It’s been 2 months since our last newsletter, but the space had already witnessed the resurgence of memecoins and the emergence of a new meta in BRC-20 ordinal inscriptions!

At ARC, we consider these to be part of the current Web3 ecosystem, but we are also excited about other developments and activities taking place in the space and in this community.

To kick things off, we're thrilled to announce that ARC has moved to a new office space. We welcome anyone in the ARC Community to come and visit us at our new space.

Ushering in the new, ARC has also launched a renewed website with a tone refresh and simplified user experience for Stellars. Referrals from Stellars can now apply through an expedited process via a unique referral link found on the ARC app.

A new credit card payment option is also now available, with a special Concierge service for people new to Web3.


Recap of April and May Town Halls

The past two ARC Stellars Town Halls had provided members with the latest updates on the team's recent developments. Here are some of the highlights from the conversations:

  • City Meet-Up POAPs
    Surprise for Stellars who joined us in the first part of ARC's World Tour 2023! POAPs have been airdropped to those who were with us in HK, Seoul and Tokyo! The POAP for Bangkok will also be airdropped to Stellars that joined us soon.

    These POAPs will eventually be integrated and taken into account for our long-term community contributions programme, which tracks and rewards Stellars for engaging, participating and contributing.
  • Updates On Stellars’ Artwork
    PFPs in the collection will be split into six ‘passions’ based on the core elements of water, metal, fire, earth, space and nature! Each element is intended to be relatable to unique Stellar members. Marketing for the new artwork will soon take place and you will see sneaks released in the form of pre-reveal silhouettes. It would be amazing for every Stellar to share them on your own social media or even change them to your PFPs!
  • Evolving the Pyxis Program to a New Token, Fyrian
    Our new token Fyrian symbolises the power of fire in refining and strengthening, inspired by the curation process that all holders go through. Fyrian will still act as proof of curation and will continue to be a non-transferable soulbound token, minted for free. The metadata for Fyrian was refreshed on Friday, 21st April. What you see now is the base visual for Fyrian.
  • Updates for ARC Merch Drop
    Pre-orders for the ARC X World Vision shirt have commenced at shop.arccommunity.com! In partnership with World Vision, the profits raised will directly go towards the building of solar panels at schools in Yen Thuy, Vietnam. This will provide them with a reliable and sustainable source of electricity and ensure that the days of power outages are over for these students aged 3 to 16. “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” - take this opportunity to make a little difference in this world!

    P.S. Take this chance to rep @icunucmi fashion by ordering an oversized shirt. Also, if you are a non-Stellar, @0xfuzzcheek has kindly offered to contribute on your behalf at the cost price of 0.08 ETH. Let him know your preferred size and he will cover the difference!

ARC App-Exclusive Audio Rooms

Stories Rediscovered with Zagabond

If you have been in the Web3/NFT space, you would be no stranger to AZUKI and its sidekick, the BEANZ collection. ARC Stellars had the opportunity to hear from @ZAGABOND, the founder of AZUKI.

During the conversation, we learned about his ethos and interesting Web3 journey, his outlook on the current NFT space, and his experiences so far in pushing the boundaries with AZUKI. He also shared his take on community loyalty and the innovative step his team has taken to explore Physical-Backed Tokens (PBT).

It was an extremely insightful conversation for the ARC Stellars community, and we were privileged to learn from an established founder in the Web3/NFT space. This was especially valuable for builders or creatives in the community who are interested in embarking on their own ventures.

The Stories Rediscovered series have since featured @9GAGCEO, CEO of 9GAG and Memeland, @JJ_Lin, ARC’s Co-Founder and singer-songwriter, @VERBAL_AMBUSH, ARC’s Honorary Member from the music and fashion industry, and most recently, @ZAGABOND, the founder of AZUKI.

Given the quality of the speakers until this point, it's astounding that we're only just getting started. Expect much more to come in this series, exclusively for the ARC Stellars!

NFT Flipping Masterclass

We hosted an exciting NFT Flipping Masterclass led by @0xKeane and @Spectrum__eth. The masterclass provided an exclusive opportunity to learn strategies for flipping NFTs and featured discussions on hot projects like The Captainz and Pixelmon - Generation 1, which experienced price increases after the session.

For those that joined the session, congrats on the gains! #AlphaIsInTheAudioRooms

However, if you had missed out on this session and the gains, don’t FOMO! There are plenty more opportunities out there. Be sure to stay tuned, as they may be a chance for another masterclass by @0xKeane 😉.

Built exclusively on the ARC App

Since the launch of the ARC App, it has taken Community Rediscovered to a whole new level. In a multi-functional and safe space for members to connect and collaborate, 73,000 exchanges, 4,322 connections, 137 group chats, and countless audio rooms have emerged on the community-first ARC App.

Real world connections and network opportunities

  1. Memeland
    This past month, ARC was instrumental in facilitating the connection of @Memeland CEO @9gagceo with @tjuliang, the head of blockchain & digital assets at Drew & Napier, who are now working together for Memeland’s corporate matters. This is the value that the ARC Community brings to its Stellars, connecting like-minded individuals across Asia in both the physical and digital space.
  2. Polygon and TinyAstroNFT
    Through the forging of a new friendship and partnership between Stellars, @0xLukeLoo and @mintcollectible, ARC facilitated the deal for Polygon and TinyAstroNFT, an up and coming NFT analytics platform, to work together and have NFT @onPolygon_ to be included on their platform.

Continuation of World Tour

In the first half of 2023, the ARC team has met up with Stellars in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul and most recently, Los Angeles and Bangkok!

Los Angeles #ARCinLA

The dynamic duo, Elroy and Gabe, were thrilled to soak up the beautiful LA sunshine and connect with like-minded individuals, spreading the word about their mission to unlock the potential of human connections and Web3 technology to create a better world.

One of the highlights was when Gabe, our king of the vibes, joined a panel session called "Curating Community Experiences and Powering Engagement" at NFT LA. He shared the stage with @taipeicity_eth, @thekevinseo, and @AndyTheNguyen to discuss the importance of community building in the NFT space.


The convention provided an excellent opportunity for our community to connect, forge friendships, and strengthen relationships.

Tokyo #ARCinTokyo

The community in Tokyo welcomed ARC with open arms, and we enjoyed the immaculate vibes and good times in this bustling metropolis.


At the "Onboarding the Next Million" panel session hosted by Fabric VC, Stellar @zunahn shared his expert insights.

In addition to engaging in thoughtful discussions, the community enjoyed various activities such as playing football, savouring a BBQ, and tasting the world-famous Tsukiji seafood.

Bangkok #ARCinBKK

Bangkok was the next stop for the ARC team as they continued on their world tour! Gabe and Keane took on the city’s Web3 scene and met some folks who have made gen wealth with memecoins. True connections and shared experiences (of keeping our shorts on in the hot weather) were made and this is truly the mark of a genuine community!

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Omakase Dinner

Courtesy of our Founder, Kiat Lim, active contributors of ARC were in for a treat at Sushi Yuki for an unforgettable omakase dinner. This is truly one of the perks of being in the ARC Community - the gift that keeps on giving!

Meeting Cristiano Ronaldo

Talk about building connections, nothing comes close to getting connected to one of the greatest football players of all time. ARC Stellars, like @LegallyBullnde, @ck4kevin, @0xLukeLoo, and @NFT_Unker, had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Cristiano Ronaldo. A dream come true for these Stellars indeed, and a testament to the value that ARC brings to its community members!

Secret Supper Club

The inaugural Secret Supper took place this month at Boeuf and Stellars were treated with amazing food and wine, but more importantly, heartfelt conversations that allowed for the community to share their experiences and form even stronger bonds with one another!

Stellars in attendance shared at the recent Town Hall that the experience curated by the community team was very enjoyable and meaningful, and there was alpha shared that the next one would be coming up real soon!

InterStellar Quest

ARC's commitment to fostering connections within the Stellar community has been a cornerstone of its success. The team is dedicated to creating opportunities for Stellars to engage with each other on a deeper level, and one such initiative is the InterStellar Quest, which was launched in March.

This year-long program involves monthly challenges that teams of Stellars can participate in, with the aim of strengthening their bonds and creating a more united community. The InterStellar Quest has already gained traction, with many participants sharing memes and updates on their progress - some of which you may have seen popping up all over your timeline!

Participating teams can earn points in the “BeReal Challenge” by sharing pictures of their activities with the community on the Interstellar Quest tab of the app. Additionally, you can earn points by organising meet-ups with other team members in the “Stellar Meets Stellar” challenge, with both in-person and virtual meetings being eligible.

What would an issue of ARC Insider be without the high-energy blast of congratulations celebrating the achievements of the ARC Stellars?!

  • How awesome are the self-organised meetups among our community members?! We love seeing the energy and passion you all bring to the table - keep those vibes coming @paperworker, @LuisANavia and @sharonlourdes!
  • Big shoutout to @pavelbains for absolutely killing it on the podcast with @scottmelker of Wolf of All Streets. Your insights were pure fire - it was a pleasure to learn from one of the best, we encourage all to take a listen!
  • Congrats @AlejNavia for selling out NOWPASS NFTs! You are seriously crushing it, and we cannot wait to see what you have in store next!
  • Massive congrats to @JPIBRANDSTYLE for winning Entrepreneur of the Year 2022! Your hard work and dedication is truly inspiring to us!
  • Huge props to @J_AlenKwon for landing this major partnership with OCBC Bank! We're proud to have you as a member of our community, and our feelings were beautifully summed up by Elroy himself
  • Absolutely loving this innovative concept, @jayefunk! But ser, we need to know....wen ARC-only streaming, or perhaps something even more epic? We’re proud to have you with us too!
Web3/NFT Trends and Analysis

Project Analysis by Jujubz

The migration of NFT collections between blockchains can have both positive and negative impacts on the blockchain network. In the case of the Degods and y00ts collections, the migration puts a severe strain on the Solana blockchain.

This migration can be seen as a loss of trust in the Solana blockchain, which may potentially affect its reputation and adoption. As the Solana NFT market is less than 10% of Ethereum's, the migration of a bluechip collection like the DeGods project may also cause other projects to follow suit, further eroding Solana's position in the NFT market.

However, on the positive side, the migration creates an opportunity for a new collection to rise up as a bluechip on the Solana blockchain. Additionally, the successful migration demonstrates that blockchain migration of NFT collections is possible and accepted by the collection holders.

Following the successful migration, let's take a closer look at the DeGods and y00ts projects and how they have been performing.

DeGods

DeGods was a 10k PFP collection on Solana (now Ethereum) of gods adorned in a unique blend of modern streetwear and ancient-deity aesthetics, with a focus on building community utility. Currently, there are 9,465 DeGods NFTs in existence as the team had burnt 535 NFTs. More on that later.

Popularity Hype

When the DeGods team first announced the project, they revealed their plans to institute a "Paperhands Bitch Tax": a 33.3% tax levied on anyone who listed their DeGods NFT below the mint price. The funds from that tax were sent to a treasury wallet that was then used to "sweep the floor" on the secondary market. The Solana community loved this idea, with many community members using "(33.3%)" beside their Twitter name to show their support.

Burn

Here's where it gets interesting: the DeGods team burned all 535 of the NFTs they bought back with this treasury wallet. This resulted in the NFTs with “Common” rarity ranking becoming increasingly rare and driving up the collection's value overall.

What is $DUST?

$DUST is the DeGods community token created on the Solana blockchain. The token has a maximum supply of 33.3M tokens. The tokens are distributed through staking of DeGods or DeadGods NFTs.

Collection

Staking Rewards

DeGods

2.5 $DUST/day

DeadGods

7.5 $DUST/day

$DUST is on a few DEXs on the Solana network.

What are DeadGods?

DeadGods was the DeGods NFT upgrade that allowed collectors to buy a “fine art” version of their existing NFT. DeGods holders could pay 1,000 $DUST to obtain the new version of their NFTs.

Below is a graphical summary taken from the main Twitter account.

y00ts NFT

y00ts (fromerly known as Duppies) is the second drop from the DeGods team, consisting of 15,000 unique cartoon creatures created by the artist Itzel Yard. The creatures are diverse in appearance, each with its personality, story, and traits.

The y00ts mint had a unique application process at that time to get into the allowlist, with the mint price set at 375 $DUST. This drove up the price of $DUST from 1 $USD to 3.75 $USD in just 1.5 months.

Bridge to Ethereum & Polygon

y00ts was the first collection to bridge out of Solana to the Polygon network. This took place on 28th March 2023, followed by DeGods bridging to Ethereum days later.

To incentivise the holders to bridge their NFTs, the team offered free bridging and staking fees for the first 24 hours, and BTC DeGods (ordinals) were raffled off. They also mentioned that they would be enforcing the "Paper Hands Bridge Tax" on assets that remained on the Solana blockchain after 3rd April 2023.

Analytics

DeGods

On the Solana network, DeGods saw a remarkable 52% gain in floor price in just 2 days before the bridge to Ethereum. The floor peaked to 950 SOL before settling at 890 SOL. A total of 8.7k migrations took place, with 7.3k of them happening within the first 24 hours. Currently about 4,000 NFTs are staked, and the floor price on Ethereum stands at 8.64E, with the highest recorded price reaching 10.25E on April 8th.

y00ts

Similarly, y00ts had experienced an impressive 71% gain in floor price in just one day, reaching a peak of 245 Sol and settling at 186 Sol. This took place after its successful move to Polygon. A total of 12.94k migrations were recorded, with 11.3k of them occurring within the first 24 hours. Currently, ~6k NFTs are staked, and the floor price on Ethereum is at 1.8E, with the highest recorded price reaching 2.55E on April 8th.

y00ts has emerged as the top collection on the Polygon chain, with the total sale volume of 5252E.