I'll address Itachi first, since I'll go in a long time about the rating. What Itachi can do is wait the week out until people move on. I'm planning on having my character get held back anyway, so he can join me then. And then he can just be a new recruit and I'll be held back. That way it is not weird and he'll have someone to interact with. And then he'll move on and I'll get failed again probably. I think that would work out nicely, but it is up to him.

As for the rating, I have AIM as you mentioned and if you want me to help I will. As you said it is much easier to debate over a post via AIM than a PM. You can find mine in the profile, so it'll be easy enough to get a hold of me. I'm usually available when you are posting in evening anyway.

Yeah, for 20 sounds good, though if they make 4 great five point posts it will get them in quickly. But I guess if they can do that then they earn the right. And if they do not then, it will take them longer. You still deciding on a number for the vice-captain?

If they do not take part in the RP, then it is decision. But as you said with it already started and going deeper into its story. It will probably be difficult to join at times. If there enough people interested in a RP, you could always make a second one. You don't necessarily have to post in it per say, just monitor it so that nothing bad happens in it. That way people that want to RP can still do so. But we can always just have it where people join the divisions as shinigami out of the academy once we are shinigami ourselves. Until then they can just join the academy and jump up ahead to meet us or follow their own track. They can meet us in the halls and things. I would imagine that as we get more divided in the positions in the academy all we can do is meet outside of classes.

They are still options for people to take. We just have to be there to make it possible for them. That way people do not feel they are not allowed to join. I've joined an RP 100 posts in, and it all worked out fine. So it can work when done correctly.

Are you going to have some sort of negative system in place for people that are say inactive for long periods of time. Like they do not post for two weeks or they do not post for like 20 posts. Both are not necessarily fair. Because there was once when I was the last to post and no one else did for like a week, but I don't know if I would necessarily need to be penalized for that. And then there are days when we post ten times, and people that do not should not just because they were not there for six hours. It would need to be a mesh of the two. But for people that are on extended unexcused or announced absences should be losing points if you are going on a points system from a post system.

If related to the ranking system in the Gotai, I would imagine that they fight for their rankings. If you grow weaker or absent I would imagine that you fall faster than just someone stronger moving through. But that is up to you if you want to do something like that. It would be a little more subjective requiring a number of things to occur. But that is something that you can decide.