Sara couldn’t deny anything they said. She wanted to look good for Chloe. She wanted Chloe to be blown away when she saw her, speechless, unable to form words coherently. She wanted Chloe to feel the same awe that she felt every time she looked at her. The casualness with which Chloe lived her life always impressed Sara. Everything seemed so effortless for her, like she was untouchable, unfazed by the weight of the world.
And yet, despite having everything, Chloe had chosen her.
Chloe could be with anyone. She had the world at her fingertips, money, power, influence. People practically threw themselves at her feet. And yet, she had chosen Sara. It was humbling. It was overwhelming. Sometimes, it didn’t feel real. Sometimes, it felt like one day, Chloe would wake up and realize she could do better, that she didn’t need to waste her time on someone like Sara.
Because it wasn’t that long ago that Sara had almost thrown everything away.
She clenched her hands together, pressing her fingers against her palms, her knuckles turning white. It wasn’t something she liked to think about. The moment when the weight of everything had finally crushed her, when she had nearly let Charity win. But Chloe along with Ellie had been there. Chloe had saved her, not just with grand gestures, but with simple things, her presence, her warmth, her belief that Sara deserved to be here. That she was worth something.
And now, standing in her room, she glanced over at Jordan, the newest addition to her life.
She hated that her therapist had been right. That having someone to care for had grounded her in ways she hadn’t expected. Jordan wasn’t just a distraction, he was something real. Something solid. Something she could hold onto when her thoughts got too loud. She liked having someone who needed her. Someone who relied on her. Someone she could pour all of her love and care into.
He was hers now. Her little pet person.
Forever.
And yet, that thought came with a small pang of guilt. Because he hadn’t chosen this.
He had been her neighbor. Just a regular guy, living his life, going to work, coming home, completely unaware that everything was about to be taken from him. She still remembered the moment she found him, shrunken, lost, afraid. And for a brief moment, she had thought maybe she could help him. Maybe he could be vaccinated. Maybe he could go back to the way things were.
But the truth hit her fast. There were no more vaccines. The virus had spread too quickly. Too many people had shrunk. The government had been overwhelmed, the system cracking under the sheer number of cases. Littles were being processed into facilities as fast as they could be built. The paint was barely dry before the next batch of them was moved in.
Chloe had told her about it. How Generitech had been contracted to build these places, how the demand kept growing. Littles were piling up in shelters, waiting for Guardians, waiting for someone to claim them before they were swept into the system and disappeared into a life of sterile containment.
Jordan could have been one of them. He could have ended up in one of those facilities, locked away in a habitat, treated like at best an object but more likely a numbered object in a vast sea of numbered objects instead of a person.
She had saved him from that.
So why did he still look at her like she had stolen something from him?
Sara exhaled slowly, loosening her clenched fist. She understood why he was upset. She really did. He had lost his entire life in an instant, and instead of getting a choice, he had just… become hers. But wasn’t that better than the alternative? Wasn’t it better to be cared for, to be loved, rather than left to fend for himself in a world that would never see him as anything of value again?
She knew he didn’t see it that way. Not yet. But he would.
She was going to make sure of it.
She wasn’t like the other Guardians who kept their Littles locked away in plastic enclosures, treating them like slaves in every sense of the word. She wasn’t going to force Jordan to live in a habitat 24/7, wasn’t going to keep him separated from the world. She wanted him to experience life. To be a part of things. To sit on her shoulder and see the world through her eyes.
She wanted him to be happy.
She wanted him to feel the way she felt with Chloe.
She knew that in time, he would be.
Her thoughts drifted back to Chloe as she sat on her bed, running her fingers absentmindedly over the fabric of her comforter.
She loved her. God, she loved her. More than she had ever thought possible. She had never imagined herself as someone capable of love like this, deep, consuming, safe. Chloe made her feel safe. And she wanted to be that person for Jordan, too.
But there was still a fear that gnawed at her. What if she couldn’t? What if she wasn’t enough to help him through this? What if, despite her best efforts, he never truly accepted his new life? She wanted to give him the world, or at least as much of it as he could experience from his new perspective. But there was only so much she could do. Only so much she could control.
Control. The word echoed in her mind, bitter and sharp.
That was the root of everything, wasn’t it? Control. Charity had taken it from her. The virus had taken it from Jordan. And now, Sara was caught in the middle, trying to find a balance between protecting him and giving him freedom.
She just hoped that, in the end, he would understand that all she wanted was to keep him safe. That her need to care for him came from a place of love, not ownership. She had lost so much to Charity’s cruelty, nearly lost herself, and the last thing she wanted was to put Jordan through anything remotely similar.
They were both survivors of a kind. Both trying to rebuild their lives in a world that seemed determined to break them down. And maybe they could help each other find a new sense of normal.
Sara tightened her fist once again, feeling a fresh resolve settle over her. She would make this work. She would find a way to help Jordan be happy, to help him see that life wasn’t over just because it had changed.
Because if she could find happiness, if she could claw her way back from the edge and find love, find *life, *then so could he.
And she would be there, every step of the way.
And maybe, along the way, she could prove to herself that she wasn’t the broken person she once believed herself to be.
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control for sure is the issue she needs help with. Jordan understands better than any little how dangerous it is for them at this point, so he’s pretty open minded to hearing what she has to say regarding his safety, I feel.
For sarah, though, she’s in a mode of over-correction when it comes to herself. She’s insecure and struggling with self-esteem and confidence, and hides it really well to non-readers. but she can’t control everything. that’s going to be the biggest breakthrough she’ll have in therapy and her character development. It’s a poor coping mechanism to try and control everything. cause if you fail at control, you basically fail at everything from your pov, at least in my experience. I do think she’s figured part of the puzzle out with Jordan though, whether or not sarah realizes it. It’s about balance, knowing you can control some things but not everything, and accepting that. Like if Jordan never likes taylor swift, she’ll need to accept that. it’d be unhealthy not to do so. The charity stuff will take more practice though
(1) I get that Sara is trying to do the right thing by helping Jordan but forcing your beliefs and lifestyle on anyone is wrong. I do have one question though is Sara and her family religious in any way?
2) It doesn’t surprise me at all that Generitech nearly got overwhelmed by the Smallara outbreak.
(3) I feel bad for those littles stuck in those facilities, especially disabled littles (I choose to believe they exist in this world) because they require constant care but the people doing it like Generitech do it more so out of a sense of obligation rather than out of love.
(4)As dark a thought as this is. It makes me wonder how many littles can’t bear the emotional toll of becoming this different form and choose to end it all the way that we almost saw with Kelli.
All in all this is a very fascinating world that we are getting to look at here because we see so many guardians and littles come from different walks of life. Like Sara and Jordan.
1) sarah is at least. Though idk to what extent. She’s made biblical references in the past but they could just be quotes she uses
That’s true It’s just something I’ve been wondering about. If she is I could see her getting Jordan a tiny bible with the Book of Job highlighted for him to read since it perfectly encapsulates the struggle of little’s in this world.
I believe in god but not organized religion and I think a tiny bible would be great to help him to except his change and live on with purpose.
1) Sara us religious, that probably means Tiff and Who’s-Her-Daddy are too.
2) I’m sure if they ask Nicely, Preema Tech could step in to aid with the difference. *evil laugh*
3) it’d be a lesser of two evils type deal, I’m sure Christine dreams about thise facilities. I’m sure Disabled littles are taken care of as best Genritech can.
4) Asukafan2001 mentioned Little suicide is an almost unheard of thing.
Though in my head cannon it’s deliberately underplayed by Genritech and the government. Kind of like how “fell of a bridge” often means “jumped”.
(1) You are probably right, speaking of her father’s name I’ve kind of named him Dan for some reason.
(2) Lol right? Oh we’ll help you, no problem. What’s that memory suppression chip, harsh training methods? We would never do that, here at Preema Tech we provide the highest quality care and training for our littles *evil laugh*
(3) You are more than likely right again on that. Still, it kind of gave me an interest in writing a disabled little-centered fanfic at some point.
(4) I find that hard to believe.
1) nice, I suggested calling him “William Robert Reeves, Asukafan2001 liked that suggestion but I don’t think he’s cononised it.
2) in seriousness, I could see Genritech falling behind being the opening for Preema Tech to get their foot in the door.
3) I’d wager they have Little wheel chairs, and walking sticks, maybe prosthetics, but I’m not sure how far it’d go.
4) which one? Asuka’s “It’s very rare” or my “it happens but it’s covered up”
(1) You know what I like that name as well.
(2) I do as well, despite the negative view of them from some of the characters in this world. Preema Tech being able to sell littles snd other stuff for them at a way lower price point than Generitech is a positive thing IMO. Because it helps more people if they want to become guardians who can’t afford the 50K price tag and reduces stress on the system.
(3) I could see that.
(4) The its very rare part.
3) I said this before but I thought when a underbred transformed into a new little body any physical issues they had would gone because they have a new physical form or are you talking injury’s after transformation?
It would depend on the issue.
If you have a genetic disability the rewriting of your genetics could overhaul the disability.
But if you’re missing an arm or a leg you wouldn’t get new ones.
I currently limp and need glasses, if I was to become a little I’d lose the glasses but still limp.
Same here I’m disabled and the only thing I’d gained from Smallara is not needing glasses.
see above, dealing with issues together lol.
I’m paralyzed from being hit on my motorcycle and had to medically retire from my aerospace engineering job and I always think about the choice of being a little and fixing my spine or not. It is a crazy thought. I would think a small cut in a spine would be fixed in a complete body metamorphosis. Like the Joey I have always been a saver and have a large nest egg in retirement stocks that could get me little equipment to help design stuff for other littles. Its fun to figure out plans base on stories lol.
3) I was under the assumption that somebody that has a physical issue would be healed with a new body with the transformation to a new body.
I think Sara should say everything she thought to Jordan because Jordan needs Sara to protect him from himself because like Kelli he doesn’t understand how much his life has changed with his new body and how much the giant world is trying to kill him. He needs his giant Sara to protect him. Look what happen when he ran away like a child into the lawn where he almost died from bugs. Jordan is starting to understand his new place in the world but I hope he understands how lucky he is to have a guardian that loves him and I hope he shows some love back.
1.1) “Sara couldn’t deny anything they said. She wanted to look good for Chloe. She wanted Chloe to be blown away when she saw her, speechless, unable to form words coherently. She wanted Chloe to feel the same awe that she felt every time she looked at her” standard “about to see my partner” behaviour.
1.2) “The casualness with which Chloe lived her life always impressed Sara. Everything seemed so effortless for her, like she was untouchable, unfazed by the weight of the world” copious amounts of money can do that to a person. Although for all we know Chloe could be more masked than Sara.
2) “And yet, despite having everything, Chloe had chosen her” and we will never understand why.
3.1) “Chloe could be with anyone. She had the world at her fingertips, money, power, and influence. People practically threw themselves at her feet” I’d like to see that.
3.2) “it felt like one day, Chloe would wake up and realize she could do better, that she didn’t need to waste her time on someone like Sara.” we can only hope.
4) “She hated that her therapist had been right” read to me like Sara whining “ooh no, the person trying to help me was successful, how terrible.”
5.1) “That having someone to care for had grounded her in ways she hadn’t expected. Jordan wasn’t just a distraction, he was something real. Something solid. Something she could hold onto when her thoughts got too loud.” someone she could take her anger out on without consequences.
5.2) “She liked having someone who needed her. Someone who relied on her. Someone she could pour all of her love and care into.” is that what she thinks she’s doing?
6) “That thought came with a small pang of guilt” so small she almost never notices it.
7) “. She still remembered the moment she found him, shrunken, lost, afraid. And for a brief moment, she had thought maybe she could help him. Maybe he could be vaccinated. Maybe he could go back to the way things were” her first instinct was to try and take his shirt off so she could ogle his body.
8) “The government had been overwhelmed,” the government was barely trying.
9) “He could have ended up in one of those facilities, locked away in a habitat, treated like at best an object but more likely a numbered object… She had saved him from that.” out of the frying pan, into a different fryingpan.
10) “So why did he still look at her like she had stolen something from him?” she took everything he owned and sold it without his consent or consultation, the only thing she kept was the only thing he specifically asked to get rid of.
11.1) “She understood why he was upset. She really did” no she doesn’t, she actively avoids empathising and talking to him about it, when he asked her to think about how she’d feel in his situation she just reminded him that she was immune, shutting down the conversation.
11.2) “He had lost his entire life in an instant, and instead of getting a choice, he had just… become hers” a choice she deliberately manipulated way from him.
11.3) “But wasn’t that better than the alternative? Wasn’t it better to be cared for, to be loved, rather than left to fend for himself in a world that would never see him as anything of value again?” is it better to be sexually harassed? ridiculed and bullied? forced to serve and support another’s mental health while his own is neglected?
12) “She knew he didn’t see it that way. Not yet. But he would” it’s on her to make what she’s offering good enough.
13.1) “She wasn’t like the other Guardians who kept their Littles locked away in plastic enclosures, treating them like slaves in every sense of the word” she’s not that different from them either.
13.2) “She wasn’t going to force Jordan to live in a habitat 24/7, wasn’t going to keep him separated from the world” unless she was in a bad mood, or blaming him for something.
14) “She had never imagined herself as someone capable of love” Well, given what she’s come back from, that’s impressive.
15) “Chloe made her feel safe. And she wanted to be that person for Jordan, too.” I don;t think she can be that person for Jordan, Chloe and Sara are a romantic pairing of equals, two ways she’s made it clear she has no interest in seeing Jordan.
16.1) “What if she couldn’t? What if she wasn’t enough to help him through this?” very possible
16.2) “What if, despite her best efforts, he never truly accepted his new life?” I think we all know she’s not putting her best effort into this.
17) “She wanted to give him the world, or at least as much of it as he could experience from his new perspective.” behind a paywall using a face currency she created and controls the value of.
18.1) “Control. Charity had taken it from her. The virus had taken it from Jordan.” I think Sara’s also taken control from Jordan. It’s hypocritical how much she repeats what Charity did to her in what she does to Jordan.
18.2) “She had lost so much to Charity’s cruelty, nearly lost herself, and the last thing she wanted was to put Jordan through anything remotely similar.” the lack of self-awareness is killing me.
19) “They were both survivors of a kind. Both trying to rebuild their lives in a world that seems determined to break them down” The difference is Sara has a multitude of people trying to help her and protect her, Jordan’s main support is also his biggest problem.
20) “She would find a way to help Jordan be happy, to help him see that life wasn’t over just because it had changed.” that’s a massive overhaul of her personality if she wants that to be true.
1.1) It is normal. People like to look good for their significant other. Especially at that age.
1.2) Chloe could be masking a different reality. She does have copious amounts of money and while peopel with lots of money can and often do still have struggles and their own hurdles to clear. Not having financial burdens does make some things simpler.
2) Could be any number of reasons maybe she makes her life, or she enjoys sara’s company, or finds her attractive or all above or something else.
3.1) Chloe doesnt like it. So she tends to avoid situations where it happens. She likes her privacy.
3.2) That one was mean. Everyone deserve happiness in my opinion.
4) It wasn’t that she was right it was more that having what was supposed to be therapy animal felt like a weakness to Sara. It was Sara’s idea to her therapy pet be a little. As she thought it meant it she wouldnt have to have one. But now after having Jordan for almost a week she feels a bit differently about it.
5) You don’t need a little for that. People often take their anger out on those they love who are around them. Little or regular person.
5.2) Well she has been loving and caring even if she has moments that have been less than you can’t deny she has also been loving and caring. Your main gripe seems to be that sometimes its more in the vein of him being a pet. Which is a fair argument to have. However, she is still protecting him, and caring for him. Even if she is limiting his rights.
6) You are not holding anything back towards Sara today. I will be curious what you think of Mondays or i guess todays episode as I am replying so late.
7) I believe that was her first kind of action but her first thought and the first thing she actively did don’t have to be the same.
8) Thats subjective to me. Just like with any disaster a hurricane strikes are tehy doing the absolute most they could do? Probably not but they also aren’t generally doing the least they could do either.
9) Thats most situations though. You are generally “saved” from one situation only be thrust into another. Same crap different hole.
10) I will also be curious what you think after Mondays episode.
13) Most people aren’t all taht different from the thing they hate.
13.2) That still wouldn’t be 24/7 though.
15) Well would view Jordan different then Chloe. She would love Jordan differently then she loves Chloe.
17) She does travel with him though as well and take him places that he woudln’t otherwise expierence.
18) in theory its different as different species are generally treated differently.. I mean people will have a dog a kennel all day and thats fine but they also would get child services called on them if they did the same with their child. Canonically the world has created diacotomy where littles aren’t the same as people. Jordan lost control when he became a little based on the societal norms and government policies. Sara’s true crime or whatever you want to call it would be just accepting and living with the status quo.
18.2) Most young people lack self awreness like that though. I wouldn’t consider it unique to Sara.
19) Jordan does have people in corner though. Chloe i would consider in his corner. Ellie is in his corner granted they are also Sara’s friends but they have advocated for him at times.
20) I dont really think it is. you two just disagree on how jordan is viewed so you don’t agree on how everything is carried out.
1.2) Yeah, but the emotions would be the same.
2) I still think Chloe deserves better.
3.1) I see
3.2) Yeah, I went too far with that one, sorry.
4) Well, it’s definitely doing well for her.
5.1) Yes, but the consequence-free part is more true of Littles than with Biggles.
5.2) Yeah, but ALL of her love and care? He’s had way less than that, a bit more than Mocha, but less than Steph, or Dayton
6) I actually read to Days chapter before this, I liked it, she took her first step too accountability, I’m not sure I fully conveyed that in my comment though.
7) True.
8) The least they could do is nothing, so no, they aren’t doing the least.
9) Indeed.
10) Saving his photos was a good move, but why sit on this information for days before telling him?
14) Seriously? I was trying to be nice with that one.
15) My point was, Sara won’t be to Jordan who Chloe is Sara.
One of the reason’s I think Sara loves Chloe is because Sara on some level views Chloe as superior to her, but Chloe views Sara as an equal, which truly touches Sara’s heart and soul. On the other hand, Jordan views himself as Sara’s equal and Sara sees him as inferior to her, the literal opposite of how Chloe views Sara.
16) Really dude?
18.1) Much like how in Charity’s theory, Different wealth levels are treated differently.
Sara does go along with the politicians of her world, but we know that there are likely billions of people who reject that way of thinking so it’s not like Sara doesn’t have a choice.
19) Everyone in Jordan’s corner is either more in Sara’s corner than his, or someone Sara can and would cut off if they overstepped.
20) True, but she’s definitely needing a big change still, 541 was a step in the right direction.
I was replying before work so I skipped 14 as I had not much to add really it was similar to how I felt and I wanted to make sure I could respond to the others.
16 I was just up against the clock of getting to work on time.
I was going to comeback to it on my break but I ended up not getting a break as it was so busy.
1.2) That is fair. Her opinions and starting points are different. I do think Sara and Chloe are a bit like people who are dating or married or friends who have different political beliefs but you know are good people.
2) Maybe, I mean there is no guarantee they stay together forever. I mean they are still young. I mean fast forward 5 years and they are just 20.
4) It is but its also only been a week. Hard for Sara to have to strong of opinions after such a short period of time. I feel like she is more just surprised that so far in her opinion its worked out alright.
5.1) Well everyone has a degree of consequences. The macro and micro aspects of them in which they aren’t weighted the same comes into play. I think.
5.2) I think both can be true though. To Sara she could be showing a lot of love and care towards Jordan while you could look at it and be I think he deserves better or I would do X differently. I think its a. very layered issue.
8) True the bar would be nothing. But i think they do more then the bar in my opinion.
10) Its not really sitting on it. Its only been a few days. It was more she just didn’t think about it as critical as she didn’t have anything tangible to give him yet. But the situation she felt it seemed appropriate to share.
14) Depression and heartache can do that though. It can make you question your worth especially when you start believing what bullies and other negative people are saying about you. The human psyche can be fragile.
15) Yeah, I never really fully thought of it that way but you are probably right.
16.1) That is true of any relationship though. Whether it be little guardian, or just two friends.
16.2) I dont think shes not putting forth good effort. I think you just don’t like Sara as a person. Which is fair. But I don’t think she is taking the easy road persay. The views you have and Sara have on how a little should be treated are vastly different. I don’t think you two could ever see eye to eye if you were to meet in person.
18.1) Similar but not the same in my opinion but i do understand the parallel that could be drawn.
19) Who do you view as Sara would cut off.
20) I agree its a start but to much progress would also be unrealistic in 6 days.