Matthew Shae

== Information ==
=== Pre-Game History ===
About 100 years prior to Matthew's birth, the world's governments called a conference to settle their differences once and for all. At this conference, it was decided that national borders would be dissolved and all the people would be united under one government. This government, while working under the guise of a democracy, slowly began to accrue absolute power until it no longer resembled a democracy, but a dictatorship. With the borders dissolved and the world united, it was then renamed: Burim Pax, meaning the source of peace. And true to it's name, violence was all but stamped out when weapons of all kinds were outlawed and destroyed. Violent members of society were caught and exiled to Greenland and parts of Siberia. Health care became universal. Technology grew by leaps and bounds. And everyone became equals, depending on who you asked. It was a utopia. It was...paradise.
By the time Matt was born in May of 2187, alcohol, sugary sweets, most poultry, and beef had been banned as well. People were allotted 2 pounds of fish, certain vegetables of their choosing, and (if you were wealthy) fruit to act as desserts. Matthew's family was of the middle class. They got by on their earnings and even managed to afford fruit for their kids growing up. Matthew was the eldest of his two sisters and at the age of 18, began his mandatory two years of college. Flunking out was not an option in Burim Pax. Because if you did, you were barred from applying for jobs. Fortunately for Matthew, he passed. But by the skin of his teeth. With his grades, he managed to land himself a low end job at a farm not far from his home town. He didn't earn enough to live on his own, which meant he still lived with his parents at age where others were long moved away from home.
His parents were disappointed, needless to say, and his father took every opportunity to remind him of his shortcomings. Shortly after his 21st birthday, he was approached by an individual by the name of Jalil. He flashed a legitimate badge and claimed to be from the government. Maybe he was, Matt had no idea. Jalil offered him $10,000 up front for his participation in an experiment being conducted by the government. Matt saw this as his big break. He didn't think to ask any questions. All he knew that this was finally his chance to move out of his family's home.
He agreed and signed the contract. About a month after signing away his life, he was finally sequestered in a sterile building. During his first year there, Matthew was put to sleep and most of his internal organs and bones were replaced with cybernetic components. When Matthew finally recovered, he discovered an entire year had passed without contact from the outside world. He also discovered he was significantly stronger.
His training began after he awoke. Shortly after his 23rd birthday, he discovered the true nature of the project he had signed himself up for. The people that were working with him were planning to overthrow their government with genetically enhanced 'super soldiers'. Unfortunately for them, the government found out about their plans and stormed the building. Most of the other test subjects were killed, while Matt barely managed to escape. He became a wanted man, since technically he wasn't supposed to exist. There was really no place for him to hide. But that didn't stop him from trying. Matt had only been on the run for about 2 months when Captain Redd decided to save him from his inevitable fate.
=== Game History ===
Matt arrived in early September and spent about 4 months on the [livejournal.com profile] ms_elegante. There he made friends and experienced a lot of things his world had previously barred from him, like candy, beef, and even alcohol. He didn't really know what to do with all of this new found freedom, but he did do his best to enjoy it, because he didn't really know if it was a dream or not. Matt's life could probably be considered much simpler on the boat, because never in a million years, would he have been able to get covered in magnetic letters. Despite the simplicity, his life certainly wasn't the best, because even though he was in new place, he still managed to get himself in trouble.
But it was much better than it was in Burim Pax. The people aboard helped draw Matt out of his shell. While his reserved nature kept most of them at arms length, it was still wonderful knowing there were people who wouldn't turn on you at the drop of a hat.
Among the friends he had made, three in particular became especially dear to him. [livejournal.com profile] idkmybffsean he considers his bro and would do most anything for him. Another was an android named [livejournal.com profile] battle_droid and even though she was a ninja who liked to sneak up on him and scare the daylights out of him, he still considered her one of his very best friends. The other was a girl named [livejournal.com profile] muted_mother and their relationship had finally started moving forward when the boat went to hell in a handbag. He helped fight the End and in the ensusing chaos, Matt was forced to make a terrible decision. and made it to the Golden Shore with Jael and Zee. And even though it wasn't that great of a place, it was STILL better than Burim Pax and he really considered it home.
=== Personality ===
Before becoming an experiment, Matthew was once an active and lively person. He laughed all the time, loved to goof off and make other people laugh. His social status didn't matter much to him, which is why he never bothered to put much effort into his grades, unlike his sisters who were vigilent students. And it wasn't that Matt wasn't a smart boy. He just didn't try very hard and it showed. Though after graduating college, Matt wished he had applied himself more. And that had more to do with disappointing his parents than the crappy job he managed to land himself. He was relatively happy with his station in life.
Matt has never been particularly ill tempered, so provoking him wasn't an easy task. Because people who couldn't control their tempers ended up on a prison ship bound for Greenland or Siberia. And those were the last places on earth you wanted to go to. People in positions of authority tend to intimidate him.
After meeting Jalil, a lot of Matt's personality was changed. He was taught to fight, some sense of self reliance, and a little bit of the Independence that the Burim Pax government had stripped away from him. During the raid on the building, Matt had his first (and at that point) only encounter with violent death. The sight left him speechless and he didn't quite know how to handle it, so he hasn't really and refuses to talk about it. After his escape, and spending two months in hiding, he had grown quiet and introverted. While he is still not prone to rage, riling him up has gotten significantly easier and though he would rather violence be his last resort, it is no longer beyond him to lash out at people who make him mad. Strangers are usually met with silence until he warms up to them. It's not easy to get him to open up, but when he does, he's generally friendly, but still keeps people at arms length. There are still glimmers of who he used to be in that shell of his and every once and while, it comes out. But those moments are few and far in between.
His time on the boat has worked wonders for Matt. Much of who he used to be has resurfaced, thanks to the friends he had made and the freedom he experienced. It was wonderful. He has yet to work through much of the anger he feels, but he's much better at hiding it these days. Being on the Boat and the Shore has tempered him and made him a little more patient. But don't push his buttons too much; he's still not afraid to punch your face off your head.
=== Appearance ===
=== Abilities, Skills and Talents ===
Matthew's bones are all cybernetic, which has added weight to his body and essentially makes him part android. And has made him significantly stronger. He can comfortably lift up to 200 pounds and can also put his fist through most solid materials, like stone or metal. It will take several strikes to actually cause any significant damage. This will severely damage the skin on his hands.
== Relationships ==
=== Castmates ===
=== Other Characters ===
Category:Characters
Category:Original Character