why david eastman does not suck

a semi-organized, but not very clinical, rant

*spoiler warning for the entire series*

so, i don’t know how many people will be seeing this. if you follow my account, you’re well aware that i’ve been writing a truly devious fanfic that is the vanishing stair from david’s pov. well i have never deliberately said it, i believe that it is fairly clear in my writing, i am a fan of david. i believe that while he is not a saint or without flaws, he doesn’t deserve the insane amount of hate and dislike he receives. i was going through goodreads reviews of the box in the woods and the most liked review said “i just hope stevie dumps asshole david and winds up dating her true love nathaniel fisher” and i just... *screams in frustration* this is one of many anti-david reviews or comments i’ve seen. every time i see one, my blood boils ever so slightly. i also believe that stevie and nate as a romantic ship is something that just does not work. i will back up both of these arguments with the following paragraphs.

so sit back, relax, and enjoy the crazy ramblings of someone way too obsessed with these characters.

point one: he’s trying

i know it sounds dumb, but hear me out

it’s no secret that david isn’t exactly perfect. even i was nearing my wit’s end with him in the hand on the wall. i was tired of his pettiness and just the general will-they-won’t-they energy that the author dragged on for (in my opinion) far too long. i personally remember reading the scene where david offers stevie a sort of ultimatum choice of ‘i give you the codicil information and we never speak again’ or ‘i don’t give you the codicil information and we continue the way we were’. while my eyes were definitely rolling into the backs of my head with this unnecessary plot point, it’s clear what’s actually going on. david is clearly seeking validation from stevie and looking for a sign that she still cares. while he does definitely make it hard for her to chose him by using the term ‘pet project’, it’s clear what he’s actually trying to do. stevie, being her subtly absentminded self, takes the codicil information. while the scene was dumb and unnecessary, it’s clear what david was really asking, “will you still choose me even when i’m acting out?” david knows he’s annoying. he evens says it in the first book, about how he annoys people to get their attention because he believes they won’t pay attention to him otherwise. as someone who does the exact. same. thing. i personally understood it pretty well. so how does he show he cares? well, frankly, he does weird ass shit. squirrels in the library. sherlock costume. pretends to be her boyfriend to convince her parents to stay. sits in a fountain. blows up a billboard she mentioned she was upset about. i’m not trying to convey the point that david is the perfect boyfriend, or perfect character (even though i believe that), i’m just trying to get david-antis to be more... david-neutrals.

point two: role models

edward king and becky eastman as parents would mess me up too

building off of what i said in point one, david’s weird sense of romanticism is clearly from his parents. it’s clear that eddie and becky were not good parents. they most likely never said “i love you” to each other, and it was most likely fake affection if they did, purely for show. they also don’t seem like parents that would say, “i love you,” to david often either. so who does that leave as a role model of a healthy romantic relationship for him? literally no one. i don’t really feel like i need to over explain how screwed up his childhood was. how he was told at nine years old to handle a situation a fully grown adult would struggle to handle. i’m not saying that trauma excuses everything he’s done, but most seem to write him off as “an acting out rich boy” when possessions do not equal love and nurturing.

point three: stevie is not entirely blameless

i love her, but still

something i never see discussed is just how poorly stevie handled the aftermath of halloween. i’ve been frustrated with how characters have handled situations before, but this one may take the cake. david, after finding his best friend’s dead body, sobbing uncontrollably, AND finding out stevie betrayed him, he doesn’t immediately forgive stevie. he’s justifiably blunt and upset, and what does our girl stevie do? run away. literally. i do not care if he’s pissed at you, you sit next to him and make sure he’s okay. i’m not mad at stevie making the deal with edward king, i get it. but there were a thousand opportunities for her to tell him. when he says that he would have understood, i totally believe him. that was some really shitty timing on her, in my opinion. also, we always talk about how he said his parents were dead, but we never talk about how she went. through. his. room! i’m your typical teenager, my room is my safe space. if i go to grab my coat or something and find someone going through it, i’m gonna be pissed. this is one of those relationships where i feel like each action just stacks up on top of the other until there’s a huge pile to work through. and honestly, if they weren’t flawed, i wouldn’t like them nearly as much.

point four: character development

specifically in the box in the woods

something i noticed while reading goodreads reviews of the box in the woods was people were shocked that they now liked david. many people said that they hated him in the trilogy, but they loved him in the box in the woods. initially, i was defensive in an almost gatekeeping way? like how DARE you say you like him now when i’ve liked him the whole time! but, that lasted like three seconds. because really, whatever he was doing between the hand on the wall and the box in the woods has given us a much more mature david eastman. first, he didn’t leave. when stevie went to the site and found his tent wasn’t there, i practically lost my mind. i immediately got the vanishing stair flashbacks, and maureen knew what she was doing with that one. but, he didn’t! also, the whole england situation. while the drama was dumb, the fact that he isn’t taking the money is significant. he sees how his dad acts, he sees how he is similar, and he adjusts to change. to be better. i honestly cannot wait to see where maureen takes us with his character in the future.

also, he said “i love you”! i’ve seen a few people mention how stevie said “i love you” to nate but not to david, but the scene isn’t over. the book ends on them kissing, but the moment isn’t over. she might pull back and say it back. maybe, maybe not, but still. from what we know about david’s life, he’s probably never said “i love you” to someone and meant it. he might have said it to his parents, but it might not have been genuine considering their relationship. this is a big step for him and really shows his development.

point five: why nate isn’t right for stevie either

love you nate, but no

before i even begin, i have a general statement that applies to many fandoms. CAN. ANYTHING. BE. PLATONIC? i ask this genuinely. it’s a frustration that i have with many different books, shows, movies, etc. and it’s the same with truly devious. in my opinion, nate and stevie are the truly devious universe equivalent to dwight and pam from the office. while they are not similar in character exactly, i believe they are extremely similar in dynamic. they’re practically siblings in my opinion. and honestly? i ship nate x mudge. it’s based off of tiny conversations and details, but honestly, book five? let’s see it happen. frankly, stevie and nate would be a train wreck if they got together. at least at this point in the series. maybe if they had started in book two or three, but not now. i think they’d fall victim to the “meredith and george in grey’s anatomy” situation. (if you haven’t watched grey’s, meredith has sex with george while in a lull with derek, and it ends very poorly and practically ruins their friendship.) nate deserves better than to be boyfriend #2, and i believe that’s what he would be written as if they got together. they’re just too similar.

also a quick quote from the box in the woods: “one of the things that nate and stevie such good friends was their mutual hatred of sharing emotional things. somehow, they managed to have a deeper bond by staying on the surface-as if they were snorkeling their feelings, floating along side by side, observing all of nature’s wonders without getting close enough to be stung by something under a rock.”

conclusion

and final thoughts

in the end, it really doesn’t matter, i know. honestly, i’m just generally pleased to see people talking about this series period, no matter what their view point is. i didn’t really get into janelle x stevie or hunter x stevie just because they’re not usually brought up. i do definitely think that in the beginning of truly devious when we first met vi, stevie’s worries seemed a *little* more than platonic, but i absolutely adore janelle and vi together along with stevie and david. and when it comes to hunter i just... don’t care? it sounds bad, but he’s just a neutral character that i don’t have much to say about. i also want to give a little nod of acknowledgment to anyone who posts about how much they love david or defend him in the comments of goodreads reviews. y’all keep me sane and i love you for it.

congratulations for getting to the end of this! if you have points you’d like to make feel free to comment them, i’m always up for a good debate about something i love. while i wrote this while working on the vanishing stair from david’s pov, by now you’re aware that i’m working on the hand on the wall from his pov as well. i’m so excited for you guys to read it! while my following is practically nonexistent, the fact that anybody at all cares means everything to me. <3

stevie and david forever <3

sk8 boys would reacting to you pulling them in by their belt

synopsis: you pulling the sk8 babes in by their belts for a kiss

pairings: joe x reader, cherry x reader, reki x reader, langa x reader

warnings: kissing, suggestive themes, swearing

notes: not me just seeing this tiktok trend ...but thoughts are being thunk...❤️ also, i apologize in advance for any grammatical/spelling errors

word count: 1,930

Time for some actual Sk8 content cause I miss them ＞︿＜

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Reki, Langa, Cherry, Joe & Miya x Reader - fluffy headcanons

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wilbur soot? like the guy who did slazos outro song?

you’re not sure how an innocuous invitation to a special hot pot game resulted in you sitting on the lap of the shirasagi himegimi’s attendant, the ingredients you prepared long forgotten as thoma’s lips press against yours.

perhaps it was your fault for telling him about the game in the first place.

it’s not too late to stop this, you think. not too late to remove yourself from this incriminating position, before a servant slides the door open and sees the attendant of kujou sara tightly wrapping their arms around an outlander that’s quickly become one of the strongest assets to the kamisato clan.

but then those fingers that wander up and down your thighs suddenly squeeze your ass, your gasp allowing his tongue to drive deep, feeling your inhibitions melt with every second.

the moans that leave you are desperate, betraying the composed facade you held mere minutes ago. it’s only fair that you harshly tug on his blond locks as payback, relishing the groan you pull out of him, wondering how much louder those pretty sounds can get without being caught.

and you hate that the man is as keen as ever—and more perceptive than you’ll ever be—preventing you from rolling your hips against him as he pushes you off his lap…just before you hear your name called, revealing the steely look of an officer opening the door despite the helpless protests of a timid servant.

“the general requires your presence for an urgent matter.”

“of course, please give me one moment to escort—”

“i will escort him,” interrupts the officer, “the general demands that preparations for the ceremony must commence now.”

and you’re not sure what makes your warm cheeks even hotter: the fact that both the officer and servant now seem to notice the blonde’s disheveled hair, your swollen lips, and the untouched lavender melon alongside a cold bowl of soup; or the fact that thoma’s eyes brighten for the briefest of seconds as he finally acquires the information he’s been trying to cajole out of you this past week.

“please, lead the way, officer,” thoma says smoothly, bidding you a cheery smile and wink before he lowers his voice to a whisper that only your flaming ears can hear.

“after all, this meeting ended on quite a productive note.”

rgb gaming setups are so gay. why do u want rainbow lights everywhere huh? to show your pride for loving other men?

Sending this to my brother

tell him im proud of him for coming out of his glass closet

He says the anime girl stickers on his PC cancel out

ok bisexual king good for him

Megumi Fushiguro x Reader

Spirited Away Au

mentally i am here

Whenever things start getting intense in a Morganville Vampires book I always seem to suddenly remember that it’s set in Texas and they’re Southern and then just imagine that they all have over the top Southern accents until I have to put it up and walk away.

the witcher but with britney spears music (heavily inspired by @paper-records)

movie vs book (i adore them both)