@jupiter - @invert

yeah, i'm trying to see how i can make that work -- it's likely mike had to go back in and work with parole officers (or something), but i don't see a good way for that to actually put them into contact. maybe sometime down the line they ended up having to serve some community service hours together?

re: mike's alpha mentality: while he's chilled a bit since his straight-up arson days, he definitely doesn't put up with other people's bullshit. i think he generally wants to be jovial and enjoy what's going on, but he knows when he's being messed with and he absolutely doesn't tolerate it. i can definitely see him blowing his temper if cello pokes too much and just throwing a hook, lol.

i'm thinking the best way for cello to learn about avery -- because i am SO GAME with this plan -- is if he and mike end up fairly regular battle partners? if mike loses, he'll especially make it a point of pride to wipe cello's stupid grin off his face (whether he can or not, he'll definitely feel compelled), and he'll keep coming back for rematches. i'm thinking avery might come along for a few fights, and it's probably obvious to literally everyone else that there's some tension there.

i'm particularly enjoying the idea of cello hurting avery in some way (up to invert, of course!), which in turn inspires mike to confront some of his own feelings for his friend. and, you know, try and bash each of cello's teeth out of his skull.
protective mike is one i didn't get to play much last time i had him as a character, and i'd love a chance to get to ham that up.

mike might also go out of his way to catch 'bigger and cooler' water-type pokemon after he realizes his new rival is also a water-specialist. it'd be a good way for him to really commit to the speciality, haha.

@jupiter - @invert

i love where this is going!  a few thoughts:

A complete 180 (or maybe not?) from what we're planning, but I figured I'd throw it out anyway -- I was poking through Cello's plot page and saw that he's interested in building his own crime organization of sorts.  Mike isn't one for big, organized crime, but he HATES rules and any kind of barrier to what he feels like doing.  (Thus the distaste for organized crime...)  He usually ends up on cop's radars, even if he's not out to scam people, so he doesn't have a very good relationship with law enforcement.  I think if Cello played his cards right, he could get Mike to be something of a low-level enforcer?  It would definitely require some manipulation, and I'm not sure quite how you'd get Mike to do something for someone else, but he has a lot of destructive tendencies just waiting to be unleashed.

But, back to the plan:

I think I wrote it so that Mike got out of jail on good behavior, but I'm pretty sure that's flexible and could be changed, if necessary.  I'm okay with him being in for longer, if it doesn't mess up his timeline.  (It's also possible he went back a few times for other offenses, if that would work for you.)  

I'm digging the double battle idea, I think we should definitely do that!  I think one problem with that, though, is that Mike has no clue he likes Avery like that.  He chalks it up to "bros bein bros", but I think once he figures out his feelings are romantic it'll hit him like a truck.  I think maybe an easier bombshell to drop is that Avery is gay and likes him, because I'm not sure Mike has even had that thought cross his mind before.  

Kidnapping sounds fun to me, lol.  I'd love to get Mike so mad that he snaps and winds up trying to basically murder Cello with his bare hands -- especially since he's been trying so hard lately to get his temper under control.  It could also be neat if Cello's manipulations drove him back to arson and other unsavory stuff he's trying to leave behind him.  (I could write essays upon essays about how much I enjoy Mike's protective streak for Avery, but I'll spare you.)

ugh this is rambly af, i'll probably poke you about this on discord later anyway ;D 

Quest

I have a few disjointed thoughts here, pls bear with me :')

I was halfway thinking about getting Mike set up as a firefighter somehow -- I figured that would probably have to be through the rangers, which would be just a master stroke of irony.  Not sure how it'd fit into plots here, but I might as well throw everything out.  

But, yeah, I definitely agree: he bristles against authority figures and especially ones who posture as much as he does.  He doesn't have a flat hatred of rangers, as long as they leave him alone, but if he realizes that the rangers support Killer being taken away from him... that could get kinda messy.  I'd love him and Caden to get into a physical altercation at some point, mostly because Mike gets into a lot of stupid street fight shit, but definitely isn't trained and yeah, Caden would probably hand his ass to him.  (If they wind up making up afterwards, though, Mike would probably ask for training, lol.)

I was trying to think of a way to get them to butt heads that doesn't directly involve Avery, so I'm thinking maybe Mike could do something borderline illegal?  He doesn't respect barriers at all, so maybe he hops a fence somewhere into protected land?  Maybe he has his pokemon out somewhere they shouldn't be?  If Caden was the one to try and tell him off he'd probably scoff and pull a "lol what u gonna do about it".  Recently, he's been working on being a better person, so he'll probably relent after a little while, but that could be a good way to set Mike up to want to fight him.  (Instead of more of a "dude check this out /backflips off bridge" relationship.)

Ooh ooh ooh also, depending on the timeline of shit that happens to Mike, I really want him to relapse re: arson and maybe trespassing, and maybe he could get caught setting some more serious fires?  (Ugh this was a plot I wanted to do back on the old site and it never took off but it was SO JUICY, his charizard was going to beat him up for it, buhhh I miss her ;o;)

Re: Avery, I DEFINITELY want Mike to get fluffed up and possessive later down the line.  Depending on how things play out with Cello and that timeline, I could see him getting really violent.  Especially if Cello has kidnapped or hurt him, seeing some OTHER guy getting touchy-feely would probably catapult him from chill to "i'm going to rip your throat out with my bare hands" in about two seconds flat.

Later down the line I think it'd be cool if they could make up and be bros, but I guess we can see how it plays out. c;

I'd also love Kickstart to get a reality check (and get some goals to set, he definitely wants a rival).  I have kind of an amusing scene in mind where HB eat something super sour, Kickstart tries it and almost dies because he's a weenie, and then is convinced that HB is part robot or smth.  Not sure how that'd be engineered, but it's cute. 

And while I'm on the topic of your pokemon, do you think SB would be interested in monster stories along the lines of the blair witch project?  'Cuz Mike and Avery are working on shooting their own version of something like that.... if she's interested.

OKAY THIS IS LONG, I'M REAL SORRY BUT YES YES YES ABT KILLER

I have absolutely no idea how that would play out, but I'm game for anything.  He's kind of given up on hounding the PPS about her, but if he saw her somehow on Inset, he might go a bit crazy, haha.  If he winds up being a ranger for fire-fighting services, maybe curiosity gets the better of him and he looks her up in the system?  I DON'T KNOW, I'M JUST WAY GAME FOR ANYTHING HERE.  (Mm, especially another member having her, Mike would lose his goddamn mind.)