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You’ve been waiting, we’ve been waiting, and 10KTF has finally started Season 2 with a remarkable premiere through its signature use of cross-platform storytelling. Reminiscent of the first production where Wagmi-san’s shop caught on fire, this opening move reminds the community the depths at which 10KTF explores to curate a story using multiple mediums, including blockchain technology. Whether this was your first experience or you’re a day-one OG, it’s safe to say that there is a lot in store for Season 2, especially with the access of additional assets the team has as a new member of the Yuga Labs family.
As it is with every Thursday, the community never knows whether to expect a cinematic production, a new announcement, or decrypted message in the form of a tweet, but this past Thursday was different. We knew it would be different because Figge had assured the community the previous Thursday that it would be the “last Thursday of winter”, and so the fun began almost an hour before official communications are typically sent with a tweet from Grailed member Capetain Trippy, stating the following:
“Rumor has it, from @mfigge, season 2 of @10KTFshop can’t start until I change back my PFP. I apologize for last weeks rug. Should I change it now and get this going? 🤔”
In a server filled with the most anxious of community members, it would only take a response from Figge to get the copy pasta running wild, and, well, Figge responded, encouraging Capetain Trippy to “just change it”.
With the hour drawing near and a roster full of Shopkeepers in the wings, the supporting characters from Season 2 gradually began to enter the server as their Discord statuses changed from “Invisible” to “Online”. Although seen at different times throughout the Season One, this marked the first time where so many key characters, such as “BOSS_APE”, “BOSS_WOOLF”, “Wen Moon”, “BOSS_TOADZ”, and “NTEC Spokesperson”, have presented themselves in the server at the same time. As the clock struck 3PM PST, 10KTF delivered its first tweet, and the show began with an image of New Tokyo and some unusual, pink cracks breaking through the land’s surface while the portal seemingly starts to close.
Immediately following this, we go right into the dialogue, starting with a comment from the NTEC Spokesperson in an effort to reassure the community that the new “anomaly” did not pose any risk at the time and to “proceed calmly” through the remainder of the Thursday; however, in a server full of eager tin-foilers, that is the last behavior one can expect at such instruction. Furthermore, it is important to note Wen Moon’s debate about this anomaly as she questioned if, instead, it is actually “PROPHECY”. As the act continued, alerts intermittently appeared from a new Discord bot titled “New Tokyo Alerts” with initial warnings that stated “Drastic change in localized air temperature and barometric pressure detected.”
As the characters proceeded to interact with one another and community members, the alerts became more severe, indicating “Batshit seismic activity detected in all districts,” and the tweets and live website updates that followed showed the portal growing smaller, while the fractures on New Tokyo land grew deeper to the point of total dismantle. With Shopkeeper Midori on the turntables to choreograph the experience in the listen-only, voice channel, Discord channels are created to emulate the separation taking place within New Tokyo. First, the main “Grailed” channel is split into two: “Grail” and “Ed”. Then, each character is given its own channel to convey their isolation on their own “rock” where they call out to active community members for help with added humor in their lines.
With New Tokyo destroyed, yet again, Recycling is officially removed, and it appears as though G-Tags may have seen a cap on supply after all with a total count of 12,447 tokens. As the scene comes to a close, we are left with one last tweet finally showing the long-lost craftsman, Wagmi-san. It had been over 18 weeks since he was last seen drinking Koda Juice straight from the bottle, and so many questions remain as to where he has been the whole time. Nevertheless, it seems he is back more powerful than ever, and with Level 1 tools in-hand, we are left with a message that states, “It’s not a prophecy, it’s a reminder.”
With speculation abound regarding the “alpha hidden in plain sight” with this image of Wagmi-san, this is a small, yet significant, example of 10KTF’s level of execution that differentiates itself from any other NFT project in the space. To put it in a buzz-word category, like “story-telling NFT project”, actually minimizes what this team continues to build. From producing physical products, such as one of one hoodies and personalized Kagamis, to throwing some of the most fascinating in-real-life events, there is a lot happening behind the curtains, and the best part of all is that these digital events take place for free every Thursday where the team experiments with the communication devices it has available: Discord, Twitter, its website, and the blockchain.
To relive this Season 2 premiere, check out the live playback by our friends at The DAM Show who also covered the Otherside Second Trip where 10KTF tweeted out new updates during the Saturday event to further incorporate itself into the story.
