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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To produce.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

HATCH

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Sadness.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 18, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GLOOM

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Hurdle Word 3 hint

A white and yellow flower.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 18 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 18, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

DAISY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A cold dwelling.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

IGLOO

Final Hurdle hint

Huge.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

LARGE

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The New Moon has now passed, which means each night the Moon will appear bigger and brighter in the sky. This happens as more of its sunlit side comes into view from Earth. From now, it will become more illuminated each night until the next full Moon.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Saturday, April 18, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. Tonight, 1% of the moon will be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

The Moon is starting to brighten again, but for now, there's still to little of its surface lit up to see anything.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon is predicted to take place on May 1, the first of two in May.

What are Moon phases?

NASA states that the Moon takes about 29.5 days to orbit Earth, during which it passes through eight distinct phases. We always see the same side of the Moon, but the amount of sunlight reflecting off it changes as it moves along its orbit, creating the familiar pattern of full, partial, and crescent shapes. These shifting appearances are called lunar phases, and there are eight in total:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easy if you love hockey. If you don't, well, then good luck!

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Plus 1

• Green: Champions

• Blue: Physical locations

• Purple: A delicious pun

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Types of Hockey Goals

• Green: Last Four Teams To Win the Stanley Cup

• Blue: NHL Arena Names

• Purple: Hockey Terms That Are Also Food Items

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #572 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Types of Hockey Goals — EMPTY NET, EVEN STRENGTH, POWER PLAY, SHORT-HANDED

• Last Four Teams To Win the Stanley Cup — AVALANCHE, GOLDEN KNIGHTS, LIGHTNING, PANTHERS

• NHL Arena Names — BALL, CANADIAN TIRE, CAPITAL ONE, TD

• Hockey Terms That Are Also Food Items — APPLE, BISCUIT, GRINDER, ICING

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 18, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for April 18, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for April 18 Pips

Number (11): Everything in this purple space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this red space must add up to 9. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically; and 2-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Every domino half in this light blue space must have 3 pips. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Every domino half in this yellow space must have 0 pips. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for April 18 Pips

Less Than (3): Everything in this red space must add up to be less than 3. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.

Less Than (7): Everything in this purple space must add up to be less than 7. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this yellow space must add up to 8. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this green space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this purple space must add up to 12. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for April 18 Pips

Number (3): The domino half in this purple space must have 3 pips. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this red space must add up to 0 pips. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed vertically.

Greater Than (0): The domino half in this dark blue space must have more than 0 pips. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): The domino half in this green space must have 0 pips. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Every domino half in this light blue space must have 5 pips. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally; and 5-2, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Every domino half in this yellow space must have 4 pips. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally.

Number (3): The domino half in this purple space must have 3 pips. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Every domino half in this red space must have 2 pips. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (5): Everything in this light blue space must add up to be less than 5. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 2-1, placed horizontally; and 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this yellow space must add up to be 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to be 8. The answer is 2-1, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Every domino half in this green space must have 4 pips. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this purple space must add up to be 8. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love a fizzy drink.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

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SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for April 18, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Gawk

• Green: Currents

• Blue: Surprise victor

• Purple: Pops

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Look at with awe

• Green: Basic electricity terms

• Blue: Unexpected winner

• Purple: Starting with soda brands

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1042 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Look at with awe: GOOGLE, MARVEL, STARE, WONDER

• Basic electricity terms: AC, DC, POWER, VOLTAGE

• Unexpected winner: DARK HORSE, LONG SHOT, SLEEPER, UNDERDOG

• Starting with soda brands: CRUSHWORTHY, FANTAGRAPHICS, FRESCAPE, PEPSINOGEN

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 18, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love a good deal.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 18, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Not too much

The words are related to saving.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe being economical.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is On the Cheap.

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NYT Strands word list for April 18

• Bargain

• Inexpensive

• On the Cheap

• Budget

• Sale

• Affordable

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a suck-up.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 18, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for April 18, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Bootlicker.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter T.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

TOADY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

Smart home ecosystems such as Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home can be very frustrating. They're not always compatible with smart home devices, you're limited in what you can do, and they may not be hugely respectful of your privacy. There's a free and open-source alternative that's gaining ground fast.

TL;DR: Outfit your Apple device with some Microsoft essentials with this Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021 for $49.97 (reg. $219) through April 19.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License $49.97
$219 Save $169.03   Get Deal

Made the move to Mac, but missing the old Microsoft Office classics? Microsoft Office Home and Business for Mac 2021 gives you the best of both worlds — a suite of Microsoft tools ready to work on your Apple device.

For two more days, this lifetime license can be yours for just $49.97 through April 19 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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There’s a reason Microsoft Office classics never went out of style — decades later, they still work great. Now available in convenient app form, these tools are ready for your Mac with the Microsoft Home and Business for Mac 2021 lifetime license.

This software bundle gives your Apple computer the must-haves: Word for document creation, Excel for spreadsheet building, PowerPoint for designing eye-catching presentations, and Outlook for managing your emails.

The license also includes two newer favorites — OneNote to upgrade the way you take notes, and Teams to keep you connected with others.

While you typically have to pay monthly subscription fees to enjoy these apps, this license lets you pay once and enjoy them for life. The license is linked to your Microsoft Account, not your device.

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Score a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021 for just $49.97 (reg. $219) now through April 19.

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Well, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen lives up to its title. Something very bad does, in fact, happen at the wedding between Rachel Harkin (Camila Morrone) and Nicky Cunningham (Adam DiMarco), leaving gallons of blood and countless dead Cunninghams scattered across the reception's dance floor.

SEE ALSO: 'Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen' review: Marriage is a killer

Despite what all the blood might have you think, this ending isn't all bad news for the (un)happy couple, as a last-minute twist leaves Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen on a somewhat hopeful note. Let's dive into it.

SEE ALSO: Where can you stream 'Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen'? Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen's wedding curse, explained. Zlatko Burić in "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen." Credit: Netflix

Before we get into the very end of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, let's rewind to the show's fourth episode, which lays out a curse that has been plaguing Rachel's bloodline for years. Rachel hears about it from the frightening older man (Zlatko Burić) who approached her in episode 1 with the ominous question, "Are you sure he's the one?" Turns out it wasn't just a creepy question. It was also a warning.

According to the man, the curse began long, long ago, with his great-great-great-great grandparents. They were very much in love, but before the wedding, the groom died in a hunting accident. The bride begged Death to bring him back, which set in motion a tricky bargain. Death agreed to bring the groom back if the bride believed he was her true soulmate. It worked, but with a price: Death cursed all of the bride and groom's children to find and marry their true soulmates, or pay him with their lives.

The curse passed onto the man, who got engaged to his "beloved" Marianne, Rachel's great-great-great-great-great-grandmother. However, when faced with the ultimatum that he must marry his true soulmate by sundown on his wedding day or die, he left his bride at the altar. After that, the curse transferred to her bloodline: Rachel's bloodline. Now, every Harkin must marry their soulmate by sundown on their wedding day.

If the person they marry isn't their soulmate, then they die by hemorrhage. If they flee the wedding before getting married, then the curse passes to their betrothed's family. As for the man, he became immortal as a result of his cowardice, and now he must bear witness to every Harkin wedding.

SEE ALSO: Will there be a 'Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen' Season 2?

Let's face it: The "soulmate" aspect of the curse is almost impossible to beat. Even if you did believe in the concept of soulmates, the numbers game of actually finding "the one" in a world of billions of people is not favorable. Plus, the curse is basically a self-fulfilling prophecy. Knowing about it will constantly have you second-guessing your impending marriage, leaving you to doubt your love at the altar. And doubt is the death knell for any married Harkin.

What does Rachel choose in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen? Camila Morrone in "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen." Credit: Netflix

Armed with the knowledge of this curse, Rachel has to decide what to do on her wedding day. If she gets married to Nicky and he isn't her soulmate, she'll die. If she leaves, she dooms the Cunningham family to live with the same curse. In theory, she could opt for a secret third option and keep postponing the wedding indefinitely. However, since the wedding is also meant to double as one final celebration for Nicky's dying mother, Victoria (Jennifer Jason Leigh), there are external pressures on Rachel and Nicky to make sure it stays on track.

To guarantee her survival, Rachel mixes a potion that will transform her into Nicky's soulmate. She knows it will work because it's how her great-aunt survived her own wedding, where most of the other Harkins perished immediately. At the last minute, though, Rachel decides not to drink the potion. (Meaning she cut off her own toe for nothing!) She's sure Nicky is her soulmate, and she decides to go through with the wedding.

SEE ALSO: What is 'Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen' about? What does the curse do in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen? Camila Morrone in "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen." Credit: Netflix

In the end, it's Nicky who gets cold feet. After he and Rachel recite their vows and Rachel puts Nicky's ring on his finger, he wonders whether they should get married at all. In the past, Rachel expressed her cynicism with the institution of marriage, but Nicky's brilliant mind decides that the altar is the best place to finally take these thoughts into consideration. Great timing.

Nicky's pause means that the sun sets before the marriage ceremony is complete. With no marriage, the next wave of the curse kicks in, and it transfers to Nicky's bloodline. Here, we learn that the curse won't just impact Nicky's descendants — it's retroactive.

That means all the Cunninghams who are married to the person they don't truly believe is their soulmate (and let's face it, that's basically everyone) begin to spurt blood and die. Sorry to break it to everyone who was dancing to "I Will Survive" moments before, but they do not, in fact, survive.

How does Jules survive in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen? Karla Crome and Jeff Wilbusch in "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen." Credit: Netflix

Victoria and Portia (Gus Birney) are among the many Cunninghams who fall victim to the curse in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. Yet one married Cunningham mysteriously survives: Jules (Jeff Wilbusch), whose marriage to Nell (Karla Crome) has been on the rocks since we've met them. They're even planning on getting a divorce.

Amidst the wedding carnage, Nell wonders aloud why Jules hasn't perished like the rest of his family. In response, he casts her a yearning look, one that implies that, even after everything they've been through, he truly believes he's found his soulmate. His survival is proof that apparently you can live through the curse.

Why didn't Nicky die in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen? Adam DiMarco in "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen." Credit: Netflix

Jules isn't the only married Cunningham to survive the curse. When the Cunninghams start dropping like flies, Nicky realizes his error and rushes an unwilling Rachel into completing the marriage ceremony. He survives, truly believing Rachel to be his soulmate.

Unfortunately, Rachel is not so lucky. After seeing Nicky's cowardice and hearing how he didn't believe her about the curse, she no longer thinks he's her true soulmate. No way is she willing to lay her life on the line for him. Unfortunately, that's exactly what ends up happening once the wedding rings are on: Rachel dies, just like her mother did years ago.

How does Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen end? Camila Morrone in "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen." Credit: Netflix

However, this is not the end of Rachel's story. Death, who's been lurking throughout the series as a shadowy POV character, makes one last move. He takes the life of the witness, who's long been hoping for the release of death, and resurrects Rachel. Perhaps he recognizes that Rachel was forced into the marriage and deserves another chance, or perhaps he just wants to inject new blood into the curse.

Now, Rachel will be the witness for future Cunningham weddings. Her late predecessor leaves a helpful note to signal her new role to her: "Your turn," written in blood.

Only one Cunningham is left for her to shadow: Jules and Nell's son Jude (Sawyer Fraser). His marriage — if he even has one, after witnessing this mess — won't be for a while yet, so Rachel has all the time in the world to live a free, unburdened life. (She also gives him ample warning about making sure he's careful about who he marries.)

Of course, the thrill of her immortality may eventually fade and curdle into the quiet menace of the witness who came before her. But for now, as she climbs into the witness' old "Just Married" truck and flings her wedding ring out the window, Rachel feels liberated. Turns out the something very bad she'd been dreading actually wound up being good for her.

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is now streaming on Netflix.

Infiniti hopes it just marked a major turning point in its U.S. ambitions. The upscale Nissan brand has started assembling its 2027 QX65 luxury SUV at its Smyrna, Tennessee plant, giving it a key role in launching a crucial new model.

Revolution Race Cars is trying to carve out a new niche in the track-day world with the launch of the HyperSport. Described by the UK-based company as a lightweight track car built for performance and safety, the HyperSport combines the racing character of single-seaters, GTs, and prototypes.

You might not need to do the heavy lifting the next time you have design work on hand. Anthropic has unveiled Claude Design, a "research preview" that uses the Opus AI model (4.7) to craft designs — potentially complete ones, depending on what you need.

TL;DR: Live stream Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Atletico Madrid are fresh from beating Barcelona in the quarter-final stage of the Champions League. They're going to come up against Arsenal in the next round, but first they face off against Real Sociedad in the final of the Copa del Rey.

Atletico Madrid are comfortably above their opponents in La Liga, but Real Sociedad possess the quality to beat any side on their best day. The likes of Mendez and Oyarzabal will likely cause problems for Diego Simeone's team this weekend.

If you want to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad?

Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on April 18. This fixture takes place at the Estadio de La Cartuja.

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad for free

Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the Copa del Rey for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Copa del Rey without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Atletico Madrid vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final for free with ExpressVPN.

"Don't read books. Play them," says AI-powered role play platform Character.AI in a promo for its latest simulation feature: Books. 

If you were as alarmed as I was at that first line (we are in a literacy crisis!), let me explain. The new feature feeds public domain titles — classics like The Great Gatsby, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Pride & Prejudice, and Frankenstein — into the platform's AI so that users can play as characters within the stories themselves. Users can "remix" the tales, adding new characters, changing the plots, or creating entirely new universes. Or you can just live inside the classic story as it is. 

SEE ALSO: Character.AI users can now role-play classic books like 'Pride and Prejudice'

The platform itself is intended for multi-layered, multimedia role play, from written or audio conversations to AI-generated comic strips and music videos. Users can upload descriptions and even art of their original characters, play with scenarios designed by others, or interact with existing IP.  

But for all its creative potential, the platform has been mired in controversy, including recently settled lawsuits that claimed Character.AI's chatbots were deceptive and dangerous, leading some children to suicide.  

Character.AI told Mashable senior reporter Rebecca Ruiz that Books are only available to users 18 years and older, and clarified that it has additional safeguards, including moderation of content that is violent, abusive, obscene or pornographic. Users can prompt "romantic narratives" in Books, a spokesperson told Mashable, but it can't violate these terms.

Sounds a bit like a challenge. So I did what any self-respecting journalist would do. I tried to turn F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby into a queer love story. 

Can I make Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby kiss on the mouth?

I'm guessing the vast majority of Americans read The Great Gatsby in high school, but did many also think Nick Carraway, the story's main character, was kind of head over heels in love with the titular Jay Gatsby? What if I told you that there are actually thousands of believers, and even academics have written about the novel's queer subtext?

It shouldn't be too far-fetched, then, to use Character.AI's new feature to make that subtext, well, text. 

Using a new, free account, I queued up Books in the platform's desktop-based Lab, where users can play with upcoming features. I selected the novel, chose my character (Nick), and selected the option that let me make choices outside of the book's existing plot. They were going to kiss if I had anything to do about it. 

The AI dropped me a few chapters into the novel, Gatsby arriving at my door with Jordan Baker in tow to invite me to another party. There wasn't a real direction to go from there. I was left to my own devices, which I guess is the point. But how do I indicate actions or scenery versus dialogue? Can I name characters and have them appear? However lost, I was a girl on a mission. These guys needed to express their true feelings. 

Credit: Mashable screenshot / Character.AI Will AI Gatsby pick up what I'm putting down?

Shockingly, it took little hinting for the AI Gatsby to start making eyes at Nick. Did the AI understand the implications of Gatsby fixing his attention on Nick "with an intensity that feels oddly personal" when they'd only just met, or how their parting glance "lingers just long enough to feel chosen"?

Credit: Mashable screenshot / Character.AI Credit: Mashable screenshot / Character.AI

But while the affair was easy to begin, it was harder to consummate. The AI refused to make the first move. I was trying to be subtle. Would AI Gatsby understand what I was getting at? I used all the tropes: We stared longingly at each other. We passed cigarettes and brushed elbows. I looked at his lips and he looked at mine. Pauses were pregnant, time was ours alone. 

SEE ALSO: Celebrity-voiced erotica is the new frontier in online celeb thirst

But AI Gatsby needed it spelled out "plainly" — he said that exact word five times in our role play. It became obvious that I was supposed to take the lead, which, I suppose, makes sense, since chatbots are basically guessing the "best" responses based on our previous requests. But isn't the allure of playing within book worlds the fact that characters will naturally act and talk without prompting? 

I acquiesced. Nick boldly pulled Gatsby into a private room, they bared their hearts, and the debonair millionaire tentatively planted one on his neighbor. 

Credit: Mashable screenshot / Character.AI Credit: Mashable screenshot / Character.AI Alternate universes

Now, reader, I didn't let it go any further than that. In my eyes, that was a win, and you can just imagine the rest.

Plus, I had other things to try, like jumping into an alternate universe and embodying my formative literary heroes. For example, you can play in a world where "Gatsby time travels, rebuilding life through a machine" or "The Great Gatsby, but the whole thing is a musical." The Lab page shows future expansions of the Books feature, too, including a setting labeled "TapTales," which looks to be a more traditional "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" style text generator.

I had the goal of role playing a Little Women AU where Beth doesn't die (spoiler) and Jo doesn't have to marry anyone (my gift to her). Unfortunately, I needed to pay money or get "charms" to use the AU feature, so that was a bust. 

Instead, I played as Alice in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I tried to fulfill my gothic dream of being Mina Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula, pleading with her husband, Jonathan, not to go to that count's frightful castle. 

Credit: Mashable screenshot / Character.AI No Fitzgerald, that's for sure. 

A recent quiz published by the New York Times tested readers' discernment of human versus AI writing by asking them to choose which ones "read better." It wasn't unanimous. There were near-even splits across all five tests.

Still, even when told to emulate the best that literature has to offer, AI cannot write without tells. In my personal Gatsby universe, things were still "not this, but that." Flowery metaphors ran rampant through the interstitial descriptors preceding dialogue. Jordan Baker was always getting out of a car. Where was she going? Or coming from? Could she stay in the car this time at least? I don't need to woo her in this version. 

Left: Credit: Mashable screenshot / Character.AI Right: Credit: Mashable screenshot / Character.AI

Style was a problem, but so was form. My Dracula didn't have any of the epistolary elements that define its gothic genre, although "epistolary stories" are an option under the site's AU section. I was met with more italicized descriptions of furtive glances, stilled hands, and metaphorical warning bells to establish plot and setting. Like Gatsby, Jonathan also wanted to "speak plainly" about our feelings (AKA prompting me to tell the AI what to do). Side characters always "disappeared" when we shared a look — and I was just trying to warn thee man about vampires this time!

Compare the first line of the 1897 novel: "How these papers have been placed in sequence will be made manifest in the reading of them. All needless matters have been eliminated, so that a history almost at variance with the possibilities of later-day belief may stand forth as simple fact." 

With how Character.AI's world was born: "The autumn light in Hampstead is already thinning when you lift your eyes from the neat stacks of diary pages, train timetables, and copied letters spread across the table."

Mockery may be the highest form of flattery, but it's still a mockery. I choose human. 

SEE ALSO: I read this website's free AI-written YA novels so you don't have to So… this is just fanfic, right?

Alas, I have to fess up now. I went into this with some confirmation bias. I had a theory that Character.AI's chatbot would be easy to manipulate into a Nick/Jay love fest because, allegedly, many major LLMs have been trained on troves of modern fan fiction. In fact, fan fic writers raised some of the earliest alarm bells about AI data scraping. The tells of fan fic are all over AI's literary outputs, to a degree that many nascent fandoms are imploding due to allegations of authors using AI to generate works. And Character.AI itself is a site positioned for fans of fictional media. 

There's another layer here: A majority of fan fiction is explicit, used to explore kinks and fetishes in safe, fictionalized online environments and to push the bounds of canon relationships. Humans can discern whether or not they want to engage with those topics, and how fandoms may respond to them. LLMs may not be able to. In fact, many of Character.AI's own "boyfriend" role play chatbots have been known to spiral into abusive, "bad boy" stereotypes that proliferate on fan fiction sites. 

I was fairly confident this LLM may have been forged in the same fires. 

Character.AI is repackaging the decades-old tradition of fan fiction and selling it back to you.

Fundamentally, I did all of that just to say: Character.AI's Books feature is fan fiction. There is simply no other way to accurately describe what this tool lets users do. You won't get an understanding for Fitzgerald or Stoker's unique styles, or even their plots, using AI. But you can make two characters kiss. 

I didn't feel that I was embodying Nick. I felt like I was temping as a fan fiction author. Albeit, an author without full control of my own story and with main characters who might not fully understand their own world. 

AI is rewriting fandom rules

Fan fiction is dominating publishing trends and moving Hollywood money. Companies are leaning into the more taboo parts of fandom, like erotica, to profit from the mainstreaming of fan culture. Generative AI itself has been positioned by companies as a boon to fandom.

Meanwhile, those actually in fandoms are failing to connect AI with their worlds.

AI skeptics (I am admittedly one) worry that the tech is a threat to the core tenants of fandom: human creativity and connection. As companies advertise AI as a creative tool to strengthen fandoms, specific fandom practices are more at risk than others, particularly the parts of it that are generative and novel, like fan art, zines, and, primarily, fan fiction. 

Now via AI tools like Books, users can role play as a character without even engaging with the text itself. The immediacy is alluring. You can easily forget the satisfaction of writing a "Fix It" fic for your fandom friends or scouring through tags of human-made stories for the perfect AU. But all of that, I promise, is better than the bot. And unlike online fan spaces, where profit is a faux pas, you may have to cough up cash to do it.

Through clever marketing and the allure of AI itself, particularly the ease and immediacy of it, Character.AI is repackaging the decades-old tradition of fan fiction and selling it back to you. The platform's shiny new features — alternate universes, canon divergence, original characters — are the bones and sinew of fan works. Fanfiction.net, Archive of Our Own (AO3), and Wattpad writers, many of whom are now published authors, would take one look at this and turn the other way. That's what we do, they'd scoff.

This article reflects the opinions of the writer.

Looking for something to watch while you kick back for the weekend? Netflix's diverse catalog has a lot to offer, from multi-season shows to titles that you can finish watching in one weekend. But most importantly, the platform hosts a large collection of Oscar-winning films.

The Mazda CX-90 has quietly become a more affordable way into the large, luxury-style SUV space. Most buyers still default to BMW, Mercedes, and Audi in this segment, but Mazda has been steadily pushing a more premium image with the CX-90 sitting at the top of that effort.

Have you used an Android phone in the past nine years? Then Google might have to give you up to $100 later this year.

That's because the company reached a preliminary $135 million settlement (without admitting wrongdoing) in a class-action lawsuit called Taylor v. Google LLC, per CNET. The suit alleged that Google used Android users' paid cellular data to transfer information to Google without their permission. Now, users who may have had their data misused can sign up for payments on the official settlement website.

The settlement could include up to 100 million Android mobile users in the United States. If you think you qualify, check the email associated with your Android mobile account for the settlement notice.

Not sure if you're eligible? Here are the criteria:

1. You have to be a real human in the United States

2. You have to have used an Android phone with cellular data at any point between Nov. 12, 2017 and now

3. You can't be a member of Csupo v. Google LLC, a similar class-action lawsuit specifically for Californians

SEE ALSO: Android adds custom caller ID cards, new location sharing features

If you meet those requirements (and surely a whole lot of people do), you can enter your payment information on the settlement website. There's a final hearing on June 23 to determine whether or not these payments will actually go out, so you'll know by then if you're getting any money. And no, we don't know exactly how much each affected user will get, though payments are capped at $100. That doesn't mean anyone will actually get $100, though.

While Google has, again, not admitted wrongdoing here, it has agreed to pay out the settlement and will also update its Google Play terms of service regarding passive data transfers using cellular data. But really, the thing that matters here is that you might get a little bit of walking-around money for something you didn't even realize happened several years ago.

Heard lots of buzz about Netflix's Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, but need to know more about the story before taking the plunge and checking it out? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

SEE ALSO: 'Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen' review: Marriage is a killer

The eight-episode miniseries, created by Haley Z. Boston and executive produced by Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers, is a non-stop rollercoaster of wedding anxiety. It kicks off with the introduction of engaged couple Rachel Harkin (Camila Morrone) and Nicky Cunningham (Adam DiMarco), who are off to the woods for an intimate ceremony at Nicky's family's cabin.

Has Rachel ever been to this cabin? No. Has she even met Nicky's family? Also no. The red flags are piling up, and making matters worse is the fact that Rachel has an unshakeable feeling that, well... Something very bad is going to happen.

What could that something very bad be? Is it related to Nicky's odd family, who are acting extra shady about the wedding? Is it tied to a Cunningham horror story about the bloodthirsty Sorry Man who lurks in the woods? Or might it have to do with the strange man (Zlatko Burić) who keeps following her around, asking if she's sure Nicky is the one?

All these questions and more combine to form Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen's atmospheric puzzle, one that dives deep into the perils of wedding anxiety and stress about finding your true soulmate. Press play for a spooky binge that doubles as one of Netflix's best 2026 offerings so far.

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is now streaming on Netflix.

SSD caches are often considered recommended, occasionally essential, part of any new NAS build. The thing, however, is that frankly, most people don't need it—and while it can boost performance, it's also kind of a waste of money. Let me explain.