Notes from author
So... good news: you can parry, you have a quick, long-range, bleed-inflicting l1, you have a curved sword, you can ninja-flip, you've got decent poise and (when fully upgraded) decent light armour, power within is still amazing, and neither parries nor shields mean anything to you. Bad news, you could use better optimized armour for either poise or defense or even both, you are using a whip which is handicap enough, and you are using the shotel as a main weapon (It's not bad by any means, but the Falchion or even scimitar would be superior in terms of AR and range.) This is more of a "rule of cool" build than a min-maxed one, but it's still definitely viable, especially at this level range, where the defenses of your upgraded armour eclipse the damage typically dealt to you. Your 2hr1's are the terror of backstab fishers and shield-huggers alike, and your l1's can whiff-punish at an immense distance. Power within's increased stamina regen combined with ninja flips and a curved sword allows for unparalleled aggression, and toxic mist and the poison knives are options (mostly for style purposes). Finally, the fashion is so edgy that rolling into someone deals damage. (This often cancels backstab attempts.)
