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The new access point to the omgkirby DAO treasury is a generative drop of 5000 avatars created by Singaporean digital artist ValerieHazLife. It’s free to mint for any omgkirby Genesis NFT holder, and is inspired by the radical possibilities of anonymity and community. Marrying the possibilities of generative NFT music and visual art, every holder of one of these PFP’s becomes a member of the decentralized community of creators that is omgkirby. Each irreverent artwork will enable their owner to embody individual and incognito avatars as their artistic identities in the metaverse.

A recent graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Valerie describes herself as otaku. Once a derogatory term to refer to people who are so obsessed with manga and anime that they live on the outskirts of society in a different world, Valerie reclaims the term through her bright, dynamic and detailed anime-inspired digital illustrations. As a newcomer to the NFT scene, Valerie brings her fresh aesthetic and otaku energy to the omgkirby PFP, brilliantly enlivening these dynamic characters. To Valerie, otaku are subversive. Just like the members of our DAO, they build their own community united by art and culture. We know the value of the virtual and we don’t give a f*ck what people think.

Each avatar is individually and algorithmically generated from a range of digitally drawn and designed traits. The defining trait of the project is the Japanese-inspired mask each character dons. A common scene in anime and manga media, which Valerie, like many young Singaporeans, has voraciously consumed since she was a kid, is the Natsu Matsuri summer festival during which the characters will wear traditional Japanese masks such as the kitsune (fox) or the oni (demon). The tradition of Japanese masks is a rich and ancient one based in the Shinto religion and Noh theater. Through anime and the commercialization and distribution of Japanese culture, these masks take on decorative, playful and kawaii (cute, in Japanese) forms. Similar to the role of the digital avatar, Japanese masks enable the wearer to become another being, obscuring their identity and animating a new spirit. Riffing off the anonymity of omgkirby, the mask becomes a symbol of the freedom of our DAO. No matter who you are, by owning one of these PFPs you manifest the spirit of omgkirby, even becoming the artist. Influenced by the anime-style of the omgkirby Genesis and the unidentified and community-oriented nature of lofi music, Valerie has reinterpreted these mass-produced masks in her own unique style.

Generated through variations on twelve distinct categories of traits ranging from the outfits the avatars are wearing to the masks themselves, these avatars are made unique with over 200 individually-drawn attributes. They wear Tokyo-street style, oversized, grunge inspired fashion and are unknown and irreverent independents moving as part of the larger omgkirby community of makers and creators. By wearing a mask these characters are free from self-doubt and judgment. The mask is the entrance into a community that not only acknowledges but appreciates lo-fi music and the feelings it inspires. They invite others to love and listen to lo-fi in order to be better in tune with themselves, embracing any emotion that may arise.

The omgkirby collection will consist of 5000 PFPs. 3000 of these PFPs will be reserved for a prolonged grace period for Genesis holders to claim for free. Any unclaimed PFPs will be burned. The remaining 2000 PFPs will be sold to the public, with 10% of primary sales going towards the DAO treasury. These PFPs will expand access to the DAO beyond our existing omgkirby Genesis community. As we continue to grow and roll out collaborative collections and music, we look forward to redefining music alongside friends, both old and new alike. Holders of both the Genesis and PFP will earn VIP treatment in future drops.

This PFP will visualize each member of the community, giving them a personal avatar-as-portrait. Our next step for the DAO treasury, these avatars will launch the future of omgkirby and that future looks bright. Epic generative collaborations with coveted musicians are on the horizon with each musician receiving a personalized PFP to mark their entrance into the omgkirby community. The Genesis train has left the station and your mask is your ticket to board.