#how to get organic traffic

[first-techie]

(via SEO Tips to Grow Organic Traffic)

[techsahin]

The Ultimate Keyword Hack: Find Low-Competition Keywords

How To Find Low Competition Keywords

In the world of blogging, keywords play a key part in determining the success of your blog. Still, to Find low competition keywords that can help you rank high in search engine results runners (SERPs), can be very challenging. Here will talk about how to get low difficulty keywords and increase your chances of getting more organic traffic to your blog.  https://ahrefs.com/ What are Low…

[teddy-bear-d]

I think what we can gather from this gritho team up (finally) is that they are essentially efficient and coordinated chaos

[stabbyfoxandrew]

every time my dad does anything he has to do it in the most annoying and loudest way possible. and honestly i'm not sure if he means to or he's just really goddamn stupid but it's really really grating. and i'm suffering the werewolf curse rn so i'm ready to die

[the-knowledge]

Top 10 Methods to Attract More Traffic to Your Website

Md. Joynal Abdin*

Business Consultant & Digital Marketer

Founder & CEO, Trade & Investment Bangladesh (TIB)

Secretary General, Brazil Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BBCCI)

Co-Founder & CEO of Bangladesh Trade Center

In today's digital age, a website serves as the virtual gateway to a business, organization, or individual. It acts as a powerful medium to showcase products, services, ideas, and content to a global audience. However, merely having a website is not enough to thrive in the competitive online landscape. To succeed and make a meaningful impact, attracting more traffic to your website is paramount. Why you should invest to attract more traffic into your website? It is because -

The Virtual Highway of Opportunities: A website with high traffic is like a bustling city with endless opportunities. Each visitor represents a potential customer, client, or supporter. More traffic equates to more leads, conversions, and revenue-generating opportunities. Whether you are running an e-commerce store, a blog, a service-based business, or a non-profit organization, increasing your website's traffic can lead to tangible and intangible benefits.

Enhanced Visibility and Brand Awareness: Attracting more traffic to your website enhances your online visibility and brand awareness. When people discover and engage with your website, they become familiar with your brand, products, or services. Over time, this fosters trust and credibility, encouraging them to choose your offerings over competitors.

Boosting Search Engine Rankings: Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo are the primary tools people use to find information, products, or services online. Attracting more traffic signals search engines that your website is relevant and valuable to users. As a result, your website's search engine rankings improve, further increasing its exposure to potential visitors.

Amplifying Content Reach: Compelling content lies at the core of attracting traffic. As more visitors access your content, the likelihood of them sharing it with others increases. This natural word-of-mouth marketing expands your content's reach far beyond your immediate network. A viral piece of content can catapult your website's traffic to new heights and create lasting impacts.

Unleashing the Power of Conversion: Website traffic is not solely about numbers; it's about turning visitors into customers or supporters. Through effective calls-to-action, user-friendly design, and engaging content, you can optimize your website for conversions. More traffic means more potential customers in your sales funnel, leading to increased conversions and revenue growth.

Valuable Market Insights: Every website visitor provides an opportunity to gather valuable data and insights. Analyzing website traffic patterns, user behavior, and preferences can help you refine your marketing strategies, improve user experience, and develop targeted campaigns. These insights enable you to make data-driven decisions that align with your audience's needs and preferences.

Staying Ahead of Competitors: In today's hyper-competitive digital landscape, attracting more traffic is not a luxury; it's a necessity. Your competitors are likely investing in strategies to increase their website traffic, and to stay ahead, you must do the same. Building a strong online presence and attracting a steady stream of visitors is crucial for establishing your authority and outperforming your rivals.

Top 10 Methods to Attract More Traffic to your Website:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Optimize your website for search engines to improve its visibility in organic search results. Target relevant keywords, create high-quality content, and build authoritative backlinks to attract more visitors.

Content Marketing: Create valuable and engaging content such as blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and podcasts. Content marketing can attract and retain visitors, as well as encourage them to share your content, driving more traffic to your site.

Social Media Marketing: Leverage popular social media platforms to promote your content and engage with your audience. Share updates regularly, participate in discussions, and use visuals to capture attention.

Email Marketing: Build and nurture an email list to keep your audience informed and engaged. Send newsletters, exclusive offers, and updates to drive traffic to your website.

Guest Blogging: Write guest posts for other websites in your niche or invite guest bloggers to contribute to your site. This cross-promotion can help you reach new audiences and build valuable backlinks.

Influencer Marketing: Collaborate with influencers or industry experts who have a significant following. Their endorsement can introduce your website to a broader audience and drive traffic.

Online Advertising: Invest in paid advertising on platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or other social media channels. Paid ads can provide an immediate boost in traffic and help you target specific audiences.

Video Marketing: Utilize video content on platforms like YouTube to engage users visually and drive traffic back to your website. Video content often performs well and can be shared across various platforms.

Optimize Website Performance: Ensure your website loads quickly, are mobile-friendly, and has an intuitive user interface. A positive user experience encourages visitors to explore more pages and return in the future.

Community Engagement: Participate in online forums, social media groups, and communities relevant to your niche. Offer helpful insights, answer questions, and interact with users to establish yourself as an authority and attract traffic through word-of-mouth.

Remember that a combination of these methods often works best, and it's essential to tailor your approach to your specific target audience and industry. Continuously monitor and analyze the performance of your strategies to make data-driven decisions for ongoing improvement.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing your website and its content to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). The ultimate goal of SEO is to attract organic (non-paid) traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. By making your website more search engine-friendly, SEO increases the chances of your website being found by users searching for relevant information, products, or services. SEO involves various techniques and strategies that can be broadly categorized into two main types:

On-Page SEO: This focuses on optimizing the elements within your website itself. Here are some key on-page SEO factors:

Keyword Research: Identify relevant keywords and phrases that your target audience is using to search for content related to your website. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Moz Keyword Explorer can help with this.

Content Optimization: Create high-quality, relevant, and valuable content that incorporates the chosen keywords naturally. Ensure your content is well-structured, easy to read, and addresses the needs of your audience.

Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Craft compelling and descriptive title tags and meta descriptions that include your target keywords. These are the snippets that appear in search engine results and influence click-through rates.

URL Structure: Create clean, descriptive, and user-friendly URLs that contain relevant keywords.

Heading Tags (H1, H2, etc.): Use heading tags to structure your content and make it easier for search engines to understand the hierarchy of information on your page.

Image Optimization: Optimize image file names and alt text with relevant keywords to improve their discoverability in image searches.

Off-Page SEO: This focuses on factors outside your website that influence its ranking in search engines. The most critical aspect of off-page SEO is building high-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant websites. Here are some off-page SEO strategies:

Link Building: Acquire backlinks from authoritative websites in your industry or niche. This can be achieved through guest blogging, content promotion, influencer outreach, and more.

Social Media Engagement: Active social media presence and engagement can help increase your website's visibility and attract potential link opportunities.

Online Directories and Citations: Ensure your business is listed accurately and consistently in relevant online directories and local business listings.

Influencer Marketing: Collaborate with influencers or industry experts to gain exposure and attract more traffic to your website.

Social Bookmarking: Share your content on social bookmarking sites to drive traffic and increase visibility.

Online Forums and Communities: Engage in relevant online forums and communities to build relationships, share your expertise, and drive traffic through a well-placed link.

Important Tips for Successful SEO:

Focus on user experience: Create content and design your website with the user in mind, as search engines prioritize sites that provide value to users.

Regularly update and add new content: Fresh and relevant content attracts search engines and encourages visitors to return.

Monitor and analyze website performance: Use tools like Google Analytics to track traffic, user behavior, and key performance indicators to refine your SEO strategies.

Stay updated on SEO best practices and algorithm changes: Search engines continually evolve, so it's crucial to stay informed about the latest trends and updates in SEO.

SEO is an ongoing process, and it requires dedication, patience, and continuous effort to see sustainable results. By implementing both on-page and off-page SEO techniques, you can significantly increase your website's visibility, drive more organic traffic, and achieve long-term success in the digital landscape.

2. Content Marketing

Content Marketing is a strategic marketing approach that involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a specific target audience. The primary goal of content marketing is to provide value to the audience, build trust, and ultimately drive profitable customer actions, such as making a purchase, subscribing to a service, or sharing the content with others. It focuses on building long-term relationships with customers by offering helpful, informative, entertaining, or inspiring content.

How to Do Content Marketing:

Define Your Audience: Understand your target audience's needs, preferences, and pain points. Conduct market research and create buyer personas to have a clear picture of whom you are creating content for.

Set Clear Goals: Define specific and measurable goals for your content marketing efforts. Common goals include increasing website traffic, lead generation, brand awareness, customer retention, and conversions.

Content Strategy: Develop a comprehensive content strategy that aligns with your business goals and audience. Decide on the types of content you will create, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, podcasts, ebooks, etc.

Keyword Research: Conduct keyword research to identify relevant and high-traffic keywords that your target audience is searching for. Use these keywords strategically in your content to improve its visibility in search engine results.

Create High-Quality Content: Produce valuable, informative, and well-crafted content that addresses the needs and interests of your audience. Focus on providing solutions, answering questions, and adding value.

Diversify Content Formats: Experiment with various content formats to cater to different audience preferences. Mix written content with visuals, videos, and interactive elements to keep your audience engaged.

Consistency and Frequency: Be consistent in publishing content and maintain a regular posting schedule. This helps build anticipation and trust with your audience.

Promote Your Content: Share your content across different marketing channels, including social media, email newsletters, online communities, and relevant industry forums. Encourage sharing and engagement to expand your content's reach.

Measure Performance: Use analytics tools to track the performance of your content. Monitor metrics such as website traffic, engagement rates, conversion rates, and time spent on page to gauge the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts.

Optimize and Repurpose Content: Continuously analyze your content's performance and make improvements based on insights. Also, consider repurposing successful content into different formats to reach new audiences.

Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, messages, and feedback from your audience. Engaging with them fosters a sense of community and loyalty.

Stay Updated and Evolve: Keep an eye on industry trends and changes in your target audience's behavior. Adapt your content marketing strategy accordingly to stay relevant and maintain your competitive edge.

Content marketing is a long-term strategy that requires dedication and patience. By consistently providing valuable content that resonates with your audience, you can build strong relationships, increase brand loyalty, and drive meaningful actions that benefit your business in the long run.

3. Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves using social media platforms to promote products, services, or content and engage with a target audience. Social media has become a powerful tool for businesses and individuals to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, drive website traffic, and generate leads. It encompasses various activities, such as creating and sharing content, engaging with followers, running ads, and analyzing performance metrics. How to Do Social Media Marketing:

Choose the Right Platforms: Identify the social media platforms that align with your target audience and business goals. Popular platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Create a Social Media Strategy: Define your objectives, target audience, tone of voice, and key performance indicators (KPIs). Develop a content plan that outlines what type of content you'll share and when.

Optimize Your Profiles: Create professional and consistent profiles across all chosen platforms. Use high-quality profile pictures, cover images, and a compelling bio that reflects your brand identity.

Content Creation: Create engaging and shareable content that aligns with your audience's interests and preferences. Content can include images, videos, infographics, blog posts, polls, and more.

Content Calendar: Plan and schedule your content in advance using a content calendar. This ensures a consistent flow of posts and helps you stay organized.

Community Engagement: Interact with your followers and respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly. Engaging with your audience builds relationships and fosters loyalty.

Incorporate Hashtags: Use relevant and popular hashtags in your posts to increase discoverability and reach a wider audience.

Paid Advertising: Consider running paid social media advertising campaigns to target specific demographics, boost content visibility, and drive website traffic or conversions.

Social Media Influencers: Collaborate with influencers who have a significant following in your niche to extend your brand's reach and credibility.

Measure Performance: Utilize social media analytics tools to track the performance of your content and campaigns. Monitor metrics like reach, engagement, clicks, conversions, and audience demographics.

A/B Testing: Experiment with different types of content, posting times, and ad creatives through A/B testing to identify what resonates best with your audience.

Stay Updated and Adapt: Social media platforms and trends evolve rapidly. Stay informed about platform updates and industry trends, and be ready to adapt your strategy accordingly.

Monitor Your Competition: Keep an eye on your competitors' social media activities to gather insights and identify opportunities for improvement.

Avoid Over-Promotion: Strike a balance between promotional content and value-driven content. Avoid overwhelming your audience with constant sales pitches.

Social media marketing requires a mix of creativity, strategic planning, and consistency. By understanding your audience, tailoring your content, and engaging actively, you can leverage social media to build a loyal community, increase brand visibility, and achieve your marketing objectives.

4. Email Marketing

Email Marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves using email to communicate with a target audience, promote products or services, share valuable content, and build relationships with customers or potential customers. It is a direct and personalized form of communication that allows businesses and individuals to reach their audience directly in their inbox. How to Do Email Marketing:

Build an Email List: Start by building a permission-based email list of subscribers who have voluntarily opted in to receive emails from you. You can collect email addresses through website sign-up forms, lead magnets, events, and other opt-in opportunities.

Choose an Email Marketing Service: Select a reliable and user-friendly email marketing service provider, such as Mailchimp, ConvertKit, AWeber, or Constant Contact. These platforms offer features like list management, email templates, automation, and analytics.

Segment Your Audience: Divide your email list into segments based on factors like interests, purchase behavior, location, or engagement level. This allows you to send targeted and relevant content to specific groups.

Craft Compelling Content: Create engaging and valuable email content that resonates with your audience. This can include newsletters, product updates, promotions, blog digests, or exclusive content.

Personalization: Personalize your emails by addressing recipients by their names and tailoring content based on their preferences or behavior. Personalization helps build stronger connections with your audience.

Optimize Email Design: Use a clean and visually appealing email design that aligns with your brand. Ensure your emails are mobile-responsive, as a significant portion of users access emails on mobile devices.

Use Catchy Subject Lines: Write attention-grabbing subject lines that entice recipients to open your emails. Avoid using spammy or deceptive subject lines.

Frequency and Timing: Find the right balance for email frequency, so you don't overwhelm your audience with too many emails. Test different sending times to determine when your audience is most responsive.

Automation: Implement email automation to send targeted emails based on triggers, such as a user's sign-up, website activity, or purchase behavior. Automation saves time and ensures timely and relevant communications.

Monitor and Analyze: Use email marketing analytics to track open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Analyzing these metrics helps you measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and make improvements.

A/B Testing: Experiment with different elements of your emails, such as subject lines, content, CTAs, and visuals, through A/B testing. This allows you to identify what resonates best with your audience.

Compliance with Email Laws: Familiarize yourself with email marketing laws, such as the CAN-SPAM Act (in the United States) or GDPR (in the European Union), to ensure your email marketing is compliant with regulations.

Provide Opt-Out Option: Always include an easy-to-find unsubscribe/opt-out link in your emails to allow recipients to opt-out if they wish.

Email marketing is a powerful tool for engaging with your audience and driving business growth. By delivering valuable content, personalizing your messages, and using data to inform your decisions, you can create effective email campaigns that nurture relationships, encourage conversions, and foster long-term customer loyalty.

5. Guest Blogging

Guest Blogging is a content marketing strategy where you write and publish articles or blog posts on other websites or blogs as a guest author. It allows you to reach a new audience, build brand awareness, establish yourself as an authority in your niche, and earn valuable backlinks to your website, which can improve your website's search engine rankings. How to Do Guest Blogging:

Identify Relevant Blogs: Research and find blogs or websites that are relevant to your industry or niche. Look for websites with an engaged audience and good domain authority.

Read Guest Posting Guidelines: Before reaching out to a blog, carefully read their guest posting guidelines. Each blog may have specific requirements and guidelines for guest submissions.

Familiarize Yourself with the Content: Read several articles on the blog to understand their writing style, tone, and topics covered. This will help you tailor your guest post to match the blog's audience.

Pitch Your Idea: Contact the blog owner or editor with a well-crafted pitch that outlines your proposed guest post idea. Explain how your content will benefit their audience and align with their blog's focus.

Write High-Quality Content: If your pitch is accepted, start writing your guest post. Focus on providing valuable and unique content that offers actionable insights or solves a problem for the readers.

Follow Style Guidelines: Stick to the blog's writing style, tone, and formatting requirements. Use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and images to make your content more engaging and easy to read.

Include an Author Bio: Most guest blogging opportunities allow you to include an author bio at the end of your post. Write a brief bio that introduces yourself and includes a link back to your website or social media profiles.

Edit and Proofread: Before submitting your guest post, thoroughly edit and proofread it for grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. A well-polished post reflects positively on your professionalism.

Submit Your Guest Post: Submit your guest post to the blog according to their specified guidelines. Be patient, as it may take some time for the blog to review and publish your content.

Promote Your Guest Post: Once your guest post is published, promote it on your social media channels, email newsletter, and website to drive traffic back to the blog and establish your credibility.

Engage with the Audience: After your guest post is published, engage with the blog's audience by responding to comments and questions. This helps you build connections with potential readers.

Track Your Results: Monitor the performance of your guest post, such as website traffic, new followers, and backlinks. Assess the impact of your guest blogging efforts on your overall marketing strategy.

Guest blogging can be a powerful tool for expanding your reach and building authority within your industry. By offering valuable content and forming mutually beneficial relationships with other bloggers, you can maximize the benefits of guest blogging for your content marketing strategy.

6. Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing is a type of marketing strategy that involves collaborating with influential individuals (influencers) who have a significant following and impact in a particular niche or industry. The goal of influencer marketing is to leverage the influencer's reach and credibility to promote products, services, or brands to their engaged audience. Influencers can be social media personalities, bloggers, YouTubers, celebrities, experts, or industry thought leaders. How to Do Influencer Marketing:

Define Your Goals and Audience: Determine your marketing objectives and identify the target audience you want to reach through influencer marketing. This will help you choose the right influencers for your campaign.

Research Influencers: Look for influencers who align with your brand and target audience. Consider factors like their niche, engagement rate, audience demographics, content quality, and authenticity.

Engage and Build Relationships: Start engaging with the influencers you want to collaborate with. Follow them on social media, like and comment on their posts, and share their content to show your genuine interest.

Reach Out with a Proposal: Send a well-crafted proposal to the influencers you want to work with. Clearly outline the details of the collaboration, such as the type of content you want them to create, campaign duration, compensation, and any specific guidelines.

Negotiate and Agree on Terms: Be prepared to negotiate terms, such as compensation, content ownership, and performance metrics. Ensure both parties agree on all aspects of the collaboration before proceeding.

Create Authentic Campaigns: Work closely with the influencers to create authentic and engaging content that resonates with their audience and aligns with your brand message.

Track and Measure Performance: Use trackable links or promo codes to monitor the success of the influencer marketing campaign. Measure key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, conversions, sales, and engagement.

Comply with Disclosure Guidelines: Ensure that influencers disclose their partnership with your brand according to the relevant advertising regulations and guidelines.

Engage with the Influencer's Audience: Once the influencer's content goes live, actively engage with their audience by responding to comments and messages. This helps build a positive perception of your brand.

Repurpose and Amplify Content: Repurpose influencer-generated content across your own marketing channels, such as social media, email newsletters, and your website, to maximize its reach and impact.

Maintain Long-Term Relationships: Building long-term relationships with influencers can lead to more successful and authentic campaigns. Continue to engage with them even after the initial collaboration.

Analyze Results and Learn: Analyze the results of your influencer marketing campaigns to understand what worked well and what could be improved. Use these insights to refine future influencer collaborations.

Influencer marketing can be a powerful way to connect with your target audience and build brand credibility. However, it's essential to choose the right influencers and create authentic campaigns that resonate with their audience. By building genuine relationships and measuring the impact of your campaigns, you can make the most of influencer marketing for your brand's growth and success.

7. Online Advertising

Online Advertising refers to the practice of promoting products, services, or brands through various digital channels on the internet. It allows businesses to reach their target audience, increase brand visibility, drive website traffic, and generate leads or sales. Online advertising can take many forms, including display ads, search engine ads, social media ads, video ads, native ads, and more. How to Do Online Advertising:

Define Your Advertising Goals: Clearly outline your advertising objectives. Are you looking to increase website traffic, boost sales, generate leads, or raise brand awareness? Having specific goals will help you choose the right advertising channels and strategies.

Know Your Target Audience: Understand your target audience's demographics, interests, behavior, and online habits. This information will help you target your ads effectively.

Choose Advertising Platforms: Select the appropriate online advertising platforms that align with your goals and target audience. Some popular platforms include Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Twitter Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and YouTube Ads.

Set a Budget: Determine your advertising budget based on your goals and the cost of advertising on your chosen platforms. Start with a budget that allows you to test and optimize your campaigns.

Create Compelling Ad Content: Craft attention-grabbing and relevant ad content that speaks directly to your target audience. Depending on the platform, this may include ad copy, images, videos, or a combination of elements.

Use Eye-Catching Visuals: High-quality and visually appealing visuals are essential for attracting attention and making a positive impression.

Targeting and Segmentation: Leverage the targeting and segmentation options offered by advertising platforms to reach specific audience segments based on demographics, interests, location, and behaviors.

Optimize Landing Pages: Ensure that the landing pages users are directed to after clicking on your ads are relevant, user-friendly, and optimized for conversions.

A/B Testing: Experiment with different ad variations and targeting options through A/B testing to identify what resonates best with your audience.

Monitor and Analyze: Regularly monitor the performance of your ads and analyze key metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS). Use this data to optimize your campaigns.

Adjust and Optimize: Based on the performance data, make adjustments to your ad campaigns, such as modifying ad content, targeting, or bidding strategies.

Comply with Advertising Guidelines: Adhere to the advertising guidelines and policies of the platforms you are using to avoid any issues or ad disapprovals.

Consider Remarketing: Implement remarketing campaigns to re-engage with users who have previously interacted with your website but didn't convert. Remarketing can be a powerful way to bring back potential customers.

Online advertising offers a wide range of opportunities for businesses to reach their audience effectively. By understanding your audience, choosing the right platforms, and continually optimizing your campaigns, you can make the most of online advertising to achieve your marketing objectives and grow your business.

8. Video Marketing

Video Marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves using videos to promote products, services, or brands and engage with a target audience. Video has become a dominant and highly effective medium for capturing attention, delivering messages, and conveying emotions, making it an essential tool for businesses and individuals to connect with their audience. How to Do Video Marketing:

Define Your Goals: Determine your video marketing objectives. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, boost sales, or educate your audience? Clear goals will guide your video creation and distribution strategy.

Understand Your Audience: Know your target audience's preferences, interests, and pain points. Tailor your video content to resonate with your specific audience.

Choose Video Types: Decide on the types of videos you want to create based on your goals and audience preferences. Common video types include explainer videos, product demos, customer testimonials, behind-the-scenes, how-to videos, and storytelling videos.

Focus on Quality: Invest in good quality equipment, such as a high-resolution camera, good lighting, and clear audio. High-quality videos reflect positively on your brand's professionalism.

Keep it Engaging: Grab viewers' attention within the first few seconds and maintain their interest throughout the video. Use storytelling, humor, visuals, and music to engage your audience.

Optimize Video Length: Consider the platform and audience when determining the ideal video length. Shorter videos (30 seconds to 2 minutes) work well for social media, while longer videos (2-5 minutes) are suitable for in-depth content on your website or YouTube.

Be Authentic and Relatable: Be genuine and authentic in your videos. Show the human side of your brand and build emotional connections with your audience.

Brand Consistency: Maintain consistency in your branding, such as using your logo, colors, and tone of voice in your videos.

Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your videos are optimized for mobile devices, as a significant portion of video content is consumed on smartphones and tablets.

Include Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Clearly include CTAs in your videos, prompting viewers to take the desired action, such as visiting your website, subscribing to your channel, or making a purchase.

Host and Share Videos: Upload your videos to platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, or social media channels. Share your videos on your website, blog, email newsletters, and other marketing channels.

Measure Performance: Use video analytics to track the performance of your videos. Analyze metrics such as views, watch time, engagement, and conversion rates.

Respond and Engage: Engage with viewers by responding to comments and messages on your videos. This fosters a sense of community and builds stronger connections with your audience.

Video marketing allows you to convey complex messages effectively, evoke emotions, and showcase your brand's personality. By understanding your audience, creating compelling videos, and leveraging the power of storytelling, you can use video marketing to enhance your marketing efforts and achieve your business objectives.

9. Optimize Website Performance

Optimizing website performance involves implementing various strategies to improve the speed, responsiveness, and overall user experience of a website. A fast and efficient website not only enhances user satisfaction but also contributes to better search engine rankings and increased conversion rates. Here's how to do it:

Optimize Image Size: Compress and resize images without compromising quality. Large image files can significantly slow down page loading times.

Enable Browser Caching: Utilize browser caching to store certain elements of your website on a user's browser, reducing the need to download them again upon subsequent visits.

Minify CSS, HTML, and JavaScript: Minimize the size of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary spaces, comments, and line breaks.

Use Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN stores your website's files on servers located worldwide, enabling users to access them from the nearest server, reducing latency and improving loading times.

Leverage Browser HTTP/2 Support: Enable HTTP/2, a more efficient protocol that allows browsers to load multiple files simultaneously, speeding up website performance.

Prioritize Above-the-Fold Content: Load critical content above the fold first, so users can see and interact with it while the rest of the page loads in the background.

Implement Lazy Loading: Load images and other media files only when they are about to come into the user's view, rather than loading everything at once.

Optimize Web Hosting: Choose a reliable and fast web hosting provider that can handle your website's traffic and performance needs.

Reduce Server Response Time: Optimize server settings and configurations to minimize the time it takes for the server to respond to user requests.

Enable Gzip Compression: Enable Gzip compression to reduce the size of your website's files sent to users' browsers, improving loading times.

Limit External Scripts: Minimize the number of external scripts and widgets on your website, as they can slow down loading times if they require multiple requests.

Use Asynchronous Loading for JavaScript: Load non-essential JavaScript files asynchronously, allowing other parts of the page to load without waiting for scripts to complete.

Monitor Website Performance: Regularly check your website's performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom. Identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes.

Mobile Optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly on smartphones and tablets, as mobile users make up a significant portion of web traffic.

By implementing these website performance optimization techniques, you can create a faster, more efficient, and user-friendly website that enhances the overall user experience, encourages visitors to stay longer, and positively impacts your search engine rankings and online success.

10. Community Engagement

Community engagement is the process of actively connecting and interacting with a community of individuals who share common interests, goals, or affiliations. In the context of businesses and organizations, community engagement involves building and nurturing relationships with customers, users, or followers to foster a sense of belonging, loyalty, and advocacy. How to Do Community Engagement:

Understand Your Community: Gain a deep understanding of your target community's interests, needs, and preferences. Identify common topics, pain points, and aspirations that resonate with them.

Choose the Right Platforms: Determine the social media platforms, forums, or online communities where your target community is most active. Focus your efforts on these channels.

Be Authentic and Transparent: Be genuine and transparent in your interactions. Authenticity is key to building trust and credibility within the community.

Respond Promptly: Monitor conversations and respond to comments, messages, and inquiries promptly. Show your community that you value their input and engagement.

Initiate Conversations: Don't wait for others to start conversations. Initiate discussions on topics that matter to your community and encourage participation.

Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage your community to create and share content related to your brand or industry. Share UGC and give credit to contributors.

Run Contests and Giveaways: Organize contests or giveaways that excite and reward community members. This can boost engagement and attract new participants.

Create Exclusive Content: Offer exclusive content, sneak peeks, or early access to new products/services for your community members. This makes them feel valued and special.

Host Virtual Events: Organize webinars, Q&A sessions, AMAs (Ask Me Anything), or live streams to engage with your community in real-time and foster a sense of connection.

Show Appreciation: Acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of active community members. Publicly thank them for their engagement or consider offering incentives or rewards.

Listen and Act on Feedback: Pay attention to feedback and suggestions from your community. Show that you take their input seriously and implement changes based on their feedback when appropriate.

Moderate Discussions: Ensure discussions remain respectful and constructive. Moderation helps maintain a positive and welcoming environment for all community members.

Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with influencers or thought leaders in your community to extend your reach and strengthen your engagement efforts.

Measure and Analyze: Use analytics and engagement metrics to track the impact of your community engagement efforts. Monitor engagement levels, sentiment, and audience growth.

Community engagement is an ongoing process that requires consistent effort, empathy, and active participation. By genuinely connecting with your community, fostering meaningful conversations, and providing value, you can build a loyal and passionate community that supports your brand and helps it thrive.

Finally; attracting more traffic to your website is of paramount importance for achieving online success and fulfilling your business objectives. A well-optimized and traffic-driven website serves as a powerful gateway to expand your reach, increase brand visibility, and maximize your potential for conversions. To achieve this, employing effective methods is crucial in today's competitive digital landscape.

Firstly, understanding your target audience is fundamental to any successful traffic attraction strategy. Knowing their preferences, pain points, and interests allows you to tailor your content and offerings to meet their needs. Keyword research and SEO play a pivotal role in optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results, leading to increased organic traffic.

Content marketing serves as a cornerstone in attracting and engaging visitors. Creating valuable, relevant, and shareable content not only establishes your authority and credibility but also encourages others to link to your website, thus enhancing your SEO efforts. Leveraging social media platforms enables you to connect with a broader audience and drive traffic to your website through compelling posts and engaging campaigns.

Embracing the power of email marketing further contributes to attracting and retaining website visitors. Crafting personalized and valuable email content helps nurture relationships with your audience, leading to repeat visits and increased loyalty. Guest blogging and influencer marketing can significantly expand your website's visibility and audience by tapping into the reach of established influencers and reputable websites.

Optimizing your website's performance is a non-negotiable aspect of driving traffic. A fast-loading and user-friendly site enhances the overall user experience, reducing bounce rates and encouraging visitors to explore further. Utilizing online advertising, including display ads and social media ads, enables targeted promotion to a specific audience, boosting traffic and conversions.

Consistency, tracking, and adaptation are key to achieving sustained success in attracting website traffic. By continuously analyzing performance metrics, adapting to emerging trends, and maintaining a consistent presence, you can stay ahead in the dynamic digital landscape.

In conclusion, attracting more traffic to your website is a multifaceted endeavor that requires a well-rounded approach. By focusing on your audience, optimizing content, leveraging various marketing channels, and continuously adapting your strategies, you can create a thriving online presence and maximize the potential of your website. Embrace the power of attraction, and your website will serve as a vibrant hub, welcoming an ever-growing stream of engaged and loyal visitors.

Top 10 Methods to Attract More Traffic to Your Website: Top 10 Methods to Attract More Traffic to Your Website

*Author’s Short Profile:

Md. Joynal Abdin is a seasoned business mentor, digital marketing expert, and export consultant with over 17 years of professional experience. He has worked extensively with major chambers of commerce, SME development agencies, and international trade bodies, both in Bangladesh and abroad. As the Founder & CEO of Trade & Investment Bangladesh (TIB), he has been instrumental in promoting Bangladeshi products in global markets and helping businesses grow through digital marketing, export support, and business mentorship.

Joynal holds a Bachelor’s (BBA, Hons.) and a Master’s (MBA) degree in Business Administration. His academic foundation, combined with practical experience, has equipped him with a deep understanding of the intricacies of business development, digital marketing, and international trade. He is committed to empowering businesses with the knowledge, tools, and strategies they need to thrive in today’s competitive global marketplace.

Top 10 Methods to Attract More Traffic to Your Website: Top 10 Methods to Attract More Traffic to Your Website

[marketingtools-blog]

Boost Your SEO Rankings with a Faster Website

Are you losing potential customers due to a slow website? Want your site to show up more on Google? Make it fast and fill it with good reads. By crafting posts that shine in search engines, you draw in more eyes. This not only makes your site a hit with visitors but also boosts its spot on search pages. A slick website loaded with top-notch blog content gets noticed by Google, helping folks find…

[reasonsforhope]

"Inspired by an innovative Chilean forest restoration effort, the English town of Lewes is enlisting the help of dog walkers to rewild a local nature reserve.

Heavily degraded by foot traffic, the project co-opts dogs’ tendency to run about in the woods to spread wildflower seed from saddlebags strapped to a harness around the dog’s abdomen.

The idea mimics the function that wolves once played in that part of England, roaming over vast distances getting grass and flower seeds stuck in their coat, only to fall off and germinate somewhere else.

This helter-skelter seed-spreading is actually how many plants evolved to reproduce, and it’s key to maintaining a biodiverse and native ecosystem.

“We’re really interested in rewilding processes, but they often involve reintroducing big herbivores like bison or wild horses,” said manager Dylan Walker from the Railway Land Wildlife Trust who organized the project back in 2019.

“In a smaller urban nature reserve it’s really hard to do those things. So, to replicate the effect that those animals have on the ecosystem we aimed to utilize the vast number of dog walkers that are visiting the nature reserve daily.”

The saddlebags are filled with a variety of perennial plant seeds mixed together with sand. This allows the seed to be spread for longer across larger distances, while also providing a helpful tracking sign to inform the Trust’s employees where dogs are walking.

THE REWILDING MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND…

Salmon Return to the Heart of UK for First Time in 100 Years After Dam Removal: ‘It’s very rewarding’

‘Give Nature Space and it Will Come Back’: Rewilding Returns Endangered Species to UK Coast

Farmer Combats Flooding by Returning Creeks to Nature: ‘Wildlife That Has Come is Phenomenal’

Finally Rid of Invasive Shrubs, Scientists Use Lichen to Regrow the Celtic Rainforest in Loch Lomond, Scotland

2 Beavers Named Hazel and Chompy Reintroduced to English County–the First Ones to Live Here in 400 Years

“I signed up because it sounded like such a good fit. I was asked to place a harness on my chocolate cocker spaniel called Bertie and he ran around spreading seeds like wolves used to do many years ago,” Cressida Murray, a dog walker who regularly uses the nature reserve, told The Guardian. 

Wolves were persecuted to extinction in England as early as the reign of Henry VII, who reigned during the latter third of the 15th century.

“A community-based project like this not only helps engage and teach people about the ecological impacts of wildlife but also allows us to make our wildlife and environments richer in the process,” said Walker."

-via Good News Network, July 30, 2024

[dailymanners]

Compliment someone on one of their personality traits 

Write a handwritten card to someone to say thanks

Text a friend to share your gratitude for something they did for you

Leave a positive review online of a restaurant you like

Tell a friend what you love about their children

Compliment a photo someone posts on social media

Let someone cut in front of you in line

Introduce two people who you think would get along

Pick up trash on the ground and put it in the garbage

Compliment someone on their clothing or hair

Use old grocery bags to pick up dog poop you see on your neighbor's lawn

Shovel snow off the sidewalk in your neighborhood

Offer to mow the lawn for an elderly neighbor

Give up your seat on the plane to let a couple sit together

Talk to someone at a party that doesn’t seem to know anyone

Invite someone new in your town to a social event and introduce them to everyone

Invite a friend that you haven’t seen in a while out to lunch

Offer to pick up a friend at the airport

Reach out to an old friend to let them know of an experience you had with them that you value

Spend time with the elderly at a local retirement home

Offer to bring someone else's grocery cart back to the store

Keep an extra pen in your purse to give people when they need one

Put a positive note in a library book

Attend events that support your friends’ passions (like an art show, musical performance, etc…)

Donate unused items to charity

Bring snacks to the local fire station

Keep packs of toothpaste or packs of socks in your bag to give to homeless people

Post an uplifting photo on a friend’s social media

Compliment someone on something they’ve done or accomplished

Tell a parent that they’re doing a great job raising their kids

Bring or send your mother flowers

Bring a friend a small gift next time you see them

Buy a warm meal to give to a homeless person

Share an article, event, or other information with someone who might be interested

Help to connect a friend seeking a job to someone who has a job to offer

Help a neighbor bring in their groceries

Make dinner for your friend group

Compliment a neighbor on how nice their yard looks

Bring in the trash bins for your neighbor after trash has been picked up

Send an email to a former teacher to let them know how they impacted your life

Leave a thank you note in your mailbox for your mail carrier

Give a flower to a stranger

Buy a gift card to give to a stranger

Ofter to be there for a friend when they are struggling with something

Give bottles of water to people working outside on a hot day

Buy a sandwich for the next person in the lunch line

Leave a sticky note with a positive note somewhere public, like at a bus stop

Bring brownies to your next neighborhood association meeting

Scrape the ice off the car windshield of the car next to yours

Leave a positive comment on someone else's social media post, #ProsocialPost

Put coins in someone’s parking meter that is about to run out

Slow down to let someone merge in front of you in traffic

Be on time (don’t waste others’ time)

Hold the door open for the person walking behind you

Make a double batch of dinner so that you can give a meal to someone in need

Give directions to someone who is lost

Give an extra big tip when eating out

Practice compassion when someone else is struggling

Be self-compassionate when you’re struggling with something

Share veggies you grow in your garden with friends, neighbors, and family

Become an organ donor

Volunteer at the local animal shelter

Bring dinner to a friend who's just had a baby

Build a “little free library” box in your yard with books for everyone to read

[athingofvikings]

In my own experience as a Jewish Leftist, and corroborated by the similar experiences of other Jewish Leftists, there are, roughly speaking, five to six broad categories of Leftists in their attitudes towards Jews. This is a tangential categorization in terms of precise political affiliation; in other words, one's position in these categories is not dependent on what precise type of Leftist/Progressive an individual is.

Type 1: Open And Unapologetic Jew Haters

These Leftists hate Jews and don't try to hide it at all. According to them, Jews are the Problem, and they know what type of Solution they want enacted.

The archetypal example that I'll currently use is Cynthia McKinney, former US Congresswoman and US Green Party presidential candidate, who, well...

But this is also the class of Leftists who say that there is no room for Judaism in their ideal, imagined perfect world, that they picture everyone assimilating and giving up their ethnic and cultural identities to just be "human", and often single out Judaism as a particular problem in that regard.

Type 2: Closeted Knowing Jew Haters

These Leftists hate Jews, know that they hate Jews, but know that it's bad optics to openly praise Hitler or cozy up to the KKK to satisfy their hatred of Jews, so they try to find the barest veneer of plausible deniability to hide behind. "Anti-zionism" is a particular favorite on the Left, but the hatred has a way of slipping past the mask when they get questioned.

A classic example here is the Boston Mapping Project, who literally made up a list of every Jewish institution in Boston, Mass, on suspicion of them being "Zionist"--including elder homes, Jewish high schools, and Kindergartens, and including scary "links" on the map to various government agencies, no matter how tenuous or outright imaginary, thereby invoking old conspiracy tropes about "Secret Jewish Control of the Government". (And BDS, as the parent organization, also gave the lie that they're just antizionist, not antisemitic, when they disavowed the Mapping Project for bad optics, not the rank antisemitism and conspiratorial thinking they were promoting). Another example would be the organizers of the Chicago Dyke March, who explicitly expelled Jews from the March and crowed about "zio tears" (which is a slur originally used by the KKK, no less).

However on first encounter, Type 2 are indistinguishable from and camouflaged by...

Type 3: Undereducated And Unknowing Traffickers In Antisemitism

These Leftists don't hate Jews per se... they're just unaware of the deep antisemitic history of repeating claims that "Jews have too much power", or stating that the Holocaust was "White on White violence", or that "Jews are just White People from Europe", or any of a host of other antisemitic beliefs that are endemic on the Left. They're initially indistinguishable from Type 2, as they say the same things, and can only be told apart by their reactions; a Type 3 will go, "Oh, I didn't know and I'll try to learn!", while a Type 2 will typically double down, or let the mask slip in some other way.

The problem is that, from the perspective of Jews, Type 2 and Type 3 are indistinguishable from each other at first glance, and rather than try to engage and risk the emotional harm, a lot of Jews tend to write off all of them as Type 2, and there's a lot of debate on the ratios between the two.

Also worthy of mention, as a midpoint between Type 2 and Type 3 are:

Type 2.5: Openly Antisemitic "I'm Not An Antisemite, I Just Refuse To Learn, Listen, Or Let Jews Define Antisemitism"

As a midpoint between types, these Leftists openly traffic in antisemitic motifs, conspiracies, and attitudes, all the while insisting that they're not antisemitic. They're a midpoint between types 2 and 3 because they've had plenty of time and opportunity to learn about the bigoted attitudes they're espousing, but refuse to do so... but at the same time, they genuinely seem to think that they're not antisemitic. They just think that there's a vast Jewish conspiracy out to get them personally, or any of a number of other antisemitic beliefs, and refuse to accept or learn that what they're saying is antisemitic. They can believe that they themselves are not all they want, saying that Jews have too much money and power and run the world's politics is still trafficking in antisemitic conspiracy theories.

The archetypal example of this type, assuming we can take his word for it, is Roger Waters. Waters is openly and explicitly antisemitic, saying that there is a widespread conspiracy of Jews running the world's politics... but he has been insisting for over 40 years that he's just "antizionist, not antisemitic."

But these are just the outspoken ones. None of them would get anywhere without the tacit support of...

Type 4: The Silent Majority

These Leftists are, being blunt, hypocritical cowards. They don't want to get involved in issues on antisemitism. When a Leftist Jew is being harassed by one of Types 1 to 3, they don't speak up, they don't get involved, they just say nothing.

Maybe they agree with one of the above types. Maybe they just don't want to get involved. Maybe they're afraid of seeming sympathetic to Israel. Maybe they're afraid of getting the social backlash that the Jew is experiencing. But ultimately, their motivations don't matter, their actions do—and their actions give tacit social support to the antisemite in the Leftist group, not to the Jew being harassed and chased out.

And the reason they're hypocritical cowards?

Well, if your ideology claims that you want a better life for everyone and social progress and being against racism and bigotry... but yet they don't speak up when it's happening right in front of them...

Well.

That says a lot, doesn't it? Both on what their ideals actually mean to them... and how highly they value Jews. And we know that it is possible, because of...

Type 5: The Pro-Jewish Leftist

These Leftists are, in my experience, a minority outside of Leftist Jews, but they do exist among non-Jewish Leftists. They stand up to Types 1, 2, and 3 when they express antisemitic views, and try to shame and cajole Type 4 into standing up as well.

And, just to point out how normalized antisemitism is on the Left...

Some people in this category might object to being labeled as "Pro-Jewish", as if they're biased for Jews. But I have to ask... do you think that they would also object to being labeled "Pro-LGBTQ"?

[aos-presents]

Don't Miss Our Next On- Demand Engagement Lab | Interactive Social SEO Dive

[gallusrostromegalus]

Have you talked about the agriculture and infrastructure of AEIWAM? Cause in the show we see the people of Seireitei eating, but they’re dead, so that’s a lot of dead people to be feeding. Plus you’ve established the mail service so public services are available in a way.

What’s the food situation look like? Do we have entire districts of people farming? Are there laws about it? Who can be bribed with a very specific food?

Autism Voice: How much are you prepared to learn about this topic? Because there's 5,236 words under the cut. Godspeed.

So in canon, souls don't "need" to eat, but do so out of habit, and also the rukongai is largely a feudalistic economy, which is not how habits OR feudalism work.

Not to drastically oversimplify enormous fields of history, political theory and socioeconomic, but if you were ever wondering WHY someone would tolerate living in a feudal system, the answer largely is "Because it beat the fuck out of the previous system, 'constant and devastating warfare'."

How feudalism gets started is easy:

There's a very large amount of people with no effective unified government for whatever reason (humans just moved into the area/an empire collapsed/a volcano blew up the general everything, etc.), and a limited amount of arable land, and therefore, a limited amount of food.

There's always a few assholes, and those assholes immediately try to establish dominance over the good turf with violence. This is the "constant warfare" phase of the agrarian government cycle.

In response, everyone bands together with their families and immediate neighbors to create defenses against The Marauding Assholes.

If one village is particularly defensible, or one marauder is particularly good at defense-breaking, people start to move in with whoever they think will do a better job of helping them stay fed. eventually these groups get big enough to need some kind of organization, and the organization tends to default to transactional loyalty.

I swear to god this is about the food situation.

The Transaction is thus: In exchange for taxes and you occasionally being called in for military Service, your Lord keeps the Marauding assholes away and does the obnoxiously complicated work of governance that helps farming but is too time-consuming for any farmer to actually do. Sounds like a good deal, right?

Smart people will recognize several glaring omissions and problems with that deal, but that's not important right now. After decades of "constant and devastating warfare", this is a relatively sane and fair deal.

This transactional loyalty continues up the political food chain: The leaders of several villages along a river need to coordinate efforts along that river or whatever, so they pick One Guy to be The Lord of the River Districts, typically the most popular guy in the clique.

...Or the one with the most heavily armed peasants.

In exchange for coordinating all the traffic/trade/environmental conditions along the river and ensuring peace between all the river districts, The River Lord also gets paid taxes and can call on all the River Lords to turn up with the heavily armed peasants should trouble come knocking.

Eventually, the River Lord makes an alliance with the neighboring Plains Lord and Mountain Lord and the Beach Lord up the coast because warfare suuuuuucks, and the most popular member of that clique is crowned emperor.

After a generation or two of relative stability, people have forgotten what the previous period of warfare was like, and develop the unconscious bias that it's Always Been Like This/the horror stories of your elders are just superstition. See: people who don't vaccinate their children because THEY never met anyone with Polio.

So they start pushing their luck.

Get funny with the ownership laws and realize they can make EVERYONE a renter and get away with being a shitass landlord.

Justify being a shitass landlord by coming up with things like "The Divine Right Of Kings"

Someone figures out that if you make everyone pay taxes in a grain crop, you can get away with EVEN MORE shitholery because you can force the peasants to use the bulk of their time and space to grow a crop that they have a limited ability to process and eat themselves, and grow their actual sustenance on the margins, so you can keep them in line with the constant but unspoken threat of starvation.

So if the Rukongai is running on a rice-based feudal system (which it is, because Kan is a rice-based currency and there are Noble houses and Lords and Daimyo in canon), souls MUST need to eat or the lords would have all been beheaded for being assholes who can't govern a while ago without the threat of starvation.

See? It IS about the food situation.

SIKE

I need to talk about law enforcement and postal services in the modern Soul Society now.

So the thing is: Until Ichigo and his friends show up and Cause A Ruckus, The Gotei-13 didn't actually have the authority to arrest anybody besides other Shinigami, people actively trying to Kill Shinigmai, and Hollows (theoretically) in AEIWAM.

See, after the initial period of "Various Lords make friends with each other for fun and profit", some Lords got really, REALLY good at getting other lords to sign up for their Multi Level marketing Schemes, and got stupid rich and also regular stupid doing it. Five of them specifically. These five super-popular guys were the Five noble lords, and their families that everyone pledged loyalty to became The Great Noble Houses: Shihouin, Kuchiki, Ise, and Shiba. AND DEFINITELY NOBODY ELSE.

The fact that all four of these houses were involved in a peculiar incident that imbued them with terrible spiritual power and some really kicass magical artifacts sure helped too.

Theoretically, any of these Four guys could become Emperor, but nobody was willing to bow to anyone else and it rapidly turned into the tensest five-way Mexican standoff, with a shitload of proxy wars between the minor noble houses that served the Great ones.

Great.

We're back to "constant, if somewhat less devastating warfare" AND we have to pay rice taxes.

...so some peasants invent anarchist communalism.

Not communism, they don't have control of the state, but they DO have Lords that are too busy doing poetry and snorting drugs to do their jobs... or catch them doing things that aren't in their lord's best interests.

So one village elder quietly whispers to another about "Hey, let's agree to trade grain and other supplies to each other at a discount and ah... not tell His Lordship about it. We'll have to send messages to each other in secret tho."

So Some Fucking Peasant becomes The Messages Guy, hoofing it all over the Rukongai delivering messages and facilitating an entirely lordless agrarian economy.

It's Kind of a Big Deal.

It's Kind of a Big Deal because peasants who can communicate are peasants who can ORGANIZE, and when word comes down from the scullery maids and underpaid clerks in the noble houses that the minor houses of X and Y are about to go to war at the behest of their masters THE MOST PECULIAR THING HAPPENS-

Holy shit. Terrible plague outbreak in the lands of Lord X. Hundreds dead. No way any village has anybody to spare for the war. What, you want to look? You want to catch this too? That's what happened to the last guy who came to look and look at him now! Crow food :(

Meanwhile, Lord Y and his two jackass sons have suddenly fallen ill. Must be that Plague from District X. Oh no! They died! Now the only Heir left is his daughter Lady X Who Was Doing All The Work Anyway. How unfortunate :(

;D

and that's not even getting into the network of secret granaries, flash livestock auctions, refugee migration routes and fun new alliances with people like Bandit Gang That Is An Entire Calvalry But Better.

It gets to be such a big deal, there are TONS of message guys, and they organize and demand to be paid properly for all this running and not getting caught by the nobs.

And the first postal service is born.

And shit, now that they're organized, why not formalize some of these grain stores and livestock trades and does the cavalry want to help delivering these messages? Or how about all the Village Elders who are experts in various things write down how all that stuff is done so it can be shared? Maybe they should all have a chance to meet up and share wisdom in person...

Shigekuni Yamamoto is all of eleven years old when he hears the village elder who runs the orphanage float the idea. Much, much later, he'll recall that THAT was when the Central 46 began.

Gradually, the lordless network of elder advice and tax-free farm economy grows, and begins to develop internal structures of it's own, and slowly grows to rival the Noble Houses in power, the decentralization of the network making it difficult for the noble houses to even recognize as a player, let alone attack.

Sure, lone messengers are often captured by the armies of the noble houses, but the messages they carry make little sense- the peasants use an entirely different alphabet- and the messengers will bite their tongues off and drown in their own blood before speaking.

But the shape of this secret fifth house remains a mystery for a long time until it becomes An Fucking Problem for food-related reasons. Specifically:

Ever Since the noble houses came back with weird magic powers and fucked up artifacts, there's been more and more and MORE people who have their own fucked up magical powers who live bizarrely long lives and also there are these really fucked up creatures with skull-like masks and holes in their chest that FUCKING EAT PEOPLE??

Fortunately, if you've got one of these magical freaks in your village, they're GREAT at dealing with the hole-monsters or "Hollows"

Unfortunately, these guys need a TON of food.

I read a statistical analysis from a medieval European scholar who worked out that in an agrarian economy, if you want to have ONE full-time warrior, you need to have about 1000 people to support that guy in terms of services needed and the labor lost from them being a fighter. ...And these magical warriors have the appetites of three or four people.

So anyone born with Spiritual power in Soul society is a bit up shit creek.

While everyone experiences the threat of starvation but for them, it's a matter of days, not weeks. While their home village would love to keep them, they straight-up may not be able to produce enough food, even if he's a magical farmer most of the year.

The nearest noble house definitely has enough food. But they also know from the Magical Dudes in their own families just how hungry these guys are, AND how powerful they are and how badly a rival house would want them. So the Noble houses often default straight to conscription, threats of violence against the warrior's home and family, indentured servitude and straight-up curses to control any spiritually powerful people who appear in their districts before a Rival house can make them a decent offer. Or kidnap them.

Basically, unless you're actually a member of the family, the noble houses SUCK to work for. Magical warriors are treated like weapons or animals or worse, are forced to marry into the family.

What are you going to do though? Starve? Not a lot of other options.

...until the secret postal service starts.

Postal Service has Food. And decent wages and working conditions baked right into the way its run.

Sure, it's not easy work, but the magical warriors are the fastest and strongest out there, AND the people most equipped to handle suddenly running into a Noble Guard or a hollow.

Once the word gets out, the magical warriors are practically hammering down the post office doors for a job.

Bit of a rowdy lot, these guys. The Council of Elders realizes. Also, very noticable to the noble houses. it's going to becaome real clear what's going on real fast, and we don't have an army. Yet...

Enter Postmaster-General Shigekuni Yamamoto, who has been running this for the last 500 years and already built a Dojo to train carriers how to defend themselves. He's even a pretty heavy hitter of a magical warrior himself! We'll have him run the army. It's basically the same thing, right?

Yamamoto is made aware of his promotion when the news is first released up north where the council is holding it's meeting this year, and an adolescent Chojiro Sasakibe decides that a good way to apply to the Dojo is to Personally Deliver the News Himself.

At 1 AM

In Sensei's Bedroom. "...Are you all like this, or are you a special pain in the ass?" the man with the extremely impressive mustache and frightening glare croaks at the lad. "My ability to inflict discomfort on various backsides has been noted before, Sir!" Sasakibe reports cheerfully. "...But I'm not sure who you mean by 'you all'?" "You and every other maniac with an ounce of Reiryoku who's apparently headed here at speed?" Yamamoto glowers at the letter he's been handed. Chojiro frowns, looking off to the side and rubbing his chin, giving the question entirely too much serious thought. "Well-" the boy grimaces. "I'd say that compared to the population at large, I'm a statistically significant pain in the ass, but compared to just people with spiritual power, I'm only a minor nuisance." Yamamoto groans, laying back down and staring at the ceiling for a bit. "How old are you, boy?" "Fourteen sir!" Chojiro chirps. "Princess-Who-Understands-The-Heavens, he's fucking fourteen." Yamamoto groans, rubbing his face. "Well. You're my pain in the ass now. Make yourself useful and get me some breakfast."

Sasakibe has been faithfully following that order for the last 1200 years :)

Soon, the Lordless Council of Elders has themselves a sizeable, very powerful and extremely loyal army. In an act of extreme magnanimity, they extend an offer to each of the Four Noble Houses to bring an end to the feuding and create a government and laws for noble and peasant alike to follow and prosper under.

Every Single Noble House: 🗡️⚔️🔪FUCK. YOU. 🔪⚔️🗡️

Well, this was going to happen sooner or later, Yamamoto supposes, and readies for The Final War To End All Wars.

He was so full of hope and promise back then.

The Four Noble houses and Postal Army prepare their initial salvos but before anyone could strike, AN ABSOLUTE SHITWACK OF ARROWS rain down from the sky.

Knock Knock It's The Quincies.

Everyone scrambles against the invaders, but refuses to ally and soon the last hope of Spirit World is pinned on The Postmaster-General, the couple dozen surviving warriors of his Dojo, and Twelve Fucking Maniacs he hired off Death Row.

To ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE'S VAST SURPRISE, Yamamoto is Victorious. Well. Him and some weird monk guy who turned Yhwach into a bug, gave Yamamoto A Mandate From heaven re: The Hollows and Balance of Souls, and Dipped.

The tattered remains of the noble houses finally Unite, but Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto has three names now and is like unto a God. and the twelve shady bastards backing him up are no slouches either. ...Perhaps it's time to Negotiate.

And negotiations happen! - The Noble houses bring their not-insubstantial forces to the table, along with the fact they're the only people who have a System FOR collecting taxes, something a government really does need. - The Council of Elders brings it's vast organizational network, expertise in many practical subjects and Lifetimes of Wisdom, only accurate maps of the immediate spirit world. - The newly-named Court Guard brings it's Much more substantial force, it's Mandate from on high, and Yamamoto's scary mustache and even scarier wife.

Things are actually going pretty well. Yamamoto and the army are getting the civil protections they wanted, the elders are getting the fairer means of governement they wanted and the Noble houses are getting to still be Rich As Cream.

...then someone sneaks in to negotiations. Well, they were actually brought in, as part of the entourage of one of the Elders, who takes her advice very seriously. After all, she's the oldest being the elder knows- even older than whatever it was that made the nobles so powerful in the first place.

"Listen, I've worked with these slippery shits before. Make damn sure they can't betray you." she growls. "I know, Yamamoto-sama has laid a very clever trap for them-" the elder nods. "No, I mean Yamamoto." She growls, yellow eye narrowing as she tracks him and his wife as they meander around the gardens below the negotiation hall. "Not him specifically, but it was a betrayal by someone like him- someone gifted the power of heaven- who cursed me to be as I am." "...Oh." says the elder, realizing that if Yamamoto could strike down that monster that lead the Quincies, he could very easily turn his blade on the council too.

...And that's when the first cracks in the bond between Yamamoto and The Council appeared.

So it was declared thus:

The actual governing would be done by the Council of Elders, now called the Central 46.

The Noble houses would still be allowed to retain their lands and collect SOME taxes in exchange for clearly defined and legally binding responsibilities.

The Gotei-13 would be responsible for matters supernatural- People with strange powers, the balance of souls between worlds, hollows, etc. funded and housed by the Central 46.

Additionally, the four of the captain's positions in the Gotei-13 would be reserved for the scions of The Great Noble Houses, unless it somehow came to pass that there were no Scions left.

The former armies of the Noble Houses would become the Onmitsukudo*, who would do the actual enforcing of the central 46's laws and collecting of taxes in the Rukongai, as well as independently collecting information for the central 46.

The Central 46 would also cultivate and independent force of spiritually powerful souls to use the art of Kido for Civil Projects and assisting the Omnitsukido or Gotei-13 when necessary.

It's Peace, but it's a Very Uneasy Peace.

As it stands, the Gotei-13 is *a* military branch, and a force to be reckoned with should they decide to throw their weight around, but they are entirely legally beholden to the Central 46 and not allowed to enforce the law. In fact, the Central 46 and Onmitsukido are allowed to arrest and detain any shinigami they see as a threat, without notice, explanation or Trial. The Central 46 could even decide to stop funding the Gotei-13 altogether and leave them to starve if they chose.

That's why Yamamoto is so strict about direct orders from the Central 46, and why Shinigami aren't allowed into the government quarter of the city.

Is this an excessive amount of world-building? maybe Is it actually making the writing process easier because I actually know what the broader chains of causality already are so the plot flows more naturally? YES. More importantly, am I having fun? VERY MUCH YES.

...What the fuck was this about again?

Oh, right. Food.

So as you can see from the previous fucking doctoral thesis, the food situation is

INTENSELY POLITICAL

AND

EXTREMELY FRAUGHT

...but actually pretty stable!

The vast majority of flat-enough-to-use land in the Rukongai is dedicated to farming. The land mass of the districts gets larger as you get farther from Seireitei, and districts 40-75 are almost ENTIRELY agrarian, with substantial amounts of farming occurring in 20-40 and above 75.

The Primary crop is still rice, but that's been receding since Soul Society finally switched to a Fiat Currency in the 1800s.

Also since about then, a greater variety of crops from the living world have appeared, including: Tomatoes, Potatoes, Crummock, Salsify, Cantaloupe, Avocado, Jicama, Sunroot, Marijuana, Strawberries, Corn, Broccolini, blue berries, boysenberries, Chicory, Cranberries, asparagus, black berries, raspberries, black raspberries, red blackberries, Okra, Coca, lingon berries, elder berries, Rhubarb, gooseberries, salmonberries, bearberries, and so many fucking squash.

New livestock has appeared as well- Soul Society has had an almost unlimited supply of beef from the Chihuahuan Desert cattle trade, but recently there have been new arrivals from the living world- wool sheep, Dairy cattle, Llamas, Mini pigs, Micro Pigs, Guinea Pigs, Fallow Deer, and those fucked up damascus goats.

There is also a bunch of crops native to Soul Society like Hummage, Black yams, ratweed, Pinnerey, Tomangoes, Craic, Duck radish, Sisei, and So Many Fucking Beans. There is also, like Nano Pigs, Pico Pigs, Mega Pigs and the terrifying Giga Pig (actually a type of Cavy). There are also Meat Horses, wool donkeys, and riding cattle, as well as Fertile mules.

Are there Laws About It?

Bruh.

The Soul Society Department of Agriculture was the FIRST formal regulatory agency formed by the Central 46. Even before the IRS.

Soul Society Agricultural and Land-Use Law is so Complex and Arcane that Kaname invents* an entire Rice Farm Subsidy Fraud Case for that takes Momo over a DECADE to investigate in various archives (Aizen is allergic to paper dust), travel to distant districts of the Rukongai (He also gets sick on trains and gates are for emergency use only), and talk to a hell of a lot of lawyers about (Aizen hates talking to anyone who really understands contract law) specifically to keep her physically away from Aizen as much as possible. It even works! *Sort of. The Rice Subsidy Fraud is Very Very real, but difficult to investigate, so he was leaving her subconscious clues in the crossword to point her to more evidence.

Who can be bribed with Very Specific Food?

As a side-effect of shinigami appetites, very nearly everyone to at least some degree. Most have hard limits about what they will accept any kind of compensation for, but everyone can be at least inclined to consider your proposal with the right snacks.

Ukitake loves cookies. He won't break laws or promises or forgo prior engagements, but he will make little exceptions that will make everyone happier.

It's more effective to bribe Rukia with plushies instead of food.

---

Mayuri wants whole-roasted fish, especially the heads and eyeballs. Technically, Mayuri has no limits, but you're going to need to present him with something exceptional.

Nemu can be persuaded to do some truly startling things for a nice dessert. She's done felonies for a fruit parfait before.

You can't Bribe Urahara with food, but you can bribe him with edibles ;)

Akon has a chart posted on his office door what various favors cost in money, labor, cigarettes, beer and/or pirated media.

---

Zaraki doesn't have a specific food he likes, but is constantly craving calories. He's also very willing to eat all your food and then tell you to go fuck yourself. The most effective strategy is to share food while asking for nothing a few times and then ask for whatever you needed his help with outside of a food context. For better or worse, he's extremely trainable.

You can't Bribe Yachiru with what she's already stolen out of your pockets.

Ikkaku is sort of offended when people fail to attempt to bribe him, and VERY offended if they try to lowball him. What, do you think he's cheap? Will show up anywhere with a buffet tho.

Attempting to Bribe Yumichika is a great way to end up owing Yumichika for the rest of your life. He never fails to make it to Sasakibe's High Teas/Gay Bitching sessions and often takes the snacks home.

---

People try to bribe Rangiku with alcohol all the time, which is really annoying. She is Perfectly Capable of acquiring her own booze thank you! Also, they keep offering her shit like Aged Whiskey which tastes how burnt hair smells. What she REALLY wants is Neon orange "Cheez" or "Nacho Blasted" snacks from the Living World. She craves that Riboflavin.

Hitsugaya lets everyone believe he's a slut for watermelon so they don't offer him the thing he'd actually have to fight to not accept: Jerky.

---

Tousen will not be 'bribed' into doing anything and will get extremely offended if you imply that he might consider it. He will, however, go to remarkably extreme lengths to get his hands on persimmons without paying for them. Not theft, that's very unethical, but he holds a bizarre principle about never paying for that fruit so that means exploiting agricultural, fair use, zoning and Tree laws to find or plant persimmon trees that are Perfectly Legal for him to pick from.

Kensei is similarly stony about the idea of being 'bribed', and worse still has an utterly flavorless protien-based diet. Mashiro knows he's got a pathological craving for Oreos and exploits it regularly.

Shuuhei will not be bribed but he will be VERY grateful if you go fill up his water bottle for him. Dweeb.

Mashiro will sell her own granny for a corn chip because she likes snacks, loves shenanigans, and knows her granny can kick a man in half and could use the excitement.

---

Everyone *knows* Shunsui is a drinker, but the trick is that he's savoring some really, REALLY good stuff very slowly. You can't afford the shelf he's drinking from. He thought he was immune to food-based Bribery until Nanao was out of town one week and the rank-and-file Shinigami she left to mind him introduced him to the grand tradition of the post-spree Dirty Great Fry-Up. It was like waking up in heaven to his hungover ass, and now he's the one attempting to bribe his minder into making it again every time he wants to go on a bender because he refuses to wake up from one any other way again.

Nanao did not believe the minder when she told Nanao of the great power of The Dirty Great Fry-Up, but now that Shunsui limits his sprees to the availability of breakfast the following morning, Nanao is trying to figure out what kind of raise it's going to take to keep the fry cook on staff.

---

Sajin Komamura is a deeply honorable man who doesn't even like eating lunch out with a visitor lest it be misconstrued and because he's still self-concious about eating in front of others. Last spring though, someone put up flyers for Game Share tags, and Komamura met with them in private to negotiate terms and ended up putting almost half a month's salary towards at least two does, one wild sow, as many marmots as they can bag (they can keep the pelts), and the offal/feet of the other animals they bag on other tickets. Half of the following month's salary went towards an adequate chest freezer. It's worth it though. His diet had been suffering from lack of variety and some of the vitamins and other nutrients from parts humans don't eat and by December his coat is LUXURIOUS.

Tetsuzaemon won't do anything illegal but will do some remarkably stupid shit for a beer.

---

You don't even SAY the word 'bribe' in the sixth division. Byakuya will remember you forever if you bring him an extremely specific brand of seaweed snack though.

Renji will eat anything handed to him, which is a problem because he almost broke a tooth on a stapler he thought was going to be a sandwich. He's unbribable because his brain won't process anything you say to him while he's eating.

---

People kept bringing Aizen Chocolate when he was captain and he HATED it. It's not that he dislikes the food: it's that his Dead Twin Brother was an absolutely peerless confectioner and made chocolate that could make the angels weep. Not only are Aizen's standards ridiculously high, the food is a genuine trauma trigger for him.

Shinji loves him some Black Thunder Chocolate bars but is so goddamn bad at conversations that he will not grok what the FUCK someone is talking about when they try to bribe him. He'll think they're a bad conversationalist with good taste in candy.

Some god thought they were being real funny when they made Momo be born with an aversion to peaches and a deep fondness for Sour and bitter Flavors. Shinji did manage to remember her joking about that and bought her a jar of pickled lemons for her birthday as a joke, and was genuinely surprised when she was moved to tears.

You have to Bribe Hiyori to even get her to listen to your proposal for the thing you're actually trying to bribe her for. For Better or Worse, she trades in novel potato chip flavors.

---

Attempting to bribe Unohana with food is an absolute crapshoot, because what she'll accept is a complex internal metric of how serious the favor is, how much she likes you, and how much she likes the proferred snack. You might be able to get a perscription for something that's normally a band substance for some Senbei, you might lose your nose for even bringning Okra into her hosptial. Best not play that particular roulette.

Isane is impossible to bribe because she just agrees to stuff before you can bring out the payment. Sure, you got your surgery moved or your hands in some pretty heavy drugs, but you'll walk away with the feeling that, since you didn't actually pay her for this, you actually OWE her now, and you'd be right. You'd better believe she'll call in that favor whenever she needs it, because you're *friends*, aren't you? It also never occurs to anyone to offer her her favorite food: Apples.

Hanataro has accidentally taken bribes multiple times because he did not realize people were attempting to pay him. He thinks it's just basic manners to show up at someone else's home or office with snacks and also people are wildly misinformed about what he's legally allowed to do. What? they wanted me to BREAK A LAW? FOR KIT-KATS?? The boy loves him some kit-kats but not to the point of committing a FELONY, what the fuck???

---

Izuru once walked in on Gin swallowing a rat whole, turned around and tried desperately to pretend he hadn't actually seen that for a year, until he REALLY fucked up his scheduling conflicts and needed an extra week of paid time off to go to a friend's wedding and in a fit of panic, attatched a deceased rat suitable for serpentine consumption he purchased from a pet store. Gin was more than happy to give him the time off and hey, a little hazard pay so you can get something nice for the happy couple Unfortunately, this also condemned Izuru to having Gin lean out of his office at least every other month and holler "Hey Izuru? What's our Rat Guy's phone number?" loud enough to be heard by the entire Division.

Rose can be bribed with anything from a patisserie.

---

People keep givng Soi Fon honey which is honestly starting to feel like a microaggression at this point. What she REALLLY wants is a bucket of fried chicken.

You can't Bribe Omaeda with food, he's the one feeding YOU. Sit down and stop yapping, you're skin and bones!

---

Yamamoto does not accept bribes, at all, ever. He does accept all forms of SUPER MEGA SPICY FLAMING DEATH-REINCARNATION-AND-SECOND-FLAMING-DEATH TURBOFIRE HOT hot sauce.

Sasakibe has been assisitant headmaster of Shin'o academy since it was founded before the fall of Rome. no matter how delicious your offer or how clever your scheme, an adolescent dork already made a better version of it like 700 years ago. Pathetic. What Sasakibe REALLY wants is to be able serve high tea to an adoring crowd. Hope you like cucumber sandwiches.

Okay this is like 5.2K and it's 3AM I'm gonna end this and go to bed.

[clrasecretdiary]

WOULD THAT I | Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader 

In which Spencer reid will lose all his iq when he sees a pretty women. 

Warnings: None! Just silly fluff

a/n: I really liked this one. Love to think about spencer being extremely obvious when he has a crush. Also, there might be some spelling errors bc i’m writing in a really old computer, sorry!! Promise to revise it as soon as i get my normal one back. 

It was a wednesday. Today, all you guys had to do was paperwork, so you and the team planned to go to a bar after the shift, so you figured you’d go a bit more dressed up. You decide to put on a long black dress that you had recently bought. It was not scandalous, just a bit more form fitting then what you’d usually go for a day of work. 

You ended up arriving a little late, and everyone was at the briefing room having a reunion. You entered just as Spencer was explaining some detail about the case you guys had just closed and needed to organize the paperwork for. Everyone turned at the sound of the door opening. 

“ Hey guys, sorry for being late. The traffic was horrible today” You say, a little shy at everyone’s attention being at you. 

“ Don’t worry, Reid was just telling us some details for the reports” Hotch says, and you turn to give a little smile to spencer, to which he replies with a small wave and you think you notice him blushing a little, but you figure it’s probably the summer weather. 

“Where are you going all dressed up princess?” Morgan asks, in his usual flirty tone

“Oh, i just wanted to change up a bit since we’re going out tonight!” You say, blushing a bit at the fact they noticed it

“You look beautiful, honey!” Garcia says, smiling at you 

“Thanks pen, im happy you liked it” 

 “Oh someone definitely liked it” Emily says, looking at spencer, which previously was staring at you like you were water in the desert and now is clearly and undeably blushing.

“ Stop it, i did not- I mean I like it just not especially .. i mean, you look great!! Like always!!” Spencer says, extremely embarrassed and also scared to hurt your feelings

“ Thanks spence” You say, laughing at the situation and how worried he was 

 “Hey spence, what are the 6 first Pi numbers” Emily asks, with a grin on her face

Still flustered spencer answers “Its 3, 14189” 

“It’s actually 3, 14159 spence” Emily says, now laughing 

“Ohh so it is true that spencer reid will lose his genius iq at the sight of a pretty women” Derek replies, laughing at the situation

"What?!  I’m not. Thats nonsense, Let’s just move on guys” Spencer replies, his face more red now if that is even possible. 

You guys laugh for a bit and then get back to the topic of the meeting, you just think of it as the team picking on Spencer as they usually do until you overhear emily whispering to garcia. 

“They’re so oblivious, i wish we could tell them about how they feel about each other”

[sanguineterrain]

Hello! I recently found your blog and bruh I'M SMITTEN by your works.

Would it be alright if I requested Jason Todd x gn reader (also vigilante but only works on small cases and in safer places... Jason wouldn't let them anywhere else after a heavy injury they sustained in the past)...

Maybe they're searching for clues in one of the alleys and reader finds a baby there and takes it home (or maybe they fall upon a tired-looking woman throwing her baby over the bridge, reader manages to catch it but when they get back up the woman is gone)? Just overall how would Jason react to his partner finding a kid and bringing it home and what would happen after.

I made myself laugh bc I thought Jason would be like "good thing you went home and not to a bat cave, can't handle another sibling, the last one is already a living hell.

And I wanted to ask if it would be alright if I requested more than just one thing? Completely fine if not.

❤️❤️❤️

This is a super cute prompt!! Thanks for sending it in. And yes feel free to send more than one request 💓

Jason Todd x gn!reader. Abandoned baby, established relationship, Jason being a cutie patootie.

****

You find the baby in a grocery store basket stuffed with blankets behind a Walmart.

She's a tiny thing, with fat cheeks and a permanent wrinkle between her brow. She's frighteningly quiet.

You take her home.

Home has become synonymous with Jason's apartment. At some point, it just made more sense for you to move in long-term. Jason had gingerly brought it up to you one night and kissed you hard when you'd said yes.

You pick up some formula on the way home and a few other things. The baby starts to cry after a bit, to your relief, and after feeding and changing her, you sway her until she falls asleep.

You're content to hold her until you get a crib. You fully intend to do so.

You hear the first lock turn, then the second, then the third. There's no worry that Jason will wake the baby; he always enters a building like he's casing it.

You have the TV turned down low, channel switched to some late-night sitcom. Jason comes in and closes the door with his foot. He takes off his helmet, revealing his messy curls. You smile.

"Hey, Jaybird," you say.

Jason glances at you as he walks to the bedroom, unzipping his vest as he goes. He grins tiredly.

"Hey, sweetheart. Hello, baby."

You watch him disappear into the bedroom. The baby is still fast asleep. You adjust your legs to get more comfortable in the chair.

Jason backs out of the room a moment later, gear still on. His vest is half-unzipped.

"That's a baby," he says.

You nod. "Yep."

Jason pulls a face like he's doing calculus in his head. "Did—do we have a... did I...?"

"How would that even work, Jason?"

"Look, there's many ways that can happen! Y'know how many freakin' clones are in this city? My freakazoid brother could get you a genetically engineered baby in twelve hours."

"She is an organically produced baby not related to either of us. Okay?"

"Oh. Sure, yeah." Jason starts to turn, then comes back. "Wait, no, I still have questions. Why do you have a baby?"

"I found her."

Jason squints at you, then at the baby. "You found her."

"Uh-huh."

"I don't think that'll hold up in court, sweets."

"Relax, Jason. I'm ninety-nine percent sure she was abandoned. I found her behind a Walmart. I know I could've dropped her at the hospital, but I just..." You look down at her sleeping face. "She's just so little. And she needs human contact. Nurses are already overworked as it is. What harm is in taking her home?"

"Yeah, y'know what that is? A siren song. Pretty soon, you'll be fitting her for a domino mask and dressing her like a traffic light."

You roll your eyes. "Don't be silly. I wouldn't dare try to take Damian's title. Plus, traffic light color palettes are so outdated."

Jason pouts. "Are not."

You carefully stand, baby in your arms, and walk over to peck Jason on his cheek.

"Are too. Wanna hold her?"

Jason looks at her like she's a bomb. "I dunno. I might... what if I... hurt her?"

You frown. "You wouldn't hurt her, Jaybird."

"I might hold her wrong or make her cry, and then I'll have to throw myself off the roof."

"You are such a drama king. She's sleeping like a log. You won't wake her unless you scream in her ear."

Before Jason can reply, you're unloading her into his arms. He jumps into action, arms and hands awkward but trying. You smile gently.

"Put her head in the crook of your elbow. Yeah, good. Support her butt. Both arms. Yeah, good! Good job, honey."

You pat his arm. Jason looks spooked for a second, then seems to relax when she doesn't stir. She's cradled in his arms like she was made to fit there.

"Isn't she so cute?" you whisper.

"She is really cute. So small. God." He watches her for a moment, mouth downturned. "I was a small baby too."

"I bet you were a cute baby," you say, tucking a curl behind Jason's ear.

"Oh, sure. People came from all over the world to have a gander at the cutest baby on the planet. Looks like she's taken my title."

Jason starts to sway lightly, holding her like she's gold. You feel your face soften.

He must feel your eyes on him, because he looks up after a moment like he's expecting you to correct his posture. "What?"

You shake your head. "Nothing. Just... I'm just really in love with you, Jay."

Jason's cheeks turn pink. He bites the inside of his cheek.

"Oh. I'm, uh, really in love with you too."

You kiss him properly for that, and Jason hums into your mouth, then pulls back slightly.

"We can't keep the baby. Y'know that, right? I gotta marry you properly first," Jason says against your lips.

"This is the twenty-first century, buddy. People keep babies all the time, unwed or not."

"Yeah, I know. Still wanna marry you first."

You look down at the baby and give her an air kiss. Then you look up at Jason, putting on the saddest face you can muster. He sighs.

"Well," he says, gently touching her fingers. "Maybe we can keep her for a little while."