ByAaron Greenbaum
Prior to 2018, few people had heard of BrookeAB, but now her name is all over the internet. BrookeAB is a rising star of Twitch and YouTube, and a member of the gaming organization100 Thieves. In two short years, she has made progress most streamers couldn't dream of.
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And yet, BrookeAB primarily remains a mystery to her audience. Sure, her viewers can rattle off the number of times she's painted live on stream, as well as recite her favorite Fortnite weapons and skins. But, do they truly know her? Can BrookeAB's biggest fans explain how she got her start in streaming? Do they even know her real name?
If you're a BrookeAB follower and want to know her deepest, darkest secrets — or at least what she wanted to do before she found her place in the streaming community — keep reading.
BrookeAB originally wanted to work with the criminally insane
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Many successful streamers had non-gaming aspirations before they stumbled their way into fame. PewDiePie, for instance, attended college for industrial management and economics, while Pokimane pursued a degree in engineering. However, while those two streamers dropped out of college to start a career in streaming, BrookeAB decided to double dip by finishing her higher education while becoming a streamer as well.
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BrookeAB attended Western Oregon University so she could fulfill her dream: working with the criminally insane. She isn't a real-life version of Harleen Quinzel, BrookeAB was just obsessed with shows like Forensic Files and Criminal Minds — and more recently Mindhunter. This fascination grew into a passion, and she obtained a B.S. in Psychology, with a minor in Forensic Psychology.
However, Brooke's mental fortitude does not stop there. Her intelligence blossomed at an early age, and she skipped second grade. Plus, she even started attending college in high school, so she managed to graduate in three years instead of the usual four. While BrookeAB never capitalized on her Bachelor's degree, she has found a promising career streaming and playing for 100 Thieves.
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BrookeAB's fame is the result of good old quid pro quo
Sean Drakes/Getty Images
The golden rule of life is to be courteous towards everyone you meet, and if you find someone who makes excellent content or merchandise, send a little love their way. You never know how your help might pay off. BrookeAB's streaming career is proof of this creed.
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When you compare BrookeAB's subscription count to the amount of time she's been streaming, she seems like a literal overnight success. That observation isn't far off from the truth. BrookeAB started streaming in 2018, but she was a small fry back then. But, one fateful day, BrookeAB bought some Corrina Kopf merch and posted an image of it online.
This seemingly insignificant event might be considered definitive proof of the butterfly effect, as Kopf messaged BrookeAB and suggested she play with her on Twitch. Eventually, Kopf asked BrookeAB to join her squad while streaming, and who should be in the squad but Tfue and Symfuhny. Turns out Kopf and Tfue were trying to rope BrookeAB into a blind date with Symfuhny, and they eventually started dating, all according to plan.
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BrookeAB's subsequent fame was a bonus, all thanks to some quid pro quo.
Pokemon Snap was BrookeAB's first game
Nintendo
Everyone has a first video game that started them down the gaming road. For BrookeAB, that was Pokemon Snap.
Shortly after Nintendo unveiled New Pokemon Snap, BrookeAB linked the announcement on her Twitter feed, calling it "the greatest news." When fellow Twitch streamer MyOwnFather chimed in to say the original Pokemon Snap was his favorite game as a kid, BrookeAB one-upped his proclamation by revealing it as the first game she ever played. With her sister, of course, because the only thing better than photographing Pokemon is photographing Pokemon as a family.
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Needless to say, BrookeAB is looking forward to New Pokemon Snap since its predecessor welcomed her into gaming with open arms. Odds are more than good she will celebrate the upcoming game's release with a Pokemon Snap stream. The only question is: Will she play the N64 version or the Nintendo Switch's sequel?
Contrary to popular belief, BrookeAB never worked at a coffee shop
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On May 27, 2019, BrookeAB waved goodbye to her day job so she could pursue a full-time streaming career. Many fans gave her warm wishes and helped support her decision to leave the coffee shop business behind. Except, BrookeAB has never worked in a coffee shop. Ever.
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Despite popular belief, BrookeAB didn't work part-time at a coffee shop to help make ends meet. Even though she claimed to work in a coffee house, it was all a convenient white lie to ensure nobody bothered her at her real job. In reality, BrookeAB held a part-time desk job at a tanning salon. It was standard office work, but she still managed to find time to stream and complete school work.
Some people prefer to keep some aspects of their lives private. BrookeAB weaved a convincing lie that still lives on. Then again, coffee shops are so prevalent in modern society you might be hard pressed to find a streamer who never worked in one, or at least considered working in one.
BrookeAB's first camera was a Kinect webcam
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Today, streaming is easier than ever. Anyone who wants to dive in and either start a streaming career or just share their gaming experiences can pick from lots of streaming software suites. In fact many gaming PCs ship with proprietary streaming software pre-installed so you can hit the ground streaming. However, you could buy the best and most expensive streaming suite on the planet, but without any recording hardware, you essentially bought a NASCAR-level engine without a car to go with it.
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When BrookeAB started streaming, it was just for fun. No desire to go pro, just to play games and post gameplay on the internet. So, she didn't spend a lot of money on her setup, which was downright guerrilla. Her first setup consisted of a Kinect camera, and that's about it. No fancy webcam or boom mike, just Microsoft's failed motion control gaming peripheral. And, she placed the Kinect on a box, sat on her bed, and put her face against the camera.
The setup was ramshackle and unstable, but without this unorthodox recording method, she might not be where she is today.
How BrookeAB stays in shape
Streamers have the dream job many gamers would die for. But, you can't play video games all day long. Well, you can, but doing so can be an express elevator to obesity. Moreover, studies show physical activity improves your gaming capabilities, so it's a good idea to stay active, especially when your job rides on your gaming skills. Lucky for BrookeAB, she's a real outdoorsy type.
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Even though BrookeAB loves to paint, her favorite activities involve hiking and just being outdoors. However, her love of physical activity doesn't end with walking mountain trails. She is a somewhat accomplished golfer. Although, she isn't one to brag about her follow through. BrookeAB only posted a video demonstrating how to properly swing a golf club because Symfuhny tweeted a clip of his lackluster golf swing.
Oh, and did you know that BrookeAB was a cheerleader in high school? It's true. Just thought you should know.
A doxxing threat convinced BrookeAB to take a break
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Like many streamers, BrookeAB loves to keep most of her life private and away from prying eyes. After all, she lied about her job so no one would bug her at work. But, someone eventually discovered a holy grail of BrookeAB's personal information. Her real name, address, phone number, and everything else they could use to make her life a continuous conga line of swattings, harassing calls, and fraudulent pizza orders.
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To make matters worse, anyone with an ounce of research skill could use the unearthed info to discover the names, contact information, and whereabouts of BrookeAB's family members. The only thing worse than harassing a streamer is harassing their parents.
When BrookeAB was faced with this earth-cracking news, she decided to stop streaming until the issue was settled. And, true to her word, she started back up as if nothing happened shortly afterwards. The initial news might have temporarily affected BrookeAB, but she recovered quickly.
BrookeAB's mom helps her out in Animal Crossing
Nintendo
BrookeAB's schedule is booked solid. She plays games like Fortnite and Minecraft, and she also spends a lot of time painting. Occasionally, she tries a different game like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but that's pretty rare. Still, BrookeAB's mom decided to help make some cash in Nintendo's island life simulator because otherwise her daughter might never pay off her debt to Tom Nook.
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Even though the multiplayer in New Horizons is fairly limited, BrookeAB's mother made an Animal Crossing character to help with in-game funds. All she does is fish (and probably gather materials necessary to build new fishing rods since they frequently snap in two), but that's all she needs to do. BrookeAB's mom just fishes for her daughter to make some cash. Why? Because she saw BrookeAB's in-game funds, compared it to the riches of BrookeAB's friends, and decided to partake in the time-worn motherly tradition of monetarily supporting her children.
Thankfully, Nintendo doesn't place microtransactions in its first-party games. Otherwise, BrookeAB's mom might have been tempted to use her credit card to purchase extra Animal Crossing funds.
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BrookeAB's merchandising dreams are slowly coming true
If you're an internet celebrity, then you probably want some merchandising rights. Maybe you want your fans to wear hats and hoodies emblazoned with your logo. Or, perhaps you are waiting for Funko to call you back regarding a proposal for a Funko Pop based on your likeness. Either way, many celebrities want to sell their own lines of merchandise, BrookeAB included, and her dreams for achieving that goal aren't threadbare.
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BrookeAB has stated she wants to diversify her streaming content. She has added painting to her video repertoire, and she also wants to craft clothing and makeup vlogs as well. Those aren't arbitrary decisions since she hopes to have her own line of gamer threads and cosmetics. However, while Victoria's Secret has yet to announce BrookeAB-themed flavored lip gloss, BrookeAB can proudly say her name once graced a burrito bowl.
The Chipotle restaurant chain holds an annual esports competition, and not even the recent pandemic could stop that tradition. This year's competition included prizes such as $25,000 in cash and free burritos for a year, but Chipotle also gave audiences gifts in the form of special meals named after 100 Thieves members. These included the double steak Nadeshot Burrito, the double chicken Jack "Courage" Dunlop Bowl, and a steak BrookeAB Bowl. And yes, BrookeAB's meal featured fewer calories than the other ones because she's all about eating healthy.
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The name's Bond. Ashley Bond
Sony Pictures
Streamers rarely use their real names for a number of reasons, the most important of which is security. Hackers and doxxers only need a tiny piece of information, such as your full name, to uncover everything from your street address to your yearly aspirin expenditures. Moreover, calling your streaming account Tyler Blevins isn't quite as catchy as calling it Ninja.
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BrookeAB decided to meet this common practice halfway and use her first name, Brooke, and then add the letters A and B at the end. But what do those letters stand for? Her favorite letters in the alphabet? All Blonde? The truth would shock even the suavest of spies.
Turns out the best place to hide a secret is in plain sight, as BrookeAB maintained her privacy by using her full name as her streamer name. Yes, the A and B in BrookeAB are actually the last two initials in her full name, specifically Ashley Bond. Obviously, she isn't related to James Bond since he's a fictional character, but that didn't stop one of BrookeAB's friends from asking anyway. Then again, Ian Fleming named his famous fictional spy after a real-life ornithologist of the same name, so maybe the friend's confusion is warranted.
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BrookeAB likes scary media, but is easily frightened
Red Barrels
You wouldn't know it by looking at her, but BrookeAB is a horror junkie. Scary movies, horror games, Halloween — you name it, she probably loves it. Unless it scares her. Then she avoids it while still loving it.
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This epiphany might seem confusing. BrookeAB isn't a horror streamer like Markiplier or Jacksepticeye, but rest assured she loves scary stuff. For example, Evil Dead reigns over BrookeAB's list of favorite horror movies. But, even though she loves horror media, BrookeAB's nerves are easily spooked. She tried to play Outlast but only got as far as the tutorial before the scares got the better of her.
Moreover, BrookeAB doesn't go out of her way to scare herself, especially during Halloween. She is a proponent of the lazy Halloween. If you just want to stay inside and watch scary movies or play scary games, BrookeAB encourages you to do that. If you don't feel like visiting a haunted house, she believes you shouldn't be pressured into attending one. Then again, BrookeAB has never visited a haunted house, either.
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