Tonight, if our hunch is right, you will get to experience one of the most exciting aspects of an ARG -- The Drop.
For those of you unfamiliar with the technical definition of a drop, please refer to the amazing FAQ penned by Tiger:
http://www.lonelygirl15.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3123
For this announcement, I'd like to give you all a better idea of what happens with OUR drops.
This is how it generally goes down:
** In the evening (PST), one of the characters will post a video that will inevitably knock your socks off. In the past, these videos are either one of two things:
1. An OpAphid video that will give us our "instructions" that will lead to the drop.
2. A video from Tachylon to Brother telling him how to get to the drop. The locations of these videos have been difficult to pin down, but the video will be laden with clues telling us how to get there.
** The forum and the IRC chat will work together (All of us -- because in those heated, frantic moments there is no division between followers of OpAphid or Tachylon; we all work as a unit) to uncover the local of this drop. Once we feel that the location is verified to our satisfaction (and believe me, we're picky), we will find who is closest to the drop and is willing to take a trip. In the past drops the closest people have been from fifteen minutes to several hours from the location of the drop.
** We will make sure that the brave solider has swapped phone numbers with someone in our group. We will also confirm that they are able to videotape their recovery. We send them on their merry little way.
** The IRC chat will inevitably go mad with impatience as we wait to hear back. Goofiness abounds.
** The foot soldier reaches the location. They make contact with us through their phone buddy. Once this happens, we demand on-topicness in the IRC (And yes, we're goofy ... but very passionate about this game. We will not tolerate off-topicness while we are finding the drop). We will try to suggest things to the foot soldier and will answer any questions he or she might have.
** Depending on whether or not they are wearing a disabling hat (
), the drop will eventually be found. There will be much rejoicing. The foot soldier will film the unveiling of the drop and will describe (as best they can) what the contents are to the IRC chat room. They will race back to their respective homes, goods in tow, to upload the contents ASAP. ** The IRC chat will go mad again. Speculation will abound, heads will roll. A good time will be had by all.
** Everything the foot soldier finds at the drop will be scanned, uploaded, or transcribed on the forums AFTER THEY GET SOME SLEEP. We can wait a few hours.
** Uber analysis will commence.
Now I feel this is a good time to remind everyone of the rules (through the art of illustration! Woohoo!)
This wonderful grahpic is thanks to Shifty .. isn't he clever? ::swoons::
If you'd like a more descriptive explanation, I once again refer you to the FAQ section.
PAST DROP LOCATIONS: (Thank you Arche!)
1) La Cienega Park, Beverly Hills (LA Area)
2) Pea Soup Andersens, Central Ca. (About 4 hours north of LA)
3) Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (approx. 6-7 hours north of LA)
As you can see, the location of the drops varies greatly. There is no telling where it's going to be tonight. So PLEASE, if you live in California and would like to take a part in this, meet us at #OperationAphid later this evening.
A FEW LAST WORDS:
This cannot be stressed enough -- if you go to find the drop, tell someone both in the forums AND in your real life where you are going.
We here at OpAphid take these drops very seriously. With that being said:
Anyone who attempts to compromise the integrity of this drop will be severely dealt with.
By compromise the integrity, I mean the following:
* Finding the drop and keeping clues hidden from the forum
* Tampering with/changing the clues found in the drop
* Finding the drop and hiding it from those who wish to play the game correctly
If someone tries to mess with this drop, the creators will not be held responsible for what this forum will do to you when we find you.
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If you are in California and would like to be accounted for as a potential foot soldier for tonight's drop, please "Sign in" with us here or in another thread discussing tonight's drop so we can know who we have available where.
Above all, these things are a ton of fun (Even if you're not in Cali). We encourage all interested players to attend the IRC Chat tonight (Once again, #OperationAphid)
Please feel free to ask Tiger, Romy, or myself any questions. We are here to help.
See you tonight!
- Das Panda
pobresito panda 
