A note from Aaron

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Welcome to our April Probably Nothing. It’s been a busy few weeks for our team, and as we move forward together, I’m excited to share with you the progress we’ve made and the thrilling opportunities that lie ahead for our community.

Firstly, I want to express my appreciation to our Gods & Goblins team for an incredible launch. Seeing the Goblin Horde begin to take over Twitter has been a highlight of the year, and I’m excited about what we have in store to up the ante on bringing new people into Gods and Goblins now that we have ironed all the kinks out. The Summoning welcomed over 1200 new unique wallets into our ecosystem and I’m excited to continue building on this momentum. I’m delighted to announce that the Root Network has shown exceptional reliability in our pre-launch events for the network (FuturePass and Gods & Goblins) with more than 20,000 NFTs minted seamlessly on The Root Network already. This gives us the confidence to move forward to the next stages of the rollout; including the NFT bridge, our marketplace, and the highly anticipated $ROOT token launch.

We understand your eagerness to learn more about the Root Network and opportunities for participation. I'm pleased to share we have updated the whitepaper (you can read more about this below) and a date locked this month to share the beginning of the $ROOT rollout. Thanks for your patience while we refined this process, we think it will set the standard for how to involve a community in a token launch. Unlike most "metaverse" tokens, $ROOT has true network utility and we are excited for how this will grow as the community works together.

Finally, there have been many exhilarating developments in Artificial Intelligence over the last few months. At Futureverse we are better placed than most to recognize the critical role that AI plays in our society and we aren’t new to the game. We have an exciting suite of products we have been building for years now and we are excited to unleash these over the year. By harnessing AI, we can create immersive and adaptive experiences tailored to each individual’s preferences. Your unwavering support and enthusiasm fuel our progress. Together, we will redefine the Open Metaverse. Stay tuned for more updates, and I thank you for being an integral part of the Futureverse journey.

Aaron McDonald

CEO of Futureverse

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Gods & Goblins

The blood moon has set, officially concluding The Summoning, with over 20,000 genesis Goblins joining the Horde. Our glorious Queen, Altherea, is impressed with your loyalty and dedication to the Goblin Empire!

We’ve been blown away by the response to our Genesis Goblins. From the memes, to the animated content, our team has enjoyed seeing you already start creating with your new Goblin pals.

Don’t worry if you didn’t grow your Horde to full strength. The end of this lunar event ushers in the first season of The Recurring; an always-on, infinite Goblin mint, where each season will bring exclusive seasonal traits and aesthetics, offering new variety for your Horde.

Internally, we are in the middle of our Summoning retroactive analysing what worked, and areas we can improve on for future launches. This is a standard process we take for all our releases in order to meet our commitment to delivering you world-class collections. Our next update will include adding high-resolution Blender models to the Underground, unlocking the ability to create with your Goblins in a wide range of environments and experiences.

Our journey along The Path has only just begun. You can look forward to new seasons bringing even more diverse species of Goblins and customization options including tattoos, hairstyles and accessories! We will have more information for you on this as we roll out each stage of Gods & Goblins.

Goblins are already disrupting the Open Metaverse in unimaginable ways, and we can’t wait for you to experience what the future has in store for the Goblin Horde.

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A note from Alex

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY

Over one year in the making, we are currently on the home stretch of bringing all the individual companies together under the single Futureverse entity. I am excited about the positive impact this will have on our community as we move into this next phase of growth. At this time I want to take the opportunity to announce some exciting changes in my role. As Non Fungible Labs winds down and my time as CEO comes to an end, I’ll be stepping into the new position of VP of Community for Futureverse. I’m eager to take on this new challenge and have been meeting one-on-one with everyone in community roles within Futureverse, as well as key members of the community, with the goal to learn how we can better serve our community whilst mitigating key areas of friction. With this new role, I will also be rolling out a series of initiatives to help achieve this goal, which I will begin introducing in the coming weeks.

This month we also announced that Cool Cats will be building with Futureverse; this exciting partnership is sure to be incredibly beneficial for both communities as we work together to make a truly interoperable open metaverse a reality. I want to thank our community for being respectful and welcoming to the Cool Cats community as we forge our path forward together.

We’ll have more information for you on this soon, as well as highly anticipated updates on The Root Network and The Third Kingdom. Speaking of, make sure you check out the FutureScore announcement below!

Bunnies Up!

Alex Smeele

Vice President of Community

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Buzzies

March saw our final Buzzie family, the celestial Cosmic Buzzies, return home to their HNI pots in style. These ethereal creatures have had a long journey from the Crystal Falls but we’re sure you’ll agree it was worth the wait.

It’s taken extensive work to create five distinct families, but with all five Buzzie families revealed, the true scale of this collection is clear to see. The diversity in creativity between each family truly makes Buzzies five distinct collections in one. Each family has been individually scripted to determine its own unique subset of rarities and this is evident in the wide variety of traits in this collection, including wings, eyes and leg bags, creating five uniquely themed families each with their own character and flair.

Using Unreal Engine 5, we created random DNA-sequenced outcomes using artificial DNA and our diverse trait pool to introduce a staggering amount of variation and complexity in each individual character model. Each Buzzie has a unique fur, effectively making each Buzzie a 1:1, while each scene is an immersive UE5 environment. We will continue to showcase the amazing traits and models in the coming months.

We used what we learnt from Buzzies and took it a step further with the Goblins, and you will continue to see more diversity and new traits introduced to this collection as our base of textures expands over time and new seasonal mints occur.

Finally, it appears that 249 Buzzies are still out there, making their leisurely way home. Dr. Mati Atlas is perplexed by their delay, what secrets are these enigmatic creatures hiding?

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A note from Jesse

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

The initial release of Goblins was a wild ride, as we launched an infinite collection, a first for this industry. It was a leap of faith, but seeing it all come together has been truly amazing. Our intention is to keep things fresh by introducing limited elements and exclusive content with each season of the Recurring mint events, and we have so much more we're looking forward to bringing you.

The community response has been nothing short of incredible. Your feedback has been invaluable in helping us shape the future of Goblins. For those of you concerned about your Goblin's appearance, rest assured that we'll be introducing new experiences and opportunities for further customization. Additionally, Amulet holders will play a vital role in determining the direction of the project through voting on the Junklist and shaping Goblin society. We're also excited to announce the development of unique Unity experiences that we're building for the community, promising even more engaging and immersive interactions with the world of Goblins.

Goblins will become one of the defining collections in the entire Web3 industry, and I can't wait to continue this journey with you.

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Spotify

We are incredibly proud to be selected by Spotify to participate in their exciting new pilot, token-enabled playlists for specific Web3 communities. We collaborated with Spotify to create not one, but three token-enabled playlists, each with its own distinct theme and sound, for Fluf, Seeker, and Party Bear holders.

Flufs can let their funk flag fly with Mycelium Vibrations, Party Bears can let loose in the Rave Cave, and Seekers are exploring the frontier of music in the Vibe Archives.

This is a monumental moment for our industry and a sign that the world’s largest entertainment companies are actively looking for ways to integrate Web3 technology into their platforms.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to these playlists yet, click the button below to add them to your Spotify playlists.

Note - this pilot is currently only available for Android users located in US, UK, DE, AU, and NZ.

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Futureverse Whitepaper Update

After taking into account community and regulatory feedback, we have updated the distribution mechanics proposed in the original Futureverse whitepaper. Our goal is to ensure the long-term success of The Root Network.

We're thrilled to announce that the updated whitepaper is now available for public viewing. One of the key changes we've made is to increase community rewards by 100%. This increase is meant to encourage community participation in building out The Root Network ecosystem, and to ensure that both new and long-term token holders can benefit from the rewards system.

Additionally, we are excited to introduce the FutureScore system. By turning The Root Network into a game, this system allows for a more interactive and engaging rewards structure. Collectibles play a role in determining the rewards you receive, creating a unique "proof of work" for token decentralization. And of course, there are still base rewards for network validators and those who stake in the security of The Root Network.

We believe that these changes will strengthen The Root Network and help it achieve its full potential. We are excited to continue working collaboratively with our community to build a brighter future for decentralized finance.

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Trait Dive

In our first Trait Dive, we are excited to explore the "Blue Blood" fur trait, a highly coveted characteristic in our Fluf collection.

A mere 109 Flufs from the entire collection possess the Blue Blood trait, making it one of the scarcest and most sought-after attributes among collectors. Flufs with the Blue Blood fur don a strikingly stylish sapphire mane, making them stand out in the crowd.

No one knows where the Blue Bloods originally come from. Some whisper they sailed across the seas from a distant land. Others swear they are descendants of a mythical sub-species of Flufs, hailing from the shores of an enchanted lake deep in the Mystic Valley. Is there evidence for any of this? No, but it doesn’t stop the rumours. The Blue Bloods themselves have no idea, as far as they are concerned, The Third Kingdom has always been their home.

With well-known collectors holding Blue Bloods, it's fair to say these Flufs are prized possessions. Keep an eye out for these distinctive rabbits, as the combination of their rebellious nature and Blue Blood trait makes them a remarkable addition to any collection.

What trait would you like us to explore next? Let us know on Twitter and/or Discord!

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Community Spotlight - Gerry Buckley

Our Community Spotlight is where we share our favourite content created by the Fluffle.

Tag us on Twitter @flufworld with your original content for a chance to be featured in next month’s update!

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Our Community Spotlight for April is none other than the amazing Gerry Buckley.

Your deep dives into FLUF World and the Futureverse ecosystem are incredible, and your meticulous research and captivating storytelling has significantly contributed to the understanding and appreciation of our projects.

It’s not easy breaking down the complexities of FLUF World & Futureverse but Gerry’s ability to dissect complex concepts and present them in an engaging manner has been extremely valuable in helping onboard new users into our ecosystem.

Thank you, Gerry, for your invaluable contributions to our community. Check out his ‘Future of Web3’ explainer video if you need a reminder on what we’re BUIDLing.

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Ecosystem News

Check out the latest developments among our ecosystem friends.

Altered State Machine

Open Beta is now live for all Android devices, so download it now and invite your friends and family to play. In the next month, we’re looking to add multiple more languages and a new first-time user onboarding experience.

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ATEM

Get ready for an exciting challenge! The @ATEMCARCLUB Rolling Art competition is now open and calls for your innovative and creative designs for car wheels. Showcase your design skills and technical abilities by creating a unique wheel design that captures the essence of car culture in the metaverse. Whether you're inspired by vintage muscle cars, futuristic sports cars, or anything in between, this competition encourages you to let your imagination run wild. Join the ATEM discord for full competition details the deadline for entries is April 30, 2023. Ride or design, the choice is yours!

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Sylo

The Seekers one-year anniversary marked significant progress toward our goal of gamifying Web3 comms infrastructure. Apart from the drastic advancements we've made in our underlying technology - we've achieved a lot over the past year.

From moving into the underground and providing stunning 4k and 3d files, to making appearances at SXSW and NFT NYC. We've built strong partnerships with recognised projects, launched community-focused competitions, and introduced the mission board to keep our community updated on network and Seeker utility progress.

We also shared some exciting news recently, officially announcing that we have joined forces with Futureverse! As we work towards a common goal with our partners, we're excited about what the future holds. Here's to many more years of Sylo and the Seekers!

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Security

Our security advice for April focuses on the best guidelines for negotiating a safe and legitimate trade. Finding someone online you trust to trade with can be a daunting prospect. Following these steps will help you protect yourself, and your assets.

1. Vet the counterparty. Make sure the counterparty holds assets of value and is who they claim to be. Check if the counterparty has an active chat history. Check if counterparty is collabland, or equivalent, verified. Check mutual servers and check chat history and collabland verification there. Compare to the user's OpenSea account and make everything checks out.
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2. Discuss trade and logistics. If you determine the counterparty is legitimate, you can then consider a potential trade. If you agree to a trade in principle, then discuss the trading method from there. If the counterparty is pressing for a particular platform or to be the one that initiates the trade, that is a red flag.
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3. Navigate to the correct website. Once you agree on the trade logistics, platform, and who is initiating the trade, then you must make sure you don't get scammed in the final section. If the counterparty initiates the trade, you must never click any links, but rather navigate to the 'My Trades' (nfttrader.io) or 'Your Swaps' (SudoSwap) section of the swapping protocol's official website. Your trade will be waiting for you there. If it is not there, make sure not to get tricked into navigating somewhere else.
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4. Review transaction. Make sure every asset is part of the correct collection. These sites list whether the asset is ERC-20, ERC-721, or ERC-1155. They also list the contract of the asset. Copy the contract into OpenSea and you can see if it is from a verified collection. Be careful of a common scam where someone trades you a worthless ERC-721 NFT called "WETH" trying to trick you into thinking you are getting the ERC-20 Token WETH. The contract address for every token is easily accessible public information. Take your time and double-check every aspect of the trade.
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5. Once you have successfully completed steps 1-4, and only if you are fully confident you are getting what you expect, then you can run the transactions to complete the deal. If you are unsure, reach out to a trusted expert before running any transaction.

Following this advice will help ensure you are protecting yourself as much as possible when conducting any private trades online.

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Meet the Team - Shiv Sumer

Our featured team member of the month is none other than our musical maestro, Shiv Sumer

What is your role at FLUF World?
‍My role is the lead sound designer/engineer at Non Fungible Labs, responsible for bringing the incredible animated scenes our creative department creates to life.

What were you doing beforehand?
I was sound-mixing TV shows and films for over a decade. From sound designing backgrounds and SFX to editing music and cleaning up dialogue along with recording voiceovers, foley or anything else sound-related in post-production. While doing all this, I was (still am) making music, actively releasing and DJing live across NZ under the alias ‘Cymbol.’ I dived into NFTs by purchasing a Fluf shortly after the mint and the rest is history.

Where do you get the inspiration for your sounds?
Honestly, I am constantly thinking about sound. My environment is a constant source of inspiration. For instance, I may be walking down the street and hear a truck go past, the sound it makes when it goes past you (grunty engine noise, whoosh, horn) may well be the inspiration I need to make the animation I am working on to work - almost like a light bulb moment. It can be a gift and a curse at times, I’m guilty of literally zoning out mid-conversation because I’m putting sounds together in my head that I just heard at the time lol. Another form of inspiration for me is scouring through libraries of sounds and picking things up that sound great or that I can potentially use for another project.

What is your favourite collection?
My favourite collection. It’s really tough because I adore all of the ones I have worked on as my babies. I think the Ray Guns collection was really cool to work on, it is also the first whole collection I took charge of coming into FLUF World so there is sentimental value there. Now, I think the entire Buzzies collection is my current favourite, from the HNI pots to all the Buzzies sounds which I enjoyed creating alongside my key team sound designer, Andre.

What are your interests outside of work?
I like making music for my own releases and playing live. The thrill of releasing music is another way for me to be creative and share it with the world. I also love football, trying out new food, travelling, beer, and more beer.

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Final Thoughts

You may have noticed some differences in this month's Probably Nothing. We made the decision to replace the In-Play section with “Trait Dive”, a new feature where we explore different traits each month to provide you with more value in each edition. Let us know if you like this change, or have even suggestions, on Discord.

To make each edition more engaging, we will be hiding messages in each Probably Nothing going forward. Be the first to solve this month’s hidden message and tag @RaTheSunGod on Discord to win 500 JUNK to grow your Horde.

As always, we appreciate and value your feedback. If you’d like to share yours with us, please send any questions or suggestions to fluf@nonfungiblelabs.xyz.

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