**Secret Artist #25 — Hiding Behind** Emily sat at the bar scrolling through various outfits on the projected blue mini-avatar in front of her. While in the metaverse, these were the principal interfaces for accessing settings or modifying what you were wearing. Across from Emily, cleaning glasses and interacting with clients, was an NPC bartender — a robot in a trilby and a waistcoat. Suddenly, with a whooshing noise, a figure appeared on the barstool next to Emily. The username floating above it read “ANON11880”; there were no specified pronouns beside it. The avatar was a simple dark grey human silhouette. About half the VR Call Girl’s clientele appeared this way. Emily knew that some of them did it for privacy, but others simply neglected to set up a proper profile or didn’t want to take the time to design their own avatar. “Well, hey there!” She started, “You been here before babe?” The silhouette sighed “No.” The voice was robotic — they were using a voice mod. Again, this was not uncommon. “I know how these things work… but, I’m not here for VR Cyber. I just want to talk…” Sometimes this was easier. Sometimes it wasn’t. “Good evening, may I —” the robot bartender started. “Not with you.” The robot went back to cleaning glasses. Emily smiled. “No problem. What would you like to talk about?” The grey avatar hesitated. “...I want you to be honest with me.” “Honest? Well, that will cost you extra…” Emily’s smile turned into a practised grin. The silhouette nodded and hovered their hand over her mini-avatar. A notification appeared above it “1 ETH DEPOSITED.” Emily’s eyes widened, she’d been half-joking, and this was way over her usual rate. “Well…You get guaranteed no bullshit for that price. What do you want to know truthseeker?” Again, hesitation. “...tell me about your mask. Your avatar. Why did you choose it?” “Easy. I think masks have power. I think avatars have power. If you read articles from back when the internet started, there was a lot of suspicion around anonymity, fake identities, catfishing, people online pretending they were someone else. Now, it’s like: that’s the fucking point… Your online identity can be whatever you want it to be. It can be nothing like your IRL self, completely like it, or maybe even more like it…like your inner self — you know what I mean?” This time, no hesitation. “Yes.” “And *your* avatar, Emily? Is it the real you?” “It’s pretty close, yeah. I’m slightly damaged, like many people, but I’m also fierce. I also love samurai masks.” Emily shrugged and smiled. The silhouette nodded slowly, “Slightly damaged? You’ve got blood and scars on your face!” Emily continued smiling, “The scars remind me that the past is real.” The silhouette paused. “What if you wanted to change? To forget the past… or reshape the present? You could just change your avatar, right?” Emily sensed something. She was about to put her hand on the figure when she stopped herself. They had said they just wanted to talk. It wasn’t her place to cross the boundary the client had put in place. “I play with my avatar from time to time, but honestly, there’s not much I want to change about myself.” “Are you still telling me the truth?” Emily again had the feeling that this person was asking something else. “Sure I am. But what about you? Is there something you want to change about yourself?” The figure drew back. “No, Emily. Please. I don’t want to answer questions. I want you to answer them. So, is there really nothing about yourself you would change?” “Well, I don’t know. Maybe I have other ideas I want to explore to make money.” Emily knew she should be careful, but the amount they had paid, they deserved the truth, “I could be... maybe an artist? Like the ones from the start of the first NFT boom? Some of them were shit, of course, but some of them were mindblowing… But something I want to change about who I am? No… I’m content.” “I love that. I love your confidence...” The silhouette nodded again, several times. “Thanks, Emily. Thank you for being honest. You said exactly what I needed to hear. I know what I need to do, and I also know how to say thank you.” “You’re welcome!” Before she could add anything else, the silhouette put their hand over her mini-avatar once again “15 ETH DEPOSITED”. Emily’s mouth fell open. “A deposit for your art project. Bye Emily. I hope we meet again.” The silhouette produced their own mini-avatar, put it on the bar, and began flicking wildly through options. Emily was still looking at her own, checking her new balance and trying to think what to say. As she turned to try and express her gratitude, she saw the silhouette’s feet begin to glow white. The light spread upwards until it engulfed the whole figure. In a flash, the grey silhouette transformed into a dark haired beauty with curves, red lipstick and an aquamarine halter neck dress. The username above her flowing, jet black hair changed too. “Laura11880” and next to it “She/her/hers”. Laura11880 smiled, waved, and in another flash, disappeared. Emily sat in silence before ordering herself another drink. Of course, the drinks didn’t necessarily do anything in the metaverse, but they were collectibles and Emily now had ETH to burn. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” The robot bartender stood with one hand on its robot hip. “You know something? I think I just met someone at a turning point in their life.” The robot stared at her. “And you know what else? I think I might be at one myself…Mr Mix-a-lot?” “Yes, ma’am?” “Tell my boss, I quit.” *** **The Secret Artists Project** The world of NFTs opens up new, creative opportunities for artists and also for the ecosystem that surrounds them. The Secret Artist Project works to curate innovative artists from inside and outside of the NFT community. We ask them for a piece of their work that has yet to be minted and add it anonymously to our collection. This puts the focus on the art and not the artist. We want people to buy the art simply because they love it. The Secret Artist Project has no Discord, no Telegram, no overambitious roadmap. However, there is one very special bonus you receive with your NFT from The Secret Artist Project, and that is... **The Artist** While their identity remains a mystery to everyone else, the artist's details will be revealed to you after purchasing the NFT — as if you've discovered their signature scrawled on the back of their painting. So now, you not only have the NFT to hang in your home or display in the Metaverse, you also have the opportunity to discover more of the artist’s work. In addition, by holding the NFT and discovering its secrets, you become part of The Secret Artist Project community. Those who hold secrets, hold power... **The Aims of the Secret Artist Project** — to positively impact the artist by putting their art first — to introduce new artists to the NFT space (though we have some well-known artists in our collection too!) — to promote art we love and collaborate with artists we trust *** If you have any questions, or if you’re an artist who would like to feature your artwork in the project, please go to The Secret Artist Project collection’s Opensea page for contact details/socials https://opensea.io/collection/the-secret-artist-project — The Merchant of Venus, Curator of The Secret Art Project
Name
Secret Artist #25 — Hiding Behind
Owner
0x060fB9f0d0529A80f5fB94EcAd98Df7df99Ecb0a
ID#81034769…584961
Rarity
N/A