Recreating Neuvillette required quite a bit of effort on the costume. The dark blue outer coat presents water-ripple-like jacquard patterns under the lights, trimmed with thick bright gold piping that stitches together fabrics of various textures. To accurately recreate the neckline layers, I repeatedly adjusted the position of the white cravat, paired with an aqua-blue gemstone collar pin, ultimately achieving a rigorous and refined result.
The wig was chosen as a smooth white long hairstyle, with a subtle blue gradient dye applied to the tips, ensuring the hair doesn't look fake even under the slightly warmer top lights of the selfie studio. Custom blue metallic-sheen ear ornaments worn on both sides added an inhuman, mysterious aura to the character.
The venue was selected at a selfie studio featuring a vintage theater theme, providing fantastic environmental support for the shoot. The deep red velvet curtains formed a high-impact warm-and-cold contrast against the character's predominantly blue-and-white outfit, while the gears and clock face dials set up in the scene significantly enhanced the narrative feel of the image. Incorporating these mechanical elements perfectly balanced the softness originally associated with the character's Hydro element.
The studio's layout was thoughtfully arranged, with black-and-white checkered floors paired with red curtains serving as classic theatrical elements. Between shooting intervals, the photographer and I temporarily adjusted several lighting schemes—for example, to emphasize facial dimensionality, we used a cool-toned fill light from the right side to sculpt the contour. This lighting treatment produced a gorgeous pearlescent reflection on the blue fabric. Meanwhile, selecting glove materials and coordinating hand gestures required repeated test shots; wearing leather gloves for actions like gripping a glass or delicate finger poses visually appeared much sharper and more elongated.
During the shoot, I deliberately adopted a relaxed sitting posture on the armchair to elongate my leg lines, which, paired with the gold toe caps on my black leather boots extending from the left side of the frame, made the overall stance look composed yet effortless. Handheld props included a crystal goblet filled with red wine, which, together with candlesticks and an Ace of Spades playing card, created an elegant yet dangerous card game atmosphere. A few other shots utilized red spider lilies; whether gently sniffing them or placing a red blossom horizontally before my eyes to partially obscure my face, they heightened the character's stern yet fragile beauty. Although these props weren't part of the character's original design, they added narrative flair to the photo set.
Makeup focused heavily on eye details. I chose contact lenses with a grey-blue hue, paired with winged black eyeliner and a cool-toned eyeshadow base, while applying only a very faint nude pink lip gloss. This low-saturation makeup lowered facial color intensity while better highlighting the prominent gold trim on the costume. Eye contours were made as slender as possible to sharpen my gaze.
Across the entire shoot, what satisfied me most was the naturally flowing atmospheric feel. The selfie studio itself had superior lighting conditions, which, combined with the photographer's precise timing, captured dynamic turns and hand raises. For instance, the final side-profile hand-raising shot against a grey backdrop lacked background distractions, completely highlighting the costume's tailoring and the translucent blue water-ripple patterns on the cuffs.
Portraying this character required tapping into an inner rhythm of imposing dignity and unflappable calmness. Even amidst such a gorgeous setting, maintaining upright posture and focused expression was essential. This portrayal of Neuvillette serves as a satisfying answer for my Year of the Dragon cosplay shoot, with every detail's fidelity merging seamlessly into the final imagery.