Markets pumping, Degen plays, Crypto Analysis, Spotlight on Aditya, Horde Mother & Goblintown

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👀 WHAT’S THE META.. 👀

GM, GA, or GN wherever you may be. Want to stay ahead of the curve? Don't worry we got you. The market has been brewing, here's what's currently happening:

Football icon Cristiano Ronaldo sued for $1Billion over Binance NFT promotion.

Mercedes Formula 1 team gets taken to court by FTX users in participation of the billion-dollar fraud.

Madlads leads the Solana NFT race as prices ascend across the Solana chain.

Web3 consumer app Setter raises $5M in seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz

🔮 NFT EVENTS & DROPS 🔮

Mani's got you covered. Art Basel Focused

1. RTFKT and @Ledger are hosting a special event during Art Basel Miami at Soho Pool House December 6th

2. Introducing Artists in Residence: A living studio, curated to showcase the diversity of art in the Solana ecosystem. December 6th - 10th

3. 'deBASEL' - degods is going to be at Miami Art Basel. December 7th - 9th

4. Announcing Pudgy Miami Art Basel, co-hosted by @zksync. December 9th from 7-11pm EST.

5. Proof's "foundry pop-up" at Miami art Basel Event Details

6. GODA Mint Pass holders are invited to a private showing of Daniel Arshams Art Basel Show "Miami 2023".

🪙 CRYPTO DIGEST 🪙

Crypto Market Analysis

As Bitcoin breaks the critical $40,000 threshold, the market enters a zone of heightened risk. While some projections suggest a possible climb to as high as $48,000, investors are urged to exercise caution in this range. The lack of back tests from breakout points adds to the uncertainty, underscoring the need for vigilance in the face of rapidly rising values. Bitcoin Dominance in the cryptocurrency market has been remarkable, rising from a low of 40.72% at the start of the year to current highs of around 54%. This metric, expected to reach a target of 57% or more in the coming months, highlights Bitcoin's leading role in the market. While altcoins have had their moments of success, the collective altcoin market is not anticipated to outperform Bitcoin until after Bitcoin dominance peaks, most likely during the Bitcoin halving year.

Ethereum rose 6.34%, closing the week above the macro range that it has been consolidated in since May 2022. However, when compared against Bitcoin, Ethereum has struggled to match its momentum. Since September 2022, ETH has been in a macro downtrend against BTC. A crucial sign for the broader altcoin market would be Ethereum breaking this trend towards the upside, signaling a phase where altcoins collectively begin to outperform Bitcoin to a much greater extent. This week also saw remarkable gains among other altcoins in the top 100. ORDI had an astounding 87.45% increase, followed closely by IOTA, which soared by 85.05%. TIA also made significant strides with a 58% gain.

The recent attainment of new all-time highs by gold serves as a potential precursor to a more risk-on market environment. However, the subsequent aggressive sell-off of gold warrants close observation. The market's pivot towards riskier assets is becoming more pronounced, and this shift could have significant implications for the cryptocurrency sector.

🚀 DEGEN HIGHLIGHTS (DYOR/NFA) 🚀

Notable Degen Mints

This is the segment where I will be keeping you all updated on the most notable releases throughout the upcoming week!

Tesseract by Bitman

Wanderers: RAM

Valeria Trading Card Game: Booster Box / Founders Set

Additional Releases worth keeping an eye:
- Escherly Seeds by Martijn Cohen - Art Blocks 
- Seventh Age
- Fomojis 2.0
- FIAT Pass: CINQUECENTO
- Lumina by DistCollective - Art Blocks

🕵️ UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: GOBLINTOWN.WTF

In the depths of the bear market. We saw a free mint called Goblintown.wtf take off like a putrid star. The collection's art was so ugly it was beautiful, at least at the time. All art can look beautiful as number go up.

The free mint caused a stir, firstly because of its incredible well done website. Then more and more based on the smaller details; storytelling narratives through engaging tweets, bios/descriptions on the collection itself, website founders teases, and the fact that as a free mint when the space needed it the most.

A few days after the collection was minted out the takeover on twitter was instant. Grotesque figures, nude, and volatile. Yet, we could not look away. To this day the community is very tight knit. But it all began on twitter spaces, making goblin noises, laughing, and wheezing grown men and women pretended to be goblins for entertainment and the degen cultural shift itself that had left the traders in Goblintown.

It seems like such a small thing, but thousands of people would join a twitter space to hear OG's, degens, and influential traders alike acting the part of their pfps. Embracing their inner ridiculous nature. This small thing can often be one of the most liberating experiences, to belong, to belong to something so insane from the outside it either looks like a cult or lunacy. But this is Web3.

Add to the spark lit by the tight hardcore community, rumours of Yuga labs connections (inpart due to a leaked Yuga investors deck calling for "Royalties on goblins"). Then more rumours of potential founders for this completely anonymous but OBVIOUSLY professional project, the floor ran upwards of 9eth. As the price of eth, was freefalling along with the price of nfts collections all around it. Goblintown.wtf rules the space, with a shit filled fist.

Not to skip over some beautiful memories, dramatic events, and speculation but The eventual coming forward of the founding team was the beginning of the end for Goblintown.

When the Truth Labs team announced that they were behind this collection, their intent to enjoy the story telling and community building process while anonymous was abruptly ended. Of Course the Truth labs collections pumped now that people saw how engaging it could truly be to be a part of their ecosystem. But unfortunately that too was short lived.

I could go on and on about this story, as it was a personal pleasure to watch. However I think it is important to learn the lessons taught to us by this collection. And to answer the questions brought forward about leadership, anonymity, community, and expectations.

🔦 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: ADITYA 🔦

Aditya is a contemporary digital artist based in India who creates stand out and thought-provoking works in the form of digital animations that reflect on contemporary life, pop culture and the human condition.

I first found out about his work last year through a US collector friend who had bought one of his nft’s from foundation. It stood out straight away due to his animation style and imagery, it felt very different to everything else I was seeing in the space. Aditya's animations are characterised by their dynamic narratives, striking subjects and the use of a wide range of animation techniques which I really love. He blends traditional animation techniques with experimental styles, creating bold works that challenge the boundaries of both animation and digital art. The movement in his animation is always something catches my eye and makes me want to watch it on repeat, I can imagine them looking amazing on a big digital frame.

Follow Aditya
Superrare: https://superrare.com/itsadityajain
Foundation: https://foundation.app/@adityaj

📜 FOR THE CULTURE 📜

Horde Mother: Shaping Web3's Future

Betty, famously known as the "Horde Mother," is the pioneering force behind the Deadfellaz. Her journey into the Web3 world commenced alongside her partner, Psych, in August 2021, when they launched their project, a zombie-themed project aimed at filling the gender gap prevalent in the NFT space.

Although Betty's identity was initially kept a secret, her influence grew as she became a well-known advocate for inclusivity and artist empowerment in the NFT community.

We have seen Betty be a voice for artist empowerment; her influence grew. Her outspoken opposition to policies that disadvantaged artists became a call to action in the NFT community. Betty led the charge to defend creator royalties, stressing the value of making sure artists are fairly acknowledged and paid for their work.

Betty's influence continues to expand with her involvement in the upcoming 'Culture on Chain' project, aimed at documenting creators globally and sharing their narratives. Her dedication to spotlighting efforts and diverse stories underscores her commitment to amplifying the voices and experiences shaping the cultural landscape within the industry.

Her journey from launching a successful brand to championing creators' rights and fostering collaborations stands as a beacon of female leadership in the ever-evolving Web3 landscape. Her trailblazing efforts signal not merely a dedication to artist empowerment or community-driven values but a profound push toward a more diverse, inclusive, and representative Web3 culture that we all need.

Her enduring influence, which has pushed the sector toward greater equality, representation, and significant innovation, is proof of the advocacy's revolutionary power. Betty's steadfast dedication to empowerment and inclusivity has not only transformed the NFT community but also upended and remade the traditional, predominately ‘NFT bros’ scene, serving as an inspiration to upcoming Web3 leaders and creators. Hail the Horde mother!