GM

Welcome to the 92 people who joined yesterday.

Huge news - our Genesis Pass sold out!

To everyone who minted: grazie mille. The discord will open this evening, keep an eye on our Twitter.

Now...there's an old saying: after the ecstasy, the laundry.

We did a bunch of high-fives yesterday, but now it's time for your boy to get to work.

In today’s edition:

• This NFT is flying under the radar

• Updated NFT rankings

• 4 new drops

More info on Mint/Watch lists HERE.

Keep an eye on this weird drop

My guess is you don’t know who this is:

That’s just based on my subjective read of who subscribes to this Most Refined Newsletter.

But then again, some of you might instantly recognize her, and you’re probably laughing wondering where I’m going with this.

For the rest of you, here’s the breakdown

This character goes by the name of Gawr Gura, and she’s arguably the most popular VTuber in the world.

VTubing is when content creators use motion capture to create a 2D or 3D virtual character that they then use for live streams or youtube videos.

It gets more and more popular every year, with the top VTubers now reaching millions of subscribers – and all signs point to this accelerating in the near future.

For a better idea of what this looks like, here’s the most recent Gura Gawr stream. And while you’re at it, check out this recent IRL concert with another VTuber called Mori Calliope.

Sound weird? Well, it really shouldn’t. After all, most of the volume in NFTs so far has gone towards digital avatar projects, and chances are most people reading an NFT newsletter have, at some point, donned one of these avatars on social media. You can admit it here, it’s a safe space.

So if anyone should get this stuff, it should probably be this crowd.

But funny enough, VTubing-related NFTs have been a complete afterthought. The only other company that comes to mind is Hologram Labs, which does Vtuber work for collections like Pudgy Penguins and Cool Cats.

That could change soon

Yesterday, a company called AnotherBall announced a $2.2 million funding round to build IZUMO, an NFT VTuber project. Investors include the founder of Polygon, the Co-founder of Twitch, the CTO at Sony Group Corp, and popular NFT figure Zeneca.

We don’t know every detail of what they’re planning, but we do know they have a strong team.

The founders, Sunsuke Oyu and Tatsoru Shimada, previously sold two companies, including a VTuber agency to Sony in 2021. Sunsuke was also an early investor in AnyColor, which operates the largest VTuber group in the world.

I think anyone who had the conviction to double down on VTubing +3 years ago probably has a good understanding of where the internet is going, which fits perfectly for a project that wants to be at the intersection of Web3, digital avatars, and AI.

Now, they’re still keeping some mystery around the NFTs themselves, but the founder did say this in a recent interview (translated):

So:

1. They’re planning a free access pass of some sort

2. It sounds like it’s still somewhat early in development

3. At only 8k followers it’s still flying under-the-radar

By the way, VTubing is something we’re looking at for Mint or Skip as well, it’s time to embrace the weirdness.

Yung Cicero on the big screen, sounds lit.

✨ Added to Watch List ✨

NOTE: These drops are lightly curated. Our only requirement is that they have recognizable founders. As usual, DYOR. To learn more go here.

 ékstasis by Marcelo Pinel

Brazilian digital artist Marcelo Pinel, aka CyberMysticGarden, is bringing his mind-bending animations in today’s ClickCreate release, curated by Coldie.

We haven’t caught a sneak peek yet, but we do know that ékstasis has been a labor of love, and we expect the 160 editions to feature his signature negative effect. As usual, SubPass holders will get first dibs.

The Red Dream by RedruM

Popular Web3 AI artist RedruM, known for his unique style and continuous releases, is collaborating with Superchief gallery and Focus Art Fair for his next drop on Friday.

The collection includes four distinct pieces, each with different supply and price points. One for fans of the rising creator.

Meta Masks by David Rees

David Rees, oil painter turned AI artist, will be featured as the next Mirage Gallery Curated release with his 350-supply collection Meta Masks, minting at 0.12 ETH next Monday.

A play on the name of the popular web3 wallet, Metamask, the work explores the reconstruction of identity in a decentralized, anonymous online world through portraits.

Human Unreadable by Operator

The upcoming Art Blocks Curated release, Human Unreadable, is the work of the award-winning artist duo Operator. As part of their Privacy Collection series, it blends code and choreography in a three-act experience culminating in a live performance.

Collectors can uncover the unique movement sequence of their minted token by visiting the artists' website, transforming it into a secondary soul-bound token.

We’re waiting on more mint details, but because of the collection’s unique mechanics and distinct artistic style, we’ve…

 ✨ Added to Watch List ✨

THE MINT LIST

1. Nike Our Force 1. Digital shoe drop from the global consumer brand.

2. Project Animus. RTFKT's biggest launch since Clone-X.

3. FewoWorld. New PFP by Fewocious, a rising star in the art world.

4. Symbiogenesis. Square Enix's upcoming gaming NFT.

5. 10KFT PFP. Drop from a team that includes Yuga and Beeple.

6. Ether. Anime PFP collection by viii, an artist with a cult following.

7. BIG INC. New free mint from the goblintown team.

8. Dimensionals - EVE. Free gaming PFP from doxxed studio.

9. Squiggles. Limited auction of the OG gen art collection.

10. Garbage Friends. New PFP from the creator of Invisible Friends.