The 11,000th Free Human takes their place, and the Wave prepares its first Splash

On September 5, 2026, the Wave crossed a threshold we had seen coming since the day before: the 11,000th Free Human took their place at 07:29 UTC. After Ten presences away from 11,000, the Wave finds its rhythm again, it only took one morning to cross the line.

This 11,000th Free Human is #11000 Amina Umar (Nigeria). A round number always catches the eye, but what really matters is the human presence behind it: one more person can now see the Wave map, invite someone, send energy, listen to the album The Wave, support the project, or simply keep the idea in mind for later.

The map remains at 100 countries, as in One hundred countries on the map, and clearer paths to continue. The day therefore did not add a new country, but it added 85 presences, all coming through invitations. It is less spectacular than a country lighting up, but it is exactly what makes the Wave solid: doors opened by humans, one by one.

September 5, 2026	Result
Free Humans at start	10,990
Free Humans at end of day	11,075
New presences	85
Arrivals by invitation	85
People who invited at least one person	29
Countries represented at end of day	100
Energies sent during the day	1,852
People who sent at least one energy	238

The 11,000 mark, without losing the human thread

We went from 10,990 to 11,075 Free Humans. The last presence of the day is #11075 Ihab ElMahalawy (Egypt), arriving at 23:08 UTC. The day already had its morning threshold; it still continued until the evening.

The new presences come mainly from countries already well represented in FreeWillWave's recent history. Nigeria adds 38 presences, Ukraine 10, Egypt 8, Brazil 7, Iraq 5, and Algeria 3. After the new countries described in Two more countries on the map, and doors that are easier to open, this day looks more like a consolidation: the map does not change its number, but it fills up.

New presences on September 5, 2026 by country	Result
Nigeria	38
Ukraine	10
Egypt	8
Brazil	7
Iraq	5
Algeria	3

There is something very simple and very encouraging in this progression. The Wave does not need every day to bring a new point on the map to move forward. It also moves forward when already lit countries gain new presences, because each presence can become a new door.

Invitations and energies continue to circulate

The 85 arrivals of the day all came through invitations. Thank you, for the invitations of September 5, to #8307 ibrahim yahaya (Nigeria), with 7 direct invitations, to #805 Chizo1germany (Germany), with 6, and to #10303 Paul Edet (Nigeria), with 3.

Since the opening, #805 Chizo1germany (Germany) reaches 3,682 direct invitations, #2029 Nura USMAN MUSA (Nigeria) has 182, and #869 Ibrahim Sani (Nigeria) 170. These figures are visible with the rest in the Wave in numbers, but in the Chronicle they keep above all a human meaning: someone passed on the idea, then someone else took their place.

Energies also remain very present: 1,852 energies sent during the day, by 238 different people. Nigeria accounts for 1,655, Belgium 92, and Niger 40. Since the site opened, the cumulative total reaches 38,060 energies.

Thank you, for the energies of this day, to #9125 Adamu Bello (Nigeria), with 355 energies, to #10894 imrana abdulkarim (Nigeria), with 121, and to #9166 Sunusi Mande (Nigeria), with 120.

Since the opening, #9166 Sunusi Mande (Nigeria) reaches 1,714 energies, #9125 Adamu Bello (Nigeria) 1,641, and #3377 Babayo Haruna (Nigeria) 1,606.

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 continue.

What I made clearer since the last chronicle

Since the last chronicle, I first reworked the Chronicle Podiums. A period choice was missing: today, yesterday, this week, this month, or since the beginning. This choice now exists, in line with the country filter. The top three places also adopt the more readable presentation of `/wave`, with medals, then the following ranks remain in a simpler list. Each score carries its unit, which avoids having to guess what one is looking at.

I also made the supporter cards more visible. The table now opens on "Who supports the most", and an active card can show its logo, its summary text or its shortened body, as well as a link to its site when that link is allowed. The same collapse also exists on `/wave`. The idea is simple: if someone chooses to display a card, it must really be seen.

Another important point concerned profiles. An active member, visible on the map, could still land on a 404 page if the verification had continued in a different browser than the starting one. This is not a rare situation: one starts something in an application, then the link opens elsewhere. I therefore changed the logic so that registration completes from the member's actual presence, and not only from a memory kept by the browser. A number belongs to a person: their page must be able to open.

A question also forced me to revisit the reading of names and biographies. Names are now checked at registration, in the welcome, in the settings, and in the personal page editor. Angle brackets that can carry code are refused, and a name written by a member remains data, never an instruction. I also strengthened the Chronicle itself: if a name contains a sentence, it is copied as a name in its link, without being executed or interpreted. It is discreet, but it is the kind of safeguard that protects everyone.

I harmonized `/wave` and `/story` around the same Podiums panel. On `/me`, I removed what cluttered the page to make room for impact: direct invitations, global impact, and tree depth. Badges and the tree also take a more coherent color. The supporter card received a more pleasant follow-up: after "Save and translate", pending languages update without having to reload the page oneself.

The support gauge now appears under the three views of the Wave. The share sheet gained the icons that were missing for several services. The banner scrolls a little slower. Messages and notifications have been visually separated: two dots, two colors, and above all the same meaning everywhere. When I saw that the badge contradicted the launcher, I corrected the inconsistency. A color must not tell two different stories depending on where one looks at it.

On mobile, several windows now take the full available height: the share sheet, the actions of `/wave` such as Invite, Support, Film and Watch, badge medallions, badge celebrations, and help questions and answers. What looked like a "black message" above pop-ups was actually the darkened background letting pieces of page stick out. The solution was not to remove the veil, but to give enough space to the window. It is much cleaner, and it breathes better.

I also put the backups back on track. They had stopped since August 30, and the failure alerts had themselves become too long to warn properly. Backups are now split in a healthier way, logs are separated, error messages are short, and a retention rolls some old logs into daily counters instead of keeping every line indefinitely. This also added a more durable click counter. It is not the most visible part of the site, but it is what allows keeping memory without being crushed by it.

Finally, on `/wave`, the action button that was green became "Music", in purple, with a note, and it leads to the album The Wave. Support keeps its own doors, but the action row now has direct access to music. It is a small cell, but it says well that FreeWillWave is not only watched: it is also listened to.

The Splash is being prepared

Since the last chronicle, a new idea has also taken shape: the Splash. The principle is to meet at the same moment to invite, send energy, watch the number evolve, and experience together the excitement of the hour. The first Splash is scheduled for Monday, September 7 at 18:00 UTC, and the first Grand Splash on Sunday, September 13 at the same time.

The time was not chosen at random. It comes from the moments when visits and spontaneous gestures are most present, with a large part of the members around UTC+1. A single slot was retained, because the Splash only makes sense if the number concentrates at the same place in time.

I therefore added a Splash panel on `/wave` and in `/me`, with the next Splash and the next Grand Splash. During the hour, four counters track presences, open invitations, arrivals, and energies. A `/splash` page explains the principle and will keep the results: presence peak, series by five-minute slices, and Podiums of the hour. The antenna will also have its Splash moment, with a solid color plate and an on-screen reminder. This time, the Wave will not only grow a number: it will offer a rendezvous.

What this day adds

September 5 adds 85 presences, the crossing of 11,000 Free Humans, 1,852 energies, and many clearer paths for the future. Some improvements are immediately visible, like the Podiums, the mobile pop-ups, or the Music button. Others are more discreet, like the backups, the moderation of names, or the way to complete a registration, but they make the whole more reliable for the humans who arrive.

We are now 11,075 Free Humans, in 100 countries. The map did not gain a new country today, but it gained new presences, new invitations, and a new way to gather around a common moment.

The next page is not only a number to reach. It can come from a person who takes their place, from an invitation sent at the right time, from an energy, from a support, from a listening, or from a remark sent through the Send an idea or a remark page. And soon, it can also come from a Splash: an hour when several humans choose to open the door at the same time.