#keyword there is MIGHT again we'll see

[tiny-smallest]

Sonic Movie Universe prediction: Robotnik is an orphan because of GUN

I think what was supposed to be, tonally, a silly throwaway line is actually winding up to punch us in the face later.

Bear with me.

I barely remember the first movie since it was so long since I watched it, but aside from one, maybe two, of the comic universes, this line is the first time we have ever gotten anything at all about Ivo Robotnik's personal backstory. And it's that he's an orphan. In a story series that explicitly sets him up with a human identity- none of that Eggman stuff as his identity, not even a whisper of the name until it's a silly insult Sonic throws out later- this movie bothers to give him a Normal Human Society Firstname Lastname and a job.

(Okay, so Robotnik isn't exactly a normal human surname. But it's established canon that is the family name so. Suspension of disbelief.)

A series that we know will later delve, at least a little, into the story of Professor Gerald Robotnik WHO IVO APPARENTLY, ACTUALLY, DEFINITELY KNEW IN THIS CONTINUITY, AS HE HAS A SPECIFIC GRANDPA NAME FOR HIM AND NEARLY CRIES.

The original line was a ridiculous rebuttal to Tom during the fight in the house during the first movie. "Rub that in my orphan face," he says in response to Tom sharing a detail of his childhood during Silly Action Scene Banter. While there is a sort of tension there since the movie universe makes no bones about Sonic being an actual child and he is confirmed to be an alien, thus making the danger present of government capture and experimentation very real and kind of horrific, the scene as it plays out isn't overly out of character for something you'd expect in a Sonic movie. And although Robotnik is the threat here, he plays a large part in also keeping the scene lighthearted because of how utterly he fails to respond like a normal human being to literally anything. The comment about being an orphan at least makes sense based on what Tom said, but it's still weirdly personal and, therefore, kind of inappropriate to say. Like dude back up you're trying to kill a child why are you sharing your trauma with me that's uncomfortable.

Which brings me to the obvious point of that line- it's not just to make the scene funny, it's to show us how set apart from other humans Robotnik is. This is a man who has no idea how to interact with anyone, like, absolutely nobody, and every single scene he's in reminds us of this, including this one.

Now that the third movie has explicitly drawn a line between Shadow's backstory and themes of pain and loss, and we see Gerald Robotnik weeping over what I think is Maria's body in the aftermath of the murder (jesus that's dark) I have to connect a few dots of my own.

The first movie had another piece of foreshadowing they threw at us, this one way more obvious: at the end of the first movie, a government agent is sent to speak with the Wachowski couple. He tells them that Ivo Robotnik has been thoroughly erased from existence. As far as any documentation of him ever existing on Planet Earth, there is none. He hasn't merely disappeared- it's like he never was.

If they did this to Ivo after this catastrophe it's not a stretch to think they did the same with Professor Gerald. Hell, I thought that after movie number one. "That has to come up later- we have a character the government explicitly turns on in this series. Like, as a major plot point. The defining moment in several characters' stories. No way does their ability to erase someone not come up later."

But now I think they went a step further.

They've already murdered a little girl and broken an old man in their efforts to contain the genius they were frightened of.

Personally, I don't think it's a stretch to think that Ivo Robotnik, very young himself at the time most likely, is an orphan because GUN decided to eradicate the entire family line in an effort to prevent anyone like Gerald Robotnik from ever existing again.

Except. The son survived. Well shit. Uh. Stick him in an orphanage and keep an eye on him, I guess.

And where does he end up as a adult? A branch of the government. Where they can keep an eye on him.

(More than that, if they did erase Gerald, Ivo clearly remembers him... so Ivo may have joined them specifically to look for traces of the grandfather he knows existed and who doesn't seem to have any records proving that whatsoever. But that's Ivo's motivations and we're talking about GUN's, so, moving on.)

It's likely based on his sheer intellect, assuming Ivo wasn't embellishing too heavily, that he didn't have to grow for very long before that brilliance was obvious. Though the government's decision to let him live was strategic, weighing the gamble of assassination with the gamble of him inheriting the genius and deciding that risking him having the same genius as his grandfather was better than trying to kill him at this point, the gambit ultimately failed. Even though he was more than likely still only a child, they'd let him live too long. In just a few short years he quickly became a very real threat to the government- as in, if given a reason, he could be a very real threat. And nothing Ivo does is ever subtle or quiet, so his genius was probably very loud, and there was likely lots of attention, making an assassination impossible, because if there would be too many questions before, there would be an insurmountable amount if he died or disappeared now.

So, since they couldn't kill him, they continued to keep an eye on him and took him on at the government when he was old enough with the intention of keeping their enemies closer. Except all of their caution still wasn't enough and he went rogue the first time he was presented with the opportunity to grab at power they didn't already have, power capable of things beyond their wildest imaginations- a monster of their own making.

Ivo, who never asked for what happened to him, very likely a victim of circumstances he had no hope of ever controlling, who responded to this trauma by making his choice that power mattered more than anything- more than morals, more than hurting people who are just like he was once. That shaping his own world after all the horrors he planned to do in pursuit of that may finally, finally "be enough."

(Be enough for what, exactly, Ivo. You never did explain that. "Who knows? Maybe that will be enough." Elaborate.)

Whether he knew the truth about why he had suffered or not, Robotnik made his choices. He stood at that crossroads that demanded he make a choice about what kind of person he was going to be in the face of all the pain and loss, and he made his choice. This movie is about Shadow making his.

If this movie really wants to beat us all to death it won't just draw comparisons between Sonic and Shadow, but Shadow and Ivo Robotnik.

(If this movie wants to exorcize our souls after we're dead, if it intends to be a trilogy and not make more movies in following the original vision for Sonic Adventure 2, it'll place Ivo at a new crossroads, and this time, he'll make a different choice.)

(Especially since Professor Gerald, in a much worse state of madness and malice than Ivo, who the movie is setting up specifically as someone Ivo loves, admires, and almost certainly misses, probably won't.)

[unproduciblesmackdown]

omgg lol [guy who won't stop going "more like scapeGOATED" voice] now hold! on!! lmao [same guy just saw encanto voice] Hold on!!!

[bun-z-bakery]

(Repost from my abandoned account) these are just my personal head canons for dogday. this is a survivor au

(All characters are over 18 btw)

-dogday sometimes has dog like tendencies, like growling, barking etc.

-he doesn't remember a lot about his life as a worker but will share stories he remembers of his human life once you two become close.

-man is like a love sick puppy. First you save him? Give him legs? AND a home?! And his friends are here too?! You really are his angel.

-he's very protective of his angel. He can't have anyone take them away or even hurt them. Plus all those years locked away, he can't loose you, you're his hope.

-this man will most certainly plan his confession, script and all. Maybe you're away at work and this is something he's been working on for a while. He's always bringing you little gifts on his hunting trips (depending on if you like to collect rocks and such) but this dude went out of his way to find the best of the best. Even somehow found flowers beautiful enough to almost rival your beauty, keyword: almost.

-he enjoys spending time with you, poppy and kissy, he enjoys playing outside with you three, even if you guys have been out of the factory for years already. They still enjoy the outside world.

-I know bro is huge, like dude is taller than an American door way (according to some measurements fans have made, hes 9'5) if you're a shorty (like me 5 feet even😭) he will most definitely pick you up and carry you like a dogtoy. He likes the feeling of carrying his angel, it gives him a sense of pride doing so. Even if you accidentally hit the ceiling or he needs to really get down so you don't hit the top of the doorframe, he will always apologize or joke about it.

-he's a cuddler, he LOVES cuddling! He has his own giant dog bed in your shared room, but he prefers to sleep on your shared bed. If you're away from work and he's eepy, he'll pass out on your bed because it smells like you. Your scent keeps him at bay until you come home. Poor guy will shoot up and push anyone out of his way to be the first to get to you! He sits there on the floor waiting for his mandatory headpats and kisses as soon as he hears your keys.

-it takes his brain a few minutes to properly turn on. After all those years he finally gets proper sleep, I can imagine you waking up first and getting ready for the day to prepare breakfast for the group and you poke him, trying to wake him. He'll mumble some random stuff about not letting rats do taxes then fall back asleep only to be woken again by your pokes still talking nonsense. I can also see him sometimes waking up confused, you know like when you wake up your parents and they're mad for no reason asking what's wrong while gasping for air? (Just me?) I can see him being THAT dead asleep bhahsha

-my take on the survivor au is more of a modern take (as in yes the factory closed years also but reader is possibly in early to late 20s sometime in 20xx / non specified year) so they weren't an employee but probably knew someone like a family member who worked there or was dared to enter the factory (we'll see if I ever post my fanfic haha as these hcs kinda tie into that story) so dogday being alive in the 80s or 90s he probably has like the old school idea of love and attempts to swoon you as such. The flowers, cheesy pick up lines.

-I can imagine because he's not up to date with the newer terms and he might be confused while trying to seem cool haha. "Angel what does rizzler mean?" (Poor peepaw)

- Personally I love the theory that DogDay is an ex worker aka Rich. Which is probably why he was the leader of the smiling critters. Because he was mature enough to make sure everyone was in line/well behaved, I also think some other workers were turned into the mascots too (obviously) but maybe they trusted Rich more so they just threw him into the dance circle and hope that he'd be a good leader.

- this one ties into the first one btw! I like the think that maybe he was one of the mascots when he worked there. Like a guy in the costume who worked with the kids (hence the zipper, how else would the workers get into the bigger body suits?)

- I like to think DogDay likes when Angel calls him by his old human name. Maybe once he opens up more about his human life (or at least bringing up some of the memories he still has) he just randomly brings up his name when talking about a memory and hearing Angel repeat his name back, he'd probably like hearing it. It might make him feel like less of a monster in a sense. Granted I think he wouldn't care about what Angel calls him but he would most definitely prefer for them to alternate. Like you know when someone makes you mad and you use their real name instead of their nickname? He'd hate for his Angel to get mad, especially at him. But when living with 3 other people it can get a bit hectic.

"DogDay! Did you bring mud into the house?!"

"N-No!... "

*silence*

"RICH, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

*footsteps are heard and DogDay bolts out the door*

- Now this head canon I have can go either one of two ways, right? Hear me out. Listen up, listen carefully, and listen closely. (Lmk if you got that reference) ok so back to the zipper! I think the zipper just opens to his organs tbh like the zipper was just left functional in case he needed to be "repaired internally". BUT another thought, I also can see there being some sort of barrier! You know those stuff animals who have their stuffing blocked by a barrier so it doesn't fall out but the zipper opens to a compartment where you can store items? I kinda think that's whats there tbh, I mean it makes sense. What if one of the kids opened the zipper by mistake? Surely there would be a barrier just in case.

- as I mentioned in the last hc post, I can see him trying to swoon Angel in the old romantic type of way. I can see him pinning after Angel hard, at first they wouldn't get the hint, they'd probably think he's thinks he's indebted to them for rescuing them and giving the 3 of them a better and new life. But quickly they realize bro is in love. Of course poppy teases him about it too at some point lol. He doesn't really try to hide it either. I can see poppy and kissy thinking it's sweet and first then they get annoyed once you're the only thing he talk about lol.

- You're married. That's all! No but I can see in his mind you two are basically married. He'd probably want to have new custom star collars made for both of you or maybe even a ring for you and a matching collar or something for him to wear and propose. Of course it will bother him a bit because he can't go out with you, take you on dates or show you off but he trusts you (even though he gets jealous when you smell like someone else) he basically tries his best with what you guys have (If only there was a holiday that came once a year where you guys could go out dressed in customs without looking like freaks).

- He looks like the type of guy who would love pasta. I'm not sure why or how this even came into mind but I just feel like that's what he often wants for dinner. Poppy would probably eat fruit for dinner, kissy isn't really picky, but Dogday would probably be asking for either pasta or meat. Also I think Angel would be hesitant to feed certain foods to Dogday because you know, he's a dog (not really but hear me out) but because he acts like one at times I could see Angel being like haha nope you can't eat this!

*Angel eating chocolate cookies*

"May I have some?" *cutely pouts*

"I don't want you dying, love."

"You know I'm not actually a dog...right?"

ok ok you got me there" (they just really didn't wanna share lol)

- tbh this is more of a general head canon for the toys but I seeing as they had to resort to c*nnibalism. They clearly need food and water to survive. I think catcap was probably keep Dogday alive as a "lol now look at you now, look at me" (yes that's a BP reference) moment but only feeds him when he felt like it, since food is basically scarce in that place. I think that their human organs were transferred over but little things like veins, teeth, tongue, blood vessels basically anything that's not a major organ was made artificially and connected in a sense to those major organs making them function as such.

Yeah that's kinda it lol, there might be some more parts to this if I can think of anything else! But yeahhh that's kinda my hc and rambles lol (I tend to ramble a lot especially when I have to give context, I apologize!)

[fishbloc]

hi! I was just wondering if there was going to be any leftovers for the desert duo book that might go on sale at any point? I’m very sad to have missed the preorder, but do understand if the answer is no. Thank you, I hope you enjoy your day :]

the keyword here is 'might' .... its very subjective

i only have very few copies left, the rest are kinda B grade and i dont mind selling it at a discounted price if people wants to pay for it. (B grade as in some minor dirt etc)

then again i am so mentally exhausted by everything that has happened to my life so far + alongside this entire shop ordeal so we'll see. maybe this might happen, but it won't happen immediately after

and for the record if i do host a leftover sale, i'll do it on a dm basis (as in dm to claim a copy)

i hope this answers your question!

[mdhwrites]

Device IX Has No Interest in Nihilists

The Path of Nihility in Honkai Star Rail is fascinating to me because none of its pathstriders, those that follow the aeon in some way, are nihilists. In contrast, most of the other paths do want people who are actually affiliated to their keyword in some way, such as the straightforwardness of Hunters, leaders for the members of the Harmony, etc. like that. Now, I want to be clear here: I'm actually going by gameplay paths, not like what sort of organization they're affiliated to. This is because most will split allegiances with this and I consider their gameplay path to be the actual path they are a part of. Jing Yuan might be a member of the Xianshou who are affiliated with Lan but he himself looks at the world in a skewed, academic lens, which makes him a great tactician and a member of the Erudition more than of the Hunt. That to me just makes more sense and honestly is just FAR more interesting to examine.

Why do I say Device Ix isn't interested in Nihilists then? Well, it's because all of the Nihility characters we have right now in some way are both in conversation and reject Nihilism in some way. If Nihilism can be boiled down to "Everything sucks, we'll all succumb to entropy, why bother doing anything?" then why does Black Swan record dead planets? What is there to learn from something that has already succumbed? Guiniafen and Luka both have suffered SEVERE losses that have shaped who they are but also both became performers with new goals in life and desires to be aspirational for those around them. Silver Wolf sees life as a game but she also cares about winning that game or else she wouldn't get so upset when she loses. The Nihility branch is filled with this stuff.

But the best example? Well, let's actually wait on talking about Acheron to talk about the outlier because the game was actually pretty clear about this. It's the whole point of 2.1 after all.

Aventurine the Nihilist versus Acheron, the woman who wants to kill Nihility itself. One is an Emanator of Preservation while the other an Emanator of Nihility itself. But... Not the ones you would assume immediately.

Aventurine is fascinating in that one could argue he is only Nihilistic to himself but it's still more genuinely Nihilistic than almost any of the actual Nihility characters. He genuinely believes he does not matter. He is the most worthless chip in the game and so he will bet that chip over and over and over again. But... What is he also doing with those bets? It's not just that he accrues wealth and status but accrues a theoretical proof to his worth as someone who should exist. The hole within him that the Cornerstone arguably fills is that of a need to be able to say he matters and the best way he can do that is with firm, physical objects. That's why his power is creation because in theory, a limitless amount of credits would mean limitless proof that he deserves to exist. Now if only depression actually worked that way. However, this also translates into how he'll put himself below all others, prioritizing their safety and preservation, thus the path he his actually a pathstrider of. After all, much like Luka and Guigui, he has lost a lot and I think he would do ANYTHING never to lose that which he cares about again. He will preserve it at all costs, the tragedy being that he does not actually care about himself.

Meanwhile, Acheron barely has a self to lose. Of any character in the game, Acheron has lost the most. She has lost her world, her people, much of her self identity, her memory, her sense of place, etc. etc. IX is CONSTANTLY taking from her... Yet she never wavers because she confronts Nihility with its opposite conclusion. If we are all destined to die, for our efforts to be wiped away, ALL of our actions matter because if the moment is all that can be relied upon, why choose to waste it? Why choose to wallow and suffer and hurt others when you can try to do better? Why let yourself be consumed by entropy when you can live the one life you have to the best it can be? It doesn't matter if you screw up after all, what's important is that you tried because it's what you believed in. This is why Acheron wishes to kill the Nihility. It actively tries to trap Pathstriders in despair until they admit that who they are is indeed worthless and should just wither away. It's what Acheron and Aventurine talk about at the end of 2.1. That Aventurine's path was going to lead to his destruction because he wouldn't have bothered taking Argenti's hand once in the clutches of IX. After all, his actions didn't matter and his job would have been done. Why bother keep trying? But Acheron rejects that because even if she may never remember the connections she makes, the people she helps, she would rather have had them at all then to simply sit and do nothing.

And she is the emanator of IX. The one who pulls people away from his grip and reminds their souls of who they are so they may pass on happy and whole rather than rotted, decayed and faceless. If IX were interested in Nihilists, he would have nothing to do with Acheron. He would have never looked at her and certainly never blessed her. Instead, she is his emanator.

Which brings an interesting question we don't have an answer to: Is the giant space blob looking to be proven wrong and given a reason to care about the universe, or are they looking to be proven right and empowers those who are foolish enough to challenge the natural trudge towards entropy? We genuinely don't know. The most recent SU stuff actually even illustrates that both answers could be correct. After all, Nous empowered both Herta and Polka despite the fact that they both will act upon his dominion over knowledge in opposite ways. It may just be that Device IX sees these people as those exploring Nihility, rather than simply accepting it, and doesn't even care about if they prove them wrong or not.

But regardless, it still makes it a fascinating question. How do you get on the radar of something that is supposed to believe the universe doesn't matter? That nothing does? Because right now it seems to be by giving it double middle fingers and shouting, "FIGHT ME FUCKER!" And I love these debilitating daredevils for it. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[obsidiancreates]

Robin Hood: Man In Vents

@pineapple-psychic

"Gus." Shawn whispers as quietly as he can into the little mic pinned to his collar. "I see you flirting with the receptionist."

"Heh, one second." Gus's smirk slips right off as he turns and whispers back "You told me to say I'm security!"

"So no-one would question the mic and earpiece! Not to creep out some poor girl taking this jerk's calls all day!"

"I'm not creeping anybody out!"

"She's literally holding a tiny lipstick taser in her palm."

"Wh- where are you?!"

"The vents. ... Top of the wall to your right."

"Shawn, you're supposed to be in this guy's office already."

"I had to take a pit-stop, man, you were totally ignoring me!"

"Just get in there, if someone we know spots me we're toast."

"Dude, Lassie and Jules are totally busy with that other case with the dead bull or whatever."

"It was a dead matador, Shawn, and they're only busy because you put them on the wrong lead!"

"Yeah, so we're covered."

"Just get into that office!"

Shawn watches Gus turn back around with his 'Smooth Gus' smile and keep chatting with the receptionist- who's relaxing more as Gus talks to her, actually, and she realizes he's just Not As Smooth As He Thinks He Is rather than Trying To Be Creepy.

Shawn crawls through the vents, wondering not for the first time why Santa Barbara seems to make all their air vents big enough for over-30-year-old-men to crawl through with room to spare, and makes it to the office. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his little uses-actual-tape vintage tape recorder, stolen from his dad's house, and hits record.

"No, look, if we sell more than this it'll look suspicious. ... I know, I know, but our payout won't be worth shit if we get caught. Just- have you taken care of the severance situation? ... Well, cripes, Monty, if you don't find a way to avoid paying out severance after this we'll have done it all for nothing! ... That's it, I'm coming down to your office. No, I don't give a crap if your wife is there, kick her out or I'll beat her ass along with yours. ... You'll take this talk from me as long as you live, if you don't want to become my next scapegoat."

The phone slams back into it's receiver, and the CEO storms out of his office.

Shawn tests the vent grate- if he did it right when he pretended to be the building inspector a few days ago, it should just-

CRASH!

... Whoops.

Shawn slides out of the vent and lands in a heap on the floor, springing back up as quickly as possible and going for the computer! This office is relatively isolated, but someone will have heard that. Gus posing as security can maybe buy him twenty minutes, but after that he's risking everything.

Gus would kill him for saying so, but all that makes this even more fun.

He copies the password he saw being entered in the reflection of the window when he came in to sabotage the vent, pulls out the list of keywords Gus's jotted down for him, and starts combing through the files as quickly as possible. He plugs his pineapple-shaped hard drive into the PC unit and begins downloading everything relevant to the insider trading and company self-sabotage.

"Dude, hurry up, I just got told over the walkie that there was a loud sound in the CEO's office," Gus hisses through the earpiece.

"I'm hurrying!"

"Hurry harder, Shawn! Oh, uh, hello, fellow security team. Yeah, Im uh, going to check out the disturbance myself. no need for all of us, right?"

"You're in fire, dude."

"Yeah, well, I'm a uh, black belt in taekwondo, so I really don't need any backup. Might get messy."

"Black be- okay I know that's not true, but I also know you've been sneaking out of cases more often than usual. Gus, are you taking martial arts classes without me? How is our partnership supposed to work if you become a lethal weapon of flesh and blood and I don't?"

"I'm not taking any classes, I'm buying you time," Gus hisses again. "Quit distracting me!"

"Fine. ... But we should sign up for some classes together after this."

"I agree, but shhh!"

"Fine. ... Okay, okay, I got it!" Shanw unplugs everything, makes sure his gloves didn't rip or leave any fibers behind- and then looks up at the vent. "Oh. Oops."

"Oops?!"

"It's uh- it's a little high to reach."

"Oh my go- you didn't measure a way up to your only escape route?"

"I was a little focused on the entire rest of the whole plan!"

"Figure it out fast, we're almost at the elevator!"

"Ah- stall for time! Pretend to pee yourself!"

"No, stop using that as a go-to distraction!"

"Well do something!"

"Ah- HEY! Ahem, hey, guys, uh, you know, I read in Men's Digest last week that elevators have been linked to Kidney Stones."

Shawn looks around frantically for something he can use to get up to the vent that won't leave a suspicious trail- nothing. Unless...

"Dude, I'm taking a risk."

"Another one?!"

"Trust me!"

Shawn pulls the wheely chair over to the vent and stands on it. It's just enough for him to leverage himself into the space. He hops off and grabs the vent cover, puts it on top of the headrest, and turns. He puts his feet on the wall, walks them up to the vent opening, and slowly walks his hands up to the top of the chair to leverage himself into the exit.

As soon as his hands reach the top he hears the elevator ding down the hallway. He hears Gus's rambling coming closer, and knows it's now or never. He takes a deep breath, winces in preparation for the on coming pain, and pushes off of the chair! He just barely manages to grab onto the vent as the chair goes flying across the floor back into place!

His push gets him halfway into the vent, the wind knocked right out of him, but he has no time to recover. He squirms the rest of the way in, and managed to re-affix the loose vent cover right as the door to the office opens.

Gus glances up at the vents and they lock eyes. Shawn gives a thumbs-up, and begins scooting backwards out of the line of sight.

"I'm never helping you with one of these again," he hears Gus mumble over the earpiece.

They both know Gus is lying. They're partners in crime-solving and in crime, and they always will be. Especially when it's something like this.

Now to figure out if blackmail or exposure is the best use for what they've gathered...

[stxneflxwers]

The Nanny (pt. 1/?)

⋯⁂ Summary: Mr. Zhongli works at a quaint little daycare, and he’s the children’s favorite. Although, when you come by for the first time with your niece in tow, his curiosity about your anxiety around children has officially been piqued.

⋯⁂ a/n: hiiii this was inspired by a tiny set of asks at @zhongrin's a while back. i've only now gotten around to it lmao. i hope u guys like it! i plan to write more but we'll have to see if that'll work out or not.

⋯⁂ w.c: 717.

⋯⁂ characters: zhongli. gn reader. reader has a niece.

⋯⁂ cw: modern-ish au. reader is nervous around kids and lowkey generally anxious. sorta fluffy.

Mr. Zhongli has been a daycare attendant for quite some time now. He enjoys his job to the fullest—the little ones rarely fail to light up his day. Of course, some days are rougher than others—you can only do so much evading. But he's long since accepted the inevitabilities of life.

He took this job, figuring it'd be much easier than his former jobs. And thus far, he's been right. It is a lot easier for his historic heart, even a couple of years later after taking care of a variety of children from all kinds of backgrounds. To this day, he still enjoys his job—it somehow always brings a sun-kissed smile to his face.

To the average person, the days might blend in a little after a few weeks of working at the daycare. But, for him, he remembers every single day as clearly as the last one. It's his own little curse to bear and has been for an alarmingly long time. Yet, these little ones always make that curse much easier to bear in the long run.

Today was no different for him—people come and go to pick up their kids at various hours of the day. And the kids still adore his stories, at least when he uses simple words and no figures of speech. The less confusing the better. And finally, his deep yet gentle voice lulls many little ones to naptime. Is that his plan all along? He'll never confess.

Today was no different… Keyword: Was.

That's until you arrived during nap time with a sleepy toddler waddling next to you. You're holding your niece's hand while her spare hand rubs at her tired eyes. To Zhongli, she looks like she'll collapse at any moment. So, he speed-walks over to the doors where you entered.

"Hey there…" He greets, accidentally using his baby voice when he speaks. "Ahem—my apologies—good afternoon. You must be new?" He inquires with a soft yet firm voice.

"Y-Yeah, I am." You nod sheepishly. You look down at your niece, muttering her name, to which she doesn't bother responding. You sigh a little. "Uh… This is my niece… I'm babysitting her for, uh…a while… But, y'know… Work…" You sputter out awkwardly.

A nervous gulp restricts airflow when you notice all the tiny bodies of sleeping children behind the attendant. You want out as soon as possible. Children have never been your forte… Even getting along with your peers as a kid was difficult enough.

And Zhongli—while he won't admit it to anyone, especially not you—has never seen someone so fearful around kids. At least, not in this work field. You're the first.

Instead of responding verbally, he gives you a nod before approaching the little girl attached to you. He crouches down to her height, offering a welcoming hand to her—a hand that's gloved with black fabric hiding the old callouses of bygone years.

"Hello…" He speaks with a softer, warmer voice, "What's your name?"

Your niece sleepily tells him her name.

"What a pretty name." He smiles more, "Would you like to join the others in naptime? I'll even let you sleep a little extra—" She immediately runs away from you to rush over to his leg and hold it in her tiny, chubby arms. "Haha," He chuckles, "I will take that as a yes."

Leading her over to the area with all the other napping children, he hands her a fluffy blanket and pillow. She's hasty to flop down onto the floor in front of him and fall fast asleep.

You breathe a sigh of relief at the sight. And then you choke up again when he approaches you again at the door. Even though he's smiling and so very kind, you're not sure where to start let alone do.

"May I have your name? I will add both of your names to the sign-in book." He inquires, and once you tell him your first and last names, he swiftly adds them to the cute, stickered book at his desk.

"Uh…" You mutter, "I'll get out of your hair now…! Bye!" You choke out before nearly charging out of the building at the fastest walking speed he's ever seen.

"Goodbye—" He starts, but by the time he gets the whole word out, you're gone.

[pink-tonic]

Suspicious🔪

Previous

Next

All Chapters

Warnings: None

When I make it to school, I can hear chatter about the nurse.

"Did you hear that the school filed a missing person report for Mr. Kana?"

"What happened to him?"

"He must've grown tired of us."

"I hope he's okay."

"I wonder if he'll be on the news?"

Everyone wondered and worried about the nurse. Some thought he would come by next week, but others pointed out the missing person report and the fact we might or might not see him again.

I wish I could do something, but all I can do is wish that he comes back eventually.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

I continue on with the day like usual. I keep hearing talks about the nurse, and what might happen if he doesn't show up by next week.

Some say that we won't have a nurse at all until the original one shows up. Others say that we'll just get a new nurse. Some think he'll be back by then, but others think that he won't come back for one reason or another.

The curiosity within me makes me wonder where my classmates are getting this news. The last bell of the day rings, and I walk out into the hallway. When I step into the hallway, I see Jonzu walk by me, and I get his attention.

"Hey, Jonzu! I've been hearing about the missing report about the nurse, but I'm wondering if it's true?" I ask the leader of the photography club.

"Oh, about that. A news article came out a few hours ago. It's very short, and it's vague in details. But it's been reported that the nurse was alerted as missing by the school. This is because he didn't show up for work today or yesterday, and none of his family members know where he is," he explains to me, his own curiosity even shining through.

"That explains a lot. Thank you, I'll see you around," I tell him before leaving the school.

Before I go with Taro and Taeko, I go on my phone, and I start to search up keywords about the case. I look up 'Missing nurse', 'High school nurse reported missing', and so on. I eventually find the article which was published almost 7 hours ago.

I click on it, and I start reading. The article reads:

A few hours ago, a missing persons report was filed in the area of Buraza Town. It's reported that the missing person is a high school nurse, who failed to turn up to the school he works at for the last two days.

He has light pink hair, purple eyes, pale skin, weighs around 150, and is five foot nine.

The last time he was officially reported to be was at Akademi High on Wednesday at around 3:00pm, but no staff members have reported seeing him leaving the campus. Students who stayed after school might be questioned in the disappearance of this high school nurse.

If you recognize the description, or have any tips relating to the missing person in this article, make sure to call or text the Buraza Town police. You can give your tip anonymously.

More details will be revealed, and a picture will be attached to the article once we are able to obtain that information.

Jonzu wasn't lying. The article is short and a little vague, but the description is definitely about Kana. I guess it was filed this morning when he didn't show up for the second time.

This doesn't sit right with me, and it's not just because the new nurse has suddenly gone missing. It's because of the circumstances. None of the staff members saw him leave.

Does that mean... the nurse is still here?

But how would that work? It wouldn't make sense. Unless...

Unless it's like the murder of the first year, whose body was found on the school ground in a secluded part of the school.

And that would mean that Ayato might be involved again.

And I've realized that I've forgotten what I wanted to do. I wanted to put Ayato behind bars and prevent him from hurting anyone else.

But I've likely failed. But there can also be a chance that Ayato isn't connected at all with this case, and this was done by someone different.

Maybe the nurse isn't even missing in the first place?

…

Maybe my hopefulness is what will kill me in the end.

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

Fandom: DC Titans

Title: Over And Over Again

Pairings/Relationships: Dickkory, Graysonfam

Summary:

"Ah, damn it." Frustrated, Dick tugged at his tie and let the messy loop he made fall apart. It was getting ridiculous. At this point, he was sure he had already spent like ten minutes standing in front of his mirror like a complete moron, trying to tie this damn thing. Keyword: trying. It was his, what, sixth failed attempt? He was really starting to get annoyed, and he had to get it done soon; otherwise, he's gonna end up late. And your own wedding is not something you want to be late to. Today, Kory becomes his wife. He was the luckiest man in the whole damn world. In other words, Dickkory's beach wedding.

Yes, it's me. Coming back from hybernation. Missed me? I want to believe you did.

Part 2 is serving us some good stuff and it finally - FINALLY - brought me some Titans-related inspiration.

Now, I don't really do the lovey-dovey stuff. Pure romance isn't really my thing. But the idea was in my head for quite some time - I just had to build a whole wedding around it lol. And full disclaimer, I've never been to an american wedding (tbh I get bored af at weddings) so whatever's happening here probably isn't too accurate but what the hell. It's cute.

This might be my last Dickkory-centered fic - maybe it won't be, we'll see what the future holds, but for now I'm saying it is - and I decided, if this is it, I gotta let this one last idea out of my brain.

So, this one is dedicated to my girls.

@escapism-through-imagination @ambeauty @meetmeunderthestarrynight @wonderbatwayne

My fam. This is me saying thank you for sticking with me through a hard time. For letting me rant and vent until I got it all out and felt better. For hyping me up when I was down and never letting me lose hope. This is me celebrating you and the two characters you all love so much finally getting the things they deserve.

The title, and the song that inspired the fic: "Over and Over Again" by Nathan Sykes & Ariana Grande. I really recommend listening to it before reading, it will help out your imagination!

ENJOY!

[andvys]

fic writer ask 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 18, 23, 24, 29 🫶🏼

thank you bestieeee

a story idea you haven’t written yet

there's a lot of story ideas I haven't written yet! ex!boyfriend Eddie/Steve is something I really wanna write! But also some dark fics 👀

first sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP

He could be socializing, talking to girls, flirting with girls, with the ones who keep waving at him and sending him suggestive, overly sweet looks – he isn’t interested.

if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

We'll burn the sky! My rockstar!Eddie fic! I really wanna write a sequel to that one!

a WIP you’d like to finish someday

the best friend!Steve x reader we talked about hehe

a trope you’re really into right now

friends to lovers!!!

if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic

this one is from I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss

Billy shrugs, taking a drag of his cigarette, he blows the smoke into Steve’s face and licks his lips.  Steve clenches his jaw again but refrains from rolling his eyes.  “You know, two weeks ago I was at Davidson’s party. I gotta say, I was a little surprised to see you there with your ex-girlfriend, it looked like you had a great time together.” Steve sighs, “what do you want, man?” “Nothing,” Billy chuckles, shrugging. “I’m just wondering what’s so special about you to have her running back to you.” “She didn’t come running back to me,” Steve says, angrily. 

pick three keywords that describe your writing

hmm maybe angsty, dramatic and sweet?

how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

I usually read something, I listen to my favorite songs and look up prompts to see if I can find any that might inspire me to write certain scenes!

your least favorite part of the writing process

PROOFREADING!!!

[adventofheroes]

Kamen Rider Villains Badan Empire 06

Plot E 02

The Library 

Sudo cautiously walked through the open doorway of the Library. Once he was inside, he could see what was hundreds of bookcases. If he cared about books and other old things, he might have marveled but instead he groaned. 

How is anyone supposed to find anything here? 

He wasn’t even sure where to start. 

“Having trouble finding something?” A voice asked behind him. 

Sudo turned around to find a creepy old man wearing a red suit and dark glasses standing awfully close to him. Immediately Sudo took out and flashed his badge. He seemed harmless, but Sudo knew better than that, everyone in Badan was something terrifying. 

The old guy smiled, “Ah a officer of the law. Again, are you looking for something?” 

Sudo took out his notes, “I’m looking for a killer with these specifics..” 

“Give me the keywords for each of your notes..” the Old Man said. 

“Uhh okay,” Sudo said as he watched the man hold out his arm to his right side and close his eyes as if in a trance, “First off I’m looking for a group.” 

“That barely lessens the results..” The Old Guy said. 

“Fine,” Sudo said, “Arrow weaponry.” 

“Much better but still much to weed through,” 

“Kicking attack, similar to a Kamen Rider,” Sudo said. 

“Closer…” 

He had no idea what was actually going on, but he went on with it, not wanting to anger this strange librarian. 

“Melee based weaponry,” 

“Still a few redundant books left,” 

“Slash marks something from claws perhaps. That’s all I have..” Sudo said. 

“Then that’s all I can do,” The Old guy. 

He opened his eyes and four books came flying off the bookshelves landed into the arm of the librarian. He handed Sudo the books. This made Sudo slightly jumped before realizing it really was just flying books. 

“I trust these four will get you started,” he said. 

"Thank you," Sudo said, "Is there a spot where I can avoid any and all reflections?" 

The librarian pointed to the left but as Sudo was walking there

"You're quite jumpy," the librarian said, "Afraid of Mirror Monsters? They are quite terrifying but fascinating creatures." 

Sudo stared but did not nod, not wishing to continue the conversation. 

"But officer you may want to conquer your fears because otherwise we'll eat you alive.." The Old Man said with a smile.

He really wished he didn't say those particular set of words. He walked to his seat but in his haste accidentally bumped into another strange man. One who was reading a pile of books and had a creepy doll on his shoulder. 

"Watch it," He ordered as Sudo stumbled forward.

[idleglowingpixels]

Also also, I stayed up all night last night writing 3400 words for XXY, I got out of that writer's block I was in for Chapter 9 (I went back to it to finish a scene I'd left behind) and I just kept going after that so yippee (Don't worry I'm not gonna repeatedly pull all nighters, I'm not a teenager anymore lol)

I'm gonna TRY, keyword TRY, to get all the current chapter first drafts done before I start college in a couple weeks, we'll see how that goes, if I can do that and spend the next couple weekends after that reviewing it for further drafting/editing I might maybe possibly potentially BUT NO PROMISES I'M REALLY SORRY start updating again in February, I'll keep in touch with my progress as much as possible for that but if not, it'll be March 'cause I've only got less than 3 chapters left to write (9oHo)9

Also maybe this will hype some people up but these chapters got HEFTY, I think Chapter 8 alone is 5600 words-ish? That's currently my biggest chapter but usually chapters with really significant events are long as hell lol

I got another rewritten 2016 villain entering the fray soon (I promise there will be more OG villains really soon, most of them just aren't in Townsville atm for the summertime) and I really think I did great with rewriting this character -- vague spoilers, I accidentally stole the backstory from I believe a one-off 2016 character and didn't realize until after, and just gave it to the 2016 character I'm actually using (who DESPERATELY needed more characterization for being a recurring annoyance because so many of 2016's villains were one-note and never really shook things up in their episodes)

[tabletopbrainrot]

My face when my phone has done nothing but ding in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers jingle all day

Now then uhhhh... Weekly recap?

Sunday game:

Our replacement for our Owlin Monk has showed up, they're an Assassin Rogue/Drakewarden and they're suspicious as hell. My dragon hating Drow is already barely stomaching one dragon in the party, now we have Spooky Toothless and their pet noble.

Now why is this suspicious you ask? They're from the capital city, so far behind enemy lines that there is no reasonable explanation for how they got there... And hunting displacer beasts sure as hell ain't it.

Our Drow Monk got feebleminded and unfeebleminded in the span of like two sessions. She's basically a cat when at 1int

Our Witch( hag wizard) is so low on resources that it's not funny, I don't think we could squeeze a spell slot out of her if we tried.

Kobold Paladin is just chilling, also might be the key to reintroducing a lost magic used by the divine to create souls to the world.. where did souls come from before this? Great question couldn't tell you if you had a gun to my head

Me? Drow Fighter also just chilling nothing to say other than, tried to earn the trust of a Gloomstalker(Explorers Guide to Wildmount creature, not the really good ranger subclass) after one tried to once again kindnap the Owlin didn't go so well sadly..

(Dog)Centaur Ranger helping us navigate this mess of an underground labyrinth, can't really say anything bad is happening to him he's just rolling survival really.

When this session ended we had found an abandoned minecart station full of intricate clockwork, and at the far end there was a shadow dragon seemingly stuck in a time loop? Or causing one? It pings as Winter Fey, Dragon, and Undead to the ranger. The party wants me to do something given my alleged Winter Court affiliation. So yeah that'll be fun

Tuesday game:

Aka I swear hand on a holy book of your choice it's not Fate

No session this week so a recap of last, we basically hot dropped into the center of the Woad warrior tribe our Fighter is from, and things were hell chaos creatures being vomited out of multiple purple worms, and an impenetrable barrier keeping anyone from escaping.

Our Illithid friend remarked about how dangerous it was for the choir to be away from the capital city, and offered to get us into the central command worm in exchange for allowing them to evacuate the choir. We agree even though we know this will make our lives harder and get ported into the worm and lead into a kill chamber with a red dracolich under the control of a Illithid wizard with a Roman name I can't even remember off hand.

We spend time whittling away at the dragon in our various ways, including our Woad Fighter burning an ability to reroll key events allowing me to crit a shot from my Spelljammers main cannon (20d10+4d8 my DMs face was such a meme, literally slap it on a sticker I swear)

Unfortunately for us the keyword of Dracolich is infact lich so even after all that and our Hobgoblin Irish king with no serial numbers filed off with a dragon slaying sword beating on it, it still gets back up. However our Squidly friend goes full Senate on the wizard and stabs him in the back telling him Caesar sends his regards and breaks the Dracolich's phylactery. Session ends before we see this choir, we'll deal with this next time.

Lancer:

⚠️⚠️We're playing Stolen Crown I can't really spoiler tag so you've been warned⚠️⚠️

• We stop one Ragnarok themed Mecha Kaiju assault, only for two more to kick off, despite us being very dumb we did decide to not split the party and sadly could only directly help one clan that was under attack. Cue Eikþyrnir, which would have had so much advantage, and could have collapsed the caves we were in, except one two many things first of all being I don't care about your Razor Swarms DM I have a Tempest Charged Blade, two we have a Manticore, Three our Sherman is going to use the full reactor or else.

So our Manticore swapped places with Eikþyrnir, and I ran up and Structured it with one swing, triggered executioner and hit the Silverhoof with the back swing and Molten Wreath. Bless our Death's Head's heart, the lad is in constant suffering after getting Gallagher'd by Jörmungandr last session but did pop Eikþyrnir which basically let us take our time, also fuck hornets all my homies hate hornets.

The underground Kaiju fighter clan is saved temporary reward get!

• Cue mysterious radio broadcast, The guerilla insurgent that still thought they were fighting Seccom reaches out to negotiate, we agree to meet.

The DM improvises us a whole narrative clock check system trying to get this person to understand that times have changed and if the people of Sparr really wanted out of Union while it would take time the request would be honored. This whole scene mostly consisted of our single actual Union employee being fed information from the two mercenary Sparraboos known as Coyote and Vermin.

Despite Foundry's best efforts we pass and flipped Yennval's most radicalized guerilla.

• Which leads to us being warned about Huginn and Muninn and having backup in the form of an ace pilot, Yennval is redirecting power somewhere we have to stop this.. now if you've seen my last post... And I repeat who are you people? You'll know that I've been using a liberal interpretation of how [Total Strength Suite I] works, meaning I've been running, dashing, throwing a cover halfway through the second dash, then using [Xaioli's Ingenuity/Tenacity] for more movement by breaking the rock, triggering it again and hitting another target on the map to reset my counter to break the power poles while the most epic of ace combat dogfights is going on in the background.

Unfortunately we didn't stop Yennval from doing her thing, now like some unhinged 3D vtuber concert she's rising from her hidden bunker on the back of a spaceship shouting some unhinged shit..

I don't wanna kill this local god entity I'll be real, and I feel like that'll polarize the locals, but uhhh she's been off her gourd for over 500 years and something's gotta give.

Next session tomorrow the DM is hype and so are we, I think they've found this shit blog too from the meme so by all means expand anything you think I skimmed too much.

[eazyle]

Mastering Your TikTok Likes: Quick and Easy Method to Find Liked Videos

TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in recent years, captivating millions of users with its short, creative videos. From funny clips to dance challenges and educational content, TikTok offers a vast array of videos that cater to various interests. As you spend more time exploring the platform, you might come across videos that you want to revisit or share with friends. In this blog post, we'll guide you on how to See your liked videos on TikTok, allowing you to rediscover and enjoy your favorite content effortlessly.

Step 1: Open the TikTok App Begin by opening the TikTok app on your mobile device. Ensure that you have the latest version of the app installed to access the most up-to-date features and settings.

Step 2: Access Your Profile Once you're in the app, tap on the "Profile" icon located at the bottom right corner of the screen. This will take you to your personal profile page.

Step 3: Navigate to the Liked Videos Tab On your profile page, you'll notice a row of icons just below your profile picture. Swipe left until you find the "Liked Videos" tab. Tap on this tab to access your collection of liked videos.

Step 4: Explore Your Liked Videos Congratulations! You have successfully accessed your liked videos on TikTok. Here, you'll find a chronological list of all the videos you've liked since joining the platform. Scroll through the list to revisit your favorite videos, and tap on any video to watch it again.

Step 5: Interact with Liked Videos While browsing your liked videos, TikTok provides several options to enhance your viewing experience. You can double-tap on a video to like it, tap on the creator's username to visit their profile, or tap on the "Share" button to send the video to friends via various messaging apps.

Step 6: Organize Your Liked Videos If you have a substantial number of liked videos, finding specific content may become challenging. To help you organize your liked videos, TikTok allows you to create playlists. Tap on the "Add to Playlist" button beneath a video to create a new playlist or add it to an existing one.

Step 7: Search Within Liked Videos Suppose you're looking for a particular video among your liked videos, but scrolling through the entire list seems time-consuming. In that case, TikTok provides a search feature within the "Liked Videos" tab. Simply tap on the search bar at the top of the page and enter relevant keywords or hashtags to narrow down your search.

Conclusion: Being able to access your liked videos on TikTok is an invaluable feature that allows you to rediscover and enjoy the content you've connected with on the platform. By following the step-by-step guide provided in this blog post, you'll have no trouble navigating through your liked videos and exploring the vast library of TikTok content. Whether you want to rewatch a hilarious clip, learn a new dance routine, or share your favorite videos with friends, TikTok makes it easy to keep track of your liked videos and find inspiration at your fingertips.

[earthtechlmptyltd]

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STOP SEO?

You are aware that search engines play a role in increasing the visibility of your website and that SEO can assist. But is SEM spending essential for your company? You might be curious about what happens if you cease SEO.

When you top Google's search results for your most essential keywords, can you stop? Can you temporarily stop working on SEO without suffering any consequences? Earth Tech LM Pty Ltd will delve into these queries in this article.

We'll look at what happens when you cease SEO and offer advice on whether you should carry on. Are you curious about the status of your SEO plan right now?

Continue reading to find out what occurs when you stop SEO!

What Happens When You Stop SEO?

You'll ultimately start to see lower rankings in search results if you stop doing SEO.

This will decrease your site's organic traffic over time and reduce its exposure online. Until you employ SEO tactics to boost your results once again, they will keep dropping. Not that your scores will suddenly start to decline significantly.

After ceasing SEO, you probably won't notice much of a difference for several weeks or months. But eventually, your standings will begin to decline. They will then keep falling until you start using SEO to raise them again.

If your competitors continue their SEO efforts while you take a break, giving them the opportunity to outrank you, your rankings will fall particularly quickly. Your organic traffic, or the number of visitors who arrive at your website from organic listings on search engine result sites, will decrease as soon as your search rankings begin to drop (SERPs).

For website owners and internet businesses, organic traffic is essential.

It is responsible for more than 50% of all website visits and can account for more than 40% of business revenue. Since about 75% of users stay on the first page of search results, even a slight drop in rankings can have a big effect. You might notice a sharp decline in traffic if you go to the second page of results.

Your online exposure will eventually suffer, even though the rate at which rankings and organic traffic decline will differ from site to site.

Why Is It Important To Avoid Stopping SEO?

SEO isn't a one-time task with a specific completion deadline. It's a long-term strategy, and maintaining high search rankings for your website takes ongoing work. So why is it crucial to keep SEM going?

Here are a few of the main explanations:

1. SEO is a constant competition

Are you considering quitting SEO? Recognize that your rivals won't. Your competitors have a great chance to outrank you if you don't use SEO.

Their site will eventually surpass yours in search results if they keep improving their SEO while your site stays static.

2. Google may change its ranking criteria

Google frequently releases larger updates and makes adjustments to the algorithm it uses to rate search results. You need to frequently update your strategy to keep up with these changes. Something that was successful last month may not be successful this month.

Because of this, it's crucial to stay current on these updates and modify your SEO approach as necessary.

3. Google values regular updates

Keeping your website updated frequently may directly help your results. A ranking element in Google's algorithm could be "freshness." Your rankings may suffer if you stop regularly updating your site in a manner that is helpful to users due to a discontinued SEO campaign.

4. You’ll miss opportunities

Not doing SEO means you’ll miss out on lots of opportunities to earn traffic and leads. Some of these opportunities include:

- Additional opportunities to rank: Every new piece of material offers an additional opportunity to perform well in search results. You have the chance to rate for new keywords that can increase the number of leads coming to your website when you create fresh content.

- Earned links: External links play a significant role in rating. They demonstrate to Google that your website is reliable and offers helpful content. Your chances of obtaining new links decrease when you cease producing and sharing new content.

- Returning visitors: People will explore your website less frequently if it lacks fresh or updated content. Additionally, you won't have brand-new material to promote on social media and via email to draw visitors to your website.

- SEO-friendly site updates: Even if you’re not doing SEO, you’ll still likely need to complete regular site maintenance and updates, such as implementing web design tweaks or adding a new product listing. All of these updates are chances to boost your SEO. If you don’t consider SEO when making these updates, they could also hurt your rankings.

5. You leave risks to go unnoticed

A halted SEO effort indicates that you are not concerned about possible SEO risks or issues. You risk losing out on leads and revenue for your company if you don't take care of these problems. Potential dangers include:

- Technical Search problems that are overlooked: On a website, things can occasionally fail. You might overlook some technical SEO problems, like broken links or a misconfigured txt file, if your SEO campaign has been stopped.

- Links to avoid: It's crucial to monitor your hyperlink profile to make sure there aren't too many low-quality links pointing to your website. If many spammy websites connect to yours, Google might conclude that your website is also spammy. These connections must be consistently removed if you don't want to harm your SEO.

- Content that has been stolen: On occasion, individuals use another person's content from the internet as their own. Your site might be penalized for having duplicate content, resulting in lower rankings, if someone copies your content and posts it on their own website. You must frequently check for stolen material if you want to safeguard your rankings.

SHOULD YOU STOP SEO!?

Is it wise to cease doing SEO for your website, then? Consistently spending in your SEO is crucial if you want to reap the greatest rewards from it. Now that you've stopped SEO, you know what occurs.

While you won't lose all of your traffic at once, you will probably notice a decline in results and organic traffic over time. Even if you already hold the top position for a number of keywords, you risk losing it if you take a break from SEO. Consistent SEO work is important to ensuring that your site consistently performs well in search and makes your site visible to the 1 billion people who use Google each month.

LET Earth Tech LM Pty Ltd HELP YOU MAINTAIN YOUR SEO

We're here to inform you that there are alternatives if you've given up on SEO because you can't commit the necessary time to it. Earth Tech LM Pty Ltd is your trusted alternative.

[cmcsmen]

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Photo: 'Love Your Family' - Copyright Frank J Casella

"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family."

-- Saint (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta

When the Magi visited the Christ Child, they were the central personages in the feast of Epiphany. Epiphany is the mystery of Christmas, the manifestation of Christ to the world. It is no longer just for the Jews that Christ is shown, but He is revealed to all people in the person of the Magi. Let us resolve to make the Magi our models and follow them to Bethlehem to offer Christ all that we have and are.

And let us, as Catholic men, look to the model of the Holy Family on how to live our lives. Especially with St. Joseph. Every time we see Joseph in the Gospels, Joseph shows us how to trust God and to live out a relationship with God that’s grounded in that trust. And because of the love and care he has for his family, we can learn to do the same.

The New Testament disciples show us that living a Christ-centered life doesn't always mean our lives become easy. In fact, oftentimes it's the opposite - we're stretched and challenged in ways we never imagined. And yet, through it all, we'll be at peace because we're relying on the One who can make everything right. Why? Because He's already done it for us - in every difficult moment, we can find Him comfort and strength.

“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You, Lord.”

-- St. Augustine

As we start a new year, we often make resolutions to renew our health, habits, and relationships. But what about our spiritual resolutions? Our spiritual resolutions begin and end with the Word of God. If we don't have resolutions rooted in Scripture, they can become burdens. But when we commit ourselves to following God's will, we can find joy and peace. In the Grace of God, we can make progress in our spiritual lives.

“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul…Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.” 

-- G.K. Chesterton

For example, in the past I recall times standing in line at the Catholic Charities food pantry, talking with the people and learning their backstory. Did you know that, most of the time, homelessness comes from a broken family relationship, not mental illness as you might think? God made us as men to take the lead, yes, but wise men still seek Him!

It is our search for happiness that can lead us to God. What are you looking for? Many people search for happiness but never find it. However, when we look to God, who is the source of all happiness, our search can lead us to true contentment. The Catholic Church has a system of teachings and practices that can help us find happiness and fulfillment. It doesn't require a lot of money, just a willingness to invest time in learning about and following Catholic teachings.

The Holy Family sets the example of family life, and man's role of spiritual fatherhood for headship as described in the Catechism as the domestic church. You don't need to pay for an app, for example, I refer you to the free Amen app if you need that. There is also the Consecration to St. Joseph that many men find meaningful.  You can also search keywords and topics on the CMCS blog and resoruce archive (these are free because men like you have donated to make this available without a paywall, and the independence to not rely on funding from special interests). And, again, the Annual Men's Forum to come together right after Lent and Easter as community of men and then go back to our parish men's groups with encouragement and hope.

This brings to mind how early on when CMCS embraced the idea of accountability partners, where two men (or a small group) would be accountable to each other about their spiritual journey. We quickly learned, short of the long, that men do better attending a Forum (instead of a conference) where they can talk about their experiences and compare notes with other men on their journey, and then later consult an experienced spiritual director for accountability. This is why I believe the Church already has a program, a much better program: traditional Catholicism. The role of CMCS is to encourage and support the practice of the fundamentals of our Faith.

“Our goal is to give men the spirituality they need to live their daily lives better, and keep them Catholic and Christian. It’s all part of the New Evangelization. We need to make Christ the center of our lives.”

     - Bishop Joseph N. Perry, CMCS Co-Founder

So in the mystery of Christmas, may we as Catholic Men imitate the person of the Three Magi, who, following their own wisdom, sought out the Christ Child. By following the example of these faithful men, we may find hope in the midst of our hardships and discover what truly makes life worth living.

Frank J Casella

Deacon John Rangel contributed to this article.