[Concept Art Discussion] Bodyslide

Woah whaaat! Something that isn't about The Legend of Zelda? Or even Elayne Boobmont! Yeah. The Bodyslide Girl is another one of my ideas that gets a bit of attention from time to time, but I don't think I've ever talked about it before. I know there was some interest in my talking about it, so I'll do so here.

Basic Character Design

When compared to my other noteworthy characters, like Link and Elayne, the Bodyslide Girl feels much simpler in scope and style. 

She's an androgynous, plain-looking girl. Her phone is probably the only noteworthy feature of her design, and probably just because it's such a vital element of the concept. 

This inclination towards simplicity helps to communicate the idea that she is generic and that won't stand out. Link & Elayne are far more glamorous, so they feel like they could easily be considered the main characters of their own stories, while the Bodyslide Girl looks like she could just be some NPC -- or an average person.

Of course, her simple appearance serves another purpose as well -- contrast. 

A character's transformation, like large breasts, will stand out more when they are typically portrayed without them. It's easier to appreciate the transformation when there's an very obvious change, whether that's a different body type, a pair of bigger breasts, or even longer hair.

Her simple appearance can be read as both feminine and boyish, thus making it easier to see the character as either male or female from a distance. Her design also feels as though she might be a bit young or naïve as well. In a way, she feels as though she might be one of the character presets before the player starts customizing her. 

While a character's design may often speak to their personality and how they interact with the world around them, she doesn't have a lot to say with her design. I'll usually think about every single shape present in the design, which you've no doubt seen in my breakdowns of other characters, but I didn't quite do this for Bodyslide Girl. I think I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted her design to be like from the very start, and it hasn't changed much since.

At least, not to the same severity -- because, really, what would be the point?

Though I did want her to feel like she was a rather cool girl, so her hair is a bit spikey & energetic. She looks like she'd be fun to hang out with, don't you think?

Initial Ideas

When I initially created the Bodyslide Girl, I'm almost certain it had a basis in fetish-driven content. The basic idea of shapeshifting fits nicely within the world of fetish, and there's an entire genre driven by it, though with different kinds of nuances - Transformation (TF).

Artists like BlackShirtBoy, Modeseven, and Lemonfont are some noteworthy TF fetish artists, so if you do choose to seek them out, be aware: their content is NSFW, and some of it can be a bit… Out there. Transformation, in it's various forms, can be both understandably appealing, but also very strange -- point is, there's a good range of application for it. 

Even non-TF fans can appreciate a girl having grown a bigger pair of boobs, right? Alternatively, they might like a character, but would be interested in a different take on that character, like a female Link, for instance. 

So, transformation provides a very good in-universe reason as to why both of those are possible without having to comparatively fictionalize it.

A Bit Further Along...

Interestingly, back when I first conceived the idea of Patron Suggestions, a long, long time ago… 

I considered utilizing the Patreon to drive Bodyslide Girl transformation scenarios, or even something along the lines of a Choose Your Own Adventure story, where patrons could suggest directions for the story to move, or actions for the character to take. Not dissimilar to something like early Homestuck or even Prequel Adventure.

Her phone could have been the perfect method of receiving comments from the internets. It's also predicated on the idea that people on the internet know her transformation secrets in-universe though.

This latter direction felt a bit shortsighted, however, and like I wouldn't be able to sustain it for too long a time, or make it very interesting. 

Those ideas did, however, emphasize the idea of being able to transform herself into almost anything -- sorta like the initial class in an RPG before you molded them in the direction of a job change! It's no coincidence that the Bodyslide Girl is often drawn in retail and service industry occupations among sketches. Her concept has a general predisposition towards being aimless -- or full of potential, I suppose.

When I think about her inclined professions, I always ended up with something that can be done from home. Perhaps something technical, requiring long hours in front of a computer, like a graphic designer or programmer. Or something involving a webcam, like an ASMRTist or webcam model.

Bodyslidin'

As one can probably tell, the idea was inspired by video games and their character customization menus, with, funny enough, body sliders. Y'know, those bars that you "slide" a tracker across to change the shape of something? You've seen them!

If you're as familiar with Skyrim modding as I am, you might know that there's a mod called Bodyslide Studio -- which lets you change the base model of your character outside of the game. This is why you may see a body type in screenshots that is so vastly different than anything you'd ever expect to see in-game. 

Bodyslide Girl's phone is the instrument for her ability, and it's an easy way to always have the power of transformation in her hands. Phones are accessible and inconspicuous (and expressive too, I suppose) -- everyone knows how a phone functions, and most people have one. Phones are #relatable.

I haven't created a comprehensive list of everything that can be altered, nor have I designed a layout for what the phone application actually LOOKS like. That being said, I do imagine there's a rather wide degree of control -- which you'd need in order to create profoundly different appearances, with different hair styles, skin pigmentation, body type, breast size, sex, etc. I don't exactly know what the limits are, but there should be some limitation on what's possible. 

Yes, there should be limits...

That is to say, there should be some reasonable limits. The app should offer the user a wide range of control over their appearance, but nothing too unfeasible or anything you couldn't reasonably expect to see in real life. So that means there's likely no options for additional arms or growing to the size of a building. At least, not within the primary canon, anyway, heheh… Beyond the element of transformation, it shouldn't be too fantastical, y'know? 

On another note -- the capabilities for transformation only extend to the physical. The metaphysical is not included, nor are the typical video game character stats like strength, dexterity, intelligence, charisma, or luck.  

Although the Bodyslide Girl can explore different identities, the person underneath is still the same. Should she want to embody the persona of someone who is charismatic, then she would have to learn how to become charming & persuasive. Alternatively, if she was trying on a bimbo's persona, then she would have to act as though her intelligence were lower in order to be convincing in her role.  

The Bodyslide app should not be an easy solution to every conflict by changing the inherent stats of someone's character. Feats requiring exceptional intelligence or situations requiring a great deal of charisma will still be obstacles that one should have to work through. It also means there's an extra layer of protection, since it will be impossible to set her intelligence to 0 and completely ruin her. Sorry Bad Ends!

Muscle mass & strength might be an exception to that rule though, I guess...

Putting on a performance is a large part of it, I should think. Perhaps it says something about how we often put on pretenses in order to fit in to our roles or in to various social groups. That's called ACTING! 

And no, there is no pregnancy slider. Where would the baby even COME from? As much as I appreciate that fetish, I don't think I could reasonably spawn a baby out of nowhere, haha.

Experimentation

With fetish at the heart of the idea, and the inherent range of what is capable thanks to the virtues of transformation, there's a great deal of sexual experimentation that could be had.

I generally think fetishes can be very interesting because of how different they can all be, and then there's also the various reasons that people could find just one of those fetishes appealing -- and it's different for everyone. I try to explore fetishes with an open mind in order to better understand them, and this is why things like hypnosis, bimbofication, or bondage have made their way into my work.

Of course, if you're a shape shifting being, then you can easily explore a variety of fetishes via the safety of different identities. If you think about this, it's not unlike expressing one's sexuality through the anonymity of the internet. When your identity can be changed, there's much less risk of judgement or worry about it interfering with your everyday life. So why wouldn't Bodyslide Girl seek to explore those fetishes like she might explore her personas?

Identity

Although the expression of fetish was at the root of the idea, there's another rather noteworthy direction present within the concept -- the idea of identity. 

In recent years, the exploration of identity has become a popular concept in both media and real life, as people are now feeling more free to explore their identity and behave in ways which may align more with their perception of the self. There is also the growing acceptance of transgender & nonbinary gender identification in contemporary society too. So, as one can imagine, there are obvious appeals to a character like this. 

Although her initial appearance is that of someone considerably more generic, the Bodyslide Girl can be anyone she wants, and she can typically change her identity without the fear of persecution from those around her. 

Bodyslide Girl's powers also opens up an easy opportunity to draw different kinds of characters.

There is a universal appeal around the concept of transforming one's body, even without sexuality present. Whether someone simply wants to change a small element of their character, like removing a scar or altering the length of one's nose, or even if they want a far more profound physical change. 

Of course, when being able to change your face becomes as simple as changing your shirt depending on the day of the week, you can go beyond simple gender changing or physical adjustments… You could probably become completely different people, almost as though you could easily fit into different social cliques by changing your clothing. 

There's a great deal of range for what is possible, and thus, a lot of potential for people to enjoy the idea. Nearly everyone can understand it. 

Though, one must wonder… If someone's made a great habit of changing their body & persona at will, then what really is their identity? Which one is the original? Is there one? Is there, perhaps, something profound to be said about that? What does it say about the concept of taking on various roles to perform with the desire to fit into different social groups to find a greater sense of belonging? 

There are some rather complex ideas for something that was initially just a fetish…

Complications

With such an interesting set of ideas, you must wonder... Why don't I do more with it? Why don't I draw Bodyslide Girl as often as I do Link or Elayne? Why?! Why, tell me?!

Well, there's a couple of reasons, I suppose...

Unlike my usual inclinations towards fantasy settings like those of The Legend of Zelda, this particular concept takes place within a world much like our own -- a modern one. With cars that go vroom, and cell phones, the internets, and even buses. A world that, despite my constant living in, I'm less familiar with, I guess.

There are a great many kinds of social interactions and settings that go beyond the scope of my knowledge, like a club or a bar. Or even just hanging out. Those just aren't things I do very much of, so I don't know that I could reliably create scenes in such spaces and make them interesting. What about prototypical people that you might find in said places? I draw too many elves for my own good...

Lack of Context

Another issue with drawing her has to do with the context within the work.

When I draw the Bodyslide Girl, it's typically with her main design -- because it's easy to recognize who she is. If I were to draw her looking completely different, then you might not realize it's her, as there are no identifying features to her character otherwise. As a result, you'd need additional context, like a transformation sequence, to communicate that it is the same character -- but that's a lot of work, isn't it? Each of those is pretty much a comic.

I'm also not really sure what her story would be, since it's pretty much just been about sex, gratuity, and transforming. I haven't any characters in mind for her to bounce off of either. As far as development goes, I guess she's still cooking.

They're little things, I suppose, but they have ultimately contributed towards less ambition within artworks featuring her.

Anyway, that's enough for now. There wasn't a lot of technical things to go over since this character was so simple, but I never really explored the idea too much before. So this is a good way of communicating the basic idea of the character and the concepts I developed along the way.

Don't forget to eat & sleep!