#not necessarily magic or fantastical but he definitely knew more than the player

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

i was aware of mouthwashing through youtube thumbnails of curly so i always assumed the game was just the player character talking to curly (don't) open your eyes-style while doing tasks on the ship

[wickedsrest-rp-archive]

Name: Michelle “Shelley” Barnes Species: Human Occupation: Student Age: 25 Years Old Played By: Ursie Face Claim: Ksenia Solo

“What was its name? Homa─ hemo─ what now? It doesn’t matter. If it has stats, we can kill it!”

Michelle was born right here, in White Crest, to a stay-at-home mother, Dorothy, and Vince ─ a local police officer. Growing up, she didn’t lack a single thing a child would ever want or need, from the love and attention of her parents to various toys and books to fill her room with. Shelley enjoyed the life of an only child, even if her parents were already planning a surprise for their little girl ─ a new sibling to play with. When the twins were born (yes, instead of one sibling, Michelle got two), it wasn’t much of a surprise that all of the attention was directed at the newborns, and suddenly the eldest Barnes child was left in the background. However, it didn’t break the seven-year old’s spirit. In fact, quite the opposite ─ she learned to find different ways to keep herself entertained. 

Books were, most definitely, one of Shelley’s favourite things in the whole world. With enough help in the kindergarten (along with her mother’s efforts at home before the birth of the twins), Tolkien and Lewis became her bedtime storytellers, inviting the girl into their creative and imaginative worlds, which she eagerly visited in her dreams. She was soon introduced to films that accompanied all those stories she already knew by heart. Just a couple more years later, Michelle would find out that those dream worlds she was reading were much closer than she thought. 

Shelley was thirteen years old when a friend at school introduced her to the world of tabletop role-playing games. He explained that his older brother was homebrewing a new campaign for him and a few neighbourhood kids, and he wondered if the girl would be interested in joining them for a session or two. She had finally found her people, Shelley thought to herself, this is where she belonged all along. 

Her visits to the friend’s house became more and more frequent, often resulting in over-night stays that followed an exciting session of yet another Dungeons & Dragons game. On one of those nights, Michelle would be introduced to something that would forever change the way she saw fantasy worlds and creatures… and not necessarily for the bad!

It was just one of those regular sleepover nights, but Michelle was finding it hard to fall asleep. A session they finished about an hour before bedtime was still fresh on the young girl’s mind and she couldn’t stop thinking about all the incredible and fun adventures the party would get up to in this campaign. Wanting to try and calm herself down, at least a little bit, Shelley sneaked out of the room and headed down the stairs for a glass of water ─ usually, it was something she would do every night when at home, and, after all, the parents of her friend were quite friendly by offering her to feel right at home while in their house, so… why not?

A loud screech echoed through the quiet house late in the evening, when Michelle felt a small yet hairy hand wrap around her slim ankle. She barely had time to react when the fae began to pull her down the last few steps and towards the partially opened cupboard under the stairs. Thankfully, the adults in the house weren’t ready to go to bed just yet and protect the teenager from an injury caused by the fenodyree. Despite still being in a state of shock, Michelle couldn’t help her curiosity get the best of her at that moment as a smile on her face was brighter than it’s ever been. The fantasy world she’s been dreaming about almost every other night was right there, at her fingertips… or, in this case, right at her feet. 

In the next couple of days, Michelle’s enthusiasm and the constant avalanche of questions finally caused her saviours to break and open up to at least a few of the inquiries Shelley had about what had happened only a few nights ago. She had learned that her best friend’s parents were hunters… or, in their words, wardens. That alone explained their quick reaction to a distressful situation and their ability to pass as a couple of regular run-o-the-mill humans in the town Shelley thought she knew like the back of her hand. While most of the information they gave the young girl was severely watered down in order to protect her from the more dangerous side of the supernatural world, it certainly didn’t stop Michelle from beginning all the possible research she could ever think of to figure out what was real and what wasn’t. 

Through the years, all of her friends were absolutely enthralled by Michelle’s creativity not only when it came to making her own characters, but building the fantasy world of her own. The Monster Manual was thrown out the window as she introduced various beasts and fae creatures into the setting of her own campaigns that made the players feel as if they were a part of this magical and fantastical world right there at the table. Little did they know, Shelley would chuckle to herself. Little did they know.

The girl’s creativity and vast imagination eventually encouraged her to pursue theatre studies at the University of Maine White Crest, where she, once again, found her spirit and her place at the head of the table behind a Dungeon Master’s screen. Barely into her freshman year, Shelley had already gathered a group of enthusiastic people and formed her very own Dungeons & Dragons after-school group. What started as a way to pass the time among her fellow students, eventually turned into a town-wide phenomenon, where everyone was met with open arms and bright smiles, offering a chance to escape the already not-so-mundane everyday life and try not to think about the darker side of things happening in White Crest. After all, monsters were creeping not only in tabletop games… and Michelle Barnes knew about it all first hand.

Character Facts: 

Personality: Chatty, imaginative, geeky, impulsive, outgoing, curious, unfiltered.

Shelley is a nerd of the highest degree, and Dungeons & Dragons isn’t the only game she is obsessed about. She would talk your ears off about everything, from Deadlands to Starfinder, but her love for D&D will never be overshadowed by anything else.

Michelle studies theatre here at the UMWC, but the girl’s one true calling is voice-acting. She is hoping to be able to pursue that in the future, as well as continue her hobby of tabletop games on the side.

Leaving White Crest isn’t an option for her… not at all. Sure, other towns might be less dangerous, but what’s the fun in that? She gets to live her dream of being in a real-life D&D campaign, and nobody said that rolling for initiative was easy.

She is unapologetically human… and proud! In the world full of supernatural beings, fae, and undead, she doesn’t see herself as a liability. In fact, she’s open to anyone seeking help on how to pass ‘human’ ─ and she would do it pro bono, too. All she needs is just a moment of your time for a whole bunch of questions she has for you, first.

[spine-buster]

Chapter 19 - The Beginning and the End of Everything (Finn Balor)

A/N: I wrote the last scene while eating the last of a tub of ice cream, so you know…sorry if it sucks.

@wrestlewriting @thegenericluchadora @thewriterformerlytaggedas​ @fan-fiction-galore @anerdysouthernbelle @spot-of-bother @amaranthine-reign @baleesi @flnnbalor @smuppies @sarahmatthews7 @daintymissdevitt @newjapan @corey-renee @running-ropes @balorsomega @karleedaniels27 @kazuchika @ileana0300 @alexahood21 @imnobodiesbitch @fembxt @heelturn-timesten @kaitlynwwefan @50shadesofadamcolebaybay @50shadesofkennyomega @chasingeverybreakingwave @thyestean-feast @thecandicej @devittsbalor @sp00kylesley @danahart @sietefinns @kaydee-kayyyy @powerbombshell @swedish-strong-style @blondekel77 @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @nickysmum1909 @houndofjustice-imagines @wwesmutdonedirtcheap @wweximaginesxd @indywrestlinglover-life @mandi512 @kakakatey @ourscratcheddreams @sleeplessandcynical

“It’s going to be fun, I promise,” Fergal assured Gemma as he held her hand outside of the Performance Centre, both of them looking up at the giant WWE logo.  Like she had been outside of the skating ring a few weeks ago, she was nervous to step foot inside.  She knew she had told Fergal she wanted to see him back in the ring, but now, when faced with that reality, she was nervous.  Not so much for him, and not so much about everybody she was going to meet – it was for herself.  She didn’t want to cause any undue attention to him; she didn’t want to cause any embarrassment.  What embarrassment she would cause, she had no idea, but she knew it was a possibility.  It always was with her.

She squeezed his hand and looked over at him.  “I’m really excited to see you in the ring,” she said, completely sincere about it, too, despite her nerves.  

“I’m excited for you to see me,” Fergal said.  “Have you ever seen wrestling live before?”

“Never.”

“It’s a treat,” he smiled.  “I mean, this isn’t a live show or anything, but what goes on in this place is magic.”

Gemma couldn’t help but smile at his giddiness.  “Well, let’s not waste any more time, then.”

“C’mere,” he mumbled, pulling her closer to him and kissing her quickly.  Now that everything was ‘official’ he felt much more comfortable kissing her in random places and not just in the privacy of their homes.  It felt good to kiss her whenever and wherever he wanted.  “If you need a minute to yourself while you’re in there, just let me know, okay?  There’s a lounge you can go to, or even one of the medical rooms.”

“I think I’ll be okay,” she assured him.  “Just do me a favour and don’t worry about me while you’re in there.  Focus on what you need to be doing.  I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.”

He kissed her again quickly.  “Let’s go.”

Gemma had never been in the Performance Centre before, but from Fergal talking about it all the time (and, to a much lesser extent, Mandy and the other girls from Chas’s birthday) she felt like she already knew where everything was.  When he led her to the ring area, people training surrounded her.  Many of them stopped whatever they were doing and waved hello to Fergal, who waved back and joked with them to get back to work.  

Soon, a giant, burly man approached them, hugging Fergal tightly and patting him on the back a few times.  They exchanged a few quick words before Fergal turned back towards Gemma.  “Matt, this is Gemma Fitzgerald,” he introduced them.  “Gemma, this is Matt Bloom.  He’s one of the head trainers here, and he took me under his wing when I first got to Japan.”

Matt and Gemma exchanged a polite handshake and some pleasantries.  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Gemma,” Matt said politely.  “I’ve heard a lot about you from Fergal and Rami.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“Only the best things,” he smiled.

“I hope it’s okay that I’m here,” Gemma said.  “Fergal talked about his return to the ring and I really wanted to be able to see it…I haven’t seen him wrestle live before, and I’m sure seeing it in person isn’t the same as watching it on YouTube.”

“It’s perfectly fine that you’re here.  You’re in for a treat,” he looked towards Fergal.  “Why don’t you go put your stuff on, and meet us in ring seven.”

Fergal looked towards Gemma, who was already smiling at him.  “You good?” he asked.

“She’ll be safe with me,” Matt winked.  “We’re gonna talk about you, though, just so you know.”

Fergal snorted.  “Everything he says is a lie.  Don’t listen to a word he says.”

“I don’t know,” Gemma shrugged her shoulders playfully.  “I don’t think Matt has a lying bone in his body.”

“This girl get it,” Matt pointed at her, chuckling before slapping Fergal lightly on the shoulder.  Fergal, shaking his head, turned around and made his way towards the back where he would change.  Matt, in contrast, began to lead Gemma throughout the rings, stopping every so often to comment on someone’s work.  He seemed like a pretty popular and knowledgeable trainer, and everyone he interacted with listened intently to what he had to say.  Gemma never doubted his effectiveness – it was just nice to see, early on, how successful he really was at his role.   

“You’re the athlete that had to retire,” Matt mentioned casually as they finally arrived at ring seven.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“I’m very sorry that happened to you,” he said, and Gemma could feel the sincerity in his voice.  “Ferg mentioned you one day and I happened to look you up.  You are fantastic.  I mean I’m not the biggest fan of hockey but what I was able to see was spectacular.”

Gemma couldn’t help but blush.  The thought of this giant man sitting down in front of a computer, typing in her name, and watching her hockey videos made her feel warm inside.  “Thanks.  That means a lot.”

“What are the plans now?”

“Uhhh…I’m not completely sure yet,” Gemma admitted.  “I’m currently writing an article for Sports Illustrated about being a half-Arab female hockey player, but other than that there isn’t much, besides rehab.  I think after rehab everything will become a bit clearer.”

“When will that be?”

“August.  I’m there for a full year.  My new goal is to not have to need extra time.”

“Well, considering the extent of your injury, that would be miraculous,” Matt commented, looking impressed.  She was astonished that he knew about it – he must have read about it when he looked her up.  That he even remembered surprised her to the fullest.  “You look like you’re already there, anyway – or at least have just a little bit left to go.”

She smiled slightly.  She was happy her progress was visible to others.  “I kind of am, but I want to be able to get back on to the ice.  Not competitively, of course, but enough so that I can skate with my future children and not be in pain or anything.  Hockey…is still very important to me.”

“Well of course it is,” Matt said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  “It’s been a huge part of your life for a long time.  I don’t think it will ever not be a big part of your life.  It’s like wrestling.  A lot of wrestlers, you know, they retire from in-ring work, but they really just assume another role within wrestling.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Oh sweetie,” Matt chuckled.  “Practically every trainer at this facility is a former pro-wrestler.  Most of our producers and road agents are former wrestlers.  The guys who run the wrestling schools, independent of this one, are former wrestlers,” he explained.  “There’s nobody who knows the ins and outs of the wrestling business better than a former wrestler.  Even me!  I’m a 20 year vet, retired, but here I am training the next generation.”

Gemma nodded her head at his words.  The situation he was explaining was, of course, similar with hockey.  Many former hockey players ended up becoming agents, broadcasters, coaches, or went into the head offices for managerial jobs.  The hockey industry protected their own.  But that was NHL, aka the big leagues, aka male hockey players.  The comfortable futures weren’t necessarily the same for women.  That’s what she needed to worry about.  

Before she got caught too much in her thoughts, she tried to keep on the subject at hand.  “What do you think Ferg’s gonna do when he retires?”

“That’s up to him,” he said diplomatically.  “Maybe he’ll retire on the beaches of Bray.  Maybe he’ll retire when he’s 75.  He’s always done what he wants to do, on his terms.  I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon.”

“What’s not gonna change anytime soon?” Fergal’s Irish accent interrupted the two.

They both spun around to see him dressed to go through drills.  Matt decided to answer the question.  “Whether or not you’ll ever have more than a hundred carbs a day.  Now get into the ring.”

Gemma sat on the sidelines in complete awe as she watched Fergal move fluidly throughout the ring.  He was right – it was a sort of magic that she didn’t quite understand until she saw it in person.  Matt was instructing Fergal on which moves to work through and asking a bunch of questions, but she could tell he was confident in what Fergal was doing.

“He’s definitely been coming here without me,” Gemma said to no one in particular.  

“Hmm?” Matt asked, hearing her.

“Ferg…he’s been back in the ring a while, hasn’t he?  That’s why he’s already so good?”

Matt chuckled to himself.  “No sweetie, he’s just that good.”

Fergal and Gemma had gone to lunch with Matt after he had finished his training session, and Gemma heard a bunch of stories about Fergal’s shenanigans in Japan, from when he arrived at 24 years old to just a few years ago when he decided to leave for the WWE.  When Fergal missed a bullet train and nearly missed one of first shows; when Fergal got food poisoning at a sponsor dinner but had to pretend nothing was wrong as to not offend the sponsor; when Fergal got so piss drunk one night Matt had to carry him back to his place bridal style.  It was a life well lived.  Fergal had done so much throughout his life and had gone through so many different experiences.  He had done in ten years what most people failed to do their entire lives.  All before her.  

Gemma thought about this as they kissed each other.  Fergal’s need to have his lips on Gemma’s at all times hadn’t stopped since the first time they kissed, save for the week they didn’t speak.  Now, lying on his bed with Gemma on top of him, she couldn’t keep her mind off of the stories Matt had told her at lunch, and how Fergal had experienced so much.

He seemed to know that something was on her mind because instead of increasing his pace and severity of the kisses, he was slowing down.  He bit at her lip playfully, causing her to smile.  “You alright?”

Gemma nodded her head, sliding across his body so she was lying by his side.  “You’re always kissing me, Fergal Devitt.”

He smiled.  “You’re my girlfriend now.  I can kiss you whenever I want.”

“You think you’ll ever stop?”

“No,” he deadpanned, leaning forward slightly to kiss her while she giggled.  When he pulled away, she was biting her lip, just staring at him.  “What’s on your mind, love?”

She brought her hand up and dragged her thumb along his bottom lip.  “Do you ever think about how there’s ten years between us?” she asked softly.  

Fergal wondered where she was coming from with the question.  “Not really, to be honest…”

“I don’t mean it like…whatever…” she shook her head quickly.  “I just mean, like…at lunch today, all those stories Matt was sharing.  You…you lived this entire life before you even met me, and it was so amazing.  You did all these amazing things and went to all these amazing places, and everything just sounded so cool.  And you were having the time of your life…”

“And…?”

“And now you’re here with me in a bed in Orlando --”

“Having the time of my life,” he interrupted.

Gemma couldn’t help but give him a facetious disapproving look.  “I just…sometimes I think it’s funny how life works out, you know?  You accomplished so much in those ten years.  I accomplished so much in those ten years, too.  You won all these titles, you got signed to WWE…I made national teams and I won a gold medal.  It’s all so…amazing.  I mean, the timeline of it is just insane to me.  We didn’t even know each other a year ago and now we kiss each other’s faces off every moment of the day.”

“It’s meant to be,” Fergal said, knowing that’s what Gemma wanted to hear.  Not that he didn’t believe it himself – he did completely.  There was a reason Gemma came into his life.  But he knew she wanted to hear those words.  He knew she wanted to hear their meeting and their relationship was some sort of divine intervention; something that would have happened in any world, in every universe, regardless of circumstance.  

He could see a smile growing on her face.  With a reaction like that, how could he think any different?  “You really think so?”

“I know so.  This is something special, don’t you think?”

He could see her cheeks flush red.  She only nodded her head, too happy to hear those words coming from his mouth.  She leaned forward to kiss him again, not wanting to speak anymore.  She had talked enough.  There were more important things to do now.  

She could tell Finn was eager by the way he kissed her, and by the way his hands slipped under her top in record time.  Her hands moved just as quickly, running themselves through his hair and gripping at the nape of his neck.  The higher his hands traveled, the higher her shirt lifted; soon, it was above her head, Fergal throwing it across the room.  

Gemma had exposed her body to Fergal before – at Cocoa Beach, and in Iceland, naturally – but this was so much more intimate, more sensual.  His touch gave her goosebumps and made her hairs stand on end.  His hands were wandering everywhere, feeling every inch of her, and when they came around to her front, her breath hitched in her throat.  

She had changed.  She knew she had changed, and she knew he knew she had changed.  Her body wasn’t the same as it was a year ago, six months ago, three months ago.  It had changed from what she was used to, from what her body was when she was an athlete.  At the end of the day, though, she was still getting used to the change.  But it was still her body.  At the end of the day, she still owned her body.  Nobody could take it – or its capabilities – away from her. At the end of the day, she was still in a bed with Fergal feeling her up.  

“Don’t be nervous,” he breathed out quickly, biting down on her bottom lip.  “You’re fucking beautiful Gemma.  Don’t think you’re not.”

A lot more touching, a lot more kissing.  Some unhooking, more pulling, one more article of clothing thrown across the room.  Quick kisses, long kisses; wet kisses, little bites; fingertips grazing, nails scratching.  Gemma didn’t think she’d ever been so turned on in her life.

Fergal had switched their positions, pinning Gemma under him as he kissed down her body, just as he had done on the couch weeks ago.  She felt ready to explode but he kept licking and kissing a path lower.

She grabbed at his hair to get his attention.  “No,” she said, shaking her head slightly.  

“What?” he asked, stunned she wouldn’t want him to go down on her.

“I need…I just need you inside me right now,” she panted.  She didn’t exactly want to go into the reasons why she didn’t want him to do that yet.  “I need to feel you.”

He smiled mischievously at her.  “Next time?”

“Next time.  I need to feel you, Ferg.”

Well, her wish was his command.  He came back up and kissed the tip of her nose.  “Lay on your side for me,” he said, doing so himself.  She did as she was told.  “Now give me your leg.”

She hesitated at first.  Her knee brace, albeit a small one, was still on, and she wanted to move as slow as possible just in case she got a jolt of pain again.  They looked each other directly in the eyes as she hooked her leg over his, feeling his hardened member against her thigh.  

He entered her slowly, considerately, allowing her to adjust to his size, knowing this hadn’t happened for her in a while.  To be fair, it hadn’t happened for him in a while either, and he was in a state of euphoria knowing that it was Gemma in his arms, Gemma that was looking him in the eye, Gemma whose body was moving so in sync with his.  He had wanted this for so long, had dreamt of this for so long.  He couldn’t take his eyes off her.  Despite their movements, and their panting, and the pleasure they were both feeling being tangled in each other’s bodies, they didn’t take their eyes off one another.  It was unlike any other intimate moment they had experienced before.  

His hand, which had been caressing her leg, slipped in between them to tease her.  At his touch he knew she wouldn’t last much longer.  As her pants became louder, her moans irregular, and her eyes closed slowly, he increased his speed, allowing her to go over the edge and scream out in ecstasy before he did the same.   

As she came down from her high, Gemma had a satisfied smile on her face.  When she finally looked Fergal in the eye again she leaned forward and kissed him.  Still inside her, and coming down from his own high, he tightened his grip on her; he wanted their bodies closer, though they were already flush against each other.  

When they pulled away from the kiss, Gemma licked her lips.  “I’ve waited so long for someone like you,” her voice was barely above a whisper.  “I’ve waited so long for you.”

“I’ve waited so long for you too,” he said, meaning it completely.  

“I’m sorry I took so long.”

Fergal cradled her face in his hand.  “We are both here now.  That’s all that matters.”