[PancakeBrah]

THE WRITERS
Profiles

Everyone’s favorite section (maybe the match previews). I’ll give my assessment of every writer in the tournament, explain why they’re seeded where they are, and discuss their chances to win the tournament. I’ll also be posting a representative portion of a verse for each writer. There are a few writers who I am not familiar with but I’ll try to do some research while writing this section to form an opinion.

The #1 Seeds
1.dead man
As arguably the best open mic’er and topicalist on the site, dead man’s #1 overall seeding should be a surprise to no one. He has a dialed in style that he’s sharpened to a samurai sword. His strengths are flow, rhymes, imagery, emotion, and insight. Which basically means he’s strong at every aspect of text writing. If he’s fully dedicated to this tournament and doesn’t no show he should be considered the favorite. He has the best odds of any one participant in the field but by the nature of how deep and talented this tournament is, he is not a shoe-in by any stretch of the imagination. He’s released a number of Open Mics in the past few months, a couple of which were nominated for Open Mic Hall of Fame.

from ‘Clockwork Cortisol’
she'll be here at now to torture me blue. orange and maroon,
oozing warmer than strudel in a porcelain spoon
be immortal as you. imagine dragons, oracles too
as the forest resumed, forage for food, with night vision
but drew a Blanc like cork & a screw. black/white zinfandel
Marine machine. the Infidel, the Corps is a suit
like aces high when rivers die to quench a fortunate few
write, regurgitate these words. iAm Lord of the puke
help her gag reflex, relax like a gorgeous masseuse
meta-morphine abuse, pain damager, Kevorkian knew
that death is love. theory's incomplete before execution
it's more than the truth. fuck i'm ignorant, ignore me, rebuke
it's these narcissistic tendencies that force me to use
metaphors or a slew of linear coordinate cues
to reorient the normative views, rhyme orbital loops
around disorder to prove there's nothing formula-proof

2. Pent uP
Being the only topical-based Hall of Famer on netcees speaks for itself. Pent isn’t nearly as active as he once was, aside from occasionally dominating a league with an alias, but he still has the inherent talent and drive to win this tournament. He’s still the only topical writer to complete an entire season undefeated. He has a strong grasp on the technical side of writing such as the rhythm of a text piece and rhyme schemes but I feel his strength is imagery, content, and crisp wording. The only trepidation I had in giving him the #2 seed was the fact he is not as committed to text as he previously was and he has a higher than normal no-show percentage. Hopefully he dedicates himself to this tournament, as he has a legitimate shot of champing it.

from ‘Orchards of Shamelessness’
That reverend will RUN past drinkers and their Popov
to inform those that are living in a Rock Box;
- envisioning their lost thoughts, stumbling through quickness,
- through tropical obstacles in the jungle of forgiveness.
A constable of limits is somehow relented tenfold;
curiously letting travelers pass through never ending meadows.
- Their search for an occulted gorge as the main entrance
to find understanding in the orchard of shamelessness.
Where you can start a fire and stand or work nude
while making a meal from plants of virtue...
but grandeur serves food and slaves to the starving often;
and for once its not a slave of the common problem.
Even Darwin lost it coming to know this life's view...
because you don't grow into it, it grows inside you.

3. Vulgar
The 1b to dead man’s 1A (or the reverse, depending on your preferences) but with a completely different style. Vulgar’s calling card is complex rhymes and intelligence, with a non-standard view of things since he’s a communist alien. His verses are dense with content and themes yet flow better than almost everything else on the site. He has the perfect mix of verbosity, wit, and irreverence and should be considered one of the heavy favorites, thus justifying his high seeding. The only major roadblock I can see that would keep him from champing the tournament is his tendency to work in the ethereal side of things, often metaphorically relating to topics. I personally don’t find a problem with this approach but when he takes it to the extremes some voters may prefer a more grounded work by his opponent. This is small quibble, though, and in all reality he will be a force to be reckoned with throughout.

from ‘Stepping Outside Yourself: Does it require cloning?’
At first, I didn't need a sage to advise me to obey the laws of nature
I sung a song for labor, bogged down in my hyperbolic chamber
I tried seeing eye-to-eye with a relentlessly reproducing throng of neighbors
Promenades blurred, as dishonest, dissolvent vapors became auditor & arbitrator
author, overseer, psalm curator, carpenter, padded record ashtray filth
Grape juices of wrath may spill, for those who accomplish the last great swill
Do mortar layers with blue corneas look upon the monotonous slabs they built?
All is worthy of analysis from the perspective of an eccentric man
who travelled to Uzbekistan with frankincense and an essential plan
In quiet thought, he made headwind on a camel to the sounds of his brethren's chants
Each night he dreamt of the torrid desert sands,
and a swarm of locusts that formed a helping hand

4. Frank
Although he is a tremendous faggot who will abuse any and all underhanded tactics to undermine and win a battle, Frank has proven he is a serious topical threat. He’s champed multiple AOWL/NWL seasons simply by wanting it more than anyone else, even if that means being a shady faggot. He has a style unto himself, often stretching and shortening lines while keeping a good flow. He’s an expert at crafting intricate and affecting stories which lends itself well to the topical side of the site, and he’s also a solid to good rhymer with penchant for good dialogue. Aside from being a faggot he’s a true threat to win the tournament. If there was an additional vote casted each round for the biggest douchebag he’d be the #1 seed.

from ‘The Re-Up’
"In recent memory, has reefa been a necessity, part of your nausea regime?
We found Acid reflux in your esophagus - gauzed up by the D's
All the furniture rearranged - coffee beans frothing steam...
Refrigerator door - open a Jar, bean stalks on a lean..."
Caution!
The fog from the leafs causes a serene revolving Miserere..
Repeated life sentence we resolve sinner sinning sprees like reward beneficiaries
Living in the Lawn like honey I shrunk the kids - dwarf the imagery
Going to war with a blades of grass, cutting the head off a centipede
Hiding like a recluse reappearing confused in a spinners seize
The bank wouldn't reapprove me cause my bong cost was in the G's
Readjustment on the mortgage forged - double-crossing T's
Reinforcing me to believe I have no remorse..,

The Contenders
5. NYCSPITZ
One of the more difficult entrants to seed, NYC could’ve been justly seeded anywhere from #3 to somewhere in the lower half of the bracket. He has a well deserved reputation of no showing, often in important matches. Although he has said this in the past, he has reassured me that he is completely dedicated to trying to champ this tournament so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and seeding him this highly. When he shows with full attention he’s one of the best writers on the site with a strong vocabulary he doesn’t over-use, great flow and schemes, and a knack for character development and storytelling. If he follows through on his promise he could beat anyone in the bracket.

from AOWL Week 9 vs. Mr. J
She could pack for the midnight train or stay and collapse
but writing was an escape. It was her blizzard controlled
sought meaning, through every single summer's winter and snow
Every day in her room lonely, scripting her soul
reading short stories at the table, timid and bold
when one line popped out at her and whispered - so cold...
In a rage she flung books, flowers and sinister bowl,
it read:
"---that girl's like a devil lost, drifting to home..."
insight stiffens repose;
one creative child of blistering prose
Julie Dufresne - fetal position, holds a withering rose...

6.Soulstice*
Soulstice, formerly TopicalDood5, has not posted much since a brief stint in the Writing Challenge League. But he is no unknown, one of the more respected topical writers of the past seven years. He has a good grasp of all of the tools of the trade and thrives in more conceptual writing. Seeing him in action after five or six months off will be interesting, but if he gets things going in the first and second rounds, he is a threat to win it all.

*Profile written by Certain due to my lack of familiarity with Soulstice’s work.

from WCL Week 1 vs. Flo Real
A grenadine amalgamate greatly abates gumption, approaching
The prototypical functional hopeless romantic coming to loath
Atypical galleries of amorous grooms and gals about
This room, they swoon against her dooming croon of static doubt
augmenting growing awareness, galloping across
Her mind, she's wallowing, lost in her unpalatable thoughts
- Across galactic axes ghostly apparations grumble and grouse
As she too joins the desolate orbit of the mumbling crowd
Gross and grey, alone, garrisons as godforsaken abodes
Just eternal cosmic hatred as they're left alone and cold -
- Again gravity abates, she's gone afloat in Gotham -
Lipstick, fake purse, tight dress, she's haute
and getting
hauter
Looking to get lost in some populace of daughters
In a faux designer watch from her coffer - the time remains 21
A great tragedy, the great tragedy, the search for anyone

7. Lars
aka Baron Mynd aka Brian Bryan. A well known and decorated topical writer, Lars has been winning topical tournaments and champing leagues for years on previous text sites. He’s been less active on netcees but has generally fared well when he’s decide to participate in the AOWL and NWL. Although I’m not as familiar with his work as I am with his reputation, from the handful of pieces I’ve read from him his rhyming/schemes are top notch for the topical side of things. Reading through his hall of names, he has the versatility necessary to compete at the highest level which this tournament is a part. He needs to take this seriously to be the contender he has the talent to be.

from ‘..All Aboard!’
...I guess I’d always been too afraid of letting go;
‘Cos you never know what can happen when you’re caught in the ebb and flow.
But I was carried away by the current and swept to the side;
Where I found myself drowning in the deepest, dark, depths of your eyes.
As their replenishing grace lashed over me,
I embraced it strong,
And with a sharp intake of breath, I would gladly take the plunge.
You were the mermaid on the barnacled buttresses I braved collision,
As I courageously steered my stern vessel on its maiden mission.
But simultaneously I found myself in a strange position;
Because I’d always been careful not to go overboard with inane decisions.
Yet our relationship was as open and free as the oceans and seas;
From the moment you seized my heart,
Gone were my loneliest needs.
And I was thrown in the deep end where you left me amazed;
Where I leapt in elation while riding on the crest of that wave.

8. ZYG
Shapeshifter. Legitimate extraterrestrial creature, sent from LO429-0930201S4 to craft rhymes for Netcees. ZYG is a purposefully enigmatic boarder but a highly respected writer who can adapt to any style and restriction. He can deftly handle swag and flow, battle raps, stories, and character sketches with equal aplomb. He’s capable of very complex rhyme schemes but also understands how to craft a content-based verse. Such versatility is a definite advantage and necessity for being successful in any topical tournament, let alone one such as this with a high level of competition. With that said, part of Zygote’s appeal as an open mic’er is how strikingly different he titles and approaches the concept of writing open mics. He’s dropped concept pieces centered around alternating A-B words, coded messages, etc. That takes foresight and intelligence to create but I’m not sure it’s applicable to a straight topical competition. He’s still strong enough of a writer without the irregularities to be a serious contender, though.

from ‘Battle Rap 3’
I’m a bio-militant handling complex reactions and diverse stimulus,
I saw people writing about “Flow” don’t they know my hydrosynthesis?
Battling me? You must be smoking psychostimulants, you would be better off smoking nitro-glycerine,
You battling me is like a diabetic going into shock without their glycol-insulin,
Because I rhyme ridiculous with no right equivalent, my styles so intricate it forms inside a chrysalis,
My status supermassive - Your status is a micro-increment,
You’re just a minor irritant; I despise your insolence,
Losing against this sideshow participant? I can’t accept the thought - my mind shows dissonance,
Someone wrote I was light that’s typo isn’t it? They meant tight because I’m the maestro killing it,

9. big baby
Based purely on talent he could be a #1 seed but questions about him showing and his general zaniness as a persona lead me to place him a bit lower. Although he’s apparently been frequenting text sites for quite some time I’m only familiar with his work on netcees but just from that he’s one of my favorite writers in the Open Mic. He’s a highly confident writer with the best/most complex rhyme schemes in the forum. Although some think he’s all rhyming and no content I think most people just see the schemes and formatting (paragraph) and make a snap judgment, because he often writes some of the more unique thoughts seen in the OM, whether it be braggadocio, off-the-wall, or romantic. The aforementioned reservations and the fact I’m not familiar with his work in a stricter topical setting may cause some problems but based purely on skill level he can win this tournament.

from ‘Why did the chicken cross the road? Because chickens can't fly and crucifixions are better on the ground.’
Indebted to you, I’m not God. Peripheral view.
My mantra, metacarpus’s brew a love-plot
While the record ensues its heartthrob
I fell into you. I’m penning to Louie Armstrong.
A lesson adieu. In Starry Night, designing bionic pylons
where thee iconic axons, gnaw fiber through
protoplasmic ions. This is neural slashing eyebombs.
Call the coach of Ivan Draga. *sigh*
How am I supposed to be over you
Alone in his room, while I could be partying all night long
La vie en rose. Charming, purple neon glows
Silhouetted through ionic eon poems.
Look at your naughty, ‘she’s hot’ pose.
Where you know I can hardly keep on prose
I’ll go places, where the heart’ll seldom push
Where guards of emblems crush, every part you’d think you look
You’re an art piece. An arc of spectrum color hybrid
Where bows rain tinted arrows over refracted fuller violet.
Isaac Asimov, where the unvarying angles off.
Wish you a good twilight. In the blink of an eye, its dark
Your indie wavelength whirs the coloration champion
That stirs a combination halcyon through this inky apex

10. Certain
Certain has a very literate style based heavily on crisp wording, turns of phrase, imagery, emotion, and rhythm/flow. He has above average scheming and knows how to craft a topical piece. He also takes these type of competitions seriously; I can’t recall Certain ever no showing and he’s one of the best, if not the best, voter on the site. In a competition where some of the top competitors have a history of not showing or lacking dedication that alone propels him to an upper half seeding. Paired with his talent level he should be considered a legitimate contender. I’ve said this before, though, that he may lack a ‘next level’, to speak in clichés, to go to in high-leverage matches. He’s very consistent but I’d like to see him truly ‘wow’ the voters in an important match, which he will inevitably be in.

from ‘Where are We?’
I'm a Watchman with superpowers,
and my Target is the big box.
Harnessing the madness of touchscreen apolocalyptic Kid Rock
leaking through the asbestos into hardly guarded wigwams.
I'll take an orange soda-gin, mom. Mix it in my favorite cup
and add the tar and cocaine in while I sliver off to play with guns.
This emaciated vagrant knows breakfast ends at 10:30,
and lunch usually doesn't happen at all.
Slow drip. Sodium Pentothal. "I had the loneliest pedagogue.
She'd expose me to metacogs and hold me while getting off,
but I wasn't fucked until now."
The valium's in the fridge. The Magnum's in the cabinet.
The Trojan's stealing information from data on your tablet.
Saturn's rings are masking the lack of happiness in space
because we all know those fucking aliens are catalysts of rape.
She's a destroyer, like in Battleship the game,
with three holes to stick your peg in, and no passable escape.

11. Bags
Bags has champed both topical tournaments and leagues in the past and along with ill nik-A is probably the best open mic/topicalist from the battling community (most of the top tier battlers have left and those that remain I’m not familiar with in a topical setting). I haven’t read too many verses from Bags but from the few that I’ve read he usually takes a unique approach towards the topic with shorter lines. He can be humorous in his writing better than most and I’ve only read a small sampling. He can also handle a serious topic well. I think going a slightly more comedic route might behoove him as it plays into his persona and funny topical verses usually do surprisingly well since they’re rare. He has talent, definitely, but he has the highest no-show possibility out of anyone in the bracket which caused him to fall a bit in the seeding.

from The Elements Tournament Finals vs. Cashius
So i breathe for a milisec & see thru the silhouette
From a beastly gorillas neck, wen i squeeze in can u hit 10?
GET THE FUCK OUT MY WAY DORIS.
jesus, shes the reason for prilosec. If she was bulimic id be upset
cuz then we couldnt see this unbelievable living wreck
treat the fridge like an achievable mission threat.
Thank you doris, i nod....and start to think as i breathe again.
I wish....
i just wish for one day
These heathens knew how i REALLY percieved them then.....
Maybe theyd see.....
THEYRE SO FUCKING SELFISH.
I mean look at their means to a squeamish end
They act weak
But only cuz they think
that the meek will step up to recieve what the demons left
But to me?
their inner demons are equally evil an streaming from discontent
I see the false allegiance begin to weaken from being so indirect
An with that fleeting beacon...
Just breathe....
Let me reflect.
FUCK THOSE COWARDS.
everytime i dream im in full effect....if i wake from my sleep?
Then i cheated death.
If im able to beathe? Then im living less
But dont u see?
What they see....
Is worth nothing ......if u cant see what they see the best.
DORIS DID U HIT TEN! ??!
Ingenious!

12. ill nik-A
Like Bags, nik is known more for his battling than topicals but he has a good reputation in both. He drops more Open Mics than any other battler I can think of, has an Open Mic Hall of Fame piece, and has champed the topical league in the past. He has a pretty standard style but is capable of switching it up from time to time and I’d say his strength lies in his ability to tell a story. His rhyming is solid as well.

from ‘Cold Winter’
there’s much debating to consider, as the loaded revolver spins
& though times are changing I’m not sure it can be resolved by spring
sins consult the wind, the air shares despair while the heat is on hold
I had all intention to go through with it but since then my feet have gone cold
you can dance to the beat of my soul, but my heart’s used to the classics
melodies pay homage to memories while my smarts choose to mask it
scars move in past tense, I’m so out of sync with tomorrow’s focus
rain circles the eye of the storm with an extra drop for my sorrow’s dosage
everything I bottled broke this hopeless trend to send a message
melancholically divided without the leg strength to withstand aggression

13. trap
I’ll be honest and admit I wasn’t familiar with trap’s writing at all prior to starting this tournament. I initially had him ranked much lower than this but after consulting a couple of members on the site on my initial seeding both said he should be an upper half seed. I can only make assumptions on his style from his sole open mic verse ‘Two Fingers’. Although it’s the smallest of sample sizes I can tell he has some ability. The content of that piece was a bit generic but he added a personal touch to it and you could feel the earnestness through the lines. There were a couple highlights throughout although I had a couple of issues with wording here and there. I can’t really speak on his chances of winning the tournament myself but he got some cosigns from people that I respect so I believe he’s got a shot.

from ‘Two Fingers’
Something that remains sacred is just nothing to you
How could we birth a baby boy that means NOTHING TO YOU?
That's something crazy boo, from your fucked up mind-state,
My mind hates. I made up my mind, you made the wrong mistake
I remember our last night, I slipped two fingers inside
Fake moaning uncontrollably, I couldn't let that shit slide
I took pride in the form of two and did away with you
The picture frames without you and now it's just another two
A father and son, separated at birth and divided by one
By one woman who took two lives, just for some fucking fun?
But now it's who enjoyment? Just me and the child
You took love's beautiful smile, turned it upside down and made it vile.

The Darkhorses
14. Split Eight
Out of all the writers with double digit seeds I think Split could make the most surprising run. He’s consistently elevated since he joined and as it stands now he has one of my favorite styles in the Open Mic. When he first started he was too verbose and abstract for his own good but he’s since honed those qualities into equilibrium with his content and depth of thought to create a unique and refreshing take on text writing. He manages to be vocab dense and poetic simultaneously, often writing with a wide range of content and emotional touchstones. He is a slight risk of no showing but he’s said he’ll be taking this particular tournament seriously. Aside from the no show risk he’s sometimes a bit too ‘left field’ and dense for some voters which may hurt him down the road.

from ‘Monika’
she joked I was haunted by ghosts. American slew.
Engorged in oblivion. Kerouac. Whitman. Bloo Q. Kazoo.
Morrison's indian. Cobain, sky a typeset cobaltic,
cloud-cover stardust in bloom, reining in acidic cathodics,
Sitting cathartic. Carcinogen fumes we could puff.
Aware that my tonal grasp was approximately, too not enough.
Shifty and grayscale. Prolix, olden hat since... daguerreotypes, dude.
The finer points she filtered. White noises, polarized, pilfered.
Consumed like a slanted haiku, encoded tags coined to animamatrix.
Slowclap goodbye. Reunions are prone to standing room only ovations.
Paging old hand-framed photographs. Her descriptions still empty,
and I am not convinced of anything...

15. Wise Ways
Dope. Has his own style; very fluid with an emphasis on rhyme schemes. Content is invariably off-kilter and a bit dark, chock full of quotable one liners and irreverent wit. Very not give a fuck. I’m a fan of his Open Mics but I’ve never seen him participate in a topical league or tournament so I’ll be interested to see how his style adapts to a more restrictive setting. I’m sure he’s participated in them before I just have no first hand experience with it. I’m sure he’ll transition well. Slight risk of no-showing.

from ‘the throat-stuffer’
Exhale the devil's lettuce & breathe in godly
No one knew this wicked was in me, Richard Kuklinski, is that you?
Industry taboo. Epiphany smash through. Do you dare hold back?
I'm not one to blare cold facts, but I'm an accident. The flares show that
Feel it yet? <3 the Scarecrow gas. It's scrumptious air, so plastered.
Copped a dream in a baggy, that Christina Aggy. Pristine & savvy
Fapping to flabby queefs? Attaching wings to thinking badly
Nasty things. Hatchet swings. Magma. Drinking gasoline, le trashy
I admit. I have some baggage.. Excuse the smell, I stupor well. You lose a nail?
You know when you click, it's something crazy.
You ever hunted babies? Or punched a cunt..
Til it's poussing some mustard gravy?
Sitting there.. Hungry.. Craving..
Mother hates me. So I.. Gein out &'do the Bundy-Gacy
I've wasted at least a'half'a dozen save me's
On the shit I would've done if I wasn't lazy
I'm peeing circles with this genius journal
I'll spit the dimensions, you just bleed through the worm holes
My breathing is burnt coals. Ingredient's worse, though.
I'm cheesing, eating a girl's nose. Squeezing her purple
There's no leaving these dirt roads

16. Mr. J
AKA Qwarterz. Had a very strong run through this last season of the AOWL, facing the toughest schedule in the league by far and earning a first round bye. One of the most reliably consistent writers on the site, Mr. J has a strong grasp on scheming and is an experienced topical writer having, at one point, champed this AOWL season and the last NWL season. He knows how to write to topics as well as anyone and he’s one of the handful of writers who I wish I could’ve seeded higher. Much better writer than a #16 seed would normally indicate. He had some lopsided losses, though, to top tier writers and I have the same concern for him as I did for Certain; can he go into another gear and really surprise the voters with a next-level verse? I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility but it will be necessary in this competition. One of the most prolific writers on the site, I have zero concern regarding him no showing.

from ‘Deep in My Cellar’
I seize eyes from the tiger, take lies from the liar
set their ice in the fire..fan that, advice from the wiser
of men...of mice time is of the dire, the likes of a tire
formed to a bike and it's rider, roll the dice you acquire
once I add the clock, and the other device to the wires
it's on you...give your wine to the diner
outsource, when you understand the lines of the finer...
evils, you might find out that time is the buyer
I am the seller, the keeper of the message
you should either go to sleep with depressants
or understand the weaker is in my presence
the sweetest of essence...waiting
and I, keep them buried deep in my collection
playing with them til' I deem my impressions
are you ready? or even seasoned to perfection?

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