The Pirate Charter

The Pirate Charter:

This charter has been set-up for the purpose of outlining the rules, core values and purpose of the Black Fedora Pirates crew, as well as setting up its system of governance. It has been officially updated as of the 18th of January 2013 and has been divided into sections represented by the Roman numeral in the section heading.

i. Joining up with the Pirates

While it might seem strange that Pirates should have rules, it is discipline that leads to true freedom. Many of you have all read of my darker past; and certainly those that know something of it might agree that things have to change. I believe that as Captain Chenbeard, I would like to change that. Buried is the past and yawning ahead is the future. For that reason, I will be altering the means by which we sign up as pirates.

I have no doubts that I've made many new friends in my time here and gained many new fans. However, I can only sail with my closest of nakama (companions) to prevent the past from recurring. I want us all to be aligned, to share a common goal. In the manga One Piece, they travelled as a crew because they were seeking the treasure of 'One Piece', I want to foster the same feeling here. Every member of Luffy's crew was different in their personalities, styles and what not, but they shared a common goal. This is what I believe needs to happen here with the Black Fedora Pirates.

To that effect, the following rules must be obeyed by those I will consider Nakama. I will take your pledge seriously for I take words to heart. The rules of the crew are as follows:

1. I am the Captain, my will is absolute. My orders, goals and directions will be representative of the Black Fedora Pirates as a whole. This rule will now be enforced where in the past it was a mere formality. This rule has not changed since the old journal.

2. A single member, unless given express permission, may not and will never represent the Black Fedora Pirates. Such permissions will be listed in a journal and will be properly stated.

3. No member should go around DA picking fights or acting in a belligerent manner. We are not common street thugs. [Rules two and three are split from the old rule 3 that was worded in a confusing manner]

4. No member should antagonize the community of DA without good reason. Please discuss it with the Captain and/or the council first as sometimes our heated nature gets the best of us. [This is a new ruling]

5. Should a member be involved in a complication (legal or otherwise), then the Black Fedora Pirates (by my decision) may either jettison or defend that member. It will all depend on his/her honesty, and their willingness to tell the truth to the rest of the crew.

The reason why these rules are harsh, is because betrayal is the worst of crimes. The iron-clad bond we forge as Nakama, will mean that we sail and fight together. However, all this will crumble if there is a single pirate who thinks only of himself ahead of the Captain and the crew.

In order to prove yourself worthy of being Nakama and recognised in the CREW LIST (a journal entry available here: fav.me/d4umfs0). You must show me a proof of loyalty; how you choose to do this, will be up to you. I will allow every individual to show their honour and loyalty in their own way. However, what you must do is to PROVE your absolute allegiance to the Captain (that's me and my successors).

NOTE: Many individuals are confused about the proof of loyalty. ANYTHING is accepted as proof, be it art (drawings etc.) or literature, HOWEVER the piece MUST contain an oath of allegiance. That is to say, you MUST swear your loyalty to me as the Captain and this should be demonstrated in the author's comments section OR in the piece itself. The idea of the crew after all is to have me as its head and therefore this oath isn't something you should take lightly. Please keep that in mind that you are signing yourself away to a life on the seas of DA. This loyalty proof will be enforced and needs to be taken absolutely seriously, for it means that you are accepting me as your leader.

NOTE 2: Due to comments getting lost easily, ALL proofs MUST be sent as a note TO THE CAPTAIN AND NOT TO THE GROUP or else they will NOT be accepted. Also, it may take up to two weeks before your membership is approved. This is especially true during my (the Captain's) hiatuses.

ii. The Pirate Council

The pirate council will be officially formed as of the 20th of January 2013, in order to govern the Black Fedora Pirates role-playing group on DA. The purpose of the council is to establish a clear line of leadership and responsibility so that the family environment of the crew can be maintained and trouble-makers sorted out immediately. It will operate as follows:

The council will consist of two HEAD officers. DarlingAngel0565 and Diluculi (Angel-nim and Lady Riddle respectively). These two will have ABSOLUTE authority over the group and their decisions can only be superseded by the Captain himself or the Co-Captain.

Next the council may consist of 1 – 3 JUNIOR officers. One being the minimum and three being the maximum. These are appointed by the head officers based on their feelings of who is willing to contribute and assist the group the most. It would also be prudent to choose like-minded individuals for the council so that the pirates move forward as one.

Unlike the head officers, the junior officers will have no authority. Their role is purely advisory and their powers and responsibilities must be delegated to them (appointed) by the Head Officers. Hence if a head officer puts them in charge of something, they will then be allowed responsibility over that specific thing. Example: You appoint Mr. Gibbs as disciplinary officer, state his powers and responsibilities and get it approved by the Captain. After which he will gain responsibility over that matter.

Junior officers can be appointed and removed at any time by the Head Officers and the way in which they will do so is by informing the Captain and receiving a clear approval from the Captain of the appointment/removal of the officers. BOTH the head officers must agree to the change, but if the situation and serious and there needs to be immediate action; then one head officer can act alone with the Captain's approval.

The role of the council will be to observe and act on the following matters:

1. Management of the Black Fedora Pirates group, including events, competitions, journals and submissions.

2. Handling of all disciplinary matters relating to the BFP. (Further expanded in Note 1)

3. Mediation of disputes between members. (Further expanded in Note 2)

4. Mediation of disputes between the Captain and members (Further expanded in Note 3)

5. To produce a report of all problems in the group for the week to be submitted to the Captain. This must be delivered by an assigned Junior Officer and should only be delivered by a Head Officer if a junior is not presently available. The day of report delivery will be Saturday. This will give the Captain time to review it.

Note 1: A disciplinary matter refers to a situation where one has broken the rules stated above in section one OR where a member has gone against the core-values of the pirates contained in section three.

Note 2: Where a dispute between members occurs, a junior officer or head officer must mediate the dispute. If an understanding cannot be reached, then matter will be decided upon by a council action: Where the head officers will listen to the views of the junior officers and discuss the matter amongst themselves before deciding what to do with the individual. They may act as they deem fit but may not expel the member without notifying the Captain and obtaining his approval. A member may go directly to the Captain if they have a problem and wish to speak with him, however the Captain may take a day or two to reply or if he's on hiatus, may not be around.

Note 3: Where there is a dispute between the Captain and a member, only a head officer may mediate. If both head officers agree with the Captain's point of view, then the mediation is skipped and the Captain will make a final decision.

Note 4: Where excommunication has been decided as a punishment. The Captain will first issue a warning and a correct course of action to the member. If the warning is not adhered to and a day passes, the excommunication will be formalised. Excommunication cannot occur without a warning period; though a corrective course of action may not exist in which case the excommunication is a certainty after a day passes.

iii. The Core Values and Ideals of the Black Fedora Pirates:

Previously I had assumed that the ideals of the pirates were consistent and stated well enough through my own example, however I see that it has sometimes been misinterpreted and misconstrued. As such, here are the correct values that I would expect of a member of the Black Fedora Pirates:

1. Hard Work – A pirate understands the value of hard work and is determined to do their best in all things. This means no whining, no cheating and no hubris. The system may suck but that is why we exist as pirates. Accept it for what it is and move on, if it is something worth fighting about, believe me you would be told already as I have always strived to ensure fair play. This is evidenced by my previous examples of trying to get authors to stop using stolen artwork and to start using their words. DA has now changed the poetry system so authors can no longer cheat (their deviation will be clearly displayed as lit. and not an image). We play to the rules as they are and do our best; there is no shame in that. Hard work and effort will yield results.

2. Determination – Try and try again. To be discouraged easily is not the way of a pirate. There are times when we feel down or that we want to give up, but it is up to you to pull out a second wind during those times. Force yourself to get up and handle things, life is tough but you are tougher. That is what I believe, after all, no one has thought about giving up more than I have I think and that Is with what some might call a modicum of 'success'

3. Team Work – We are a crew; therefore our thoughts and ideals must be aligned in order to foster a strong family environment. While we are all different individuals we must be cohesive and come together as one, it really makes no sense if a crew is trying to go against one another. People may have different backgrounds, cultures and different ways of doing things; but at the very least if you share the same core ideals, you will look at each other as comrades.

4. Leadership – If we want to change the way the world is led, then we must show that through our own actions. When you sign up, you are effectively saying that you want me to lead you and in time you may lead others in future. We show who we are through our actions, taken for what they are. Positive outcome or negative outcome, we show who we are through those actions and accept both results.

5. Action – We show our value through our actions and the bounty system is there to encourage this. Let your bounty be the sign of your worth as a pirate as it shows how much you have achieved in this world. Climb ever higher with it, and aim to over-take the Captain. We strive and we evolve, but the world is one in which we must attempt to make our mark. We must look out toward the vast landscape that stretches before us and say, "This is who I am as a person." I hope therefore that the crew-members will embody the value of action.

6. Wellbeing – Caring for one another is a basic tenet of our crew. We fight under the same flag and under the name of 'The Black Fedora Pirates'. It makes no sense not to treat each others with respect. Therefore always behave with manners, show respect for your seniors and make yourself welcome in this family. If we have respect for one another, we will not falter.

7. Respect – being Asian I believe that seniority does hold some weight as it carries the connotation of wisdom. While yes, age is no measure of skill and therefore anyone is allowed to join, it is still polite to show some modicum of respect for others. If you've done something wrong, lower your head and say you're sorry. There is honour in that, rather than shame. We all make mistakes, but we can also apologise for them.

From now on these will be the values that every crew-member should follow. If you can't handle it, then my crew is not right for you. As Angel has repeated over and over, we are a family and I would rather people not cause me or my Head Officers stress. We get enough of that in the real world; let us come here to push ourselves forward and to improve our art, whether it is visual art, written work, music or whatever else.

Remember, we must act as one to achieve our goals. If you can't be a part of the crew, then you're not right for the crew. After all, no man is an island and if we do not work together then we will simply perish alone. If one brick of the tower crumbles, then the whole tower could fall.

iv. Etiquette:

We are a family and I respect that, therefore I will be introducing some rules of etiquette which should be followed in your pirate persona.

Show respect to members older than you, address them properly (check their age and speak accordingly). Seeing as I am Asian I will now put down the different forms of address for members of the crew and of course the language in which they are written (I am most familiar with Korean, but you may freely pick and choose whichever form of address you'd like – I will personally be using only the western form and if you know others that are Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Western then feel free to suggest):

Sir/Captain – Polite term of address for the Captain [Western]

Hyungnim – Respected older brother [Full formal – Korean, Captain only]

Aniki – Older Brother [Formal – Japanese, common amongst gangsters, allowed for any older male]

Da Ge – Older Brother [ Formal – Chinese, usually for gangsters, allowed for any older male]

-nim – Respected [Korean suffix that is used to show respect, i.e. Angel-nim to denote her seniority]

-san – Formal [Japanese suffix that is used to show respect, i.e. Riddle-san to show respect]

Mr. – Formal [Western prefix to show formality, i.e. Mr Gibbs, are we under way yet?]

Ms. – Formal [Western prefix to show formality, i.e. Ms. Bloodrose, will you be going out?]

Brother – I'm sure I don't need to describe this one

Sister – This one too.

Hyung – Older Brother [Korean suffix used only by males. i.e. Ifrit Hyung]

Nuna – Older sister [Korean suffix used only by males, i.e. Talia Nuna]

Oppa – Older Brother [Korean suffix, used only by ladies i.e. Ifrit Oppa]

Unni – Older sister [Korean suffix, used only by ladies i.e. Hayes Unni]

Dongsaeng – Younger sibling [Korean word, generally not used on its own. If someone is younger use Western form or the other languages]

Nii – Older brother [Japanese suffix, i.e. Ifrit Nii]

Nee – Older sister [Japanese suffix, i.e. Angel Nee]

Imouto – Younger sister [Japanese word, you can use it on a younger girl]

Otouto – Younger brother [Japanese word, used on a younger boy]

While this might seem a little stuffy initially, I think it might add to the roleplay aspect and help to foster an environment of respect, I will personally be using the Western forms only since we are a western pirate crew, but for those of you that love the asian languages, by all means go nuts.

Note: This stuff only applies to Pirate matters. What you do outside of the pirates is your choice.

-Chen Yuan Wen, a.k.a. Captain Chenbeard, 18th January 2013