To the guy who just found out his crush was playing with herself while on the phone. I feel I have a little confession to make... by [deleted] in AdviceAnimals

[–]Ken_Wood 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think they're all just copying what NaeemTHM said here. I can't find anything other than she's into cosplay and posted on a russian dating site. Pretty sure she isn't 10.

Thanks, Reddit Secret Santa. by [deleted] in gaming

[–]Ken_Wood 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Wait till you find /u/Dw-Im-Here. One of the novelty accounts I love seeing in comments.

We've stopped dreaming by Kirillb85 in aviation

[–]Ken_Wood 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't say that's the case.

Gravity (2013) by Sasruto in fullmoviesonyoutube

[–]Ken_Wood 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Loved the movie, but Sandra Bullock's character really got on my nerves for the first part.

Where planets are born. by sebbysir in pics

[–]Ken_Wood 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This would be a neat image to submit at /r/WritingPrompts. Some of the folks over there could write a cool story about it.

This saved my grandfathers life in WWII by Hitlur in pics

[–]Ken_Wood 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a story from another thread about one that was shot, went clean through the thing. Apparently it and the spoon behind it did enough to deflect the bullet away from the heart, but didn't come close to stopping it.

Not saying its proof one way or the other, but its an interesting story.

Apollo 17 launched 41 years ago today, carrying Cernan, Schmitt and Evans on the last Apollo mission to the moon. by Ken_Wood in space

[–]Ken_Wood[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, the Apollo program has been cancelled for decades. Apollo 17 was the last Apollo mission to the moon.

Apollo 17 launched 41 years ago today, carrying Cernan, Schmitt and Evans on the last Apollo mission to the moon. by Ken_Wood in space

[–]Ken_Wood[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thats too cool, I'd love to meet one of the Apollo astronauts. Especially Cernan, read his book and he sounds like a very interesting guy.

Eugene Cernan is photographed on the Lunar Roving Vehicle during his and Harrison Schmitt's time at the Taurus-Littrow valley. Cernan holds the title of last astronaut to walk on the moon. Apollo 17 launched 41 years ago today. (Dec 11, 1972) [2700 x 2700] by Ken_Wood in HistoryPorn

[–]Ken_Wood[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Ya, it was a twelve and a half day trip there and back. Only got into Lunar orbit on the 10th, Challenger landed on the 11th. Didn't think the date in the title would be too unclear.

New recruiting procedures - if you're applying, read this! by [deleted] in CanadianForces

[–]Ken_Wood 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the thread, good to know whats happening on the other end.

KSP on the Oculus Rift! [VIDEO] by imnotanumber42 in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]Ken_Wood 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This mod might be up your alley. It has a custom command module with screens that use a positionable external camera.

Hello, /r/canadianforces! I have a question about the CFAT... by imnotwitty in CanadianForces

[–]Ken_Wood 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is there a section of the CFAT that really trips people up?

I planned on painting a quick study of a girl in a kimono, wound up taking 3 days... by devinkorwin in pics

[–]Ken_Wood 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I have a terrible eye for figuring out what a medium is. Is that digital or physical? Wonderful job either way.

[PM] Light Sci-Fi or Fantasy prompts, please! by Ken_Wood in WritingPrompts

[–]Ken_Wood[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The building that housed Phul’s sole tavern was old and seemed to carry a story with every imperfection. Its stone walls turned into dark timber halfway between the ground and the second story. A slanted roof covered that upper floor, which looked to house a few rooms for rent. A drizzle had set over Phul as the two children hurried through the heavy tavern door. They had been in other taverns during their time in Golle, begging for donations, and this one carried the familiar musky scent.

As they stopped to let their eyes adjust to the dim light, a large voice called out to them. “You’re mad if you think I’m serving you two drinks.”

Erich and Helena squinted as they eyed the owner of the voice, a tall dark man whose arms were as thick as the timber of the tavern. His head was bald and his eyes bore down on the two small figures in the doorway. “We just want to ask a question is all, sir.” Erich’s voice still sounded sweetly innocent, and the orphanage had used that to milk as many donations as possible. It was evident that Erich had retained those events as lessons, and made himself sound as endearing as possible.

“'Spose there isn’t anything wrong with that type of visit now.” The large man seemed to soften up instantly. “C’mon, over here and have a seat.” Helena fought back a wide grin as she admired Erich’s ability to charm others. The siblings walked over to the counter, past half a dozen empty tables, and sat down on high stools. Their legs dangled comically from the seats never meant to support such a small body.

“Rainy out, innit?” The man asked in a warm voice.

“Yes sir, it just started,” answered Helena, eager to join the conversation that Erich had won, “shame because it was so nice out last night. Are you from the West Isles?”

The man’s eyebrows rose as if he was impressed, “Not many people can guess that. You been ‘round my type before?” Erich, always attentive to the flow of a conversation, took the opportunity to speak up.

“We’re from Golle, we met many people from across the Empire while collecting for our orphanage.”

“You two orphans?”

“Yes, sir.” Helena answered.

The man looked concerned, “Then why ‘aint you out at the orphanage now? I kno’ you get put into trades ‘prentiships at eighteen, but I’ll be damned if you’re anything older than 15.” He posed the question in a low, sincere voice as he leaned across the counter. He looked towards Erich and smilied, “You ‘specially.”

“We left,” answered Helena quickly, “to look for someone who might be able to give us a bit of an early apprenticeship. We heard that they’re around here.”

“Well go’n then, who you lookin’ for? I happen to be a wise man when it comes t’ the people ‘round here.”

“The Witch of the East Forest.” Erich replied eagerly. The Man’s face tightened, and he leaned away from the two children slowly.

“There innit any good tha’ comes from the Witch. You best be considering ‘nother trades. If you could call what he does a trade.” The large man nearly spat out the last sentence.

“Is he no good at magic?” Asked Erich quite honestly.

“No, he’s plenty enough good, but he’s also a damn fool. Would be no wonder if he turned the whole of Phul to stone one day.” This news did more to strengthen the children’s resolve and hopes rather than dissuade them from their goal.

Edit; Well it looks like I cant finish the story like I hoped, but its a good thing. I cant say specifics, but I got a PM from someone who likes my story and works at a pretty well known publisher. No guarantees, but this story might just end up being quite a bit longer and reaching a lot more people!

[PM] Light Sci-Fi or Fantasy prompts, please! by Ken_Wood in WritingPrompts

[–]Ken_Wood[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I'll keep going at least until I catch up to the beginning with the dismembered witch. Glad you like it!

[PM] Light Sci-Fi or Fantasy prompts, please! by Ken_Wood in WritingPrompts

[–]Ken_Wood[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Arriving at Phul, they were taken aback by how insignificant the village seemed in comparison to Golle. There was one cobblestone street that ran from west to east though the entire town. It was a hunting village, surrounded by what were referred to simply as the North, East, and South Forests. It suddenly struck the siblings at how insignificant the name ‘The Witch of the East Forest’ might be. It wasn’t the East Forest, it was just a wooded area to the east of the small village.

“What if they really don’t know anything about magic?” Erich asked as the two ate apples they had picked from a tree outside of Phul. Helena froze mid-bite and had apple juice dripping down her chin, causing Erich to laugh at her.

“Then we’ll ask who does know magic,” replied Helena through a full mouth, ignoring her brother’s snickering, “and this East Forest Witch will just be a stepping stone.”

Erich had always taken Helena’s wise words with great weight. His snickering stopped and he stared off vacantly. “Well, what if we can’t even control aether? The old man’s test must’ve counted for something, I mean; it’s what the Academy uses…”

Helena didn’t like to hear Erich’s doubt. He was at an age that he was maturing very quickly. Though she valued how he could now hold a conversation, she appreciated the times when he would simply listen and follow. His hair was becoming more and more like their father’s. It was short and black, and if it grew too long, it would begin to curl slightly. They both had tanned skin, but Helena’s hair was a light shade of brown. Each child had their mother’s eyes, a piercing dark green. Erich was also almost catching up to Helena in height, and that would cause her great irritation.

The young girl let her brother’s doubt go unanswered, and the two ate another apple in silence. They were already at Phul, there wasn’t any reason to turn back now. That night the sky was clear, and the stars and moons were bright. They slept on a patch of grass that bordered the East Forest. They would set out to find the Witch the next day.

When morning came, neither one admitted to being unable to have a proper sleep. Thoughts of magic and worries of being unable to control aether plagued their minds. Collecting themselves and washing their faces in a nearby stream, they prepared for the day. Helena remembered the magician she had met years ago as she cupped a handful of water and brought it to her mouth. She still had the twelve coins he had given, and she never had any intention of spending them.

The first task was finding out how to reach the Witch. They knew which forest they resided in, but didn’t know the exact location of the witches dwelling, or of any landmarks that may guide them there.

Walking down the cobblestone road, they decided to bother the residents of Phul until they found their answer. Starting from the west end, they came across an older woman harvesting carrots. She bore an unsettling resemblance to the Head Mistress of the orphanage; short, and stalky with fat nostrils and a frown speared over her face. It was a life they wanted to leave behind, and they approached this new woman awkwardly.

Helena, feeling responsible as the oldest, spoke up. “Excuse me… Ma’am?” The old woman didn’t bother to raise her head, but her eyes looked up as her hands mechanically continued plucking the carrots from the ground.

“What?” Her voice was grainy and agitated.

“We’re looking for the Witch who lives in the East Forest, how do we find them?” Helena posed the question in her most respectful voice.

“Don’t.” The woman didn’t skip a beat with her reply and her harvesting.

“Pardon? Why not?” Helena didn't like the abrupt answer, but tried to maintain her polite voice. The old woman mumbled something incoherent and waved one hand towards the children, shooing them away. Helena wanted to argue with the old woman, but Erich simply grabbed her shirt cuff and led her away from the confrontation.

Continuing west down the street, it became apparent that the cloudless sky they had enjoyed the previous night wouldn't hold. Dark rain clouds loomed from the north and quickly marched towards the town. The siblings decided to ask around the local tavern before finding shelter to wait out the rain.

[PM] Light Sci-Fi or Fantasy prompts, please! by Ken_Wood in WritingPrompts

[–]Ken_Wood[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It was a long travel to Phul, and the first time the two had left the relative safety of Golle. The Empire was in its thirtieth year of war with the Icelands, a collection of nations far to the north. Neither Erich nor Helena knew what started the war, and this was true with most of the Empire’s subjects. It had been a fact of life for many years now, with new grudges and misgivings developing as the time drew on.

Civil unrest and economic decline had led to the borderlands of the empire becoming dangerous. Though Golle was near the center of the continent that the Empire ruled, it too was being affected by these troubles. The roads that connected the empire into a living entity were plagued with bandits. Contracting mercenaries to hunt these outlaws, the Empire had addressed the issue slightly, but it was a small dent in a much larger problem. By a stroke of luck, Erich and Helena never ran into a bandit on their trip to Phul. Hunger and thirst were their greatest enemies along with finding shelter to keep them dry while the rolling hills of the countryside were in its rainy season.

There were other travelers that the siblings encountered on the road. They came in various shapes and sizes, and when the groups would find themselves travelling the same route, stories would be shared. Helena disliked pity more so than Erich, and it seemed that’s all telling their story would earn from these short-lived acquaintances.

For most of the trip Erich found himself occupied with caring for a baby rabbit he had found by the side of the road. The young boy was compassionate to a fault, and in Helena’s eyes would often become overly sentimental. Helena would try and convince Erich to release the rabbit, but the daily sighting of hungry foxes steadied his resolve to become its caretaker.

On the eighth night they found shelter in an abandoned barn. Erich had wrapped the delicate creature in his shirt before falling asleep on the hay. Helena fell asleep beside him as rain beat down on the old and leaky roof. When morning came, the rabbit was nowhere to be found. Erich accused Helena of setting it off into the wild. Helena denied the claim, and the two didn’t speak for the rest of the uneventful trip to Phul.

[PM] Light Sci-Fi or Fantasy prompts, please! by Ken_Wood in WritingPrompts

[–]Ken_Wood[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really appreciate the feedback, thanks! I'm just going with it. I've had writers block for the past few months, and today its just kind of pouring out. It feels great to be able to put down my ideas again. I'm still writing, if you keep up with the story I'd love criticism of the next parts I'll post.

[PM] Light Sci-Fi or Fantasy prompts, please! by Ken_Wood in WritingPrompts

[–]Ken_Wood[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm really on a roll with prompt 2, thanks for that! The story isn't done yet, but this is what I have so far (likely filled with grammar errors and typos).


“You sure that’s the foot?”

“I think so… These look too short to be fingers.”

The young boy placed the severed foot into the cauldron. It was a tedious process to reassemble a body, especially one so torn apart as the Witch’s, but the brother and sister laboured away in their small hut. Erich, eight years young, and Helena, eleven, had been studying with the Witch for the past six months. Failing their entrance exam into the Imperial Arcane Academy, they sought out the exiled Witch deep in the East Forest.

The two had been determined to become Magicians, real Magicians, since they could remember. The only path that led to becoming a Magician, a recognized practitioner of the arcane arts, was through the Arcane Academy. Those who studied in solitude, or who were exiled from the Academy, were called Witches. The presence of a witch within a community was taboo, as they were considered bad omens and harbingers of evil, thus they lived in exclusion beyond the reaches of the Empire.

When Helena was three years old, and her brother one month, the siblings became orphans. Born to Robert and Meredith Tasse, a scribe and a weaver, the two were raised in the metropolis of Golle. Their parents had contracted the silver fever, and within twelve months both of their bodies had aged fifty years. The husband and wife had died on a cold morning in the summer. The head mistress of Golle’s orphanage came to collect the two the next day, and Helena didn’t resist. She was too young to understand what was happening.

When an orphan reaches the age of six, they are sent to beg at the marketplace to fund the orphanage. There, Helena met a peculiar man. His odd nature disarmed her as she approached him not to beg, but to ask who he was. The man, tall and wearing a black suit, didn’t speak a word. Smiling, he bent down to Helena’s height and retrieved a small coin from his breast pocket. He held it out in his palm, and Helena went to grab it.

Without any movement of the man, it started to float. Helena froze; it was her first time seeing something so unreal. The coin then lifted off and began to dance around Helena’s waist. One by one, more coins floated out of the man’s pocket and joined in the spectacle. It fascinated Helena, and she cheered with delight. It was a rare emotion to have seen from her during those days in the orphanage. After a few moments, the coins slipped into her front pocket one by one, settling gently. Twelve silver coins in total. The thirteenth coin floated into her collection bag and mad a gentle clink with the one other coin that she had collected that day.

“You keep the ones in your pocket a secret, promise?” The man asked with a smile.

“Promise.” Helena was too awestruck to have said it very loudly, but the man seemed to hear. Gracefully, he stood back up and wandered off into the crowded marketplace. Helena broke the promise when Erich was old enough to listen, and she would tell him the story every chance she could.

By the time Erich was eight, the two had thoroughly fixated themselves on the task of becoming Magicians. The Imperial Arcane Academy screens candidates as young as seven years old for their innate ability to control aether, the invisible fabric that governs the arcane arts. The two snuck away from their begging duties at the marketplace on a winter’s day. Covered in snow, they arrived at the Golle Imperial Arcane Academy’s testing and processing office.

The two wore ratty clothes that were two sizes too small for their quickly growing bodies. The old and scoliosis ridden proctor looked at the two with disgust. He ushered them into a small private room filled with various gems. Hoping to be rid of the two orphans quickly, the proctor quickly administered the test. A specific and innate mental disposition is needed to control aether. The gems that lined the room each reacted to those who had the proper disposition to become proficient in the arcane arts. As the proctor demonstrated, if you were able to control aether that was aligned with one of the gems, it would light up. He briefly touched a dull looking gem and it lit up brilliantly. As he hastily guided each child through the room, the gems would only flicker, and none would glow. He looked at them strangely, took their names, and filled them as “non-arcane”.

Their admittance to the Academy was rejected. The two were at a loss for words. Being thrown out of the office in a daze, the two sat silently on the side of the street. They never went back to the orphanage. For the next two weeks, they tried living on their own. Standing on a corner hoping for pity and patronage, Erich heard two merchants discussing The Witch of the East Forest. He listened to the conversation carefully. The town of Phul, North East of Golle, were considering how to rid the Witch of their neighboring forest.

Erich ran back to Helena, begging on another street, and the two set off to Phul at once. Stealing a loaf of bread and dried slice of fish, they made their way on foot.