Wil

Feels like a good time to say this. We think this is going to be a big year for @deadpixels_club. In fact, we think the next few years are going to be the best we've had, yet. But what I hope to get across is this: What we're trying to build is a lovable art collection that attracts a community of collectors and lasts for a very long time. We're not aiming to be a vehicle for financial freedom that will retire your bloodline. When that becomes the focus, an art collection has lost its way, people over-extend themselves, and it stops being fun. If you like the project, buy what you like and what you're happy to spend on digital art. While we can't promise the moon stuff, what we can promise you is that our focus will be working to make DPGC one of the best destinations for collectors, not just in Web3, but anywhere. Growing a larger and larger community of people who truly enjoy what is fun about collectibles is the goal. If that sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, we'd love to have you: discord.gg/DeadPixels

Some days you wake up feeling like you're ready to smash through a brick wall. Today's one of those days. GM.

@Cosmideus @CraigarX 🙌

@CraigarX @Will_DPGC my trading mate loves the forever mint!

@Cosmideus forever mint kicks ass🤘

@TimelessTurts @EntheosEnergy hbd Entheos!

Today is a very special day. It’s @EntheosEnergy’s birthday! 🎉 Enth isn’t just one of the creators behind the Turts, but someone we can all agree is one of the pillars of the entire HederaNFT community. 💚 Even before the Turts were a thing, he has always supported so many amazing projects across the ecosystem and continuously shown love to all #HBARbarians. Today, we just want to show our appreciation and celebrate him on his special day! We appreciate you, Tyler! Thank you for everything you do, not just for the Shell Squad, but for the whole #HederaNFT family! 💚

I think some of you may have glossed over the part where I said this is only a response to the people who have been asking why some projects don't participate. There's been a number of unhappy posts and comments on spaces about it. I never said anyone is compelled. Just sharing answers to a question.

Framing a community event as inherently “tribalistic” oversimplifies its purpose. These events are generally meant to foster connection, shared learning, and open participation, not exclusion or division. By contrast, promoting a project as “#1 on the network” without acknowledging others can unintentionally create a competitive, zero-sum perception. While not inherently tribalistic, this kind of messaging can feel self-focused rather than supportive of the broader ecosystem, depending on how it is framed. No one is being compelled to participate, and characterizing it that way introduces a narrative that does not reflect the reality. Ultimately, perceptions are shaped by actions and decisions, not assumptions. We’re all out here together.

I'm seeing a lot of people asking why some projects don't get involved in voting contests. I usually avoid the topic since I know some people put work in to make them happen and have good intentions, but since there are a lot of folks making posts and comments on spaces about projects not participating, I'll share the honest reasons we choose not to in case it's helpful.  Generally speaking I think they're a net negative for projects/brands. Some could say that it's friendly competition, but I'm not really sure it's the kind of competition that helps brands. If you break it down, they're popularity contests where the projects involved are asked to drum up support for themselves. I'm not sure if that's a good thing for projects and communities to spend their time and energy on. You're probably not going to love the dude putting in work to ask everyone to vote for them as prom king. Also in terms of friendly competition, most folks seem to agree this space can easily get too tribal sometimes so I'm not sure if there's a lot of value in pitting communities against each other to decide which is more popular. I've seen quite a number of these competitions turn sour. We usually privately let organizers know we'd prefer not to be included to avoid confusion and give projects that are interested in participating the spot instead. We explain why it's not something we'll promote, but some organizers choose to include us anyway and that's fine -- it's their choice. Not sure if they need to criticize projects for not engaging, though. If people have fun doing these I have no problem with them doing it. It's just not for everyone and I think that's alright too 🤝

@raf_deadpixels @rayyamartino That's how you've won four years in a row.

@Will_DPGC This is exactly why I don’t include you and @rayyamartino in my “Who is the Best DPGC Founder” contests.

@Will_DPGC Would’ve been shorter to just say, “no one ever picked me in PE so now I’m getting my revenge.”

@ItzzHbarPaul @rayyamartino Not sure where it felt like the shots were fired. People have been asking why projects don't get involved and I offered an honest explanation for the reasons we don't do it. I don't expect everyone to agree, but don't think it hurts to give an honest answer 🤝

Shots fired for sure, although I’d disagree. What’s really the difference between rallying your community to vote on some random influencer’s “favorite NFT project” post made purely for clickbait and engagement, versus rallying your community to show up for a fun, community friendly competition? We raid posts every day supporting Ghost on people’s NFT posts and spaces, but when it comes to a local community event that’s meant to be fun and bring people together, suddenly it’s considered pointless or a throwaway? My 5 year old daughter had an art fair where parents voted on the best artwork. Did some kids probably get upset because they didn’t win? Sure, they’re kids. But my daughter had a blast, and it motivated some of the less artistic kids to try harder next time. That said, I do understand the frustration. Some people definitely take it too far and say unnecessary things about those who don’t participate, and that part isn’t cool. At the end of the day though, we’re all just playing around with magic internet art. Different strokes for different folks. Much love.

@TateOnChain I like the idea 🤝

Hey Wil, I’ve got nothing against DPGC participating in May Madness. In fact, it’s exactly because of how you handled it that I respect your decision. You reached out privately and politely asked to be removed, which I appreciated. I couldn’t personally pull you guys because I knew the broader community would often misinterpret it the wrong way. Hosting this year has taught me a lot. Moving forward, I’m planning to introduce a simple opt-in form so projects that aren’t interested can easily sit it out and avoid any unnecessary friction. You’ve got some solid points. That said, the biggest benefit of running May Madness is still the same: it shines a light on Hedera’s ecosystem and introduces the world to so many incredible communities that might otherwise stay under the radar. Appreciate the respectful way you shared your perspective. No hard feelings at all.

Thanks for the input. I just disagree that this is analogous to something like sports with March madness. Those are athletes playing a game for entertainment. It's not an event with the fans competing against each other. It's why you don't see brackets "vote for your favorite sports team." Also disagree with the framing that my post was to make projects that participate feel any certain way. Just sharing honest feedback why we choose not to because some organizers are questioning why projects aren't doing so. As I said on my post, I'm happy if projects want to do it. The post was in response to why projects choose to stay sidelined so hopefully it helps 🤝

Appreciate you sharing this Wil, and respect that you took the time to explain rather than just sitting it out quietly. Going to offer a different take though, not to push back on your decision because every project gets to choose what fits them, but because I think the framing of these events deserves a fair counter from someone who runs one. The way I see it, bracket style events aren't really about deciding who's most popular. If they were, you'd be right that they're hollow. They're about giving a community a reason to show up for itself in a fun way. Colleges do March Madness. Cities do best of polls. Sports leagues do all star voting. Brackets exist everywhere because they create a shared event that turns passive followers into active participants for a couple of weeks. The winner is honestly the least interesting part. The point is the participation, the conversations between communities that wouldn't have otherwise happened, and the surfacing of smaller projects that would never get airtime otherwise. That last part is the one I care about most. May Madness has put smaller Hedera projects in front of audiences they'd never reach on their own. Some of them used the visibility to grow real community. That to me is the actual public good of this kind of event. It's not the bracket, it's the ladder it puts under newer projects. On the tribal point, that's fair and worth taking seriously. Anything competitive can go sideways if it's run poorly. The answer in my view isn't to skip the event, it's to run it in a way that keeps the energy positive. Celebrate every project, make the smaller ones feel seen, and don't let the bracket become a popularity coronation. That's on the organizers, and it's a fair standard to hold us to. Last thing. I genuinely don't think projects that don't participate need any defense. Sitting it out is a perfectly valid choice and nobody should be criticized for that. But projects that do participate, especially smaller ones who are using this to get reach, also don't deserve to be made to feel like they're chasing prom king. They're showing up for their communities the same way DPGC shows up for yours. Different paths, same ecosystem. Respect either way.

@RonnieRipple603 @Hobley___ @hedera think someone with eth can buy a ghost with eth. or pretty much any token for that matter.

@Hobley___ @Will_DPGC @hedera Can you recap for me 🙃

It's kind of wild what CLPR could mean for NFTs (or any token) on the Hedera network. Some insane possibilities are opened when this goes live. Can't wait.

@AlphaRomero_ If this actually comes to pass the way it's described, then people aren't bullish enough.

Just got around to watching this and am more bullish than I have ever been on hedera-hashgraph:native We already have: - best tech: fast/low fixed cost - best security - best governance What we have always lacked is the liquidity of the other L1's. CLPR solves this. CLPR "breaks down the walls to that liquidity... making it easy to move tokens from one network to another, seamlessly" I'm not sure anyone is bullish enough on what this means for the future of #Hedera

@AlphaRomero_ @hedera Very few things have made me feel this bullish about the opportunities they'll unlock.

@Will_DPGC @hedera x.com/AlphaRomero_/s…

A trading card shop, but digital. Collectors hang out, buy packs, talk shop, & watch others rip packs as well. Never closes, & anyone can hop in from anywhere in the world. That's what's starting to take shape in our Discord & will keep growing. Join us: Discord.gg/DeadPixels

@deadpixels_club This but the card shop also has a basement for @raf_deadpixels

Another 24 hours in Austin and then heading back home. @deadpixels_club work on-site with @raf_deadpixels and @rayyamartino was even more productive than expected. Never been more confident about the direction and future of @deadpixels_club.

Big @Will_DPGC style

@deadpixels_club 😊

A new happy little gold ghost has landed in our Forever Mint Pool 😊 You can mint a random ghost from our collection right now, here: sentx.io/forevermint/de… And come hang out with the community: Discord.gg/DeadPixels