I want to come up with some new ranks. I like the mystery of it all, but I will tell you that the current ranks are:

Max Fischer Players
A Tenenbaum
Team Zissou
Kite Flying Society
The Gang

So, what ideas do you have for new ranks?

** Do we want to allow older members to have custom ranks?

The first time I read your post a few minutes ago, I thought the list was in order from low to high. I was confused, thinking "Jesus, how many posts do I have to make to move up?" Then I looked around and saw highwaters.

I always thought it would be funny if the rank before "A Tenenbaum" was something like "Wants to be a Tenenbaum." But then, I've always kind of had a problem with "A Tenenbaum" being a rank, because the other ones are groups, and I like consistency, so the rank should be "Tenenbaums" -- yet that just doesn't work as well, for some reason.

What was the old rule for custom ranks? Mods? We could do it so that once a user has hit a certain rank/number of posts, they can get a custom rank. Or we could set a certain cutoff date -- anyone who joined before the date and still posts can get a custom rank. I don't know, really.

I've been trying to think of my custom rank for some time now. I've wanted something related to the Kumar's touch theme. I've got 2 options, so far (though feel free to recommend something, anybody): "In the freezer" or "Man, I blew it" (or "I blew it, man").

I purposely un-ordered them. I like the element of mystery. You (Kumar's Touch) can know/add/edit though because you have access to the admin panel (methinks).

I don't have the conceptual problems you have with "A Tenenbaum." All of the films have groups. TRT centers around the family, as a group. I like the "Wants to be a Tenenbaum" idea.

I have always been around, but my involvement is of recent vintage. So, I don't know about the old rules. I think chelseagirl is the only one with a custom rank.

I like "In the freezer." By the way, I took your lead and fixed by handle.

Well, "In the freezer" it is.

I thought I'd post a list of other ranks we've had in the past, just to gauge everyone's thoughts, especially all the new people.

This was waaaaaay back in the day.

Sudden Death Academic Probation
Grover Cleveland Owl
Chapel Partner
Calligraphy Club
Bee Keeper
Max Fischer Player
Getaway Driver
Fucking Innocent
No Gang!
Lawn Wrangler
Jacked by the IRS
Baumer
Genius*
Used to be a Genius*
Little Banana

*I think that's why I came up with "Wants to be a Tenenbaum." And I thought I was being clever!

I like "Sudden Death Academic Probation" for new users. The way it is right now, new users won't get a rank unless they hang around for a long time, or if they start posting like, um, highwaters used to do. "Jacked by the IRS" is another really good one.

And upon searching for that information, I realized I made a silly mistake recently about the handle "Margaret Yang." That was somebody else, a long long time ago, but I was thinking of Classical Sauce, who had "Margaret Yang" as her custom rank. It's been a while.

The mods used to have a custom rank "Yankee Racers Co-Founder" which I kind of liked.

Highwaters used to be Thread killer. My favorite custom rank though was "Just A Little Girl in Paraguay" (Wait a Second Sally, who hasn't been around in years, sadly), though "Associate Cornelius" is a close second. Duds used to be an Ooh La La Dancer.

Do you remember when we had the community chest on ezboard to get money? Olwiggum used to give away custom ranks to people who donated $5.00. So the old rule was: moderator or money or, in Sauce's case, being his special someone.

EDIT: Sally had proposed a few ranks, and a couple were implemented. These weren't:

Zero Out Here in the Car
Uno Situacion Mi Familia

There were some other suggestions from others as well, but nothing (in my opinion) as good as these.

i agree - i like ranks that can many people could be, as it were - like, 'fucking innocent' or 'chapel partner,' rather than one like 'baumer.' i do, however, love 'zero out here in the car.'

also, i like ranks that, in context, are more or less important.. like chapel partner. also zero out here in the car might seem like nothing special, but bob was actually one of three in the gang. anyway, i'm still trying to come up with my own suggestions - i loove this game!

k, i skipped thru bottle rocket the other day and made a list of rank ideas:

avid about fitness, bullying son of a bitch, a pepper, stocker, dreamer ('the world needs dreamers'), just a mixed up kid, blowing our cover.

also, seeing eli's magazine cover in the top graphic there, how about 'wildcat.' i dont know if i ever understood that line, when he's on mescaline, but i just thought of it

I just noticed that we're lacking on Zissou ones. We only have 'Team Zissou.'

I also just noticed there is no mystery to all of this because you can see all of the ranks on the member list.

I can't recall if this was the name, but how about Explorer's Club (or whatever it was called)? And what was the name of the Zissou fan club Ned joined as a kid?
Hah, yeah. I didn't really see what the big deal of keeping it a secret was, especially since, you know, ranks and numbers of posts appear next to everyone's handle when they post. It wouldn't take long to figure out where the lines are drawn either.

EDIT: Speaking of number of posts: 900! Though I once had more than that. Damn that initial conversion, and damn those pirates.

So, here is where we stand. I don't know about the spacing of these. I also want the 500+ ones to be special, but I have no idea what. Maybe 500+ people should be allowed a custom rank?

- Sudden Death Academic Probation 0
- Zero Out Here in the Car 20
- Chapel Partner 50
- Operation Hennessey 75
- Explorer's Club (club degli esploratori) 100
- Wants to be a Tenenbaum 175
- A Tenenbaum 200
- Jacked by the IRS 250
- Team Zissou 300
- Lawn Wrangler 350
- Just a Mixed Up Kid 400
- Fucking Innocent 450
- Wildcat 475
- Max Fischer Players 500
- Kite Flying Society 600

We could put the custom rank question to a vote, though I don't know if we'd have enough people to vote right now. Perhaps we can come back to this issue later once we've got a lot of regular posters again.

Oh, and I love "Just a Mixed Up Kid."

EDIT: I just sorted the member list by number of posts. Apart from Mods, the only active users with 500 posts are pete and Heinsbergen (formerly D88). Though if Bert, Fritz, and max came back on a regular basis, they'd get to 500 soon too (and I'd give Bert one anyway for his graphics). Raleigh logged in a month ago. He could get one. So 500 is probably a good threshold. I can't see custom ranks getting out of hand with 500.

Just chiming in from Old School Land. We initially started giving custom ranks to moderators and to those who threw some money at the community chest on EZBoard. I was "Thread Killer" back then, because I was the most vociferous mod, and because I often over-thought things and annoyed Racers into silence.

Anyhoo. Carry on.

haha glad you liked mixed up kid.. i went back to look at my list, and they all bring scenes to mind, of course, but i did laugh at, 'he said he loved you'