How Chain Clash happened (part II)

We’re back with the second part of our story - remember, we stopped in 2017, and we’ll pick up where we left. Read the first part here

After years of computing trillions and quadrillions and gazillions of hashes, the increasing blockchain length and the dark matter in the seams between the blocks have reached an unbearable amount (nobody actually notices the extra length of the blockchain because nobody has ever seen it unfolded and lying straight on the floor, but it’s really long). The dark matter causes the blocks to turn looser and looser in the chain, giving more leeway to unwanted cracks.

On August 1st, 2017, after a series of difficult discussions and a lack of alignment between the miners, it finally happens: The Bitcoin blockchain cracks, squeaks and bursts into two chains, from now on known as Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.

Again, there’s more to this than we like to think. The split (also called “hardfork”) causes most of the dark matter to be released, now forming a revolving block of blockchain dark matter. This block, also called Alpha Block, now begins its own life, still hidden below the visible surface, stretching somewhere between the blockchains that we know and like.

Ever since, the Alpha Block has been swallowing private keys, UTXOs of dormant accounts and burnt tokens. However, in its secret life since 2017, Alpha Block has remained in a fairly stable state.

Early 2019:
A few sparks of energy coming from the headquarters of Evil Corp. (also known as “Fb”) cause Alpha Block to start moving again, spinning faster and faster, until it starts wobbling, heating up to hot fusion temperatures and spitting out humanoids (so-called “avatars”) made of the lost coins of all the blockchains Alpha Block has been feeding from.

The avatars quickly develop their own minds and thoughts, and they start settling into a place that has enough space to contain them, a block of its own - Clash Block. Here, remembering the rivalries between the creators and supporters of their original coins, they start arguing. The arguments start heating up, the avatars shout “You don’t scale!!!111” or “Off-chain solutions aren’t secure enough!”, until they suddenly start engaging in actual fist-fights. While these clashes don’t seem serious at first, soon body parts of the android and debris from the fights start piling up in Clash Block. New avatars are still coming out of Alpha Block, as there’s an endless stream of newly lost private keys and burnt tokens.

May 42nd, 2019:
The clashes between the avatars are nowhere close to being settled, quite the opposite, they continue heating up. More and more avatars join the battles, first thousands, then millions of avatars are piling up to shout, scream and beat each other up. The situation is about to get out of hand as Clash Block fills up with avatars and their clash transactions. The block slowly but surely reaches its capacity limit. Nobody knows exactly what happens once that actually happens, but rumor goes that Clash Block might implode and create a burst of ultrastrong microwaves that can wipe out the entire universe including all avatars and all of humankind. With the amount of stuff in the block the consequences are simply unforeseeable.

Five avatars which have been in the Clash Block since the beginning and survived millions of clashes, though, realize what’s at stake and decide for a ceasefire in order to meet and find a solution…

End of part II

We’ll release the 3rd part of our story in the upcoming days, so stay tuned, and keep clashin’!