[Medicine Melancholy cosplay] Touhou Project: Sweet Poison Convention photos

On the outdoor grounds of the Foshan CPG08 convention, this cosplay of Medicine Melancholy completely let me experience what "sweet poison" is. The classic red-and-black color scheme has a strong visual impact in front of the lens, especially the huge red bow on the head, which almost occupies the upper half of the entire frame, making it extremely eye-catching when walking outside the venue. The white lace ruffles of the top paired with the black pleated corset, plus the belt with intricate golden piping at the waist, give the overall styling a very rich sense of layering. The black cross pattern on the front of the dress combined with the multi-layered black tulle skirt hem, although looking gorgeous, indeed carries a certain weight, especially in an environment like a comic convention that requires a lot of walking and posing, which is a test of both physical strength and patience.

The outdoor shooting this time mainly revolved around some natural candid shots by the roadside. Among them, the few shots sitting on the asphalt road are my personal favorite perspectives. White lace short socks paired with black chunky-heeled Mary Jane shoes, with legs extended naturally, not only make the composition of the frame more expansive, but also give a slightly listless yet quiet visual feeling. The pale pink bell-shaped flower bouquet held in the hand acts as a wonderful embellishment against the red-and-black primary colored costume. Sometimes I would casually place the flower bouquet beside my body, and sometimes gently hug it to my chest; these tiny micro-adjustments in action allow the photos to present different emotions. Although the convention road surface is relatively hard and sitting down to take pictures can indeed feel a bit prickly, for the sake of the visual effect, these details can all be overcome.

Because the character Medicine Melancholy is set with a slightly melancholic and alienated temperament, in expression management, I tried my kindest to maintain a calm and even somewhat spaced-out state. Accompanied by blue-purple contact lenses and reddish eye makeup, it can present a cool-toned theatrical sense even in straight-out-of-camera raw photos. Although outdoor natural light is not as controllable as a studio, the architectural lines outside the convention hall and the circular lights on the canopy formed very nice bokeh effects after background blurring, which, coupled with the overall cool-toned post-processing color grading, set off the atmosphere desired for these photos. Such casual shots under natural light often capture genuine emotions better than deliberately posed, stiff actions.

Doing cosplay is actually a very energy-consuming thing, from the preliminary wig trimming and makeup design to shuttling through the crowd in a heavy dress on-site, every single link requires full patience. The golden slightly-curled wig needs to be pre-styled with hairspray and flat irons to ensure it won't easily get messy in the outdoor breeze environment. In terms of clothing, the black lace and red layered fabrics also test ironing and wearing sequences, especially the waist cinch and ribbons at the waist, which need to be carefully adjusted in position to present the full pattern style seen in the pictures. The asphalt road surface of the convention actually tests sitting postures a lot; one must constantly pay attention to the folds of the skirt and the placement of the flower bouquets to avoid crushing the props. On-site at CPG08 this time, being able to smoothly shoot these frames was inseparable from the tacit cooperation with the photographer. We looked for suitable backgrounds at the edge of the venue, quickly adjusted postures amidst the bustling crowds, and the whole process, although busy, was also full of fun. The final photo output effect proved that all the hardships were completely worth it; that sense of satisfaction in bringing a virtual character into reality is the greatest charm of comic conventions.