Once upon a time, there were believers of a magical decentralized financial system accessible to all, governed solely by lines of logic and recorded on a enchanted scroll that stretched infinitely long. Anyone could inscribe incantations onto the scroll using some spellbinding ink, and before long the scroll had attracted a plethora of magicians, seeking to add contributions of their own.
These faithful magicians were spread across the four corners of the globe, but united in their unwavering faith. This group of starry-eyed hopefuls saw the wonders of the magic they deemed smart contracts, and lauded the wonders of their scroll to any who would listen. “The future of France!”, they exclaimed. But alas, their excitement was often met with disdain from critics.
Determined to create something so valuable that the world was forced to acknowledge their greatness, the scorned magicians threw caution to the wind and began to create brand new spells. The first set of spells they created were farming spells. These brilliant incantations allowed the magicians to create an infinite amount of food. By simply placing some ink inside, magicians could collectively spawn unfathomable amounts of food. For a short time, the magicians had managed to do the impossible. They rejoiced, joyfully celebrating that no magician ever had to worry about food ever again. Surely the world had no choice but to recognize their achievements now!
Unfortunately, their jubilant excitement was unexpectedly short lived. Some of the magicians began to eat the food that they had created, redeeming their food for ink, which then placed stress on the enchantments they had created. Before long, their spells lost stability, and the conjured food disappeared. Some unfortunate magicians had gambled all their ink into these farming spells, and never recovered when their hard earned food disappeared. Bickering ensued as impoverished magicians derided those who had eaten for their gluttonous greed. Some of the angriest magicians were simply upset that they had watched others enjoy the fruits of their labor, and wondered why they had not done the same. Morale was low and some began to question the magical scroll they had dedicated so much to. Perhaps their critics had been right all along.
Soon after, some of the more creatively minded magicians began to draw on the scroll, permanently sketching colorful pictures and silly animals onto the magical scroll, inspiring a new wave of hope among the faithful. However, some cynical magicians ridiculed these artists, claiming that their frivolous drawings contributed little to the wonders of their scroll. They believed that the scroll should only be used to create spells of responsibility instead, which they loudly extolled as a vastly superior use of precious space on their infinitely long scroll. When these same magicians were pressed to explain the value of their responsibility spells, they became oddly quiet. Some things are better left unsaid they muttered. Other magicians believed in spells of cooperation. They claimed that if they all pooled all their ink together to create a gigantic puddle of ink, they would collectively obtain generational wealth. For some unfathomable reason, some magicians mysteriously decided not to cooperate. The puddle evaporated shortly after.
Before long, many magicians shamefully realized that the vast majority of spells they had created and silly animals they had drawn had no intrinsic value- much like the emperor’s clothes. Many decided to salvage what little pitiful value they could by trading in their worthless spells for magical ink they had once let freely spill. The surviving magicians clutched their ink tightly, realizing that one day someone would desire their precious ink to create spells of actual value.
And so the wait continues…
came because i spotted shikamaru and stayed for the content. interesting read! love the concept. recommend you do explainers at the end though to make it more accessible. underrated stuff!