<<COMET>>
Frequently Asked Questions:
"How many Members do you have?"
Well, usually around 40-60. We clear out our roster every month
for inactive users (people who vanish without telling us).
"Are you LGBTQAI2S+ friendly?"
Being decent to people shouldn't be a guild feature. ...so, yes.
"What are the requirements for this Free Company?"
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You must have a discord account
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Be active at least 2 hours a month (if not on vacation mode)
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You must be 18 years or older.
General Free Company Rules:
1: Just Don't Be A Dick
We're all grown adults here. You know what's right and what's wrong. Don't take things that aren't yours, treat people with respect. We're not going to baby people, but if you're being an asshole, we're going to let you know.
2: Help Where You Can
It's the Officer's jobs to make sure everything is okay, but people here have kids, and you are not one of theirs. Carry your weight where you're able.
3: Opinions Are Like Assholes
Everybody has one, and from time to time, they all make shit. People will have differing viewpoints on things. Don't 'roid out just because you disagree.
4: Communicate
None of us are gardeners, and we're not paid to pull wallflowers. This company wasn't founded to give you buffs; if you're not hanging out with people, what's the point in being here?
If something's wrong, say something! If you're bothered by something, talk to someone! If you're confused on something...communicate!
Nobody can read your mind.
5: Leave It At The Door
We treat this FC like we treat our own house--good vibes and chillness. Do we get salty sometimes? Yeah. But we keep our salt in the shakers.
You Can Lead A Chocobo To Water...
COMET is a two-way street: While we go above and beyond to ensure that members are taken care of with our Mentor Program, it does require some effort from newly arrived members, too!
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Introduce yourself to people!
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Sign up for Events!
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Join the voice channel!
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Talk in the FC chat!
We can’t make you do anything here, but there’s no point in being in a Free Company if you’re never interacting with your peers! Everybody here has their own thing going on, so please try and be respectful, and understand that you likely won’t be getting a personal red carpet invitation to things. People are always happy to help out, but we expect folks to ask for help and/or put themselves out there.
Being forward with yourself to others is the best way to feel included in everything going on!
The secret word (the actual word) is "onus".
Hope you read this section above and the "New Members" section, it's hella important.
Etiquette In Roleplaying
When roleplaying with other people, it's important to understand that there are unspoken rules that should typically be followed. Overlooking or flat-out ignoring them will typically result in people just...not wanting to hang around you. These mini-rules aren't just applicable here in COMET, but can (and usually are) followed within the Roleplay Community at large.
METAGAMING
When you take out of character information that you the person writing know, and use it in-character to effect the outcome of something, this is considered metagaming. It's typically frowned upon, given that there are instances where there is no plausible or reasonable explanation for a character knowing certain information.
Examples of this include:
Billy tells his IC rival, Bob, after an RP that his character is afraid of spiders. All of a sudden, Bob's character is very aware of Bill's Character's spider fear.
Sue's character isn't in the room when George interrogates a prisoner, but somehow knows in-character everything that was said.
SPOTLIGHTING
Everybody loves their characters! It's what brings them into the world. But if all you're doing is focusing on just your turn in combat, or just your character's development, and all you talk about is your character or yourself, you may have fallen into a habit called "Spotlighting". Another example of spotlighting is making every instance or happening about your character, such as commenting how this is going to be great for their development...even though the focus is on someone else.
Remember, NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU AND YOUR CHARACTER.
HANDWAVING
Not everybody has time to RP out every single little detail, and that's perfectly okay! But ignoring large events, such as gathering rare materials, information, or having an NPC handle a task, is what people call "Handwaving". Sometimes Handwaving can be a useful tool to hurry things along that aren't extremely important, like arriving to a destination, or obtaining an item, but other times they can be used to excuse why a character knows or has something, which is not okay.
MARY-SUEING/GARY-STUING
Every character has flaws. Every single one! There are some things that people just aren't very good at, and that's perfectly okay. Everybody has a weakness, or a skill they're lacking in. The problem arises when a character has very few, next to, or just straight up no issues. This is what's known as a "Mary-Sue" or a "Gary-Stu". Slapping on a tragic backstory, or a minor vice like smoking or drinking doesn't do very much when your character is perfect and flawless and always right in every other instance.
Nobody's track record is that good.
SHOW, DON'T TELL
It's perfectly fine to tell people your character's skills and talents, especially when there's not a lot of opportunity to show them off. What's especially annoying is when this is done over and over and over again, with no actions done to reaffirm this. It's very easy to point to your character's backstory and claim your character did things, but most events aren't about their past--it's about their present. Instead of claiming your character is a badass, do something that reinforces that idea to others instead!