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TAG WITH @john

POSTED ON Jan 4, 2023 22:43:30 GMT

CIAN MAHER likes this

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John walks up to Rustboro's Gym sweating (on his palms, down his back, on the nape of his neck) but not nervous. Well. Not that nervous. Mostly thanks to a little exercise on the way here -- the real reason for his sweat, as well as the pair of band-aids wrapped around his right, middle finger.

Mostly he's just excited. Resolved. Accepting the offer from Cian to train under him was something that tortured him for weeks and through New Years, but that isn't productive is it? It's not fair to himself he decided, and when that wasn't enough to stop all his fretting he decided it wasn't fair to Cian.

It's only going to make the gym leader's job harder if he walks in tripping over his feet and second guessing everything he does. So he does his best to open the door to the gym with something resembling confidence. Chest out, shoulders back, no flinch when the chime above the door announces his arrival.

He steps on one of his shoelaces, unseen by his eyes lifted a bit too high, and only just barely avoids busting his head on the receptionist's desk by slamming his hands out in front of him and slapping them on the edge of it with enough force to sting.

"John Nelson" he murmurs to the floor without looking up, "My name is John Nelson and I have an appointment with Cian Maher."

The words come out all in a rush as he tries to kill the blush spreading to his ears and ignore the pain in his hands. So maybe there's some level of nerves no amount of will can chase away.

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noodles

triple h

he/him

twenty-seven

september 14th

rustboro

bisexual

rustboro gym leader

champion (hoenn & vct)

688 height

now come together, come apart

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TAG WITH @cian

POSTED ON Jan 5, 2023 11:17:13 GMT

[attr="class","ciannyday"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","icon"]

the receptionist is (rightly so) caught off guard when they hear the counter shakes with a slam!. they peer up at the man, the trainer, and smiles delightfully. they don't even have to answer before cian's poking his head out from around the corner.[break][break]

"john! my man!"[break][break]

the rest of his body follows as he steps around, approaching john to shake his head. or hug, if john would prefer that.[break][break]

"happy new year! how have you been?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","bottom"]john nelson[break]
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[nospaces][newclass="credit"]FREE TO USE! CODED BY MAD, PARTIAL CREDIT TO MILKY FOR CODE REFERENCED AND FONT STYLE <3[/newclass]

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johnny

he/him

thirty-five

august 21st

slateport city

homosexual

office worker

civilian

20 height

everyday i think a little less like how i did when i was younger

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TAG WITH @john

POSTED ON Jan 5, 2023 16:25:22 GMT

[attr="class","samcam"]

The smile from the receptionist is missed as John continues staring holes into the ground between his feet. It's not until Cian's voice calls to him a second later that his eyes shoot up. He straightens up, then, as Cian approaches. Without thinking, he pulls the gym leader into a short but tight hug.

"I've been good! Hope you've been the same," he replies before letting the man go and taking a step back, hands still lingering on Cian's shoulders, "Again, I can't thank you enough for this."

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noodles

triple h

he/him

twenty-seven

september 14th

rustboro

bisexual

rustboro gym leader

champion (hoenn & vct)

688 height

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TAG WITH @cian

POSTED ON Jan 6, 2023 17:39:28 GMT

john nelson likes this

[attr="class","ciannyday"]

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the hug is so easily returned.[break][break]

"i've been good! no complaints."[break][break]

which is funny because just a few days ago bryan delarosa had broken into the gym and attempted to take his life. it sounds scarier than it is, really, as he had walked away from that incident untouched. the hole in the gym's ceiling has been fixed as well.[break][break]

"of course! i'm very excited to get started."[break][break]

a castform floats on over to brush past cian's head. it floats in between the two before offering john a wave (which it does with its entire body).[break][break]

"oh! this is junior. he's going to be helping us today."

[break][break]

[attr="class","bottom"]john nelson[break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-castform"]

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johnny

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thirty-five

august 21st

slateport city

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office worker

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20 height

everyday i think a little less like how i did when i was younger

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TAG WITH @john

POSTED ON Jan 6, 2023 23:58:48 GMT

[attr="class","samcam"]

The little bit of reassurance that Cian is excited to work as John is enough to buoy him through the awkward start to his . . . appointment? session? Maybe just day?

It gets him through the awkward bump is the point. He lets go of Cian's shoulders after a friendly couple of pats, and quickly has his attention captured by the Castform that floats on in. Immediately his face brightens and he extends a hand to pet its actively waving body.

"Junior . . . Is he the one that features in all your challenges?" John asks, smiling, his eyes still on the pokemon in front of him.

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played by

noodles

triple h

he/him

twenty-seven

september 14th

rustboro

bisexual

rustboro gym leader

champion (hoenn & vct)

688 height

now come together, come apart

awards

3,806 posts

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TAG WITH @cian

POSTED ON Jan 7, 2023 9:46:00 GMT

[attr="class","ciannyday"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","icon"]

"that's him! the little celebrity."[break][break]

it surprises him for a moment to hear how john is aware of his challenges but then he remembers their previous encounter and how john proclaimed that he was a fan. it still warms him to know he has fans, of all things.[break][break]

"follow me! it's this way to the arena."[break][break]

turning on his heels, he walks back where he came from, navigating through the hallway before ending up at sliding doors that open to reveal the rustboro weather gym in all its glory.[break][break]

different terrains line the space, each one sized large enough to allow for battles and challenges. he decides it best to take john through each of them, starting with the SANDSTORM terrain.[break][break]

"so! i forgot to ask, but what kinda pokemon do you have?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","bottom"]john nelson[break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-castform"]

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johnny

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TAG WITH @john

POSTED ON Jan 8, 2023 0:30:49 GMT

CIAN MAHER likes this

[attr="class","samcam"]

Every few seconds, John has to remind himself that this is real life. Not just that but that it's the wildest kind of real life it can be. As he walks after Cian he has to actively tell himself he's not on some guided tour, he's not some voyeur sticking his head in after hours, he's here for training. He's here on official business to train with Cian Maher .

Nowhere is that feeling harder to process than once he's in the arena. Even in its dormant state -- no crowd, no crew, no challenger, the lights dimmed to just functional and the terrains more or less inactive -- it feels surreal. It takes him back to other stages. It takes him back to places he never thought he'd stand in again.

It's only through great effort and a healthy dose of internal shaming that he keeps from crying again on the spot.

"Normal types," John answers, blinking rapidly and staring up at the barely shining lights. After a second he looks Cian in the face, eyes only a little watery.

"I specialize broadly in Normal Types."

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noodles

triple h

he/him

twenty-seven

september 14th

rustboro

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rustboro gym leader

champion (hoenn & vct)

688 height

now come together, come apart

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3,806 posts

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part of

TAG WITH @cian

POSTED ON Jan 8, 2023 16:44:31 GMT

[attr="class","ciannyday"]

[attr="class","top"]

[attr="class","icon"]

cian's face lights up at the mention of normal-types. he's always had a soft spot for them, as evident by the castform floating between them.[break][break]

"nice! they're always a good shout. i'm quite fond of my kecleons as well. pesky little pokemon."[break][break]

castform bumps into john playfully once more before drifting back over to cian, landing on his head shaped like a rotund cloud.[break][break]

"i was thinking we could start today with a small battle? just so i can see what level you're at and how best to craft your lesson plan."

[break][break]

[attr="class","bottom"]john nelson[break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-castform"]

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johnny

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thirty-five

august 21st

slateport city

homosexual

office worker

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20 height

everyday i think a little less like how i did when i was younger

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TAG WITH @john

POSTED ON Jan 20, 2023 0:15:31 GMT

[attr="class","samcam"]

Momentary emotions are forgotten in the wake of Cian's reply. The confused expression of repressed tears is replaced by a knowing smile. Kecleon.

"I used to have one, uh . . ." oh gosh what was her name, John finds himself hit with sudden guilt at the thought that he may have forgotten before, with a snap of his fingers, "Grace! She was a little sneak."

He hopes she's happy with that kid he passed her off to.

"A battle?" John replies, eyes fixed on the Castform instead of Cian's face. His heart flutters -- anxiety, anticipation -- but he swallows it down. Remembers the training he's put on even in the small time since the two of them agreed to this. He won't embarrass himself.

"Sounds fun!" he continues, the cheer in his voice only a little forced as he locks eyes with Cian.

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played by

noodles

triple h

he/him

twenty-seven

september 14th

rustboro

bisexual

rustboro gym leader

champion (hoenn & vct)

688 height

now come together, come apart

awards

3,806 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @cian