lightning then the thunder

With All Due Respect, Queen Mackenna of Dunbroch

Lucas: Holyyyy shit, am I gonna have to talk like this to everybody when I'm king, too???? No offense, but if that's the case, I'm REALLY not ready. Anyway, yeah, I guess I can try to talk to him about it next time I'm home. My dad DOES have a pretty big ego and likes being king, so I don't think he'd be in a super big rush to have me take over.

Mackenna: Dear Lucas,

Proper grammar and formatting is absolutely not required of any royal when it comes to texting; in other fields, it does behoove you to be as clear as possible, but texting is more of a "free for all" because of its informal setting. However, this is the way that I have always preferred to communicate, even before becoming Queen of Dunbroch. If your initial instinct is to insult a fellow ruler and potential ally when they're offering you advice that you asked for, then I concur; you're very much not ready to do your duty at all. I do hope your conversation with your father works out in your favor.

Regards,

Lucas: Holy shit, I'm so happy to be away from home. Not to sound like an ungrateful son or whatever, but my dad has been harping on the whole 'you're gonna be the king' thing even more this summer and it scared me shitless, not gonna lie. Can't I wait till I'm, like, thirty or something? How long do you think I have to run away from that shit?

Mackenna: Dear Lucas,

If you fear the weight and responsibility that your title will bring, simply communicate that with your father. Any good ruler would prefer to hang on to their crown a while longer rather than pass it on to a child who isn't ready. A frank conversation could assuage some of your concerns and perhaps while you are at it, you could come up with some sort of lesson plan to learn from your father at a rate that will make you feel confident taking over whenever you both deem it fit. After all, there is no reason to rush your coronation, especially as I trust your father is still in good health and perfectly capable of running Andalasia.

With All Due Respect,

Callen: I'm sure I'm not the most memorable cousin, like you said she appreciates all things rumble and tumble and those words can rarely be attributed to me, especially in comparison to some of them but I must've had the most memorable incident with flames at the very least.

Callen: Very true. I think there’s got to be a compliment in there somewhere. It’s not like I’m the only cousin to ever set himself on fire, I must’ve been the most memorable, right?

Callen: I think it's awesome that according to your mom I’m the cousin that caught on fire.

Haverly: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG I SWEAR I JUST SAW HARRY STYLES AT THE MALL! I KNOW YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW WHO THAT IS AND TRUST ME WHEN I TELL YOU I BARLEY CARE, BUT WHEN A CELEBRITY OF THAT CALIBER IS AROUND YOU JUST GOTTA

Haverly: Oh wait... it was just the pretzel guy, my bad.

Mackenna: I am aware of who Harry Styles is; he classifies as a cultural icon at this point, so if I didn't know who he was, I would be rather ashamed of myself. He's a big part of redefining the gender norms of fashion. He's not the first to do so but because he's white and conventionally attractive, he's bringing a lot of attention to the movement.

I’ve always been interested in, perhaps, attempting a kiss with somebody. I have made it this far in life without the moment organically arising, and while I’m not desperate for it to happen, it is a very universal experience and so it might be a worthwhile one to have. That said, I’m very picky about who I spend my time with, let alone who I’d let into my physical bubble.

Although I do love learning anything and everything all of the time, social interactions are some of my personal favorites, primarily because that is the only area of life where I lack inherent talent or intelligence in any way. The more I observe in that field, the more that I feel that I’m learning, and it’s so rarely that I feel that I’m actually learning something.

I cannot possibly imagine. I had a few backup careers in mind, just in case the monarchy fell out of nowhere. Still, I knew those backup careers were for naught, as monarchies don’t tumblr overnight and I’d be able to see such a rift coming from a distance, so I never emotionally invested enough in any of those careers. My favorite option was perhaps to be a museum owner and curator, but I’m eternally grateful that that’s not what I have to do for a living.

Not to toot my own horn, but my assimilation into the role of queen has gone entirely seamlessly. I wouldn’t say that it’s something I “enjoy”; it’s a job that I love with my entire being, in my own way, and it’s a bit of a relief to know that I’m just as good at it as I always planned on being. I am so pleased that I get to be queen for a long, long time.

I am well aware that I come across as having a somewhat “steely” exterior, but I am quite family-oriented so if I had siblings, I know I would love them with my entire heart. It would also be nice to have people who understood my very specific conditions that I was raised under to discuss life with.

Maisy: I think an in person meeting would be best. We'd be spending time together to catch up and we'd be solving problems! And there is a lot to discuss so I will take a look and schedule a good time for a little Dunbroch trip.

Maisy: My experience as far as relationships go is very minimal so I'll try to be as helpful as I can be. That's really good you two get along so well! I've seen her around but I don't think we've ever talked much. She does seem very suitable to your liking though!

Mackenna: Fantastic! I'm looking forward to it, both to put your mind at ease about some of these larger life issues and also to spend quality time with my oldest friend. I feel as though I haven't spent a significant portion of time just "chilling" since becoming queen and relaxation is hugely important to mental health, you know.

Leilani: "Sunday mornings are confusing. Like. I can’t decide if I want to go for a run or start drinking"

Leilani: Overheard while I was doing a "walk of shame" home from the library this morning. Is there something wrong with me that I can honestly say I've never had the urge to do EITHER of those things on a Sunday morning?

Maisy: I definitely think I would need more options to weigh and a pros/cons session possibly. I would especially like to think of things I could do close to home to ease the burden from my dad. he's already got enough to deal with on his own. Your mind is truly great and I'm glad all of Dunbroch has you to think for them.

Maisy: It's good to hear that everything queen-wise is good but oh my gosh!!! you might have a crush that's huge! for someone to have checked all your boxes I'm wondering who this person is. Research as in dates, maybe?

Mackenna: Understandable. I'm forwarding my GenieCalendar so you can see when I am free; any blocks of time not dedicated to anything else are up for grabs in terms of scheduling a pro/cons and brainstorming session with me in person. It would behoove us to do so in person, I think. You know that the well-being of your clan is of the utmost importance to me as well. Thank you; that's very sweet.

Haverly: About as close to one as Taco Tuesday is, I guess? Does that count? Because if so, then I am way behind on celebrating tacos.

Virginia: I want to be on TV.

Virginia: Simply to test if all forms of reporting are created equally. Is broadcast journalism actually more difficult than print journalism? I can't know unless I try.