Shahn E. Xombie™

The Leo man
Leo men are larger than life. Even humbler Lions manage this. The Leo man often radiates charisma, and whether you like him or not, you can't ignore him. There are quieter Leo men around who don't make a great roar about their specialness. But when you get to know such a man, you'll find that inwardly he's just the same, with the same need for self- mythologizing deep within him. Don't be fooled by quiet, shy Leos. They're Lions nonetheless. And that quality of intense self-consciousness, of always feeling as though some special destiny awaits them, permeates even the most introverted Leo's soul.
The Leo man is often attracted to an earthier partner. This can be a wonderfully creative combination, and it can also be a disaster. When it works, the Leo man looks for a stabilizing influence in his partner, and can achieve a better contact with mundane reality through the relationship. When it's a disaster, the trouble usually comes from Leo's tendency to undervalue detail and the things of ordinary life. When he takes this stance, he's liable to treat his partner as unpaid secretary and domestic help. In that case he usually winds up with a very angry and resentful partner, or, equally commonly, no partner at all.
Leo the romantic can sweep you off your feet. His attitude toward love is neither timorous nor restrained, and those grand gestures - whether they're gifts, magical journeys, or dramatic declarations of emotion through poetry or song - are irresistible. A Leo man can make his partner feel totally loved and desired.
Often the Leo man has a large and persistent crowd of admirers. Even if he's not conventionally handsome or successful, there's something fascinating about him. The trouble usually starts once the romance begins to be tempered by everyday reality. The Leo man doesn't warm to the idea of his partner having a life where he isn't right at the centre. Many Leo men become deeply resentful when their partner shows too much interest in a career or an independent array of hobbies, interests, ideas or friends.
Leo needs to feel that he's the Sun around which your Moon orbits. If you suddenly take off and start shining with a light of your own, he's liable to get a little sullen. At worst he may try to stifle you because his own self-importance is threatened. It's hard (although not impossible) for the Leo man to not only acknowledge his partner's need for independent creative expression, but also his own need for an individualistic partner. He can only really do this if he's standing firmly on a ground of solid self-esteem.
The Lion doesn't change his habits or viewpoints easily, and certainly not because someone else has told him to do so. If you try to reform a Leo man, you're wasting your time. He can be stubborn, and his pride won't allow him to acknowledge the wisdom of your advice. His business is to give advice, not to receive it. On the other hand, faith in him and his dreams, confidence in his talents and acceptance of his sometimes childlike need for constant reassurance and attention, can work wonders.
A Leo who knows he's believed in can work miracles. If you're an independent, self- contained type, the Leo man can be a problematic partner. He requires lots of time, love, attention and devotion. Who ever heard of a hero who hides in the background while his partner fights the battles? If you need badly to be recognized as a special individual in your own right, a little fur may fly if you make a home with the King of the Beasts. On the other hand, if you're the self-effacing martyr type, Leo isn't for you, because he likes you to be as royal as he is. He needs to take pride in his partner as well as in himself.
Nothing can match Leo when it comes to sheer life and vitality. If you want a partner you can respect, admire and take pride in, then Leo's the man for you. He's not just anybody, after all, and he's a living contradiction to the old saying that all cats are grey at night. He's himself, unique and unrepeatable.
The Scorpio man
Let's strip away the glamour and the smokescreens and see what's underneath. The emotional needs of the Scorpio man are utterly human: affection, acceptance, reassurance, intimacy, love, companionship. In large quantities. Scorpio men cannot bear coldness or falseness in a partner. That mask of detachment is a mask. Remember that. No Scorpio man will advertise the fact that he's hurt or feeling neglected. You have to train as a telepath.
The Scorpio man is embarrassed by the presence of so much strong emotion in himself. That's when he becomes the hard-driving, ruthless, ambitious Scorpio of the textbook descriptions. But think of what it took to get him that way. Can you ever get a Scorpio man to let down his defenses? Maybe. Maybe not. In the end, it isn't up to you. It rests with the Scorpio himself.
This isn't an easy man to live with. For one thing, you won't get straight answers if you ask pertinent questions like, "Do you love me?" On the other hand, you'll get brutal scrapings of the bottom of the barrel when you least want it - like a vicious hour-long analysis of your motives in flirting with So-and-so at the party, and why it stems from your sexual inadequacies and your rejection by your parents. If you thought you had secrets from him, think again.
The Scorpio man can cut deep if he wants to, and his need to retaliate can take precedence over tolerance and compassion. He can be very destructive when he's hitting back at you for some hurt you've inflicted on him without your even realizing it. Tell you that you hurt his feelings? Not likely. Often he won't apologize either.
To live with this man, you must truly respect and like him. Passionate attraction alone isn't enough. And you must understand him - how his acute perceptions isolate him, what his depth of feeling does to him in a society which rewards superficiality, what his sensitivity means in a world which doesn't value it. If you can't like him, then leave him alone, because you'll never change him, and if you ask, he'll probably do the opposite.
This man doesn't appreciate either an Amazon or a clinging limpet. He wants to be needed. On the other hand, he respects strength. If you make allowances for his pride, which won't permit him to admit a wrong or lose a battle, no lover is more devoted, compassionate, insightful or gentle. Show your pain to a Scorpio man and he'll do anything for you. Treat him with shallowness, demean him, and you have no chance of receiving anything at all except his unpleasantness, which can be unbelievably unpleasant. And don't trifle. A Scorpio man who thinks he's being mocked with can be the most difficult person in the world. His pride won't allow it.
And what about the possessiveness? Well, let's be realistic. It's not going to go away. Nor is his feeling that he has the prerogative - for flirtations, for affairs, for whatever he feels he wants or needs - while you don't, since you're his. Because there's a battleground inside him, the Scorpio man perceives life as a battleground, and you're either on his side or not. It's that simple. This man can't forgive betrayal, but it's a much deeper issue than mere sexual betrayal. When he gives his love, he bares his soul, and if you betray that, you've lost him. Forever. You can betray him even if you're sexually constant, just by treating his deepest and most passionate beliefs and convictions with contempt or dismissal.
Somewhere deep inside, the Scorpio man is a warrior fighting for the truth. He may not think in such grand metaphysical terms, and he might not welcome too much probing of his motives. But there it is. You don't turn to your comrade on the battlefield and say, "Well, actually, I think the enemy might have a point. Let's be reasonable and discuss where you're at fault."
You're for him or against him. He's prepared to offer the same passionately loyalty he expects in return. The best gift you can give him is to believe in him, and side with him when he's going through one of his "The world doesn't understand me!" phases. Scorpio trusts few people because few people are really trustworthy. Give him your true allegiance, and you'll have a genuine dyed-in-the-wool champion. For life.