#he uses magic and evasive techniques to avoid a battle of strength but if it ever comes to it mcu loki might just win

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #186

This motherfucker.

We’ve built gods before. Kings. Entire freaking wacky races, each with their own special kind of vehicle. Why the fuck is this guy’s spear the most difficult build I’ve done so far.

There’s so few ways to add other physical damage types to a weapon in D&D that I’m going to have to make up a weapon just so we can do it. It’s just “spear, but deals slashing damage”, but given the fact this build literally would not work with any other kind of weapon. I’m just grateful he isn’t a saber. Honestly DW, what the hell? Casters can travel to other dimensions and stop time, but giving fighters multiple types of damage is too much?

Okay. Spear-induced breakdowns aside, Houzouin Inshun is a Kensei Monk for hopefully obvious reasons, a Battle Master Fighter for an even fancier spear and a bunch of ASIs for feats. We need so many goddamn feats, it’s ridiculous.

Deep breaths. We can get through this.

Build breakdown below. Character sheet over here.

Next up: To be fair you have to have a very high IQ to understand Shinkage-ryu.

Race and Background

No mincing words, Inshun’s a Variant Human, ‘cuz we need all the feats we can get. He gets +1 Wisdom and +1 Constitution, proficiency with Survival to help with the whole “wandering monk” schtick, and the Slasher feat, which gives you +1 Dexterity, and when you deal slashing damage you can reduce the speed of the creature you hit by 10′. Also, scoring a critical hit with slashing damage forces disadvantage on that creature’s attacks for a round. He’s also an Acolyte for his Religion training. It also gives him proficiency in Insight for some Knowledge of the Sowa.

Ability Scores

Make Wisdom first. You’re so good at reading people you can point out the flaws in your inner demon’s technique after a single fight. Make Dexterity second highest, you’ve got to be able to fight that inner demon too. After that is Strength, if you couldn’t tell from that full ascension art, Inshun’s pretty ripped. Your Constitution’s also pretty good. I know it technically wasn’t you in Shimousa, but getting your head cut off and surviving is going to give you a couple points no matter the circumstances. Your Intelligence isn’t bad, we just need other stuff more. That means we’re dumping Charisma. Despite being one of the first servants we summoned, I couldn’t tell Friend Point Spear Guy and the Shimousa character were the same character until I ascended them. A petty reason to dump his charisma? Probably. But he’s also given up on alcohol and meat, so he’s probably not super fun at parties.

Class Levels

Monk 1: First level monks get Unarmored Defense, giving them an AC of 10 plus your dexterity modifier plus your wisdom modifier. I mean, it makes sense. Lookit them abs, I bet most people just avoid hitting him on principle, like not messing with art. Ooh, speaking of, you get Martial Arts! It lets you use dexterity when you’re using monk weapons, and they all deal at least 1d4, which grows as you level up. Also, you can use your bonus action to punch people! You have to attack with your action to do that, though. Monks also get all kinds of proficiencies, like Strength and Dexterity saves, Athletics, and History. You’re good at working out, and you’re literally history. Easy picks.

Monk 2: Second level monks get Monk Level Ki points per short rest so they can do all sorts of cool things on their bonus action, like Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or attack twice with their fists. They also get Unarmored Movement for extra speed while not wearing armor (this also levels up as you do), and you can turn one non-monk weapon into a Dedicated Weapon! This lets you pick one non-monk weapon to use as a monk weapon (as long as it isn’t two-handed or heavy) at the end of a short rest. Now your homebrew not-spear is totally okay in the eyes of your DM. Maybe, IDK your DM.

Monk 3: Third level monks can Deflect Missiles as a reaction to reduce damage from arrows and those sorts of things. If you reduce it to 0 you can even throw it back for a ki point. You also set down the Path of the Kensei, which gives you all sorts of bonuses! You can pick certain weapons to be Kensei Weapons, which will be used for the rest of the class’ features. We just care about the spear, but you can pick others too! You can make an Agile Parry if you slap people while holding a spear, adding 2 to your AC for a round, or a Kensei’s Shot as a bonus action to make all your ranged attacks do more damage. You’re also good at writing now, I guess. You know the Way of the Brush.

Monk 4: Use your first Ability Score Improvement to grab the Polearm Master feat so you can slap people with the but of your spear as a bonus action. This deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage, but since it’s a monk weapon it’ll grow as you level up like your punches. You also could just use your punches, but we’re trying to fit all three damage types into a weapon, dangit! We’re not taking the easy way out! Plus, now you can make opportunity attacks when someone enters your range, not just when they leave it. You can also Slow Fall as a reaction for less falling damage, and you can use Quickened Healing as an action, spending a ki point to take a quick break.

Fighter 1: Bouncing over to fighter real quick for a Great Weapon fighting style, re-rolling 1s and 2s on two handed weapons. You like handling your spear with both hands  and a lot of your damage comes from slapping extra dice onto an attack, so it works for you. You also get a Second Wind once per short rest for even quicker healing. I don’t think there’s a lot of time between “head come off” and “dead”, so you’ve got to move quickly.

Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge once per short rest for an extra action on a turn. It’ll be a while until we get our extra attack, so just... hang in there buddy.

Fighter 3: Third level fighters join their martial archetype, and the Battle Master archetype will let you do things with a spear most people can’t do with a whole armory. You get four Combat Superiority dice per short rest, which you can spend in a couple ways. If you make a Precision Attack, add that d8 to your attack roll. For more precision. You can also make a Pushing Attack to add that d8 to the damage and push a large or smaller creature 15 feet away if they fail a strength save. Finally, you can make a Trip Attack, adding the d8 to damage and forcing a strength save on the target. If they’re large or smaller and they fail, they get knocked prone. You’re also a Student of War, so you’re even artsier than before. Go nuts.

Fighter 4: Since we used your last ASI to add bludgeoning to the jumonji spear, this time around we’re grabbing the Crusher feat, for +1 Constitution to round it out and get some more HP (remember, it adds retroactively, so you get 8 extra this level). Also, once per turn you can push a creature you deal bludgeoning damage to 5 feet away if it’s large or smaller. Also, dealing a critical hit with bludgeoning damage grants advantage on all attacks against that creature for a round. Almost like blunt trauma to the skull isn’t great for your reflexes.

Fighter 5: Okay, almost halfway through the build, and we can finally get an Extra Attack. You attack twice per action, good job.

Fighter 6: We’ve got slashing with our homebrew, and bludgeoning with Polearm Master, but  that still leaves piercing out of the mix. Thankfully, there’s an old UA that will help us out here. Grab the Spear Mastery feat from Unearthed Arcana: Feats to beef up your spear even more, and grab that last damage type. You get +1 to attack rolls made with a spear, and its damage dice change from a d6/d8 depending on stance to a d8/d10. You can also use your bonus action to receive a charge, targeting a creature 20′ away from you or further. If that creature enters your reach, you can attack it as a reaction, dealing extra piercing damage. Also using your bonus action, you can increase the reach of your spear by five feet for your turn. Since your weapon is literally “spear, but slashy”, I’m pretty sure it counts for this feat. At least that’s what I’m going to say to keep my sanity. It’s either this or we multiclass into ranger for really dumb stuff.

Monk 5: Fifth level monks get their own Extra Attack, but it doesn’t stack so it’s not in bold. They can also turn those strikes into Stunning Strikes, forcing a constitution save by spending a ki point per attack. If the target fails, they’re stunned for a round. They can also take Focused Aim, spending ki points to add to their failed attack rolls, possibly turning it into a hit.

Monk 6: Sixth level monks get Ki-Empowered Strikes for magical punches. Kensei monks also become One with the Blade, which turns your kensei weapons magic, and you can use a Deft Strike to add your martial arts to weapon damage once per turn for a single ki point. So now you can tack on Favored Foe damage, a Deft Strike, and a Superiority Die to your attack, and all those dice can be re-rolled if they’re 2 or less. I’m not sure how good that damage is yet, but the act of rolling it should be satisfying.

Monk 7: Your last monk level gives us the ever popular Evasion for supercharged dexterity saves. Fails reduce damage by half, successes reduce damage by all of it. You also gain a Stillness of Mind to purge mental debuffs, like charming and frightening.

Fighter 7: Bouncing back to fighter lets you put that insight to good use by Knowing your Enemy, spending at least 1 minute to learn two things about a creature in comparison to yourself. You can learn about its physical ability scores, AC, HP, or total/fighter levels. You also get two more maneuvers and a fifth superiority die. A Sweeping attack deals extra damage to the first target, as well as a second target within 5′ of the first. You can also make a Riposte as a reaction when a creature hits you, making a melee attack and adding the die to damage.

Fighter 8: Use this ASI to complete your trilogy and grab the Piercer feat, rounding our your Dexterity for stronger attacks and a better AC. You can also re-roll one die of piercing damage per turn, and critical piercing hits get an extra die of damage. It’s a bit niche since you only deal piercing damage as a reaction, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t a nice surprise if it activates.

Fighter 9: Ninth level fighters are Indomitable, so you can re-roll a failed save once per long rest. Getting your head chopped off is automatically at least two failed death saves, so make sure you keep this handy.

Fighter 10: Tenth level fighters get Improved Combat Superiority, making your superiority dice d10s instead of d8s. You can use these new embiggened dice  on a Lunging Attack to add 5′ to your reach, or a Parry to reduce incoming damage from a melee attack.

Fighter 11: Eleventh level fighters get another Extra Attack, and this one does stack, so you get three attacks per action now!

Fighter 12: We’re finally done with all those fighting type feats. Now we can use this ASI to bump up our skills. Wait, he has a skill that lets him always get the first move? Dammit. Use this ASI to grab the Alert feat. You can’t be surprised, hidden creatures don’t get advantage on attacks against you, and you add +5 to initiative. Okay, the next one for sure, I swear it’ll be stats.

Fighter 13: Thirteenth level fighters get another use of Indomitable, for up to two re-rolled saves per long rest. It’s not flashy, but given your stats, they’ll probably come in handy. Don’t worry though, now that all those damage type feats are done, we can finally use next level’s ASI to bump up stats properly. What do you mean we’re at level 20?!

Pros: 

For a mostly mundane fighter you have a lot of flexibility in combat, with options for moving enemies around, weakening foes, and preventing them from getting to squishier teammates. You also get the most out of your weapon of choice, but can fight without one if necessary.

While using your Jumonji Spear, however, you can deal pretty consistent damage, with plenty of ways to add extra dice to your attacks, and the great weapon fighting style evening out their rolls.

While fighters aren’t known for their skills, you bring just enough to the table to surprise people, which is exactly how you want to use that insight of yours. You also get a bunch of artisans’ proficiencies, which are more niche but good for character building.

Cons:

Literally every ASI we took this build is a feat of some kind, and most of them don’t even offer half bonuses. That wouldn’t be too much of an issue, except a few of them are completely useless rules as written. Polearm Master is either incredibly niche or something you can already do by being a monk. Piercer only works by spending your bonus action and reaction for a single attack, which probably isn’t your best use of time.

Your maneuvers and kensei features are built around superiority dice and ki points respectively, both of which have very limited uses per short rest. Plan your fights carefully, or you’ll find yourself sputtering out fast.

We’re just using a spear here, they’re not known for their range. If you really have to you can throw it, or use a bow as a kensei weapon, but playing to character will not be fun against flying enemies.

[wantonglances]

Guide to beating Noctis in Friendly Match

hi all! With Episode Ignis comes the “Friendly Match,” where the King and his trusted adviser face-off in a battle of puns and mettle to see who needs more training (and vegetables): Ignis, acrobatic chef extraordinaire, or Noctis, one-man arsenal. You control a level 31 Ignis, equipped with spelldaggers, a lance, and the occasional Ravus Nox Fleuret, and face a level 66 Noctis, who has full control of the Armiger, Ring of the Lucii, and best buds, Prompto and Gladiolus. Seem impossible? The True King is quite a difficult opponent, but below the cut is a guide to conquering this quarrel and giving the King his comeuppance.

Basics

If you’ve played Episode Ignis, you’ll have noticed that the controls differ from the main game, as well as Episodes Gladio and Prompto. You can’t unlock the Friendly Match without first beating the Episode, so you should be familiar with how Ignis handles. The first tip is to exclusively use the Firedaggers. As with the battle with Ardyn, they’re the most effective because they 1)  do more damage to a single enemy than the Ice or Stormdaggers, 2) don’t leave Ignis open to attack nearly as much, 3) build up Ignis’ damage multiplier. You won’t get his multiplier nearly as high as the fight with Trash Jesus but any and every little bit helps; Noctis has a massive health bar, an impressive arsenal, and the ability to heal himself. Ignis will only use his lance when counterattacking or using his technique High Jump, so make the Firedaggers your best friends. A helpful tip for falling into danger: instead of using a curative, hold down Triangle while locked onto Noctis to regain about 20% of your health bar and exit danger status. This only works if you avoid being hit as much as possible while limping around Hammerhead and isn’t particularly effective when Noctis is using the Armiger. But, it’s a literal life-saver sometimes.

Dodging/Counterattacking

Counterattacking is key to surviving the tussle with this feisty Lucian royal. When Noct lands a hit, Ignis will fall backwards. At the bottom of your screen you’ll see a command to press the Square button (or the equivalent on XB1.) Doing so will cause Ignis to catch himself and flip into the air. This causes him to regain the amount of health he lost from Noct’s attack (you’ll see this amount in green.) Immediately after regaining your footing, press Circle (or equivalent) to counterattack. Counterattacks will not always land, but there’s two points to it: regaining health, and throwing Noct off-guard. Regaining health is most important, as you have a very limited number of curatives. Hitting him is a bonus. More often than not, his attack will land, but Noct can and will easily warp through them, so be prepared to dodge. Dodging is done the same way as regaining health. Any time during the battle you can lock onto your princely opponent and tap Square to perform a roll. Always keep Noctis in your sights, as he is extremely fast and will attack you from above or with ranged weapons, such as Bow of the Clever, Star of the Rogue, and a handgun. A very important tip is to use your High Jump technique when Noctis activates the Armiger. You’ll know he does this when you see the Royal Arms encircle him and hear the tell-tale shing, same as in the main game. He’ll use every weapon in the arsenal, then follow it with the Armiger Chain. Like wow, what a cheater. You should always have at least two of your tech bars full, three if possible, for when he uses these moves. The Armiger Chain is very dangerous, as Prompto and Gladio (traitors!) make an appearance to assist their King. But, the Armiger is just as much so, as it increases his speed and attack power substantially. Using High Jump grants Ignis a small frame of invincibility when it’s activated, so he avoids that massive damage. Your other technique, Overclock, is more for the Episode than Friendly Match. I would suggest not wasting your tech bars on it at all, as it doesn’t always activate on the Firedaggers.

Warping

A very helpful feature is that Noct’s warping ability can be turned to your advantage! Just as in the main game, Noctis will go into stasis if he overuses his magic. He is exceptionally vulnerable during stasis, allowing you to land heavy hits or charge your Total Clarity move (this is done by locking onto him and holding down Triangle or the equivalent.) If you’re near one of two of the billboards, he will warp to these to regain MP. While there’s no way to stop him from regaining this magic, you can deal a huge amount of damage to him while he’s stuck to the billboard. Approach it and press L2 to use your hookshot, as in the Episode. Continually press Circle to fill the gauge and Ignis will use his incredibly strength and cause the fixture to come crashing down, squishing His Majesty beneath it for around 3,000 damage. After being squashed, Noct will be vulnerable, once again perfect for landing heavy hits or charging Total Clarity. In addition, Noctis can also warp onto the roof of the garage and the awning above the store. Don’t follow him just yet! Use this time to lock onto him and charge Total Clarity, then hookshot onto the roof to continue the battle. Counterattacking is very difficult on top of the awning, so try to lure him away onto the ground or at least onto the garage roof instead. But beware! Staying on the ground while His Majesty is on the roof or a billboard is dangerous, as he can warp directly to your location and land heavy hits with a chance of putting you in danger. It’s the same way how your damage multiplies the further away you are from an enemy when you warpstrike to them in the main game. Remember to always keep a lock on him.

Total Clarity

Since you have Firedaggers equipped, the fully-charged Total Clarity will land several attacks on one target. There is a chance that his move can miss, but as long as you keep landing hits or taking time to charge it while Noct is distracted it should land. This move isn’t essential like Counterattacking, but is very helpful for dealing large amounts of damage, and, honestly, breaking the monotony of this long af battle.

Spells/Ring of the Lucii

Once Noctis takes a good amount of damage (no set amount, really. It ranges from a quarter to 3/4 of his health,) he will say the line, “I don’t like the way this is going.” This means he’s serious business now and will not hold back. It’s then that he gains the ability to use fire, lighting, and ice spells on you. Just as in the main game, he will hold up a sphere and lob it in your direction. You can see the approximate location where it will land when it shows the glowing blue sphere. Try your best to dodge it’s direct hit, or, even better, hookshot onto a roof. It’s always a wide-range spell, so going anywhere near it will cause status effects. He can also use machines that can inflict poison and, in rare cases, toad, confusion, or petrification. Do your best to avoid getting near him when he casts spells or uses machinery, and instead focus on getting Total Clarity up.

In addition, he has no qualms about using the Ring of the Lucii on his most trusted adviser. You will know when he equips the Ring when he lifts his hand to his face and it begins to glow blue, then glow pink and black. This pink and black aura will grow as he uses the Death Spell to suck the life from Ignis, causing him to slow down. Your best course of action is to immediately strike him when he equips the Ring, as one hit is all it takes for him to turn to another Arm. In the event you find yourself being drained of all life, get to him as fast as you can and hit him to stop the spell. If your health and danger bars deplete completely, Ignis can be revived with a Phoenix Down (he only has two, so make ‘em count!) 

Ravus Nox Fleuret

A special guest will appear when Ignis has no more curatives left and is in danger. Ravus will fight alongside Ignis and heal him when he falls into danger. Even though Ravus poses the bigger threat, Noctis will ignore him in favor of attacking Ignis, so continue keeping a lock on him and counterattacking. However! Ravus will only be in your party for anywhere from 2-3 minutes. He has the Last Rites for one tech bar, which can momentarily stun Noctis and allow some hits or charging of Total Clarity.

Final Thoughts

This battle is very challenging and will take more than one try! We get a taste of our own medicine in this “””Friendly Match””” and it tastes like shitty cherry cough syrup. But, it only makes it all the better when you defeat the Prince and he’s forced to eat a salad for once in his life. There’s a trophy for obtaining an A+ ranking during the battle (I’m not sure about an achievement for the XB1 but I assume it’s the same.) This rank is achieved by defeating the True King in under 15 minutes (Ravus can help expedite this process, but I don’t suggest purposefully running out of curatives to summon him,) evading Noctis, like a whole lot, and performing combos (counterstriking.) It took me five tries to finally defeat the Prince, and I ended with the following results, doing exactly as I’ve described in this guide:

Combo Score: 551,250

Evasion: 212,037

Battle Time: 12:37, 291,500

Total: 1,054,787

I really hope that this guide helps some of you in your endeavor to make the King eat his greens! My ask box is open to any questions or comments regarding the Friendly Match B)

#ffxv #episode ignis #friendly match #ignis scientia #noctis lucis caelum

[doridoripawaa]

CS Week Day 5: AU

“I’ll tell you what. If you can beat me in a battle, I’ll join your crew.”

His mocking words reverberated in her head, echoing so loudly against the sides of her skull that she could hardly hear her own voice as she called out to her Pokémon. “Beautifly, String Shot!”

“It’s going to take more than a little sticky string to keep us grounded! Dodge!” With a flick of his wrist, Drew signaled out to Roselia the direction in which he wished her to move. She side-stepped the shot with ease. “Now follow up with Magical Leaf!” The dual grass and poison type stepped on the tip of her foot to turn her evasion into a spin move. Her floral hands began to glow, and by the time she turned all the way around, she was already prepared and immediately started firing glowing, dangerously sharp leaves in Beautifly’s direction.

Although May’s butterfly Pokémon had excellent balance and was a stable flyer, a pierce from those leaves could bring her to the ground. Never mind a hole in her offense; those plants could poke holes through her wings! “Beautifly, use Gust to propel yourself upward!”

With Gust providing an extra burst of speed, Beautifly was able to narrowly avoid her opponent’s assault. However, both Pokémon and trainer were so focused on the first attack that they didn’t react quickly enough to the second.

“Petal Dance!”

A flurry of petals slammed into the bug type, knocking the wind out of her. She tried to brace herself against the onslaught, but Roselia’s sheer power and concentrated technique were overwhelming. May’s jaws dropped in horror and her eyes swam with fear as she watched her precious Pokémon tumble to the ground. “Beautifly!” She scrambled forward onto the battlefield, reaching out her arms to catch the battered butterfly. Beautifly fell into her arms in a crumpled heap, unconscious.

“Thanks for the warmup.” Drew brushed his bangs out of his face as he walked over to the defeated captain. May slowly lifted her head to glare at him, ferocity and frustration bringing forth burning blue flames in her eyes. The intensity of her gaze must have caught him aback, because his expression softened. “You lasted longer than last time. Also, that Gust was pretty powerful. Your technique is just… lackluster.”

As Beautifly began to stir, May finally rose to her feet. The chains around her waist softly clinked and jingled. “Well, sorry that I’m still new to this. I’m trying to learn, okay?” Her voice carried a biting tone, but it was almost more directed at herself than at Drew.

Rather than sympathize with the irritated young woman, Drew instead retaliated with some venom of his own. “You shouldn’t take to the seas until you’re better at battling,” he told her coldly. “Gain some strength. How else will you be able to assemble a crew that respects you? When you’re battling other pirates for the legendary ribbons, how can you rely on a crew that doesn’t respect you?”

Fuming, the brunette spat back, “I have a crew!”

Drew snorted and waved his hand dismissively. “Your crew is just your father’s leftovers who are so loyal to him that they feel obligated to serve you, too!”

“Why bother battling me, then? If I’m so hopeless and weak, why do you insist on ‘training’ with me every time you see me?” The fire hadn’t faded from her face or her voice, but now tears were beginning to well at the corner of her eyes, sparkling like flames on her lashes as they reflected the setting sun.

“I never said you were hopeless. That’s why I’m trying to help--” Drew began, perhaps feeling remorseful for kicking May while she was already down, but he was interrupted in his apology as May took a menacing step forward. The heel of her boot clicked sharply against the ground. Beautifly was afloat once again, and with her hands now freed, May pointed her finger right at the green-haired boy’s nose.

“You keep lecturing me about building strength and earning respect, but if push came to shove, I would launch myself into a fight for my crew.” She stepped back and withdrew her cutlass from its holder, running her finger along the flat side of its blade. “I didn’t set out to be a trainer, I set out first and foremost to see the world. I have dueling skills of my own.” 

Suddenly she shook her head rapidly, as if trying to send the tears flying away. Her eyes now reflected a new emotion; the burning intensity was still there, but they were mixed with a feisty flash rather than a furious fog. “I bet you couldn’t hold your own in physical combat. Could you defeat me without Roselia by your side?” Giggling impishly, she swung her arm with a dramatic flourish, slicing through the air before her. Even beneath her ruffling sleeves, the power behind her strike was evident; the fear that flashed across Drew’s face had not gone unnoticed. “I’ll tell you what,” she murmured, smirking as the boy’s earlier challenge repeated in her head once more. This time, however, it didn’t mock her but instead encouraged her. “If you can beat me in a battle, I’ll let you join my crew.”

#csweek2017 #pirate au #contestshipping #pokemon #pokeani #anipoke #may #drew #haruka #shuu #shuuharu #fanfic #fy fic

[loverecoveryexpert]

6 Signs You Are Being Targeted By A Predator [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="no" min_height="" hover_type="none" link=""][fusion_title margin_top="" margin_bottom="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" size="1" content_align="center" style_type="single solid" sep_color="#af60b4"] 6 Signs You Are Being Targeted By A Predator [/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type="none" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" sep_color="" top_margin="12px" bottom_margin="12px" border_size="0" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" /][fusion_text] Dear Fearless Love, Recently, I was at a party where I met Matt. He offered to get me a drink and I accepted. He took a seat on the sofa between me and another woman. The entire time, he ignored me and spoke to her, but kept rubbing his leg against mine. He’d occasionally turn to me and smile as if we had some “secret thing going on”. After a while, he got up suddenly and said, “Keep in touch.” I was put off by his player behavior and abruptness. Later in the evening, Matt returned with compliments and eyes only for me.  Imagine my surprise when he asked me for advice on how to best break up with his girlfriend! He confided that she’d promised on numerous occasions to stop drinking, but her bingeing was taking a toll on him. He also then told me he wanted to hang out with me. I excused myself, gathered my things, and left. When I got to my car, I received his friend request on Facebook. The entire night he’d been hot and cold, flirting with me, then revealing he already had a girlfriend! What’s the matter with him? ~Bexley Dear Bexley, Indeed, the problem is him, not you. Removing yourself from any further communication will save you from heartaches and headaches, as he’s clearly playing games. A bad man is a predator who plays women to get what he wants, which is usually adoration, excitement, and sex. This type of man has mastered the art of seduction— portraying characteristics that are highly desirable, and also showing you FAKE vulnerability.  He is skilled in winning a woman’s heart. The following are SIX techniques the predator uses to hold your interest and stimulate your chemistry.

1 - Interrogation Expert

A predator doesn’t waste time with small talk. He will jump right into your personal physical, spiritual, and emotional spaces. He has an agenda which includes finding your strengths to exploit and your weaknesses to prey upon. The predator does not care about your past relationships, your standards or your values. He interrogates you to learn how to create an image of what you want in a man in order to gain your trust so that he'll eventually get what he wants. What a bad man offers is abuse and harassment.

2 - Smooth Operator

When you first meet him, he adorns you with compliments, whispers in your ear, and touches you too early. He may attempt to take you away from your friends and get you alone.  He always subtly (or even blatantly) pushes the boundary of what’s appropriate and comfortable. He will share stories that seem very romantic, that pull at your heartstrings for him. The predator isn’t looking for a partnership. His romancing of you is clever bait.  He wants to be in control and it has worked before, which is why he may seem so confident. Congratulations to YOU - by walking away, you didn’t sign up for his lack of reliability, manipulation, and lies that would have eventually sucked you in and made you mentally, emotionally, and even physically sick.

3 - Master at the Game of Push/Pull

This type of person runs hot and cold. One minute he pulls you in with compliments and promises, the next he keeps you at bay with his non-action. He flat-out disrespects you and disregards your wishes. He tells you he wants to see you but doesn’t make plans. It’s all about tension and suspension to keep you guessing. Manufacturing confusion, longing, and a host of mixed emotions is the bad man’s hallmark.

4 - Man of Mystery

Mystery works.  Its appeal is novelty, luring you away from the mundane and into an adventure where you release control of yourself. It also traps you into seeing in him the favorite characteristics you want in a man while being kept in the dark about his true self and his intentions. When a man is suggestive rather than concrete about the future, when he’s evasive about personal questions – his past, the women in his life, the length of past relationships, etc. —beware.  A predator lives in secrecy. He lacks substance and won't commit to anything. Instability and chaos feed his need for a constant thrill. The mystery serves to cover up his addiction to the power of deception and to women and the chase.

5 - Objectify Women

A bad man objectifies women, often believing that female victims are somehow responsible for their own abuse or harassment. Because of his deep feelings of inadequacy or worthlessness, a predator wants to be seen and admired to boost his fragile ego. The sexual mistreatment of women magically affirms his proud sense of masculinity. He surrounds himself with women. He will play one against the other to feed his inflated ego. Even if you’ve never seen or met these women, he will be sure to tell you about them. The predator purposefully manufactures a sense of urgency, jealousy, and feelings of insecurity to keep you hooked in his game as well to make you work hard for his attention.

6 - Alleged Sad Past

A predator tells you a string of sob stories about being misunderstood, betrayed and abused, starting all the way from childhood and into his most recent relationship. Get the tissues ready, for he will pull at your compassion and sympathy! Then he’ll make you feel like your brilliance is the answer to his deep well of brokenness being healed. This is a manipulation; it pulls on you to stay in the relationship and to accept his lame excuses for any of his bad behavior.  He will tell you he’s “too damaged to have a relationship,” but he’ll keep calling you and trying to hang out. Believe his words in this case.  He can’t do relationships, commitment, or love. Many predators are sex and love addicts, narcissists, psychopaths, or any combination of other toxic personalities. Don’t be fooled by fake vulnerability and a false sense of intimacy. The predator can fluctuate from steamy hot to ice cold. He will idealize and devalue. He will praise, then insult and undermine. He will use sex as a weapon. He will play with your mind and toy with your heart. This game of seduction is a game of power and control. It will leave you battling the wolves of self-doubt and despair and strip away your sense of self. Beware of these red flags within your relationships. You are worthy of a man’s respect and time, and his sincere desire to vulnerably share with you his strengths and receive yours. It’s my goal to empower and educate you so you have the tools needed to spot and avoid predators, and instead, attract great men who are truly available to love. You are wired to love and be loved fearlessly.  From Love Trauma To Fearless Love: 7 Tango Steps for Breaking Free From Narcissists and Predators   Download the Free Excerpt: Lovetrauma.com. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

#dating advice #emotional abuse #love #narcissist survivor #predator #psychopath survivor #red flags #relationships