#polar opposites and yet exactly the same. they resent each other a lot. they need to learn to meet each other in the middle.

[wormy-worm]

ok u know what maybe if the world isn't ready for sunrazer post that means that the world IS ready for Amoveous siblings post. This is Milo and Enho and theyre my DARLINGS and i love them SO MUCH. i have. SOOOOOOOO many thoughts abt them but after the previous post massacre i do not really feel like typing all of that xoxo love <3

[thezodiaczone]

Aries Compatibility

ARIES + ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19) You're two high-strung, passionate Fire signs who both like to be the Alpha dominant. As such, you'll need to toss the hot potato back and forth, submitting to the other's rule—at times through gritted teeth. Acquiescence may not come naturally, but it builds a necessary trust. Aries is a paradox: you're the zodiac's infant (its first sign) and its gallant hero (you're ruled by warrior Mars). You want to save the world and be saved at the same time. You'll need to occasionally allow yourself to play wounded knight or damsel in distress, and let your mate charge to your rescue. However, don't spiral into neurotic helplessness or analysis paralysis. Nobody can beat a topic to death quite like you can—but that's what therapists are for, Aries. Neither one of you can be saddled with the emotional care and feeding of an adult baby. You're too independent for that. When your problems gain too much mental gravitas, it's time to move—literally. Disperse your Martian angst and anger with lots of physical exertion. As fellow adventurers, you travel well together. Try snowboarding, exotic bike tours, Costa Rican rainforest expeditions. Passionate sex is another antidote to prickly feelings for your high-touch sign. Like Aries Hugh Hefner, you have a champion libido (and an awesome sense of entitlement). Some Aries couples may mutually agree to flex the terms of your monogamy, although the jealousy it stirs might not be worth the trouble.

ARIES + TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20) The stubborn Bull locks horns with the willful Ram, nostrils flaring, heads bowed in determination. So begins a fierce but fiery courtship, as splashy and menacing as a Pamplona stampede. Aggression, however uncivilized, is part our Darwinian natures. It certainly is for your signs—who possess an arsenal of steamrolling tactics, from doe-eyed charm to old-fashioned philistine strong-arming. No weak-willed mate will survive your natural selection process. Nor should he. Neither one of you feels safe in the arms of a mate who can't protect you. Thus, your initial faceoff is simply a warning shot: Show me your strength so I can trust you. Once the fanfare is over, you make a great team—like British pop royalty Victoria (Aries) and David (Taurus) Beckham.

As tight as two mafiosos, you like to dress up and flaunt your natural superiority over the rest of the animal kingdom. The deal is sweet for both of you. Taurus gets an attractive show pony and a lusty mate to satisfy his Earthy libido. Aries has a lifelong provider and benefactor to supply creative freedom and endless playtime. Issues can arise if Taurus grows too possessive or tries to tame independent Aries. Indulgent Taurus will need to remain active to keep pace with the energetic Ram (read: lay off the nightly steak frites and vino). You both crave attention, but don't go looking for it outside the relationship, unless you want a real showdown. Like two tots in a nursery, you share a favorite word: Mine!

ARIES + GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20) ♥♥♥♥ You're the best of friends, so why not throw in some benefits? You certainly can…but not so fast. Your common traits are exactly what can snuff the spark before it combusts. Namely: impetuous, reckless, unstoppable drive for instant gratification. You want what you want, and you want it NOW. Sure, the adrenaline you evoke from trading edgy banter, bungee jumping, or playing footsie under the conference table might convince you that you're soulmates. However, this attitude will lead to an inchoate relationship, with the two of you skydiving into City Hall before you even know each other's middle names. It doesn't all come out in the wash, so check that laissez-faire attitude when you're ring shopping on the second date. That said, you do have the makings of a great match that's rooted in true friendship, intellectual chemistry and fun. The key is to pace yourselves and to continuously bring new adventures to the table. Boredom is the enemy; it leads to cat-and-mouse games and mental chess matches with each other. Remain active: get involved in a political campaign, build houses for the poor, take an eco-tour or scuba lessons. Host and attend lots of parties with your mutual friends, and busy yourselves with projects that satisfy your short attention spans. Above all, don't turn to each other for advice, unless you like impatient, tough-love coaching and draining circular conversations. Not exactly the soothsaying your sweetie needs in a rare vulnerable moment.

ARIES + CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22) Aries is the zodiac's baby (its first sign); Cancer is its matriarch, ruling the fourth house of motherhood, home and family. Is this relationship doomed to be an Oedipal cliche? Not if you temper these traits through steady, conscious self-development. Otherwise, you easily lapse into automatic roles that polarize you into a parent-child (or master-and-servant) dynamic. Aries can be selfish—not maliciously, but in a crude, clueless style that leaves Cancer resentful and dismayed at the Ram's lack of nuance. Cancer knows how to play the nurturing giver, but this delicate sign needs room to be vulnerable, too. Aries loves to be coddled, but Cancer's maternal indulgences will create a spoiled brat or a demanding diva. Besides, while the Crab may have a tough outer shell, the true warrior is Aries, ruled by aggressive Mars. Your differences are many: Aries is a diehard independent and Cancer is a family guy; Aries needs freedom, the Crab's possessive grip clings tight. You'll need to compromise, or else the relationship can turn into a competitive, jealous hotbed. You can both brood with the best of them, and your dark days eclipse even the tiniest sliver of hope. Talk about depressing. Swear off the silent treatment and learn to communicate as two adult equals.

ARIES + LEO (JULY 23 - AUGUST 22) Aries and Leo are Fire signs who love drama, passion and extreme adventure. You're a flashy, outspoken duo that plays by your own bold agenda. Restless souls, you need lots of physical and intellectual stimulation—politics, inspiring conversations, startup businesses—you'll juggle them all, making it look so easy. Of course, your emotional meltdowns require a team of therapists and devoted friends to fix, and you should keep those folks on speed dial. Adrenaline is your favorite drug; no surprise Aries Jennifer Garner and Leo Ben Affleck fell in love while co-starring in the action flick Daredevil. Like this Hollywood pair, who refuses to walk the red carpet together on principle, you respect each other's autonomy. Fire signs are by nature independent. You both need to make your own mark on the world, and you don't like anyone stealing your shine. In fact, trouble starts when one of you eclipses the other's big moment or makes the other look foolish in public. Rule number one: don't compete. With your rash tempers, it won't end well. Instead, be each other's biggest fans and champions. As the relationship progresses, put more effort into dressing up, especially if you become parents. Because you're so comfortable together, you could end up bumming around in burp cloths and track suits, dulling the sexy edge that attracted you in the first place.

ARIES + VIRGO (AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22) The razor's edge between love and hate lives in this common but contradictory coupling. Your attraction feels so fated, it's impossible to resist. Fire-sign Aries loves freedom and risk, but helplessly falls for prudent, parental Virgo, an Earth sign landlocked by practicality and protocol. The tips of Virgo's gossamer wings are singed by Aries' flame—yet, into the fire the Virgin flutters. Both signs have a hero complex, and this relationship centers around fixing each other, or exposing the other to new ways of life. For the first six to twelve months, it's exhilarating. Arduous Aries hand-delivers Virgo's sexual awakening with passion that's tender and all-consuming. Cautious Virgo teaches the impetuous Ram how to slow down, prepare and look both ways before crossing. New facets of your personalities unearth themselves—how lovely! Once the hormone flood is no longer at high tide, however, there are glaring differences to negotiate. Virgo's well-intentioned criticisms feel like a character assault to Aries ("who cares how I fold my T-shirts? I'm still a good person!"). Aries' myopic selfishness makes Virgo feel resentful and unappreciated—especially after hours of listening to the Ram's diatribes with the patience of a paid analyst. At this point, you realize that you've spent way too much time together, and you've lost touch with the outside world. Roll out of bed and reconnect with your individual friends, hobbies and interests. Trust that the other one will be there when you return.

ARIES + LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22) ♥♥♥♥ You're opposite signs who can match up well, but you sometimes baffle one another, too. Aries rules the self and Libra rules relationships. Libra is a lover; Aries is a fighter. Your polar extremes can be a great complement if you borrow what the other does best. Rash, temperamental Aries could stand to give others the benefit of the doubt, to look before leaping—something the wise Judge does well. Languid, overly accommodating Libra can learn to speak up, say no, and take action instead of pondering the possible consequences for a year. Although your differences can be irritating, they also make you a well-rounded couple if you play them right. When Aries needs to rant, patient Libra offers uninterrupted listening, capped with sage, sensible feedback. In return, Aries helps Libra overcome a mortal fear of conflict, teaching this sign how to stand up for his rights. As parents, or even business partners, you play the good cop/bad cop routine like seasoned pros. Just be willing to adjust your internal thermostats as needed. Hotheaded Aries will need to dial down the anger, lest all that concentrated emotion throw Libra's scales off balance. Erudite Libra will need to descend from that lofty, cultured perch and take a bold risk. (No, Aries does NOT consider ten years a reasonable time to wait for an engagement ring—and never will.) Compromise is essential for you to find a rhythm.

ARIES + SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 21) Aries' ruler, passionate Mars, also wields minor command over Scorpio (whose main overlord is Pluto). Fierce physical attraction draws your signs together, but it's a game of sexual gunpowder and erotic explosives. Not that either of you is afraid of such things. No sign is as darkly intense as watery Scorpio. When mixed with Aries' concentrated fire-power, you stir up quite the hydroelectric charge. However, this match can only last if Scorpio has evolved from a ground-dwelling, vengeful scorpion into an elevated "eagle" state. Here's the fundamental challenge: Aries takes; withholding Scorpio takes away. When Aries reaches out his grasping hand, Scorpio's first instinct is to jump back, which wounds the sensitive Ram. Aries energy is consuming, which leaves Scorpio weak-kneed but scared. Aries will need to temper the raw desire, or at least mask it to avoid overwhelming Scorpio. Jealous Scorpio will need to stop Google-stalking Aries and hiring private detectives whenever the independent Ram goes out for a beer with friends. One way in which you're alike? You're both hyper-sensitized to abandonment, and may even shun each other in a self-protection paradox: "Go away before you leave me." (This tactic only guarantees another hot reunion tryst.) Selfishness can also be this couple's downfall. Scorpio is the sign that rules other people's resources—his karmic job is to create wealth from another man's pocket. Aries is simply born entitled. In a sense, you both live by the credo "What's mine is mine; what's yours is mine." Who will refill the coffers once you empty them?

ARIES + SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 21) ♥♥♥♥ Chemistry and simpatico build fast between these two Fire signs, and you find a twin soul in each other. You're both independent explorers, driven by lust, joie de vive and a breathtaking moxie that others mistake for arrogance. That brio and derring-do is the badge of your spiritual kinship—a primal mating call that draws you together. You share a blunt sense of humor, and naturally understand the other's need for space and autonomy (at least at first). Thrilling conversations traipse expansive terrain: philosophy, art, human nature, science, spirituality, dreams. Together, the impossible feels probable, and your natural confidence soars higher. Caution: the view from your rosy lenses can be a bit myopic. Sagittarius is a gambler and Aries is a charging knight—neither thinks far ahead. You'll need crash insurance for the times that your grand schemes don't reach your projections. At moments, you both lapse into overthinking, which can kill the celebratory vibe. Aries also has a greater need to for coddling and personal attention. At times, the Ram may resent competing with Sagittarius' busy career, social schedule and hobbies—and Sagittarius gets impatient with Aries' needy spells. When angered, your burning tempers can raze a national forest to ash. Be careful not to unleash a spiteful spark, for that's all it takes to destroy this treasured landscape.

ARIES + CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 19) Aries is the Alpha in most relationships, but here the Ram meets his match. In the Goat, Aries finds a more seasoned pack leader, and backs into a rare state of obedience. This weighty respect comes from Capricorn's ruler, wise old Saturn, the planet of maturity, authority and command. Capricorn is the zodiac's father sign; Aries is its firstborn child. It's the difference between a king and a knight, a queen and a duchess. Both are noble, but one is clearly the elder. This can be a dealbreaker for Aries in some cases, as too much paternalism makes this independent sign run for freedom. However, it usually works. Although Aries can be a hellish brat, Capricorn is unruffled and even amused by the tantrums, giving Aries space to act out. If you accept your cosmic roles, you can make excellent partners in both love and business. Aries is ruled by warrior Mars, and Capricorn is a four-star general by nature. You both see life as a battlefield to conquer, and with Aries' grit and Cap's determination, there's no goal you can't achieve. Earthy Capricorn excels at structure and planning, and is the terra firm beneath the Ram's restless hooves. Fiery Aries is a daring playmate who amuses, excites and entertains the sober Goat, especially in the bedroom (where Capricorn has a lesser-known lusty side). Aries is a flirt, and this can spark jealousy in traditional Capricorn. Over time, trust and mutual respect abolish the Goat's fears, and you make supportive lifelong partners.

ARIES + AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 18) ♥♥♥♥ You're laugh-a-minute friends who make a fine comedic duo, but the romance isn't as hearty as your side-splitting guffaws. You're amazed by how quickly the other delivers a hilarious comeback or a clever opinion, and it turns you on. Banter leads you to the bedroom fast, where the sex is playful and experimental (though not heavy on the emotional connection). It's as though you've met your twin; and alas, you may soon feel more like siblings than lovers. After a couple weeks, the Bickersons sideshow routine gets old, especially for Aries, and you run out of things to talk about. While casual Aquarius likes to keep the conversation light, Aries has intense, brooding spells that demand way too much emotional attention. For Aquarius, problems are solved with steely logic or left alone, but Aries is unable to curb obsessive thinking, which drives Aquarius mad. Your styles of affection are different, too. Cool Aquarius gets overwhelmed by the Ram's passion and physicality—there's way too much touching, grabbing and kissing for the airy Aquarian temperament. If you're determined to be together, push yourselves to go beyond platonic borders by traveling, taking classes, even performing on stage together. Closeness breeds more ennui than affection. Cultivate mystery through time apart. Your independent signs need to develop your own lives, then reunite with thrilling tales from the road.

ARIES + PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20) Aries is the zodiac's first sign, Pisces its last. You're the Alpha and the Omega, the dawn and the sunset. You're as far apart and as close together as two signs can get. Although your differences are vast, you also have a broad expanse of material from which to fashion your relationship. Your polar positions can actually make you a great match. Aries loves to be adored and spoiled, and generous Pisces will give everything in the name of love. In Pisces' worshipful gaze, Aries feels brilliant and boundless, and his insecurities melt away. This is important for the sensitive Ram, whose "wounded soldier" archetype is healed by the Pisces nurse. In this relationship, Aries is free to follow his natural hunting instincts; Pisces prepares a banquet from his conquests. The danger: You both have vivid imaginations, but with two dreamers at the helm of this romance, the ship can veer off course. Aries is a take-charge leader, but needs a strong second mate. Bravado and confidence don't come easy to insecure Pisces, who falls into feigned helplessness under duress. Moody spells are common for your signs, and digging yourselves out of emotional ditches can be a challenge. You'll need a council of advisors to help you manage aspects of daily life—accountants, lawyers, coaches, therapists. Aries can be naturally aggressive, where Pisces is passive or passive-aggressive. You'll need to adapt your communication styles in order to be heard.

[szivtalan]

Vee, I respect you so much. I look forward to seeing your posts and the tags that you put in them.... but aohimu??? AOHIMU??? You gotta explain this ship to me, please. AndIwanttohearyouraohimudetectiveau if you want to share it, you don't have to!! I'm just a curious nosey b

Darling the way you worded this..... congrats u remain to be the funniest person on the entire world adjgdgkf

Basically what really piqued my interest in this ship was how Aomine (stubborn Aomine, the person who’s actually really observant but wouldn’t ever share his observations unless he deems them interesting/important enough) seemed to pick Himuro out of all the other players and pinpointing both his strong points and mistakes, and then later on, I realized they’re polar opposites in plays (Aomine: chaotic, formless, never really adapts to rules; Himuro: calculated, precise, plays the game in quite literally the textbook way) and how interesting that would clash with their very own hardheadedness, Aomine curious and yet annoyed by Himuro’s personality and Himuro downright resentful of Aomine’s sheer talent. I think it’s just neat and has a lot of potential, and also I need to credit my dear friend @homiro for opening my eyes to this ship and really putting Himuro’s character in perspective for me.

Bro I think about this detective AU all the time,,, my notebooks are full of doodles and lil notes and I have so many kinks I’m working out and also I’m a dumbass I already have a working title (”the good or the ugly”) but anyway the synopsis would be: Aomine is a genius homicide detective/criminal profiler working with Tokyo PD. Teiko was/is an establishment recruiting gifted children to try and help them be the best version of themselves; Aomine was their most prized prodigy until one of the workers adopted him and removed him from the not-exactly-great environment. His supervisor is Kagami, the same person that was his rival in the police academy and who had turned out to be one of his most trusted friends and sometimes even something else in adulthood.

Aomine really, really prefers to work alone, and truth be told, his colleagues prefer to let him, but since one of his recent cases point to a few unsolved murders from decades ago, Kagami decides to appoint him a partner, Himuro. Kagami’s relation to Himuro (as his intimate affairs with Aomine) is kept a secret in the office, and as the two extremely talented but socially inept detectives try to warm up to each other, they also gotta work to expose a huge scheme of corruption and exploitation, which involves Teiko, Himuro’s own past, and Akashi Seijuro.

[batmomhoe]

They’re a Bit Protective

Requested by an anon

Summary: How the batfam gets protective of each family member/how they show they care.

Warning(s): None (Super Long)

//This is not finished yet but it’s already taken forever and I just feel like it’s prohibiting me (mentally?) from getting other requests done. Feel free to send in for an unfinished character and help me complete it. It’s not the best, nor is it the most accurate, but please appreciate it.

Bruce:

Batmom:

basically “don’t touch bc everything I love that someone else touches BREAKS.”

has a tough time actually incorporating your feelings into his protective methods.

when you decided you wanted to help man the computer he upped the security by 10000%

A lot of his showing he cares comes out sexual, mainly because when he’s physical with you the whole world melts away.

Dick:

Batmom:

Dick constantly calls you even when he’s away(unless he’s on a mission or undercover)

makes sure you’re okay emotionally, just constantly checking up on you, he knows Bruce can be cold sometimes.

will never decline a brunch invitation.

Barbara:

He’s protective of her in the sense that he’s not protective(does that make sense?)

She’s kickass and he knows she can handle her own.

But he can be caught keeping a watchful eye on her during fights - just in case.

Jason:

He tries to relate to him but he just can’t.

Dick is upbeat and mostly-optimistic and Jason’s practically the polar opposite.

That doesn’t mean it won’t stop him from checking up on Jason every now and then.

Whether it be catching him on parole or breaking into his brother’s apartment for some “brotherly” bonding time...

Tim:

Dick always cherished the last picture he had the his parent’s, it was only a coincidence that Tim and his family were in it as well, or so he thought.

Dick completely shot down the idea of Tim getting involved with Batman even though his smart’s impressed Dick.

Dick really admires how hard Tim has to try and how hard he does try to keep up and be in top physical condition.

Dick tries his best to help Tim keep up his social life because he knows first hand that the teenager life seems to be harder than the vigilante life.

Stephanie:

Dick likes to just hang out with Steph, he knows she has a lot on her plate and he likes to offer to help with her homework.

Orrrr have a movie night.

He tried to help her out of her “amateur” Spoiler days and was happy when she decided to become Batgirl.

Cass:

Just like Barbra, he knows Cass can handle her own in a fight.

But he likes to keep a watchful eye on her.

He also likes to just talk with her, even when she was mute he would just babble as she went about her business.

Damian:

He tried his best when he was Batman to show Damian the ropes of the Robin mantle and Dick did a better job than Bruce ever could have.

Damian’s only a kid and Dick just really tries to get Damian to do some typical kid things

Mainly so Damian’s not forced to live the lonely life Dick’s watched Bruce lead because he has a choice.

Though he knows Damian “hates” him for it, he also knows when Damian’s sixty years old and Dick is already dead he’s not going to resent the memory of being dragged to the zoo then.

Barbara:

Batmom:

You’re the only one Barbra doesn’t feel guilty venting to.

Everyone else is dealing with almost the same shit she is but you always listen and give her actual advice.

Every time she sees you she gives you a hug.

Dick:

She will kick anyone’s ass for him.

Even from her wheelchair.

Obviously they have history together and she’s almost convinced that no matter what happens they’ll still have a mutual respect for each other.

She knows him like no one else does, so she helps out with the things she knows he forgets(like reminding him to actually do his laundry once in a while.)

Jason:

Jason’s aggressive tactics and overall rude attitude annoyed her for the longest time.

But there’s not much you can say after the guy died.

When he came back she tried to reach out to him but he was already closed off.

She still tries to reach out and shows up every so often to help with a bad guy or two.

Tim:

She admires his detective skills and smarts in general.

She’ll find out what he’s learning in school and talk about it with him like two little nerds.

Of course she tries to help him out with his girl issues and gives him date ideas...and legit excuses for bailing out on dates when duty calls.

She is his go-to for advice.

Stephanie:

AKA The sister she never had

Steph decides to open up to Barbra first(besides Tim) and they just click.

Again, she gives boy advice and pretty good advice too.

There’s few girls in the vigilante business so they kind of stick together and cover each other’s backs.

Cass:

Babs was kind of reluctant about Cass, she was pretty intimidating and the fact that Cass was rather unstable made Babs even more leery about it.

She definitely admires Cass's fighting abilities though.

When Cass starts to open up, Barbra is right there to offer a friendly smile and some take out Chinese.

Damian:

She tries to be a supporting figure in his life.

Especially since Dick was the one training Damian.

But Damian is Damian and although Babs tried, and she still tries, Damian was trained to be closed off.

Jason:

Batmom:

He’s much more aggressive in protecting you.

After he came back to Gotham the first thing he did was check up on you.

But he saw you moved on, and he couldn’t just show up out of the blue suddenly alive, plus he had a mission to do.

He won’t ever say anything, but he loves when you force him into a hug.

Dick:

He appreciates Dick respecting him as a vigilante.

Before his death he didn’t really see a lot of Dick, but all he knew is that he would always be compared to him.

Though he doesn’t really show it he also respects Dick quite a bit.

When shit hits the fan he’d much rather stand next to Dick than Bruce.

Barbara:

Babs was really the first female he became friends with.

Pshhh he did not know how to act.

Still to this day he’s sooo suave with the ladies.

He knows if he ever needed any advice, Babs is like the batfam’s personal advice-giver.

Tim:

He hated Tim as first because he was reminded how easily replaceable he was to Bruce.

After a while it really clicked at how much shit Tim had to go through because of Jason - and Tim wasn’t exactly the naturally athletic type either.

Jason just doesn’t want what happened to him to happen to Tim.

Stephanie:

Pretty sure they have sarcasm battles

Along with “who has the shittier life” battles

He digs Steph’s style and they both appreciate the fact that they both tend to be more aggressive when fighting.

Cass:

During his time with the LoA, Jay gained massive respect for anyone who was trained with them.

She’s hardcore af but she’s also loyal to Bruce, almost a little too much and he’s a little leery of that.

If Cass asked him for his own beating heart he would probably give it to her.

Damian:

Jason feels a little awkward around Dami(maybe because he allegedly banged the kid’s mom????)

But at the same time there’s this normalcy when he’s around Damian.

The kid grew up with a tough childhood, similar yet completely different to Jason’s.

Both of them seem to express their emotions through anger, making it easy for each other to aggressively jump in for backup of the other.

Tim:

Batmom:

Protectiveness from Tim goes unseen for the most part.

He knows how careless you are with your electronics and he’s constantly stealing them so he can put a firewall on them(and a tracker.)

But the best gift he gives you is smiling.

The sleepy smile as you hand him his cup of coffee.

The excited smile when he makes a break in a case.

The sly smile when you figure out he upgraded your laptop.

Dick:

Dick is the master acrobat so Tim tries to wiggle in a bit of analytical thinking into the

Barbara:

Oh the geek talk!

Both Tim and Barbra are more analytical thinkers

Jason:

Stephanie:

Cass:

Damian:

Stephanie:

Batmom:

Dick:

Barbara:

Tim:

Cass:

Damian:

Cass:

Batmom:

Dick:

Barbara:

Tim:

Stephanie:

Damian:

Damian:

Batmom:

Dick:

Barbara:

Tim:

Stephanie:

Cass:

[graceivers]

Review #52 - Going Dark

Going Dark Author: Monica McCarty Genre: Contemporary Romance, Military, Romantic Suspense Rating: ★★★★½ Recommendation: worth reading; might read again Summary: Annie Henderson goes to Scotland on a mission to protest a hazardous offshore drilling venture. Her lack of preparedness, though, lands her in dangerous waters where she is unable to trust the man she arrived with. Instead, she must depend on the mysterious Dan Warren, a physical force of nature that pushes Annie in more ways than one. His secrets, however, may be too much for both of them to overcome.

Female Lead: Overall, Annie was a good character. One thing that struck me was the emphasis on the image and discussion of her idealistic and perhaps naive nature. I thought the issue was overly acknowledged. Yes, Annie definitely had a strong ‘save the world’ perspective, which McCarty reinforced by throwing in a lot of discussion regarding the character’s liberal views. This POV was hammered in a lot. If McCarty touched upon Annie’s idealism a couple of times in detail and then moved on, I think I would’ve liked it better. So maybe, my issue was less about Annie’s character and her beliefs but rather more about McCarty’s insistent need to drag politics into the plot.

What I loved most about Annie’s character was her bravery and resilience. She had every right to panic and breakdown given everything she had to deal with in the span of less than a week. She could have easily lost her cool, but she kept it together. I loved the little detail that Annie was the type of person that couldn’t sit around and do nothing; she had to have some task to complete regardless of how small or insignificant it was because she couldn’t just wait around like some helpless child. And given that her life was threatened multiple times, Annie had every right to panic in the moments she did, but her perseverance prevailed. Forget the idealism and save the environment attitude. These courageous qualities were what interested me the most about Annie and made me support her. Male Lead: For the rest of the review, I will refer to the male lead as Dean since that was his real name and Dan Warren was just a temporary alias. So… Dean Baylor, man. Well, first, Dean kind of suffered the same fate as Annie’s character in that McCarty again inserted a lot of political discussion into his character and the plot—more than I thought was necessary and more than I personally would have liked, but I’ll get to that later. In spite of that, McCarty sure did a good job of making Dean a physical presence in the book. Obviously, as a SEAL, Dean had that demanding, no nonsense nature to him. And yet, despite the attractiveness of those qualities, what I loved the most from Dean was the way he grappled with his feelings for Annie. Clearly what he was feeling was so new and different to him that at points he wasn’t in control of himself when it came to his relationship with Annie. And, I mean, the fact that he was in all honesty overwhelmed by his feelings for Annie and that he outright knew it was something deeper and more with her coupled with large and attractive physique? Uh, yeah, Dean Baylor is hot. Plot & Writing: I received an advanced reader copy of Going Dark through a Goodreads giveaway. What do you know! I actually won something when I totally shouldn’t have given that I don’t use Goodreads in the rate and review kind of way I probably should. But whatever, I won the book! But given that it’s an advanced reader copy, I’m sure there will be some slight edits and changes here and there that might slightly differ from what I read now to whatever the final product will be when the book is officially released in September of this year. None of that should affect the overall plot and writing style, which subsequently should not affect my review.

Okay! Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. The prologue! Jesus. I have never read any of McCarty’s books, though brief research tells me Going Dark is her first foray into contemporary romance. Regardless, I don’t know if this is a hallmark of her previous books, but the plot twist at the beginning? What the heck, lady. The prologue is in the perspective of this beautiful baby SEAL, and he’s setting the stage and describing everything and his experience and introducing us to his team. And then some action sequences later, the team is in trouble, and cut to Annie arriving in Scotland and meeting Dan Warren. WELL. IF YOU HAVEN’T GUESSED IT YET. Dan Warren is not beautiful baby SEAL, Brian. NOPE. A handful of chapters in and I’m thinking, oh, beautiful baby SEAL all on his own and lying low because he supposed to be dead; and I’m rooting from Brian, and I hope he and Annie hit it off. BUT NO. Suddenly, McCarty laid it on us: Dan Warren is actually Dean Baylor, one of SEALs on Brian’s team. NO MORE BRIAN. Brian is dead. I admit, I took a long moment to digest the fact that after investing however much I did in Brian’s character I had to completely forget about him in favor of Dean. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a brilliant move by McCarty considering that she purposely set readers up to invest themselves in Brian’s character only to rip the rug out from under us. It sure was gutsy, though. On the one hand, I definitely didn’t see this plot twist coming. But on the other hand, it almost created a sense of mistrust—like the author lulled readers into a false sense of security, which might subsequently lead to some resentment and people jumping ship. Killing off Brian was definitely a bold risk McCarty took.

Now let’s talk about the whole SEAL team situation for a bit. If I got anything from the introductions of the SEAL Team Nine, it was that none of them had attachments outside of that actual team, and they were handpicked because of this. Basically all of them had no families to go back to, no wives or kids, nothing except their duty to that squad. Okay, cool. Makes sense. But then… McCarty is clearly going to write a series here. Is she going to make every surviving member of the team fall in love and suddenly have those attachments? That’s a bit fictional magic for you right there, and I’m honestly not completely stoked about it. Will I read the other book in the series? Yeah, probably. But that doesn’t mean all the remaining guys on the team should get paired up and suddenly all find girlfriends/wives.

Also, briefly, Annie playing detective and basically figuring out Dean was a SEAL on all her own while he was supposed to totally dark and inconspicuous? Yes, I understand that her father was in the military, so she picked up on military behavior and all that. But seriously, dude. You’re a SEAL. You aren’t doing your job hiding very well if this random civilian can put your military background together so easily. And again, maybe we can chalk it up to Annie having been around service men before and the fact that she was probably the only person that spent that much time with Dean when he was hiding, but still. I was honestly a little disappointed that Annie figured it out when Dean was trained to hide and not reveal anything.

Let’s segue now to Annie and Dean’s relationship. I have a lot of intense but mixed feelings about their relationship. They were obviously physically attracted to one another. And I did enjoy the way McCarty went about writing the ‘something more’ into their connection by making it intense and overwhelming and so not casual despite Dean’s insistence that it should be. But, did I think their relationship was true and everlasting love? Eh… Well, first of all, there was the fact that they fell in love in the span of less than a week. Lust at first sight? Yes, probably. Love at first sight? Um, maybe, kind of, not exactly. The way McCarty wrote their deeper connection made me want to think love at first sight, but there were two major issues that hindered me from fully believing in it. First of all, Annie was basically in a life threatening situation for those days she spent with Dean. Given that heightened sense of emotion, it was surely easy for her to fall in love with a guy that came to her rescue and kept her safe. I was a tad skeptical about how that played a role in their love story, but I can kind of give that one a pass. What really made me question their relationship and its longevity was the fact that they were polar opposites. I mean, man, their political views were so different. That’s not to say that it’s impossible for two people to have different views and still have excellent and healthy relationship, but the way Annie and Dean argued about politics… Sure, McCarty made it seem like they were having a genuine and informative discussion and pushing each other for the better, but I couldn’t help but also feel some unwavering stubbornness, particularly with Dean. There was literally one line in Dean’s perspective where he said he didn’t want to be evolved. I’m sorry, what? That line rubbed me the wrong way. I guess this is where I hope some of Annie’s idealism carries them through because I did root for the couple by the end. I just question whether they were a genuinely compatible match even with Annie’s understanding of how Dean’s life as a SEAL would affect not only him but also her.

While I’m still talking about Annie and Dean’s relationship, let me also briefly mention my displeasure by the somewhat lack of safe sex. The pull-out method strikes again…

Now, the unresolved overarching plot of SEAL Team Nine… I’m guessing that McCarty is going to draw this out over the entire series, however long that may be. Do I see the appeal of extending the plot from one book to another so that they’re all attached? Yes. Is it my favorite? Not exactly. I genuinely don’t know if I should consider the threat on Annie’s life from her own activities as a secondary or major plot because while it seemed to be advertised a secondary plot, it actually received more attention and a finite conclusion compared to the whole lost platoon storyline McCarty set up. I definitely wanted more answers to the SEAL Team plot, but McCarty really left us hanging there. We barely received any information on that, and yeah, I was a little disappointed. But again, I’m probably going to read the other books in the series whenever they come out, so I guess McCarty got what she wanted out of that decision.

Let me also talk a little about McCarty’s writing style since this is the plot and WRITING section of my review. Uh, this lady really likes her various methods of emphasis. A lot of fragments, which I know is a stylistic choice, but if it’s enough for me to mention, it was probably overdone. And McCarty gave me a run for my money on use of em dashes because as much as I love using them, there were a lot in this book. As well, McCarty really seemed to like using quotations for emphasis; that’s personally not my favorite, but whatever. I am also going to assume that the number of typos I saw in my advanced reader copy of the book will be edited properly for the end product; I hope at least. Don’t let me down, Penguin Random House. Secondary Characters & Plots: BRIAN. Beautiful baby SEAL, Brian. I mourned you, buddy. I got invested in your physics studying, Caltech, Californian, newbie ways, and then you had to go. Seriously, now that I think about it, Dean could’ve gotten his own book anyway and it probably would’ve been fine and that way Brian could’ve lived and gotten his own book. Uh, why! Why did beautiful baby SEAL have to die?

The other secondary characters… Well, I’m sure we’ll get more on each SEAL when they get their own book. Only the Lieutenant Commander got some more attention here given that he was in charge and everyone else on the team was scattered across the globe pretending to be someone else since they were supposed to be dead. LC was a fine character for the role he had to play in this book, but we’ll see what else there is once the other books are written. It’s safe to say that all the people on Annie’s side weren’t good people or memorable. But, ha! Steve Marino. Good one, McCarty.

I will direct you to the penultimate paragraph in the plot and writing section for my feelings on what might have been/could have been the secondary plot of the book. Favorite Part(s): Dean finding a way to make Annie sit in his arms so he could cover her from the storm on that boat. That and when they pretended Annie was his wife for undercover purposes and he said she was Brazilian and didn’t speak English well and then Annie went to the library to get a Portuguese to English dictionary. That was great. But on a more serious note, as I mentioned before, I really did like how McCarty approached and wrote the connection between Annie and Dean—how she really pulled out the deeper, raw, guttural, overwhelming, and overpowering feelings that they had for each other. Some of those scenes were really beautiful. Final Thoughts: Goodreads, thanks for the free ARC copy of the book. I’m on board. Yeah, there were some decisions I wasn’t fully supportive of, but I really enjoyed what Going Dark had to offer. Dean is such a presence, and I really liked that Annie never backed down despite the fact that she made some mistakes. I rooted for their relationship even if I questioned it a little. Overall, I would recommend reading Going Dark when it’s released for some quality romance and military/suspense action.

[newstfionline]

Obama’s extraordinary, aimless presidency

Damon Linker, The Week, January 10, 2017

Attempting to render summary judgment of a presidency without the benefit of hindsight and historical distance is a fool’s game. Though sometimes it’s easier than others.

Bill Clinton presided over eight years of prosperity, relative peace, and fiscal restraint, which seemed to mark him as a better-than-average president as he left office (sex scandal notwithstanding). George W. Bush, meanwhile, bequeathed to his successor a barely contained fiasco in Iraq and a full-fledged economic crisis at home, demonstrating that his years in the Oval Office had been ... somewhat less successful than one might have wished.

What about Barack Obama? Well, with him things are more muddled. He has triumphed. And he has failed.

Obama swept into office on a wave of tautological idealism (“Change we can believe in!” “Yes, we can!”) and immediately confronted the worst financial downturn in 80 years. Eight years later, the economy has created 11.3 million net jobs and is growing at a modest but respectable rate. Unemployment has fallen from a high of 10 percent during Obama’s first year in office to 4.7 percent today. Millions more are covered by health insurance than before the Obama administration began, thanks to his signature legislative achievement. And despite facing a brutally hostile Congress for most of his tenure, the Obama White House has avoided the kind of scandals that engulfed the administrations of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, let alone the one that brought down Richard Nixon’s presidency.

That makes it sound like Obama has been an enormous success. And yet...

Obama leaves the country far more deeply divided than it was eight years ago, with his party a “smoking pile of rubble,” having suffered significant losses at every level of government, and the country having just elected a man who ran for office on a wave of populist anger.

Donald Trump is the diametric opposite of Barack Obama in nearly every way. Where Obama comes off as the proverbial Cool Cat floating dispassionately above the partisan fray, Trump is a one-man polarization machine. Where Obama is forever acting as a Man of Reason, the Great Conciliator, who aims to bring opposing sides together in mutual understanding--a both/and president in an either/or era--Trump dismisses everyone but the most loyal sycophants as “haters and losers.” Where Obama is a thoroughgoing progressive who sees his own (and the government’s) role as helping to bend the arc of history toward justice, Trump promises to return the nation to a vaguely defined vanished moment of past greatness. Where Obama ultimately sees himself as a citizen of the world working to build a cosmopolitan community of nations working in concert for the benefit of all, Trump is a nationalist who believes in closed borders and zero-sum negotiation and deal-making among mutually antagonistic nations and leaders.

What unites all of Obama’s qualities is a tendency toward high-minded superiority, a knowing aloofness and self-regard. These are traits more common in a world-class professor at an elite university than in a president. And it is this characteristic that has caused him his greatest problems as head of the executive branch--and inadvertently contributed to the rise and implausible triumph of his political bête noire.

As a neoliberal and a political moderate, it pains me to admit that Obama’s most fateful mistake may well have been his cautious, level-headed response to the financial crisis. Though countless millions of Americans lost their homes, jobs, savings, and investments due to the astonishingly reckless behavior of bankers, hedge fund managers, and others in the financial sector, no one was punished. Most of the perpetrators came through the crash with barely a scratch. Hardly anyone went to jail. And none of the big banks were allowed to fail or were broken up after the fact. On the contrary, they were bailed out by taxpayers.

I understand why. I supported those policies at the time. Had I been in charge, I almost certainly would have done exactly what Obama did. It was the prudent thing to do. Allowing banks and massive companies like AIG, General Motors, and Chrysler to collapse risked far worse damage to the global economy. It could have plunged the world into something as bad as or worse than the Great Depression. But the result was a massive injustice. Americans learned the lesson that if you’re a middle-class homeowner and things go wrong, you’re screwed, while if you’re wealthy (and even if your actions created the problem in the first place), Uncle Sam will come riding to the rescue. Trump and Bernie Sanders each tapped into this resentment in his own way, expressing, channeling, and purging the anger that the president never adequately acknowledged or legitimized. In that respect, Obama’s professorially cerebral and even-tempered response to the crisis helped to prepare the way for the anti-establishment, populist wave that has now capsized his party and the legacy of his own presidency.

If Obama’s mistake in responding to the financial crisis was understandable, his decision to provoke a backlash in the culture war was an unforced error. Obama ran for president as an opponent of gay marriage, showing that he understood the need to act with restraint when it came to hot-button social issues. Four years later he famously “evolved” on the issue while running for re-election, surprising no one. But what was surprising was how quickly and severely he (and Hillary Clinton, who underwent the same transformation) flipped not just to support gay marriage but to treating with contempt those whose sensibilities were merely a little slower to evolve.

And not just when it came to gay rights. From micromanaging sexual behavior on college campuses to policing public bathrooms in the name of transgender civil liberties, moral busy-bodies in the Obama administration, from the professor-in-chief on down, have been eager to expand the scope of federal regulations into broad new areas of American life--an agenda that plenty of voters have found bossy, intrusive, condescending, and contemptuous of ways of life that diverge from the secular progressivism that is so often the default presumption among the country’s intellectual elite.

In foreign policy, Obama has had a very different problem. Far from being too straightforwardly aggressive, the president has combined extreme rhetorical restraint (that has often made him sound weak or passive when discussing national threats, including terrorism) with over-extension. As my colleague Michael Brendan Dougherty recently pointed out, the Pentagon has reported that in 2016 the U.S. military dropped more than 26,000 bombs on seven Muslim countries. That’s an awful lot of (undeclared) wars to be waging simultaneously.

And half-heartedly. Compared with George W. Bush’s invasions and long-term occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama can look like someone skeptical about the use of military force. But he’s really only skittish about deploying large numbers of ground troops. Using air power to overthrow the government of Libya is perfectly fine. As is unleashing special operations forces, drones, and other covert forms of violence to intervene in theaters across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

This is what Obama notoriously described as “leading from behind”--the U.S. acting boldly in the world but behind the scenes and with modesty, keeping our heads and voices down to avoid inflaming perfectly understandable anti-American sentiments. But is leadership that is never defended, explained, justified, or even acknowledged really leadership at all? Or is it simply ... drift?

The result has been a sense of foreign policy aimlessness, as the eminent professor executes his great, elaborate plan without ever quite getting around to explaining how it advances our interests or fits together with the multitude of other seemingly contrary policies he simultaneously pursues.

The virtues of a top-notch professor are different than those required of a president. I would eagerly sign up to take a course with Barack Obama, emeritus professor of American studies. But I’m not at all sure how much the country has benefited from having been enrolled in his seminar for the past eight years.