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LOG BOOK
WEEK 1
They said I was an obnoxious, arrogant brat. That the fact that I was a prince didn't grant me the right to act superior. In fact they seemed to believe the complete opposite; that I was ignorant in all aspects of life, and they treated me as such, as if I were some annoying task to be done with quickly. My obligation to my country is to be the puppet that people ogle over, while the government pulls the strings in such a way as to enforce their underhanded laws upon my subjects, who later discover they have been cheated of their privileges and barrage the head of the royal party, in this case my father. After he's had to listen to the squeals of the idiot advisors hired by the government, who got him in this predicament in the first place, and interrogations concerning the indignation of the citizens at "his" unjustified law, I suppose I understand his impatience and short temper when it comes to my stupid and un-princely behavior. If my subjects weren't so stupid I'd cry for their pitiful souls, what with the government increasing the taxes tenfold on all property, everyone will have to live in a cardboard box, but I think that would be penalized as littering and would result in the culprit's colorful demise. Anyway, let's move on quickly with this extremely dense event. (Quickly, because whenever I recall it I think I lose some brain cells.) It all started when the government, indirectly (indirectly because it is the figurehead's, my father's, duty to declare anything whether it be a new law, higher taxation, well anything that's bad news.) declared war on the surrounding countries. I attended the meeting in which the decision for war was made. (Not that we got to vote or anything we were just there so that they wouldn't have to inform us later, those lazy, obese, balding etc. morons) But I am getting too much into detail for this happy go lucky event; let's get to the main point. I disagreed with rushing into war on false pretenses, which angered and disgraced my father, enraged my "superiors", and got taunted by my sister, who is a perfect member of royalty because she takes great delight in the commoners sufferings. Basically I'm so unworthy of carrying the royal name that I was disinherited and exiled, mostly the government's choice, but my father agreed to it. Of course this wasn't publicly reported. They made the explanation as discreet as possible, explaining my absence as a foreign exchange student program... It wasn't so bad really; it's not like I was abandoned on the street, they made sure I had quarters arranged, food to eat, and unfortunately a school to attend, which would most probably just try to brainwash me, and a guardian who is the only relative I even mildly like and admire. He's an old man, obsessed with tea, but he's kind and wise. What does that have to do with this log book? Well, it started on my first day as a senior in high school. I was called down to the guidance office and the guidance counselor droned on and handed me this stupid log book so I could "organize and analyze" my progress throughout the first couple months. Most likely, I think they are trying to analyze me. Well, when they read this it'll give them something to do other than pick their noses all day. Oh, yes about school. Well, let's see, there was this prematurely bald twelve year old freshmen boy who must've been smart enough to skip a couple of grades, but seems rather immature and a little demented. In study hall he scratched his prematurely bald head in confusion as he kept mumbling something about how he should've passed the ninth grade curriculum at least when he was one hundred and eight. Therefore, he is demented. But perhaps I am the demented one seeing as how everyone admires him and the girls fawn over him like a mother to a child.
Well, here I am back at the guidance counselor's office. I'm sitting down recalling the events to the sour faced woman with approximately 10,329,323,329 wrinkles, but that's just an estimate. That along with her pasty white skin makes her look half dead. I'm stupefied by the way her body is still holding together and doesn't just crumble into dust with all the angry movement she's making. She has a surprisingly loud voice for a corpse woman. At this point I think she's mistaking my awe for fear and is taking even greater lengths to explain to me the serious consequences that will result if I ever repeat this action again. I try to look sad and sheepish. I sniff the air, and it sure smells like dead people in here…. Oh, yes why I'm here; well it's not even a very legitimate reason really. Well, if you don't already know, every staff and faculty member knows of my royal status and they made it their business to let the secret go public at the school assembly where Principal Zhao introduced me formally to the class as Prince Zuko. It was all right I suppose, you know it was pretty average, with the students of the female population going glassy eyed, probably due to the horrid creature they call "meatloaf" that was served in the cafeteria today, they should really get a health inspector here and the male population trying to look unimpressed and bored. Oh, yes, well, Principal Zhao rambled on about how I was special and was to be treated with the reverence, respect, and to address me as Your Imperial Highness. This, I felt was a little extreme and slightly embarrassing. Sure I was arrogant, but not that arrogant. I wouldn't mind being treated as a human for once. One girl with spirited sapphire eyes seemed to agree with me. She was quite fierce as she debated with the principal. "Just because he's a prince doesn't mean he isn't human, if he wants to be revered and respected he's going to have to earn it!" At this point every head turned, the female students becaming enraged. That meatloaf was probably just digesting and burning a hole in their stomachs. (I would know that's the side-effect it had on me) and the guys looked rather amused. Principal Zhao narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the girl and proceeded to smack her. I was enraged, for what reason I can't really explain... She just looked so frail, too weak to defend herself. Or perhaps, I admitted with some reluctance, I admired her spirit, no one had ever regarded me as a normal human being before. So I caught his wrist midair before he could strike and gave him an ill boding look. Although he backed away, I could sense his shock turn into extreme dislike; I was sent to the guidance counselor's office but departed with the positive whoops and cheers from my classmates.
Normal POV
"How dare he, how dare he, how dare he! Who does he think he is, a prince?" Katara growled angrily to the short, blind girl walking alongside her through the nearly empty halls.
"Well, kind of. After all he sort of is, you know, Katara." Toph responded casually, trying, unsuccessfully to blow her messy black bangs from her face.
"That's no reason to"
"Save your life?" Toph interrupted.
Katara snorted, but she couldn't help but feel a blush creep onto her cheeks. "Save my life, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Well, your honor then,"
"Well, Icould've defended my own honor,"
"You're too goody-two-shoes for that; in fact I'm surprised you even decided to speak up against the principal in the first place. Face it, Katara you would've taken the hit and had a nice purple bruise to go with that "to-die for, oh-mah-gawd-worthy moonlight eel purse", you got yesterday!!!!" Toph countered, imitating Katara when she was enthusiastically relating her shopping exploits to an uninterested Toph.
"First of all, I do not talk like that. Second of all it was an oh-mah-gawd-worthy starlight otter fur ( A.N. don't worry it's a fake, don't want the avatar version of PETA to sue me) purse. And third of all why are you defending him, when I am your friend?"
"Katara, baby, sweetcakes. I love you, ( A.N. not that way you perverts ) but you need a boyfriend because to state it bluntly you're driving me up the wall and he seems pretty hot."
(Oh Toph, if only you knew how hot he is, literally)
Version 2
LOG BOOK
WEEK 1
They said I was an obnoxious, arrogant brat. Just because I was blessed with vast riches, was of royal blood, and had a throng of admiring citizens didn't make me superior. In fact, they seemed to believe the complete opposite, that my title proved me too ignorant and unworthy of their time. As they put it, I disgraced my obligation to my country and her people. In truth, it's nothing quite as dramatic. All I have done is refuse to play the figurehead in a government corrupted by cowardly, power-hungry, self-serving morons I have come to know as politicians. Try as I might, and believe me I have tried, I simply cannot manage to just smile and wave as I disguise and reinforce another underhanded law or taxation produced by the government as something that will be beneficial for our Nation as a whole, when in reality, it's just a scheme for the already rich politicians to acquire more money by depriving my citizens of their hard-earned wages. My sister and father however, have no such problem, they conduct this royal obligation with ease and where my sister is considered, pleasure. Although, this isn't very surprising considering the fact that she basks in the pains and sufferings of others. If you don't believe me ask one of her (former) friends Mai, whom she dubbed Sparky when she lit her on fire because there was no firewood in the castle with which she could make s'mores with. But, now I've wandered off-topic, so let's get back to what I was discussing. As I was saying, my father and sister somehow manage to declare these unjust laws with such conviction and enthusiasm, that the crowds just seem to eat it up. Poor, gullible fools. I'd almost feel sorry for them, if these same people who at the time supported these laws, didn't come banging down the ridiculously expensive royal door demanding justice, usually in little more than their polka dotted panties, when they have discovered what the 'fancy wordy-thingies' in the law imply. As of late, there have been an increasing number of scantily clad door-haters bursting through to protest the evermore increasing taxes due to the war, which I consider pointless since we have entered it on false pretenses. I supported this statement when the public assembly that opted for war, gathered. I stated that, while the Water Tribe may be producing and trading goods for other foreign competitors, there was no evidence of weapon production or plans of a united revolt. My public display added unfathomable humiliation to my family line, and it was for this reason that my father and the politicians (those obese, balding idiots) agreed to bestow upon me the ultimate shame, permanent exile. That's a pretty dramatic consequence, eh? Actually, it's really not; it's not like I was abandoned on the street. They made sure I had quarters arranged, food to eat, and unfortunately a school to attend, which would most probably just try to brainwash me, and a guardian who is the only relative I even mildly like and admire. He's an old man, obsessed with tea, but he's kind and wise. Well, now you may ask, that is very good and "jolly", but why the hell are you writing it in a log book? Well, it started on my first day as a senior in high school. I was called down to the guidance office and the guidance counselor droned on and handed me this stupid log book so I could "organize and analyze" my progress throughout the first couple months. Most likely, I think they are trying to analyze me. Well, when they read this it'll give them something to do other than pick their noses all day. Oh, yes about school. Well, so far there isn't much to tell, since it's only been a few hours that I've been here. I guess there was this one kid, Fang (or was it Tang), or whoever, who the counselor appointed as my guide, since I'm a 'foreign exchange student.' I find it really odd how they chose this Fang, or whoever, to be my tour guide since he has a bald head. I guess he must be pretty aware of it too, since he has a blue tattoo running across it, which he probably doesn't notice, but makes his bald head a lot more noticeable. He's about twelve, though, even though this is high school so I suppose he must've been smart enough to skip a couple of grades.
Well, here I am back at the guidance counselor's office. I'm sitting down recalling the events to the sour faced woman with approximately 10,329,323,329 wrinkles, but that's just an estimate. That, along with her pasty white skin makes her look half-dead. I'm stupefied by the way her body is still holding together and doesn't just crumble into dust with all the angry movement she's making. She has a surprisingly loud voice for a corpse woman. At this point I think she's mistaking my awe for fear and is taking even greater lengths to explain to me the serious consequences that will result if I ever repeat this action again. I try to look sad and sheepish. I sniff the air, and it sure smells like dead people in here…. Oh, yes why I'm here; well it's not even a very legitimate reason really. Well, if you don't already know, every staff and faculty member know of my royal status and they made it their business to let the secret go public at the school assembly where Principal. Zhao introduced me formally to the class as Prince Zuko. It was all right I suppose, you know it was pretty average, with the students of the female population going glassy eyed, probably due to the horrid creature they call "meatloaf" that was served in the cafeteria today (they should really get a health inspector here) and the male population trying to look unimpressed and bored. Oh, yes, well, Principal Zhao rambled on about how I was special and was to be treated with reverence and respect and to address me as Your Imperial Highness. This, I felt was a little extreme and slightly embarrassing. Sure I am arrogant, but not that arrogant. I wouldn't mind being treated as a human for once. One girl with spirited sapphire eyes seemed to agree with me. She was quite fierce as she debated with the principal. "Just because he's a prince doesn't mean he isn't human, if he wants to be revered and respected he's going to have to earn it!" At this point every head turned, the female students became enraged. That meatloaf was probably just digesting and burning a hole in their stomachs. (I would know that's the side-effect it had on me) and the guys looked rather amused. Principal Zhao narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the girl and proceeded to smack her. I was enraged, for what reason I can't really explain... She just looked so frail, too weak to defend herself. Or perhaps, I admitted with some reluctance, I admired her spirit, no one had ever regarded me as a normal human being before. So I caught his wrist midair before he could strike and gave him an ill-boding look. Although he backed away, I could sense his shock turn into extreme dislike; I was sent to the guidance counselor's office but departed with the positive whoops and cheers from my classmates.
Normal POV
"How dare he, how dare he, how dare he! Who does he think he is, a prince?" Katara growled angrily to the short, blind girl walking alongside her through the nearly empty halls.
"Well, kind of. After all he sort of is, you know, Katara." Toph responded casually, trying, unsuccessfully to blow her messy black bangs from her face.
"That's no reason to"
"Save your life?" Toph interrupted.
Katara snorted, but she couldn't help but feel a blush creep onto her cheeks. "Save my life, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Well, your honor then,"
"Well, Icould've defended my own honor,"
"You're too goody-two-shoes for that; in fact I'm surprised you even decided to speak up against the principal in the first place. Face it Katara, you would've taken the hit and had a nice purple bruise to go with that" Toph countered, " oh-may-gawd worthy glowing-eel tote bag" the last part imitating Katara when she was enthusiastically relating her shopping exploits toan uninterested Toph.
"First of all, I do not talk like that. Second of all it was an oh-mah-gawd-worthy starlight otter fur ( A.N. don't worry it's a fake, don't want the avatar version of PETA to sue me) purse. And third of all why are you defending him, when I am your friend?"
"Katara, baby, sweet cakes. I love you, ( A.N. not that way you perverts) but you need a boyfriend because to state it bluntly you're driving me up the wall, besides he seems pretty hot!"
(Oh Toph, if only you knew how hot he is, literally)
Ok, well. I didn't write this story, my friend Beth did, and I offered to edit and load it up for her. I'm sorry for the grammar and punctuation problems, if there are any. But there most likely are, which sucks for me. Reviews would rock, for me and my friend, but no flames please. Maybe later...when we can handle them. It's our first fic , so be gentle.