[Jalter cosplay] Fate/Grand Order New Year Greetings: Modern Cheongsam Pairs Best with Red Envelopes

"Accept this New Year money from the Avenger—complain that it's not enough, and I'll burn you to ashes!" For this special New Year Jalter project, we merged the festive Lunar New Year ambiance with the character's core persona. The shoot took place at the Chengdu RGB Studio, where photographer Lanqiao Shendeng demonstrated fantastic control over the lighting. This black-and-red Modern Cheongsam was quite unforgiving on body lines, so I prepared in advance with plenty of neck and shoulder stretching exercises. The black resin horns on the headpiece had great texture, though securing them firmly with hairpins and styling spray took careful effort. Styling the short silver-white wig took considerable work, especially adjusting the curve of the iconic ahoge atop the head over and over to keep it looking natural. The overall makeup and styling followed a darker, gothic concept: while red and black remained the primary palette, Chinese frog buttons and metal chains added a festive yet rebellious edge.

During the session, the photographer encouraged me to leverage props to build mood: the close-up in Photo 1 featured a deliberately sharpened gaze to convey the Avenger's tsundere pride; holding the 'Happy New Year' scroll in Photos 2 and 4 required careful arm positioning to guide sightlines; and holding the red lantern in Photo 3 aimed to bring out a playful contrast. Balancing expressions and gestures required strong presence of mind—infusing festive warmth while sustaining the character's aloof, icy detachment—and I constantly checked the mirror during breaks to smooth out fabric wrinkles. Plum blossoms, crimson paper cuttings in the background, and bronze coin tree props on the tabletop all contributed excellent spatial depth. Moving around the studio to find ideal marks and adjusting to lighting tweaks allowed us to faithfully capture her sharp-tongued yet deeply conflicted personality. Though exhausting from start to finish, bringing Jalter to life through the lens during this special holiday was an immensely fulfilling achievement.