[ooc] General Info
( fandom faculty/teacher application )
PLAYER INFORMATION
PLAYER: Anita
AGE: 24
CONTACT: hedonistic.opportunist@gmail.com
PERSONAL LJ: transient_words
CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Lelouch Lamperouge
CANON: Code Geass
CANON REFERENCE: Code Geass Wiki.
AGE: 23
GENDER: Male, both mentally and physically.
TENURE: He's just started out, so 0.
SUBJECT/POSITION: Ethics, Philosophy, HS.
RESIDENCE: Academy.
APPEARANCE: Tall, but slender -- very slender. Since he doesn’t work out much, Lelouch isn’t very muscular, and he does come across as rather frail and delicately build. But he isn’t overly effeminate - he has a deep, masculine voice and, when angered, his features contort to something decidedly less frail, and can even come across as intimidating.
He has finely chiselled facial features and expressive violet eyes. Although he wears glasses, he doesn't actually need them and is often see not wearing any during his free time.
He’s, perhaps, best described as being beautiful - he’s the type of person who does attract people’s attention, but not in a way that makes them openly lust after him, but rather admire him from afar. Reference: here and here.
PERSONALITY: At first glance, Lelouch would be described as being aloof, yet charming by most people. Lelouch has the poised, elegant assertiveness of someone who knows how to handle most situations and - both male and female alike - are attracted to this quality of his. Lelouch isn't oblivious to the effect he has on people and often uses it to his advantage when the situation calls for it. He's hardworking and determined; when he feels that something has to be done, he'll go through with it - no matter if he's tired, angry, upset or something terrible has happened. In most cases, work takes the utmost priority in his life, and he'll do anything to achieve his goals.
It's been often remarked that, in another life, he would have made a fantastic leader or even ruler.
He's well-mannered and knows how to wriggle himself elegantly out of most situations. Although he attracts people to him like a moth to a flame, Lelouch prefers to keep to himself, but won't behave rudely towards anyone who to tries to approach him. He'll most likely offer a cold smile and hope that some shallow small talk will charm the other person enough to let him be in the future. If that doesn't work, he'll just be as cordial and friendly as possible, but still keep the person at a distance Lelouch is an extremely hard nut to crack, and anyone trying to get truly closer to him will end up being sorely disappointed because Lelouch just won't let you in. In fact, he'll most likely see through you and push you away before you even know what happened. Due to his complicated family history and the life's he been leading, Lelouch has trouble opening himself up and let anyone under his skin. In fact, he's an expert at not letting at not letting anything slip away from his control. - and that includes keeping his emotions under a tight grip. It's extremely hard to anger Lelouch or get anything out of him; he's so good at hiding his emotions that most people believe he really just is a nonchalant, no-nonsense and intellectual young man.
However, the polite and calm exterior is nothing but a facade. Underneath the charm, there a hides an extremely jaded and angry young man who's soiled his hands and believes that, in order to survive, a person has to be strong and do things he doesn't want to do. He's extremely, nearly foolishly proud, so much that he'll lie even when it's clearly not going to do anything good for him. In order to maintain his pride, he'll sometimes do things he doesn't want to, just so that no one can call him 'weak'. When provoked, Lelouch goes even further, often ending up being reckless and unpredictable - at his worst, he can be deadly uncaring and callous.
Deep down, Lelouch hates what he's become; he won't admit it to himself out loud, but he nearly wishes there were someone out there to set him right, to show him that there's something other in life than deceit and winning. He's leading a life of regrets and wishes he could have done something anything. In fact, Lelouch is nothing but a ticking time bomb, just waiting for the right trigger to set it off going. At the moment, he's still waiting for the right opportunity - and because Lelouch is a strategist at heart, he knows that the best thing he can do in his current situation is just wait and, while doing so, plan ahead.
Despite the regrets he sometimes feels when allowing himself to contemplate his life, Lelouch isn't someone who wastes a lot of time on wallowing in feelings of self-guilt and misery; he's too determined for that, and it goes against his agenda to give in, what he considers, 'petty and trivial things'. No, because he's been taught from an early age onwards to never be weak, Lelouch continues to strive towards his goals, continuing to lie and deceive, even if part of him is disgusted. In his mind, he manages to rationalise his deeds in the following way: "I'm not doing this because I'm enjoying it, but because I have to', and 'great men sometimes have to do terrible things to create beauty'. And, in the back of his mind, Lelouch - having always been something of an idealist - thoroughly believes that, one day, his actions - even if they're despicable, even if he's becoming more and more like the man he despises- will lead do something good. Something the people he loves can be happy about - to have this become a possibility one day, Lelouch is willing to walk through corpses, if he has to. The ends justify the means.
Moreover, Lelouch is just enough of a realist to know that nothing will happen if he just sits by idly and isn't foolish enough to believe that he'll change anything if he protests too loudly. In a way, Lelouch is naively arrogant because he doesn't once consider that he'll fail.
Despite his elegant demeanour, Lelouch is, due to having associated with yakuza, very familiar with the coarser and less elegant things in life. There's extremely little out there that can shock him, and he isn't intimidated by threats or violence. He's not very strong physically, but knows how to handle a gun if necessary and knows how to land the right punch if someone dares attacking him.
It's nearly hard to believe that Lelouch can be gentle and caring, but - when Nunnally and Euphy - Lelouch shows a side that is kind, loving and reassuring. To them, he's nothing but understanding and - it's for them and for them alone - that Lelouch does everything he does. If anyone ever dared to threaten those two, he'd walk through fire to protect them. In a way, he even protects them from himself; Lelouch is very concerned nothing he ever does comes to be noticed by Euphy or Nunnally - he wants them to be as happy and carefree as possible. And it's only with them that one capture a glimpse of the Lelouch that might have been if things hadn't gone to hell.
COMPUTER APTITUDE: Lelouch is a professional hacker. He’s successfully managed to help bring down entire companies because he got access to secret information. But Lelouch won't really engage in hacking unless he feels he has a reason to do so.
AU HISTORY: Lelouch is a born Vi Britannia - the son of the minor nobleman Charles Vi Britannia and his "commoner" wife Marianne. He was born in London.
His father Charles was a business scion - the owner of a branch of hotels, not only in the UK, but all over Europe and the United States too. He had ambitions to become successful in Japan and other locations as well. Marianne was not only Charles' wife, but his secretary as well. Prior to his marriage to Marianne, Charles had already been married, his first wife - before her death - having given birth to two sons: Schneizel and Clovis.
However, underneath the guise of the hardworking man, Charles Vi Britannia had contacts to the underworld - even the Yakuza, among them Miyashi-kai - and it's only through a little help of his friends (and him helping them in return) that he'd become so powerful and was slowly, but surely continuing to rise up the ladder. He had a brother Vincent who worked as a lawyer and managed to help Charles out whenever he got into a bit of legal kerfuffle (or better said when someone was foolish enough to try suing him).
It was already evident in early childhood that Lelouch was a genius. He could read and write fluently by the time he was three, and his father took an active interest in him and decided early onwards that he'd raise Lelouch, along with Schneizel, to be the perfect successor.
Instead of sending his son to a boarding school, however, he decided to have Lelouch homeschooled (not only because he wanted to control what Lelouch learnt, but because he knew that no institution, be it private or public, could have kept up with his son's quick progress- by some of the best professors in the country.
Lelouch not only received a classical education (i.e the sciences, humanities and languages like French, Latin and Greek), but was also taught to be good in the arts, and learn to communicate in Japanese and Chinese.
Though proud of his process, Marianne often noted to Charles that Lelouch, bright as he was, seemed to be estranged from others his age. Charles laughed it off, remarking that it was more important for his son to be brilliant than waste his time on trivialities.
Because Lelouch showed great potential, Charles Vi Britannia, by the time Lelouch was eight, decided that his son was ready to see a bit of the world. So, sometimes he took Lelouch along to his business trips. Lelouch went along gladly, eager to see how the man he admired so much ticked. He wasn't disappointed at first; business meetings (which he was allowed to attend because he was a remarkably quite and mature child for his age) revealed that his father was a sharp man who, through wit and clever tactics - such as making the best offer first, managed to come out as the winner, always.
Charles Vi Britannia never made a huge secret about his contacts with the underground when it came to his family - he told his sons that 'the only way to gain power was by playing all the cards available, and Lelouch was brought along to meet various members of the underground - spies, high-ranking members of the Mafia and, when in the summer of his tenth year, he met Genbu Kururugi. Lelouch was immediately because the man was just as powerful as his father. Genbu Kururugi was just as impressed with Lelouch - especially because the boy could speak fluent Japanese.
While, engaged in conversation with Genbu, was briefly made aware of Suzaku's existence. Suzaku was playing with Kaguya in the background, and Genbu told Lelouch that the small boy was his son. In that brief instant, Lelouch saw Suzaku he was mildly jealous at someone for the first time in his life: here was a boy who might not have known anything about business tactics, but was just a child - something Lelouch had never allowed to be.
Suzaku would remain imprinted in Lelouch's brain: as a hyperactive little boy with a wild mop of brown hair and green eyes.
When Lelouch was twelve, Marianne, who'd been longing for a second child, finally became pregnant, and Lelouch grew jealous and spiteful. Up till that point, he'd been the main source of attention in the household, but his parents really looked forward to the second child - his father, rarely sentimental, acting giddy whenever the baby showed signs of kicking.
On October 25th, Marianne ended up giving birth to a daughter - Nunnally Vi Britannia. As jealous as Lelouch might have been at first, when he first glimpsed sight of little Nunnally, he immediately was 'enamoured' as Euphy would say later.
Lelouch, who'd rarely spent time with children his own age, became immensely fond of Nunnally, showering her with love and affection. While Nunnally was nowhere near as bright as he and Schneizel were, or as naturally talented as Clovis, she was a regular sunshine, to the point that even Charles was less serious and gruff in her presence. Euphy, who'd already been an often seen guest in their household, now never seemed to leave the household because Nunnally was so adorable.
However, Charles had great plans for Lelouch, which - because Lelouch had continued mastering his skills at Japanese, and was now really enter the real world - involved sending him to Japan with his brother Schneizel. Schneizel had been given charge of overseeing a chain of hotels Charles had built there, and Lelouch was to act as his right hand. Although Lelouch realised that going to Japan meant parting with Nunnally and Euphy, he decided to go - because, even if he loved Nunnally dearly, his father's being proud of him was just as important. Also, as he'd just recently finished his A-levels - three years earlier than most of his peers, Lelouch also saw it as an opportunity to enrol in Tokyo university, where he studied law, taking philosophy and ethics classes as free electives.
It was in Japan that, for the first time that he was confronted with a world that wasn't as sheltered or clear-cut as his father had always painted it to be. Scheizel too, was far less concerned with protecting Lelouch as Charles had done.
One of the first things that Schneizel did, after introducing Lelouch to the men he'd be working with - much to Lelouch's horror and surprise, low-ranking yakuza, was take him to a brothel. There, Schneizel ordered Lelouch to sleep with a prostitute - a girl who looked to be around his age. If not even younger. Disgusted and appalled, Lelouch refused, and nothing Schneizel said could change his mind.
But the event remained deeply ingrained in his mind: Lelouch realised that people like his father and Charles were, even if they sugarcoated their actions with pretty words, often directly responsible for ruining other people's lives. But he kept silent, thinking that this was the way it was meant to be.
The more time he spent in Japan, the more jaded and embittered Lelouch became; he realised that he had to dirty his hands if he wanted to survive in this world. Schneizel wanted him to do the dirty work, which included hacking into other company's computers and 'getting to know the underworld of Tokyo' - due to his fluent Japanese (he was only improving the more time he spent in Japan), Lelouch was often sent to talk with various figures in the underworld.
When he wasn't busy helping his brother or studying for his classes, Lelouch took to gambling and always won; in fact, he was so good at it that he earned himself the nickname "Zero". But Schneizel quickly caught on how good a gambler his brother was and, using it to his advantage, made his brother win deals for him.
During those four years, he only had contact with the rest of his family by phone or e-mail, and he nearly all but forgot about Nunnally and Euphy. His only available relation in Japan being Schneizel, who continued to instruct him on the importance of winning - with all means possible.
Shortly after he earned his MA, Lelouch saw his family again - his father Charles deciding to visit his two sons, taking his wife, Nunnally and even the shy and introverted Clovis with him to Japan.
With mixed feelings, Lelouch greeted his family, surprised and touched when Nunnally - having grown only more cheerful leaping right into his arms, referring to him as 'her dearest elder brother who had always played prince with her and Euphy'. Euphy was there too, affirming Nunnally's sentiments and embracing him heartily as well. It was only then that Lelouch realised how deeply he'd fallen, and how much he'd missed them.
During their visit, Charles told him to pack his things and get a pair of glasses - he'd found something else to do for him. According to reliable sources, something, or rather someone interesting had cropped up at a place called Reims, where Lelouch was to serve as a teacher using the name 'Lelouch Lamperouge' in order to cover up trails leading back to the vi Britannia family.
There, he was to observe that person, and, under the guise of a teacher, slowly work towards recruiting him. Because someone with that background could only be beneficial for the future of their company, and provide useful information to ensure their success in Japan. Further details were not necessary because Lelouch would understand as soon as he arrived at Reims.
Although Lelouch had never imagined becoming a teacher, he accepted. Not only because his father had entrusted him with the job, but because this also gave him the opportunity to escape the clutches of Schneizel.
SAMPLES
INTRANET/1ST PERSON SAMPLE:
It’s come to my attention that some of you not only think it’s not necessary to do the required reading and write the assignments I give, but would rather than offer worthwhile contributions to the class discussion prefer to indulge in paper exchanges during class. While I don’t care whether you pay attention or not (you're old enough to know what's good for you), I would like to point out that half of your grade demands on how well you perform in the final oral examination.
In this exam, I won’t judge you by how well you manage to parrot something that is written on the internet, but expect you to demonstrate that you’ve understood the material as well. Knowing the content off by heart won’t save if you can’t convince me that you’ve reflected properly on it as well.
So it’s in your own interest to pay attention to the class as well as possible and try to - at least from time to time -- contribute to the discussion.
LOG/3RD PERSON SAMPLE: "Write down, in your own words, how you interpret Kant's concept of freedom - do you think it's alright to follow our 'own laws' if legislation does not correspond with our rational thoughts?" Lelouch said, feeling a hint of irritation welling up in him already. Some of the students were staring at him as if they had no clue what he was talking about. Tiring considering, he'd spent at least twenty minutes explaining everything quite explicitly - often, toning down when he'd noticed that his students' eyes had gone as wide as saucers.
Well, whatever. Lelouch didn't really care. He really wondered how some people could muster the enthusiasm to be passionate about this job - he'd only been here for a brief amount of time, but was already plotting various ways of how to kill his students -
But he couldn't, could he?
Taking a deep breath, Lelouch forced himself to smile - remembering why he was here, and whom he was doing this for. "Are there are any questions?"
Of course, as predicted, someone raised their hands. "Excuse, Mr Lamperouge, what do you mean by 'if legislation does not correspond with our rational thoughts'?"
A sigh escaped his lips, and Lelouch pushed his glasses up his nose. He smiled again. "Quite simple, really. Imagine," Lelouch paused, restraining the urge to roll his eyes because, really, Kant was probably one of the easier philosophers to digest out there, "if the law states that stealing is illegal and that every person caught will be punished severely -" Lelouch stopped talking, knowing that someone would interrupt him.
Of course he was right.
"But stealing is illegal!"
Lelouch nearly laughed. What a simple view of the world! How typically black and white - really, these students were nothing but idiots. What did they know about right and wrong?
"Yes, but imagine your mother is sick in bed and the only possible ailment available for her is expensive medicine. Imagine you've already done everything possible to obtain it with no success. The only rational thing left to do is to steal." Lelouch paused, seeing how the student was biting her underlip, the wheels in her thought obviously turning. "You're not doing it for yourself. You're doing it for someone you love - is it still wrong?"
The student frowned, and then replied, "Yes because there are always other options available."
Other options?
For a second, Lelouch found himself thinking back to a situation when he'd desperately searched for a way out of a situation - back during the time when Schneizel had -
No, he wasn't going to think about this now. "An interesting theory, I look forward to reading more about it when you hand in the essay."
JUSTIFICATION: Lelouch is an extremely intelligent and able character in his canon, and although he is only eighteen, he is far competent enough to carry a class. Although he is never outright stated to be a genius in his canon, it is heavily implied due to his chess aptitude and skills at logical interferences which he puts to good use in the battlefield as a commander.
I also feel that Lelouch works better as a teacher than a student, because he is portrayed as a lazy and unmotivated student in his canon, but would probably make a much more motivated and driven teacher. He loves to give people orders and commandeer people below him, and while he would be a smart, but hopelessly unmotivated student, I can't see him as anything but a very driven and competent teacher. In short, I find the position of a teacher to be a better fit for his personality.
Last but not least, I hope to explore a lot of interesting ethical and philosophical questions with his character, given that he is a ... morally quite questionable character in his canon. I look forward to playing out a few of his classes to stimulate lively debate at Reims.
HAVE YOU READ THE FAQ? Rabid wombats, yes.
PLAYER INFORMATION
PLAYER: Anita
AGE: 24
CONTACT: hedonistic.opportunist@gmail.com
PERSONAL LJ: transient_words
CHARACTERS PLAYED: n/a
CHARACTER INFORMATION
NAME: Lelouch Lamperouge
CANON: Code Geass
CANON REFERENCE: Code Geass Wiki.
AGE: 23
GENDER: Male, both mentally and physically.
TENURE: He's just started out, so 0.
SUBJECT/POSITION: Ethics, Philosophy, HS.
RESIDENCE: Academy.
APPEARANCE: Tall, but slender -- very slender. Since he doesn’t work out much, Lelouch isn’t very muscular, and he does come across as rather frail and delicately build. But he isn’t overly effeminate - he has a deep, masculine voice and, when angered, his features contort to something decidedly less frail, and can even come across as intimidating.
He has finely chiselled facial features and expressive violet eyes. Although he wears glasses, he doesn't actually need them and is often see not wearing any during his free time.
He’s, perhaps, best described as being beautiful - he’s the type of person who does attract people’s attention, but not in a way that makes them openly lust after him, but rather admire him from afar. Reference: here and here.
PERSONALITY: At first glance, Lelouch would be described as being aloof, yet charming by most people. Lelouch has the poised, elegant assertiveness of someone who knows how to handle most situations and - both male and female alike - are attracted to this quality of his. Lelouch isn't oblivious to the effect he has on people and often uses it to his advantage when the situation calls for it. He's hardworking and determined; when he feels that something has to be done, he'll go through with it - no matter if he's tired, angry, upset or something terrible has happened. In most cases, work takes the utmost priority in his life, and he'll do anything to achieve his goals.
It's been often remarked that, in another life, he would have made a fantastic leader or even ruler.
He's well-mannered and knows how to wriggle himself elegantly out of most situations. Although he attracts people to him like a moth to a flame, Lelouch prefers to keep to himself, but won't behave rudely towards anyone who to tries to approach him. He'll most likely offer a cold smile and hope that some shallow small talk will charm the other person enough to let him be in the future. If that doesn't work, he'll just be as cordial and friendly as possible, but still keep the person at a distance Lelouch is an extremely hard nut to crack, and anyone trying to get truly closer to him will end up being sorely disappointed because Lelouch just won't let you in. In fact, he'll most likely see through you and push you away before you even know what happened. Due to his complicated family history and the life's he been leading, Lelouch has trouble opening himself up and let anyone under his skin. In fact, he's an expert at not letting at not letting anything slip away from his control. - and that includes keeping his emotions under a tight grip. It's extremely hard to anger Lelouch or get anything out of him; he's so good at hiding his emotions that most people believe he really just is a nonchalant, no-nonsense and intellectual young man.
However, the polite and calm exterior is nothing but a facade. Underneath the charm, there a hides an extremely jaded and angry young man who's soiled his hands and believes that, in order to survive, a person has to be strong and do things he doesn't want to do. He's extremely, nearly foolishly proud, so much that he'll lie even when it's clearly not going to do anything good for him. In order to maintain his pride, he'll sometimes do things he doesn't want to, just so that no one can call him 'weak'. When provoked, Lelouch goes even further, often ending up being reckless and unpredictable - at his worst, he can be deadly uncaring and callous.
Deep down, Lelouch hates what he's become; he won't admit it to himself out loud, but he nearly wishes there were someone out there to set him right, to show him that there's something other in life than deceit and winning. He's leading a life of regrets and wishes he could have done something anything. In fact, Lelouch is nothing but a ticking time bomb, just waiting for the right trigger to set it off going. At the moment, he's still waiting for the right opportunity - and because Lelouch is a strategist at heart, he knows that the best thing he can do in his current situation is just wait and, while doing so, plan ahead.
Despite the regrets he sometimes feels when allowing himself to contemplate his life, Lelouch isn't someone who wastes a lot of time on wallowing in feelings of self-guilt and misery; he's too determined for that, and it goes against his agenda to give in, what he considers, 'petty and trivial things'. No, because he's been taught from an early age onwards to never be weak, Lelouch continues to strive towards his goals, continuing to lie and deceive, even if part of him is disgusted. In his mind, he manages to rationalise his deeds in the following way: "I'm not doing this because I'm enjoying it, but because I have to', and 'great men sometimes have to do terrible things to create beauty'. And, in the back of his mind, Lelouch - having always been something of an idealist - thoroughly believes that, one day, his actions - even if they're despicable, even if he's becoming more and more like the man he despises- will lead do something good. Something the people he loves can be happy about - to have this become a possibility one day, Lelouch is willing to walk through corpses, if he has to. The ends justify the means.
Moreover, Lelouch is just enough of a realist to know that nothing will happen if he just sits by idly and isn't foolish enough to believe that he'll change anything if he protests too loudly. In a way, Lelouch is naively arrogant because he doesn't once consider that he'll fail.
Despite his elegant demeanour, Lelouch is, due to having associated with yakuza, very familiar with the coarser and less elegant things in life. There's extremely little out there that can shock him, and he isn't intimidated by threats or violence. He's not very strong physically, but knows how to handle a gun if necessary and knows how to land the right punch if someone dares attacking him.
It's nearly hard to believe that Lelouch can be gentle and caring, but - when Nunnally and Euphy - Lelouch shows a side that is kind, loving and reassuring. To them, he's nothing but understanding and - it's for them and for them alone - that Lelouch does everything he does. If anyone ever dared to threaten those two, he'd walk through fire to protect them. In a way, he even protects them from himself; Lelouch is very concerned nothing he ever does comes to be noticed by Euphy or Nunnally - he wants them to be as happy and carefree as possible. And it's only with them that one capture a glimpse of the Lelouch that might have been if things hadn't gone to hell.
COMPUTER APTITUDE: Lelouch is a professional hacker. He’s successfully managed to help bring down entire companies because he got access to secret information. But Lelouch won't really engage in hacking unless he feels he has a reason to do so.
AU HISTORY: Lelouch is a born Vi Britannia - the son of the minor nobleman Charles Vi Britannia and his "commoner" wife Marianne. He was born in London.
His father Charles was a business scion - the owner of a branch of hotels, not only in the UK, but all over Europe and the United States too. He had ambitions to become successful in Japan and other locations as well. Marianne was not only Charles' wife, but his secretary as well. Prior to his marriage to Marianne, Charles had already been married, his first wife - before her death - having given birth to two sons: Schneizel and Clovis.
However, underneath the guise of the hardworking man, Charles Vi Britannia had contacts to the underworld - even the Yakuza, among them Miyashi-kai - and it's only through a little help of his friends (and him helping them in return) that he'd become so powerful and was slowly, but surely continuing to rise up the ladder. He had a brother Vincent who worked as a lawyer and managed to help Charles out whenever he got into a bit of legal kerfuffle (or better said when someone was foolish enough to try suing him).
It was already evident in early childhood that Lelouch was a genius. He could read and write fluently by the time he was three, and his father took an active interest in him and decided early onwards that he'd raise Lelouch, along with Schneizel, to be the perfect successor.
Instead of sending his son to a boarding school, however, he decided to have Lelouch homeschooled (not only because he wanted to control what Lelouch learnt, but because he knew that no institution, be it private or public, could have kept up with his son's quick progress- by some of the best professors in the country.
Lelouch not only received a classical education (i.e the sciences, humanities and languages like French, Latin and Greek), but was also taught to be good in the arts, and learn to communicate in Japanese and Chinese.
Though proud of his process, Marianne often noted to Charles that Lelouch, bright as he was, seemed to be estranged from others his age. Charles laughed it off, remarking that it was more important for his son to be brilliant than waste his time on trivialities.
Because Lelouch showed great potential, Charles Vi Britannia, by the time Lelouch was eight, decided that his son was ready to see a bit of the world. So, sometimes he took Lelouch along to his business trips. Lelouch went along gladly, eager to see how the man he admired so much ticked. He wasn't disappointed at first; business meetings (which he was allowed to attend because he was a remarkably quite and mature child for his age) revealed that his father was a sharp man who, through wit and clever tactics - such as making the best offer first, managed to come out as the winner, always.
Charles Vi Britannia never made a huge secret about his contacts with the underground when it came to his family - he told his sons that 'the only way to gain power was by playing all the cards available, and Lelouch was brought along to meet various members of the underground - spies, high-ranking members of the Mafia and, when in the summer of his tenth year, he met Genbu Kururugi. Lelouch was immediately because the man was just as powerful as his father. Genbu Kururugi was just as impressed with Lelouch - especially because the boy could speak fluent Japanese.
While, engaged in conversation with Genbu, was briefly made aware of Suzaku's existence. Suzaku was playing with Kaguya in the background, and Genbu told Lelouch that the small boy was his son. In that brief instant, Lelouch saw Suzaku he was mildly jealous at someone for the first time in his life: here was a boy who might not have known anything about business tactics, but was just a child - something Lelouch had never allowed to be.
Suzaku would remain imprinted in Lelouch's brain: as a hyperactive little boy with a wild mop of brown hair and green eyes.
When Lelouch was twelve, Marianne, who'd been longing for a second child, finally became pregnant, and Lelouch grew jealous and spiteful. Up till that point, he'd been the main source of attention in the household, but his parents really looked forward to the second child - his father, rarely sentimental, acting giddy whenever the baby showed signs of kicking.
On October 25th, Marianne ended up giving birth to a daughter - Nunnally Vi Britannia. As jealous as Lelouch might have been at first, when he first glimpsed sight of little Nunnally, he immediately was 'enamoured' as Euphy would say later.
Lelouch, who'd rarely spent time with children his own age, became immensely fond of Nunnally, showering her with love and affection. While Nunnally was nowhere near as bright as he and Schneizel were, or as naturally talented as Clovis, she was a regular sunshine, to the point that even Charles was less serious and gruff in her presence. Euphy, who'd already been an often seen guest in their household, now never seemed to leave the household because Nunnally was so adorable.
However, Charles had great plans for Lelouch, which - because Lelouch had continued mastering his skills at Japanese, and was now really enter the real world - involved sending him to Japan with his brother Schneizel. Schneizel had been given charge of overseeing a chain of hotels Charles had built there, and Lelouch was to act as his right hand. Although Lelouch realised that going to Japan meant parting with Nunnally and Euphy, he decided to go - because, even if he loved Nunnally dearly, his father's being proud of him was just as important. Also, as he'd just recently finished his A-levels - three years earlier than most of his peers, Lelouch also saw it as an opportunity to enrol in Tokyo university, where he studied law, taking philosophy and ethics classes as free electives.
It was in Japan that, for the first time that he was confronted with a world that wasn't as sheltered or clear-cut as his father had always painted it to be. Scheizel too, was far less concerned with protecting Lelouch as Charles had done.
One of the first things that Schneizel did, after introducing Lelouch to the men he'd be working with - much to Lelouch's horror and surprise, low-ranking yakuza, was take him to a brothel. There, Schneizel ordered Lelouch to sleep with a prostitute - a girl who looked to be around his age. If not even younger. Disgusted and appalled, Lelouch refused, and nothing Schneizel said could change his mind.
But the event remained deeply ingrained in his mind: Lelouch realised that people like his father and Charles were, even if they sugarcoated their actions with pretty words, often directly responsible for ruining other people's lives. But he kept silent, thinking that this was the way it was meant to be.
The more time he spent in Japan, the more jaded and embittered Lelouch became; he realised that he had to dirty his hands if he wanted to survive in this world. Schneizel wanted him to do the dirty work, which included hacking into other company's computers and 'getting to know the underworld of Tokyo' - due to his fluent Japanese (he was only improving the more time he spent in Japan), Lelouch was often sent to talk with various figures in the underworld.
When he wasn't busy helping his brother or studying for his classes, Lelouch took to gambling and always won; in fact, he was so good at it that he earned himself the nickname "Zero". But Schneizel quickly caught on how good a gambler his brother was and, using it to his advantage, made his brother win deals for him.
During those four years, he only had contact with the rest of his family by phone or e-mail, and he nearly all but forgot about Nunnally and Euphy. His only available relation in Japan being Schneizel, who continued to instruct him on the importance of winning - with all means possible.
Shortly after he earned his MA, Lelouch saw his family again - his father Charles deciding to visit his two sons, taking his wife, Nunnally and even the shy and introverted Clovis with him to Japan.
With mixed feelings, Lelouch greeted his family, surprised and touched when Nunnally - having grown only more cheerful leaping right into his arms, referring to him as 'her dearest elder brother who had always played prince with her and Euphy'. Euphy was there too, affirming Nunnally's sentiments and embracing him heartily as well. It was only then that Lelouch realised how deeply he'd fallen, and how much he'd missed them.
During their visit, Charles told him to pack his things and get a pair of glasses - he'd found something else to do for him. According to reliable sources, something, or rather someone interesting had cropped up at a place called Reims, where Lelouch was to serve as a teacher using the name 'Lelouch Lamperouge' in order to cover up trails leading back to the vi Britannia family.
There, he was to observe that person, and, under the guise of a teacher, slowly work towards recruiting him. Because someone with that background could only be beneficial for the future of their company, and provide useful information to ensure their success in Japan. Further details were not necessary because Lelouch would understand as soon as he arrived at Reims.
Although Lelouch had never imagined becoming a teacher, he accepted. Not only because his father had entrusted him with the job, but because this also gave him the opportunity to escape the clutches of Schneizel.
SAMPLES
INTRANET/1ST PERSON SAMPLE:
It’s come to my attention that some of you not only think it’s not necessary to do the required reading and write the assignments I give, but would rather than offer worthwhile contributions to the class discussion prefer to indulge in paper exchanges during class. While I don’t care whether you pay attention or not (you're old enough to know what's good for you), I would like to point out that half of your grade demands on how well you perform in the final oral examination.
In this exam, I won’t judge you by how well you manage to parrot something that is written on the internet, but expect you to demonstrate that you’ve understood the material as well. Knowing the content off by heart won’t save if you can’t convince me that you’ve reflected properly on it as well.
So it’s in your own interest to pay attention to the class as well as possible and try to - at least from time to time -- contribute to the discussion.
LOG/3RD PERSON SAMPLE: "Write down, in your own words, how you interpret Kant's concept of freedom - do you think it's alright to follow our 'own laws' if legislation does not correspond with our rational thoughts?" Lelouch said, feeling a hint of irritation welling up in him already. Some of the students were staring at him as if they had no clue what he was talking about. Tiring considering, he'd spent at least twenty minutes explaining everything quite explicitly - often, toning down when he'd noticed that his students' eyes had gone as wide as saucers.
Well, whatever. Lelouch didn't really care. He really wondered how some people could muster the enthusiasm to be passionate about this job - he'd only been here for a brief amount of time, but was already plotting various ways of how to kill his students -
But he couldn't, could he?
Taking a deep breath, Lelouch forced himself to smile - remembering why he was here, and whom he was doing this for. "Are there are any questions?"
Of course, as predicted, someone raised their hands. "Excuse, Mr Lamperouge, what do you mean by 'if legislation does not correspond with our rational thoughts'?"
A sigh escaped his lips, and Lelouch pushed his glasses up his nose. He smiled again. "Quite simple, really. Imagine," Lelouch paused, restraining the urge to roll his eyes because, really, Kant was probably one of the easier philosophers to digest out there, "if the law states that stealing is illegal and that every person caught will be punished severely -" Lelouch stopped talking, knowing that someone would interrupt him.
Of course he was right.
"But stealing is illegal!"
Lelouch nearly laughed. What a simple view of the world! How typically black and white - really, these students were nothing but idiots. What did they know about right and wrong?
"Yes, but imagine your mother is sick in bed and the only possible ailment available for her is expensive medicine. Imagine you've already done everything possible to obtain it with no success. The only rational thing left to do is to steal." Lelouch paused, seeing how the student was biting her underlip, the wheels in her thought obviously turning. "You're not doing it for yourself. You're doing it for someone you love - is it still wrong?"
The student frowned, and then replied, "Yes because there are always other options available."
Other options?
For a second, Lelouch found himself thinking back to a situation when he'd desperately searched for a way out of a situation - back during the time when Schneizel had -
No, he wasn't going to think about this now. "An interesting theory, I look forward to reading more about it when you hand in the essay."
JUSTIFICATION: Lelouch is an extremely intelligent and able character in his canon, and although he is only eighteen, he is far competent enough to carry a class. Although he is never outright stated to be a genius in his canon, it is heavily implied due to his chess aptitude and skills at logical interferences which he puts to good use in the battlefield as a commander.
I also feel that Lelouch works better as a teacher than a student, because he is portrayed as a lazy and unmotivated student in his canon, but would probably make a much more motivated and driven teacher. He loves to give people orders and commandeer people below him, and while he would be a smart, but hopelessly unmotivated student, I can't see him as anything but a very driven and competent teacher. In short, I find the position of a teacher to be a better fit for his personality.
Last but not least, I hope to explore a lot of interesting ethical and philosophical questions with his character, given that he is a ... morally quite questionable character in his canon. I look forward to playing out a few of his classes to stimulate lively debate at Reims.
HAVE YOU READ THE FAQ? Rabid wombats, yes.