Face to Face is a project, like a lot of other ones, that is based on an image I came across not long ago. I save tons of things for references like that. This one kept popping up in my head, so I'm running with it. It's a bit more sensual than the typical animation I create, with more subtle movements and theme, so don't expect either of them to be getting rammed, slammed, pounded or grounded.
    While Lae'zel is unaware of who she's bound to, Shadowheart gets to glare at her offscreen captors and viewers (you).
    This will have the face to face angle (example shown), a breast to breast angle (example shown), a both hips angle, and then each of their hips/butt regions separately.

    In other news, my would-be passion project with January van Sant from Resident Evil: Resistance is on a hold. I still can't sort the drumming drummer for shit, and it has me more than annoyed. Rather than just scrapping the entire project, as I am very tempted to do, I'll pause it til I either sort another method for that bit or actually get skilled enough to do it well enough. The project was meant to reengage my interest again, not annoying the hell out of me with my shortcomings.

    Face to Face will be a Tier 2 (Supporter+) release when finished. I'm going to try to sort some extra bits for Tier 3 and 4 as well again. Even if it's just some finished single fame shots. Maybe an alt outfit style, not that either is wearing much.

    Tuesday, I took a break from Black Cat Cafe to poke at and test a Chun-Li model. Not sure if I'd talked about her before. Perhaps, perhaps not. At any rate, she's an amazing model by @Source_Guru, one of my favorite model creators. A lot of my best models are from them. You all have been seeing their name in the credits and will continue to do so for a long time.

    So Chun-Li has legs. Everyone knows this. It's probably the #1 thing about her, right? So I set her up in a nice position (Sancus 2 style pose) for a little animation. Meant to be just a loop, it's already full length for her theme song from Street Fighter 6? I think 6.

    She's not synced to the music. I just ran with the animation and some variations on the speed/style as it goes a long, then thought "Hey, let's throw her theme song in here...." and just extended it to fit. I'd thought about various outfits, and I might still do that, but this was the one I liked most. I also nearly did the tied big toe thing, but eh. I don't get that concept, personally, so it's not a thing I care about doing. I might add that into something later though.

    I know, I know. "But Zjera....you need to focus! Stick to something! FINISH AND RELEASE SOMETHING!"

    I am. This is all I worked on this week, and it will be ready by next Saturday. It's already in the final stages for pre-render checks; smoothing things, fixing lights a bit more, etc. As I've always said; sometimes things just go so well they pop out quick. This was one.

    Small quick video showing some examples of the machine power levels and motions in Black Cat Cafe. Vaginal 1-5 and Anal 1 only so far. The anal ones, the spins that is, seem to go odd when the dildo moves around as well. Trying to figure out why. I might have to just make them all spin together instead of the interesting way shown in vaginal 1-4. Vaginal 5 is when Anal 1 kicks in. Anal 1-5 Vaginal stays the same. At level 5. So there's still 9 levels basically in total.
    The overlays of the power level/name plate area will be visible throughout, in that faded see through aspect. The camera will be different per segment, so it's not going to always hinder any kind of view. The odd jumps in things like lighting is due to the examples being reset on a camera that is the same for all motions. The lights are set for the angles they were meant to be on, so they pop around. Also that's why Vaginal 4 shows her side and not the machine. That specific angle didn't show the machine at all, so it's not really moving there. No need to animate what isn't seen, after all. Later segments will show that though so it will be then.
    Still coming up with names for the donators. Some are 'serious' style names. Others are just fun for fun sake. Should any of you be on the Discord and want a name added to the list of potential, feel free to let me know. I did the same thing, in a way, with Pound-Her's names.
    Also, that's a music example as well. The intro has its own, the credits probably will too, but that's the main music picked for this one.

    January van Sant's animation is coming along as well, though not much to report on it this week. The drummer is still being a bitch, but most everything else is cooperating. She has some nice wiggles, expressions and breathing animations, pre-refinement. Not sure where to put a third 'band member'. Maybe just an over-the-shoulder style angle long enough for concept. Probably that.

    Hope you enjoy the little example video.

    Finally sorted a side project and so far, I love working on it. It goes back to what I was meant to be doing with fully musically synced animations. This is a true Ramma'Jam, akin to Poison Ivy or Ashley Graham, but with a new twist.
    Instead of the machine just playing music into the girl via pistoned dildos, this is an interactive band style Ramma'Jam. Meaning, instruments like drums, keyboards and guitars are hooked up to it. What is played upon them is 'played' in the machine.
    Rock Band: Sybian Edition?
    Basically.

    I chose January van Sant for a few reasons.
    #1 She is an excellent model.
    #2 I thought she was cute.
    #3 I've not used her before.
    #4 I liked that her outfit (Tropical variant, no other style yet available on the model) was a nice rocker look, which sparked the rock band idea. Sort of.

    I had the idea for a Ramma'Jam like this a long time ago. Probably even mentioned it before in a Weekly. Finally doing something with the theme.

    Also, to be fully transparent about things, I've been pretty down lately and it's hindered my SFMing. Burnout, annoyance, whatever factor you wanna attribute to it. Maybe all. This project, being strictly an 'I want to make this' has already rekindled my love for making these things. Also, as I've said before, I've been wanting to get back to the full sync Black Menageries anyways. I strayed from them for the sake of longer and more indepth projects and while some work better and should be like that, it's not suppose to be the focus style. Some of you might have even been hanging on for the off chance I would do more Black Menageries styles, as I should be doing really.

    I am now.

    Preview pics are, of course, early WIPs. The ball gag's design is meant to be a cartoonish skull. It's a custom texture and it's a bit too large right now. There's no actual scene/background yet, etc. etc. I do, however, have a good portion of her motions animated and one of the instruments has someone playing it. I'm pretty pleased with how that bit has already turned out too, even without refinement. Some lighting is being set, so on and so forth.

    Black Cat Cafe is still going too, so no worries about it stopping. It's coming along well overall, although slowly. With January van Sant's project kicking my interest in again my interest in that project has increased more as well. A couple things need revamped on it, like the UI overlay for the machine levels/powers. Knocking a few settings off. 10 isn't needed to show increases. I'm thinking more like 6-8. Probably 6.

   Last, I teased another project last Weekly. The upright front view of 'girl unknown'. Well, that was Aurore Cassel from Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. It was meant to be a project designed purely to kick me back in gear and give me the 'go go' to my 'mojo?' or something. You get what I mean, right?

    Anyways...

    It's still on the table, even though it was going off track already. Not sure what it is about the Cyberpunk 2077 projects. They love being difficult. Some reworks with this newfound drive should get it back on course.

    But yeah. Nothing currently going is being stopped. I have a literal passion project going which is giving me a needed boost.

    Things are looking up.

    Not happened in a while, but there it is, and not really canceled I guess since I'm typing stuff? This little bit of info I guess technically counts.

    This week has been a disaster for anything SFM. Some progress was made with Black Cat Cafe, but not enough new to show off anything. I did show the animations as they are to an upper tier member, and they seemed to like them a lot. Some other ideas have sparked, but nothing of significance enough to bother chatting about.

    And other than that nothing. As I've said in previous 'canceled' Weekly WIPs, that happens from time to time. Some weeks has tons to show/talk about, others like this one nothing.

    I was thinking though, to try to avoid this kind of situation and especially since I hate not releasing something often, about doing a sort of animated posters. Not a fully motion anything, more like that Cyberpunk 2077 Misty loop I did recently. Better than nothing, right? Some of the sparked ideas were along those lines.

    A somewhat slow week; another section of Cafe though. Machine level 4 for 20 seconds. It's the 'resigned to her fate' reaction, when she realizes she's in it for the long haul. Not every level or length of time will be represented. The concept of each level being faster/harder should suffice, so I can skip like level 6, as an example.

    Having some issue sorting a smaller side project. I think I might just hammer a full sync single song Black Menagerie out. Or something semi silly. So many tested or started projects that are just in limbo. A few keep popping back in my head though.