GWL WEEK 6 MAG: THE MIDWAY POINT!!!!

[Inno]

GWL Mag Week 6:THE MIDWAY POINT!



Intro:

What's good everyone sorry for the delay. its been a hectic week on and off the net lol. we have an interview with the new camp @Universe, im sure hell get into all the drama that's been stirred up last week. we have week 5's picture challenge winner as well. the staples previews and reviews all that good shit. also since its the mid way point of the season we bringing back power rankings. I hope I don't disappoint this time lol. sit and enjoy the mag!



WEEK 5 PICTURE CHALLENGE: REVIEW
By: Inno





Vulgar

Slow, solemn walk past the local Ikea
His carpenter coat gave off smells of blonde
No idea why he needed total privacy to check the weather that day
An afternoon stroll yet something felt measly
Cover when sneezing. Smothered whilst breathing.
All the lovable brushes with his beard on my neck
Influences me to fear what comes next
I was coming apart and fuming when I caught the scrooge
He's exposed as the virus I thought I knew
The Italian mountainside was where we baptized our daughter -
An only child with a huge amount of angst; tell Dad "thanks."

this was somber and read real light. don't know if that makes sense. felt like the words just glided off the tongue when I read them. the rhymes like butter, the wording was perfect. this was a cool take and it seems like it could of been longer and still held its light fluffy feel.



Ender

I don't breathe the air, I drink the smog
Antecedents didn't care, things to flog
Money or health, we chose the economy
The price paid was environmental sodomy
The rich raped the land and we stood by
Stopping them? We didn't even try
Nothing is free, that rich saying is true
And eventually that global bill came due
But the wealthy didn't pay, they seldom do
They built huge indoor complexes and withdrew
Complete outdoor beauty, in a giant housed bubble
Pay the entry and you can escape the world's trouble
The entry is painted, with a man and a girl too
Playing with a flower, a reminder that they once grew
Remember: The rich will ALWAYS have it better than you

ok so this was a cool piece as well. first time reading it and I love it. this was subtle with a nice message behind it. Ender took the topic and zoomed out as far as perspective. this is always impressive to me and to do it with such a small mount of lines, and content within the lines. that's a showcase of good writing skill. ender is becoming a fav





Universe

Don't Look

The contrast was blinding, nowadays we've got on masks to hide
If only we could just tap rewind to remind us of happy times
Back when it was all smiles and dandelions, before we were trapped in binds
Even our elastic minds wondered how we didn't snap inside
The day my wife grabbed the 9mm was the day we evolved
Seem odd if two peas in a pod refute belief in God
See there was no epidemic creeping along, just people and smog
Then my wife placed the gun to her face... and blew out her teeth and her jaw
I found her bleeding on the lawn, imagine your wife outdoors keeled...
Over by the garden; She was "lucky" to survive the ordeal
She tried to heal but surgery couldn't piece her back together
I looked down at our wedding rings and remembered, 'yeah, that's forever'
No disaster could sever our ties, no seeping head wound
Yet she fell into a deep depression and wouldn't leave the bedroom
One day she said "I'm too ugly for you, just take me to my Mothers"
That very afternoon I grabbed a straight razor blade from the cupboard
I painfully started cutting until the flesh of my jawline was uncovered
Blood sputtered everywhere; I used all the gauze I could find that summer
My mind was numb but my face was on flames for good
I showed my wife my new look... She smiled the only way she could
I recovered and bought us masks, we laughed and joked as we talked
She said "you sound like Bane", I responded, Let's go for a walk
She looked lost, "But our masks... it's- - it's not even cold weather"
I said relax, if we're gawked at then we'll be gawked at together
Then the epidemic hit... See this is where the focus shifts
Ghosts can live cuz if EVERYONE is a monster, than no one is
I reached out my hand like 'Hold it quick'; She took it all proud
Cu we used to stick out from the crowd...

Well, look at us now.

ok so obviously this is more than 15 lines so its an auto DQ sorry uni. Although I can still give this some feedback. this was a dope read from start to finish. obviously with the extra lines you managed to flesh out a more well rounded story. still it was a pleasure to read. this is just my opinion but after reading enders verse and jumping into yours. it felt a little like your verse could be and off shoot or deeper dive into what ender was trrying to convey with his short verse. that's just me though I might be completely off lol.




Scar

"Dedicated to MMLP"
Billy looked long and hard at his own reflection.
that mad, pale face as grunge rock shared a soul's depression
he reached for his clothes after a brief chat with his boy
rage simmering, mom left him cause dad cheated; family destroyed
his escape route was the summer of 85
he was maybe 9. running barefoot in a field of dandelion
it sounds gay, but the hazy image was what kept him in line
but high school was cruel. whispers and talks reached its highest climb
now, someone had to pay to match the pain he had to hide.
He plot and plan with his boy, a slightly retarded guy
whose reckless abandon made him the perfect alibi
They chose a target. A popular type, he hated her, damn the skeez.
she was a slut in school, a cheerleader, most likely to break up families
everything was in place, with a predator's grace they prepare to move in
the phone rang .. "Hi Casey, what's your favorite scary movie?"

im gonna be honest scar. this was weird as fuck lol. I didn't get the connection to the pic at all dude. if the pic isn't there and you go off just the story, the ending leaves me a bit confused. I like your abstract narrative style but this one was too out there lol. interesting read for sure




Adverse

A year ago today, me and my lady were takin' strolls
Beholding nature and catching the hydrangea's fragrance in our nose
Present day...we've got masks on like capers in the cold
On an audacious and bold quest for toilet paper rolls
It's like mother nature is closing shop and yellin out "last call!"
I've seen dandelions bloom through cracked cement....But i can't grow a garden on this asphalt
Mentally measuring six feet between me and anyone i come in contact with
Dodgin' everyone on the sidewalk...every cough is a sign of the apocalypse
We walk past vacant strip malls, ghosts of cars parked in the lots of haunted offices
As we journey through the hallowed corpse of what was one Metropolis
A van "SKRRRTS" to a stop beside us, men in hazmat suits snatch me n my awestruck chick
They drop us into chairs and hit us with thermometers, then swab for spit
A doctor at a makeshift table reads all the machine-fed documents
He turns with a pale face grimly saying "the test was positive...so off em quick"
Before i could even turn to plead or protest i hear the hammer cock back n pop my wig
BANG

ok so most of this verse like all of it except that twist end. is what I expected people to take the topic. this was another dope entry from ad tbh. I like how the story progressed and transitions smoothly. you went from a calm scene to a panic and then that twist ending was written just write. wasn't sudden or expected, just the write timing. this one is hard to beat tbh but u haven't counted the votes yet so we will see.





WINNER:

ok so this week was a close one. thanks to every who sent their votes in I appreciate every last vote. on to the winner. ok so this week it was a race with @Vulgar and @Adverse, in the end V came out on top 3-2. it was a dope week fellas, thanks again to those who voted and CONGRATS to V for another win. Until next week!







POWER RANKINGS!


1. Universe

Quality Wins: dead man, Clutbuck

No-show wins: 1(Master Rock)

Record: 4-0



2. Adverse

Quality Wins: MMLP, Bodey

No-show wins: 1(Slect)

Record: 4-1



3. Scar

Quality Wins: Inno, MMLP,

No-show Wins: None

Record: 3-0




4. Lars

Quality Wins: objective, Adverse

No-show Wins: None(1 DQ)

Record: 3-1





5. dead man

Quality Wins: Inno

No-show Wins: 2(1 by forfeit)

Record: 3-1






WEEK 6: PREVIEWS!
By: Adverse


Adverse here doing predictions in place of @Objective who usually does them and does an excellent job, I'll try to keep his energy going here. Hope you feel better soon man! I'll try to keep this fair and keep my (supposed) voting ring out of this. Lol, let's start first off with;



CHAMP MATCH: Universe vs Scar




This one is going to be everything it's cracked up to be. Even with the controversy surrounding Universe last week he still managed to pull a win off over previous champ and topical legend Lars. He came out of the gates sprinting and I'm sure it didn't surprise anyone to see him claim the crown. Scar had a great feat of his own in Week 5, taking down league runner and a legend in his own right, Inno. Both of these guys deserve to be here, it wasn't a fluke on either end. Scar's atmospheric pieces with a great knack for invoking all five senses have gained a lot of acclaim and attention while Universe has been using a continuous storyline masterfully throughout the season, bending topics to his will to keep telling his narrative. This will be a heavyweight bout and neither will leave unscathed but i have Universe retaining his title by a small margin, but don't be fooled i called Scar a sleeper last time i did predictions and if the pieces fall the right way he can sneak this one out from under Universe whatever the case may be, there will be blood spilled. UNIVERSE 60/40





CONTENDER MATCH: Bodey vs Adverse




this should be an interesting one to read. both have similar styles in that they both rely on imagery and raw emotion. I like this match up right here. Bodey seems to be picking up steam getting better every week. while adverse has a point to prove after that lose on the champ match. both are hungry and both shouldn't disappoint in this match. I'm looking forward to reading this one. this will be a tough one to judge though, I mean even now I'm having a hard time choosing and no ones dropped a verse yet lol. I think ama give the nod to Bodey but barely though. this one should be good. BODEY WINS 60/40





dead man vs Pharaohs Army




I like the matchup here. Two very esteemed writers in their own regard, and both more than capable of being a threat. PA gave us a nice verse this last week in a good showing against MMLP but was ultimately overpowered by a strong technical verse. I like his writing because it isn't really bound by normal topical "rules" it's very fluid and can morph into whatever it needs to be. dead man relies a lot on a nostalgic factor in his verses, his verses resonate and connect with the reader. It keeps you engaged throughout and really brings the reader to the world in which it's set in. dead was ghosted by Objective last week and given a W through forfeit, so i feel like he's going to show out this week. This will be a cool matchup all in all, but i see dead man getting another shot at the throne next week in a contenders match and winning this pretty handily.
DEAD MAN WINS 65/35






Ender vs Sinacog




Honestly i want to still have faith that Sinacog can do some good in this league, but it's dwindling. He can be a pretty decent topicalist if he were just to listen to some feedback and approach his topics more directly. That being said Ender is a good technical writer and has showed a lot of potential since he joined the league but after being no showed one week and going against a prime Bodey the next he's yet to be able to put anything together. I see him picking up a much deserved win here, easily doing so. ENDER WINS 85/15





Inno vs Candy




Cool matchup here, Candy has been spotty this season. He had a tough first week against Lars and after being signed out a couple weeks he came back last week and got pretty much a freebie against Sinacog in which he had to show very little effort to win. So he has a lot of potential sitting on the table at this point. Inno is coming into midseason with a tough contenders match loss against Scar last week but has time and time again proved how talented of a writer he is and that he too has a lot to offer still. Could see this honestly being super close if both give their all and could be a sleeper for match of the week. Got Inno in a close one but any margin of error could turn the tables. INNO WINS 55/45





Week 6 Interview FT: Universe
By: Adverse

Originally Posted by Adverse

You haven’t been around Netcees long (about three years or so) but you have a real veteran presence about you. Would you mind telling us more about your history and humble beginnings? Have you been on sites before this one?*

Yeah, a few. I actually started at SOHH.com in 2002 and was there for years. I learned how to do this shit on that site, and so many talented people on there helped me along. Once the site shut down I moved to urbanprowlers and just did open mic stuff mostly. Eventually champed a topical tournament over there in 2007. I crept around Mr. Blunts as well... um, canibus-central too...yeah. I came to netcees when some dude pointed out that no one is at UPN anymore so stop wasting your time posting lol... so I came over here and have been loving it ever since.


Whose some of your favorite writers on site? And also who do you think is the biggest threat to your title atm?*

My biggest inspiration here is dead man, for sure. Guy makes this looks easy and that's the mark of a great writer. It's no secret I'm a huge fan of his and will continue to be. I was glad to just edge passed him a couple weeks ago and I hope to never have to face him again lol. I also enjoy reading guy's like Blue Bayou (when he tries) yourself Adverse, Scar, MMLP, and Bodey and Inno (when they try). The biggest threat to my title right now is Scar because he's next and has the shot at it lol... but overall, I'd say dead man.


Last week you took out Lars, a champion of numerous leagues. He was ultimately DQ'd at the height of all the controversy last week (you were up in votes anyways) does that sour your victory at all?*

Not really. I was confident I was going to win regardless. He We Don't Speak Of obviously knew that and got pathetically desperate and became the stereotypical drowning man. I feel sorry for the guy honestly, he's clearly mentally handicapped and we should all be nicer toward him and his goose metaphors going forward. But to stoop down to the level of fabricating a fake text convo to get a win by DQ on an internet message board speaks volumes... like a series of audiobooks... and he basically burned his bridges for good with a lot of people. He will never get that respect back (if he ever had it.) But yeah, no hard feelings... :)


Oh and just on a side note with that, I want to send a thank you to Blue Bayou for reaching out to me and helping to clear everything up. He didn't have to get involved and I appreciate it big time. Also we found out we went to the same University a year apart from one another so we most likely "passed each other in the fish bowl" as he said. Super cool dude. Also thanks to Da Brayn Lord and Inno. If I would've been DQ'd for some fake convo I would've been soured, yes lol.


Let's talk about how you've approached this season with a continuous story over five weeks and what inspired you to do so? Was it something you planned doing or just tried in the spur of the moment?

Iplanned it. It's what motivated me to sign up because I was inspired by the idea. As much as trying to connect everything with these chapters is challenging, and it is, I look at it like a clever way to get the advantage. By making everything connect, I have a head start every week on the general direction I want to take my story. The given topic determines a lot, yes, but in doing it the way I am, I feel I don't have to bend to the topic... I make the topic bend to me. People aren't going to fully grasp what I'm doing until it's all over... And if they decide to go back and read the "book" in it's entirety, I think they will be amazed. I'm just getting warmed up with what I have planned... I hope everyone stays tuned. And the topics continue to cooperate lol.


You've mentioned you major in English and obviously that helps in storytelling aspects and what not but do you think it's the reason for your topical success? Or do you think hip hop is a whole different animal?*

Writing is writing man. I've always said I'm not a rapper, I'm a WRITER. I have many other avenues in which I take my writing, and this is just one of them. This is by far the most instantly gratifying though, in terms of knowing if you succeeded or failed almost immediately after you show people. It's not like writing a screenplay and then having to wait to get feedback on a first draft... then write a second, wait...a third, wait... a fourth... etc. This avenue really allows you to just go in, give it your all, then move on. I love that. The whole rhyming thing is really just overrated anyway, and it's easy once you realize all anyone is really doing is working backwards from their punchlines or end of bars. It's something anyone can do if they have a passion for the artform and are willing to put the time in to learn.


Have you ever dabbled in text battling? Or has topicals always been more of your sort of thing?

I have dabbled lol. I enjoy battling but it's too general for me to really give it my full focus. I mean, it's all about mixing personals with general punchlines that you thought of maybe months ago and kind of stored away for a rainy day, then just basically schoolyard clowning a dude. To me there's something false about that. Topicals force you to stay the course while telling an interesting, complex story that hopefully touches people in some way. It makes everyone begin from the same starting point... blank slates; Which is important in competition. Everyone goes on the sound of the gun, sort of thing. There's no advantages like hoarding punchlines or anything like that.


Who has surprised you this season? Whether it be in a good or bad way?*

Scar came out of nowhere like a fucking RKO. I had never heard of him before but I could tell he had experience with topicals the instant he posted his first week. MMLP surprised me with his constant twists and I got hooked on them. Bodey's verse against Bayou was a surprise... didn't know she had that in her. Everyone else though I think has been up to expectations, which is generally a good thing because my expectations were high.


You're adamant about voting on every battle weekly. What has been the best verse you read thus far?*

Everyone should vote on every battle weekly lol. We are still a small incestuous group and there's no reason not to. As far as my favorite verse I've read so far... hmm. I loved your Afterlife piece, the one with the car crash. That definitely stood out to me. Blue Bayou's and Bodey's battle was awesome. And dead man vs. Inno was a classic. Those would be my favs so far. (Can't pick just one.)


What's your writing process? And do you have to be in a certain setting when writing?*

I basically write everything in my phone. Well not basically, I do. I remember I used to carry a notepad around back in like 2002-2003 and I was constantly jotting ideas down for either rhymes or story ideas for a book or a screenplay etc.. (Try explaining THAT to your friends). But now with my phone constantly on me I always have access to my notes and when I think of some cool idea I know I won't forget it. I think the trick to being creative is to keep your antenna up at all times.... Inspiration can strike whenever it wants, it's up to you to be ready.

Any last words, Champ?

Yeah, if you want to champ a topical league don't get me involved... I'm unbeatable y'all...

I'm kidding of course. ;)

Good luck to everyone going forward.

Thanks for your time Uni, I appreciate it! We're all looking forward to the champion match this week between Scar and yourself

Week 5: Reviews
By: Inno



Champ Match: Clutbuck vs Universe

Topic: Greed or Envy

so the much anticipated match of the season, at least according to these 2 lol. seriously though this match up was built up and it almost didn't disappoint. First off the reason this battle had 2 different topics was a moderators mistake(mine). which caused both writers to write different topics. that's the beginning of the drama. it was ok'ed and we kept it moving. then clut decides call DQ because universe went 80 lines. later it was found out clut was ok with the 80 lines and the DQ was reverse. put aside all the drama and this battle was shaping up to be a good one. the votes where 3-2 when clut got DQ'ed. I wish he would of just let the votes come in he had a great chance to beat uni. oh well.




Contenders Match: Inno vs Scar

Topic: Gluttony


ok so scar wiped the floor with me this week lol. I tried to tackle the topic from another angle. portraying the devils gluttony in the form of his obsession to outshine god. in the end though I couldn't translate the wording right from my head to the page and the voters pay attention. scar wrote and dope story that weaved the topic in an interesting way. ultimately he took the match and is headed to the champ match. congrats scar.




MMLP vs Pharaohs army

Topic: Sloth


ok so this to me was a closer battle than the votes led to believe. PA has an unorthodox way of writing, or at least presenting it. he always has a creative take on topics. this week was no exception, although gotta be honest I wasn't feeling the one word lines. it felt lazy and yeah that's a bit ironic giving your topic lol. that's just my personal opinion though. while your overall verse was good it could of used more meat my g. MMLP came strong here with his usual brand of smooth and easy to follow story. he had dope twist like always and he managed to keep that imagery coming. to mad he signed out.




Bodey vs Ender

Topic: Wrath


this was a probably BOTW I mean both writers came with absolute heat. Like I said before Ender is becoming a fav of mine, the dude can write. i like the descriptive first half of the verse. it was well written and flowed nicely into the second half. you never gave away your ending although some might say it was predictable. either was it was a fitting ending. a tale every one can relate with tbh. meanwhile bodey comes through and drops and tale of great imagery a bit of nostalgia mixed in. I thought the way you told your story was dope. it had good suspense towards the end which made the impact a little harder if that makes sense. anyway it was a back and forth but in the end bodey edges ender and is up for Contenders.



Adverse vs brokenhal0[

Topic: Pride


ok so this battle was interesting. halo dropped what i assumed would be a swag n flow type of verse. which is actually fitting for the topic, im also assuming that wasn't a mistake. good shit if it wasn't. the idea you had seemed to be better than the execution tbh. adverse had a well developed story with a good grasp on character development. that strengthened his ending as well. another great showing from ad tbh. this was verse while a bit predictable it still held its own and showed ad is still a threat. he moves on against bodey for contenders.






Sinacog vs Candy

Topic: Greed


ok so I liked everything sin had up until he started going in the I am this and I am that routine. which was only 4 lines in, so yeah I liked sins first 4 lines. i would of thought this weeks theme would be something the cog would of shined n but alas hes probably forgotten who he truly is at this point. Candy almost went down the same road tbh. i like candies style but sometimes he or she can get to abstract and lose touch of the topic. this week he or she wrote just enough to edge the cog and take the W.






OUTRO


ok folks that's sorry for the delay got a bit lazy this week lol. better late than never right? anyway we filled some of your request' hope you guys enjoy the mag and thanks to @Adverse for all the help. Thanks to @Universe for the interview. see yall next week!

@Universe
@Adverse
@MMLP
@Bodey
@Candy
@Ender
@Scar
@brokenhal0
@Clutbuck
@dead man
@Pharaohs Army

[Candy]

thank you very much

[Ender]

Nice mag guys! Always appreciate the effort of anyone who writes or contributes to a mag. They are the lifeblood of a league.

[Scar]

ok so this was a great mag lulz. @Inno and my verse for the picture challenge was about Billy Loomis. the character from Scream who turned out to be one of the ghostface killer. casey was Drew Barrymore's character, the first to die in the movie lulz.

great read gentlemen. thanks for the effort.

[Vulgar]

Nice mag, thanks for the opportunity to do the pic challenge.

[NoetiC]

in vulgars verse, his first 3-4 lines didnt rhyme at all, am i missing something, it just really stood out for me cause i just felt like i was reading lines from a book. maybe im missing it and can be pointed it out, thanks...



Slow, solemn walk past the local Ikea
His carpenter coat gave off smells of blonde
No idea why he needed total privacy to check the weather that day

[MMLP]

Dope mag, effort is appreciated

[Inno]

Originally Posted by NoetiC

in vulgars verse, his first 3-4 lines didnt rhyme at all, am i missing something, it just really stood out for me cause i just felt like i was reading lines from a book. maybe im missing it and can be pointed it out, thanks...



Slow, solemn walk past the local Ikea
His carpenter coat gave off smells of blonde
No idea why he needed total privacy to check the weather that day

That was just for an picture challenge it’s not an official battle so the rules are a bit relaxed. Plus tbh here we don’t linger over that unless the entire verse doesn’t rhyme. Glad to have you on board and thanks for checking out the league