I was wondering how this works, do you ask for merit, do people just randomly give it out? I am unsure on how this whole thing works
Welcome to the community,
First, you are not allowed to ask/beg merit to others and if they thought that your post is constructive/helpful and decent to get merits they will give it to you.
You can see more details on how merit system work here :
FAQ: Everything you need to know about forum 'activity, account ranks and merit