@littlest-lily I’ve said this before, but the fact that Evie didn’t know any of these people before she became tiny greatly simplifies how their relationships have developed. She’s already confronted the possibility that Aiden might “like her better this way,” and here Moira and Diego—while showing love and acceptance—tell Evie that they’ve adapted to having a three-inch-tall friend for the foreseeable future. If Evie is ever to be restored to full-size, she’s going to need her friends’ help, and she needs them to want that as much as she does. I’m curious to see the reaction of someone who knew Evie at full-size to see her as she is now (I just hope it’s not Brock).
Oooo I’m curious what you mean by your kind of villain.
One of my favorite size themes is seeing how different people adjust to the power differential, particularly in worlds (like this one) where size-changing is unheard of and no one’s had to seriously consider it before. While Camila might not be the most mature young woman, there’s been nothing to suggest that she’s disrespectful of others or prone to depraved indifference or casual violence. Until she met a three-inch-tall romantic rival.
World-breaking size-differential (like Evie’s) also tends to break morality; this is a brand-new situation, so perhaps the old rules don’t apply. The amount of physical accommodation tiny people need is so absurd that full-size people are constantly forgetting or discounting it. Their sheer vulnerability argues that worrying about tinies’ welfare is a waste of time and effort.
Camila initially resisted recognizing Evie’s personhood, and honestly what kind of person is threatened by a bare foot? Evie’s inability to affect much of anything runs right up against the fact that she has clearly foreclosed Camila’s romantic ambition. That kind of dissonance can erode all manner of moral values.
So, “my kind of villain” is an otherwise considerate person corrupted by the power-differential between them and people much smaller than them.
It’s been interesting to see the reactions to Camila - even far before this particular chapter of her being more blatantly a bully there have been a lot of intense comments about her.
Genre-wise, Out of Their Element has been a Gentle size story. The main antagonist seems to be miscommunication. There’s been no foreshadowing of a return of Dr. Little, and even Brock could well remain safely in the backstory. Then, just as Evie and Aiden seem to have found their groove, Camila shows up and interrupts the string of New Characters Who Unhesitatingly Agree To Protect And Befriend Evie. Camila is the other shoe for which we’ve been waiting to drop (hopefully not literally).
