This is a story about Ethereum, the role of staking, and propagating cultural values within the Ethereum ecosystem. It was written as a response to a prompt from White Rabbit, an animated series about the space of blockchains, Ethereum, and the culture of its community. You can watch it here.
As part of this series, players are prompted with the following: “Describe a dream that Mirai had, taking place in a bar”. This post is my answer to this prompt.
Fair warning: The following is fairly cringe; I am not a great storyteller. I am posting it here because the text field on the White Rabbit application itself is too small to post more than a few sentences. This post is meant to serve as something I can link to from my submission. My hope is that this story, as cringe as it is, contains elements that may be used for artistic inspiration beyond what I am able to express. Here goes.
Mirai walked down the street and approached a back-alley bar. “The Gwei Bar“, said a small purple-blue sign adorning the top of the unassuming door. Mirai shyly entered.
Immediately, a waft of the scent of speculation was in the air. It reeked of alcohol and amphetamines. Glowy neon signs promising insane APYs hovered over roulette tables set up on the tables all around the bar, with Aave-ghost-like shapes gathering around them, gambling their night away. Mirai did not enjoy this at all, but walked with resolve past these tables and sat down on a stool by the bar. She was not one to enjoy this atmosphere of noise and bustle.
The bartender perked up."Welcome to the Gwei Bar, traveler. You look weary. What can I get you?"
"Something calming. I am feeling a bit disoriented.", Mirai responded.
The bartender suggested: "Sounds like you could use a good steak. With gwei sauce drizzled on it. A solid option."
"What's that?", she asked.
"Gwei is the lifeblood of this world", the bartender answered. "It's the purest expression of value we have discovered. We brew it down into a fine, thick sauce in the barrels at the back of this shop."
Mirai looked puzzled. "And what about the steak?"
"Steaks are delicious!", exclaimed the bardender. "Putting gwei on a steak makes for a juicy treat. Steaking gwei stabilizes this world, and eating it stabilizes your soul. It'll help you find your way."
Many more questions were brewing in Mirai’s head, but the loud environment wasn’t conducive for further conversation. "I'll give it a shot", she decided.
A fabulous, juicy steak materialized in front of her. Despite — or perhaps because of — the lack of decent lighting in this place, she swore she could see glimpses of Ether-diamond-shaped glimmers floating within the thick, dark gwei sauce. Mirai inspected the dish with curiosity, smelling it and looking at it from all different angles.
Meanwhile, the bar was getting rowdy and louder. One of the ghosts must have gotten rugged. NFTs started being flung around the room, flying over Mirai’s head; clearly someone had started a gas war. Mirai wanted no part of that, and felt like a fish out of water. The bartender took notice. "Have a bite”, he suggested. “Chew it slowly and focus. It'll calm your nerves."
Mirai took a bite. And another. As she ate, the external bustle of the bar started fading away. She started feeling lighter and calmer. The former brouhaha of the bar had faded down to a vague hum, and progressively into a warm and soft chime melody. The world faded away. Even the bartender had disappeared. It was just her and the juicy steak.
Mirai felt at peace. She started seeing connections in the form of light streaks, emanating from herself and spreading into all directions. She looked around and saw plenty of others like herself, all organized in a vast interconnected network of value and information transfer. Value flowed throughout these connections in a rhythmic beat, pulsating with information as it flowed along the nodes. One heartbeat every 12 seconds. Though each heartbeat wasn’t exactly the same, they came in a steady, soothing rhythm. The world was in sync, and she was now felt that she was playing an active part in making it tick.
She had seen the beating heart of the system powering this world she had mysteriously landed inside of. She felt that this heart had been either ignored or persistently misunderstood by the wider public for a long time. Corruption was slowly seeping into it from the outside; she felt it creaking under the strain of people using it as a fraudulent casino. This heart was a fragile thing, and now it was hers to care for.
Seeing this symbol gave Mirai a new sense of connectedness with this strange world she had found herself in. She understood the importance of her new-found role within it, and started to worry about the responsibility she may have unwittingly just signed up for. She was now part of this network that — unbeknownst to most — supported the world. It was up to her to preserve and uphold its values.
Mirai woke up from her dream with a renewed sense of ambition and responsibility.
It was a new dawn.
