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[puckoff]

PLAYER
Name: Arden
Personal Journal: uponastar
AIM/MSN/etc: ardendillo @ Skype

CHARACTER
Name: Matthew Williams / Canada
Canon: Axis Powers Hetalia
Timeline: Present day.

Personality: Often written off as a boring version of America, Canada (or Matthew Williams) is much more of a complicated person than anyone would ever imagine by meeting him. If they even really take notice of him, that is. First and foremost is what people do know about him from a first impression. He's a bit shy, very quiet, and not at all in the intimidating way that countries like Germany are. Not at all able to command attention the way America, England, and other world powers are able to, Canada tends to fade into the background. He definitely thinks before speaking and listens well, unless he's particularly flustered, which isn't all that often. Matthew is very good at keeping a level head and thinking through things rationally for the most part. More on that a bit later.

Both a positive and a negative thing, Canada is very much a product of his family and his history. Nearly everything in his life is a comparison to someone else, as is what usually happens when you have a "brother" who outshines you at almost everything. Canada and America have had and continue to have a fantastic relationship, there is no doubt about that. But, like any sibling knows, it's never perfect. America left England in the Revolutionary War and Canada was the one who stayed loyal to the crown. This, in itself, highlights some of the main differences between the brothers. At first glance, of course, Canada look s lot like America. However, it is in their personalities that their differences become apparent immediately. In Matthew's colonial years, despite Alfred's persuasions, and even a couple of invasions, the northern colony stayed loyal to Arthur until 1867. Even still, there was no revolution or rebellion, because Matthew isn't that kind of a country. Formally, the ties were not fully cut with Britain until 1983 when Canada finally split from the British Parliament. Matthew is exceedingly steadfast, and will go to great lengths to avoid confrontation. He hates to fight unnecessarily more than anything. This does not mean, however, that he will not do it when called upon. Matthew and his military fight tenaciously when that call is made. Many overlook Matthew's contributions in favor of Alfred's, but in fact Canada's men and women have fought just as hard and long in every world war and major conflict as the American soldiers.

Originally colonized by France and established the Colony of New France, the main French influences can still be seen in the province of Quebec and Canada's official bilingualism. Matthew speaks both languages fluently, and still refers to Francis as his "Papa" to this day. When France lost Canada in the French and Indian War (or Seven Years' War) to England, a lot changed. Naturally, Canada was upset by the loss of his Papa, but gained a brother in the process. From the beginning Alfred didn't pay much more attention to Matthew than was necessary, but what really came out of this was a feeling of flexibility that Matthew still carries to this day. Francis leaving him in England's possession marked the beginning of a long series of changes and got him very used to playing "second" to everyone. Even his "pet" polar bear doesn't remember his name. Matthew became used to masking his emotions as a cover to hide his continual disappointment and how hurt he really was. He smiled and tried his best to be kind to England and his new brother. Meanwhile, Alfred blossomed and grew exponentially, Matthew remained modest and continued with what he had. There simply wasn't room on one continent for two egotistical Americas, so Canada became the quiet, long-suffering colony of England and settled with that. He's actually pretty independent and is good at making his own decisions and coming up with solutions to problems. Matthew is much smarter than he ever gets credit for, from years of observing the world around him from underneath Arthur's wing.

This is not something that victimizes Canada at all, on the contrary it is one of his biggest flaws. Matthew is quick to get complacent and never manages to complain when something is wrong. He makes himself invisible as often as others do it for him. Rather than voicing complaints, Matthew has the nasty habit of making passive-aggressive remarks instead. Raised by Arthur and all of his bitter snark, much of that rubbed off onto Matthew in its own way. Never one to openly be aggressive or straightforward, Matthew is much more comfortable to mutter under his breath. It's rare to get Matthew to a point where he's very nasty or a downright asshole about it, but he has been pushed there before. He knows the spots to hit and has made Alfred cry at least once from going off on him. Matthew may be forgiving and let things blow over for the sake of peace, but he'll throw in a comment off-hand when it's least expected. He almost always forgives; he rarely forgets. He'll turn white as a sheet if you mention the War of 1812, for example. Another good example of something that will get Matthew's blood boiling is hockey. There is just no room for niceties and meekness in an ice rink where people lose teeth and slam into glass walls. Matt very much enjoys a game now and then and gets noticeably more agitated during hockey season in the NHL.

In a nutshell, Canada is diplomatic, passive-aggressive, and self-sufficient. While it may seem like he's a bit boring and is often "forgotten," he has a lot more to him than what many stereotypes let on. He plays peacemaker a lot, he struggles with how to define himself against a global power like America, and more than anything strives for comfort and happiness. A true melting pot of cultures, even more so than America is arguably, Canada prides himself most on being a source of balance and harmony. Within his own borders Canada has a nation of, generally, polite and happy citizens, and this is reflected in his generally good relations with other nations as well. He doesn't feel the need to define himself with a bang and shows of great power like America does, but prefers to keep his own values he's established, even at the risk of being overlooked by the rest of the world powers.

First Person:
[ Matthew meanders through the bookstore, running his fingers lightly over the spines of some of the books he passes over. His violet eyes scan the titles, catching on certain words that intrigue him and passing over the majority that don't. Finally, he stops on a book with plain white lettering and a simple one-word title. Nothing flashy. It was hard to say from the cover exactly what was even inside. Perfect. He knew better than to judge any book by a beautiful cover; oftentimes those were the ones with the impressive stories he could not even stomach more than a few pages of. The subdued story with a subtle wit and strong characters is the one he prefers. Carrying the novel over to the counter, he's checked out by a friendly Quebecoise woman with a round face and curly red hair. ]

Merci beaucoup.

[ With his right thumb, Matthew flips through the pages as he walks back down the street toward home. The smell of the paper and ink makes him smile. Second only to the smell of cooking pancake batter, he thinks to himself as he tucks the book under his arm and walks through the falling snow back home. A new book and a cup of tea sounds like a perfect way to get through the upcoming blizzard. ]

Third Person:
With a clatter, Matthew stamped his feet as he jumped off of the couch. "Come on, come on, come on! Get it in- fuck you!" he shouted at the television screen, his face set in an uncharacteristic scowl. He ran an irritated hand through his hair as the Canadiens blocked another goal. Flopping onto the couch, he folded his arms as Montreal regained control.

It was hockey season; specifically, the NHL was knee-deep into finals, and his team was finally up for a chance to take the coveted Stanley Cup again. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a baggy Toronto jersey, Matthew flopped back onto the couch. "Never going to make it at this rate," he seethed, folding his hands and staring intently at the screen again. Matthew was not the type to usually let his temper get the best of him, but there is an exception to every rule, and hockey was his.

As it was Canada's favorite sport, Matthew followed suit and turned into a sports nut around this time. The capital city may be Ottawa, but as Toronto had the largest population by far of any of his cities, Matthew found himself favoring the Maple Leafs over the Senators. It was unabashedly his favorite city, with its bustling metropolis, diverse citizens, and long history. Not to mention that the Ottawa Senators had just reformed in 1990 after an almost 60 year hiatus, and he'd gotten into hockey long before that and been sticking with the Maple Leafs ever since.

Normally, Matthew was just like most of his citizens: he was polite and quiet, at best he maybe got a bit snarky. But when the Canadiens were beating the snot out of the Maple Leafs, things were very different. When a hockey game was on, all bets were off on what came out of Matthew's mouth. Matthew became comparable to any rabid sports fan. Alfred had his football, Arthur had rugby (or was it cricket?), and Matthew had this.

When the phone rang, he swallowed his temper, muted the TV and slid a finger across the screen to answer. "Hello?" he asked politely, his violet eyes twitching at the screen when he dared to look. "No, no, I'm fine, how are you?" Taking deep breaths and keeping a calm and polite face, he did his best to not blow off his friend on the other end. His eyes widened and a finger curled around his ahoge as one the Maple Leafs' centers skated toward the goal, raised his stick with the puck, made a shot and- Matthew dropped his phone and screamed so loud the people above him started banging on the roof. Scrambling for the remote and his phone he turned the volume down and resumed the phone call. "I'm so, so sorry I- Hello?" Oh, now he felt bad. He grimaced and almost pressed redial but his fingers faltered as his attention zoned back into the screen for the last 4 minutes of the game. The call could wait, but he made sure to remind himself to return it.