[Rubilax]

Thanks, and you should! Understanding the underlying implications behind a transformation adds a bit more spice to the story IMHO. It makes it much more interesting than the usual "A wizard/nanites did it".

That said, you read it right the first time; Larry is the one who is inflating here not Wilson. The reason for this isn't related to some expansion fetish. It related back to the nature of the transformations.

Each of the characters has a specific physical and/or mental characteristic that defines them. Larry is practically a caricature of the Alpha male who is obsessed with his body, and this is reflected by his changes. The transformations aren't simply changing one individual into another, they're striking at the characters core and seek to subvert the traits that define them.

Having Larry's muscles atrophy into oblivion would have been a much quicker, but the goal wasn't just to change his bulk, but also alter the sort of person he is. By having the muscle degrade into fat rather than simply atrophying into oblivion, it shows that Larry has lost an integral part of his character.

I'm beginning to ramble a bit, but the main point is that while the inflation followed by the deflation does initially appear pointless, there's a legitimate reason behind it that will be much more evident once the story is complete and viewed as a whole.

And don't feel bad about the nitpicking. I consider it to be well meaning criticism, and criticism helps keep me going!