Name: (Officer) Greg Bruce Matthews
Nicknames: Just Matthews to other officers.
Age: 28
Birthday: May 23th
Sign: Taurus
Blood Type: B negative
Fav. Food: Burgers and fries. Quick, easy, delicious.
Hated Food: Doughnuts. They trash his car. ********’ doughnuts.
Job: Police Officer. He's been on the force for almost five years now, so he considers himself to be a bit of a veteran.
Hobbies: The Shooting Range – Though it’s part of his job to carry around a gun, Greg actually enjoys going to the shooting range in his free time just for fun. It’s relaxing to him; he can take his time setting up the perfect shot, and focus on nothing but. Definitely a bit odd as far as calming down goes, but really, he just feels like it’s him and the target. He can forget about everything else for a while—and practice his skill, to boot. He only uses the pistol assigned to him on the force; he doesn't own any guns otherwise.
Classical Music – I know what you’re thinking, but it’s really not as bad as it sounds. In his free time, Greg enjoys listening to classical music while reading the paper. He’s no buff in the subject, but the piano has always been one of his favorite instruments, and really, he just likes the sound. You wouldn’t catch him listening to the stuff at work, but back home, it’s fair game. Of course, he’s got to get this music somewhere, so you can expect to find him in music stores of all kinds whenever he gets the chance.
Out on the Town – Because his profession keeps him from having a lot of free time, Greg relishes the chance to see Destiny City from a civilian perspective. Though it’s his partner, Tom, who usually decides where they’re going, Greg generally has a good time wherever they’re going. Unless it’s Hooters. He really doesn’t like Hooters. During the day, you can also find Greg out and about--usually in his patrol car, yanking over speeders to give them tickets.
He likes the occasional beer, but never allows himself to get anything more than tipsy. The schedule is usually something like this; go out to eat, go to the bar, chat up the more friendly folks there, play some pool. Plenty of things go on in Destiny City, and sometimes, he and Tom just walk around and duck into whatever place looks interesting at the time, be it a party, a club, whatever. Sometimes, he's just not in the mood. It really depends on the night. And speaking of night, he tries to keep himself out no later than midnight or so; he's normally got to get up early the next morning for work-related purposes. Of course, if Tom is stuck filing out reports... Well, Greg usually sticks around to help him get caught up on his stuff--he wouldn't just ditch the guy!
Playing Big Brother - His kid sister, Jessica, attends Sovereign Heights Prep, and Greg religiously calls her every night (or every other night, if she gets irritated) to check in and make sure she's alright. She's his only sister, and with Destiny City getting so crazy with students vanishing, his protective instincts come out in full. He just wants to make sure she's safe--even if that means growling at her to not go out at night, and if she
has to, make sure she's in a group and has a phone with her at all times. He's a worrywart, but she loves him despite his overbearing flaws. In turn, this extends to people who he has a genuine interest and like for; his partner, new, but eager cops, old friends, troubled kids. Basically, people he feels needs protecting. He takes a personal responsibility for them, and, whether they want it or not, they'll have him at their back.
Gemstone: Emerald
Virtues: Patient— Maybe it’s from the countless hours of patrolling. Maybe it’s waiting all night, staking out a hot spot to bust. Or maybe he was just born that way. Whatever the case, Greg is a patient man. He doesn’t rush people, doesn’t mind waiting. Patience is a virtue, and he’s got plenty of patience. His partner sometimes strays on the obnoxious side, and Greg can be stuck in the patrol car with him for hours without batting an eye (or strangling him). If he’s standing in line and has people being rude at him, that’s all right. They’re probably just having a bad day, and he won’t bother to retaliate unless they really start to push it. He’s a great guy to work with if you’re new; he’ll help walk you through the steps until you’ve got the ropes down. Having a younger sister also helped him be patient; a girl can take hours to primp for a special occasion, so Greg’s learned to just find another way to preoccupy himself.
Level-Headed – Greg is known for being dependable—cool under fire, one might say, both figuratively and literally. His experience on the force lets him handle a lot of bad situations. He’s seen some terrible things, and can buckle down on the instinct to panic. Someone can fire gunshots next to his head and he's gotten to the point where he doesn't even flinch. It’s a good trait to have these days, especially with all the weird rumors about monsters and terrorist groups floating around.
If he actually came face to face with a monster, there would, of course, be a sense of utter disbelief. If it were attacking him or someone else, he’d be shooting to kill, no questions asked. He’s not stupid; he’s seen enough movies to know that there’s no reasoning with something that’s sporting way too many teeth and looking at you like you’re lunch. Terrorists are a different story entirely; he’s of a mindset that they can be talked to and reasoned with. As soon as civilians are in danger though, that’s it. If he can’t safely bring them under arrest and lives are in danger, then he doesn’t think he has a choice. Still, he
is not going to rush a decision like that, and end a life preemptively just because he has twitchy fingers. Patient and reasoning is key here, as well as thinking quickly and staying calm.
Loyal – There is nothing worse than a traitor, and one thing that Greg prides himself on is his loyalty and devotion. Whether it’s his loyalty to the force, his loyalty to his friends and his partner, or his loyalty to Destiny City, Greg will never consciously betray anyone he considers a friend or an ally. In fact, these people are probably the only ones that he'll grudgingly allow a little more leniency with slacking (See 'Doing the Right Thing'). If it's something
serious though, he'll definitely sit them down and have a talk, but he'll still be reluctant to turn them in--or stab them in the back, so to speak. He likes to think he's wise with who he places his trust in, and doesn't think it'll be too much of an issue.
Greg is the type of man to take a bullet for someone--literally. He'll place their lives above his own in a dangerous situation. To him, he's expendable. He doesn't have a wife and kids to go home to, and he knows his partner would look out for his kid sister. The least he can do is try and protect others, and the members of his force from getting injured. His loyalty lies with his department; new members can come in and out, and he'll treat them all with the same respect. If the Chief of Police is swapped out, he'll serve the new one just as dutifully as the last--unless they somehow prove to be corrupt, with actual physical evidence rather than just a hunch.
Doing the Right Thing – The right choice isn’t always the most popular one. Greg is okay with being the unpopular guy, the guy that says and does the things that no one else wants to do. It’s his job, his duty. He doesn’t mind being the one that takes the blame. For example; a guy everyone likes at work has been slacking off on his papers and reports. Everyone knows it, but no one's really going to say anything, because they all like this guy. Greg might like him too. Greg is still going to talk to him about it, and if the guy refuses to pick up the slack, then he has no problem going to the supervisor about it. On this note, however, if the blame falls on someone he trusts.... Well, he might just pick up the slack himself and finish it, just to avoid trouble.
Greg isn't the fun guy. Greg is the guy that makes sure the job gets done, because it
has to.
Flaws: Gruff – Greg is not your friendly, happily, smiley police man. In fact, there always seems to be a deep-set frown and a furrowing of his brows on his face. He seems to an exude an aura of ‘leave me the hell alone’, and whether he’s aware of the fact that he’s intimidating or not, it doesn’t change the fact that he makes no effort to sweeten his disposition. He’s forward and blunt with his words, feeling as though it’s best if others hear the truth—regardless of the fact if he hurts them or not in doing so. Beware, crying girls! He’s still gonna give you a ticket if he catches you speeding, no matter how much you wail. The only exception to this rule is if he's close to someone; though he still seems blunt, emotionally, there’s a definite softer side to him. He’s a little less harsh, a little less menacing. It’s like giving a gorilla a kitten.
First Impression is the Last – Once a criminal, always a criminal. Greg doesn’t believe in second chances, or that people can turn a new leaf. If someone willingly did something to cause harm to another? He’s always going to remember it, and he’ll never trust that person again. He holds grudges forever, and though he’ll do little more than offer a cold shoulder to them usually, you can bet that they’ll be the first person he suspects if a bad situation crops up. Likewise, this also works in the reverse; if he's placed his trust in someone, be it one of the troubled kids he often encounters or even his partner, he's going to have a hard time believing they've acted out maliciously. If they've done something bad, something must have happened--they were either threatened, coerced, or they just didn't know better. It couldn't have been their fault.
IN A NUTSHELL: Greg sees a guy helping a little old lady cross the street. He'll then always look on that guy as being good at heart, even if he's, verbally, an a*****e, etc.
Greg sees a guy steal money. Greg then sees the guy help a little old lady across the street. Greg will immediately be suspicious and assume that guy is going to try and steal the little old lady's purse.
Do It Myself – All his life, Greg has been the responsible one. The only son in his family, his father taught him what it meant to be ‘the man of the house’, and it was his job to watch after his sister and keep her safe. He never learned what it meant to be a team-player. This doesn’t mean that he cannot work well in a team—he wouldn’t be on the force if that were true—but Greg finds it easier if he’s the one in charge, so to speak. He’s used to having to pick up the slack on other people’s part, and he knows that sometimes, people can’t be depended on. It’s different at his job, and though he’s still working hard to incorporate himself into the team, if there’s something he can do by himself without risk, he’ll probably do it. His partner, Tom, has helped open him up and not feel so awkward about approaching people for help, as has his sister, but it’s still something he struggles with. He feels better when he makes the decisions so everyone can help execute them, but the chain of command comes first. This flaw makes it so that he sort of feels the need to more or less be the parental figure to his friends and family; he feels as though he's had a lot of experience with these situations, so it's up to him to keep everyone fully functioning and in line.
Workaholic – Sad, but true. He has a hard time tearing himself away from writing reports and patrolling to focus on a little thing called life. Greg likes to focus all his energy on one task and get that task
done. Interruptions are irritating, and sometimes he’ll work straight through the night just trying to get things done. He doesn’t make time for things that he really should, and there’s almost no reasoning with him when he’s in this state.
Physical Description: Hair: Short, dark brown, and coarse. He keeps it clean-cut and professional.
Looks Like ThisEyes: Grey-blue, stormy.
Face: A strong, angular jaw, very masculine features. Nothing distinguishable, though his nose is a little crooked.
Body: Muscled. Greg makes sure to keep himself in top shape, especially with Destiny City being so dangerous these days.
Fashion: Usually, his cop uniform. On the rare occasion he’s not wearing it, jeans and t-shirts suffice if he’s lounging around the apartment. He honestly doesn’t think much about fashion; he just updates his attire appropriately. If he’s going to a semi-formal event, he’ll wear something semi-formal. If it’s casual, he’s casual. It’s a simple process, really.
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