#Our Flag Means Stamps

[swashbuckling-sweethearts]

A smattering of stamp images for mine and @ghostalservice 's sticker Kickstarter! Will reblog with more after I finish the next batch 💜

Join the Kickstarter!

[feuerkindjana]

I made a thing 😃

' You wrote me a lovely letter ' rubber stamp (45mm diameter)

[moderndaypandora]

The LAYERS needed in a modern/human Dreamling au.  Some level of Endless family dysfunction, obviously.  Hob's family can be be dead or not, it's all good. Are they old enough to have individually gained the awareness they are off-puttingly intense and should hide it a bit at first, or still in that "no, why would I need to Elsa this" stage?

Option A is both of them trying to play it cool, like "don't scare him off" except they so badly want to go from zero to sixty.

(Death and Desire have ruthlessly drilled Dream with flashcards about how to react appropriately in situations.

Desire: it's your one-month anniversary, what do you do?

Dream: [hesitantly] NOT propose?

Desire and Death, conferring, because that's technically correct but the delivery was suspect.

Death, encouragingly: Good start. And?


Dream: a nice dinner and maybe a walk?

Desire: well done!

Death: and for a three-month anniversary?


Dream: give them a key to my flat.

Desire: [airhorn] NO. RED CARD.)

Option B makes them the classic anecdotal "my grandparents got engaged within seven days of meeting each other and still are happy together".

(Death, rubbing her temples: so you met this guy--

Dream: Hob

Death: -- Hob, and within 1 day you gave notice to the Registrar's Office and figured out the best day to get married. And Hob agreed to this?

Dream: NO.

Death: oh thank go-

Dream: Hob SUGGESTED this.

Death: . . .

Dream: are you going to be a witness or not?

Death, 29 days later in the Registrar's Office, to Hob's witness: Is he sane?

Johanna Constantine, drinking heavily from a large flask: unfortunately yes, by all legal definitions.

Death: fuck

Johanna: [passing the flask over] if your brother's even a tenth as intense as Hob, they'll be fine. Probably.

Death, brightening: Is Hob that bad?


Johanna: You know how sometimes you meet somebody and think "oof, they're a bit much, best give them a wide berth"?


Death: yeah.

Johanna: Hob's like a camouflaged hole in the ground of muchness. Except he's done the hole up all nice and he knows that sometimes you just want to be left alone in the hole to sulk and rattle the spikes for a bit, and occasionally get a F&M hamper tossed in.

Death: [hmmmmmmm'ing approvingly]

Johanna, morose: the bastard.

In the background, Hob and Dream are pressing their foreheads together and basking in each other's presence)

[spirker]

Has anyone ever noticed Ed has a game of hangman tattooed on his arm.

Babygirl really must have been bored that day.

[bougiebutchbinch]

Am I remembering right in that Ed had 0 obvious whip scars on his back, just tattoos, but Izzy had LOADS?

because just -

AHHH??????

Yes, yes; Izzy is a kinky bottomy painslut. We all know that. But also... Izzy taking punishment for Ed on Hornigold's ship........ Izzy getting the wires between devotion and masochism and love so crossed in his fucked up little mind that he damn near begged Ed to be the one to take all his whippings......... Ed being delightfully horny and possessive about it, and (back in the good ol' days) enjoying patching Izzy up after, getting off on how he can press on his bloody, bandaged back and watch him fucking quiver like an instrument played to Ed's touch...................

[gaypirateslife4me]

Imagine though, you are finally, finally getting to hit that fine ass, but you have to stare at your boyfriend's bitchy note-to-self tramp-stamp the entire time.

Nobody is doing it like Ed & Stede. Nobody.

[bloomeng]

a new lesbian had been added to the roster

[perpendicularpotatoes]

The Marks Left On Your Skin [Fic]

Chapter 2 just went up and I made cover art now!

The Marks Left On Your Skin (2706 words) by PerpendicularPotato Chapters: 2/7 Fandom: Our Flag Means Death (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Blackbeard | Edward Teach/"Calico" Jack Rackham, Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Original Male Character(s), Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Israel HandsBlackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet

(Find the myriad additional tags below 😅)

Summary:

Even years and countless miles of ocean removed from the home of his childhood, his body still was not his own. Idly searching for distraction from the open wound of his back, his gaze caught on the nearest jar of tallow.

For weeks now, Edward had been waiting for Jack to crack and breach the plausible deniability. In this case, however, he seemed determined to drag it out—or was he waiting for Edward to crack?

Alright then, fuck it! Maybe he was done being coy. He fucking wanted it.

----

An exploration of why one would get a "Trust No One" tramp stamp (that tattoo did not look fresh!), since that feels less like a reminder to yourself and more like a message to the people topping you...

Which ended up becoming a character and relationship study, exploring amongst other things the learning and unlearning of (internalized) toxic masculinity through seven times Ed had sex with various people and the illustrated history of his tattoos spanning from Hornigold's ship to Post-Canon Era.

First chapter is only mature, but the explicitness will ramp up. Chapters 3-6 are about 90% done, chapter 7 about 50%.

[libraryoffangirl]

And what if Stede got a tattoo of Eds name over his heart

[swashbuckling-sweethearts]

OUR FLAG MEANS STAMPS

sheet two! Posting more as a reblog below bc Tumblr only lets me post 10 at a time 💜

[disastergay]

TRANNY FLAG ♾️

(requested by @lovelesstranniedykefaggot)

Black: in memoriam of the trans people whose lives were claimed by hatred. Dark blue: the joy of finally discovering your true self Magenta: making the choice to accept yourself no matter what, even if it means losing loved ones Light blue: borrowed from the blue stripes in the transgender flag. Pink: borrowed from the pink stripes in the transgender flag. White (stripe only): borrowed from the white stripes in the transgender, genderqueer, and nonbinary flags.

The ouroboros, a snake that eats its own tail for all eternity, represents two things: the never-ending cycle of self-discovery we all experience as we learn and grow, and our inability — our refusal — to be stamped out of existence. It is scientifically impossible to eradicate us, no matter how hard some people will try.

Its single fang is a reminder that, whether we're fighting against dysphoria, fascism, or harmful myths about ourselves, we're not helpless to defend ourselves.

The stripes of this flag are warped and glitched out — by the ouroboros, as it slices through the white center — to symbolize the way we inherently challenge gender norms and society's expectations, pulling them apart at the seams and turning them back into thread, which we can weave a new tapestry with together. Before we can build a better foundation, we have to break free from the institutional restrictions that hold us back.

[writingwithcolor]

Running Commentary: What is “ok to do” in Mixed-Culture Supernatural Fiction?

Dear readers: 

Today we are trying something new. To give you some insight into our process in the Japanese moderator section, we are presenting our response in the form of running commentary to show you how we dissect and answer long asks. We hope this makes clear what points are useful and not useful when sending us a query. As always, this is for learning purposes, not callouts. Be prepared: this is a long one. 

To summarize: the asker is looking to create a comic drawn in Japanese manga style, and has provided a long summary of the story and worldbuilding which involves a mix of “reimagined” Japanese yokai mythos and cultural symbols from many other sources. They have questions with respect to cultural appropriation, coding etiquette, and “what is and isn’t ok.” 

Opening Comments

I know a common advice when it comes to the thing I am about to ask is to talk to people involved in __, but I struggle with opening up to strangers for reasons I'm uncomfortable explaining. 

Marika (M): This is already a red flag. If you want to engage with another culture without talking to people from that culture, then research is going to be very challenging. You won’t have members of that culture to guide you towards sources and perspectives they feel most accurately represents public opinion. If I were in your shoes, I might start with tackling my discomfort when engaging with other people, if only to improve my work. If you aren’t ready to engage with a culture and its people directly, then I think you should wait until you are. 

I should note, reaching out to the Japanese mod team at WWC does count as engagement, but WWC should not and cannot be the only point of contact because there is no single, legitimate cultural perspective. 

Rina (R): Also, you don’t need to “open up” to strangers or talk to them in person to get perspectives. Asking specific research questions anonymously to a forum or on social media requires very little vulnerability. You managed to do it here on WWC. So give it a try! 

Anyway, my question basically amounts to the what is and isn't ok [sic] in terms of depicting fantasy creatures and concepts outside of their respective culture.

R: So, the reason why we turn away rubber stamp questions by that ask “is XYZ okay?” is because “okay” & “not okay” 1) is vague and 2) creates a dichotomy where there isn’t one. 

When we say something is “not okay,” do we mean:

It’s offensive to the general majority of XYZ group? 

It’s contentious among people who ID in the group? 

It has a potential to be interpreted in a certain negative way, but may not be a red flag to everyone?

Insetad try asking:

What are the reasons this subject is offensive? 

What makes cultural appropriation bad? 

When might it be “okay” to intentionally discuss a difficult or controversial topic?

What is your reason for including something that may be interpreted as offensive and can it be sufficiently justified? 

What stereotypes or tropes might it be consistently identified as or associated with, and why? 

When might it be justified to bring up these tropes?

With That In Mind...

Let’s get into the rest of the ask below. 

…a story I've been working on in recent times is largely inspired off the Japanese yokai, and the setting is basically Earth in the far future, as far as when the next supercontinent may form. These yokai, although portrayed differently here, do retain their main characteristics [...] Included in this world are two goddesses of my own creation, primarily representing the sun and the moon. [...] There will be thirteen nations, named and based after the Chinese Zodiac, and the life force found in the living things in this world, called qi, comes in two forms that are always opposing each other but can never fully overpower the other, this being based off yin and yang. They're even directly named this; yin qi and yang qi.

M: This reads more like using Japanese and Chinese culture for the “aesthetics”, not the cultures themselves, which I personally feel falls under cultural appropriation. From a world-building/ coding standpoint, the actual use of concepts is workable, and, dare I say, typical, given how Chinese cosmology influences Japanese culture. However, naming a concept “yin qi” or “yang qi” is the equivalent of naming something “- charge” or “+ charge”, respectively. That you don’t seem aware of this tells me you are pretty early in your research phase. In that vein, we’ve covered translating terms and names from foreign languages in fantasy before. See the following article linked here for our recommendation against using RL terms outright but instead encouraging people to create their own conlangs. 

R: Worldbuilding-wise, I think you would have to figure out the chicken-or-egg of the zodiac nations. Did the nations come first, and the zodiac later as an origin folk story (which you would have to rewrite to serve the nation-building narrative)? Did the zodiac come first, and the nations named (most likely re-named) by a political entity? What is the justification? Otherwise, again, it’s a shoehorning of aesthetics. 

There is also a third, lesser known god based off of fox spirits and trickery and I imagined he's the patron deity of a family that honors and worships him, but his influence on them has transformed them into Kitsune-tsuki, which I depict as fox-like anthros. 

M: Not related to this ask directly, but I have jokingly ranted about how often non-Japanese people prefer using imagery related to kitsune-tsuki in Japanese coded world-building (link). This makes me feel the same level of petty irritation. See my troll answer below for a similar experience.

R: Same. It’s boring tbh. 

M: Troll Answer: I get that kitsune-tsuki are very sexy furries, but Japanese folklore has other sexy furries too! These underrepresented demographics also deserve recognition and appreciation!!

The plot of the story is this; modernization has left the goddesses neglected of their worship and forgotten, something that is necessary in this world to stop them from fighting each other. The Moon Goddess awakens first, punishing the humans by unleashing the yokai. Then the Sun Goddess wakes up to fight in humanity's defense…

M: This could feel rather like Shinto-like coding (Ex. the myth of Amaterasu and the Cave, or Tsukuyomi slaying Ukemochi), but something about this scenario feels a bit too binary in terms of themes of good v. evil, light v. dark to be Shinto. The plot also feels more Gaelic/ Nordic in influence for me as a person raised in a Japanese Buddhist and Hindu household. I imagine this dissonance could have been fixed with better guided research. 

…but their fighting has caused a perma-eclipse and this world is in danger of ending. The yokai have run rampant; some are loyal to the Moon Goddess, and some aren't, and it lies to the main characters to bring balance back to Midgard. Yeah... the name of this future Earth is Midgard. I debate changing it since it and some other things I will mention sorta feel out of place.

R: Marika, looks like you were right on the Gaelic/Nordic influence /j 

Also, worldbuilding question: if the Earth is in the far geologic future, how long has it been since modernization (19th-20th century)? Centuries? Millennia? How long has this fighting gone on for? What triggered the perma-eclipse, and why now? Why is this time depth necessary? 

One of the main characters in question is a humanoid woman with wolf features named Ling, and she is a descendant of the dynasty that had first ruled the one of the nations, particularly the one based off the dragon zodiac. She accidentally summons the other main character to this world as she's praying at a shrine, a humanoid with dragon features--I call them drakon--named Angelynn.

[on the names of characters] is it appropriating by not having the world entirely based on [Chinese, Japanese, and Indian] influence? it's a little weird to me how worldwide the creatures are referred to as yokai, implying a strong Japanese influence not unlike how it is today with Western culture being so dominant, yet there are still names like Keith and Kiara.

M: I will give you credit for recognizing you have unconsciously veered towards white-washing/ race-bending: either presenting European cultural influences (drakons, Angelynn, Keith, Kiara, Midgard) as default or utilizing general E. Asian cultural influences and aesthetics for a Western-style story (Ling, qi, Chinese zodiac, yokai). I agree with you that this creates a sense of cultural dissonance. At this point, I’d say you have a clear choice: write a Western-style high fantasy using a background with which you have more familiarity, or get some better guidance on research with East Asian cultures so you can code the story more effectively. 

The focus of this story is centered around meeting all these yokai and showing that there's more nuance to them than Ling believes, all while saving the world. But I worry if I'm appropriating these concepts and creatures by 1, drawing from more than one culture--I initially imagined that there would be a mix of Chinese, Japanese and Indian influence because according to a website I am getting the info on yokai from, the yokai in question already draw inspiration from or have been based on something in Chinese mythology or Hinduism [...]

R: Sure, some yokai have Chinese or Hindu parallels as that tends to happen with folk tales. But not all–some are unique to Japan, and some are more modern. Sometimes it’s very political–some people consider the Ainu Korpokkur as being a “Yokai of Japan” despite it belonging to the indigenous culture. It’s up to you to research, untangle, and understand these influences. 

The fact that you bring up that the Asian continent has seen a lot of cultural exchange is not a sufficient reason to randomly combine influences for the sake of visual appeal or “coolness.” That is appropriation. These influences must be understood in their historical context so that you know how/why certain things combined or morphed into another, and what makes sense to combine/morph. 

M: This also indicates that the character views the yokai as evil/inherently bad, which I would argue is not a typical stance for much Japanese folklore. Again, this shows a deficit in research. 

2, reimagining these yokai in a new context even though I have done the research on them, because one thing I kept seeing in regards to cultural appropriation is that it's bad to do that […]

R: Refer above to my note on “okay” and “not okay.” The thing with folklore and fairy tales is that every–and I mean every–folk tale is reinterpreted with every new iteration of it. Reimagining in a new context is what people do every time they pass on a story or tell a story with the same plot or characters. Do not think of folklore as an “original” that is altered and rebooted, but rather a living document that gets added to. Reimagining is not the inherent issue. HOW you reimagine something matters. 

So I suppose my question is...if someone were to do research upon the creature they want to use, given they are allowed to use it, and gained an understanding of what the creature or concept stood for, are they allowed to pick it apart and reimagine it? Alternatively, is it ok if it's explicitly pointed out that it is derivative of the original?

It has actually become my biggest fear that I may have internalized something that could both continue to do harm long after the fact and attract the wrong people to me work. I don't wanna let people down!

M: As Rina has noted several times, I think the problem is in trying to ID a set of specific variables and circumstances that make a thing “okay” or “not okay.” I want to recommend that you read my joking response about writing in secret rooms while wearing a disguise (Linked here). Who can you hurt if no one knows what you are doing? There’s a difference between creating for oneself and creating to share. 

You have internalized a message incorrectly, but not the one you cite. The goal of many recommendations against cultural appropriation is to avoid causing direct harm to people who have seen their cultures demeaned, discredited and devalued, especially in shared spaces. Assessing cultural engagement, whether we are talking about appropriation, appreciation or exchange is not a measure of personal virtue or a collection of commandment style do’s and don’t’s. Rather, I believe engaging with other cultures is the state of mind of acknowledging that when using these cultures’ in one’s own work, there is value in consulting members of that culture and giving credit where credit is due. This will be challenging if you are only comfortable engaging with all of these cultures in a distanced, minimal capacity. 

FWIW, I’ve written stories that probably will offend people from other cultures and backgrounds, but I don’t show them off. I don’t think writing these makes me a bad person, but I also don’t see the need to give unnecessary offense, so those stories are just for me, to be written and read in my own secret room. However, I’m not ashamed of having written them, and I’m also comfortable to “let people down” provided that my own shared work reflects my personal principles of what I consider to be sufficient research and engagement with other cultures,  As a creator, my work wouldn’t be mine if I didn’t first please myself. I think the trick to the creator role is deciding what to keep private, what to share and what constitutes sufficient engagement. 

P.S. 

We’ve referenced the need for research multiple times in this ask, and in some of the other asks that have gone up this week, so we thought this would be a good place to plug a beginner’s guide to academic research created by the mod team.. Look for it soon under WWC’s pinned posts!

[freekicks]

I suppose I’m not sure what you want me to do here. I could explain what a kink is or do some psychosexual analysis on why some men are into “daddies,” but I think all that would accomplish is bringing us both five minutes closer to our last breaths on earth. If it’s not something you’re into, and it’s between two consenting adults, then I don’t see why it’s our business. I’m also unsure how, as someone who is reading erotic stories in their spare time, “daddies” is the subject that compelled you to write a letter to your local advice columnist. I have read things in the realm of smut that would make the common “daddy fetish” story look like “Goodnight Moon.” Come back to me when you reach the cold, hard bottom of the slash fic iceberg. You also seem to be conflating real-world relationships with erotica. These are not the same. Sure, there can be overlap, but to go from “this fictional character crossed a line in a fictional story” to “and that’s why I’m uncomfortable with people who remind me of that character” suggests, to me, that you took a wrong turn or two navigating this ethical corn maze. It’s not even a script limited to gays. I mean, mainstream pop culture is littered with what I would consider “daddy trope” dynamics. There’s a whole genre of beauties falling for beasts. There’s a popular children’s movie about it with a singing teapot and a fruity candelabra. What is a beast, if not a daddy by another name? You be the judge. I’m certainly in no place to dictate what makes you uncomfortable. I can see how you might look at, say, a large age gap between two adults in a sexual dynamic and think, “weird!” I’ve had thoughts like that as well. But I think discomfort in and of itself is not always a surefire sign that something immoral is afoot. Discomfort can be caused by any number of factors—personal experiences, biases, preferences, and so on. [...] Sadly, it’s all too common to see people exploit power dynamics—experience, money, fame, access, etc.—for personal gain. But this isn’t exclusive to age. All three times that I’ve been violated by men, the men have been around my age. Abuse can happen in any dynamic, and while I, too, find comfort in the notion that abuse can be easily sniffed out ahead of time, that there will reliably be telltale red flags, that’s just not how things typically work. I’m also reluctant to abide by the increasingly popular belief that “power dynamics” are inherently manipulative. The reality is, there are power dynamics in every relationship. If you are involved with another person, then you have entered an uneven playing field or two. No two people will be exactly the same age, same economic class, same appearance (I hope????), and so on, and so forth. This is not violence. This is dating. These are things that have to be worked through and navigated with mutual respect. There is risk involved, yes, but risk cannot be entirely avoided in life. I hope I’m not coming across as harsh, Confused! I think, or at least hope, that you’re coming from a place of genuine concern for others and, to be sure, I’d never want to outright dismiss anyone on a subject as serious and prevalent as abuse. But on the other hand, I find myself a member of a community presently under attack by accusations of “grooming” and predation. It’s made me particularly sensitive to insinuations from any political stripe that the gays are sex monsters trolling for their next victim, or that we’re all just victims in waiting, idling around until one of those nasty older gays creeps up and takes advantage of our vulnerabilities. I’m not saying that’s what you’re doing here, but again, what two consenting adults (ADULTS) do is not my business. I can make my own judgments, but I don’t have to give my rubber stamp of approval on it. I don’t have to formally condone or condemn it. If harm hasn’t been explicitly stated, then I won’t read harm into it just because I’m uncomfortable. I am not entitled to a perpetual state of comfort.

-Advice Columnist Hola Papi (aka John Paul Brammer) responding to a letter writer who was uncomfortable about the prevalence of daddy kink in gay erotic fiction.

just thought this might be relevant to a certain fandom right now...

[ofmdlovelyletters]

This is a lovely letter for @ofmdlovelyletters 🥰💕

As well as being the wonderful amazing fairies that you are, spreading love, kindness, and helping the bread to rise, your stamp-game is on point! Every little piece of art you share is so cute, and so relevant to whatever lovely letter you’re sharing (sometimes hilariously so 😆)

Thank you for everything you do!

💜

This is so extremely kind of you to say! Truly, we think we're the lucky ones to have a front-row seat to seeing just how much this fandom loves and supports each other. We started this blog at a time when the sadness was so heavy that it seemed like we all needed a bit of a boost. Now, months later, it's so gratifying to see fans continue sending in their lovely letters, shouting out people for their friendship and their art and their fic and their meta and just for being here.

We love having fun with all of you, we love finding ways to surprise you, we love helping to boost your spirits, we love fostering this community, we love Our Flag Means Death, and we love this fandom.

I guess, when it comes down to it, we do it all...

[cowboycostume]

AMVS for Palestine 🇵🇸

I am joining a group of amv artists in fundraising for Palestinians. @amvs4palestine (check out the master post for the basic terms and to see who all is participating)

I have made amvs for Supernatural, Hannibal, Our Flag Means Death and Lord of the Rings - check out my youtube or amv tag if you'd like to see what my work is like.

DM me @smokerdean (sideblog so I can keep track of requests) with proof of minimum $10/€10/£8/etc donation to crips for esims for Gaza, one or more fundraisers from @/el-shab-hussein and @/nabulsi’s vetted list, or an esim donation directly to esims for Gaza*

the minimum donation will get a 35-60sec vid (ex: 1 2 3 4) for their chosen media/character/relationship, please see under the cut for list of possible media choices & request guidelines. higher donation amounts can request longer or narrative work.

I have ONE open slot - they will reopen after all videos are completed, and be completed in order of submission. donations above $30/€30/£25/etc and/or 2 or more 30 day esims can request priority**

*if donating nomad esim(s) use code NOMADCNG for 5% off or code MIRA25JV for 25% off if it is your first time buying from nomad - please also include ss of your email to Gazaesims@gmail.com with your proof of purchase

**priority only possible for standard length (35-60sec) videos

please send a youtube link to the song you are requesting & the character/media/episode(s)/etc. if you'd like a specific section of the song please include the time stamps or specific lyrics.

I will edit to anything but would prefer not to do any taylor swift, edm, metal, or hyperpop.

all videos will be uncaptioned unless requested otherwise. all videos will be posted to @cowboycostume (ofmd to @izzyhandsapologist) & my youtube, unless requested otherwise.

available media (things already on my drive)

Supernatural, Our Flag Means Death, Ted Lasso, Lord of the Rings, Venom, Hannibal, Ready or Not, Spiderman No Way Home, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

additional shows I would be able to edit for (shows I know well enough to pull from & know I can get a dl for)

IWTV, WWDITS, Succession

willing to edit for any single episode of basically any show and most movies, if you provide a download.

feel free to chat with me ahead of time to see if what you want is a fit with what I am able to complete or capable of <- especially if requesting narrative work do this!!

@spnamvs

[gilgamish]

WIP Wednesday - Tides

about time i did another one of these. thank you to both @tallmatcha and @kookaburra1701 for tagging me. now tagging: @dirty-bosmer , @nuwanders , @skyrim-forever , @throughtrialbyfire and any other mutuals who'd like to participate. be sure to @ me, i want to see you guys got, but no pressure like always From my main WIP, the ol' ball and chain, which you can find (here):

"So, how about it?" Felix had asked one summer’s day, a year ago. Kaidan looked around. It was just them, the long stretch of road, and the vale’s endless greenery surrounding them on both sides. Felix had brought his gelding to a stop. Kaidan did the same with Kiai. "About?" Kaidan asked back. "The inn’s not too far," said Felix. "The weather’s nice. The conditions on the road are good. Neither of us are liable of falling from our horses past a canter." There was a mischievous glint in Felix’s eyes. "You want a race, don’t you?"

"Our horses have been stabled long enough, don’t you think? Old Boy here’s raring for it." "I think he’s just ‘raring’ for Kiai." The mare had been throwing the gelding looks all day. Now, he and Kiai were standing awfully close. When the gelding flagged his tail and stamped his hooves, Felix remarked with a chuckle, ‘Not just ‘Boy’ in name, I see.’ "Wouldn’t be fair. Racing, I mean." Kaidan then said with a nod at the gelding, "He’ll be too distracted. Might throw you off." "Sounds like you’re just scared I’ll win. Not that I blame you." Kaidan turned in his saddle. "Since when have you ever been horse-racing?" "Plenty! Just perhaps, not racing in the, ahhhhh, most traditional sense of the term…" Felix turned his gaze away. "I’ve always won, you know." Kaidan shook his head, chuckling. "Almost like your life depended on it." A grin broke across Felix’s face. "You could say that." Kaidan adjusted in his saddle, sitting for better balance. "Now, while I might not be the Windhelm guard, I’d like to know what I’d win, in the slim chance I do win." "Oh, can’t we just have a competition between friends? Where’s your sense of fun?" To which, Kaidan said, "If I’m going to make a fool of myself, I’d like to be compensated, at the very least." "Well, normally, I’d offer to buy drinks, but…" "How about dinner?" "Too cheap. The food at the inn might not be good." "Didn’t say it had to be at the inn." "Alright, fine. If you win, I’ll pay for food between now and next month." Felix stuck out his hand. They shook on it, and the second Kaidan let go, Felix shot off, laughing. "Hey!" Kaidan shouted and nudged his horse to move.