For the Culture: The "whole life frenzy" started from ThreadGuy's customized version of Openen

*原文：*For the Culture: Jack Butcher’s Custom ThreadGuy Opepen Edition Goes Viral

by Langston Thomas, nftnow

Compilation: Odaily Planet Daily Aya

The specific "Internet subculture" of NFT has undergone many evolutions. From market cycles to controversies, the terminology, priorities, and overall vibe of Web3 among blockchain denizens has continued to ebb and flow, as has the price of the token that drives it.

However, one thing is certain, that is, no matter how speculative, NFT has a deeper meaning than art and money can bring - the NFT field has developed a unique culture, despite fraud and Selfish, but the culture still mostly consists of goodwill and camaraderie.

And more recently, multi-artist Jack Butcher has reminded the entire metaverse of what is really driving this culture. By launching an open version for prolific NFT commentator ThreadGuy, Butcher created a wave that has taken the NFT space by storm.

Now, the slogan "For the Culture" is sounding again, and the story begins like this:

From Checks to Open

Those who have been in the NFT circuit for a while must have heard of Butcher's Opepen project. The project was launched in January 2023. As a sequel to Checks, this 60-minute NFT was finally released in batches and became an important work in the rise of the open NFT track.

Since then, the Pepe the Frog-inspired collectible has taken off, and has continued to refine its intricate mechanics and build influence over the ensuing months. In the end, driven by raving fans, this project was able to become one of the top projects in the NFT market.

During that time, a collector named Bored Elon (BE) became the number one Holder of Opepen NFT. As a loyal supporter of Pepe and Jack Butcher, this big brother who turned from KOL to Builder firmly believes that Opepen is an important part of NFT culture.

On July 11, 2023, Elon proposed a deal to ThreadGuy with his other Twitter account, Bored Opepen: exchange his highly influential MAYC for the original version of Opepen (countless other Openen NFTs are derived from this from).

ThreadGuy, however, did not accept the deal. Considering the mutant ape has become synonymous with his persona, he rejects this offer and many more that follow (from BE and others). However, as ThreadGuy changed his long-used PFP avatar to start a discussion in the Web3 community, the KOL was noncommittal about changing his avatar to Opepen.

After just a few days of back-and-forth, as the topic grew, Butcher, the Opepen NFT creator who was at the center of the conversation, made a custom Opepen image for ThreadGuy that completely changed the game.

Whole version

On July 13th, Jack Butcher commented on a bootleg Openpen x Mutant Ape PFP posted by ThreadGuy, and showed a picture of the Opepen version custom-made for ThreadGuy. This Opepen features his unique geometric style, the color scheme is from ThreadGuy's Mutant Ape, redesigned to fit the Opepen format. Needless to say, the whole act led ThreadGuy to replace his mutant monkey PFP, and then organized a Twitter Space with 3,600 participants to mark the occasion.

The incident sent the NFT community into a frenzy. Now that Butcher offers a third option to the "swap or not" dilemma between ThreadGuy and BE (however the problem is precisely caused by Butcher's art), the focus of the discussion shifts from speculation about a potentially big deal to Butcher's and the humorous and friendly nature of the NFT circle itself.

Since then, countless derivatives have sprung up. Given the amount of attention Butcher's work has received, countless other creators and collectors want to get in on the action, creating their own Oppen-inspired versions. Most notable among these are the various unique pieces created by Jalil, an artist and developer who collaborates with Butcher on Visualize Value and other projects.

Of course, the story didn't stop there. On July 16, at the height of the custom Opepen craze, Butcher launched an open series called Opepen Threadition, which included a tokenized version of a custom PFP he made for ThreadGuy.

Each OpenThreadition sells for 0.001 ETH (approximately $2), providing a fun way for anyone to get involved.

*(But the Mint also has a generous side. All proceeds from Open Threaditions will be distributed to ThreadGuy as a way to "redirect some economic energy" and thank him for continuing to inject value into the Web3 community.) *

For the Culture，For the Meme

After the release of Oppen Threadition, the guys discovered that the events between Bored Elon, ThreadGuy, and Jack Butcher had far more meaning than one might expect from a simple rapport with each other. Word of the friendship magic has spread, and even Beeple weighs in on the event, before Butcher makes him his very own custom Opepen.

The “For the Culture” catchphrase began to catch on, and discussions around the benevolent nature of the NFT space began to resurface. Many recalled the way NFTs used to change lives on an almost daily basis and rejoiced in putting entertainment back at the center of attention, even if the joy was only temporary.

At the same time, the benevolent aspects of Openen Threadition began to emerge. As of this writing, Openen Threadition has amassed over 32,000 mint, generating over 32 ETH (~$60,000) in revenue. Likewise, eight versions of the work minted by Jalil (which also returned funds to ThreadGuy) raised about 7 ETH (about $13,000), bringing the total raised to more than $70,000 worth of ETH. Threadition's influence even extended to OpenSea, who changed their profile picture and username on Twitter to pay homage to the trend.

All in all, ThreadGuy's efforts are given monetary value, and the development of NFT culture is also driving the Web3 community's eager memory of what NFTs really are, and the need for creators to be paid properly.

While Web3 artists have found themselves making a living out of their creations, critics and proponents of blockchain culture often rely on collecting and trading as they seek balance. Of course, that may be changing with the advent of new revenue channels like Twitter Ads revenue sharing. But after Opepen, it became clear that in NFT circles, all it takes is a little friendship magic to elevate the situation of fellow humans.