[Griseo cosplay] Honkai Impact 3rd's Light Blue Palette: The Pain of Padding 6cm and Still Falling Flat

As I vented in my previous post, taking on Griseo from Honkai Impact 3rd this time gave me the biggest headache regarding body proportions. Although I felt thoroughly prepared, as a guy doing female character cosplay, the physical discrepancy was still substantial. To fill out the costume and bring the overall proportions closer to the character, following past experience, I prepared about 6cm of padding.

When it came to trying it on, I really wanted to cry—while the height went up, the chest of the outfit completely failed to fill out. That white-and-navy halter top features a hollow metal star ornament on the chest, which is very prominent. Since the outfit was custom-made and altering the sizing would be troublesome, I could only rely on post-processing to fix it as much as possible. The fabric is relatively structured; moving even slightly creates awkward creases, so it took quite a while to adjust and make the collar and chest lines look passably smooth.

The hardest part was actually the lighting. The Harsh top lighting at the venue truly lives up to its notorious reputation. This direct overhead downlight endlessly magnifies every shadow on the face; the slightest hollow or uneven contour makes the face look rugged and harsh on camera. To counter this lighting, I made advance adjustments to my makeup: deepening contour under the cheekbones, drawing a very slender nose shadow, and brightening the under-eye area and forehead to offset the shadows cast by the overhead light. When shooting front-on, I had to keep my chin tucked in constantly, as overhead light easily reveals neck lines. The first front-facing shot was taken under this light; though the finished face looks fairly full, the process was a true test of expression management and chin positioning.

The second photo is a mirror selfie with the indoor changing area as the backdrop, better displaying the complete costume silhouette. The blue wig echoes the matching ribbon hair accessory, and the star pendant on the chest was finally captured clearly. I originally wanted to show off the leg lines since the character is petite, but in reality, leg proportions are hard to balance. Wearing the white gloves, I turned to the mirror to showcase the large round metal buckle with the clock-hand design at the waist.

Cosplay is often like this—pre-shoot prep frequently involves battling against body proportions, fabrics, and lighting. Be it outdoors or indoors, capturing just one or two satisfying photos makes the 6cm of padding feel worthwhile. Although failing to fill out the costume was a drawback, the process of trying my utmost to recreate the character was still very meaningful.