hello! myself & the rest of the staff are real happy that there seems to be some interest in our idea :sob: a couple of you have even messaged us on discord to let us know that you’re keeping an eye on the site! ty!!! in response, we’ve decided to start giving periodic updates on the site’s development

here’s some info. on how the less economically fortunate students might fit into the site:

• St. Bickford’s International Collegiate (the city academy) boasts exorbitant tuition rates which effectively bar entry to all but the wealthiest of students. however, they do have a full-ride scholarship program. scholarship students are expected to maintain high academic standing lest they face removal from the program (&, effectively, the school). additionally, only a select number of scholarship students can be enrolled at St. Bickford’s at any given time
• at Kubomi Gakuen (the mountain academy), the students are split into two academic streams: the regular stream & the advanced stream. as Kubomi has a demanding curriculum, the advanced stream tends to be made up of the wealthier students who have access to the resources which allow them to thrive. however, students who would typically be in the regular stream but have otherwise distinguished themselves as capable in either academics, sports, or the arts may have their applications to the advanced stream mysteriously approved by administration
• items will be offered in our site's store which allow players to play either a “BICKFORD SCHOLAR” or a “KUBOMI SCHOLAR.” additional requirements include those students placing within the top 50 on the Honours List during the site’s examination periods. (note: a Kubomi student who loses their scholarly distinction will only be moved back to the regular stream instead of being expelled)
• both schools run regular intercollegiate sports & arts competitions toward the end of the school year. these competitions both determine the fates of sports/arts scholars & are a deciding factor, along with the examinations, in which students are selected for the exchange program

the idea behind making a scholarship student a distinction you pay for is an effort on our part to manifest some of our site’s themes in its systems—it’s not easy to penetrate the world of the wealthy, & it’s even harder to keep your place once you have. the institutions that be do not have much regard for little people. what have they to offer? perhaps you can answer that question

so let us know what you think! maybe you think the scholarship program is a horrible idea :flushed: tell us… we can take it

as always, feel free to ask questions — it helps us flesh out the lore & make the site the best it can be. keep checking the thread for updates!! i wish i could show you the skin mock-ups because im fr gonna act up about them

when your fans harass you :heart_eyes:

in all legitness, it is actually time for another update. let’s talk about the examination process

• first, a disclaimer: the creators of FIRE✽FLOWER are not Japanese & we understand that we are in no position to act as an authority on Japan & the multifacetedness of Japanese life. our site’s conception is driven by our appreciation for stories as they are depicted in anime, manga, & light novels, & our desire to emulate & create new stories in their most authentic, Japanese context
• a more thorough disclaimer will feature on the site proper, but the tl;dr is that while we inevitably will get things wrong, we will always & continuously strive for accuracy & respect
• ANYWAY,
• Japanese high schools typically feature a mid-year & then a final examination. for simplicity’s sake, the mid-year exams will not be facilitated by the site’s systems. members can decide for themselves how their characters fare
• the final examinations will be an ooc event which takes place over the ic month of January (with January marking the beginning of the third & final term of the school year). at the outset, members will be presented with a list of prompts which can be fulfilled in threads for points. these prompts will all be related to studying for the exams, & range from your standard “late-night study session” & “tutor a friend” prompts to the zanier “get into an argument with a friend b/c you’re so stressed from studying” & “fall sleep in an inconvenient location b/c you’re so tired from studying” prompts
• different prompts will be worth different amounts of points. we’re throwing a bone to those who are Ben_Affleck_smoking.jpg about activity-based events — if you’re not a fast threader, you can still place well if you do a few big prompts over several little prompts
• you can fulfill multiple prompts within a single thread. however, threads must be completed before they can be submitted for points. in addition, points can only be awarded to the characters involved in the threads
• the number of points a character earns determines where they will place on the Honours List. it may be that 10 points are required in order for your character to place within the Top 200, 15 to place within the Top 100, & 20 to place within the Top 50. (these are not the actual point requirements)
• we understand that the Top Student™ is a distinction of some clout, & that, at the very least, they are the student who gives the student address during the entrance ceremony. we also understand that it would be impossible to fairly judge who deserves this distinction over the rest. our solution: if your character has fulfilled the point requirement for placing within the Top 50, members have the option to buy for that character the “TOP STUDENT” item from the site store
• the “TOP STUDENT” item randomly determines the top rankings on the Honours List among all characters for whom the item has been bought. if four students end up having the “TOP STUDENT” item, rankings 1 through 4 will be randomly determined among those four students. yes: this means that if only one “TOP STUDENT” item is bought, that student for whom it was bought will become the top student of that year
• this system also determines results for individual sports competitions & some arts competitions. it is a little different for team-based sports & other arts competitions (all of which do not occur at the same time as exams), but this update is already getting a little long so I am ending it here

while reading did you think “Jesus fuck that is a horrible idea”? understandable! please flame us in the comments. we take criticism very seriously. otherwise—progress is going very steadily, to the point that I will likely reveal our tentative opening date in the next update! but maybe I won’t. I’m a Gemini you can’t hold me accountable to anything I’m capricious as hell

I leave you w/ the Cardcaptor Sakura’s GROOVY! major Shibukyo vibes