GWL MAG WEEK 4: A CHAMPION AMONG US!!!!

[Inno]

GWL Mag Week 4: Champions Edition!



Intro:

Hello mother fuckers its here! CHAMP WEEK! I know you all have been waiting for this week like I have. the unofficial start of the season, yes champions will be crowned. We got @Adverse and @Clutbuck in the seasons first title bout. @dead man and @Universe right behind them in the contenders match. this should be an exciting week for all. got some great under cards as well, overall it will be a stacked week. I'm going to reveal last weeks PIC CHALLENGE WINNER so look for that too. from this week moving on I will let you the writers choose the winner as I realize me alone picking winner isn't as far as it should be. Also from this week on voting penalties will be inforced as well as no shows. im trying to weed out those who are not here to compete and help the league move forward. Those of you who just want feed on your work can go to the OM. thank you to those who have participated who heartedly its you that we @Adverse @Objective writes these mags for. Big props to those 2 for coming through with the mag, its hugely appreciated and a vital part of the league. thank you. Enough sack writing lets get into what you people came for! but first a couple of notes. ENJOY!

Mag help

if you want input on these mags feel free to PM me your ideas, always open to more help!

Topic choices

if you feel like you got some ideas for the Topics by all means share them with us.

Voting and no shows

this shouldn't be an issue as most of us are at home! from this week on im going to have to enforce a -minus count for every vote yo don't cast. we don't have that many battles and you all should be able to vote on every battle. if you no show and stay in for the following week you will start that week with a -1 vote count off the bat! also if you win by no show it will count against you in the RANKINGS. YOUVE BEN WARNED




WEEK 3 PICTURE CHALLENGE: REVIEW
By; Inno




[Universe:

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln

......

Seems I'm at a standstill these days, but in the fall every leaf changes
I must admit I'm a little sappy when I embark on these pages
So I branch out to disguise, that's how I survived through the ages
The seeds of ideas are growing... and we all know life's what you make it
So dig deep I'm rootin' for ya, my armor is my height
My bark is worse than my bite but my artwork should suffice (right?)
I'm kept in the dark to make light, breathing life into any paper given
Using weeds and vines to read between the lines of your plagiarism
That's treason-in-my-books; I won't move a limb to play your victim
I paved the way now state your business...

... but that's not in your nature, is it?

ok so universe took a heavy meta filled take on the topic. I can appreciate all the slick wording in this one. aside from it feels like a literal take on the topic as well. pulling ideas together to make a statement about how we treat our world these days. very interesting take tbh. its a safe approach to the topic so we shall see if it holds up against the other entries.



Adverse:

Tree of knowledge, you bore the most forbidden of fruits
Drowned my decayed teeth in the sweetness of your wretched juice
Disowned by God, no place to live except the pages of our history
Through this feather pen i reminisce, I'm constantly revisiting
My dear Eve, you'll always live inside my memory..
Haunted by your strands of hair showcased by the sun, dancing in the windy breeze
Your soft touch in the garden greenery, swimming through the grass blades
Splash in the waves, dizzied by the way the surrounding forest contrasts to your face
So capture the day, and seize the night! But as soon as you see the light
Run towards the beacon so i can squeeze you tight, I'll race you to the tree of life

Ad took a similar route as UNI describing the picture but with a more poetic voice to his writing which I can appreciate. his wording was more whimsical and less literal so it left his topic a bit open for interpretation. I would say his diction is the highlight of this entry. take a stab at it an say this is a love letter to life or to a person, either is a solid take. so far it stacks up with Uni's take.



Vulgar:

The outreach is intentional - in terms of roots and predetermined
ways of spreading and fitting. Keyless entry
Biowarfare. Leaves and seeded entities
Lifeforms so humble yet they use chemicals to do their bidding
Rumor's trickling, until proven true
Who are you? Well, we branched off, neutered siblings.

Soil employs the best of the best organic matter
inhuman resources, sets up an interview after
if parties wholly agree - then growth takes place.
Plants are a fine example of noncorporate parsimony

ok so this entry from V to me is the combination of Universe's over all take and Adverse's poetic diction. a perfect mix of both to tell the story of humans destroying the natural world and using it to gain what they want. before reading this I knew V would of been my fav to take this, its looking like that tbh. he took the best parts of what Uni did and put it together with more polished diction than AD. this was a dope entry and showcased V's ability to write, he killed this tbh and is my top choice so far. it aint over though.




Diablo:

By nurturing a single seed to have shoots blooming
we’re early in the infancy of a grass roots movement.
The plant food used in the metaphor is all of you though
- it’s every fan who’s rooted in supporting its growth.
Even the tallest of oaks begin life as an acorn
before they are sown and climb up to take form.
Time doesn’t wait for permission. Seasons come and go
but try to remain cautious as you need to push and grow.
Others won’t be able to distinguish the trunk and its leaves
but us looking closely can separate the wood from the trees.

ok this was similar to what Uni tried to do with the metaphors. this entry for my taste is a bit more polished with the diction. it was a smoother read as and used those metas with a bit more shine. a cautionary tale with hints of poetic sensibility. not as poetic as ad but with a little more technical savvy than any of the entries so far. lars played this safe and didn't take to many chances with his direction, leaving him in second place so far for me. this piece would be monster with a longer length.



Objective:

The root of stories shape realitys fabric,
words acute and stoic with fantasies at it.
Silky sentences. Short, abrupt or longwinded,
vintage scenery expose a minty strong image.
Guilty pleasure reading captors minds aloft, see
pages wrinkled aimlessly as fingers realign them softly.
Never seen a raver, troll, bum or such as evil,
novels approach each soul in tows of equal.
So it goes with printed words that's forming fables,
as they change your neuro-pathways on a table.

I like the path this was taking, as if walked a fine line between abstract and literal. I like the poetic diction this had and the abstract nature they developed. I feel like this was the mostopen ended piece of the bunch. which could take away from it when compared to the others. not so heavy with the metas but I feel like this strayed away a bit to far from the topic. I only say that when comparing it to the other entries though. standing alone this was a great telling.



Ender:

Boy meets girl, classic story
Their pasts defined by tragic glory
Both heroes, both bear scars
A girl with a psyche left in shards
Reach for each other, reflected pain
Unmemorable soulmates, so only they remain
A teen archer and wizard born in reverie
Brought to life out of collective societal memory
Purposes fulfilled yet live on in despondent stasis
They put down roots and grow; but never beyond the pages

this fell more along the lines of a traditional poem, could be the short lines though. either was this didn't have any meat to it. no real story to grasp on to tbh. it feels rushed and incomplete to me, not enough of the topic sows up in the writing. if I'm looking at it like a poem, its good poem with just enough to leave readers guessing. good for an OM but this sis a challenge and tbh it just fell short for my taste.



WINNER:

This week I'm judging the winner alone but next week I will leave it up to you guys to decide the winner. PM me your favorite and I will tally up the votes. As for this week its between @Universe @Adverse @Vulgar and @Diablo, not in that order. I've read all of them a couple of times each and so far I keep getting 1 Vulgar 2 diablo 3 universe 4 adverse. diablo was a close to getting my vote but I feel like VULGAR not only did the justice to the topic but wrote a perfect mixture of what diablo, Uni and Adverse wrote this week. props to all participants, Vulgar takes Week 3's Picture Challenge! thanks and be on the look out for next weeks challenge!.




WEEK 4 CHAMPS EDITION: PREDICTIONS!
By: Adverse & Universe


Welcome one welcome all to the show absolutely nobody was waiting for! I'm Adverse and I'm here with my predictions for the week



@Bodey vs @Blue Bayou

Bodey was right in saying that Blue was "going to absolutely destroy her this week" expect clever wordplays, devastating personals and an amazing verse from Blue Bayou...but then we'll all remember this is a topical league and not the NBL lol if Bodey does her average thing she should be the sure winner here, I'd like to see Blue at least attempt a topical some time this season, but just having his name on the roster is a blessing on it's own.
80/20 BODEY WINS




@MMLP vs @Scar

Interesting matchup here. MMLP has shown consistency, not just in this league but in his overall tenure on the site. He's consistent but rarely has he done anything extraordinarily out of the box or off the wall. His verse last week had some variety to it and was told in a very technically sound way. As for Scar, his story-telling impressed me last week, his narrative was engaging and interesting from open to close. My only complaint with his verse was his lack of multies tied in his rhyme schemes but that can be overlooked. This one could surprise a lot of people if Scar has another great showing but with MMLP being the vet between the two of them, I'm sure he's going to put his best foot forward and win this one.
MMLP WINS 60/40




@Sletchtq vs @Ender

My boy Rican no-showed me last week but it happens and i am willing to forgive and forget but I'm hoping he will show up for this one. As was the consensus last week i don't have a good reading on either of these guys as they are both fairly new to the topical scene. Ender might be an alias or someone from a different site? Who knows i am not the guy to speculate lol. I might edge this to Sletcht just because he's been around here longer but could really see it being a toss up.
SLECHT WINS 55/45




@brokenhal0 vs @Objective vs @Inno (triple threat)

I really like the prospect of this, also think Inno was im a triple threat battle last week in the NBL so that's a cool parallel. Anywhore, there's topical talent here in all three corners hal0 and Objective are both very technical in what they do and are very good at crafting together verses, Objective overstuffs his bars at times and sometimes hal0's narratives are less than perfect but overall they are efficient. I believe Inno to be a cut above them both though and he's back after taking a short hiatus to helm the league. He lost a close one against dead man in Week 2 and he brings the same level here he shouldn't have a problem defeating 2 opponents
INNO WINS 60/20/20




Contender Match: @Universe vs @dead man

This one should be a great matchup. Two seasoned writers and two of the best in the entire league, really like the idea of these two contending for a title shot next week because it will bring out the best of both of them. Universe is an amazing writer he evokes emotion out of his verses, has great imagery and creates awesome scenes. dead man has been around for ages and has many of the same traits, my favorite parts about his verses usually end up being the touches he brings in from his personal life. They feel nostalgic and relatable. I want to pick just one guy but honestly this might be the definition of "it could honestly go either way" all we can hope for is an amazing match. Good luck guys!
TOSS UP 50/50




Champ Match: @Adverse vs @Clutbuck

ok so adverse is going on a 3 week winning streak with only 1 no show victory so far. his style is more to my liking as it fall more to the poetic side of writing. his writing is abstract in nature living interpretation for the reader to decide. that's a great approach to writing but if he decides to take that route this week it has to be flawless. Lars is polished writer who can match ad in poetic sense while being super technical, a skill for sure. I expect lars to bring his A game to this so Ad needs to do the same tbh. in all aspects ad is outmatched here in my opinion but that doesn't mean he cant pull out the W from lars. it will interesting to see how the voters vote as these 2 have contrasting styles. for my money I'm going the safe route and giving the nod to lars. Ad can take this though so looking forward to this battle. 70/30 CLUT WINS



Adverse vs. Clutbuck -

I've made my feelings known about this lol. But moving forward... This could be an interesting battle IF Lars brings his A game... but I see Adverse winning this and taking the (well deserved).championship.



dead man vs. Universe -

Warm up rounds are over lol... I'll have to be at my very best to win.

this has potential to be BOTW for me. 2 completely different styles going up against each so it will be interesting to see how these 2 take the topic. i think Uni going 50 will be a shot in the foot as dead man doesn't really need that many lines to win this. i got dead man -Inno




MMLP vs. Scar -

Scar had an impressive first showing and he definitely is a threat, but he will be going up against the gatekeeper MMLP, and I dont see him getting passed. Could be wrong though, Scar is a wild card and could surprise me.




Blue Bayou vs. Bodey -

Blue is the very best topical battler netcees has ever seen (just ask him)... he literally can win a battle without even dropping a verse. I believe he is some sort of paranormal shaman and Bodey will have to bring all her black magic to win...




Share Button vs. Ender -

Hopefully Slechtq shows up this week, he definitely has some skill. Ender dropped a solid verse in the pic challenge and should bring it as well. This is a wait and see battle for me.



Inno vs. Objective vs. brokenhal0 -

Triple threat! I love these... brokenhal0 seems to be solid all around; Objective is technically sound and can surprise a lot of ppl if he brings a well told story to the table; But Inno is the clear cut favorite here. His verse against dead man 2 weeks ago would've won against most people... I got Inno taking this and moving up to contender status.




Week 3: Reviews
By: Inno


Scar vs brokenhal0




so both of these cats to this battle on sort notice so i appreciate the showing from both. Scar took a very interesting take on the topic. I really enjoyed his creativity to his take on cancer. A tale told in a narrative style which was fleshed out overall. although a style like that could fall victim to poor character development which is what I see here. not too much time spent fleshing out the characters in this piece in my opinion. although I appreciate the ending it felt like it was sudden, no real mention to the girl having cancer. or at least not enough to make it obvious to the reader. what I mean is I didn't expect that ending, which can be good and bad tbh. overall though was a unique piece. looking forward to what you go next week.


highlights:

As the captain took the west entrance looking for the chance to engage ..
The detonator, but it was left to fate. They were left to faith.

A concentration so intense, it illuminates the grids around her
It was a tempest of emotions. Hatred, love, sorrows, excitements
The voices, the violence until all around her were swallowed by lights.

halo rushed his piece as he posted at the very last minute. he took a completely but safe take on the topic than scar. if you read the votes you would thin halo got outmatched. I don't see it that way, the only reason I think he lost is because he didn't have time to flesh out his ideas. if I'm being completely honest I liked halos approach better than scars. he had an interesting thing going and I truly believe if he would of took his time on this he would of took the W. his take on the topic is more my style though so I might be bias here. either way it was a great entry despite the rushing.


highlights

analog c + + i wonder if god sees plus us
man makes machines in machines we trust us
i want to be free like steve jobs was

breath in the nano bots peep the algorithms
breathe out a micro memory and process the system...

Bodey vs MMLP



ok so when i started reading this I had no idea where MMLP was going with this but once i finished and saw the ending it all came together. once I grasped the overall story I went back and looked for clues. very well done my guy, I liked how he incorporated the clues here and there. very subtle but yet very obvious after getting the end. very unique take on the topic and if my being honest very obvious at the same time if that makes sense. MMLP totally made the topic his own so he gets points for that for sure. creative and technically sound, it was an impressive showing. this is an example of the ending bringing it all together instead of it being dropped suddenly for the sake of ending the verse. enjoyed thoroughly.


highlights

Tearing me up limb from limb once the bitching had started.
From criminal charges to profanity at work.
Now considered an artist and a true man of his word,
but if you rattled his nerves he could be drunkenly violent.
Soon staff come to learn not to ruffle the titan.

Can celebrate at last once my finisher lands.
As hes pinned on the mat proving my endeavours were enough.
And just like that,
within a flash, "the Austin era has begun"

Bodey took a more emotional and direct approach to the topic. it was more obvious with a subtle hint of poetic wording. this was solid drop despite the late post. I loved Bodey's progression from start to finish. almost blaming herself for the position she's in and then realizing there's a silver lining to it all. I loved this take on the topic, yes it wasn't as creative as MMLP's take but I appreciate the overall product. another example of a rushed verse having the potential to be some more.

Highlights

a brainless skull tangled with thoughts,
of overgrown moss that had played on my heart,
bloating its veins to a green-colored clot.

i've hidden behind this awful mask that acts like it's my friend
a skin that simply copycats our latest social trends
i've got a pocket full of witty comments, but my soul will bravely melt
these eyes have fallen from its sockets and now i have to face myself

dead man vs Orrie



so this one was a no show which sucks because dead man shows for the second time this season lol. seriously though it was close to being a double no show and DM dropped some heat in the last minute. his take on the topic for me was outstanding when i put it all together, like MMLP's verse you had to get the end to see all the subtle clues. once that was realized you get this beautiful picture of a guy just wanting to make his father proud. this was great story telling in a wat only dead man can put together. this was chalked full of emotion that felt personal. what a showing tbh, to bad it was no showed.


Highlights

your shoes are always converse and your sweaters are fading
back in 1998 is when you got 'em, i wager
rolling stones and parliament in heavy rotation
writing songs in notebooks that you kept in the basement

sneak into your room for roaches, bogus as hell
we talked through tears at length about whatever we felt
deconstructing patterns we created ourselves

Adverse vs Slechtq




ok so this was another no show that had potential to be a good one. slechtq isn't know in the topical world but he does his thing in the battle. I was looking forward to this one. oh well. Ads verse(no pun) was full of emotion that followed the vivid imagery he was painting. Poetic in nature yet never forgetting the story, the progression was spot on. Very cool way to interpret the topic if I'm being honest. the more and more I read Ads drops the more I see someone who is kin to my style of writing. this was almost perfect tbh. I like the how he jumped from the main body of the verse to the ending couplet, nicely done. I'm looking forward to seeing what he's got for lars next week.


Highlights

Every evening I watch the sun hold its nose and dive beneath the whitecaps
Until the time that it gasps its first morning breath using the clouds as footholes to climb back
I wish your voice would ride in on the waves to the coast and tell me how you've grown
Pressing every seashell i can find to my ear but they seldom sound like home


I could probably stand here for an eternity revisiting distant images
When i close my eyes i see the same scarlett the Carolina sun kissed your skin with
Still reserving your seat where we would watch the ships set sail so calmly
The memories are intact but they're all tinted blue, drenched in melancholy

Universe vs Blue bayou




ok so Universe wrote an continuation to his piece he wrote last week. for this review i took a look at that piece. tbh I don't see a real connection between the 2 except maybe the apocalyptical nature of both verses and blues name lol, anyway. this verse was like last weeks verse was an interesting take on the topic. i must say though this weeks take took a more liberal path with the imagery. Uni did enough to incorporate the topic into this writing which made for some good imagery. i would of liked to see more focus on the aliens and all that imagery as it got a bit lost in my eyes. aside from that this was thorough in vivid imagery and subtle emotion. don't know how it stacks up as a continuation but as a stand alone it was tops.


Highlights

She disappeared… her clothes turning to sand on the boulders
I heard her whisper in the wind, it wasn’t something to ignore


I’m just another aborted fetus a mother’s leaving for dead
It's the opposite of the afterlife, I've yet to breathe or digest
But it’s not always this black and white... some people don’t blend
Lethal injection commenced, so while I take this needle-n'-thread…
I wonder how my mother can keep a secret…

… but not keep me to the end.

blue bayouuuuuuu. lol this verse my guy was lit. if your wrote these lines hammered i hate to what sober blue looks like. so its obvious this wasn't a topical but lets break it down for the mags sake. i thought blue had a lot of dope lines through out. although he was drunk he kept the hard hitters coming, consistent through it all. not many fillers tbh, some jabs but mostly haymakers in my opinion. alas it wasn't enough as he took the L, sorry blue.


Highlights

this quarantine’s EASY. it’s nothin’ chillin in the house n’ stuff
your girls been asking me to stay inside for yearsss…soon as i’m about to nutt


pussy i’m an actual millionaire. fly all over from Peru to the Keys
& while my jettison motion i wish Inno passed a rule that banished u from the league

of course i'll win this. you're damn right, man i truly bar..
the wrestle take care of itself knowing that we have this Uni Tard

Clutbuck vs Objective




ok so clut took a unique take to this topic. honestly it was refreshing because I didn't expect that if you look at the topic. honestly I thought he had it going towards the middle of the story. pay attention and you can see the topic spewing from every line. it was a bold yet subtle take I appreciate immensely. it covers the picture perfectly tbh. I think the only gripe I have with this one its the sudden 2 line ending. the rest of the verse teetering on profoundness so I was expecting and equally profound end. fell a little short but tbh the journey to the end was one I thoroughly enjoyed.


Highlights

Some measure success on other worthwhile factors -
but forget to address their work-life balance.
The first time that I realised this tip in the scales

I gazed at the glint he had and could see his dream was still afloat.
“But say if you fished more, you could sell it, and buy an even bigger boat,”
He eased his wrinkled nose. “And then what?” dismissed the dawdler.

objective took more broader approach taking the safer route and speaking in a more a general sense. I can see what he was trying to do with the topic and overall it hit well. I feel like his wording let him down at times here, which hurt his broad approach. overall it was a good drop but at times it felt a bit scatter brained. despite that I liked his verse as a whole as his concept for the topic was a good one tbh. to me it seemed rushed but I could be wrong. still I enjoyed his imagery the most.


Highlights

Pass the tense of ancient nastiness as it goes to show we hold our own,
and stick to clones while Medusa therapy turn brains to stone,
them upper rights aches alone.
Screened kids with supreme tits & obscene wits get raised by phones,


So, I proceed to propose this openly:
"Show that family matters in spite of what likes and hope will feed."
They smile in unison as the scale counterweights the world jokingly,

OUTRO

ok folks that's it for this weeks mag. I hope you all enjoy this one as we packed this one full of content to meet CHAMP WEEK expectations. look out for this weeks PIC CHALLENGE and feel free to participate. if you only read the beginning of the mag....please look at the voting and no shows part as it will be enforced starting this week. I look forward to this weeks matches so please show up and vote. thanks to @Adverse and @Objective for their help, as well a @Universe for his predictions. Until next week!!!! Enjoy!

[Candy]

that was amazing..

[Blue Bayou]

Unbelievable job Inno. The site is very lucky to have you

[Adverse]

Nice work Inno, really enjoyed reading it, it was bulky but none of it felt unnecessary. Liked seeing everything here, glad for the new voting and no show rules as well. I'm of the same opinion that this is going to be an awesome week so can't wait until all the verses start to pour in

[Clutbuck]

Congratulations @Vulgar

[Universe]

70/30 Clut? How much is Lars paying you? Lol.

No but for real, great job. This a ton of work and the time you're putting into this, Inno, is very appreciated by all.

[Inno]

Originally Posted by Universe

70/30 Clut? How much is Lars paying you? Lol.

No but for real, great job. This a ton of work and the time you're putting into this, Inno, is very appreciated by all.

Tbh I might change that after reading more of adverses stuff. Didn’t know he was that good tbh. Last weeks no show verse was probably my favorite so far this season.

[Universe]

Originally Posted by Inno

Tbh I might change that after reading more of adverses stuff. Didn’t know he was that good tbh. Last weeks no show verse was probably my favorite so far this season.

Adverse isn't a secret anymore. I've been trying to get people to notice this guy for months lol... that's why I will take no pleasure in beating him next week in the finals...

dead man, what's up?? :)

[Objective]

Amazing mag as always! Was just about to get down to writing the stuff. Wish I had seen your PM sooner. Anything you want me to get on for next week? Now that I'm aware I'll be sure to get you something. Apologize for the mix up @Inno

[Inno]

Originally Posted by Objective

Amazing mag as always! Was just about to get down to writing the stuff. Wish I had seen your PM sooner. Anything you want me to get on for next week? Now that I'm aware I'll be sure to get you something. Apologize for the mix up @Inno

Don’t sweat it bro. If you want to keep helping just know mags will always go up Tuesday from now on.

[slecht]

dope work

[dead man]

Beauty, thank you guys

[Vulgar]

Enjoyed reading this and thanks @Clutbuck

[Adverse]

Originally Posted by Vulgar

Enjoyed reading this and thanks @Clutbuck

Congrats man you're an awesome writer