Seeing everyone say we are the \"least princess-like princesses,\" let's talk about the behind-the-scenes today. When we first received these royal outfits on the day of the shoot, we were a bit baffled ourselves—in the original setting, Rein and Fine's dresses are fluffy bubble skirts, but the version we chose focused more on fabric drape and off-the-shoulder designs. Visually, they resemble grown-up royal gowns with less childishness and more Princess style elegance. That's probably why everyone felt they weren't \"typical princesses.\"
But since we shot it, we had to capture the characters' essential aura. The blue-haired one is Rein in this Rein cosplay; I intentionally adjusted hand postures to lightly rest fingers under my chin with eyes slightly raised, aiming to convey that composed yet slightly tsundere princess vibe. The pink-haired one is Fine in this Fine cosplay; I had her fold her hands in front, leaning slightly toward the camera to restore her soft yet straightforward personality. Of course, the true soul of characters relies on costumes and accessories. We spent a long time fine-tuning costume details: ruffles on the blue skirt used fabrics of two different stiffness levels layered together so curves wouldn't collapse; the pink skirt's lantern sleeves had hidden boning inside to maintain a 3D silhouette. For wigs, we did three rounds of bleaching, dyeing, and styling in advance—especially Fine's twin bun hairstyle, which took nearly two hours to fix the hairpieces in place, needing touch-ups at the slightest movement.
Choosing a European staircase location was actually accidental. Initially, we wanted a castle, but time was tight. We later found this hotel lobby staircase covered with a lavish carpet and exquisitely carved handrails, giving a more intimate \"palace hallway\" feel than a real castle. Moreover, the step height difference allowed the skirt hem to spread out naturally when sitting down. The carpet's dark blue and gold patterns formed a wonderful warm-cool contrast with Rein's blue dress and Fine's pink dress. The top-down overhead angle taken by the photographer on the upper floor also brought out the depth of the entire staircase.
As for being called \"least princess-like,\" we actually chatted about it privately. Perhaps it's because we didn't deliberately pose with classic iconic actions like raising scepters high or running while holding up skirt hems, choosing instead a casual sitting state. But I believe the charm of cosplay lies in not having to replicate every panel from the original artwork; you can interpret the character through your own understanding. For example, when people walked up and down the stairs during the shoot, we sat in place joking with each other—that casual chatting state actually fitted the intimate banter between the Twin Princess of Wonder Planet. In post-editing, we didn't add exaggerated light effects, wishing only to preserve skin textures and real fabric weaves, adjusting even rivet reflections on shoes frame by frame to show the exquisite craft of the actual outfit.
The entire shoot lasted around four hours, with nearly an hour spent just posing and adjusting skirt folds, because folds fall completely differently when seated versus standing. Pairing white thigh-highs with platform shoes was harder to wear than expected, especially stepping on carpeted steps where heels sink easily; we had to flex our insteps the whole time to maintain ankle lines. But once final photos came out and we saw how harmoniously carpet patterns blended with skirt colors, all the hard work felt worth it. Finally, thanks to the photographer's patience and friends who helped adjust wigs and accessories—without you, this set wouldn't have been completed so quickly. Regarding the \"least princess-like\" meme, we actually view it as an alternative compliment—it shows everyone holds deep emotional memories for the characters we play and that we forged our own style in design.