Welcome to the OpenSea digest. Let’s look back through the biggest NFT and web3 news of the week.

Azuki partners with Story Protocol to expand NFT storytelling and licensing

Azuki, the anime-style NFT project, is partnering with Story Protocol, a blockchain platform that records creative work, to let its community turn Azuki characters into licensed stories.

In practice, this means holders will soon be able to write their own comics, games, or scripts using Azuki artwork and then monetize those creations under an official license. 

According to an announcement on X, Story Protocol’s partners Verse 8, a publishing studio, and ABLO, a licensing tool, will provide the infrastructure to make that process real.

Parallel reveals details for Deception pack drop on OpenSea

‍Parallel, the sci-fi trading card NFT game, announced pack construction details for its upcoming Deception set, dropping Sept. 30 on OpenSea. 

Each 10-card pack will now include seven tiers of rarity, a decision that came about to potentially give collectors clearer odds of pulling specific types of cards. 

The team has also reduced the number of First Edition cards to keep high-end pulls meaningful, while confirming that duplicate rarities won’t appear within a single pack, though duplicate card names can. 

Parallel says these adjustments aim to make the Deception Collector Packs their most rewarding release yet, with more information on special “Masterpiece” cards coming soon.

Beeple, Jack Butcher and others will headline Art Blocks Marfa Weekend 2025

Art Blocks, the generative art NFT platform, has named the artists who will take part in its fifth annual Marfa Weekend, scheduled for Oct. 16–19 in Marfa, Texas. 

From the looks of it, Beeple and Jack Butcher (along with a blurred mystery headline) will top a lineup that also includes creative coder Anna Carreras, conceptual photographer Justin Aversano, and algorithmic designer Tyler Hobbs. 

The roster includes more than 50 artists, from longtime cryptoart figures like Snowfro to experimental collectives like DADABOTS. Organizers say full programming will be announced Monday, but the early list suggests a mix of installations, talks and community gatherings in the desert town.

The event will mark five years of on-chain generative art in the desert town that has become a hub for the project’s community. 

Partners supporting the weekend include OpenSea, along with Glitch Marfa gallery, and design collective Generative Goods, plus several art and tech groups. 

The full program will be released Monday, with exhibitions, talks, and gatherings planned for artists and collectors alike.

Fellowship presents: Harmony >< Tension by ThankYouX

Digital art platform Fellowship artist ThankYouX have announced “Harmony <> Tension,” a new project asking what painting becomes in a world shaped by screens. 

The series includes nine physical works paired with digital diptychs, with titles such as Owner of Time, Good Graces, and Time in the Sun. A private exhibition will take place in Paris on Oct. 21, followed by online availability for collectors. 

Artist ThankYouX, who created the works, said on X he is proud to present the collection with Fellowship.

REKT sells 1 million cans and announce energy drink 

Rekt Brands, the web3 consumer company behind Rekt Drinks, sold its one millionth can with the peach-raspberry “Moon Crush” flavor created in partnership with payments firm MoonPay. 

The flavor sold out quickly, following earlier collaborations with crypto projects like Jupiter, Abstract, and Base. Buyers of Rekt Drinks can earn REKT tokens, which remain one of the brand’s main draws. 

According to the company’s recent press release, Rekt Drinks is now available in select 7-Eleven stores in Southern California, which marks the brand’s first retail placement.

Franklin Templeton expands tokenization platform to BNB Chain

Franklin Templeton, the global investment firm with a reported $1.6 trillion under management, has brought its Benji Technology Platform to BNB Chain. 

The platform supports buying, selling, and record-keeping for tokenized investments, and was first used in 2021 to launch a U.S.-registered mutual fund that processes transactions on-chain. 

By connecting to BNB Chain, Franklin Templeton can now run its tokenized funds and other products on infrastructure built for fast settlement and low fees. Company leaders said the integration is meant to give both retail and institutional clients more direct access to tokenized financial products.

Ana María Caballero premieres AI-driven choreographic film ‘Pace’

Now Media is partnering with poet and artist Ana María Caballero to premiere Pace, her first choreographic film created with cinematic AI. The debut will take place Monday, Sept. 29, at 2 p.m. ET, presented online. 

Caballero also shared that the first edition of Pace has been acquired by The Stahlberg Collection, a private collection in Germany, with two of four editions still available. 

Note: The mention of any token is for informational purposes only and is not intended as financial or investment advice.