aquaseamunkey44

Hello to all you wonderful ZP members! It's been crazy over here on the mod's end as we work to get things 100% detailed and organized so that we can get the group up and running once again. We're excited and trying to work as quickly as possible with getting things finished so that we can all get into the fun of participating in the group. However due to recent developments, we all felt that we needed to pause progress and set some time aside to write up this announcement.

First off, I believe introductions are in order.

Hi, hello, nice to meet you, especially all you newer members who joined the group within the past four years. My name is redflamekitty44, and I am one of your mods. I am currently the only mod on the team (with the exception of the group's creator of course) who is one of the original mods from day one of when the group was first created. After recent events, unacceptable behavior on both the member's and mod's sides, and concerning comments on journals and in the discord chat, I felt that it was only fair to explain what happened behind the scenes that lead to the current state that the group is in. So with the permission and collaboration from the creator and the other mods we have on the team, I'm going to give an explanation of the events that caused its hiatus and this subsequent rebirth decision. This will not be sugar coated, and will be very matter of fact and blunt. Names of anyone involved will be omitted. Hopefully it will shed some light on the rules we have already revealed as well as those we have not yet posted and are still adjusting.

When ZP was first created and opened, we had rules in place as most groups tend to do. These rules were expected to be followed and enforced. This clearly did not happen, as some of the older members who are still around may have realized. Things such as the 3 character limit, content staying within the group's rating system, and consent for character interactions just to name a few.

One of the biggest issues was work being accepted that should not have been. One of the mods would allow every submission in without screening it first to make sure it followed the rules. By the time the rest of the mods figured out what was happening and who was doing it, the damage had already been done. This is still an ongoing problem that will be rectified once the group reopens. All character apps, general art and writing, and mission/work related art and writing will be reviewed prior to being accepted. If something does not meet the minimum requirements that we will be requiring, breaks the rules, or is deemed inappropriate, it will not be accepted. We are adding new rules to the submission process to make it an easier process for mods to handle which will be explained at a later date.

Character limits have always been a rule for the group. There is a 3 character limit for Harmony characters that members could create. At the time, there was no limit on GG or Tamed characters because in the early days members were focusing more on having infected characters for Harmony. After some time, the number of GG and Tamed characters began to pick up, but no new rule for limiting the amount allowed for creation was made. I had already left the group as a mod by this time and asked to have a specific individual replace me, and the other mods who were doing their best to help keep things running properly had also dropped off when it came to enforcing things.

Whenever we would try to reprimand members for breaking rules, there were times where we would be undermined, and said members were allowed to continue the behavior in some situations. If mods would try to enforce anything it would go nowhere, and no matter how much we'd try, no progress would come from it. Some members would simply argue or push for things that were not allowed or that a different mod had already said no to until they got their way. Missions got to a point where they became one sided in the judging because of the way the grading system worked, on top of how one mod was biased in their judgment of submissions. Some of us began to lose moral, and events as a whole stopped. Any suggestions we'd come up with to try and change things to fix the problems were shot down. Over time, ZP began to be run more and more by the members, and it got to the point where we are now. Many of the newer members who joined within the past two or three years effectively joined a group where there was little to no enforcement happening, and they had free reign to do more or less whatever they wanted.

I personally left because trying to help run things for the group back then was becoming increasingly difficult until it became impossible. Trying to enforce rules with members when they were breaking them only to be called a liar or rude and not having the back up of the rest of the team was demoralizing. Seeing problems and trying to fix them, or suggesting ways to make things run smoother but always being shot down didn't help either. Near the end of my time with the group, there was effectively only one other mod trying their best to keep things under control to the best of their ability.

With this rebirth, our goal is to get the group back up and running properly and to not repeat the same mistakes as before. We have a new team where we are all working to create new mechanics, update lore, go over ideas together, and coming to decisions as a group rather than leaving things up to a single individual. We're doing our best to work together efficiently and effectively, as well as communicate with one another on decisions and how to go about responding to member's questions and concerns. Just as we have made rules for you all to follow, we are in the process of creating rules that we must follow as well, including a strike system for when we break those rules. No one is above any of the rules. No individual member, no matter how long they've been in the group, and certainly not the mods. We want the group to have an environment where members feel safe and protected if any situations should arise, and we want members to feel comfortable enough with the mods to be able to come to us if help is needed.

We want to make the group inclusive to everyone. It's taking a lot of time and work because we're effectively starting from the ground up. Rules are being adjusted to deal with new problems that have come up over the years. All of the factions are getting updated, Tamed being the one getting a complete overhaul and working differently than before and therefore taking the longest to sort out. GG is getting new additions in multiple areas. Harmony's changes are coming in the form of a new mechanic.

There's a lot that we are adding to the group, and in order to keep things organized, we plan on releasing the info in batches as it is completed. We already posted the updated lore, and plan on finishing with the posting of all of the general rules first. Character creation, full details on all three factions and the NPCs involved with them, and new mechanics are to follow. We keep asking you all to remain patient because it is a lot of information, and we are trying to release it gradually in order to give members time to process it, especially the new ones who haven't had to deal with rules to this extent until now.

In regards to collars, since that has been the topic to cause the most discourse, we will explain everything involving them when we post all of the info involving Tamed and how the faction has been changed to be a completely separate unit from GG. It is a lot of information, and in order to keep it organized, we are waiting for when we have everything finished 100% before posting it in it's own journal announcement.

We are aware of everyone's concerns on the matter. What we can tell you for now is that all of the more overzealous and far fetched theories and reactions, such as collars being permanently attached to you or Tamed being used for slavery, are completely false. When we say that they can't be removed we say that in the sense that it is a rule Tamed must follow, and not that they can't be physically removed. They are a customizable accessory. They can come off of the body like any article of clothing such as a hat or jacket. We are not welding giant metal rings to your character's necks. GG soldiers are not holding remote controls to shock Tamed members for fun. They are not being used for punishment or torture. There are reasons why we have ultimately settled on the idea of a collar and not a microchip, ankle bracelet, or wristband alternative; all options we discussed prior to choosing the collar when the microchip was actually our first choice.

Again, we ask that you all be patient and wait for us to post all the information at once involving them. All of the questions and concerns that have come in so far, or that have been casually discussed in the group chat, have already been thought of, considered, and have an explanation. It's easier to answer all questions at once than individually. The more we receive issues with things that have not even be addressed yet however, the longer it will take for us to continue working since we have to keep stopping to discuss how to approach these situations. There is a method to our madness and a reason why we keep stressing for you all to remain patient so that we can get information out to you sooner.

In other news, we have also updated the group's rating:

Z-Parasites is now rated 15+ Please take into consideration the rating when submitting characters, pieces of art or writing, and when interacting with other members through role playing.

The group and its deviations may contain:

- Violence 

- Explicit language

- Mature themes

- Partial nudity

- Terrifying imagery

The group does not allow:

-Full nudity

-Excessive violence

-Sexual themes

Please keep in mind, due to Devianart restrictions on posting explicit content, there has to be a limit on what's allowed. The rating system is to warn newcomers as well as ensure we're all following the rules not only from the group, but from Deviantart as well. The group will still be as it was, but will have minor restrictions. For those who wish to create work or content not allowed into the group, but still want to share it, please use the mature content channel on the group's discord. Please do not leave links to explicit work anywhere on the group page or in deviations being submitted. If you wish to have a more explicit and mature role play, please keep them private and out of both the group and discord chat.

One last reminder for this announcement is that mods will be the only ones designing job specific and story important NPCs from this point on. This has always been a thing for the group and we will be enforcing this once again. More details regarding character creation for members and important NPCs will be elaborated on in a future announcement.

I hope that this announcement helps clear up some of the issues, questions, and concerns that members have. It's good to be back with helping run the group again. As stated before, there are a lot of updates and new mechanics being added, and we're working everyday to try and get things done as soon as possible given the current ongoing situation of Covid-19 that is affecting the world. We appreciate you and are excited to get more progress done and released to you all so that we can start having fun in the group once again.

Thank you for reading this, and please remember to put any questions here in the comments or send a note to the group directly!