Every so often, something happens in this ecosystem that reminds me why I’m still here—why I still believe in Splinterlands, in Hive & in the community we've built around them.
I'm writing this as I'm listening in on the waning moments of Episode 86 of Into the Splinterverse, and man, this was one of those moments.
Two of my good friends & some of my favorite community members in all of Praetoria, 
No script.
No PR nonsense.
Just two people who care deeply about the game, the community & where it’s all headed.
And honestly, it meant a lot.
Dave is the current COO of Splinterlands. He didn’t need to show up. But he did. And he stayed well into the wee hours of the morning.
On a public livestream.
To hear concerns, answer tough questions & own the hard truths.
That takes guts. And it takes heart.
More than anything, what stood out to me was Dave’s empathy.
He didn’t deflect. He didn’t posture. He listened, acknowledged & responded with clarity and care.
That’s what real leadership looks like—not just steering the ship when things are smooth, but standing in the shit, listening to real concerns from some of our most loyal Praetorians and saying, “I hear you.”
And Steve—man, if you've been around long enough, you already know how much this guy cares.
He wears it openly.
Passion, frustration, love, disappointment—he doesn’t filter any of it.
He just puts it all on the table in service of something better.
You can tell it’s coming from a place of genuine care.
Of real loyalty.
Huge shoutout to 
The conversation wasn’t perfect. It didn’t solve everything. But it was honest. It was necessary. And it was the kind of community moment we need more of if we’re going to make this game something truly lasting.
So yeah—this post isn’t about mechanics or tokenomics or proposals.
It’s about gratitude.
To Dave—for showing up, staying up & leading with empathy and conviction.
To Steve—for being willing to speak up even when it’s hard. I understand the frustration but I hope you'll choose to stick it through.
And to everyone in this wild little ecosystem who still believes that building something great is worth the fight.
Go give the episode a watch if you haven’t already: