#I owe you a debt I can never repay because you wrote this series

[wide-awakeprincessfan]

This book series lives in my head rent-free. Seriously. I had a dream last night that E. D. Baker wrote a sequel series and was so excited. Then I woke up and it wasn't actually real 😭😭😭 But seriously, I have so many headcannons, thoughts, etc about this series. More to come in the future.

[dayseternal-blog]

do you know any mafia/spay nh au? 😁😁 thank you in advance!!

I do!  There are many!!  These are two of my favorite tropes to read!!!!!!!!!! 😄😄

NaruHina Mafia/Gangs AU

“When the Devil Picks Up a Stray” by callmesenorita - Rated E, A/B/O Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Hinata, an Omega, questions buried feelings when she decides to help a childhood friend who has adopted a new persona under the name Menma. Although their attraction is instant he is no longer the Naruto she once knew, and soon enough Hinata is thrust into a dangerous yakuza conspiracy. 

“Bound” by suryass - Rated E, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Series of One-shots/Incomplete. Mafia AU-Collection of oneshots.

“July - Movie-Inspired” from “Still Falling For You” by @chloelapomme - Rated T, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Naruto and Hinata peacefully live with each other. Well, almost peacefully…

“Powerless” by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated E for a lot of things like depictions of violence and character death, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. - His family’s past can’t be taken at face-value, and it comes clawing back to hurt him in ways that are out of his control.  DELETED FIC.

“Opposites Attract” by KyuubiLover100 - Rated E, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Citizens of Konoha all know that "The Light cannot exist without casting its Shadow." It's the unspoken system that the city runs on. Everyone knows their place and their roles. Those in the Shadows do what those in the Light cannot. Uzumaki Naruto knows this and has known this since he was young. Hyuuga Hinata knows this as well and understands her Father's wished, but still...

“put on your warpaint” by @borzbois - Rated M, Tattoo Artist/College AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Hinata meets a stranger with beautiful tattoos. She never could have guessed the turn her life would take when she asked to draw him.

“MOB” by @bkgsbby - Rated M (?, I think), Mafia/Arranged Marriage AU, Socmed format, Ongoing. When Hiashi can’t repay the debt he owes Kushina, he offers his daughter instead.

“All Kinds of Wrong” by Kieren - Rated E, Infidelity/Modern AU, One-shot. It was ironic how something so pure had sprung from such a sordid arrangement. They were perfect for each other. But they had met at the wrong time.

“Pink Chiffon” by @scalding-coffee-cup - Rated M, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. During the day, she wears pink chiffon and nude pumps; her glossed lips curve into an innocent smile. At night, she struts down the alleyway in black stilettos and wears a scowl on her red lips. The pistol is her most expensive accessory.

“Molasses” by EroPrincess - Rated E, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Adult film star, Hinata Hyuga, encounters a fledgling underground kingpin, Naruto Uzumaki. Is it possible for a romance to blossom between two people from very different worlds?

“Second Chances” by enzhe - Rated T, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Namikaze Naruto was abducted, then declared dead. Twelve years after he disappeared, his parents find him: now a scrappy, reckless teenager, with good friends, a lot of trauma, and ties to the murderous, anarchist Nine-Tails gang. As the family tries to put itself together, trust breaks, hurts heal, and the power struggles that led to Naruto's abduction resurface.

“Dirtbags// The Fox” by OwlwaysHungry - Rated M, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto and his friends end up having to work for a notorious drug dealing gangster by the name of Kyuubi after a not so satisfying night out.

“a home is a dream” by girlbaldwin - Rated M, Modern AU, One-shot. Naruto Uzumaki returns home with all the force maelstrom, three days after her husband’s disappearance and six years since she went and stumbled on Neji’s body floating in the creek downtown.

“Gangster AU” from “Tales of Two Ninjas” by @magmawrites​ - Rated M, Modern AU, One-shot. This world is an endless cycle of destruction, no matter how hard you try to stop it and sometimes the innocent get involved in the crossfire.

“What He Wants” by agitosgirl - Rated M, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Hinata Hyuuga is an average girl struggling, and failing to stay on top of things. But everything in her life changes once she meets a handsome stranger at club. She knows that he wants her, but doesn't realize that he has the power, and the determination to do whatever it takes to make her his, no matter the cost.

Untitled collab w/ @matchaball for anon by @utsus​ - Rated T, Modern AU, One-shot. Prompt: She’s his ace in the cards that no one sees coming (that they honestly should’ve seen) and yes: she dislikes violence.

NaruHina Spy AU

“Made in Heights” by @utsus - Rated E, Modern AU, Long One-Shot/Incomplete. Hinata is definitely skilled enough to infiltrate the highly secured Uchiha party and steal sensitive intel that will save lives.  It’s just a matter of making it out alive.

“Spy AU” from “Tales of Two Ninjas” by @magmawrites - Rated M, Modern AU, One-shot. They were one of the best teams The Agency had ever seen. Until they broke one of their most important rules…don’t fall in love with your partner.

“Lady Usagi” by @mmmbuttery - Rated G, Canon-Divergent AU, One-shot. A quiet girl working in an inn meets a noisy young lord, but all is not as it seems.

Untitled wip by @matchaball - Rated T, Modern AU, One-shot. He will always entrust her to watch his back in a heartbeat.

“Team 7″,  “Team 8″, and “Stellar Interview” by Journalist298 - Rated T, Modern AU, 3 Related one-Shots. Stories of the Konoha Security Agency.

“Reaching you” by Wasabisugar - Rated M, College/University AU, Multi-chapter, Unfinished. As an undercover elite spy with a mission expected to last several years ahead, Hinata is ordered to acquire information from the owner of La Vie Global Resorts - Uzumaki Naruto - surrounding a massive drug deal. However, the man she's met with is nothing like what she expected and she soon finds herself developing feelings for the one person she is set out to expose.

And there’s the one I wrote “Undercover” - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Unfinished. Naruto and Hinata join the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Land of Fire's Daimyo. But not really. Their mission is to smoke out the rat among them who's selling political secrets to insurgents, while making sure the other Guardians don't figure them out. Neither can tell when their acting became so convincing. 

That’s everything I could think of!!!!!!  I worked all night on this omg why 😪 lol It’s because I kept on rereading!!!!!  HOW COULD I NOT WITH THIS GOLD.

PLEASE ENJOY!!!  HAPPY READING!!!!

[aros001]

First time read through light novel vol. 4. Random thoughts.

So this is where mayonnaise came into the story. I still remember my sheer utter confusion over the mayo bath in the Memory Snow OVA, having no memory of the anime ever bringing up any of Subaru's love for the condiment. As a positive for him at least, it's cool that Emilia apparently really likes it too and that he's the one who figured out how to makes the stuff in this new world.

“The lad’s eyes interested me ever so slightly. They said he has crossed the boundary of death. Many come close to the line, stop, and draw back, but...” Wilhelm lowered his lids in thought as his words trailed off. “Those are the eyes of one who has crossed once, no...several times, and returned. I know of no such being. You might say I was compelled by curiosity.”

How would he know what the eyes of someone like that look like if he's never met anyone like that before Subaru?

“Listen and be amazed, look and be astounded! Behold, the ultimate combat technique—RoSciPer!!”

“What is that...thing?! You did not inform me such a hand was possible!”

“Shut up! I didn’t mention it, but it’s your fault you didn’t ask! That part is rock, this here’s scissors, and over there is paper! In other words, my hand’s beaten your rock!”

That is so freaking petty. But on the other hand, maybe Priscilla would respect him for it anyway? I could see her having no problem with winning however you can, even if it's by being unfair and tricking your opponent, as long as you keep your own pride.

“—But I wonder what Master Roswaal is thinking?”

She inclined her head slightly as she voiced her doubts about the instructions her master had left that morning.

“He said, ‘Do not stand in Subaru’s way no matter what Lady Emilia may say to you.’”

It was as if he’d anticipated Subaru’s actions and had instructed her accordingly. She also wondered why he was valuing Subaru’s opinion above Emilia’s.

Hmm...now that's curious.

“That’s right, bro. It’s been eighteen years since I got summoned here. I lost my arm around the same time... Right around the age you are right now.”

Just like that, Al confessed to Subaru that he’d experienced the same situation.

...Wait...WHAT?! If this was in the anime then I completely forgot about it because holy sh*t, Al is from another world too?! And according to him he arrived 18 years ago and was about the same age as Subaru is (and Subaru is roughly 17, isn't he?). No idea if he can Return By Death and if he can he might have the same penalty for trying to talk about it as Subaru does, so he obviously couldn't talk about it, but this is a huge deal. It's a great bit to add to Subaru's story, showing off what could have happened to him and what he could still eventually become. It probably deepened his obsession with Emilia a little bit too, since she's the main difference between him and Al.

“Unfortunately, Lady Emilia, this is not the time or place for you to argue. If all the facts become clear, Subaru will be staying here...for a very, veeery long time.”

Okay, Roswaal f**king knows and is planning something.

They talk about a Dragon Tablet handed down by Holy Dragon Volcanica, which has given predictions and warnings about great disasters that did actually occur. Naturally, my first thoughts are that this Holy Dragon (or whoever wrote the tablet) might have had abilities like Subaru's RBD and that he'll have his own role to play.

Felt might be a long lost princess of the royal family that was wiped out in a strangely specific plague and Subaru met both her and Emilia first in this world because she stole for her the thing that proved she was a worthy candidate for being a Dragon Maiden. It kind of feels like the Witch of Envy is like the Force from Star Wars with how well she made the destinies and chance encounters line up.

I never really liked Ferris that much, and not because he's a cat-boy trap. It's more the way he talks. I like things that are cute but I can't stand things that are cutesy.

While Crusch's idea for the future of the kingdom is nothing that should be rushed, and most certainly should be done with care as not to piss off the dragon, I get where she's coming from, that they are too reliant on the dragon's blessings and not doing enough for themselves. It's a classic argument I've seen plenty in superhero stories. There's no denying the heroes have done a lot of good but when the people become too dependent on them and if/when the heroes can't help anymore, what's going to happen then? It's one of my favorite plot points in My Hero Academia, where common citizens thinking "It's fine, a hero will show up and take care of it." and not helping where they should have eventually gave rise to one of their world's most dangerous and infamous supervillains.

“A-and now you make threats. These words and this show of force convey, ‘Do as I say or you shall be an icicle.’ If this is not blackmail, what is...?!”

Then, Emilia wholeheartedly affirmed his suspicions.

“—Yes, I am threatening you.” She continued, “I shall make my case to the esteemed members of the Council of Elders once more. My name is Emilia. I spent a long time in the Great Forest of Elioor, the World of Eternal Frost, and am served by Puck, the Great Spirit that governs fire mana. I am a silver-haired half-elf. The people of the nearby villages called me...”

Emilia paused, surveying the faces of the Council of Elders on the dais.

“...the Freezing Witch, born in the Frozen Forest.”

Holy sh*t, I am way more into Emilia's character here than I was in the anime! That was awesome! Her whole speech after too and her finally being given some respect. It's not like she didn't have any personality or agency in the anime. It's not like she could have just been replaced by a sexy lamp and nothing would be different like you could with the heroines of other series. But she definitely feels like she has more here, like there's more fire to her. Like hot damn, even I want to see her become queen now!

...And then Subaru opens his mouth again...and promptly inserts his foot.

Yeah, I suppose Subaru white knighting for Emilia in front of all the actual white knights is probably one of the more infamous scenes of the series, huh? It's one of those weird things where you feel you know what Subaru should have done but at the same time, if he hadn't snuck into the castle, we wouldn't have gained his relationships with Priscilla and Al or have seen as much of the meeting as we did. It's good for the story and eventually it's good for character development but it's hard not to wince a little at everything Subaru does in this part, especially because he himself reflects and feels guilty at a few points about how badly he could have messed everything up for Emilia and Roswaal.

I've thought a lot more about Subaru's white knighting ever since I watched the anime, mostly because of characters like Motoyasu from Rising of the Shield Hero and Mitsurugi from Konosuba; two LN series I read before this one. Chivalry isn't a bad thing. Trying to stand up and fight for someone you care about isn't a bad thing. But like Emilia points out, she never asked Subaru to do any of that for her. She didn't want him to do any of that for her. In fact, he deliberately went against what she did ask of him to go and do all of that. With these three characters, the problem with their white knighting is that they're doing it with no regard to what the person they're white knighting for actually wants. In many cases, like Emilia also points out, Subaru wasn't really doing it for her. He was doing it for himself. To make himself feel better. To place himself closer to her. And she's not exactly wrong that their relationship seems to be entirely just two people repaying their debts to each other, even though she has no idea what debt Subaru feels he owes her.

The ironic thing is, if Subaru wanted to get closer to Emilia and have value to her, he already found a way to do that in one of his previous lives. On his second or third loop in the mansion arc, Puck told him that Emilia doesn't have a lot of experience with friends and really wants some. During that loop, Subaru and Emilia are just hanging out, enjoying each other's company, laughing. It's made clear she does genuinely like having him around. Just being her friend was enough for her and there's still plenty of ways her friend could have helped her through such a trying time, without embarrassing her in front of everyone in the castle or making her think it's her fault he keeps getting hurt.

I think Subaru's big problem, and what he needs to grow out of, isn't that he's an idiot (though he can certainly do dumb things) but rather that he's immature. Not immature like he's a child (though sometimes...) but immature in that he hasn't developed enough to properly react to certain situations. He was a shut-in who constantly skipped school. He doesn't have a lot of experience with other real people and doesn't know how to properly interact with them, defaulting too often to what he's seen in fantasy stories. I think that's a problem both he and Rem share to an extent. They don't know what it means to be in love. That's not to say that Subaru's love for Emilia isn't real or that Rem's love for Subaru isn't real. Rather that they don't know what to do with it. They don't know how they should act towards the person they're in love with or how to show their love, so too often they default to either obsession or devotion or both. And so if they want to have a healthy, happy relationship with the person they love, they have to acknowledge and address their own immaturity and basically grow up a bit.

Nice little detail that Julius beat on Subaru to keep any other knights from going after and possibly killing him...and because he was at least a little annoyed by Subaru's words. He's a good guy...but still human.

And again with Roswaal working things behind the scenes. He gave orders for Subaru (or at least a servant bearing his family crest like Subaru would be) to be allowed to pass into the castle. I imagine he did have a back-up plan for if Subaru never showed up but the man definitely knows or suspects something about Subaru and/or what's going on with him. I mean, benefit of the doubt, if he doesn't know about RBD, from the outside it does look like Subaru has some kind of prophetic abilities, as twice now he's known about future events that would have destroyed everything Roswaal's been working towards and used that knowledge to prevent them. Making things easier for Subaru to act just in case he had another "vision" would have been in Roswaal's best interest. He might be thinking Subaru is like the Holy Dragon, thus Roswaal has his own personal Dragon Tablet. But I can't help but feel things go deeper than that. At the very least I'm glad Subaru's outburst and Roswaal trying to smite him with fire was apparently part of the plan. 1, Roswaal is just a really fun character and I don't want to lose that, but 2, he definitely seems like a guy you don't want to have against you.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Re_Zero/comments/gontd5/novels_first_time_read_through_light_novel_vol_4/

[mymindsmadness]

Dear Drarry, the final installment

I was going to save this for Fanfic!Friday, but it’s the conclusion, so I thought it needed its own day. Yes, the Dear Drarry series is coming to an end! 

I’ve so enjoyed writing these, but I think it’s time for them to come to an end. As this is the final in the series, I played around with the idea of multiple POV’s. So in this we’ll see both sides of the conversation between Harry and Draco. 

In this one:

Draco knew that after the war, everything had to change. Starting with the life debt he owed Potter… maybe he’d just write instead. He never expected to keep writing...

Warnings: EWE

EDIT: Shout out to Anon that pointed out it was Vincent that burned in the fire, not Greg! Idk where my head was lol

Previously:

Dear Mrs. Malfoy || Dear Mum and Dad || Dear Ronald Weasley ||

November 28th 2001

Dear Potter,

I wanted to formally thank you for returning my wand now that I have paid my debt to the wizarding world. Mother would also like to extend her gratitude. 

As I’m sure you’re aware, even before you chose to testify at my trial, you were owed a life debt on behalf of my family for what you did the Room of Requirement.

Debts aside, I’ve come to realize that I’ve never really thanked you for choosing to not let me be consumed in the fire as Vincent was.

So… thank you. I’m sure you doubt the sincerity of my gratitude due in no small part to our history, but please believe me when I say I am begrudgingly truly thankful.

Now, if we could perhaps come to terms on a way to settle our life debt, I would be happy to leave you to your life as ‘the most promising auror in wizarding history’. It seems the Prophet has not bored of featuring you. I suppose congratulations are in order to both you and Weaslet Ginevra.  

I’ll be awaiting your owl,

Draco Malfoy

◢◢◢◢◢◢

 December 3rd, 2001

 Dear Malfoy,

How do you manage to sound like a ponce in a letter?

You don’t need to thank me for saving your life, Malfoy. And you don’t need to pay me back either. It’s not something I did to get one-up on you. I would have saved anyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t save Crabbe.

And don’t even mention the Prophet. They’re just as untrustworthy as ever. Ginny and I broke up over a year ago; we just kept it quiet. She’s been dating some bloke from an American quidditch team I’ve never heard of. They just got engaged. Naturally, the Prophet saw the ring and jumped to conclusions.

I saw that you and err… Astonia was it? I saw your wedding announcement in Quibbler. I didn’t know you and Luna were friends.

Seriously, don’t worry about any life debts.

Harry Potter

◢◢◢◢◢◢

 December 16th, 2001

Dear Potter,

Did you seriously write ‘err’? You know you don’t have to write everything you think, don’t you?

Astoria and I were engaged to be wed, yes. That arrangement was set up long before I was even born. Seeing as I am venturing away from the pureblood traditions and beliefs that got me imprisoned in the first place, I called off the wedding. Normally, I would entertain my mother’s wishes, but Astoria and I didn’t quite see eye to eye – or rather we saw a certain aspect very simil

As I share her interest in men, I didn’t think it fair to enter into a marriage with her. Although I do not hide who I am, I would prefer you didn’t sell that information to any papers.

Lovegood and I are on speaking terms. I find her presence to be calming, if not entertaining.

As for the life debt, it’s not as simple as dissolving it. There are magics that bind. Traditionally, I would have to offer you my first born as a potential match for one of your children. Seeing as I don’t have any children and doubt that you would care for my first born, we must come to an agreement that suits both parties.

Draco Malfoy

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 December 18th, 2001

Dear Malfoy,

Me? Me sell information? I think you have me confused with a pointy git we went to Hogwarts with. No, I would never sell information to the papers. Perhaps I’ll have badges made though. Bright green ones that read ‘Malfoy’s Bent’. It seems only fair.

I don’t want your first born. I doubt I’ll even have a first born of my own. Looks like we have something in common after all – Ron would be mortified. Ginny and I split because I was finally able to admit to myself that I fancy blokes. I suppose it should have been obvious when I followed you aro

If you have to settle this ridiculous life debt why not just give me a book or something, yeah? It just has to be something doesn’t it?

Forget that last. I just asked Hermione and she looked at me like I kicked a house elf. She said it must be something important, but I don’t really need anything. And I don’t want to take anything that’s important away from you.

Look, I know we’re not exactly friends, but a bunch of us are going to the pub before the holidays to celebrate. It’s on the 22nd. You should come. We could talk about all this life debt business over a pint and you can make Ron turn that shade of red that makes his hair look orange.

Harry

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 December 27th, 2001

 Dear Potter,

I only now just recovered from the hangover that concoction you made gave me. Did you know that it was impervious to hangover potions? I didn’t even think that was possible. I suppose it was worth it to watch Weasley sweet-talk a coat rack for the better part of an hour.

It occurred to me Christmas morning that we never did get around to talking about the life debt. Mother asked about it last night at dinner and was sorely disappointed with me for not repaying you yet. I know you’ve had very little interaction with my mother, but she is not someone that you want to be cross with you.

Draco Malfoy

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 December 28th, 2001

Malfoy,

On assignment. Not sure how your owl got through the wards. I’ll write you as soon as I’m back.

You called me Harry that night. You could, you know? Call me Harry.

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 6th 2002

Dear Granger,

I’m sorry to be writing you. I know despite the evening we spent at the Leaky Caldron we are not exactly on speaking terms. First, I want to apologize for the way I acted in school. I have a vague memory of apologizing the night of the 22nd, but as I can hardly remember it, I don’t think that should count. Perhaps you would allow me to buy you lunch one day this week to apologize properly? I prefer it be in muggle London so I will actually be served.  

However, the reason I write you is because I haven’t heard from Potter in quite some time. I do not know him well enough (nor do I feel comfortable) to seek him out at the ministry. Last I heard he was on an assignment. If he wanted to stop talking to me, he could have just stated as much.

Regards,

Draco Malfoy

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 7th, 2002

Dear Malfoy,

I think lunch would be lovely. We’re far too old to carry on this ridiculous feud. I remember you starting to apologize, but then you started rambling about the colour green. Perhaps we had all been too liberal with Harry’s ‘special drink’. Still, it would be nice to get a proper one. Maturity or not, you said some pretty awful things. 

As for your question, no I haven’t heard from Harry. Or Ron for that matter. They’re on the same assignment and were due back yesterday. Though, it’s not unusual for their assignments to run long. If I hear anything before you do, I’ll write you myself.

Try not to worry. Harry is a very competent auror.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger-Weasley

Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 7th, 2002

Dear Granger,

I’m not worried.

Why would I worry about Pott

It’s not as if I care if someth

How is Wednesday for lunch?

Draco Malfoy

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 11th, 2002

Dear Draco,

It’s okay that I called you Draco isn’t it? It feels silly to still be using each other’s surnames. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to write you sooner. We got caught in a magical vortex and had to walk out of the jungle with a muggle guide. But that’s confidential, so pretend I never said anything.

Hermione told me you had lunch yesterday. Well, I think that’s what she told me. I hardly stayed at the DMLE long enough to get debriefed. I’m exhausted and a mess but I wanted to write you as soon as I got home.

Hermione also said something about you asking after me? If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were worried. I like it.

I kept notes while I was out there. Little things I saw and wanted to remember to tell you. Ron thought I was losing my mind. Forest fever he called it, but I don’t think that’s right.

I think I’ve just gotten used to writing you. I look forward to it now. Don’t let it feed that abnormally large ego of yours.

Since I wrote enough down to send you another letter and you insist that we talk about this life debt, why don’t we have dinner tomorrow? I can even cook if you don’t feel like going out.

Harry

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 11th, 2002

Dear Harry,

I’m glad to see you’re recovering from your delusions well. Terrible thing that is, losing one’s mind. And you had so little to spare from the start. I’m glad to hear you’re okay though. I know you have a history of personal injury.

Be careful, Potter. Wanting to share things with me? Wanting to cook me dinner? One would think you were a Hufflepuff in search of a date.

Draco

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 11th, 2002

Draco,

Okay, it’s a date. Seven work for you?

And if we’re going to date, and I was kind of hoping we could, you should call me Harry.

Harry

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 11th, 2002

Harry,

Bleeding Gryffind..

Seven is fine. I’ll bring wine.

See you then… Harry.

Draco

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 March 12th, 2004

Harry,

This really needs to stop. My mother is insistent that we settle our life debt. We’ve talked about this for years – years, Harry.

And before you ask, no. It can’t be a book or a broom or anything else you’ve found lying around and tried to pawn the life debt off on. It has to be something meaningful to me – to the Malfoy name. Something that holds the essence of life and is equal to the gift you’ve given me by saving mine.

I know you’re on assignment, but I also know that you’re able to receive and respond to owls – Hermione told me. When you get home we’re going to settle this once and for all! I’m very cross with you. I might even throw away those tattered trainers you insist on keeping.  

I want this settled Harry! Start thinking about things!

Draco

◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 11th, 2002

 Draco,

I’ll have you know that I’ve actually given it a great deal of thought. Something that is important to you. Something that holds the ‘Malfoy essence’ which I still think sounds incredibly dirty as I’ve already held the Malfoy essence on several dozen occasions.

It seems you can repay me with your first born after all. Or rather, your life. I’ll take that last name too, while I’m at it.

Should have just waited a few more days and I could have asked you properly. There’s a ring in my bedside table, you spoiled git.

Harry

P.S. Don’t touch my trainers or I’m revoking my proposal

 ◢◢◢◢◢◢

 January 11th, 2002

Harry,

Did you just… 

You didn’t just…

You absolute Neanderthal! How on earth am I going to tell people (my mother!) that you proposed via letter!?

  ... However...I suppose it does meet the requirements… and the ring isn’t terribly gaudy. It will serve the debt.

Now hurry home so I can say yes properly.

I love you, you ridiculous Gryffindor.

Draco.

[teamevilwinter-blog]

Luna ( A Winter Soldier Story) Part 12

Pairing: Bucky x OC(Luna) 

Summary:  Character is a super soldier who escaped Hydra after S.H.E.I.L.D fell. As she recounts her past she finds herself in New York City seeking out a certain soldier who is the only one who can help her find peace within herself. This chapter is the conclusion to the series.

Word Count: 2,130 

A/N: I am so relieved to finally have this out. I havent updated in literally forever!! Enjoy! 

Catch up here:  Luna Masterlist  

~ Part 11 ~

Bucky’s POV

“How could this have happened!?! I thought she was under security!!” I shouted at Stark as Steve attempted to pull me back by the arm. I knew it was wrong to be directing all my anger at Stark, especially after all he had done to save Luna in the first place. 

Stark was quick to retort, “I am not the one who should be at blame here! You were the last person to see her before she left. So let me ask you this Barnes. What the hell happened?” 

Steve stepped in between us putting an end to the argument, “This is not the time to be throwing around accusations! We have to focus on the matter at hand. Which is that Luna is gone.” 

“Ran away, seems more fitting.” All heads turned to the figure leaning against the doorway. It was Romanoff, just come back from security central. “I obtained the security footage from the past few hours. While Luna may have disabled the alarms, she left the cameras alone.” 

The red head made her way over to a monitor and synced up her tablet to show us the footage. The first clip was of the hallway just outside this room. The guard was there, this time standing tall and alert. Moments passed and the door creeped open a crack. Something was thrown into the hallway, catching the guards attention. By the time he turned back, it was too late. Luna had used the distraction to her advantage and swung a solid hit to his jaw. The guard stumbled and then Luna swiped at his face, leaving a nasty cut above his eye. 

“What did she use to cut him?” Stark asked, clearly as stunned as the rest of us. 

“Most crucial tip of any assassin: anything can be used as weapon. By the looks of it this room has no shortage of possible ideas.” Natasha replied, her arm gesturing to the multiple items in the room. 

The next several clips showed Luna taking out guard after guard expertly until she finally made it to security central. According to Stark, the whole reason the alarms didnt go off when she left the tower was because Luna hacked into the system and shut it down. 

“We underestimated her.” Steve said what we were all thinking. 

Natasha nodded her head in agreement. “Not to mention she just had surgery. If she can take out this entire tower’s security while still in recovery, imagine her potential when she’s in full health.” 

“Like you said she’s an assassin-” Stark added. 

“- Ex-assassin…. Don’t forget she’s no longer Hydra.” My voice was clipped and no doubt my expression matched. 

Stark threw me a look of pure venom before continuing. “Like I was saying, Luna is an ex-assassin who just perfectly demonstrated she had the ability to leave this tower any time she wanted. But she didn’t because she had no reason to. Now that she’s gone I wonder what her reason was.” 

Even though Stark didnt directly look at me while saying it, it was evident he knew something was up. 

Steve cleared his throat interrupting the thickening silence. “Buck, you mentioned a note when we first got here. That’s how you knew she was gone?” 

“Yeah, I um, found it in a book in her room. I was only there because I couldn’t sleep and found it…comforting.” I tried my hardest to make it sound as normal as possible. Like any guy would just enter a girls room and rifle through their reading selections. Gosh that was real smooth. 

I took the slip out my pocket, unfolded it and read the words that had initially made my heart stop: 

To whom it may concern, 

I’m sorry that I’ve left so abruptly. I couldn’t stand another second in that room or in this tower. I don’t wish for my departure to seem like I’m ungrateful for all that everyone has done for me. You’ve given me my life back and I will forever be thankful. 

 However in the process, some things have arisen that I must deal with on my own. There is no telling how long I will be gone but I assure you I will return to repay the debt that I so heavily owe. 

Thank you all again. And farewell....

Luna 

“’Some things have arisen’? What does she mean by that?” Natasha looked at the others in confusion. 

“Barnes?” I could feel Stark’s eyes boring into the side of my head. 

I sighed. Might as well just say it. “The Winter Soldier…killed Luna’s parents. A fact she became aware of when she experienced repressed memories during her surgery” I faced Stark and looked him dead on. “So technically your right. It is my fault. And so are a million other things. None of which I could control. This included. When I came to talk to her this evening she was….inconsolable. Nothing I said or did made anything better. So maybe I’m insane for saying this but…I think she did the right thing.” 

Stark failed to mask his��astoundment,”Are you insane?” 

“He’s right” Natasha stepped in before Stark could continue. “ Those tapes proved she can hold her own just fine. Not to mention she was already living alone for four years prior to coming here. With that aside, we have to consider her emotional state right now. A sudden onset of traumatic memories right after you’ve woken up from brain surgery is a lot. More than even she could handle. We all have our ways of coping. My guess is she didnt leave the city. Just went somewhere where she feels most at peace. To help her get through this.” 

“Oh my gosh.” I whispered. 

“What?” Steve stepped towards me. 

I help up the slip. “Theres a part of the note I didnt read to you. I thought it was just a rhyme that she wrote but I think its a clue. ‘The only place I feel free, amongst the stars I will be.’ Does New York City have an observatory of some sort?” 

“The closest is Staten Island. Which is way too far.” 

“Ok then….whats the tallest building in NYC?” I was starting to figure out where she might have gone. 

“One World Trade Center. Access to the roof is restricted but it has an observatory deck.” Natasha replied. 

“Thats it. I know she’s there.” I was out the door before anyone could question it. I heard Steve called out after me but my mind was already made. 

By the time I made it to the center it was just shy of 9 in the morning. I had opted to walk the whole way through the night using the time to think about what I would say once I found her. After buying a ticket I made my way to the observatory deck, as always keeping a low profile. 

I was surprised at the amount of people, considering how early it was. I searched the crowd looking out for that raven-haired bun I always saw on her. I walked over to the edge of the room passing a  few couples and families with some rowdy kids. 

I peered out of the floor to ceiling windows, tilting my head to the sky. Even though the stars had disappeared hours ago I still felt a strange closeness to it all. A sudden movement caught my right eye and I pivoted to look. Thats when I saw it. A streak of dark tresses piled high ontop of a head and flash of tan skin as the body moved swiftly back into the crowd. 

I took after her, delving between tourists and guides. I caught her just as she was about to enter the elevator to go down. “Luna!” 

The figure turned and thats when my hopes shattered. The girl, a complete and utter stranger, gave a look of bewilderment as she shook my arm away. “Hey! Can I help you sir?” 

“Uh, no. No I’m so sorry I thought you were someone else.” I stuttered out the apology. The girl gave me one last baffled look before stepping away into the elevator. 

I returned to the windows, more frustrated than ever. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she was never here at all. There was a couple not too far away from where I stood, silently admiring the horizon. What caught my attention wasn’t the unusual distance between them, but the girl herself. Or rather her hair. 

Usually I don’t take notice to stuff like that. But this was an exception. It cascaded down her back in loose curls stopping just above her waist. I felt weird staring but something about it just didn't seem right. The guy beside her  walked away revealing her face to me. 

I dared to sneak a glance and when I did I just about fell over. Luna didn't look surprised to see me, she just looked...exhausted. I saw her breathe in deeply but she made no move to walk over. So I did instead.

Just as I came within earshot she started to talk, "James, I have to apol–"

Before I could think about what I was doing I pulled her close to me and met my lips with hers. She tensed and that's when I realized I made a mistake kissing her. I was ready to pull away but then her hand found the back of my neck and she relaxed into the kiss.

My own hands migrated from her waist up to the base of her hair. My god this hair. Why on earth would she keep it up? It transformed her. So much so that I didn’t recognize her when I was initially passed her. 

The kiss grew deep as we disregarded our surroundings and focused soley on the two of us. 

“Hey you two! Get a room will ya?” A brutish voice yell from behind us. That seemed to snap us out of it as we broke apart. Luna was just as breathless as I. Her hand fell from my neck giving me the chance to grab it and guide her away to somewhere with less people. 

Luckily I found a small alcove away from the mass. I checked behind my shoulder out of habit. Then turned back to be met with those bright eyes of her. 

“James-” I raised my hand to stop her. 

“Luna, I knew what you were gonna say and it is not necessary to apologize.” My hands came to rest lightly on her shoulders. 

She gazed at me in confusion. “How can you say that? I practically threw a tantrum right in your face! I yelled and cried and didnt even give you a single chance to explain yourself!” 

“I know. And initially I was incredibly upset that you did that. But then I considered the circumstances. I sorta know what it feels like to wake up from a surgery with your whole life changed.” 

Luna glanced down at my left arm as I saw her visibly gulp. “James....as much as you don't want me to say it, I have to take responsibility for my actions. I probably caused quite the scene back at the tower.” 

I couldn't help but scoff slightly. “Yeah, you could say that.” 

Luna’s expression hinted at guilt. “Is anyone seriously hurt?” 

“Not seriously. Some of those guards may be walking around for awhile with some nasty bruises but they’ll be fine. I have to say though, what you pulled off was pretty impressive despite the circumstances.” 

She sighed, looking off in the direction of the masses. “I completely regret it. I wasn't thinking straight y’know? Just needed to get out of there. Now I doubt Tony will ever let me in the Tower again.” 

That caught me off guard. “Your saying you would return??” 

Luna leaned against the alcove, crossing her arms. “Well of course but I’ve kinda ruined my chances now.” 

I chuckled softly at that. “Your crazy if you think Stark would kick you out of the tower. I mean yeah the guy has got issues, but he isn't cold-hearted. Besides everyone is sorta getting used to having you around. And with talents like yours maybe some day you could be an agent.” 

She looked up at me with hope in her eyes “You really believe that?” 

I stepped towards her, closing the gap between us. “Of course I do.” 

Luna looked down for a moment and when she came back up I noticed a glimmering in her eyes. I wrapped her in a hug as she began to cry. 

Through the quiet sobs, I heard her tearful words. 

“Thank you Bucky. Without you I wouldn't have gotten my life back. Without you I would have ceased to be Luna. Thank you.” 

MMMMMMM The end? Not so fast. there is a very cute epilogue heading your way! 

Tags: @nodramaaloud @peony13 @chipilerendi

[sineala]

Bullet Points

Hey, Tumblr! I wanted to tell you about Bullet Points, my new favorite canonical Marvel AU, so that maybe I can convince you to love it too! So I have prepared a summary and picspam! I had not even heard of Bullet Points until I found someone on the internet saying there should be Steve/Tony fanfic set in Bullet Points. And then I read Bullet Points, and oh my God, does there ever need to be Steve/Tony fanfic set in Bullet Points.

(Don't worry, I have written some, because I try to be the change I want to see. But there needs to be more!)

Bullet Points is a five-issue limited series from 2007 by J. Michael Straczynski and Tommy Lee Edwards. It's definitely of interest to Steve/Tony fans, or at least to Steve/Tony fans who are willing to do a bit of work with the timeline to get them together. But I am pretty sure Steve/Tony fandom will like the premise.

You see, Bullet Points is a universe where skinny Steve Rogers is Iron Man in World War II. And he survives World War II. I knew you were interested.

Bullet Points takes place on Earth-70105. On this Earth, Erskine is shot the night before Rebirth is scheduled to happen -- and without Erskine, Rebirth doesn't happen. So skinny Steve Rogers, determined to serve, who has waited in line all night to have the first crack at Rebirth -- well, he impresses the men who are in charge of a different secret project. Project Iron Man.

Before we go on, I feel the need to inform you that Steve in Bullet Points is SUPER PRETTY. VERY VERY PRETTY. Here, I brought some visual aids:

(I happen to like the art style of Bullet Points a lot, but, yeah, it's all like this. Kind of dark and smeary.)

So the Army has this giant metal weaponized suit of armor, and only a skinny 4-F guy like Steve could ever fit inside. What a coincidence! But here's the catch: he's going to need to undergo surgery to have the chestplate physically wired to his heart, via electrodes. And he's going to have to have the chestplate for the rest of his life. The chestplate is part of the control system that connects the armor to his nervous system -- yeah, yeah, Comic Book Science -- and it also acts as a dead man's switch, because the armor will self-destruct if he dies or if the Axis tries to yank him out and put their own man in.

Here's some more pictures of Steve, looking very pretty and very earnest about wanting this opportunity to serve his country:

(I know he looks almost brunet, but he’s supposed to be blond. The actual brunets basically have their hair colored black. It’s very dark art.)

And here is Steve and his Iron Man suit, before they get hitched:

So after the surgery -- I will omit pictures of the surgery, but Steve is conscious the entire time and of course he toughs it out and says he can take it and urges them to keep going -- the Iron Man makes his debut at Guadalcanal. (Which is, like, two years after Erskine's death; I don't know what took so long.) And of course he saves the day.

A fact that is probably of interest to you h/c junkies is that fighting in the Iron Man suit causes Steve immense physical pain and exhaustion, but of course he keeps going, because he's Steve:

He doesn't get frozen. He fights all through the war. Later on we learn that the primary person responsible for keeping Steve in one piece is Reed Richards, who has taken time away from his outer space ambitions (yes, of course he still wants to go to space) to follow Steve around and patch him up:

(You could probably ship Reed/Steve if you wanted. I'm just saying.)

Now I will briefly summarize some of the rest of the plot, which does intersect with the Steve plot, although honestly mostly I was just here for the Steve (and Tony) stuff and I disagree with some of the plot choices in the rest of it.

Anyway. Erskine wasn't the only death, the night before Rebirth. The MP guarding him was also gunned down -- with the same bullet -- and that man's name was Benjamin Parker. Yep. That would be Peter's Uncle Ben. Who he never gets a chance to meet. And without Uncle Ben's stabilizing influence in his life -- because, what, Aunt May doesn't count? -- he grows up into a brash, risk-taking kind of kid. The story skips ahead to when he's a teenager; we don't get precise dates, but based on the fact that the rest of modern Marvel is kicking off in these issues, and based on the design of the cars, I'm gonna date it to the early 60s. Anyway, Peter's on a field trip and his friends dare him to steal a jeep and so they do and eventually Peter ends up wandering into the gamma bomb test site and... yep, he becomes the Hulk. Yeah, okay. Fine. (Later on it turns out that Bruce Banner is in fact Spider-Man. And Strange becomes Wolverine but Wolverine is also still Wolverine. Making sense is not really a thing this AU has going for it.)

Steve, by the way, has just been given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is a colonel, is no longer on active duty, and Reed is still trying to talk him into actually retiring because he's probably going to kill himself if he fights again. Steve tells Reed he'll be fine and that Reed should go ahead and go on his rocket mission already and stop hanging around patching him up. I mention this scene because even middle-aged Steve is still SUPER PRETTY, oh my God. Look at him:

So of course when the Hulk starts rampaging through New York, the only person who has a shot at stopping him is, of course, Steve Rogers, the Iron Man. (They want to make more Iron Men, but unsurprisingly, very few people want to sign up for a lifetime physical bond to a suit of armor.) And so they pull him out of retirement, and they want him to suit up, and they want him to take down the Hulk.

(I think you can make a case that going in, Steve knows it isn't going to go well. He expresses doubt that the new armaments they're proposing can take down the Hulk, but he doesn't want them to pull Reed off his rocket project and help him, and, okay, now I kind of think Steve knows what he's in for, as I'm rereading this. But he goes anyway. Oh, Steve.)

Steve fights the Hulk.

Steve dies.

Sure, it's tragic. But it's noble, it's pretty much exactly the death Steve would have wanted, and honestly it's the kind of death that's really, really easy to AU. *cough*

And there's still more story left!

The Fantastic Four's launch is sabotaged. Sue, Johnny, and Ben die. Reed loses an eye. At the funeral, a shadowy government figure approaches him and offers him the chance to become part of SHIELD. So Reed actually ends up the director of SHIELD, because I guess the best qualifications for that are (a) going gray at the temples and (b) having an eyepatch. Yes, that means he basically looks exactly like 616 Fury. I hope JMS thought he was hilarious when he wrote this.

And this is where Tony Stark finally enters the picture.

Here he is. He's young and pretty:

He shows up at SHIELD because he wants the contract to make more Iron Men, and, as you can see, he wants to know why there aren't more. Reed's answer is that he doesn't want anyone to suffer like Steve did:

And Tony, because he's Tony, also wants to volunteer himself for the Iron Man testing:

Reed says no, because Tony has a heart condition.

Reed then introduces Tony to the actual candidate for the new Iron Man... Bucky Barnes. I neglected to mention this before, but we see Steve save Bucky's life during the war. (They don't seem to personally know each other; that's as close as they get in this AU.) Bucky feels that he owes Steve his life and wants to repay the debt. Tony thinks Bucky is a lousy candidate because he's old, but Reed is kind of snappish about being in charge here and wanting to pick someone who doesn't have a weak heart (and, understandably, Reed is sad about having lost everyone he's ever cared about and doesn't want anyone else to die). So Bucky is still the SHIELD pick for Iron Man.

Spoiler alert: Bucky does not get to be Iron Man.

Reed shows Tony around the helicarrier, introduces him to Bruce Banner (Spider-Man), and then... Galactus shows up. To destroy the planet. Yeah, it's pretty sudden.

(Also, weirdly, the beginning of the last issue dates it as forty years after Erskine's death (which would then be the 1980s), but I don't think that can be right, so I'm going to ignore that and pretend it's all still in the 60s sometime because it seems weird that Reed spent at least twenty whole years building SHIELD and wants to put 60-year-old Bucky in the suit. I know that Tony complains that Bucky is too old but that's really, really too old, isn't it? So I say we can totally ignore that dating and go with the 1960s.)

Right. Galactus. Oh no! Everyone's gonna die! But, wait, who is this dapper figure, stealing the Iron Man suit?

Did you guess Tony Stark? You did? Did you guess that he's going to be Iron Man even though his heart might give out from the strain? You did? Oh, Tony.

(Yeah, I'm not sure how he can wear the suit without having had the chestplate surgery either. Whatever! Comics!)

Anyway, everyone fights Galactus and the Hulk shows up and fights Galactus and dies and a lot of people die and it is noble and tragic but the Earth is saved and there is a big funeral at the end. I would just like to note that Tony survives; we see him in the background a few times. THE END.

So, obviously, I think this is perfect for Steve/Tony fandom. You can write fic where Steve doesn't die and he meets Tony! You can write fic where he and Tony knew each other at some point before the Hulk fight! Maybe Steve knew Tony when he was growing up! For the h/c fans, Steve and Tony can both have amazing chestplate-related Iron Man armor angst and pain! You can explore an all-new age difference because Steve is actually older than Tony! You can have a new and different take on Tony's hero worship of Steve, because Steve is Iron Man, because they're both Iron Man! So many story ideas!

Sure, you have to AU it! But think about, say, how many Noir Steve/Tony fics there are! And Steve doesn't even canonically exist in Marvel Noir!

The back of the Bullet Points trade paperback proclaims it to be "the Marvels of the new millennium" and while I enjoyed it a lot, as an assessment of its quality I think it's fair to say that it is definitely not the next Marvels, although from a perspective of the feels it gives me it was certainly worth it. It wasn't what you might call especially popular, meaning that I was able to find the TPB for approximately $3 new. It's on comiXology and Marvel Unlimited as well. So it is definitely easy to find and read! You all should read it! And then come write fic with me!

[seekfirstme]

The following reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2020. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

Meditation: Does mercy overlook justice? Justice demands that everyone be given their due. So when is it right to show mercy and pardon to those who have acted unjustly or wrongly? The prophet Amos speaks of God forgiving transgression three times, but warns that God may not revoke punishment for the fourth (see Amos 1:3-13; 2:1-6). When Peter posed the question of forgiveness, he characteristically offered an answer he thought Jesus would be pleased with. Why not forgive seven times! How unthinkable for Jesus to counter with the proposition that one must forgive seventy times that.

No limit to granting forgiveness and pardon

Jesus makes it clear that there is no limit to giving and receiving forgiveness. He drove the lesson home with a parable about two very different kinds of debts. The first man owed an enormous sum of money - millions in our currency. In Jesus' time this amount was greater than the total revenue of a province - more than it would cost to ransom a king! The man who was forgiven such an incredible debt could not, however, bring himself to forgive his neighbor a very small debt which was about one-hundred-thousandth of his own debt.The contrast could not have been greater!

Jesus paid our ransom to set us free from the debt of sin

No offense our neighbor can do to us can compare with our own personal debt to God for offending him! We have been forgiven an enormous debt we could not repay on our own. That is why the Father in heaven sent his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who freely and willing gave up his life for our sake to ransom us from slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Paul the Apostle states, "you were bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 7:23 ) and that price was Jesus' death on the cross. Through the shedding of his blood on the cross, Jesus not only brought forgiveness and pardon for our offenses, but release from our captivity to Satan and bondage to sin.

Set free from futile thinking and sinful living

The Lord Jesus sets us free from a futile mind and way of living in sin and spiritual darkness. "You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers ...with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18). Christ "gave himself to redeem us from all iniquity" (Titus 2:14). Iniquity describes the futile ways of wrong thinking, sinful attitudes and wrong behavior, and disregarding or treating God's commandments lightly. We have been forgiven an enormous debt which we could never possibly repay. We owe God a debt of gratitude for the mercy and grace he has given us in his Son, Jesus Christ.

Forgiving others is a sacred duty

If God has shown mercy to us in granting us pardon for our sins, then we, in turn, must show mercy and forgiveness towards every person who has offended us. The willingness to forgive those who offend us is a sacred duty. If we expect God to pardon us and show us his mercy when we sin and disobey his commandments, then we must be willing to let go of any resentment, grievance, or ill-will we feel towards our neighbor. Jesus teaches us to pray daily for the grace and strength to forgive others in the same measure in which God has forgiven us (Matthew 6:12,14-15). If we do not show mercy and forgiveness to our fellow human beings, how can we expect God to forgive us in turn? The Apostle James says that "judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy" (James 2:13).

Mercy seasons justice and perfects it

Mercy is the flip-side of God's justice. Without mercy justice is cold, calculating, and even cruel. Mercyseasons justice assalt seasons meat and gives it flavor. Mercy follows justice and perfects it. Justice demands that the wrong be addressed. To show mercy without addressing the wrong and to pardon the unrepentant is not true mercy but license. C.S. Lewis, a 20th century Christian author wrote: "Mercy will flower only when it grows in the crannies of the rock of Justice: transplanted to the marshlands of mere Humanitarianism, it becomes a man-eating weed, all the more dangerous because it is still called by the same name as the mountain variety." If we want mercy shown to us we must be ready to forgive others from the heart as God has forgiven us. Do you hold any grudge or resentment towards anyone? Ask the Lord to purify your heart that you may show mercy and loving-kindness to all - and especially to those who cause you grief and ill-will.

"Lord Jesus, you have been kind and forgiving towards me. May I be merciful as you are merciful. Free me from all bitterness and resentment that I may truly forgive from the heart those who have caused me injury or grief."

The following reflection is from One Bread, One Body courtesy of Presentation Ministries © 2020.

YOU ARE A SIGN OF THE LIVING GOD

“I have made you a sign.” —Ezekiel 12:6

Radical forgiveness is a sign that amazes people. God asks Ezekiel to be a sign by performing a series of bizarre activities — going about blinded, walking aimlessly, acting as an exile. These behaviors were commanded by God to attempt to shock the Israelites into examining the reality of their distance from God.

A few weeks ago in the daily Mass readings, Jeremiah buried the loincloth (his underwear) in the rock in obedience to God’s command. Weeks later, when God directed him to retrieve the loincloth, it was wormy, rotted full of holes. That rotten underwear was a sign to Jeremiah’s hearers portraying their unfaithfulness in God’s sight.

Offering radical forgiveness to those who hurt us is likewise a sign meant to shock people into considering the faithful loving-kindness of God. The proper response to such a sign from God is repentance accompanied by obedient faith.

God says to you: “I have made you a sign” (Ez 12:6). People are looking at your life, much as they look to traffic signs for direction. What message do they see in your life? Will the way you respond to God encourage others to reform their lives and trust in God?

Prayer:  Father, grant that everyone who sees me may immediately turn their thoughts to Your merciful love.

Promise:  “Moved with pity, the master let the official go and wrote off the debt.” —Mt 18:27

Praise:  Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus demonstrate that rivals can reconcile — by surrendering to divine providence. The two men, often theologically antagonistic, were martyred together in Sardinia.

Reference:  (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for One Bread, One Body covering the period from August 1, through September 30, 2020. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio October 1, 2019"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements

[newstfionline]

Borrow $5,000, repay $42,000. How super high-interest loans have boomed

By Andrew Khouri and James Rufus Koren, Los Angeles Times, Jan 19, 2018

JoAnn Hesson, sick with diabetes for years, was desperate.

After medical bills for a leg amputation and kidney transplant wiped out most of her retirement nest egg, she found that her Social Security and small pension weren’t enough to make ends meet.

As the Marine Corps veteran waited for approval for a special pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs, she racked up debt with a series of increasingly pricey online loans.

In May 2015, the Rancho Santa Margarita resident borrowed $5,125 from Anaheim lender LoanMe at the eye-popping annual interest rate of 116%. The following month, she borrowed $2,501 from Ohio firm Cash Central at an even higher APR: 183%.

“I don’t consider myself a dumb person,” said Hesson, 68. “I knew the rates were high, but I did it out of desperation.”

Not long ago, personal loans of this size with sky-high interest rates were nearly unheard of in California. But over the last decade, they’ve exploded in popularity as struggling households--typically with poor credit scores--have found a new source of quick cash from an emerging class of online lenders.

Unlike payday loans, which can carry even higher annual percentage rates but are capped in California at $300 and are designed to be paid off in a matter of weeks, installment loans are typically for several thousand dollars and structured to be repaid over a year or more. The end result is a loan that can cost many times the amount borrowed.

Hesson’s $5,125 loan was scheduled to be repaid over more than seven years, with $495 due monthly, for a total of $42,099.85--that’s nearly $37,000 in interest.

“Access to credit of this kind is like giving starving people poisoned food,” said consumer advocate Margot Saunders, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. “It doesn’t really help, and it has devastating consequences.”

These pricey loans are perfectly legal in California and a handful of other states with lax lending rules. While California has strict rules governing payday loans, and a complicated system of interest-rate caps for installment loans of less than $2,500, there’s no limit to the amount of interest on bigger loans.

State lawmakers in 1985 removed an interest-rate cap on loans between $2,500 and $5,000. Now, more than half of all loans in that range carry triple-digit interest rates.

In 2009, Californians took out $214 million in installment loans of between $2,500 and $5,000, now the most common size of loan without a rate cap, according to the state Department of Business Oversight. In 2016, the volume hit $1.6 billion. Loans with triple-digit rates accounted for more than half, or $879 million--a nearly 40-fold increase since 2009.

The number of loans between $5,000 and $10,000 with triple-digit rates also has seen a dramatic 5,500% increase, though they are less common. In 2016, loans of that size totaled $1.06 billion, with $224 million carrying rates of 100% or higher.

Many of the loans can be tied to just three lenders, who account for half of the triple-digit interest rate loans in the popular $2,500-to-$5,000 size range. LoanMe, Cincinnati firm Check ‘n Go and Fort Worth’s Elevate Credit each issued more than $100 million in such loans in 2016, as well as tens of millions of dollars of loans up to $10,000 with triple-digit APRs.

Lenders argue they need to charge such high rates because the majority of these loans are unsecured: If borrowers stop paying, there are no assets for lenders to seize.

For these borrowers, pawn shops and local storefront lenders used to be the most likely options, but those businesses can’t match the volume or convenience of today’s online lenders, which can reach millions of potential borrowers on the internet.

Many banks don’t offer personal loans at all--and certainly not to customers with weak credit looking for fast cash. After the financial crisis, banks reined in their credit card offers and stopped offering mortgages and home equity loans to customers with bad credit.

“Unfortunately, banks and other traditional lenders refuse to make needed loans to a large segment of the population,” LoanMe executive Jonathan Williams wrote in an emailed statement. “We believe that these borrowers should be given the option to borrow at these higher interest rates rather than lose access to all credit.”

The cap on the size of payday loans also has played a role. In California, after fees, the most a customer can walk away with is $255.

Clark of Check ‘n Go, which for years offered only payday loans, said many of his customers switched to installment loans once the company started offering them in 2010.

“Consumers need larger amounts and more time to pay,” Clark said. “Demand was there.”

Lisa Servon, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who worked at a check-cashing store and a payday lender while researching her recent book--“The Unbanking of America: How the New Middle Class Survives”--said consumers with an urgent need for money aren’t in a position to shop around or wait even a few days for an approval.

“How much time from the moment I apply to the moment I have money in my hand?” she said. “That’s what people want to know.”

Caren Jefferson found herself in just such a situation 2½ years ago. The 50-year-old South Los Angeles resident, who had uterine cancer, was frequently overdrafting her bank account and desperate to pay bills. She estimated it took 24 hours or less for LoanMe to deposit $3,000 into her bank account.

Jefferson said she wasn’t told that the loan carried a 135% interest rate or that after an initial payment of $267 she would owe $351 a month for just shy of four years--though she clicked quickly through the online application without reading much of it.

A real estate escrow officer, Jefferson made only one payment before she started overdrafting again. She told LoanMe’s customer service department that she had made a “big financial mistake.”

“Being desperate for money may lead one to make a bad/hasty decision,” she wrote the company in October 2015, according to a letter contained in a lawsuit she filed alleging unfair debt collection practices by LoanMe. “I have to rob Peter to pay Paul and someone will go unpaid.”

Many consumer advocacy groups consider these loans predatory by nature, with desperate borrowers taken in by aggressive marketing and promises of quick cash.

“They’re exploiting people’s financial hardships,” said Liana Molina of the California Reinvestment Coalition. “You can’t make a rational decision when you’re in a moment of crisis.”

What’s more, advocates argue that installment loan companies do little to determine whether borrowers can repay a loan, because it’s just not that important to them.

“As long as the borrower pays long enough before defaulting, a high-rate installment loan will be profitable,” the National Consumer Law Center said in a 2016 report.

If a borrower, such as Jefferson, makes only a few payments, a lender is certainly losing money. But if Jefferson had made a year’s worth of payments, LoanMe would have received $4,129, about $1,000 more than she borrowed--and Jefferson would still be on the hook for more than $12,000 in payments.

Many lenders, including LoanMe, Elevate and Check ‘n Go, do not charge a prepayment penalty, so borrowers can save thousands of dollars if they pay off their loans early.

In the case of Hesson, the LoanMe borrower who has diabetes, it might not have taken advanced analytics to know she’d run into trouble.

When Hesson applied for her $5,125 loan in May 2015, she had just received the last monthly payment from a long-term disability insurance policy. Without that $1,900, she had income of about $2,900 a month from Social Security, alimony and a small pension.

Her rent at a seniors-only apartment complex plus utilities and monthly payments for two larger loans totaled about $2,600.

LoanMe payments added $495, bringing her total obligations to $200 more than her monthly income. And that’s without even considering her medical bills, or food, cable, internet access and other miscellaneous expenses.

Hesson knew she did not have the money to repay LoanMe. But she was hoping the loan would tide her over until she could qualify for an additional federal pension--which ended up being denied.

“I didn’t like not paying bills,” she said. “But they made it so easy.”

Advocates say Hesson’s story has become common over the last several years.

Leigh Ferrin, an attorney at the nonprofit Public Law Center in Santa Ana, said about 1 in 3 bankruptcy cases that crosses her desk has a high-interest installment lender as a creditor.

“We see loans with 90% APR, 100%, 130%--that’s the new normal, which is kind of depressing,” she said.

When borrowers stop paying, lenders say they have little recourse to get the money they are owed--though that doesn’t mean they don’t try.

Jefferson, the LoanMe borrower, asked for a settlement or deferred payments, telling the company she hoped to provide a Thanksgiving meal and Christmas presents for her 5-year-old granddaughter.

“I am trying to make it so I can pay you and still live,” she wrote to LoanMe.

She said the company’s customer service representatives told her they didn’t offer settlements or modifications. One, she said, even scolded her for taking out a loan “if you didn’t know what you were doing.”

Collection calls came as many as 15 times a day on her cell, land line and at the office. Jefferson said she blocked LoanMe’s number, only to have the Orange County company call with Los Angeles area codes.

“I was going to bed and waking up to LoanMe,” she said.

LoanMe never sued Jefferson to recover money owed, but that is not always so.

In 2016 and 2017, LoanMe sued more than 3,000 borrowers in Los Angeles County small claims court, seeking repayment.

And in numerous bankruptcy cases, LoanMe has gone after borrowers alleging they either took out loans with no intent to repay them or were insolvent at the time they applied for loans.

Rees said among Elevate borrowers in California who repay their loans in full, 99% pay early, so the company rarely collects as much interest as the rates and terms suggest.

At Orange County-based CashCall, an early player in the market for these loans, about 40% of borrowers defaulted and 50% paid early, according to written testimony by its chief financial officer in a long-running court case over the company’s interest rates.

One thing lenders and advocacy groups agree on: There is demand for these loans, driven by low wage growth, climbing housing costs, catastrophic medical bills and a lack of job security--factors that have kept many Americans on the financial edge.

A May report from the Federal Reserve found that about 25% of American adults can’t cover all of their monthly bills, and 44% say they don’t have enough savings to cover an unexpected expense of $400. Nearly a quarter said they had paid an unexpected medical expense over the last year, and more than 40% of those--representing about 24 million Americans--said they were still paying debt related to those expenses.

That’s why lenders say their products are needed to help cash-strapped Americans make ends meet.

Consumer advocates say super-expensive debt is not the solution.

The million-dollar question is, is expensive credit better than no credit at all?

For John Jeon, the answer was yes.

A year ago, he lost a seasonal job at a West Hollywood hotel and needed cash to pay rent and a medical bill.

With a poor credit score and limited options, he turned to Elevate.

He said he originally wanted only $1,500, but Elevate doesn’t offer loans that small and approved him for $3,000 at 224% APR.

The 28-year-old took it, thinking the extra money would give him time to find a steady job--which he eventually did as a manager of a Koreatown seafood restaurant. He also worked to pay off the loan two months early.

“The nature of this loan,” Jeon said, “it’s not good to be making minimum payments.”