TL;DR: my op will be at the bottom.
Its been a long long time, i want to apologize to the people ive become close with in this community, i love this community but i havent been posting at all when i been meaning to,
ADHD brain plus life stuff. I've lost tons of weight in the past year and working on myself as much as i can and ive grown a lot. Ive lost 50 pounds and i plan to lose more! I had some really rough times but i think ive come out of it a better person. I doubt any of the old guard would see this but if yall do, i still think about yall everytime i go out. I miss yall and i hope you are all doing good, I gotta make some time to sit down and write down all of my ops.
Ive been taking people under my wing and teaching friends and friends of friends about how to night op. What ive learned, i even give them this website to learn all they can and im about to run an op this month with a friend of mine, it will be his first so i want to make it special, gonna do some abandoned stuff to introduce him into it. What else do yall think i could do to introduce him into our world?
Update on life and upcoming OP
Update on life and upcoming OP
“There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless."
-Plato
The Republic
-Plato
The Republic
Re: Update on life and upcoming OP
Hey and welcome back.
Congratualtions on the wieght loss. That's a life increaser right there. It's great that you are still thinking about this place even after a long time and even trying to pass it along. Oppers are a rarer breed as time goes by. People are getting more docile. Phased out of the ablity to go stealth around. A generation raised on youtube and clickbait and phone access turned out to be just enough to crush practical stealth for many people. Kids and people don't go out anymore, they watch Twitch and get useless. For combating that, thank you.
Now, for the next gen.
First things first, manage thier expectations.
Starting slow is always a bit of a chore but also needed. Do what you know and find familair op sites if you can. What I would say is hold back from showing them anything. Slowly slowly give peices of stuff. Maybe a PDF. Show them one of Xans vids like the carshop op. Just drip feed. Don't info dump and just get them interested slowly.
"I mean...you woudln't beleive what's out there if you look. I shoudln't say anything." = a good approach. Secrets are fun to pry out of people so do your best to dress it up as something slightly taboo.
When they realise just how deep this water goes, you start explaining the basics.
What an op is not.
What leaving no trace really means for you.
What it is to video document or photograph something but keep it the fuck away from facebook and all the other social media hellholes. You need to insulate the youtuber oriented need to tell, everyone. That's what under 20s are trained to do now. To show everyone. You must combat this, teach that what is done here is rare, special and easy to break if enough people fuck around or don't commit properly. Worst of all they might not be into it becuase they think of it as something it isn't.
So play coy, be evasive but explain things one part at a time. Take them out, show them. Help them have fun selecting gear. Play games that are peripheral to ops. Form that important bond and the skills will devellop from practice and getting out. Emphasise the freedom it gives, the spirit of rebellion and the ability to go anywhere when you really want to. In essence, let them feel what you feel is so important about having this niche ability.
Whatever else happens, welcome back and we're glad you are. There aren't many of us now so there's never been a better time to take the teachings forward.
Congratualtions on the wieght loss. That's a life increaser right there. It's great that you are still thinking about this place even after a long time and even trying to pass it along. Oppers are a rarer breed as time goes by. People are getting more docile. Phased out of the ablity to go stealth around. A generation raised on youtube and clickbait and phone access turned out to be just enough to crush practical stealth for many people. Kids and people don't go out anymore, they watch Twitch and get useless. For combating that, thank you.
Now, for the next gen.
First things first, manage thier expectations.
Starting slow is always a bit of a chore but also needed. Do what you know and find familair op sites if you can. What I would say is hold back from showing them anything. Slowly slowly give peices of stuff. Maybe a PDF. Show them one of Xans vids like the carshop op. Just drip feed. Don't info dump and just get them interested slowly.
"I mean...you woudln't beleive what's out there if you look. I shoudln't say anything." = a good approach. Secrets are fun to pry out of people so do your best to dress it up as something slightly taboo.
When they realise just how deep this water goes, you start explaining the basics.
What an op is not.
What leaving no trace really means for you.
What it is to video document or photograph something but keep it the fuck away from facebook and all the other social media hellholes. You need to insulate the youtuber oriented need to tell, everyone. That's what under 20s are trained to do now. To show everyone. You must combat this, teach that what is done here is rare, special and easy to break if enough people fuck around or don't commit properly. Worst of all they might not be into it becuase they think of it as something it isn't.
So play coy, be evasive but explain things one part at a time. Take them out, show them. Help them have fun selecting gear. Play games that are peripheral to ops. Form that important bond and the skills will devellop from practice and getting out. Emphasise the freedom it gives, the spirit of rebellion and the ability to go anywhere when you really want to. In essence, let them feel what you feel is so important about having this niche ability.
Whatever else happens, welcome back and we're glad you are. There aren't many of us now so there's never been a better time to take the teachings forward.
- Sicarius
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Re: Update on life and upcoming OP
I agree here. Adding a bit of mystery and intrigue gets people interested, and the right people can, over time, have more shown to them. Being enigmatic has it's benefits to daily life as well, although I would not go around dropping hints about night ops all the time.Intruder wrote: ↑Fri Feb 11, 2022 7:38 amStarting slow is always a bit of a chore but also needed. Do what you know and find familair op sites if you can. What I would say is hold back from showing them anything. Slowly slowly give peices of stuff. Maybe a PDF. Show them one of Xans vids like the carshop op. Just drip feed. Don't info dump and just get them interested slowly.
"I mean...you woudln't beleive what's out there if you look. I shoudln't say anything." = a good approach. Secrets are fun to pry out of people so do your best to dress it up as something slightly taboo.
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
- Xanatos
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Re: Update on life and upcoming OP
Hey Rox, long time no see!
Starting with a bit of UrbEx is always a good approach - low risk but interesting. You can amp it up by trying to break into a school or other wide, semi-public venue, even if you don't get into any actual buildings. Get them used to moving surreptitiously and showing them what that means. Show them how to move quietly, how to stick to shadows and employ camouflage, how to identify threats & giveaways. Set little objectives on each op.
Starting with a bit of UrbEx is always a good approach - low risk but interesting. You can amp it up by trying to break into a school or other wide, semi-public venue, even if you don't get into any actual buildings. Get them used to moving surreptitiously and showing them what that means. Show them how to move quietly, how to stick to shadows and employ camouflage, how to identify threats & giveaways. Set little objectives on each op.
We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each lies an irreparable truth.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.
What is locked, can be opened. What is hidden, can be found. What is yours... can be mine.
Re: Update on life and upcoming OP
Thank you everyone for the kind words and sound advice! Particularly happy to see xan still around. Gonna be posting more later in the week!
“There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless."
-Plato
The Republic
-Plato
The Republic
- Sicarius
- Member
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- Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 6:50 pm
- Location: Possibly on a distant Mediterranean shore... one day
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Re: Update on life and upcoming OP
I don't think Xanatos will ever leave us
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Operating in his eighties one day...
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
Re: Update on life and upcoming OP
I feel like I remember your name too, but..you only joined two years ago so I don't know how I could remember your name...either way..I'm glad your here too!
“There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless."
-Plato
The Republic
-Plato
The Republic
- Sicarius
- Member
- Posts: 428
- Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2020 6:50 pm
- Location: Possibly on a distant Mediterranean shore... one day
- Contact:
Re: Update on life and upcoming OP
We talked a bit, no worries. I have not done much to make a name for myself, I was way too immature when I first joined to do any of these activitiesRoxasV3 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:27 pmI feel like I remember your name too, but..you only joined two years ago so I don't know how I could remember your name...either way..I'm glad your here too!
"If one cannot be both, it is much better to be feared than loved" - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince