[Gilberta Cosplay] Sci-Fi Tactical Style: Photo Return from Arknights: Endfield

This time I am simultaneously posting Gilberta photos taken by three different photographers; the one you are currently seeing is the version shot by Chen Ping'an. The cool-toned sci-fi laboratory background matches the character's mechanical animal ears perfectly, and I personally love this kind of sharp, cool shooting atmosphere.

For this Gilberta cosplay look, we invested a significant amount of time in early preparations. First was the choice of costume materials; a black tactical style character outfit needs to balance both structural depth and comfort. The leather choker on the neck and the off-the-shoulder cut design look very clean visually, but they also meant that the shoulder and collarbone areas needed to be adjusted to a perfectly fitted position when worn to avoid leaving red marks. Meanwhile, that pair of brown plush animal ears and the black mechanical parts on top were actually the most challenging part of the entire look in terms of structural balance. To prevent them from looking flimsy or falling off easily, I added rigid internal supports and performed multiple shaking tests after putting them on to ensure that no matter how I turned my head, the ears would maintain their proper angle.

The sci-fi prop in my hand is also assembled from multiple components, featuring a silver main body and a black-grey grip, with the blue circular logo on the side painted and glued on by hand. Holding it not only feels substantial, but the modular component design also allowed it to be flexibly disassembled or adjusted in angle based on different hand gestures during the shoot, which was a pleasant little surprise.

For the makeup, I selected light-colored contact lenses with purple-pink edges, paired with earth-toned eyeshadow and slightly upturned eyeliner. This prevented my eyes from looking lifeless while ensuring the makeup wasn't too heavy to mask the character's icy traits. The wig is an orange-brown long curly twin-tail; to guarantee the fluffiness of the outer layers and the smoothness of the inner layers, we spent nearly half a day meticulously trimming and sectioning out tangles and frizz, allowing it to present natural and thick lines in front of the lens.

On the day of the shoot, Chen Ping'an was highly efficient. We shot in an indoor studio photography environment equipped with monitors and control consoles. He is exceptionally skilled at utilizing the on-site blue-purple ambient lights to envelop the character in a cool sci-fi atmosphere, while using a warm facial light to brighten the subject's face, making the orange-red hair pop against the cool-toned backdrop.

I experimented with two different perspectives during this shoot, and the half-body close-up is my personal favorite. This composition successfully shifts the visual focus to my expression, the leather straps around my neck, and the off-the-shoulder design, perfectly capturing that essence of Gilberta—someone who possesses both combat training and a unique charm in specific details. Although my arms and shoulders had to be constantly tensed to steady the heavy prop while keeping a relaxed facial expression—leaving them a bit sore after just a few shots—the moment I saw the frozen frames in the playback, all that exhaustion felt completely worthwhile.

As a frequent cosplayer, I have always felt that cosplay is far more than just putting on a costume and snapping a picture. To pull a character out of a game's setting into the real world and deliver that appropriate texture, one must understand the character's backstory and find the body language that matches their professional traits. The worldbuilding of Arknights: Endfield itself carries a blend of hardcore realism interwoven with romance, and during this shoot, I also attempted to integrate those sharp and calm visual traits into every single moment the shutter was pressed.

Because I am simultaneously releasing images from three different photographers this time, the varied post-processing and color grading approaches across different perspectives allow the exact same Gilberta to present completely different auras. This shot by Chen Ping'an can be said to push the icy, stern atmosphere to its absolute peak, whereas I lean toward viewing the work of the other two masters as a perfect supplement from alternative perspectives, which I will continue to share with everyone later on.

I went through several rounds of review when selecting the photos, and this one's composition, emotion, and overall texture closely match my expected representation of this character, making it one of my most satisfying sets of finished photos recently. I hope everyone can appreciate the thoughts I poured into the makeup, styling, props, and shooting process, as well as the creative impulse that the work Arknights: Endfield has inspired in me.