Optimism Fractal turned two years old on October 20th, and today we're gathering to celebrate this remarkable milestone together. What began as an experimental approach to democratic coordination has evolved into something truly special - a community that has consistently shown up week after week, building relationships, developing innovative governance tools, and contributing meaningfully to the Superchain ecosystem.

Everyone is invited to join us as we mark this momentous occasion! We'll begin with the Respect Game at 17:00 UTC at Optimism Fractal - the community ritual that has brought the Optimism Fractal community together for two years. This is where everyone can earn Respect, collaborate on meaningful work, and share in the joyful experience of democratic coordination.

Following the game, we'll continue at Optimism Town Hall, creating space for the community to celebrate in whatever is most fitting - whether that be playing games, planning, storytelling, or strategic discussion about our next steps. Each anniversary brings its own energy, and we'll collectively decide how we spend this special time together at the event.

As we reflect on our two-year journey, it's worth remembering how we got here. The practice of fractal democracy had been developing for years in a siloed ecosystem when a team of Eden Fractal community members formed the Optimystics to bring these profoundly helpful governance tools to Ethereum — the world ledger. We recognized that Optimism, as the leading L2 network, would provide the perfect soil for this vision to grow and flourish. The aligned visions we shared with the Optimism Collective helped shape what would become our mission: fostering collaboration, awarding public goods creators, and optimizing governance on the Superchain.

Week after week, we've gathered to share our work, evaluate contributions, and most importantly, build the relationships that form the foundation of any thriving community. Along the way, we've met amazing people who have not only shaped our direction but made possible everything we've achieved together, making the community more special than we could have imagined. The Respect Game has proven to be more than just a governance mechanism - it's become a practice that brings us together, helps us understand each other's work, and creates the trust necessary for ambitious collaboration. Without each person's unique contributions, Optimism Fractal wouldn't be what it is today.

The numbers tell part of the story: between Respect Games and community discussions at Optimism Town Hall, the Optimism Fractal community has participated in over 100 events and over 100 people have contributed. Each event has been crystallized into videos that document not just our meetings, but our evolution as a community pioneering new forms of coordination. We've successfully operated ORDAO for nearly a year, while the Optimism Fractal Council has functioned as our legislative branch for over 20 months, demonstrating that onchain democratic governance is both practical and powerful. Communities around the world have been inspired by our work and are implementing fractal governance in their own contexts - a testament to the power and accessibility of the model we've pioneered together.

While I initially considered more elaborate celebration plans (which you can see in the recent Optimism Town Hall episode where Eric and I discussed various anniversary ideas), it feels right to keep things flexible and see what emerges when we gather. After our Respect Game, we'll have space during the town hall to celebrate however feels natural to the group.

We might share stories and memories from our journey together, recognizing the contributions of community members who have helped build what we have today. We could give brief speeches about what Optimism Fractal has meant to us and our hopes for the future. Or we might dive directly into planning discussions about our next steps. The beauty of our community is that whatever direction we choose, it will be meaningful because we're choosing it together.

To celebrate in style, you're welcome to use an Optimism Fractal thumbnail image as your Zoom background! You can do this by going to OptimismFractal.com/videos and exploring our curation of 70 beautiful images - feel free to choose one that calls to you. Once you've saved an image to your computer, you can set it as your background in Zoom by right-clicking on your video and selecting "Choose Virtual Background," then adding your chosen image.

Any other kind of fun ways to celebrate - party hats, formal attire, creative outfits - are also encouraged! Nothing is required, but it's all for good fun and shows the joyful spirit of our community as well as the art in our coordination. I look forward to seeing the creative ways our community members show up to celebrate this special occasion together!

In addition to our anniversary, this is the second-to-last event of both the season and the year, which makes it perfect timing for reflection and forward planning. We have a lot to celebrate and we've accomplished incredible things together, but there's so much more we need to achieve to reach our community's full potential. We're still a small community, and to truly fulfill our mission, we need to grow - not just in numbers, but in impact, integration, and sustainability.

Year three presents enormous opportunities and responsibilities. Ethereum just turned ten years old, marking a decade of decentralized innovation. As we head into 2026, the Superchain approaches interoperability, groundbreaking apps are gaining momentum, and major networks (like Base, World, and Unichain) continue joining and expanding. We're witnessing the infrastructure for a new internet being built before our eyes. Optimism Fractal has an important and unique role to play in ensuring this transition happens in a way that's democratic, equitable, and aligned with humanity's collective values.

To help provide inspiration for discussion, I've put together this page with some thoughts on potential focus areas as we head into our new year, new season, and new chapter. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on these ideas, and more broadly, what you think Optimism Fractal needs and how we can best serve the goals you believe we should pursue in our new season - both at this anniversary event and in the weeks ahead. Everyone's thoughts are important in shaping where we go next.

Whether you've attended many events or this will be your first, your perspective is valuable and we'd love to have you join us in celebration. We welcome everyone who wants to be part of this journey.

After two years of contributing and persisting through challenges, we've built something spectacular. I'm truly grateful for everything we've done together so far, and I couldn't be more excited to be embarking on this next chapter with such talented people and great friends. I'm excited to see all that we'll accomplish together as we grow Optimism Fractal and expand what we're pioneering throughout the wider Superchain, Ethereum, and eventually the world. We'll make big steps forward in 2026, in our new season, and in our third year - continuing our work building toward long-term goals, one game at a time.

As always, you can RSVP for both the Optimism Fractal Respect Game and Optimism Town Hall on the Optimystics events calendar. Hope to see you all there as we celebrate two years of growing together and chart our course for an even more impactful year three!

Optimism Fractal turned two years old on October 20th, and today we're gathering to celebrate this remarkable milestone together. What began as an experimental approach to democratic coordination has evolved into something truly special - a community that has consistently shown up week after week, building relationships, developing innovative governance tools, and contributing meaningfully to the Superchain ecosystem.

Everyone is invited to join us as we mark this momentous occasion! We'll begin with the Respect Game at 17:00 UTC at Optimism Fractal - the community ritual that has brought the Optimism Fractal community together for two years. This is where everyone can earn Respect, collaborate on meaningful work, and share in the joyful experience of democratic coordination.

Following the game, we'll continue at Optimism Town Hall, creating space for the community to celebrate in whatever is most fitting - whether that be playing games, planning, storytelling, or strategic discussion about our next steps. Each anniversary brings its own energy, and we'll collectively decide how we spend this special time together at the event.

As we reflect on our two-year journey, it's worth remembering how we got here. The practice of fractal democracy had been developing for years in a siloed ecosystem when a team of Eden Fractal community members formed the Optimystics to bring these profoundly helpful governance tools to Ethereum — the world ledger. We recognized that Optimism, as the leading L2 network, would provide the perfect soil for this vision to grow and flourish. The aligned visions we shared with the Optimism Collective helped shape what would become our mission: fostering collaboration, awarding public goods creators, and optimizing governance on the Superchain.

Week after week, we've gathered to share our work, evaluate contributions, and most importantly, build the relationships that form the foundation of any thriving community. Along the way, we've met amazing people who have not only shaped our direction but made possible everything we've achieved together, making the community more special than we could have imagined. The Respect Game has proven to be more than just a governance mechanism - it's become a practice that brings us together, helps us understand each other's work, and creates the trust necessary for ambitious collaboration. Without each person's unique contributions, Optimism Fractal wouldn't be what it is today.

The numbers tell part of the story: between Respect Games and community discussions at Optimism Town Hall, the Optimism Fractal community has participated in over 100 events and over 100 people have contributed. Each event has been crystallized into videos that document not just our meetings, but our evolution as a community pioneering new forms of coordination. We've successfully operated ORDAO for nearly a year, while the Optimism Fractal Council has functioned as our legislative branch for over 20 months, demonstrating that onchain democratic governance is both practical and powerful. Communities around the world have been inspired by our work and are implementing fractal governance in their own contexts - a testament to the power and accessibility of the model we've pioneered together.

While I initially considered more elaborate celebration plans (which you can see in the recent Optimism Town Hall episode where Eric and I discussed various anniversary ideas), it feels right to keep things flexible and see what emerges when we gather. After our Respect Game, we'll have space during the town hall to celebrate however feels natural to the group.

We might share stories and memories from our journey together, recognizing the contributions of community members who have helped build what we have today. We could give brief speeches about what Optimism Fractal has meant to us and our hopes for the future. Or we might dive directly into planning discussions about our next steps. The beauty of our community is that whatever direction we choose, it will be meaningful because we're choosing it together.

To celebrate in style, you're welcome to use an Optimism Fractal thumbnail image as your Zoom background! You can do this by going to OptimismFractal.com/videos and exploring our curation of 70 beautiful images - feel free to choose one that calls to you. Once you've saved an image to your computer, you can set it as your background in Zoom by right-clicking on your video and selecting "Choose Virtual Background," then adding your chosen image.

Any other kind of fun ways to celebrate - party hats, formal attire, creative outfits - are also encouraged! Nothing is required, but it's all for good fun and shows the joyful spirit of our community as well as the art in our coordination. I look forward to seeing the creative ways our community members show up to celebrate this special occasion together!

In addition to our anniversary, this is the second-to-last event of both the season and the year, which makes it perfect timing for reflection and forward planning. We have a lot to celebrate and we've accomplished incredible things together, but there's so much more we need to achieve to reach our community's full potential. We're still a small community, and to truly fulfill our mission, we need to grow - not just in numbers, but in impact, integration, and sustainability.

Year three presents enormous opportunities and responsibilities. Ethereum just turned ten years old, marking a decade of decentralized innovation. As we head into 2026, the Superchain approaches interoperability, groundbreaking apps are gaining momentum, and major networks (like Base, World, and Unichain) continue joining and expanding. We're witnessing the infrastructure for a new internet being built before our eyes. Optimism Fractal has an important and unique role to play in ensuring this transition happens in a way that's democratic, equitable, and aligned with humanity's collective values.

To help provide inspiration for discussion, I've put together this page with some thoughts on potential focus areas as we head into our new year, new season, and new chapter. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on these ideas, and more broadly, what you think Optimism Fractal needs and how we can best serve the goals you believe we should pursue in our new season - both at this anniversary event and in the weeks ahead. Everyone's thoughts are important in shaping where we go next.

Whether you've attended many events or this will be your first, your perspective is valuable and we'd love to have you join us in celebration. We welcome everyone who wants to be part of this journey.

After two years of contributing and persisting through challenges, we've built something spectacular. I'm truly grateful for everything we've done together so far, and I couldn't be more excited to be embarking on this next chapter with such talented people and great friends. I'm excited to see all that we'll accomplish together as we grow Optimism Fractal and expand what we're pioneering throughout the wider Superchain, Ethereum, and eventually the world. We'll make big steps forward in 2026, in our new season, and in our third year - continuing our work building toward long-term goals, one game at a time.

As always, you can RSVP for both the Optimism Fractal Respect Game and Optimism Town Hall on the Optimystics events calendar. Hope to see you all there as we celebrate two years of growing together and chart our course for an even more impactful year three!