Ashley Watson, a 29-year-old content creator from San Diego, never imagined that a spontaneous purchase on Etsy would come true, let alone change her love life in under two weeks.
She was on a girls’ weekend in Big Bear, a mountain town in Southern California, when she and her friends decided to order “psychic soulmate drawings” from an online mystic.
It was supposed to be a silly game. But eight days later, Watson found herself staring into the eyes of a man who looked almost identical to the sketch she’d received.
Or so she claimed.
Hours after her story was featured in a popular outlet, users started noticing something was off with her tale. Some are even accusing her of fabricating the whole thing and running a scam.
A woman ordered a “soulmate drawing” online, and a few days later met a man that looked eerily similar to the picture
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
As far as the original story goes, Watson, newly single and feeling disillusioned with dating after returning to San Diego from New York City, was open to trying something new.
That’s when a friend, who had seen the soulmate sketch love ritual online, pitched it as the solution to her relationship woes.
“She was like, ‘How funny would it be if all the single girls [in the group] did this psychic reading and we revealed them at the cabin on the big screen together?’” Watson recalled in an interview.
“I loved everything about it. It was a no-brainer.”
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
The women ordered their readings, each including a sketched portrait of their soulmate, a written description, and a timeline for when the encounter would supposedly happen.
For Watson, that window was especially tight: “zero to three months.”
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
Still, when the image finally appeared on the screen, she didn’t think much of it beyond how attractive the drawing was.
“Hot. Sign me up,” she said.
“I think the part that stood out to me the most was that there were three or four of us who did this, but mine was the only one that said I would meet him very soon.
Part of me was like, ‘I hope so.’”
Watson had completely forgotten about the drawing until a friend pointed out the similarities after seeing a photo of her date
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
What Watson did not expect was for the prediction to come true so fast. Just eight days later, she went on a date with someone she met online. At first, she thought nothing of it beyond the obvious chemistry.
“In all honesty, when I saw him, I didn’t even think about the psychic thing,” she said. “I was just like, ‘That’s a hot man.’ We had an amazing first date, and the chemistry was great. Everything was perfect.”
It was only after she sent a photo of him to her cousin that something clicked.
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
“She was like, ‘Doesn’t he kind of look like that psychic thing you did?’ And I was like, oh my God. I had totally forgotten about it.
Watson pulled up the psychic sketch. The resemblance was, according to her, uncanny.
“It was eight days after that we had our first date, so it was just kind of funny, the timing of it all,” she added.
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
At first, she kept the sketch a secret from her new boyfriend, Carson. But eventually, curiosity got the better of her.
“I remember testing the waters a little bit by being like, ‘Isn’t this funny? This kind of looks like you,’” she said.
And that’s where her version of events ends, and suspicion over the entire thing begins.
Online, users have warned against these types of “love rituals” believing them to be nothing but scams that prey on the lonely
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
But while Watson’s story hinted at the supposed effectiveness of these matchmaking rituals, not everyone is convinced.
Across online forums, users have raised red flags about these so-called soulmate drawings, often describing them as generic, mass-produced scams that prey on emotionally vulnerable customers.
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
“Just wanted to know if this was a scam. Pretty sure it is,” a user asked on Reddit. “Saw it on a YouTube ad today. Four-minute long video I sat through.”
Another user responded bluntly, “Magic 8-ball says no,” before suggesting that at best, people receive a recycled JPG sent to every buyer. At worst, they might receive nothing at all.
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
It didn’t take long for some viewers to connect Watson’s viral romance with these warnings. Echoing suspicions by other users that the images are mass produced with AI, not tailored to each customer.
Image credits: ashleybytheseaa
Watson’s background was called into question.
A quick look at her Instagram page shows that she is more than a casual content creator. She’s part of a professional influencer marketing agency called SuperBloom, which manages digital personalities and connects them with sponsored campaigns.
In her social media bio, she lists various links to affiliate partnerships. Among them is a link to the exact anonymous Etsy “witch” behind the psychic soulmate sketch.
View this post on Instagram
Regardless of intention, Watson’s story achieved what it set out to do: it went viral.
A popular outlet ran with her story, further amplifying her message, and motivating hundreds of Instagram users to book a session with the alleged “witch.”
As an influencer, Watson earns a commission through the link, which connects to ShopMy: a platform that allows creators to recommend products.
These links are trackable, meaning she receives a percentage of each sale. Reviewing the URL associated with the link confirms this information.
“Just booked mine!” Watson’s viewers were eager to try the ritual themselves
from Bored Panda https://ift.tt/igA5yzO
via IFTTT source site : boredpanda
