#leader of datlof

[patanu102]

@leader-of-datlof felt like drawing, so i drew you.

[stillsociallysober]

DATLOF APPRECIATION POST @leader-of-datlof Thought I wouldn't B"tch??

[doctorbethanysartblog]

I must see Bethany and Ruthann A2

yep mmhmm

[thattheresuitsau]

hello! Im sorry to say but i would send an ask but Im so confused as to what is going on in this AU. theres so much information idk where to start really.

*Clicks fingers*

Always start with this post, this is the best way to explain it.

This is basically an au that started out of a self insert fan fiction that is about ten years old at this point and carried on from there; its basically a self indulgent thing of being able to connect universes I really like but keeping them separate at the same time.

Currently right now I am just trying to do designs and stuff but story line wise there honestly isn’t much of one. I know certain person *nudge nudge @comedowntheroad nudge nudge* could probably come up with one.

If you want to pin point down certain things send me a message so I can answer in real time which would be easier.

Edit: Absolutely fine if you are confused, I am not the best at explaining things.

[artist-emerald]

Fighting

wow i just...

fight me

[bellvonartsy]

I got tagged again =w=

Tagged by @leader-of-datlof

Rules: Answer these 20 questions and tag 20 amazing followers you’d like to get to know better!...=W= this is already odd...

Name: “Rotiart”.....”real names on the internet don’t matter” all that matters is if your a good person :3″

Nicknames: BellvonArtsy, Bell, JingleBell, The one armed man.. the list go’s on

Zodiac sign: Leo

Height: 6,1 last time I checked but people think I might be 6,2

Orientation: La-li-lu-le-lo

Nationality: Down the street to the next city

Favorite fruit: Banana’s... <>w<> there very tasty ^^

Favorite season: Summer! I’m as cold blooded as can be and my body has the insulation of a cheap motel

Favorite books: Hmmm I’ve read too many to pick favorites ;W; ..but I recommend The Master and Margarita to anyone who has not read it ^^

Favorite scent: I don’t care what anybody says cleaning supplies and motor oil are some of the nicest smelling things around =w=...Don’t huff them kids it can kill you ^^

Favorite color: Orange and red are very nice to wear but I’m a fan of seafoam green :3

Favorite animal: Walruses..But hamsters come pretty close.

Coffee/Tea/Hot Cocoa: Black Coffee no sugar ,,,And a nice Mint tea can be very soothing as well

Average hours of sleep:How ever many stop me from dying =w=

Cat or dog person: Cat person..Dog’s are to Mindless for my taste they follow orders like drones..its unnatural =W=

Favorite fictional character: Merlin

Number of blankets you sleep with: One comforter

Dream trip:The one where I don’t die at the end

Blog Created: Ten months ago ~~~

Number of followers: 69

Random fact: Through the darkness of future's past, The magician longs to see. One chants out between two worlds... "Fire... walk with me."

@doodling-doodler I tag you!!! <>w<>

[ask-me-about-datlof]

Thank You, Friend - Chapter 14

WARNINGS: Blood and death in this chapter

And now that we’ve got the warnings out of the way, I’d like to take this moment to let you know that I won’t be uploading a new chapter next week, instead I have a little Christmas story to upload instead, so stay tuned!

You can read this chapter, and all previous chapters on AO3

The metal skeleton that would form the supports of Yoglabs was already in place and the marble walls were build built up at the bottom of the building. Work was moving slower than expected due to some heavy snow in the suburbs of Datlof and lots of sleet in the actual city delaying vehicles carrying tools, equipment and supplies. And a good number of the construction workers had been unable to make it in to work on some days. And so the bare skeleton of steel beams was looking rather bleak in the grey skies. Some of the landscaping work that was going to be at the front of yoglabs had already started, and the bottom few tiles of what would eventually be a pond at the front of the building had been set down, and sleet and melted ice had pooled in the bottom creating an inch of icy water that reflected the grey of the skies above it.

Today the cloud cover was hanging so low over the city that the top section of Yoglabs was completely hidden, the tall dark framework of the steel beams vanishing eerily into the sombre skies. No snow, sleet or rain had been forecast for the day, but the dark swirling clouds threatened otherwise. Simon had just popped out of the door to the castle and he was making his way over to the entrance to the construction site of Yoglabs, where Lewis was busy talking to a small group of construction workers and the architects hired for the design of the building. Simon had been looking for Lalnable but once again he had been unable to find him. Lalnable had been vanishing a lot over the past few weeks; neither Lewis nor Simon had been able to find him in his labs or elsewhere. And they’d both been getting increasingly worried about him.

Simon passed through the gates into the construction site and approached Lewis. It was clear that Lewis was still busy with the people who he was talking with so Simon hung back at a respectful distance until Lewis had finished and the group dispersed. Lewis sighed and ran a hand through his hair before he turned to face Simon.

“Hey there, spaceman.” Lewis smiled tiredly.

“Hi, friend.” A quick glance around Simon revealed to Lewis that Simon was alone. “No luck in finding Lal then?”

“Nope. He’s like a damn ghost.” Lewis grimaced.

“Speaking of ghosts… I think the rumours about the castle being haunted might be true.”

“Have you been getting spooked, Lewis?” Simon said grinning at Lewis. Lewis frowned over at his friend.

“Not exactly, but there is defiantly someone or something that looks and sounds an awful lot like a drunk old man.” Simon snickered.

“So you in 50 years?”

“Simon!” Lewis exclaimed smiling, only slightly annoyed at his friends’ jibe.

“I mean, you shouldn’t complain too much about having a drunk ghost living with you, it means you’ll finally have a drinking partner on those late nights when I’ve already gone home!” Lewis was about to reply when something caught Simon’s eye. “Is that… a person?!”

Simon pointed towards where a dark shape was plummeting rapidly through the clouds. A ghostly scream filled the air as the figure fell, arms reaching up desperately to grab at thin air as they hurtled towards the ground. By now, other people on the construction site had caught sight of the person and all anyone could do was stare in horror as they fell.

It took only a matter of seconds for the body to hit the ground. It landed on the edge of the pond, the head smacking into the ground, with a dull thump, accompanied by the cracking of bones, similar to the sound of someone cracking their knuckles. The body bounced off the edge of the pond and fell down to the bottom where it hit the tiles with a loud splash. For a moment the entire construction site was still.

Then people started moving again.

Lewis instantly ran over towards the pond with Simon following in tow. Other surrounding people began running over too. Everyone was thinking the same thing. There was no way anyone would be able to survive a fall from that height. But maybe, just maybe…

Lewis was the first to reach the pond and he looked down in horror at the sight he saw below him. The body was face down in the water of the pond, a red stain beginning to spread out around the head almost like a halo. Part of the skull had been caved in, leaving a dent in the back of the head and the arms and legs were twisted around at unnatural angles. A couple of other people had arrived at the edges of the pond and were looking down at the body like Lewis was. Simon caught up with Lewis and he too peered down at the broken body.

“Oh god…” Simon murmured softly as he stared down at the body. Other people around the edge of the pond were also muttering quietly to themselves as they gazed horror-struck at the body. Lewis suddenly looked away from the body and glanced at the rapidly growing group of people.

“You, call an ambulance.” Lewis’s voice rang out across the quiet of the construction site and people instantly looked up. The person that Lewis had pointed to pulled a phone out of their pocket and began dialling, taking a couple of steps away from the group. “Michael, I want everyone down from the building. If this happened because of lack of safety, then we can’t risk anyone being up there.”

Michael, one of the team leaders on the construction site began shouting across the group, issuing orders to the people who were standing around and people began moving into action. Walkie-talkies were pulled out and a couple of people ran into Yoglabs, coming out with more people than who originally went in. Lewis turned to Simon.

“Simon, I want to know… I want to know who it was but I don’t feel comfortable touching the body. Would you…” Simon reached up and placed his hand on Lewis’s arm.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

The pair climbed down into the pond and moved closer to the body. The red stain in the water was growing larger and both Simon and Lewis looked at the spreading stain with a feeling of nausea building within them. When they reached the body, Simon gently flipped it over so that the grey eyes, still open, were staring up at the sky almost as if in horror. Lewis grimaced and looked away from the face of the body, where ruby red water was trickling down from the dark hair and equally bright red blood was oozing slowly from the nose. The victim of the fall had been a man, and the name tag on his high visibility jacket read David Brown. Simon reached across the body and closed the eyes of the man, instantly transforming his expression from one of fear to almost peaceful slumber.

It had only been about a minute, but already sirens could be heard and it wasn’t long until the ambulances arrived and the man’s body was moved onto a stretcher, covered with a cloth and driven away. Everyone had been evacuated from Yoglabs and people were standing in small huddles together, talking and speculating about what exactly had caused him to fall. Lewis and Simon were having a quiet conversation with Michael about the man, David, and what might have happened.

“-he was a good man. A good worker. I’d worked with him before on other projects and he was a really great person…” Michael said quietly, glancing over towards where the body had first hit the ground and shaking his head slightly. He seemed almost like he couldn’t quite grasp what had happened.

“Of course I’m going to launch a thorough investigation into the safety of the building site, but might there be any other reason why he might’ve fell?” Lewis hated asking this question, but he needed to rule out any and all other possibilities. Michael’s eyes opened wide.

“What? Suicide?!” He stared at Lewis in horror for a moment before he closed his eyes and shook his head. “No. This, he wouldn’t do this. His wife just gave birth to their first child. He was ecstatic. He was so happy to have a baby girl… he wouldn’t… not now.”

“I’m sorry, I just want to rule out any other possibility.” Lewis said, suddenly feeling something hollow out inside him as he realised that David had had a wife and child. He swallowed. “You don’t happen to know where his wife lives, do you?” Simon glanced up at Lewis, instantly clicking at why Lewis was asking.

“What? Yeah, yeah I’ll get that for you.” Michael moved off towards the small mobile compartment that was being used as an on site office.

“Are you sure you’ll be up for this, Lewis?” Simon asked, looking up at his friend.

“Yeah, yeah I should be fine. And she should be told sooner rather than later…” Lewis trailed off, his eyes drifting over towards the pond. Simon followed his gaze.

“I’ll come with you.”

“Simon, no, you don’t have to,”

“Yes I do. Now quit your arguing. I’m coming with you.” Lewis opened his mouth, closed it, and the pair fell silent. Moments later Michael returned from the makeshift office holding a beige file.

“Here, this is his file. It’s got all his details in, like medical history and the like. Including his address and the name of his wife. We keep a file like this on everyone in case of… in case of accidents.” Lewis took the file from Michael and gave him a small half smile.

“Thank you. I’ll be back soon.”

Michael nodded and Lewis and Simon moved off, Lewis holding the file tightly in his hands. The pair didn’t make it far when Lalnable suddenly appeared, looking around at everyone worriedly.

“What, what happened?” He asked, his voice small. Lewis and Simon glanced at each other for a brief moment.

“There was an accident. A man fell from the top of Yoglabs, and…” Lewis couldn’t finish the sentence but he didn’t have too. Lalnable turned pale.

“He, did he, he didn’t survive. Did he?” Lewis and Simon shook their heads.

“Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god.” Lalnable suddenly crashed to the floor, his trembling hands holding his head as he stared at the ground.

“Lal, are you alright?” Lewis asked, concern in his voice as he and Simon crouched down beside Lalnable. Lalnable was trembling violently and Simon placed a steadying hand on his back.

“Hey, it’s going to be alright, Lal. You’ll be alright.” Simon said, comfortingly as he rubbed his hand up and down Lalnable’s back. Lewis glanced down at the file in his hands.

“Simon, can you keep an eye on Lal while I speak to his wife?” Lewis asked quietly.

“I was going to come with you.” Lewis smiled a hollow smile.

“Lal needs you more right now, friend.” Simon paused for a moment before he nodded.

“You come right back here, afterwards, you hear me?” It was Lewis’s turn to nod.

“Alright. I will.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“I’m going to give you the biggest damn hug when you get back.” Lewis smiled emptily again, the thought of having to break the news to the David’s wife chilling him to the bone.

“I’ll be waiting for it, friend.” Lewis stood himself up and smoothed out his jacket. “I’ll be back soon, and make sure Lal’s alright, friend.”

“I will. And make sure you’re alright yourself, spaceman.” Lewis nodded before he moved off, leaving Simon alone to look after Lal.

The distance from the construction site of Yoglabs to the David’s home wasn’t far, but for Lewis it felt like an age. He kept replaying over and over in his head the image of the him hitting the floor with a thud, and then he kept replaying what he might say to the David’s wife. And the closer Lewis got to the home, the more he wished he had Simon with him.

David had lived in a block of flats with his wife, and newborn child, near the centre of Datlof. The block of flats where they lived was a run-of-the-mill building where multiple families lived with flats ranging from single apartments to two or three bedroomed flats. Lewis rang the intercom and after giving David’s wife a brief introduction of who he was and why he was there, he was buzzed in. David and his wife had owned one of the smaller two bedroom apartments on the third floor of the building. The inside was lovely and furnished and pictures of David and his wife smiled out from the walls, making Lewis feel sick as he looked around the apartment.

“I’m so sorry for the mess, things have been rather hectic since our little girl was born.” David’s wife, a woman who had introduced herself as Amanda, was quickly tidying away a couple of things, the newborn baby fast asleep in a cot by the window. “Would you like anything, tea, coffee?”

“No thank you.” Lewis said quietly. He felt too ill to think about eating or drinking anything.

“Then, please, take a seat!” Amanda said, gesturing towards a couple of lounge chairs. Lewis almost reluctantly sat himself down on one of the chairs as Amanda took a seat on the sofa. “So what can I do for you, Mr. Brindley, I mean Mr. Mayor.”

“Please, just call me Lewis.” Amanda nodded.

“Alright. What can I do for you, Lewis. You mentioned you had some news about my husband?” Dread washed over Lewis and he glanced down to the file he was holding before he looked up at Amanda.

“Mrs. Brown, Amanda, I regret to inform you that your husband is dead.”

The silence in the room was deafening.

“What?” Amanda’s response was quiet. Lewis swallowed.

“There was an accident on the building site of Yoglabs, and I’m afraid your husband, he fell.”

“How did this happen?” Her voice was still quiet, but there was a trace of anger in it now.

“We’re not sure yet, but let me assure you that I will do everything in my power to find out what happened to cause your husband to fall.”

“Right. Yes. Of course.” She drew in a shuddering breath.

“I’m so sorry.”

“I think, I think I’d like you to leave now.” Amanda spoke very quietly, but very clearly. Lewis stood up, quickly followed by Amanda and he moved towards the door. She opened up the door and Lewis was about to step out when he thought of something else.

“If you’d like to see your husband’s body, it’s been taken to Grange Road Hospital. I’ll call them and tell them you might show up.” Lewis turned to walk out when Amanda opened her mouth and spoke very softly.

“Thank you.”

He hesitated for only a moment longer before he stepped outside the flat and Amanda closed the door behind him. Despite having given Amanda the news of her husband’s death, Lewis felt empty and hollow and he didn’t realise he’d been walking back to the castle until he was already there. Simon had either seen Lewis approaching the castle, or had just known that his friend was about to walk in, because as soon as Lewis opened the door to the castle he was tackled by the dwarf who gave him a large bone-crushing hug. Lewis said and did nothing except hug Simon back, grateful that he had Simon to look out for him.

[vincentthecrow]

Lucy Loud, best wingwoman ever.

@leader-of-datlof

@the-novice-artist

I drew a ship and I included the best Loud sister. Two requests for the price of one. :)

[endifi]

Lola’s Prince “Charming”

Thank you for the request @leader-of-datlof. I had fun drawing this request!

Pst....anyone guess who the prince is? And why is Lincoln, Lisa and Lily not on here...idk. XD I also tried to do a different manga style for this scene. XD

[lgbtloudhouse]

Being autistic or a teenager is never an excuse to be cruel to people. I've seen the kind of things your crowd are doing to people and it's not right. You're not good people.

Hi. I'm going to be as respectful as possible with this. I don't think you know what has happened with me lately. I was victimized and got actual porn drawn of me. Of me. And we are the ones being mean? I've been got told to "do the n---er jig off the nearest tree", a "dumbass cu-t", "friendless bitch", "mentally unstable lil shit", false accusations that I was harassing someone's gf on fb which were fake, told I was suicidal for attention, and a very important thing: someone went on my YOUTUBE CHANNEL to make a mockery video of ME. That channel had my personal info and full name (I've changed it since). And we're the bad ones. Want proof? Here: https://paintrox.tumblr.com/post/161628579835/heres-a-silly-random-thing-me-and-aquapaulo-camehttps://paintrox.tumblr.com/post/161548763220/christy-noisyappartment-sure-does-love-herhttps://lgbtloudhouse.tumblr.com/post/161782205669/oh-you-mean-all-the-people-you-tricked-intohttps://lgbtloudhouse.tumblr.com/post/161543760604/looking-back-and-they-call-me-a-trans-f-ghttps://lgbtloudhouse.tumblr.com/post/160742900044/paintrox-leader-of-datlof-trace-edges-ihttps://lgbtloudhouse.tumblr.com/post/160354804709/okay-lets-gohttps://leaderofultra12345.tumblr.com/post/160710874472/how-to-make-your-own-loud-house-ochttps://leaderofultra12345.tumblr.com/post/160896912192/can-you-do-celeste-x-lincolnhttps://aval0nx.tumblr.com/post/160164787021/can-you-do-celeste-x-lincolnhttps://aval0nx.tumblr.com/post/160209386346/protect-the-loud-house-aval0nxhttps://leaderofultra12345.tumblr.com/post/160203758082/go-suck-a-dick-vine-video-10-hour-versionhttps://leaderofultra12345.tumblr.com/post/160202153487/actually-i-was-thinking-this-was-more-like-whathttps://lgbtloudhouse.tumblr.com/post/160906815129/momagainstcreepos-momagainstcreeposhttps://lgbtloudhouse.tumblr.com/post/160800288414/feferi-hates-pedos-skwhy-paintroxhttps://lgbtloudhouse.tumblr.com/post/160662358939/dude-stop-picking-on-celeste-shes-14-andThat's just some. Goodbye

[graciousdegenerate]

I’m back, bitches

See, that didn't take too long. I was planning on saving this post for when I hit 100 followers and it looked like I was about to hit that milestone. I was at 98 followers when I realized that most of them were either bots or blank accounts with nothing on them. A couple blocks later and I'm right back at 87. A little disheartening, but at the same time, 87 is still a large number of people who wanted to follow me. (as of posting this, it’s up at 94) I may put myself down a ton, but it really does mean a lot to me knowing that people like what I put out. It gives me motivation to continue doing what I love. I may not be as talented as most folks and I may still be jealous of their skills, but I just need to remember with more practice and a little time, I will get better.

And a special shout-out to some super cool dudes (who deserve way more love than me)

@1lazeeartist/ @lazeedoodles

@warden-sigma

@captaindarko

@studiokarkats/ @laugh-out-loud-house

@stillsociallysober

@jump-around-jumpjump

@dokkenix

Nelauk (RIP in peace her tumblr account)

@endifi

@patanu102

@studiohotdogprimary

@tobitobi90

@9-draws

@pixel-cat-1

@the-real-fairy-slayer

@grayfxce

@the-order-of-forlorn-hope

@leader-of-datlof (won’t let me tag you for some reason)

Thank you, all of you, for making a depressed college dropout (how fucking original) who is extremely self conscious about everything he does feel like he's part of something great. I may not be good when it comes to communication, or LACK of communication (which really shows in some of my messages to the people I’ve talked to, btw I am so sorry, I just get really nervous and say stupid shit) but I loves ya all the same. Ugh, now that all that sappy shit is out of the way...I’ve really got no formal way to end this so

[stillsociallysober]

Just a couple of discord shenanigans.

[doctorbethanysartblog]

Bethany in Rythian cloths and Rythian in a bar maid uniform (extra points if you make him have the best twin maid hair color - Re: Zero)

Yep, he looks fab.

Rapid Request Round: Clothes Swap

[pixel-cat-1]

Loud House Anniversary!

Just a quick little contribution to today’s celebrations. I’d like to thank everyone who works on the show, from Savino down to the bottom of the chain: you guys are the greatest. Speaking of the greatest, this fandom for all of its faults and civil wars is the greatest thing I’ve been apart of. Seriously, I’ve never felt so involved with something my whole life, it makes me feel alive! Thank you to everyone in this fan base, from safe to lewd, who define and make this fandom what it is. I’d like to personally like to thank @dokkenix granting me with the opportunity to be apart of this. I can never thank you enough. But he’s not the only one to thank, there’s plenty of amazing people who I’m grateful to even talk to @studiokarkats @leader-of-datlof @jump-around-jumpjump @the-real-fairy-slayer @stillsociallysober @patanu102 @trace-edges @graciousdegenerate @1lazeeartist (Sorry if I missed anyone!) And if you made it this far with this post, thank YOU! Happy birthday, Loud House! And here’s to many more!

[artist-emerald]

Will the wheel chafe boy (Jessy is it?) make a return to us at all?

perhaps

[ask-me-about-datlof]

Thank You, Friend - Chapter 5

I have a cold. It’s making me so god damn tired...

But anyway, you can read this chapter and all previous chapters on AO3 so go check it out there!

“-the amazing turn of events where Lewis Brindly has suddenly shot forward ahead of James Black in the polls after announcing his plans for supporting the werewolf community; Mr. Brindley has proposed some drastic changes including allowing some legal forms, like applying for a driver’s licence, or opening a bank account to not need the inclusion of a surname. Mr. Brindley has also talked about his plans for trying to improve the healthcare situation for werewolves-”

“Oi! Spaceman!”

Lewis turned away from the TV, where a news reporter was talking about his most recent campaign in the election, and turned to face Simon and Lalnable who were walking towards him. He’d caused quite a stir around Datlof by so openly supporting werewolves, but he’d been thinking ever since he was rescued by that pack and he’d gone back to talk to the pack leader, Danny, about the discrimination that werewolves faced in Datlof, and also to offer Danny’s pack a job as security for Yoglabs; a post that Lewis hadn’t yet got around to filling. He’d been relying on camera footage to keep the building safe, something that he hadn’t been very comfortable with, not with all the hugely expensive equipment they had lying around in the labs. To his delight, Danny had instantly agreed to work for Lewis as security for Yoglabs, something that once it had been revealed to the public had further improved his polls, if only within the werewolf community.

And now election day was drawing closer; three more days and the city would know who the next mayor of Datlof would be. And Lewis was about as stressed as he could be. So Simon had taken it upon himself to make Lewis relax and had told his friend to wait for him down in the reception of Yoglabs. And that’s where Lewis was waiting, watching the news on the TV in the reception as his stomach churned at the thought of the entire city of Datlof voting for their new mayor in only three days time.

Simon was grinning as he walked across the linoleum floor of the Yoglabs reception towards Lewis. Beside him Lalnable looked rather grumpy and Lewis swallowed nervously as he looked at Lalnable. Although he’d apologised profusely to his friend over their argument, things had still been slightly frosty between the two since. And with his already heightened stress, Lewis was imagining the worst with Lalnable’s frown; scenarios of new arguments began arising in his head, ending with Lalnable storming out of Yoglabs followed by Simon, and then the media would find out about the argument and the people of Datlof would loose confidence in him and he’d loose the election and then Danny and his pack would leave because he wasn’t mayor and Yoglabs would go bankrupt and Hannah would break up with him and,

“Lewis?” Lewis was suddenly snapped out of his train of thought and he glanced down at Simon standing in front of him. “Everything alright there?” Lewis grinned sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m just a little stressed, friend.” Simon chuckled slightly.

“That’s putting it lightly. You looked like you were watching the end of the world play out in your head just then.” Lewis laughed slightly too, but it was a stressed laugh.

“Yeah, something like that…” Simon reached up and slapped his hand onto Lewis’s back, knocking him forwards slightly. “Oof!”

“Come on then, spaceman, Lalnable and I have got a fun little trip for you, to help you relax.” Lewis glanced over at Lalnable who was grimacing slightly.

“This is entirely Simon’s idea, he just decided to drag me along too.” Lalnable muttered grumpily. Lewis suddenly started panicking that Lalnable didn’t want to go because of him.

“Well, I’m sure that wherever we’re going it’ll be fun.” Lewis said hurriedly, trying to diffuse the worry that had just piled itself on top of him. He paused for a moment and looked towards Simon. “Simon, where are we going?” The dwarf just winked and started walking towards the exit.

“You’ll see, spaceman, you’ll see.” Lewis frowned over at Lalnable who shrugged before he started walking away.

“He told me not to tell you, he wants it to be a surprise.” Lalnable said, talking over his shoulder as he followed after Simon. Lewis paused for a moment as he stared after the pair.

“Come on, spaceman! You’re holding us all up!” Lewis blinked and smiled slightly before he headed after the pair.

“A shopping centre?” Lewis raised his eyebrows as he looked over at Simon. The dwarf was grinning from ear to ear and Lalnable looked miserable and now Lewis knew why. Lalnable hated shopping.

“Don’t worry, this is only the first stop.” Simon said, ushering them inside the large building where crowds surged around them and they were sucked along with the crowds deeper into the labyrinth of shops.

Lalnable frowned at the mass of people around him as Simon guided him and Lewis towards a smaller shop tucked between two mainstream clothing shops. Once inside the small shop, some of the noise of the crowds fell away and Simon stopped pushing Lewis and Simon around as they took in their new surroundings. Swimming trunks, goggles, inflatable pool toys  and towels lined the shelves of the shop and quiet music was playing from the speakers. Lewis turned to Simon, frowning.

“What do we need from here?” Simon’s grin just got wider and he pushed Lewis further into the shop.

“Grab yourself some swimming gear, spaceman, and we’ll soon be ready to go.”

It took a surprisingly long time for all three of them to pick and choose some swimming trunks and anything else they might need. They’d all got themselves swimming trunks and towels and Lewis and Simon had decided to buy some goggles. Simon had also bought some inflatable armbands and an inflatable pool ring and by the time they left the shop and stepped back out into the rush of the shopping centre, each one of them was holding a bag full of their purchases, and in Simon’s case, two bags.

“So now where?” Lewis asked, turning towards Simon.

“Follow me!” The dwarf announced loudly before walking off through the crowds, Lalnable and Lewis close on his trail.

Simon lead Lalnable and Lewis out of the shopping centre and through the winding streets of Datlof until he stopped in front of a large glass domed building. Looking through the glass Lewis caught sight of brightly coloured slides and a large diving board. And if he stood on his tiptoes he caught a glimpse of sparkling water.

“Ta da!” Simon announced, standing in front of the doors to the building. “Welcome to Datlof Ultimate Water Centre!” Lalnable grimaced slightly, but both Lewis and Simon could tell he didn’t really mean it and he was quite excited to be here.

“A water centre?” Lewis asked, smiling at Simon.

“Not just any water centre, spaceman. This water centre has three water slides, a rapids section, diving boards and a wave pool!” Simon gushed excitedly. Lalnable shrugged.

“I guess it sounds pretty cool.” He said, unable to keep a small grin from sliding over his face. Lewis looked at Lalnable and Simon. He was overly excited for this trip, going to a pool that had all these things sounded amazing and Lewis couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather go with than Lalnable and Simon.

“So what are we waiting for? Come on, let’s go!” Lewis ran into the building, Simon and Lalnable chasing after him.

They wasted no time in paying for entry and then sped into the changing rooms where they donned their new purchases before meeting up once again in the showers before the pool. The air was hot and humid, and just beyond the showers they could hear the echoing splashes of people playing in the water. Simon had already inflated his arm bands and pool ring and was wearing all of them, his goggles over his eyes as he beamed up at Lalnable and Lewis. His swimming trunks were blue and had small yellow ducks printed all over them. Lalnable had tied his hair back in a loose ponytail to keep it out of his eyes while he swam and he’d found some plain dark blue swimming trunks. Lewis’s goggles were hanging around his neck and his swimming trunks were red with a couple of black stripes down the side. Lewis ducked into a shower briefly as Simon hopped from foot to foot with excitement.

“Come on, spaceman!” Lewis shook his head as he came out of the shower, splashing Lalnable and Simon with water as he did so, causing the pair to shout out as the water hit them.

“Alright I’m done.” Lewis said grinning at the two.

Simon instantly dashed off towards the pool, almost but not quite running in his excitement. Lalnable followed next with Lewis bringing up the rear. Once inside, he could see Simon dashing towards the diving boards, moving faster than either of them had ever seen him move before. By the time Lalnable and Lewis caught up with him, Simon was on the top tier of the diving board, grinning madly.

“This is pretty high up, friend.” Lewis said, laughing slightly as he moved cautiously towards the edge of the diving board and gazing down at the pool below him. The pool area seemed a lot smaller now that he was standing above it and looking down on the shimmering surface. Behind Lewis Simon grinned as Lalnable whispered something in his ear. Lewis turned around to look at the pair. “Well, who’s going to jump first?” Lalnable and Simon shared a wicked grin before advancing towards Lewis.

“You!” Simon shouted just before he and Lalnable pushed Lewis off the side.

Lewis went tumbling down through the air towards the water, crying out in surprise and a little bit of fear as he caught sight of the surface of the water rapidly approaching him. He hit the water with a loud splash and closed his eyes tightly to stop water from going in them. After a few moments he resurfaced and looked up at the top of the diving board and saw Lalnable bent over double laughing as Simon sat on the edge of the platform howling with laughter.

“Oi!” Lewis shouted up at the pair, but the large grin on his face betrayed his actual feelings. Simon managed to stop laughing long enough to pull himself to his feet and a moment later he called down to Lewis.

“Watch out, Lewis, I’m coming down!” Lewis started moving away from the landing zone of the diving board moments before Simon took a running jump off the diving board and curled himself into a ball. “Cannonball!” He screamed as he plummeted through the air, landing in the water near Lewis with a huge splash that pushed Lewis away from him. Simon quickly bobbed to the surface, his ring and arm bands keeping him afloat as he kicked his legs slightly, a huge grin plastered across his face.

“Come on, Lalnable! Your turn!” Lewis called up to Lalnable who was still standing at the top of the diving board. Lalnable seemed to hesitate for a moment as Simon paddled himself out of the way over to Lewis.

“You can do it!” Simon called up encouragingly. Lalnable disappeared from view for a moment before he  jumped off the end of the platform and dived down towards the water.

Of the three he made the smallest wave on impact, but still Lewis and Simon cheered as he hit the water with a splash surfacing a few moments later, brushing his hair out of his eyes as it had come loose durning the dive.

“I can’t see anything!” Lalnable complained as he tried to part his hair. Lewis and Simon laughed as Lalnable grumbled and struggled wth his hair. “My hair tie came loose as I hit the water.”

“Don’t worry about it, friend.” Lewis said, grinning as he placed a hand on Lalnable’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

“Embrace the mane!” Simon called out waving his hands in the air dramatically. Lalnable sighed and gave up.

“Alright. But don’t blame me if I get lost in here, I can’t see a god damn thing!” Lewis chuckled as Simon set off swimming, kicking his legs furiously.

“This way, Lalnable!” he called out and still grumbling slightly, Lalnable started swimming after the loud splashing sounds that Simon was making. Still grinning, Lewis quickly followed suit, wondering where the dwarf was taking them now.

The trio spent hours in the pool laughing together and having a good time. And Simon’s aim of getting Lewis to relax worked wonders because by the time they’d dried themselves off and left the pool, Lewis had almost completely forgotten about the looming election.