The idea behind the story, characters and main events were designed and written by me, however it was up to 50% extended and rephrased by a chatGPT bridge Xerac, avatars were created using Manne image generator AI, also RunwayML, Tweetgen, Pexels and Canva were used to edit, generate and download the medias of this post.
The Story:
It’s 2035, and we’re in a world where technology reigns supreme, our main characters are Negar, Jorge, and Katya, close friends who first met in an English learning app’s forum. It’s said that friendships are built on top of the characteristics the friends have in common, and the three had them a lot! Negar was a brilliant developer who had developed Matnegar (Matn: text + Negar: Painter) an ingenious image-to-text AI application.
Jorge was a systems engineering graduate working as a freelancer, and Katya, who was in a league of her own when it came to designing web pages’ UI; she had an exceptional talent which made her a great credit and a good amount of money doing freelancing.
They were all techies that could help each other with their projects, and besides that, the common dream they had was a big motivation for their friendship – to build a tech empire in a free country where they could create and innovate without being oppressed. Singularity was near and they didn’t want to miss the hype! Jorge, in particular, had a concrete plan in place – to save up for 4-5 years until he had enough money to immigrate to Canada and with the help of his vast network of pals, found a startup and create the values he has always wanted to see in his community, .
Negar, Jorge, and Katya stood together, united against all odds, Together, they were unstoppable, and nothing could break their bond.
Matnegar, Negar’s incredible AI application, took the tech world by surprise. After social media users have started to share posts on Instagram with captions generated by Matnegar and saving time and energy, her app became an instant hit, and she received accolades from all corners of the globe. The evaluation of her company skyrocketed and made her and her friends the happiest people on earth, Jorge and Katya were thrilled for their friend and encouraged her to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation.
But one day all of the sudden she found out that access to her website was blocked by the government due to a recent anti-religious meme that was created using her website and though it wasn’t her that created the meme but now she is a criminal, at least that was how those in power thought, it’s been a long tradition of the government to criticize the platform owners for what the users do! now the only stream of income her application had was the PayPal account she used under a pseudo name for foreign transactions, and her fellow countrymen couldn’t pay for the apps subscription and also! couldn’t use PayPal due to sanctions, actually sanctions were the only reason Negar had her account under a pseudo-name.
I can't believe believe this! doing nothing wrong and then all of a sudden this happens! 😭😭😭
Don't worry at aaall Negar!
Hey! we'll surely find a way to get around it 😃🤗
Yeah sweetheart! 🥰 there's always a way around these things. We just have to put our heads together and come up with a solution 😉
Ouh tnx guys. I reeeeally appreciate your support 🥹💞
But what shall I do now?
After some talks, Katya suggested a possible solution – Zetha, a second-layer solution of Ethereum.
Guys, I think this is the best way to bypass the restrictions
What?
I actually use it myself to get paid doing freelancing so that I don't have to pay taxes to the regime and fund the ongoing war
Katita is a mafia boss! 🤣🤣🤣
YES SHE IS 😝😝😂😂
😂😂😂
It's called Zetha, and its been used globally to pay 4 goods and services fast and privately
Zetha was becoming the world’s most used crypto platform as it was both scalable and privacy focused.
Wow! so cn I use it just like any other crypto? and how rapid are the trxs?
Yeah! it's what the crypto world has always aimed for, just go for it 😇
This Zetha thing looks cool btw I'm reading the docs rn...
You see parcero? 😹😹 there's ALWAYS a workaround for everything! 😎😎
Mona es paisaaaaa! 🤣🤣🤣
Oh wow! this is a good system to recover the company yesss! I really thank you Katya janam 😘😘
I got you Negar 🥰
Negar has added Zetha as a payment option for the app and it was revived, though at first people were not so familiar with this new payment method but soon the income flow was enough to stabilize the company.
As she continued to work on the app, she encountered a new challenge. The Atlantic Union governments had decided to shutdown Zetha using an enormously huge and expensive plan, they wanted to take control of the whole Ethereum blockchain by owning a significant amount of Ether and launching a 51% attack, the thing that seemed impossible is said to happen, the news title left her and her friends frustrated and helpless.
Guys? we've got some news!
https://atlunion.net/zetha-to-be-shot-down/
WHAT DA HELL! What are we gn do now? 🫠
There's no way they can do that! 51% is huge!
The first 2 staking pools alone combined are 65% and they're both under the atlun judiciary...
Yeah but the community can hardfork it back even if something happens!
Sorry for saying it but I'm not optimistic about it 🤕, the hosting of Zetha's website being in the AtlUn, that the companies and community leaders of Zetha are all AtlUn companies and citizens...hufff...I'm not optimistic 🥲
Yeah, we just have to keep pushing forward. We can't let the governments control our dreams!
I hope we can do it
Forcing the exchanges that owned a lot of Ether to stake them in a governmental platform and also paying huge amounts of money to buy Ether from smaller owners and forcing developers of staking platforms to hardcode a backdoor in the codebase for their use, after weeks of contracts, new laws and operations, the union actually found itself having control of the majority of the staked Ethers.
The news had spread like wildfire across all media outlets. The Atlantic Union had done the unthinkable – they had taken control of the majority of the staked Ethers, effectively shutting down Zetha and leaving the tech community shocked and dismayed.
Every day brought new developments, each one more shocking than the last. Headlines screamed out in alarm, warning people of the impending danger.
It was a dark and bleak time for the tech community, as they watched helplessly as their dreams and aspirations were crushed under the weight of governments tyranny.
Amidst the chaos, there were those who refused to give up. Groups of people tried hard forking Ethereum to continue using Zetha, while others created their own cryptocurrencies that looked like Zetha in the hopes of carrying on but none gained enough user base.
The community was desperate to find a way forward. They organized massive protests, hoping to sway the governments into relenting and freeing Zetha, but to no avail.
As the days went by, people’s hopes dwindled, and the headlines became more and more despairing.
Jorge sat at his desk, staring at his 6.789 ETH balance on his account that could no more be withdrawn. The shutdown of Zetha had hit him hard, and he had lost everything. He couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t be able to pursue his dream of immigrating to Canada after working so hard for so long.
All of my life savings is in there and I can't withdraw, what am I supposed to do now?
I lost part of my savings as well, and I'm almost sure I can't do freelancing again
Don't give up hope, maybe we can start again from scratch
How am I supposed to start again from scratch? I can barely afford to pay rent, let alone save any money for the future
You're not alone, Jorge, We're here for you, and we'll support you in any way we can
We started together, we failed together, and we'll start together AGAIN!
Jorge thought about his options. He didn’t want to give up on his dreams, but he couldn’t deny that the situation was difficult. Then, he remembered something his friend had said to him long ago: “Life is unpredictable, and sometimes, we need to take leaps of faith, even if they scare us.” He reviewed all of his dreams again, and again, and thought maybe he’s not the fit for all he’s thinking about, contrary to his ambitious mindset, his family always pushed him to be a simple employee in a simple company, marry some simple girl from the neighborhood and start a simple life, live simple and at the end, die simple. and his friends knew about the atmosphere he was surrounded with.
And now he was thinking about whether it’s a good decision or not, he took a deep breath and made a decision.
How about marrying to the girl nextdoor I told you aout?
😐😐😐 her biggest dream in life was admission to the town's university after 4 failed tries! how come you love her now?
Don't be crazy again Jorge!
We don't love each other, I'm just too tired to start again, I should work for another 5-6 years to be able to become my ideal self and by then I can only be a good sugar daddy than a husband 🙃
Aww 🥲, but hey! just wait for a few more years and maybe you find a good girl you can love!
I can't afford to be picky, the dream girl I can love will definitely not love me back with the current situation I have
Are you sure about this, Jorge? You deserve to be with someone you truly love and who supports your dreams, you're an ambitious individual! how can you endure living a simple life? 🙁
At least this way, we'll both have some stability, she's not bad! btw, a simple life is better than a constant waste of life, my dreams are out of reach now 😔
Katya could not make money from freelancing anymore using Zetha so she turned to local companies. One day she sat nervously in front of the company recruiter, her eyes darting back and forth as she waited for a response. She had applied for a job with the company and was eager to hear back.
The recruiter looked over her resume and nodded approvingly. “Your experience is impressive, Katya. You would be a valuable asset to our company,” she said.
Katya smiled in relief. “Thank you, I’ve worked hard to gain experience in my field. I really appreciate your consideration,” she said, and she showed her profile on the freelancing platform, the recruiter knew that platform, he leaned forward. “I guess there’s a problem here” she said hesitantly.
Katya’s heart sank. “What’s the problem?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You used to get paid by Zetha, did you also pay taxes?” the recruiter said bluntly.
Katya felt like the world had just stopped turning. She had been so careful to keep her finances in check, but now it seemed like her carelessness had caught up with her.
“I…I didn’t know that was a problem,” she stammered.
The recruiter shook her head. “I’m sorry, Katya, but we can’t hire someone with tax evasion. It’s against the laws and also, who wants trouble?” she said firmly.
Katya felt like she had been punched in the gut. She had worked so hard to gain experience, to prove herself worthy of this job, and now it was all for naught.
As she trudged out of the company building, her mind was racing. What was she going to do now? She had put all of her hopes and dreams into this job, and now everything had come crashing down around her.
She kept looking for jobs inside the country, trying to find a way forward. But as she applied for more jobs, she realized that every employer seemed to be asking for the same thing – tax issues!
But as time went on, things started to unravel. Soon, she was being investigated for tax evasion, and before she knew it, she found herself behind bars. As she sat in her tiny cell, she couldn’t help but think about how everything had gone wrong. She had started out with such high hopes, only to be brought low by her own carelessness and desperation.
Negar had always been driven, determined to build her business and make a name for herself in the tech world. She had poured all of her time, energy, and resources into her company, working tirelessly to build a loyal customer base and establish her brand.
But then, disaster struck. The shutdown of Zetha had left her without any means of receiving payments for her services. The flow of business had dried up, leaving her in dire financial straits.
As the days went by, Negar became more and more desperate. She tried everything she could think of – reaching out to former clients, searching for new revenue streams – but nothing seemed to work.
The stress and anxiety weighed heavily on her shoulders. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and the constant worry left her feeling hopeless and defeated.
It was a dark and difficult time, but Negar tried to stay strong. She posted updates on social media, hoping for a glimmer of hope, but as the days passed by, her posts became more and more desperate.
Finally, one day, Negar decided that she could no longer go on. The weight of her struggles had become too much for her to bear. She posted a simple tweet – “Game Over” – before taking her own life.
The tech community was stunned and devastated. Negar’s death was a tragic reminder of the toll that the shutdown had taken on so many people’s lives.
But even amidst the sadness and heartbreak, there was a glimmer of hope. Negar’s legacy lived on in the people she had inspired, the entrepreneurs and tech innovators who had been touched by her passion and determination.
And as the community mourned her loss, they vowed to fight for a brighter future, one where creativity and innovation could thrive and prosper without the constraints of government interference. They saw Negar’s death as a wake-up call to renew their commitment to their dreams and visions, and to never give up hope in the face of adversity.
The Atlantic Union was indeed pleased with the fall of Zetha, believing that they had won a major victory against money laundering. They saw their actions as a necessary measure to stop the flow of illegal money and maintain the stability of the country’s economy.
However, for Negar, Jorge, and Katya, the consequences of the governments’ actions were devastating. They had invested their time, energy, and resources into building their lives, only to see their dreams and aspirations crumble in front of their eyes.
Negar’s suicide had left a deep impact on the tech community, sparking a call for greater support for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Jorge’s dreams of immigrating to Canada had been shattered, leaving him feeling lost and hopeless. And Katya had been forced to confront the harsh realities of her noncompliance with tax laws, leading her down a path of desperation and eventually landing her in jail.
The aftermath of Zetha’s shutdown left a trail of destruction and despair, but amidst the darkness, there were glimmers of hope. People came together to support one another, to offer help and resources to those who were struggling. Business owners, entrepreneurs, and tech innovators rallied together to rebuild their lives, determined not to let the governments’ actions defeat them entirely.
And as the years went by, something remarkable began to happen. A new wave of creativity and innovation emerged, fueled by the determination and grit of those who refused to give up their dreams. New companies arose, new technologies were created, and the once-impossible became the norm. The fall of Zetha had been a crushing blow, but it had also opened the door for a new era of innovation and progress.
In the end, the legacy of Zetha was not one of destruction, but of rebirth. And the people who had once been left with nothing were now building a better world, one step at a time.
This essay was one of my 3 posts dedicated to Ethereum Writing Cohort 2023
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Amazing 🤩😍
Thanks Sevita! 😀
huh, how can i take a part on this project
Send me 100$ and I’ll read your CV 😂😂😂