I Joined a Penguin NFT Club Because Apparently That’s What We Do Now

Is this what the metaverse looks like?

Earlier this week, I got attacked by penguins. Not real ones, mind you. These were Pudgy Penguins — a flock of Twitter accounts with cartoon penguins as their avatars, which descended on me with messages like “Welcome to club pengu!” and “Enjoy the huddle!” As the replies flooded past, I saw penguins with sunglasses and penguins wearing sombreros, penguins with bow ties and penguins with mohawks. Dozens of penguins became hundreds; soon, my mentions were overflowing with bulbous and beaked interlopers, all congratulating me on joining them. What had I done to deserve this welcome wagon? Well, a few minutes earlier, I’d acquired my very own Pudgy Penguins, marking me as an owner of one of the internet’s strangest new status symbols.