#zailey

I’m not the first person to make that joke. I’m not that funny.

I have so many thoughts about Zach. I have so many thoughts about a lot of characters, they’re all so intriguing and we sadly don’t get to explore most of them.

Anyways I will very happily talk about Will!Zach.

Honey Queen specifically

To be clear, Angela!Zoey still does all of this.

Honey Queen is one of the stronger Nightmare Time episodes, there isn’t much I think desperately needs to be developed or changed. All I really would want is a duet between Linda and Zoey, and maybe punch up some of their insults to each other. They could be more brutal. And have Hailey a little more involved, even if just mentioned earlier - to better establish her relationship with Zoey so her revenge against her has more relevance later in Killer Track.

And as much I’d like to explore some more about Zach, I don’t think it needs to be in Honey Queen. Just hypothetically somewhere else.

Canonically Zach doesn’t sound any bit surprised that Zoey pulled this stunt. Hurt and betrayed, yes, but he seems to have suspected some kind of move like that from the sister he calls “a greedy snake”. He knows what she’s like and that’s she’s only after the money, and if there’s a way she can get both shares of the inheritance… well, he’s well aware that she’d happily take it. There is no sibling solidarity of any kind. Zoey runs purely for herself and her own benefit. So regardless of her own feelings, any queer solidarity is out of the question too.

When she retaliates with the “maybe this is karma for stealing Josh from me”, there’s also an interesting reaction there. For one, it’s Josh and not “my boyfriend”, so they were more likely in the friendly/flirting stages. We don’t know much, but all things considered, Zach and Josh seem like very nice guys, so I doubt it was any move out of being malicious. Josh was probably another man Zoey thought she could use, maybe he has some big job or a fair bit of money. Either Zach gave him a friendly warning whenever they crossed paths or Josh clocked her/was never that into her and got with him instead. She’s not beaten up about it like he was a beloved boyfriend, she needed him for something and is pissed she didn’t get it but not completely hung over about it. Otherwise she probably would have done something sooner to them.

It’s a begrudgingly call he makes after presumably being chewed out by their grandma, he doesn’t really want to talk with her and doesn’t attempt to avoid being hung up on. But he is angry that she did this. Not even on the money level, though he recognises that’s why Zoey did it, he’s angry about the ruined bond with Mima. How this will complicate and mess up probably all the Chambers family dynamic from here on out. Zoey, of course, doesn’t give two shits for the implications beyond buying herself a Switch with her sole inheritance.

Same in Recast. As said, none of this really changes. The changes are more in their lore.

Recast Chambers siblings

It doesn’t completely change their dynamic, but it does add a layer of sympathy: Zach would have watched his sister’s dreams shatter.

With a few exceptions, all children’s voices deepen with age. More strongly on men but it obviously happens to everyone. Young children all sing very high and don’t need to be grouped as separately. When they were younger kids, getting into theatre, there was very little indication of where their voices would sit by the time they could pursue this as career. Back when Zach seems to have been the one more interested or at least equally interested in theatre.

As the older sibling by at least a year (it’s not clear how big the age gap is), Zach was the one growing and changing first. Even as the theatre bug faded in him, I’m sure he was probably still doing a bit of musical stuff to fill his schedule or simply just to sing karaoke with his sister. Shaping up to be a fairly good tenor.

It’s not equal, but there is certainly less discrepancy between tenors, baritones and basses when compared to sopranos, mezzos and altos. Most male parts, especially in more recent years, are tenor. The world would have been at his feet had he continued with theatre and pursued it. It was exciting and he probably received a lot of encouragement from those around him. Plenty of songs, plenty of roles, plenty of opportunity. The path was very much there for him, even if he didn’t take it.

As the years went on, his sister would change too. It would have become increasingly clear where her voice was going to settle. One by one the roles she had proudly announced she’d have one day became impossible. Notes she’d never hit, so unqualified to even audition for them. Before the burning, bitchy hatred for higher voices, it probably was the more justified “it’s not fair”. She was certainly no soprano. She no doubt lost the higher notes of a mezzo she could probably reach with ease as child. She was an alto.

He, in spite of not wanting theatre in the end, could have had his pick of roles. She, for all her love of the stage and desire to be a star, wouldn’t.

It was probably the first real fracture in their relationship.

But at the point, I think Zach could still probably feel empathetic to his sister. Reassured that she’ll probably come around to him again when she’s calmed down and realised it’s not his fault. She’d learn to accept her alto voice, loved it to the moon and back, even finding new ways to really build up her skills and talents to futher herself.

While all this was going on, Zach had also realised he was gay. The family were open and supportive, but warned him that Mima wouldn’t be and promised they wouldn’t tell her. There was probably a stern talking to for Zoey, to ensure she wouldn’t accidentally share it. That she would, for a couple years more, pay heed to.

In turn, I think he picked up on something about his sister. I doubt it was a full convinced lesbian theory. Just thought she was queer in some way. Bi, pan, poly, ace, aro, anything. She didn’t match the straight girls at school when he talked about boys with them. The only person Zoey really seemed to like was herself, which probably also didn’t help him work anything out. She didn’t keep friends very long, nevermind what she’d be like with a partner. It would have been a hard case to judge.

Zoey’s flirtatious in nature and likes attention, so I’m sure over the years, she’s had a plethora of boyfriends. Even if they didn’t have money or power in some way she could use, just having a boyfriend in itself would have worked. It made her more desirable, gave her attention, someone was always there to do things for her and so on. Perfect arrangement as far as she was concerned. What the boyfriends thought didn’t really matter, as soon as one left or she was done with them, she’d find like ten others.

Zach wasn’t around as much at this point being that little bit older, off at college or his first serious job but I’m sure he heard from their parents or Zoey herself about the revolving door of guys on her arm. If not saw photos over social media. He no doubt had thoughts about how she treated her relationships, they were getting increasingly more toxic. But whether he raised them, even if only out of brotherly concern for her that one day someone might snap back at her, or if she listened is very debatable. She definitely didn’t.

Eventually the whole Josh situation happens. And that only further fractures their relationship.

Zoey moves out from home and their parents are no longer as involved in her life. But again, he may still get some info from her sometimes or just see photos on social media. She lives a pretty public life at least on Instagram, tagging her various other more mature accounts in her bio. Given their parents being open, I don’t think they completely police her on it now that she’s of age, but probably politely suggest she have a career or more stable source of income. Zach himself is probably in agreement, but finds it harder and harder to talk to Zoey these days.

At some stage, he meets Sam and Hailey. Separate interactions. Probably a couple times.

Hailey being one of his sister’s roommates, friend from theatre classes at college and costar several times over. She’s the one Zoey is closest to, not that it’s saying much, and is always following her around at beck and call. It’s immediately apparent she’s being mistreated. It’s not quite comfortable, as strangers, for him to tell her she should stand up for herself but he probably does. Before having a go at Zoey because she can’t treat people like that, only for Zoey to completely flip back at him.

And Sam seems to be one of the longer boyfriends she’s had. If you can call them that. Fling? On again and off again, but they do seem to have a couple years under their belt. She’s not going to bring him round to family functions being a married cop that’s much older than her. They both live in Hatchetfield so Zach has probably just ran into them on accident. And that’s a whole other thing for them to argue about.

At family functions, where she can’t bring Sam and when in lacking of another suitable male candidate, Zoey has Hailey tag along. I like the idea that Zach kinda bonds with her. Not best friends, they’d never be allowed to get that buddy-buddy, but they have some sense of solidarity and sympathy for each other. Zoey is awful but something compels them both to still like her a little and want the best for her. Josh joins them as well, being more of the suggestion that they just cut Zoey out of their lives until she sorts herself out.

It’s at this stage he really clocks his sister. The way her behaviour changes around Hailey and when she’s gone, staring after her, the comments she makes, the way all those other boys had just been props to her… it’s not hatred like he first thought. She likes this girl. She just doesn’t know what to do about it and avoids doing so by doing whatever this is instead.

Trying to help, he does try to be an open space and someone Zoey can talk to. He can help her with her feelings and better her relationship with Hailey before she pushes her away completely. He knows how complicated this can be. He was once in the closet too.

And she just goes ballistic at him.

They are on little to no speaking terms by the time of that Honey Festival.

Several more arguments have probably occurred during the time, they are more ridiculous than the last. Zoey’s short fuse and lack of care for anyone that isn’t herself is grating. He has other things to do than try clean up her messes or play her babysitter.

They’re so at odd he doesn’t really have much time to consider the fact she’s probably a lesbian and has been this entire time.

Again, he still hears about her activities through social media and some word of mouth. She’s somewhat made a name for herself as an upcoming actress, even performing a few things at the Starlight, though he knows that’s not by “being nice”. She’s not changed, he knows that, but there’s still the naive hope deep inside that maybe she’s at least making some better choices or had some time to reflect. His sister wasn’t always like this.

But then he or Josh will something from a friend of a friend and he’s reminded that no, she’s not changed. During the brief interactions they know have, Zoey backs it up herself that she’s not changed. She’s not pathetic like he was. She is more talented and hardworking, she will make it to New York and be a star on Broadway. Just he wait and see. She’ll get her dream job, a beautiful apartment she won’t have to share, the money, the fame, the adoration. She won’t be some no one in a nowhere town. Seemingly happy and proud of doing whatever it takes to further herself. Ruthlessness knows no bounds.

And then he gets a call from a very upset grandmother.

Again, a little flicker of hope. Maybe she didn’t say anything. Maybe someone else let it slip, a careless member of staff or Mima finally worked it out herself. For all he knows when he calls, Zoey won’t have any idea what he’s talking about and will swear that she’d never do something so cruel. She might cry, explain it was an accident and beg forgiveness, promising to still give him his share. It might be a complete misunderstanding and something else might have upset Mima entirely. It could be a massive jump to a conclusion that Zoey was involved at all—

All she does is laugh at him when he tries to ask for some kind of explanation or apology. Confirms she did it and hangs up.

Even throwing out some comment about it being karma for stealing Josh from her. Seething, he should have thrown back some comment about how she wouldn’t have wanted him in the first place. He never got the chance.

He hears she’s entered into the Honey Queen Pageant and is probably not surprised. He might have rooted for her before all of this. Now he’s probably just watching out of spite, whether in the back rows of the Starlight or where it’s televised on Hatchetfield News. Sat with Josh and some popcorn, praying it all goes wrong and that she gets what’s coming to her. Or maybe he does hope she’ll win, just so she leaves Hatchetfield and fucks off altogether. The question round went annoyingly well but the talent round is a bust, that must have been entertaining. There’s a couple good contestants here that show a lot of promise.

So when she doesn’t win and one of those other women are crowned, it’s not the end of the world and probably seemed predictable. She’s not going to leave anytime soon but hopefully that will have humbled her into some fucking sense. Maybe in the morning he’ll text or call her, an apology for how it went and ask if she’s okay. She did look upset running off that stage. No, maybe it’s best he go in person with some tea and honey? Yeah, that’ll soothe her and her throat, she’ll be more bearable to talk to.