Back in my days of playing competitive fighting games, I learned that shielding isn't just about blocking—it's about reading your opponent. The best players mix up their techniques: sometimes you parry at the last second, other times you dash out of range entirely. What really changed my approach was studying frame data; knowing exactly how many recovery frames each move has lets you counterattack safely.
I remember one tournament where I kept losing to this guy who feinted constantly. After studying his patterns, I started preemptively rolling behind him instead of shielding—completely flipped the matchup. Now I always keep three escape options ready: shield, dodge, or reposition. Muscle memory for perfect shielding comes with hours of lab time, but the mental game is what separates good players from great ones.
LARPing taught me that real-world shielding involves way more improvisation than video games. A proper historical shield wall requires tight coordination—your neighbor's shield covers your flank while you protect theirs. But when chaos hits? Suddenly you're using terrain, cloaks, even fallen weapons to deflect blows.
The best trick I learned was redirecting attacks rather than absorbing them. A slight tilt of the shield can make swords glance off instead of deadening the impact. And never forget psychological shielding—sometimes shouting or banging your shield scares off attackers long enough to regroup. Medieval manuscripts show warriors using their shields like Swiss Army knives: blocking, bashing, even hooking weapons.
Shielding in combat sports feels more like an art than pure technique. My coach always says your guard should be 'alive'—constantly adjusting to feints and angles rather than staying static. We drill this by having partners throw unpredictable combos while I practice slipping, catching shots on my elbows, or framing to create space. The Philly shell stance works wonders for me; it lets you deflect while keeping one hand free to counter.
Footwork ties everything together though. If you can angle out or cut off the ring while defending, you turn pure defense into control. I once watched an old Bernard Hopkins fight where he made guys miss by inches, then instantly punished them. That's the dream—making protection look effortless while setting up your own offense.
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The Dark Protector
Cooper
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Avani is the last earth dragon in the world. Not only that, but he is also the last male dragon. The other three remaining elemental dragons, air, water and fire, are all females. Unless he mates with one of the other three dragons, the race of pure dragons will die out.
Since he snubs the idea of finding a mate, refusing to allow anyone to claim him and therefore control him, he has taken over as protector of the forest. The hunters are always searching for supernaturals to force into their Arenas, a modern-day gladiator fighting ring. And now, they are capturing supernaturals to experiment on, creating a new race of hybrid creatures. Because Avani can shift his emerald-green scales into the black of onyx, those he saves have started to call him The Dark Protector.
Merethyl is an elven princess. She and her brother, Yhendorn, are captured by hunters when her family is attacked, her parents slaughtered in front of her. She and Yhendorn are held captive, experimented on, until one day they find a way to escape. As they flee, Yhendorn is re-captured sacrificing himself to make sure Merethyl gets away.
As she runs, the hunters chase her, trying to run her down. Avani hears her and flies to her rescue, killing the hunters that are after her. When he realizes that she smells better than anyone he’s ever smelled before, he knows he must get away from her. He cannot allow her to have the total control over him that claiming him would give her. But Merethyl has nowhere else to go and she needs Avani’s help to rescue her brother.
Will Avani be able to resist the charms of the elven princess, or will he fall to her, claimed, making her his dragonrider?
Author's Note
The book is slow burn, feelings took time to be accepted and noticed.
Trigger Warnings
This book contains sexual harassment, bullying and trauma.
……………………………………..
"Right there, fuck, Jordan, don't stop," Aiden panted when I broke the kiss for air. His nails dug into my shoulders, leaving red trails down my back as I drove into him relentlessly.
I reached between us and wrapped my hand around his leaking cock, stroking him in time with my thrusts, firm, twisting pulls from root to tip, thumb swiping over the sensitive head to spread his precum.
His balls drew up tight, and I knew he was close. So was I. The pressure built at the base of my spine, my own cock swelling even thicker inside him.
I pounded into him faster, the wet sounds of our fucking growing louder, more frantic. Every thrust jolted his body, his hole gripping me like a fist.
I leaned in closer, biting down gently on the junction of his neck and shoulder as I felt my orgasm crest.
"Come for me, Aiden," I growled against his skin, stroking him faster. "Let me feel you."
……..
Aiden was an ordinary human who was living life as it was until one day his life changed and he was invited into Aetherhold Academy for powerful people.
Being the only human in a school full with supernatural beings made life a little bit hard, however he had his three protectors fighting for him.
What happens when Aiden finds out that he wasn’t a human, he was a powerful Omega who could get pregnant and the reason why he has been constantly harassed was because he has been releasing a powerful mating pheromone?
What happens when his three powerful Alpha protectors take a liking to him?
What if you really were transported to a fantasy world and expected to kill monsters to survive?No special abilities, no OP weapons, no status screen to boost your stats. Never mind finding the dragon's treasure or defeating the Demon Lord, you only need to worry about one thing: how to stay alive.All the people summoned form parties and set off on their adventures, leaving behind the people who nobody wants in their group.Story of my life, thinks Colin.
The city was overrun by zombies. My girlfriend, Callie Bernson, the team leader, had taken my best friend, Dan Harrington, and fled in our only armored vehicle, leaving me behind in the shelter to die.
Outside, the scratching of claws against metal echoed through the corridors. The defensive barricades were already starting to fail. My heart sank into despair. I raised my gun to my temple, ready to end it quickly, when a stream of floating text suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.
[It’s hilarious. That cheating couple thinks they’re heading to Paradise, but that place has fallen. It’s packed with high-level zombies now.]
[Don’t die, PC! The person in a coma in the shelter—the one your so-called best friend called dead weight and abandoned—is actually the only S-class ability user. Once she wakes up, she’ll wipe the floor with everything!]
[Just you wait. When your buddy crawls back here in disgrace and finds the big boss awake, he will go to step in and steal the credit for saving her.]
[Hurry up and die already, cannon fodder. I can’t wait for the tragic apocalypse romance between the best friend and the big boss.]
I lowered the gun and sprinted toward the quarantine room. Inside, a woman lay on the bed, sleeping peacefully. I strode over and slapped her hard across the face.
“Honey!” I shouted. “Time to get to work!”
When a fire destroys young Valiant's family home she finds herself hurled in a life that is attempting to destroy her.
"Malcolm, please. I'm tired. It's been years and I haven't told anyone. I just want to be left alone." I pleaded with him for mercy hoping he'd been satisfied with the devilment he'd kept up for years.
He grabbed my butt and hissed, "Bịtch, you don't get to say when you're tired. As long as I have access to you, you'll open up and let me fûck you. Now, where's the money I gave from the last time? Did you spend it? Do you need more? I'll stop by tonight. Since you weren't here last night....wait did you fûck him? You let him touch what is mine."
My eyes widened in terror knowing that my revealing the truth to him would cause me more pain.
I cry uncontrollably for minutes until I hear Roman's voice shouting! "I'm going to kill that motherfūcker!"
But there appeared with Roman Driggs, his best friend and battle buddy Reece Shields, sexy, confident and dangerous.
Charged with keeping an eye out for Valiant, Reece begins to fall in love with his friend's girlfriend...
****
"Damnit woman! I love you! It kills me everyday that I'm not the one! He doesn't deserve you and in spite of what you think about yourself, you're the perfect girl for me. I've never wanted or needed something so bad."
He had tears streaming down his face.
****
"Reece, I love you and am in love with you. Please help me."
"I think I'm pregnant."
There's a trail of betrayal, lust and schemes that tear apart the world of two military friends and complicates the love of the remaining couple.
“I’m paid to keep you safe, Caro. Not to keep my hands off you.”
Alessandro De Luca is the elite’s most dangerous weapon. A cold, calculated security expert who has never let a woman get past his defenses. He lives by a strict code of silence and professional distance—until his new assignment walks through the door.
CARO is the only woman who ever saw the man behind the mask. Years ago, she broke his heart and vanished. Now, she’s back—and she’s the target of a powerful underground syndicate.
Trapped together in a luxury villa on the Italian coast, the lines between protection and possession begin to blur. Alessandro is determined to keep her alive, but his simmering fury is quickly turning into an all-consuming fire.
He is her defender. She is his greatest temptation.
But in a world where secrets are more lethal than bullets, can their rekindled passion survive the truth?
Shielding mechanics in games are way more nuanced than just pressing a button to block. Take 'Dark Souls' for example—timing is everything. If you raise your shield a second too late, that dragon's fire breath still roasts you alive. But hold it up too early, and your stamina drains before the real attack even lands. Some games like 'Monster Hunter' even tie shield effectiveness to weapon types; a lance user can tank hits that'd send a dual blades user flying.
What fascinates me is how shields change combat pacing. In 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild', perfect parries create this rhythmic dance against Guardians. Meanwhile, tactical games like 'XCOM' turn shields into positional puzzles—flanking an enemy negates their cover entirely. It's wild how this one mechanic can morph from reflex-based action to chess-like strategy depending on the genre.
Watching characters pull off insane shield techniques always makes me pause and rewind—like, how do they even train for that? In shows like 'Fate/stay night', Saber's magical barrier isn't just about raw power; it's tied to her instincts and centuries of combat experience. The animation often zooms in on her stance—feet planted, arms tense—which makes me think shielding is as much about body mechanics as magic. Then there's 'My Hero Academia', where quirks like Shoto's ice walls or Momo's instant shields rely on quick thinking. The creators clearly study real-world martial arts or sports defenses; you can spot parallels to fencing parries or soccer goalie moves.
What fascinates me more, though, is the emotional side. In 'Attack on Titan', Mikasa's desperate shields for Eren aren't flawless—they crack under pressure, literally. That vulnerability makes it relatable. Meanwhile, RPGs like 'Fire Emblem' turn shielding into a stats game, balancing agility and armor. Maybe that's why it feels satisfying—whether it's a character's grit or a pixel-perfect block timing, there's always layers to it.