07-24-2023, 05:42 PM | #1 | |||
Badgerdick
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GUERRILLA WRITING LEAGUE - WEEK THREE MAGAZINE!
Guerrilla Writing League
WEEK THREE MAGAZINE! *Cough, cough…* Welcome back, boils and ghouls! We had six out of our seven sign-ins show up last week, so let’s focus on that positive energy going forward. It would have been easier for some last week to not have shown up, but you guys are doggedly determined to not let the GWL down — I appreciate you guys for that! If this is going to grow it rests on your own shoulders along with mine, and we need our iron core to keep competing weekly and feed the machines. I’ve apparently been struck with flu-like symptoms this past week so if you can read this in a nasally British voice, stopping to cough at the end of each paragraph, while sipping a cup of warm tea and playing God Save The King on your Spotify playlist you can play along at home too and pretend you wrote it — SINCE YOU DIDN’T WRITE ENOUGH LAST WEEK!MWAHAHHAHHAA! Zing. I’m kidding, sorta, but anyway the underlying moral to this particular little intro is I’m on my fucking deathbed here writing this mag for all 8 of you that will actually read it and still finding time to do so between being read my last rites and selling the Grim Reaper my soul to buy me enough time to do so. The least you could do is show up for the battle you signed up for. I’ve been good to my word, I expect nothing less than you to do the same, and I trust you guys will also (well, maybe apart from Adverse). LETS GET ITTTTTTT! DUE DATES *COUGH* This week verses are due on WEDNESDAY UK time. The extensions, plus later votes, plus me being eager to start the week fresh and whatnot lead us to a change in due date so please take the extra time and craft something. I’m pretty fairly easy going but let’s at least try to get things up promptly so these whole scenario doesn’t roll around again - if this weeks format works better for everyone in terms of writing over the weekend and submitting verses midweek, I’m happy to run with that for you all. I do this for you. It’s been a rather odd week for me with me feeling rather unwell at the worst possible time but I’m rarely ill ever to be honest, so take the extension with both hands and don’t disappoint (I see you @brokenhal0, don’t worry). *Spluttering cough* Week Two Recap You must be kidding. Try again next week. Nah… The REAL Week Two Recap! *Cough* My mind is pretty hazy this week and I’m lightheaded as I attempt to recall these matches from memory but let’s open this by saying there is no one, categorically NO ONE, giving you more for your money right now than the GWL. Fact. This is it, the epicentre of text topical battling worldwide. Right here. There are no magazines being wrote up anywhere else, we’re the last bastion resembling a topical league in existence, and even text battle leagues have all but come and gone it seems. Without us guys, all hope is lost. Thankfully some are stupid enough to want this to continue and help keep the culture alive. Last week may not have been the most competitive we’ve had so far, but what I loved about it is that almost everyone (bar Adverse) attempted to show up with something by deadline. It would have been easier to no show, no one likes having to put up something they aren’t completely happy with and ride it out - but I appreciate those that do because even when the chips were down, they didn’t want to disappoint by not turning up. They took responsibility. Would I have rather everyone showed up to their absolute best and given us their all? Sure. But I’m also a realist; a husband and father and there are weeks where life just catches up with us all and makes the improbable happen. I know how it is. Props to all of you that came through with a submission by deadline and gave us a battle! Dominate vs Master Rock: This one was short and sweet; I actually had Rock taking this one in my vote but that’s no slight on Dominate here at all because both were pushed for time and struggled to get verses in this week it seemed. What was submitted from both had individual highlights, the alliterative line especially from Dom here was a standout for me but arguably also shows his limited free time last week as usually has entire passages of high quality writing where you would struggle to place a single line as a favourite. His adaptation from the setup-punch format of text battle leagues to the more narrative driven storytelling aspects on this side of the board continues to be impressive, not just because of him being able to compete on both fronts to a high level but also because he has to adapt his style considerably in order to do so. Where a lot of text battlers enter topicals with a more punchline-esque formula, utilising the tried and tested approach their more familiar with, it’s worth noting here that Dom rarely ever does that and instead fully immersed himself in the world building, characterisation, narrative story arcs that the topical realm are far more familiar with. The adjustment isn’t easy; many have tried and failed, but @Dominate is one of the few capable of adapting to both formats with great success in either field. Enough about him though for a minute, because Master Rock has been performing better than he ever has in recent weeks — and even if some may have had him down as the underdog going into this one, he still showed he can more than hold his own at the top half of the table here. I had him winning. Sure, neither perhaps we’re at their utmost best and this certainly didn’t transpire to be one for the ages - but even in this somewhat brief clash there are glimmers as to the talent each possess. Dom had the upper hand in terms of technical wizardry, while Master Rock had the better implied rhythmic cadence or flow (and concept in my honest opinion). NYC noted how “this one hinges on creative preference,” and I genuinely agree with him there - even though me and him ended up voting for opposite competitors - there was no clear winner for me (other than Dom getting 2 votes to Master Rock’s 1). Scar vs Aero: @Aero has a style I refer to as a broken-down-bar style in my head, it’s very concise in its line lengths and the shorter lined flow works really well, the final section of his verse this week was probably my favourite from him and it was also where I felt he did best because he seemed to veer away from the more comedic inferences and get down to something a lot more serious. I thought both would enjoy the topic provided and towards the end with Aero’s “time running out” I thought he did much better in directing the verse towards this weeks topic, Scar on the other hand turned out a piece much more perhaps “suited” to a topical / storytelling format. The line lengths crept up on occasion, for sure, and highlighted how much more favourable Aero’s short lined execution worked in his favour here for me. I really enjoyed Scar’s use of dialogue between characters, that was a personal highlight for me, and while I definitely felt this verse was one @Aero could have beat - @Scar ultimately came away unscathed here with every voter having him ahead in terms of his storytelling, concept and even its execution. Symetrik vs Brokenhal0 vs Adverse Sadverse cried himself into a corner while the real men did battle this week. But for real, I hate three-way battles, they suck. I really didn’t want to throw you all into a three way battle in truth so I’m kind of glad @Adverse chose to sit this one out in the end and make life easier for all involved. What we lost in Adverse here we gained by way of our BOTW as both Sym and Hal0 showed up with two solid verses. I think I was the sole voter at the conclusion of this one which isn’t great for those involved after the showed up - but let’s give them both their due props here for battling it out and giving the most out of everyone involved. Sym struck a really conversational tone that he carried throughout this one and it makes it very relatable to the reader actually, striking up a familiarity straight away and connecting like you would in chatting to an old friend. I thought the writers voice was deployed to great effect in that sense, the verse is easily accessible and digestible as a result. He had a section regarding a online blogger too which I remember stood out to me as it was a great little observational take that placed this verse firmly in the modern day with its nod to social media engulfing everyone’s lives. I really enjoyed it for that. Brokenhal0 offered up something slightly different by way of this artist becoming the art itself, literally pouring his blood, sweat and tears into his work and creating something from it. The concept was a little left field, perhaps, but I definitely say that in a good sense due to the creativity and originality used. If anything the closing lines were the most polarising, making this one closer in my mind that I perhaps feel it may have been, but I liked the approach from Brokenhal0 this week - and @symetrik too - I just wish these guys had received more votes than they did because they deserved more. *Cough, cough* Battle of The Week I almost thought given their respective recent runs that Master Rock vs Dominate was a certified contender for BOTW this week — it just goes to show you how wrong you can be. Still, it helps give some shine to perhaps two of the unsung heroes of the Netcees topical scene here in @symetrik and @brokenhal0. They’re vastly underrated and overlooked by the majority here, yet both have been competing regularly and turning out verses to the line limits week after week of competition - Symetrik has several title match contentions under his belt, while Brokenhal0 has an award for champing a season of AOWL. I think I alluded previously as to how both their styles have similarities to them, but this week we got to see them throw down against each other in one of the closest battles of the week and season so far. They’re both hungry, they’ve both kept at it writing consistently in the AOWL and I feel like the shorter line limits work to their favour as they’re both used to writing more than double the GWL’s on a weekly basis which only stands them in even stronger stead. Yes, it was a week limited by competitors, and yes it wasn’t either of their best showings if were being real, but these guys continue to show up every week and write to the maximum line limits giving it their all. For that reason, let’s show them some love here, they’ve gone above and beyond the majority last week. They deserve this recognition. Let’s give them their flowers. It just goes to show you that there’s never a forgone conclusion in these things and anyone can beat anyone on their day; granted we haven’t seen a huge upset really take place as yet in my opinion but Aero for example is perfectly capable of wins over the rest of the competition - as are Master Rock, Scar, Brokenhal0 and Sym. Topic: Quote:
vs. Quote:
Verse of The Week *Cough, cough* I usually try to pick something not involved in Battle of The Week for this one so as to give more people some shine, (though pickings we’re understandably slim this week, thanks guys) and while I did enjoy Dominate and Master Rocks little shindig it’s difficult for me to select either of them over Scar’s lengthy submission. I can’t imagine many will disagree with my choice here when bearing in mind (pun ALWAYS intended) that I’m the mod and I already showcased Sym and Hal0’s battle. So this weeks winner, albeit by default somewhat, is… SCAR! Quote:
Just quickly while we’re at this point of the magazine, props again here to @symetrik because I think he actually showed up with a verse against @Scar too when he thought he was about to be no-showed. I respect the fuck out the guy for that. It’s something I’ve done on occasion when I’ve seen people look like they’re going to have a verse wasted by an opponent and then I’ve wrote and posted last minute within a couple of hours just to ensure they get a battle and don’t waste their verse for nothing. As it happened here, Aero came through and posted, so Sym went and retracted his additional verse but the intention is what was important to me — the guy not only showed for his own battle, but wrote up a second to cover for someone he thought hadn’t and pulled double duty without even needing to be asked. Sym went above and beyond there to keep things ticking and I appreciate that a lot. People still care about this shit, a LOT. That’s why we’re all still here. This is what it’s about. Real writers. Yoooooo, I’m really fucking ill this week, almost posted two diff. write ups for Verse Of The Week here about the same same damn verse… Battler Bio(‘s) (New Sign-In’s) NYCSpitz - We have just one new (old) face joining the ranks this week in the form of @NYCSPITZ - a staple of the AOWL, as well as topical the wider topical community, and more than capable of making a run at our title here in the GWL. He enters fresh off a win over @Dopegirl in the AOWL playoffs with a verse about a Barbie Doll. I kid you not. That was a legitimate topic choice over there. In fairness to NYC he still came through and blessed it with something better than most could put forward. I think NYC might enjoy facing both @Aero and @Dominate here if he sticks around, they seem to have history with each other and I’m not entirely sure they’ve ever faced in this realm (possibly NYC/Dom could have happened at some point I guess?) but anyway, those are two battles I’ll definitely look to make happen should the stars align just for some good old nostalgia and them getting to face off against each other. I think any two of the three would want to make it a competitive matchup and none would be willing to be seen as pushovers or go easy against each other judge because they were friends - they strike me that the bragging rights alone held over one another would mean them trying to snatch the dub. Welcome aboard, NYC. Good to have you around for sure and more household names are always welcomed fo sho! King of the Jungle (Power Rankings) 5. @symetrik moves a space below BH after their battle last week, but rest assured he isn’t too far off the pace and I can’t help but feel things were harsh on him last week as a single vote decided things against him - I wish there had been more. He showed up for his own battle, as well as shit he wasn’t involved in, and I’ve even seen while writing this section up that he’s volunteered to write for another already this week too. The guys a machine. The leagues Iron Man. You can’t fault the fella for that and coming off the Battle Of The Week win he is definitely motivated right now and determined to reintroduce himself to the GWL. 4. @brokenhal0 goes quietly about his business really, cold and calculated, but he will be showing - and he will be showing UP! He is coming hot off a win over Symetrik in a closely fought contest and our Battle Of The Week so he rises up the rankings this week into the #4 slot just below our top three, for now. I can see him climbing higher than this and some might even say he arguably deserves to be placed above both Master Rock and Scar here… it’s a definite possibility if he can keep the momentum he has going into this weeks battle. Both @brokenhal0 and Master Rock meet this week in a clash for supremacy at the top of the table and this one could be the battle to watch this week. Both have been actively outside lately and I’m here for all the smoke. 3. @Master Rock slids slightly down the power rankings this week after a loss to Dominate, but I trust he will be looking to bounce back strongly this week after his recent run. I know I’ve mentioned it already but I’ve a real head cold I’m fighting right now so you’re gonna read this again, but I thought @Master Rock was very good conceptually last week and as cliche as it may sound to some his battle really did come down to personal preference in my opinion, it wasn’t that clear cut at all so I wouldn’t be too disheartened by a loss. I don’t think he will be either, he’s been around long enough to know form is temporary but skill is permanent. He doesn’t have time to mull over last weeks for too long regardless because Brokenhal0 will be familiar with Rock and will have a point to prove as he also looks to climb to the top of the food chain. 2. @Scar has risen up the rankings following his win last week over Aero, clambering into that #2 slot not just by luck or process or elimination but due to his hard work and grind in the efforts he’s put out over the past fortnight. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet, there may be a bit of rust still but steel sharpens steel and if we can coax Adverse back to battle this week it could be a real chance to see these two former AOWL members meet in the middle one more time. They’re both former champions who know their way around the ring respectively so we’re hoping this one proves a spicy meatball for Scar to sink his teeth into before getting a shot at the GWL championship (coming soon!) 1. @Dominate remains the King of The Jungle after a second consecutive GWL win last week. I think had @Master Rock turned up all guns blazing like he had in recent weeks and shown no mercy, that one could easily have dethroned Dom at the top - but as things stand, this is still your man to beat. There won’t be many off weeks for you guys to catch him, so consider that one a freebie. Your get out of jail free card has now elapsed and it’s back to business as usual. I don’t know about Australia but here right now the children are about to break up for their summer holidays, and the GWL’s resident teacher may well have plenty of free time to spend kicking the ever-loving shit out of whoever comes his way. Get used to it. This is Dom’s backyard (for now at least!) Week Three Battle Previews @Dominate vs @NYCSPITZ - This one has high potential to be our battle of the week, despite NYC being a new sign-in, with both of these guys having the skill sets to completely obliterate a topic and their opponent. This one is a chess game and could well come down to the approach and it’s execution by both players. The added bonus to this one is both have history dating back years and I don’t recall them having faced each other yet (It may have happened in a recent season of AOWL as both I know were involved at the same time). NYC is somewhat of a sleeping giant, he doesn’t seem to have been tested for a short while with an opponent that can really bring the best out of him. The same could arguably apply to Dominate also here as it’s been a short while since his tear through the AOWL season. These guys are both more than equipped enough to make a run for the GWL title, but this battle is a huge speed bump in the road as they collide this week. Whoever wins it will likely find themselves competing for the championship title in just a few weeks. @Scar vs @Adverse - The huge question mark hanging over this one remains the fact Adverse no-showed last week; will he begin his season here against Scar? If he shows up we could be in for another fantastic battle between these two who met in the AOWL championship match decider. Scar hasn’t perhaps hit his ceiling just yet but his potential is there, you can see it in the use of dialogue between characters as they interact and also in the visual imagery packed into his storytelling as he builds a world around these characters to place them firmly into, grounding them in the minds eye of the reader, which is also a strongpoint of his AdverseARY here (see what I did there? Pun always intended). Anyway, long story short, I’m half expecting an Adverse no show for consecutive weeks but IF he can pull his finger out of his malformed looking nose we could have a really fun close battle here. I do hope he turns up, but my expectations are low I’m afraid. The betting man should have Scar winning by default. *Cough, cough* @symetrik vs @Aero - Will this be the week Aero finally breaks his duck and gets a win? It’s possible, but Sym won’t be looking to roll over without a fight here. Make no mistake. Fresh off his Battle Of The Week performance at the weekend, he seems in fine form going into this one and writing not only in quantity - but in quality too. Where Aero may be used to writing around 16 lines a week on the text battle side of things, the topical realm has a line limit of up to double that (and our line limit in the GWL remains low compared with the 64’s you might traditionally find elsewhere). It isn’t beyond Aero to put together a full length verse in the GWL, but that knack of consistently writing at length week in and week out could certainly have a bearing on this one as it favours Sym’s topical expertise - even with Aero being the more experienced textcee overall. @Master Rock vs @brokenhal0 - Last but not least to round out this weeks battles we have a clash of two guys that are very familiar with each other. They’ve both competed in the same leagues at the same time, but what’s interesting here (for me at least) is their trajectories - with Master Rock coming off the back of a loss, and Brokenhal0 seemingly in the ascendancy right now with a Battle Of The Week verse in a battle he also won. Even though he lost last weeks top of the table battle, let’s not forget Master Rock has been producing some of his most inspired work of recent and proved he can be a problem for anyone when he puts his mind to it. This pairing will both be looking to make a statement this week with one eye towards a run at the GWL gold. This match could shape up to be one we look back on as a precursor to the winners title run for sure and will play a huge factor in the deciding of our power rankings ahead of Week 4. LMAO’s and WTF’s of the Week LMAO @ The due date mixup causing complete chaos. Sorry bruhs. WTF @ me being so damn ill this week? I’ll put the due dates down to that. LMAO @ NYC still needing votes to beat Robranda over in the AOWL WTF @ Dom vs Rock going down after all that hype.. just to end in a damn squib. LMAO @ You guys owing us a real one later this season. For real. WTF @ Symetrik just randomly ghostwriting verses as required, single handedly prepared to keep the league going like it’s true superhero. WTF @ Aero sticking with us for a third successive week. I didn’t expect that. LMAO @ Brokenhal0 dropping already to my poorly thought of due date. Legend. WTF @ this damn cold/flu/pandemic/whatever striking me down so hard. LMAO @ NYC going from Robranda to Dominate with no let-up WTF @ no champ match yet. It’s coming, I promise. LMAO @ Me ending this right here in the midst of a coughing fit. Going before I die. We out! Peace! Last edited by Diablo; 07-24-2023 at 05:48 PM. |
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07-24-2023, 06:33 PM | #2 |
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07-24-2023, 07:20 PM | #3 |
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fantastic mag as always - we appreciate your effort, drink water, get better.
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07-24-2023, 09:39 PM | #4 |
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^ this.
I’ll have a better verse this week, promise. Already written twice as much as I finished up with last week. For what it’s worth - day of the week verses are due is less of an issue for me than total amount of writing time. A full week to write and then half a week to vote would be ideal for me. I’ll do my best with whatever works for the majority though.
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07-24-2023, 09:48 PM | #5 | |
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Quote:
I have a lot of flexibility to find time to write, bc I do my own work soooo don't listen to my preference too strongly lol, I'd rather ensure everyone can post. otherwise I'm taking three battles a week. wait can I? |
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07-24-2023, 11:32 PM | #6 |
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Hahaha dope mag bro
GRATITUDE
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07-24-2023, 11:57 PM | #7 |
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Props to Lars for doing this. I read the entire mag. I have been keying all my verses the day of in like 30 minutes. The NEXT BATTLE lol I promise will have a nice verse because honestly I feel like I need to show you guys how it's done though I've never done it.
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Too Rich IRL to Be Here. I'm Out.
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07-25-2023, 12:13 AM | #8 |
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isn't that how everyone's writing? I set aside like 2 hours so maybe not a key key, butttttt
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07-25-2023, 01:42 AM | #9 |
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Nope. I write over several shorter sessions. Like 4-6 lines at a time maybe.
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07-25-2023, 03:01 AM | #10 |
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lmao this is no lie but one week I competed in 8 diff battles on diff sites and went 8-0
3 text battles, 5 topical battles I can’t remember them all but one was vs Genocide here and he ended up no-showing me, he was the EIGHTH one for me that week and it was a topical and I would have absolutely destroyed him I was in Super Saiyan form that weekend and must have wrote close to 250-300 lines |
07-25-2023, 03:35 AM | #11 | |
Badgerdick
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verse #8 that week vs Genocide
Quote:
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07-25-2023, 04:53 AM | #12 |
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sorry for the noshow last week, lars. i was talking to some fat chick on facebook im trying to smash. noshows are gay and i vow never to do that in your league. franks league, yes, but yours, i'll switch it up.
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07-25-2023, 08:21 AM | #13 | |
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Quote:
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07-26-2023, 12:28 PM | #14 |
Badgerdick
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LETS SEE SOME VERSES SOON!
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07-26-2023, 01:15 PM | #15 |
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07-26-2023, 05:38 PM | #16 |
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Apologies if I no show, work’s been hectic and my girl’s in town for the next 3 days after a week away so I need to prioritize getting my dick wet over this. Hope the boys understand!
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07-26-2023, 06:16 PM | #17 |
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07-26-2023, 06:30 PM | #18 |
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Ooops I thought I had a few more hours. I’ll just drop what I’ve got and then edit to add more a little later if NYC hasn’t dropped yet.
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07-26-2023, 06:50 PM | #19 |
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I’m tagging you in. If dom and Lars are cool w it..
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07-26-2023, 06:51 PM | #20 |
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Dope verse. Sorry if I can’t show, I’ll give it feed interested to see where it goes
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