Forum

So you've decided to sign up for the Everwatch, but you have questions. Will the process be long and painful? Am I going to be accepted or not? Is it painful, and if so, are over-the-counter analgesics available? We can't answer all of those questions prior to application, but we can at least outline the process so you know what you're getting into.

1. Required reading

Don't worry, we promise that it's quick. In fact, it's not only quick, it's already grouped for your convenience. The essential information board? That's just about it. Well, that and this outline, so you're already most of the way toward clearing this step out just by reading this paragraph.

You're too busy and don't have the time to look even at that? Man, we give people too much stuff to do these days. Well, reading How To Roleplay: A Beginner's Guide and Role-Play Etiquette should be a good crash course. And if it needs to be said, the About Us page contains a variety of useful insights about the shell that you're signing up for.

It's not required, certainly, but it's probably advisable to take a look at some of the prior applications before you submit yours. That'll give you a good idea of what sort of applications we're looking for, what sort of questions we ask, and so forth. If you don't have a backlog of applications to read through or the patience to do so, however, there will be no pop quizzes on previous applicants.

2. Applying!

Well, it'd be a kind of silly application process otherwise. Yes, after you've made an account and all of that fun stuff, you should post an application to the Applications forum. The template is fairly straightforward, but if you have any questions, you can feel free to contact an officer prior to submitting your application. Really, we're friendly.

Equally important is logging in to your Enjin account and linking your character to the site. Click on your name in the upper right-hand corner when logged in, click on the Character tab, and then add a new character. After that, it's pretty easy - just enter your character's name and select the server (Besaid), and the system auto-pulls information from the Lodestone. Convenient!

3. Application review and questions

Once we've received your application, an officer will post a reply signaling that the questions are to begin. Usually, this part of the process takes about three days, although it might take a little longer if we've got a lot of questions or a lot of real-life nonsense to deal with.

In essence, the officers will read over your application and ask questions in response. Some of those questions might be about fine points of backstory, some of them might be about the sort of character you want to play, some of them might be about you as a player. Some of them might just be about your favorite Final Fantasy game. The important thing is that we're trying to get a sense of you and your character, so please, answer as accurately as you can. There are no wrong answers.

4. In-character interview

The last step to the process is the in-character interview. While a lot of shells prefer to have an OOC interview before this step, if we still have some OOC questions, we'll include them during the IC process. At least one and preferably more of the officers will sit down with your character and discuss his or her IC application to the Everwatch, and...

Well, we like to do more than just sit and chat. So there might be a bit more activity involved than just discussing the application.

Following the IC interview, a final decision will be reached, and you'll either be offered a pearl or respectfully told why we don't feel that you'd fit with the shell as a whole at this time. Assuming you're offered a pearl, there's a brief probationary period of two weeks, during which you're IC still being evaluated. OOC, this is mostly a time when you can observe how the shell operates and we in turn can see how you like to do things, so that going forward we're all on the same page.

As mentioned above, if you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to message myself (Rhio Aldul), Oskar Helvig, Deirdre Ta'ea, and/or Eva Ianeira. Our contact page will help you in locating us, although it sadly doesn't give up-to-date map coordinates. We're here to help out, so don't be intimidated, and we look forward to seeing your application!

Be Respectful
First and foremost, be respectful to one another. The golden rule applies here - treat others as you would have them treat you. This means being mindful of others' RP, not being antagonistic or rude [out of character] and generally conducting yourself in a manner befitting that expected of any member of The Everwatch. Conversely, if you feel you're not being treated respectfully or another member of the linkshell is behaving in a disrespectful manner, please alert an officer and provide screenshots if possible. This rule applies to the forums as well - be polite to your fellow Watchers and respectful of their written word, even if you may not necessarily agree with everything they represent. We want to ensure that every member enjoys their RP experience here and we will deal with troublemakers promptly.

Stick to the Lore
This is Final Fantasy. It isn't Lord of the Rings, Dracula, Star Wars, or whatever anime you may be into. Your character and his/her roots should have some sort of tie-in with the established lore of the game. Making up a magical kingdom and expecting everyone to play along with such a fabrication will not earn you buddy points here. Don't do it. Same goes for super-sayan, light sabers, and references to people, places, and things not of the world of Eorzea as we've come to know it. Seriously... don't do it.

Footnote: A great deal is still left unknown about some aspects of the game (such as the Garleans). Be very careful not to draw up too much of your own personal background where the game may later add its own contradictory lore.

Oddities
Male miqo'te and female roegadyn/highlanders do not yet exist as playable races. We will not regard a character as something other than they appear as on screen. Furthermore, you cannot be a goblin, padjal, ixal, chocobo, etc. When these gender-race combinations are released, we will address any issues that may arise on a case-by-case basis as they occur.

Don't Godmode
Your character is made up of the same decaying matter as the rest of ours. This means that you cannot be a god/goddess, immortal, indestructible, omniscient, psychic, or possess any unworldly powers* which breach the game's existing lore. Emoted attacks must be given the opportunity to parry or dodge and no one should exhibit a perfect defense (though factors such as in-game rank, encumbrances, and other environmental conditions should be taken into account when emoting a fight - when in doubt send a /tell to your opponent). In-game actions which cross reasonable boundaries will be dealt with swiftly and severely.

* Disclaimer: Please do not use THM story details as an argument to defend your unrealistic behavior.

Don't Metagame
Players will garner a significant amount of knowledge about all the various characters within the guild through OOC chatter and the forums. Please exercise caution when RPing your character. Just because you read something on the forums in a storyline post or private journal entry does not mean that your character automagically possesses that same knowledge. Be mindful of this and ensure that your character acts in accordance with the knowledge that his/her observations have provided - not yours as the player.

Note: God-modding and Metagaming are described in greater detail (with examples) in Kylin's post on the RPC forums on Role-Play Ettiquite - check it out!

Erotic Role-Play (ERP)
While we cannot enforce this by any means, we do ask that any member that chooses to participate in such RP does so privately. A public display of lewd behavior reflects poorly on the linkshell, and may also get you banned from the game. As Oskar says, "ERP is a private matter. No one cares. But we're a classy shell, so don't get caught with your dick in your hands."

Community Participation
While officers will often schedule events and operations, we are not the be-all end-all for event planning. Any member may make a post and try to arrange a gathering for any reason (furthering his/her storyline, instanced dungeon raids, etc.) This is highly encouraged, in fact. If you need any assistance, an officer may be contacted. For events where attendance is important, please show up if you have posted that you plan to attend. If you're unable to, please make every effort to contact an officer or change your post to indicate that you will not be able to attend. Each member is expected to be an active participant in the Everwatch community. We understand that people will have certain restrictions (RL being what it is) - we as officers do as well. Each member should endeavor to contribute something to the community in order to make the time we are able to spend online RPing worthwhile for all. We make no demand that Everwatch be your only/main RP community. We simply ask that you spend your time with us actively participating in RP and events.

Time
The passage of time in game for our purposes is handled in real-life time. We do not acknowledge the in-game clock or rapid passage of time for the sake of RP. This means that sometimes it will appear to be daytime in game when it is actually evening, and vice versa. We are all creative individuals - use your imagination. One bell = one hour. One tick = one minute. Unless otherwise noted, all times posted are Eastern (EST/EDT depending on time of year). Moreover, the Enjin calendar default time is Eastern. This is important to note since the time zone is not clearly indicated. Please schedule all events with this in mind (that is, if you are in Pacific Time, schedule the event for three hours later). Dates are handled in the same manner - the First Astral Moon would be January, the First Umbral Moon would be February, the Second Astral Moon would be March, ... , the Sixth Umbral Moon would be December.

Example: An event scheduled for the 19th bell on the 10th Sun of the Fifth Astral Moon would happen on September 10th at 7pm Eastern time.

The Linkpearls
All content over the linkpearl is expected to be in-character. Do not carry on OOC conversations (even with parentheses). The pearls themselves are of magical origin and project audio only. They do not transmit visual information so those using emotes over the linkpearl should bear this in mind. For example, *laugh* is okay because it can be heard, but *smile* is not.

Out-of-Character Chat
Chatting out-of-character may take place via /party or /say in certain instances. Everyone adopts a different view on what is acceptable, so if it is unclear whether someone is talking IC or OOC, please send a /tell to ask them. Generally, the use of ( parentheses ) is expected to indicate you are speaking out-of-character.

Forum Use
All members are responsible for keeping up with the Everwatch forums and calendar in order to stay up to speed with linkshell happenings. We strongly encourage members to participate in the various discussion threads in order to have everyone's opinions recognized and so that any changes do not come as a surprise. Members are also expected to help out with the application process by examining the new applications, asking questions, and offering up their thoughts and opinions.

Communication
While there may be animosity between characters - it is expected and natural that not all characters will get along - it is important to keep an open line of communication OOC. Disagreements and tension in-character should never spill over and create out-of-character resentment. Communicating OOC through a simple /tell to your character's 'rival' may help alleviate any potential concerns of this nature. There is no requirement that each member needs to be best buddies with all of the other members, however it is expected that every Watcher be respectful to one another (please refer back to the first rule).

Inclusion
As a linkshell, The Everwatch seeks to include every single member in its activities. Any characters that feel excluded or otherwise unwelcome to linkshell activities are encouraged to speak with an officer so that we can partner with you to help incorporate your own character into the linkshell's operations. We do not wish to see anyone willfully left out, but we also are not mind-readers and cannot help where we do not realize there is a problem. Please feel free to speak openly and honestly with any officer about any concerns you may have. Officer contact information can be found HERE.

M for Mature
The Everwatch is a Mature guild. Applicants of age under 18 need not apply. There may be adult content such as foul language and graphic depictions of violence or sexuality. While some characters by their very nature may frequently use foul language, we recommend that you not overdo it (because dropping an F-bomb every 9 seconds makes you look like a 'tard).

Alternate Characters
We generally do not accept alternate/mule characters. In some instances (such as where you play two characters equally often, or if a character needs to be pearled temporarily as part of a story arc), this rule may be overlooked. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please speak with an officer.

Unexplained Departures
There may come instances where characters disappear without any explanation and leave loose ends in storyline that are critical to the linkshell's overall storyline or leave one/many fellow character(s) in an awkward place. In such cases, linkshell leadership reserves the right to make up a departure story in order to facilitate the necessary change to keep the ball rolling. If the aforementioned character should later return, he/she will need to speak with the officers to establish some sort of in-character explanation for where he/she was for that time.

Summary
Have fun. Don't be a douche.

Everwatch is a heavy Role-Play Linkshell on the Besaid Server in FFXIV. We focus on deep character immersion with rich, compelling storytelling ranging from interpersonal daily interactions to long term grand-scale Linkshell story arcs. As players we value the game’s lore and embellish it with creative content. Natural development of characters and Everwatch as a whole is an integral past of our Role-Play style.


We also do not forget about the greater Role-Play community on the server. Everwatch is always eager to create stories with other groups, or join already existing plotlines. Individual events, as well as the Linkshell storyline will at times open up and invite participation from others in the Role-Playing community. It’s important for us to maintain a positive image among Role-Players and non Role-Players alike.


While we value character immersion and development first and foremost, we also strive to be a competitive Linkshell with regards to end game activities. As players we want to experience all the content the game has provided, including the high level activities. Our Role-Play often merges character development with game progression and specific goals of members.


A sense of community is very important to this Linkshell with each member contributing something to the group. We stress communication both In Character and Out Of Character so that we remain a tight-knit Linkshell despite expansion in membership. Our application process helps ensure that we gain members who have compatible styles of Role-Play and game-play habits. Personal friendships are important to us as players, they foster a greater sense of community and often give way to In Character interactions. We utilize Mumble voice server for casual communication, event planning, and end game activities.


Please peruse our Linkshell's Rules, Application Process, Charter & Code of Conduct, and Employment Contract.