Today, I cosplayed Rossi from Arknights: Endfield at the Foshan CPG08 convention site. I chose this character mainly because her costume design has a very strong sense of layering. The red, white, and black color-blocking combination, along with prominent animal ears and a big fluffy tail, made it extremely recognizable while walking around the venue. To restore the character, I deliberately emphasized the translucent feel of the eye makeup, paired with light-colored circle lenses, to fit the character's temperament as closely as possible. The layers of the clothing are very rich, with a red short cape covering the outside of a white dress, and the waist is composed of a black leather corset, multiple small bags, and straps. The most exhausting part of wearing them was dealing with these buckles and zippers, especially the leg straps—if they were too loose they would easily fall off, and if they were too tight they would affect walking, requiring repeated adjustments to the right tightness.
The mechanical-style animal ears and hood on top of the head are the focus of this styling. Because the hood is relatively large, it is very easy to crush the styling of the wig, so I used a lot of hair clips in advance to secure it. That giant tail was also a challenge; while walking in crowded places, I had to maintain the fluffiness of the tail while avoiding being stepped on by others, maintaining a relatively vigilant posture the entire time. That day in the venue, I met a few friends who also liked this work, and everyone exchanged views on the character settings. Rossi's setting itself carries a certain sense of mystery and playfulness, so in action design, I tried my best to make the posture look more capable and sharp.
This shooting was mainly conducted in the corridors of the exhibition hall. To avoid the messy crowds and the complex top lighting, the photographer found a corner with a relatively clean background, using a softbox to suppress the ambient light and highlight the character's details as much as possible. The sitting pose photo took quite a bit of time; because I wanted to showcase the lines of the red platform boots while balancing the drape of the upper body cape, I needed to constantly adjust my center of gravity on the chair, keeping my back straight when leaning forward so as not to look hunched over. The standing pose was meant to showcase the overall aura, and the action of holding the brim of the hat with one hand was to echo the cool and dashing characteristics of the character.
After a whole day at the convention, walking around in these platform boots was indeed a test of physical strength, and the soles of my feet and legs were quite sore. Moreover, plush props need to be tended to at any time, otherwise once they stick to dust or the hair gets tangled, the texture of the photos will be greatly compromised. Every time I do an outdoor shoot or visit a convention, I can accumulate a lot of experience in clothing wear and expression management from practical experience. I am very satisfied with this Rossi styling myself; it's not just a restoration of costume details, but also a record of my state that day. The photos recorded these moments and also gave me a deeper resonance with the character. Seeing the final photos now, I feel like the fatigue of that day was completely wiped out—this is probably the magic that the 2D world brings into my reality. This is just a simple convention photos record, and I hope to keep this love for the 2D world alive.