Downsizing is a voluntary procedure that shrinks a person permanently to between 1 to 4 inches tall. There are three standard size options, with smaller sizes sometimes incentivized by subsidies or low-cost housing plans. Most people downsize for financial security - the promise of a simpler, cheaper life in specialized tiny communities where everything is scaled for them. Others do it for environmental ideals or relationship commitments. Of course, the reality is messier. Tiny communities aren't perfect safe havens. Job loss or unexpected costs can quickly leave downsized people in crisis. Some try to live with normal-sized family or partners, where the power imbalance becomes unavoidable. Others end up homeless or exploited - the law hasn't kept up with protections for people who can literally be stepped on. And not all shrinkage is truly voluntary - debts, blackmail, or desperate circumstances push some to sign away their height. While advertisements show happy tiny families in secure miniature towns and cities, everyone knows the stories - a downsized person abandoned by their partner, begrudgingly kept as a pet, or worse. Once you're small, your options shrink too.