason he stayed in Merrock, even if they've still gotten nowhere after 12 years.
ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS & PLOTS
Mariah Kenmore — close friends.
Taryn Ramsey — friend.
Skylar Adams — ambulance partner
Samuel Yoon — paramedic friend
