[Amiya cosplay] Arknights Ambience Synesthesia: Universal Solo

From location scouting to shooting, this Arknights Amiya cosplay set for [Ambience Synesthesia - Universal Solo] is finally sorted out. For this shoot, we chose an abandoned architectural site in Chongqing (Chongqing cosplay), where numerous grey hollow concrete blocks were stacked in the water. When the water was calm like a mirror, it captured reflections perfectly, aligning wonderfully with the atmosphere of performing a solitary solo in the cosmos.

The shooting day was actually quite exhausting because the path was genuinely treacherous—some stones were very narrow and sharp, making footing unstable. While walking in platforms or flats is usually fine, standing on stones near the water for a long time required caution. To avoid falling, there were several shots where I didn't have time to change back into high heels and started shooting in flat shoes, so my apologies to everyone in advance.

The costume this time is from Arknights Amiya's Ambience Synesthesia series, featuring a black-and-blue dress paired with a cape and a hat (accompanied by delicate Stockings cosplay leg styling). The skirt is relatively puffy, offering great dynamic movement when standing still. The cape is made of lightweight material that catches the slightest breeze, yielding great candid shots with the photographer. I also specially prepared a small lantern prop, placing it on the stones as an accent, creating a subtle contrast of warm and cold against the dim, cool environment.

During the shoot, the photographer used a wide-angle lens, utilizing the geometric lines of the concrete blocks to evoke a sense of weightlessness. The character appears relatively small in the frame, surrounded by massive blocks and clear yet dark water; this scale contrast effectively captures that feeling of solitude. Especially in the overhead shot, the water swirls like a vortex around the protagonist, making her feel like the sole living presence in this space.

During photo retouching, we specifically discussed the color grading. Large areas of the environment retained their gray palette using very cool tones so as not to overpower the subject. As a result, the blue and black of the character stand out distinctly. It was a very interesting experiment combining a 2D design with realistic, desolate ruins, and the final results turned out much better than expected.

This wasn't my first time cosplaying this character, but the Ambience Synesthesia costume design is relatively more complex. With various bows, lace, belts, and that distinctively large hat, getting dressed took quite a bit of effort. The hat is rather large, so angle control was critical during shooting to avoid blocking my sightline or distorting the shape on camera.

This shoot took place in Chongqing; while there are quite a few locations like this here, waterscape spots are heavily dependent on the weather. Fortunately, the lighting that day was soft and the water surface remained calm without strong winds, producing crystal-clear reflections—otherwise, we would have had to artificially composite reflections in post-production, which has a completely different texture. From costume preparation and scouting angles to final post-editing, the entire cycle took over two weeks. Being able to recreate her moment of solo performance in this cold, grey cosmos was well worth it.

If the opportunity arises next time, I hope to find a location that resembles an actual stage or a setting with even better lighting to shoot this series again, which will surely bring a different feeling.