Today I'm sharing this Arknights: Endfield Laevatain cosplay work. To prepare this black-and-red combat uniform for the Red-haired devil, we invested immense thought into pattern drafting and prop crafting during pre-production. The entire outfit utilizes extensive leather fabrics and metallic hardware, spanning laced-up corset straps and buckles to asymmetric sleeves and a multi-layered skirt hem. In particular, for the pair of black devil horns pinned to the red hair, we repeatedly adjusted the wearing angle to lock in the perfect curve, ensuring they wouldn't come loose even during vigorous movements.
For makeup, to align with the character's temperament, I selected blue-violet contact lenses, deepened red-toned blending for the eye makeup, and applied metallic tooth embellishments inside the mouth. In the close-up shot of Photo 3, one can appreciate the nuances of the white shirt collar, crisscrossed black leather straps, and that sword-shaped metallic pendant. The cinched-waist tailoring is exceptionally figure-flattering; extensive posture and physical training were done beforehand to ensure silhouette contours faithfully matched the original design.
The Greatsword prop was undeniably the ultimate test of physical endurance during this shoot. This blade is massive—featuring a black four-pointed star hilt and a red-and-black blade finished with metallic sheen coating. Posing while holding it single-handedly made finding the center of gravity quite tricky, and swinging it was exhausting. In Photo 1, gripping the sword with one hand required continuous core engagement to keep my back and shoulders poised and upright. In Photo 2, capturing the dynamic kinetic flight of the skirt hem took countless attempts. Making the heavy, multi-layered asymmetric skirt billow in the air demanded explosive rotational force upon turning, while keeping hair strands flowing naturally and facial expressions perfectly composed without breaking character, from which we picked the most satisfying shot in continuous burst. In Photo 3, resting the weapon on my shoulder, I steadied my breath to capture a calm yet intimidating gaze.
In reality, wearing this outfit was extremely sweltering, especially with the heavy leather corset and long gloves, necessitating frequent makeup touch-ups and breathers midway through the shoot. Photo 4 is a candid shot captured during a break: thoroughly exhausted, I cradled a cup of light green fruit tea in both gloved hands. The hands that typically wield a Greatsword prop suddenly holding a beverage created an amusing contrast, turning into a charming slice-of-life behind-the-scenes moment. High-intensity studio shoots like this severely test one's stamina, yet every time the finished photos emerge—flawlessly translating the character's signature sharpness through costume textures and lighting—all the advance preparation and arduous labor feel totally worthwhile. Moving forward, I will continue exploring new lighting setups and prop fabrication, striving to deliver more high-texture portrait cosplay works.