[Qingque Cosplay] The Tile God in Honkai: Star Rail, Bringing Good Luck in a New Year Red Outfit

This set of Year of the Snake New Year-themed Qingque custom design photos was taken in an ancient-style practical studio before the New Year. Wanting to break away from the conventional visuals of the original design, the photographer and I agreed on a red-and-white Chinese-style winter outfit version. When choosing materials, faux rabbit fur was specially selected for the trim on the collar and cuffs, which feels thick and genuinely provides a warm, realistic feeling of Chinese New Year when worn. The temperature that day was extremely low, and there was no heating in the studio, but fortunately, this outfit was thick enough that I could stay wrapped in a cotton coat during shooting breaks without shivering.

The tailoring of the costume actually heavily tested my figure because the white plush trim carries a certain bloating effect. Therefore, if I wasn't careful with my posture, it would look bulky. I had to constantly remind myself to lift my spirits and keep my upper body erect. The square hanging ornament with a golden dragon pattern on the chest was actually a prop added later; it has tassels on the edges and is lightweight, but it needed to be held down by hand when walking to prevent it from swinging wildly across my chest and affecting the camera's focus. The wig was meticulously trimmed for nearly an hour before shooting; the color is a very striking light gold. To stay closer to the custom design vibe, I intentionally left thicker bangs on both sides of the sideburns and braided a side three-strand braid. The blue teardrop hair clips and the white chicken plush pendant tied to the braid were actually my own small decorations. Adding them instead gave the overall look a trace of playful and cute daily vibe.

The scroll in Figure 3 with "Great luck in the Year of the Snake" written on it was a prop I customized in advance. The paper selected was a heavy red cardstock, and the gold foil stamping on it has a very delicate embossed texture. When shooting that photo with the scroll, to ensure the font could generate a beautiful reflection under the studio's warm spotlights, we repeatedly adjusted its tilt angle. When holding it, my arms needed to maintain balance as much as possible without shaking, so that a naturally stretched New Year greeting posture could be presented. As for the two photos with the glowing copper coins, they were actually shot in a low-light environment, utilizing a handheld LED light stick close to the back of the copper coins for localized lighting to capture that floating, glowing magic effect. The process wasn't complex, but finding the refraction angle of the light spot took a little time.

The oversized golden ingot in the pictures is actually a very heavy cast iron material. When shooting that frame of holding the ingot, to create a feeling of casually playing with it, I was actually straining very hard, mainly using my elbows and waist to support the weight while maintaining a completely stress-free expression on my face. This pose was maintained for about a dozen seconds, and my arms were already beginning to feel slightly sore after shooting. Fortunately, the resulting effect was highly ideal. The golden ingot, combined with the red curtains in the background, the woven bamboo screen, and the golden metal decorative potted plants, propped up a very rich, festive, and auspicious holiday atmosphere under the warm-toned side lighting. The photographer also added some drifting golden light spot bokeh in post-production, giving the originally static studio shoot a touch of dynamic dreaminess.

There were also some small episodes during the shooting process. For instance, in the shot where I bite the gold coin, the edge of the coin prop was a little bit sharp; containing it in my mouth inevitably made me fear scratching my lips, so I had to control my force. However, this expression turned out to be one of my favorite photos in the entire set. In terms of makeup, the green colored contacts are very refreshing. Paired with a red lip that emphasizes the eye makeup and lips, it allows the gaze to remain spirited even under the strong studio lights without looking hollow. The entire set of photos took more than half a day from conception to final output. Although it was exhausting, seeing the texture presented through the lens of those four golden characters "Great luck in the Year of the Snake" on the scroll made me feel that all preparations and adjustments were completely worth it.