>>38259707There are two categories of "friendly" rivals.
>1. The shallow friendly rivals, who are hyperactive and zany, with no real personality or depth lying beyond their zaniness and hyperactivity. >2. The driven and impassioned friendly rivals, who despite their friendliness, maintain a sharp competitive glint in their eyes, and a desire to either succeed alongside of, or surpass you.Barry, Hau, and Tierno/Trevor/Shauna are examples of Category 1 friendly rivals. Cheron, Calem/Serna, and (my favorite, the absolutely based) Wally are examples of Category 2 friendly rivals. I would say that May/Brendon kinda teeters between being a Category 1/Category 2 friendly rival.
Notice that the Category 1 friendly rivals don't really have anything to their characters. They're just a bunch of unhinged spastics who chase you around the region like an overactive child who's gotten loose of their parent in a grocery store. They smile and shout a lot, and that's all there is too them. They're all about moving, but not about *moving forward*.
The Category 2 friendly rivals, in contrast, have drive, and real goals. They are friendly, yes, but you exist more in their peripherals than in their focus, because their own goals are the true focus of their lives. They are friendly because they are not bad people, and because they have no reason to hate you, not because they are psychotically obsessed with you. This is actually one of the things that add great depths to the Category 2 rivals.
That is, they are so focused on their goals, that they can't even spare the energy to hate you. They have enough time to exchange some pleasantries with you, and their battles with you help them to reflect on themselves, but you are not the focus of their lives or their growth. They have their own journies and struggles to attend to, and they see you as a companion in these journies and struggles, rather than as a gathering point for their empty zaniness and hyperactivity.
