Certain
10-08-2013, 01:38 AM
http://i.imgur.com/uAJesXX.png
Season 2
Second Edition Magazine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TwLOOFvzS4
FOREWARD
By Mike Wrecka
The AOWL continues to be the most active league on the Internet! Other leagues tried and lay claim to that title but they are sputtering and in a tail spin only one week later. While we continue to grow and prosper! In 2013 topicals rule the text world. We currently have several absolute legends of text participating right here, right now. So AOWL stands for I JUST WHOOPED YOUR ASS! Voting continues to be amazing. Most battles are getting anywhere from eight to ten-plus votes. Extremely detailed votes. So keep up the good work there fellas.
What an awesome Week 2 we had which included an all time classic battle that will go down in the pantheons of text history between Vulgar and NYCSPITZ. These two titans both dropped gems and set the bar high for the league. NFL week inspired many interesting and captivating verses. This week Certain plays quarterback (see what I did there) and picked out the topics. More on that later.
This league is wide open. Anyone can still win it. Whether your winless or undefeated. Whether you just signed or are about to sign up you still have plenty of opportunity to make the playoffs. Welcome aboard folks.
Text isn't dead, it's alive and thriving in the AOWL!!!!!!!!!!!
LEAGUE WTFs
By Mike Wrecka
WTF PancakeBrah saying he was going to try his absolute hardest to champ this league only to drop out after his first loss. Tantrum?
WTF Frank no showing Mike only to return the very next week declaring his dominance of all things topical
WTF Genocide, Witty and Rawn MD. All three ATR members have signed out claiming to be busy with IRL issues even though they post in the discussion forum regularly.
WTF Certain being undefeated despite not receiving a single vote in his favor all season
WTF Adonis not wanting to be mentioned by this league. WHOOOPS lmao
WTF VividEnds being Split 8. Vividlyvague vs Vividends needs to happen pronto.
WTF@holy shit fuck wow guys
A WORD TO THE NO-SHOWS
By Mike Wrecka
Hey I get it, sometimes life gets in the way of art. But if you make a commitment to competing in this league, do your best to submit an entry. We are writers, this is what we do, lets bring a level of pride and professionalism to this genre of writing. If you were a journalist, a poet or an author would you blow off a deadline? I doubt it. I personally believe that what we do is on par with what they do so lets make it happen people.
Week 2 in review
BATTLE RECAPS
By Certain and Mike Wrecka
King Ra. beats PancakeBrah 5-3
I regret not getting a chance to vote on this one myself. Voters enjoyed Pancakebrah's submission for the eloquent and nuanced take on the Joe Namath quote. They did however enjoy King Ra aka King Keith's brutal and vicious description of the warrior mentality more. (MW)
Zenland beats Innovator 6-0
Zenland brought a humorous but somewhat lazy verse that voters seemed to find amusing. Innovator dropped a technically superior verse that voters found a tad boring to read. (MW)
Vulgar beats NYCSPITZ 7-5
Voters went back and forth on what clearly was the battle of the week between two gentlemen who are serious championship contenders. Ultimately, while many voters seemed to prefer NYCSPITZ's verse, his lack of direct relation to the topic cost him. Unfortunately Vulgar signed out for a week or two. (C)
Vividlyvague beats YDK 6-1
Vividlyvague has one of the more interesting styles in the league, with a name that definitely fits. His twist of the topic into a look at fame impressed voters, though the opaqueness drew some negative feedback. YDK was straightforward, though, and didn't impress voters as much as he had in Week 1. (C)
Mr. J beats breathless 9-4
Mr. J continues his hot streak in a clash of very similar styles. Breathless is a newcomer without much backstory on this board, but everyone was impressed by his debut. But in a battle of two similar styles and approaches, Mr. J's clearer take and writing won over the voters. (C)
NO-SHOW SHINE
By Certain
Mike Wrecka already came down with the decree against no-showing, but I'll reiterate his words. Anyway, it's important to give some love to those who didn't get the feedback of all those great votes during the week, so every week I'll be ranking and discussing the verses of those who didn't have opponents worth a damn. This job is made easier since I was one of those people (again), but you can go read my verse if you'd like: http://netcees.co/showthread.php?t=23057
5. Scripter
A relative newcomer to the site, Scripter has a unique style, and it will be interesting to see how it translates to this league as we continue. This verse was not as good as last week's. His take on the topic was a bit too direct, as though he was writing to explain the topic rather than using the topic to build a three-dimensional verse. But he has really interesting phrasing at times, and while his rhymes don't always connect with the type of cadence expected, I like his style overall. So it will be good to see him branch out and look for more creative takes on topics moving forward.
4. patrown
This guy is one of the real hidden gems of the league. He consistently writes short, so he probably doesn't get the credit he deserves, but his style is dense with content and lyricism. One side effect of his brevity is that often his characters are underdeveloped. That was the case this week, when he wrote a compelling 19-line story about imperialism and traditionalist values. It ended before I wanted it to, which is both a compliment to the quality of writing and a criticism of the depth of the verse. patrown has the ability to outwrite anyone, though, as seen from some of his better lines, where the multiple-syllable rhymes stack up without even registering as remotely forced.
3. Adonis
Adonis has a very distinct style, but when he keeps things clear and in place, he's very good. He did that this week in a very relatable verse about falling in love with a beautiful stranger from across the room. His wording was particularly effective in this, with very deliberate descriptions of this beautiful woman creating a very clear image. Then the twist at the end was a funny and true-to-live move that he had built to well with foreshadowing and scene-setting. I kept thinking the verse might be an extended metaphor, but nothing ever connected upon multipe rereads, so I am taking it at face value, and even there, it was one of his stronger efforts. He posted the verse in Open Mic, so you can comment on it here: http://netcees.co/showthread.php?t=23035
2. Objective
I like Objective a lot as both a member and a writer, but he can be frustratingly up and down in his verses. This was one of his better verses, which he normally brings against elite opponents such as Pinot Grij. Objective told the story of two kids who go down a dark path, but they go down that path together, in love from an early age even as the drugs take over their lives. The end was a bit moralizing, but the content was strong. The knock on Objective's style in general is that he tries to fit too much into his lines. That makes things a bit clunky. If he stripped down some of his superfluous wording, this story would pace itself better. But this was a very creative take on a topic, and he probably could have given Pinot Grij a run for his money.
1. Just Write
This may have been my favorite verse of the entire week, not just out of the no-show battles. I'd never read anything by Just Write, but he really impressed me with his straightforward approach to storytelling. Nothing felt forced, but he never neglected mechanics. Instead he wrote a story about a kid with a tough life who made it through, and while it wasn't the most original thing ever, it was refreshing as hell. The flow was smooth throughout, and he never once tried anything out of his reach. Simple sometimes is better, guys. The biggest knock would be that it was a very literal take on the topic, and it will be interesting to see how Just Write tackles a picture round. That's a good lead in to our next section, but you can go and give Just Write your own feedback because he dropped his verse in Open Mic: http://netcees.co/showthread.php?t=22871
What's next
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzokAVkFLyQ
FAMOUS PAINTINGS WEEK
By Certain
One of the reasons I was happy to help Mike Wrecka run this league was because I was hoping to do some creative things with topical challenges beyond traditional weird Internet Photoshop art and idiomatic phrase topics. Famous Paintings Week was one of my foremost ideas. Most picture-topic weeks contain very shitty, low-brow art. I'm hoping these high-brow classics (every painting selected would probably be on a list of the 200 greatest ever) will inspire us in new ways. Some of them are undoubtedly familiar, and others you may not have seen. But approach them all with open minds. Don't think of it as writing about a painting. Use the painting to inspire you, the same way you would any other picture. And if you like what you see, go find more art from that painter. There's a lot of wonderful art out there. Get cultured, guys!
Anyway, on to match breakdowns, with painting identifications for those curious:
Certain (2-0) vs. patrown (2-0) | Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" (1486)
I have a lot of respect for patrown, and I look forward to this match. We have very conflicting styles as far as our league verses go, but I really respect what he does with his. He won his first match 8-0 against a very short effort by Atheist, and I've been no-showed twice, so I think we both are glad to have competitors who (more than likely) will post full verses. The topic Mike Wrecka chose for us was more Romantic than any of the paintings I went with, but it's more open-ended than a lot of Catholic-commissioned selections. And it has naked boobs.
Vividlyvague (2-0) vs. Mr. J (2-0) | Pablo Picasso's "The Old Guitarist" (1903)
This painting more than most of the others probably requires a literal, head-on approach. I'm excited to see what Vividlyvague and Mr. J, two more abstract writers, do with it. Mr. J's path to 2-0 has not been easy, particularly the tense battle with Mike Wrecka that went into extra innings. He's exceptionally prolific and has shown he can handle a lot of different topics, but his trademark witty, smooth style doesn't often change. Vividlyvague is intense, coming with very complex verses that at the same time are sharp and on-topic enough that calling them abstract and leaving it at that would be injust. I think he's the favorite here after two dominant wins.
Objective (1-0) vs. King Ra. (1-0) | Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" (1889)
I have a copy of "Starry Night" in my apartment, one of the few wall decorations I own. I love this painting, and it was important for me to include it in this week's selections. Objective and King Ra. both definitely can do it justice, but I imagine they'll take very different paths toward that end. King Ra. showed tight wording and creativity last week, while Objective is a true storyteller. "Starry Night" is one of those paintings that means something different to everyone who sees it, so they should have no problems coming up with unique approaches. King Ra.'s style seems better fit for this type of topic, though, so I'll call him the favorite.
Just Write (1-0) vs. Mike Wrecka (1-1) | Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (1884)
Yes, this is the painting from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It's an exquisite work, a tale of upper-class life that I think will really open up this league's two best straight-ahead storytellers, Just Write and Mike Wrecka. The similar styles will make this battle absolutely fascinating. Mike Wrecka is sure to come up with a very creative take, while Just Write might have him on the mechanics edge by just a little bit. I'll give Mike Wrecka the tag as favorite, though, as he rarely loses. This is one of my two picks for battle of the week, along with ...
NYCSPITZ (1-1) vs. Zenland (1-1) | Edvard Munch's "The Scream" (1895)
Munch drew four versions of "The Scream, but the one I picked is the mainstay. It's as emotive and ambiguous a painting as anyone could find, and I think it's perfect for both of these gentlemen. NYCSPITZ and Zenland have very different but very interesting styles. Zenland settled in after being upset in Week 1 by Rawn MD and came up with a very funny verse, a style which definitely could work with this topic. NYCSPITZ had the best verse of the week, but it didn't stay on topic enough. I hope he continues to write in that beautiful style but tackles this wonderful painting head-on. If he does, NYCSPITZ is the favorite here in a must-watch battle.
Frank (1-1) vs. YDK (1-1) | Paul Cézanne's "The Card Players" (1892)
Cézanne isn't as famous as some of the other artist choices this week, but he probably had the deepest collection of topic-worth paintings. I chose this one because I thought it was a perfect lead in to great storytelling, and I think Frank and YDK can deliver that. I haven't read much from Frank, though, because he tends to no-show. Hopefully that changes, and if he shows, he is the favorite. YDK is a good writer who has a pretty interesting style, but he hasn't put it all together yet.
Scripter (1-1) vs. Clutter Buck (0-0) | Édouard Manet's "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère" (1882)
You probably remember Manet because you learned about him and his more famous homophone twin, Claude Monet. But while Monet painted dull landscapes, Manet was much more interesting. Scripter and Clutter Buck get the chance to tackle his last major work. Scripter, as I said in the no-show shine, has a cool style but needs to work on his approaches. I've never read anything by Clutter Buck, so I can't really make any declarations on this battle.
Split Eight (0-0) vs. Lexicon (0-0) | Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" (1931)
Like Cézanne, Dali had a trove of great paintings to choose from. But this is the best, perhaps his most famous work featuring clocks melting. This should fit these two writers really well. Split Eight is as abstract as anyone on this site, building metaphors on metaphors in his verses, basing them around themes generally. Lexicon is a veteran but hasn't been around for most of my time here. I've read a few things he did, and they were outstanding. Still, I have to think Split Eight will be less rusty, and I'm pegging him as the favorite.
breathless (0-1) vs. Innovator (0-2) | El Greco's "View of Toledo" (1596)
Some people have called this "The Starry Night," 300 years prior. It's one of the great landscape paintings ever (and the topic is Toledo, Spain, not Ohio). There are so many ways to view the world El Greco was portraying, so I hope breathless and Innovator can open their minds. I think they will be able to. Breathless had a nice but perhaps too straightforward debut, while Innovator got the tough end of a blowout despite a pretty solid technical verse. No one wants to fall to 0-3, and Innovator is a veteran who knows how to bounce back, so I'm pegging him the favorite.
Records
Compiled by Mike Wrecka
SIGNED IN
Certain -2-0
Vividlyvague - 2-0
Mr. J - 2-0
patrown - 2-0
YDK - 1-1
Frank - 1-1
Zenland 1-1
Mike Wrecka 1-1
King Ra. 1-0
Just Write 1-0
Objective 1-0
Lexicon 0-0
Split Eight 0-0
Clutter Buck 0-0
Scripter 0-1
breathless 0-1
Innovator 0-2
SIGNED OUT
Dove Dozer (1-0)
Genocide (0-1)
UNFUKWITTABLE (0-1)
Witty (0-1)
namesake (0-1)
Defy Gravity (0-1)
Nigma (0-1)
Plot (0-1)
Aesthetic 1-1
Rawn MD - 1-1
Frank - 1-1
Pinot Grij 0-1
Atheist 0-2
dead man - 1-1
Fig 0-2
Adonis 1-1
Vulgar - 2-0
Pancakebrah 0-1
Signing off
By Certain
Let's get another great week as this league continues to develop. We're two weeks away from the first championship match, so the pressure is beginning to rise for those at the top. But with 10 weeks of the regular season, then a tournament (format coming soon), there's plenty of time to make up ground. There is a lot of talent here, and the voting makes this the best place to get feedback on any website I've seen right now. Keep it up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OqeEBP2MQw
Season 2
Second Edition Magazine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TwLOOFvzS4
FOREWARD
By Mike Wrecka
The AOWL continues to be the most active league on the Internet! Other leagues tried and lay claim to that title but they are sputtering and in a tail spin only one week later. While we continue to grow and prosper! In 2013 topicals rule the text world. We currently have several absolute legends of text participating right here, right now. So AOWL stands for I JUST WHOOPED YOUR ASS! Voting continues to be amazing. Most battles are getting anywhere from eight to ten-plus votes. Extremely detailed votes. So keep up the good work there fellas.
What an awesome Week 2 we had which included an all time classic battle that will go down in the pantheons of text history between Vulgar and NYCSPITZ. These two titans both dropped gems and set the bar high for the league. NFL week inspired many interesting and captivating verses. This week Certain plays quarterback (see what I did there) and picked out the topics. More on that later.
This league is wide open. Anyone can still win it. Whether your winless or undefeated. Whether you just signed or are about to sign up you still have plenty of opportunity to make the playoffs. Welcome aboard folks.
Text isn't dead, it's alive and thriving in the AOWL!!!!!!!!!!!
LEAGUE WTFs
By Mike Wrecka
WTF PancakeBrah saying he was going to try his absolute hardest to champ this league only to drop out after his first loss. Tantrum?
WTF Frank no showing Mike only to return the very next week declaring his dominance of all things topical
WTF Genocide, Witty and Rawn MD. All three ATR members have signed out claiming to be busy with IRL issues even though they post in the discussion forum regularly.
WTF Certain being undefeated despite not receiving a single vote in his favor all season
WTF Adonis not wanting to be mentioned by this league. WHOOOPS lmao
WTF VividEnds being Split 8. Vividlyvague vs Vividends needs to happen pronto.
WTF@holy shit fuck wow guys
A WORD TO THE NO-SHOWS
By Mike Wrecka
Hey I get it, sometimes life gets in the way of art. But if you make a commitment to competing in this league, do your best to submit an entry. We are writers, this is what we do, lets bring a level of pride and professionalism to this genre of writing. If you were a journalist, a poet or an author would you blow off a deadline? I doubt it. I personally believe that what we do is on par with what they do so lets make it happen people.
Week 2 in review
BATTLE RECAPS
By Certain and Mike Wrecka
King Ra. beats PancakeBrah 5-3
I regret not getting a chance to vote on this one myself. Voters enjoyed Pancakebrah's submission for the eloquent and nuanced take on the Joe Namath quote. They did however enjoy King Ra aka King Keith's brutal and vicious description of the warrior mentality more. (MW)
Zenland beats Innovator 6-0
Zenland brought a humorous but somewhat lazy verse that voters seemed to find amusing. Innovator dropped a technically superior verse that voters found a tad boring to read. (MW)
Vulgar beats NYCSPITZ 7-5
Voters went back and forth on what clearly was the battle of the week between two gentlemen who are serious championship contenders. Ultimately, while many voters seemed to prefer NYCSPITZ's verse, his lack of direct relation to the topic cost him. Unfortunately Vulgar signed out for a week or two. (C)
Vividlyvague beats YDK 6-1
Vividlyvague has one of the more interesting styles in the league, with a name that definitely fits. His twist of the topic into a look at fame impressed voters, though the opaqueness drew some negative feedback. YDK was straightforward, though, and didn't impress voters as much as he had in Week 1. (C)
Mr. J beats breathless 9-4
Mr. J continues his hot streak in a clash of very similar styles. Breathless is a newcomer without much backstory on this board, but everyone was impressed by his debut. But in a battle of two similar styles and approaches, Mr. J's clearer take and writing won over the voters. (C)
NO-SHOW SHINE
By Certain
Mike Wrecka already came down with the decree against no-showing, but I'll reiterate his words. Anyway, it's important to give some love to those who didn't get the feedback of all those great votes during the week, so every week I'll be ranking and discussing the verses of those who didn't have opponents worth a damn. This job is made easier since I was one of those people (again), but you can go read my verse if you'd like: http://netcees.co/showthread.php?t=23057
5. Scripter
A relative newcomer to the site, Scripter has a unique style, and it will be interesting to see how it translates to this league as we continue. This verse was not as good as last week's. His take on the topic was a bit too direct, as though he was writing to explain the topic rather than using the topic to build a three-dimensional verse. But he has really interesting phrasing at times, and while his rhymes don't always connect with the type of cadence expected, I like his style overall. So it will be good to see him branch out and look for more creative takes on topics moving forward.
4. patrown
This guy is one of the real hidden gems of the league. He consistently writes short, so he probably doesn't get the credit he deserves, but his style is dense with content and lyricism. One side effect of his brevity is that often his characters are underdeveloped. That was the case this week, when he wrote a compelling 19-line story about imperialism and traditionalist values. It ended before I wanted it to, which is both a compliment to the quality of writing and a criticism of the depth of the verse. patrown has the ability to outwrite anyone, though, as seen from some of his better lines, where the multiple-syllable rhymes stack up without even registering as remotely forced.
3. Adonis
Adonis has a very distinct style, but when he keeps things clear and in place, he's very good. He did that this week in a very relatable verse about falling in love with a beautiful stranger from across the room. His wording was particularly effective in this, with very deliberate descriptions of this beautiful woman creating a very clear image. Then the twist at the end was a funny and true-to-live move that he had built to well with foreshadowing and scene-setting. I kept thinking the verse might be an extended metaphor, but nothing ever connected upon multipe rereads, so I am taking it at face value, and even there, it was one of his stronger efforts. He posted the verse in Open Mic, so you can comment on it here: http://netcees.co/showthread.php?t=23035
2. Objective
I like Objective a lot as both a member and a writer, but he can be frustratingly up and down in his verses. This was one of his better verses, which he normally brings against elite opponents such as Pinot Grij. Objective told the story of two kids who go down a dark path, but they go down that path together, in love from an early age even as the drugs take over their lives. The end was a bit moralizing, but the content was strong. The knock on Objective's style in general is that he tries to fit too much into his lines. That makes things a bit clunky. If he stripped down some of his superfluous wording, this story would pace itself better. But this was a very creative take on a topic, and he probably could have given Pinot Grij a run for his money.
1. Just Write
This may have been my favorite verse of the entire week, not just out of the no-show battles. I'd never read anything by Just Write, but he really impressed me with his straightforward approach to storytelling. Nothing felt forced, but he never neglected mechanics. Instead he wrote a story about a kid with a tough life who made it through, and while it wasn't the most original thing ever, it was refreshing as hell. The flow was smooth throughout, and he never once tried anything out of his reach. Simple sometimes is better, guys. The biggest knock would be that it was a very literal take on the topic, and it will be interesting to see how Just Write tackles a picture round. That's a good lead in to our next section, but you can go and give Just Write your own feedback because he dropped his verse in Open Mic: http://netcees.co/showthread.php?t=22871
What's next
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzokAVkFLyQ
FAMOUS PAINTINGS WEEK
By Certain
One of the reasons I was happy to help Mike Wrecka run this league was because I was hoping to do some creative things with topical challenges beyond traditional weird Internet Photoshop art and idiomatic phrase topics. Famous Paintings Week was one of my foremost ideas. Most picture-topic weeks contain very shitty, low-brow art. I'm hoping these high-brow classics (every painting selected would probably be on a list of the 200 greatest ever) will inspire us in new ways. Some of them are undoubtedly familiar, and others you may not have seen. But approach them all with open minds. Don't think of it as writing about a painting. Use the painting to inspire you, the same way you would any other picture. And if you like what you see, go find more art from that painter. There's a lot of wonderful art out there. Get cultured, guys!
Anyway, on to match breakdowns, with painting identifications for those curious:
Certain (2-0) vs. patrown (2-0) | Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" (1486)
I have a lot of respect for patrown, and I look forward to this match. We have very conflicting styles as far as our league verses go, but I really respect what he does with his. He won his first match 8-0 against a very short effort by Atheist, and I've been no-showed twice, so I think we both are glad to have competitors who (more than likely) will post full verses. The topic Mike Wrecka chose for us was more Romantic than any of the paintings I went with, but it's more open-ended than a lot of Catholic-commissioned selections. And it has naked boobs.
Vividlyvague (2-0) vs. Mr. J (2-0) | Pablo Picasso's "The Old Guitarist" (1903)
This painting more than most of the others probably requires a literal, head-on approach. I'm excited to see what Vividlyvague and Mr. J, two more abstract writers, do with it. Mr. J's path to 2-0 has not been easy, particularly the tense battle with Mike Wrecka that went into extra innings. He's exceptionally prolific and has shown he can handle a lot of different topics, but his trademark witty, smooth style doesn't often change. Vividlyvague is intense, coming with very complex verses that at the same time are sharp and on-topic enough that calling them abstract and leaving it at that would be injust. I think he's the favorite here after two dominant wins.
Objective (1-0) vs. King Ra. (1-0) | Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" (1889)
I have a copy of "Starry Night" in my apartment, one of the few wall decorations I own. I love this painting, and it was important for me to include it in this week's selections. Objective and King Ra. both definitely can do it justice, but I imagine they'll take very different paths toward that end. King Ra. showed tight wording and creativity last week, while Objective is a true storyteller. "Starry Night" is one of those paintings that means something different to everyone who sees it, so they should have no problems coming up with unique approaches. King Ra.'s style seems better fit for this type of topic, though, so I'll call him the favorite.
Just Write (1-0) vs. Mike Wrecka (1-1) | Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (1884)
Yes, this is the painting from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It's an exquisite work, a tale of upper-class life that I think will really open up this league's two best straight-ahead storytellers, Just Write and Mike Wrecka. The similar styles will make this battle absolutely fascinating. Mike Wrecka is sure to come up with a very creative take, while Just Write might have him on the mechanics edge by just a little bit. I'll give Mike Wrecka the tag as favorite, though, as he rarely loses. This is one of my two picks for battle of the week, along with ...
NYCSPITZ (1-1) vs. Zenland (1-1) | Edvard Munch's "The Scream" (1895)
Munch drew four versions of "The Scream, but the one I picked is the mainstay. It's as emotive and ambiguous a painting as anyone could find, and I think it's perfect for both of these gentlemen. NYCSPITZ and Zenland have very different but very interesting styles. Zenland settled in after being upset in Week 1 by Rawn MD and came up with a very funny verse, a style which definitely could work with this topic. NYCSPITZ had the best verse of the week, but it didn't stay on topic enough. I hope he continues to write in that beautiful style but tackles this wonderful painting head-on. If he does, NYCSPITZ is the favorite here in a must-watch battle.
Frank (1-1) vs. YDK (1-1) | Paul Cézanne's "The Card Players" (1892)
Cézanne isn't as famous as some of the other artist choices this week, but he probably had the deepest collection of topic-worth paintings. I chose this one because I thought it was a perfect lead in to great storytelling, and I think Frank and YDK can deliver that. I haven't read much from Frank, though, because he tends to no-show. Hopefully that changes, and if he shows, he is the favorite. YDK is a good writer who has a pretty interesting style, but he hasn't put it all together yet.
Scripter (1-1) vs. Clutter Buck (0-0) | Édouard Manet's "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère" (1882)
You probably remember Manet because you learned about him and his more famous homophone twin, Claude Monet. But while Monet painted dull landscapes, Manet was much more interesting. Scripter and Clutter Buck get the chance to tackle his last major work. Scripter, as I said in the no-show shine, has a cool style but needs to work on his approaches. I've never read anything by Clutter Buck, so I can't really make any declarations on this battle.
Split Eight (0-0) vs. Lexicon (0-0) | Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" (1931)
Like Cézanne, Dali had a trove of great paintings to choose from. But this is the best, perhaps his most famous work featuring clocks melting. This should fit these two writers really well. Split Eight is as abstract as anyone on this site, building metaphors on metaphors in his verses, basing them around themes generally. Lexicon is a veteran but hasn't been around for most of my time here. I've read a few things he did, and they were outstanding. Still, I have to think Split Eight will be less rusty, and I'm pegging him as the favorite.
breathless (0-1) vs. Innovator (0-2) | El Greco's "View of Toledo" (1596)
Some people have called this "The Starry Night," 300 years prior. It's one of the great landscape paintings ever (and the topic is Toledo, Spain, not Ohio). There are so many ways to view the world El Greco was portraying, so I hope breathless and Innovator can open their minds. I think they will be able to. Breathless had a nice but perhaps too straightforward debut, while Innovator got the tough end of a blowout despite a pretty solid technical verse. No one wants to fall to 0-3, and Innovator is a veteran who knows how to bounce back, so I'm pegging him the favorite.
Records
Compiled by Mike Wrecka
SIGNED IN
Certain -2-0
Vividlyvague - 2-0
Mr. J - 2-0
patrown - 2-0
YDK - 1-1
Frank - 1-1
Zenland 1-1
Mike Wrecka 1-1
King Ra. 1-0
Just Write 1-0
Objective 1-0
Lexicon 0-0
Split Eight 0-0
Clutter Buck 0-0
Scripter 0-1
breathless 0-1
Innovator 0-2
SIGNED OUT
Dove Dozer (1-0)
Genocide (0-1)
UNFUKWITTABLE (0-1)
Witty (0-1)
namesake (0-1)
Defy Gravity (0-1)
Nigma (0-1)
Plot (0-1)
Aesthetic 1-1
Rawn MD - 1-1
Frank - 1-1
Pinot Grij 0-1
Atheist 0-2
dead man - 1-1
Fig 0-2
Adonis 1-1
Vulgar - 2-0
Pancakebrah 0-1
Signing off
By Certain
Let's get another great week as this league continues to develop. We're two weeks away from the first championship match, so the pressure is beginning to rise for those at the top. But with 10 weeks of the regular season, then a tournament (format coming soon), there's plenty of time to make up ground. There is a lot of talent here, and the voting makes this the best place to get feedback on any website I've seen right now. Keep it up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OqeEBP2MQw