For this red gown look of "Ageless Afterglow," every single step—from custom tailoring to on-site shooting—required meticulous adjustments. To align with Ch'en's formidable, battle-hardened design in Arknights, I put relentless effort into perfecting my posture and presence.
As mentioned in the post, those body curves really took a lot of posing adjustments to dial in. Not only did I need to engage my core, but I also had to balance the dynamic tension of wielding a blade in one hand and a whip in the other. With this high-slit red Qipao cosplay and leather thigh straps, even a slightly sloppy stance would drastically undermine the overall effect. Through continuous test shots, I pinpointed the optimal center of gravity to ensure every pose appeared grounded yet nimble.
The most challenging part during the shoot was holding the weapons. Wielding a long blade in the left hand and a slender whip in the right required visualizing real strike trajectories to freeze static intimidation without actual dynamic swinging. Combined with securing the dragon horns on my head and the warm glow cast by the folding screen and paper lanterns, the entire Ancient Wuxia atmosphere came together instantly.
Striking such expansive, wide martial stances in high heels against a dark backdrop put significant strain on the balls of my feet, but seeing the lighting illuminate the velvet red gown's luster and the harmony between props and background made the physical intensity entirely worthwhile. Additionally, because the camera angle focused primarily on the front, the tail was partially obscured by the stool behind me; although not fully visible in the frame, it remained an integral part of the complete outfit structure.
I strove to embody that "formidable strength" mentioned in the post. Whether through the muscular tension of gripping weapons or the piercing focus in my gaze, my goal was to recreate the calm resolve and decisive edge of Ageless Afterglow, forged through countless battles. Compared to purely sweet styles, this resolute, crisp cosplay aesthetic resonates far more with my personal taste.
During styling tests, I spent a lot of time discussing with the makeup artist how to make the sharp eyeshadow and metallic horn ornaments look natural yet striking under warm lighting. Photographer Syuuji's light control was superb—the rim lighting from the side-backlight pulled the character cleanly away from the background, adding rich depth to the shadows.
I believe bringing a character to life isn't just about dressing alike; the actions must be executed with precision. After all, the character's temperament is the soul, while the costume is the skin—only when fused together does it become true Cosplay. The tension captured in the final shots stems directly from my understanding of the character and repeated practice.
Our costume was specifically designed with red fabric, black trim, and distinctive upper-body cutouts, perfectly aligning with the character's balance of toughness and allure. Although pre-production took considerable effort—such as figuring out the most natural weapon grips and placing the tail smoothly behind the stool—the resulting photos truly delivered the sophisticated luxury of the red-and-black palette. Bringing the vision in my mind to reality brought immense joy.
Post-processing was relatively straightforward, mainly focused on unifying color tones and subduing ambient stray light so that visual focus stayed locked onto the character's movements and the red gown. High-saturation red against a black background easily turns into flat blocks of color, so creating smooth transitions between light and shade was essential.
Wearing this outfit for outdoor shoots or studio shoots yields distinct flavors; the studio's folding screens, floral branches, and scrolls this time resonated deeply with the Ancient Wuxia and combat themes of Ageless Afterglow, making the scenes feel storied yet explosive. Although part of the tail was obscured, it didn't detract from the overall brilliance. I'm very satisfied with the outcome of this piece, which brought Ch'en's gallant, powerful presence to life right in front of the lens.