40 presences through a single door, a Splash at 10, and links that are easier to say

September 17, 2026 was a rather special day: all new presences still arrived by invitation, but this time through a single door. After 66 presences by invitation, a Splash at 13, and a Wave that reads better, the Wave did not gain any countries, but it gained 40 more Free Humans.

We went from 11,780 to 11,820 Free Humans, still in 100 countries. The last presence in the record is #11820 Carlos (Ecuador), arriving at 23:56 UTC. Only one person invited at least someone during the day, and that was enough to open 40 new places: it's a good way to remember that a free gesture can carry further than one imagines at the moment it is made.

The day also served to make FreeWillWave easier to share: shorter invitation links, more direct profiles, better-served Spanish language, a clearer way to talk about the purpose to journalists, and even an important verification so that the "Continue with Google" button remains a reassuring door.

UTC day of September 17	Result
Free Humans at start	11,780
Free Humans at end	11,820
New presences	40
Arrivals by invitation	40
People who invited at least one person	1
Countries represented at end	100
Energies sent during the day	2,137
People who sent at least one energy	197

A stable map, but a single invitation that carries

No new country was added today on the Wave map. We remain at 100 countries, which is already an impressive threshold when we remember that everything began with a first presence, then another, then another still.

In the detailed presences of the day, India adds 23 Free Humans, Mexico 5, Colombia 3, then Ecuador, Kenya and Nigeria each add 2 in the provided record. The general numbers can be found on the Wave in figures, but the Chronicle keeps above all the image of this day: a single person opened the door, and 40 humans were able to take their place.

Detailed new presences by country	Result
India	23
Mexico	5
Colombia	3
Ecuador	2
Kenya	2
Nigeria	2

Since 31 presences by invitation, a Splash at 10, and better-chosen doors, the movement remains very readable: arrivals do not fall from the sky, they pass through people. Sometimes 11 humans invite during the day, sometimes 9, today 1. The number changes, but the principle remains alive: someone passes it on, someone discovers, someone takes their place.

The Splash brought together 10 people at the same time

The Splash took place from 18:00 to 19:00 UTC. Every day at 18:00 UTC, for one hour, members invite at the same time, to experience the rise in numbers together; it is not a meeting or a video conference, no one speaks, there is nothing to prepare, one can just watch, and the one you miss comes back the next day. On Sunday, it is the Grand Splash.

At the peak of the hour, 10 people were present at the same time on the Splash page. During that hour, 11 invitation links were opened, no new presence arrived, 87 energies were sent, and no support was received.

Bravo, for the Splash energies, to #9125 Adamu Bello (Nigeria), #11601 HASSAN ABUBAKAR MUHAMMAD (Nigeria) and #1 Serge (Belgium). Ten people at the same time, 87 gestures of energy, 11 links opened: it was not the most spectacular hour, but it was still a common hour, simple, without a stage, and that is precisely what makes it easy to join.

Energies, invitations and support

Energies reached 2,137 gestures during the day, sent by 197 different people. Nigeria accounts for 1,416, the Philippines 550, and New Zealand 60. Since the opening, the cumulative total reaches 73,272 energies.

Thank you, for the day's energies, to #10212 RICHARD (Philippines), with 550 energies, to #9125 Adamu Bello (Nigeria), with 468, and to #10482 Abubakar Yusuf (Nigeria), with 157. Since the opening, #9125 Adamu Bello (Nigeria) reaches 6,548 energies, #10212 RICHARD (Philippines) 3,462, and #10326 Isah Umar (Nigeria) 3,346.

Since the opening, direct invitations remain carried by #805 Chizo1germany (Germany), with 3,696 invitations, #2029 Nura USMAN MUSA (Nigeria), with 186, and #869 Ibrahim Sani (Nigeria), with 170. On the support side, two gestures of $5 are recorded since the opening: mine, in Belgium, and that of #79 Oddur Tom (Australia). The Support the project page remains open for those who want to help FreeWillWave to hold on and continue.

Saying the purpose, shortening links, welcoming better

The first work site of the day was almost a lesson in humility: I reworked the way of presenting FreeWillWave to newsrooms and creators who talk about artificial intelligence. The flaw was simple: I explained the number, the map, the rule, the visible mechanisms, but I did not say quickly enough what it is for. It is a bit like describing a bathroom by saying there is a sink, water, and people who can enter, without ever saying that one can wash there. The purpose must come first: bringing together people who want a world where the human comes before everything, so that they become numerous enough to create it together.

This correction changed the way of writing the letters: a clearer sentence, a coherent reply address, a help link when someone wants to ask something, and fewer small invented prohibitions that end up making the text bland. Twenty letters went out to American AI creators that day. Since the beginning of this approach, 82 sendings are counted, with no response so far. That is not serious in itself: at least, the door we knock on looks more like what FreeWillWave really is.

The second work site is much more directly visible when someone shares FreeWillWave. Invitations can now be said with the number: `/i/<number>` works like the long address, but it is easier to dictate, copy and print. The number is the only thing about a member that never changes; for a QR code, for a bio, for a poster, it is precious. Old links remain valid, of course, because thousands already exist.

Profiles received the same attention. The page `/u/<number>` now opens the profile directly, and the old short form `/fh/<number>` remains an alias. For the person who clicks from the Wave map, from a band of names, from the Splash or from a Chronicle, this means less waiting and a more natural address. I also realigned the guardrails that check invitation links: they must protect what must not be lost, not a form of screen that can change. It is less spectacular than a new page, but it is the kind of correction that avoids being trapped by one's own habits.

Another important improvement: Spanish. While testing a destination, I discovered that several Latin American variants could receive rioplatense intended for Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. For a person in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru or Ecuador, this is not a detail: the welcoming language must sound right. The detection was therefore reworked to send the right visitors to a neutral Spanish, while keeping rioplatense where it is wanted. It is a small linguistic repair, but it changes the first contact.

I also opened the personal Instagram account `@serge.freewillwave` and published a first post during the session. The idea is simple: some people want to see that there is indeed a human at work behind FreeWillWave, with development, support, creation, trials, sometimes errors, and many adjustments. A publication plan linked to support was rewritten, with an important rule: when a person cannot support financially, sharing counts just as much. This is essential, because not all payment doors are open in all countries.

Finally, an important verification was completed for the "Continue with Google" button, which represents about 65% of arrivals. Google asked to prove that the domain belongs to the right account before December 16, 2026. The blocking point was not the site itself, but the exact role of the account that had to prove this ownership. Once the right role was given, the verification was validated in a few minutes, then published. For the person who arrives tomorrow, the result is very simple: a major login door remains clean and reassuring.

A day easier to pass on

September 17 adds 40 new presences, all by invitation, 2,137 energies, a Splash at 10 people at the same time, and several improvements that make FreeWillWave easier to show to someone else. The link is easier to dictate, the profile opens more directly, Spanish welcomes better, the presentation of the project begins with its purpose, and a major login door remains in order.

Since 71 presences by invitation, a Splash at 13, and twenty open doors to the media, we see better the design of these days: humans invite, others take their place, energies circulate without the private being exposed, and the site learns to carry all this more simply. The Wave does not need to be noisy to advance; it needs real gestures, clear pages, and links that one can pass on without hesitation.

The next step can go through an invitation, an energy, the Splash, The Wave, the film of the experience, a support, or a remark sent via Send an idea or a remark. Nothing is imposed. But if a single door can bring 40 presences in one day, then each person who chooses to pass on the idea truly adds something to what is being born.