Keteks

[Delightful]

Based off Shallan:

 

Defenceless, Shardblade swung in hand, safety gone. Safehand swinging a Shardblade, defending. 

[TheShogun he/him]

I think we should reclassify the Ketek scale. What I propose:

K0 - Perfect symmetry and structure. (It is just pyrotechnics, though - barely a soul)

K1 - Verb, plural, etc. variation. Strictest ketek to allow subtleties.

K2 - Verb to noun, etc. variation.

K3 - Linking words are ignored symmetry-wise. No longer canon.

K4 - Largely, but not completely, symmetric.

K5 - Not one sentence made from five distinct thoughts, or very unsymmetric.

NK - Not a ketek.

Additional (optional) inner division - a + is added when the thought division and perhaps punctuation are symmetric as well.

Should we give bonus points for being a palindrome? Or is that K0 as it stands already?

[Dysphoric Kitten she/her]

Should we give bonus points for being a palindrome? Or is that K0 as it stands already?

No. A palindrome ketek will either not be a real sentence or not be a ketek. Therefore, I do not think it has any place. But maybe others disagree.

A ketek has both meaning and the structure of a real sentence, unlike "level nun, mom tot, bob tot, mom nun, level", and is the same words, unlike "go sniff a stiff, I am busy bob ysub, ma I ffits a ffins og". Kolo?

[TheShogun he/him]

No. A palindrome ketek will either not be a real sentence or not be a ketek. Therefore, I do not think it has any place. But maybe others disagree.

A ketek has both meaning and the structure of a real sentence, unlike "level nun, mom tot, bob tot, mom nun, level", and is the same words, unlike "go sniff a stiff, I am busy bob ysub, ma I ffits a ffins og". Kolo?

I meant a ketek with the structure of a real sentence that was ALSO a palindrome. 

I can't imagine anyone writing one, as that would be incredibly difficult, but hypothetically it might be possible.

And if so, shouldn't it be higher than K0 because it has symmetry that in words and in letters?

[Dysphoric Kitten she/her]

I meant a ketek with the structure of a real sentence that was ALSO a palindrome.

I can't imagine anyone writing one, as that would be incredibly difficult, but hypothetically it might be possible.

And if so, shouldn't it be higher than K0 because it has symmetry that in words and in letters?

It would only work if all of your linking words are either "non" or "a". Somehow, I don't believe that is possible.

No, I would not classify anything above K0, because that is the perfect example. Which words you use is not part of the form, so this is just a fun thing about it, not a holier or better class.

[Swimmingly he/him]

Keteks On Campfires

 

As flame dances, sparks fly, amid blazing eyes, blazing amid flying sparks, dancing as flames.

Dark after warding peace, through sparks, white coals - white sparks through peace, ward after dark.

Twisting figures, holding light, by warm hands outstretched, hands warmed by lights, holding figures twisted.

Flame dies, ashes cool, amid fading eyes, fading amid cooling ashes, dies flame.

Night falls, the closing cold, to dead ashes, dead to cold, closing the falling night.

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Woooooords of Radiance spoilers. Like, the end of the book, so don't open unless you're finished.

 

First of all, that glyph ketek at the end of the book? Freaking gorgeous, Light above. One of my favorite pieces of art in the entire book, dang.

 

Also! It's been too long for me to have gone without writing a ketek for Renarin, so once I finished the book, I decided he needed one. I think this one might be my longest yet. 53 words! It's based on the duel at the end of Part 3, but it's got spoilers for the very last chapter with it.

 

Four against Adolin,

And Renarin joins battle still vulnerable.

---

Strength, no weakness;

Faintness even on hold.

--

Can’t he endure, fleeing his blade’s trembling screams?

He holds his screaming, trembling blade,

--

His fleeing endurance,

He can’t hold on even faintly

---

Weakness, no strength, vulnerable.

Still, battle joins Renarin and Adolin against four.

[Elbereth she/her]

Wow. How do you manage to make them so long? And make sense at the same time?

[FeatherWriter she/her]

I usually start with one good flippable phrase and build outward or inward from there. So, like this one I started with "strength, no weakness" flipping to "weakness, no strength." I tend to say that writing keteks feels more like a word puzzle than regular poetry. It's like a brain puzzle for me. How can I build this so that it still makes sense in both places? You just kinda fiddle with words and phrases and change things around as much as possible. You just kinda keep adding words on either side until you can find a way to make them meet in the middle and finish on either side. 

 

The length of a ketek usually doesn't get me too much. Once you've got the center done you can keep adding things to the front and back for as long as you want. I've actually got a friend who has challenged me to write a 101 word long ketek and I'm definitely gonna try. I gotta find a good topic for it though...

 

I'm also tempted to try to do ten ten-word keteks for each of the Orders, though I don't know if I know enough about each of them to do that. It'd be really fun though.

[Elbereth she/her]

Yeah. It seems more like a brain puzzle to me, too. That's an interesting process, though. I'll have to try that.

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Aaaaaaah, I totally just checked my off copy of WoR and noticed that Brandon wrote something in it! (Why did I not check this one sooner!? How am I only seeing it now that I got home? Dork Feather. Such a dork. Check your books you moron.)

 

 

*loud screeching* (This would be the Renarin ketek, btw)

[Ketek]

I have a new addition to the ketek family.

 

Loveless and lost/the wanderer rides the storm/emotion storms/the riding wanderer/the lost and loveless.

 

"Loveless and lost, the wanderer rides the storm; emotion storms the riding wanderer, the lost and loveless."

[Maffu17 he/him]

Woooooords of Radiance spoilers. Like, the end of the book, so don't open unless you're finished.

 

First of all, that glyph ketek at the end of the book? Freaking gorgeous, Light above. One of my favorite pieces of art in the entire book, dang.

 

Also! It's been too long for me to have gone without writing a ketek for Renarin, so once I finished the book, I decided he needed one. I think this one might be my longest yet. 53 words! It's based on the duel at the end of Part 3, but it's got spoilers for the very last chapter with it.

 

Four against Adolin,

And Renarin joins battle still vulnerable.

---

Strength, no weakness;

Faintness even on hold.

--

Can’t he endure, fleeing his blade’s trembling screams?

He holds his screaming, trembling blade,

--

His fleeing endurance,

He can’t hold on even faintly

---

Weakness, no strength, vulnerable.

Still, battle joins Renarin and Adolin against four.

 

How did this only have 3 upvotes, you're amazing FW. As was the following post regarding your book ^^ I would have loud screeched too. 

 

At first I scan read, not really understanding the post and thought the middle paragraph was the Ketek, and then it unfolded in both directions at once, loved it! 

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Ah, thank you! Yes, that ketek is one of the ones that I'm most proud of. I think the fact that it got posted right after WoR and was under a spoiler tag means that I think lots of people hadn't finished the book and then didn't open it, haha.

[GreyPilgrim he/him]

Yes, very good job indeed, Feather! I most definitely hadn't seen it before now. I greatly admire those of you who can make coherent keteks. Yours, Feather, astound me. Whenever I try I get a few pieces in and them get lazy and stop. Oh well. I shall leave the lovely ketek-writing to others, that I may read and enjoy.

[shaizam]

I took some liberties with how a "verb" is interpreted, but here's mine:

 

Winding through ways walked,/ cursing the travel./ Slowly he screams, the sweet prey./ Sweet, the screams!/ He slowly travels the cursed walking-ways through wind.

 

Also, you could interpret thought 3 as two separate thoughts, but I consider it one phrase.

 

Edit: I guess this counts as a K2

Edited June 20, 2014 by shaizam

[sticky]

The ninja waits, watching enemies from the shadows, the shadows that hide death, hiding that shadow of shadows from samurai who are watching, waiting for the ninja...

Water falls from the sky. It rains from darkened, heavy clouds. The clouds sail west. Sailing clouds, heavy clouds. Dark, raining from the sky, falls water.

From my cold heart a silent song, which tune echoes in my lost mind, healing the breaking soul, broken from healing minds lost in echoing tunes, silent songs where cold hearts are from.

Ripples break the water with falling pebbles, jumping fish watching the horizon of the lake, the horizon watches a fish jumping with a pebble, falling with water, breaking the ripples.

Away the sun sets, the moon rises, a battle for the time of day, time for battle, rising as the moon sets the sun away.

Killers kill, healers heal, all things give and receive what they give, healing healers, killing killers.

 

These are lovely!

[sticky]

Hello all! I am obviously new to the fandom, this forum, and (especially obviously) writing keteks.

 

Though I don't consider myself a poet by any means, I am completely fascinated by the concept of ketek poetry. I have decided that, with the help of the internet, i'd like to attempt creating a bard song about TSA's narrative. I tried to create a ketek tonight about Kaladin, but it's clumsy, and doesn't follow the 5 section rule, as that requirement had slipped my mind.

 

Anyway, I'm certain that you all could do much, much better than this, and I thought it would be a fun project that several could contribute to. I'll keep practicing. This was my first attempt, and I bit off a bit more than I could chew, haha....

 

Kaladin Stormblessed, a man running from death;
Defying men, leading to forget, to try those saving fates; Slave to blessings, to dreams of denied men;
From storm of soul to soul of storm;
From man denied of dreams to blessing to slaves fated, [from] saving those trying to forget, to leading men defying death.
From running man, a blessed storm -- Kaladin!

[sticky]

Tien

Screaming, I sacrifice for Tien -- my brother -- my life from youth,

He takes that spear, this weapon with eager hands,

I need him, he needs me

Hands eager with weapon, this spear that takes his youth from life,

My brother, my Tien, for sacrifice, I scream

 

Jasnah (Slight WoR Spoilers)

Unseen nights of strangeness to worry and late returned demands

Her form’s darkness cast to light, storms spent surge anew,

Discovering glass among falling worlds, falling among glass, discovering new surges,

Spending storm’s light to cast darkness, forming her demands

Returning late and worried to strangeness of nights unseen

 

 

 I somehow missed these the first time I read through this topic. They are perfect, Feather! You are very talented. Blown away.

[mail-mi he/him]

Secret shortcuts hidden in thickness of stars like forests, dense forests, like stars of thickness in hidden shortcuts, secret.

 

written for an english class. I had to use the words "secret, shortcut, thickness, stars," and "forest".

[Andrew C]

Me, me me, me me me, me me, me.

 

A Ketek about myself.

 

 

Reading troll keteks

I discover

I enjoy

discovering that

Keteks troll readers

 

 

Not as structured, symmetric or elegant as yours, but I like it

[CalaCrisp88]

I just made this one up on the spot, so i'm sorry if it sounds bad. I think it's pretty good though.

light shines/heavenly from beacons alike/much too bright, too much/like a beacon from heaven/shining light

[Delightful]

I am stick stick stick stick stick am I.

[Ookla the Absent]

Righteous Ketek is blasphemy. Symmetry being holy, emulating holy being's symmetry, blasphemy. Is Ketek righteous?

     Skokoks the Blasphemer, 1084

 

 

Righteous Ketek is blasphemy/ Symmetry being holy/ emulating holy being's symmetry/ blasphemy/ Is Ketek righteous?

Edited July 27, 2015 by Gargoyle

[Seana she/her]

Food / cooking on / rock. Rock / on cooking / food.

Just adding my little attempt. I hope to acheive longer Keteks, but haven't quite managed one yet.

Edited September 6, 2015 by Seana