Your name: Mike "Doc" Brookshire
Location: Decatur, Alabama:
Age: 33
Sex: Male

Family: Wife, 7 year old daughter

Pets: Australian Shepard named Wookiesaurus Rex (Wookie is what we call him)

Religion: Technically Baptist

Which of your accomplishments are you the most happy with? Well my
daughter for one, my marriage, a few of the things I invented where I used to work.
It’s not everyday that you can be named by major rock stars who know your work.
One particular effect I did was for Aerosmith. At the concert they wanted pink flares
for the song "Pink". I worked for about 3 weeks on that project, and the night of the
show, I of course had back stage passes. My wife and I were in the audience
watching the show, and I knew when the cue was for them to be fired, I just told her
what to look for. When they went off, and were this blazing neon pink flames rising
off the stage, the crowd went nuts, including my 8 month pregnant wife who stomped
all over my feet as she was so excited seeing them. I don’t think I have been more
proud of my work than that night.

What is your favorite word? Flibberdygibblit.

How many languages do you speak? English, Redneck, and a little Yankee.

What is your favorite time of year, and why? Spring, I don’t deal with cold or heat well, and I love thunderstorms. I like to watch the clouds roll, with the lightning and thunder. It’s the shear power of nature I guess, but I love it

What is your most prized physical possession? My huge, and I mean HUGE, 8 foot by 6 foot Millennium Falcon model. Long story behind it, but involves me buying a truck, and going on a long road trip to get it. :)

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I think I would be more flexible in the way I see things, my opinions mostly, I guess. I am a very black and white person. I see any situation as having a "right" and "wrong" side. I don’t have too many areas where I see shades of grey.

Did you have any embarrassing nicknames as a kid? Everyone pretty much called me Mikey, my one friend called me "Mouse" at one point as in "Quiet as a Mouse" but I got out of that after hanging out with him a bit.

What makes you cry? Thinking of what my family and friends went through with me being as busted up as I was in the hospital, and what they felt looking at me being in a coma for 3 months. Hearing my mother couldn’t recognize me, and my wife being so lonely during that time really bothers me. Also my grandfather whom I always loved very much and highly respected will never get to see my daughter. He would have loved her dearly.

What is your favorite section of the newspaper? Headlines, obit, and the funnies, in that order.

Do you have a useless talent that no one else that you know can do? Yes. I can whistle and hum at the same time.

What are three things you can't live without? Hurm. Well it’s a family show so I can’t say that.... (chuckles). I guess I would have to say human contact. I can be alone a lot and it not bother me, but sometimes, I just have to go out and interact with people. Even if it is just me going to a mall to people watch. My computers also come to mind. I have 6. Other than that I would say coffee, it is a major vice of mine.

If you could have one superpower or be any superhero, which power would you pick, or which hero would you be? Well I would personally pick flight. But everyone who knows me seems to think I more Identify with Wolverine, as I have a mutant healing factor and never get sick. But if I could pick one, Batman. I mean come on, who doesn’t want to be a rich playboy by day and a crime fighter with cool gadgets at night!

What did you want to be when you grew up? Rich. That’s really about it (heh), anything that would let me be filthy rich. Of course, I had moments where I wanted to be a truck driver (did that), and wanted to be an astronaut. Who knew I would end up doing what most kids dream of but I did it: Blow things up and get PAID for it!

What is your favorite mode of transportation? A Harley Davidson, hands down.

If you could pick any other time period to live in - including the future - which would it be, and why? Wow, that’s a hard one, I guess the Extreme far future where space travel is as common as going to the store for milk, but if I had my way, I would be Like The Dr. and have a TARDIS, that way I could visit every place and time I could think of.

What is one thing that you regret that you would go back and change if you could? I would have told my wife I loved her, and gave her a kiss, before I went to work on Sept 2, 1999. That or I would have skipped work that day! Ha-ha

What is the one thing you want to do before you die? Go into space. I am actually signed up on Virgin Galactic, but I doubt they are going to let me go, I don’t think I can pass the physical. And well, they have to build the thing.

You've just purchased a small island off the coast of any continent of your choosing, and you are preparing to start your own country there. What does your flag look like? Funny you should ask that, I am thinking of buying a small island off the cost of the Philippines. I guess it might just be a Confederate Battle flag, or it would be maybe a Red Dragon holding a Flaming Sword with a griffin and a wolf at his side.

You have made reference to an accident you had; please explain. Be more than happy to! I used to work for the Worlds Leader in pyrotechnic special effects. If it goes flash, bang, or boom on stage next to a superstar, chances are I worked on it. On September the 2nd 1999 at 4:38pm my lab blew up with such force it was measured on local doppler radar. I and my partner were able to walk out with both of us sustaining serious injury and burns.

I spent the next 3 months in a coma at UAB Hospital in Birmingham Alabama, one of the best burn units in the world. I had a negative 125% chance to live with burns over 80% of my body. My partner died, and I lived. I then spent the next 3 years piecing my life and body back together. I was extremely lucky. UAB is a teaching and experimental hospital, so I was given access to a respiration machine that had been invented only a month previous to my accident and I was a test patient. It worked wonders on me. I also had intensive exercise, and rehab programs to get me back on my feet, quite literally. I never had any skin grafts, (I was too bad to get them, plus there wasn’t really any place on me to graft from) And I grew my own skin back quite well, which is why we joke that I have a mutant healing factor like Wolverine.

While I do have scars and such its not anywhere as bad as doctors thought I would look like. I look pretty much normal with the exception of a few places. After I got out I sold off a few patents to some stuff I invented, and with a savvy grasp of the stock market, and wise investing, I am retired at the age of 33.

Tell us about your favorite RPG character that you've ever played. I would
have to say Steelwind. My 4th Generation Gangral vampire from Vampire the
Masquerade. I was one of the people that helped to playtest the original
Vampire LARP rules. Before Minds Eye Theatre. At the time we called it
"vampire tag". My characters greatest exploits all involve him never having
rolled for combat once. Ever. I would always manipulate someone into doing my
dirty work. Or talking my way out of a situation. I would have a mad pack of vamps
come up to me wanting to kill my guy, and by the time I as done talking to them, I
would have them convinced their Aunt Betty had set the entire thing up and was
playing them like a fiddle, and if they wanted to get to the bottom of it they needed
to go talk to (Insert chars name I wanted to be rid of) and have a go with them!

What was your first RPG session like? My first games were D&D and Battletech, played at a good friend of mine's house. This guy was the consummate GM, he knew every rule, had every book, and was a fun guy. His mother would cook for us and insist we all eat. He also worked for Kroger’s, a local chain supermarket, and would buy obscene amounts of generic Cokes which we would all drink.

We played right in his living room, and his mom would sit and listen to us play, while she did cross stitch. We were all teenagers, and would get pretty animated during some parts, and get kinda loud, but she really enjoyed us there, and watching the games. She always wanted to know when the next game was so she could figure out what to cook.

Which reminds me of when we would play at my house. My father-in-law, who was staying with us for health reasons, would go on about how all these people would come over and eat, but every Thursday he would be in the cabinets looking at what he needed to get from the store to cook, and happy to be doing it. If a game was canceled he would look disappointed that he didn’t get to cook for the "locusts" as he called 'em. He also liked to listen as Will's mom did, to the story that was being told. We even got him to play as a Hunter in a LARP game. Here sat this old guy with a very "Uncle Jessie" look from Dukes of Hazzard, on a bench in his overalls whittling a stick, and listening, taking notes into a micro recorder he had, at the end of the session he had 23 breaches of the masquerade, and witnessed 2 feedings, and 1 diablerie. He turned that in to the Storyteller, and then handed that Information off as he saw fit to mess with the players. Some people had to roll new characters next game (chuckles)

What was your WORST RPG session like? I would have to say the time Will's aunt came over during a game session she is of the Pentecostal faith, and had no understanding of the game, and went nuts. Will's Mom tried to explain the concept to her, but she would have none of that "Satan talk!" around her. They got into a verbal fight, and it was a pretty bad night, one of Will's D&D books got snatched up and shredded in front of him, and we all thought it was a good time to leave. From what I understand, both of the stubborn ladies didn’t talk to each other for quite some time, and still refuse to discuss that night.

Who is your all-time favorite person to game with? My wife. She is so fun and creative. I enjoy seeing what she does with her characters. Her super perky elf aerobics instructor in a game of Trinity was just hilarious!

Do you have anything gaming-related to plug? Only thing game related I would like to plug is Gamestas.net Come by and check it out, tell em Doc sent ya!