After MC helped Ethan make a PG account and added him as a friend, WE KNOW he checked her profile right? What's the photo that caught his attention? ššš»
Yes, absolutely! Iām 100% certain that he devoted the entire night to scrolling through MCās Picta and feeding on his fantasies š
Tiffany uses Picta mainly to check on her friends or to communicate with them, and she avoids showcasing her, uhm, assets when posting, so her page isnāt exactly a thirst trap. Still, Ethan found quite a few gems to drool over!
But the (1) photograph that stole his attention completely and altered his brain chemistry was T's old vacay pic:
It reminded him of their first day in Miami and brought back the most treasured memories of the evening they spent bonding on the beach as they watched the most magnificent sunsetāhis favorite view, however, was Miss Tiffanyās profile illuminated by the golden hour š„°
When did Ethan know that your MC was šthe oneš?
Thank you for sending this ask, dear! Yet again, Iām terribly sorry for the late reply ā¤ļø
I think that Ethanās realization was a complex, gradual process and not just a single eureka moment. His childhood trauma led him to question the existence of love and it took some time before he was ready to embrace those alien feelings properly and revalue his stance.Ā Ā
Miami was the first turning point: he finally acknowledged that he was feeling something for his intern. Everything that transpired prior to the conference was a classic Grumpsey in denial; he tried to convince himself it was the secret that bound them together, trusting that the frequent exposure to one another was inspiring all those borderline unprofessional thoughts and feelings for Tiffany.Ā
The Amazon Escape was supposed to put an end to the ridiculous infatuation. Much to his surprise, those two months confirmed beyond a doubt that there is no escape from whatever he felt for her. The Amazon became Ethanās second little epiphany: he realized that the issue might be much more complicated than just a neurochemical response. Thatās when he suspected she might be the one. The epic fail of the reset opened him to the concept and he had to direct his efforts on reinventing the set of rules and definitions he used to believe in for such a long time.Ā
The thought resurfaced after the softball game, even before Alan interrupted their cooking session, before the kiss. But everything happened so fastā¦He needed more time to gather his wits and make a conscious decision.Ā
Time, however, didnāt offer him the luxury.
When Tiffany shut the door to the senatorās room, and it became horrifyingly obvious that she might never get out of it alive, Ethan finally knew.Ā
If Ethan wouldāve kept her relationship/deal with Harper in book 1, and then he meets MC, do you think he would have called things off with Harper when he realized he was developing feelings (?) or whatever for MC or would he have kept the deal just to forced himself to not cross any lines? Do you think knowing theyāre together (by gossip because I donāt see them showing it at EB) wouldāve impacted when and if your MC started to have feelings for him?
Thank you for this ask, lovely. Please, forgive me for another extremely delayed response ā¤ļø
In my HC Ethan and Harper were always too volatile to last and they would part ways regardless of MCās presence in Ethanās lifeāI wrote a few words about their situationship here.
But it's a great AU idea! If they were still an item around the time Tiffany showed up at Edenbrook, Ethan would be trapped. Initially, the convenient arrangement with Harper would be his safety net; he would use it to push all the forbidden thoughts away. The mission would obviously fail miserably, burdening him with overwhelming guilt. Though all the signs would be pretty obvious, just like in canon, Dr. Denial would refuse to acknowledge that heās developing real feelings for his intern. Nevertheless, with the absence of any romantic sentiment for Harper, he would feel like a notorious cheater and call things off, probably after the baseball game in Ch 5.
As for Tiffany, that situation wouldnāt impact her fascination for her mentorāheart wants what it wants; she would fall for Grumpsey all the same, but she would never act on her feelings. Instead, she would be hell-bent on burying them six feet deep. Her reactions would be more restrained, more appropriate; she would avoid any allusions and flirty remarks. Whether the rumors about Dr. Emery and Dr. Ramsey were true or not, my girl would steer clear of any delusions, believing that in his eyes sheād always be just another infuriating intern. I can also imagine Tiff throwing herself into the dating pool in a desperate attempt to forget about this impossible crush (and unintentionally breaking a few hearts along the way, oops).
Despite these clear boundaries between them, all their efforts would be pointless, and their bond would only grow stronger. After all, theyāre soulmates in every universe š„°
How was the reset period for your MC? Was she sad? Angry? Did others notice she was heartbroken, like was she getting drunk and singing her favorites sad songs? or was it more internal suffering?
Thank you for your interest in my babies and this amazing ask, dear! I apologize for my long silence ā¤ļø
In the beginning, it was definitely a wild mix of sadness, rage and longing with a dash of hope sprinkled with delusion. My girl was really āØ going through it āØ , but her struggle was 100% internal.
Have you ever come across someone who is neck-deep in depression business and yet gives absolutely no sign of the pain theyāre going through? Tiffany is one of those people. Sheāll act like all is well, cracking jokes right and left in the middle of a breakdown.
The world had no permission to witness her heartbreak. Only the ones closest to Tiff sensed that something was off. Sooner or later Sienna and Bryce noticed odd changes in her behavior: distant smile, sad eyes, disrupted everyday routine, persistent fatigue, dissociation, insomnia, unhealthy dose of workaholism. Tās granny and sister Cynthia were easier to deceive through texts and phone calls.
Tortured by the wave of overwhelming feelings, Tiff was in dire need of a distraction. She tried to keep herself so busy she didnāt have time to ponder on the misery of her situation. She threw herself into work, doing overtime and helping Edenbrook and her patients in any way she could. In the downtime, she became more eager to party and would often go overboard, drinking herself into oblivion. Some other days brought nothing but ache; she felt so terrible and hopeless she wouldnāt leave her room for hours, binging TV shows and rewatching her comfort movies to focus on something other than her upsetting thoughts and memories. Music is a huge part of Tiffanyās life, so naturally there was an angsty Amazon playlist she listened on repeat for extra sufferingāhere are some of the songs that perfectly capture the vibe for E&T.
The reunion fiasco at Donahueās and Tiffanyās expectations provided further emotional damage, which resulted in growing frustration. Still, she remained seemingly unbothered and stood by her act while screaming internally. Ironically, despite her earnest efforts to ignore Grumpsey, there was no escape; everything she did only brought her closer to him and gave her more reasons to believe that theyāre inevitable *clown shoes squeaking* kdbdkbdkbd
I hope youāre doing okay and that your day is filled with joy and good vibes. I saw this picture and it reminded me so much of your lovely Tiffany there was no way I wouldnāt share it with you š
I hope you have a wonderful day / night š
Sweetest P! Your messages never fail to boost my mood and fill my heart with much needed positivity! It doesnāt matter how long my absence is, youāre always here to shower me with love and Iām endlessly grateful for that ā¤ļøš„¹
Iām beyond touched that you think of my girl! This message seriously made my entire week š„¹ Fun fact: I used to be obsessed with Miss Johanna a few years back. Sheās absolutely gorgeous and I can definitely see her resemblance to Tiff š
Thank you for the loveliest surprise! I dearly miss our interactions and I wish I could be more active on this hellsite. Hope that youāre living your best life, darling. Sending lots of love and luck your way ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
Started a playthrough of The Witcher 3 on my lunch breaks and every time they say "Clan Tuirseach" it makes me laugh SO MUCH. I mean I'm working 12 hour night shifts so I am also of Clan Tuirseach at the moment but it's still very funny.
