A positioned child needs a containing block. An absolutely positioned badge can be eight pixels from its card or eight pixels from the whole page, depending on which ancestor establishes that block. Relative positioning often provides the local context without moving the parent out of normal flow. Sticky positioning has another job: it follows scrolling until its inset reaches the edge of the scrolling container. You'll anchor a badge, overlay a caption, keep a scroll heading visible, and order overlapping layers. Check both the relationship and the dimensions. A larger z-index can't rescue an element that is positioned in the wrong place.