The photos were actually retouched back in February, and I'm only getting around to posting them now—definitely late-stage procrastination. When shooting this NARAKA: BLADEPOINT Zai Ji Chainbreaker Game cosplay, the weather was quite cold, but thankfully the studio had heating, so my condition remained on point.
Let's talk about the costume first. The overall design leans toward Cyberpunk and futuristic tech aesthetics, creating a sharp contrast with traditional ancient-style game characters—and it was precisely this contrast that drew me in. The hair is long, straight ice-blue, styled with two antenna-like hair accessories; putting on the bright blue over-ear headphones instantly brought out the sci-fi tech vibe. The outfit features black strappy cutouts combined with a transparent holographic overshirt. While this holographic fabric shimmers with multicolored iridescence under studio lights, frankly speaking, it catches reflections very easily. We had to continually adjust angles during the shoot to capture that sheer translucency, and the material itself is relatively fragile, requiring immense care when putting it on without pulling too hard. The lower half pairs glossy black shorts with Stockings and studded black platform boots, which visually elongated my leg lines, though walking in them was certainly quite heavy.
In terms of props, an intricately designed sword and a metallic chain were the core elements of this shoot. The 'Chainbreaker' concept inherently carries connotations of combat and restraint, so I explored different presentations in pose design. The first photo features a kneeling stance holding the sword, lowering my center of gravity to convey pre-battle tension; the second photo uses a standing pose with one knee raised, combined with tugging on the chain, which injects more visual tension into the frame while perfectly highlighting the overall costume silhouette.
The shooting location had a post-apocalyptic industrial aesthetic, featuring metal mesh flooring, retro televisions, radios, and speakers. The photographer put significant effort into lighting: the key light utilized high-brightness cool-blue neon tubes against a dark-toned backdrop, establishing a striking contrast. Such lighting conditions actually demand a lot from makeup, so I specifically chose blue colored contacts to match the overall palette, keeping the base foundation clean and translucent to prevent the neon wash from drowning out the makeup. To align with the Cyberpunk theme, I used slightly bolder shades for eyeshadow and lipstick so my facial contours remained distinct even in low light.
During post-processing, I preserved the tactile sheen of the holographic fabric without excessive skin smoothing, mainly adjusting the saturation and contrast of the blue light sources to bring the overall composition closer to an electropunk aesthetic. This set had numerous intricate details; from wig styling to prop assembly, pre-production took a long time. Even though I posted late, seeing the final photos made all that hard work feel completely worthwhile.