[Mystia Lorelei Cosplay] The Proprietress of Touhou Mystia's Izakaya Pondered and Came Up with This New Year's Menu

While shooting this set themed around Touhou Mystia's Izakaya, I kept wondering what was going through the proprietress's mind when she finally had some downtime during winter—and sure enough, it turned out to be new recipes.

As a night-sparrow landlady who makes a living by serving food, Mystia Lorelei naturally can't stay idle during the festive New Year season. This time, I tried combining a red-and-white plush winter outfit with festive elements, hoping to showcase her soft yet vibrant winter charm. The costume features a bright red cropped outer robe with white plush trim, which is not only warm but also visually imbued with New Year vitality. The white tights and short skirt underneath preserve the character's nimble and playful traits.

To restore an atmosphere full of lively, everyday warmth, we put a lot of effort into setting up the scene. In the background, we specially constructed straw-woven eaves, with branches hung full of vibrant red lanterns, handwritten Spring Festival couplets, and artfully scattered mandarins and firecrackers. The shiny candied haws and the folding fan painted with red plum blossoms were specially prepared props. Since the lore states that the landlady is a bird—yet of the non-edible variety—when posing with food props and gazing at the red fruits in my hand, I couldn't help but wonder: What flavor would the landlady's signature dish have to be the most alluring?

I personally love this cover photo (Photo 2) very much. I chose a pose holding candied haws while resting my chin gently on my hand, attempting to capture a look of \"secretly plotting during a break in service.\" The warm spotlight cast on my face made the red-and-white color scheme look especially flattering on my complexion while emphasizing the elongation of the white tights and leg lines. Some artificial snow was scattered on the floor, which, combined with the dark background, created a macro-like texture blending warmth and cold that realistically heightened the character's three-dimensional presence.

During this shoot, the photographer excellently mastered the light source positions, using side-backlighting to illuminate the edges of the wings and plush trim, making those fluffy textures stand out clearly. For a small business owner running Touhou Mystia's Izakaya, her daily life ought to be full of busy trivialities interspersed with quirky ideas. Though she often claims to be a gourmand in lore, facing the grand human New Year festivities, her bird head is probably bursting with whimsical imaginations about ingredients and cuisine.

The shot holding cabbage and tomatoes (Photo 4) during the shoot was an improvisation as well; the rough texture of the wooden tray contrasted with the softness of the costume, fitting her game setting of \"searching everywhere for ingredients.\" Within this retro scene woven with warm lights, red lanterns, and Spring Festival couplets, Touhou Mystia's Izakaya felt as if it had truly opened on a snowy night in some parallel universe. In the past, my understanding of Mystia as a Touhou Project character was mostly limited to her singing voice and bird-monster lore, but after putting on this costume and striking these poses, I felt a deeper appreciation for her side as a landlady—that endearing charm of meticulously calculating for livelihood and passion alike. This Traditional Chinese style New Year themed photoshoot fulfilled my long-cherished wish to properly shoot a Touhou character.