Well, I have Fusioner at 10 and am ready to start a "Fusionette" SG to get the "'Nettes" our of the full Riot. However, it was stated
to me that as the "'Nettes" are a shared meme, it really should be up to everyone with a 'Nette what to call the SG. Thus far we have the
following suggestions:

The Fusion Corps

Nuclear 90 - Already taken

Fusion Force - Removed, already taken

Crisis of Infinite Fusionettes

Fusion Unlimited

Unlimited Fusion

Total Fusion

If you like one of these or have another suggestion, reply here. I'll make a decision in a week or so.

We're overdue on our rent...

Oh, and Kawaiiko-chan has earned the first three beacons for the teleport bay...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

I just love running into people who don't know how to take a bloodthirsty little dominator who's always so chipper and cheery and oh-so-sunshiny-bright
all the time. I especially love the people who can't quite figure out if I'm roleplaying or I really am that
way.

Yes, I had a fun evening tonight with her, how can you tell?
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090324.html]Todays Astronomy Picture of the Day

(Please don't tell me I'm the only one who though this.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

http://www.dorktower.com/2009/03/24/dor ... e-or-less/]Today's Dork Tower, Moore or less. Explains much... and hints at worse to come.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

I considered making a joke in the thread title, but frankly my brain's fried right now.
As the title indicates, Riot 6.1 is - at the time of writing - full. Unable to invite. Packed solid. I had to remove one of my own characters to invite one of Dren's.
Right, so what to do? Well, as we had to do for the Legendary, I suggest folks exercise some self-control. If there's a lowbie character you're not actively playing...think about taking 'em out. Currently I've got two in Riot 6.1, that's it. I don't begrudge people who have a higher footprint. Certainly not - I love my alts too. But if you're not really playing them, it's probably a good idea to free up space for other people.
Then there's also the possibility of branching to other SGs. Ran and Baseload have founded the Virtue League, a four-colour Avengers and Justice League style group. My two cape-and-tights characters have moved there. I'd like to propose also thinking about forming a separate SG for the Sabres. DarkSeraphim suggested possibly the Fusionettes as well, but I'm hesitant to really back too much branching for fear of overstretch.
Thoughts, suggestions?
-- Acyl

"Oh look! The smoke grenades fit perfectly in the cup holders!"

I was going through some of the older posts in this area over the weekend, and I came across a combined teaser/audience participation bit that I posted for the Harry Potter Step just before that hacker whacked so much of ezBoard.  It got a lot of responses, but they were all blanked, and judging from my notes, before I'd been able to get from them what I'd hoped for.  So, let's try it again...

(The author of this little breakdown/analysis/review apologizes for both the length and the large amounts of tropespeak involved in this. TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life.)

There're a lot of reasons one can watch an anime series these days. Because it's popular. Because it's got a reputation of being So Bad It's
Good. Because there's one scene you want context on after hearing about it so many times. Because of passing references.

In my case, aside from good reviews from others(Valles, Sweno, and Dren, specifically, I think), there was the question of the fandom reaction. TV Tropes has
some of the most amusingly accurate breakdowns of certain show aspects, but when it's bipolar over whether a character is loved or hated, you know the
fandom's divided on the point. In this case, it's one Ensemble Darkhorse: Shizuru Fujino.

Research into the subject on Wikipedia convinced me that I needed firsthand experience with this series to make an accurate judgment of whether or not Ms.
Student Council President deserved the accusations of "Karma Houdini" that had been leveled at her.

However, Shizuru really isn't a main character. I dare say that until she comes sharply into focus near the end of the series, she's firmly in the
C-tier, with even Haruka being more relevant to the overall plot. And so I certainly couldn't watch the show JUST for her. Which led me into other
accusations and generalizations that came along the way. The following is really just my breakdown of the points as they occurred to me.

1. Wait, what genre are we in again?

Mai-Hime admittedly indulges in a bit of MPD as regards its tone. Episodes can be as silly as a demonic panty thief, or as deadly serious as the occupation of
the school by a private army, with the principal members of the cast hunted and on the run. It goes from casual to hilarious to deadly serious to tragic and
back again, and if it were to be compared to a road, I think the average passenger would feel well in their rights to sue the roadbuilders for physical trauma
involved by all the mood whiplash.

Early on in the series, however, they succeeded in making me care about these characters fairly well, so I stuck around for them in the early episodes when the
plot was lurking beneath the waves, and stuck around afterwards to see how they'd get out of the plot alive. However, someone expecting a straight drama,
straight comedy, straight magical girl show for that matter is going to be disappointed. I liked the combination, but
others might not.

2. So...many....CHARACTERS....need....cast list....

One thing that's been levied at more recent, and just as popular, magical girl show Nanoha is the enormous cast inflation that Nanoha's undergone since
the second season, especially leading into StrikerS. By contrast, Mai-Hime has it from day one, even if not all of the characters are initially clarified.
Also, if you remember who Aoi and Chie are, good on you. If you remember the names(yes, they had them) of the schoolkids that only appeared in the first couple
eps trying to get Mai to go to karaoke, you're even more OCD than I am.

Personally, I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the cast, if only because you could really break them down into their relationships to the principal
cast. Aoi and Chie were Mai's "mundane" friends, while Takeda was Natsuki's unwanted romantic pursuer and Tate's former kendo club
leader. Oh, and that Reito guy. Yeah, don't mind him. I'm sure he won't ammount to anything. ;P However, it's really not that big a cast when
one breaks it down, though I do love the one shot cameo of a young Arika in the last five seconds of the series, pre-saging her ascendancy to A-list casthood
in Mai-Otome.

3. Congratulations, you've learned to work as a team. Now go kill each other.

This is perhaps one of the bigger gaffes, in many people's eyes, of the series. After coming together to fight the Sears Foundation off, and Midori's
wonderful attempt at friendship and bonding over karaoke(I love that episode so much), everyone immediately becomes professional paranoids when Nagi, who's
about as trustworthy as a puddy tat asking to be put in the canary's cage, tells them they have to start offing each other for the sake of the Hime
Festival. And even if his threat that the Hime Star will destroy the world is correct(and Midori has evidence that its increasing proximity is affecting the
world), just two episodes ago, Mai took out a frigging KillSat without any collateral damage at all. So why should they believe him at all? Especially when, in
the climax of the series, they destroy the Hime Star in just that way?

This is one of those context-sensitive bits and where I think the series stumbles a bit. The logic of stopping the Hime Star directly at that point in the
series is, admittedly, somewhat noticeable, but at the same time, there are reasons not to. For one thing, given that
the destruction of the Hime Star depowers the girls, it'd be a little suicidal to ask Mai to, y'know, destroy the thing outside the atmosphere. The
problem is that such a consideration is never mentioned on screen, even though Midori's research probably gives the perfect excuse for someone to realize
this and point out why that plan wouldn't have worked at that time. As to the Hime immediately believing
Nagi's words that killing each other is worthwhile, well, that's for another bullet point.

4. The Mai-Hime War Guilt Trials

Ah, the big one. The finale of the series has a good many characters getting off scot free despite some truly horrific actions. While Shizuru is the most
notable, others include Sister Yukariko, Professor Ishigami, Nagi, and to a lesser degree, Nao. However, the series is good about giving mitigating
circumstances for the most part, even if it's a bit slanted. Never let it be said that Mai-Hime is the most ringing endorsement for the inherent goodness
of the male gender...

Shizuru's crimes are the most self-evident, but also the most forgiveable, from a certain point of view. After she snaps and kills Haruka by defeating
Diana, Shizuru is very clearly not in her right mind. Her expression, the subtle eye-muscle twitches, and the way she's still walking around in that same
kimono even after it's been torn to rags as if she hasn't even noticed what's happened to her body all seem to confirm it. Also, the fact that
Shizuru's character was directly linked to the legend of Kiyohime means her unfortunate snap into Psycho Lesbian territory was pretty much pre-ordained the
moment we found out her CHILD's name.

As to her immediate fall, it shows a peculiar example of Japanese mannerisms and standards that makes it ring a little hollow to Westerners.

First and least severe, of course, is the fact that immediately following Natsuki being crushed psychologically and injured pretty badly, Shizuru abandons her
role as Student Council President to see only to Natsuki. To Japanese, the desertion of one's duty is a significant strike. That she didn't inform
Haruka she was now in charge(or perhaps trusted Reito to take care of it while she was away) seems a very minor slight in our eyes. After all, her dearest
friend ever(and I have no illusions that they were publically just that, regardless of Shizuru's secret attraction) was horribly hurt both physically and
psychologically, and looking after her seems a bit more important than a Student Council position, even if the Fuka Student Council is significantly more
powerful than most. But to the Japanese, Duty is Duty, and Shizuru strikes out hard here.

Second is, of course, Shizuru's self-described "wicked love", which Haruka violently describes as "disgusting" and sees as an
embarassment to one of Shizuru's stature to have such feelings. The Japanese are odd in this way. At the same time, they're less uptight about
experimentation, while simultaneously, they strictly delineate when it is proper to have such feelings. Quoted directly from TV Tropes:

Quote: The Japanese believe that young girls are expected to have friendships with each other that emulate boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. This is considered
safer and temporary, and is known as "class S" (pronounced exactly that
way). This is similar to the Western concept of bi-curious teenagers, though the latter is rather played to demonstrate open-mindedness. The given
cultural explanation is that they can then graduate from these friendships to real relationships with boys, now that they have the confidence and experience.
To remain in a "Class S" relationship is seen as a sign of immaturity.

Quote: Nao's an interesting study. She isn't necessarily friendly, but that doesn't make her a bad person. The theme surrounding her is that of someone
living for herself, and it makes for a good plot device.

... but you can still watch and enjoy http://www.aintitcool.com/node/40518]Maurice "The Brain" LaMarche's instructional video.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.