My StoryThousands of years ago, I was born in a substratum of the Astral plane where my family's will-force organized the chaotic sub-dimension into an ordered realm governed by physical laws much like that of Earth. A dark and malignant warlord gathered together a formidable army of malcontent beings and assaulted that bastion of peace which my family had carved out of madness. Fatefully, my father and all of my kind fell to the onslaught. I was rescued through the providence of a passing trans-dimensional ranger; who, although arriving too late to save my home, saved me and trained me in both astral and physical combat. These past millennia it has been my quest to counter-act and eliminate the dread agents of evil and chaos that disturb multiversal tranquility. Now I have settled upon this physical world to enjoy some moments of peace. In my spare time, I battle the petty villains of Earth under the name of . . .Like I'm going to give away my identity! Here is my alter-ego's (Michael Thigpen) information, anyway. I was born in Okinawa, Japan to Thomas Glenn Thigpen and Christine Angela Shelley. When I was at the age of three, my family moved back to the United States where I grew up. My formative years were spent mainly in various parts of Virginia-- Norfolk, Oceania, Virginia Beach. Because my father was in the US Navy we moved around alot, including a short time in Maine. At the age of eight, I had one of my most traumatic experiences. While visiting with my uncle for the summer, I had an accident. We were celebrating Independence Day with a trip to my cousins' relatives on their mother's side. At night there was a game played that involved fireworks. I ended up being shot in the eye by a bottle-rocket. Oh, the pain. As a memento, I came home with one eye with no iris and no lens. Great for Halloween, bad for a jump shot. When my father retired from the Navy, we moved back to where he had grown up-- North Carolina. There was me, my older sister Rachel, my younger brother William, and my younger sisters Zara and Rebecca. A couple tragedies split our family up. Our father was taken from us for a while, and during that time our mother passed away due to complications related to the chronic disease Lupus. We were extremely fortunate to be looked after by members of our extended family. Rachel went one place, William and I to a relative, and Zara and Rebecca to yet another uncle. By the time our father returned to us, a few years had passed. I finished up my education at North Lenoir High School in Lenoir County, North Carolina. After graduation, I worked in a pawn shop for a while, then in a Southern barbecue restaurant to save up money. That wasn't easy to do because of the many car accidents I was involved in. (One of the accidents was completely my fault-- the other accidents were a combination of things, and primarily not my mistake.) After saving as much money as I could, I left on a two year mission to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in Hong Kong. I was supported for the rest of my expenses by family members and a few local church members who's generosity was never revealed to me. As most LDS return missionaries will tell you about their missions, the experience had a profound impact on all facets of my life. While not without faith before, I came to know for a certainty that God loves me and all of His children. I learned many things concerning faith and truth. I also learned invaluable lessons in interpersonal relationships, how to study, and an appreciation for Chinese people and culture. After my mission I worked in a Chinese restaurant for a while to earn money for college. I was accepted to Brigham Young University and started classes in the Spring Term of 1998. After one semester I left school to teach English in Hong Kong for 6 months. When I returned, I was married to wife, Vickie. After again earning money for school for a while, I returned to BYU where I am majoring in Chinese with a minor in Computer Science Teaching and TESOL. I have a daughter, Jasmine, and another child on the way. For those who want to see my pic . . . Picture
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