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12-10-2024, 01:41 AM
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Tread Lightly.
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,533
Battle Record: 26-9
Champed - Netcees Battle League
- Battle Arena
- Tag Team Tournament III
- Tag Tournament: "Omicron Variant"
Rep Power: 18197460   |
ROUND TWO MAG: WE DID IT!
 Welcome back folks. We did it! Round 1 complete. Zero no shows in the topical division, and only one for the regulars. The voting could have been a little better in some battles, but overall I’d call it a success. Let’s keep it going in round 2! ROUND ONE RECAPS Scar vs brokenhal0 Two very different takes here - Halo gave us the tale of a pit bull forced into dog fighting, while Scar gave us a reflection on the bond between man and dog. Although voters noted that the dog in the image prompt was not a pit bull or fighting breed, most still thought Halo’s submission was compelling enough to give him the nod. Scar had a couple of bars with a unique voice and some interesting imagery, but voters noted a soulless, robotic quality to most of his verse - I’m pretty convinced it was a ChatGPT job personally. Halo won 4-1 and advances to the next round. Etherwave vs fraze This one had to close at 2-1 so we could move the tourney along, which fucking sucks. Both of these writers deserved more than that in terms of feedback - especially given they’ve both been active voters themselves. We had an interesting spin on the topic from Etherwave - giving us a glimpse at a post apocalyptic world where humans are forced to live underwater, vs a very uniquely written submission on a great white shark from fraze. The battle closed 2-1 to fraze, but all voters said this was close. I feel especially bad for Etherwave here - fraze was a last minute replacement for ChatGPT, and I had done these match ups pseudo randomly with the only constraint being that ChatGPT’s opponent needed to be someone who would reliably show up. Ether really got unlucky ending up against fraze instead and then with the votes the way they went. She’s been a phenomenally good sport about it all and I can’t wait to see her back again for the next topical tourney. ACTIVATE SELF vs Regulator Activate gave us a metaphorical interpretation of the image - imagining the carousel as a cycle of trauma and the dark figure as death. Meanwhile Regulator gave us the story of a carny battling with guilt over a death caused by a Ferris wheel malfunction. This was another close battle which unfortunately had to close with one vote difference - ACTIVATE emerged the winner with 3 votes to Regulator’s 2. Once again we have a display of good sportsmanship here with zero bitching about the unfortunate way the battle had to close. I hope we’ll see Regulator back again for the next tourney. symetrik vs Goatmilk713 Goatmilk gave us an abstract, metaphor-heavy piece exploring a spiritual journey through life's twists, using driving as a symbol for fate and purpose. Symetrik on the other hand took a grounded, introspective approach, reflecting on burnout and the need to slow down, framing life as a long drive. Both brought unique perspectives, with one leaning esoteric and the other relatable. This was the only shutout battle of the round with Symetrik taking it 4-0. If I’m being honest I didn’t feel like this was symetrik’s best work - the writing was good, but the rhymes were basic as basic gets. I know he’s capable of more and I hope we’ll get to see it in the coming rounds. Regular Battlers vs AI We had a few interesting exhibition matches here with the four regular battlers who signed in and showed up paired off against ChatGPT. Although I tried a little bit to prompt ChatGPT into something half decent it's clear that AI still has a ways to go in terms of figuring out both multi-syllable rhyming and the nuances of human humor and how to creatively insult someone. The people who gave us the best verses here utilised the profile I gave for each AI opponent, coming up with lines about their names, locations, hobbies, etc, as well as dissing artificial intelligence. Here's a few of the best lines: TOP PUNCHES Saint vs Bao Boom I dodge, duck & weave the blows; u'll be missing me crazy friend If we square up & Boombox he'll go 'over the shoulder' more than 80s trends Saint vs Bao Boom I went deep & long in Baos wife. she choked w/ a girthy rubber then had a dang ol hard time tellin Boomhauer throat fucked up words she uttered John Dillinger vs Mono B Believe in that spirit shit, ain’t no shawty on you horny twerking Fag please, the only V-dick texts you read is erotic story shit virgin John Dillinger vs Mono B Ya old lady gave me head, I told the hoe to come try Smashed the bitch who gave birth to u, in ur city & said Mumbai Etherwave vs Ice Queen Who programmed you!? They did you real bad, but I'm bout to do you much worse. Having no mother and father must hurt. Just think, you was dumb first, then someone put in some commands now you think you spitting a fun verse. Regulator vs Lil Shrimp Since you like sea food I’ll show you where the ocean is, you’ll pay the price. Except you don’t like to get ur feet wet last cat fish u encountered was on a dating site VERSE OF THE WEEK (TOPICAL) There were a few quality submissions to pick from this week but for me there was one that stood out as being more polished than the rest. I'm giving VOTW this week to the guy I knew nothing about prior to round one, fraze! Quote:
BATTLE OF THE WEEK This one I'm giving to the other battle that closed with only one vote difference, Regulator vs ACTIVATE SELF. This really was a matter of luck with who voted and what they prioritize more in a verse. All voters agreed this was close, no matter who they voted for. The final result was 3-2 to Activate, who moves on to the semi finals.  Quote:
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ROUND TWO MATCH UPS symetrik vs brokenhal0  The images I’ve chosen this round have more of a surreal flavour to them compared with the more realistic ones I used last week. Although this one is a little simpler in terms of not having too many focal points, I hope these guys will still find something that interests them here to write about. I think this one is Symetrik’s to lose - his best work will beat Hal0’s, but I think this image is more in Halo’s wheelhouse than last week’s was and I expect the quality of his verse to reflect that. I’ll say 55-45 Symetrik. fraze vs ACTIVATE SELF  A little more to chew on in this picture perhaps. Where are those stairs going? Who is that figure in the background? What’s the significance of the compass? I was very impressed with fraze last round after not knowing him at all prior to that. He mentioned he wasn’t really feeling the topic I gave him (sorry!), so maybe if he likes this one more we’ll see something special out of him here. Activate is certainly no slouch either though, I expect this to be a great battle. I’m saying 55-45 fraze because he had multi syllable rhymes last round and Activate mostly didn’t. Will that be a deciding factor here? Let’s see! Saint vs Regulator Saint was very impressive last round. The biggest factor here is going to be whether or not he shows up. If he does, Regulator will have his work cut out for him. Factoring in the risk of Saint no showing, I'll call this at 60-40 Regulator. John Dillinger vs Etherwave I expect both these writers to show up, and I think we'll have more of a battle on our hands here regardless. John Dillinger has much more experience at this particular niche of writing than Ether, but she's a good writer and may be able to adapt her style to writing wordplay/punchlines. Or, maybe a different approach to battling will resonate with voters. Looking forward to it. 65-35 JD. INTERVIEW WITH LARS This week we have an interview with our former host Lars, who left you in my hands here after the last tourney he ran. He’s also one of the most prolific and talented writers this hobby has ever seen. If you’ve done this for any amount of time you almost certainly know him or one of his aliases. Here he is to grace us with his thoughts on the tourney and various other things. Welcome gawd! And once again - thanks for running the previous tourney. Jesus Christ, it’s a lot of work. What an introduction! Thank you. It sure is a lot of work, and I think it’s only once you’ve taken the time to sit down and put something together like this that you can begin to appreciate the enormity of the task at hand. A lazy mag can feel lazy and uninspired when you read it, but when the mod has taken the time and put forth an effort beyond the standard fair, you can really tell. You can feel it as you read. It goes a long way. The moderator to me is almost like an event organiser, and it’s on you to deliver what was advertised. If we’re going to continue trying to build on the interest we have, we have to be consistently offering opportunities to those interested in taking part. There are clearly some people here still interested in writing, and theres other (new) blood outside with the likes of Etherwave and Goatmilk that want to take part. Ether came in and swept a tourney on her first attempt. I like to think the reason she stopped by initially, rather than one of the multitude of other writing platforms, was either due to the talent pool, the feedback received, or a combination of both. I would love to see a 64 Man Topical Tourney happen with all of the biggest ‘names’ involved - for sure - but right now we have to reinvest our time and efforts back towards the grassroots level of the game which NC is probably guilty of having neglected for too long in truth. We can’t afford that luxury if this little hobby of ours is to continue, we have to change and adapt. It’s about giving back to the culture we’ve loved for so long. It will take a lot of effort from some of us, but those that love this for what it is I feel can see the reward. How do you feel about how we kicked off in round 1? Any surprises? How’d you enjoy the AI stand in verses? The immediate surprise, for me at least, was the inclusion of the AI verses in the first place. I don’t think I’ve seen that before, and they definitely need a good few more prompts to their own verses for them to really come up with something — but a couple lines here and there were almost passable. Almost. I bet Regulator was worried when he saw two posts back to back voting against him at first haha! The AI may be better suited to topicals actually as it might take on a more poetic stance readily rather than a niche rap battle one. I can easily see it beating some people in that sense. It was great to see a @SELF Activate verse again, his appearances seem to be more and more sporadic these days but he was quite prolific himself at a point. Don’t sleep. The rest, besides Goatmilk, are staples of the topical scene by and large so it doesn’t surprise me to see them still actively competing. @fraze isn’t new by any means, he perhaps caught Etherwave off-guard as she wouldn’t be as familiar with him but he’s far from new (2013 join date) he just hasn’t been as actively involved of recent. It shouldn’t have surprised those who have been here a minute though. @Saint did as expected on the battle tip, he’s surely an early favourite to win that division. It will be difficult to oust someone of his experience on the text battle side of the Twin Tourney. With things as they stand currently who are you predicting to win in each division? I think I may have just inadvertently answered one part of this question, so let me focus on the topical side of things perhaps. We had a couple of close battles this round, Self Activate against Regulator was close even at the time of writing this out. I think Self may snag the win, and if he does he’s certainly capable of winning this outright. The other right now is Brokenhal0 who looks to be in a writing mood from his first round showing, he certainly brought it against Scar this round in what was one of the toughest opening matchups on paper. Let’s say that Self and Hal0 meet at the business end, I think Self certainly has the better skillset overall if he can write near to his peak — but he’s largely shown that in Open Mic forum drops rather than in a competitive setting. Hal0, on the other hand, has risen to the occasion many times in a league and tournament setting - so you would be silly to write him off. I think his experience would prevail and he would win. Take from that what you will. You’ve spoken before about nothing comparing your formative years in the RSTL at Rap Music, but what’s been your most memorable or enjoyable individual battle or even entire league/tourney in the more modern era, if we define that as Netcees 2.0/the last 10 or so years? From a purely personal standpoint, the AOWL Season XI of recent times is an accomplishment I rank highly. For me, that one was almost a legacy matchup. Pent uP going an entire season undefeated in Season 1 single handedly saw him put in the Hall Of Fame here. In fact let’s pull up the receipts real quick: http://www.netcees.org/showthread.php?t=8369 “Pent uP dominated the topical scene like no other on Netcees. He is the only one who has been able to remain undefeated throughout an entire season of the topical league. He went 12-0 in season 1 of the NWL. Once becoming champion of the topical league, he successfully defended the title 5 times, keeping the title as the season closed out.” I matched that accomplishment, went through an entire season undefeated - a season that lasted longer than twelve months I may add - but the manner of the victory in shutting out Universe so comprehensively in a topical match at the top of the game is significant. How many have you seen do that here? I’ve no doubt you could count those than have on one hand, if not one finger, but nothing was stopping me from the opportunity to draw my legacy even with that accomplishment. Nothing. It didn’t matter who they put in front of me at that moment, I was winning. I wanted it more. I threw out a ferocious verse from top to bottom I knew few could compete with. I consider that the most memorable from a league standpoint as I’ve also never competed for an entire “season” in that format, I’ve made title challenges and defences in-season but that was the first time I ever committed to taking part for a complete season. So far as an individual match, many might point to the Winter Topical Finals vs. @deadman as a defining one, from a purely personal standpoint I enjoyed the victory over Certain more. He managed to get a win over my in my first ever topical Contendership Match around 20 years previous, I was a kid back then and I found out the hard way how tough it could be to compete at the very top. I went away and reflected on it, refined my style somewhat, then came back for another attempt. We never got the chance to run it back during the RSTL, partly because of him taking a leave of absence from the game for some years, so when he eventually resurfaced here and we got drawn against each other - It’s another match where I refused to be beaten. I wanted to show him how much I had improved. I had a point to prove. The battle finished 7-1 in my favour: http://www.netcees.org/showthread.php?t=47174 but it’s not solely about the number of votes here, if you’re bored take a look at who voted on it. NYCSPITZ, zygote, bigbaby, Vulgar, Eng, Pent uP, deadman and oats. This wasn’t just any other topical battle, this was two giants of the game slugging it out and a veritable Who’s Who? of the topical scene stopping by to decide the victor. Again, the manner of the victory is perhaps as important as the end result itself. To have a contingent of some of Netcees very best writers in agreement that it was a consummate win over another Top Ten Topicalist ever is something special. It means more. It’s like when people want to compare Heavyweight Champions in boxing, and to do so you have to look at not only who they beat, but who was in their prime (or past it), or which names would become future HW champion of the world that adds more credence when comparing resumés. This was one of those matches for me. The fact I then went on to run through Pent, Vulgar and Deadman in order to win that tourney shows you the level of competition was high. I was seeded 7th going into that tourney, something which would likely never happen now. There’s an interview with Vulgar for the opining rounds magazine where he’s asked “Who do you think had the best shot of winning?” his response was: “ Vulgar: Baron Mynd was the first person to sign up, which might indicate that he is ready to return to his former glory. He was a topical beast when he put the effort in, a writer no forum on the net couldn't deny respect. I'd say he is the darkhorse of the tournament simply because he has become something of a dark troll during the past few years. The best shot of winning goes to Certain, who I think will pull out all his tricks to leave a dent in the Netcees paradigm.” Which shows you I was going into that thought of as an underdog, Certain was riding on the crest of a wave and expected to champ the entire thing. It was an upset for me to win, never mind so convincingly. I won the very next topical tournament here too, two back to back bangers — a feat no one else has achieved before or since. Which of your verses is your favourite? And why? I don’t generally have a favourite verse, in truth, and there’s nothing that immediately sticks out to me as being above and beyond the rest. I suppose I’m quite a big believer in you only ever being as good as your last verse. I actually tend not to hold any one single piece up as some sort ‘pinnacle of writing’ to compare everything else to. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see the productivity in doing that, I think if I did I would end up trying to write something similar again and again, to try and replicate its formula, but it would very quickly start to feel less original and uncreative for me — at that point my interest wound wane considerably. You don’t compete in creative writing for two decades or more by ever being satisfied with a previous piece of work in my opinion. I’m never 100% pleased with my writing, if it wasn’t for there being deadlines imposed, I would likely never post them. I’m meticulous but still find kinks in my own game to iron out, even now. Perhaps that’s why I’ve persisted for so long where others haven’t, I’m always looking to improve my game, it’s just an insatiable hunger that’s never satisfied and I’m always aware of the faults and flaws in a verse - my own and others - so it’s a constant revision of what works well and what doesn’t and why, how it could be improved upon, if a scheme could be tightened up, syllables omitted for the implied rhythmic cadence, interesting word choices or turns of phrase, character development, dialogue, alliteration, wording and execution, imagery, there are so many variables contained within so few lines it’s immense. I guess having wrote that out it becomes clearer perhaps as to why I don’t have a “favourite” verse per se. It’s not something I would ever consider productive of me to have, I’m not someone who “writes for them,” - I write for my opponent, I write to win battles. I don’t find any catharsis in doing this. I win and I move on to the next one, once it’s done I pay very little attention to the verse that came and went before. It’s almost irrelevant to me at that point, it’s forgotten about, because it has no bearing on the very next opponent and my approach will change and be tailored directly to them. Now, that’s probably not the answer you were looking for here, so there are a couple verses that weren’t used in a competitive setting I feel may have gone under the radar somewhat - as they weren’t used for a league or tournament - which is perhaps a little unusual for me considering how competitive I’ve remained and for so long. Let’s throw those out there, as I remember them and what they were for. One was wrote vs deadman in the AOWL league and he ended up no-showing it: http://www.netcees.org/showthread.ph...Diablo+Deadman This next one was wrote purely when someone gave me a picture topic to write to at random. I started it off, got into it, and this is the finished result: http://www.netcees.org/showthread.ph...ght=Chardonnay I’ll throw this older one out there from 2015. This was wrote about a relative: http://www.netcees.org/showthread.ph...ht=David+Adams Same question but for other writers - is there a verse someone’s written that’s a favourite of yours/particularly memorable to you? I don’t really have any favourites, by myself or otherwise, and a lot have probably been lost over time with RapMusic.com going down (RIP). I may have mentioned these before on the boards but I remember a verse by J o o k that had a sort of twist on Osama Bin Laden actually being reminiscent of Jesus that was fresh (at the time). There was a verse by Richard Corey on ProjectRhyme some years ago about a guy who had worked in his manufacturing job for years that was being slowly but surely being replaced by a computer or machinery or something similar, still pretty relevant today with the rise of automatous manufacturing. That stands out. Tali Rodriguez did one around an ocean I enjoyed, sorry for the scarce details here, but that was really well written. Let’s take a look though at RIKOSHAY’s “Graffiti Artist/Vandal” which is a slick display of an overarching multisyllable rhyme being used while sticking to a topic. A verse I enjoyed reading way back when it was posted and still find fun even today: http://www.netcees.org/showpost.php?...0&postcount=18 You’re one of a small handful of people who write at a high level with a very distinctive style. In particular the rhyme scheme/mechanics you employ. As someone still experimenting with different styles myself, I decided to have a go at yours in my most recent verse (I’m sure you noticed). I definitely was aware it wasn’t going to be as effortless as you make the end result look, but I have to give you a few extra flowers after writing that - it was actually quite a bit more difficult than I’d thought and I didn’t even do it to the same standard. I found it much more difficult than just holding the same end rhyme multi for 4+ lines, and I did start to wonder if the effort to voter reception ratio was worth it. I’m rambling a bit, but my question is - what’s your drive to always (?) write in that way? Do you feel like me that it’s more difficult to pull off than other kinds of rhyme schemes and you want to challenge yourself? Is it “branding”? Something else? There’s a lot to unpack here, but I’ll give it a shot. Theres a deliberately deceptive simplicity to its complexity, and what I enjoy about that is its ability to be universally accessible. For the uninitiated, the lines are short, crisp and compact enough to make for a brief read. They can appreciate it for those aspects, while those paying closer attention to what’s being done can still appreciate the degree of technical ability required to pull it off. It may come off effortless at times, but it’s far from it, and a lot of craft goes into each and every line. Its beauty really lies in being all encompassing, stylistically I feel it’s the most well-rounded approach there is in topical battles. There’s not a single element of topical storytelling I feel where someone else excels over me stylistically. I can do it all. Flow, dialogue, imagery, dual rhyme schemes, creativity, character development. From a purely technical standpoint in terms of adhering to a rhyme scheme the way I do consistently, who can you name competing with that week in and week out? It’s a very, very dialled in approach. Perhaps an underrated aspect is that I tailor my approach to my opposition, I’ve been around long enough to know who I am up against and what their move will likely be. I write to counteract what they will (likely) attempt to do. You see it, perhaps somewhat infrequently, but I remember one in particular against Vulgar where I knew he generally writes with a huge creative edge to him - world building as it’s often termed - he writes great fantastical creative stories, but this originality also proved his double-edged sword in that he often becomes bogged down in the details. His line lengths creep up, the implied rhythmic cadence is lost, it becomes a short story rather than a rapped verse and he loses semblance of flow. To exploit this fact, I basically cut my line lengths in half. I went for a super short lined verse against him, so that when it came down to the votes it only amplified the fact he was over-wordy and with these long stretched lines with no semblance of flow to them. Right after he submitted his verse, before any votes were cast, I private messaged him and told him exactly what I had done and why. The thing perhaps a lot of you don’t pay attention to, and I know this may seem controversial because a lot of writers will tell you they “write for themselves,” etc, is that this is competitive writing. We are in direct competition. If you want to win battles, if you want to become the champion, then you have to beat your opposition. It’s a contest. You’re here to win. I’m here to win. I’m not here to write for me, if I was I would putting verses in the Open Mic forum, I’m here to outwrite you the week we’re drawn against each other. I will analyse your style and break it down to what I perceive your approach will be, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and I will write what I feel is the antidote to all those things. If you use long, wordy lines I will place an emphasis on my flow. If you’re a poly-syllabic rhymer, I will dial up my rhyme scheme and multies to show there’s a clear divide between what you’re doing and what I can. Every perceived weakness of yours will be exploited, everything you do to your strengths I will at the very least match to nullify what you’re doing. The worst case scenario, in my mind, is to pay no attention to your opponent and both post blind drops and hope to get the better of a 50/50 decision. It’s left completely to chance. I know some do exactly that, they write for them and the result doesn’t matter so much, but I don’t like that, I much prefer to give myself the best possible chance of victory I can. You only have to look at my win percentage to see it works far more often than not, I strategise to win. I write with victory in mind. I craft the verse to my opponent, and I execute it flawlessly week after week. I certainly do find the difficulty setting raised, it’s essentially me playing the game on its toughest setting every time — but I’ve also done this for such a prolonged period that it’s almost second nature to me at this point. The stylistic choice isn’t so much down to any kind of “branding,” but more so me having found a definitive style of my own I feel is tough to beat for just about anyone out there. For anyone still reading that cares what I may have to say on this, I do actually have more than one style in my arsenal to unleash as and when (I feel) the situation requires it. I may not always utilise them, but certainly in my (re)match with Mr. J for example I switched it up on him deliberately as I had only recently beat him in the finals of the Martyrs To An Abstract Cause tourney. I figured he may try something different in approach, as our battles happened so closely together, so I changed things up on him to nullify him being able to assess my previous verse and attempt to counteract it. He didn’t, as it turned out, but I still ended up winning comfortably in the end. There was a situation in the AOWL when me and Universe met for the title, the battle ended being disqualified, and we were forced to go at it again the very next week. Again, rather than marinate on the week before, I switched style completely the following week and shut him out completely in votes. Sometimes it isn’t just about the verses, it’s not about you both writing blind drops to the same topic and it being a 50/50 toss up on who might win, it’s more akin to a poker game with there being tells about your opponent you can pick up on. If you can read them well enough… you know when they’re bluffing. You know how they’ll play their hand and what you need to do to beat them. It’s not an exact science, but you can play the percentage game and ensure you high returns. I’m unpredictable for this very reason, a chameleon of styles due to my experience, and I can emulate anyone if I so choose. Of course, I’m not saying everyone should or can adopt this strategy, it’s taken me many years honing my craft to be able to do so. To be able to break down my opponent by analysing them and what they may do takes more than just a casual familiarity with them, I’m very familiar with the writers toward the upper echelons of this scene and that makes me a very dangerous opponent for them. Who’s your top 5 of all time, and then also your top 5 that’ve been active in the last 10 years? I don’t really have a set-in-stone “Top 5” in truth, I’m a big believer in form and you only ever being as good as your last verse. I’m also very mindful of the fact that once you reach a certain level of experience at doing this, anyone can beat anyone on their day. They all have the ability, the know how, and the requisite skillset, it then largely comes down to how well they perform at that particular moment. There isn’t a great deal to separate those at the top, we’re really talking slim margins and it’s very subjective depending on perhaps who you personally have read more verses by and what you personally look for in a verse. It would be easy, for example, for me to overlook someone like Vulgar because of his longer lines… it isn’t something I particularly favour, but doing so would overlook how creative he (always) is and that would be a massive oversight on my part. I’m also one of the few that seem to factor longevity as an aspect to my favourite writers. The ones who have not only been skilled enough to champ, at multiple different websites and leagues, but have done so continuously for years upon years. When you start looking for those, there are fewer and fewer who come to mind. Richard Corey. ThaTalent (Certain), Pent uP, SacriFICE, Frank to a somewhat lesser extent. Hey, there’s five names for you, not necessarily “my” top five in any order but I tend to place an importance on consistency and prolificity, those are to me the key things that make you the best. Anyone can have a streak or put a run together and beat a few respectable heads. Those who've consistently performed at the highest level over a long period of time, and more so over the span of many websites, tend to be highest on my list. It’s not the answer you wanted, but it’s the one you’re getting. I don’t do favourites. I find it counter-intuitive to my own process and eliminating anything from clouding that has served me very well indeed. They all have their weaknesses to me, and it’s better for me to keep that to myself for if ever the need arises. Top ten of the past ten years? Well, realistically, you’re talking 2014 onwards. The scene really hasn’t blossomed during that time, Certain returned around 2013 and went on a pretty audacious league run. You had Frank come out on top of two separate seasons of AOWL, which has to be respected, Universe heading over here from UPN was a huge move. He instantly made an impact on the league, Zygote was a beast. Very creative. Deadman is an obvious choice, I can’t really name myself but I’ve sure made it difficult for anyone else to win anything if I was involved. There’s five names for you. Again, I’m probably the wrong person to ask, but you would have a hard time finding an argument against those named I’m sure. What’s your number one tip for someone aspiring to get better at this? Any “AH HAH!” Nuggets of wisdom that changed your own writing for the better at any point? I think in order to “get better,” really depends on who they are as a writer and what they’re looking to get out of this. If your aim is solely to write for you, to use this as some form of expression or a creative outlet, then you need to also accept the fact that what is very emotional or important to yourself needs to be conveyed in a way that also resonates with the reader - I think many struggle to put those things together in a way that the viewership can relate to. Often I find those pieces quite inaccessible, they’re largely based on someone we have no emotional connection to, or are based around events were disassociated from, and so while the writer may feel strongly invested in it - as a reader I’m more often not. The pieces can feel flat and devoid of emotion as a result. Be mindful of writing the verse from the viewers perspective and how it’s perceived through unfamiliar eyes. Constantly. I remember relatively early on using commas to emphasise where the multies were in my verse, and it wasn’t until trap. pointed out to me that he read the comma as a pause in the flow did I pay that more attention. The way you intend it to be read, and the way others may interpret it, can be two wildly different things. If you’re after a creative outlet, the league(s) likely aren’t the best choice in truth. They force you to write to a pre-defined topic and to a pre-defined schedule. While there’s some leeway as to what can be done within those confines, ultimately you’re given a vague direction on what you must write to. The other thing with a league is that, especially if you were looking to win more than you lose, there are already ideals as to what constitutes a good and a bad verse. It isn’t really the setting to be trying something vastly different from what’s known and out of the ordinary, you’ll soon notice that “storytelling,” almost always triumphs over a traditional “topical,” verse for example even if there are a few exceptions. You either conform to what’s known or you stay unknown with what isn’t. It’s pretty simple, really, but if by “get better” you mean start winning more frequently they’ll definitely want to familiarise themselves with the opposition and attempt to out-do them at everything they seem to do well. There’s no single thing that changed what I do and why, it’s a culmination of many small adjustments made over time that have been honed to sharpen my sword to this point. Any other thoughts you want to share? I think before we close this out I would like to say thank you for taking the time to continue the stream of small tournaments here, if this thing is to survive at all this is what it takes. A collective effort from the elderstatesmen of the scene. There’s young blood out there, but if there are no tournaments happening and activity to seduce them into taking part, they just lie dormant. It’s going to be a long process, there’s no simple fix. It will need a push, a continuous push, slowly but surely rebuilding from the ground up until the point we can see a tournament like we’re used to having. I still think a league is some way off, if I’m honest, but this is where is has to start. A year ago the scene looked dead. A year on and we’ve probably held the most tournaments we have in a single calendar year for quite some time. It’s a shame the text battle side of things hasn’t something similar, because NC is that website. This is the home of text battles, we’ve some of the best from all over congregated here at The Lime and should really be showing it. Anyway, I’m sure everyone is tired of reading from me now. Apologies to everyone for writing so much! Thanks very much for taking the time. Looking forward to either another Lars-run tourney or a Lars competitor in 2025, or both! Merry Christmas mate MEMES
        
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The Bad Guys Last edited by Dominate; 12-10-2024 at 01:49 AM. |
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12-10-2024, 11:25 AM
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the pitbull meme left my sides hurting jesus
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12-10-2024, 03:08 PM
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Nice effort here. Memes were surprisingly good as well. Searched Lars' answers for my name anywhere and in not seeing it I have decided his answers are questionable.
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12-10-2024, 06:11 PM
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12-10-2024, 06:27 PM
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Imagine complaining about a text battle in 2024, at this point I'm just stoked to even have a battle in this era.
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12-10-2024, 10:29 PM
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@Dominate
Just finished reading the whole magazine—every word—and I’ve gotta say, I seriously appreciate the effort you put into this. It’s been a while since I ran a tourney or worked on something like this, but I know enough to recognize the insane amount of work it takes. Honestly, outside of feedback, the magazine is probably the single biggest thing keeping people interested and engaged. It gives everyone something to look forward to. @Lars, bro, that interview was fire. We’ve definitely traded some minced words out of boredom and jest before, but I’ve gotta say, I really enjoyed reading about your journey down memory lane. I totally get your approach to the topical battle scene and have a lot of respect for the time and focus you put into it. I often use a similar process myself, but usually I end up either pressed for time or losing interest before I can fully finish. Still, getting some insight into your methodology was pretty dope. All in all, great job, guys. It took me forever to get through everything, but I’m glad I did. LOL @ the memes.
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12-10-2024, 10:50 PM
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Dope mag fellas preciate the effort
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12-10-2024, 10:52 PM
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12-11-2024, 12:16 AM
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@Dominate - Great job with the mag and thanks for the effort you put into being a quality league moderator. You're keeping things flowing at a difficult time for text which is harder than you make it look. Also thanks for the VOTW shoutout.
@Lars - Dope interview. Cool to hear more about your story as someone who dips in and out of Netcees. PentUp was one of best topical writers I've read. I remember his reign of terror lol. Props to you for being able to match his run.
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12-11-2024, 03:32 AM
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LARSLARSLARSLARSLARS
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12-11-2024, 03:34 AM
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LARSLARSLARSLARSLARS
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12-11-2024, 04:54 AM
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Anything is possible with the right amount of adderall
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12-11-2024, 06:43 AM
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12-11-2024, 08:56 AM
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Lets go bar for bar on autist-level Netcees magazines. http://www.netcees.org/showthread.php?t=44599
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12-11-2024, 08:58 AM
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12-11-2024, 09:04 AM
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12-11-2024, 09:31 AM
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#18 |
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Hey John instead of being a destructive force, pitting two bad bitches against one another, why not be a force for good and suggest we do both. Maybe that kind of mindset would help. Little food for thought there.
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12-11-2024, 11:05 AM
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LARSLARSLARSLARSLARS
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12-11-2024, 11:48 AM
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Tread Lightly.
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The Bad Guys |
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